It’s hard to keep up with the plethora speakers that attend the Clinton School of Public Service’s Distinguished Speaker’s Series, but there’s a particularly interesting one arriving on Thursday: Postmaster General Jack Potter.  That’s right, the guy that oversees the entire postal operation.

Ever wonder why the stamp rate increases and the post office doesn’t offer a “waiver period” for you to use the old stamps?  Ever wonder why they don’t make 1 cent stamps available as a courtesy when they change the rate?

Maybe you want to know all about the deal they struck with Netflix years back to create the largest online DVD supplier in the world?

Or why Little Rock legend Ron Robinson doesn’t have his own stamp.

Me?  I’m planning on asking why my local Hillcrest post office doesn’t open until 8:30 a.m. and isn’t open on Saturdays.  I’m certain he’ll have an explanation.

All jokes aside, the U.S. Postal Service is a massive government operation that works more efficiently than, arguably, any other government operation.  Find out how and more on Thursday, October 23rd. It’s free.

blakerutherford is my tag if you want to follow online.  I’ll be back here from time to time.

Monday hasn’t proven to be a good day for Republican VP hopeful Sarah Palin. Fresh off the news that she will grant her first television interview to Charles Gibson of ABC News on Thursday, she comments about the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bailout. Unfortunately, she got the issue wrong and, as expected, the media has pounced.

According to this speech on Sept. 6 Palin said that these two companies have “gotten too big and too expensive to the taxpayers.” Well, that would be okay if they were actually funded by the taxpayers, but they’re not. They operate as private companies with a taxpayer guarantee.

Over at the Huffington Post, an entry from Sam Stein at 11:50 a.m. has generated more than 1300 comments.

But former Hillary Clinton communication chief Howard Wolfson, now blogging over at The New Republic, says running against Palin would be a mistake.  He opines, “. . . ultimately voters will make their assessments based on the strength and weaknesses of the top of the tickets.  If anything, Democrats should be talking about McCain-Bush, not McCain-Palin.  Every day we are focused on Palin is a day we are not amplifying the Obama campaign’s message that Senator McCain simply represents four more years of President Bush.”

Ouch.

It’s been 40 years since the tragic death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. John Lyon reminds Arkansans that Jonesboro native Ray Sherman, then a news director for a Memphis radio station, was one of the first journalists on the scene. The Root has comprehensive coverage, including a compelling reflection piece from Marian Wright Edelman and another from Martin Johnson about how King’s death affected black music. Charlie Rose spoke to Tom Brokaw, John Hope Franklin, James Clyburn and Dr. Beverly Tatum. CNN.com has a special web section dedicated to Dr. King. Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post has this op-ed on “Two Black Americas.”

Republican presidential nominee Senator John McCain spoke in Memphis today. However, his remarks were met with boos and interruptions. McCain opposed the creation of a federal holiday honoring Dr. King. Senator Barack Obama made these remarks about Dr. King today in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, but did not travel to Memphis, a decision with which Princeton professor Cornel West strongly disagrees.  Senator Hillary Clinton offered this video on her campaign website.

Taylor Branch, author of the outstanding three-volume series “America in the King Years,” spoke to the Washington Post about King’s challenge. “It was even bigger than race. It was whether we take our national purpose seriously, which is the full promise of equal citizenship,” said Branch who spoke at the Clinton School of Public Service last year.

I’m always reminded of Robert F. Kennedy’s words in Indianapolis, Indiana on the day of King’s death.  Ron Klain has this remembrance of the speech at New York Times.com.

Sewell Chan of the New York Times has a fun read about the 1992 New York Democratic Presidential Primary.

Heading down to Florida for a wedding, so I’ll be off the blog until next Wednesday.

The Politco has an interesting piece on the film “Rendition” in light of Attorney General-nominee Michael Mukasey’s comments about tortue this week. 

Kansas Senator Sam Brownback dropped out of the presidential race.  Today, reports are circulating that he might endorse Rudy Giuliani. 

John Edwards won the endorsement of two unions, the United Steelworkers and the United Mine Workers of America, on Labor Day, the AP reports.

Iowa

Democrats
Hillary Clinton - 28%
Barack Obama - 23%
John Edwards - 20%
Bill Richardson - 13%

Republicans
Mitt Romney - 27%
Rudy Giuliani - 17%
Mike Huckabee - 14%
Fred Thompson - 13%
New Hampshire

Democrats
Hillary Clinton - 37%
Barack Obama - 17%
John Edwards - 14%

Republicans
Mitt Romney - 27%
Rudy Giuliani - 23%
John McCain - 12%
Mike Huckabee - 9%
Fred Thompson - 8%

South Carolina

Democrats
Hillary Clinton - 32%
John Edwards - 24%
Barack Obama - 21%

Republicans
Rudy Giuliani - 26%
Fred Thompson - 21%
John McCain - 12%
Mitt Romney - 9%
Mike Huckabee - 9%

Source:  American Research Group.

That seems to be the buzz on the web.  Today, Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani praised Chertoff according to The Detroit News.  ” Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani suggested Monday before a fundraiser here that President Bush might want to look to Michael Chertoff, whom Giuliani once hired, when seeking a replacement for embattled outgoing Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.”

“The United Transportation Union on Tuesday endorsed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic nomination for president, the first national union endorsement of the 2008 campaign,” reports The Washington Post.

In a rather interesting move, the International Association of Firefighters will endorse Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd.  “The Connecticut senator is an old ally, and authored what’s probably the most important piece of legislation in a decade for the IAFF: The 2000 FIRE Act, which channels federal money to local fire departments,” reports The Politico.