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With The Daily Show on hiatus during the writer's strike, it seems the politicians are picking up the slack.

If you haven't yet seen the ACTUAL POLITICAL AD Mike Huckabee filmed with Chuck Norris, you must watch it right now.

I have the Iowa debate on in the background as I write right now and they just asked Barack Obama how, as president, he'll make the break with the past he's been suggesting when he has so many former Clinton administration officials advising him.

Hillary Clinton, in maybe the least dignified possible move, began cackling madly at this question and said into her microphone: "I'd like to hear the answer to that one!"

Obama calmly looked over at her and said: "Don't worry, Hillary - I'm looking forward to having you advise me, too."

You do not want to play the dozens with Obama, Hillary.

And here I thought it couldn't get any stranger than House of M or Infinite Crisis.

The United Nations has teamed with Marvel Comics to produce a comic in which the heroes and the U.N. join together to solve conflicts and fight disease worldwide.

The move's supposed to help the U.N. rehabilitate its somewhat tarnished image -- but I'm not sure that saying: "Hey, if we had some super-powered underwear perverts working with us, we could actually get this stuff done." is the best possible message.

Mark Frauenfelder of BoingBoing points out that one of the songs Hillary Clinton is using on the campaign trail is "When the Lady Smiles" by Dutch rock group Golden Earring.

In the video clip for the song (which, incidentally, has not aged well -- I can't imagine how they choose these songs. Ronald Reagan famously wanted to use "Born in the U.S.A." -- an anthem about how screwed up the country was -- because he thought it sounded patriotic) a nun is raped and a dog eats the attacker's brain. The video was banned from MTV in 1984.

The chances that Clinton knows this -- or is paying much attention at all to what's being played at her rallies and why -- are pretty slim. But it is none-the-less hilarious that Clinton, proud mommy of legislation such as the Family Entertainment Protection Act and constant cultural hall monitor of the "for our children" crusade, is blaring a song by a band whose video MTV thought was too much. In 1984. The same year they broadcast Madonna writhing on the floor in a wedding dress, moaning "Like A Virgin."

John Mellencamp was not, as they say, "down" with presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain using his songs "Our Country" and "Pink Houses" on the campaign trail as he tries to sell his party on his conservative credentials.

Mellencamp is a dyed-in-the-wool leftie who was pulling for John Edwards. His publicist asked of the McCain camp:

“If you’re such a true conservative, why are you playing songs that have a very populist pro-labor message written by a guy who would find no argument if you characterized him as left of center?”

Like Ronald Reagan before him, McCain seems to have wanted to co-opt the music (or its spirit) without actually listening to it. But he's done the gentlemanly thing and stopped using the songs.

Now this is one strange story:

"This could make for one odd family reunion: Barack Obama is a distant cousin of actor Brad Pitt, and Hillary Rodham Clinton is related to Pitt's girlfriend, Angelina Jolie.

Researchers at the New England Historic Genealogical Society found some remarkable family connections for the three presidential candidates -- Democratic rivals Obama and Clinton, and Republican John McCain."

It was a story some time ago that Obama and George W. Bush are 10th cousins. But the researchers have also found that Obama is distantly related to Harry S. Truman, James Madison, Dick Cheney, Gerald Ford, Lyndon Johnson and General Robert E. Lee.

Clinton has a few notable distant relatives herself -- many of them French Canadians. But Jack Kerouac is canceled out by Camilla Parker-Bowles. A connection to Alanis Morissette is less impressive when we learn she's also related to Celine Dion. A connection to Madonna is, at this point in our cultural history, sort of neutral.

Bruce Springsteen is choosing sides:

"Senator Obama, in my view, is head and shoulders above the rest. He has the depth, the reflectiveness, and the resilience to be our next President. He speaks to the America I've envisioned in my music for the past 35 years, a generous nation with a citizenry willing to tackle nuanced and complex problems, a country that's interested in its collective destiny and in the potential of its gathered spirit. A place where "...nobody crowds you, and nobody goes it alone.""

Bruce does misidentify Obama's book "Dreams from My Father" as "Dreams of My Father" in the statement -- but Barack has still got to be psyched to know The Boss thinks he was born to run.

Hillary, who has been blaring The Boss' music at her rallies, less so.

You can't take these things personally and I'm not sure Bruce will ask her to stop, but you've got to feel a little foolish cuing up "Land of Hope and Dreams" when you know the guy singing the song wants your opponent conducting the train.

Head over to our Decision 2008 blog to check out my post from Hillary Clinton's visit to High Point this morning.

You can listen to audio of the speech, see a little video, check out pictures of the crazy Hillarymobile and help me answer the question: Are Hill and The Boss really no longer BFFs?

There are many, many reasons I wish Hunter Thompson hadn't killed himself.

But this campaign is yet another one.

He went out with things looking mighty dark politically -- his prediction John Kerry would oust George W. Bush in the last election was essentially wishful thinking.

God, how he would have loved seeing a black man and a white woman duke it out for the democratic nomination -- and how he would have loved mocking the disaster it's become.

The longer this thing goes the more maddening it is -- and the more I regret that we'll never get his take on it.

The trailer for Gonzo, the new Hunter Thompson documentary out next month, is up now.

It's narrated by Johnny Depp and looks as though it has a deep bench of political figures (Jimmy Carter, Pat Buchanan, George McGovern), celebrities and writers (Tom Wolfe, Jann Wenner, Tim Crouse).

Some great historical footage I'd never seen, too. Looks good.

Seen at the cash register of the Green Bean today:

Barack Obama's on the cover of Rolling Stone again -- this time without "FASHION TIPS FROM PANIC AT THE DISCO!" blaring from beneath or around him. Maybe the best cover shot I've seen of him yet.

In the interview he talks about (among other things) what's on his iPod -- Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Dylan -- and how well he gets along with Jay-Z.

Taking a lesson from John McCain's "Bomb Iran" Beach Boys flap, Obama cannily avoids saying something like "I got 99 problems but Hillary Clinton is no longer one."

Interview here.

Obama's vote on warrant-less wiretaps has infuriated one blogger who decided to channel his rage creatively.