Now Things Are Getting Really Interesting (That's an Understatement)

Observers predicted this Presidential election would be close. But did anyone think it would get this, what shall we call it, intense? Downright nasty at times? Enough to want to make you just turn off the TV and quit buying the newspaper for a few more Tuesday's until it's all over?

Yesterday's brou-ha-ha over Sinclair Broadcast Group's decision to air an anti-Kerry documentary "Stolen Honor" is joined today by concerns about voter registration fraud linked to the GOP-funded Voters Outreach America. Did some registration workers tear up and throw away the registration forms of Democratic voters and turn in only the forms for Republican voters, as former workers claim? The name of political organizer Nathan Sproul, fourth on Thursday's bursty people list, keeps popping up in connection with the controversy.

And if that's not ALL, how's this for an extra soap-opera-ist twist to your election coverage? "No-Spin Zoner" Bill O'Reilly, 55, has been sued for sexual harassment by one of his show's 33-year-old producers. Legitimate or extortion? Bloggers will no doubt blog about it, you decide...

On another totally unrelated topic, the curious name of "Shel Silverstein Six" tops today's bursty people list. Shel Silverstein is a late children's book author (and one of my personal all-time favorite poets), but Shel Silverstein Six? Seems that a Silverstein poem was posted on numerous blogs commentaring this week's sixth anniversary of the death of gay student Matthew Shepard.

DEBATES ARE OVER: LET THE COUNTDOWN BEGIN: Now that the debates are officialy over, be sure to rely on Intelliseek's Campaign Radar 2004 to follow blog "buzz" about the political scene from now through Nov. 2 and for a week or two beyond.