From Gwen Ifill to Shoeless Joe

Gwen Ifill is an admirer of Barack Obama.
To prove it, she is about to publish a book titled "The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama."
The man hasn't even won the election yet, and he already has an age named after him.
But that isn't the point. The point is that Ifill, who works at a left-wing network named PBS, is also scheduled to referee Thursday night's debate between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden.
The McCain campaign didn't know about the book.
What, if anything, does this tell us about the McCain campaign?
While we're at it, why don't we revive Shoeless Joe Jackson, measure him for an umpire's uniform and put him behind the plate for the World Series?
You're too young to know, or care, about Shoeless Joe?
I remember him well. Joe Biden and I watched his rise and fall on television.
Shoeless Joe was a great outfielder who seemed destined for the Hall of Fame. But he didn't get there. He was banned from baseball in 1921 for his involvement in the Black Sox scandal of 1919, so named because some of the White Sox players allegedly tried to fix the World Series.
The man who banned Shoeless Joe was baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountiain Landis, which I point out only to show that people had real names in those days.
In any case, take a hard look at any Shoeless Joe memorabilia that may have escaped the clutches of a guy named Simpson.
Here's why. Shoeless Joe didn't have much schooling. He had his wife sign most of the things that are now considered memorabilia. He signed very few things himself. So, the things he did sign are very, very valuable.
Somebody help me out here. I'm trying to remember why I started writing this post
Oh, yes. Here's the thing. Even if you find one of Shoeless Joe's old shoes you won't be able to buy it. As I understand it, you can't get a loan from a bank for anything these days, even a sure thing like Shoeless Joe's old shoe. It has something to do with Barack Obama and his friends pressuring banks to lend money to people who didn't pay back the loans.
I'll be riveted to the tv set on Thursday to see if Ifill has anything to say about that.