In case you missed it: Political edition

North Carolina: This guy wants to be your next governor.

While you were out rejoicing at the re-opening of neighborhood pools and dousing your charcoal with way too much kerosene to start your Memorial Day grilling efforts, the Libertarian Party held its national convention at the Sheraton hotel in downtown Denver. While I was unable to attend thanks to copious amounts of painting and packing required of yours truly, I managed to catch C-SPAN's coverage of the various events once I put the brushes and boxes away.

Some highlights from the presidential candidates debate held over the weekend:

• Everyone in the Libertarian Party and their disapproving mothers are looking to convince the rabid political base of former LP presidential candidate Ron Paul to join with them to help make sure they don't vote for Barack Obama or John McCain come November. More than a few candidates touted their abilities to win over this bit of the electorate as reasons they should be the party's standard bearer going into the general election.
• Dr. Mary Ruwart, former LP presidential candidate and longtime activist, played the gender card, saying (in so many words) that a lot of female voters will be disaffected when they go to the polls and Hillary Clinton's name doesn't appear on the ballot; thus, Dr. Ruwart is sure to bring millions of new voters into the fold because she, in fact, is a woman.
• LP presidential hopeful George Phillies, best renowned up to this weekend as a big player in the Libertarian Party of Massachusetts, seemed to think that just putting a campaign together makes you more qualified to run for president than anyone else. How many times did he tout the fact that he sends out press releases to thousands of people and media organizations? I've got news for Mr. Phillies, and it goes beyond the fact that he strikes most people in the same way that their weird uncle does: Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., is really good about spreading their message, too. But that doesn't mean I'm voting for Fred Phelps anytime soon.

• Is there anyone who doesn't trust Steve Kubby when he talks about marijuana policy and bringing reform to the Food and Drug Administration?
• If you're in one of the 28 states slated to have the Libertarian ticket listed on your ballot, you have the opportunity to vote for two former Republicans, one of whom (Bob Barr) whose congressional voting record (including being the writer of the Defense of Marriage Act and a major proponent of the war on drugs) should make any Libertarian cringe, or at least something of the magnitude of Obi-Wan Kenobi's response when the planet Alderaan blew up in "Stars Wars." ("...as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened.") A big point during the debate involved noting with subtlety that the goal of the campaign is to bring in new voters and increase the party's prominence (i.e. They don't have a snowball's chance of winning the White House this year or anytime in the next decade); however, it seems that they've taken that mantra as far as it can go, short of drafting Ron Paul to run under their banner, to leach off GOP voters -- most of them, in my estimation, already dismayed at the prospects of a McCain presidency -- who can live with standing alongside pro-lifers and hippies if it means lower taxes and protecting the Second Amendment.
• Wayne Allyn Root should grow his hair out; it's a little too polished and clean, a la Mitt Romney, these days. I've never trusted an oddsmaker without a mullet.