John McCain finally turns to his Senate record defend against attacks on his tech cred; we consider whether MoveOn is a movement or a marketing machine; the newest stars of YouTube seem to be the guys and gals (well, guys, at least) running the presidential campaigns behind the scenes; and an overflowing bucket of other stuff.

(cross posted at The Next Right)

I have been a pretty harsh critic of the RNC and its Internet operations. I have argued for some time that the RNC really doesn't foster a sense of creativity or innovation. While I still maintain that is generally true, I have to admit I really like their latest project - www.barackbook.com.

The idea is very good. Facebook captures the interconnection of people, so how better to demonstrate Obama's connection to some really shady people than a FB parody. It's not quite an exact rip-off of Facebook's profile page, which would have been easy enough to do, but I suspect they were trying to make it different enough that they wouldn't get sued (friggin' lawyers!).

Some might argue that mocking Facebook is a bad move given that FB co-founder Chris Hughes is running my.BarackObama.com. It may call attention to the fact that Obama has attracted some big tech names to his side. I disagree.

I think the message is compelling, and I think the connection between Obama and FB really won't get much traction.

The only real critique I have of the effort is the relative inability to spread it around. I would suggest to Cyrus and company, that they add an option in the upper left to "Add Friends", and provide the opportunity for visitors to virally promote the site. Regular Facebook users would likely click on the link just to see what what's behind it.

A new spot from MoveOn that will become MTV's second ever political ad involves jokey references to STDs and a confusing chicken metaphor -- both things that are big hits with the kids!; an activist group spawned online is pioneering in the cable TV space, using a service that brokers tiny slices of airtime for as little as the cost of a sandwich; the RNC riffs off Facebook to shed some negative attention on Barack Obama's "friends," it we ask if the effort is worth it; and a great deal more, my friends, a great deal more.

We invoke "Fahrenheit 451" to assess Barack Obama's speech in Berlin yesterday; Obama gives a shout-out to the Iranian blogosphere; the McCain campaign launches a new event planning tool and the RNC unveils a fundraising tool bar; a senator from Oklahoma talks about how technology will save the Republic; and much, much more.

A straw poll of attendees at last week's Netroots Nation conference finds that respondents have different priorities for themselves and their president; Ed Cone interviews the Next Right's Jon Henke will DC's new-media-media young conservatives are profiled in the hometown press; Twitter stats reveal which recent conferences generated the most chatter; and much, much more.

Organizers of the Get FISA Right movement turn to the wisdom of Clay Shirky to figure out where to go next; the RNC launches a new collaborative site that, they say, will inform the crafting of the GOP's 2008 party platform; we shine the spotlight on two new web projects designed to open up governing and legislating; and much, much more.

Obama seems disinclined to support a proposal for opening up the VP sausage-making process; the Republican National Committee unveils MeetBarackObama.com; Florida Democrats use inside-the-Beltway video clips to highlight John McCain's dislike for a national disaster insurance fund; Team McCain launches a new video contest focused on "selfless service; the first lady of Iceland and the King of Jordan are blogging, of sorts; and more.

t's Friday, which means it's time for our favorite new political videos the week. From Kosovo minefields to lobbyist lollypops to "fist bumps of hope," we've got it all.

A quick note about the Law of Unintended Consequences in action: A post on Crooks and Liars earlier this afternoon reported that the RNC's Facebook group had surpassed the DNC's group in membership, and the RNC was actively shopping the story around to reporters. The progressive Netroots hit back swiftly.

A Digg-style site lets Obama supporters make suggestions to the campaign; a video of a Young Hillary Clinton; who, exactly, are these online Republicans we hear about?; Click 4 Obama makes a political FreeRice site; Causes posts some big numbers; and the RNC launches a Obama Iraq countdown clock.