The mayor could care less about what people outside of Detroit think about him now,

I think people should be able to contribute as long as it's local. If this is going to be the future, where outside groups come in to steer local elections toward a national agenda and the law does not change, then at the end of the day the candidates receiving the contributions will have to answer to themselves.

It's a very similar process to a university or hospital being accredited. It's a thorough process and normally a department spends about two or three years doing self-assessment making sure it meets the rigorous standards required by CALEA.

[Still, a Detroit News poll out this morning shows Kerry has opened up a 5-point lead among likely voters in Michigan. That's technically within the survey's margin of error,] but it certainly looks good for John Kerry in Michigan, ... none of the above.

I think what the mayor has been able to do since June is focus on the record, why they elected him in the first place.

To be quite honest, I haven't really been paying attention.