The liberal online activist group MoveOn.org is now taking that figurative statement and applying it literally to attack McCain. “A hundred years in Iraq — and you thought no one could be worse than George Bush,” MoveOn says in a new advertisement.

The topics included: the state of the U.S. economy, including high energy and food prices; the progress of military operations in Afghanistan; the plans for extra spending on the war in Iraq; presidential relations with Congress; the decision by former President Jimmy Carter to meet with leaders of the terrorist group Hamas; and Bush’s expectations of how the next president will approach the war on terror.

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James Inhofe of Oklahoma, the top Republican on the Environment and Public Works Committee, said worldwide access to food is declining and prices are skyrocketing because of meddling politicians bureaucrats in Washington who have been afraid of expanding energy supplies.

Current policy that has led to the consumption of more corn as ethanol-based fuel rather than as food “has skewed common sense and has violated the principles of a sound energy policy,” Inhofe said on the Senate floor.

He urged Congress to revisit its December 2007 biofuel mandate and admit that it made a mistake by implementing it, and he said the Environmental Protection Agency should review its statutory options to relieve the impact of the mandate.

The law requires voters to present photo identification at their polling places. Bayh told PBS talk-show host Tavis Smiley that the requirement, which the court supported on a 6-3 vote, will disenfranchise too many minority, disabled and elderly voters.

Bayh rejected the notion that the law is necessary for security reasons. “[I]n the absence of voter fraud, I just don’t see the reasoning for this,” he said.

The president also discussed: trade policy and the Trade Adjustment Assistance program for people who lose jobs as a result of trade deals; business incentives; and America’s entrepreneurial spirit.

Bush also thanked small-business owners for being “dreamers and doers.”

But today is Tax Freedom Day, and the Tax Foundation wants to help you celebrate your freedom from taxation for the rest of the year with a new song. Here’s an excerpt, followed by the video: “I work almost four months a year until I’m finally free. Every penny that I earn they keep ’til April 23.”

The House today debated a “taxpayer assistance” bill that would end the private collection of federal taxes, strengthen taxpayer protections from identity theft and tax fraud, stop federal contractors from using foreign subsidiaries to evade Social Security and other employment taxes, simplify the reporting of cellular telephone taxes, and expand tax help for low-income taxpayers.

Democrats who spoke in favor of the bill included Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, Brad Ellsworth of Indiana and Rahm Emanuel of Illinois.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is trying to attach Obama’s words to Democratic Senate candidates Al Franken of Minnesota and Mark Warner of Virginia. The NRSC issued a video press release that all but dares them to endorse Obama.

The video releases also target Democratic convention “superdelegates” John Kerry of Massachusetts, Mary Landreiu of Louisiana, Mark Udall of Colorado and Tom Udall of New Mexico.