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Got a favorite in the horserace and want to watch him pull ahead, fall back, and take the lead again… maybe.  What you need is an easy way to keep track of the polls.  Of course they might be all wet – like the predictions that Obama was going to take New Hampshire, but watching those lines trending up and down can still engender that thrill of hope or sinking feeling of imminent defeat that makes politics a public drama with a personal stake.

Here are a couple of ways to stay on top of latest polls:

USA TODAY has a nifty little graphic sorted by Democrat and Republican and by national and state polls.

Wikipedia is collecting very detailed information state by state for both parties updated constantly:

Opinion polling for the Republican Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2008

Opinion polling for the Democratic Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2008

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Now that Huckabee has made such a big and unexpected splash, you are going to hear more and more about the tax reform proposal he has endorsed – the "Fair Tax."  Here are a couple of sources if you are interested in delving more deeply into this issue:

The book about the Fair Tax is here on Amazon.com and there are over 1400 reviews of it, some with very in-depth analysis pro and con.

There is a website promoting the Fair Tax.

The Time/CNN blog site of Justin Fox, "The Curious Capitalist," has a post about it along with a lengthy, robust (and amazingly civil) discussion from all angles.

[Please note that neither I nor CE is endorsing Huckabee or the Fair Tax proposal.]

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File under "I Really Am Not Demanding Nearly Enough of Myself" or maybe under "One of the Most Amazing Things I Have Ever Seen" — a blind painter developes a Braille-like painting technique. On YouTube, of course.

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This beautiful YouTube video is called The Price of Salvation: The Life of Christ. It features the life of Christ as conceived by some of the greatest artists over the past 1000 years, wonderfully set to music.

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Download this terrific pro-life song and share with others or download sheet music for performances. "We Want to See the World" by David Burke.

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My wife dragged me off to see the recently released animated Ten Commandments. I will admit that there was a little kicking and screaming. I was looking forward to something with a little more action.

Okay, okay! I will be honest, I liked the film. There were parts that reminded me of Disney's film on the same subject but that was probably because there are only so many ways you can show a burning bush.

The Ten Commandments held closer to the biblical text. That was a relief to the typical re-interpretation by Hollywood of any classic story (biblical or not).

I would recommend that you go and see this film. I would hesitate taking small children to it.

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This is a 29 minute video program concerning the upcoming 40 Days of Prayer and Fasting. You can get more information at www.40daysforlife.com and then view this show here.

This is something that can be done as a parish, family, or individual, and is also an ecumenical effort. About 84 cities in 33 states are involved so far. The 40 Days begin on September 26th.

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Check out CatholicMil's latest, "In God We Trust" song and video on YouTube.

To find out how you can help Catholic military families and the chaplains who serve them, go here.

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Denise Hunnell aka Catholic Mom has asked some very important questions regarding the USCCB's appointment of Kathy Saile as the new Director of Domestic Policy for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

This important and very public post has gone to a woman who was a featured speaker at a 2006 (that ain't all that long ago, folks) WIN conference. Perhaps you don't know what WIN is. Maybe that says something about the company you keep… or don't keep.

WIN claims to be Washington's premier professional, political, and social network dedicated to empowering young, Democratic, pro-choice women.

So what does Kathy Saile's appearance at their conference say about the company she keeps?  What does it say about her views on abortion and other life issues? Along with similar pertinent questions, Denise Hunnell asks Was There No One Else? Other blogs commenting on this include The Cafeteria is Closed, Priestly Pugilist, and Creative Minority Report.

Clearly the bishops have some explaining to do. Actually they have some firing and hiring to do. How about starting with the bureaucrats who made this brilliant selection?  With that thought in mind, who would like to wager that at least one nun who has not worn a habit for 30 years was on the committee that made this choice? Do I hear two habitless nuns? Three?

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They take the kids grocery shopping!  Mom of 6 explains why she is selling the Pokeman cards on eBay.

(No, I didn't mean that grocery shopping with kids was heaven — but it sure can shorten your time in purgatory.)