For several weeks, I had been meaning to write on my local lefty-blog in praise of a Republican, Rep. John Culberson of Texas. Yes, I wanted to sing the praises of this proud GOP member to the Georgia Democratic bloggerati, because Culberson was, to put it bluntly, kicking some Democratic butt in new media trailblazing. Perhaps I am just biased about anyone who is as big a fan of the Nokia N95 as I am, but Culberson's use of the handset was defying conventional wisdom that the Left is better at exploiting the internet than the Right.

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In this final video of three, Chris Raissi talks about his falling out with his recruiting chain of command, dealing with post-war stress, and one unceremonious way out of the Corps.  If you missed the first two videos, catch up on part one here, and part two here.

There was no way to do his story justice in a series of short, web-consumable video bites; you got about 12 and a half minutes of the interview while another 80 or so hit the cutting room floor. I didn’t have room to tell you about the times Chris would call home in a sweat with shaking hands — not from Iraq, but from Macon, as he struggled with an NCOIC who was determined to break him and make him leave the Corps because he wouldn’t sell pure, unad...

Former Marine sergeant Christopher Raissi thought it was important for him to speak out as part of Iraq Veterans Against the War, precisely because he does not fit the stereotype that conservative Georgians may have about anti-war protesters. In Part Two of this series, Chris explains how a patriotic suburban kid who chose to enlist became disenchanted with the "Support the Troops" rhetoric. (Watch  Part One here   if you missed it.)

Christopher Raissi isn't your typical anti-war protester.  In fact, he isn't particularly anti-war at all; he's just against this war, in Iraq.  Being against the war doesn't mean he's a liberal; he's a libertarian.  And while he could have gone to college for free, this suburban Atlanta kid decided after 9/11 to enlist in the United States Marines.  He may not think his government is doing its best to faithfully uphold the American way of life our founding fathers envisioned, but he wanted to defend it.  The son of an Iranian immigrant, Chris enlisted to protect the only country that has "the American dream" that made his family's story possible.

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In 2004, Mike Jacobs, with the encouragement and dedicated assistance of his friends in the Young Democrats of Georgia (YDG), was elected to Georgia House of Representatives. This summer, the Young Dems hope to put an abrupt end to his stint in the House.

Jacobs represents the 80th district of Georgia, which is considered a swing district in an otherwise liberal Dekalb County on the northeast side of metro Atlanta. Still, Jacobs and his YDG volunteers managed to pick up the seat for the Democrats in a year that the Republicans wrenched total control of state government from them for the first time in 134 years. The Young Democrats of Atlanta hosted Jacobs as their guest speaker at the December 2004 happy hour as a shining examp...

As the country moves toward an historic moment with the nomination of an African-American presidential candidate, an earlier icon of the civil rights saga is trying to make sure he isn't relegated to the history books just yet.

Congressman John Lewis had a busy Saturday this weekend doing something he hasn't had to do very often in his recent years of service: campaigning for re-nomination. Representing the fifth district of Georgia, centered on the city of Atlanta, Rep. Lewis has not faced primary opposition in the last three elections. This year, he faces two Democratic challengers: a young minister named Markel Hutchins, and state Representative "Able" Mable Thomas.

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