Republican Crazies Are Complaining About The Handling of Times Square Terrorist

I expected that the crazies would start complaining about the Times Square event. It didn't take them long at all. The idiots claim that providing miranda to a citizen is somehow out of step with Federal law and our legal norms. Of course this has been done since Miranda V. Arizona almost half a century ago. But who cares about the facts? Who cares about facts when you are a Republican and you live in a fantasyland where you can make up your own reality - a reality that you can get gullible American voters to buy into?

John McCain, one of the main complainers, is a U.S. Senator and should know the laws in this Country. This man scares the Hell out of me. I always thought he was somewhat of a whackjob. It's amazing that he almost became President. In fact, McCain would probably be President right now if not for Bush's economic crisis. Even with the unpopularity of Bush and the Republican Party, McCain was headed for victory (according to polling) against Obama prior to the economic collapse in the Fall of 2008. We definitely dodged a bullet.

Joe Lieberman took the crazy a step further by suggesting that Shahzad should have his citizenship taken away in order to eliminate the need for miranda or a trial in the Federal Courts.

From Huffpost:

Lieberman argued that if an act of terrorism was coordinated with a group designated as a terrorist organization, then an American involved with such a group would lose citizenship and the constitutional protections that come with it.

Ummm, excuse me Mr. Lieberman, but does that also include the Right wing Christian Conservatives, the Tea Party radicals, and White Supremacist terror groups that have been embraced by the Republican Party, either tacitly or out in the open? What about the members of Congress who are associated with radical extremists on the right and who stoke fear? I wonder how that would work out.

John McCain Laughs Off Wave of Threats Towards Members of Congress

McCain completely laughs off the threats made against members of Congress and their children. He says Palin's actions are no big deal. According to him, the incidents that we have seen over the past week represent normal politics in America. He defends Sarah Palin's behavior (and by extension...he is defending similar behavior by others that is clearly aimed at ginning up followers to take action on their own....while the politicians use plausible deniability).

The coded language of Sarah Palin is really of no concern. It's all a part of our imaginations. Stop worrying. Go back to sleep.

(Of course he desperately needs Sarah Palin because she is the only hope for him if he's going to win re-election).

This guy is COMPLETELY senile and creepy to me. Maybe it's just me.

You have to see it to believe it.



Yeah... tell that to Congressman Periello and all the other members of Congress and their families, "targeted" by these fanatics. Laugh in their faces and tell them that it's no big deal. Of course Periello is a part of the real world and disagrees with the giggling idiot from Arizona.

McCain Says He "Wouldn’t Know" About The Vetting of Sarah Palin

He Wouldn't Know?

In an interview on the Today Show this week, Senator John McCain emphatically stated that he wouldn’t know whether Palin was checked out or not before he selected her. His comments were in response to pressing questions from Matt Lauer about the new book “Game Change” by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, in which the true level of Palin’s incompetence is revealed…or I should say… confirmed. As many bloggers suspected, McCain knew little about Palin before selecting her as his VP and according to his advisers (who are now talking more freely)….she was chosen before being vetted.



Worse still…. Palin apparently knew little about basic history, or international affairs. We heard bits and pieces about her level of cluelessness during the 2008 General Election campaign, but those stories are finally being told officially by those who were in the McCain/Palin camp.

Palin apparently didn’t understand the Cold War, didn’t know that there were two Koreas or why they were split (What The ....?), didn’t know what the Federal Reserve was, and generally lacked basic knowledge about the World. This is in addition to the fact that she didn't know what the "Bush doctrine" was. The McCain camp had to constantly prepare Palin on general knowledge issues….(foreign policy, general history, etc) before public appearances. And according to Senior McCain advisor Steve Schmidt and others in the McCain camp, there was a belief that Palin was not qualified (ya think?). Some in the McCain camp even believed that she may have been mentally unstable. Wow!

How in the World is She Going to Be a Pundit/Analyst on Fox?

This should never be allowed to happen. Yes, McCain put the Country in peril…. We dodged a bullet for sure. But there should be a structure in place for this very scenario… where a Presidential candidate makes a ridiculous VP choice or where the number one person on the ticket is himself/herself incompetent. When Federal judges and Attorney Generals are nominated… they are rated by the American Bar Association as qualified, well qualified, etc. When top medical professionals are nominated for key positions, they are rated. Why is there no rating system for the most important position in the World? I mean, for any BS job that I apply for, there are several hurdles that I have to leap - interviews, tests, follow-up interviews, more tests…and that’s before I get anywhere close to getting a foot in the door. But a grossly unqualified person can get the most important job on the planet, with access to nukes, national secrets, and all sorts of other levers or power? That’s insane. Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates should be tested when they declare their intent to run. They should get a test with 100 questions…of mostly general knowledge material… (multiple choice, True/False, fill in the blank, and 1 essay) that would measure their basic aptitude in current events, civics & government, history, geography, and foreign affairs. Completed exams should be graded by an impartial panel of political scholars or by an international affairs organization or magazine…and the candidate should be given a grade (A- well qualified, B - qualified, C - qualified but questionable, etc). If such a system were in place, we would not have to worry about candidates like Sarah Palin or George W. Bush…. They would never be accepted as legitimate candidates. Neither would have done well on such a test…. Even a basic test with information that a Middle School or High School student should know, or information that might be found on a citizenship exam.

What is scarier still…. Is the fact that most Americans don’t care about this stuff. Most voters are just as uninformed about the World and the issues as someone like Palin…and would therefore have no problem voting for such a candidate. This is what bothers me the most. When you have a citizenry that is largely clueless, how will they be able to tell the difference between a Sarah Palin and an Olympia Snowe? They can’t. Many won’t know when she is saying something completely idiotic. I’m afraid this is only a big deal to political junkies who have a clue about what is going on…. The general public doesn’t care…they are much more concerned with what is happening on American Idol, or with the hot celebrity couple. That’s one of the reasons why the U.S. is screwed.

The Republican Party's Makeover Is Going Well

It's going well if the goal is irrelevance.

Over the past week, Republicans have been busy self destructing and attacking one another. And I have to admit, it has been a joy to watch. The Republican base (the racists, the bigots, Southern White xenophobes, hate mongers, religious radicals, fiscal incompetents and the like) have been chastising a phony group of moderates who are at least attempting to appear reasonable and want to show that they are pulling the Party back to some sort of common sense position. The so-called Moderates, led by Congressman Eric Cantor, Sen. John McCain and Mitt Romney are calling themselves the National Council for a New America. The group wants to travel the Country (outside of the South) to get a sense of what Americans are feeling and thinking and to get ideas on what direction they should take the Party. It's all part of efforts by Republicans to re-brand. But Rush Limbaugh (the Republican Party leader) is having none of it. Limbaugh & Co. believe that racism, greed, Laissez-faire government, free markets, torture, war, Wall Street, corporate incompetence, John Wayne Foreign Policy, Confederate Southern ideology, the Party of the White- Rich- and elderly, and the Party of "no" is the way of the future for the Republicans.

Tricky Dick II reaffirmed Limbaugh's position as the Republican leader and his out of touch ideology over the weekend by saying that he would support Boss Limbaugh's Republican Brand over that of Colin Powell (a man who actually served in war and has a very distinguished career). Because Powell endorsed Barack Obama during the 2008 General Election Campaign, Cheney stated that he "didn't know Powell was still a Republican".

The Republican Party is now being consumed by the very monster that it created some 20+ years ago - the powerful Right Wing Media.... which believes in the Party's more hardline, radical ideology regarding governance and religion. Don't doubt the strength they hold. They were able to sell the Country a phony war and were able to get a buffoon elected not once, but twice. Now the powerful Republican/Right Wing media is targeting its own. The resulting battle is going to be ugly.... but quite entertaining if you are a Progressive or Democrat.

This is why I have suggested that this is the time to force Republicans to make a choice. Force Republicans (those who will even admit to being Republican at this point) to either support the ridiculous comments and beliefs of their leaders in the Right wing media, or reject & denounce them. But this is a big dilemma for Republicans (and this is where Progressives trap them in a corner) because they can't afford to accept either choice. The Republican Party dies if the ideology of Limbaugh & Co. (the vast radical Republican media apparatus) is accepted by the Party's rank and file members. Because the rest of America (Democrats, Progressives, Independents, etc) isn't interested in buying the racism, religious radicalism, backwards thinking, out of touch beliefs, failed policies, and Laissez-faire attitude that the Republicans are selling. On the other hand, Republicans can't afford to reject the Right wing media either.... because the GOP has always relied on its propaganda wing to sustain the Party. It has never been sustained by its ideas (not in modern times at least) it has always been the Party's ability to control the narrative, control information and distort its opponents that has sustained the Party. The Republican Party is just a shell without its media platform. Right wing media is essential for the Party to gets its message out, to raise cash, to mobilize voters, to agitate and anger its base with wedge issues, to run its propaganda.... to do everything. Right wing media is a well orchestrated machine.

The problem is... that the machine has gotten so big.... that it's now a monster that has taken on a life of its own. It is no longer an apparatus that the old traditional Republican political leaders in Washington D.C. can control. Thus, they lost the real leadership of the Party a long time ago. The huge network of Limbaugh and Co. represent the true leadership of the Party....regardless of how backwards that leadership is.

A Discussion With Muslim Americans - Now That Election Season Is Over

Thanks Rikyrah for hipping me to this photo a few weeks ago.
NPR's OnPoint offers a great post-election discussion with Muslim Americans. They finally provide their perspective after they were slandered by Politicians and by the American media for the last 18 months. They discuss their disappointment with how Obama handled the fearmongering and the slandering by Republicans. But they also discuss their hopes.

Did Obama do enough to speak out for American Muslims? Could he have done more? Or was he in the best position to speak up? And can Obama help bridge the gap between America's various cultural, ethnic, and religious groups?

____________________________

Related Links

Hear about the experiences of a Muslim family living under the U.S. culture of fear after 9/11.

Colin Powell Endorses Barack Obama

Parting Thoughts On Palin - And Save Links From Sidebar While They're Still Up

If you want to save any of the sidebar postings of John McCain, Sarah Palin, or any of the links for the political sites.... including Dave Leip....then make note of them while you can. They will all be removed within a couple of days.

We did over 50 Sarah Palin posts, and dozens more that were Palin related. McCain should pay Bloggers and Journalists for the free vetting service that he got (*evil grin*). In a roundabout way... he asked for it (by not doing it himself), and he got what he asked for. Now he has to live with the result. In the end though, Palin and McCain did themselves in. Bloggers and Journalists by themselves don't have quite that much influence...I know bloggers don't. But by hiding Palin from the media, the McCain campaign allowed speculation to run wild (much of it true), and allowed the Press and the blogosphere to take command of Palin's image. Once they relinquished this control & responsibility, and once it was clear that their VP choice had not been vetted, the McCain campaign was never able to regain control of the situation, despite their sad & clumsy efforts at the end, stumbling to shape or reshape her image. Sorry.... it was too little, too late. In fact, the situation turned into quicksand for them at that point.... the more they panicked and tried to react... the worst it got for Palin...and by extension, the worst it got for McCain. In the end, the entire fiasco played a key role in dragging down the McCain campaign, although the Financial crisis would have decided the election anyway. However, I can't help but think -and I thought this the whole time- how much more competitive McCain might have been if he would have made a more sensible choice for his running mate. Even if he wanted to choose a woman, there were much better options than Palin. McCain/Lieberman, McCain/Hagel, McCain/Romney, McCain/Snowe, McCain/K. B. Hutchinson, or McCain and any moderate might have played out better.... or if he wanted to satisfy the Conservative base, McCain/Huckabee made a Hell of a lot more sense.

Now Conservatives are saying that Palin represents the future for the Republican Party? They really are lost in the wilderness. Although I still believe that the U.S. electorate is still largely Center-Right and lost, I don't think the Republicans will regain their political position with Sarah Palin.

Hopefully Palin will stay in Alaska where she belongs. I'm tired of hearing that horrible (fingernails on a chalkboard) voice, among other annoyances.

Georgia Was Not An Innocent Victim Afterall - Faces War Crimes Allegations

It looks like I was right about the Georgia-Russia War, while John McCain, Joe Biden and Barack Obama got it wrong. I hope this doesn't represent the start of a pattern for Obama/Biden in terms of being on the wrong side of history.

Just as I suspected, reports are now providing confirmation and consensus for the fact that Georgia was the instigator in its war with Russia over the Summer. With the meddling of the U.S. (co-instigator), the Georgians felt emboldened enough to start a war with the Russians. Beyond foolish!

Investigations by the New York Times, Human Rights Watch and others are providing a completely different picture from the one painted by Georgian President Saakashvili, John McCain, and even Barack Obama. McCain and Obama portrayed Russia as the aggressor and vowed to stand by Georgia; even though most reports at the time suggested that Georgia, with the backing of the U.S., instigated the war. This is one of the problems I have with Barack Obama. He is far too quick to jump onto the pro-war bandwagon, in an effort to look like one of the good ole boys. It's no surprise that he is already screwing up as President-elect. I'm already regretting my vote, and it hasn't even been a full week since election day.

It now appears that Georgia lied about the events that led to the war and their eventual defeat.

Listen to a brief story from Public Radio International (PRI).

From The New York Times

TBILISI, Georgia — Newly available accounts by independent military observers of the beginning of the war between Georgia and Russia this summer call into question the longstanding Georgian assertion that it was acting defensively against separatist and Russian aggression.

Georgia moved forces toward the border of the breakaway region of South Ossetia on Aug. 7, at the start of what it called a defensive war with separatists there and with Russian forces.

Instead, the accounts suggest that Georgia’s inexperienced military attacked the isolated separatist capital of Tskhinvali on Aug. 7 with indiscriminate artillery and rocket fire, exposing civilians, Russian peacekeepers and unarmed monitors to harm.

See more from the Daily Kos and from the full New York Times article.

Meanwhile, the Georgian public has begun to turn on their President. We can only pray that they decide to remove Saakashvili from office before his government is able to start anymore wars with the Russians. Saakashvili tried his damnedest to deliberately drag the U.S. into a direct shooting war with Russia. He used the U.S. for what he thought would be his own political gain. Even more troubling than that, the Bush administration actually seemed willing to oblige him, up to a point. Unfortunately Obama supports the typical pro-war Republicrat view of this conflict and pretty much signed on to the Bush administrations Georgia policy...vowing to continue it once he takes the oath of office.

Barack Obama should put an end to the efforts to include Georgia in NATO and he should put an end to NATO expansion altogether. I don't expect him to do so because he is nothing but a puppet at the moment, taking direction from Clinton era advisers who were advocates for NATO enlargement. This was also the policy of the Bush administration. Obama has already indicated that he plans to continue most of the Bush administrations foreign policy initiatives, despite running on a platform (a questionable platform) of "change".

_______________________

See previous posts on Georgia

Election Night Open Thread

The Republican Political Death Watch - Election Night Open Thread

(Please Keep This Open Thread At the Top - No new posting at this time)

We will just update this post throughout the night. If you want to post or participate.... use the comments section.

Early exit poll numbers from the HuffPost


Obama/McCain

Florida: 52 percent to 44 percent
Iowa: 52 percent to 48 percent
Missouri: 52 percent to 48 percent
North Carolina: 52 percent to 48 percent
New Hampshire: 57 percent to 43 percent
Nevada: 55 percent to 45 percent
Pennsylvania: 57 percent to 42 percent
Ohio: 54 percent to 45 percent
Wisconsin: 58 percent to 42 percent
Indiana: 52 percent to 48 percent
New Mexico: 56 percent to 43 percent
Minnesota: 60 percent to 39 percent
Michigan: 60 percent to 39 percent

This is it.

I'll be coming back, to post updates.

So far, it's Indiana and Kentucky that are coming in.

Vermont for Obama

Kentucky for McCain

Indiana - a state that hasn't voted for a Democrat since Lyndon Johnson in 1964 - IS TOO CLOSE TO CALL

From fivethirtyeight.com about Indiana:

Indiana...
Just looking at some of the places where we have results in so far. Obama is substantially outperforming Kerry -- which is what he needs to do to win the state, of course, but the differences are pretty substantial.

Steuben: Kerry 34%, Obama 42%
DeKalb: Kerry 31%, Obama 38%
Knox: Kerry 36%, Obama 54%
Marshall: Kerry 31%, Obama 50%

Late deciders broke to Obama in North Carolina.



South Carolina and West Virginia for McCain.

___________

MSNBC Calls Pennsylvania for Obama. First Big State of the Night... a State that The Republicans said they HAD TO WIN!!!

MISSOURI- TOO CLOSE TOO CALL

___________

Yeah.... Missouri will be late as I expected. This is actually good news for Obama... rural areas come in first.... That means he's holding his own. He only has to stay close.... until the end. My two hometowns will take care of the rest if he's close enough :).


I'm multi-tasking... trying to ride the Dailykos Mothership.... and listen to the TV in the other room. I'm about to break out the radio next.

You can also follow with the Dkos Map.

--A.I.

Obama Doing Much Better Among N. Carolina Whites Than Kerry
by Jed L
Tue Nov 04, 2008 at 05:14:33 PM PST
In 2004, John Kerry won 27% of white voters in North Carolina.

In 2008, Barack Obama is winning 37%.

___________

New Hampshire goes for Obama according to CNN. A State where McCain wasted a lot of time a resources over the last couple of weeks, hoping for an upset. :)

--A.I.

McCain won Alabama

They just announced Georgia for McCain

_______________

CBS radio reporting Elizabeth Dole has fallen. :) And there will be no getting up.

Also... Keep Track of Missouri from KMOX Radio...listen to the online stream.

Another great station is KWMU...the NPR affiliate, which also offers an online stream.

--A.I.
_______________

Popular Republican Senator Sununu has fallen to opponent Jeanne Shaheen.

In the Missouri Governors Race... exit polls suggest that Atty Gen. Jay Nixon has absolutely crushed his opponent Kenny Hulshof. No final numbers yet.

Arkansas and Georgia - McCain

From MarcAmbinder:
04 Nov 2008 09:04 pm
Watching Virginia...
Obama's good well in the historic Hampton Roads region...good in the Richmond suburbs...he's outperforming John Kerry.... winning or tied (depending on the vote count) in Henrico County, which President Bush won by 8 points and Chesterfield Co., which Bush won by 26 points.

___________________

I was thinking that the pollsters screwed up on their sampling in Virginia. Hopefully he can catch up...

North Carolina and Florida are looking more promising.

Fox calls Ohio for Obama.... then changed their minds??? Interesting. :) Looks like they are panicking about Ohio.... and I hear they are sweating about Florida too.

--A.I.

OHIO OHIO OHIO - MSNBC!

NEW MEXICO - OBAMA

Keith O just broke it down: Obama's at 200 right now. Look at the map, people. Look at the Map.....

It's 9:47 EST and INDIANA STILL HASN'T BEEN CALLED.

from the polling, Obama's up 60-40 in MIAMI-DADE COUNTY so far

______________

See the official Missouri Results Here. You have a choice of text results or a map... refreshes every 2 minutes. Get to the Presidential race by using the tabs at the top of the Sec. of State Page.

______________

Obama comes from behind and takes the lead in Virginia????!!!

--A.I.
_______________


Obama not looking good in Missouri in early returns....but that's not too unusual.

Only rural counties coming in.

--A.I.

______________

538 reports that Republican Senator Chris Shays has fallen. This was a really big fish for Democrats.

I couldn't stand Shays.... he was arrogant as can be. Remember how he treated Katrina victims?

--A.I.

207 to 135 so far.

Obama is 63 away.

________________

McCain looking good in Missouri, unfortunately:

With about 20% of precincts reporting

John McCain, Sarah Palin REP 370,511 56.1%
Barack Obama, Joe Biden DEM 280,394 42.4%


--A.I.

_________________

The Missouri race

With about 34% of precincts reporting... McCain's lead is shrinking into dangerous territory.

John McCain, Sarah Palin REP 516,339 53.3%
Barack Obama, Joe Biden DEM 437,543 45.2%


--A.I.

Tweety - 'it's truly wondrous'.

FOX calls Virginia for Obama?

MSNBC CALLS IT

___________________

Ladies and Gentleman... we are witnessing a landslide in progress.

Virginia going towards Obama late...

Obama has now turned the tide in Missouri as I predicted.... not sure if it will hold...

But he closed the gap quickly. McCain/Obama are now running neck and neck in Missouri.

Numbers in a minute.


P.S. Governor-elect Jay Nixon is giving his acceptance speech...

--A.I.


Nevada - to Obama.

Florida - to Obama

Virginia - to Obama

Colorado to Obama

Obama is up to 338

Eugene Robinson is kicking ass.

Sarah The Nitwit Palin Thinks She's Talking To French President Sarkozy

If this is not both the ultimate irony and the ultimate confirmation that she's not qualified, I don't know what is. It was an obvious prank call... lol.

Even I know that this isn't Mr. Sarkozy's voice. Perhaps if she had talked to the actual Nicolas Sarkozy before, she would have known that this wasn't the French President on the line.

What an embarrassment for the McCain Campaign. Wasn't it one of McCain's people who called her a whack job a few days ago? lol

And tomorrow, the official final verdict will be handed down.

Hear audio from the Huffington Post.

Links For Following the Election

Although the national numbers don't mean much at this point, I wanted to throw in the final pollster chart with the average of national polls.

You can follow the election in real-time here with an interactive map.

I will be splitting my time between CNN/MSNBC, Dailykos, and updating the blog.

Senate and House of Representative races are harder to track...but there are a few key Senate and House races that I will post on... especially Elizabeth Dole in the Senate. There are several Republicans who I would like to see go. Virgil Goode is another. I will definitely try to keep up with the Goode vs. Perriello race.

The only Governors race that I really have an interest in is for Missouri. The results for that race should come quickly....the Democrat, Jay Nixon, is way ahead. That will represent another Democratic pickup.

Election Night Predictions

I know... hard to predict...but i'm doing it for the fun.

Red = States that could slip from McCain's grasp. :) And I hope McCain has grease on his hands tomorrow night. Notice I have given McCain a lot of help by putting States in his column that he probably won't hold. Even with all of these States... he still can't win. McCain has to hold all of the so-called "Red States" in his column - Missouri, North Carolina, Indiana, Georgia, Nevada, Florida, Ohio, etc...and pick off a few more "Red States" and "Blue States" that are leaning Obama's way. McCain has to hold on to everything that is at risk...and pull off a miracle by stealing a few States from Obama.

Meanwhile....all Obama has to do is take a couple of "Red States" for a victory...some of which are already leaning his way. In other words... Obama doesn't have to do much of anything.

Watching the Republican Party...and all it stands for go down in flames tomorrow night will be pure euphoria.

John McCain - 26 States for a total of 247 Electoral Votes

Idaho - 4
Montana - 3
Wyoming - 3
Arizona - 10
Utah - 5
North Dakota - 3
Missouri - 11
South Dakota - 3
Nebraska - 5 (although Obama could swipe one of those 5 via Omaha)
Kansas - 6
Indiana - 11
Ohio - 20
Kentucky - 8
Tennessee - 11
Arkansas - 6
Oklahoma - 7
Florida - 27
Alaska - 3
Louisiana - 9
Mississippi - 6
Alabama - 9
South Carolina - 8
North Carolina -15
Georgia - 15
West Virginia - 5
Texas - 34

247

Barack Obama - 24 States + the District of Columbia for a total of 291 Electoral Votes

Washington - 11
Oregon - 7
California - 55
Nevada - 5
Colorado - 9
New Mexico - 5
Minnesota - 10
Iowa - 7
Illinois - 21
Michigan - 17
Wisconsin - 10
Pennsylvania - 21
New York - 21
Hawaii - 4
Virginia - 13
Maryland - 10
Maine - 4
Vermont -3
New Hampshire - 4
Connecticut - 7
Rhode Island - 4
Massachusetts - 12
New Jersey - 15
D.C. - 3
Delaware - 3

291

Why I'm Voting In This Election

Why I'm Voting In This Election

First some background

I am 35 and I have never voted or even registered to vote before now, although I have followed politics closely for at least the past 17 years. Why? For several reasons, but there are two main reasons why I have observed from the sidelines.

Reason #1. There has never been a candidate who I believe deserved my vote. There has never been a candidate who was really concerned about the issues that have concerned me most. As an independent, I generally don’t ascribe to the philosophy of the Democratic or Republican Parties…but I do consider myself to be more of a Progressive. I will give consideration to whichever candidate has the best ideas.

With the 2-party system, there are a significant number of Americans (approximately 25%-30% of the electorate) who are left with the choice of picking the lesser of two evils. This is the game every 4 years. If there was a viable Progressive Party at the national level, or perhaps a viable Green Party, I would probably identify more with that platform, but I don’t have that option.

Reason #2. I have no faith in the American electoral system. None whatsoever. The structure of the American political system as a whole is too problematic. The 2 party system is inadequate for a Country with 300 million people. Also, the U.S. system of voting and campaigning is fundamentally unfair. Even a former U.S. President has stated that the U.S. election system did not meet basic international standards. Basically, I have never viewed the American political system, particularly the monopoly of the 2 main Parties and the way that it handles elections, as being representative of Democracy. It falls way short. So I have consciously chosen not to take part in such a flawed system. I have always vowed that I would never take part. In fact, I always believed that taking part in it would just add to the charade of making the election system appear legitimate. But this is why I consider my vote tomorrow as largely symbolic.

Why now?

I had a hard time supporting Barack Obama. There are quite a few areas where I disagree with the Senator from Illinois. His approach to foreign policy- though better than the Cowboy approach of the Bush Administration- is still too aggressive, too expansionist, and too confrontational for my taste. This Country needs a clean break from the old Cold War Truman Doctrine. Unfortunately the Country is still stuck in that time warp and Obama is probably not the candidate who will radically change the Country’s foreign policy for the better. Foreign policy is one area where there is little difference between Republicans and Democrats.

Another part of Obama’s platform that bothers me is his fixation with the Middle Class, as if this is the only socio-economic class that exists in America. Are the rest of the people invisible to him? I have seldom heard him speak about what he plans to do to help lift up the Nations poor. He has a poverty agenda, but he has never made it a prominent part of his campaign. I’m sure a strong poverty agenda could be a liability for him, but sweeping the issue under the rug is a problem for me. At least John Edwards was brave enough to put this issue front and center - I don’t care about the man’s personal problems. I still believe that he had the potential to be a great President. He could have had as many mistresses as he wanted… The problem for Edwards is that his message didn’t resonate. There is a hatred for the poor in this Country… The nation despises the “least of these”. Obama was able to choose the right language and the right Mantra early on - The “Middle Class” and “Change”. “Poverty” and “Change” just didn’t catch on. But Edwards was the only candidate who put poverty at the top of his agenda and wasn’t afraid of the consequences that came with it.

My first trip to the polls will be more about voting against John McCain and Sarah Palin than voting for Obama. And I don’t mean to take anything away from Obama…he has run a pretty good campaign. It’s a symbolic vote to repudiate McCain and Republican politics of division, extremism, hate, and religious/moral hypocrisy. The John Wayne foreign policy must also be put back in the grave where it belongs. I want to be a part of making sure that the extreme McCain/Palin ticket does not get into the White House where they could do unimaginable damage. I just couldn’t sit out this time. I still believe that Obama is by far the better choice…. And there are a lot of reasons to vote FOR him than to vote against McCain. But I am more motivated to vote against McCain than for Obama.

Much of my motivation came from the introduction of Sarah Palin. The idea that the Country could be put in the hands of someone so clueless and unqualified is troubling. It’s mind boggling how the nation doesn’t have a system in place that would have prevented her from even becoming a viable choice for VP. I believe that there should be minimum standards in place. But it was her comments at the Republican Convention that got under my skin… especially her remarks about community organizers. Her behavior since has stirred up more racial hatred and fear than I have ever seen in my life. The string of reports that have surfaced over the last few months are the worst since the 1960’s era. When John Lewis stated that their behavior reminded him of the nations ugly Jim Crow period, he was speaking from the heart. And she is supposed to be a unifier? McCain is going to be a uniter? Give me a break.

The Palin choice didn’t surprise me. I have known McCain to be irrational and one of the biggest warmongers in Congress. He’s dangerous. But his choice of Palin did remind me of just how reckless he could be if he actually became President. McCain is not someone you want in office in a standoff with North Korea, China or Russia or during any other volatile situation. He’s a military option first, sanctions second, and diplomacy third type of thinker. That’s the narrow sphere that his brain operates in and it always has. He knows little about economics, little about the Constitution and the rule of law, little about the complex social/cultural fabric of his own Country and the great diversity we have here, nor does he understand education, the problems surrounding healthcare, and the major problems that the Country faces in the years to come and the fundamental changes necessary to deal with these problems.

In order to motivate his base, McCain chose to appeal to the worst of America…not only by choosing Palin, but by dividing the nation into little parts… by pitting one socio-economic group against another, one culture against another, one region against another, one race against another…..etc. Yes, these divisions would exist even without being highlighted by McCain/Palin, but a candidate for President shouldn’t exploit these conditions for political gain….whipping up fear and hate….even to the point of creating an environment where the opponent has to worry about someone harming him or his family because of the fanning of these old flames.

I also didn’t like the idea of Sarah Palin telling me how Un-American and Unpatriotic I was…. Or that there are pro-American regions of the Country and Anti-American regions…and suggesting that anyone who wasn’t white or who didn’t live in rural America was somehow unpatriotic. Both of my Parents are war veterans, as well as a brother, and a long list of uncles. I lived all over the Country and the World as a youngster, because my Parents went where they had to go to defend the Country….it wasn’t all that great spending my teen years overseas. It wasn’t all that great wondering if a Parent or brother would return from Gulf War I alive. And for that little twit to tell me that I was Un-American… because I wasn’t privileged enough to be White…that was the last straw…even for me. This woman has no idea what the military family culture is like… she doesn’t have the slightest clue….although they always try to play the role of pretending to empathize… pretending that they are really pro-military. I’m tired of these people and their phony patriotism. Why did it take reporters to uncover the conditions at Walter Reed Hospital and other facilities…and to uncover the problems with Healthcare in the military? That’s just one of many examples of their phony patriotism and their hypocrisy.

This will be a symbolic vote against all of the Republican nonsense over the last 14 years. I just hope the rest of the electorate gets it right this time.

Does this symbolic vote mean that I will vote in the future? Probably not. Because the fundamental problems with America’s voting system and political structure will remain the same. No candidate is even proposing changing it. That’s why this is a symbolic vote only….not something that I put much stock in. The vote in this Country will continue to be pretty empty without a system to adequately protect it…without real choices for voters, as long as we have a lack of voter education (leading to a situation where voters don’t make informed decisions), without media reform as it relates to elections, as long as we have a 2 party monopoly that controls everything, and without new campaign finance rules that will fundamentally change how candidates are elected…. Nothing will really change. The U.S. political system will continue to be the same corrupt, depraved system that it has been throughout much of its history. I still hold the belief (and will always believe) that taking part in such a system in any meaningful way is simply adding to the charade. I’d simply become just another zombie adding legitimacy to a broken system. But there comes a time when things get so bad that you have to put your faith in something. Even when you don’t believe in the political system, you have to believe that perhaps the will of the masses is so strong that evil won’t be able to prevail this one time.

So no, my fundamental outlook on American politics has not changed. But the sense of urgency is so high this time that even I have to step out on Faith. The fact that i’m even voting is pretty amazing.

Sam The Phony Is a No Show At McCain Rally

Major FAIL!!!!

Sam the Handy Man (still being touted as the fictitious Joe the Plumber/Business Owner/Earner of more than $250,000.00 by McCain's people - although it is all a lie) failed to show up at a rally yesterday...and McSenile was caught completely off guard. LOL How can you lead the most powerful nation on earth, when you can't even pull off your own BS stunts properly? You would think that he would have had his people get confirmation first.

McCain's Choice Throws McCain Under the Bus

Under the ' you can't make this shyt up' file:

From DailyKos:

Palin Throws McCain Under The Bus. Updated x2.
by RenaRF [Subscribe]
Wed Oct 29, 2008 at 03:11:02 PM PDT

This is EFFING HILARIOUS. Sarah Palin is now OPENLY talking about 2012 in the event she and John McCain lose next Tuesday.

Transcription (live from CNN) over the fold.

Via CNN:

Blitzer: Republican VP Candidate Sarah Palin now speaking out openly about her intentions in 2012 if - if - she and John McCain were to lose this contest next Tuesday. In an interview with ABC News, Sarah Palin is now saying she would be interested in remaining a serious national political figure going ahead to 2012. She was asked, what happens in 2012 if you lose on Tuesday - do you simply go back to Alaska - Elizabeth Vargas of ABC News asked her - and Palin said this, and I'll read it to you verbatim according to an ABC transcript:

Absolutely not. I think that if I were to give up and wave a white flag of surrender, I think that some of the political shots that we've taken - that that would bring this whole - and I'm not doing this for naught."

And that's a direct quote from Sarah Palin.

Read more »

" His Choice"

America Still Has a Long Way To Go

This Country has come a long way, but it has such a long way to go.

It will take a few more generations before we can tear down the walls of the cultural divide.

Have Palin/McCain set us back... or have they simply brought out a lot of things that were already festering in people? I have been reading about cases where people didn't realize (for years) that their neighbors felt a certain way....and now they are shocked. But I think there is more good out there than bad and in the end, the good will prevail. It has to.

The Vet Who Did Not Vet

Abandon Ship Abandon Ship! The McTanic Express Is Going Down

Former White House Press Chief, Scott McClellan, will be voting for Obama.

Plus, Charles Fried (McCain Advisor) switches sides. LOL

WOW!

Dkos posted a whole list of Republicans backing Obama, but I couldn't locate the post (no time, late for work). I'll post it if I get time later on.

The New York Times Endorses Barack Obama

From The New York Times:

Editorial
Barack Obama for President
Published: October 23, 2008

Hyperbole is the currency of presidential campaigns, but this year the nation’s future truly hangs in the balance.

The United States is battered and drifting after eight years of President Bush’s failed leadership. He is saddling his successor with two wars, a scarred global image and a government systematically stripped of its ability to protect and help its citizens — whether they are fleeing a hurricane’s floodwaters, searching for affordable health care or struggling to hold on to their homes, jobs, savings and pensions in the midst of a financial crisis that was foretold and preventable.

As tough as the times are, the selection of a new president is easy. After nearly two years of a grueling and ugly campaign, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois has proved that he is the right choice to be the 44th president of the United States.

•

Mr. Obama has met challenge after challenge, growing as a leader and putting real flesh on his early promises of hope and change. He has shown a cool head and sound judgment. We believe he has the will and the ability to forge the broad political consensus that is essential to finding solutions to this nation’s problems.

In the same time, Senator John McCain of Arizona has retreated farther and farther to the fringe of American politics, running a campaign on partisan division, class warfare and even hints of racism. His policies and worldview are mired in the past. His choice of a running mate so evidently unfit for the office was a final act of opportunism and bad judgment that eclipsed the accomplishments of 26 years in Congress.

Given the particularly ugly nature of Mr. McCain’s campaign, the urge to choose on the basis of raw emotion is strong. But there is a greater value in looking closely at the facts of life in America today and at the prescriptions the candidates offer. The differences are profound.

Mr. McCain offers more of the Republican every-man-for-himself ideology, now lying in shards on Wall Street and in Americans’ bank accounts. Mr. Obama has another vision of government’s role and responsibilities.

In his convention speech in Denver, Mr. Obama said, “Government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves: protect us from harm and provide every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest in new schools and new roads and new science and technology.”

Since the financial crisis, he has correctly identified the abject failure of government regulation that has brought the markets to the brink of collapse.

The Economy

The American financial system is the victim of decades of Republican deregulatory and anti-tax policies. Those ideas have been proved wrong at an unfathomable price, but Mr. McCain — a self-proclaimed “foot soldier in the Reagan revolution” — is still a believer.

Mr. Obama sees that far-reaching reforms will be needed to protect Americans and American business.

Mr. McCain talks about reform a lot, but his vision is pinched. His answer to any economic question is to eliminate pork-barrel spending — about $18 billion in a $3 trillion budget — cut taxes and wait for unfettered markets to solve the problem.

Mr. Obama is clear that the nation’s tax structure must be changed to make it fairer. That means the well-off Americans who have benefited disproportionately from Mr. Bush’s tax cuts will have to pay some more. Working Americans, who have seen their standard of living fall and their children’s options narrow, will benefit. Mr. Obama wants to raise the minimum wage and tie it to inflation, restore a climate in which workers are able to organize unions if they wish and expand educational opportunities.

Mr. McCain, who once opposed President Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy as fiscally irresponsible, now wants to make them permanent. And while he talks about keeping taxes low for everyone, his proposed cuts would overwhelmingly benefit the top 1 percent of Americans while digging the country into a deeper fiscal hole.

National Security

The American military — its people and equipment — is dangerously overstretched. Mr. Bush has neglected the necessary war in Afghanistan, which now threatens to spiral into defeat. The unnecessary and staggeringly costly war in Iraq must be ended as quickly and responsibly as possible.

While Iraq’s leaders insist on a swift drawdown of American troops and a deadline for the end of the occupation, Mr. McCain is still taking about some ill-defined “victory.” As a result, he has offered no real plan for extracting American troops and limiting any further damage to Iraq and its neighbors.

Mr. Obama was an early and thoughtful opponent of the war in Iraq, and he has presented a military and diplomatic plan for withdrawing American forces. Mr. Obama also has correctly warned that until the Pentagon starts pulling troops out of Iraq, there will not be enough troops to defeat the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan.

Mr. McCain, like Mr. Bush, has only belatedly focused on Afghanistan’s dangerous unraveling and the threat that neighboring Pakistan may quickly follow.

Mr. Obama would have a learning curve on foreign affairs, but he has already showed sounder judgment than his opponent on these critical issues. His choice of Senator Joseph Biden — who has deep foreign-policy expertise — as his running mate is another sign of that sound judgment. Mr. McCain’s long interest in foreign policy and the many dangers this country now faces make his choice of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska more irresponsible.

Both presidential candidates talk about strengthening alliances in Europe and Asia, including NATO, and strongly support Israel. Both candidates talk about repairing America’s image in the world. But it seems clear to us that Mr. Obama is far more likely to do that — and not just because the first black president would present a new American face to the world.

Mr. Obama wants to reform the United Nations, while Mr. McCain wants to create a new entity, the League of Democracies — a move that would incite even fiercer anti-American furies around the world.

Unfortunately, Mr. McCain, like Mr. Bush, sees the world as divided into friends (like Georgia) and adversaries (like Russia). He proposed kicking Russia out of the Group of 8 industrialized nations even before the invasion of Georgia. We have no sympathy for Moscow’s bullying, but we also have no desire to replay the cold war. The United States must find a way to constrain the Russians’ worst impulses, while preserving the ability to work with them on arms control and other vital initiatives.

Both candidates talk tough on terrorism, and neither has ruled out military action to end Iran’s nuclear weapons program. But Mr. Obama has called for a serious effort to try to wean Tehran from its nuclear ambitions with more credible diplomatic overtures and tougher sanctions. Mr. McCain’s willingness to joke about bombing Iran was frightening.

The Constitution and the Rule of Law

Under Mr. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the justice system and the separation of powers have come under relentless attack. Mr. Bush chose to exploit the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, the moment in which he looked like the president of a unified nation, to try to place himself above the law.

Mr. Bush has arrogated the power to imprison men without charges and browbeat Congress into granting an unfettered authority to spy on Americans. He has created untold numbers of “black” programs, including secret prisons and outsourced torture. The president has issued hundreds, if not thousands, of secret orders. We fear it will take years of forensic research to discover how many basic rights have been violated.

Both candidates have renounced torture and are committed to closing the prison camp in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

But Mr. Obama has gone beyond that, promising to identify and correct Mr. Bush’s attacks on the democratic system. Mr. McCain has been silent on the subject.

Mr. McCain improved protections for detainees. But then he helped the White House push through the appalling Military Commissions Act of 2006, which denied detainees the right to a hearing in a real court and put Washington in conflict with the Geneva Conventions, greatly increasing the risk to American troops.

The next president will have the chance to appoint one or more justices to a Supreme Court that is on the brink of being dominated by a radical right wing. Mr. Obama may appoint less liberal judges than some of his followers might like, but Mr. McCain is certain to pick rigid ideologues. He has said he would never appoint a judge who believes in women’s reproductive rights.

The Candidates

It will be an enormous challenge just to get the nation back to where it was before Mr. Bush, to begin to mend its image in the world and to restore its self-confidence and its self-respect. Doing all of that, and leading America forward, will require strength of will, character and intellect, sober judgment and a cool, steady hand.

Mr. Obama has those qualities in abundance. Watching him being tested in the campaign has long since erased the reservations that led us to endorse Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Democratic primaries. He has drawn in legions of new voters with powerful messages of hope and possibility and calls for shared sacrifice and social responsibility.

Mr. McCain, whom we chose as the best Republican nominee in the primaries, has spent the last coins of his reputation for principle and sound judgment to placate the limitless demands and narrow vision of the far-right wing. His righteous fury at being driven out of the 2000 primaries on a racist tide aimed at his adopted daughter has been replaced by a zealous embrace of those same win-at-all-costs tactics and tacticians.

He surrendered his standing as an independent thinker in his rush to embrace Mr. Bush’s misbegotten tax policies and to abandon his leadership position on climate change and immigration reform.

Mr. McCain could have seized the high ground on energy and the environment. Earlier in his career, he offered the first plausible bill to control America’s emissions of greenhouse gases. Now his positions are a caricature of that record: think Ms. Palin leading chants of “drill, baby, drill.”

Mr. Obama has endorsed some offshore drilling, but as part of a comprehensive strategy including big investments in new, clean technologies.

•

Mr. Obama has withstood some of the toughest campaign attacks ever mounted against a candidate. He’s been called un-American and accused of hiding a secret Islamic faith. The Republicans have linked him to domestic terrorists and questioned his wife’s love of her country. Ms. Palin has also questioned millions of Americans’ patriotism, calling Republican-leaning states “pro-America.”

This politics of fear, division and character assassination helped Mr. Bush drive Mr. McCain from the 2000 Republican primaries and defeat Senator John Kerry in 2004. It has been the dominant theme of his failed presidency.

The nation’s problems are simply too grave to be reduced to slashing “robo-calls” and negative ads. This country needs sensible leadership, compassionate leadership, honest leadership and strong leadership. Barack Obama has shown that he has all of those qualities.

McCain's Choice: Where to begin?

You know, we don't report a great deal on McCain's Choice, but we have so much to choose from, I couldn't resist.

#1 - Governor, you're running for Vice-President...wouldn't it be nice if you ACTUALLY knew what the job entailed?

Here's a hint: READ THE CONSTITUTION

A Third Grader...A THIRD GRADER....asked this question.



If you can, catch the rerun of Hardball tonight. Tweety is BRUTAL when this comes up. He and Bill Maher are like, ' you gotta be kidding me'.

#2 - Government Money is WELFARE, SOCIALISM.....

except FOR WHEN IT PAYS FOR HER CHILDREN TO TRAVEL WITH HER ON THE GOVERNMENT'S DIME.

From The Associated Press:

AP INVESTIGATION: Palin children traveled on state
By BRETT J. BLACKLEDGE, ADAM GOLDMAN and MATT APUZZO, Associated Press Writers Brett J. Blackledge, Adam Goldman And Matt Apuzzo, Associated Press Writers – 1 hr 18 mins ago

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Gov. Sarah Palin charged the state for her children to travel with her, including to events where they were not invited, and later amended expense reports to specify that they were on official business.

The charges included costs for hotel and commercial flights for three daughters to join Palin to watch their father in a snowmobile race, and a trip to New York, where the governor attended a five-hour conference and stayed with 17-year-old Bristol for five days and four nights in a luxury hotel.

In all, Palin has charged the state $21,012 for her three daughters' 64 one-way and 12 round-trip commercial flights since she took office in December 2006. In some other cases, she has charged the state for hotel rooms for the girls.

Alaska law does not specifically address expenses for a governor's children. The law allows for payment of expenses for anyone conducting official state business.

As governor, Palin justified having the state pay for the travel of her daughters — Bristol, 17; Willow, 14; and Piper, 7 — by noting on travel forms that the girls had been invited to attend or participate in events on the governor's schedule.

But some organizers of these events said they were surprised when the Palin children showed up uninvited, or said they agreed to a request by the governor to allow the children to attend.

Several other organizers said the children merely accompanied their mother and did not participate. The trips enabled Palin, whose main state office is in the capital of Juneau, to spend more time with her children.

"She said any event she can take her kids to is an event she tries to attend," said Jennifer McCarthy, who helped organize the June 2007 Family Day Celebration picnic in Ketchikan that Piper attended with her parents.

State Finance Director Kim Garnero told The Associated Press she has not reviewed the Palins' travel expense forms, so she could not say whether the daughters' travel with their mother would meet the definition of official business.

After Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain chose Palin his running mate and reporters asked for the records, Palin ordered changes to previously filed expense reports for her daughters' travel.

In the amended reports, Palin added phrases such as "First Family attending" and "First Family invited" to explain the girls' attendance.

"The governor said, 'I want the purpose and the reason for this travel to be clear,'" said Linda Perez, state director of administrative services.

When Palin released her family's tax records as part of her vice presidential campaign, some tax experts questioned why she did not report the children's state travel reimbursements as income.

The Palins released a review by a Washington attorney who said state law allows the children's travel expenses to be reimbursed and not taxed when they conduct official state business.

Taylor Griffin, a McCain-Palin campaign spokesman, said Palin followed state policy allowing governors to charge for their children's travel. He said the governor's office has invitations requesting the family to attend some events, but he said he did not have them to provide.

In October 2007, Palin brought daughter Bristol along on a trip to New York for a women's leadership conference. Plane tickets from Anchorage to La Guardia Airport for $1,385.11 were billed to the state, records show, and mother and daughter shared a room for four nights at the $707.29-per-night Essex House hotel, which overlooks Central Park.

The event's organizers said Palin asked if she could bring her daughter.

Alexis Gelber, who organized Newsweek's Third Annual Women & Leadership Conference, said she does not know how Bristol ended up attending. Gelber said invitees usually attend alone, but some ask if they can bring a relative or friend.

Griffin, the campaign spokesman, said he believes someone with the event personally sent an e-mail to Bristol inviting her, but he did not have it to provide. Records show Palin also met with Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Goldman Sachs representatives and visited the New York Stock Exchange.

In January, the governor, Willow and Piper showed up at the Alaska Symphony of Seafood Buffet, an Anchorage gala to announce winners of an earlier seafood competition.

"She was just there," said James Browning, executive director of Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation, which runs the event. Griffin said the governor's office received an invitation that was not specifically addressed to anyone.

When Palin amended her children's expense reports, she listed a role for the two girls at the function — "to draw two separate raffle tickets."

In the original travel form, Palin listed a number of events that her children attended and said they were there "in official capacity helping." She did not identify any specific roles for the girls.

In July, the governor charged the state $2,741.26 to take Bristol and Piper to Philadelphia for a meeting of the National Governors Association. The girls had their own room for five nights at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel for $215.46 a night, expense records show.

Expense forms describe the girls' official purpose as "NGA Governor's Youth Programs and family activities." But those programs were activities designed to keep children busy, a service provided by the NGA

to accommodate governors and their families, NGA spokeswoman Jodi Omear said.

In addition to the commercial flights, the children have traveled dozens of times with Palin on a state plane. For these flights, the total cost of operating the plane, at $971 an hour, was about $55,000, according to state flight logs. The cost of operating the state plane does not increase when the children join their mother.

The organizer of an American Heart Association luncheon on Feb. 15 in Fairbanks said Palin asked to bring daughter Piper to the event, and the organizer said she was surprised when Palin showed up with daughter Willow and Bristol as well.

The three Palin daughters shared a room separate from their mother at the Princess Lodge in Fairbanks for two nights, at a cost to the state of $129 per night.

The luncheon took place before Palin's husband, Todd, finished fourth in the 2,000-mile Iron Dog snowmobile race, also in Fairbanks. The family greeted him at the finish line.

When Palin showed up at the luncheon with not just Piper but also Willow and Bristol, organizers had to scramble to make room at the main table, said Janet Bartels, who set up the event.

"When it's the governor, you just make it happen," she said.

The state is already reviewing nearly $17,000 in per diem payments to Palin for more than 300 nights she slept at her own home, 40 miles from her satellite office in Anchorage.

Tony Knowles, a Democratic former governor of Alaska who lost to Palin in a 2006 bid to reclaim the job, said he never charged the state for his three children's commercial flights or claimed their travel as official state business.

Knowles, who was governor from 1994 to 2002, is the only other recent Alaska governor who had school-age children while in office.

"There was no valid reason for the children to be along on state business," said Knowles, a supporter of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. "I cannot recall any instance during my eight years as governor where it would have been appropriate to claim they performed state business."

Knowles said he brought his children to one NGA event while in office but didn't charge the state for their trip.

In February 2007, the three girls flew from Juneau to Anchorage on Alaska Airlines. Palin charged the state for the $519.30 round-trip ticket for each girl, and noted on the expense form that the daughters accompanied her to "open the start of the Iron Dog race."

The children and their mother then watched as Todd Palin and other racers started the competition, which Todd won that year. Palin later had the relevant expense forms changed to describe the girls' business as "First Family official starter for the start of the Iron Dog race."

The Palins began charging the state for commercial flights after the governor kept a 2006 campaign promise to sell a jet bought by her predecessor.

Palin put the jet up for sale on eBay, a move she later trumpeted in her star-making speech at the Republican National Convention, and it was ultimately sold by the state at a loss.

That left only one high-performance aircraft deemed safe enough for her to use — a 1980 twin-engine King Air assigned to the public safety agency but, according to flight logs, out of service for maintenance and repairs about a third of the time Palin has been governor.

I'm telling you, there's a whole lotta folks in Alaska who are quietly taking notes on all this. They're just filing things away for a future date.


#3 - I guess Alaska's money wasn't good enough, because now we've learned that the RNC has spent ONE HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS on the wardrobe of McCain's Choice.

$150,000

From Politico.com:

RNC appears to shell out $150K for Palin fashion
By JEANNE CUMMINGS | 10/21/08 7:47 PM EDT

The Republican National Committee appears to have spent more than $150,000 to clothe and accessorize vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her family since her surprise pick by John McCain in late August.

According to financial disclosure records, the accessorizing began in early September and included bills from Saks Fifth Avenue in St. Louis and New York for a combined $49,425.74.

The records also document a couple of big-time shopping trips to Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis, including one $75,062.63 spree in early September.

The RNC also spent $4,716.49 on hair and makeup through September after reporting no such costs in August.

Politico asked the McCain campaign for comment, explicitly noting the $150,000 in expenses for department store shopping and makeup consultation that were incurred immediately after Palin’s announcement. Pre-September reports do not include similar costs.

Spokeswoman Maria Comella declined to answer specific questions about the expenditures, including whether it was necessary to spend that much and whether it amounted to one early investment in Palin or if shopping for the vice presidential nominee was ongoing.

“The campaign does not comment on strategic decisions regarding how financial resources available to the campaign are spent," she said.

The business of primping and dressing on the campaign trail has become fraught with political risk in recent years as voters increasingly see an elite Washington out of touch with their values and lifestyles.

No!

Not Governor Common Woman?

It couldn't be.

$150,000 since late August?


Am I being snarky if I say...um, I would have never thought it, because, well, she didn't look like it.

#4 - The Albatross Around McCain's Neck

From the latest NBC/Wall Street Journal Poll:

a)Fifty-five percent of respondents say she’s not qualified to serve as president if the need arises, up five points from the previous poll.

b) More voters have a negative opinion of her than a positive one. In the survey, 47 percent view her negatively, versus 38 percent who see her in a positive light.

That’s a striking shift since McCain chose Palin as his running mate in early September, when she held a 47 to 27 percent positive rating.

c) Now, Palin’s qualifications to be president rank as voters’ top concern about McCain’s candidacy - ahead of continuing President Bush’s policies, enacting economic policies that only benefit the rich and keeping too high of a troop presence in Iraq.

From the latest Pew Poll:

Sarah Palin appears to be a continuing - if not an increasing - drag on the GOP ticket. Currently, 49% of voters express an unfavorable opinion of Palin, while 44% have a favorable view. In mid-September, favorable opinions of Palin outnumbered negative ones by 54% to 32%. Women, especially women under age 50, have become increasingly critical of Palin: 60% now express an unfavorable view of Palin, up from 36% in mid-September. Notably, opinions of Palin have a greater impact on voting intentions than do opinions of Joe Biden, Obama's running mate.

He put Country Last, and now it's come back to bite him - GOOD.