Tim Kaine, Virginia’s lieutenant governor and candidate for the state’s top job, has his first “podcast” promoted heavily on his home page. Problem is, it isn’t a podcast, just a downloadable audio file. Not that I ever liked the word “podcast” (it doesn’t require an iPod and it’s not “cast” in any way I can discern), but the word still has a clearly defined meaning. It’s not a podcast if you can’t subscribe via the RSS feed and, in Kaine’s case, you can’t. This is also the case with several mainstream media figures (Rush Limbaugh lurches to mind) who have launched what they call podcasts. If enough media figures apply the podcast label to simple audio files, will the unique characteristics of podcasting be lost on the public? No wonder the Wonkette dismisses podcasting as just “downloadable audio.”