Palin's Terrorist Ties

Two can play at this game.

In what seems to be a circling-the-drain moment for the McCain campaign, their Alamo if you will, their last "surge" akin to the final scene of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, these last 30 days before Novemeber 4th are going to be chock full of negative ads against Barack Obama. Going negative is one thing, being dishonest about it is another. And that dishonesty has been opened up by Governor Sarah Palin.

As only Palin can do in her perky, little twangy way, she has accused Obama of "palling around with terrorists."

"Our opponent ... is someone who sees America, it seems, as being so imperfect, imperfect enough, that he's palling around with terrorists who would target their own country." She also said, "This is not a man who sees America as you see America and as I see America."

Well, with that last sentiment, I couldn't agree more. But if Palin had actually read "all" the papers that have been put in front of her over the years, she would know that the Bill Ayers smear to which she is referring, has been around for over a year and has been debunked. She would know that the extent of Obama's "connection" with Bill Ayers was that they both served on a charity board several years ago and has denounced Ayers' radical views and activities. She would know that Barack Obama was eight years old at the time that Ayers was part of Weather Underground and that connecting Obama to Ayers would be like connecting Palin to Joe Biden for speeches he made in the Senate while she "was in like, second grade." She would know that charges against Ayers were dropped due to prosecutorial misconduct and that he has been a professor at the University of Illinois since she was parading in swimsuit competitions.

But as I said before, Palin is correct in stating that Obama doesn't see America as she does. You see, Barack Obama pays his taxes, which may be the real reason why Palin said paying taxes was not patriotic during her only VP debate. Barack Obama doesn't have investigators checking on whether or not he fired someone for refusing to partake in a personal vendetta. Barack Obama is not married to someone who belonged to a secessionist party, which is considered treason if I'm not mistaken, nor has he attended secessionist party conventions.

The same cannot be said of Governor Palin. Her wife, Todd was a member of the Alaska Independence Party from 1995-2002 and associated with AIP founder Joe Vogler -the same Joe Vogler who said, "I'm an Alaskan, not an American. I've got no use for America or her damned institutions." The same Joe Vogler who said, "there is more Justice in a whorehouse than in the Supreme Court... the fires of Hell are glaciers compared to my hate for the American Government, and I won't be buried under their damn flag ...". The same Joe Vogler who was found murdered, his body found a year and a half after his disappearance in 1993, wrapped in a blue tarp and duct tape, in what was described as a plastic explosives sale gone bad.

Perhaps she could clear things up if the McCain campaign made her available for press conferences without the "filter" that she claims made her look like a boob in interviews which were hand picked by her own campaign, instead of sequestering her from the media. But alas, her usefulness is not outlasting her foibles. Soon, McCain will no longer be able to hide behind Palin's skirt as her approval ratings plummet with each passing day the more the public sees of her.

In an anticipatory response to the overt use of negative ads that the McCain campaign admitted it would resort to in order to avoid talking about serious topics like the economy, the Obama campaign is countering with their own ad calling him "erratic in a crisis," and after what we've seen from McCain these last two weeks regarding the financial crisis, it's nice to see some truth in advertising.



So be careful what you say, Governor Palin. You may open up a Pandora's Box and get your face eaten off by a wolf you missed¹ from your airplane².
______________________________________
¹ ² Warning - graphic images.

McCain's Conservative Base

(H/T Oliver Willis)

Must Reads

Gene Sperling: Fact Checking the Fact Checkers: The Washington Post Gets its Pinocchios Dead Wrong on Biden, Palin and Health Care

The Rude Pundit: Joe Biden Beats Up A Woman With Glasses

New York Times Op-Ed: Dick Cheney, Role Model

Carl Bernstein: What The Palin-Biden Debate Really Told Us

Matt Taibbi: Mad Dog Palin

I ♥ David Letterman

Palin "Annoyed" By Couric

Can you believe this whiny bitch? She imitates a moose in the headlights during the Katie Couric interview and then blames Couric for asking the wrong questions, and then claims Couric "missed some really important things" in order for Palin to rail on Obama.



Did you catch that? This is what she said:

"In those Katie Couric interviews, I did feel that there were lot of things that she was missing in terms of an opportunity to ask what a VP candidate stands for, what the values are represented in our ticket. I wanted to talk about Barack Obama increasing taxes, which would lead to killing jobs. I wanted to talk about his proposal to increase government spending by another trillion dollars. Some of his comments that he's made about the war, that I think may, in my world, disqualify someone from consideration as the next commander in chief. Some of the comments that he has made about Afghanistan -- what we are doing there, supposedly just air raiding villages and killing civilians. That's reckless. I want to talk about things like that. So I guess I have to apologize for being a bit annoyed, but that's also an indication of being outside the Washington elite, outside of the media elite also. I just wanted to talk to Americans without the filter and let them know what we stand for."

So what Palin "stands for" is talking points against Barack Obama. Seriously - because if she really wanted to talk about what she and her party stands for, this would have been a perfect opportunity to do so. Instead, the Thrilla from Wasilla™ figured she could get her punches in and spew her craptacular talking points on Fox News.

You know, like the reckless Obama statement that air raids in Afghanistan had killed innocent civilians. That didn't really happen, did it? Of course it did, Sarah. And if you'd read a newspaper once in a while, you'd know that.

Or maybe the increase in taxes that would "kill jobs." You mean the jobs, 759,000 of which we've lost since this January alone, after 7½ years of Bush's economic policies that McCain would continue, are those the jobs you're talking about?

But she was annoyed at Couric for asking her softball questions like what newspapers she reads, as if anyone gives a fuck that she's only read the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman her entire life, and only for its comic strip section. She was annoyed at Couric because other than Roe v. Wade, she froze when trying to think of another Supreme Court decision - including one that affected her entire fucking state. She was annoyed that Couric called her out on her Biden slight of him "making speeches while I was in LIKE 2nd grade" ageist joke and had to backtrack to make it seem she was complimenting his experience.

How does talking about Barack Obama figure in letting us know what Palin stands for or what the values are represented by her ticket?

She was annoyed... Well now you know how the rest of us feel about you, Sarah.

And The VP Debate Winner Is...

... obviously Joe Biden. Look at these stats:

CBS Poll for Uncommitted Voters -

Who won the debate? Biden 46% Palin 21% Tied 33%

Overall image -
Biden: Improved impression: 53% - Worse opinion:5% - No change - 42%
Palin: Improved impression: 55% - Worse opinion: 14% - No change - 30

Knowledgeable about important issues -
Palin: Before debate - 43% After debate - 66%
Biden: Before debate - 79% After debate - 98%

That being said, the conservative pundits are elated that Palin didn't fall off the stage, vomit on the podium or run off in tears and since the bar was set so low, some say low enough to have to dig a ditch to set it, nothing has changed. The Republicans will insist she won even though she didn't answer the questions asked of her, choosing instead to meander into answering questions she herself posed. If by chance she did happen to answer an actual question asked by the moderator, she got it wrong. And here is where she lost the debate:

Q: Governor, you mentioned a moment ago the constitution might give the vice president more power than it has in the past. Do you believe as Vice President Cheney does, that the Executive Branch does not hold complete sway over the office of the vice presidency, that it it is also a member of the Legislative Branch?

PALIN: Well, our founding fathers were very wise there in allowing through the Constitution much flexibility there in the office of the vice president. And we will do what is best for the American people in tapping into that position and ushering in an agenda that is supportive and cooperative with the president's agenda in that position. Yeah, so I do agree with him that we have a lot of flexibility in there, and we'll do what we have to do to administer very appropriately the plans that are needed for this nation. And it is my executive experience that is partly to be attributed to my pick as V.P. with McCain, not only as a governor, but earlier on as a mayor, as an oil and gas regulator, as a business owner. It is those years of experience on an executive level that will be put to good use in the White House also.

So Ms. Hockey Mom didn't even know what the duties of the Vice President are as written under the Constitution and wants to expand those powers. She agrees with Cheney - MOTHERFUCKIN' 18% APPROVAL RATING DICK CHENEY! - when defining to which branch of government the VP office belongs. Is agreeing with Cheney the right answer? No. Here's the right answer, Mooselini:

BIDEN: Vice President Cheney has been the most dangerous vice president we've had probably in American history. The idea he doesn't realize that Article I of the Constitution defines the role of the vice president of the United States, that's the Executive Branch. He works in the Executive Branch. He should understand that. Everyone should understand that.

And the primary role of the vice president of the United States of America is to support the president of the United States of America, give that president his or her best judgment when sought, and as vice president, to preside over the Senate, only in a time when in fact there's a tie vote. The Constitution is explicit.

The only authority the vice president has from the legislative standpoint is the vote, only when there is a tie vote. He has no authority relative to the Congress. The idea he's part of the Legislative Branch is a bizarre notion invented by Cheney to aggrandize the power of a unitary executive and look where it has gotten us. It has been very dangerous.

BAM! KAPOW! THWAPP!! Everyone who's taken a high school history class knows that the separation of powers is a fundamental key of our Constitution. Everyone that is, except for Dick Cheney and Sarah Palin. Actually, Cheney probably knows but doesn't give a shit. So that leaves Palin.

And since when has it been acceptable to dismiss debate rules and announce that you're not going to answer the questions of the moderator and instead blurt out a list of memorized talking points?

PALIN: ...I may not answer the questions that either the moderator or you want to hear, but I'm going to talk straight to the American people and let them know my track record also.

If that's the point, why bother having the debate?

Is she stupid? No, of course not. Calculating. Manipulative. But not stupid. Is she out of her element? I'd have to say yes. There was nothing in that debate that made me think she would have known answers to some of those questions two weeks ago or nothing that gave me the confidence to trust her. And there was nothing that made me think twice that I may have initially misjudged her.

Best line of the night -

Biden: "So you're going to have to place -- replace a $12,000 [health insurance] plan with a $5,000 check you just give to the insurance company. I call that the 'Ultimate Bridge to Nowhere.'"


Worst line of the night - it's a tie (besides the Cheney thing).

Palin: "Your plan is a white flag of surrender in Iraq and that is not what our troops need to hear today, that's for sure. And it's not what our nation needs to be able to count on."

Palin: "Oh, yeah, it's so obvious I'm a Washington outsider. And someone just not used to the way you guys operate."

Palin: "Say it ain't so, Joe, there you go again pointing backwards again... Now doggone it, let's look ahead and tell Americans what we have to plan to do for them in the future."

Palin: "And how long have I been at this, like five weeks?"

Or you can go with any of the 'dart tootin's, 'gosh darnit's, 'Dagnabbit's, 'fiddlesticks', 'gee willikers', or 'confound it's Palin used; or the 847 times she used the word "also" to continue a run-on sentence.

I'm afraid to turn on my TV and watch Joe Scarborough and Pat Buchanan gush at her performance even though poll figures disagree with them. But I'm curious as to what the spin is in spite of the polls. So maybe I'll have more later unless it's too depressing to keep talking about it.



UPDATE I (9:35am): Thankfully, I missed Buchanan and Scar. Unfortunately, I caught Nancy Pfotenhauer spinning her plastic face off. But I did find this interesting.


CNN/Opinion Research: Biden 51 Palin 36
CBS: Biden 46 Palin 21
Fox: Biden 61 Palin 39


Those Fox numbers are down to 59% for Biden by 9:45am today. Here's a screenshot before Fox decides to take it down. (Click on image for full size.)



You can participate in the poll here. Scroll down to the bottom right to vote.

Also read: The Rude Pundit - What Biden Ought To Say (Rude Version)


UPDATE II (10:12am): What's with the fucking winking?!




UPDATE III (12:02pm): Here's FactCheck.Org's list on the VP debate last night.

Palin's Just Too Smart

Palin spokesperson Meg Stapleton was just on MSNBC explaining that the reason Palin couldn't offer up any newspapers or magazines that she reads is because having a degree in journalism herself, Palin was way ahead of Couric and was "thinking of the next question" for fear of getting caught in a "gotcha" moment. And we should know she's very well versed in all things political.

Nora O'Donnell then challenged Stapleton on why she couldn't name one SCOTUS decision that she disagreed with when she was already on record with her disappointment on the Exxon v. Baker decision... and she used the same excuse! She was thinking about the next question.

So in other words, Palin is so astute, she's so far ahead of her interviewer in anticipating future questions, she can't answer the present questions. Also, apparently Palin is wearing a bandage on her hand (looking for sympathy?) after falling while jogging in Sedona... sort of like falling off a bike.

Pre VP Debate Predctions

- Moderator Gwen Ifill will get an unsatisfactory answer from Palin, ask a follow up for more specifics, and it'll be spun as an attack on Palin and being in the tank for Obama.

- Joe Biden will be gaffe-free tonight.

- Palin will be fact-free tonight, choosing instead to attack Biden and Obama instead of articulating her ticket's policy issues.

- Most of Palin's answers will be verbose without saying anything (see Supreme Court decisions on which she's disagreed).

- Palin will not be heard from after November 4th.

I Used To Like Chuck Todd...

...when he was the unknown MNSBC numbers guy in front of the magic screen with all the pretty colors, especially if those colors were blue. Now, the numbers that he so loved to give us are not as believable when they are leaning Obama.

On the still craptacular Morning Joke™, Chuck Todd is seeing the trend in the polls lean to Obama including +9 in Virginia and said he didn't believe it. So when is it okay to believe the polls and when is it okay to dismiss them, Chuck? When you want to make it seem like the race is closer than it appears?

And Mika, Mika, Mika, what happened to you? Out of everyone, co-host and guest alike on these horrific morning panels, it seemed that you tried to be the voice of reason even though most of the time, you couldn't get a word in edgewise. And now we see you desperately trying to figure out a way for Sarah Palin to do well in tonight's vice presidential debate as if she were your sister, pulling for her to do well. You sit there with a forlorn look on your face as the bar is continually lowered so much on Palin, that even if she met expectations, she would still be destroyed.

And everyone on the panel is going along, figuring out ways Joe Biden can make the mother of all gaffes and Scarborough giving Palin advice that if she doesn't know the answer, she should just not answer the question, defer to McCain and that as VP "she should know her place." His words, "know her place." So his great plan, his awesome advice, is to sit there and not answer anything. Excellent advice, Joe. And there Mika sits, looking like she's about to cry and saying, "I hope she does well." So much for objective journalism.

After what we've seen in presumably softball interviews, with all the "hard" questions that were asked of Palin in her three interviews over the last 35 days since she's chosen by McCain and introduced to the nation, not being able to name a Supreme Court decision other than Roe v. Wade that she disagreed with, after expressing her disappointment in the Exxon Valdez payout but unable to recall it under pressure; not able to name one specific newspaper or magazine that she reads, with Palin's positive polls tanking the more the American people see her, how can anyone think that she might hit one out of the ballpark? And there the talking heads sit, thinking of ways to make it seem like what we are going to watch tonight is going to be close.

I can't wait to hear the spin tomorrow.

ADDING: What initally pissed me off about Todd was his claim that we're losing jobs but neither candidate has talked about jobs. Neither candidate has said the word "jobs." I guess Todd has too many numbers dancing around in his head to actually listen to Obama talk about "green jobs" created by manufaturing the cogs for alternative sources of energy in the U.S.

McDouchebag

Hybrid Trucks...

... are a complete waste of time. I just caught a Cadillac commercial touting their new Escalade Hybrid. Let me say that again: an ESCALADE HYBRID! Guess what the small print at the bottom of the screen said: Estimated MPG 12 City/19 Highway. The website touts 20 City/21 Highway. Well fuck, put me on the list or one of those!

Can someone tell me what the point of a luxury hybrid is? It's not about the affordability, because if you can afford an Escalade, then you probably can afford the gas. Environmentalists aren't going to run out and buy one just because it's a hybrid when then can get 2½ times the gas mileage with a Toyota or a Honda, are they?

So what is the point exactly? Is it because this way rich people can feel like they're doing their part? I hate to be cynical, but name me another reason.

Bill Clinton Stumping In Florida

Two quick points -

1 - He's on fire! and

2 - What the fuck took him so long?! It's 34 days before the election and he hasn't been out before today.

More later, hopefully with video.

UPDATE (3:25pm): No video yet, but here are a couple of quotes:

In his first major stump speech on behalf of Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton praised Obama's "good ideas" for the economy, energy independence, and healthcare.
"He's got a better philosophy, he's got better answers," Clinton told voters at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. Between the proposals of Obama and Republican John McCain, "It's not a close question."
"He's got a better vice presidential partner," Clinton added.

UPDATE (6:45pm): This isn't the speech that I saw, but it's just as good.

OOPS!

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. was just interviewed by Matt Lauer on the Today show. Here was their first exchange:

Lauer: First of all, how is your father... your father? Yes, how is your father doing?

RFK, Jr.: My uncle?

Lauer: (with a look of horror on his face) Yes! Yes! I'm sorry, your uncle. How is your uncle doing?

Matt Lauer: Tool of Epic Proportions.

T Minus 111 Days

"I am here to make an announcement that this Tursday, ticket counters and airplanes will fly out of Ronald Reagan Airport."

- Washington, DC, October, 2001

Playing Gotcha Journalism?!

This is by far the most pathetic excuse for a presidential campaign I've ever witnessed in my short political lifetime, but judging by other more experienced pundits, it seems like they're in agreement. Trying to put out the brushfire that the Katie Couric interview started, Sarah Palin went back on to smooth over her initial answers, this time with Grampa Moses at her side.



Playing "gotcha journalism"? What the fuck is McCain talking about? So now, not only is it bad enough that Palin has been sequestered from the press and doesn't answer any questions, now she can't even answer a constituent's question "from across an area" regarding foreign policy, while meeting and greeting in a "pizza place." Next thing they'll claim is that Gwen Ifill will be playing "gotcha" by daring to ask questions during a goddamn debate!

McCain and Palin should just do us all a favor and go away. But I guess that'll happen in about 35 days.


UPDATE (7:50pm): Is this what we're to expect from Palin on Thursday? Joe Biden age jokes?



Age jokes from McThuselah's running mate? And the kicker is that when she's confronted on it, she doesn't play it off as a joke, she becomes just like every other Republican coward and tries to say she was implying that Biden is very experienced. Fuck you, Sarah. Go back to the shithole you came from.

It's A Girl!

Our bundle of joy, Sadie.

-777

Market down. Bill fails. Market tanks. House Republicans cry and blame Pelosi for their hurt feelings and their failure to get enough Republican votes. McCain takes credit for the passage of the bill before it passes, then blames Obama when his own party doesn't support him. Can a script like this be written in Hollywood and be accepted??



Note - Sorry for the light posting. We have a new member of the family. Her name is Sadie. Pictures will be posted soon.

T Minus 113 Days

"Border relations between Canada and Mexico have never been better."

- Press conference with Prime Minister of Canada, 2001

Random McCainness

- Approximatey 57 million viewers watched John McCain's eyeballs almost fall out of his head while trying to pronounce "Ahmedinejad."

- The McCain campaign's latest ad attacks Obama for agreeing with John McCain. And perhaps they should, considering he's wrong on most things.

- Where in the world is Sarah Palin? On the evening of and the day after the first presidential debate, Palin was nowhere to be found spinning or supporting McCain while Joe Biden took great pleasure at reaming him a new orafice.

And The First Debate Goes To...

...apparently Obama according to most of the analysis, which is surprising to me because I didn't see it as such a clear cut win. Here's my analysis for whatever it's worth:

Pre-Debate

With all the hoopla going on about the financial crisis we find ourselves in, a lot of the pre-debate talk was toned down. Then McCain pulled his one day "suspension" crap and the media ate it up, all the while not reporting that McCain probably didn't know what the word "suspension" means. The fact was that his ads were still running, he made three news appearances (getting lambasted by David Letterman in the process), attended the Clinton Global Initiative (drawing praise from Bill at the worst possible time for Democrats), made an attempt to postpone the debate and then decided to go to "Warshington" to throw a wrench in the bailout works.

Due to all the self-imposed scheduling wackiness, some including me, thought that McCain would be unprepared for this first debate, that he was an old white man running away from a black man asking for change, and that Barack Obama would wipe the floor with the doddering, old fool.

Misunderestimating

What we didn't think about, and by "we" I mean the logical thinking Democrats and liberals that live in the world of reality, was that McCain is a crafty, old codger who's been in debate situations before and knows that the truth doesn't matter, it's all about perception. He was on the attack and aggressive for most of the 90 minute debate and as we all know Obama's demeanor doesn't lend itself to angry outbursts, he seemed to be on the defensive most of the evening.

Ultimately, if you're looking at content alone and reading the transcript, Barack Obama did win the first debate. If you're looking at style points, I would have given the slight edge to McCain because of his aggressiveness but for the fact that while Obama came across as presidential and cool, calm and collected, McCain looked uncomfortable while listening to Obama's answers, seemed exasperated when Obama would zing him with the truth (did McCain say "horseshit" when Obama smacked him on the Spain gaffe?) and not once during the entire evening did McCain even look at Obama. He made no attempt at eye contact. That put me off because it was disrespectful of his opponent and came off as condescending, almost as if he seemed irritated that they had to go through this exercise. One thing's for sure, McCain is thin skinned (not just because he's old) and I have a feeling he's going to let his emotions get the better of him at the most inopportune time very soon. Maybe the next debate?

Round two will happen in two weeks. Next we get to see Joe Biden and Sarah Palin go at it on Thursday. That is must see TV.


Best Lines of the Night:

Obama: "... presidents have to be prudent in what they say. But, you know, coming from you, who, you know, in the past has threatened extinction for North Korea and, you know, sung songs about bombing Iran, I don't know, you know, how credible that is."

McCain: "Senator Obama has the most liberal voting record in the United States Senate. It's hard to reach across the aisle from that far to the left."


Worst Lines of the Night:

McCain: "I looked into Mr. Putin's eyes, and I saw three letters, a 'K,' a 'G,' and a 'B.'"

Obama: Anytime he said "John McCain's absolutely right."


What did you think?


UPDATE (4:30pm): Here's FactCheck.org's fact checking on last night's debate.

Paul Newman Dies At 83

NY TIMES: Paul Newman, the Academy-Award winning superstar who personified cool as the anti-hero of such films as ''Hud,'' ''Cool Hand Luke'' and ''The Color of Money'' -- and as an activist, race car driver and popcorn impresario -- has died. He was 83.

Newman died Friday after a long battle with cancer at his farmhouse near Westport, publicist Jeff Sanderson said. He was surrounded by his family and close friends.

I don't know if this story is legend or not or if I have the facts straight, but a friend tells me of the time Paul Newman was in town for a Broadway show. It was in a land that time forget before cell phones and Newman, being the star that he was, needed national and international phone service.

He called the phone company and opened an account to be able to dial an access code from any phone to call anywhere in the world for a flat rate. It was something ridiculous at the time like $10,000 for 3 months.

Well, one thing led to another and the show he was in town for was cancelled a day or two after opening the phone account. He called the phone company and tried to cancel his account and get his money refunded. The phone company refused. No surprise there, huh? They had his money and that was that. So what did Newman do? He took an ad out in the Village Voice with the access number and directions telling everyone they could use this number for free phone service for the next three months.

I don't know if it's a true story, but it's a cool one, and I'd like to think it's real.

Music Break! Focus

Ah... Hocus Pocus. Awesome song. It makes me happy... just a little premature debate victory celebration.

Debate On!

The first of three McCain thrashings will take place after all as the McCain campaign zigged when it should have zagged and decided to avoid political suicide by actually showing up for the Mississippi debate. Someone should hide the hotline number next time.

In yet another ploy from Camp McCain the non-suspension suspension of John McCain's run for the White House backfired as he left Washington in worse shape then when he arrived... as if that's anything new.

Had Obama had fallen for the blatantly transparent move, it would've seemed McCain was playing leader and Obama follower. It would've also had the bonus of rescheduling the debates and cancelling the only VP debate and the destruction of Sarah Palin in order to use that date for the first POTUS debate.

When McCain's hapless managers saw Obama wasn't biting, they realized that it would be political suicide for them to blow off the debate. I'm also sure they weren't counting on the reports that McCain's presence was what put a wrench in the works in the first place, asking for fewer regulations and tax breaks for corporations. Real reformer that McCain. So now the debate that Maverick said he wouldn't attend so long as a bailout deal was not finalized and is even further away from getting done than when he arrived in D.C. is back on.

Not to be outdone by the "suspended campaign" embarrassment, the latest McCain camp debacle didn't stop the them from declaring victory in the debate before it's even occurred.

An advertisement prematurely declaring victory in something you didn't want to participate in before its happened... hmmm... I remember something seeing like that. Where have I seen that before?

McNuts - UPDATED

(H/T HuffPo)


Even Dave Letterman has had enough. David. Fucking. Letterman!


(H/T Cesca)


UPDATE I (7:05am):

Morning Joke - Mike and Joe are OUTRAGED! (especially Mika) that CBS would let the Letterman show air as it did, mocking our war hero. Grow. Up. Assholes.

ADDING - The McCain campaign is in fucking shambles. Either this was campaign advice to try and make political hay out of a supposedly dire situation and disguise it as all "mavericky," or it was McCain's own decision which make his managers look completely incompetent and worthless beyond how they've run the campaign to date. Either way, Letterman's right. This smells like shit.

Now he gets to strut into D.C. a week late and $700 billion short, after an agreement is 95% complete and take credit for something he didn't do.

UPDATE II (9:35pm): The insanity continues. It seems that the McCain camp DID NOT suspend the campaign, has been running adds all over the US and his presence in D.C. probably did more harm than good in getting a deal done... which is probably what he wanted to avoid tomorrow night's debate. What the hell is going on? I've never seen anything this crazy. Reminds me of a conservative version of Bulworth.

And CBS reported that McCain tossed out a proposal that offered "fewer regulations and corporate tax breaks." What a surprise.

McCain Campaign Loses Its Collective Mind

Does anyone in the McCain campaign realize that there are less than six weeks remaining until Election Day? Does anyone in the McCain campaign care? Has the McCain campaign figured out that they are in serious trouble and decided to just throw in the towel and say, "Fuck it"?

Just two days before the first of three presidential debates, John McCain has decided that a delay is in order to deal with the current financial crisis. Mr. Ten Town Hall Meetings is now trying to back out of the first scheduled debate on Friday, September 26th. I say, "What are you fuckin' kidding me?!" This from the man who just yesterday said that his vote on the largest proposed bailout in the history of the world would be "irrelevant" in the grand scheme of things. And yet, he thinks that delaying the debates and suspending his campaign is the path to take to his irrelevant vote.

Thankfully, Barack Obama isn't having any of it.

“This is exactly the time when people need to hear from the candidates... Part of the president’s job is to deal with more than one thing at once. In my mind it’s more important than ever.”

"It's my belief that this is exactly the time when the American people need to hear from the person who, in approximately 40 days, will be responsible for dealing with this mess," Obama said at a news conference in Clearwater, Fla. "It's going to be part of the president's job to deal with more than one thing at once."

Exactly, Senator Obama. The clock doesn't stop ticking when there's a problem or crisis looming over you. A president needs to multitask, and if John McCain isn't able or ready to do so, then step off and let a real leader handle things.

For the McCain campaign to keep treating the American people like rubes and not think that we'd figure out a stunt like this is exactly that, a stunt designed to look as if he's putting "country first," when in fact it's an obvious political ploy, is outrageous.

When was the last time McCain suspended his campaign? Oh yeah, during the Hurricane Gustav crisis - because the Maverick had to be there in person, to stop the mighty hurricane himself and blow off the first day of the Republican National Convention. And how exactly did his presence help the citizens of Texas and the victims of Gustav? Keep searching for an answer, I'll wait...

I seriously believe that the McCain camp realizes that the only way they can even come close to pulling off a win in November (besides voter disenfranchisement and suppression and electronic voting machines) is to put out a daily distraction for the next six weeks and avoid any talk of issues, hopefully waiting out the clock until November 4th. The Palin nomination, Gustav, lipstick on a pig, sexism, the economy, you name it they'll use it to avert, avoid, distract and deceive.

And on a side note, the wingnut hacks who are calling for Republicans to vote against the bailout for all the wrong reasons have no right to use McCain's "Country First" as a slogan.


UPDATE I (10:35pm):

Camp McCain is trying to postpone the VP debate as well. We all know that they'd rather not have Palin say anything anyway, but here is the ruse.

CNN's Dana Bash reports that McCain officials are "trying to negotiate with the Obama campaign and the presidential debate commission" to change next Thursday's planned vice presidential debate into a McCain-Obama affair. The VP debate would be postponed to another date.

"That is what they are proposing," Bash reported. "[McCain officials] understand very well that both the Obama campaign and the debate commission have no intention of delaying Friday's debate, but...if there is no bailout deal by Friday, McCain has no plan to go to debate."

That's fine with me. McThuselah can stay home and pout. Obama will have 90 minutes to himself.


UPDATE II (9/25/08 12:55am):

A senior campaign official says that McCain will NOT debate -- no matter what -- if Congress hasn't reached an agreement on a bailout package.

Well of course he won't debate if there's no bailout package. Think about it. What are the chances that something would be agreed to in the next 36 hours? It's practically impossible for something this complex to be figured out by Friday afternoon. So now they can claim "Country First" and skip out on the first debate, thereby throwing the rest of the schedule in turmoil.

And seriously, did we really think McCain's false town hall debates proposal was honest? There was no way that Obama was going to acquiesce to that offer and the McCain camp knew it; and they also knew they could use it as a talking point against Obama, just as they know that a bailout plan won't be in place by debate time Friday and can use the "economic crisis" as an excuse as well.

Another pathetic attempt at distraction on the same day that we learn Rick Davis was on the lobbyist payroll for Freddie Mac until last month at $15,000 - $30,000 per month.

Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

(H/T Bob Cesca)

The Fourth Branch of Government

I've been working a lot lately and haven't had much time to post, but this caught my eye a couple of days ago and I saved it until I could comment on it. Not that I have time now since I have to get up in five hours, but if I waited any longer it probably would no longer be relevant - hell, I don't know if this has already been discussed ad nauseam, but here it is.

Dick Cheney's back in the news... at least in the background behind Sarah Palin and the financial crisis and a gazillion dollar bailout and McThuselah's face falling off a bit more every time I see him. And the reason The Man Who Wouldn't Die™ is in the news? A federal judge ruled that Mr. Secret Fourth Branch of Government isn't so Fourth Branch and has to keep records from his time in office.

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly found that the records are not excluded from preservation under Presidential Records Act, which gives the national archivist responsibility over the custody of and access to the records at the end of a president's final term.

The Bush administration had sought a narrow interpretation of the act to allow for fewer materials to be preserved by the National Archives.

"Defendants were only willing to agree to a preservation order that tracked their narrowed interpretation of the PRA's statutory language," Kollar-Kotelly said in her order. This position "heightens the Court's concern" that some records will not be preserved without an injunction.

Cheney chief of staff David Addington has told Congress that the vice president belongs to neither the executive nor legislative branch of government, AP reported. Instead, he said, the office is attached by the Constitution to Congress. The vice president presides over the Senate.

Of course, I doubt the paper shredders in the Vice President's office will cool down any time soon. And Addington's statement strikes me as odd - but I suppose contradictory legalese is his forte. How can you claim to be protected under executive privilege while denying that you are part of the executive branch?

And let's not forget to give a nice round of applause for the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) for filing the lawsuit in the first place. You can make a tax deductible donation at their site.

____________________________

Read the Case Opinion here and the Case Order here.

You can click on the Cheney cartoon above to view Mark Fiore's animation from July 1, 2007.

T Minus 119 Days

"America better beware of a candidate who is willing to stretch reality in order to win points."

- Aboard the 2000 campaign plane, September 2000

Obama's Got It Covered; McCain & Palin? No Clue

How many times in one week can the Republican ticket show it has no idea what it's talking about?

Sarah Palin: "This week, when the economic crisis threatened the livelihoods of millions of Americans, John McCain took a clear stand and he offered his own recovery plan," Palin told an enthusiastic crowd of thousands. "Our opponent refused to even take a stand on the position..."

Well, what McCain "plan" should we go with, Sarah? The plan to fire the Chairman of the SEC which a president is not able to do, the plan to ask for the resignation of the chairman of the FEC who has nothing to do with the economy, or the plan to try to blame the Democrats and Barack Obama for the deregulation championed by McCain and devised by his economic advisor Phil Gramm that has caused this mess in the first place?

Meanwhile, Barack Obama spent the week speaking to advisers, economists and having meetings to actually devise a plan, not just "take a stand" and then change his stand multiple times.

Barack Obama: "As of now, the Bush administration has only offered a concept with a staggering price tag, not a plan," Obama said. "Even if the U.S. Treasury recovers some or most of its investment over time, this initial outlay of up to $700 billion is sobering. And in return for their support, the American people must be assured that the deal reflects the basic principles of transparency, and fairness, and reform. We can’t allow this to happen again. They have run this government, they have run this economy into the ground. We’ve got to make sure that we lift if back up, but we’ve got to have some rules in place to make sure it doesn’t happen again."

Obama set out seven principles (several of which he has regularly mentioned on the campaign trail) for what he would like to see included in the government's bailout plan.

You can read the outline here.

And to round out the week, McCain's 60 Minutes interview added a little bonus.

How Stupid Is Bill O'Reilly?

Here's a clip of BillO's faux outrage of the hacking of Sarah Palin's private Yahoo e-mail account. I assume "faux"outrage because of the "shoe-on-the-other-foot" theory. If Obama's e-mail had been hacked, do you think BillO would come to his defense or inquire about the contents of the e-mail?

In this clip O'Reilly shows he knows practically nothing of the law, bitches about invasion of privacy when the Bush administration has been illegally wiretapping for years, and compares a website's posting of the illegally obtained information (which supposedly is protected by First Amendment rights if the story is newsworthy) as complicit in the crime and equating it to stealing a letter from a mailbox and sharing its monetary contents with a second party. In that hypotectical, he goes over the line and fudges the facts in trying to create a different scenario but claims it's the same thing.

Thankfully, Megyn Kelly sets him straight by asserting that if Fox News was the hypothetical recipient of the illegally obtained news, they would have no qualms about airing it. BillO disagrees and tries to dupe his viewers into believing what he wants to believe but knows is not true.



I wonder if he'll do a story if it comes to light that Palin used her private e-mail for governmental reasons to keep possible illegalities out of the public record... or would he just let others beat him to the scoop because that info was not leagally obtained?

O-BAM!-A

(H/T Cesca)

Must Reads

Dr. Biobrain: All RedState, All The Time

The Rude Pundit: John McCain: The Town Hall Stalker

David Corn: Is McCain More the Populist than Obama?

My First Wingnut Hate Comment

I wear this like a badge of honor. "Anonymous" (of course this person is anonymous because all these people are fucking cowards) wrote this in my comments section (no corrections - posted as written):

wow you fucking ass osama (obama) took the american flag out of his campaign signs and has never once worn a flag pin, when they pledge to the flag obama doesent put his hand on his heart (because he doesent have one) so go suck a cock fag

This was in response to my April 20th, 2008 post showing a screenshot of John McCain during a This Week with George Snuffleupagus appearance sans lapel flag pin. It seems that was the big Obama scandal back then... ah, simpler days. Good times, good times...

Anyway, since I feel like I have to school the knuckledraggers who don't use punctuation, here it goes.

1 - Obama never had "the American flag" in his logo. He did use the colors of the flag, and red and white stripes, like this:




But things change, and since he now has to include his running mate in the Obama brand, now he uses this (taken from his website):




Notice that the "flag" motif is still there. For the knuckledragger, "motif" means recurring subject or form. And here's a shot of Biden standing behind a podium.






Hmm... what's that I see? Looks like... *gasp* it is! It's the "flag" that Mr. Anonymous Mouthbreather claims isn't in Obama's signs anymore. That's strike one.


2 - Obama has "never once worn a flag pin." Really, Mr. Anonymous Knuckledragger Mouthbreathing Goat Fucker? Well, what the fuck are these?





That would be strike two.

3 -And finally Mr. Anonymous Douchebag claims "when they pledge to the flag obama doesent [sic] put his hand on his heart"

Seriously? Is this still going on? Sigh... Okay, Mr. Anonymous McCain Asslicker, watch this.




Strike. Fuckin'. Three.

So the next time you stop by to spread the lies you've been told by your racist, Republican friends and Fox News and Rush "Oxycontin" Limbaugh and Sean "McCain Scrotum Sucker" Hannity, maybe you should try bitching about something a little more important, like the mortgage crisis, or the financial meltdown, or energy policy, or anything that remotely resembles something of significance, you dumb shit.

If these are the only reasons you are a McCain supporter, I hope I've given you sufficient proof to change your mind. VOTE OBAMA! YES WE CAN!

T Minus 125 Days

"I'm confident we can work together with Congress to come up with an economic stimulus package that will send a clear signal to the risk takers and captal formators of our country."

- Washington, DC, September 17, 2001

McCain Invented The Printing Press?

Johann Gutenberg called MSNBC's Morning Joe today in a rage over the McCain campaign's claim that John McCain invented the printing press.

"This is an outrage!" said Gutenberg. "The McCain campaign may claim that Senator McCain invented the BlackBerry, but to insinuate that he had a hand in the printing press, well that's just nonsense. He was only an apprentice in my shop at the time, mopping floors, refilling inkwells and getting the stains out of my smock."

Gutenberg was referring to McCain advisor Douglas Holtz-Eakin's assertion that had it not been for John McCain's work in the Senate Commerce Committee, we would not have the BlackBerry, while completely ignoring the fact that it was a Canadian company that developed the popular wireless handheld device. But we should thank our lucky stars that John McCain knows him some technology.

"He did this," Douglas Holtz-Eakin told reporters this morning, holding up his BlackBerry. "Telecommunications of the United States is a premier innovation in the past 15 years, comes right through the Commerce Committee. So you're looking at the miracle John McCain helped create and that's what he did."

Gutenberg did say he's had second thoughts on the printing of the Bible. "If I knew then what I know now..." he said while shaking his head as his voice trailed off.

Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski were at a loss for words as that segment was scheduled for the daily Sarah Palin ass kissing, and quickly broke to commercial.

Fiorina Implants Foot In Cakehole

Is there no job that Carly Fiorina can hold on to? After stating earlier in the day that she didn't think Sarah Palin could be the CEO of a major corporation, MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell gave the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard and current McCain economic advisor a chance to get her foot out of her mouth. Who knew Carly was such a professional deep throater to actually get the rest of her leg jammed into her mouth?

Asked about that remark on MSNBC, she made the same unprompted assessment of the GOP presidential nominee. "I don't think John McCain could run a major corporation."

Of course she tried to qualify it by adding Obama and Biden in her description of the four politicians aspiring to the highest office in the land but not capable of running a corporation, but the damage was done.

And it looks like the McCain campaign is also in favor of rendition as an anonymous top campaign advisor has said Carly will disappear.

"Carly will now disappear," this source said. "Senator McCain was furious." Asked to define "disappear," this source said, adding that she would be off TV for a while – but remain at the Republican National Committee and keep her role as head of the party’s joint fundraising committee with the McCain campaign.

Looks like you can add Fiorina to the ranks of the unemployed.

T Minus 126 Days

"A tax cut is really one of the anecdotes to come out of an economic illness."

- The Edge with Paula Zahn, September 2000

Economically Sound

Lehman Brothers files for bankruptcy. Merrill Lynch is sold to Bank of America. AIG loses 50% of its stock value. The Dow loses another 300 points today.

John McCain today: "The fundamentals of our economy are still strong."

But it doesn't stop there. Donald Luskin, a self proclaimed economic advisor to John McCain wrote the following on the economy in Sundays Washington Post. We're not just a "nation of whiners," according to Luskin, we're "a nation of exaggerators" as well.

I wonder if Luskin is wishing his article hadn't been printed right about now?

UPDATE (9/16/08 6:50am):

John McCain thinks we're stupid. In response to McCain's "fundamentals are still strong" quote regarding the economy while he was stumping yesterday, Barack Obama shot back from his campaign by asking, "What economy is John McCain talking about?!" Looking for a way to squirm out of his gaffe and since he is in full liar mode anyway, McCain said he was talking about "the American worker." Those small business owners and entrepreneurs, they're what he meant by the fundamentals. Yes, as the the Dow closed -504 points yesterday, McCain thought he could cast blame on Obama and how he doesn't believe in the the American worker.

Oh, and Sarah Palin started using the "Bridge to Nowhere" line again that she stopped using while in Alaska. I guess she doesn't realize that "national spotlight" includes Alaska where she was able to reign in obscurity until cynically chosen to be the GOP running mate.

Tina Fey Is Scary...

... in her eerily accurate portrayal of Sarah Palin. After all, she couldn't have had much time trying to study the extremely small amount of footage of this unknown hockey mom from Wasilla, Alaska who's just like us. Maybe she spoke with other hockey moms and this is an amalgam of traits sewn up in one character. I also heard rumor that Matt Damon helped with her character study.

Tasty Muslim Waffles!

Is this what political discourse has come to for hicks, yokels and rednecks who can't engage in any intellectual conversation? Mark Whitlock and Bob DeMoss, vendors at this weekend's Values Voter Summit have chosen to display that one of their main values is blatant racism by selling "Obama Waffles."

Oh! HEE-HEE! How funny, they're just taking what they claim to be political positions that Obama's "waffled" on and highlight them on a waffle mix box. I get it. But why the caricature, why not just use an actual photo of Obama?

When asked " if he considered the pictures of Obama on the box to be racial stereotypes, Whitlock said: ''We had some people mention that to us, but you think of Newman's Own or Emeril's -- there are tons and tons of personality-branded food products on the market. So we've taken that model and, using political satire, have highlighted his policies, his position changes.'"

But in Emeril's case, they didn't go far enough. They should've had a caricature of him on the labels depicting him with greasy hair, olive skin, a large "Roman" nose and sporting a long handlebar moustache. And with Newman, well, he's white so you can only go so far.

So when faced with the question of their racism, they don't even have the balls to answer, preferring to sidestep with comparisons of "other personality-branded" products. In my opinion, and I've encountered this personally, there's only one kind of racist that's worse than someone who's in your face about it, and that's these kinds of cowards who won't man up to being racist; the kind that curse you behind your back but piss their pants when challenged. These are the worst kind of people - they infect a nation, block by block, town by town, ready with a pitchfork and a torch at a moment's notice only if they're following a mob, never having an independent thought... until now, and even then, poorly disguising it in politics.

But what if' I'm wrong? What if this really is "political satire"? What proof do I have that it's racist? Oh, yeah, the waffle box.

The racial rubes go on and have even more stereotypical cartoons depicting Obama "in Arab-like headdress recall[ing] the false rumor that he is a follower of Islam, though he is actually a Christian.

On the back of the box, Obama is depicted in stereotypical Mexican dress, including a sombrero, above a recipe for ''Open Border Fiesta Waffles'' that says it can serve ''4 or more illegal aliens.'' The recipe includes a tip: ''While waiting for these zesty treats to invade your home, why not learn a foreign language?''

And why not have a rap on the side of the box to complete the picture and appeal to the urban waffle lover?

Barry's Bling Bling Waffle Ring

YO, B-rock here droppin' waffle knowledge
Spellin' it out 'cause I graduated college
Some say I waffle so fast, Barry's causin' whiplash
Just doin' my part, made wafflin' a fine art
For a waffle wit style, like Chigago's Magnificent Mile
Spray whipped cream around the edge
Shake it first like Sister Sledge
Then say it wit me, I can be as waffly as I wanna be!

(That goes out to my Ludacris posse)

I must be wrong, they can't be racists, right? I mean, shit, they write rap lyrics. So these two rednecks who've traded in their hoods and robes for chef hats and aprons are trying to make a buck ($10 per box) by appealing to the basest, vilest feelings of "values voters" at the VALUES VOTER SUMMIT. What's next? Obama fried chicken and watermelon? Some values, huh?

And on another note, immigration fearmonger Lou Dobbs, who's wife I believe is of Mexican descent (try and figure that one out!) was speaking at the Summit and said, when seeing the display, "My wife will love this!" and bought a box. Values voters, indeed.

The Family Research Council has since denounced the display and had the vendors remove the material and dismantle the booth which had been there since Thursday. Swift action, especially in light of negative press!

Tighten your seatbelts, boys and girls. With a little more than seven weeks left before arguably the most important election in our lifetime, this is only going to get uglier and uglier. "Obama Waffles" only scratches the surface.