Hurricane Gustav: Praying For The Gulf Coast

I've been watching the coverage on the news this morning. Gustav looks like it's going to be bad.

'Mandatory evacuations' are in effect in New Orleans and surrounding areas. While I'm a 'small government' guy, mandatory evacuation is a good thing at this point. I'm pulling for you Gulf Coast. I hope that Gustav loses some of his steam before landfall. I really don't want to see a repeat of Katrina -- particularly since so many residents are just now starting to feel a sense of normalcy after three years of rebuilding.

Godspeed.

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Saturday Morning Cartoon

Gobble up that Circus Fun... it's time for cartoons!

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McCain/Who? 2008

Honestly, I don't get it.

I'm not going to pretend to understand why John McCain picked Sarah Palin to be his running mate. I posted a link to five reasons why Palin is a bad choice -- and most of them seem like deal-breakers for American voters. Here are my exapanded views on the five reasons...

1. The experience factor. McCain simply cannot allege that Obama isn't ready to lead -- but the middle-of-her-first-term Alaskan governor is. Bad argument.

2. Palin has no base of support. She didn't fight hard in a presidential primary. She comes from Alaska -- which has a total population roughly the size of Harrisurg, the capital city of Pennsylvania. Yikes.

3. Gender. I know that McCain is likely shooting for the disaffected Hillary Clinton supporters by choosing Palin. This might work -- but I think that after a successful Democratic convention, most women are united/will unite behind Obama. Also, would Palin have even been considered if she were a man? I'm just asking...

4. Corruption. Palin is facing an ethics investigation. Not good for McCain -- even if she is found innocent. The mere story of an investigation into his running-mate does not bode well for positive press.

5. I think McCain wanted Lieberman. Even though he would have rather had his buddy J-Lieb, McCain's advisers persuaded him to choose someone else so that he would not be completely devoured by the Sean Hannitys, Rush Limbaughs and the rest of the talk-radio wing of the Republican party. Had he picked Droopy Dog as his veep, McCain would have been hung out to dry.

Beyond all of this hub-bub... who is Sarah Palin?

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Photo: Mark Lyons/EPA

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DVR

Ladies and gentlemen --

I am indeed pleased to report that I now have reinstated my DVR capability. The Pajama Wife was kind enough to subscribe to a DVR service through our phone/cable/Internet company. It was an early wedding anniversary present.

The Pajama Wife is not only a fantastic wife, she is also drop-dead gorgeous.

The downside was the it took the dudes two hours to install, and now I've lost a good chunk of my blog-time today. Ick.

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Little Swimmers

An early race for Michael Phelps...

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Five Reasons Against Sarah Palin

Interesting. Five reasons why Sarah Palin is a bad veep choice for McCain. Sample:

1. There goes McCain's best argument.
He cannot say Obama is not ready but she is. Obama started organizing his campaign for president the same month she was sworn in to lead the third-smallest state's government.

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Worst Of The Night

Chris Cillizza talks 'bests and worsts' of the final night of the convention:

WORST TAKEWAY: The crowd was ready to explode for former Vice President Al Gore -- a hero of the party's left. And, while Gore had some good applause lines ("I believe in recycling but that's ridiculous") he bogged down in the specifics of global warming. It reminded us that Gore is a policy wonk, far more comfortable talking about carbon footprints than polling trends.

But, was anyone really surprised that Gore went there? Really?

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Hard Wuerk

-M.Wuerker, Wuerking Drawings

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Putin Versus Bush (And McCain)

Not good.

As Russia struggled to rally international support for its military action in Georgia, Vladimir Putin, the country's paramount leader, lashed out at the United States on Thursday, contending that the White House may have orchestrated the conflict to benefit one of the candidates in the American presidential election.

Putin's comments in a television interview, his most extensive to date on Russia's decision to send troops into Georgia earlier this month, sought to present the military operation as a response to brazen, cold war-style provocations by the United States. In tones that seemed alternately angry and mischievous, he suggested that the Bush administration may have tried to create a crisis that would influence American voters in the choice of a successor to President George W. Bush.

Not good for Bush. Not good for McCain. Not good for any American or Russian... or Georgian for that matter. This is getting really ugly, really quickly.

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Maybe It Is Palin...

HotAir has several sources. Marc Ambinder has the brief profile of the Alaskan governor.

One thing is for sure, McCain is really playing his hand well...

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A Different Presidential Gaffe

This one is a photo-gaffe.

Tip: if you are the chief officer of a college or university, getting photographed assisting in mini-kegstands is probably not a good thing for your career.

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Photo: Des Moine Register

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Republicans Reality Check

Amen.

What he didn't do was give an airy, abstract, dreamy confection of rhetoric. The McCain campaign set Obama up as a celebrity airhead, a Paris Hilton of wealth and elitism. And he let them portray him that way, and let them over-reach, and let them punch him again and again ... and then he turned around and destroyed them. If the Rove Republicans thought they were playing with a patsy, they just got a reality check.

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Specificity

"Barack Obama’s speech tonight laid out his specific, bold solutions and optimistic vision for our nation and our children's future." - Hillary Clinton

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Not Sarah Palin

If not Palin, then who?

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Breaking GOP Veep News

Not Pawlenty or Romney?

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Barack Obama: Meat And Potatoes

Wow.

First off, I have to say that it won't be difficult for conservative bloggers and media talking-heads to criticize Barack Obama's nomination acceptance speech. I'm sure that there are a litany of policy differences that will be cited, as well as some trivial points examining the columns on the stage (ugh, give it up Ed).

However, I don't believe that anyone can say that 'Obama only speaks with high rhetoric and does not go into detail about his plans'. Last night, the Democratic nominee for president went into excruciating detail about his vision for America, the programs and policies that he wants to establish and -- perhaps most importantly -- how he intends to pay for said programs without raising taxes on regular Joes like you and me. In fact, at one point, I thought that Obama almost sounded like a conservative:

Now, many of these plans will cost money, which is why I've laid out how I'll pay for every dime - by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens that don't help America grow. But I will also go through the federal budget, line by line, eliminating programs that no longer work and making the ones we do need work better and cost less - because we cannot meet twenty-first century challenges with a twentieth century bureaucracy.

I thought that Obama did a remarkable job explaining all of the nuance of his plans, but also managed to speak in his usual inspirational tone. While I was watching the cable news coverage of the impending speech, reports surfaced that Obama would be going into great detail about his policies and positions on a whole host of programs. Hearing this news, I feared that his 'performance' might be hindered as a result of being bogged down in hum-drum, wonky jargon. Things that would raise an eyebrow of most Americans and lead them to mutter, 'Huh?'.

Not so. Not last night.

The times are too serious, the stakes are too high for this same partisan playbook. So let us agree that patriotism has no party. I love this country, and so do you, and so does John McCain. The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America - they have served the United States of America.

So I've got news for you, John McCain. We all put our country first.

America, our work will not be easy. The challenges we face require tough choices, and Democrats as well as Republicans will need to cast off the worn-out ideas and politics of the past. For part of what has been lost these past eight years can't just be measured by lost wages or bigger trade deficits. What has also been lost is our sense of common purpose - our sense of higher purpose. And that's what we have to restore.

Simply awesome.

Throughout the course of the whole speech -- each time that I found myself saying, 'that was great' or 'hell yeah!' -- I found myself wondering how John McCain and Republican party were going to top this. How in the world can McCain respond to a speech like this -- much less the imagery that the Democratic convention has created?

In short, McCain and the Republicans cannot. They can try, but it would be a miserable failure.

I was watching Joe Scarborough this morning and he was talking about watching the speech last night with Mike Murphy. Scarborough said that after the speech, Murphy immediately e-mailed some folks in the McCain campaign and said, 'Houston, we have a problem'.

A problem indeed.

Here is the speech in it's entirety. If you haven't watched it yet, do yourself a favor and set aside 45 minutes. Just listen.



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Photo: Matt Sayles/AP

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Barack Obama's Acceptance Speech

Wow.

More tomorrow.

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Classy John, Classy

B-Diddy brought my attention to this today:



That's the McCain that I remember from 2000. Very nice.

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McCain Is Not Taking Any Chances

More Gustav storm information from Fox News:

Mindful of the pitfalls of hosting cocktail parties while Gulf Coast residents are being evacuated, John McCain’s campaign suggested Thursday that Republicans could postpone their upcoming national convention in St. Paul if Tropical Storm Gustav makes landfall over the weekend.

Head nod: B-Diddy

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Irony?

Albert dropped me an e-mail the other day inquiring as to whether I was aware of the placement of many a McCain ad on my prObama blog. Of course the answer is yes.

The ads are placed by Google and their software scans the blog for keywords (i.e. McCain, Obama, politics, etc.) and places relevant advertisements. Apparently, I write about McCain quite a bit. The irony is that it's rarely flattering.

I've started to see some MoveOn.org ads as well... so I guess that counts as 'fair and balanced', right?

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Beating The POW Drum

This is getting to be a little much.

"This is the story of a John McCain home you might not know about," the ad opens, and follows with footage dramatizing McCain getting shot down. After showing shots of a prison cell...

How can we not know about it? McCain and his campaign reference his POW imprisonment at every turn. You can't watch or listen to McCain, or one of his surrogates, without hearing them talk about his experience as a prisoner.

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'Hey Girl, Can I Hit You Back?'

I love this little guy.

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George W. Bush Might Skip RNC

As if the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina wasn't bad enough. Now tropical storm Gustav appears to be gaining strength and heading towards the Gulf Coast.

I'd skip it too if I were W. Then again, whether he is at the RNC or not, the split-screen media coverage (RNC on one side, hurricane on the other) won't be good if the storm is a bad one.

I hope it's not a bad one.

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Funny Of The Week

Ah, the evisceration of James Carville... love it.

Also worthy of note:

[Michelle Obama is] a Democrat, she must prove she loves America. As opposed to Republicans who everyone knows love America, they just hate half the people living in it.

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John McCain Gets 'Prickly'

I think that is an overly generous description.

TIME: There's a theme that recurs in your books and your speeches, both about putting country first but also about honor. I wonder if you could define honor for us?
JOHN MCCAIN: Read it in my books.

TIME: I've read your books.
MCCAIN: No, I'm not going to define it.

TIME: But honor in politics?
MCCAIN: I defined it in five books. Read my books.

More:

TIME: [Your] campaign today is more disciplined, more traditional, more aggressive. From your point of view, why the change?
MCCAIN: I will do as much as we possibly can do to provide as much access to the press as possible.

TIME: But beyond the press, sir, just in terms of ...
MCCAIN: I think we're running a fine campaign, and this is where we are.

TIME:Do you miss the old way of doing it?
MCCAIN: I don't know what you're talking about.

TIME: Really? Come on, Senator.
MCCAIN: I'll provide as much access as possible ...

TIME: In 2000, after the primaries, you went back to South Carolina to talk about what you felt was a mistake you had made on the Confederate flag. Is there anything so far about this campaign that you wish you could take back or you might revisit when it's over?
MCCAIN: [Does not answer.]

TIME: Do I know you? [Says with a laugh.]
MCCAIN: [Long pause.] I'm very happy with the way our campaign has been conducted, and I am very pleased and humbled to have the nomination of the Republican Party.

TIME: You do acknowledge there was a change in the campaign, in the way you had run the campaign?
MCCAIN: [Shakes his head.]

TIME: You don't acknowledge that? O.K., when your aides came to you and you decided, having been attacked by Barack Obama, to run some of those ads, was there a debate?
MCCAIN:The campaign responded as planned.

Seriously dude, lighten up. What happened to the John McCain of 2000 that was all happy-go-lucky and 'straight-talk' all the time? Where did that guy go? This guy sure puts the 'prick' in 'prickly'.

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John McCain & His Circulation-Enhancing Socks

Via my new favorite conservative blogger at Wolking's World:

Look at this picture (taken from Politico) and tell me what you see.


Almost makes you want to go buy some circulation-enhancing socks.

Or at least drink some Sanka...

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Rednecks For Obama

Pam P. at the Democratic convention in Denver.

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McCain/Thompson 2008!

I recently was questioning where Fred has gone.

I've found him!

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Hangin' Tough

There's a question as to whether the McCain campaign intentionally darkened the 'C' and the 'E' in the word 'change' so that it would appear as 'hang'. Do you think it's real or intentional?

I don't think so. Probably an innocent mistake. But a Fox News affiliate (yes, that's right, Fox News) is wondering the same thing.

I'm just askin'...

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Governor Terry McCauliffe?

Can you really see this guy running the show in Virginia?

The former Clinton camp chair — and Obama peacemaker — tells reporters at the convention that it’s a possibility.

*shudder*

This is same dude who does shots of rum on morning television shows. I know that I'd be a little wary of electing him as my governor...

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Convention One-Liners

A veritable plethora of Democratic zingers. My fave? “If I had beaten the old man you’d've never heard of the kid and you wouldn’t be in this mess.” – Michael Dukakis

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Red State Update Versus Joe Biden

Jackie really doesn't like Joe Biden...



Man, Dunlap sure looks like Jordan to me...

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Clintonian Angst

"I predict a wave of, 'Oh, Bill, how can we stay mad at you?' commentary in the coming days." -Michael Crowley, TNR, commenting on the redemptive qualities of Bill Clinton's speech last night.

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McCain/Smith 2008?

Another scooper from Stephen Bainbridge:

There’s a rumor floating around my little corner of the vast right-wing conspiracy that John McCain has cut his VP candidates down to Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty and FedEx CEO Fred Smith. Boy would the latter be an out of the box choice.

Out of the box, indeed. Who is Fred Smith anyway?

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Barack Obama On Abortion

I guess this dashes the hopes of accusing Obama of 'offering free, government sponsored abortions for everyone'. Sorry Diddy.

Head nod: Sullivan via Bainbridge

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Joe Biden: Going... Going...

Gone! Home run.



What a great speech. Both senator John Kerry's and former president Bill Clinton's speeches were also good, but Joe Biden stole the friggin' show.

A note about John Kerry's speech: It was really good. All of the cable outlets thought that their talking heads would be more interesting than his speech (and why wouldn't they, given Kerry's track record). They were wrong. Hit the link and watch his speech. If he had spoken that way in 2004, my guess is that Kerry would be running for re-election right now.

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Not Grand, Just Old

"The 'Grand Old Party' is no longer grand... it's just old." -Rear Adm. John Hutson, U.S. Navy, Ret.

That's a good one-liner.

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Bill Clinton's Home-Run

I haven't always had positive things to say about the 42nd President. However, I must say that the speech that Bill Clinton just gave to the Democratic convention was exactly what he needed to do.

Clinton acknowledged his wife's successes, but didn't overdo it. He made clear his support of, and commitment to Barack Obama for the 44th President of the United States.

I'll post the video when I can find it. The transcript is here.

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Photo: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty

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Roll Call

I just watched the Democratic convention roll call voting. Aside from being interesting, it was quite a spectacle. I have to say that I am quite impressed.

More later.

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Encompass

-Vincent Cordero, Lake Balboa, CA

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'Smear-Hurling Romney'

Ouch. Quite an indictment.

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Unity

Where can you go to find unity in action? A bar in downtown Denver.

Nice.

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Kotecki On Hillary Vs. Obama

"It is my solemn obligation, and the job of everyone in the media, to spin Hillary's speech as divisively as possible. And to hope that the mere presence of her at the podium tonight spurns her supporters to intra-party warfare."

My point exactly.

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John McCain And The Celebrity Factor

So, let's see here... what have we learned today?

John McCain has a ton of celebrity supporters. Hollywood conservatives are so 'in the closet' that they have to meet in secret (a la NAMBLA). Oh, and Robert Duvall is still one of the most grizzled men in the world.

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Ted Stevens Won?!?!

If Senator Stevens (R-Ak) won the Republican primary in Alaska, the other guy must have killed someone in a back-alley. Honestly, who would vote this guy back into office given all the allegations?

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Come On Barack, Are You Kidding?

Seriously dude. Come on. Roman-style columns on your stage? You are not helping those pesky "messianic complex" rumors.

Ick.

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Another McCain Attack Ad

Ah, the old saber-rattling routine. You go Johnny Mac! If you become president, I'll print up some t-shirts that say I voted for Obama and all I got was another stupid war!

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Four More Months

Out of all of the convention speakers last evening, I thought Bob Casey, Jr. (D-Pa) was pretty good. He delivered a very dry speech (as he always does) but had two of the best one-liners of the convention so far. In reference to John McCain's 'maverick' label, Casey said:

John McCain calls himself a 'maverick' but he voted with George Bush over 90 percent of the time. That's not a maverick. That's a sidekick.

And he took the old "four more years" chant and flipped it on it's head:

And now, [Republicans] are asking for four more years. How about for more months?

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Hillary Clinton Against Barack Obama

I've watched Senator Clinton's speech from the Democratic convention last night.

As some background, I have felt that in the lead-up to the convention there has been too much hype surrounding the Clinton camp and the alleged discord between them and the Obama campaign. Don't get me wrong -- I think that there is likely not much love between the two former Democratic party rivals -- I am simply arguing that this 'showdown' that was supposedly going to take place never happened.

Here's the deal: Hillary Clinton has absolutely nothing to gain from hoping Barack Obama loses the election in November. If she were to 'phone-it-in' and not work hard, there is a strong likelihood that a portion of her primary supporters will either stay home or vote for McCain on election day. What's that you say? You think that she'll be gearing up for the 2012 presidential campaign? Yeah? No.

If Barack Obama loses the election in November -- and that's a big if -- whom do you think that the majority of Democrats will blame? Republicans? Possibly. The media? Maybe so. I think that the majority of Democrats and other Obama supporters will say -- fairly or not -- that the Clintons didn't work hard enough to bring Hillary's primary supporters back into the larger party fold.

On the flip-side, if Hillary works her tail off to get Barack Obama elected POTUS -- even if he loses -- she will salvage her reputation (and possibly the legacy of her husband) and set herself up for 2012 at the same time (*shudder*).

During her speech last night, I think that she could have said more about the presumptive party nominee and less about herself and her campaign -- but I am biased. For me, it seems like when she speaks -- it's all about her. I felt that I heard too much of "when I was running", "during my campaign" and "those are the reasons that I ran for president".

But, as I listened to her go on about her campaign and those who supported her, it occurred to me that this is exactly what her supporters need to hear. These people worked their asses off to get their candidate elected. They fell short, and now need to hear that their efforts were not in vain. In that spirit, I think that Hillary did a good job of wooing her supporters -- and convincing them that if they believed in her and what she stands for, then they need to now believe in Barack Obama and his candidacy.

Meanwhile, all of the media talking heads are will still be trying to milk the seemingly nonexistent 'tension' between the Clintons and the Obamas for all that it's worth.

If you ask me, it's not worth very much.

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Photo: Yoon S Byun/Boston Globe

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Bill Richardson's Zinger

Ouch.

Bill Richardson took a bit of a swipe at Bill Clinton after Hillary Clinton's rousing speech.

She was "sending a signal to her supporters -- and maybe her husband -- that they should go all out for Barack Obama," Richardson told NBC's David Gregory from the convention floor.

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Hillary's Speech Reaction

Craig Crawford thinks that it was bad:

Many of Clinton's supportive words seemed almost tacked on as an after thought. Several times Clinton listed various things she believed in, and then almost parenthetically noted that these were her reasons for backing Obama. In other words, she's for Obama because he agrees with her.

In many ways, Crawford is right. However, I think that this is exactly what Clinton's supporters needed to hear.

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Hillary Clinton: 'No Way, No How, No McCain'

Her speech from the Democratic convention last night:

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Hard Wuerk

-M.Wuerker, Wuerking Drawings

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Democratic ConventionWatch: Day One

Craig Crawford sums it up well:

Monday's agenda was so safe and so lacking in content that you could imagine many marginal voters moving on to D-List sitcoms by the time Michelle Obama delivered what was a masterful speech.

One of the things this convention must do is present the hard case for why Republicans no longer deserve the White House. There was no progress on that front tonight.

I must admit that I didn't stay up for Michelle Obama's speech -- but everything that I've seen (save for the right-wing blogs) has been positive. Ted Kennedy's appearance was inspirational as well.

I watched Nancy Pelosi speak earlier in the evening and I must say that I was far from impressed. During her speech, I leaned over to the Pajama Wife and said, "She looks almost as comfortable speaking in front of a prompter as John McCain does." That's saying something.

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Busy Morning

I've had a busy morning -- hence very little activity contained herein. Posting to resume shortly.

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Back To School

Well, not 'back' really. Today is his first day. I just dropped him off at school. What can I say... I'm a proud papa.

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Need For Speed

I liked the first film. The second had a little to be desired. Number three looks somewhat promising.

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Iraq Demands Deadline For Troop Pullout

They are not mincing words:

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Monday no security agreement with the United States could be reached unless it included a "specific deadline" for the withdrawal of all American troops from Iraq.

Yikes. I don't think it would be any clearer if al-Maliki stepped up to Geoge W. Bush and said, "Dude. Get the f**k out!"

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Hillary Clinton Doesn't Want Party Unity

She's at it again. You can't tell me that she's fully behind Barack Obama when she talks like this:

I will be telling my delegates that I will vote for Barack Obama. How they vote is a more personal decision. They want to have their chance to vote for me. That is what traditionally happens ... some people are having to make up their minds because there are arguments pulling them both ways.

Head nod: Allahpundit via Ben Smith

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Vetting

-Bruce Beattie

Quayle anyone?

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A Great Idea From Bill Kristol

From his column this week:

McCain could well decide the obstacles to Pawlenty and Romney aren’t insuperable, and pick one of them. He could choose a different Republican governor or ex-governor, senator or congressman. Or he could decide that Obama’s conventional pick of Biden allows him to seize the moment by making a bold choice. He could select the person he would really like to have by his side in the White House — but whose selection would cause palpitations among many of his staffers and supporters: the independent Democratic senator from Connecticut, Joe Lieberman.

Hmmm... pick a VP who would anger conservatives and help to unite liberals against Liebermann (and by proxy, McCain). Sounds like a great plan there Billy. Tell me again why you aren't a campaign strategist?

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More Beaker

First there was Beaker performing his best Beethoven's Ninth. Now we've got Beaker and the Swedish Chef tackling Bizet:

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*GASP* Obama Uses Mild Profanity!

... and Jonathan Martin thinks that it might work to Obama's advantage.

“If we can spend 10 to 12 billion dollars a month in Iraq, we sure as hell can pay 10-12 million dollars -billion dollars right here in the United States," he said, according to ABC's Sunlen Miller.

Realizing his Sabbath faux pas, Obama added: “I apologize by the way, I usually say 'heck,' especially after church. That sort of slipped out.”

Sorta works with the new populist pitch, though, huh?

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Ed Rendell Cries A River

The size of the Susquehanna.

MSNBC was the official network of the Obama campaign.

Boo-friggin'-hoo Eddie. Mop up those tears and get the f**k on with it. I'm so tired of this crap.

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Fox Ad Hits CNN

Wow. I'd like to see the numbers on Fox's viewing audience...

Head nod: Calderone via HuffPo

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What Hillary Clinton Smells Like

Catharsis.

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Nancy Pelosi: A Woman For The People

Rrrrright.

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Welcome Back

Welcome back Lionus!

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Obama Versus Clinton? Not Really

Politico: Tensions boil between Obama-Clinton camps

FirstRead: Not so much

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The Same Old Song

A lighter ad from the Obama campaign:

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Gee, Thanks Hillary Clinton Supporters

I have to admit that I saw this coming a long time ago.

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John McCain Is Abusing His Own Service

This is NOT how he should first answer Couric's question. It saddens me that that he first goes to his POW experience.

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Gleaming The Cube

How f**kin' cool is this?

Yeah, hella cool.

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United/Change

-Shawn Hazen, Chicago, Illinois

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Why Joe Biden Is A Good Pick

I want to devote more time to this subject -- and I likely will tomorrow -- but it is the weekend, and I'm going to spend some time with my wife & kids today. Just know that I think that Biden is a good pick.

Happy Sunday to you.

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Colin Powell As Veep

Now this would be a great move for John McCain. I don't think it will happen -- but it would definitely work if it did.

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Maureen Dowd Gets Particularly Rough

Valid questions:

While McCain’s experience was heroic, did it create a worldview incapable of anticipating the limits to U.S. military power in Iraq? Did he fail to absorb the lessons of Vietnam, so that he is doomed to always want to refight it? Did his captivity inform a search-and-destroy, shoot-first-ask-questions-later, “We are all Georgians,” mentality?

More:

[I]t’s hard to believe that John McCain is now in danger of exceeding his credit limit on the equivalent of an American Express black card. His campaign is cheapening his greatest strength — and making a mockery of his already dubious claim that he’s reticent to talk about his P.O.W. experience — by flashing the P.O.W. card to rebut any criticism, no matter how unrelated. The captivity is already amply displayed in posters and TV advertisements.

And once again, I find myself reluctantly agreeing with Maureen Dowd. What is becoming of me/her?

Look, I've said before that I admire and respect John McCain -- and his service to our country. But Dowd is right here: the McCain campaign has been blatantly abusing his P.O.W. experience as a crutch on which they can lean.

If I were John McCain, I would be furious at my campaign staffers -- and would even fire some of their disrespectful asses. But that's just me.

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Chuck Hagel On Obama/Biden

Hagel is treading pretty close to an endorsement with this language:

Joe Biden is the right partner for Barack Obama. His many years of distinguished service to America, his seasoned judgment and his vast experience in foreign policy and national security will match up well with the unique challenges of the 21st Century. An Obama-Biden ticket is a very impressive and strong team. Biden's selection is good news for Obama and America.

It seems painfully clear that Hagel is more a maverick than McCain is at this point -- although I don't suppose that McCain will be saying anything nice about Barack Obama or Joe Biden anytime soon.

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Damn Hippies

Check out Indexed. It's a genius blog.

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Transportation

As with many trilogies -- the first film was by far the best (a la The Matrix Trilogy). Number 2 was just... okay. So, in keeping with that trend, I'm sure that Number 3 will be a stinker.

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Geez, Are You Kidding Me?

Boo-friggin'-hoo you cry babies:

Even as Hillary Clinton praised the newly-minted Democratic presidential ticket Saturday, some in her circle are furious Barack Obama did not appear to give the New York Democrat serious consideration for the No. 2 spot, or even ask for her consultation on the matter.

Sore losers, the lot of them.

I tell you what kids... it's going to be an extremely interesting convention this coming week.

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Attacking Joe Biden

...and by proxy, Barack Obama. What has it been -- five hours after the announcement when the attacks started?

Number 1:



Number 2:

The Biden choice is an act of desperation borne of a summer-long catastrophe. There isn’t any other reason for Obama to choose a 35-year veteran of the Senate with as long a history of gaffes and flat-out dishonesty as his second on the campaign for Hope and Change. In fact, I can’t wait for writers to twist themselves into knots to avoid the cardinal sin of writing, plagiarism, which Biden committed more than once...

Here we go...

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Mail Bag

From my e-mail inbox this morning:

I have some important news that I want to make official.

I've chosen Joe Biden to be my running mate.

Joe and I will appear for the first time as running mates this afternoon in Springfield, Illinois -- the same place this campaign began more than 19 months ago.

I'm excited about hitting the campaign trail with Joe, but the two of us can't do this alone. We need your help to keep building this movement for change.

Please let Joe know that you're glad he's part of our team. Share your personal welcome note and we'll make sure he gets it:

http://my.barackobama.com/welcomejoe

Thanks for your support,

Barack

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Saturday Morning Cartoon

You can't have cookies for breakfast, but you can have Cookie Crisp! Time for cartoons!

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Obama/Biden 2008?

From NBC News:

From NBC's Andrea Mitchell
As reported in her Nightly News spot, Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, according to sources, were told they're out of the running [for Barack Obama's vice-presidential pick].

So, it's really starting to look like Joe Biden will get the nod. Him or... *shudder* Hillary Clinton.

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Obama/Bayh 2008?

Via Ed Morrissey:

A Lenexa, Kansas printing company has started producing Obama-Bayh bumper stickers, according to a Kansas City television news report. KMBC-9 has three sources and an example of the bumper sticker for its proof that Barack Obama has selected Evan Bayh as his running mate.

More here.

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Al Franken = Funny

Now that's a good political ad. Witty. Funny. Concise.

I have no idea if it is true -- as I do not follow Minnesota politics -- but I think that it's a good ad.

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Waiting For Chuck

I've signed up. Now I'm just waiting for my schwag.

Are you a 'Chuckolyte'?

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I'm Just Asking

What happened to Fred Thompson? Is he back at Law & Order? Where'd he go?

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Ode To Beaker

Some more funny for your weekend. Meep.

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Clarification Of Elitism

John Cole rightly points out:

Just so we are clear- visiting your grandmother while vacationing in Hawaii, the state where you were you were born- elitist.

Meeting the millionaire heiress daughter (who you will soon begin an affair with and divorce your first wife and then go on and buy a ton of houses) in Hawaii and then going on and honeymooning in Hawaii – not elitist.

Ah, the elitism charge. An oldie, but a goodie -- for Republicans. Remember John Kerry's stint going windsurfing? Ugh.

Although, with eight homes and a wife that has pockets deeper than the Grand Canyon, I'm not sure that the elitist charge will stick this time around.

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John McCain And 'The P.O.W. Card'

Don't freak out gang -- I don't agree with it.

However, I think that it says something that people are honestly starting to wonder if John McCain is using and/or abusing his P.O.W. experience for political gain or distraction (a la Rudy Giuliani and 9/11). That spells bad news.

Not just for McCain -- but for anyone else who has courageously served our country.

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Barack Obama At 3:00 A.M.

A great question:

Anyone else think it would be wildly hilarious if Obama sent the phone/text message announcement of his running mate at 3:00 AM?

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McCain And Obama: Getting Petty

The back-and-forth continues. Sullivan nails it:

This is getting pettier. ...McCain started the personal attacks, with the celebrity mockery. If he hadn't, I think the media would be tougher on the Dems. And the public less interested.

Agreed -- save for one point; I think the public would be MORE interested if the campaigns were both being true to their word and rising above the childish bickering.

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Iron, Man

Sweet, juicy details.

I'm such a nerd.

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Hard Wuerk

-M.Wuerker, Wuerking Drawings

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The Negative Downturn

Diddy has taken issue with the recent downturn in political discourse between the candidates -- and is trying to guilt me into talking about it.

So Obama is going on the attack now against McCain. So yes...McCain "started" it but the politics of change have now continued the politics of...uhhh...non-change?!

I see the argument. But here's the deal...

Barack Obama [and many of his supporters] has gone negative, it's true. However, I think that he has to. I don't think that Obama has a choice in the matter, simply because McCain has backed Obama into a corner.

How many negative ads has McCain been churning out?

Pump, Celeb, Troops, Seal, The One, Family, Painful, Fan Club, The One-Road To Denver... and the list goes on...

Barack Obama had to answer these attacks, to point out the untruths contained therein. I just don't see it working any other way.

Oh sure, he could have taken the high road, but John Kerry tried that in 2004 when the Swiftboaters came after him -- and that tack did NOT work. Obama is simply taking a lesson from Kerry's '04 run and applying it to 2008: when your opponent hit you -- hit back. Hard. It's not about 'change' versus 'the same'... it's about defending what you stand for.

McCain did the same thing when he was attacked for his '100 years in Iraq' comments. This is no different.

Oh, and for the record, I'm supremely disappointed in John McCain AND Barack Obama. They are both better than what their campaigns have become.

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Housing Numbers

There has been a lot of speculation as to the number of homes that John & Cindy McCain own. For the record, it's eight.

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Cindy McCain Stealing The Scene

Cindy McCain really needs to watch what she is doing. While she does have a First Lady look about her, she has been producing some negative headlines of late.

This one is particularly glaring -- especially given that it's coming from a right-wing mouthpiece. The last thing that a potential First Lady should be doing is giving the candidate bad press.

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More On John Edwards (Or Is It Moron?)

The New York Times is chasing down another story of goings-on in the John Edwards camp. This time, it's with a graduate from Duke University.

All we know is it's a story about John Edwards and a Duke graduate—and right now he's combing the New York Times newsroom for Duke graduates to speak with.

I certainly hope it's not more bad news for Edwards. At some point, you gotta start to feel bad for the guy, right? Even if he is an idiot.

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McCain/Romney 2008?

According to Mark Halperin, two Republican sources say that McCain has chosen Mitt Romney for VP, but has not made the offer to him yet.

Jeez, I can't imagine why... what with all of the love that the two of them shared during the primary.

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John McCain's Campaign Aides Are Shameless

Really?! You guys are going to play the 'prisoner-of-war card' in response to the 'how many houses does John McCain have' question?

[McCain Campaign spokesman Brian Rogers] also added: "This is a guy who lived in one house for five and a half years -- in prison," referring to the prisoner of war camp that McCain was in during the Vietnam War.

Ugh. This is going to get ugly now, isn't it?

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Defeating Evil

B-diddy and I have had quite a back-and-forth about the "evil" question at Saddleback last weekend. Diddy thinks that McCain is the bees-knees because when asked what to do about evil, McCain said "Defeat it." Obama, by contrast, launched into a monologue about issues related to 'evils' in the world, but didn't come off as definitive as McCain. I do concede that Obama should have mentioned terrorism when going through his litany of other evils, but I think that he was truly trying to answer the question thoughtfully, not as someone who is looking to drum up votes. Despite this, I think that Obama is more even keeled and in line with my own beliefs, as Andrew Sullivan puts it:

McCain's vow to "defeat evil" at Saddleback was both asinine machismo - like we haven't had enough of that after eight years of Cheney - and deeply unChristian. There's no way a president of the United States or any country can "defeat evil." Evil is everywhere and always for Christians - until the Second Coming. Particular manifestations of evil can be defeated, but not evil itself. That endures, and is part of us too.

In this, of course, Obama's theology is far more mainstream than McCain's bravado. And Christians are first reminded that we too are capable of evil - even as we try to do good. And so a genuine effort to spread democracy and human rights can even allow some leaders, divorced from real Christianity, to commit absolute evil in the name of good.

Like, say, torture.

Right on.

The problem is that McCain wasn't even truly answering the overall question. In the week since that forum, it has become clear to me that McCain was simply tying the evil question to terrorism. Terrorism is all he wants voters to think about when imagining him as president: John McCain hunting down Osama bin Laden and throwing him into the fires of hell... with his bare hands. Hell, they should produce a web-ad to that effect. He's barked out that line about 'follwing Osama bin Laden to the gates of hell' so many times that I almost chuckle when I hear it now.

This imagery, somewhat obscured by the venue at which it was discussed, is going back to the Bush/Rove well of get-them-scared political maneuvering. When will people begin to see through the cloud of obfuscation that Republicans have been throwing around for the past eight years?

If you don't vote for [insert Republican candidate name here], the terrorists, jihadists and 'Islamic extremists' will kill you.

Except that now we are getting dangerously close to inserting the Russians in where it currently says 'Islamic extremists'...

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Gold On The Beach

I just finished watching Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers completely dominate the Brazilian team in men's beach volleyball. Gold baby.

Oh, and my boy Dalhausser has some serious ups. Dude can JUMP.

USA! USA! USA!

Now sleep.

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Photo: Thomas Coex/AFP/Getty Images

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ONE's New Ad

An interesting take -- featuring Matt Damon:

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Funny Of The Week

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Joe Biden's Son Off To Iraq

Joseph "Beau" Biden III is headed to Iraq:

"I don't want him going," Biden told an Iowa state fair crowd a year ago, when, as a presidential candidate himself, he learned that his son's unit would be deployed at some point in 2008. "But I don't want my grandsons or granddaughters going back in 15 years. So how we leave makes a big difference."

Question: does this help Joe Biden's case for the VP position?

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Right Wing Dissent

"[T]here is one enormous problem with Jerome Corsi: he's a habitually dishonest buffoon who will say absolutely anything to make a buck. He's the Right's Michael Moore, except that Michael Moore has much more talent -- and certain boundaries beyond which, even he won't go." -John Hawkins at RightWingNews.com on Jerome Corsi and his book The Obama Nation: Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality.

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A Timetable In Iraq

Finally, we have some semblance of a plan:

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the United States and Iraq have agreed to a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the battle-scarred country.

Appearing with her Iraqi counterpart, Hoshyar Zebari (HOH'-shayr zuh-BAH'-ree), Rice acknowledged at their joint news conference Thursday that the two parties have not yet finalized the deal. She said it close at hand, however.

It's a start. We're closer than we were before.

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John McCain's House(s)

Apparently, McCain doesn't know how many homes he owns.

... but Obama's the elitist, right?

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The Most Obvious Headline So Far

WSJ/NBC News Poll: McCain Running a Negative Campaign

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Early

So, putting your daughter to bed a little bit early in the hopes that she will sleep longer in the morning does not work -- despite the fact that it did for my son when he was this age.

Anyone have suggestions on how to get your kids to sleep longer? This early crap is really starting to wear on me.

'Good morning' is a contradiction in terms.

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In Sum

A comment from TPM Cafe. The author is speaking in reference to Barack Obama's speech at the VFW yesterday, and John McCain's attack on Obama's patriotism the day before.

You do not say "That honorable guy questioned my patriotism!" You say, "that asshole had the nerve to question my patriotism because he's either a cranky old man, a senile old man or a desperate old man."

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Toby Keith, Ctd.

The Rude Pundit on Toby Keith's coming out to support Barack Obama:

That Toby Keith is a Democrat is not news. He was pretty open about it when he was such a bastard during the whole Dixie Chicks insanity a few years back. But the fact that he's now said openly that he supports Barack Obama? Shit, in country music circles, that's pretty close to announcing that he's gay. The Obama campaign needs to jump on this - now.

If you don't see what's so fuckin' important about some singer's endorsement, you don't understand country music fans. We're talking a guy who has cultivated a bad-ass rural American image, whose tour is called "Biggest and Baddest," who's played at Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan and over at bases in Iraq, whose fans call themselves the "Warriors," who was voted the sexiest man in country music just this past month. Motherfucker sings songs advertising Ford trucks, fer chrissake.

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Rudy's Keynote Speech

Upon hearing the news that Rudy Giuliani is giving the keynote speech at the Republican convention, Steve Benen wins the award for most snarky post headline:

Republican keynote address to feature a noun, a verb, and 9/11

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Happiness Is...

A cheap, white-trashy kiddie pool in your yard. I'm working hard on a base tan for our September trip to the shore...

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Religion Vs. Politics

A great column by Kathleen Parker at Townhall.com:

At the risk of heresy, let it be said that setting up the two presidential candidates for religious interrogation by an evangelical minister -- no matter how beloved -- is supremely wrong.

It is also un-American.
[...]
The winner, of course, was Warren, who has managed to position himself as political arbiter in a nation founded on the separation of church and state.

The loser was America.

More:

Both Obama and McCain gave "good" answers, but that's not the point. They shouldn't have been asked. Is the American electorate now better prepared to cast votes knowing that Obama believes that "Jesus Christ died for my sins and I am redeemed through him," or that McCain feels that he is "saved and forgiven"?

What does that mean, anyway? What does it prove? Nothing except that these men are willing to say whatever they must -- and what most Americans personally feel is no one's business -- to win the highest office.

I'm on the record as saying that the Saddleback forum was good -- but I do see Parker's point here. It really is nobody's business but the candidates', whether they choose to worship one god, eight gods, or no god at all. Religion Christianity in this country has taken too strong of a hold on our political system. So much so that I guarantee that if John McCain were a Muslim -- he would never have even been nominated, much less have a shot to win the White House.

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McCain Nailed It

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Poll Smoking

It looks like the tide may be turning.

Reuters/Zogby has John McCain ahead of Barack Obama, 46% to 41% with 3% margin of error.

My guess, as sad as the truth is, is that McCain's negative tone has worked. I've read numerous places that while voters say they don't like negative advertising, those type of attacks work.

I guess it's kind of like reality television. Most people say that they loathe it -- and yet they cannot stop watching.

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'The Voice'

An interesting article in the Politico about the voice-over actress(?) used in the McCain attack ads.

“The voice of God” construct that once was supposed to command maximum credibility, is increasingly being eschewed for voices that would sound less absurd at the dinner table. The idea, says McCain’s former media consultant Mark McKinnon, is to find voices that don’t “scream to the viewer, ‘it’s an announcer.’”

In part because of this new colloquiality, women are expected to play an unprecedented role this cycle in the male-dominated world of political ad voiceovers. And veteran female voice-over performers who for years were instructed to resemble scolding mothers are now being directed to sound more like best friends.

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Al Gore, No More

B-diddy wrote and was wondering my opinion on whether or not Al Gore is the "sleeper" candidate for Barack Obama's vice president. My thoughts:

Nah. I think he's done with his stint in politics -- at least as an elected official.

I've said it before. Al Gore can do so much more for his cause in the private sector. If he were to be an elected official again (veep), he would be pulled in many directions. Unless Barack Obama (or John McCain?) were to appoint him the "Climate Czar" or "Secretary of Anti-Global Warming", he won't be involved in the next administration.

Gore brings far more attention to global climate change by doing his speaking tour, writing books, making movies and other environmental what-nots.

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Photo: Dan Winters for Time

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Obama/Biden 2008?

There's a lot of buzz surrounding Joe Biden as a potential running mate for Barack Obama right now. His comments haven't helped or hurt, but rather they have fueled speculation.

I think that Obama's support of Biden's stance on the Russia/Georgia situation is the most telling. You don't go out of your way to back a colleague's plan, unless you are trying to send some kind of a message.

The question is: what is the message?

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McCain/Lieberman 2008?

While I think that it would be an historic act -- as well as the most bi-partisan move in modern politics -- the Republican party has reason to fear John McCain picking Joe Lieberman as his running mate.

If McCain were to tap Lieberman for the VP position, the far right conservative movement will revolt. I'm not saying that htey will simply stay home on November fourth, I mean they will literally revolt. Protests at the Republican convention. Threats to McCain aides. Hell, Ann Coulter would probably even announce that she will be voting for Barack Obama (although, she will of course refer to him as 'B. Hussein Obama' - keep it classy girl).

If McCain were to choose Joe, it would be the biggest mistake of his campaign, and that is saying something.

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12,000

Is this the Afghanistan version of the troop surge? With the recent news out of that country, it sounds like more troops are needed. Then again, that was also the case in Iraq. Anyone surprised?

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Cafferty Commentary

Some great thoughts by CNN's resident grizzled guy, Jack Cafferty:

One after another, McCain's answers [at the Saddleback forum] were shallow, simplistic, and trite. He showed the same intellectual curiosity that George Bush has -- virtually none.

Where are John McCain's writings exploring the vexing moral issues of our time? Where are his position papers setting forth his careful consideration of foreign policy, the welfare state, education, America's moral responsibility in the world, etc., etc., etc.?
[...]
I am sick and tired of the president of the United States embarrassing me. The world we live in is too complex to entrust it to someone else whose idea of intellectual curiosity and grasp of foreign policy issues is to tell us he can look into Vladimir Putin's eyes and see into his soul.

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More Toby Keith Confusion

It wasn't long ago that Toby Keith made some baffling remarks on Glenn Beck's radio program.

Now it seems that Keith is confusing everyone even more -- by claiming to be a Democrat.

I think [Obama is] the best Democratic candidate we've had since Bill Clinton. And that's coming from a Democrat.

Really?

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Ralph Nader: Political Pundit

When did it become commonplace to solicit Ralph Nader's opinion on Barack Obama's veep choices?

The smart pick, according to Nader, is Hillary Rodham Clinton. Nader phoned into Politico Tuesday afternoon to offer his prediction that a surprise nod to Clinton is actually what Obama has in store—never mind the talk of mistrust between the Clintons and Obama.

Oh. I see. nobody really asked for Nader's opinion -- rather he 'phone it in' to let everyone know. Ugh.

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LeRoi Moore

That sucks man. How does the 'show go on'?

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Burn After Reading

What can I say? I've been paying closer attention to upcoming movies lately.

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'The Rachel Maddow Show'

B-diddy is so happy about this that he is currently jumping up and down in the middle of the street. Wheee!

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Is Barack Obama The Antichrist?

Watch. This. Crap.



What. The. F**k?

First of all, it angers me that these type of unbelievably ridiculous rumors and innuendo are out there. But, for a major news network to propagate the story -- and make is appear as if it is a legitimate concern for voters?

Look, I'm not stupid. I know that there are people in our country who are so scared of a black man becoming president that they will grab onto whatever excuse that they can to prevent it. He's Muslim. He's done drugs. He's an elitist. He's the Antichrist. Whatever.

However, we must understand that this is such a small population of voters, that there is absolutely no reason to talk about these insane falsehoods. I have conservative friends who are 'scared' of Obama becoming president for many reasons -- but none of them have to do with religion, race or perceived character flaws.

For every minute that CNN talks about whether Barack Obama is the Antichrist, they are losing a minute that they could be debating his policy stances with John McCain. Lord knows that there are plenty of surrogates for each candidate who would be willing and able to speak on behalf of their candidate.

So, why is CNN (and other media outlets -- they are not alone) covering this kind of bile? Ratings. Sad but true.

When you hear an anchor going to commercial say, "After the break, is Barack Obama the devil?" people will (sadly) stay tuned.

I just wish that the producers of news programming would inject some substance into their shows more often -- particularly as we approach election day. Too many Americans get the news and information from outlets that are ruled by advertisers dollars. As a result, those of us who DO tune in to be informed are not getting the real stories. What we are getting is a bunch of salacious, tabloid hearsay and conjecture. This is why I enjoy NPR -- they don't have to answer to advertisers in the same way that the other news organizations do.

The Antichrist. Give me a friggin' break. Lest we forget that Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, the authors of the popular "Left Behind" series, have gone on the record to assure everyone that Barack Obama is not the Antichrist.

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Obama, McCain And Patriotism

Hell yeah:

A day after John McCain told the Veterans of Foreign Wars that Barack Obama would "choose the path of retreat and failure for America" regarding the conflict in Iraq, the Illinois senator demanded before the same group today that McCain not question his patriotism.

"I have never suggested that Sen. McCain picks his positions on national security based on politics or personal ambition. I have not suggested it, because I believe that he genuinely wants to serve America’s national interest. Now it’s time for him to acknowledge that I want to do the same," Obama declared in a roughly 30-minute speech to an audience of 3,000 here.

"Let me be clear: I will let no one question my love of this country. I love America, so do you, and so does John McCain. When I look out at this audience, I see people of different political views. You are Democrats and Republicans and independents. But you all served together, and fought together, and bled together under the same proud flag. You did not serve a Red America or a Blue America -- you served the United States of America."

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K.O. Punch

From last night's Countdown. Long, but good.

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