White supremacist leaders back Obama. No kidding.

...
Polls show that John McCain leads Barack Obama with white voters by just under 10 percentage points. But what about Obama's standing with white supremacist leaders?

In an informal survey by Esquire Magazine, three out of four white supremacist leaders said they prefer Barack Obama over John McCain.

Tom Metzger, Director of the White Aryan Resistance told the magazine, "The corporations are running things now, so it’s not going to make much difference who's in there, but McCain would be much worse. He’s a warmonger. He’s a scary, scary person--more dangerous than Bush. Obama, according to his book, Dreams Of My Father, is a racist and I have no problem with black racists."

Metzger is referring to the quote in Obama's 1995 autobiography where he wrote, "I found a solace in nursing a pervasive sense of grievance and animosity against my mother’s white race."

The primary reason for white supremacist's support of Obama is that black people will become more "race conscious," thus emboldening divisions between the races. And, with a black man in the seat of power, white people can express more pride in their race without being labeled as racist. Or so leaders like Metzger hope.

Of the four white supremacist leaders interviewed for the story, Only Ron Edwards, the Imperial Wizard of the Imperial Klans of America took a dissenting view of the man who next week could be the first black president.

"Obama, I think he’s a piece of shit. I don’t care that his mother was white. I don’t think he has enough brains to do anything good. All he’s living off of is the color of his skin to get elected."

As for the one black supremacist interviewed, who goes simply by the name, "Yahanna," he is supporting McCain due to a belief that when Obama becomes president he will be co-opted into the white establishment. He had some choice words for Obama as well as legendary civil right's leader Martin Luther King.

"Finding out Barack Obama is the Democratic nominee for president was one of the saddest days in black history. Another legacy of black death is about to begin, just like it began back in the '60s with probably the greatest traitor to black people in modern-day history, Martin Luther King."

Yahanna went on to say that Obama's "going to have to harm black people to make white people satisfied that he’s not Reverend Wright’s boy."

More and more each day, this truly becomes an election of historic firsts.

Obama nails it on the Daily Show

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After Obama's awkward and unfunny appearance on Saturday Night Live, it was nice to see his sense of humor in the face of Jon Stewart's absurd, yet poignant questions. I was worried about that --he is a lawyer after all-- because I want my leaders to be funny.

He is the picture of a man at ease. The election is not yet decided, but watching him you get the feeling that even if Barack Obama loses, he will take it all in stride and move on to the next thing.

South Korea's bizarre laws upheld by top Court

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In the "when will you join your fellow citizens in the modern world" category comes South Korea's Constitutional Court, who on Thursday upheld a century-old government policy that allows only blind people to legally give massages.

The court rejected a petition filed by sighted masseurs who are forced to do their work under the table. (Pun intended).

The ruling follows a dramatic protest last month by dozens of blind masseurs who threatened to kill themselves by jumping from a bridge into Seoul's Han river. (Mental note: Do they need a seeing eye dog to find the water?)

In a statement that is truly hard to fathom, the court said the livelihood of the blind outweighs the freedom of ordinary people to choose an occupation.

"Massage is, in effect, the only occupation available for the visually handicapped and there is little alternative to guarantee earnings for those persons."

What's next? Only deaf people can give singing lessons?

Cheat on your spouse? Go to jail.

The court also ruled Thursday that adultery should remain a crime punishable by jail. The 55-year old law which was originally intended to safeguard women in South Korea's largely male-dominated society.

In an issued statement the court said that, "Society still recognizes that adultery damages social order. The punishment of a two-year jail term is not excessive when comparing it with responsibility."

Is that really a reflection of South Korean society?

According to a survey last year, nearly 68 percent of South Korean men and 12 percent of women confessed to having sex outside marriage. Those numbers of women cheating on their husbands is likely higher than reported, considering that most are disinclined to tell pollsters about their promiscuity. For men the numbers are probably lower since they often inflate the number of their sexual experiences.

Court data shows that last year 1,190 people were indicted but only 47 were jailed and 592 were given suspended sentences.

Just a reminder: South Korea is the world's 13th largest economy and not ruled by an oppressive Islamic regime.

"Nobody for President"

...
'Tis the political season my friends. Enjoy!



Lyrics

This election of firsts, is quite not quenching my thirst, my throat feels a little dry
I'm supposed to pull the lever on the 4th day of November, but I'm starting to wonder why

The contenders seem to render little in the way of splendor; I'm having trouble tryin' to decide
Before either takes the oath, I say get rid of em' both and give something else a try

What I’m saying is:

Nobody for President
Close down the White House save some money on the rent
Let's set a new precedent
If there really is a god what kinda mess done he sent?

John McCain seems like a nice guy, he got shot down when he flied somewhere over Vietnam
But since we lost and brought our boys home he seems to have the syndrome that everybody should be bombed

They say Barack is just a novice not ready for the Office, part of me tends to agree
He's got the gift for gab, which in itself is not so bad, but I wonder about his sincerity

Nobody for President
Close down the White House save some money on the rent
Let's set a new precedent
If there really is a god what kinda mess done he sent?

And then there lovely Sarah Palin who has got some speaking talent, but she's got nothing good to say
She's all for drilling' oil, but if you're drilling boys ya'll will go to prison for being gay

And then there’s Joseph Biden who ain’t so good at writing' so he lifted off another guy
I'm criticizing' his plagiarizing because the words I am writing' are the words that I write

And I write there should be….

Nobody for President
Close down the White House save some money on the rent
Let's set a new precedent
If there really is a god what kinda mess done he sent?
...

Tasteless Ad: Desperation sets in for McCain

...
Things are winding down and John McCain is running scare ads. Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is McCain's last ditch, Willie Horton.

Playing on people's fears of Islam, the ad even has Middle Eastern music in the background for effect.

I used to like John McCain, but this is just pathetic.

♫ Ter-ror-ists are coming to town

...
Come on and join in! You know the tune!

You better watch out
You better not gripe
You better not doubt, I'm telling you why
Terrorists are coming to town

___________

According to an article released today by the Brookings Institute, VP candidate Joseph Biden dire predictions last week were simply foretelling what might be the inevitable --regardless of' Obama's ability to deal with or not.

Biden was lambasted by the right and the left when he said that if Barack Obama is elected he will face a serious crisis early in his presidency. Republicans claimed that the Biden was admitting to charges of Obama's inexperience, while Democrat's implied the same thing by saying Biden shouldn't have brought up the issue in the first place.

Yet, a look at recent history shows that Biden could well be portentous, and that timing is everything for the terrorist agenda.

Apparently elections are the Islamicist's season of giving.

-The first bombing of the World Trade Center on Feb. 26, 1993 was a little more than a month after Bill Clinton took office.

-The attack on the USS Cole on Oct. 12, 2000 was three weeks before the Bush-Gore match up.

-On June 27th of last year, radicals attempted multiple car bombings in London and Glasgow --three days after Gordon Brown's became Britain's prime minister.

-Benazir Bhutto was murdered while she was campaigning in Pakistan.

-And the September 2004 bombing of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, preceded the Australian elections by a month.

"Jihadists' need to leave their fingerprints on big events," Brookings writes. "These are the seam moments, the points of inflection in history, and the terrorists want to demonstrate that they are central players in determining outcomes."

So it looks like Joe Biden wasn't simply shooting his mouth off after all. If history is any indication. who ever becomes the next president will more than likely have a serious mess to deal with. 'Tis the season.
...

Obama: Because America needs a pop-star president

...

Ok, let’s just get this over with: I am voting for Barack Obama.

The reason is quite simple. I want a celebrity president that the world adores. Forget about policy. I yearn for the day when people stop me on the streets of foreign capitals and say, “Hey, you’re from that shining city on the hill aren’t you? Would you like to marry my daughter?”

For the past few years when I am traveling abroad and I forget to lie and say “I am Canadian,” I get that disquieting look of reproach, followed by an awkward break in the conversation; as if I told them that I have come for their first born or I do credit checks for a mortgage company.

Obama can change that. While he may very well be lacking in substance, he has that smile, that style, that pop-ish persona that can only boost our image overseas. And what’s wrong with that? If the naysayers are right, and we are headed for a socialist state under King Barack, then our businesses are going to need all the help they can get when committing acts of commerce abroad.

Now some of you who have read this far might say that I am being anti-American or that I am selling this great country short. I can see the comments now: “You moron! That is just nonsense! America is the greatest country on earth! Everyone wants to come here!”

While I am not in the habit of pinching total strangers, might I suggest that yes, you are dreaming. The reason people want to come to America is not necessarily because America is such a great country, but because their own country more than likely sucks.

Where are most of these people coming from anyway? Mexico, India, the Philippines, El Salvador, Cuba and China. Now there is a winning list of departure points. Other than the Canadians — who are probably just looking to escape the boredom — there is a noticeable dearth of “first world” countries whose citizens are breaking down our doors to get in.

If we are no longer an object of respect in our group of peers, we could at least have a celebrity president. Someone that the world looks at and says, “Wow, I wish that was our guy.”

There are other benefits as well. I am surprised that those of you out there still living under the delusion that Barack Obama is a Muslim aren’t actually cheering the “fact.” Think about it: with Obama at the helm there will be some kid studying in a madrassa in Pakistan or Saudi Arabia incessantly raising his hand saying, “But teacher, the infidel president is one of us!” Can’t you just see the theocratic tyranny coming apart at the seams?

And maybe we are looking at this socialism/higher-taxes thing in the wrong way. Our economy is all about competition right? If Bob the Plumber sets up shop across the street from Joe and Joe starts losing money to Bob, then Joe is going to take it up a notch and work harder, right? Just pretend that Bob is Obama, taxing small business into greater competitive spirit. It’s quite magical when you really think about it.

I drifted off a bit into policy, when I really didn’t want to. Because, quite frankly, for me that is not what this election is about. It is about putting the best face out there. John McCain? Is that the image we want for the next four years? Old guy, a bit temperamental, with a pretty sidekick who hates people from big cities. Half the world’s population lives in big cities. What kind of message are we sending to them? I bet they buy a Toyota instead of that Town Car.

At any rate, the bottom line is this: Do you want me to continue walking the streets of foreign lands saying I am Canadian? If for no other reason, vote for Obama to help me out.

*This is a reprint of my weekend article for Pajamas Media. I recommend you go there and see the comments, since the readership is heavily Republican and well, many of them hate me.

Melamine: Why are we giving China a free pass?

China's Olympic aura has faded, the gold is gathering dust, the gymnasts are back in middle school and the government is back to its old self again: Crooked.

Consider this: It wasn't until two months after the first evidence of melamine was found in Chinese dairy products, that Chinese authorities found the wisdom to dispatch 5,000 inspectors to monitor the country's farms.

Were government officials so bass-ackward to think they could keep a lid on it as thousands were falling ill and some even dying?

Apparently yes. Seeing that those 5,000 government inspectors have yet to stem the export of melamine-laced products to the world. As it was reported today, eggs tainted with melamine were found in Hong Kong along with candy in the Czech republic.

The Cover Up

As early as August 11th, while basking in the glow of the Olympics, the Chinese media was ordered by government officials to keep the world in the dark about growing instances of tainted dairy products. Editors were pressured to adhere to official copy from the Communist Party mouthpiece, Xinhua --which had the nerve to say recently that, "On the one hand we must crack down on illegal behavior, but on the other hand we must protect the interests of the dairy sector."

It wasn't until October 15th that Chinese officials ordered a recall of dairy products --a full two months later.

The Chinese government's obsession with "saving face," masked as what they now say was an effort to avoid panic, has resulted in tens of thousands of illnesses, over 13,000 hospitalizations, and four infant deaths in China alone.

And with the wide range of export food products, the scandal has affected food on all continents. Even Snickers bars! Is there nothing sacred?

So, why the free pass?

This sort of behavior is to be expected from a government that paid the parents of students killed in the Sichuan earthquake not to talk to the press about faulty school construction. There is also no surprise that parents of the infants who died from melamine recently saw their bid to organize and seek retribution quashed by Chinese leadership.

What is surprising is the tepid response from our leaders to a cover-up turned incompetence that continues to gravely affect the safety of world consumers.

This lack of a forceful rebuke is simple: We live in a world intoxicated on cheap products and cheap food from the largest cheap labor-pool in the world.

There are countless products manufactured in China making their way into America every day. Products that would be as much as double the price were they made on American shores. And Chinese food exports to the U.S have nearly quintupled in the past decade, from roughly $880 million to more than $4.2 billion. Last year Chinese seafood exports to America was second only to Can.

But the deeply intertwined consumer economies of China and America tell only part of the story. The lack of a harsh American response goes much deeper --the Chinese hold an estimated $1.25 trillion in American treasury bonds.

This is one of those "I told you so" days for doomsayers who long cautioned against recklessly allowing foreign governments to finance our debt.

Considering this, it begs the question of how much more forceful would the U.S. government be on issues like The Sudan, Burma or Tibet, were it not so deep in Chinese pockets?

As Geoffrey Garrett of the US Studies Center in Australia put it, "The willingness of Americans to be bailed out by China is the big question. It becomes very politically sensitive...when China is buying up the United States at rock-bottom prices."

While that is a bit overstated in terms of long term economic impact, we are now seeing how it affects the here and now of diplomacy and consumer safety. With America in an economic tail-spin it can ill-afford to upset one of its biggest lenders. Even when it knowingly endangers American citizens.

So there it is: We issued hollow condemnation when they covered up putting lead-based paint on toys for our children; we let is slide when they were knowingly exporting toxic food to our dogs; and now we issue shallow rebukes as they poison us all .

What's next?

"I'm afraid if he wins, the blacks will take over"

...
Well, if you ever wondered whether blatant racism exists in America, this should remove all doubt. If I was running a pharmaceutical company, this would be my ad for birth control.

One guy says: "When you got a negro running for president he ain't a first stringer. He's definitely a second stringer."

...

Alaska's #1 daily passes on McCain's #2

Anchorage Daily News has shunned its native gun, Sarah Palin, and endorsed Barack Obama for president.

Ouch. That has gotta hurt. That is like your father taking the neighbor's kid to Father-Daughter day at work.

You have to admire the cajonies on the editorial staff. If Sarah Six-Pack is not in the White House come January, she will be back in Alaska. There could be hell to pay.But, they go light on her and focus on McCain, as they should:

"Gov. Palin's nomination clearly alters the landscape for Alaskans as we survey this race for the presidency -- but it does not overwhelm all other judgment. The election, after all is said and done, is not about Sarah Palin, and our sober view is that her running mate, Sen. John McCain, is the wrong choice for president at this critical time for our nation."

We will soon know if Alaskans themselves feel the same way.

The Week We View

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- China’s state media said Wednesday that four Chinese men have been jailed for up to 5-years for running a male prostitution service that sold sex to other men. Insiders say that the Bush administration will be seek WTO sanctions against the Chinese for dumping cheaply priced men on the market. Idaho Republican representative, Larry Craig could not be reached for comment.

-Oh, another thing: Wouldn’t it be a better idea to send gay criminals to a women’s prison?

-Bill Clinton and Barack Obama will hit the road together next week for their first time campaigning together without Hillary. And where are the boys having their first campaign rally? Florida, of course –the Spring Break capital of the world. I smell trouble in the Sunshine State well before spring.

-Idle Wordship's new "Huta Award" goes to: OPEC. Oil prices have dropped 55.8% from there all time high last summer and what is their reaction? They will cut production by 1.5 billion barrels a day to “shore up” prices. And who is leading the charge to gouge the world’s consumers? America’s good buddy, Saudi Arabia. The world’s top producer of oil and Islamic extremism. (In case you were wondering : Huta = "Head up the Ass").

-In other Bill Clinton news: The former President told a U.N. gathering Thursday that the global food crisis shows "we all blew it," by treating food crops "like color TVs" instead of as a vital commodity for the world's poor. This is a very serious issue and I don't want to belittle Bill Clinton for his efforts, but I really love it when he uses "Blow or Blew" in a sentence describing a problem related to something you put in your mouth.

-Thinking of taking a holiday in the Caribbean? You can rent comedian Steve Martin’s four-bedroom villa on St. Barthelemy Island. The paltry sum of $28,000 a week is all he asks. If you’re waiting for a punch line, there isn’t one.

-Half of all American doctors responding to a nationwide survey say they regularly prescribe placebos to patients. So, for the growing number of men using Viagra to ensure quality performance while intoxicated, you might not be as drunk as you thought you were.

-I am not voting for John McCain, but I have always liked the man --even through a slate of bizarre decisions over the last several months. So, in his defense, it should be noted that Obama’s continuing ad-campaign and stump speech rhetoric saying that McCain will tax health care benefits “for the first time in history,” is completely disingenuous. Once again, no punch line –just someone needing to be punched.

-The ultimate irony: Colin Powell endorsing Obama for president. The guy I want to be president picking the guy that I have no choice but to want to be president. It is my wont to want, I suppose.

-Computer game developer Richard Garriott has returned to Earth after his $30 million ride on a Russian rocket to the International Space Station. His father Owen Garriott was a NASA astronaut, making the younger Garriott the first American to follow a parent into space. I really have to question the quality of Owen Garriott’s parenting when, one, he let his son play all those computer games and two, he allows him to go on a $30 million joy ride with a bunch of foreigners.

-William Shatner’s ongoing whine and wail over not being invited to George “Sulu” Takei’s September wedding to long time partner Brad Altman has gotten ugly. Shatner posted a video on his site slamming Takei for the snub. Shatner said: "Poor man. There is such a sickness there. It's so patently obvious that there is a psychosis there.” While I was surprised to learn that Sulu is gay, I was not surprised by the further confirmation that Shatner is an idiot. Set phasers to “kill.”

-And finally, earlier this week rumors leaked of Lindsey Lohan's unprofessional behavior on the set of Ugly Betty when she trashed her dressing room and got into a series of squabbles with the show’s star, America Ferrera. Lohan, who can’t seem to get her finger off of the “self-destruct” button, has seen her guest spot on the show go from six episode to four. Perhaps Lohan can start a rival show called, “Loopy Lindsey.”

...

When getting pissed off is better than getting pissed on

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You think that the presidential candidates have the market cornered on sleazy ads? Have a look at this spot from the Democratic Senatorial candidate Jim Slattery in his race against the incumbent Republican Pat Roberts of Kansas. Slattery is slamming Roberts' ties to oil companies among other things.

I should warn you: if you think that golden showers are a legitimate form of enjoyment, you might be offended.

Notice at the end how Slattery is standing in front of a field of corn --that ridiculous subsidized source for ethanol. Billions of dollars wasted and counting, while the government puts tariffs on cheaper and more efficient sugar-based ethanol from Brazil.

...

If what the candidates said was actually true

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Imagine for a moment that everything the candidate's and their supporters said about the opponent was actually true. What would America be like if either of them were to become president? Let's step into our time machine for a quick look.

John McCain's America

Joe Six-pack wakes up at 6:30 AM, after 3 hours sleep in between jobs. He was making great money at the beer cooler factory, but since President McCain outlawed unions he and his fellow workers were unable to negotiate a wage increase. Now he works part time at the 24-hour pawn shop over on Lincoln next to Ray's Rifle House.

Sidestepping the churning oil derrick, which he affectionately calls, "Sarah," Joe retrieves the newspaper from the front yard of his trailer. Wiping the sweat from his brow he realizes it is late December and almost beach weather. He smiles at this prospect and wonders if he can use his six hours-a-year sick leave towards such an outing.

He worries about getting all seven of his children together for a day. Two of his sons were drafted for the war against France and his 17-year-old daughter, Jaeger, is busy with her second child, who, ironically was fathered by the teacher's aide from her abstinence class at Richard M. Nixon High School.

Joe gives the front page a look. Just below the fold of the non-recycled page he sees that the CEO of his company has booked a $50 million dollar flight to the moon aboard a Chinese space liner. He smiles with pride that he could be working under a man of such greatness and individual achievement. A true American!

Down the street he hears that the protesters are getting an early start. When he leased the trailer last year, the property owner warned him that it was only two blocks away from the assigned protest area just outside of town. He sneers at the sound. "Probably them damn Muslims again wanting their prayer time increased back to five times a day. They should be happy we give them two!"

It's getting late, Joe realizes he better get ready for work. He looks around for a moment, then up to the heavens, and thanks Jesus for all his blessings.

Barack Obama's America

Penelope Piccadilly wakes up at 10:30 am. She turns on her computer and reads the latest headlines. Looks like President Obama has called for another tax increase. She smiles at the good news. She receives a government subsidy for her business, "Penelope's Playhouse" --a small school that teaches sex education to kindergarteners. She checks her email, but there is no word yet as to whether her government grant to teach safe gay sex has been approved. She's not worried–it is only a matter of time.

Getting up from her government required (and exorbitantly expensive) ergonomic chair, she leisurely walks to the shower. "Darn," Penelope mutters. "No hot water again." The solar heater has been on the blink lately and what with the constant brown outs since Obama outlawed fossil fuels, she is glad her apartment has big windows to keep it well lighted and warm.

After her shower she dresses before enjoying a cup of green tea and a bowl of granola. It is now 12:15 and she must get going. Her assistant Joy is out all week taking care of her domestic partner, making the most of the mandated 41 days paid sick leave.

After putting her bag in the trunk Penelope notices that she forgot to plug in her car again. Darn. She locks the garage door and walks the 13 blocks to the bus stop. On the way to work she is startled by the explosion of a demolition team destroying the Baptists church to build another of the government's new Marxist Learning Centers. She falls back asleep against the window.

At work she sees that Hector the landscaper is there trimming the hedges. She says "Good morning," but Hector gives her a puzzled look since he doesn't speak English. Penelope pays the look no mind, and tells Hector to be sure to thank Jesus, the illegal Mexican who runs all the landscaping crews, for the fine work he is doing.

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Alfonso: The Black Republican

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If you haven't seen this guy, he has several videos on Youtube. Whether you agree or disagree he makes a lot of great points.

...

Anti-American or anti-brain cells?

...
Taking a page from McCain's negative attack playbook, Minnesota House congressional incumbent Michele Bachmann told MSNBC’s, “Hardball” that Barack Obama harbors “anti-American views” and called for an investigation into whether members of Congress are “pro-America or anti-America.”

Whoa! Was there a Joe McCarthy documentary on PBS the night before?

The great thing about having your own blog is not having an editor remove anything that might be considered unsavory. That means I can say without worry of being censored that Bachmann is incredibly stupid. And it may cost her a Congressional seat.

We can see how well McCain's negative strategy is working for him, why would Bachmann take the same route? This is one of those lovely instances in politics when we the observer are witness to self destruction from its inception. Watching the Republican's flowering use of class war bloom and then die.

Class war is usually the game plan for the Democratic party. No wonder they are so mad.

As Bachmann heads into a fourth news cycle and the Democrats pop open the champagne, her own party is headed for the exits. The Minnesota Republican party wrote:

"We pride ourselves in Minnesota on our clean and civil elections, but Michele Bachmann's comments run entirely counter to that tradition. All Americans, regardless of their political beliefs, should reject these kinds of divisive, inappropriate and unacceptable comments.”

While there was no apology for giving the world Jessie Ventura, it is clear that Republicans are taking note of America's displeasure with McCain's negative campaign and distancing themselves whenever possible. Apparently Bachmann and McCain missed the memo.

Laughingly, on Monday, Bachmann told a Minnesota television station that she did not suggest that Obama was, 'anti-American," just that he has anti-American views.

Oh, ok. Now I see.

And while Democrats may be taking to the airwaves expressing their outrage, there has been a significant upside: Over the weekend, Bachmann's Democratic opponent El Tinklenberg raised more than $500,000 based on Bachmann's comments on Hardball. With a name like "El Tinklenberg," you need all the help you can get.

What a year for Republicans: first they must distance themselves from George W. Bush and his negative numbers and now they must distance themselves from themselves.

A word of advice: Go the distance.
...

The Week We View

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-Oliver Stone’s biopic film on George W. Bush, cleverly titled “W,” is receiving mediocre reviews from critics. I have yet to see the film, but was quite happy to hear that there will be no sex scenes throughout the movie.

-John McCain’s campaign has been flooding contested areas with so called “Robocalls” that play recorded messages to voters who stay on the line long enough to listen. Some have been pretty nasty. There is of course the (yawn) one about Obama cavorting with domestic terrorist, Bill Ayers and another saying that ludicrously states that Barack Obama opposes medical care for babies that survive late term abortions. By using computers as an extension of himself, McCain is giving new meaning to the term “artificial intelligence.”

-According to a study published last Monday by the American Medical Association the brain shrinks an average of 2 percent per decade. But the study found that for drinkers -- as in other anatomical areas—the likelihood for shrinkage is greater than for those who refrain from alcohol.

-Thai and Cambodian field commanders worked Saturday to hold together a fragile truce following a deadly gun battle between their soldiers stationed around a disputed temple on the border between both countries. The temples primary deity, the Hindu god, Shiva, when asked to comment, reportedly responded, “Vote Obama!”

-The last of the debates took place this past week with nothing in the way of surprises. John McCain’s new tactic of making faces while Obama spoke might play well though --should we decide to open the ballot box to preschoolers.

- The topic of stem cell research, while not nearly as big an issue as in the last presidential campaign, has surfaced in political advertisements and during Wednesday's presidential debate. Republicans still insist that it is against the will of “god” and should not be pursued. That god guy is certainly hard to figure out. He says "no" on stem cells, but cannibalism is ok. As we read from the book of Leviticus 26:29. "And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat."

-The Chinese government announced yesterday a lifting of media restrictions on foreign journalists. Now they can freely travel the country interviewing Chinese citizens. While I applaud this move, all stories filed by Chinese journalist must still be cleared with the government. And, yes, Idle Wordship is still blocked in nearly all of China --though I attribute that more to an issue of good taste rather than to censorship.

-“Joe the Plumber” became the driving theme for the McCain campaign this week as the Arizona senator attempted to narrow the margin between himself and Barack Obama in the polls. I mulled over a few punch lines and here is what I came up with.

1. McCain told reporters, “The Obama campaign needs a plumber since they are so full of crap.”

2. Obama commented that, “It would take more than a plumber to plumb the depths of the mistaken choice of Sarah Palin as a running mate.

3. If we elect Barack Obama he will have to change his name to “Joe the Bummer.”

-If you haven’t seen Dancing with the Political Stars, check it out. Very funny.

-And finally, according to research by U.S. scientists, weak activation of pleasure centers in the brain while we eat could contribute to obesity. So if this blog makes you hungry, now you know why.
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John McCain

...
I used to like John McCain. Was a huge fan actually. He was my Bob Dole in this election--an across the aisle joke-cracking Republican that you could respect, admire and possibly vote for without worry of a book blaze taking place in front of the White House on inauguration day.

In all honesty, three months ago John McCain was my first choice . Well, uhmm, Johnny, about that...

I don't want to pummel a dead horse too much more, but McCain's constant barrage of negativity is where he lost my respect.

And his insolence in the debate with the Obama-Ayers-terrorist connection was the pipe bomb that broke the camel's back. (Last animal metaphor --promise).

Of course, McCainanites will shout, "But we have the right to know the truth! What was the extent of the Obama-Ayers relationship?"

I have no argument with that. I would like to know as well. Were they drafting socialist manifestos? Were they giving each other oil-rubs in the sauna? Whatever. All is fair game in the unfair game of becoming the Prez.

But McCain is not in pursuit of the truth. His primary intent is to place the word "terrorist" next to a man whose middle name is Hussein and whose last name sounds a lot like you-know-who.

Luckily his tactic (or 'strategy?' You have to help me with that Johnny, which is it?) has not helped him at all. Americans have made it clear in polling that they find the negativity napalm that McCain is carpet bombing the airwaves with is getting a bit (read 'very') tiresome.

We see this now as McCain has changed gears (again) and decided that Joe the Plumber is a better ploy than William the terrorist.

It is sad to see a man in the mid-December of his years go out like this. How ironic that all of that experience he loves to rave about has apparently taught him little in the ways of civil debate.

At any rate, all that I have written above really masks the TRUE reason why I have lost respect for McCain: He didn't wear a flag lapel pin during the debate. Obviously, this makes him a terrorist shrouded in mystery.
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Obama and the Plumber

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Whatever your reason for liking or disliking Obama, when judged solely on the way he comports himself, if this isn't the kind of guy you want to be president, then feel free to leave comments and help me understand why not.

Adept, well spoken, and sharp as a frickin' blade. He has the delivery of Bill Clinton without the oil-slick soliloquy.
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The Mac attack set-back

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Go figure: A New York Times poll released today says that voters think that John McCain spends more time attacking Barack Obama than he does explaining what he will do as president.

In other words, McCain spends more time talking about his opponent than he does about himself.


Here's an idea. An increasing number of seniors are going back to school these days taking college classes. Perhaps Johnny should drop by the local community college and sit in on a class of Politics 101. First lesson: Talk about yourself until you are blue --or in the case of Republican McCain-- until you are red in the face.

It is interesting to note how the numbers skew for registered Republicans. Exactly what campaign are they watching? Those benighted 46 percent that think McCain spends more time explaining himself than dissing Obama?
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Woe be to the weary blogger

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Doonesbury, arguably the greatest political comic ever, is running a great series this week on the plight of bloggers. To paraphrase Henry Kissinger from back in the 70's, "The only thing worse than being in Doonesbury is not being in Doonesbury."

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Pinch me

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Christopher Buckley, son of the conservative icon (or better put, conservative legend) William F. Buckley endorsed Barack Obama for president four days ago, then today resigned from The National Review, the magazine his father founded.

Following his leaving Buckley wrote:

"While I regret this development, I am not in mourning, for I no longer have any clear idea what, exactly, the modern conservative movement stands for."

"Eight years of 'conservative' government has brought us a doubled national debt, ruinous expansion of entitlement programs, bridges to nowhere, poster boy Jack Abramoff and an ill-premised, ill-waged war conducted by politicians of breathtaking arrogance. As a sideshow, it brought us a truly obscene attempt at federal intervention in the Terry Schiavo case," he also wrote.

In Buckley's view, McCain was once a great man with great ideas and a true maverick spirit. Now he has become "inauthentic," and has strayed too far from traditional conservative ideals to be taken seriously.

In short, many traditional conservatives have become disillusioned with "new" conservatives --whom they see as departing from the original doctrine of less government. In effect, McCain, in being co-opted by the "new" conservatives, makes Obama simply the odd man out.

Buckley is more of a libertarian in his social views (gay marriage, abortion etc.) And he was pointed in taking Obama to task on not making typical liberal mistakes like raising taxes and raising the trade barriers. Sage advice.

"As for his intellect, well," Buckley wrote, "he’s a Harvard man, though that’s sure as heck no guarantee of anything, these days. Vietnam was brought to you by Harvard and (one or two) Yale men. As for our current adventure in Mesopotamia, consider this lustrous alumni roster. Bush 43: Yale. Rumsfeld: Princeton. Paul Bremer: Yale and Harvard."

The response to Buckley's endorsement has been acidic from the"conservative" masses who comment various blogs. But the leading voices of the "conservative" movement were best exemplified by Matt Lewis, a contributing writer to the Web site Townhall.com. He told CNN, "While it is acceptable for a conservative to vote for a third party – or to abstain from voting for McCain – no real conservative could cast their vote for Obama."

Did he suggest that voters should abstain? First they wants us to abstain from sex, now from voting. What's next? Writing blogs?

Bottom line is this: there is a civil war taking place within the conservative party. The old guard, who are fiscally conservative and libertarian in social policy are at war with the new guard, which by all definition are big government nationalists.

How ironic that the new conservative movement is by definition in favor of bigger government.
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Sarah Palin sings. View this well after a meal

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And now ladies and gentleman, without nearly enough adieu, we bring you Sarah Palin and the Wasilla singers.

The one time popular Alaskan Christian music group actually recorded two independent local albums. Who would have thought Sarah Palin was Indie?? So cool.

Sarah even had a solo called, "Jesus Is Inside Me" where she also plays flute. If Jesus is inside of her then she might want to see if he can step up to the mic next time she does an interview. Or it could just be indigestion. Who knows?

The video is from 1999, and after one listen I am sure another more pertinent and highly profound question will arise: "Why can't the almighty creator of the universe inspire better music? Or could it be that the Christians have it all wrong and James Brown was really the Messiah returneth?" I digress.

On with the show.

I would tell you to "enjoy," but I think I already ask too much of my readers as it is.

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I have reservations about a fervent Christian serving anywhere in the vicinity of the highest office again, but I might be a little more open minded were they not praising the almighty in such a nauseating manner.

***Update: It turns out I was duped as was much of the media. This is NOT Sarah Palin or the Wasilla singers. Turns out to be a group from Ohio. Well! That changes everything. Now I will support the McCain/Palin ticket. Right.

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The Week We View

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-The Supreme Court of Connecticut ruled this week that gay marriage was legal under the law. However, the court also issued a surprise side ruling banning gay divorce. This is causing many of those who cheered the court’s decision to reconsider whether they are ready for that type of commitment.

-Talks continue on a planned merger between U.S. automakers Chrysler and GM. When asked how this will benefit consumers, the companies said, "Really this is all about helping out with high gas prices. Now, when people are driving to the Toyota dealership, there will be one less American car dealership they have to pass to get there."

-An Alaska ethics inquiry found on Friday that Sarah Palin abused her authority by pressuring subordinates to fire a state trooper involved in a feud with her family. While stopping short of taking legal action the members of the inquiry issued a brief statement that read, "Vote for Obama!"

-Wonder why McCain hasn't been hitting Obama on the Rev. Jeremiah Wright? How about this gem from McCain's pastor, John Hagee, in his 2005 book, What Every Man Wants in a Woman. "Do you know the difference between a woman with PMS and a snarling Doberman pinscher? The answer is lipstick. Do you know the difference between a terrorist and a woman with PMS? You can negotiate with a terrorist." At least we now know that Sarah Palin was making a Biden-esque lifting of someone else's material at the Republican convention.

-Computer game developer, Richard Garriott, is due to hitch a $30 million ride aboard a Russian spacecraft next week. As Americans suffer through one of the most difficult economies in history, hackers have been encouraged to infiltrate the Russian launch computer and play irritating computer game soundtracks throughout the entire voyage.

-During a town hall speaking engagement a John McCain supporter angrily denounced Barack Obama as being an Arab and a Muslim. John McCain corrected the woman saying that Obama was actually a good American Christian, he just hates white people.

-The U.S. took steps this week to remove North Korea from its list of terrorist nations. While this upset several conservative groups, the Bush administration agreed to leave them on the "Evil tyrants who want to destroy America," list.

-Barack Obama has purchased a half-hour of primetime television on CBS and NBC at the princely sum of $2 million dollars. While millions might enjoy watching a politician talk about himself for 30 minutes straight, I will instead observe Obama's campaign message of "Change" and do so with remote control.

-The committee overseeing San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge voted this week to install a suicide net to prevent the nearly 30 people a year who take their lives there. With the high cost of installing the net, why not just give the money to the suicidal, thus reducing their reasons for wanting to kill themselves? But seriously, who wants to start a pool as to when the first person hangs them self from the net?

-Marine biologists using DNA testing have confirmed that a virgin shark gave birth while in captivity. No comment yet as to whether they will call the baby shark “Jesus” and whether people will claim it is the divine son of Neptune. Though there are unconfirmed reports that it was swimming on top of the water.

-And finally, South Sudan's president shut down a police investigation Wednesday that saw scores of young women arrested for "disturbing the peace" by wearing tight pants. I have nothing to add, except that I will vote for the pro-tight pants candidate whomever they might be.
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Mud Money: McCain's Media Missteps

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*This was originally published by Pajamas Media. You can see it as well as the comments crucifying me here.

Give John McCain one of those word association tests that Carl Jung dreamed up in the middle of the last century and it will pretty much go like this. Cat: “Experience!” Life: “Experience!” Tragedy: “Experience!” Safety pin: “Experience!”

For a guy so bent on assuring us of his corner on the market of experience, McCain doesn’t seem to be making much use of it with his ad campaign. If you run the same word association test on the subject of McCain’s media buys? “Negative!”

But what has this strategy gotten him so far?

A number of pundits this week have made note of a University of Wisconsin study showing that during the week of September 28 through October 4, nearly 100 percent of the McCain campaign’s advertisements were negative, while only 34 percent of Obama’s ads contained a negative tinge. By comparison, in all of 2004 only 64 percent of the Bush campaign’s ads were negative, compared to 34 percent for John Kerry. While it worked for Bush, it is not working at all for McCain.

And while the recent study only tracks ads up until October 4, this week we see a continuation of McCain’s surge in the negative ad war with the “Who Is Barack Obama?” series — the most recent entitled simply “Dangerous.”

Following the bump he got from bringing Sarah Palin to the ticket a few weeks prior, McCain has seen the gap between himself and Barack Obama widen in some polls to as much as nine percent — a number that even prominent Republicans are starting to admit just might be insurmountable. So, why does he keep running the negative ads? Considering Einstein’s definition of insanity as someone trying the same thing again and again and expecting different results, we are left to wonder whether McCain is committing political suicide.

Perhaps there is a lesson to be learned from his opponent. Until McCain’s recent surge only 73 percent of his ads were negative, much more in line with Barack Obama, who until of late was running 61 percent negative ads. Given the downward shift in McCain’s polling correlated with the upswing of negative ads, it would seem that voters, exhausted from endless news cycles about the bad economy, have decided they want a little more of the high road as the election enters its final stages.

On a more fundamental basis, McCain’s negative ad blitz makes even less sense when considering whom the candidates are hoping to sway. There is little Obama can do to swing committed McCainites over to his side of the ballot. Likewise, McCain has little chance to win over dyed-in-the-wool Democrats. The target market is the “undecideds,” who at last count make up about 10 percent of the pot.

While their slow migration over to Obama can be attributed to several factors, including the down economy being implicitly tied to Bush and thus McCain, dissatisfaction with Sarah Palin, and McCain’s lackluster performance in the debates, there is good evidence that McCain’s increase in negative ads is, ironically, having a negative effect.

As Obama widens his lead in the polls, the need for the McCain team to put together a solid pitch becomes all the more crucial — especially considering that Obama is spending an average of $6 million more a week on TV advertising than McCain. And word is that the Democrats plan to increase their ad buys by 20 percent a week leading up to the election.

So, the question becomes: Will John McCain put his heralded experience to work, read the writing on the wall, and turn his ad campaign in another direction? Or will all this mud he is slinging in Obama’s direction turn into quicksand — swallowing up any chance he has at the presidency?

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Come on Johnny, go out in style. Get some rope, then...

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I have an idea for the floundering McCain: Get some rope then... string it across Times Square and walk it. Beyond the dubiously taut metaphor, (and wherever your minds may have wandered) if John McCain truly considers himself a patriot and is genuinely interested in what is best for the American people, he needs to get up on that rope and start some fence mending between those on either side.

Not between leadership, but between an American populace so thoroughly divided along party lines.

While it is unfortunate for McCain that a majority of Americans are leaning towards "that guy," that is just the way the ballot bounces. Gotta take it like a man.

So, Mc Daddy, rather than tearing the heir apparent down, why not give Obama credit wherever it may be due? Surely there must be something you like about him that you can build on. While your VP has her bridge to nowhere, you have the well deserved moniker of a builder of bridges to the other side of the political aisle. So get cracking.

Otherwise we are looking straight into the barrel of another four years of conservative pundits making millions off the millions of mud-induced minions. A problem to which you are partially paternal.

Does anyone really think that Obama is going to turn us into a socialist stronghold? If so, make sure you get the Internet hardwired into your bomb shelter so you can follow our implosion.

The bottom line is this Johnny: Do you really want an America so divided? Will you not one day regret that you were part of the problem? Let's hope you make good with that rope. And spare me whipping out the other rope metaphor of that most cowardly of human endings.

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Sarah Palin cover is a cheap shot, but man, it's funny

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Fox News did a segment on the Sarah Palin Newsweek cover and I found it quite amusing. But, after seeing the cover myself, they were absolutely right: Total cheap shot.

The photo is literally the real Sarah Palin, up close, in all her glory --scant make up, crows feet around the eyes, visible pores on her nose and looking a bit like a witch. Sorry, Mrs. P, but the photo 'tis what it 'tis.

Now compare it to the Newsweek cover photo of Barack Obama. Air-brushed to perfection with what looks to be a halo photo-shopped in over his head. The Republican whine about a liberal media just won a few more converts.
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Hack job: Obama wades into the mud

Barack Obama's campaign unveiled its latest attack ad this morning -- a thirteen-minute "documentary" highlighting John McCain's ties to Charles Keating, the chairman of Lincoln Savings and Loan, who was charged with fraud, racketeering and conspiracy in the savings-and-loan scandal of the late 1980s.

The LA Times political blog wrote, "The ad was rolled out with the same kind of promotional fanfare that you'd expect for the latest indie flick."

The elaborate documentary, which shows what a campaign awash in contributions can do, is a complete hack job. And while I understand them wanting to go tit-for-tat with an opponent who has shown no restraint in his attacks on Obama, I think it stinks.

One thing I have liked most about Obama is his ability to stay above the fray and take John McCain's sometimes ridiculous ads (Kindergarten sex education, Lipstick on a pig, etc.) for what they are (crap) smile about it and then get back on message. So much for that.

The core allegation of the Keating Five scandal is that Keating made contributions of about $1.3 million to various U.S. legislators, and he called on them to help him resist regulators.

McCain unlike the others, had close social and personal ties to Keating. McCain, his family, and their baby-sitter had made nine trips at Keating's expense. Three of the trips were made during vacations to Keating's luxurious Bahamas retreat at Cat Cay. McCain didn't pay Keating for some of the trips until years later, when he learned that Keating was in trouble over Lincoln.

In the end, the inquiry found that McCain's "actions were not improper nor attended with gross negligence and did not reach the level of requiring institutional action against him....Senator McCain has violated no law of the United States or specific Rule of the United States Senate." "The report went on to say that it was a matter of "poor judgement on the part of McCain.

Of the legislators, who came to be known as the "Keating Five," McCain, then in the House of Representatives, was the only Republican. I don't know why he doesn't highlight that as evidence for his "I work across the aisle," drum that he beats relentlessly in stump speeches and during the debates.

All kidding aside, this is a blemish on what has been an otherwise well run Obama campaign.

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