Oh joy. President Obama plans on repealing that childish "don't ask, don't tell" policy that has prevented lesbians and straight-acting/-appearing queer men from serving openly in the U.S. military. "Don't ask don't tell"s genius, enacted by the Clinton administration, lies within the idea that military folk should censor answers or declarations of their sexuality. And who's to blame for this jarring acceptance of homosexuality within the military? Will & Grace, claimed sociologist Melissa Embser-Herbert, author of The U.S. Military's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Policy: A Reference Handbook. "It's the Will and Grace generation," she told the Chronicle. "They've grown up seeing gay people on TV and having friends in 10th-grade come out."

Hey, the debate is back on tonight! John McCain dried his tears and will head over to the University of Mississippi to get reamed by Barack Obama. Exciting stuff, folks! Tonight's topic: foreign policy. Zzzzz, right? But at one of these venues, you'll have have plenty of comfort juice by your side to keep things interesting.

• 2 LIPS Bar & Lounge (1414 Market (at 10th Street): three flat screens, $2 beers, loads of wonks
• Inner Mission, 3349 - 20th Street (at Shotwell)
• The Page (Page and Divisadero): three flatscreens, happy hour specials, snacks
• The Mix, 4086 - 18th Street (at Castro): queers, beers
• 500 Club, 500 Guerrero (at 17th Street): Four flatscreen HDTVs, bar snacks, drink specials, Polaroid photo booth, "a lovely bartender"
• Ten 15 Folsom, 1015 Folsom (at Sixth): special guests Kamala Harris and Leland Yee, hosted by Obama for America
• Kezar Pub, 770 Stanyan (at Waller): official meeting place of the Obama campaign Cole Valley/Upper Haight group
• Everett & Jones, 126 Broadway (at Second Street), Oakland: BBQ, beer

Know of any other watering holes screening tonight's presidential debate? Let us know. We'll update this list throughout the day.

The debate is schedules to start at 5 6 p.m.

Joseph R. Biden Jr., Delaware's longest-serving Senator, gets the nod as Barack Obama's running mate. (You can breathe a sigh of relief, all of you who threatened to fling yourselves from the Golden Gate Bridge if Clinton was picked.)

More importantly, Biden is a Scorpio and Obama is a Leo. We have no idea what that means. But according to the NYT:

Mr. Biden is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and is familiar with foreign leaders and diplomats around the world. Although he initially voted to authorize the war in Iraq — Mr. Obama opposed it from the start — Mr. Biden became a persistent critic of President Bush’s policies in Iraq.

And look at what he can do with his hands. Jazzy.

Current San Francisco Mayor, possible future Governor of California, and still-lost-inside-Siebel's-sugar-walls honeymooner Gavin Newsom is throwing some sort of party at the Denver Democratic National Convention. It's cloyingly called Unconventional 08, molded for "generation Obama" (good grief), and rumor is there will be enough hookers and blow for everyone. (We expect a full report on the shwag grab from Paul Hogarth the moment it ends!)

Oh, and the party's top sponsors? MoveOn, AT&T, and PG&E. Our dear friends, those wacky pinko commie tools, are all in a fuss over it. And rightfully so. Perhaps. Maybe. Whatever. But in the argument over whether or not "clean energy will win over dirty money," all signs point toward the latter. They always do. But what say you?

Update: MoveOn isn't sponsoring Newsom's power party. Some sort of "miscommunication," or whatever.

Found on Battery Street yesterday afternoon. Charming.

God, we're going to have to deal with this Naderian shit until November, aren't we? (Hint: yes.)