RNC '08

St. Paul's mayor Chris Coleman has announced that the city will take the advice of its attorney office and drop charges against the journalists, including Democracy Now's Amy Goodman (footage above) that were arrested for (doing their job) "unlawful assembly" during the RNC earlier this month. Per Coleman

This decision reflects the values we have in St. Paul to protect and promote our First Amendment rights to freedom of the press.

It's always good to learn that a bogus charge against you has been dropped. We're still waiting for police to account for the unprovoked smackdowns of two of our photographers.

Already the conventions are speeding away into the past as we hurtle toward this election and learn to speak Palin (we're still trying to sort out how objective media translates into deferential).

However! The RNC only happens every four years (it's going to take us at least that long to recover from last Wednesday night's speech), and how often does one get to attend a party with Henry Kissinger, Charlie Rose, Meghan McCain, and Fred Thompson?

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FBNY took the long way to the CNN Grill today, through the Riverside Center which is doubling as the Press Tent, except unlike Denver this one has actual bathrooms and a steady Internet connection (all the media types have been raving about their work digs here). Along the way we passed Tom Brokaw having a curbside chat with David Gregory and Norah O'Donnell and Mark Whitaker discussing their NYC departure times. This is day 14 of conventioning for a lot of people and folks are getting antsy to get home.

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Peggy Noonan has "topped" her WSJ column with an explanation:

When the segment was over and MSNBC was in commercial, Todd, Murphy and I continued our conversation, talking about the Palin choice overall. We were speaking informally, with some passion -- and into live mics. An audio tape of that conversation was sent, how or by whom I don't know, onto the internet.

In our off-air conversation, I got on the subject of the leaders of the Republican party assuming, now, that whatever the base of the Republican party thinks is what America thinks. I made the case that this is no longer true, that party leaders seem to me stuck in the assumptions of 1988 and 1994, the assumptions that reigned when they were young and coming up. "The first lesson they learned is the one they remember," I said to Todd -- and I'm pretty certain that is a direct quote. But, I argued, that's over, those assumptions are yesterday, the party can no longer assume that its base is utterly in line with the thinking of the American people. And when I said, "It's over!" -- and I said it more than once -- that is what I was referring to.

Gustav may have shut down most of the Republican National Convention, but the Republicans have shut down a Party Favors book reading and signing. Nicole Sexton, co-author with ghostwriter Susan Johnston and the woman whose life has been fictionalized in the book's pages, has been asked to cancel her upcoming events in Minneapolis by one of the biggest players in the Republican party. This Senator Who Shall Remain Nameless (though if you put your spyglasses on, is also a character in the book) seems rather threatened by this "beach read," "chick-lit," work of fiction. If he's even bothered to read it, then the light that authors Sexton and Johnston shed on fundraising and campaign-related tactics must be more natural than fluorescent.

But, as Johnston details in a release sent today announcing the event's cancellation, Sexton no longer has any affiliation with the Republican party, is critical of both sides of the aisle, continually espouses the book's fictional status, and just held a similar signing event in Denver with the Democrats. "Apparently the GOP feels that the book is critical of GOP fundraising and campaign related tactics and therefore a book signing could be embarrassing to the party," Johnston wrote. "Why is the GOP so scared of a book signing? Clearly, they see this book as a threat."

Complete cancellation notice after the jump...

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Per ABC News:

Spears to Palin: 'Hang in There!, XXOO'

Jamie Lynn Spears is showing some love to the latest-most-famous teen mom-to-be: Bristol Palin.

The 17-year-old "Zoey 101" star and new mom sent a gift of $60 pink burp cloths to the pregnant, unwed, 17-year-old daughter of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin — and along with it, a message of teen mom solidarity.

A spokesperson for Petit Tresor, the Los Angeles baby boutique from which the gift was bought, told ABCNews.com that Spears included a card with the package that read "Dear Bristol, Hang in there! XXOO, Jamie Lynn Spears."

The spokesperson confirmed the Plain Mary burp cloths, a popular baby accessory among celebrity parents, were ordered by phone on behalf of Spears.

After eight successful (there's a graph if you don't believe us) months Nick Denton is stepping down as managing editor at Gawker. Think you're up for the job? Here's what he's looking for:

My permanent replacement needs to be plugged into both society gossip and mass culture. (I only faked it, in both regards; I have still never watched a full episode of The Hills.) Above all, the successful candidate will have tabloid-grade news judgment and competitive drive.

ut here's the main reason you should apply. Many magazines and newspapers will wrestle with their transition to the internet over the next few years. They cannot provide secure employment. Not that an internet-only company like Gawker Media can make cast-iron guarantees. But a successful occupant of the position will make a name for themselves and establish their internet credentials. If you're tough and ambitious, this is a great job.

Here's an interesting tidbit, which may or may not be common knowledge to you, but was news to us.

Did you know that the first letter in a television station's call name is decided based on whether the station is east or west of the Mississippi. Everything to the east is a "W" and everything to the west is a "K" (further explanation here). We thought this was fascinating, TVNewser thinks we need to watch more television.

UPDATE: Something else we just learned (that TVNewser didn't already know): Minneapolis is known as the "the first city of the West" and St. Paul is "the last city of the East."