CAFFERTY HAS IT RIGHT

(MIDDLE) FINGER POINTING AT THE NOT OK CORRAL

OK, the deal was, each party would agree to produce 50% of the necessary votes. This was done to protect the representatives in danger of losing their jobs from voting yes. The simple fact of the matter is, with only 5 weeks left in an election cycle, both parties are more worried about their jobs, than your jobs. And, in fact, 16 of these republicans did vote no, with the approval of their party leadership.

John McCain, in a splashy media show of force declared "I will lead the Republican charge." He failed to lead, period. His appearance didn't do squat. No leadership from McCain or Boehner. They could barely produce one third of their party to vote aye.

On the other side of the aisle, once again, no leadership. Yes, the libs produced their part of the bargain, 50% of the required vote tally. Whereas the Republicans had 2/3rds of their representative vote no, Pelosi failed to lead 14 of her closest friends, allies and committee chairs. This made a huge difference. The names are like a who's who of the Pelosi House stronghold....Conyers, Philner, Green, Wolsey, 2 Sanchez sisters (both Californian), Ortiz, Stark, Fazio, Clay, Costello....she couldn't even get her fellow Californian Barbara Lee to follow her leadership.

There is only one definition of a leader...someone who has followers. Pelosi had very few before, and after her incredibly foolish and boorish partisan attack of the last 8 economic years of the Bush administration (preceding a bi-partisan effort) on the floor, she now has next to none at all, AND SHE MUST GO.

Admittedly, this was not a perfect bill. It was full of party partisanship, grandstand plays, and a hurry up offense, despite seeing this come down the pipe for quite some time now. The main stickling point overall, is something called mark to market, a principle which would determine at what value the government / taxpayers would place on the default loans, and defaulted properties.

Simply put, this is not what you want to cram down the American people's throats, especially at the end of an election cycle; an emergency bill of this magnitude, pushed through at breakneck speed, which is valued at over $700 billion in a time of economic crisis.

Come Thursday, they will go back into conference, only this time each side will be stinging from attacks on, and from the left, and the right. They will desperately need some leadership; trouble is, there is none around the House that Pelosi built. Just the usual partisan attacks and finger pointing.

DON'T BLAME THE COMMUNITY INVESTMENT ACT OF 1977 FOR OUR TROUBLES ENTIRELY

During the Carter administration, Congress passed the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977. It was intended to encourage depository institutions to help meet the credit needs of the communities in which they operate, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, consistent with safe and sound operations. The CRA requires that each depository institution's record in helping meet the credit needs of its entire community be evaluated periodically. That record is taken into account in considering an institution's application for deposit facilities.
Neither the CRA nor its implementing regulation gives specific criteria for rating the performance of depository institutions. Rather, the law indicates that the evaluation process should accommodate an institution's individual circumstances. Nor does the law require institutions to make high-risk loans that jeopardize their safety. To the contrary, the law makes it clear that an institution's CRA activities should be undertaken in a safe and sound manner.

This act was given more teeth under the Clinton administration in order to insure that financial institutions were not targeting affluent communities alone in their credit funding considerations (redlining). During this time, institutions like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were allowed to hold only 2.5% in capital to back their investments, as opposed to 10% for banks.

The Wall Street Journal has criticized the CRA "requirements" for minority credit offerings, saying in part that "the law compels banks to make loans to poorer borrowers who often could not repay them. This was also stated by the executive board member of Countrywide (one the nations largest loan providers), who said that lenders have had to "stretch the rules a bit...."

Under George Bush, the CRA was brought under the supervision of the Department of the Treasury, and in 2005, the CRA review was not required for institutions with loans portfolios less than $1 billion, as opposed to the previous $250 million previously. This significantly reduced the amount of oversight upon the financial institutions operating in the U.S., especially the smaller institutions.

Now that you know the history of this act, let me give you some sobering facts...

• Over half of the loans currently in default, were made by smaller, independent financial institutions, who had no obligations to make loans to the poorer communities, and basically had little or no CRA oversight whatsoever.


• For every one sub-prime loan made by a CRA institution, two were made by a non-CRA overseen institution.

Obviously, this act must be reviewed carefully in examining our current mortgage crisis, however, if you are looking for a scapegoat, you need to look further. While there is a current fever pitch to blame less affluent borrowers, and the CRA which encouraged it, or the President who reached out to these communities with the act, we must remember that this act has survived over thirty years, through congressional, and Presidential terms controlled by both parties.

Factually, it did play a part in this current crisis. However small its effect, whether we should point blame on Carter for signing it, Clinton for giving it teeth, or Bush for reducing oversight over it, is a call that needed be made. This financial crisis is to large and extensive for any one piece of legislation to be the sole cause.

However, I personally place a ton of blame on the deregulation of the banks, investment houses and financial institutions. And having said that, you have to look at this guy....

Yes, it's Phil Gramm, of "a nation of whiners" fame. The man who introduced the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act to the Republican-dominated US Senate, and enabled its passage in the Senate, on the 6th of May, 1999. I guess you already know what his buddy voted, he publically boasts as being "The De-regulator." Senate majority leader Harry Reid expressed it this way....."Phil Gramm, financial advisor to John McCain....The same Phil Gramm who, as a senator, was responsible for deregulation in the financial services industries that paved the way for much of this crisis to occur," Reid said. "It was Phil Gramm who pushed legislation through a Republican Senate that allowed firms like Enron to avoid regulation and destroy the life savings of its employees, and it was Phil Gramm’s legislation that now allows Wall Street traders to bid up the price of oil, leaving us to pay the bill."

So, the next time you hear talk about "big government," and deregulation, picture in your minds what will be the inevitable result of a completely free, open and unfettered financial industry upon the American citizens.

IF ELECTED, WILL HE COME OF AGE?

John McCain has not yet released his medical records to the public. McCain is 72 years old, and has been diagnosed with invasive melanoma. In May of this year, a small group of selected reporters were allowed to review 1,173 pages of McCain's medical records and were allowed only three hours to do so, not nearly enough time to perform a comprehensive study.. John McCain's health is an issue of profound importance. We call on John McCain to issue a full, public disclosure of all of his medical records, available for the media and members of the general public to review. http://therealmccain.com/

Why the intense scrutiny as to McCain's age and his various (and numerous) health issues? Simple. He might die. In fact, actuarial tables, the ones insurance companies use to determine your longevity, your insurance rates, and whether they will offer you insurance at all, determine that McCain, at his current age of 72, has a 1 in 3 chance of never seeing the age of 80, which he would be, should he spend two full terms in the White House. Added to this concern is his choice of Sarah Palin, a relative political neophyte with an admitted paper thin resume herself.

Dr. Michael Roizen, developer of the Real Age program, has determined that people age much more quickly while under the intense demands of the highest office in the land, in fact, for every year a President spends in office, he actually ages two, a cause for even greater concern.

Add to this the possibility, although still somewhat rare, of people over the age of 65 exhibiting signs of Alzheimer's, a form of dementia, a condition contracted by former President Ronald Reagan. In fact, some historians claim to this day, that former President Reagan showed signs of early onset Alzheimer's prior to his leaving office.

But these are all generalities. Health issues specifically tied to McCain's present well being are high cholesterol, high blood pressure, sleep disorders, vertigo, cataracts, previous bouts with kidney stones and degenerative arthritis. These are common among senior citizens like McCain, and are all being treated with medications, for which McCain takes 6 daily.

A former 2-3 pack a day smoker for over 25 years of his life, anticipated future health issues associated with lung cancer are extremely rare, given he has had no appreciable lung or breathing problems in the past, and the lungs ability to somewhat heal itself.

What is especially troubling is McCain's four previous bouts with skin cancers, including stage four malignant melanomas. There is a significant chance for recurrence of a deep stage four melanoma (which is what McCain was diagnosed with) for the first five years after the diagnosis, and any likelihood of recurrence drops down in year six and beyond. Obviously, this is a significant risk factor that cannot be ignored.

Will McCain, if elected, be able to physically and mentally fulfill the rigors of office for one, or even two terms? Odds are he can. One significant factor to the positive is the age (94), and health of his mother, and genetics do play an important role in determining ones lifespan.

However, when vetting a Presidential candidate, one must look at all factors involved, and at his advancing age, it would be foolhardy to not see the risks involved, and pay closer attention to his running mate. So, if you are considering a vote for John McCain, it is imperative that you have a strong comfort level with the following....President Sarah Palin.

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY

According to the London Times

In an election campaign notable for its surprises, Sarah Palin, the Republican vice- presidential candidate, may be about to spring a new one — the wedding of her pregnant teenage daughter to her ice-hockey-playing fiancé before the November 4 election.
Inside John McCain’s campaign the expectation is growing that there will be a popularity boosting pre-election wedding in Alaska between Bristol Palin, 17, and Levi Johnston, 18, her schoolmate and father of her baby. “It would be fantastic,” said a McCain insider. “You would have every TV camera there. The entire country would be watching. It would shut down the race for a week.”
There is already some urgency to the wedding as Bristol, who is six months pregnant, may not want to walk down the aisle too close to her date of delivery. She turns 18 on October 18, a respectable age for a bride — and the same age as Barack Obama’s pregnant mother when she married his Kenyan father. The Democrat has already declared Bristol’s private life off-limits as far as his campaign is concerned.
The selection of Palin, 44, the moose-hunting governor of Alaska, as his running mate was one of McCain’s biggest gambles. It paid off handsomely at first, but she could benefit from a fresh injection of homespun authenticity, the hallmark of her style, provided by her daughter’s wedding after appearing out of depth away from her home state.
David Letterman, the late-night television chat show host, joked that Palin’s meetings with world leaders at the United Nations in New York looked like “take your daughter to work day”.
In a series of heavily criticised interviews with Katie Couric of CBS News, she fumbled her points about Alaska’s proximity to Russia and sounded like an over-crammed, under-informed student. Palin was stumped when Couric asked her to provide examples of McCain’s proposals for reforming the banking industry. “I’ll try to find some and I’ll bring them to you,” she said eventually. Republicans are quailing in advance of one of her biggest tests of the election, her televised debate with Joe Biden, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, on Thursday in St Louis, Missouri.
The conservative commentator Kathleen Parker, an early admirer, shocked McCain supporters late last week by calling on Palin to withdraw. “My cringe reflex is exhausted,” she wrote in National Review Online, a conservative journal. “Palin’s recent interviews . . . all revealed an attractive, earnest, confident candidate. Who Is Clearly Out of Her League.”
Parker advised Palin to “save McCain, her party and the country she loves” by announcing that she wanted to spend more time with Trig, her five-month-old Down’s syndrome baby: “No one would criticise a mother who puts her family first.”

LETS CLEAR THE SMOKE(SCREENS)

THE MYTH: "She took the luxury jet that was acquired by her predecessor and sold it on eBay. And made a profit!" — John McCain, at a campaign stop in Wisconsin
THE FACTS: No one bought the jet online. It was eventually sold through an aircraft broker — at a loss to taxpayers of nearly $600,000.

THE MYTH: "I told the Congress 'Thanks, but no thanks' on that Bridge to Nowhere." — Sarah Palin, convention speech
THE FACTS: Supported the infamous pork project in her 2006 run for governor, even after Congress had killed the bridge; derided its opponents as "spinmeisters." Reversed her stance a year later — but kept the money, doling out the $223 million in federal funds to other pork projects throughout the state.

THE MYTH: "We ... championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress." — Sarah Palin, convention speech
THE FACTS: As mayor, employed a lobbyist who also worked for Jack Abramoff to secure $27 million in pork spending for Wasilla — more than $4,000 per resident. In her two years as governor, requested $453 million in earmarks. Alaska ranks first in the nation for pork, raking in seven times the national average.

THE MYTH: "I found ... someone who stopped government from wasting taxpayers' money." — John McCain, introducing Palin
THE FACTS: Signature accomplishment as mayor: building a $15 million hockey arena that plunged the city into debt. Broke ground on the project without finalizing the city's purchase of the land; the resulting fiasco cost Wasilla $1.3 million — roughly $200 per resident.

THE MYTH: "Our opponents say, again and again, that drilling will not solve all of America's energy problems — as if we didn't know that already." — Sarah Palin, convention speech
THE FACTS: "I beg to disagree with any candidate who would say we can't drill our way out of our problem." — Sarah Palin, July 2008

THE MYTH: "We began a nearly $40 billion natural-gas pipeline to help lead America to energy independence." — Sarah Palin, convention speech
THE FACTS: With federal approval years away, not a single section of the pipeline has been laid. State could end up paying the pipeline's contractor $500 million — even if it never breaks ground on the project.

THE MYTH: "She's fought oil companies." — John McCain, introducing Palin
THE FACTS: Collected $13,000 in campaign contributions from oil and gas lobbyists, including Exxon, BP, Shell and Chevron. BP was a sponsor of her inaugural ball.

THE MYTH: "She's been to Kuwait. She's been over there. She has been with her troops. The National Guard that she commands, who have been over there and had the experience." — John McCain, highlighting Palin's national-security credentials
THE FACTS: Never had a passport before 2007, when she made a brief photo-op trip to visit troops in Germany and Kuwait. Has never been to Iraq, and has not met a single foreign head of state.

THE MYTH: "I have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending." — Sarah Palin, convention speech
THE FACTS: As governor, sought travel reimbursement for 312 nights she spent in her own home.

A LEGEND PASSES

Sad story to report, as previously suspected in the media as of late, Paul Newman has succumbed to cancer at the age of 83. A living legend, he devoted his later years to the thrill of motor racing, and giving back through his philanthropic efforts with his "Newman's Own." line of food products, which aided charities everywhere.

PAUL NEWMAN 1925-2008

A CIVIL DISCOURSE

Masterfully conducted, we finally got what the American people (at least the undecideds) needed, a true debate. Not some cheesy town hall meeting, a real back and forth conversation about the issues at hand, however somewhat myopic in its emphasis on foreign affairs. The candidates were respectful, AND THEY BOTH SHOWED UP.

For someone who tried to weasel out of it, I thought McCain held his own. He bobbed and weaved with a deft touch. He managed to avoid getting cornered on some of his miss-statements, especially when leveling a charge upon Obama, when he accurately stated that Obama is the ranking member of a sub-committee overseeing NATO, a sub-committee that has not convened at all.

Trouble is, the truth is the full committee (chaired by Joe Biden) has held numerous sessions in regards to Afghanistan, which is where the real legwork is done. The real trouble is, John McCain is the ranking member of a committee that oversees most of military operations, for which he never shown up since announcing his candidacy for the Presidency.

Minor point? Maybe, but that is the game he is playing. A quasi mix of truth, half-truths and subterfuge meant to deceive the uneducated amongst the voting ranks.

SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES: I will graciously give it a tie. All depends which philosophy you happen to prescribe to.

STYLE POINTS / APPEARING PRESIDENTIAL: Slam dunk for Obama From not interrupting while his opponent spoke, to walking the entire length of the stage to shake hands with Mrs. McCain, to being the least flustered, to having all of the facts at his fingertips, Obama was a work of art. He appeared to be the most knowledgeable, and most confident. He graciously pointed out a few times when he thought McCain was correct (8 times according to Guiliani), while McCain desperately tried to create the illusion that Obama was somehow less intelligent, or did not understand entire concepts, which obviously was not true, given the ease with which Obama tackled each subject with McCain.

SPECIAL "WILLING TO ANSWER EACH QUESTION" AWARD: Obama, who answered the questions at face value, instead of doing a 180 and answering a question that was unasked like Senator McCain seemed to do with regularity. Clearly, for any question asked, to paraphrase Joe Biden, McCain said three things...a noun, a verb, and General Patreius.

Round one (of four) goes to Obama,

which is an upset considering McCain professes to have foreign affairs as his sole strong suit.

PROCEED WITH CAUTION: SARAH SILVERMAN ON THE ELECTION VIDEO

Careful, this video is completely vulgar, bigoted, and hysterical.


The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo.

WASHINGTON BECKONS ECONOMIC GENIUS JOHN McCAIN

He has already admitted his severe need to learn more about all things economic related. He has as recently proven his economic ignorance, saying on a Tuesday that the economy was in deed strong, then followed that up on Thursday by saying the economy was in trouble, and if he were President, he would fire FED chairman Christopher Cox. Trouble was, the President cannot fire the Fed chairman, he only appoints him to the job, pending approval from Congress. He also is not a member of the Senate committee currently conducting debate with the financial gurus in hopes of ironing out the terms of a bi-partisan bailout measure. So, why is he being summoned, when he so desperately wanted to get his ass handed to him by the smarter, better polished wunderkind Barack Obama?

Answer, he isn't needed, he is just reeling with the sudden downturn in the polling. Barack Obama was summoned, and he immediately asked why him, since he is not a member of the congressional committee either. He wants to debate, and shouldn't McCain, since he has been running his mouth off about the need for his precious town hall meetings?

I personally think Obama and McCain should debate tomorrow, and McCain's powerhouse running mate should go to Washington to lend her expertise. Of course she did say this week that "Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had gotten too big, and too expensive to the taxpayers." Trouble is, they aren't supported by the taxpayers.

The truth is, Congress needs McCain and Palin in Washington right now like Dubai needs sand. They would add absolutely no business acumen or experience, and would only feed the media circus already slowing things down. No, McCain has no business in the mix right now, and it is ludacrous to think anyone wants him there. McCain needs to go to the debate, quit his posturing, and take his public lynching like a man. An economically ignorant, old man.

WHY THE LEFT WILL NEVER PEACEFULLY COEXIST WITH THE RIGHT

The left has many, many issues with the conservative agenda, and has said so on many occasions. For the most part however, we do not go out of our way to attack them personally, at least in print to the nature and extent that the Republicans do, and with the hate and vigor they have shown, especially as of late.

Take for example, an article I was sent recently from a publication called the American Thinker. I would link it, but it is so judgemental against anyone not sharing their views (the old Bush ism you are either with them, or against them), that I cannot in good conscience lead you towards such a hate filled (albeit God loving Christian) group of writers.

In describing the liberals, this publication explained us away in the following manner......they are tolerant, non-judgemental, non-discriminatory, egalitarian, politically correct, multicultural, globalist and collectivists who are reducing this country into Darwinian animals floundering in an amoral sea of meaninglessness. And oh yes, we are elitist cultural and political Marxists, socialist bastards of the worst kind, who would like nothing more than lead this country to totalitarianism and utter destruction, based solely upon our collective arrogant presumptions that every human being must be accorded his or her natural rights, individual sovereignty and self responsibility to be in harmony with nature.

And they took great pleasure in this diatribe, as if someone with a modicum of intelligence would actually take offense at some of these descriptors. The key buzzword being thrown around at us is egalitarians, as if this was a concept born out of complete ignorance.

Here is a pretty fair definition of the term, and tell me if you take umbrage....Egalitarianism is a political doctrine that holds that all people should be treated as equals, and have the same political, economic, social, and civil rights. Generally it applies to being held equal under the law and society at large. In actual practice, one may be considered an egalitarian in most areas listed above, even if not subscribing to equality in every possible area of individual difference.

Personally, I would like to wear this as a crown. If you are one of those that consider the term an insult, then you just don't get it. At all. If you are one of those that consider this a term of ridicule, perhaps you should get a little better look at what this country stands for. Or move. Or at least stop sending me this absolute rubbish worthy only of lining a bird cage.

LET'S HAVE A MOMENT OF CLARITY

This was sent to me second hand from a friend in Florida, and I couldn't agree more.
* If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're "exotic, different."

* Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, a quintessential American story.

* If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.
* Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're a maverick.
* Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable.
* Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.

* If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.

* If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive and next in line behind a man in his eighth decade.

* If you've been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising two daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.

* If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and then left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a true Christian.

* If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.

* If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible.

* If your wife is a Harvard graduate laywer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America's.

* If your husband is nicknamed "First Dude," with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.

THIS WEEK BBQ'S EXXON JOHN AS A DODDERING OLD FOOL

REPUBLICAN COMMANDMENTS AND CREDOS

1. Thou shalt talk about Christian principles, but not live by them.
2. Thou shalt attack opponents personally when you can’t win on policies or integrity.
3. Thou shalt call yourself pro-life, but be in favor of the death penalty.
4. Thou shalt call yourself pro-life, and put guns in the hands of school children.
5. Thou shalt give lip service to democracy while taking away civil liberties.
6. Profit is the Lord Thy God, thou shalt not put the people’s interest above those of your corporate contributors or self serving neoconservative agenda.
7. Thou shalt make sure fetuses have health coverage, but leave children and babies behind.
8. Thou shalt bear false witness against your opponents and liberals, and demonize them along with truth and facts.
9. Thou shalt run on a moderate platform, then enact right-wing policies as soon as possible.
10. Thou shalt call the media liberal, so that people forget that the media is owned by corporations with a conservative fiscal agenda.

11. thou must lack empathy due to an excessive degree of self-absorption

12. thou must believe that he or she is exceptional and morally superior

13. thou must frequently engage in exploitative behaviors

14. thou must require frequent acquisition of goods he or she doesn’t need

15. thou must (on occasion) resort to some form of overt or covert violence, coercion, or extortion to resolve conflicts

16. thou must perceive others as obstacles to his or her “success”

17. thou must disregard laws and rules except as a means to achieve his or her agenda

18. thou must demonstrate deep hypocrisy by projecting a righteous, benevolent image while committing reprehensible acts

19. thou must refuse to accept the consequences of his or her actions

20. thou must accept Jesus Christ (or Ronald Reagan) as his or her personal savior

1. Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton.

2. Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him, and a bad guy when Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion.

3. Trade with Cuba is wrong because it is a Communist country, but trade with China and Vietnam is vital to the spirit of international harmony.

4. The United States should withdraw from the United Nations, but our highest national priority is winning support for the U.N. resolution against Iran.

5 A woman can't be trusted to make decisions about her own body, but multi-national corporations should be able to make decisions that affect millions of people and the environment without fear of being regulated.

6. The best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in speeches, while slashing veterans' benefits and combat pay, and insuring they have the worst post service after care imaginable

7. If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex.

8. The best way to fight terrorism is to belittle our long-time allies, then demand their cooperation and money.

9. Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy, but providing health care to all Americans is socialism. We're better off supporting the HMOs and insurance companies because they have the best interests of the public at heart.

10. Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools.

11. A president lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable offense. However, a president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is solid defense policy.

12. Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet.

13. The public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades, but George Bush's driving record and oil investments are none of our business.

14. Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host (or a fiancee) Then it's an illness and you need our prayers for your recovery.

15. "Executive Privilege" should be extended to every Republican ever born, about to be born, or who might be born (in perpetuity.)

16. What Bill Clinton did in the 1960s is of vital national interest, but what Bush did in the '80s is irrelevant.

17. When a hunter shoots his friend and blames him for wearing an orange vest similar to those worn by the quail, we should believe him

THE DAILY GAFFE: TROOPERGATE PROOF

Fighting back against allegations she may have fired her then-Public Safety Commissioner, Walt Monegan, for refusing to go along with a personal vendetta, Palin on Monday argued in a legal filing that she fired Monegan because he had a "rogue mentality" and was bucking her administration's directives.
"The last straw," her lawyer argued, came when he planned a trip to Washington, D.C., to seek federal funds for an aggressive anti-sexual-violence program. The project, expected to cost from $10 million to $20 million a year for five years, would have been the first of its kind in Alaska, which leads the nation in reported forcible rape.
The McCain-Palin campaign echoed the charge in a press release it distributed Monday, concurrent with Palin's legal filing. "Mr. Monegan persisted in planning to make the unauthorized lobbying trip to D.C.," the release stated.

Trouble is, ABC news has obtained the approved travel authorization form (pictured above) approved by her office. Despite stonewalling attempts by the McCain / Palin ticket, the investigation goes on. And for good reason, there obviously was an abuse of power by Governor Palin, now known as "troopergate." Or can the McCain machine block the document from getting into evidence?

But, who really needed a program targeting a problem for the state that leads the nation in forcible rapes? She was already the mayor of the methamphetamine capital of Alaska, but did she worry? Hell no. All they needed was a bridge to nowhere, and everything would be fine.

One down, more to go (I will forgo with the "tip of the iceberg" analogy). Next up: Where the heck are her tax returns. and what are they hiding there?

NAME THE AUTHOR OF THIS QUOTE

"McCain has gone in some of his ads -- similarly gone one step too far," he told Fox News, "and sort of attributing to Obama things that are, you know, beyond the '100 percent truth' test."

Believe it or not, the speaker is Karl Rove.

Believe it or not, McCain has even surpassed Rove's standards for running a dirty campaign.

Believe it or not, one of the heads of the Republican party

is calling out their candidate for being a liar.

Of course, the Obama campaign immediately leaped on the quote. "In case anyone was still wondering whether John McCain is running the sleaziest, most dishonest campaign in history, today Karl Rove -- the man who held the previous record -- said McCain's ads have gone too far," said campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor, in a statement sent to reporters minutes after Rove's on-air comments. Rove masterminded both of President Bush's successful White House bids.
Rove said both candidates need to "be careful" about their attacks on each other. "They ought to -- there ought to be an adult who says, 'Do we really need to go that far in this ad? Don't we make our point and won't we get broader acceptance and deny the opposition an opportunity to attack us if we don't include that one little last tweak in the ad?' " he said.

McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds criticized Obama for showing "zero restraint," considering what Gulf Coast residents were facing after Hurricane Ike. Bounds said the "attacks mark a new low from Barack Obama." (What kind of asshole would try and use the devistation of a hurricane to score points for his campaign)?
The Obama campaign shot back and accused McCain of "cynically running the sleaziest and least honorable campaign in modern presidential campaign history."

OBAMA THE MUSLIM ANTICHRIST RUMOR STILL SWIRLING AROUND THE TOILET BOWL THAT IS THE INTELLIGENCE OF THE AMERICAN MASSES

An associate from work sent me, along with a large list of e-mail recipients the following message on why we cannot vote for Barack Obama. It should be noted that he is a college graduate and, over all a very intelligent person, his right wing conservative extremism aside. But it does show the right wing scare tactics they have shown since the Nixon era. Push the class warfare button and label all liberals as elitists, make you scared as hell, then remind you that you can feel safe with good old solid conservative values.

"According to The Book of Revelations: The Anti-Christ will be a man, in his 40's, of MUSLIM descent, who will deceive the nations with persuasive language, and have a MASSIVE Christ-like appeal....the prophecy says that people will flock to him and he will promise false hope and world peace, and when he is in power, he will destroy everything."

The facts are, that nothing in the book of Revelations, or anywhere else in the Bible, is the anti-Christ specifically described, except as a denier of the divinity of Jesus. In fact, since the book of Revelations was complete since the end of the second century, and the religion of Islam was founded around four-hundred years later, the idea being passed forth that the Bible somehow mentions that one of the anti-Christs (yes, there will be three according to scripture) will be Muslim is far-fetched to say the very least.

AND BESIDES, BARACK OBAMA IS NOT A MUSLIM.

However, one reading this may want to read something that actually is in the Bible, from the book of Matthew...."Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves." And...they know how to e-mail.

Want to explore this more fully? Check out this blog: http://www.barackobamaantichrist.blogspot.com/

McCAIN ON THE STOCK MARKET

"Mismanagement and greed became the operating standard while regulators were asleep at the switch. The primary regulator of Wall Street, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) kept in place trading rules that let speculators and hedge funds turn our markets into a casino. They allowed naked short selling -- which simply means that you can sell stock without ever owning it. They eliminated last year the uptick rule that has protected investors for 70 years. Speculators pounded the shares of even good companies into the ground." "The chairman of the SEC serves at the appointment of the President and has betrayed the public's trust. If I were President today, I would fire him."

Typical John McCain, never an answer for anything. Never a plan, or an idea, or anything. Only more from the playbook of George Bush....who to blame, or who to be afraid of. In this case he is finger pointing at the head of the SEC, Christopher Cox, McCain's scapegoat du jour. Never mind that he has been a political insider for twenty years, that he is a senior member of the Senate, and never mind that he has admitted his complete ignorance to all things financial, John McCain goes into a quasi Bush saber rattle in order to look tough, without any business acumen whatsoever.

As defined by the Wall Street Journal...

"Naked" shorting, in which an investor sells a stock short -- betting that it will fall in price -- without first borrowing the shares he is selling from an investor who owns them. The SEC has never condoned the practice, and since 2005 it has clamped down on short selling in any stock that shows evidence of naked shorting. The SEC further tightened its rules against naked shorting just hours before Mr. McCain excoriated Mr. Cox for doing nothing.

Then there's Mr. McCain's tirade against the "uptick rule," a Depression-era chestnut that investors could only short stock after a rise in that stock's price. The SEC staff studied the effect of the uptick rule on prices for years, in a controlled experiment involving thousands of stocks. It found the rule had no effect.

This kind of ploy may garner some muster from the financial neophytes, but the experts know that John McCain knows little or nothing about the economy, or economics as a whole. Just a few months ago, he blamed speculators for the rising oil prices, then oil prices fell. He then was quoted as saying the economy "was strong." Now, McCain wants voters to believe speculators are responsible for driving mismanaged financial companies to ruin. Obviously, McCain needs to get better financial advisers, or am I just another one of the millions of your so called "nation of whiners" having a mental recession as his financial people are wont to say?

And, oh yes, Senator, if you were the President, and good Lord help us if the moronic American electorate sees to it that you are, you can't fire the SEC chief, he doesn't work for the President. Yet another gaffe exposing you for the haplessly clueless public servant that you truly are. But then again, your plane was shot down, you were a prisoner of war, so what the bloody hell, lets vote you in.

And, just so you don't think I am only attacking McCain, he was with Governor Palin today in Michigan stumping for votes, when the Governor exalted what a pleasure it was to be in Grand Rapids. Trouble was, they were in Cedar Rapids. Palin would have known the difference, except she can't see Michigan from her backyard. Shame Lieberman wasn't there, he could have corrected them both. And the beat goes on....

PLEASE DON'T WASTE YOUR VOTE ON THIS GUY

STOP YOUR CRYING

What is all the fuss about? It's just a fairly standard cover picture of the real John McCain for the Atlantic magazine. What is the problem? Afraid he looks too old? He IS old.

THE POLITICAL MALAISE OF THE AMERICAN ELECTORATE

There was a long period in American history when elections were waged on economic issues powerful enough to define the two major parties and divide the public. These issues stemmed from Americans' deepest hopes and fears, and had the power to cement their loyalty to a party and draw them to the polls.
As the economic issue weakened, a large set of less comprehensive issues emerged. Civil rights, street crime, school prayer, and welfare dependency were among the earliest of these issues, which were followed by others including abortion, the environment, education, and global trade. All were important, but they intersected with each other in confounding ways. And none had the reach or the endurance of the economic issue. The emergence of the so called religious right have changed this somewhat, as religious conservatives may completely base their Presidential votes based one two issues, and two issues alone....abortion rights and gay marriages.
During any given election cycle, there is a myriad of small to medium sized issues being debated, but the issues were too crosscutting and too numerous for either party to combine them in a way that could easily satisfy a following.
By the 1970s, self-described independents accounted for a third of the electorate. People also found it increasingly difficult to think and talk about the parties. Americans were better educated than they had been in the 1950s, but they had a harder time saying what the parties represented. In the 1950s, less than one in ten had nothing to say when asked in polls what they liked and disliked about the parties. By the 1970s, three in ten had nothing to say. This has brought on a large spectrum of platforms and beliefs in the republican party alone, from the Religious conservatives at the far right, to the moderate conservatives at the left of their party. In order to attract the support necessary for election (and more and more, that means independent voters), it is very common for a candidate to soften, or abandon their core principles altogether and go running to the political center. No more proof of this is needed than the creation of the term "flip flop," which is widely bandied about in today's media.
Americans who today have a party loyalty and an awareness of the parties have a voting rate more than twice that of those who call themselves independents and who cannot find words with which to describe the parties. The change in party politics helps to explain why, disproportionately, the decline in participation has been concentrated among Americans of low income. Although a class bias in turnout has been a persistent feature of U.S. elections, the gap has widened to a chasm. The voting rate among those at the bottom of the income ladder is only half that of those at the top. And as their willingness to actually vote recedes, so does their political power, thus politicians today need only pay a momentary lip service to the issues which are crippling them, and resulting in a feeling of despair, and a lack of hope.
The change in party politics also helps to explain why candidates now have trouble crafting messages that voters find compelling. Candidates have never had so many communication weapons at their disposal, yet they have never found it so hard to frame their message. Campaign messages today are strikingly different in the wide range of issues they address, the contradictions they contain, the speed with which they turn over, and the small percentage of voters with whom they resonate. But how do you craft a platform and message, let alone a public perception of a candidate given the 30 second demands of today's media availability, and the anemic attention span and political tolerance of the American electorate?
Today's quick sound byte mentality also feeds the very poison that infects American politics today, the propagation of half-truths and lies in order to frame a public opinion of a candidate, no matter how untrue or factually baseless it may prove to be. Witness the complete failure of the Obama campaign to dispel the rumors surrounding him up to today that he is a practicing Muslim.
And, as this political culture we have so skillfully crafted over the course of the last five generations perpetuates itself, more and more voters will abandon the political party system, feel increasingly more disenfranchised from the system, which will perpetuate in lower and lower turnout.
It has been statistically proven that the changing demographic of the American voters is such that we may have only 6 or 7 additional Presidential primaries in which the majorities are comprised of whites. Needless to say, any future hopes of either party for a sustainable future depends entirely on the recruiting and including of minority members, and the Democrats have perennially succeeded to do so.
However, will this changing demographic so radically alter each party that we may be heading towards a three or four party system such as in Great Britain? I hope so. For as with diversity comes an inability of the two major parties to dominate, and in fact, drown out any hopes of a tertiary party's hope for mainstream attention by the media, as now demonstrated by our public debating process.
Now more than at any time in our history, we need to reexamine our entire political process, and the manner in which we elect our representatives at every level. And that means media communication, the electoral college, the manner in which we register new voters, right down to the process we use to cast votes. We simply cannot go any longer with a disinterested, apathetic electorate, which will almost certainly be a breeding ground for political corruption, lies, and half-truths. This is more than a call to correct our political process, it is a call to cure the symptoms that may adversely change our democratic system itself........ if you care.

5 THINGS OBAMA MUST DO IF HE IS TO BE ELECTED

1. Admit you are blowing it.
You have squandered a fairly large lead over a Republican candidate that struggled just to beat the likes of Mike Huckabee and Rudy Guiliani. They have taken over your core message of change, and are forcing you to respond to one of the dirtiest campaigns in modern day history. What is worse, you stopped playing to win, and have overcautiously started playing not to lose.

2. Forget trying to force the electorate into the realization that John McCain is a liar.
They already know that. They think you are all inherently dishonest. We know their campaign is spreading the shit like a tractor in Iowa. Get over it. Didn't you learn anything from the primaries?

3. Admit that Joe Biden was a stupid fucking mistake.
He has added nothing to your ticket, and you got absolutely no bump in the polls as a result of it. Sending him out on the road in an attempt to whip up your supporters isn't working, and if you continue to keep him out there, it will only be a matter of time before he says something really, really dumb. Reel him in. This is the price you will have to pay for your foolish pride. You knew Hillary was your only choice, but you let your testicles override your brain. Smooth move, Senator.

4. Realize your campaign people are really stinking up the joint.
I don't know who you've been listening to, but one minute you are Mr. Clean, and the next minute you are jumping into the mud and slinging it with the worst of them. By getting down into the dirt with McCain, you have shown the country that the person you portrayed throughout the primary was....just that, a portrayal, and not who you really are. The American people have no idea who you are any more. You have to stop changing your message, and your positions. Stick with them, even if they are wrong. Nobody expects you to stick to them in January, anyway.

5. You need to ask for help from someone who knows how to get elected, and that means either Jimmy friggin' Carter, or it means getting down on your hands and knees and asking for help from the married couple pictured below.

They know how to win. Sure, you kicked their ass with all of that messianic bullshit, but that ship has sailed. The Clintons know more about American politics than any two people alive. It won't be pretty, but they can get you into the White House. The question is, can Bill forget that the only respect you have shown him is three phone calls, and a recent lunch since the primaries?

The second question is, do they even want you to get elected? If its McCain in four years, Hillary will be running against four years of ineptitude, and you. And besides, the houses will be Democratically controlled, so there will be an absolute deadlock / stalemate against getting anything done.

Five things to do, with an emphasis on number five. Suck it up and do it, or your failure will singlehandedly insure that there will be no minority candidates for the next 3+ election cycles. You will have proven the Bradley effect is alive and in full force when it comes to Presidential elections (whether that will play out as the ultimate reason for your failure, or not). How's that for a legacy?

And that is The World.........The World According to Kimba. Thanks for reading.

A TRILLION REASONS TO VOTE AGAINST THE STATUS QUO

1. Bush's tax cuts for the rich have reduced annual tax revenue available for public needs by $300 billion each year.
2. Bush Cheney's occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq has cost $700 billion, according to the Congressional Research Service. That's about $400 million a day. Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz says the tab is well over $2 trillion when you add rehabilitation for injured vets, replacement of military hardware, and the value of things we could have produced (but didn't) with that money over the past seven years.
3. Bushites have finished off the deregulation of banking that began in earnest during Bill Clinton's presidency. This ideological madness has caused the collapse of investment funds, banks, and the stock value of corporations that depend on them (which is to say most of Wall Street and much of the financial world), as well as a steep decline in the value of most homes in America and a sharp rise in the cost of living in them.
   

McCAIN AND HIS SLIME MACHINE

FIRST INTERVIEW: PALIN COMPARISON

Palin said she had never met a head of state and added: "If you go back in history and if you ask that question of many vice presidents, they may have the same answer that I just gave you."

Obviously, this is patently untrue. In fact, one has only to know enough history to remember that Dick Cheney was Secretary of the Defense, and George Bush was not only the Envoy to China, but Ambassador to the United Nations.

Pressed about what insights into recent Russian actions she gained by living in Alaska, Palin answered: "They're our next door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska."

Interesting perspective, as if actually being able to see a foreign country is tantamount to having foreign affairs experience. Obviously not actually visiting Russia, or meeting with any representative from her "neighbor", would not give someone any insight at all.

Said nuclear weapons in Iran's hands are dangerous, and said "we've got to put the pressure on Iran." Asked three times what her position would be if Israel felt threatened enough to attack Iranian nuclear facilities, Palin repeatedly said the United States shouldn't "second guess" Israel's steps to secure itself.

Yes, as a sitting Vice President, and possible successor to the Presidency, the prudent thing to do is sit back and not engage at all given that Israel is attacking Iraqi nuclear facilities, which would set off a powder keg in the Middle East. Kind of like what Bush did in that classroom after he first heard of the attacks on 9/11. Doing nothing is always an option.

Said she "didn't hesitate" when McCain asked her to be his running mate. "I answered him 'yes' because I have the confidence in that readiness and knowing that you can't blink, you have to be wired in a way of being so committed to the mission, the mission that we're on, reform of this country and victory in the war, you can't blink. So I didn't blink then even when asked to run as his running mate."

Hopefully this is a complete falsehood. What sane and rational person, given she has only been a Mayor of a town with a population of 9,000, and a two year Governor of Alaska, wouldn't, at least for a moment, question her abilities to carry out the position as the potential head of the world's only superpower. Hopefully, she understands that of all the factors involved in her selection for the McCain ticket, her vagina was on the short list.

Contradicted an assertion she made at her former church that "our national leaders are sending U.S. soldiers on a task that is from God." Asked whether she thought the United States was fighting a holy war, she said she meant to convey that she agreed with Abraham Lincoln's quote that "I would never presume to know God's will or to speak God's words."

This is the scariest part of Palin for me. That she might be so inclined to think that whatever decision she may make, or direction she has given for the country might be a "task from God," or somehow a part of God's plan is terrifying. This is straight out of the Republican play book, entitled "hubris."

Palin had no idea what the Bush doctrine was.

President Bush's September 2002 "National Security Strategy of the United States" declares that the U.S. "must adapt the concept of imminent threat to the capabilities and objectives of today's adversaries." The security strategy reads: "The greater the threat, the greater is the risk of inaction -- and the more compelling the case for taking anticipatory action to defend ourselves, even if uncertainty remains as to the time and place of the enemy’s attack."

Grade for the first interview by Governor Palin? C-.

Yes, she has television experience (sportscaster), and committed no major faux pas, but she failed to gloss over her staggering lack of experience, and truth be known, intelligence as to the world today. The fact is, she is not an Ivy league scholar, or even in possession of an admirable intellect. She is what she is. A symbol, a gimmick, and a political neophyte with a paper thin resume. Obviously, the GOP has a ton of work to do before they let her loose on the media again, especially considering her first interview was with a man not known for his stinging questions, or even capable of "gotcha" journalism.

THE UNDENIABLE TRUTH ABOUT THE REPUBLICAN DOUBLE STANDARDS...FROM THEIR OWN MOUTHS

911 ANNIVERSARY TOMORROW: LEST WE EVER FORGET

On what should be a national day of remembrance, tomorrow marks yet another anniversary of the tragedy of 9/11. On this day, every news channel should rerun the coverage from 9/11 exactly as it occurred that day. Banks should close, schools should do nothing but watch 911 reruns on TV (for those children mature enough to understand), and all politicians should take the day off. And, oh yes, no one should buy a petroleum product at all on 9/11.

But, most of all, this nation should be an absolute sea of American flags.

Please fly one at home and your office.

If you don't own one, get one....or a passport and a one way ticket somewhere.

Tomorrow, we do not have political parties, races, genders, or any thing else that divides us. Tomorrow, we all all just Americans....in mourning of the biggest tragedy we

(hopefully) will ever know in our lifetimes.

But then again, it is 9-10-2008 today, so lets get a little political, especially when it is the latest Keith Olbermann rant in regards to the blatant use of the victims of 9/11 for their own political gain. The video is 6 minutes long, and worth listening to.

OBAMA AND THE PALIN EFFECT

By Deepak Chopra
Sometimes politics has the uncanny effect of mirroring the national psyche even when nobody intended to do that. This is perfectly illustrated by the rousing effect that Gov. Sarah Palin had on the Republican convention in Minneapolis this week. On the surface, she outdoes former Vice President Dan Quayle as an unlikely choice, given her negligent parochial expertise in the complex affairs of governing. Her state of Alaska has less than 700,000 residents, which reduces the job of governor to the scale of running one-tenth of New York City. By comparison, Rudy Giuliani is a towering international figure. Palin’s pluck has been admired, and her forthrightness, but her real appeal goes deeper.
She is the reverse of Barack Obama, in essence his shadow, deriding his idealism and turning negativity into a cause for pride. In psychological terms the shadow is that part of the psyche that hides out of sight, countering our aspirations, virtue, and vision with qualities we are ashamed to face: anger, fear, revenge, violence, selfishness, and suspicion of "the other." For millions of Americans, Obama triggers those feelings, but they don’t want to express them. He is calling for us to reach for our higher selves, and frankly, that stirs up hidden reactions of an unsavory kind. (Just to be perfectly clear, I am not making a verbal play out of the fact that Sen. Obama is black. The shadow is a metaphor widely in use before his arrival on the scene.) I recognize that psychological analysis of politics is usually not welcome by the public, but I believe such a perspective can be helpful here to understand Palin’s message. In her acceptance speech Gov. Palin sent a rousing call to those who want to celebrate their resistance to change and a higher vision
Look at what she stands for:
Small town values — a nostalgic return to simpler times disguises a denial of America’s global role, a return to petty, small-minded parochialism. Ignorance of world affairs — a repudiation of the need to repair America’s image abroad. Family values — a code for walling out anybody who makes a claim for social justice. Such strangers, being outside the family, don’t need to be needed. Rigid stands on guns and abortion — a scornful repudiation that these issues can be negotiated with those who disagree. Patriotism — the usual fallback in a failed war. "Reform" — an italicized term, since in addition to cleaning out corruption and excessive spending, one also throws out anyone who doesn’t fit your ideology. Palin reinforces the overall message of the reactionary right, which has been in play since 1980, that social justice is liberal-radical, that minorities and immigrants, being different from "us" pure American types, can be ignored, that progressivism takes too much effort and globalism is a foreign threat. The radical right marches under the banners of "I’m all right, Jack," and "Why change? Everything’s OK as it is." The irony, of course, is that Gov. Palin is a woman and a reactionary at the same time. She can add mom to apple pie on her resume, while blithely reversing forty years of feminist progress. The irony is superficial; there are millions of women who stand on the side of conservatism, however obviously they are voting against their own good. The Republicans have won multiple national elections by raising shadow issues based on fear, rejection, hostility to change, and narrow-mindedness.
Obama’s call for higher ideals in politics can’t be seen in a vacuum. The shadow is real; it was bound to respond. Not just conservatives possess a shadow — we all do. So what comes next is a contest between the two forces of progress and inertia. Will the shadow win again, or has its furtive appeal become exhausted? No one can predict. The best thing about Gov. Palin is that she brought this conflict to light, which makes the upcoming debate honest. It would be a shame to elect another Reagan, whose smiling persona was a stalking horse for the reactionary forces that have brought us to the demoralized state we are in. We deserve to see what we are getting, without disguise.

IS THIS TOO LOGICAL TO WORK?

TIMING IS ALMOST EVERYTHING

According to the website for the Alaskan Independence Party today....

"Contrary to initial reports, Vice-President candidate Governor Sarah Palin was never a member of our party. We stand corrected. We issued a press release today. It is posted here to those members of the media who did not recieve it. Todd Palin was registered as a member but never participated in any party activities aside from attending a convention in Wasilla at one time.
We had several hundred people attend that convention and nothing of noteworthy status took place outside of nominating the most conservative candidate up to that date to ever run for Governor of Alaska. That candidate was the sitting Lt. Governor, Jack Coghill. This man was one of the authors and signers of the Constitution of the State of Alaska."

However, according to ABC news, she and her husband were members....

"Officials of the Alaskan Independence Party say that Palin was once so independent, she and her husband were once member of their party, which, since the 1970s, has been pushing for a legal vote for Alaskans to decide whether or not residents of the 49th state can secede from the United State."

And, according to an op/ed piece in today's L.A. Times...

"Palin may dispute attending the AIP convention in 1994, but there is no denying she not only attended the convention in 2000, and not only attended, but addressed their conventions in 2006 and 2008. In fact, this year she told the convention attendees...."I'm delighted to welcome you to the 2008 Alaska Independence Party convention....Keep up the good work."

What work? Actively supporting an initiative for Alaska to secede from the union. So much for Palin's lack of foreign affairs experience.....How many candidates can boast they once flirted with the idea of helping a state become a foreign country? And, it should be brought out that they wish to secede in any way possible, or as their founder, Joe Vogler once said...."The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government....And I won't be buried under their damn flag." Kind of makes Reverend Wright sound tame in comparison doesn't it?

Not enough proof for you? Here is a quote from AIP Vice Chairman Dexter Clark (and the husband of the retraction linked above) describing Governor Palin at the 2007 North American Secessionist Convention....she was an "AIP member before she got the job as a mayor of a small town---that was a nonpartisan job. But you get along to go along. She eventually joined the republican Party, where she had all kinds of problems with their ethics, and well, I won't go into that." Again from the L.A. Times, Clark then went on to urge all members to "infiltrate the major parties."

Did Palin (either as a member, or casual observer and addressee of the conventions) share Mr. Vogler's "burning hatred for the American government? Needless to say, Palin has a lot of explaining to do. Let's hope ABC doesn't go soft on this issue. If he does, Biden's may just mention it a time or two. Come to think of it....does she wear an American lapel pin????

McCAIN "CHANGES" HIS APPROACH

They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery. So when John McCain's entire stump speech repertoire has been rewritten to copy Obama's focus on change, one would have to think that he is flattering Barack to the point of being the next Obama girl. But is he really? Check out the first video below to see who he really imitates, almost word for word.....

So, the Democratic observation is, John McCain represents four more years of the eight dismal years of failure under the Bush administration. Change? or more of the same? Republican political shill for McCain Mark Sanford, in an appearance on CNN, was asked for one difference between the McCain economic plan, and the Bush administrations plan, which has racked up eight years of unbalanced budgets, soaring prices, increased unemployment rates, and a record deficit, despite inheriting an economy with a surplus.

Obviously, he could not. In fact almost across the board, McCain is what he always has been, George Bush's number one fan. One way he sought to distance himself from McCain was to proclaim his hatred of earmarks. Remember his speech..."I will veto any pork barrel ear marked bill, and you will know who is responsible?" Great words, but what does it say for his words when he nominates the queen of the pork, Sarah Palin, supporter of the bridge going to nowhere? Requester the following year of the highest dollar amount per capita of any state in the union?

McCain also claims, among many other mistruths, that the Obama tax plan would raise a litany of taxes to everyone. Click on the link here, and get a non-partisan view (http://www.factcheck.org/) on the truth in regards to his plan. The blue box you will see is the GOP half truths and lies. Below it, will be the truth, completely debunking the McCain rhetoric blasting off on the Obama tax plan. Lies and half-truths? Do these represent change, or more of the same? You be the judge and jury on this one....

So why has McCain changed his focus from experience to change? For one thing, his VP choice has no experience, or extremely limited experience to say the least. A college student at 6 different institutions in 5 years, finally earning a bachelors in sports journalism at the University of Idaho didn't help either. Her resume is paper thin, to say the very least.

So can a political inside for two decades plus, claim to be an "agent of change?" McCain is gambling that he could steal the change issue for himself -- a crazy brave, characteristically reckless, inconceivably difficult maneuver -- by picking an authentically independent, tough-minded reformer. With Palin, he may just have a slim chance on change.
The problem is the inherent oddity of the incumbent party running on a desire to change the very government they have controlled for nearly a decade. Here are Republicans, the party that controlled the White House for eight years and both houses of Congress for five, wildly cheering the promise to take on Washington. I don't mean to be impolite, but who's controlled Washington this decade?
Moreover, McCain was giving up his home turf of readiness to challenge Obama on his home turf of change. Can that possibly be pulled off? The calculation was to choose demographics over thematics. Palin's selection negates the theme of readiness. But she does bring important constituencies. She has the unique potential of energizing the base while at the same time appealing to independents. In short, she may pull Clinton supporters and quiet the far right base of the party, and that means evangelicals, "my friends."

The gamble is enormous. In a stroke, McCain gratuitously forfeited his most powerful argument against Obama. And this was even before Palin's inevitable liabilities began to pile up -- inevitable because any previously unvetted neophyte has "issues." The kid. The state trooper investigation.

Palinesque issues seem to be popping up almost daily. The right has responded by keeping Palin away from the press entirely. But, they cannot do this for the entire nine weeks leading up to the general election. McCain's only hope? Palin has to do in 9 weeks what it took Obama a full year...become a "celebrity," and envirgorate the party / ticket.

PALIN BAGGAGE CHECK

1. Claimed to have been an anti-corruption crusader, actually ran Ted Stevens' political action committee and made appearances with him even after he was accused of corruption.
2. Palin's 17 Year old daughter is pregnant, but she personally slashed funding for teen pregnancy organization with a line-item veto.
3. She also has a child with Down's Syndrome, but she slashed school funding for special needs children by 62% despite a$5 billion Alaskan budget surplus due to rising oil pric
4. Palin attended convention for Alaskan Independence Party, which is devoted to ensuring that Alaska secedes from the union. Addressed the party convention this year.
5. For all of their talk about her successful mayorship experience, the truth is, Palin left Wasilla mired with $20 million in debt
6. Palin pressured a librarian to ban unspecified books, and threatened to fire her
7. Claimed she was against Bridge to Nowhere, was actually for it
8. Believes that a 14 year old child who was impregnated by rape or incest must carry the child full term under the law thus penalizing the victim.
9. Under investigation for abuse of power for firing a top official for refusing to terminate her ex-brother in law from the police force. The complaint further alleges that the governor or her staff may have have improperly disclosed information from Wooten's personnel records.
10. Despite McCain's straight talk against earmarking and the promise to veto pork barrel spending, his VP candidate has requested about $198 million—$295 per person this year alone—which is the highest amount per-capita in the country, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense. And when she was the mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired an Anchorage-based firm to secure $27 million in federal earmarks for the town.
11. For all of their talk of her quote, unquote "experience", the fact remains that there is so little to do in Alaskan politics that their legislature only meets 90 days per year.

DRESSED FOR SUCCESS?

Is it any wonder John McCain thinks the economy is strong? Take a look at the price tag for one outfit worn by his wife Cindy.

Cindy McCain

Oscar de la Renta dress: $3,000

Chanel J12 White Ceramic Watch: $4,500

Three-carat diamond earrings: $280,000

Four-strand pearl necklace: $11,000–$25,000

Shoes, designer unknown: $600

Total: Between $299,100 and $313,100

Wow! No wonder McCain has so many houses: his wife has the price of a Scottsdale split-level hanging from her ears.

GUILIANI PUTS A FACE TO THE McCAIN CAMPAIGN

I have been following politics since college (1974), and I have seen a ton of dirty, low class politics employed since that time. But I have never seen an opposing candidate experience the ridicule and composite laughter of an entire convention exhibited by the GOP in Saint Paul. And for what? Because Obama spent time after college going back into a depressed area of Chicago, and giving back to his community? Because they hate community organizers? Full on laughter. Guiliani made it a joke, and the quasi religious sheep of the GOP brethren laughed along.

The Democratic party would never do that to an opposing candidate even if their pick for VP on their ticket took a job as a television sports announcer, parlaying her looks and plumbing to get ahead, rather than doing community service, or relying on her intellect at all.

The fact is, it was a joke in their eyes to do community service on the streets with the people who needed it most, that is why they do not favor any social program to any extent. Makes them weak is their mantra. The truth is, they do not like minorities. If Barack went to help whites in the Hamptons, they would value it. If Katrina had severly hurt the population of Sag Harbor, they would have been Johnny on the spot. This is why they ridicule community organizing in Chicago, and this is why you couldn't find a non-white face in the convention crowd....well, almost at all. At all. Rudy Guiliani put a face on the campaign McCain wants to run...an all white face.

Rudy Giuliani laughed out loud while noting Barack Obama's deep experience as a "community organizer." Sarah Palin cracked: "I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities." Both Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin specifically mocked Barack's experience as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago more than two decades ago, where he worked with people who had lost jobs and been left behind when the local steel plants closed. Let's clarify something for them right now. Community organizing is how ordinary people respond to out-of-touch politicians and their failed policies."

And oh, by the way, you seemed to completely skip the part of Obama's resume which told of his tenure teaching constitutional law to university students. Guess not even that is as good as being a sportscaster or mayor of Podunk, Alaska, or being for the infamous "Bridge leading to nowhere" (which Palin supported....until she didn't anymore).

THATS OK....IN 2042, McCAIN WILL BE 147 YEARS OLD

Sarah Palin must have felt right at home last night during her speech to the G.O.P. convention: there were almost no black people. African Americans make up only 3.7 percent of the population of Alaska. And that’s about three times higher than the percentage of African Americans at the G.O.P. convention.

“As the country rapidly diversifies, Republicans are presenting a convention that is almost entirely white,” the Washington Post reported today.
Only 36 of the 2,380 delegates seated on the convention floor are black, the lowest number since the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies began tracking diversity at political conventions 40 years ago. Each night, the overwhelmingly white audience watches a series of white politicians step to the lectern–a visual reminder that no black Republican has served as a governor, U.S. senator, or U.S. representative in the past six years.

The lack of diversity is out of sync with the demographic changes in the United States. The Census Bureau reported last month that racial and ethnic minorities will make up a majority of the country's population by 2042 -- almost a decade earlier than what the bureau predicted just four years ago. Two-thirds of Americans are non-Hispanic whites, 12.4 percent are black and 14.8 percent are Hispanic, according to 2006 census numbers.

PALIN-TOLOGY

For the people who do not read Slate magazine on-line as I do... some Sarah Palin tid-bits

1. Her diet is "heavy in wild Alaskan seafood, moose, caribou and fresh fruit."
2. Palin's first-born son, Track, was born on April 20, 1989, almost eight months to the day after she eloped and married her husband, Todd, on August 29, 1988.
3. She does believe in climate change, but she has expressed doubts that human activity is to blame.
4. Palin has said she is "as pro-life as any candidate can be and called abortion "an atrocity." She has supported mandatory parental consent, and while she is pro-contraception, has also indicated her preference for abstinence education over "explicit sex-ed programs." She would permit abortion in cases where the mother's life was endangered, but not in the case of rape or incest.
5. Palin said in a 2006 debate that she supports teaching creationism alongside evolution in public schools on the grounds that "healthy debate is so important."
6. Palin on Iraq: "I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq. I heard on the news about the new deployments, and while I support our president, Condoleezza Rice and the administration, I want to know that we have an exit plan in place."
7. Palin asked the Wasilla library "how she could go about banning books" with offensive language. It's not clear whether any book was ever banned.
8. When she was running for governor in 2006, Palin said she supported a $223 million federal earmark for the Gravina Island Bridge. Congress eventually killed the earmark after it became a symbol of pork-barrel spending, but Alaska was given the same amount of money to spend on other projects. She lied about it last night in her speech.
9. The Alaska governor has no command role with National Guard troops engaged in combat operations or with the 49th Missile Defense Battalion, which is stationed in Alaska. She does command the National Guard when it comes to natural disasters and homeland security. These issues are handled by a member of her cabinet, Maj. Gen. Craig.
10. Cindy McCain and others have asserted that Alaska's proximity to Russia has contributed to Palin's foreign-policy knowledge. This is a bold faced lie, she has never been to Russia.
11. Sarah Palin fired former Alaska Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan, who said the governor pressured him to fire an Alaska state trooper who happened to be getting divorced from Palin's sister. Palin has denied these allegations. Alaska's state legislature voted in July to get an independent investigator to look into the firing.
12. The environmental Web site Grist.org has reported that she objected to listing polar bears or beluga whales as endangered in Alaska, fearing it might affect Alaskan drilling projects. She also voted against a proposition to limit mining where runoff would threaten salmon populations.
13. Alaska has long been the recipient of astounding amounts of federal funding. While Palin slashed pork requests in half during her tenure, the state still requested $550 million in Palin's first year in office. This year she has requested about $198 million—$295 per person—which is still the highest amount per-capita in the country, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense. And when she was the mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired an Anchorage-based firm to secure $27 million in federal earmarks for the town.