I have one Fourth of July tradition. I listen to 1776, the musical with music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards. The performance by Howard da Silva as Benjamin Franklin is timeless. The 1969 Broadway production won three Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The film adaptation is from 1972.

"But, Mr. Adams" is the title of the above number and offers the classic line:

"After all, life is more than sexual combustability."

That is unless you're Mark Sanford. Happy Fourth!

How are you celebrating the nation's 233rd Birthday?

The Office of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has set the electoral calendar for the special election to replace former 10th Congressional District representative Ellen Tauscher who resigned to take an appointment as Undersecretary of Arms Control and International Security in the State Department. The primary is set for September 1st and the general election is November 3rd. The CA-10 encompasses the suburbs of Contra Costa county in the East Bay and stretches into the Sacramento River Delta area covering parts of Alameda, Solano and Sacramento counties.

More from the Contra Costa Times:

Per special election rules, the primary is an open ballot, meaning that all candidates will appear on the same ballot regardless of party affiliation. The top vote-getter in each party plus the nonpartisan candidates will advance to the general election unless one candidate receives in the primary 50 percent plus one vote. If that occurs, the candidate will win the post outright.

The deadline to file petition signatures in lieu of a $1,740 filing fee is Monday, July 6, 2009. There are to date six announced Democratic candidates: Lt. Governor John Garamendi, CA State Senator Mark DeSaulnier, CA State Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan, Attorney Anthony Bothwell, San Francisco City Attorney Investigator Adriel Hampton, and Iraq War veteran Anthony Woods.

John Garamendi is a political institution in the state serving currently as Lt. Governor and previously as Insurance Commissioner. Boasting 34 years of public service, he certainly has the most name recognition of those running. Adriel Hampton and Anthony Woods are both making their first runs for public office. Anthony Woods boasts a very compelling life story. He was raised by a single mother, a West Point graduate with an advanced degree from the Kennedy School of Government, served two tours of duty in Iraq earning two Bronze Stars before being discharge under Don't Ask Don't Tell. At 28, he's the youngest person in the race but he grew up in the CA-10 and knows the district well.

Washington's Farewell Address it's not. The speech is rambling and incoherent, full of meaningless platitudes. Count the number of times she mentions "no more politics as usual." Here's Sarah Palin in her own words:

Hi Alaska, I appreciate speaking directly TO you, the people I serve, as your Governor.

People who know me know that besides faith and family, nothing's more important to me than our beloved Alaska. Serving her people is the greatest honor I could imagine.

I want Alaskans to grasp what can be in store for our state. We were purchased as a territory because a member of President Abe Lincoln's cabinet, William Seward, providentially saw in this great land, vast riches, beauty, strategic placement on the globe, and opportunity. He boldly looked "North to the Future". But he endured such ridicule and mocking for his vision for Alaska, remember the adversaries scoffed, calling this "Seward's Folly". Seward withstood such disdain as he chose the uncomfortable, unconventional, but RIGHT path to secure Alaska, so Alaska could help secure the United States.

Alaska's mission - to contribute to America. We're strategic IN the world as the air crossroads OF the world, as a gatekeeper of the continent. Bold visionaries knew this - Alaska would be part of America's great destiny.

Our destiny to be reached by responsibly developing our natural resources. This land, blessed with clean air, water, wildlife, minerals, AND oil and gas. It's energy! God gave us energy.

So to serve the state is a humbling responsibility, because I know in my soul that Alaska is of such import, for America's security, in our very volatile world. And you know me by now, I promised even four years ago to show MY independence... no more conventional "politics as usual".

And we are doing well! My administration's accomplishments speak for themselves. We work tirelessly for Alaskans.

We aggressively and responsibly develop our resources because they were created to be used to better our world... to HELP people... and we protect the environment and Alaskans (the resource owners) foremost with our policies.

The announcement is stunning as it is abrupt. I did not catch the press conference but glanced at the press reports coming out of Alaska. Here's the report from KTUU-Alaska:

Speculation has swirled for weeks, perhaps months that Palin would not seek re-election in 2010 as she pursues a political career on the national stage. The former vice presidential candidate has long been rumored to be considering a run at the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.

Palin did not address those rumors at the press conference at her Wasilla home, during which she did not take questions from reporters.

Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell will be inaugurated as her successor at the Governor's Picnic at Pioneer Park in Fairbanks on Sunday, July 26, Palin said.

Parnell said he will seek election to the governor's office in 2010. Parnell ran for Congress unsuccessfully against Rep. Don Young in the Republican primary last year.

Palin made the announcement flanked by Parnell and all of her cabinet. She said that recent incidents brought up by national media and the spate of ethics complaints have been taking away from her mission to serve Alaska.

She felt that it would be best to step aside and let Parnell and her cabinet continue. Palin said she discussed the decision with her family, and they were united in their support of her decision to step down.

Palin's impending resignation will no doubt send shockwaves through Alaska's political landscape. Already among the Democrats, Bob Poe has announced he will run, state Sen. Hollis French has started the ball rolling toward a run, and former congressional candidate Ethan Berkowitz said that if he were to run for anything in 2010 it would be for governor.

"With so many fronts that have been left in a state of stagnation while Governor Palin has been pursuing her national goals, I think that it's a good statement on the governor's part that she's recognizing we do need a fulltime governor," Poe said. "She's stepping aside from that, I think that the campaign is obviously going to get much more interesting very quickly and I look forward to the debate and discussing with the future candidates how we can move Alaska forward."

I suspect that there is more news to come. Are there more serious ethics complaints that are yet to surface?

She's not wired? Seriously, please tell me she didn't say that.

Or just not running for reelection. Hearing both...

What are you hearing?

Update [2009-7-3 15:37:21 by Josh Orton]: Resigning. Wow:

Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK), the unsuccessful 2008 nominee of the Republican Party for Vice President, has resigned her office, effective at the end of the month.

A friend sent me an e-mail she received from the Iowa Farm Bureau. Excerpt:

Mary Kay Thatcher, AFBF director of public policy, tells Agriculture Online that Farm Bureau doesn't anticipate the massive climate change bill passed by the House last week to pass the Senate this year.

And the New York Times reported Tuesday that opposition from Farm Bureau and other agricultural groups threatens to kill the bill in the Senate. The Times reports that groups such as AFBF wield greater clout in the Senate, because members there must be protective of an entire state, rather than a small congressional district.

Here are the links to the Agriculture Online piece and the New York Times article.

The American Farm Bureau Federation lobbied members of the U.S. House to vote for Collin Peterson's lousy amendments to the Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy and Security Act but against the bill intended to address climate change.

I have my own problems with the ACES bill, especially the deals made to appease the coal industry and Peterson's colleagues on the House Agriculture Committee. That said, the objections big agribusiness and their Congressional allies have raised against the cap-and-trade approach are off-base and short-sighted.

It wouldn't surprise me if Farm Bureau's vote-counter is correct and the Senate rejects the Waxman-Markey bill for the wrong reasons. Frankly, that might be better than letting senators like Claire McCaskill make this flawed bill even worse.

Quote of the day, from Levi Johnston:

"That was ridiculous," Levi says of the RNC. "I was just like, `Uhhh.' "

I had the same reaction.

From the New York Times:

"Essentially what they are trying to do is create and sustain a productive presence in Helmand Province, including both combat power and civil-engagement capabilities," a senior military officer said.

"This is not simply to remove Taliban influence, but to replace that influence with security operations and reconstruction," the officer said. "It is not simply about killing the enemy, but about protecting the population and improving their lives, which will help prohibit the return of insurgent elements."

That, in a nutshell, is the American mission in Afghanistan. To hold more territory, prevent the enemy from returning so as to allow reconstructive and development efforts to take place and take root. The risk is twofold. One, will the local Afghan population welcome their presence? And two, will the troops be sufficient in number to hold off attacks from the Taliban as they spread further away from the major population centers?

Still, it would be hard to foresee an American exit from Afghanistan before the end of Obama's first term.