This talk of names sure makes me laugh and think of my momma who had a real aversion to “tacky”. When she started delivering library books to people in the nursing home she met a woman with whom she became fast friends. She talked alot about her new friend Mrs. Reed. After Mrs. Reed died, I was visiting my mother and she asked me to drive her to the cemetery. She wanted to see if “that step daughter” had ever put up a headstone. Well, to my mother’s great relief, she had. But, to my puzzlement I realized by the dates on the headstone that Mrs. Reed was about ten years younger than my mother. To my obvious question of why then would my mother call her Mrs. Reed, her response; “I didn’t call her that to her face but only to people who didn’t know her. I didn’t want them to think she was tacky”. Mrs. Reed’s name was Viola.

Noted at TheModerateVoice.com:

… Biden, who is running for a seventh term, is expected to remain on the November ballot. If Barack Obama wins, Biden will resign his Senate seat. Democratic Governor Ruth Ann Minner would then appoint a replacement to serve until the next general election in 2010.

Biden’s son, Beau, who is state attorney general, is widely-considered to be interested in succeeding his father, but his Delaware National Guard unit is being deployed to Iraq and it is unclear whether he could be named while serving overseas.

Wise word(s) from Mr. Quayle.