Prez Election 2008

First it was John McCain, then Hillary Clinton. It shouldn't be this easy, right?

But here are few tidbits you can find on their HS websites:

Barack Obama graduated in '79 from Punahou School, where he was on the "Varsity A Basketball" state championship team during his senior year and was nicknamed "Barry."

Everyone and their mutha wants to be part of the Barack Obama rally tonight –- including Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Diddy, and Ben Affleck.

But Obama wants this night to be all about him -- as it should -- so he's asking his celeb backers to stay away, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. "There really only needs to be one star in Grant Park," says a source, "and that's Barack." They want the celebs to focus on the inauguration in January -- if that's tonight's outcome, of course.

Obama suspended his campaign on October 23 to fly to Honolulu, Hawaii and visit her. Madelyn was 86.

Barack Obama and his sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, issued the following statement ...

Dude was suspiciously silent about the election at LAX yesterday -- but he was headed to Florida, a major swing state. We doubt it's a coincidence. He was stumping for McCain later that night at a rally in Coral Gables.

The tickets were personalized by the DNC to keep such scalping from happening -- but now some clever people are literally hawking their +1 status on eBay for nearly 400 bones by making you meet them at the venue to get in.

Capitalism at its finest.

Sources tell TMZ the special was pre-taped and will include Sarah Palin and John McCain, as well as Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton in the opening monologue. If you hoped to see Barack Obama on the show, you'll have to settle for a Fred Armisen impersonation. We're told the real BO won't be making an appearance.

The two-hour special will also include repeats of previously aired political sketches --- because Tina Fey as Sarah Palin NEVER gets old!

In the "SNL" skit, McCain and Tina Fey-Palin made it clear: money has been hard to come by for the GOP, forcing them to target QVC as the affordable option to the Obama network blitz.

Ms. Alaska was clueless on Montreal radio station CKOI, as the fake Sarkozy awkwardly talked about his sex life with his wife and his love for the XXX-rated "Nailin' Paylin."

Another cheap Obama Halloween costume -- someone in Chicago thinks they're original. How Midwest.

Hold the phone. It really is Barack Obama, trying to trick or treat in anonymity with one of his daughters. Of course photographers from the "respectable media" backed off when Obama said they got the shot so please let them roam in peace. These guys aren't paparazzi, after all.

Of course, they did not back off.

Let's hope she's not referring to her running mate.

Ashley Todd, the delusional McCain volunteer who falsely claimed she was attacked and carved up by an Obama supporter in Pittsburgh has agreed to enter a probation program.

The 20-year-old college Republican must undergo psychological counseling and remain out of trouble if she wants the despicable incident removed from her record. If she doesn't abide by the terms, Todd could face a two-year stint in jail.

Nothing like getting a perfect stranger to pitch for you in the last inning of the election.

A TMZ staffer got a robocall late the other night from a Mark Linn Baker -- or, as he put it himself on the phone, "You may remember me from 'Perfect Strangers."

McCain's people were curiously unaware of Cousin Larry's involvement, and Baker didn't have any comment. Actually, we just couldn't find him.

The proof is in the pages of the November edition of Everyday w/ Rachael Ray magazine -- in a political party food photo spread that was supposed to be impartial -- but it's not -- and we can prove it!!!

1) The first page of the spread contains two buttons -- the text on the Obama pin is perfectly readable, on the McCain button, John's name is cut off!

2) There are two cups bearing political stickers on the second page of the spread -- the Obama sticker is clearly readable, complete with a link to his website; the McCain cup is turned, so only the letters "McCa" are legible PLUS his website is blurred out of focus.

3) There are two more buttons on page three of the spread! They are both partially cut out of frame ...BUT the Obama pin is clearly identifiable; the way the light hits the McCain button, it's impossible to read.