OBAMA MAKES McCAIN LOOK LIKE THE TINY MAN HE'S BECOME

Like I've said before, I admired McCain in 2000 - and can barely stand to listen to him today.

THE "BLINDERS OF THE RIGHT"!

There's a right-wing ad campaign out there called "never find out" that seeks to get John McCain elected by (you guessed it) scaring people into "never finding out" what an Obama Presidency would look like. One of their funnier commercials favorably compares Ronald Reagan's economic principles to McCain's:

Now while I'm fine with the comparison, I'm simply amazed that the creator of this ad doesn't see the problem with this logic. I mean if you seek to compare McCain to Reagan, then you could logically compare Obama's economic plan to Bill Clinton's - and the truth is that Reagan can't hold a candle to Clinton's economic growth over eight years.

As is said in the commercial, Reagan created 14 million jobs during his Presidency, while Clinton created 22 million during his. As Business Week puts it:

Yet despite different fiscal policies, the macroeconomic outcomes were remarkably similar. Under Reagan, lower taxes and a soaring budget deficit produced a growth rate of 3.4%. Under Bill Clinton, higher taxes and a budget surplus generated growth of 3.6%. Throughout both Presidencies, from 1982 to 2000, interest rates fell and the stock market roared. So much for ideology.

There were differences, of course. Under Clinton, unemployment was lower than under Reagan, poverty declined more, and wages rose faster for ordinary workers.

That's right, under Clinton not only did the economy grow at at unprecedented rate, but he actually PAID DOWN the National Debt during his eight years in office. Unlike Reagan, who began a long tradition of Republican "credit card government" topped off with the disastrous Dubya Presidency. Take a look at this graph:
So not only did Reagan run up the debt during his "successful economic plan", he also deregulated enough to experience a $100+ billion-dollar bailout of The Federal Savings and Loan system. Hmmmm... sound familiar?

Nice try guys. Maybe you are better off peddling the "associations" of Obama - rather than trying to sell McCain's pathetic "same as Dubya" economic plan.

WHO WRITES THIS STUFF?

Here's Sarah Palin blasting Democrats for saying they will cut Defense Spending by 25%. But here's the newsflash Sarah, if John McCain plans on keeping (and expanding) the tax cuts he currently proposes, HE'LL be cutting Defense Spending by that much or more too! He said as much last March when confronted with his tax cut plan and current spending:

In fact, if McCain and yourself truly believe you can "balance the budget" by the end of your first term (God forbid) you're going to have to cut Social Security, Medicare, and other vital services to get it done. The days of "No Tax and Spend" are over sweetie - you might as well start getting used to that reality.

REPUBLICANS NEED TO GROW A PAIR

With nothing left to run on but fear, more and more Republicans are dipping their toes into the "lake of bigotry" in an attempt to smear Barack Obama. However, knowing that full-blown, Jesse Helmsian bigotry is unattractive to mainstream America, they've adopted a new tactic by creating thinly-veiled arguments and leaving the question open for racists to answer themselves.

Take for example, this man who showed up to an Obama rally in North Carolina with a poster of Obama in traditional Kenyan clothing, and sporting the words "Wake Up. Change?":

When people ask him repeatedly, "What does your sign mean?" He finally answers, "Now is not the time for a Muslim-leaning President," and tries to regurgitate the phony "Madrasa" story that Fox News floated nearly a year ago.

Another interesting "non-verbal" attempt at attacking Obama comes from an actual McCain Campaign spokesperson on CNN. Watch Michael Goldfarb swallow his tongue when he's asked to clarify his statements on Obama's "anti-Israel" connections:

I must say that as much as I hate full-throated racists, at least they have the balls to let you know where they stand. This "question asking" tactic is a weak attempt to smear an opponent you can't beat on the actual issues that matter.

THE McCAIN CAMPAIGN: A WELL-OILED MACHINE

Is Joe the Plumber jumping ship?

I wonder if McCain will continue his "air quotes" when he concedes his "loss" on Election Day?

UPDATE: Apparently "Joe the Plumber" was contacted by the campaign, and was supposed to appear at the event. Then, after telling John McCain that his favorite supporter would be there - the campaign staff simply NEVER FOLLOWED UP with Joe?!

Again, this is an indication of the type of Presidency John McCain would preside over. Think of all the major disasters he could "never follow up on" too? Wow!

GOP HAS "A LONG HISTORY OF DESPICABLE ADS"

Normally I don't touch anything (video, text, images) that comes from The Daily Kos - just too much baggage. However, because this is an unedited clip from CNN, I'm making an exception. Ed Rollins is a long-time Republican political strategist - most recently for Mike Huckabee - so when he speaks about despicable behavior, he knows what he's talking about.

McCAIN GETS SMACKED BY HIS HERO!

In 1980, Jeff Goodby took thirty-seconds of Ronald Reagan's debate speech and turned it into a now legendary advertisement for the Republican. Goodby later created the highly-popular "Got Milk" ads. Now he's resurrecting Reagan's words in support of change once again - however in support of Barack Obama. It's funny how history repeats itself:

TWO MORE INTERESTING (AND UNEXPECTED) VOTERS FOR OBAMA

First, Charles Fried, who served under the Reagan Administration and was a public supporter of McCain until his selection of Sarah Palin. In short:

This week, Fried announced that he has voted for Obama-Biden by absentee ballot. In his letter to Trevor Potter, the General Counsel to the McCain-Palin campaign, he asked that his name be removed from the several campaign-related committees on which he serves. In that letter, he said that chief among the reasons for his decision "is the choice of Sarah Palin at a time of deep national crisis."

Read the whole piece HERE.

Also, Esquire's John H. Richardson details the reasons to vote against McCain in his newest installment of The Richardson Report:

John McCain is a war hero. He risked his campaign to support the surge. He took a principled stand against torture. These things are extremely admirable. But when it comes to Iraq, it’s scary how often he uses the words "victory" and "honor." Case in point, from a campaign stop in May: "I will never surrender in Iraq. Our American troops will come home with victory and with honor."

True, McCain doesn’t say such things so much anymore. He prefers to focus on Joe the Plumber and on the surge. But the surge is a tactic. The strategy was to roll back rogue states. The strategy was to put the big foot down in Iraq and scare the crap out of the Iranians and the Syrians and Hezbollah.

And that didn’t work out so well. The Iranians are stronger than ever, Hezbollah is practically running Lebanon, and the Bush administration is negotiating a plan for us to leave Iraq with our tail between our legs -- and even that is no guarantee that Iraq will stay peaceful five minutes after we leave. The strategy has failed, and failed spectacularly, but McCain and his cheerleaders on the right are too obsessed with "victory and honor" to admit it.

Read his whole article HERE.

It only proves that while McCain continues to paint Obama as "unprepared" to be President - it's McCain himself who's not ready (or able) to lead.

DUELING COMMERCIALS ON ECONOMY

Obama and McCain have put out very similar ads today while trying to gain support for their economic plans for this country. With over 60% of voters supporting Obama as the superior candidate to "fix the economy", you'd think McCain would concentrate on his own plan - but you'd be wrong. Here's McCain's commercial:

What I still don't understand about McCain is that he is backing (and expanding) the same tax cuts that have gotten us into this mess, and has still not explained how he'd be able to cut spending enough to pay for these increased tax cuts. That's why he's on schedule to raise the National Debt MORE than the "tax and spend liberal" he's running against.

McCain hits Obama on the following points:
1. INCREASED SPENDING - First off, it should be noted that Obama considers himself a "pay as you go" candidate. Which means that if he can't cut enough somewhere else to pay for a program - it's gone. I also find it humorous that McCain would show an impoverished Mother/Daughter during this portion of the voice-over, even though these are the people Obama plans to help - which is why he's been labeled a "re-distributor of wealth" by McCain.

2. TAX OUR ECONOMY DEEPER INTO RECESSION - Again, how has Bush's lower taxes HELPED the economy? And didn't similar taxation HELP Clinton pull the economy out of the recession in the early 1990's? The Clinton and Bush economies are something that most voters can actually remember, which is why I don't think McCain's arguments are gaining any traction.

Now it's Obama's turn. Take a look here:

By using John McCain's own words, Obama's Campaign has shown that even with his own weaknesses on this most vital issue - McCain still chose someone against his better judgment. This is something that even Republican's have brought up over the past several new cycles, and is a potentially devastating blow to McCain - who paints himself as the "experience" and "steady hand" candidate.

The wink at the end is just the icing on the cake.

THINGS LOOK GOOD... DON'T RELAX!

It's actually nice to see the Obama supporters putting this stuff out - and it's funny as hell.

RONALD REAGAN THE "SOCIALIST REDISTRIBUTOR"?

With thanks to a commenter yesterday (Hugh), I researched the history of something called The Earned Income Tax Credit. With all the talk recently about Barack Obama being a "socialist" for wanting to give tax cuts to those who pay no income tax, some have started to realize that we've been doing this for years - and it wasn't even started by those "liberal Democrats".

The Earned Income Tax Credit (or EITC) was enacted in 1975, under Republican President Gerald Ford - however is was greatly expanded by the much-lauded Republican Ronald Reagan in 1986. As Hugh noted, Reagan praised the increase in the EITC as:

"It's the best anti-poverty, the best pro-family, the best job creation measure to come out of Congress."

So how can McCain continue to trumpet his part in the "Reagan Revolution", while railing against the same types of poverty fighting measures that his hero strengthened? Now THAT'S a tough question that needs an answer.

So while David Gergen might have the origins of the EITC wrong, it's nice to see that at least one cable news outlet is mentioning this fact:

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH - MAKE HIM A DEMOCRAT!

Thanks to the JedReport for this Fox News hilarity!

86 YEAR-OLD CHARLES ALEXANDER MEETS BARACK OBAMA

AMAZON SEARCH: "TERRORIST COSTUME" TURNS UP ONE RESULT

I used to use Amazon.com for many of my shopping needs. Because I live nearly 1,000 from my nieces and nephews, Christmas shopping was done almost 100% through Amazon. They were reasonably priced, helpful and efficient - three things that are greatly appreciated around the holidays. Recently though, they've lost some of their appeal. As they grew, their service began to soften and packages would sometimes be several days (if not a week) later than they said it would be. However I still used Amazon for certain items I could not find elsewhere - until today.

This morning it came to my attention that Amazon was selling a Barack Obama mask for Halloween. This alone would be of little significance, but what makes it shocking is just how one could find the mask on their site. As it turns out, if one were to search for a an item by typing in... oh, let's just say: "terrorist costume" - you would receive just ONE RESULT. This one:
As you can see under the "related searches" tag, you could also find this mask by typing in "arab costume" or simply "terrorist". Mind you that these "search tags" aren't created by customers, but rather by employees of Amazon in order to "help" their business. However, once people started to get angry over this - of course Amazon changed their tune.

In fact, one reviewer of the Obama mask claims that the "Tag Suggestions" provided by Amazon included: obama, barack, liar, socialist, costume, dignity, terrorist, creep, marxist.

However, after their "fix", the tag suggestions now read: obama, barack, costume, halloween, mask, president, presidential, hero, candidate.

Needless to say, I expect this kind of partisan crap on political sites, but not from businesses who choose to make their party affiliations part of their "draw". That's why I'll be saying "Thanks, but no thanks," to Amazon.com from here on.

CHUCK HAGEL COMES CLEAN ON PALIN PICK

Republican Senator Chuck Hagel is one of those rare politicians who tells it like it is regardless of party affiliation. The Nebraska native was, in fact, the originator of the Fannie/Freddie regulation bill in 2005 and 2006, that McCain tries to take credit for - even though McCain's campaign manager was paid $15,000 a month (from 2005 to 2008) to fight such regulations. The fact is that McCain and Hagel have been close throughout their time in Congress, and it's been increasingly strange that Hagel has been noncommittal in endorsing his friend for President of the United States.

So it's somewhat less surprising that Hagel would openly criticize McCain's pick for Vice President some eight days before the election:

“I don’t believe she’s qualified to be President of the United States,” Hagel told me. “The first judgment a potential President makes is who their running mate is—and I don’t think John made a very good selection.” He scoffed at McCain’s attempts to portray her as an experienced politician. “To try to make the excuse that she looks out her window and sees Russia—and that she’s commander of the Alaska National Guard.” He added, “There is no question that this candidate is arguably the thinnest-résumé candidate for Vice-President in the history of America.”

How long before Fox News comes down hard on Hagel too? Is it "sexist" when a member of the same political party points out the obvious for all to see?

McCAIN GETS CAUGHT IN A "SEVEN DWARFS" MOMENT

Ever try to name the seven dwarfs from scratch? It's tough. We all start with the easy ones: Happy, Sleepy, Grumpy, Bashful, and Doc. But at some point, you start forgetting which ones you've already said, and which ones are left. Well, on Meet the Press this morning, John McCain had a similar moment trying to name the five Secretaries of State who (aren't named Colin Powell) gave him their endorsement:

For the record, the seven dwarfs are: Sleepy, Grumpy, Bashful, Doc, Happy, Sneezy, and Dopey.

BARACK OBAMA ON "GOOD MORNING AMERICA"

In 2000, I wasn't too excited to vote for Gore - it was more of a hopeful continuation of Bill Clinton's Presidency. In 2004, I was apathetic in voting for Kerry - and would have voted for an old shoe over the prospect of "four more years" of Dubya. But this year, I'll enthusiastically cast my vote for this man:

PEGGY NOONAN ASKED THE QUESTION

Today on "Morning Joe", journalist Peggy Noonan posed the question:

"Should 18 year-old high school seniors have a vote that equals that of a 70 year-old experienced business owner?"

It's funny, because I've recently thought the opposite metric might be more appropriate. That is, should the elderly have a vote that equals that of someone who'll spend the rest of their life dealing with the policies, the Supreme Court picks, and debt of the candidate for President?

Also, should those that believe that the world will end within their lifetime have a vote that equals that of someone who's trying to make the world a better place for future generations?

THE $400 HAIRCUT VS. THE $150,000 WARDROBE

Of Fox News, your skirt is so short - everyone can see your hypocrisy!

WHO IS THE REAL BARACK OBAMA?

For months now, John McCain and his cohorts have been trying to create a mysterious and scary "hidden Obama" by playing up his tenuous associations with, as John McCain called him, "a washed up terrorist" and others - but here's a story about a different kind of Barack Obama.

It comes from (of all places) a Norweigan Newspaper, and concentrates on a simple act of kindness that took place nearly 20 years ago. The translation was done by an English speaking resident of Oslo, and is posted originally at her blog:

Mary lacked money to fly home to Norway – he saved her love

ÅSGÅRDSTRAND (VG): Mary was a newlywed and ready to move to Norway, but was stopped at the airport because she didn’t have enough money for the trip. Then a stranger turned up and paid for her.

Mary Menth Andersen was 31 years old at the time and had just married Norwegian Dag Andersen. She was looking forward to starting a new life in Åsgårdstrand in Vestfold with him. But first she had to get all of her belongings across to Norway. The date was November 2nd, 1988.

At the airport in Miami things were hectic as usual, with long lines at the check-in counters. When it was finally Mary’s turn and she had placed her luggage on the baggage line, she got the message that would crush her bubbling feeling of happiness.

-You’ll have to pay a 103 dollar surcharge if you want to bring both those suitcases to Norway, the man behind the counter said.
Mary had no money. Her new husband had travelled ahead of her to Norway, and she had no one else to call.

-I was completely desperate and tried to think which of my things I could manage without. But I had already made such a careful selection of my most prized possessions, says Mary.

Although she explained the situation to the man behind the counter, he showed no signs of mercy.

-I started to cry, tears were pouring down my face and I had no idea what to do. Then I heard a gentle and friendly voice behind me saying, That’s OK, I’ll pay for her.

Mary turned around to see a tall man whom she had never seen before.
-He had a gentle and kind voice that was still firm and decisive. The first thing I thought was, Who is this man?

Although this happened 20 years ago, Mary still remembers the authority that radiated from the man.

-He was nicely dressed, fashionably dressed with brown leather shoes, a cotton shirt open at the throat and khaki pants, says Mary.

She was thrilled to be able to bring both her suitcases to Norway and assured the stranger that he would get his money back. The man wrote his name and address on a piece of paper that he gave to Mary. She thanked him repeatedly. When she finally walked off towards the security checkpoint, he waved goodbye to her.

The piece of paper said ‘Barack Obama’ and his address in Kansas, which is the state where his mother comes from. Mary carried the slip of paper around in her wallet for years, before it was thrown out.
-He was my knight in shining armor, says Mary, smiling.

She paid the 103 dollars back to Obama the day after she arrived in Norway. At that time he had just finished his job as a poorly paid community worker* in Chicago, and had started his law studies at prestigious Harvard university.

In the spring of 2006 Mary’s parents had heard that Obama was considering a run for president, but that he had still not decided. They chose to write a letter in which they told him that he would receive their votes. At the same time, they thanked Obama for helping their daughter 18 years earlier.

In a letter to Mary’s parents dated May 4th, 2006 and stamped ‘United States Senate, Washington DC’, Barack Obama writes**:
"I want to thank you for the lovely things you wrote about me and for reminding me of what happened at Miami airport. I’m happy I could help back then, and I’m delighted to hear that your daughter is happy in Norway. Please send her my best wishes. Sincerely, Barack Obama, United States Senator."

The parents sent the letter on to Mary.

This week VG met her and her husband in the café that she runs with her friend Lisbeth Tollefsrud in Åsgårdstrand.

-It’s amazing to think that the man who helped me 20 years ago may now become the next US president, says Mary delightedly.
She has already voted for Obama. She recently donated 100 dollars to his campaign.

She often tells the story from Miami airport, both when race issues are raised and when the conversation turns to the presidential elections.
-I sincerely hope the Americans will see reason and understand that Obama means change, says Mary.

And here she is with her husband and the letter.

This story has absolutely nothing to do with Barack Obama's policies, his profession, or his outlook or world view - but it does speak volumes about him anyway. Also, it apparently originates from a National Enquirer-esque source in Norway - but does feature photos of those involved. Also, Snopes and others like it have yet to disprove the story - so why not post it.

It should be noted that in 1988, Obama was a 27 year-old who'd just finished a three-year, $10,000/year community organizing gig in Chicago, and was just about to attend Harvard University on scholarships and student loans.

CONSERVATIVES VOTING FOR OBAMA?

When Barack Obama opens up a nine point lead in Fox News' own Presidential Poll, you know there's more than a few conservatives choosing the Democrat in this election. This is further mirrored by the public endorsements from such formerly staunch GOP'ers like Colin Powell, Christopher Buckley, and Ken Adelman. Now comes a website created by filmmaker Eric Hirshberg, who saw a shift from the conservatives in his life, and decided to document the rationale behind their switch.

This four-minute "teaser" is an interesting mix of young and old, male and female, as well as the various opinions behind their newfound support of Obama:

The website is called conservativesforchange.com, and has longer interviews with each of the participants. It might not change anyone's mind, but it's definitely an interesting read.

PALIN'S WARDROBE BILL SINCE McCAIN SELECTION? HOW ABOUT $150,000!

Sarah Palin has been the Republican Vice Presidential candidate for roughly seven weeks now, and during that time the campaign has spent a whopping $150,000 to make her look... uh, presidential? However this flies in the face of her "Joe Six-Pack", "Wasilla Main Street" persona, and comes at a time when the average American is experiencing anxiety over a struggling economy.

It's also funny that Republicans have been on record in the past for ridiculing John Edwards and Hillary Clinton for his $400 haircuts, and her $3,000 "styling sessions".

Just for juxtaposition, I thought I'd include this photo of Barack Obama from March of this year:
The photographer, Callie Shell, has an amazing photo gallery of candid Barack Obama shots. Her description of the above photo is:

"Senator Obama was doing press interviews by telephone in a holding room between events. Sometime later as he was getting ready to begin his event, he asked me if I was photographing his shoes. When I said yes, he told me that he had already had them resoled once since he entered the race a year earlier."

Oh, and did I mention that McCain wears $520 Italian loafers?

MORE "JOHN McCAIN 2008" VS. "JOHN McCAIN 2000"

First off, here's McCain's newest ad featuring a range of people saying "I'm Joe the Plumber", and railing against Obama's "spread the wealth around" comment:

First off, I'd love for the McCain campaign to list the incomes of the people featured in this advertisement. After all, we're taking only about the people who make $250,000 a year and more.

Again, the whole point of the "spread the wealth" comment is to tax the richest American's 4% more than they currently are, by returning to the rate it was under Bill Clinton. Oh, if only we had a voice of reason from the year 2000 to put this all into perspective? I know, why don't we ask John McCain from the year 2000?

Mind you that when this comment was made by McCain, the rich were actually paying the rate that Barack Obama is currently proposing. McCain rebuts the "socialism" argument from the young woman by saying that:

"Here's what I really believe, that when you are - reach a certain level of comfort, there's nothing wrong with paying somewhat more."

It's just one more example of how far McCain has sunk in my eyes. After The Daily Show ran this clip, John Stewart summed up the segment by stating:

"That, of course, was the late socialist leader John McCain. I believe he passed away during the Reepublican Primaries. He will be missed."

Amen.

SARAH PALIN COMES FACE-TO-FACE WITH THE PAIN TRAIN!

For those of you who may have missed it, Terry Tate: Office Linebacker is one of the funniest viral concepts ever. He first debuted in a short film by Rawson Marshall Thurber, and then was optioned by Reebok for a series of hilarious commercials a few years ago. Now he's taking on Sarah Palin in a slick piece of greenscreenery:

You can see original Terry Tate pieces HERE, HERE, and HERE. Warning: NSFW if your boss frowns on hearing a loud man yell "bitch" repeatedly.

I'D LOVE TO LAUGH - BUT THIS IS JUST SAD

Earlier this week, 76 year-old Democratic Congressman John Murtha stuck his foot so far down his throat, it him several days to remove it and apologize. The comments were made in a weird attempt to explain the "soft support" for Barack Obama in his Pennsylvania district. For those who don't know, here's a portion of what Murtha said:

"There is no question that western Pennsylvania is a racist area."

Today, 72 year-old John McCain sought to exploit this statement for his own benefit - but something got lost in the translation. Take a look:

Check please!

THE DAILY SHOW TRAVELS TO WASILLA, ALASKA

I found the interview with the current Wasilla mayor particularly interesting:

JOE KLEIN NOT ALLOWED ON McCAIN JET - MUSLIM McCAIN SUPPORTER NOT ALLOWED TO SPEAK TO CNN

There's some strange stuff going on in the McCain Campaign. Time Magazine's Joe Klein has been denied access to McCain's (and Palin's) jet. Klein, who has been critical of the candidate, says he has never before been denied access to a candidate like this:

"I’ve done nine presidential campaigns and this is the first time this has ever happened to me,” Klein said. “I was even allowed—I won’t say welcomed—on the Clinton plane in the summer of 1996 after I was revealed as the author of Primary Colors."

Similarly, journalist Maureen Dowd has told media outlets that she has been "banned" for "the foreseeable future" even though other reporters from her paper still have access.

In another, seemingly weirder situation, a muslim McCain delegate was not allowed by the campaign to speak with CNN's Rick Sanchez, even though he was set for the hero treatment by the news anchor. In the previous hour, Sanchez had featured a video where the delegate confronted a McCain/Palin supporter claiming Obama had Islamic (and Communist) ties, and shamed the man into leaving.

As you can see, Sanchez is clearly dumbfounded by the circumstances:

Since the McCain camp seems to be keen on labeling Obama as a "socialist" - maybe McCain should get the "fascist" tag for his attacks against the freedom of the press and free speech from his supporters?

THE MOST UNLIKELY OBAMA VOTER?

Ken Adelman is a 62 year-old lifelong Republican who's worked for Gerald Ford, Donald Rumsfeld, Ronald Reagan, and even the ultra-conservative Project for the New American Century. But in two weeks, he'll be doing the previously unthinkable, he'll be casting his vote for Barack Obama.

His reasons are a stinging indictment of John McCain's judgment as a candidate for the Presidency, and it's beginning to feel like there's a wave of these conservatives who don't like what they see from their party's nominee. In an email exchange with a reporter from the New Yorker, he asks himself rhetorically:

"Why so, since my views align a lot more with McCain’s than with Obama’s? And since I truly dread the notion of a Democratic president, Democratic House, and hugely Democratic Senate?

Primarily for two reasons, those of temperament and of judgment.

When the economic crisis broke, I found John McCain bouncing all over the place. In those first few crisis days, he was impetuous, inconsistent, and imprudent; ending up just plain weird. Having worked with Ronald Reagan for seven years, and been with him in his critical three summits with Gorbachev, I’ve concluded that that’s no way a president can act under pressure.

Second is judgment. The most important decision John McCain made in his long campaign was deciding on a running mate.

That decision showed appalling lack of judgment. Not only is Sarah Palin not close to being acceptable in high office—I would not have hired her for even a mid-level post in the arms-control agency. But that selection contradicted McCain’s main two, and best two, themes for his campaign—Country First, and experience counts. Neither can he credibly claim, post-Palin pick.

I sure hope Obama is more open, centrist, sensible—dare I say, Clintonesque—than his liberal record indicates, than his cooperation with Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid portends. If not, I will be even more startled by my vote than I am now."

It might not be a glowing endorsement of Barack Obama - but it speaks volumes coming from a man who'd obviously love to support his party, but simply can't.

HOLY CRAP! McCAIN IS THE PENGUIN!?

About three weeks ago, I posted about the similarity between John McCain and Burgess Meredith's interpretation of "The Penguin". In fact, I even ended that comparison with the words:

Does this mean that Barack Obama is Batman?

Now comes this piece of video from the original series where the Joker and Batman have a televised debate in front of Gotham City. See if you can spot the Maverick:

NEWSPAPER ENDORSEMENTS - OBAMA IN A LANDSLIDE

Thank goodness the McCain Campaign launched it's "media hating" ways a few weeks ago - otherwise they'd be hard-pressed to explain why Obama leads in newspaper endorsements 112 to 39. Some of the more interesting ones:

- Since 1960, the Houston Chronicle has endorsed 11 Republicans and 2 Democrats. Obama joins their 1964 endorsement of Lydon Johnson.

- There's no more "red state" than Utah - and yet the Salt Lake Tribune endorsed Obama. Their headline: A Simple Choice: The Nation Needs Barack Obama in the White House.

- The New York Daily News, who went for Bush in 2004, endorsed Obama by saying, "He has the promise to renew America at home and abroad."

- In the 161 years of the Chicago Tribune, they'd never endorsed a Democratic nominee for President of the United States. Well all things must come to an end, right?

If you take into account the total circulation of the endorsing papers, Obama holds well over a 3-1 edge: 13,379,642 to 3,718,959.

VOTER REGISTRATION FRAUD VS. VOTER PURGING

Fox News is still frothing at the mouth over ACORN and it's perceived attempts to affect an election. However, without proof of how these multiple registrants planned on voting more than once, at most we're talking about voter registration fraud. Many are discussing the "problem" with college students registering twice in two locations, but the fact that it's perfectly legal alludes them. It's VOTING in both locations that's illegal.

A more serious problem, in my opinion, is the process of voter purging - or removing legal voters from election rolls. These "purges" affected thousands of Florida voters in the 2000 Presidential Election, and are continuing this year as well. Here's a CBS News report on the purges taking place this year:

If Republicans truly want to fight for the "one person, one vote" standard, this "purging" of people who have, in some cases, been registered for years is a scary proposition.

THESE ARE THE VOTERS WHO KILL ME

Look, I can take people voting for McCain because they truly believe that he would be better for the country. If you still believe that the road to prosperity is paved with making the rich even richer and hoping that some jobs and loose change floats down to you, that's okay.

But these people who simply believe that "The Lord" is on one side of the American political system truly make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Bush claims to be a man of faith, and yet that same "faith" led him to misjudge Iraq, Afghanistan, Vladimir Putin, Iran, North Korea, the economy, and just about everything else in the last eight years.

Now we get to hear from people like Tracy Kerlee that having a President with the last name "Obama" scares her? Bravo Tracy... you'd make Susan B. Anthony proud!

NOW HERE'S SOME REAL VOTER FRAUD!

I woke up this morning to read this:

Signature-gatherer arrested in voter fraud

ONTARIO, Calif.—The owner of a signature-gathering firm has been arrested on suspicion of voter registration fraud, authorities said Sunday.

Mark Anthony Jacoby, who owns the firm Young Political Majors, is accused of registering himself to vote twice— in 2006 and in 2007— using the address of a childhood home in Los Angeles where he no longer lived.

The Secretary of State's Office said Jacoby used the address to meet a state requirement that signature-gatherers sign a declaration stating that they are either registered to vote in California or are eligible to do so.

Unlike the ACORN shenanigans, this guy was registering HIMSELF twice, at two different addresses, which would allow him to vote multiple times - and here's why you never hear about this on Fox News:

Earlier this year, dozens of voters accused YPM, which had been hired by the California Republican Party, of tricking them into registering as Republicans. The voters said they thought they were signing a petition calling for stiffer penalties for child molesters.

So here's a guy signing up TWICE, and tricking people into registering as Republicans - and for those who would say that this is an isolated event, this guy's activities stretch across the country and back as far as three years:

In 2005, Massachusetts voters made a similar complaint.

They said a signature-gathering firm that Jacoby was working for as a subcontractor—Arno Political Consultants— duped them into signing an anti-gay marriage petition when they were told they were signing a ballot question about the sale of wine in grocery stores.

One signature-gatherer told a state hearing that Jacoby had personally trained her in the bait-and-switch tactic.

Again, I would love to see if Fox News will touch this story - but I won't hold my breath.

WOW! THE GOP CAN'T EVEN GET THEIR ANALOGIES TO WORK OUT RIGHT

BUSH AND McCAIN: WHERE'S THE DIFFERENCE?

The Service Employees International Union created this ingenious little ad about Bush and McCain. The rotating graphical which turns from a "W" to an "M" is a nice touch:

McCAIN AIDE SAYS "REAL VIRGINIA" IS WHERE HER CANDIDATE IS WINNING

First it was Sarah Palin explaining that "real America" is where she likes to visit. Now McCain adviser Nancy Pfotenhauer explains that Northern Virginia is not the "real Virginia"?

Again, these idiots talk about bringing "change" to Washington and "reaching across the aisle" to avoid partisan politics, yet they can't even hide their disdain for urban areas where Democrats live?

I'M WITH THIS GUY...

Yeah. No "Baby-Murdering Muslims for President"! Thank Jesus those Christians, Barack Obama or John McCain, are nearly assured of winning the White House over that wacky candidate from the Islamic Infanticide Party.

Wait, does "baby-murdering" need to by hyphenated? And what's up with the double exclamation marks on both sides of "against"?

"JOE THE PLUMBER" AND "JOE SIX PACK" WOULD BE "JOE UNEMPLOYED" UNDER McCAIN

Under George W. Bush's economy, the number of jobs created will probably end somewhere south of five million during his eight years in office. Take into account the United States' exploding population, and we're actually going BACKWARDS in job creation. Under Bill Clinton's eight years, there were 22 million jobs created. That 22 million is more than Reagan, Bush (41) and Bush (43) COMBINED. Yet McCain promises to keep the same failed "trickle down" methods that have proven to adversely affect the working class in this country.

Now John McCain is trying to connect with "Joe the Plumber" even though he failed to utter the words "middle class" in ANY of his three Presidential Debates? Give me a break.

The problem is that many "Joe Six Packs" are simply buying into the idea that the American Dream is being threatened by Barack Obama's tax plan. They perceive themselves (like Joe Wurzelbacher himself) as one day making that magical $250,000 a year, and then being unfairly taxed in order to give money to those who haven't worked as hard. Meanwhile, Wurzelbacher himself only makes approximately $40,000 a year (and the business he plans to buy has an annual revenue of $100,000), while several hedge fund managers raked in more than THREE BILLION DOLLARS last year for simply betting against American companies.

Now many are saying that the "actual numbers" about Wurzelbacher's situation doesn't matter, and that he's simply a "symbol" of the common man. But it does matter because he's not an accurate symbol of the people who would be affected. Wurzelbacher owes back taxes, he lives in a modest home, and takes care of his father - and it's plain to see that he'd actually benefit more under an Obama Presidency than McCain's. And even if his business did generate the $280,000 of income he said it would, the $30,000 that would be taxed at 39% instead of 36% would still have him coming out ahead under Obama:

Analysts calculated that the extra tax would amount to $900, which would likely be more than offset by separate provisions of Obama’s plan: a 50 percent tax credit for health care and elimination of the capital gains tax for small businesses.

If the recent Wall Street crisis should have taught us anything, it's that the deck is stacked against the average (and above average) workers in this nation. To put it in perspective, 2007 saw the greatest inequity in wealth distribution in recent memory. According to the Jared Bernstein, a a senior fellow at the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, only one other year (since 1913) saw this kind of massive discrepancy - 1928, the year before the stock market crash.

The wealth that's currently being concentrated in fewer and fewer hands draws an eerie parallel to The Great Depression. Here's what Warren Eccles, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1934 to 1948, said about the causes of the financial disaster in the 1920s and 30s:

"As mass production has to be accompanied by mass consumption, mass consumption, in turn, implies a distribution of wealth -- not of existing wealth, but of wealth as it is currently produced -- to provide men with buying power equal to the amount of goods and services offered by the nation's economic machinery. Instead of achieving that kind of distribution, a giant suction pump had by 1929-30 drawn into a few hands an increasing portion of currently produced wealth. This served them as capital accumulations. But by taking purchasing power out of the hands of mass consumers, the savers denied to themselves the kind of effective demand for their products that would justify a reinvestment of their capital accumulations in new plants. In consequence, as in a poker game where the chips were concentrated in fewer and fewer hands, the other fellows could stay in the game only by borrowing. When their credit ran out, the game stopped."

The bottom line? You can make a product, but if there's no one with the money to buy it - the economic engine that's fuels a company's profits simply stalls. Henry Ford understood this idea of "taking care" of workers in his plants, which is why he doubled his day-rate for weary assembly line employees in early 1914. In his words:

“We believe in making 20,000 men prosperous and contented rather than follow the plan of making a few slave drivers in our establishment millionaires.”

This, in turn, created an Army of dedicated workers as well as thousands of additional customers who could finally afford to purchase the cars they built every day. This "bottom up" economic system is what Obama (and other Democrats) have been preaching for years. After all, when the masses are able to spend money, everybody wins. In fact, to this day the Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) is one of the earliest indicators of an economic downturn. Here's a chart detailing the CCI from 1997 to 2007:
Should it surprise anyone that the peak levels (above 140) started to fall shortly after George W. Bush "won" the election in 2000? It's also amazing that since July 2007 (the last date on the chart) we've steadily dropped to a current level of 59.8.

As a final insult to the "Joe the Plumber" saga - it's clear that, in this current credit tightening, Joe is many years away from buying the small business he spoke of to Barack Obama. And with his fellow American's being forced to tighten their belts as well, he can kiss many of those expensive kitchen and bathroom remodels goodbye too. It's a pretty simple equation: small businesses need customers to stay alive, and customers need money to feed those small business owners. Is helping the rich keep more and more of their money worth it if it suffocates the American Dream for the rest of the nation?

Economics is a vast and confusing study, but can't we all agree that the Clinton years were beneficial for Wall Street and Main Street alike? I guess to some more focused on the hysterical cries of "socialism", it doesn't matter. So until they come around, Joe and other lower income Republicans can feel good voting for a guy who's wife made 4.3 million last year, owns eight houses, thirteen cars, and pays attention to them only when it's time to make a "Hail Mary pass" for the White House.

ENOUGH WITH THE DISTORTIONS

"Look, I've got two daughters -- 9 years old and 6 years old. I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals, but if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby."

This has been a favorite quote of Barack Obama's for Sarah Palin, gobs of right-wing talking heads, and now even Robert Novak when bringing up the sensitive topic of abortion. The "punished with a baby" line sounds terrible to the ears of conservatives and liberals alike. But just like most of the things attributed to Obama, it just simply isn't true in the way it parroted by these folks.

Novak himself used the quote in today's Chicago Sun Times. Even worse, he claims to have been in attendance when Obama spoke last March 29th, and used to controversial phrase. But he wasn't addressing abortion (as Novak implies) but was rather discussing the role of sex education. Here's how the whole quote played out:

So when it comes specifically to HIV/AIDS, the most important prevention is education, which should include -- which should include abstinence education and teaching the children -- teaching children, you know, that sex is not something casual. But it should also include -- it should also include other, you know, information about contraception because, look, I've got two daughters, 9 years old and 6 years old. I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals.

But if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby. I don't want them punished with an STD at the age of 16. You know, so it doesn't make sense to not give them information. You still want to teach them the morals and the values to make good decisions.

So as you can see, Obama is actually preaching right-wing talking points about the importance of abstinence, and that sex shouldn't be considered something casual. However, he's also mentioning that information about contraception is important too. Therefore the "mistake" he speaks of is that one of his daughters might choose to have sex at a young age - but by having the proper information and using contraception it's his hope that they wouldn't get pregnant and further compound the situation.

Get it? The contraception prevents the "punishment" of having a baby. It's not about abortion at all. He even further clarifies his point by mentioning that they shouldn't be "punished with an STD", but that rarely get a mention by right-wingers looking to take things out of context.

The funny thing is that this kind of "selective quoting" is the stuff that Michael Moore, Media Matters, and even the mainstream media are vilified for by the right. And yet they perpetrate the same egregious tactics again and again.

So shame on people for, once again, using a rational statement in an attempt to make Barack Obama into some "radical figure", but especially on Robert Novak himself who, if he was indeed there, was most likely asleep when the Illinois Senator was speaking.

ACCCORDING TO SARAH PALIN, I DON'T LIVE IN "REAL AMERCIA" AND AM "ANTI-AMERICAN"?

Yesterday Sarah Palin gave a stump speech in North Carolina in which she said this:

"We believe that the best of America is not all in Washington, D.C. We believe" -- here the audience interrupted Palin with applause and cheers -- "We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America, being here with all of you hard working very patriotic, um, very, um, pro-America areas of this great nation.

This is where we find the kindness and the goodness and the courage of everyday Americans. Those who are running our factories and teaching our kids and growing our food and are fighting our wars for us. Those who are protecting us in uniform. Those who are protecting the virtues of freedom."

Seeing that I live in the greater Los Angeles area, I can therefore assume I don't reside in one of these "wonderful little pockets" Palin speaks of. It's great to know that if she became Vice President (or God forbid [gulp] President) she'd not only be partisan against Democrats... but regionally partisan as well? Oh yeah, and apparently factory workers and teachers in urban areas are exempt from Palin's "good vibes" too.

John McCain (and others) have expressed outrage for some t-shirts that, shall we say, don't speak highly of Sarah Palin. But if she's got the balls to tell some Americans that they're somehow "fake" and "anti-American" due to where they live in the UNITED States, shouldn't she expect the ire of those people? In other words, if the t-shirt slogan fits - wear it.

JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT CONSERVATIVES COULD SINK NO FURTHER... THERE'S THIS

National Review writer Ed Whelan smears Barack Obama's deceased mother by blindly speculating that she "very possibly" would have aborted her son, had it been legal at the time:

Nearly 48 years ago, a young woman, not yet 18, became pregnant in her freshman year of college. Living in a time and place in which abortion was generally illegal, she proceeded to marry the father of her child and gave birth to a son. Perhaps she would have done so irrespective of the abortion laws at the time, even if, say, she lived in a legal culture that celebrated abortion as a fundamental right. Very possibly not. (I haven't found any statistics on the percentage of pregnant college freshmen who abort their pregnancies, but indirect indications suggest that it's very high.)

Barack Obama may actually believe, as he stated yesterday, that Roe v. Wade "was rightly decided." But it may be very lucky for him, as the son born of that woman, that it hadn't been decided a dozen or so years earlier.

I particularly love his admission that he doesn't have any statistics to support his theory about college freshmen, but "indirect indications suggest that it's very high," as if every female college freshman approaches this decision the same way. Also, just what in the hell are "indirect indications"? Is that anything like Dubya's trusting his "gut"? Is there any journalistic integrity anymore?

I sincerely don't understand these scumbags. It's entirely possible to make pro-life arguments from any number of angles. But to tastelessly imply that Obama is "lucky" to be alive due to the fact that his mother got pregnant before Rowe vs. Wade is something that makes my skin crawl.

The fact that this creep was a law clerk for a Supreme Court Justice and is currently the President of something called the Ethics and Public Policy Center is even creepier. I can only assume he thinks this argument is ethical, even though it flies in the face of the definition of the word.

THANKS TO HUFFINGTON POST

JOHN McCAIN'S NEWEST COMMERCIAL

Here's one called "Fight":

This is typical McCain. No details whatsoever! Pay attention to the McCain Plan:

• "Your savings? We'll rebuild them."
• "Your investments? They'll go up again."
• "Energy? We'll drill here and create a renewable energy economy."

Are you kidding me? Why doesn't he just say, "The sky? It's up there. And the ground? Why you're standing on it silly." By the way John, the tax cuts and the less spending has been a mantra from Reagan to Dubya... and yet massive deficits have followed every time. Until you can define those cuts, you're just another "old boy" from that "network" you claim to be running against.

Oh yeah, and you forgot to incessantly wink at the camera.

IS "JOE THE PLUMBER" REALLY "JOE THE PLUMBER"?

As I posted the other day, Barack Obama had a lengthy conversation with one Joe Wurzelbacher, an independent voter who claimed to be in the process of buying a small business, on the campaign trail in Ohio. Fox News then trimmed this conversation to accentuate Obama's "spread the wealth around" line and began using it to brand the Democrat as a socialist.

That probably would have been the end of the issue, except for the fact that John McCain used "Joe the Plumber" as a repeated talking point in last night's debate. When Obama responded, he also used Joe as an example, and even talked directly to the blue-collar worker (through the camera lens) at times. Immediately, I wondered how Joe himself felt watching this worldwide event and seeing the two candidates addressing him personally. Well, apparently Joe looked something like this:
As you can see, this is Joe (from last night) watching the debate. Apparently a newspaper crew took it upon themselves to camp out in Wurzelbacher's living room to get the undecided voter's opinion of the candidates' performances. But is this man really "undecided"? After all, Joe gave an interview to Katie Couric (by phone) following the debates where he appeared to be "spinning" for McCain. When he stated he was "middle class" and complained that he "can't have his taxes raised anymore", the exchange went like this:

COURIC: Well, he supposedly will raise taxes only on people who make over $250,000 a year. Would you be in that category?

WURZELBACHER: Not right now at presently, but, you know, question, so he's going to do that now for people who make $250,000 a year. When's he going to decide that $100,000 is too much, you know? I mean, you're on a slippery slope here. You vote on somebody who decides that $250,000 and you're rich? And $100,000 and you're rich? I mean, where does it end? You know, that's - people got to ask that question.

The "slippery slope" argument is a classic Republican tactic. This is the same "theory" that former Senator Rick Santorum used argue that acceptance of homosexuality was a "slippery slope" to condoning incest and bestiality. It was then that Katie Couric, maybe sensing an anti-Obama slant, then asked Joe how he happened to meet Obama. Here's Joe's answer:

WURZELBACHER: Obama came to my neighborhood and my son and I were outside tossing the football, and all of a sudden he showed up, and there went our football tossing for a while. And, you know, neighbors were outside asking him questions, and I didn't think they were asking him tough enough questions, so I thought, you know, I'll go over there. You know, I've always wanted to ask one of these guys a question and really corner them and get them to answer a question of--for once instead of tap dancing around it. And unfortunately I asked the question but I still got a tap dance. Do you - almost as good as Sammy Davis Jr.

He also mentioned that he "wasn't swayed" by the debate, and that he pretty much knew who he was going to vote for. Hmmm, that sounds like someone who knew who they were going to vote for prior to the debate, right?

Okay, so let's be clear here. I have no problem with anyone asking anything of a candidate - but I do take issue with someone trying to pass themselves off as an "independent" when they're actually a registered republican. That's right, Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher even voted in the Republican Primaries last March. What's better? Joe "The Blue-Collar Plumber" isn't even a actual plumber! That's right, The Toledo Blade is now reporting that he is not licensed or registered as a plumber in Ohio or Michigan, much to the chagrin of the Local Union who provides apprenticeship training:

"When you have guys going out there with no training whatsoever, it’s a little disreputable to start with," Tom Joseph (business manager for Local 50 of the United Association of Plumbers, Steamfitters, and Service Mechanics) said. "We’re the real Joe the Plumber."

So how does a guy who's doing unlicensed plumbing work have a concern about being taxed at a higher rate for income above $250,000? That's an interesting point considering that divorce records show that Wurzelbacher made just $40,000 in 2006, an amount which, under the Obama plan, would give him some THREE TIMES as much tax relief as McCain's plan. As it turns out, he could use that extra money to pay for a plumbing license, as well as the tax lien that's been issued due to his failure to pay property taxes.

If Joe wants to vote for tax policies that put him further away from owning his own small business, that's his... well, business. But he needs to drop the pretense that he was ever an "undecided" voter who approached Barack Obama last week. He's "in the tank" so to speak for McCain - and happily signing up for four more years of the same.

THOSE WACKY REPUBLICANS!

As someone who welcomed a child into the world a year ago, I know the stress of picking a name for a newborn. When you think about it, so much of our identity throughout our lives is wrapped up in our names, and therefore parents should take their duty seriously. That is, unless your name is Mark Ciptak, who defied his agreement with his wife, and branded his newborn daughter (no joke): Sarah McCain Palin Ciptak behind her back.

According to the local papers, Mark kept his wife in the dark for a while after his devious action:

“We actually came up with the name Ava Grace, and I secretively went and got another set of forms to send to (Social Security officials and the Tennessee Department of Health), and as of this time, she (Layla) still doesn’t realize what I’ve done. I haven’t broken the news to her yet,” Ciptak said.

“As of right now, I’m just trying to get up enough nerve to tell her what I’ve done and hope for the best. I hope I’m still living to tell the tale tomorrow. She thought it was a done deal with Ava Grace.

“Only some friends and family members who I have called for prayer support know at this point.”

Now this would simply be a weird story if the couple BOTH agreed to go forward with this harebrained publicity scheme. But it's truly weird that this guy would choose his support of McCain/Palin over his own wife. Not to mention the fact that a young baby has been used as a cheap token of political politics.

“I took one for the cause,” said Ciptak. “I can’t give a lot of financial support for the (McCain/Palin) campaign. I do have a sign up in my yard, but I can do very little. Is this going to change the course of the election? I doubt it. But it’s something that I did to help out the campaign and the cause. … This is a little token to the McCain camp, and we are strong supporters of that ticket.”

Wow, I always knew that Republicans didn't support a woman's right to choose - but this is just plain silly.

BARACK AND THE PLUMBER: FOX NEWS STYLE!

Fox News is playing a snippet of a conversation between Barack Obama and a plumber/small business owner like this:

This has lead to many panel discussions on Fox where Obama is labeled a "socialist" and the selective clips are played over and over. Now mind you, Fox News does play TEN WHOLE SECONDS of the conversation, but I think you might be interested in seeing the entire FIVE MINUTE AND 47 SECOND discussion:

First off, it's interesting to see Obama address one individual voter for this long on various tax policies as they pertain to his business.

Second, it's interesting to note that Obama's tax "increase" for the small portion of this man's business that exceeds the $250,000 level, would only go from 36% to 39%. It also should be noted that this was the tax policy under Clinton when he created 20+ million new jobs from 1992-2000.

And finally, for something that's being labeled as "socialism" - it's amazing that the business owner (and the crowd) don't call him it to his face. Although the plumber did later do a phone interview with Fox where he happily spun their "redistribution of wealth" mantra.

It's amazing to me that this concept of middle-class tax relief wasn't called "socialism" under Clinton - or that the direct comparisons of Clinton's economy to Bush's aren't made by these same "journalists". That's because the majority of people can remember the economic climate under Bill Clinton, and it's one reason he left office with an approval rating of 65%. Just for the record, George W. Bush has a current approval rating of 25%.

This is just one more reason why I'll beg anyone who watched Fox News to occasionally escape the right-wing propaganda network for an hour or so. It's amazing that Fox News can claim "selective editing" of Sarah Palin's interview with Katie Couric, while passing this stuff off as "fair and balanced" reporting.

THE DAILY SHOW DOES IT AGAIN...

SMALL TOWN VALUES

First off, who knew that Al Jazeera had American correspondents? And second, you know it's a scary piece of journalism when the woman yelling "baby killer" has the most ground to stand on:

Is this what Sarah Palin meant when she echoed:

"We grow good people in out small towns, with honesty, sincerity, and dignity."

One thing I don't question is their sincerity.

THE RIGHT-WING MANTRA ON UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR: "HEY, THEY DO IT TOO!"

After failing to get a bump in the polls, John McCain now wants to leave the negative stump speeches behind. However the questions about how McCain and Palin responded to their crowd's chants of "Terrorist" and "Traitor" and "Kill him" still remain. Yesterday, when asked, McCain responded like this:

Now this is an important distinction in McCain's response, because I've witnessed pundits trying to excuse McCain/Palin by explaning that they simply "can't hear" such screams from the podium. But McCain himself simply chooses to excuse himself by claiming that "the same things" are being said at Obama rallies "about me", which simply isn't true.

If anything, Obama has been VERY clear about respecting McCain's service to our country and keeping his disagreements at the "policy level" only. In fact, in yesterday's speech from Obama a few audience members simply started to "boo" a reference to McCain's economic plan, to which Obama replied:

"We don't need that."

While it's possible that McCain simply "doesn't hear" the hateful tone of his audiences, it's funny that he would rather point fingers and attempt to smear his opponent, even though the evidence is thin.

"AUTO McCAIN" JUST WIND HIM UP, AND AWAY HE GOES!

PAUL KRUGMAN VS. BILL O'REILLY

Paul Krugman was awarded the Nobel Prize for economics today. As if he needed further evidence of his ability to forecast economic events, here he is three years ago with Bill O'Reilly being interviewed by the late Tim Russert. Notice O'Reilly's "glowing endorsement" of Bush's tax cuts? Yeah, I did to.

JUMPING OFF THE SINKING SHIP!

It's turning into a chorus.

HERE'S THE SAME "REPUBLICAN MONKEY GUY" IN LINE

He's not exactly shy about showing the monkey, and his racism in front of his like-minded ilk:

You can guarantee that if he were holding a "McCain=Bush" sign, then the campaign staff would have had him kicked out of their event, just as they did with an elderly librarian in Colorado.

HOW STUPID IS SARAH PALIN?

This stupid. Here's Palin responding to the "Troopergate" investigation, which issued a report Friday afternoon:

"Well, I’m very very pleased to be cleared of any legal wrongdoing," Palin said, "any hint of any kind of unethical activity there. Very pleased to be cleared of any of that."

And here's what the report said:

"I find that Governor Sarah Palin Abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act. Compliance with the code of ethics is not optional.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't violating a "statute" the same as "breaking the law"? And wouldn't breaking an "Ethics Statute" create at least a "hint of unethical activity"?

Hey Sarah, just because you say the sky is red, doesn't make it so.

MY FAVORITE KIND OF RACISTS

This man thought it would be a good idea to attend a McCain/Palin event with a stuffed monkey doll wearing an Obama sticker. Get it? Obama's a "monkey" because he's African American, and that's funny because... well it just is, right? However, when news cameras began to focus on his "joke", he quickly removed the sticker and tried to slyly give the stuffed doll to a toddler nearby.

I just love people who are racist until a light is shined upon them, and then they scatter like the cockroaches they are. I do have to say that it's sad that this guy felt comfortable bringing this to a public event. It says a lot about the tone that McCain and Palin have been selling lately.

NEW OBAMA AD - FIGHTING SMEARS INSTEAD OF THE ECONOMY

John McCain in a crisis is a scary proposition.

THE CANDIDATES AS PHONES?

Found this over HERE.

JOHN McCAIN FALLS BEHIND BY 11 POINTS - CHANGES COURSE AGAIN

It's amazing to see John McCain change his tactics almost hourly depending on what the polls are doing. In a fit of desperation this week, McCain (and company) have been stoking the fires of anger against Obama by bringing up associations with Bill Ayers, and trying to paint their competitor as un-American. Of course, this led to angry chants of "terrorist" and "kill him" from his enthusiastic base.

However it didn't play so well with the ever-important independents, as evidenced by an 11-point Obama lead in Newsweek's new Presidential Poll. So what does John McCain do? Why simply turn 180-degrees of course. Here's John McCain at a town hall getting booed as he describes Senator Obama as a "decent person":

What's truly sad is the fact that McCain feels no real remorse for the way he's treated Obama. He's simply reacting to something standing in the way of his single-minded desire for the White House. If attacking Obama had tightened the poll numbers, we'd be hearing even stronger rhetoric in the days to come. It's really sick stuff.

MORE "TURD POLISHING" WITH FRANK LUNTZ

Conservative pollster Frank Luntz is paid by Fox News to spin debate focus groups in favor of John McCain. As you can see here, his job is getting more difficult by the minute:

THE DAILY SHOW MOCKS THE OTHER FAUX NEWS NETWORK

OBAMA KNEW McCAIN'S SMEAR TACTICS WERE COMING

On July 30th of this year, Barack Obama gave a speech where he predicted the kind of campaign that would be run against him. Here's an update on how well he guessed:

DOES PALIN KNOW ANYTHING?!

John McCain has said repeatedly that Sarah Palin, "knows more about energy than probably anyone in the United States of America." So with that in mind, why doesn't she actually know something about Alaskan Energy?

She has repeatedly misstated the amount of oil and energy (by far) that Alaska produced. She said Alaska "produces nearly 20 percent of the U.S. domestic supply of energy," when it was actually just 3.5 percent. According to McCain that would mean the "2nd smartest" person on energy would be MORE than 16.5 percent wrong on such "facts". Sheesh.

Then today, Palin got screwed up again when talking about "her strength" yet again. At a town hall meeting, Palin was told about a rumor where 75 percent of Alaskan oil was being exported to countries like China. Palin's response:

"No. It's not 75 percent of our oil being exported," Palin said, suggesting some of Alaska's oil, in fact, may be going abroad but not that much.

"In fact," she added, "Congress is pretty strict on, um, export bans of oil and gas especially."

Congressional bans on oil exports? Maybe when Palin was like in second grade. But no such ban has been in place since Palin was elected mayor of a tiny town in Alaska. Oh Sarah, will you ever win?

In these times of economic and foreign policy turmoil, rest easy America! Cause Sarah Palin is pretty, and dresses snazzy, and winks! And what can't that solve!

McCAIN AND KEATING EXCHANGE LOVE LETTERS

As John McCain (and company) continue an attempt to find a substantial relationship between Barack Obama and William Ayers, the Washington Times has turned up something much deeper between McCain and convicted felon Charles Keating.

In a letter from John McCain to Keating dated March 5th, 1986, McCain apologizes to Keating for listing his friend as part of his campaign finance committee, saying in part, "I would not want to do anything which would offend you." In return, Keating's hand-written note showers adoration on his "friend" as he states:

John,
Don't be silly. You can call me anything, write anything, or do anything. I'm yours till death do us part.
Charlie

My goodness, just what did McCain and Keating do down there in the Bahamas? Maybe McCain is the one who should be explaining the "depth" of his friendship, huh?

Also, I would remind you that this letter was written some two years after Keating started playing "fast and loose" with innocent people's money, in part with the help of massive deregulation brought about by his Republican friends in Washington. Just three years later, some 21,000 investors (mostly elderly retirees) lost their life savings through Keating's shenanigans.

Here's a scan of the actual letter for those who want to truly feel the love:

CLICK TO ENLARGE

FOX NEWS HOLDS IMPORTANT ISSUES HOSTAGE, RELEASES TRIPE

This morning the Dow Jones fell below 9,000 for the first time since 2003. Two nights ago, John McCain proposed a 300 billion dollar plan that would force taxpayers to bailout greedy banks and ignorant home owners of their terrible loans. But that's not what Fox News wanted to talk about - it's "All Ayers, All The Time" over there.

Again, if Fox News is too lazy (or unwilling) to investigate this themselves, then why are they allowed to continue asking the same questions? Conservatives have had two years to dig up some substantial association here, and the best they've got is that Obama and Ayers had a work relationship (through a board created by Republican donors) some 25 years after Ayers' anti-war actions. Furthermore, Obama did an interview with Bill O'Reilly and answered his questions about Ayers on the air.

Fox News is gambling that the American people are stupid, and I sincerely hope they're wrong.

SARAH PALIN CONTINUES TO BE A WORTHLESS LIAR

Sarah Palin went on a conservative radio talk show today and said this:

"What does it say when Barack Obama says he would sit down unconditionally with Ahmadinejad, Kim Jong Il and others, unconditionally, and I guess sort of hand over some of the prestige of the United States presidency and validate, I think validate, some of the positions that these dictators have taken.

Barack Obama is so far out of mainstream America. And the policies I fear that he would support, that are so far left, that are maybe today in the campaign are packaged up to look real pretty and mainstream, they are not."

Point one, Obama is backed up by FIVE previous Secretaries of State (and three Republican) that we need to have talks with Iran and North Korea without preconditions. Palin (and McCain) are backing Bush's plan of isolationism that has only sped up the nuclear (or nook-you-lur for Palin) ambitions for these nations.

Point two, notice how Palin refuses to get specific about what policies are "so far left"? It's much easier to simply label someone "liberal" than craft an argument against their election. I simply astounds me that Palin can't expound on what "packaging" she's talking about?

Maybe that's why McCain/Palin choose to talk about Bill Ayers, Reverend Wright, and others while our economy continues to melt down around our ears? Without ANY REAL IDEAS to get us out of this mess, it's easier to simply point fingers and yell.

WHAT? SOME CONTEXT ON THE WHOLE "BILL AYERS" THING? DOES N.P.R. THINK THE TRUTH REALLY MATTERS ANYMORE?

Because Republicans (and their like-minded, Fox-News-watching-robots) keep bringing up the William "Bill" Ayers smear in an attempt to convict Barack Obama of guilt by association, I thought I'd try to find as much information as I could on the subject.

I still find it weird that such a "domestic terrorist" has never been incarcerated for such acts? After all, if he were in prison for bombing the Pentagon and Capitol Building, he couldn't have served on a board with Obama, right? At any rate, I also think it's important that whoever (or whatever) Bill Ayers is... he's a COMPLETELY SEPARATE person from Barack Obama.

Anyway, in a sea of otherwise useless rhetoric about Ayers and Obama, I found this article published on National Public Radio's site. Now before any right-wingers roll there eyes, I should warn everyone that they've actually interviewed people who have worked (gasp) with Ayers, and some of them are actually (double-gasp) Republican! One such quote reads:

"It was never a concern by any of us in the Chicago school reform movement that he had led a fugitive life years earlier," said former Illinois state Republican Rep. Diana Nelson, who worked with both Obama and Ayers over the years. "It's ridiculous. There is no reason at all to smear Barack Obama with this association. It's nonsensical, and it just makes me crazy. It's so silly."

Another quote is from Ayers himself, and adds some context to his "bombing" line that was made famous in the wake of 9/11.

But in a New York Times article on the book, Ayers is quoted as saying, "I don't regret setting bombs. I feel we didn't do enough." Coincidently, that article was published on Sept. 11, 2001. Days later, Ayers complained on his Web site that the quote was taken out of context, saying, "My memoir is from start to finish a condemnation of terrorism, of the indiscriminate murder of human beings, whether driven by fanaticism or official policy."

So that's my two cents on a subject that should be trivial in the wake of such catastrophic economic times - and yet these are the same Republicans that tried to impeach a President for a blow job while Osama bin Laden was bombing U.S. Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya.

KEITH OLBERMANN PLAYS THE "ASSOCIATION GAME" WITH JOHN McCAIN

And it features right-wing hate mongers from Oregon too? How could I not post it?

CINDY McCAIN KEEPS INJECTING HERSELF INTO POLITICS, HOW LONG BEFORE THE MEDIA MENTIONS HER OTHER "INJECTIONS"?

The wife of John McCain, and former drug addict, Cindy McCain seemingly can't help herself from taking part in the mudslinging of her husband's campaign. Yesterday, she laughably asserted that it is Obama who's been running "the dirtiest campaign in history," while it's plain (for most) to see that the Democrat isn't even running the dirtiest campaign in a two-party race.

Now Cindy is trying to attack Obama for his war funding votes. Stating:

"The day that Sen. Obama cast a vote to not to fund my son when he was serving sent a cold chill through my body let me tell you."

Of course this whole issue is concerning the issue of "timetables" and whether they would be included in legislation connected to funding the wars. Obama voted against a troop funding bill that didn't include a specific timetable for withdrawal from Iraq, something the American people largely supported at the time, and still do.

But what Cindy doesn't mention is that her OWN HUSBAND voted against funding the Iraq and Afghanistan troops in 2007 as well. H.R. 1591 provided 1 billion in support for BOTH wars and added funds to Veterans Affairs, and McCain voted against it. Why would he do such a thing? Because the bill included a timetable, that's why.

Did that "send a cold chill" through Cindy McCain's body too? Or are those "cold chills" just the rush of Percocet hitting the bloodstream?

AH YES, THE REASSURING WORDS OF A PRESIDENTAL CANDIDATE: "MY FELLOW PRISONERS"

Apparently, in John McCain's mind, the United States is just one huge Hanoi Hilton:

A CHANGE IN LOGO?

My friend, and fellow video/audio junkie, Steven Epstein seized on John McCain's message in last night's debate and decided to change Barack Obama's iconic logo:
"THAT" is where it's at!

OBAMA COMMERCIAL HITS McCAIN IN THE AREA WHERE HIS BALLS USED TO BE

DID McCAIN REALLY ANTICIPATE THE SUBPRIME MORTGAGE MELTDOWN?

John McCain stated again in this evening's debate that he "gave a speech 2 years ago" warning about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the trouble's we were facing. However, here's an interview less than a year ago in which McCain states:

I don’t know of hardly anybody, with the exception of a handful, that said “wait a minute, this thing is getting completely out of hand and is overheating.” So, I’d like to tell you that I did anticipate it, but I have to give you straight talk, I did not.

Take a look:

IS CINDY McCAIN BACK ON THE PILLS?

John McCain's wife has a history of stealing prescription medications from her charities, and taking them to escape from the horrors of being filthy rich and married to a U.S. Senator. She's supposedly been clean and sober since the 1990's, but after today, I'd like a drug test please. In speaking to reporters today at a Tennessee hospital, Cindy McCain said Barack Obama has:

"...waged the dirtiest campaign in American history.”

At this point, it's unclear whether Mrs. McCain is altered to the point where she believes her 72 year-old husband is actually named Barack Obama, or if she's in a hallucinatory "alternate universe" where the two Presidential candidates have switched brains. Either way, it seems that Cindy is making a desperate bid to fill the void left by the death of Anna Nicole Smith.

HERE'S HOW MUCH YOU CAN BELIEVE JOHN McCAIN

In a stump speech today in Albuquerque, New Mexico, John McCain said this about Barack Obama:

"As recently as September of last year he said that sub prime loans had been, quote, 'a good idea' - to hear him talk now, you’d think he’d always opposed the dangerous practices at these institutions. But there is absolutely nothing in his record to suggest he did. Nothing, zero, zippo, nada."

And here's Obama's ACTUAL QUOTE from September 2007:

And we cannot help but see some reflections of these practices when we look at the subprime mortgage fiasco today.

Subprime lending started off as a good idea – helping Americans buy homes who couldn't previously afford to...

Most everyone knew that some of these deals were just too good to be true, but all that money flowing in made it tempting to look the other way and ignore the unscrupulous practice of some bad actors.

In the very same speech, Obama also warns of the deregulation problem that we're seeing today:

In recent years, we have seen a dangerous erosion of the rules and principles that have allowed our market to work and our economy to thrive. Instead of thinking about what's good for America or what's good for business, a mentality has crept into certain corners of Washington and the business world that says, "what's good for me is good enough."

I would encourage anyone who'd like to judge Obama's words accordingly to read the entire speech HERE. It's quite an "eye opener" into the mind of a smart man who's grasp of the economy dominates McCain's simplistic "cut taxes, lower spending" mantra.

In addition, there's hardly "Nothing, zero, zippo, nada" in Obama's record regarding the dangerous nature of sub prime lending. Take this letter from Obama to Chairman Bernanke and Secretary Paulson in March of 2007 which warned of "a potential coming wave of foreclosures." In addition, he stated:

Rampant foreclosures are in nobody’s interest, and I believe this is a case where all responsible industry players can share the objective of eliminating deceptive or abusive practices, preserving homeownership, and stabilizing housing markets.

You can read more about McCain and his lies HERE. It seems pretty clear that "Old Johnny McCain" really wants the White House, and he's willing to lie, cheat, and steal in an attempt to get it done.

"KEATING ECONOMICS" STARRING JOHN McCAIN

The McCain Campaign has started an all out blitz on Barack Obama's character in an attempt to "turn the page" on the economic crisis. In return, the Obama Campaign issued a 13-minute documentary entitled Keating Economics, which directly ties McCain's actions (and economic beliefs) during the 1990's bailout scandal to today's current mess.

The video features an in-depth interview with one of the government regulators who was present when McCain and four other U.S. Senators tried to pressure the investigators to drop their case again Charles Keating. It's a scathing expose on McCain's actions some 18 years ago - as well as an enlightening look into his still warped views of the economy.

CLICK PICTURE TO WATCH

"2000 JOHN McCAIN" MAKES "2008 JOHN McCAIN" LOOK LIKE A FOOL

PALIN SMEARS OBAMA, OPENS UP A PANDORA'S BOX

On Saturday Sarah Palin said of Barack Obama:

"This is not a man who sees America as you and I do -- as the greatest force for good in the world," Palin said "This is someone who sees America as imperfect enough to pal around with terrorists who targeted their own country."

The "someone" Palin is referring to is one William Ayers, a Vietnam-era radical who headed a group that bombed government buildings in opposition of the war. It should be noted that Ayers carried out these acts when Obama (born in 1961) was a child, that he somehow was never even prosecuted for these terrorist acts, and has since become an education professor at the University of Illinois, Chicago.

In addition, Palin was referring to this New York Times article which stated that, "...the two men do not appear to have been close." Which begs the question, "Why would Palin drag out an attack that's already been answered numerous times during the primaries, and even on National Television with Bill O'Reilly a few weeks ago?" Just for the record, Obama has been candid about Ayers as, "somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago, when I was 8."

However, if the McCain Campaign would like to play the "association game", then how about having Palin explain why she would happily address a secessionist party convention? That's right, Palin videotaped a smiling address for a party who's founder is on the record for saying things like:

"I'm an Alaskan, not an American. I've got no use for America or her damned institutions."

and

"The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government. And I won't be buried under their damn flag. I'll be buried in Dawson. And when Alaska is an independent nation they can bring my bones home."

Now does that sound like "Country First" rhetoric to you? And yet Palin (who's husband was a member of the party until 2001) decided to record this less than a year ago:

How's that for seedy "Anti-American" associations Sarah?

THE TROUBLE WITH USING QUOTES

Sarah Palin closed her Thursday night debate by evoking a quote from Ronald Reagan about "freedom". As she stated:

“It was Ronald Reagan who said that freedom is always just one generation away from extinction. We don’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream; we have to fight for it and protect it, and then hand it to them so that they shall do the same, or we’re going to find ourselves spending our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children about a time in America, back in the day, when men and women were free.”

As Bob Herbert pointed out in his New York Times Op/Ed, these words were used by Reagan in trying to lobby public opinion AGAINST Medicare in 1961. Apparently Reagan believed that socialized medicine was the beginning of the end for America and it's freedoms, and thought that it's passing would begin a never-ending decline into anarchy.

So nearly fifty years later, how does American's elderly view Medicare? Some 76% of all adults support it, as well as 80% of Republicans. Also, it would appear that if terrorists still "hate us for our freedom", that Reagan's Medicare prediction was way off base.

Which begs the question why Palin (or her speech writers) would use a quote that, in context, is railing against something that most Americans agree with?

Here's a video that shows Palin's quote, and Reagan's original too:

McCAIN SPOKESPERSON TUCKER BOUNDS LIES WHILE DESCRIBING A "100% LIE"

It's been widely reported that John McCain plans to fund his health care plan for the uninsured by making taxing those with existing health care plans for the worth of their policy. So let's say you make $35,000 per year, but have a $12,000 family policy through your work - under McCain's plan, you'd now be taxed on $47,000. By the way, $12,000 is the average for a family plan these days, which makes McCain's $5,000 tax credit for families some $7,000 short. Oh, and did I mention that these plans are going up 6.1% per year?

This fact was reiterated by Joe Biden during Thursday night's debate, and was even admitted to by McCain himself. Last Sunday on ABC, McCain had the following conversation with George Stephanopoulos:

MCCAIN: Actually, my position is that it will be, it will give people actually more money to go out and purchase tax - health insurance on their own and only those with the Cadillac gold-plated health insurance policies today are the ones who might suffer from it. The ones -

STEPHANOPOULOS: So they would see their taxes go up potentially.

MCCAIN: It depends on, on, on what plan they have. But that’s usually the wealthiest people. Ordinary working Americans have the kind of - or an overwhelming majority have the health insurance plans that this tax credit, refundable tax credit, will actually put more money in their pockets for the purchase of health care than what they had before.

Now while McCain's argument that "ordinary working Americans" would benefit could be debated - there's no debate that these benefits would indeed be taxed. Which brings us to this clip of McCain spokesperson Tucker Bounds lying through his teeth while attempting expouse the benefits of the "free market" for the middle class. Yeah, we've seen those same benefits for years from scumbag insurance companies. Take a look:

So not only does Bounds lie - but he tries to smear Obama for telling the truth about McCain's plan to enrich the health insurance industry further.

By the way, you might have seen the "bipartisan" commercials for something called "RightChange.com", with some guy jumping off a bridge. Well, it's about as bipartisan as Sean Hannity (as evidenced by their website) and is backed by some mega-rich pharmaceutical executives who fear for their exorbitant profits under a President like Barack Obama.

The bottom line? McCain wants to enrich the same insurance companies that currently make life and death decisions based on what's best for their shareholders - rather than their policy holders.

JUST THE SAME RECYCLED BULLSHIT... BUT NOW WITH BOOBS!

Bush's former speech writers now work for the McCain Campaign. Does Sarah Palin get a discounted rate for the rehashed crap?

THOUGHTS ON THE SARAH PALIN

I've been having a hard time understanding my growing hatred of the seemingly good natured Sarah Palin. There's just something about her that rubs me the wrong way. Leave it to Michael Markowitz (a writer friend of mine) to hit the nail on the head. An excerpt from his own blog reads:

I keep hearing how "we all know someone like her." It's true. She's that annoying woman from your block or your church or the PTA who makes you shudder whenever she corners you. The one who says things like, "Jeepers, I know your lawn isn't important to you, but by golly the rest of us have to look at it and we just wish you took better care of it!" Or "Nobody likes volunteering for the bake sale, but doggone it, we have to! Unless you don't care about whether the church gets renovated..."

Yeah, we all know people like her. And we hate them.

And just what does Mrs. Palin have to do with Andy Griffith? Read Mike's whole entry to find out.

JOE BIDEN DEBATES SOME NOTE CARDS

So THAT'S what she forgot in her Charile Gibson & Katie Couric interviews! Pieces of paper with the ANSWERS on them!

"THE ECONOMIST" MAGAZINE DOES AN EXPERT POLL: OBAMA WINS

If you've opened the image, you'd see that a very small amount of the 683 economists (10%) identify themselves as Republicans. However Obama even wins with this group, with 46% saying the Democrat has a "better grasp" of the subject to McCain (23%).

Some other noteworthy tidbits:

- 81% say that Obama would pick better economic advisers.

- 80% overall say Obama has a better grasp of the economy.

- on a 1-5 scale, Obama gets a 3.3, while McCain gets a 2.2

You can read the whole article HERE.

nook-YOO-lur

It's been pointed out that during Sarah Palin's RNC speech, the teleprompter gave her the phonetic "new-clear" spelling to correct her natural tendencies. Apparently it hasn't migrated to her brain yet.

JOHN McCAIN CHANNELS HIS INNER BURGESS MEREDITH

Does this mean that Barack Obama is Batman?

SARAH PALIN WANTS HER INTERVIEWS TO BE STUMP SPEECHES

Here's Sarah Palin talking to Carl Cameron of Fox News. Apparently Palin was "annoyed" with Katie Couric for asking questions to her and not just sit there while Palin spewed pre-written talking points:

Guess what Sarah, you only get "clobbered" when you answer questions in a way that makes you look like an idiot. When someone asks, "What magazines and newspapers you read?", how about saying, "You know, Time, Newsweek, the Anchorage Daily News, and others" Saying something like, "All of them," sounds like something George W. Bush would say, and people have figured out that they don't like him anymore.

As for comments like these, I think it sets up what you're going to see from Sarah Palin from here on out. Nothing but softball interviews where she's allowed to espouse whatever the "thoughts of the day" are for the McCain Campaign. She's already proven that she's not effective at taking pointed questions and giving a coherent answer.

PALIN AND BIDEN ON DICK CHENEY

Like him or not, Biden cites credible examples (on both sides) of policies that directly affect all Americans.

Sarah Palin, on the other hand, when given a opportunity to showcase herself to voters, chooses Cheney's infamous duck hunting accident as his "worst moment". It's a response that you'd expect someone to give Jay Leno in a "Jaywalking" segment - not one befitting someone who aspires to the highest office in the United States. It's also interesting that Cheney is largely ignored in the "best thing" answer. Rather she lavishes attention on George W. Bush's support of families of fallen soldiers, and attempts to tie Cheney through his support for such acts.

If there's any true depth to Sarah Palin - she clearly chooses to hide it behind this "aw shucks" caricature that she showcases again and again for Katie Couric.

WHY DOES THE McCAIN CAMPAIGN CONTINUE TO PUSH PALIN'S NATIONAL SECURITY EXPERIENCE?

Sarah Palin's experience on National Security? She doesn't have any. Okay. We get it. Remember when Laura Bush - on a moment of honesty- admitted this? One would have thought that would have been a big deal, yet no one cared because she was being honest. Would voters like her to have more National Security experience? Sure. But lying and trying to retroactively trying to create these credentials is the worst thing you can do.

This is where I think the McCain Campaign is making a huge mistake. Instead of dealing with Sarah Palin's strengths, they instead try to polish and "play up" her weaknesses. The problem? This tactic is virtually see-through to the voters, and only invites more questions from the media. So instead of admitting that Governors inherently don't deal a whole lot with foreign affairs, they attempt to float the whole "Alaska is close to Russia" thing. Instead of admitting that Palin took one trip out of America to visit troops in Kuwait, they instead tried to say she also went to Iraq and Ireland. And now, on the eve of her first (and only) debate, the McCain Campaign is also dealing with another fallacy in her foreign affairs credentials.

It seems the McCain Campaign has taken to claiming "meetings" with anyone foreign who appeared at various conferences the Alaska Governor attended. One such claim is that Palin met with Britain's Ambassador to Washington, Sir Nigel Sheinwald at the U.S. Governor's meeting in July. The only problem? It turns out that the Ambassador was a last-minute cancellation to the meeting, and therefore wouldn't have been able to meet with Palin - at all.

Again, it's not the most important meeting in the world, but it still begs the question, "Why lie about it?" And why not confirm the meeting's validity prior to issuing it on a subject that's increasingly become an embarrassment of facts? After eight years of a President who's been less than honest with the American people, this tactic would seemingly be political suicide - and it looks as if that's what's happening.

In a recent Washington Post/ABC Poll, some 60% believe she lacks the experience to be an effective president - and a third are now less likely to support the McCain Campaign because of her. So with all this evidence against the propping up of Sarah Palin's resume, will we finally see some "straight talk" about her?

I wouldn't hold my breath.

FOX NEWS REDEFINES THE TERM "SPLIT"

Check out this video. A Fox News reporter asks diners in Pennsylvania who they're going to vote for in the upcoming election. Despite what appears to be a 10 to 1 count for Obama, it's referred to as a "split a little heavier toward Obama."

UPDATE: I just realized that the one hand for McCain (in the upper-right) is actually the friggin' REPORTER'S?!

McCAIN WILL "FOLLOW BIN LADEN TO THE GATES OF HELL" - JUST AS SOON AS HE CAN LOCATE THE STAIRS

A GENERAL "TESTINESS" FROM JOHN McCAIN

During last Friday night's debate, pundits and viewers took notice of John McCain's unwillingness to even look at his opponent, as well as his often terse manner of speaking. Well, it turns out that McCain may very well be adopting this attitude as a staple of his campaign. In a sit down interview with reporters in Iowa yesterday, McCain displayed the exact temperament I DON'T want in a President.

FIRST, ON HIS LESS THAN TRUTHFUL CAMPAIGN:

Let's be clear here. McCain said that Obama was in favor of "comprehensive sex education for kindergarteners", whereas the bill wanted "age appropriate sex education" to protect young children from sexual predators. Also, his website states the facts correctly... but they still made the deceptive ad?!

THEN, ON THE "READINESS" OF SARAH PALIN:

First off, let's be clear about McCain's comparisons to "other governors". Ronald Reagan was Governor of California for eight years - not 20 months like Palin. Also, California is the largest state in terms of population and Gross State Product in the Nation.

Similarly Bill Clinton was governor of Arkansas for 12 years prior to running for President of the United States. And while Arkansas is "small" - it's still quite a bit larger (in population and GSP) than Alaska.

But let's also be clear that these two examples that McCain cites are people who actually ran for President. They both exposed themselves (and their ideas) to voters for the entire primary campaign season. This is just one more reason why Palin just doesn't stack up.

Also, let's be clear that Palin's is no longer the most popular Governor in America - even when they give away some $3,500 to every resident of Alaska. She's down to 68% in the most recent poll. Hmmm, could it have something to do with her sudden bout of non-ethics? Second, with 51% of American's stating she's "not ready", and only 37% saying she is - are the Amercian people really siding with McCain?

AND FINALLY ABOUT HIS PERSONAL "GOVERNMENT ISSUED" HEALTH CARE:

Again, McCain tries to hide behind his "American's make the best choices," but refuses to come clean that his "$5,000 family plan" tax credit is some $7,000 short of what family health insurance typically costs - and that's not even taking into account those who's rates skyrocket due to "prior conditions".

And yes John, we're all quite aware that you didn't have medical coverage when you were a P.O.W. some 40 years ago, and yet people are still interested in protecting their families today.