Stats for the day:

number of members of U.S. Congress, House and Senate.....550

number of pharmaceutical company lobbyists for
members of congress...........750

reason medical drug prices are so high, acc. to
pharmaceutical companies.........cost of research

percentage of money spent on marketing vs
money spent on research.........40%

people who pay for marketing and lobbying.....sick people

#1 most profitable company in San Francisco Bay area......Atlantic Richfield

contributing reason.... soaring gas prices


On the Kerry v-p front, seems a decision announcement is near, although maybe not till next month. No credible new names have emerged recently, except Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack. Our two cents?

Good choices: Richard Gephardt, Bob Graham

Acceptable choices: John Edwards, Bill Richardson, Gov. Ed Rendell of PA

Bad choices: Evan Bayh (too conservative), with Wesley Clark on the cusp because of his loose lips

don't know enough about: Bill Nelson (FLA), Tom Vilsack

We wouldn't mind being surprised by an inspired choice nobody is mentioning, which would be even more interesting in that it would show how disciplined the Kerry people can be in following Kerry's wishes to keep the process quiet, so as not to embarrass worthy possibilities who are passed over.

The problem is finding somebody who can be president, who can bring some electoral votes, who Kerry trusts, whose politics are acceptable, and who isn't drop dead dull. And what do you emphasize in this volatile time---foreign policy (Graham, Clark) or domestic agenda (Gephardt, Edwards)? And if you can't get everything in one person, what do you sacrifice? Do you look at other Senators from eastern states or CA with foreign policy credentials and media presence?

Maybe the most interesting thing to watch is whether the Kerry people have more creative imagination than the media, who haven't come up with a credible new possibility in months.

How about Ralph Nader?

By the way...Bush continues to lead slightly in national polls. Look for that to change quite soon.