I need to issue a correction.

One of the smartest people — and most pleasant public intellectuals — I know is Ted Widmer, who was one of Bill Clinton’s speech writers and was a key aide to Clinton in writing his memoir, My Life.

Ari Melber has just written a great summary just out in the Washington Independent on the surge of concern across the blogosphere about an Obama/Bayh ticket.

Well, not quite. . .but Max Bernstein just launched this Facebook affinity aversion page by the same name. I was signatory #75, but the list is comprised of some of the most powerful progressive bloggers and activists in the United States.

Word has reached me that at Barack Obama’s Hawaii retreat, Evan Bayh‘s chances to find himself the next Democratic VP candidate have moved to better than 50/50. The conflict between Georgia and Russia has been one of several factors that has helped boost his status.

This is a rush transcript of a hard-headed exchange between Nixon Center President Dimitri Simes and former US Ambassador to the United Nations Richard Holbrooke moderated by Margaret Warner. Prior to their conversation, Gwen Ifill engages in a conversation with Russiam Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin.

Some insiders close to Barack Obama tell me that I will hear definitively who the VP choice is before the campaign sends out its “text message” to the nation about who the vacationing candidate decides on. Who knows if they’ll come through. I’d pretty much settle on hearing who Obama definitively does not select.

Dimitri Simes, President of the Nixon Center, will be paired with former Ambassador to the United Nations Richard Holbrooke on the News Hour tonight. Margaret Warner will moderate a discussion that I think may be one of the most hard-hitting encounters framing the Russia-Georgia conflict and its implications for the US, Europe, and NATO.

This is a very interesting show I did yesterday with Warren Olney of KCRW’s “To The Point” which airs across the nation on most top tier national public radio stations.

At 4:56 in this 9 minute clip from Countdown with Keith Olbermann, New America Foundation Geopolitics of Energy Initiative Director Flynt Leverett offers grown-up commentary on the presidential campaign responses to the Georgia-Russia War.