Excerpts below from the message Steve sent out to his supporters:

"I am grateful for the opportunity my supporters and donors have provided to carry the anti-war message throughout the state over the last six months. I am also pleased that another anti-war candidate, Jonathan Tasini, has done such a fine job of carrying a similar message and assembling a competent and growing campaign team and support network within the progressive elements of the Democratic Party."

"At this time, with one month remaining until the initiation of the all-important petitioning drive to ensure that an anti-war voting option for Democrats will appear on the primary ballot, it is my judgment that the Tasini campaign offers the superior framework for making that ballot line a reality and for delivering votes on September 14th. I have met with Jonathan Tasini to inform him that I respect the sincerity and accomplishments of his campaign, that I will now withdraw from this contest, that I will recommend to my supporters that they turn their efforts towards supporting the important and difficult work that lies ahead for his campaign between now and September, and that I fully endorse him personally in those efforts. Those of you who are registered Democrats are eligible to carry and witness nominating petitions, and I strongly encourage you to do so."

Lots of nice pix from from the Ride for Peace!

Click here to go to the GALLERY

From Roll Call:

Senate Contender Peddling Himself, One Pedal at a Time

By Josh Kurtz, Roll Call Staff

Jonathan Tasini called from Hudson, N.Y., on Monday afternoon. It was day five of his three-week-long bike ride from New York City to Buffalo, and though rain has been raging up and down the East Coast for the past few days, the long-shot Democratic Senate candidate hasn’t felt a drop. Only after he completed Monday’s ride from Kingston to Hudson did the skies open up. “You look at karmic signs, but the rain has not caught up with us,” a happy Tasini said.

From Linda Cronin-Gross at Huffington Post:

In Brooklyn, the Tarnished Fork Award Goes to Hillary

Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats (CBID), arguably Brooklyn's most independent and progressive Democratic club held its 37th annual gala last night and, as usual, honored a number of people and groups. It also gave out what's known as the "Tarnished Fork Award" to the person(s) or group(s) that have most betrayed progressive Democratic values (that's a capital "D," but a small "d" could apply as well).

And this year's tarnished fork award winner is...Senator Hillary Clinton.

Why? One word - Iraq. (more at link )

It's kind of amazing that after voting for this illegal, immoral war, which will run up a massive $2 trillion debt, Mrs. Clinton now accuses the generation who will be stuck with the bill of not appreciating the value of hard work.

According to the NY Post:

"A lot of kids don't know what work is. They think work is a four-letter word," she told a Republican-leaning audience gathered at the annual U.S. Chamber of Commerce convention.