TENNESSEE IS GETTING MORE FRIENDLY to small electric vehicles.

JAMES PETHOKOUKIS: Who’s right? McCain or Gramm?

LOOKS LIKE A GOOD CROWD: A report, with photos, from the pro-Second Amendment rally in Chicago this afternoon.

HMM: ABC News: Obama’s Proposed Tax Hikes Would Hit Blue States Hard.

“SIX SIGMA QUALITY, SIXTH CENTURY VALUES!” IowaHawk looks inside Al Qaeda’s corporate communications.

CAR LUST: A case of stealthy raciness: “In terms of performance, Car & Driver measured the 0-60 sprint in an unbelievable 5.3 seconds–a stunning testament to the combination of traction and turbocharged thrust. For reference, that’s as quick as the Ferrari Testarossa, quicker than a 1980s Corvette, only a tick behind the Lamborghini Countach.” It is not, however, a car that would generally be recognized as racy.

ED MORRISSEY: “One of the most consequential decisions a presidential candidate has to make is that of running mate. It speaks volumes about judgment, and is even more important than the running mate him/herself. What does that say about Barack Obama’s decision to take a close look at Friend of Angelo Chris Dodd? . . . Dodd’s activities sharply contrast with Obama’s supposed commitment to reform and change. Let’s review Dodd’s involvement with Countrywide Mortgage while acting as chair of the Senate Banking Committee, shall we?”

ABC NEWS: Obama’s Iraq Withdrawal Plan May Prove Difficult: U.S. Commanders in Iraq Warn of Security Dangers, See Logistical Nightmare.

More thoughts from Austin Bay.

MORE DUBIOUS JOURNALISM from Palestinian “sources.”

POLITICAL CONTROL: No nobility in stability.

JOHN MCGINNIS: “An obscure government agency will soon decide whether citizens can get hold of information essential to modern democratic decision making. On Monday, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission began to analyze whether to create a safe harbor for prediction markets in the U.S., as these markets would otherwise be hamstrung by the strictures of financial trading laws. The CFTC should create the safe harbor.”

C.A.F.E. STANDARDS: “With the Feds eager to keep raising the bar on CAFE standards, and apparently doing so based on proposed future technologies, General Motors Corp. bluntly told federal regulators not to count on the Chevrolet Volt, or other planned plug-in hybrids, when proposing new rules. GM is maintaining the position that those vehicles will be built in such low numbers through 2015, that they won’t make a significant enough impact on the fleet.”

A KNOXVILLE SLOGAN CONTEST: I vote for #1, though in light of recent political developments #4 looks good, too. . . .

A LOOK AT Obama’s fundraising.

FYI: Mark Steyn is guest-hosting Rush Limbaugh’s show today. He’s soliciting calls on “Slovenian arthouse movies.”

IN THE MAIL: Harry Turtledove’s The Valley-Westside War.

OPEN, CLOSED, AND CONGRESS: Some thoughts on proposals for the political Web.

I SUPPOSE STAKING OUT ON AN ANTHILL ISN’T ALLOWED: You be the judge: what sentence should “Spam King” get?

JIM CRAMER: Drill next to my beach house!

JONATHAN GEWIRTZ ON GRAMM, MCCAIN, AND OBAMA: “Phil Gramm spoke the truth. The economy is in a slow period, but the recession that many of us (including me) anticipated has not happened.” Truth in an election year? Naturally, he must be punished. As one of the commenters notes: “As accurate as Gramm is, I think we can see why he didn’t go far in politics.”

UPDATE: No recession here!

ANOTHER UPDATE: Jonah Goldberg:

Because it’s a peeve of mine, my ears always seem to be catching people talking about how much we need straight talkers in this country who won’t cave to their handlers, won’t spin, won’t poll-test their views. And yet, whenever somebody speaks honestly, down comes the thunder. I think this is a bipartisan phenomenon, by the way.

Indeed.

SUFFERING FROM “Junior Moments” on the campaign trail.

WELL, THAT WAS FAST: New iPhone firmware already unlocked. So why don’t they just sell it that way?

BEWARE: “Scientific evidence has long suggested that moderate drinking offers some protection against heart disease, certain types of stroke and some forms of cancer. But new research shows that stopping drinking — including at moderate levels — may lead to health problems including depression and a reduced capacity of the brain to produce new neurons, a process called neurogenesis.”

TENNESSEE BLOGGERS get fired up.