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But, Sen. Graham, ‘The Damn Thing Tanked'

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican and a lead of the John McCain campaign, was standing next to Spin Row (the area where all the press is, according to a sign sticking on a tree). I asked him who he thinks will win the election. He says, "Well, I know who I want to win the election." I said, "Well, do you think you (guys) will win the election?"

Sen. John Kerry and His Ribs

I just saw John Kerry in the media tent eating barbecue ribs and baked beans. No word, yet, on whether he's washed away the bitter taste of losing to George W. Bush four years ago.

The Wait Begins

The wait begins on the east side of the square, as over one hundred people have already staked their spots to wait for the debate to begin. Workers from the City of Oxford spent the day setting up a screen by courthouse to project the debate.

Anti-Immigrant Man v. Adam Lynch

Tony Young, of Savannah, Tenn., probably in his 60s, was carrying a big sign while marching in circles around the Grove: "Stop immigration." Not "Stop Illegal Immigration," but "Stop Immigration." I walked up and pointed out that we are both children of immigrants. What makes him different from the immigrants that he's rallying against?

Howard Dean on How Obama Improved on HIS Strategy

I ran into Howard Dean, chairman of Democratic Party, in the Grove, being yanked around by his handlers. I pointed out that there are similarities between the way he ran his campaign and the way Obama fashioned his own campaign. I asked him where the two campaigns diverged in their tactics.

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‘Rednecks for Obama': Two of ‘Em, Anyway

OXFORD—Tony Biessman, from Rollo, Mo., 74, co-founded Rednecks for Obama with his beer-drinking buddy Les Spencer. They like Obama so much that they went to Denver to the Democratic Convention and are now parked in chairs on the Ole Miss campus waiting for the debate. Why are these two rednecks for Obama—not the most obvious choice of the Redneck Nation, after all?

To Live and Get Around in Oxford

OXFORD—Walking from the Square to the university, I had heard that the James Meredith contingent was marching toward the Grove. I had hoped to find them so I could take pictures. I walked up University Avenue and stopped at the concrete baricades 200 yards in front of the Ford Center, where the debate will be. Police stopped me and told me the only way for me to enter would be from Sorority Row, which is across campus. Even my debate credentials couldn't get me through this barricade with about 30 Mississippi state troopers vehicles and a SWAT van lined up. Worried that I wasn't going to make it on time, I talked my way into a Memphis taxicab already hauling a pair of lost journalists. One was a writer from Politico; the other was from a Swedish daily newspaper. I knew my way around campus and talked the cab driver into taking us to the Union and showed him how to get there. I'm still looking for the Meredith group, though.

If You're in Jackson, Do We Have A Debate Party for You!

Do we all need a drink after this week, or what!?! Come to the Red Room at Hal & Mal's tonight for a big ole progressive debate-watch party, sponsored by the Jackson Free Press, Lawyers for Obama and the Hinds County Democratic Executive Committee. (We endorsed Obama months ago, so don't whine about us being biased. We're honest.) Starting out, we'll have a serious discussion about voters' rights by a panel (I'm on it with folks from the ACLU, Democratic committee and others), and then it'll devolve into one big ole party as the debate gets going. So join us (even if you're for McCain). (And CNN may be in the house, but we don't know for sure, so don't hold it against us if they're not.) Free admission.

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McCain Declares ‘Hands Down' Debate Victory

CNN Political Ticker:

No Chicken Noises, but Barack Obama Is In Oxford

OXFORD—Forty-six years to the day since the last time James Meredith was barred entry to Ole Miss, presidential candidate Barack Obama is now on the Ole Miss campus. Local Alexis Henderson told Adam Lynch that it's about time the candidates, including the wish-washy Republican John McCain, show up. "Obama is not the type of man to follow after McCain slapping his elbows and making noises like a chicken, but for a while I thought somebody would have to do that," Henderson said.

Adam Lynch Is On the Ground in Oxford; Guard the Buffets!

That's supposed to make me feel better.

JFP reporter and curmudgeon Adam Lynch just called in from Oxford; he was standing next to the Fox News. I was worried that he was waiting for Sean Hannity (he had mentioned in passing earlier in the week that he'd like to punch him.) I asked if that was what he was up to, reminding him that he cannot violate the law while representing the JFP. No, he's not going to punch him, he assured me. "You kind of talked me out off it; chances are, he's not here anyhow," Adam said.

James Meredith's Sister Speaks From Obama-Land

OXFORD—A few hundred feet from the Square, three Obama t-shirt vendors have set up shop in the parking lot of Goolsby's Hair World. A banner proclaims this swath of concrete "Obama-Land." Business appears to be good. I didn't catch any signs of serious competition between them. There's an impressive diversity of shirts on sale--several referencing Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.

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One Protester's Dual Contradictions

OXFORD—Anthony Hervey has it rough with his self-imposed protesting duties for today's debate. Perched underneath the statue of the Confederate soldier on The Square with an 8-foot Mississippi state flag propped on his knee, Hervey is burning up in the afternoon sun. He's already discarded his felt hat and bandana, and he admits that the tight-fitting blue jeans, long-sleeved shirt and black cowboy boots don't make for the breeziest outfit.

Special Interests Meet a Football Atmosphere

OXFORD—Anyone curious about the feel of the University of Mississippi campus just hours before the debate should take a stroll on The Walk of Champions, the path normally traversed by the football team when they march through The Grove to hopeful victory at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Without a doubt, it feels like a football weekend; the crowds gathering in tents throughout the tree-dotted landscape, musicians performing on the Grove stage, the din of excitement in the air. You can feel it.

Politics Makes For Many Bedfellows

OXFORD—As the debate nears, our sleeping conditions are deteriorating. Last night Bryan and I both crashed at the house of a William Winter Institute employee. The scene this morning reminded me of the line in "The Godfather" about "going to the mattresses" when things get really serious:

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