Virtually all candidates, including Obama, distort their opponent's record. But McCain has gone beyond reasonable bounds. The self-described "happy warrior" in the 2000 presidential campaign has turned sour in 2008, and the candor and straight talk that once made him such an attractive candidate are rapidly disappearing.Agreed. What happened to the candidate of 2000? Where is the insurgent senator from Arizona who promised to change politics and the way that campaigns were run? Was McCain's defeat at the hands of a sleazy oil-man from Texas so damaging to his psyche that the formerly good senator has now resorted to the same types of tactics that defeated him?
With the exception of an occasional interview, [John Weaver, a close friend of McCain and former campaign staffer] has, by his own account, bit his tongue as McCain's campaign has adopted a strategy that Weaver believes "diminishes John McCain."Not good. When your closest allies are starting to criticize the campaign, it might be time to rethink the overall strategy.
With the release today of a McCain television ad blasting Obama for celebrity preening while gas prices rise, and a memo that accuses Obama of putting his own aggrandizement before the country, Weaver said he's had "enough."
The ad's premise, he said, is "childish."
[Bush] said that as of Friday, U.S. troops deployed to Iraq in the future would serve shorter combat tours, 12 months instead of 15 months, as conditions improve in the war zone.
Thoughts from across the pond
An email from Ireland to the brethren in the States...a point to ponder despite your political affiliation:
We, in Ireland, can't figure out why people are even bothering to hold an election in the United States! On one side, you have a pants wearing woman lawyer, married to a lawyer who can't keep his pants on, who just lost a long and heated primary against a lawyer who goes to the wrong church who is married to yet another lawyer who doesn't even like the country her husband wants to run.
Now...On the other side, you have a nice old war hero whose name starts with the appropriate "Mc" terminology married to a good looking younger woman who owns a beer distributorship.Ah... stereotypes.
What in Lord's name are ye lads thinking over there in the colonies??
...Stevens has disgraced himself and his office. If he steps aside now, the politics will take care of themselves. The eventual nominee will have distinguished himself by winning an open and competitive primary. A party appointment would look calculated and unprincipled, and the candidate would be weaker for it. Stevens should allow the voters to pick his replacement. He should resign, and the sooner the better.Head nod: Patrick Appel
...McCain is pressing his case against a candidate with no military experience — thanks in part to a subterranean smear campaign that’s tapped a nerve with some voters who don’t see Obama as entirely American.McCain is increasing appearing as just another politician. Instead of drawing on the differences between him and his opponent, McCain is highlighting his own negativity by running ads that accuse Obama of dissing American troops or blame Obama for the high price of gasoline.
Prosecutors said Stevens received more than $250,000 in gifts and services from VECO Corp., a powerful oil services contractor, and its executives. From May 1999 to August 2007, prosecutors said, the 84-year-old senator concealed "his continuing receipt of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of things of value from a private corporation."It's no wonder that Americans get fed up with politicians in Washington.
So what does this say to you and I? 55% of the country thinks Obama will be riskier than McCain. George Bush has a 25-30% approval rating...Republicans are outnumbered in registration of voters by large margins and Democrats are on the rise.There is a very simple answer to that question: familiarity.
BUT...55%...more than half...believe Obama is a risk. And why!?
[Elaine] Donnelly treated the panel to an extraordinary exhibition of rage. She warned of "transgenders in the military." She warned that lesbians would take pictures of people in the shower. She spoke ominously of gays spreading "HIV positivity" through the ranks.It takes a real special kind of bigotry to say those things. Read the whole article -- you almost feel bad for Donnelly.
"We're talking about real consequences for real people," Donnelly proclaimed. Her written statement added warnings about "inappropriate passive/aggressive actions common in the homosexual community," the prospects of "forcible sodomy" and "exotic forms of sexual expression," and the case of "a group of black lesbians who decided to gang-assault" a fellow soldier
-- Apparently, every day was Casual Friday for Barack Obama in the Middle East. Hey, if the Age of Obama is about nuking the necktie, I'm on board....and what's with that weird plastic grin?
-- Randomly catching television video (usually without sound) I must say that McCain ought to stop awkwardly laughing at his own jokes. His weird facial contortions make it difficult to tell whether he is laughing or crying.
Barack Obama’s campaign is talking with Republicans who have endorsed his presidential bid, seeking to coordinate a publicity blitz together.Interesting...
The campaign recently held a conference call with a small group of officials who are or who have previously been identified with the Republican Party, according to sources who were on the call.
The initiative to highlight the backing of “Obamacans” is in its infancy. But campaign events featuring Republicans praising Obama are seen as an effective counterpunch to Sen. Joe Lieberman’s (I-Conn.) aggressive backing of Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) White House bid.
Obama's camp initially agreed that the cartoon was, "tasteless and offensive". Really? You know what your response should have been? It's very easy, here, let me put the statement out for you: 'Barack Obama is in no way upset about the cartoon that depicts him as a Muslim extremist. Because you know who gets upset about cartoons? Muslim extremists--of which Barack Obama is not. It's just a f**king cartoon.'You can't argue with that kind of logic.
I have so much to say today... but unfortunately, my daughter has a crazy fever. She bested 105º last night, which warranted a visit to the local ER. The Pajama Wife and I were up waaaay past our bedtime. The docs at the hospital said that she does NOT have Meningitis (thankfully), and that it's likely a simple virus that is hitting her hard.
Was the country in worse shape in the 90's - The answer is YES.No my friend, you could not be more wrong. As I said, I'll talk more about in on Monday.
The [Washington] Times quoted [Gramm] as saying: “You've heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession. … We have sort of become a nation of whiners. …I understand what you are talking about Mr. Gramm; in the scheme of the entire world, America is doing just fine.
“You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in decline. … We've never been more dominant; we've never had more natural advantages than we have today.”
Anyone who actually listened to Obama and read about his positions knew that he was, at best, slightly to the left of moderate (in today's right-warped political belief continuum). Those who believed he was a liberal savior were actually just reacting to the right wing's portrayal of him as "the mostest liberalest Senator" or some such shit, as in "Well, hell, if Bill O'Reilly says he's the mostest liberalest, then he's the candidate for me." We on the left often make this mistake: to see ourselves only as reflected in the conservative nutzoid mirror.
"Let me give you a real, live example, which I've been hearing a lot about from women. There are many health insurance plans that will cover Viagra but won't cover birth control medication. Those women would like a choice," [Fiorina] said.My guess is that Ms. Fiorina's name has been removed from that oft-rumored spot on the VP shortlist.
But as the abortion rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America was happy to point out, McCain twice voted against measures that would have required insurance companies to cover birth control -- in 2003 and 2005.
The Republican said Wednesday that he did not recall those votes. "It's something that I had not thought much about," he added.
A campaign aide who refused to speak by name said the Arizona senator opposed all mandates.
It is not the first time that Fiorina has taken some license with McCain's positions. Recently, Newsweek magazine reported, she told women in Columbus, Ohio, that McCain "has never signed on to efforts to overturn Roe vs. Wade," the landmark Supreme Court decision confirming the right to abortion.
Actually, according to his campaign website: "John McCain believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned, and as president he will nominate judges who understand that courts should not be in the business of legislating from the bench."
Apparently unaware of a hot microphone, Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr., founder and president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, made a crude and disparaging remark along the lines of wanting to rip Obama's genitals off in reference to how Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., might be alienating African-Americans with various moral instructions.Ah, the classiness of the Reverend Jesse Jackson.
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WILL HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF???
Now that the two primary Presidential candidates are clearly identified, with major differences in their experience, background and platform, it is important to look back to see if history is destined to repeat itself.
I just received an email from Dr. Larry J. Tracy, a friend of mine for over 50 years, that I want to share with you. His message is titled "The Frog Theory." He explains why we never see danger until it is too late.
THE FROG THEORY
If you drop a frog in boiling water he will leap right out. If you slowly heat the water he will be content until it's too late to get out. That is exactly how history works. It moves slowly and we never really see any danger until it's too late.
Remember how suppressed workers were before unions came along? The unions leveled the playing field. Unfortunately, over a long period of time the pendulum swung too far. Slowly, businesses and factories closed and jobs left the country. We were comfortable and didn't see the change coming. We blamed everyone except ourselves for what happened. We weren't alert to how slow things change over time.Wow. So, if you are still with me, here are some thoughts.
World War II, and the Korean War, demonstrated how powerful a united nation could be. Our nation, and our families, were united. The father was the head of the family and the President was the head of the nation. Both were highly respected. We were content and happy.
We were good at fighting a hot war but we were unprepared to fight a cold war with the communists in the 50's. They knew they couldn't change us but they didn't care. Their philosophy was to wait it out and capture the minds of our children. They loaded our colleges with many of their professors and waited. It didn't take long to see the results.
The 60''s ushered in the radicals, drug culture, student protesters, and the Vietnam War. The aim of the cold war was to divide and conquer. They divided our families and the nation. The secret to defeating a polite and respectful people is to scream. The louder and longer you scream the better your chance of winning. Radicals are masters at this form of attack. They know if you constantly scream and repeat a lie it will eventually become the truth.
The media, and Hollywood, hammered us with hate America themes and stories. Our service men, and women, were jeered, cursed, and spit on. Even the people, who latter wanted to become their President, thrashed them. We lost our first War in history. There was no hero's homecoming for our fighting men and women.
The Reverend King, who was raised in the old school, peacefully changed the race issue and united the people. When he died the new breed of leaders like the Jesse Jackson's, Lewis Farakon,'s Al Sharpton's, and Rev. Wright's put a lid on his efforts and turned racism into a money making machine.
Corporations were green-mailed by threats of protests, product boycotts, or endless lawsuits. Every issue, large or small, became a race issue. The public recoiled in fear of being called a racist. Their voices were silenced because one word could cost you a career, get you fired, or get you sued.
Even politicians buckled under to the pressure. The Florida legislature issued a formal apology for having slavery 200 years ago. They were thanked by being asked for compensation. There is no end in sight for this kind of nonsense. America didn't capture slaves and bring them to America. Their own people sold them to slave traders from several nations. This knowledge doesn't stop the screamers. History is what it is and you can't change it. There have been many tragic events in history. You acknowledge them and move on.
They divided our nation into two separate Americas. We now have Americans, and African-Americans, although Africa has nothing to do with being an American. You can be one or the other but not both. You are what you were born to be. You do not subordinate our country to any foreign nation. It's equivalent to flying the African flag above the Stars and Stripes. If you hyphenate two countries America always comes first.
This election year could be the turning point in our history because the frog theory has come into play. It's time to step back and look at how the country has slowly changed since the cold war started. Don't get caught up in all the hype.
George McGovern was the first Presidential candidate to test the waters with college students. The Clinton's played a big role in his campaign. It was the worst campaign ever run. He was crushed in the election.
Step two was to infiltrate all the information vehicles such as radio, newspapers, magazines, TV and movies. They were quite successful at that. Jimmy Carter was the first President to demonstrate the leadership skills of the far left. Weak military, high taxes, runaway inflation, 19% mortgage rates, and plain incompetence ended his career in Washington. Iran, a small country at the time, took American hostages and kicked sand in our face. By negotiating from weakness Carter could not get the hostages released.
The big benefit of the Carter years is that they were followed by the Reagan years. The nation got a clear look at the difference between a weak nation and a strong nation. Every student should know this difference. When Ronald Reagan took over the hostages were quickly released, taxes were lowered, inflation dropped, mortgage rates dropped, and the military was strengthened. Russia quickly waved the white flag and waited for another Democrat term.
Clinton took over Carters uncompleted social programs. He weakened the military and tried to pass large government programs. An Intern derailed his Presidency. While he was tied up with his personal problems his lawyers ran the country. He passed up three opportunities to take out Osama Bin Laden. This eventually cost us the loss of our Twin Towers, thousands of American lives, and got us involved in a war with Iraq.
By the end of his term the left had captured a large share of the media and it flexed its muscle in 2000. The hate Bush campaign got off to a roaring start. The brainwashing theory of repeating the same story over and over again was launched.
There were endless stories about our evil nation and its President. Top-secret plans were leaked to the press and printed for the entire world to see. Hollywood cranked out documentaries about the evil Bush administration and our evil military. They laid the groundwork for the next election. The ACLU flooded the courts with lawsuits and the Democrat party became a law firm. Almost every incumbent, or his or her spouse, is a lawyer.
They now have the perfect candidate because they can squash criticism by playing the race card. If you don't like Obama, or criticize him, you are a racist. They can hide his inexperience and background by turning him into a rock star and singing change and hope. They don't tell us what kind of change, or how it will be done, only that you should hope for the best. By keeping the hype going they don't have to put anything of substance on the table.
The only thing we really know about Obama is that his wife has never been proud to be an American. They want us to believe that his liberal college professors, Rev. Pfleger, his ties to radicals Bill Ayer and Lewis Farakon, and listening to the Rev. Wright's hate talks for 20 years, had no influence on his thinking. If they didn't, then who did? He wasn't in business and didn't see fit to serve his country. These people launched his political career and their organizations received earmarks in return for their campaign donations and political help. They must have had some influence. Rev. Wr ight's church received over $15 million. That's only one small local church. Think on a national scale.
The change being promoted is a change back to the Carter years. It started in 2006 when the lawyer party took over. There have been endless lawsuits and investigations in retaliation for the Clinton years. It keeps the lawyers busy but does nothing for the economy. The economy has been in a downward spiral since they took over.
Returning to the Carter years of high taxes, high inflation, and a weak military is not the change we are looking for. We cannot cower to a bunch of crazies whose only goal in life is to kill us.
The old sage's (over 50) will have to play a big role in this election. The young people simply don't know what the aged know. The advantage of aging is the knowledge you accumulated. You know what United States means. You know what the seldom-heard word respect means. You know how wonderful freedom and independence is. You know the difference between a strong and a weak nation; and you know what it takes to keep it strong. You know history because you have lived it.
Although the old guard is dying off, and getting too tired to fight, they have to muster one more charge. If they don't, our children, and grandchildren, will never know the joy and freedom that is the bedrock of our country. The heat is slowly being turned up and the water is getting hot. The old frogs better start jumping before it's too late.
The email, presented as a June 29 op-ed (replete with The Times' font, layout, and Dowd byline) presents the "shocking" revelation that Obama's prodigious Internet fundraising apparatus is really driven by wealthy financiers from -- you guessed it -- "Saudi Arabia, Iran, and other Middle Eastern countries."The moral of the story: when you get a salacious e-mail attacking a political candidate (ANY political candidate), research it yourself by going to said candidate's website. If it checks out and you feel so inclined, pass it on to friends and family. If it doesn't check out, reply to the sender and inform them that they have been duped.
In an interview with NPR's David Welna that ran today former Gov. Jesse "The Body" Ventura, Ind-Minn., says he will run for Senate, challenging incumbent Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., whom Ventura defeated for governor in 1998, as well as Democratic nominee and former Saturday Night Live humorist Al Franken.
MODERATOR: Let me give you a hypothetical, senator. What would or should we do if, in the post-June 30th period, a so-called sovereign Iraqi government asks us to leave, even if we are unhappy about the security situation there? I understand it's a hypothetical, but it's at least possible.Senator McCain should read the headlines coming out of Iraq...
MCCAIN: Well, if that scenario evolves, then I think it's obvious that we would have to leave because— if it was an elected government of Iraq— and we've been asked to leave other places in the world. If it were an extremist government, then I think we would have other challenges, but I don't see how we could stay when our whole emphasis and policy has been based on turning the Iraqi government over to the Iraqi people.
BAGHDAD, July 8 -- Iraq's national security adviser said Tuesday that his government would not sign an agreement governing the future role of U.S. troops in Iraq unless it includes a timetable for their withdrawal.Head nod: Sullivan
Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard chief who is now the Republican National Committee's "Victory Chairman," was discussing consumer-driven health insurance at a breakfast with reporters when she proposed "a real, live example which I've been hearing a lot about from women: There are many health insurance plans that will cover Viagra but won't cover birth-control medication. Those women would like a choice." For effect, the woman frequently mentioned as a possible McCain running mate repeated: "Those women would like a choice."Check please.
Silence filled the meeting room at the St. Regis Hotel. "I don't know where I go after that," said the moderator, Dave Cook of the Christian Science Monitor.
"The US government and the government of Iraq are in agreement that we, the US government, we want to withdraw, we will withdraw. However, that decision will be conditions-based," State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said.
Seriously, what is it about Obama that induces this Flowers for Algernon IQ dip on the right and in the Hillary Clinton insurgency? This stuff is on the fringe, but sometime reason contributor and Politico editor David Mark has a story out about conservative activists digging into Obama's audiobooks to find incidents of him cursing and quoting a Jeremiah Wright sermon. But... why? Because George Allen's offensive against Jim Webb's novels was so damn effective?
With 68 percent of Americans believing George Bush has done a poor job, and 82 percent saying the country is on the wrong track, the election of 2008 will turn on one issue: Barack Obama.A 'snooty radical liberal...who looks down upon white America as a fever swamp of racism and reaction'? Geez Pat, why don't you tell us what you really think. It's not like you are putting words in Senator Obama's mouth or anything...
If Sen. Obama can convince the people he is "one of us," and not some snooty radical liberal from Chicago's Hyde Park, who looks down upon white America as a fever swamp of racism and reaction, a la the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the senator will be the next president.
Asked to guess Obama's running mate choice, McAuliffe picked Delaware senator and ex-presidential candidate Joe Biden, due to the Senate foreign relations committee chairman's 'international experience.'A strong pick to be sure. However, I think that Obama
Sen. Barack Obama, the presumed Democratic presidential nominee, faces dissent from dozens of top fund-raisers and other supporters of former rival Sen. Hillary Clinton, who are angry over how she was treated during their bruising primary battle and are hesitating to back Sen. Obama.So, isn't that contradictory? How can you blame Barack Obama for 'failing to do enough to stop' some alleged 'sexist treatment' of Senator Clinton by the MSM? Even if there was some sexism involved (and I'm not sure that there was), how could Obama have put a stop to it?
...
The Clinton holdouts are typically most angry about what they say was the media's sexist treatment of Sen. Clinton during the campaign. And though few, if any, blame Sen. Obama directly, they fault the Illinois senator and other party leaders for what they say was failing to do enough to stop it. [my emphasis]
As supporters started to join MyBo in early 2007, Mr. Hughes brought a growth strategy, borrowed from Facebook’s founding principles: keep it real, and keep it local. Mr. Hughes wanted Mr. Obama’s social network to mirror the off-line world the same way that Facebook seeks to, because supporters would foster more meaningful connections by attending neighborhood meetings and calling on people who were part of their daily lives. The Internet served as the connective tissue.Grassroots. Real grassroots.
While many candidates reach their supporters through the Web, the social networking features of MyBo allow supporters to reach one another.
[Bill Clinton] didn’t make his first pitch to one Pennsylvania super-delegate, Jason Altmire, until the afternoon of the Ohio/Texas votes. He sounded giddy, recalls Congressman Altmire. “ ’We’re going to win Ohio for sure, and Texas looks good, and we’re coming to Pennsylvania,’ he said. ‘Keep your powder dry. Don’t endorse anybody—just wait it out.’ ” The flattered first-term congressman said he was concerned that Senator Clinton might not play well on the top of the ticket. “President Bush won my district twice … ”Very interesting, but essentially what I had been expecting throughout Hillary Clinton's run for the presidency. The Clintons running for a 'third Clinton term'.
Clinton interrupted him. “How well did I do in your district?”
“You won it twice.”
“Well, there you go,” Clinton said, gloating.
There was silence for a while, and Clinton assumed he had won his case.
“With all due respect,” Altmire finally said, “you’re not on the ballot this year.”
IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America
Yes, if you're a Shiite; maybe, if you're a Sunni. According to Chapter 16, Verse 106 of the Quran, "Any one who, after accepting faith in Allah, utters Unbelief—except under compulsion, his heart remaining firm in Faith—but such as open their breast to Unbelief, on them is Wrath from Allah, and theirs will be a dreadful Penalty." Shiites cite this verse to justify taqiyya, a religious dispensation by which persecuted Muslims may hide their beliefs. But Sunni scholars have a more equivocal take. Some reject taqiyya as unacceptable hypocrisy and evidence of cowardice: Muslims shouldn't fear other humans, only Allah. Others argue that concealment is warranted under life-threatening circumstances.Interesting, to say the least.
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