Larry Craig " You don't know me."
28 December, 2008
republicans can't resist themselves
Chip Saltsman, a Tennessee Republican who is seeking the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee, sent a CD of holiday music to committee members earlier this month. That CD contained a Rush Limbaugh song titled "Barack the Magic Negro."
When the pompous GOP, six months before the next election, promises a big tent, everyone welcome, these songs and this CD will remind everyone what the true GOP core values are ... and it ain't pretty.
Intelligent people are appalled but there are always some who are politically undereducated will try to make this sow's ear into a silk purse ... with lipstick
When the pompous GOP, six months before the next election, promises a big tent, everyone welcome, these songs and this CD will remind everyone what the true GOP core values are ... and it ain't pretty.
Intelligent people are appalled but there are always some who are politically undereducated will try to make this sow's ear into a silk purse ... with lipstick
republicans controlled by right wingers
The Senate refused to cut off a filibuster against the bill to provide bridge loans to General Motors and Chrysler. All the signs are that the stimulus spending will also be opposed by congressional Republicans, whose shrunken ranks are increasingly dominated by right-wing Southerners who care not what their stance does to harm the party's national image
No Republican House members are left in New England, and they have become ever scarcer in New York and Pennsylvania and across the Midwest.
Even though Bush later used his authority to provide the auto bridge loans, the defeat of this legislation by Republicans in Congress will not be forgotten when GOP senators run for reelection in 2010 in states such as Ohio and Pennsylvania.
All the signs are that the stimulus spending will also be opposed by congressional Republicans, whose shrunken ranks are increasingly dominated by right-wing Southerners who care not what their stance does to harm the party's national image.
It will also echo in industrial states such as Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, California, New York and New Jersey, when Republicans try to challenge for Senate and House seats.
Congressional Republicans will again sacrifice their political interest to satisfy their Southern half-baked ideology.
No Republican House members are left in New England, and they have become ever scarcer in New York and Pennsylvania and across the Midwest.
Even though Bush later used his authority to provide the auto bridge loans, the defeat of this legislation by Republicans in Congress will not be forgotten when GOP senators run for reelection in 2010 in states such as Ohio and Pennsylvania.
All the signs are that the stimulus spending will also be opposed by congressional Republicans, whose shrunken ranks are increasingly dominated by right-wing Southerners who care not what their stance does to harm the party's national image.
It will also echo in industrial states such as Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, California, New York and New Jersey, when Republicans try to challenge for Senate and House seats.
Congressional Republicans will again sacrifice their political interest to satisfy their Southern half-baked ideology.
27 December, 2008
republican mentality
Chip Saltsman, a candidate for chairman of the Republican National Committee, sent committee members this month a holiday music CD that included "Barack the Magic Negro," a parody song first aired in 2007 by talk show host Rush Limbaugh.
Another candidate to lead the GOP, South Carolina party chair Katon Dawson, drew headlines this fall by resigning his membership of 12 years in a whites-only country club, weeks before launching his run for the national job. These are the republicans that have taken over the republican party.
Another candidate to lead the GOP, South Carolina party chair Katon Dawson, drew headlines this fall by resigning his membership of 12 years in a whites-only country club, weeks before launching his run for the national job. These are the republicans that have taken over the republican party.
21 December, 2008
Obama
In addition to good specific policy decisions, Obama wants us to feel two years from now that while our government is not perfect and there are some things he does that get on our nerves; we feel like government is working for us, we feel like it is accountable, we feel like it's transparent, we feel that we are well informed about what government actions are being taken, we feel that he and his Administration admits when they make mistakes and they adapt to new circumstances and information on our behalf.
16 December, 2008
evidence needed for successful prosecution
Washington is full of people who call themselves ambassadorsand the like, and all they did was pay $200,000 or $300,000 to the Republican or Democratic Party. A prosecutor needs recorded proof or testimony that a a favor or money was solicited in exchange for and in advance of appointing a crony or anyone to a political job.
15 December, 2008
secret wiretapping of USA citizens
read the below excerpt of a shocking story of secret wiretapping of our citizens by our government:
Thomas M. Tamm was entrusted with some of the government's most important secrets. He had a Sensitive Compartmented Information security clearance, a level above Top Secret. Government agents had probed Tamm's background, his friends and associates, and determined him trustworthy
In the spring of 2004, Tamm had just finished a yearlong stint at a Justice Department unit handling wiretaps of suspected terrorists and spies—a unit so sensitive that employees are required to put their hands through a biometric scanner to check their fingerprints upon entering.
While there, Tamm stumbled upon the existence of a highly classified National Security Agency program that seemed to be eavesdropping on U.S. citizens. The unit had special rules that appeared to be hiding the NSA activities from a panel of federal judges who are required to approve such surveillance.
When Tamm started asking questions, his supervisors told him to drop the subject. He says one volunteered that "the program" (as it was commonly called within the office) was "probably illegal."
Thomas M. Tamm was entrusted with some of the government's most important secrets. He had a Sensitive Compartmented Information security clearance, a level above Top Secret. Government agents had probed Tamm's background, his friends and associates, and determined him trustworthy
In the spring of 2004, Tamm had just finished a yearlong stint at a Justice Department unit handling wiretaps of suspected terrorists and spies—a unit so sensitive that employees are required to put their hands through a biometric scanner to check their fingerprints upon entering.
While there, Tamm stumbled upon the existence of a highly classified National Security Agency program that seemed to be eavesdropping on U.S. citizens. The unit had special rules that appeared to be hiding the NSA activities from a panel of federal judges who are required to approve such surveillance.
When Tamm started asking questions, his supervisors told him to drop the subject. He says one volunteered that "the program" (as it was commonly called within the office) was "probably illegal."
American torture
read today:
Al-Jazeera cameraman Sami al-Haj was released from detention at Guantanamo Bay Thursday after more than six years in custody and was being repatriated to Sudan, his lawyers said.
Reprieve, the legal action charity that represents 35 Guantanamo prisoners including al-Haj, said the Sudanese cameraman was seized by Pakistani forces on December 15, 2001, apparently at the behest of the U.S. authorities who suspected he had interviewed Osama bin Laden. The group said that "supposed intelligence" turned out to be false.
"This is wonderful news, and long overdue. The U.S. administration has never had any reason for holding Mr. Al-Haj, and has, instead, spent six years shamelessly attempting to turn him against his employers at Al-Jazeera," said Clive Stafford Smith, Reprieve's Director who has represented al-Haj since 2005.
Khanfar added that al-Haj's wife and child were flying from Doha, Qatar to Khartoum immediately to see him.
Al-Haj had been on hunger strike for about 16 months and the military had been force-feeding him through a tube inserted into his nose, said attorney Zachary Katznelson, who met with al-Haj at Guantanamo on April 11.
Shortly after the meeting, Katznelson said the cameraman was "emaciated" because of his hunger strike. The lawyer also said al-Haj had recently been having problems with his liver and kidneys and had blood in his urine. "He looks really ill," Katznelson said at an interview at the base hours after their meeting.
Al-Jazeera cameraman Sami al-Haj was released from detention at Guantanamo Bay Thursday after more than six years in custody and was being repatriated to Sudan, his lawyers said.
Reprieve, the legal action charity that represents 35 Guantanamo prisoners including al-Haj, said the Sudanese cameraman was seized by Pakistani forces on December 15, 2001, apparently at the behest of the U.S. authorities who suspected he had interviewed Osama bin Laden. The group said that "supposed intelligence" turned out to be false.
"This is wonderful news, and long overdue. The U.S. administration has never had any reason for holding Mr. Al-Haj, and has, instead, spent six years shamelessly attempting to turn him against his employers at Al-Jazeera," said Clive Stafford Smith, Reprieve's Director who has represented al-Haj since 2005.
Khanfar added that al-Haj's wife and child were flying from Doha, Qatar to Khartoum immediately to see him.
Al-Haj had been on hunger strike for about 16 months and the military had been force-feeding him through a tube inserted into his nose, said attorney Zachary Katznelson, who met with al-Haj at Guantanamo on April 11.
Shortly after the meeting, Katznelson said the cameraman was "emaciated" because of his hunger strike. The lawyer also said al-Haj had recently been having problems with his liver and kidneys and had blood in his urine. "He looks really ill," Katznelson said at an interview at the base hours after their meeting.
10 December, 2008
Obama's cross to bear
In a Nov. 11 phone conversation with an aide, Blagojevich talked at length about "Candidate 1" and said he knew that Obama wanted her for the open seat but "they're not willing to give me anything except appreciation. (Expletive) them.
One day later, Jarrett, a Chicago businesswoman who is one of three co-chairmen of Obama's transition team and was a high-level adviser to his presidential campaign, made it known that she was not interested in the seat.
And, on Nov. 15, Obama announced that Jarrett would be a senior White House adviser and assistant for intergovernmental relations.
Obama has maintained a cordial but distant relationship with Blagojevich during the governor's tenure. He supported his fellow Democrat for re-election in 2006, even though the governor backed someone else over Obama in the U.S. Senate Democratic primary race in 2004.
One day later, Jarrett, a Chicago businesswoman who is one of three co-chairmen of Obama's transition team and was a high-level adviser to his presidential campaign, made it known that she was not interested in the seat.
And, on Nov. 15, Obama announced that Jarrett would be a senior White House adviser and assistant for intergovernmental relations.
Obama has maintained a cordial but distant relationship with Blagojevich during the governor's tenure. He supported his fellow Democrat for re-election in 2006, even though the governor backed someone else over Obama in the U.S. Senate Democratic primary race in 2004.
07 December, 2008
Obama, another great judgment
President-elect Barack Obama has chosen retired Gen. Eric K. Shinseki to be the next Veterans Affairs secretary, turning to a former Army chief of staff once vilified by the republican Bush administration for questioning its Iraq war strategy.
In 2003 when Shinseki testified to Congress that it might take several hundred thousand U.S. troops to control Iraq after the invasion. Republicans Rumsfeld and his deputy, Paul Wolfowitz, belittled the estimate as "wildly off the mark" and the general was marginalized and later retired from the Army. He was right, those republicans were wrong.
Again, the republican Bush administration was wrong in underestimating the amount of funding needed to treat thousands of injured veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
General Shinseki has a record of courage and honesty, and is a bold choice to lead the VA into the future. "You must love those you lead before you can be an effective leader," he said. "You can certainly command without that sense of commitment, but you cannot lead without it. And without leadership, command is a hollow experience, a vacuum often filled with mistrust and arrogance."
In 2003 when Shinseki testified to Congress that it might take several hundred thousand U.S. troops to control Iraq after the invasion. Republicans Rumsfeld and his deputy, Paul Wolfowitz, belittled the estimate as "wildly off the mark" and the general was marginalized and later retired from the Army. He was right, those republicans were wrong.
Again, the republican Bush administration was wrong in underestimating the amount of funding needed to treat thousands of injured veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
General Shinseki has a record of courage and honesty, and is a bold choice to lead the VA into the future. "You must love those you lead before you can be an effective leader," he said. "You can certainly command without that sense of commitment, but you cannot lead without it. And without leadership, command is a hollow experience, a vacuum often filled with mistrust and arrogance."
05 December, 2008
Republicans against helping homeowners
With the Bush Republican administration adamantly opposed, Congressional Democrats could take up the FDIC's plan when they return for a lame-duck session next week. Or the plan could set the stage for a new foreclosure prevention initiative once President-elect Barack Obama takes office in January.
At Friday's hearing, lawmakers complained that the Bush administration is ignoring the will of Congress and slighting homeowners on the verge of foreclosure in its latest approach to spend $700 billion in economic rescue money.
At Friday's hearing, lawmakers complained that the Bush administration is ignoring the will of Congress and slighting homeowners on the verge of foreclosure in its latest approach to spend $700 billion in economic rescue money.
Republican economics
Employers slashed 533,000 jobs in November, the most in 34 years, catapulting the unemployment rate to 6.7 percent, dramatic proof the country is careening deeper into recession, and that doesn't include those who are off the unemployment rolls.
The carnage — including the worst financial crisis since the 1930s —is hitting a wide range of companies.
The U.S. tipped into recession last December 2007, a panel of experts declared earlier this week. Since the start of the recession, the economy has lost 1.9 million jobs.
The carnage — including the worst financial crisis since the 1930s —is hitting a wide range of companies.
The U.S. tipped into recession last December 2007, a panel of experts declared earlier this week. Since the start of the recession, the economy has lost 1.9 million jobs.
30 November, 2008
better Democratic strategy for middle east
A strategy of offshore balancing would be less ambitious than President Bush's grand plan to spread democracy throughout the Middle East, but it would be much better at protecting actual U.S. interests.
The United States would station its military forces outside the region. And "balancing" would mean we'd rely on regional powers like Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia to check each other.
Washington would remain diplomatically engaged, and when necessary would assist the weaker side in a conflict. It would also use its air and naval power to respond quickly to unexpected threats. But—and this is the key point—---America would put boots on the ground only if the local balance of power seriously broke down and one country threatened to dominate the others.
Offshore balancing would protect America and Americans better than the current Republican "bring it on --crusader" behavior.
The United States would station its military forces outside the region. And "balancing" would mean we'd rely on regional powers like Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia to check each other.
Washington would remain diplomatically engaged, and when necessary would assist the weaker side in a conflict. It would also use its air and naval power to respond quickly to unexpected threats. But—and this is the key point—---America would put boots on the ground only if the local balance of power seriously broke down and one country threatened to dominate the others.
Offshore balancing would protect America and Americans better than the current Republican "bring it on --crusader" behavior.
29 November, 2008
our "friends" Saudia Arabia
Saudi Arabia's king said in an interview published Saturday in a Kuwaiti newspaper that the price of oil, now at around $54, should be $75 a barrel to stabilize the oil markets. How hypocritical since in July when oil was $147 a barrel , he was no where to be heard.
25 November, 2008
Obamaism
We had, I think, a decisive win,” Mr. Obama said. “I don’t think that there’s any question that we have a mandate to move the country in a new direction, and not continue the same old practices that have gotten us into the fix that we’re in.”
But he quickly noted that Mr. McCain, too, had won millions of votes, and he said it was important to maintain “a sense of humility and a recognition that wisdom is not the monopoly of any one party.”
“I think what the American people want more than anything is just common-sense smart government,” Mr. Obama said. “They don’t want ideology. They don’t want bickering. They don’t want sniping. They want action, and they want effectiveness.”
But he quickly noted that Mr. McCain, too, had won millions of votes, and he said it was important to maintain “a sense of humility and a recognition that wisdom is not the monopoly of any one party.”
“I think what the American people want more than anything is just common-sense smart government,” Mr. Obama said. “They don’t want ideology. They don’t want bickering. They don’t want sniping. They want action, and they want effectiveness.”
understanding our economy
Currently, the wealth effect is reversing. As stock and home values drop, Americans are scrambling to increase savings and curb spending. Down goes consumer spending. The plausible math is daunting.
Since September 2007, Americans' personal wealth has dropped about $9 trillion, says economist Nigel Gault of IHS Global Insight. A common estimate is that every dollar's change in wealth causes people to change their spending by 5 cents.
If so, the hit to consumer spending would be $450 billion ($9 trillion times .05). The effect and deflation could last over several years.
Since September 2007, Americans' personal wealth has dropped about $9 trillion, says economist Nigel Gault of IHS Global Insight. A common estimate is that every dollar's change in wealth causes people to change their spending by 5 cents.
If so, the hit to consumer spending would be $450 billion ($9 trillion times .05). The effect and deflation could last over several years.
24 November, 2008
Sen Shelby, Republican hypocrite
Read today:
It's no great mystery why Alabama politician, Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby, Republican, in the pocket of foregn care companies (Mercedes/Toyota/Honda/Hyundai) who is so against assisting the US Auto Industry, went to such dramatic anti-free-market measures to secure Mercedes Benz to locate in Alabama--they did it for the betterment of their state through job creation and increased tax revenues.
Is that so different than what would occur by providing financial aid to help rescue the domestic auto industry? Such aid would save millions of jobs and millions of dollars in lost tax revenue.
Unlike the giveaways Alabama bestowed upon the foreign automaker in question, United States taxpayers would be reimbursed with interest (as they were when Chrysler received government aid in the early 1980s) for their investment in what is clearly a critically important industry for America's present and future.
It's no great mystery why Alabama politician, Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby, Republican, in the pocket of foregn care companies (Mercedes/Toyota/Honda/Hyundai) who is so against assisting the US Auto Industry, went to such dramatic anti-free-market measures to secure Mercedes Benz to locate in Alabama--they did it for the betterment of their state through job creation and increased tax revenues.
Is that so different than what would occur by providing financial aid to help rescue the domestic auto industry? Such aid would save millions of jobs and millions of dollars in lost tax revenue.
Unlike the giveaways Alabama bestowed upon the foreign automaker in question, United States taxpayers would be reimbursed with interest (as they were when Chrysler received government aid in the early 1980s) for their investment in what is clearly a critically important industry for America's present and future.
22 November, 2008
economics 101- its China
There is a consensus forming that Washington needs to spend its way out of this recession, to ensure that it doesn't turn into a depression. Economists of both the left and right agree that a massive fiscal stimulus is needed and that for now, we shouldn't be worrying about deficits.
But in order to run up these deficits—which could total somewhere between $1 trillion and $1.5 trillion, or between 7 and 11 percent of GDP—someone has to buy American debt. The only country that has the cash to do so is China.
Holding 10 percent of all U.S. existing public debt, the government of the People's Republic of China has become Washington's largest creditor, foreign or domestic. It is America's banker.
But in order to run up these deficits—which could total somewhere between $1 trillion and $1.5 trillion, or between 7 and 11 percent of GDP—someone has to buy American debt. The only country that has the cash to do so is China.
Holding 10 percent of all U.S. existing public debt, the government of the People's Republic of China has become Washington's largest creditor, foreign or domestic. It is America's banker.
read today: on religion
Qur'an "The Koran Interpreted":
Pg 100 "marry such women as seems good to you, two, three, four..."
Pg 105-06: "Men are the managers of the affairs of women for that God has preferred in bounty one of them over another ... And those you fear may be rebellious admonish; banish them to their couches, and beat them."
Pg 130 & 139: "They are unbelievers who say, 'God is the Messiah, Mary's Son.' "
Pg 121: "take not the unbelievers as friends instead of the believers;"
Pg 136: "take not Jews and Christians as friends; they are friends of each other. Whoso of you makes them his friends is one of them. God guides not the people of the evildoers."
Pg 205: "It is not for any Prophet to have prisoners until he make wide slaughter in the land."
Pg 207: "slay the idolators wherever you find them, and take them, and confine them, and lie in wait for them at every place of ambush."
Pg 213: "So let not their possessions or their children please thee; God only desires to chastise them in the present life, and that their souls should depart while they are unbelievers."
Pg 222: "O believers, fight the unbelievers who are near you, and let them find in you a harshness;"
Pg 32: "Leave is give to those who fight because they were wronged."
Pg 128-29: "Now, if the hypocrites do not give over ... We shall assuredly urge thee against them and then they will be thy neighbors there only a little; cursed they shall be, and wheresoever they are come upon they shall be seized and slaughtered all -"
Pg 220: "When you meet the unbelievers, smite their necks, then, when you have made wide slaughter among them, tie fast the bonds; then set them free, either by grace or ransom, ... And those who are slain in the way of God ... He will admit them to Paradise,"
Pg 271: "take not my Enemy and your enemy for friends, offering them love, though they have disbelieved ... If you go forth ... secretly loving them ... whosoever of you has done that, has gone astray from the right way."
Pg 271: "between us and you enmity has shown itself, and hatred forever, until you believe in God alone."
compared to these verses:
Matthew 5:21-22 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' (22) But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire.
Matthew 5:44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you
Luke 6:28-29 Bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. (29) To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either.
Luk 6:35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.
Rom 13:10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Gal 5:14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Pg 100 "marry such women as seems good to you, two, three, four..."
Pg 105-06: "Men are the managers of the affairs of women for that God has preferred in bounty one of them over another ... And those you fear may be rebellious admonish; banish them to their couches, and beat them."
Pg 130 & 139: "They are unbelievers who say, 'God is the Messiah, Mary's Son.' "
Pg 121: "take not the unbelievers as friends instead of the believers;"
Pg 136: "take not Jews and Christians as friends; they are friends of each other. Whoso of you makes them his friends is one of them. God guides not the people of the evildoers."
Pg 205: "It is not for any Prophet to have prisoners until he make wide slaughter in the land."
Pg 207: "slay the idolators wherever you find them, and take them, and confine them, and lie in wait for them at every place of ambush."
Pg 213: "So let not their possessions or their children please thee; God only desires to chastise them in the present life, and that their souls should depart while they are unbelievers."
Pg 222: "O believers, fight the unbelievers who are near you, and let them find in you a harshness;"
Pg 32: "Leave is give to those who fight because they were wronged."
Pg 128-29: "Now, if the hypocrites do not give over ... We shall assuredly urge thee against them and then they will be thy neighbors there only a little; cursed they shall be, and wheresoever they are come upon they shall be seized and slaughtered all -"
Pg 220: "When you meet the unbelievers, smite their necks, then, when you have made wide slaughter among them, tie fast the bonds; then set them free, either by grace or ransom, ... And those who are slain in the way of God ... He will admit them to Paradise,"
Pg 271: "take not my Enemy and your enemy for friends, offering them love, though they have disbelieved ... If you go forth ... secretly loving them ... whosoever of you has done that, has gone astray from the right way."
Pg 271: "between us and you enmity has shown itself, and hatred forever, until you believe in God alone."
compared to these verses:
Matthew 5:21-22 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' (22) But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire.
Matthew 5:44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you
Luke 6:28-29 Bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. (29) To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either.
Luk 6:35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.
Rom 13:10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Gal 5:14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
21 November, 2008
politics: last word on what happened
McCain, with his reputation for independence, was supposed to restore the GOP's competitiveness among swing voters. But to win the GOP nomination, McCain embraced Bush's right-wing core economic and foreign policies and then selected, in Sarah Palin, a running mate who waged the culture war with a zeal that made Bush and Karl Rove look squeamish. Also in critical areas, moderate republicans bolted the party.
14 November, 2008
republicans almost destroyed our country
Never has one generation spent so much of its children's wealth in such a short period of time with so little to show for it as in the recent republican years. These republicans have foisted onto future generations a huge financial burden to finance our current tax cuts for the rich, its wars and now its need for bailouts.
Just paying off those debts will require significant sacrifices. When you add the destruction of wealth that has taken place in just the last two months in the markets to the need for more bailouts, you understand why this is not going to be a painless recovery.
We are all going to have to pay. Never before has there been such a large wealth transfer from the future to the present, thanks to these republicans.
Just paying off those debts will require significant sacrifices. When you add the destruction of wealth that has taken place in just the last two months in the markets to the need for more bailouts, you understand why this is not going to be a painless recovery.
We are all going to have to pay. Never before has there been such a large wealth transfer from the future to the present, thanks to these republicans.
08 November, 2008
Repblican Party left me years go
I read the following today and while I desagree on Reagan, it expresses my situation and observations:
"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.
So, to paraphrase a real conservative, Ronald Reagan, I haven’t left the Republican Party. It left me.
Thanks, anyway, for the memories, and here’s to happier days and with any luck, a bit less fresh hell. (written by Wm F. Buckley"s son)" Chris--what took you so long?
"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.
So, to paraphrase a real conservative, Ronald Reagan, I haven’t left the Republican Party. It left me.
Thanks, anyway, for the memories, and here’s to happier days and with any luck, a bit less fresh hell. (written by Wm F. Buckley"s son)" Chris--what took you so long?
03 November, 2008
Obama vs. McCain
In state after state during the primaries, McCain drew heavily on the votes of independents, moderates and Republicans who were unhappy with Bush.
But instead of carrying on as the un-Bush who defied conservative orthodoxy, McCain embraced the right for fear of losing it. He chose Sarah Palin as his running mate, which has finally earned him cries of approval from the GOP base but sent moderate voters scurrying Obama's way.
And as the campaign closed, the McCain tragedy became a farce starring Joe the Plumber and casting personal attacks on Obama. McCain was left hoping that a hidden cadre of voters who fear an Obama victory would defy the pollsters tomorrow and save him.
But instead of carrying on as the un-Bush who defied conservative orthodoxy, McCain embraced the right for fear of losing it. He chose Sarah Palin as his running mate, which has finally earned him cries of approval from the GOP base but sent moderate voters scurrying Obama's way.
And as the campaign closed, the McCain tragedy became a farce starring Joe the Plumber and casting personal attacks on Obama. McCain was left hoping that a hidden cadre of voters who fear an Obama victory would defy the pollsters tomorrow and save him.
rich gain more under republicans
The share of after-tax income going to the top 20 percent and the top 1 percent in 2005 was the highest on record since the Congressional Budget Office began analyzing the data in 1979.
Some of this is due to the structure of the Bush tax cuts, which -- as Mr. McCain pointed out at the time they were enacted -- disproportionately favored the wealthiest Americans.
Mr. Obama's proposal to roll back the top bracket tax cuts and to bolster the bottom with refundable credits is an effort to address this inequity.
It is patriotic, as Democratic vice presidential candidate Joseph R. Biden Jr. said, for the rich to pay more for a country that has helped them gain more.
It is"good for everybody," as Mr. Obama told Joe Wurzelbacher, when you spread the wealth around. These represent, in fact, a rather mainstream view -- and not a bad governing philosophy for the country in its current straits.
Some of this is due to the structure of the Bush tax cuts, which -- as Mr. McCain pointed out at the time they were enacted -- disproportionately favored the wealthiest Americans.
Mr. Obama's proposal to roll back the top bracket tax cuts and to bolster the bottom with refundable credits is an effort to address this inequity.
It is patriotic, as Democratic vice presidential candidate Joseph R. Biden Jr. said, for the rich to pay more for a country that has helped them gain more.
It is"good for everybody," as Mr. Obama told Joe Wurzelbacher, when you spread the wealth around. These represent, in fact, a rather mainstream view -- and not a bad governing philosophy for the country in its current straits.
02 November, 2008
observed bias by TV pundits
Have you noticed? TV pundits like Blitzer and Matthews tend to give republicans more time to espouse their views and above all, most of the time, give republicans the last word.
01 November, 2008
vote, vote and vote
If you voters don't turn out and thus give it to the Republicans for another 4 and possibly 8 years, then you deserve what you are going to get, and that is more of the same.
What republicans have done to us
Nearly one in five U.S. mortgage borrowers owe more to lenders than their homes are worth, and the rate may soon approach one in four as housing prices fall and the economy weakens, a report on Friday shows.
Seven hard-hit states -- Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Ohio -- had 64 percent of all "underwater" borrowers, but just 41 percent of U.S. mortgages.
Foreclosure filings rose 71 percent in the third quarter to a record 765,558, according to RealtyTrac.
Meanwhile, the Commerce Department said gross domestic product fell at a 0.3 percent rate in the third quarter. Some experts expect the worst U.S. recession since the early 1980s.
Seven hard-hit states -- Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Ohio -- had 64 percent of all "underwater" borrowers, but just 41 percent of U.S. mortgages.
Foreclosure filings rose 71 percent in the third quarter to a record 765,558, according to RealtyTrac.
Meanwhile, the Commerce Department said gross domestic product fell at a 0.3 percent rate in the third quarter. Some experts expect the worst U.S. recession since the early 1980s.
31 October, 2008
McCain 's republican campaign
The Republican campaign has reached a new all time low. Lies, distortions, going to a dinner makes you palling around with those
who are there, slinging mud at your opponents character, etc.
They are really down in the mud. McCain is putting his campaign before his decency, slinging mud daily in a desperate attempt to find anything sleazy that will stick. He apparently will say and do anything to win. That is the kind of President he would be.
Even republicans are denouncing him and his choice for VP. AND God help us if she EVER becomes our President.
who are there, slinging mud at your opponents character, etc.
They are really down in the mud. McCain is putting his campaign before his decency, slinging mud daily in a desperate attempt to find anything sleazy that will stick. He apparently will say and do anything to win. That is the kind of President he would be.
Even republicans are denouncing him and his choice for VP. AND God help us if she EVER becomes our President.
27 October, 2008
McCain says he voted 90% with Bush
We know that it's time for new ideas and new leadership and the change we need in the White House.
But Senator McCain voted with President Bush 90 percent of the time over the last eight years. He said it on TV--we have seen the tape. Now at the last moment, he is trying to lie his way out of it.
AND Just the other day, George Bush returned the favor and voted early for John McCain.
But Senator McCain voted with President Bush 90 percent of the time over the last eight years. He said it on TV--we have seen the tape. Now at the last moment, he is trying to lie his way out of it.
AND Just the other day, George Bush returned the favor and voted early for John McCain.
25 October, 2008
right wing republican religious groups
Although hard-edge attacks are common late in campaigns, the tenor of the strikes against Obama illustrate just how worried conservative Christian activists are about what should happen to their causes and influence if Democrats seize control of both Congress and the White House.
It looks like, walks like, talks like and smells like desperation to me," said the Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell of Houston, an Obama supporter who backed President Bush in the past two elections.
The Methodist pastor called the 2012 letter "false and ridiculous." He said it showed that some Christian conservative leaders fear that Obama's faith-based appeals to voters are working.
It looks like, walks like, talks like and smells like desperation to me," said the Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell of Houston, an Obama supporter who backed President Bush in the past two elections.
The Methodist pastor called the 2012 letter "false and ridiculous." He said it showed that some Christian conservative leaders fear that Obama's faith-based appeals to voters are working.
21 October, 2008
McCain proves he is another Bush
McCain avoided the one major break he could have made with Bush -- opposing the Wall Street rescue package. Going against Bush would have put voters on notice that McCain is a different kind of politician.
He would have helped himself immensely if he had opposed the bailout. All the elites were all arrayed against the American people. He would have been the populist champion standing up to them. He had an opportunity to be different from Bush. He wasn't because he isn't.
He would have helped himself immensely if he had opposed the bailout. All the elites were all arrayed against the American people. He would have been the populist champion standing up to them. He had an opportunity to be different from Bush. He wasn't because he isn't.
19 October, 2008
republicans keep people from voting
Republicans are trying to keep people from voting to depress the vote as they know a big turnout helps Democrats up and down the ticket. Don't let them get away with that!!!
If questions about eligibility remain on early voting or Election Day, those voters are entitled to cast a "provisional" ballot. Which of those ballots are ultimately counted depends on local and state rules.
If questions about eligibility remain on early voting or Election Day, those voters are entitled to cast a "provisional" ballot. Which of those ballots are ultimately counted depends on local and state rules.
17 October, 2008
another fraudulent gimmick by McCain
Joe the Plumber's story has sprung a few leaks. It turns out that the man held up by John McCain as the typical, hard-working American taxpayer isn't really a proper plumber and owes nearly $1,200 in back taxes. And, officially at least, he isn't even called Joe.
A bit of digging soon uncovered the fact that Mr Wurzelabacher doesn't have a plumber's licence. And then there was the matter of his taxes - according to court records, Mr Wurzelbacher owes the state of Ohio $1,182.98 in personal income tax. Last January the Ohio Department of Taxation filed a claim on his property until he pays the debt.
Even if Mr Wurzelbacher was in a position to buy the plumbing business he works for, it would be unlikely that his personal income would ever climb over $250,000. Currently he earns much less, he admits, so would probably be in line for a tax cut under Mr Obama's plans.
A bit of digging soon uncovered the fact that Mr Wurzelabacher doesn't have a plumber's licence. And then there was the matter of his taxes - according to court records, Mr Wurzelbacher owes the state of Ohio $1,182.98 in personal income tax. Last January the Ohio Department of Taxation filed a claim on his property until he pays the debt.
Even if Mr Wurzelbacher was in a position to buy the plumbing business he works for, it would be unlikely that his personal income would ever climb over $250,000. Currently he earns much less, he admits, so would probably be in line for a tax cut under Mr Obama's plans.
Analysis of McCain vs. Obama
Mr. Obama is a man of supple intelligence, with a nuanced grasp of complex issues and evident skill at conciliation and consensus-building.
The best evidence suggests that he would seek to maintain U.S. leadership and engagement, continue the fight against terrorists, and wage vigorous diplomacy on behalf of U.S. values and interests. Mr. Obama has the potential to become a great president.
Mr. McCain would draw on many of the same policymakers who have brought us to our current state. Here the choice is not a close call. Mr. McCain has little interest in economics and no apparent feel for the topic. His principal proposal, doubling down on the Bush tax cuts, would exacerbate the fiscal wreckage and the inequality simultaneously.
Mr. Obama also understands that the most important single counter to inequality, and the best way to maintain American competitiveness, is improved education, another subject of only modest interest to Mr. McCain.
A better health-care system also is crucial to bolstering U.S. competitiveness and relieving worker insecurity. Mr. Obama hopes to steer the country toward universal coverage by charting a course between government mandates and individual choice.
Overshadowing all of these policy choices may be the financial crisis and the recession it is likely to spawn. It is almost impossible to predict what policies will be called for by January, but certainly the country will want in its president a combination of nimbleness and steadfastness -- precisely the qualities Mr. Obama has displayed during the past few weeks.
Mr. Obama's temperament is unlike anything we've seen on the national stage in many years. He is deliberate but not indecisive; eloquent but a master of substance and detail; naturally confident but eager to hear opposing points of view. He has inspired millions of voters of diverse ages and races, no small thing in our often divided and cynical country. We think he is the right man for a perilous moment.
The best evidence suggests that he would seek to maintain U.S. leadership and engagement, continue the fight against terrorists, and wage vigorous diplomacy on behalf of U.S. values and interests. Mr. Obama has the potential to become a great president.
Mr. McCain would draw on many of the same policymakers who have brought us to our current state. Here the choice is not a close call. Mr. McCain has little interest in economics and no apparent feel for the topic. His principal proposal, doubling down on the Bush tax cuts, would exacerbate the fiscal wreckage and the inequality simultaneously.
Mr. Obama also understands that the most important single counter to inequality, and the best way to maintain American competitiveness, is improved education, another subject of only modest interest to Mr. McCain.
A better health-care system also is crucial to bolstering U.S. competitiveness and relieving worker insecurity. Mr. Obama hopes to steer the country toward universal coverage by charting a course between government mandates and individual choice.
Overshadowing all of these policy choices may be the financial crisis and the recession it is likely to spawn. It is almost impossible to predict what policies will be called for by January, but certainly the country will want in its president a combination of nimbleness and steadfastness -- precisely the qualities Mr. Obama has displayed during the past few weeks.
Mr. Obama's temperament is unlike anything we've seen on the national stage in many years. He is deliberate but not indecisive; eloquent but a master of substance and detail; naturally confident but eager to hear opposing points of view. He has inspired millions of voters of diverse ages and races, no small thing in our often divided and cynical country. We think he is the right man for a perilous moment.
14 October, 2008
Vote the bottom line.
The bottom line is:
Both candidates for President are responsible for what they and their campaign says and does. They can't have it both ways and the voters should not be told otherwise.
Have you seen the McCain rallies. He lets them bring in those racist, violence-suggesting signs? Obama has those kinds of signs confiscated at the doors.
If McCain is not the one responsible for his campaign, then we don't want him responsible for this country. If he is in charge of his campaign, then the direction it has taken has also proven he is not fit for the office. Either way...VOTE OBAMA for your children and grandchildren's future.
Both candidates for President are responsible for what they and their campaign says and does. They can't have it both ways and the voters should not be told otherwise.
Have you seen the McCain rallies. He lets them bring in those racist, violence-suggesting signs? Obama has those kinds of signs confiscated at the doors.
If McCain is not the one responsible for his campaign, then we don't want him responsible for this country. If he is in charge of his campaign, then the direction it has taken has also proven he is not fit for the office. Either way...VOTE OBAMA for your children and grandchildren's future.
Republican liars quote themselves
It pays to do a little research.
Andy Martin is the man who is widely credited with starting the cyberwhisper campaign about Mr. Obama.
An appearance in a documentary-style program on the Fox News Channel watched by three million people thrust the man, Andy Martin, and his past into the foreground. The program allowed Mr. Martin to assert falsely and without challenge that Mr. Obama had once trained to overthrow the government.
An examination of legal documsents and election filings, along with interviews with his acquaintances, revealed Mr. Martin, 62, to be a man with a history of scintillating if not always factual claims.
He has left a trail of animosity — some of it provoked by anti-Jewish comments — among political leaders, lawyers and judges in three states over more than 30 years.
He is a law school graduate, but his admission to the Illinois bar was blocked in the 1970s after a psychiatric finding of "moderately severe character defect manifested by well-documented ideation with a paranoid flavor and a grandiose character."
He ran as a Republican for the Florida State Senate and the United States Senate in Illinois. When running for president in 1999, he aired a television advertisement in New Hampshire that accused George W. Bush of using cocaine.
He prepared to run as a Democrat for Congress in Connecticut, where paperwork for one of his campaign committees listed as one purpose “to exterminate Jew power.” He ran as a Republican for the Florida State Senate and the United States Senate in Illinois. When running for president in 1999, he aired a television advertisement in New Hampshire that accused George W. Bush of using cocaine.
In the 1990s, Mr. Martin was jailed in a case in Florida involving a physical altercation.
Mr. Martin's general outlines have turned up in a host of works that have expounded falsely on Mr. Obama’s heritage or supposed attempts to conceal it, including “Obama Nation,” the widely discredited best seller about Mr. Obama by Jerome R. Corsi. Mr. Corsi opens the book with a quote from Mr. Martin.
These liars quote themselves trying to create the impression of good research.
Andy Martin is the man who is widely credited with starting the cyberwhisper campaign about Mr. Obama.
An appearance in a documentary-style program on the Fox News Channel watched by three million people thrust the man, Andy Martin, and his past into the foreground. The program allowed Mr. Martin to assert falsely and without challenge that Mr. Obama had once trained to overthrow the government.
An examination of legal documsents and election filings, along with interviews with his acquaintances, revealed Mr. Martin, 62, to be a man with a history of scintillating if not always factual claims.
He has left a trail of animosity — some of it provoked by anti-Jewish comments — among political leaders, lawyers and judges in three states over more than 30 years.
He is a law school graduate, but his admission to the Illinois bar was blocked in the 1970s after a psychiatric finding of "moderately severe character defect manifested by well-documented ideation with a paranoid flavor and a grandiose character."
He ran as a Republican for the Florida State Senate and the United States Senate in Illinois. When running for president in 1999, he aired a television advertisement in New Hampshire that accused George W. Bush of using cocaine.
He prepared to run as a Democrat for Congress in Connecticut, where paperwork for one of his campaign committees listed as one purpose “to exterminate Jew power.” He ran as a Republican for the Florida State Senate and the United States Senate in Illinois. When running for president in 1999, he aired a television advertisement in New Hampshire that accused George W. Bush of using cocaine.
In the 1990s, Mr. Martin was jailed in a case in Florida involving a physical altercation.
Mr. Martin's general outlines have turned up in a host of works that have expounded falsely on Mr. Obama’s heritage or supposed attempts to conceal it, including “Obama Nation,” the widely discredited best seller about Mr. Obama by Jerome R. Corsi. Mr. Corsi opens the book with a quote from Mr. Martin.
These liars quote themselves trying to create the impression of good research.
Republicans caused this economic mess
Republicans pushed new policies encouraging homeownership, like the "zero-down-payment initiative," which was much as it sounds—a government-sponsored program that allowed people to get mortgages without a down payment.
More exotic mortgages followed, including ones with no monthly payments for the first two years. Other mortgages required no documentation other than the say-so of the borrower.
Absurd though these all were, they paled in comparison to the financial innovations that grew out of the mortgages—derivatives built on other derivatives, packaged and repackaged until no one could identify what they contained and how much they were, in fact, worth.
As we know by now, these instruments have brought the global financial system, improbably, to the brink of collapse.
More exotic mortgages followed, including ones with no monthly payments for the first two years. Other mortgages required no documentation other than the say-so of the borrower.
Absurd though these all were, they paled in comparison to the financial innovations that grew out of the mortgages—derivatives built on other derivatives, packaged and repackaged until no one could identify what they contained and how much they were, in fact, worth.
As we know by now, these instruments have brought the global financial system, improbably, to the brink of collapse.
McCain, the fighter
Last week, the McCain-Palin message was ugly: that Obama "pals around" with terrorists, implying Obama is therefore a terrorist himself. This incited ugly behavior by their supporters, who openly called Obama a "terrorist." Americans recoiled in horror, and Obama surged to a commanding 8% lead in the polls, which would produce an Electoral College landslide.
McCain read the polls, freaked out, and adopted an entirely new message: he's a "fighter." This one is true! McCain has devoted his political career to fighting against everything we care about: peace, justice, jobs, education, health care, the environment, civil rights, voting rights, and honest government.
McCain read the polls, freaked out, and adopted an entirely new message: he's a "fighter." This one is true! McCain has devoted his political career to fighting against everything we care about: peace, justice, jobs, education, health care, the environment, civil rights, voting rights, and honest government.
12 October, 2008
Republicans mission
With his electoral prospects fading by the day, Senator John McCain has fallen out with his vice-presidential running mate about the direction of his White House campaign.
An investigation by the Alaska Legislature concluded that Republican Sara Palin, McCain's VP, abused her power in trying to orchestrate the firing of her former brother-in-law, a state trooper.
The public has become alarmed about the fury unleashed by Sarah Palin, the moose-hunting “pitbull in lipstick”, against Senator Barack Obama. Cries of “terrorist” and “kill him” have accompanied the tirades by the governor of Alaska against the Democratic nominee at Republican rallies.
Let's face it. George W. Bush is going to leave one hell of a mess for the next president to clean up. I don't know why anyone is surprised by this, it's just another empty hole he's drilled using other people's money and then moved on. It's the story of his life.
But the reality is that an Obama victory next month, while necessary, is not the culmination of anything. It's only the beginning of the fight to keep this nation from returning to the Dark Ages represented by the lunatic Sarah Palin and her Armies of Jehovah.
Because you know as sure as we're standing here, that as of November 5, Sarah Palin will be the frontrunner for 2012. And if there isn't significant improvement in people's lives by then, we could be faced with Governor Architect of the Apocalypse ready and waiting to take over and complete her mission.
An investigation by the Alaska Legislature concluded that Republican Sara Palin, McCain's VP, abused her power in trying to orchestrate the firing of her former brother-in-law, a state trooper.
The public has become alarmed about the fury unleashed by Sarah Palin, the moose-hunting “pitbull in lipstick”, against Senator Barack Obama. Cries of “terrorist” and “kill him” have accompanied the tirades by the governor of Alaska against the Democratic nominee at Republican rallies.
Let's face it. George W. Bush is going to leave one hell of a mess for the next president to clean up. I don't know why anyone is surprised by this, it's just another empty hole he's drilled using other people's money and then moved on. It's the story of his life.
But the reality is that an Obama victory next month, while necessary, is not the culmination of anything. It's only the beginning of the fight to keep this nation from returning to the Dark Ages represented by the lunatic Sarah Palin and her Armies of Jehovah.
Because you know as sure as we're standing here, that as of November 5, Sarah Palin will be the frontrunner for 2012. And if there isn't significant improvement in people's lives by then, we could be faced with Governor Architect of the Apocalypse ready and waiting to take over and complete her mission.
11 October, 2008
Palin's husband will be running the country.
Three is A long pattern of pressure that Sara Palin and her husband applied on state officials to try to get the trooper fired, according to an Alaska legislative report released Friday. The report said those contacts amounted to an abuse of power and a violation of the state's ethics laws, which prohibit using public office for personal benefit.
But while the condemnation of now-vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin was the conclusion, the nearly 300-page report by investigator Stephen Branchflower was more about her husband. Todd Palin, the self-described "first dude" of Alaska, had extraordinary access to his wife's office, her staff and her power.
Todd Palin spent about 50 percent of his time in the governor's office, making phone calls, participating in meetings or just hanging out, said Gary Wheeler, a member of Gov. Palin's security detail.
"He had a significant influence, in that he was always interacting with the, the employees there," Wheeler told state investigators. "Any time I needed to get information to the governor, I would always go through Todd."
But while the condemnation of now-vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin was the conclusion, the nearly 300-page report by investigator Stephen Branchflower was more about her husband. Todd Palin, the self-described "first dude" of Alaska, had extraordinary access to his wife's office, her staff and her power.
Todd Palin spent about 50 percent of his time in the governor's office, making phone calls, participating in meetings or just hanging out, said Gary Wheeler, a member of Gov. Palin's security detail.
"He had a significant influence, in that he was always interacting with the, the employees there," Wheeler told state investigators. "Any time I needed to get information to the governor, I would always go through Todd."
09 October, 2008
McCain resorts to swift boating/racism
Jerome Corsi coauthored the book "Unfit for Command:Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out against John Kerry" which turned out to be a bunch of lies. Most of his documentation refers to others of his stripe. They pass around documentation as fact. He and McCain are at it again about Obama.
Also, I read where Corsi's wife divorced him, accusing him of being a pedophile.
These neocon-republicans have captured the republican party, of which I was a member, and have all but destroyed our country. We used to be a force for good in the world.
Now look at us, we have attacked another country based on lies, killing millions that did not attack us (leaving Bin Laden alive who admitted he did). They are exporting jobs, importing cheap labor for short term gain, $5 trillion in debt when they came into office and over $10 trillion in debt now most of it to India and China.
I am surprised that so many so-called Christians would believe this swift boating after we learned about how it works. Latent racism is alive and well in America. I hear it almost every day from otherwise good people. My God is not a racist.
Also, I read where Corsi's wife divorced him, accusing him of being a pedophile.
These neocon-republicans have captured the republican party, of which I was a member, and have all but destroyed our country. We used to be a force for good in the world.
Now look at us, we have attacked another country based on lies, killing millions that did not attack us (leaving Bin Laden alive who admitted he did). They are exporting jobs, importing cheap labor for short term gain, $5 trillion in debt when they came into office and over $10 trillion in debt now most of it to India and China.
I am surprised that so many so-called Christians would believe this swift boating after we learned about how it works. Latent racism is alive and well in America. I hear it almost every day from otherwise good people. My God is not a racist.
06 October, 2008
McCain using racism
read today: Whether "intended or not" by the McCain campaign, portraying Obama as "not like us" is another potential appeal to racism. It suggests that the Hawaiian-born Christian is, at heart, un-American.
They are a lot of things, but dumb is not one of them. They know they are playing to racism for votes. Shame on McCain.
They are a lot of things, but dumb is not one of them. They know they are playing to racism for votes. Shame on McCain.
McCain's bankrupt economic philosophy
During the savings and loan crisis of the late '80s and early '90s, McCain's political favors and aggressive support for deregulation put him at the center of the fall of Lincoln Savings and Loan, one of the largest in the country.
More than 23,000 investors lost their savings. Overall, the savings and loan crisis required the federal government to bail out the savings of hundreds of thousands of families and ultimately cost American taxpayers $124 billion. Now he wants to change the subject.
Sound familiar?
In that crisis, John McCain and his political patron, Charles Keating, played central roles that ultimately landed Keating in jail for fraud and McCain in front of the Senate Ethics Committee.
The McCain campaign has tried to avoid talking about the scandal, but with so many parallels to the current crisis, McCain's Keating history is relevant and voters deserve to know the facts -- and see for themselves the pattern of poor judgment by John McCain.
Go to www.KeatingEconomics.com for the facts.
More than 23,000 investors lost their savings. Overall, the savings and loan crisis required the federal government to bail out the savings of hundreds of thousands of families and ultimately cost American taxpayers $124 billion. Now he wants to change the subject.
Sound familiar?
In that crisis, John McCain and his political patron, Charles Keating, played central roles that ultimately landed Keating in jail for fraud and McCain in front of the Senate Ethics Committee.
The McCain campaign has tried to avoid talking about the scandal, but with so many parallels to the current crisis, McCain's Keating history is relevant and voters deserve to know the facts -- and see for themselves the pattern of poor judgment by John McCain.
Go to www.KeatingEconomics.com for the facts.
05 October, 2008
where is the "media" on Palin
Palin's married to Todd Palin, a member of the party which advocates seceeding from the USA, and may even have had personal involvement in the party herself even though she was never registered as a member. There's a tape of the party leader at their convention claiming that Sara Palin was active in the party.
"bring it on" McCain'Palin
Sarah Palin: doesn't just pal around with secessionists, she is married to one and she courts the political support of others.
Bring it on McCain/Palin
The director of Division of Elections in Alaska, Gail Fenumiai, says that Todd Palin registered in October 1995 to the Alaska Independence Party, a radical group that advocates for Alaskan secession from the United States.
Besides a short period of a few months in 2000 when he changed his registration to undeclared, Todd Palin remained a registered member of AIP until July 2002 when he registered again as an undeclared voter.
Besides a short period of a few months in 2000 when he changed his registration to undeclared, Todd Palin remained a registered member of AIP until July 2002 when he registered again as an undeclared voter.
"Bring it on" to McCain
McCain wants to get dirty. We say "BRING IT ON." We will reply with the FACTS about the Keating five(and indicted co-conspirators) and the running around, having affairs on first wives.
McCain, gutter politition
Today, the McCain-Palin team took their discredited, dishonorable campaign one desperate step further, announcing that they were going to try 'turning a page on this financial crisis' by launching more personal attacks on Senator Obama.
Instead of offering solutions for working Americans and families struggling through a failing economy, they are now mired in more gutter politics and false attacks. McCain will say anything, any lie to win.
Instead of offering solutions for working Americans and families struggling through a failing economy, they are now mired in more gutter politics and false attacks. McCain will say anything, any lie to win.
The McCain we see on TV
The McCain campaign says he is going mean and personal. Viewing him, we have concluded he already is a mean old man.
04 October, 2008
Watch for McCain's smear campaign
McCain operatives are now saying that McCain will try to smear Obama as he is losing on the issues.
29 September, 2008
Republicans say country first but it's all talk
Let me get this straight. The Republicans say they would have voted for the bailout but that they didn't like Pelosi's speech thus trying to blame the Democrats.
In other words, they thought the legislation was good for the country but didn't vote for it because they didn't like her speech. So much for putting country first.
In other words, they thought the legislation was good for the country but didn't vote for it because they didn't like her speech. So much for putting country first.
Obama vs McCain
McCain, once the candidate of tested experience, has become the riskier choice, a man too given to rash moves under pressure.
Obama, whose very newness promised change but also raised doubts, has emerged as the cool and unruffled candidate who moves calmly but steadily forward. However one judges the first debate, it did nothing to block Obama's progress.
Obama, whose very newness promised change but also raised doubts, has emerged as the cool and unruffled candidate who moves calmly but steadily forward. However one judges the first debate, it did nothing to block Obama's progress.
24 September, 2008
McCain hypocrisy on lobyists
The Republican presidential candidate has blamed "the lobbyists, politicians and bureaucrats" for the mortgage crisis that recently prompted the Bush administration to take over both Freddie Mac and its companion, Fannie Mae, and put them under federal conservatorship.
Yet, since 2006, the federally sponsored mortgage giant Freddie Mac has paid at least $345,000 to the lobbying and consulting firm of John McCain's campaign manager Rick Davis, according to two sources familiar with the arrangement.
Davis's lobbying firm, Davis Manafort, based in Washington, D.C., continued to receive $15,000 a month from Freddie Mac until last month—long after the Homeownership Alliance had been terminated.
Yet, since 2006, the federally sponsored mortgage giant Freddie Mac has paid at least $345,000 to the lobbying and consulting firm of John McCain's campaign manager Rick Davis, according to two sources familiar with the arrangement.
Davis's lobbying firm, Davis Manafort, based in Washington, D.C., continued to receive $15,000 a month from Freddie Mac until last month—long after the Homeownership Alliance had been terminated.
22 September, 2008
McCain/Palin vs Obama
TV pundits, most of whom are republicans, ask if the democratic party is right on the issues, how come it is a toss up as to who would win the election if held today?
That is the wrong question. The question should be why is McCain only close since he is a white macho acting man with a beauty queen white woman as his VP?
He should be far ahead given that the country is rampant with racism.
That is the wrong question. The question should be why is McCain only close since he is a white macho acting man with a beauty queen white woman as his VP?
He should be far ahead given that the country is rampant with racism.
republican Bush/McCain/Palin legacy
The military is beleaguered and beaten down after two long and taxing wars. The nation has been disgraced in the eyes of the world. The economy has collapsed. The financial system is broken. Eighty percent of voters believe the nation is on the wrong track.
McCain puts country at risk with Palin
I believe that with the nomination of Sarah Palin for the vice presidency, the silliness of our politics has finally put our nation at risk. The world is growing more complex—and dangerous—with each passing hour, and our position within it growing more precarious.
Should she become president, Palin seems capable of enacting policies so detached from the common interests of humanity, and from empirical reality, as to unite the entire world against us.
When asked why she is qualified to shoulder more responsibility than any person has held in human history, Palin cites her refusal to hesitate. "You can't blink," she told Gibson repeatedly, as though this were a primordial truth of wise governance.
Let us hope that a President Palin would blink, again and again, while more thoughtful people decide the fate of civilization.
Should she become president, Palin seems capable of enacting policies so detached from the common interests of humanity, and from empirical reality, as to unite the entire world against us.
When asked why she is qualified to shoulder more responsibility than any person has held in human history, Palin cites her refusal to hesitate. "You can't blink," she told Gibson repeatedly, as though this were a primordial truth of wise governance.
Let us hope that a President Palin would blink, again and again, while more thoughtful people decide the fate of civilization.
20 September, 2008
these republicans continue to lie
Palin's most obvious lie is one that she has repeated over and over: "I told Congress, 'thanks but no thanks' about that Bridge to Nowhere." Now, however, anyone who has bothered to fact-check this claim knows that Palin supported the bridge until Congress removed the earmark and then she kept the money to use on other state projects.
Palin also presents herself as a "reformer" who can't stand earmarks or the lobbyists who arrange such wasteful pork-barrel spending -- except that she hired Alaska's top Washington lobbyists to secure millions of dollars in earmarks for her town, Wasilla, and for her state, including sending off a wish list of nearly $200 million just this year. Even Karl Rove called them on it.
Palin also presents herself as a "reformer" who can't stand earmarks or the lobbyists who arrange such wasteful pork-barrel spending -- except that she hired Alaska's top Washington lobbyists to secure millions of dollars in earmarks for her town, Wasilla, and for her state, including sending off a wish list of nearly $200 million just this year. Even Karl Rove called them on it.
McCain/Palin try to control the press
This year -- lacking ideas, programs or values -- John McCain and Sarah Palin are running for the White House on an elaborate fictional narrative of victimhood creating the false impression that Democrats and journalists are unfairly attacking Palin serves another purpose as well,
It helps create the impression that legitimate and necessary questions about her record -- such as her one-time support for the Bridge to Nowhere or her history of seeking the congressional earmarks she now claims to reject -- are somehow out of bounds.
It helps create the impression that legitimate and necessary questions about her record -- such as her one-time support for the Bridge to Nowhere or her history of seeking the congressional earmarks she now claims to reject -- are somehow out of bounds.
contrary to McCain lies about Iraq
Satellite images taken at night show heavily Sunni Arab neighborhoods of Baghdad began emptying before a U.S. troop surge in 2007, graphic evidence of ethnic cleansing that preceded a drop in violence, according to a report published on Friday.
The images support the view of international refugee organizations and Iraq experts that a major population shift was a key factor in the decline in sectarian violence, particularly in the Iraqi capital, the epicenter of the bloodletting in which hundreds of thousands were killed.
The surge has had no observable effect, except insofar as it has helped to provide a seal of approval for a process of ethno-sectarian neighborhood homogenization that is now largely achieved.
The images support the view of international refugee organizations and Iraq experts that a major population shift was a key factor in the decline in sectarian violence, particularly in the Iraqi capital, the epicenter of the bloodletting in which hundreds of thousands were killed.
The surge has had no observable effect, except insofar as it has helped to provide a seal of approval for a process of ethno-sectarian neighborhood homogenization that is now largely achieved.
McCain bumbling and misleading(lying)
The Wall Street Journal, known for its conservative editorial board, said McCain had shown he did not understand the financial crisis.
"This assault on Mr. Cox is both false and deeply unfair. It's also unpresidential," it said in an editorial. "In a crisis, voters want steady, calm leadership, not misleading answers that will do nothing to help."
"This assault on Mr. Cox is both false and deeply unfair. It's also unpresidential," it said in an editorial. "In a crisis, voters want steady, calm leadership, not misleading answers that will do nothing to help."
15 September, 2008
republicans in disarray
In the fourth year of his presidency, a Bush who claimed the final word was forced by subordinates to comply with their ruling on the law. Ashcroft, Comey, Goldsmith, Philbin -- believers, one and all, in the "unitary executive branch" -- obliged the commander in chief to stand down.
For the first time, a president claimed in writing that he alone could say what the law was. A rebellion, in direct response, became so potent a threat that Bush reversed himself in a day.
"This is the first time when the president of the United States really wanted something in wartime, and tried to overrule the Department of Justice, and the law held," said Goldsmith, after studying similar conflicts under Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
In the aftermath, the White House senior staff asked questions. Was the president getting timely information and advice? Had he relinquished too much control to Cheney?
For the first time, a president claimed in writing that he alone could say what the law was. A rebellion, in direct response, became so potent a threat that Bush reversed himself in a day.
"This is the first time when the president of the United States really wanted something in wartime, and tried to overrule the Department of Justice, and the law held," said Goldsmith, after studying similar conflicts under Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
In the aftermath, the White House senior staff asked questions. Was the president getting timely information and advice? Had he relinquished too much control to Cheney?
14 September, 2008
this is what you will get with McCain-Palin
Once Elected Governor, Palin hired Friends and Lashed Foes and friends who questioned her.
The Alaskan administration’s e-mail correspondence reveals a siege-like atmosphere. Top aides keep score, demean enemies and gloat over successes. Even some who helped engineer her rise have felt her wrath.
Dan Fagan, a prominent conservative radio host and longtime friend of Ms. Palin, urged his listeners to vote for her in 2006. But when he took her to task for raising taxes on oil companies, he said, he found himself branded a “hater.”
The Alaskan administration’s e-mail correspondence reveals a siege-like atmosphere. Top aides keep score, demean enemies and gloat over successes. Even some who helped engineer her rise have felt her wrath.
Dan Fagan, a prominent conservative radio host and longtime friend of Ms. Palin, urged his listeners to vote for her in 2006. But when he took her to task for raising taxes on oil companies, he said, he found himself branded a “hater.”
the next McCain-Palin white house
While Ms. Palin took office promising a more open government, her administration has battled to keep information secret. Her inner circle discussed the benefit of using private e-mail addresses.
An assistant told her it appeared that such e-mail messages sent to a private address on a “personal device” like a BlackBerry “would be confidential and not subject to subpoena.”
So, Ms. Palin and aides used their private e-mail addresses for state business.
An assistant told her it appeared that such e-mail messages sent to a private address on a “personal device” like a BlackBerry “would be confidential and not subject to subpoena.”
So, Ms. Palin and aides used their private e-mail addresses for state business.
Lies from McCain-Palin
Rick Steiner, a University of Alaska professor, sought the e-mail messages of state scientists who had examined the effect of global warming on polar bears. (Ms. Palin said the scientists had found no ill effects, and she has sued the federal government to block the listing of the bears as endangered.) An administration official told Mr. Steiner that his request would cost $468,784 to process.
When Mr. Steiner finally obtained the e-mail messages — through a federal records request — he discovered that state scientists had in fact agreed that the bears were in danger, records show.
When Mr. Steiner finally obtained the e-mail messages — through a federal records request — he discovered that state scientists had in fact agreed that the bears were in danger, records show.
McCains choice/ Palin
An examination of Palin's swift rise and record as mayor of Wasilla and then governor finds that her visceral style and penchant for attacking critics — she sometimes calls local opponents “haters” — contrasts with her carefully crafted public image.
Throughout her political career, she has pursued vendettas, fired officials who crossed her and sometimes blurred the line between government and personal grievance, according to a review of public records and interviews with 60 Republican and Democratic legislators and local officials.
Throughout her political career, she has pursued vendettas, fired officials who crossed her and sometimes blurred the line between government and personal grievance, according to a review of public records and interviews with 60 Republican and Democratic legislators and local officials.
13 September, 2008
what republicans don't want you to know
A recently leaked draft of an Iraqi-U.S. agreement outlines the long-term status of U.S. forces in Iraq. The agreement legitimizes or legalizes these long-term bases and an indefinite number of U.S. troops that will stay there.
tow-faces McCain
McCain is a master of deceit. He brags about supporting veterans but when you double check, you will see that he voted against healthcare funding for veterans in 2003, '04, '05, '06 and '07. Now veterans are confronting him on his record.
09 September, 2008
McCain Palin's misuse of taxpayers money
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has billed taxpayers for 312 nights spent in her own home during her first 19 months in office, charging a "per diem" allowance intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business.
The governor also has charged the state for travel expenses to take her children on official out-of-town missions. And her husband, Todd, has billed the state for expenses and a daily allowance for trips he makes on official business for his wife.
The governor also has charged the state for travel expenses to take her children on official out-of-town missions. And her husband, Todd, has billed the state for expenses and a daily allowance for trips he makes on official business for his wife.
08 September, 2008
McCain a panderer
McCain once criticized Christian conservatives as agents of intolerance, but he has caved in to their intolerance of a pro-choice running mate.
McCain claims to be devoted to his country, yet he would saddle it with a vice president who is unprepared to serve as commander in chief.
In the same sad way, McCain has caved in to his party's anti-tax fanatics. The man of principle has become a panderer. The straight talker flip-flops.
According to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, Obama's plan would require the richest 1 percent of Americans to sacrifice a modest 1.5percent of their after-tax income in 2012. By contrast, no-sacrifice McCain would award America's elite a 9.5 percent increase.
McCain claims to be devoted to his country, yet he would saddle it with a vice president who is unprepared to serve as commander in chief.
In the same sad way, McCain has caved in to his party's anti-tax fanatics. The man of principle has become a panderer. The straight talker flip-flops.
According to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, Obama's plan would require the richest 1 percent of Americans to sacrifice a modest 1.5percent of their after-tax income in 2012. By contrast, no-sacrifice McCain would award America's elite a 9.5 percent increase.
nore on McCain and taxes
According to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, Obama's plan would require the richest 1 percent of Americans to sacrifice a modest 1.5percent of their after-tax income in 2012. By contrast, no-sacrifice McCain would award America's elite a 9.5 percent increase.
Higher tax rates on the wealthy mean a lower budget deficit. According to the Tax Policy Center, over the course of a decade Obama's plan would result in a national debt $1.2 trillion smaller than you would get under McCain's plan. Less government borrowing ultimately means lower interest rates and more private investment. This positive effect may well outweigh the blow to growth and jobs from weaker work incentives.
During the rest of the Clinton period, the economy generated millions of new jobs, and careful academic postmortems find that the 1993 tax hike caused little to no damage to the incentives of top earners.
Higher tax rates on the wealthy mean a lower budget deficit. According to the Tax Policy Center, over the course of a decade Obama's plan would result in a national debt $1.2 trillion smaller than you would get under McCain's plan. Less government borrowing ultimately means lower interest rates and more private investment. This positive effect may well outweigh the blow to growth and jobs from weaker work incentives.
During the rest of the Clinton period, the economy generated millions of new jobs, and careful academic postmortems find that the 1993 tax hike caused little to no damage to the incentives of top earners.
Obama vs McCain on taxes
Obama is not proposing to raise taxes for most Americans. To the contrary, he would triple the earned-income tax credit for low-wage earners, increasing work incentives at the bottom. He would cut taxes on people in the middle -- indeed, he would do so more aggressively than McCain would. It is only the wealthiest Americans who would face higher tax bills under Obama.
So McCain's swipe at Obama's tax plan was something other than straight talk. As a share of the economy, Obama's plan would create an overall tax burden similar to the one that existed in Ronald Reagan's time. It would not choke off job creation; rather, it would slow the growth of the deficit and soften inequality.
But the really depressing thing is that McCain himself once knew that. He opposed the Bush tax cuts before he supported them, saying that they would deepen inequality. But now he touts a tax reduction that is larger and more radical than even President Bush proposed, and he slams his opponent for holding the view that he himself held until recently.
So McCain's swipe at Obama's tax plan was something other than straight talk. As a share of the economy, Obama's plan would create an overall tax burden similar to the one that existed in Ronald Reagan's time. It would not choke off job creation; rather, it would slow the growth of the deficit and soften inequality.
But the really depressing thing is that McCain himself once knew that. He opposed the Bush tax cuts before he supported them, saying that they would deepen inequality. But now he touts a tax reduction that is larger and more radical than even President Bush proposed, and he slams his opponent for holding the view that he himself held until recently.
07 September, 2008
roots of McCain's Palin
Only 1 percent of the Alaskan land is in private hands, and the economy is dependent on oil and other natural resources controlled by the federal government or Big Oil. As a result, nearly 50 years after statehood, Alaska remains deeply dependent on the federal government for support.
Social ills are rampant. The state's levels of drug abuse, alcoholism, domestic violence and child abuse are above average or among the highest in the country.
To the extent Palin has a governing philosophy, it was shaped by her political mentor, former governor Wally Hickel. The 89-year-old Hickel is a member of the Alaska Independence Party, which espouses, among other things, greater autonomy or even separation from the United States.
Husband Todd Palin is not a member of the party now, but he was registered as an AIP voter at different periods of his life totaling seven years.
Sarah has never been a member but attended a party conference in her hometown of Wasilla.) Hickel advocates an "economy of the commons," which would place the state's vast energy and mineral wealth in the hands of the state government and its citizens.
Social ills are rampant. The state's levels of drug abuse, alcoholism, domestic violence and child abuse are above average or among the highest in the country.
To the extent Palin has a governing philosophy, it was shaped by her political mentor, former governor Wally Hickel. The 89-year-old Hickel is a member of the Alaska Independence Party, which espouses, among other things, greater autonomy or even separation from the United States.
Husband Todd Palin is not a member of the party now, but he was registered as an AIP voter at different periods of his life totaling seven years.
Sarah has never been a member but attended a party conference in her hometown of Wasilla.) Hickel advocates an "economy of the commons," which would place the state's vast energy and mineral wealth in the hands of the state government and its citizens.
06 September, 2008
The real Palin, McCain"s choice
Her experience is as mayor of a city with a population of about 5,000 (at the time), and less than 2 years as governor of a state with about 670,000 residents. During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had given rise to a recall campaign.
The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration weren’t enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed money was needed, too.
She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it
with indebtedness of over $22 million. She’s not very tolerant of divergent opinions or open to outside ideasor compromise. As Mayor, she fought ideas that weren’t generated by her or her staff. Ideas weren’t evaluated on their merits, but on the basis of who proposed them.
Under investigation for abuse of power, she has had to admit that more than 2 dozen contacts were made between her staff and family to the person that she later fired, pressuring him to fire her ex-brother-in-law. She tried to replace the man she fired with a man who she knew had been reprimanded for sexual harassment; when this caused a public furor, she withdrew her support.
As Mayor, she had her hand stuck out as far as anyone for pork from
Senator Ted Stevens. Lately, she has castigated his pork-barrel politics and publicly humiliated him. She only opposed the “bridge to nowhere” after it became clear that it would be unwise not to.
The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration weren’t enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed money was needed, too.
She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it
with indebtedness of over $22 million. She’s not very tolerant of divergent opinions or open to outside ideasor compromise. As Mayor, she fought ideas that weren’t generated by her or her staff. Ideas weren’t evaluated on their merits, but on the basis of who proposed them.
Under investigation for abuse of power, she has had to admit that more than 2 dozen contacts were made between her staff and family to the person that she later fired, pressuring him to fire her ex-brother-in-law. She tried to replace the man she fired with a man who she knew had been reprimanded for sexual harassment; when this caused a public furor, she withdrew her support.
As Mayor, she had her hand stuck out as far as anyone for pork from
Senator Ted Stevens. Lately, she has castigated his pork-barrel politics and publicly humiliated him. She only opposed the “bridge to nowhere” after it became clear that it would be unwise not to.
McCain Palin, troopergate
Key Alaska allies of John McCain are trying to derail a politically charged investigation into Gov. Sarah Palin's firing of her public safety commissioner in order to prevent a so-called "October surprise" that would produce embarrassing information about the vice presidential candidate on the eve of the election.
Palin abused her power by embroiling the governor's office in a bitter family feud involving her ex-brother in law, a state trooper named Mike Wooten. Specifically, the council is investigating whether
Palin fired Monegan when he refused to dismiss Wooten (who at the time was involved in an ugly custody battle with Palin's sister) after getting repeated complaints about him from the governor and her husband, Todd Palin.
One major reason the probe is so sensitive is that it raises the prospect that Governor Palin's credibility could be called into a question in a major state probe on the eve of the election.
When the "troopergate" story broke over the summer, Palin adamantly denied that anybody in her administration exerted any pressure on Monegan to fire Wooten. But only weeks later, a tape recording surfaced that indicates otherwise.
Palin abused her power by embroiling the governor's office in a bitter family feud involving her ex-brother in law, a state trooper named Mike Wooten. Specifically, the council is investigating whether
Palin fired Monegan when he refused to dismiss Wooten (who at the time was involved in an ugly custody battle with Palin's sister) after getting repeated complaints about him from the governor and her husband, Todd Palin.
One major reason the probe is so sensitive is that it raises the prospect that Governor Palin's credibility could be called into a question in a major state probe on the eve of the election.
When the "troopergate" story broke over the summer, Palin adamantly denied that anybody in her administration exerted any pressure on Monegan to fire Wooten. But only weeks later, a tape recording surfaced that indicates otherwise.
04 September, 2008
McCain flipflop with Palin
McCain has stated repeatedly that the most important criterion he was using in choosing a vice president was the capacity to be a highly qualified president on day one if necessary.
Even many Republicans believe it irresponsible of McCain, now 72, to put someone so lacking in familiarity with Washington (and the world beyond America) a heartbeat from the presidency.
At least governors who have run for president have studied national and global problems for a couple of years. Palin has not.
Moreover, Palin's credentials as a reformer were tarnished by reports that he she had favored the inexcusable "Bridge to Nowhere" before she opposed it.
As mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, had hired a Washington lobbyist to obtain $27 million in federal aid for her town of less than 9,000, not including an expensive passageway from Wasilla to Sen. Ted Stevens's country home nearby, which makes her an insider with Stevens, who is currently under indictment.
Even many Republicans believe it irresponsible of McCain, now 72, to put someone so lacking in familiarity with Washington (and the world beyond America) a heartbeat from the presidency.
At least governors who have run for president have studied national and global problems for a couple of years. Palin has not.
Moreover, Palin's credentials as a reformer were tarnished by reports that he she had favored the inexcusable "Bridge to Nowhere" before she opposed it.
As mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, had hired a Washington lobbyist to obtain $27 million in federal aid for her town of less than 9,000, not including an expensive passageway from Wasilla to Sen. Ted Stevens's country home nearby, which makes her an insider with Stevens, who is currently under indictment.
03 September, 2008
McCain's rush to judgment re Palin for VP
Frank Bailey, a member of Palin's administration, was caught on tape in August 2008 on a phone call with another trooper in which he questioned why Wooten was still on staff, seemingly speaking on behalf of Palin.
The release of this tape proved embarrassing for Palin, who was forced to backtrack on her earlier statements, in which she had maintained neither she, nor her family, nor staff, ever pressured Monegan or anyone else to fire Wooten. BACKTRACK? A nice way of saying she originally lied and was caught in it.
The release of this tape proved embarrassing for Palin, who was forced to backtrack on her earlier statements, in which she had maintained neither she, nor her family, nor staff, ever pressured Monegan or anyone else to fire Wooten. BACKTRACK? A nice way of saying she originally lied and was caught in it.
McCain judgment re pandering
The actuarial tables on the Social Security Administration website suggest that there is a better than 10% chance that McCain will die during his first term in office. Needless to say, the Reaper's scything only grows more insistent thereafter.
Should a President McCain survive his first term and get elected to a second, there is a 27% chance that Palin will become the first female U.S. president by 2015. If we take into account McCain's medical history and the pressures of the presidency, the odds probably increase considerably.
He is just pandering to the republican right wing and trying to appeal to women who supported Hillary Clinton.
Should a President McCain survive his first term and get elected to a second, there is a 27% chance that Palin will become the first female U.S. president by 2015. If we take into account McCain's medical history and the pressures of the presidency, the odds probably increase considerably.
He is just pandering to the republican right wing and trying to appeal to women who supported Hillary Clinton.
McCain judgment re Palin
Sarah Palin is simply not qualified to be a heartbeat away from the presidency, especially when that heart beats in the chest of a man who would be the oldest president ever elected to a first term.
If you held Palin's political résumé up to the light, you could see right through it. Mayor of a small town, followed by less than two years as governor of a state with the fourth-smallest population in the country. That's the person who is qualified to take over as the leader of the free world?
If you held Palin's political résumé up to the light, you could see right through it. Mayor of a small town, followed by less than two years as governor of a state with the fourth-smallest population in the country. That's the person who is qualified to take over as the leader of the free world?
more on McCain's Palin pic
Nothing adequately explains why McCain would allow Palin to wait until the start of the convention to drop the news. This was supposed to be her moment, the debut of a fresh breeze to revive a perceptibly dispirited Republican base.
And before she even got warmed up, she became the object of gossip and bad jokes -- will she use her moose rifle or shotgun to encourage a reluctant son-in-law to the altar?
No one can be certain how another potential Palin scandal will play out. She's highly touted for her ethics, but is accused of firing an Alaskan public safety commissioner for not firing her sister's ex-husband.
Another state trooper, the step-father of Palin's nephew, is under investigation for using a taser on the boy.
And before she even got warmed up, she became the object of gossip and bad jokes -- will she use her moose rifle or shotgun to encourage a reluctant son-in-law to the altar?
No one can be certain how another potential Palin scandal will play out. She's highly touted for her ethics, but is accused of firing an Alaskan public safety commissioner for not firing her sister's ex-husband.
Another state trooper, the step-father of Palin's nephew, is under investigation for using a taser on the boy.
republican McCain's judgment on Palin pic
read today: So John McCain, You're 72 now, a cancer survivor and a presidential candidate who has said that the most important criterion for picking a vice president is whether he or she could immediately step in if something happened to the president.
Your campaign against Barack Obama is based on the simple idea that he is unready to be president. So you've picked a running mate who a year and a half ago was the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, a town of about 7,000 people.
You've selected a potential leader of the free world who knows little or nothing about the major issues of the day beyond energy. Oh, and she's being probed in her state for abuse of power.
Your campaign against Barack Obama is based on the simple idea that he is unready to be president. So you've picked a running mate who a year and a half ago was the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, a town of about 7,000 people.
You've selected a potential leader of the free world who knows little or nothing about the major issues of the day beyond energy. Oh, and she's being probed in her state for abuse of power.
another republican lie on Palin
Last weekend, two campaign officials told The Washington Post that the background investigation of the finalists included an FBI check of any possible ongoing criminal investigations. That information was "incorrect." In other words it was a lie.
republicans now correcting lies about Palin
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was not subjected to a lengthy in-person background interview with the head of Sen. John McCain's vice presidential vetting team until last Wednesday in Arizona, the day before McCain asked her to be his running mate, and she did not disclose the fact that her 17-year-old daughter was pregnant until that meeting, two knowledgeable McCain officials acknowledged Tuesday.
"republican" Lieberman lies again
Lieberman issued the attack almost as an aside as he praised Sen. John McCain's approach to the war in Iraq.Republicans have made similar charges in the past, such as when McCain himself said on Aug. 11, 2008, that Obama "tried to prevent funding for the troops who carried out the surge." We evaluated that claim here.
To support the charge, the McCain campaign has cited Obama's vote of May 24, 2007, against an appropriations bill that included funding for the military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan (and passed, 80-14). So was that a vote "to cut off funding for our American troops on the battlefield"? No
Obama was fighting at the time for a requirement that President Bush begin to bring the troops home from Iraq. The bill in question did not include such a requirement, and that is why Obama voted against it. Obama said at the time that he wanted to fund the troops, he just didn't want to fund the particular military strategy that the bill would enable.
"We must fund our troops," Obama said at the time. "But we owe them something more. We owe them a clear, prudent plan to relieve them of the burden of policing someone else's civil war."Clearly Obama wanted to provide funding for the troops -- just not the president's military strategy.
If, by voting against funding for a strategy he opposed, Obama voted to "cut off funding for the troops," then so did almost every Republican in the Senate -- and Lieberman himself -- when they voted against a $124-billion appropriations bill on April 26, 2007, that would have funded operations in Iraq and Afghanistan but also required Bush to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq. (McCain missed the vote on that bill, which passed 51-46 and was subsequently vetoed by Bush.)
To support the charge, the McCain campaign has cited Obama's vote of May 24, 2007, against an appropriations bill that included funding for the military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan (and passed, 80-14). So was that a vote "to cut off funding for our American troops on the battlefield"? No
Obama was fighting at the time for a requirement that President Bush begin to bring the troops home from Iraq. The bill in question did not include such a requirement, and that is why Obama voted against it. Obama said at the time that he wanted to fund the troops, he just didn't want to fund the particular military strategy that the bill would enable.
"We must fund our troops," Obama said at the time. "But we owe them something more. We owe them a clear, prudent plan to relieve them of the burden of policing someone else's civil war."Clearly Obama wanted to provide funding for the troops -- just not the president's military strategy.
If, by voting against funding for a strategy he opposed, Obama voted to "cut off funding for the troops," then so did almost every Republican in the Senate -- and Lieberman himself -- when they voted against a $124-billion appropriations bill on April 26, 2007, that would have funded operations in Iraq and Afghanistan but also required Bush to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq. (McCain missed the vote on that bill, which passed 51-46 and was subsequently vetoed by Bush.)
02 September, 2008
McCain photo op
Unlike McCain, who leapt at a chance before the cameras, Barack Obama didn't rush to the Gulf for a photo-op, he called Gov Jindal and asked how he could help. Jindal asked him to promote the evacuation orders so Obama "conducted telephone interviews with four New Orleans television stations and one radio station" asking people to heed Jindal's warnings. Obama didn't stage a telethon for the TV, he quietly emailed his hundreds of thousands of supporters and asked them to donate to the Red Cross for the relief efforts.
republicans blame bloggers
Republicans are blaming "liberal" bloggers for "all the fuss" about Palin. Of course,that is stupid. SHe is what she is.
McCain's bad judgment on Palin
In introducing Palin as his running mate on Friday, Sen. John McCain cast her as a compatriot in his battle against wasteful federal spending.
Sarah Palin employed a lobbying firm to secure almost $27 million in federal earmarks for a town of 6,700 residents while she was its mayor, according to an analysis by an independent government watchdog group.
Sarah Palin employed a lobbying firm to secure almost $27 million in federal earmarks for a town of 6,700 residents while she was its mayor, according to an analysis by an independent government watchdog group.
McCain rush to judgment on Palin
Shortly after Palin was named to the ticket, McCain's campaign dispatched a team of a dozen communications operatives and lawyers to Alaska. That fueled speculation that a comprehensive examination of Palin's record and past was incomplete and being done only after she was placed on the ticket
republicans tried to hide pregnancy
Nicolle Wallace, a senior McCain adviser, told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Tuesday that Palin disclosed her daughter's pregnancy and that the McCain campaign had been forced to reveal the pregnancy publicly Monday because of "lewd and outrageously false rumors. SO, APPARENTLY THEY TRIED TO HIDE IT.
Liebermans not happy with repubicans
When the Democratic Party picked Ned Lamont over Joe Lieberman, the Connecticut senator's wife felt “hurt.” Soon after, she changed her registration from Democrat to Independent, which is what she was before marrying Lieberman.
Earlier today, she spoke at a Republican Jewish Coalition luncheon. But Hadassah Lieberman is quick to tell you she's not there necessarily to support the Republican Party.
“I really don't know what I plan to do,” she said when asked if she will now be working with the Republican Jewish Coalition and not the National Jewish Democratic Council.
Earlier today, she spoke at a Republican Jewish Coalition luncheon. But Hadassah Lieberman is quick to tell you she's not there necessarily to support the Republican Party.
“I really don't know what I plan to do,” she said when asked if she will now be working with the Republican Jewish Coalition and not the National Jewish Democratic Council.
more on McCain/Palin
With time running out — and as Mr. McCain discarded two safer choices, Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, as too predictable — he turned to Ms. Palin. He had his first face-to-face interview with her on Thursday and offered her the job moments later.
“They didn’t seriously consider her until four or five days from the time she was picked, before she was asked, maybe the Thursday or Friday before,” said a Republican close to the campaign. “This was really kind of rushed at the end, because John didn’t get what he wanted. He wanted to do Joe or Ridge.”
It was peculiar that no one in the state had the slightest hint that Ms. Palin might be under consideration. “They didn’t speak to anyone in the Legislature, they didn’t speak to anyone in the business community,” said Lyda Green, the State Senate president, who lives in Wasilla, where Ms. Palin served as mayor.
“I started calling around and asking, and I have not been able to find one person that was called,” Ms. Phillips said. “I called 30 to 40 people, political leaders, business leaders, community leaders. Not one of them had heard. Alaska is a very small community, we know people all over, but I haven’t found anybody who was asked anything.”
“They didn’t seriously consider her until four or five days from the time she was picked, before she was asked, maybe the Thursday or Friday before,” said a Republican close to the campaign. “This was really kind of rushed at the end, because John didn’t get what he wanted. He wanted to do Joe or Ridge.”
It was peculiar that no one in the state had the slightest hint that Ms. Palin might be under consideration. “They didn’t speak to anyone in the Legislature, they didn’t speak to anyone in the business community,” said Lyda Green, the State Senate president, who lives in Wasilla, where Ms. Palin served as mayor.
“I started calling around and asking, and I have not been able to find one person that was called,” Ms. Phillips said. “I called 30 to 40 people, political leaders, business leaders, community leaders. Not one of them had heard. Alaska is a very small community, we know people all over, but I haven’t found anybody who was asked anything.”
McCain, captive of the right wing
Up until midweek last week, some 48 to 72 hours before Mr. McCain introduced Ms. Palin at a Friday rally in Dayton, Ohio, Mr. McCain was still holding out the hope that he could name as his running mate a good friend, Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, independent of Connecticut, a Republican close to the campaign said. Mr. McCain had also been interested in another favorite, former Gov. Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania.
But both men favor abortion rights, anathema to the Christian conservatives who make up a crucial base of the Republican Party. As word leaked out that Mr. McCain was seriously considering the men, the campaign was bombarded by outrage from influential conservatives who predicted an explosive floor fight at the convention and vowed rejection of Mr. Ridge or Mr. Lieberman by the delegates.
But both men favor abortion rights, anathema to the Christian conservatives who make up a crucial base of the Republican Party. As word leaked out that Mr. McCain was seriously considering the men, the campaign was bombarded by outrage from influential conservatives who predicted an explosive floor fight at the convention and vowed rejection of Mr. Ridge or Mr. Lieberman by the delegates.
republican VP Palin
Read today: Bristol, daughter of Palin, is five months pregnant. Among other less attention-grabbing news of the day: it was learned that Ms. Palin now has a private lawyer in a legislative ethics investigation in Alaska into whether she abused her power in dismissing the state’s public safety commissioner.
Also, she was a member in the 1990s of the Alaska Independence Party, which has at times sought a vote on whether the state should secede; and that Mr. Palin was arrested 22 years ago on a drunken-driving charge.
Also, she was a member in the 1990s of the Alaska Independence Party, which has at times sought a vote on whether the state should secede; and that Mr. Palin was arrested 22 years ago on a drunken-driving charge.
01 September, 2008
republican Palin not honest
It garnered big applause in her first speech as Republican John McCain's vice presidential pick, but Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's assertion that she rejected Congressional funds for the so-called "bridge to nowhere" has upset many Alaskans.
When she was running for governor in 2006, Palin said she was insulted by the term "bridge to nowhere," according to Ketchikan Mayor Bob Weinstein, a Democrat, and Mike Elerding, a Republican who was Palin's campaign coordinator in the southeast Alaska city.
"People are learning that she pandered to us by saying, I'm for this' ... and then when she found it was politically advantageous for her nationally, abruptly she starts using the very term that she said was insulting," Weinstein said.
When she was running for governor in 2006, Palin said she was insulted by the term "bridge to nowhere," according to Ketchikan Mayor Bob Weinstein, a Democrat, and Mike Elerding, a Republican who was Palin's campaign coordinator in the southeast Alaska city.
"People are learning that she pandered to us by saying, I'm for this' ... and then when she found it was politically advantageous for her nationally, abruptly she starts using the very term that she said was insulting," Weinstein said.
31 August, 2008
republican bigwigs make millions with "war on terror"
Since the start of the "war on terrorism", the "firm" - unofficially valued at $13.5bn - has taken on an added significance.
The Carlyle Group has become the thread which indirectly links American military policy in Afghanistan to the personal financial fortunes of its celebrity employees, not least the current president's father, George Bush Sr.
And, until earlier this month, Carlyle provided another curious link to the Afghan crisis: among the firm's multi-million-dollar investors were members of the family of Osama bin Laden
The Carlyle Group has become the thread which indirectly links American military policy in Afghanistan to the personal financial fortunes of its celebrity employees, not least the current president's father, George Bush Sr.
And, until earlier this month, Carlyle provided another curious link to the Afghan crisis: among the firm's multi-million-dollar investors were members of the family of Osama bin Laden
republican economics
Under the republicans, the typical American got nothing out of the last economic expansion. Adjusted for inflation, the median wage is lower than it was in 2000, and jobs are less secure.
McCain's pick of Palin
Lawmakers in Alaska will hire someone within a week to investigate whether Governor Sarah Palin abused her power in firing Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan. The legislative council approved 100,000 dollars for the investigation that will find out whether Palin was angry at Monegan for not firing an Alaska State Trooper who went through a messy divorce with Palin's sister.
On Monday afternoon, the Joint Legislative Council, filled with Republicans and Democrats, voted 12 to 0 to formally call for an investigation against Governor Palin in a manner—that they are stressing—will be unbiased and done in a timely fashion.
Legislators approved hiring a special investigator to look into the controversial firing of former Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan.
Monegan was fired two weeks ago without explanation and has said he was pressured by the governor and her staff to fire a trooper who was once married to Palin's sister.
On Monday afternoon, the Joint Legislative Council, filled with Republicans and Democrats, voted 12 to 0 to formally call for an investigation against Governor Palin in a manner—that they are stressing—will be unbiased and done in a timely fashion.
Legislators approved hiring a special investigator to look into the controversial firing of former Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan.
Monegan was fired two weeks ago without explanation and has said he was pressured by the governor and her staff to fire a trooper who was once married to Palin's sister.
24 August, 2008
surge was for reconcilliation by Iraquis
Out of the more than 151,000 families who had fled their houses in Baghdad, just 7,112 had returned to them by mid-July, according to the Iraqi Ministry of Migration. Many of the displaced remain in Baghdad.
McCain on social security
McCain unambiguously called Social Security "an absolute disgrace." This is not a quote taken out of context. John McCain called one of the most successful and popular government programs, which uses the tax revenues of current workers to support retirement benefits for the elderly "an absolute disgrace."
This is shocking -- and if uttered from Obama's mouth would dominate the news coverage and the Sunday shows, as pundits would speculate about the massive damage the statement would cause him among retirees in Florida.
This is shocking -- and if uttered from Obama's mouth would dominate the news coverage and the Sunday shows, as pundits would speculate about the massive damage the statement would cause him among retirees in Florida.
19 August, 2008
McCain's ignore kin
read today---NPR reports that, despite what she says, Cindy McCain is not an only child. Turns out Cindy's dad, beer distributor Jim Hensley, had a daughter named Kathleen with his first wife, before he met and married Cindy's Mom.
But not only does Cindy routinely deny the woman's existence, multimillionaire Daddy Dearest gave his first child only $10,000 and a few bucks for college tuition, but no share of his vast estate. And Cindy has never rectified the slight.
Imagine how devastating it must be for Kathleen and her son to hear Cindy say last month, ""I'm an only child. My father was a cowboy, and he really loved me very much, but I think he wanted a son occasionally."
As Cindy lays her head on one of the many pillows on the many beds in one of the eight homes she shares with husband John, does she ever ponder how unfair it is to deny your own kin?
Or does she simply forget about Kathleen in the same way she ignored John's first wife -- the one he was married to when he met Cindy?
John Edwards certainly gives adultery a bad name. But John and Cindy have found a way to give marriage a bad name, too.
But not only does Cindy routinely deny the woman's existence, multimillionaire Daddy Dearest gave his first child only $10,000 and a few bucks for college tuition, but no share of his vast estate. And Cindy has never rectified the slight.
Imagine how devastating it must be for Kathleen and her son to hear Cindy say last month, ""I'm an only child. My father was a cowboy, and he really loved me very much, but I think he wanted a son occasionally."
As Cindy lays her head on one of the many pillows on the many beds in one of the eight homes she shares with husband John, does she ever ponder how unfair it is to deny your own kin?
Or does she simply forget about Kathleen in the same way she ignored John's first wife -- the one he was married to when he met Cindy?
John Edwards certainly gives adultery a bad name. But John and Cindy have found a way to give marriage a bad name, too.
McCain affairs
read today---The most relevant question is - if John Edwards' political career is done, why isn't John McCain's?
John McCain had a well-documented affair on his first wife, with his current wife. He has admitted in the books he has written about his life, that he ran around with several different women while still married to his first wife.
And don't forget that he left her for a younger, richer woman - multi-millionaire Cindy Hensley who is now Cindy McCain - after his first wife had been severely hurt in a car accident. (and he claims the high moral ground?)
John McCain had a well-documented affair on his first wife, with his current wife. He has admitted in the books he has written about his life, that he ran around with several different women while still married to his first wife.
And don't forget that he left her for a younger, richer woman - multi-millionaire Cindy Hensley who is now Cindy McCain - after his first wife had been severely hurt in a car accident. (and he claims the high moral ground?)
McCain
McCain has become "a pale, diminished shadow" of his former self, so desperate to win the election that he has sacrificed "his deepest principles and his personal honor" and allowed "men he once despised . . . to manipulate him."
07 August, 2008
McCain
This Friday will mark the four-month anniversary of the last time McCain actually cast a vote in the Senate. Since April 8, he's missed 103 consecutive floor votes, including several on energy-related issues. That's a remarkable streak, even for a presidential candidate.
02 July, 2008
US torture came from China
The military trainers who came to Guantánamo Bay in December 2002 based an entire interrogation class on a chart showing the effects of “coercive management techniques” for possible use on prisoners, including “sleep deprivation,” “prolonged constraint,” and “exposure.”
Their chart had been copied verbatim from a 1957 Air Force study of Chinese Communist techniques used during the Korean War to obtain confessions, many of them false, from American prisoners.
The recycled chart is the latest and most vivid evidence of the way Communist interrogation methods that the United States long described as torture became the basis for interrogations both by the military at the base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and by the Central Intelligence Agency.
Their chart had been copied verbatim from a 1957 Air Force study of Chinese Communist techniques used during the Korean War to obtain confessions, many of them false, from American prisoners.
The recycled chart is the latest and most vivid evidence of the way Communist interrogation methods that the United States long described as torture became the basis for interrogations both by the military at the base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and by the Central Intelligence Agency.
29 June, 2008
wealthy and the suburbs
The most wealthy are still more likely to vote for GOP candidates, particularly in red states, where it is the rich, not the working class, who are most reliably Republican. Affluent suburbs that were once solidly Republican have edged toward a split or turned Democratic, threatening to put big states out of the GOP's reach for good.
McCain is wrong again on Iran
McCain's argument that talking to Iran would only embolden it ignores the fact that 7 1/2 years of refusing to do so have left Iran stronger and closer to a nuclear bomb.
republicans already attacking Iran
Funding for the covert escalation, for which Bush requested up to $400 million, was approved by congressional leaders, according to the article, citing current and former military, intelligence and congressional sources.
Clandestine operations against Iran are not new. U.S. Special Operations Forces have been conducting crossborder operations from southern Iraq since last year, the article said.
These have included seizing members of Al Quds, the commando arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, and taking them to Iraq for interrogation, and the pursuit of "high-value targets" in Bush's war on terrorism, who may be captured or killed, according to the article.
But the scale and the scope of the operations in Iran, which include the Central Intelligence Agency, have now been significantly expanded, the article said, citing current and former officials.
Clandestine operations against Iran are not new. U.S. Special Operations Forces have been conducting crossborder operations from southern Iraq since last year, the article said.
These have included seizing members of Al Quds, the commando arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, and taking them to Iraq for interrogation, and the pursuit of "high-value targets" in Bush's war on terrorism, who may be captured or killed, according to the article.
But the scale and the scope of the operations in Iran, which include the Central Intelligence Agency, have now been significantly expanded, the article said, citing current and former officials.
24 June, 2008
republicans play fear card
A top adviser to Sen. John McCain, Charles Black, injected the fear of terrorism into the campaign, by stating that a terrorist attack in the United States would be a political benefit to the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
John McCain's campaign has been determined to have a debate about terrorism which polls have shown to be the only issue where he has any meaningful edge over Barack Obama. It was deliberate.
Black, who has drawn criticism for his long lobbying career and his representation of controversial foreign governments. McCain has been criticized for surrounding himself with top advisers who were lobbyists. This guy is still a chief advisor to McCain which means that they meant to play the fear card.
John McCain's campaign has been determined to have a debate about terrorism which polls have shown to be the only issue where he has any meaningful edge over Barack Obama. It was deliberate.
Black, who has drawn criticism for his long lobbying career and his representation of controversial foreign governments. McCain has been criticized for surrounding himself with top advisers who were lobbyists. This guy is still a chief advisor to McCain which means that they meant to play the fear card.
McCain, up and personal
read today:
McCain is a self-centred womaniser who effectively abandoned his crippled [first] wife. In recent months I've also read that McCain snubbed the Vietnamese peasant who saved his life and is rude to his (second) wife in public
McCain is a self-centred womaniser who effectively abandoned his crippled [first] wife. In recent months I've also read that McCain snubbed the Vietnamese peasant who saved his life and is rude to his (second) wife in public
McCain flipflops
McCain has either reversed himself or significantly amended his positions on immigration, tax cuts for the wealthy, campaign spending (as it applies to use of his wife's corporate airplane) and, most recently, offshore drilling.
In the more distant past, he has denounced then embraced certain ministers of medieval views and changed his mind about the Confederate flag, which flies by state sanction in South Carolina only, I suspect, to provide Republican candidates with a chance to choose tradition over common decency.
In the more distant past, he has denounced then embraced certain ministers of medieval views and changed his mind about the Confederate flag, which flies by state sanction in South Carolina only, I suspect, to provide Republican candidates with a chance to choose tradition over common decency.
22 June, 2008
Republican Family Values
read today:
On one of Cindy McCain's visits to Washinton, McCain proposed over drinks. They had "known" each other less than a year, but Cindy accepted immediately. He was 41 she was 24.
First, McCain had to deal with his current marriage. He had met his then current wife, a former fashion model, before he went to Vietnam. They had two sons from an earlier marriage and together they'd had a daughter. In 1969, while McCain was a POW, Shepp was nearly killed in a car accident. The wreck left her with permanent injuries.
His first wife now says, "The marriage soured because of John turning 40 and wanting to be 25 again,
On one of Cindy McCain's visits to Washinton, McCain proposed over drinks. They had "known" each other less than a year, but Cindy accepted immediately. He was 41 she was 24.
First, McCain had to deal with his current marriage. He had met his then current wife, a former fashion model, before he went to Vietnam. They had two sons from an earlier marriage and together they'd had a daughter. In 1969, while McCain was a POW, Shepp was nearly killed in a car accident. The wreck left her with permanent injuries.
His first wife now says, "The marriage soured because of John turning 40 and wanting to be 25 again,
21 June, 2008
McCain lying again, check it out
One of many examples of McCain lying:
McCain put out a statement declaring that in his quarter-century congressional career, he “has never violated the public trust, never done favors for special interests or lobbyists.” But that simply isn’t true. On example of why that is NOT TRUE:
McCain helped one of his early financial backers, wheeler-dealer Charles Keating, frustrate oversight from federal banking regulators who were examining Keating’s Lincoln Savings and Loan Association.
At Keating's urging, McCain wrote letters, introduced bills and pushed a Keating associate for a job on a banking regulatory board. In 1987, McCain joined several other senators in two private meetings with federal banking regulators on Keating’s behalf.
Two years later, Lincoln collapsed, costing the U.S. taxpayers $3.4 billion. Keating eventually went to prison and three other senators from the so-called Keating Five saw their political careers ruined.
McCain drew a Senate reprimand for his involvement.
McCain put out a statement declaring that in his quarter-century congressional career, he “has never violated the public trust, never done favors for special interests or lobbyists.” But that simply isn’t true. On example of why that is NOT TRUE:
McCain helped one of his early financial backers, wheeler-dealer Charles Keating, frustrate oversight from federal banking regulators who were examining Keating’s Lincoln Savings and Loan Association.
At Keating's urging, McCain wrote letters, introduced bills and pushed a Keating associate for a job on a banking regulatory board. In 1987, McCain joined several other senators in two private meetings with federal banking regulators on Keating’s behalf.
Two years later, Lincoln collapsed, costing the U.S. taxpayers $3.4 billion. Keating eventually went to prison and three other senators from the so-called Keating Five saw their political careers ruined.
McCain drew a Senate reprimand for his involvement.
McCain, a say anthing flip-flopper
While George W. Bush may be unpopular as an individual, fear and hatred in this country have never gone out of style. McCain now favors making the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy permanent. With his new found opposition to his own attempts to reform immigration policy and campaign finance, McCain is perhaps the first candidate in history to stump against two bills bearing his own name.
Democrats for veterans
In a very rare reversal of opinion, the Republican administration withdrew its long-held objections to a new GI Bill that would fully fund the cost of a public college education for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.
The bill, pushed by Democrats, includes the entire World War II-style GI Bill that IAVA has been championing for over a year. The final bill will also allow service members who stay in the military to transfer their education benefits to their spouses and children.
This is another great step toward providing our veterans with the benefits they have earned.
The bill, pushed by Democrats, includes the entire World War II-style GI Bill that IAVA has been championing for over a year. The final bill will also allow service members who stay in the military to transfer their education benefits to their spouses and children.
This is another great step toward providing our veterans with the benefits they have earned.
McCain?
Read today: Who is this guy McCain? Well, he graduated 894th in his class of 899. He was a wrestler his teammates called McNasty!
Watch for him and his right winger backers to spread fear and racism, They made the word swiftboating their campaign. That is the republican way since it worked before.
His only redeeming feature is that he was a POW in Vietnam having been born into privilege just like the George Bush's.
Watch for him and his right winger backers to spread fear and racism, They made the word swiftboating their campaign. That is the republican way since it worked before.
His only redeeming feature is that he was a POW in Vietnam having been born into privilege just like the George Bush's.
11 June, 2008
republicans for big oil profits
Senate Republicans yesterday blocked a proposal to tax the windfall profits of the nation's biggest oil companies and eliminate some of the firms' tax breaks. The bill would have used the revenue to create an Energy Independence and Security Trust Fund, tasked with reducing U.S. dependence on foreign and "unsustainable" energy sources and reducing the risks of global warming.
The bill also would have instructed the Justice Department to pursue members of OPEC for alleged price fixing and required oil traders to put up more cash on futures exchanges to address speculation, which many observers believe is contributing to the unprecedented run-up in world crude oil prices.
The bill also would have instructed the Justice Department to pursue members of OPEC for alleged price fixing and required oil traders to put up more cash on futures exchanges to address speculation, which many observers believe is contributing to the unprecedented run-up in world crude oil prices.
republicans want 60 year Iraq war
High-level negotiations over the future role of the U.S. military in Iraq have turned into an increasingly acrimonious public debate, with Iraqi politicians denouncing what they say are U.S. demands to maintain nearly 60 bases in their country indefinitely.
"The Americans are making demands that would lead to the colonization of Iraq," said Sami al-Askari, a senior Shiite politician on parliament's foreign relations committee who is close to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. "If we can't reach a fair agreement, many people think we should say, 'Goodbye, U.S. troops. We don't need you here anymore.' "
"The Americans are making demands that would lead to the colonization of Iraq," said Sami al-Askari, a senior Shiite politician on parliament's foreign relations committee who is close to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. "If we can't reach a fair agreement, many people think we should say, 'Goodbye, U.S. troops. We don't need you here anymore.' "
09 June, 2008
why McCain is unelectable
McCain is unelectable as he supports an unpopular war and is tied by supporting Bush's economic polices to the economy. And then the endless lying, like telling people in New Orleans that he had voted for every Katrina bill, which is true except for ALL OF THEM! He just looked at those people and lied to them. He is unelectable.
29 May, 2008
a nice way of saying republicans lied about iraq
In hindsight, McClellan views the war as a mistake by a president swept up by his own propaganda and a grand plan of seeding democracy in the Middle East by overturning Saddam Hussein's regime.
McClellan says Bush and his aides became so wrapped up in trying to shape the story to their political advantage that they ignored facts that didn't fit the picture. He blames it on a "permanent campaign culture" that pervades Washington.
McClellan says Bush and his aides became so wrapped up in trying to shape the story to their political advantage that they ignored facts that didn't fit the picture. He blames it on a "permanent campaign culture" that pervades Washington.
republican chickens home to roost
McClellan recalled a day in April 2006, when the unfolding perjury case against Libby revealed that the president had secretly declassified portions of a 2002 intelligence report about Iraq's weapons capabilities to help his aides deflect criticism that his case for war was weak. Some of the most high-profile criticism was coming from Plame's husband, former ambassador Joseph Wilson.
The president was leaving an event in North Carolina, McClellan recalled, and as they walked to Air Force One a reporter yelled out a question: Had the president, who had repeatedly condemned the selective release of secret intelligence information, enabled Scooter Libby to leak classified information to The New York Times to bolster the administration's arguments for war?
McClellan took the question to the president, telling Bush: "He's saying you yourself were the one that authorized the leaking of this information."
"And he said, 'Yeah, I did.' And I was kind of taken aback," McClellan said.
"For me I came to the decision that at that point I needed to look for a way to move on, because it had undermined, I think, a lot of what we had said."
The president was leaving an event in North Carolina, McClellan recalled, and as they walked to Air Force One a reporter yelled out a question: Had the president, who had repeatedly condemned the selective release of secret intelligence information, enabled Scooter Libby to leak classified information to The New York Times to bolster the administration's arguments for war?
McClellan took the question to the president, telling Bush: "He's saying you yourself were the one that authorized the leaking of this information."
"And he said, 'Yeah, I did.' And I was kind of taken aback," McClellan said.
"For me I came to the decision that at that point I needed to look for a way to move on, because it had undermined, I think, a lot of what we had said."
28 May, 2008
republican deception
Former White House press secretary Scott McClellan writes in a new memoir that the Iraq war was sold to the American people with a sophisticated "political propaganda campaign" led by President Bush and aimed at "manipulating sources of public opinion" and "downplaying the major reason for going to war."
He alleges that the administration repeatedly shaded the truth and that Bush "managed the crisis in a way that almost guaranteed that the use of force would become the only feasible option."
"Over that summer of 2002," he writes, "top Bush aides had outlined a strategy for carefully orchestrating the coming campaign to aggressively sell the war. . . . In the permanent campaign era, it was all about manipulating sources of public opinion to the president's advantage."
McClellan, once a staunch defender of the war from the podium, comes to a stark conclusion, writing, "What I do know is that war should only be waged when necessary, and the Iraq war was not necessary."
He alleges that the administration repeatedly shaded the truth and that Bush "managed the crisis in a way that almost guaranteed that the use of force would become the only feasible option."
"Over that summer of 2002," he writes, "top Bush aides had outlined a strategy for carefully orchestrating the coming campaign to aggressively sell the war. . . . In the permanent campaign era, it was all about manipulating sources of public opinion to the president's advantage."
McClellan, once a staunch defender of the war from the podium, comes to a stark conclusion, writing, "What I do know is that war should only be waged when necessary, and the Iraq war was not necessary."
25 May, 2008
McCain rife with lobbyists
Rick Davis, the manager of Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign, is a typical Washington insider in many ways, having long worked as both a lobbyist and a political operative along the intersection of politics, policy and money.
In late 2004, however, Mr. Davis became a registered lobbyist for Imagesat. He gained the account through a recommendation from Pegasus, which holds a stake in the company, said a person knowledgeable about the investment firm who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Mr. Davis said he found the firm without Pegasus’s help.
Davis Manafort received $120,000 from late 2004 to mid-2005 to lobby for Imagesat on both defense and domestic security issues. Mr. Davis and Christian Ferry, now Mr. McCain’s deputy campaign manager, were the two lobbyists on the project, the records show.
In late 2004, however, Mr. Davis became a registered lobbyist for Imagesat. He gained the account through a recommendation from Pegasus, which holds a stake in the company, said a person knowledgeable about the investment firm who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Mr. Davis said he found the firm without Pegasus’s help.
Davis Manafort received $120,000 from late 2004 to mid-2005 to lobby for Imagesat on both defense and domestic security issues. Mr. Davis and Christian Ferry, now Mr. McCain’s deputy campaign manager, were the two lobbyists on the project, the records show.
republicans calling on VA to mis-diagnose
In an e-mail dated March 20 out of an office of the Department of Veterans Affairs, a VA employee wrote: "Given that we are having more and more compensation-seeking veterans, I'd like to suggest that we refrain from giving a diagnosis of PTSD straight out.
Consider a diagnosis of Adjustment Disorder, R/O PTSD." The National Institutes of Health defines adjustment disorder as an "abnormal and excessive reaction to a life stressor, such as starting school, getting divorced, or grief" and says that symptoms "usually do not last longer than six months."
Compare that to the definition for PTSD, which "can occur after you've seen or experienced a traumatic event that involved the threat of injury or death" and which, in some cases, "can last for many years."
Now, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), which broke the story, has submitted Freedom of Information Act requests seeking "all records pertaining to any guidance given regarding the diagnosis of PTSD."
"It is outrageous that the VA is calling on its employees to deliberately mis-diagnose returning veterans in an effort to cut costs," said CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan.
Consider a diagnosis of Adjustment Disorder, R/O PTSD." The National Institutes of Health defines adjustment disorder as an "abnormal and excessive reaction to a life stressor, such as starting school, getting divorced, or grief" and says that symptoms "usually do not last longer than six months."
Compare that to the definition for PTSD, which "can occur after you've seen or experienced a traumatic event that involved the threat of injury or death" and which, in some cases, "can last for many years."
Now, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), which broke the story, has submitted Freedom of Information Act requests seeking "all records pertaining to any guidance given regarding the diagnosis of PTSD."
"It is outrageous that the VA is calling on its employees to deliberately mis-diagnose returning veterans in an effort to cut costs," said CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan.
14 May, 2008
republicans and "real Americans"
McCain's first post-primary ad proclaimed him "the American president Americans have been waiting for." Not the "strong" or "experienced" president, though those are contrasts he could seek to draw with Obama. The "American" president -- because that's the only contrast through which McCain has even a chance of prevailing.
It was the lure of America, the shining city on a hill, that brought his black Kenyan father here, where he met Obama's white Kansan mother. It is because America is uniquely the land of immigrants and has moved beyond a racial caste system that Obama exists, has thrived and stands a good chance of being our next president.
That's not the America, though, that the Republicans refer to in proclaiming their own Americanness. For them, "American" is a term to be used as a wedge issue, a way to distinguish their more racially and religiously homogeneous party from the historically more polyglot Democrats.
Such separation has a long pedigree: Campaigning for GOP presidential nominee Alf Landon in 1936, Republican leader Frank Knox said that the Democratic Party under President Franklin Roosevelt "has been seized by alien and un-American elements. Next November, you will choose the American way."
In more recent elections, Republicans have depicted Democratic presidential candidates as un-American cultural elitists heading up a dangerously diverse party.
This year, we can expect to see almost nothing but these kinds of assaults as the campaign progresses. The Republican attack against Obama all but ignores the issue differences between the candidates to go after what is presumably his inadequately American identity.
There are good reasons Republicans are focusing on identity rather than issues this year: In poll after poll, there's not a single major issue on which the public agrees with them or their presumptive nominee. Not Iraq, certainly. Not the economy.
Should the election turn on the question of "What are you going to do for America?" rather than "Are you a real American?" Republicans are doomed.
They offer no solutions for the stagnation (or decline) of American living standards, or for the weakening of America's economic power.
They offer no resolution to America's war of choice in Iraq. Their party leader, the incumbent president, let a great American city drown. They are the American party, and McCain the American nominee, that hasn't a clue about how to help America in its (prolonged, I fear) moment of need.
What remains for the GOP is a campaign premised more on issues of national identity, aimed largely at that portion of our population for which "American" is synonymous with "white" and "Christian," than any national campaign has been since the American Party (also known as the Know Nothings) based its 1856 campaign chiefly on Protestant bigotry against Irish and German Catholic immigrants.
They write "American" when answering the census question on ethnic origin. For some, "American" is a race -- white -- no less than a nationality, and it's on this equation that Republican prospects depend.
It was the lure of America, the shining city on a hill, that brought his black Kenyan father here, where he met Obama's white Kansan mother. It is because America is uniquely the land of immigrants and has moved beyond a racial caste system that Obama exists, has thrived and stands a good chance of being our next president.
That's not the America, though, that the Republicans refer to in proclaiming their own Americanness. For them, "American" is a term to be used as a wedge issue, a way to distinguish their more racially and religiously homogeneous party from the historically more polyglot Democrats.
Such separation has a long pedigree: Campaigning for GOP presidential nominee Alf Landon in 1936, Republican leader Frank Knox said that the Democratic Party under President Franklin Roosevelt "has been seized by alien and un-American elements. Next November, you will choose the American way."
In more recent elections, Republicans have depicted Democratic presidential candidates as un-American cultural elitists heading up a dangerously diverse party.
This year, we can expect to see almost nothing but these kinds of assaults as the campaign progresses. The Republican attack against Obama all but ignores the issue differences between the candidates to go after what is presumably his inadequately American identity.
There are good reasons Republicans are focusing on identity rather than issues this year: In poll after poll, there's not a single major issue on which the public agrees with them or their presumptive nominee. Not Iraq, certainly. Not the economy.
Should the election turn on the question of "What are you going to do for America?" rather than "Are you a real American?" Republicans are doomed.
They offer no solutions for the stagnation (or decline) of American living standards, or for the weakening of America's economic power.
They offer no resolution to America's war of choice in Iraq. Their party leader, the incumbent president, let a great American city drown. They are the American party, and McCain the American nominee, that hasn't a clue about how to help America in its (prolonged, I fear) moment of need.
What remains for the GOP is a campaign premised more on issues of national identity, aimed largely at that portion of our population for which "American" is synonymous with "white" and "Christian," than any national campaign has been since the American Party (also known as the Know Nothings) based its 1856 campaign chiefly on Protestant bigotry against Irish and German Catholic immigrants.
They write "American" when answering the census question on ethnic origin. For some, "American" is a race -- white -- no less than a nationality, and it's on this equation that Republican prospects depend.
12 May, 2008
republicans keeping us in Iraq forever
U.S. and Iraqi officials have said they aim to finish negotiations on the deal by July and submit the draft to Iraq's parliament for ratification.
It is reported that the agreement would allow the United States to set up 14 military bases across Iraq, authorize a long-term American military deployment in the country, give judicial immunity to U.S. nationals and allow the U.S. to use
It is reported that the agreement would allow the United States to set up 14 military bases across Iraq, authorize a long-term American military deployment in the country, give judicial immunity to U.S. nationals and allow the U.S. to use
06 May, 2008
who are the real elitists?
The country's real elite are rich and conservative. The growing aversion to thoughtful analysis suits this new ruling class just fine. Over the last decade phony common men such as George Bush and Dick Cheney have turned this country from a "middle-class republic" to a "plutocracy" while pretending to be "jes folks"
If you hear the term elitist. you can be sure that the person hurling it is a phony, while the target is simply someone who believes this should be a fairer society.
If you hear the term elitist. you can be sure that the person hurling it is a phony, while the target is simply someone who believes this should be a fairer society.
04 May, 2008
facts they don't want you to hear
America's hidden secret is that most of these engineers are immigrants. Foreign students and immigrants account for almost 50 percent of all science researchers in the country. In 2006 they received 40 percent of all PhDs.
By 2010, 75 percent of all science PhDs in this country will be awarded to foreign students. When these graduates settle in the country, they create economic opportunity.
Half of all Silicon Valley start-ups have one founder who is an immigrant or first generation American. The potential for a new burst of American productivity depends not on our education system or R&D spending, but on our immigration policies.
If these people are allowed and encouraged to stay, then innovation will happen here. If they leave, they'll take it with them.
More broadly, this is America's great—and potentially insurmountable—strength. It remains the most open, flexible society in the world, able to absorb other people, cultures, ideas, goods, and services. The country thrives on the hunger and energy of poor immigrants.
Faced with the new technologies of foreign companies, or growing markets overseas, it adapts and adjusts. When you compare this dynamism with the closed and hierarchical nations that were once superpowers, you sense that the United States is different and may not fall into the trap of becoming rich, and fat, and lazy.
American society can adapt to this new world. But can the American government? Washington has gotten used to a world in which all roads led to its doorstep. America has rarely had to worry about benchmarking to the rest of the world—it was always so far ahead. But the natives have gotten good at capitalism and the gap is narrowing. Look at the rise of London.
It's now the world's leading financial center—less because of things that the United States did badly than those London did well, like improving regulation and becoming friendlier to foreign capital.
Or take the U.S. health care system, which has become a huge liability for American companies. U.S. carmakers now employ more people in Ontario, Canada, than Michigan because in Canada their health care costs are lower.
By 2010, 75 percent of all science PhDs in this country will be awarded to foreign students. When these graduates settle in the country, they create economic opportunity.
Half of all Silicon Valley start-ups have one founder who is an immigrant or first generation American. The potential for a new burst of American productivity depends not on our education system or R&D spending, but on our immigration policies.
If these people are allowed and encouraged to stay, then innovation will happen here. If they leave, they'll take it with them.
More broadly, this is America's great—and potentially insurmountable—strength. It remains the most open, flexible society in the world, able to absorb other people, cultures, ideas, goods, and services. The country thrives on the hunger and energy of poor immigrants.
Faced with the new technologies of foreign companies, or growing markets overseas, it adapts and adjusts. When you compare this dynamism with the closed and hierarchical nations that were once superpowers, you sense that the United States is different and may not fall into the trap of becoming rich, and fat, and lazy.
American society can adapt to this new world. But can the American government? Washington has gotten used to a world in which all roads led to its doorstep. America has rarely had to worry about benchmarking to the rest of the world—it was always so far ahead. But the natives have gotten good at capitalism and the gap is narrowing. Look at the rise of London.
It's now the world's leading financial center—less because of things that the United States did badly than those London did well, like improving regulation and becoming friendlier to foreign capital.
Or take the U.S. health care system, which has become a huge liability for American companies. U.S. carmakers now employ more people in Ontario, Canada, than Michigan because in Canada their health care costs are lower.
29 April, 2008
pundits don't care about us
People like Sean Hannity, Anderson Cooper, Bill O'Reilly, Charlie Gibson, and others make millions of dollars per year.
For example, Sean Hannity makes about $8 million dollars per year (between television and radio). Hell, Rush Limbaugh made about $30 million last year. Bill O'Reilly earned $12 million last year.
It is not in their interest to discuss important issues that average Americans care about. TV and Radio show ratings determine future pay for those in the industry, so riding the primary election coat-tails of the candidates is money in their pockets.
For example, Sean Hannity makes about $8 million dollars per year (between television and radio). Hell, Rush Limbaugh made about $30 million last year. Bill O'Reilly earned $12 million last year.
It is not in their interest to discuss important issues that average Americans care about. TV and Radio show ratings determine future pay for those in the industry, so riding the primary election coat-tails of the candidates is money in their pockets.
Republican BS on the way out
Suburban demographic shifts away from Republican candidates who rely on the dogma of the last 30 years. Those shifts won’t stop. Boomers are starting to claim Social Security and soon will enroll in Medicare. Both need attention.
Boomers’ aged parents struggle with the Republicans’ confusing, inadequate prescription program. Boomers’ children struggle to buy medical insurance that no longer comes with a job. Boomers’ grandchildren will pay the costs of the Iraq war foisted on them by the “borrow and spend” Republicans.
The boomers and the boomers’ babies are massive voter cohorts, and they won’t vote for the Republican agenda.
Boomers’ aged parents struggle with the Republicans’ confusing, inadequate prescription program. Boomers’ children struggle to buy medical insurance that no longer comes with a job. Boomers’ grandchildren will pay the costs of the Iraq war foisted on them by the “borrow and spend” Republicans.
The boomers and the boomers’ babies are massive voter cohorts, and they won’t vote for the Republican agenda.
24 April, 2008
another reason McCain not fit to be Pres.
McCain's economic plan is heavy on tax breaks for big business and admonishments for working people not to rely on help. He proposes a cut in corporate income taxes from 35 to 25 percent, help for companies who depreciate equipment and other incentives.
The senator's policies tilt toward the richest Americans, just like those of Bush, who has catered to only the top 3 percent of the country.
The senator's policies tilt toward the richest Americans, just like those of Bush, who has catered to only the top 3 percent of the country.
20 April, 2008
how republicans control the "media"
read today: Hidden behind that appearance of objectivity, though, is a Pentagon information apparatus that has used analysts in a campaign to generate favorable news coverage of the administration’s wartime performance, an examination by The New York Times has found.
The effort, which began with the buildup to the Iraq war and continues to this day, has sought to exploit ideological and military allegiances, and also a powerful financial dynamic: Most of the analysts have ties to military contractors vested in the very war policies they are asked to assess on air.
Those business relationships are hardly ever disclosed to the viewers, and sometimes not even to the networks themselves. But collectively, tseveral dozen other military analysts represent more than 150 military contractors either as lobbyists, senior executives, board members or consultants.
The companies include defense heavyweights, but also scores of smaller companies, all part of a vast assemblage of contractors scrambling for hundreds of billions in military business generated by the administration’s war on terror. It is a furious competition, one in which inside information and easy access to senior officials are highly prized.
Records and interviews show how the Bush administration has used its control over access and information in an effort to transform the analysts into a kind of media Trojan horse — an instrument intended to shape terrorism coverage from inside the major TV and radio networks.
In turn, members of this group have echoed administration talking points, sometimes even when they suspected the information was false or inflated. Some analysts acknowledge they suppressed doubts because they feared jeopardizing their access.
A few expressed regret for participating in what they regarded as an effort to dupe the American public with propaganda dressed as independent military analysis.
The effort, which began with the buildup to the Iraq war and continues to this day, has sought to exploit ideological and military allegiances, and also a powerful financial dynamic: Most of the analysts have ties to military contractors vested in the very war policies they are asked to assess on air.
Those business relationships are hardly ever disclosed to the viewers, and sometimes not even to the networks themselves. But collectively, tseveral dozen other military analysts represent more than 150 military contractors either as lobbyists, senior executives, board members or consultants.
The companies include defense heavyweights, but also scores of smaller companies, all part of a vast assemblage of contractors scrambling for hundreds of billions in military business generated by the administration’s war on terror. It is a furious competition, one in which inside information and easy access to senior officials are highly prized.
Records and interviews show how the Bush administration has used its control over access and information in an effort to transform the analysts into a kind of media Trojan horse — an instrument intended to shape terrorism coverage from inside the major TV and radio networks.
In turn, members of this group have echoed administration talking points, sometimes even when they suspected the information was false or inflated. Some analysts acknowledge they suppressed doubts because they feared jeopardizing their access.
A few expressed regret for participating in what they regarded as an effort to dupe the American public with propaganda dressed as independent military analysis.
why McCain is not fit to be President
read today: Grassley, an Iowa Republican with a reputation as an unwavering legislator, calmly held his ground. McCain became angrier, his fist pumping even faster. But at some point, he mocked Grassley to his face and used a profanity to describe him. Grassley stood and, according to two participants at the meeting, told McCain, "I don't have to take this. I think you should apologize."
Former senator Bob Smith, a New Hampshire Republican, expresses worries about McCain: "His temper would place this country at risk in international affairs, and the world perhaps in danger. In my mind, it should disqualify him."
That temper has followed him throughout his life, McCain acknowledges. He recalls in his writings how, as a toddler, he sometimes held his breath and fainted during moments of fury.
As the son of a naval officer who was on his way to becoming a four-star admiral, McCain found himself frequently uprooted and enrolled in new schools, where, as an underappreciated outsider, he developed a little bit of a chip on his shoulder. He defied authority, ridiculed other students, sometimes fought. The nicknames hung on him at Episcopal mocked his hair-trigger feistiness: "Punk" and "McNasty."
In 2007, during a heated closed-door discussion with Senate colleagues about the contentious immigration issue, he angrily shouted a profanity at a fellow Republican, John Cornyn of Texas, an incident that quickly found its way into headlines.
Reports recently surfaced of Rep. Rick Renzi, an Arizona Republican, taking offense when McCain called him "boy" once too often during a 2006 meeting, a story that McCain aides confirm.
Smith admits to not liking McCain, a point he has often made over the years to reporters. "I've witnessed a lot of his temper and outbursts," Smith said. "For me, some of this stuff is relevant. It raises questions about stability. . . . It's more than just temper.
It's this need of his to show you that he's above you -- a sneering, condescending attitude. It's hurt his relationships in Congress. . . . I've seen it up-close."
While in the course of a policy disagreement at a luncheon meeting of Republican senators, McCain reportedly insulted Pete V. Domenici of New Mexico with an earthy expletive. Domenici demanded an apology. "Okay, I'll apologize," McCain said, before referring to an infuriated Domenici with the same expletive.
Episodes such as the Johnson and Leiby incidents, along with McCain's oft-chronicled blowups on Capitol Hill, have led critics to say he has a vindictive streak, that he sees an enemy in anyone who challenges him.
McCain exploded, according to witnesses who included Jon Hinz, then executive director of the Arizona Republican Party. McCain jabbed an index finger in Wexler's chest.
"I told you we needed a stage," he screamed, according to Hinz. "You incompetent little [expletive]. When I tell you to do something, you do it."
Hinz recalls intervening, placing his 6-foot-6 frame between the senator-elect and the young volunteer. "John, this is not the time or place for this. McCain spun around on his heels and left. He did not talk to Hinz again for several years. In 2000, as Hinz recalls, he appeared briefly on the Christian Broadcasting Network to voice his worries about McCain's temperament on televangelist Pat Robertson's show, "The 700 Club." Hinz's concerns have since grown with reports of incidents in and out of Arizona.
In 1994, McCain tried to stop a primary challenge to the state's Republican governor, J. Fife Symington III, by telephoning his opponent, Barbara Barrett, the well-heeled spouse of a telecommunications executive, and warning of unspecified "consequences" should she reject his advice to drop out of the race. Barrett stayed in. At that year's state Republican convention, McCain confronted Sandra Dowling, the Maricopa County school superintendent and, according to witnesses, angrily accused her of helping to persuade Barrett to enter the race.
"You better get [Barrett] out or I'll destroy you," a witness claims that McCain shouted at her. Dowling responded that if McCain couldn't respect her right to support whomever she chose, that he "should get the hell out of the Senate." McCain shouted an obscenity at her, and Dowling howled one back.
"What happens if he gets angry in crisis" in the presidency?" Hinz asked. "It's difficult enough to be a negotiator, but it's almost impossible when you're the type of guy who's so angry at anybody who doesn't do what he wants. It's the president's job to negotiate and stay calm. I don't see that he has that quality."
Former senator Bob Smith, a New Hampshire Republican, expresses worries about McCain: "His temper would place this country at risk in international affairs, and the world perhaps in danger. In my mind, it should disqualify him."
That temper has followed him throughout his life, McCain acknowledges. He recalls in his writings how, as a toddler, he sometimes held his breath and fainted during moments of fury.
As the son of a naval officer who was on his way to becoming a four-star admiral, McCain found himself frequently uprooted and enrolled in new schools, where, as an underappreciated outsider, he developed a little bit of a chip on his shoulder. He defied authority, ridiculed other students, sometimes fought. The nicknames hung on him at Episcopal mocked his hair-trigger feistiness: "Punk" and "McNasty."
In 2007, during a heated closed-door discussion with Senate colleagues about the contentious immigration issue, he angrily shouted a profanity at a fellow Republican, John Cornyn of Texas, an incident that quickly found its way into headlines.
Reports recently surfaced of Rep. Rick Renzi, an Arizona Republican, taking offense when McCain called him "boy" once too often during a 2006 meeting, a story that McCain aides confirm.
Smith admits to not liking McCain, a point he has often made over the years to reporters. "I've witnessed a lot of his temper and outbursts," Smith said. "For me, some of this stuff is relevant. It raises questions about stability. . . . It's more than just temper.
It's this need of his to show you that he's above you -- a sneering, condescending attitude. It's hurt his relationships in Congress. . . . I've seen it up-close."
While in the course of a policy disagreement at a luncheon meeting of Republican senators, McCain reportedly insulted Pete V. Domenici of New Mexico with an earthy expletive. Domenici demanded an apology. "Okay, I'll apologize," McCain said, before referring to an infuriated Domenici with the same expletive.
Episodes such as the Johnson and Leiby incidents, along with McCain's oft-chronicled blowups on Capitol Hill, have led critics to say he has a vindictive streak, that he sees an enemy in anyone who challenges him.
McCain exploded, according to witnesses who included Jon Hinz, then executive director of the Arizona Republican Party. McCain jabbed an index finger in Wexler's chest.
"I told you we needed a stage," he screamed, according to Hinz. "You incompetent little [expletive]. When I tell you to do something, you do it."
Hinz recalls intervening, placing his 6-foot-6 frame between the senator-elect and the young volunteer. "John, this is not the time or place for this. McCain spun around on his heels and left. He did not talk to Hinz again for several years. In 2000, as Hinz recalls, he appeared briefly on the Christian Broadcasting Network to voice his worries about McCain's temperament on televangelist Pat Robertson's show, "The 700 Club." Hinz's concerns have since grown with reports of incidents in and out of Arizona.
In 1994, McCain tried to stop a primary challenge to the state's Republican governor, J. Fife Symington III, by telephoning his opponent, Barbara Barrett, the well-heeled spouse of a telecommunications executive, and warning of unspecified "consequences" should she reject his advice to drop out of the race. Barrett stayed in. At that year's state Republican convention, McCain confronted Sandra Dowling, the Maricopa County school superintendent and, according to witnesses, angrily accused her of helping to persuade Barrett to enter the race.
"You better get [Barrett] out or I'll destroy you," a witness claims that McCain shouted at her. Dowling responded that if McCain couldn't respect her right to support whomever she chose, that he "should get the hell out of the Senate." McCain shouted an obscenity at her, and Dowling howled one back.
"What happens if he gets angry in crisis" in the presidency?" Hinz asked. "It's difficult enough to be a negotiator, but it's almost impossible when you're the type of guy who's so angry at anybody who doesn't do what he wants. It's the president's job to negotiate and stay calm. I don't see that he has that quality."
05 April, 2008
getting to know McCain
read today: Getting know McCain:
10. Responding to a student who criticized his remark about our staying in Iraq for 100 years, McCain quipped, "No American argues against our military presence in Korea or Japan or Germany or Kuwait or other places, or Turkey, because America is not receiving casualties."
I guess Ron Paul isn't American. Or Dennis Kucinich. Or many others who have questioned the mindset behind keeping our troops abroad forever, which is what an empire does, not a republic. Although, perhaps more people don't argue "against our military presence" in the other spots he named, because, you know, those wars weren't based on 100 percent fabricated evidence and didn't make us less safe after they were done. Just a thought.
9. John McCain is "very proud to have Pastor John Hagee's support."
Just FYI, John Hagee makes Jeremiah Wright seem like Richard Simmons. Hagee has called the Catholic Church the "Great Whore," an "apostate church," the "Antichrist," and a "false cult system." And let's not even get into what he has said about Jews.
8. "In the shorter term," said McCain, "if you somehow told American businesses and families, 'Look, you're not going to experience a tax increase in 2010,' I think that's a pretty good short-term measure."
This is McCain's statement in suport of making permanent the tax cuts he voted and railed against in 2001 and 2003. Back then they were only a giveaway to the rich and "budget-busters." Now that we are much further along in borrowing our economy from the Chinese, and the rich have become even richer, they are a way to stimulate the economy by putting money in the hands of working Americans.
7. "This is a Catholic Voter Alert. Governor George Bush has campaigned against Senator John McCain by seeking the support of Southern fundamentalists who have expressed anti-Catholic views. Several weeks ago, Governor Bush spoke at Bob Jones University in South Carolina. Bob Jones has made strong anti-Catholic statements, including calling the Pope the anti-Christ, the Catholic Church a satanic cult! John McCain, a pro-life senator, has strongly criticized this anti-Catholic bigotry, while Governor Bush has stayed silent while seeking the support of Bob Jones University. Because of this, one Catholic pro-life congressman has switched his support from Bush to McCain, and many Michigan Catholics support John McCain for president."
This was a John McCain for president campaign robo-call in 2000. Today, as we pointed out, he hangs with the Rev. Hagee who thinks Catholicism is a "cult" and the "Antichrist." How romantic.
6. "Everybody says that they're against the special interests. I'm the only one the special interests don't give any money to."
Here are some examples of Sen. McCain's epic battle with special-interest money: According to the Center for Responsive Politics, McCain has taken nearly $1.2 million in campaign contributions from the telephone utility and telecom service industries, more than any other senator. McCain sides with the telecom companies on retroactive immunity.
McCain is also the single largest recipient of campaign contributions from Ion Media Networks -- formerly Paxson Communication -- receiving $36,000 from the company and employees from 1997 to mid-year 2006.
5. McCain listened intently, pausing a second before delivering what could be a defining answer. "The other one will do just fine."
For what important reason was Sen. McCain interrupting an explanation to the press of his positions on Iraq and national security to take a cell phone from an aide? Why his wife needed to buy them a new barbecue grill.
4. During a Nov. 28, 2007, Republican debate Sen. McCain angrily denounced torture and offered unmitigated support of the Army field manual's restrictions, saying they "are working, and working effectively."
So naturally and quite logically, he voted against applying these same standards to the CIA. Apparently these rules won't work effectively for spooks, just the men and women on the front lines.
3. McCain, while speaking at a town hall meeting in a suburb of Philadelphia, was asked if he had concerns that anti-American insurgents in Iraq might commit increased acts of violence in September or October with a plan in mind to tip the November election to the Democrats. "Yes, I worry about it," McCain said.
How did he figure out what the insurgents -- which his policies in Iraq have helped create -- are up to? When they attacked us on 9/11, and the warning signs were all ignored by President Bush and his then National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, he was punished with winning a second term. So, of course, militants, who follow john McCain's campaign like Republicans do the signs of the Rapture, are closely planning their events because they know the exact opposite will be the result this time.
2. Let's go back to the videotape: "I'm the only one the special interests don't give any money to."
Not only have we proven this false, but perhaps many can't give money because they all work on his campaign. His campaign manager, Rick Davis, lobbyist. Top advisor, Charlie Black, lobbyist. The operative currently running his Senate office, Mark Buse, former lobbyist. And so it goes. Here is what one observer had to say. "It's an interesting dichotomy. On the one hand, he's presenting himself as the crusader against special interests and yet, on the other hand, he's surrounded himself with senior advisers that are lobbyists," said Sheila Krumholz of the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan, non-profit research group focused on money in politics.
1. And finally, McCain's craziest, coolest, most unstoppable McCain Moment: The senator said, while in Jordan, that it was "common knowledge and has been reported in the media that al-Qaeda is going back into Iran and receiving training and are coming back into Iraq from Iran, that's well known. And it's unfortunate." A few moments later, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, admiringly gazing at McCain until that moment, stepped up and whispered something in the presidential candidate's ear. McCain then blurted out: "I'm sorry, the Iranians are training extremists, not al-Qaeda."
Phew. Glad trusty Joe Lieberman was there to explain to the man of "experience," a man who wants to lead the free world, that Sunnis (Al Qaeda) and Shia (Iran) not only don't work together but are in direct conflict. We have only been at war there for five years, so I wouldn't expect Sen. McCain to concern himself with such trivial matters.
10. Responding to a student who criticized his remark about our staying in Iraq for 100 years, McCain quipped, "No American argues against our military presence in Korea or Japan or Germany or Kuwait or other places, or Turkey, because America is not receiving casualties."
I guess Ron Paul isn't American. Or Dennis Kucinich. Or many others who have questioned the mindset behind keeping our troops abroad forever, which is what an empire does, not a republic. Although, perhaps more people don't argue "against our military presence" in the other spots he named, because, you know, those wars weren't based on 100 percent fabricated evidence and didn't make us less safe after they were done. Just a thought.
9. John McCain is "very proud to have Pastor John Hagee's support."
Just FYI, John Hagee makes Jeremiah Wright seem like Richard Simmons. Hagee has called the Catholic Church the "Great Whore," an "apostate church," the "Antichrist," and a "false cult system." And let's not even get into what he has said about Jews.
8. "In the shorter term," said McCain, "if you somehow told American businesses and families, 'Look, you're not going to experience a tax increase in 2010,' I think that's a pretty good short-term measure."
This is McCain's statement in suport of making permanent the tax cuts he voted and railed against in 2001 and 2003. Back then they were only a giveaway to the rich and "budget-busters." Now that we are much further along in borrowing our economy from the Chinese, and the rich have become even richer, they are a way to stimulate the economy by putting money in the hands of working Americans.
7. "This is a Catholic Voter Alert. Governor George Bush has campaigned against Senator John McCain by seeking the support of Southern fundamentalists who have expressed anti-Catholic views. Several weeks ago, Governor Bush spoke at Bob Jones University in South Carolina. Bob Jones has made strong anti-Catholic statements, including calling the Pope the anti-Christ, the Catholic Church a satanic cult! John McCain, a pro-life senator, has strongly criticized this anti-Catholic bigotry, while Governor Bush has stayed silent while seeking the support of Bob Jones University. Because of this, one Catholic pro-life congressman has switched his support from Bush to McCain, and many Michigan Catholics support John McCain for president."
This was a John McCain for president campaign robo-call in 2000. Today, as we pointed out, he hangs with the Rev. Hagee who thinks Catholicism is a "cult" and the "Antichrist." How romantic.
6. "Everybody says that they're against the special interests. I'm the only one the special interests don't give any money to."
Here are some examples of Sen. McCain's epic battle with special-interest money: According to the Center for Responsive Politics, McCain has taken nearly $1.2 million in campaign contributions from the telephone utility and telecom service industries, more than any other senator. McCain sides with the telecom companies on retroactive immunity.
McCain is also the single largest recipient of campaign contributions from Ion Media Networks -- formerly Paxson Communication -- receiving $36,000 from the company and employees from 1997 to mid-year 2006.
5. McCain listened intently, pausing a second before delivering what could be a defining answer. "The other one will do just fine."
For what important reason was Sen. McCain interrupting an explanation to the press of his positions on Iraq and national security to take a cell phone from an aide? Why his wife needed to buy them a new barbecue grill.
4. During a Nov. 28, 2007, Republican debate Sen. McCain angrily denounced torture and offered unmitigated support of the Army field manual's restrictions, saying they "are working, and working effectively."
So naturally and quite logically, he voted against applying these same standards to the CIA. Apparently these rules won't work effectively for spooks, just the men and women on the front lines.
3. McCain, while speaking at a town hall meeting in a suburb of Philadelphia, was asked if he had concerns that anti-American insurgents in Iraq might commit increased acts of violence in September or October with a plan in mind to tip the November election to the Democrats. "Yes, I worry about it," McCain said.
How did he figure out what the insurgents -- which his policies in Iraq have helped create -- are up to? When they attacked us on 9/11, and the warning signs were all ignored by President Bush and his then National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, he was punished with winning a second term. So, of course, militants, who follow john McCain's campaign like Republicans do the signs of the Rapture, are closely planning their events because they know the exact opposite will be the result this time.
2. Let's go back to the videotape: "I'm the only one the special interests don't give any money to."
Not only have we proven this false, but perhaps many can't give money because they all work on his campaign. His campaign manager, Rick Davis, lobbyist. Top advisor, Charlie Black, lobbyist. The operative currently running his Senate office, Mark Buse, former lobbyist. And so it goes. Here is what one observer had to say. "It's an interesting dichotomy. On the one hand, he's presenting himself as the crusader against special interests and yet, on the other hand, he's surrounded himself with senior advisers that are lobbyists," said Sheila Krumholz of the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan, non-profit research group focused on money in politics.
1. And finally, McCain's craziest, coolest, most unstoppable McCain Moment: The senator said, while in Jordan, that it was "common knowledge and has been reported in the media that al-Qaeda is going back into Iran and receiving training and are coming back into Iraq from Iran, that's well known. And it's unfortunate." A few moments later, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, admiringly gazing at McCain until that moment, stepped up and whispered something in the presidential candidate's ear. McCain then blurted out: "I'm sorry, the Iranians are training extremists, not al-Qaeda."
Phew. Glad trusty Joe Lieberman was there to explain to the man of "experience," a man who wants to lead the free world, that Sunnis (Al Qaeda) and Shia (Iran) not only don't work together but are in direct conflict. We have only been at war there for five years, so I wouldn't expect Sen. McCain to concern himself with such trivial matters.
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