Debate

I was proud of Obama. He did what he had to do. He showed that he had a great command of the issues and he acted very presidential. Which is important because the independents are looking for a reason not to vote for Obama...sorry, I'm drinking gin.

Suspending the blog...

Until I get some better ideas to write about...



I mean, come on, McCain. How stupid do they think we are? Let's even look back at what Bush said after 9/11. He said we need to go about our normal lives, shop, don't be afraid...blah blah blah. Even Bush had his head on straighter than crazy ass McCain. Blah! I'm out, no more for today, I can't take it!!!!!

Repub Rebuttals

How in the world are republican's claiming sexism is playing a part in this whole Palin fiasco? James Carville was on Larry King the other night and made a good point - how is it sexism to question the qualifications of someone running for the second highest office in the land? Wake up!

There was a McCain surrogate on Morning Joe today who said children of politicians have not been brought up in politics before 48 hours ago. Hmm...I seem to remember McCain himself making a joke about how Chelsea was the daughter of Hillary and Janet Reno. Funny how none of the hosts pointed that one out. It's also funny how the right acts all high and mighty like their shiza doesn't stink, when the actuality is that they've screwed up beyond belief. I'm 100% positive that I could do a better job running this country than McCain, Bush, Palin, or any one of those loons.

And, think about this - now that McCain is boycotting the media (what is this, 1st grade?) because he picked a woefully unprepared, inexperienced religious nut of a VP, what does this say about how he'll do with Putin or Ahmadinejad when they say things he doesn't like? Will he sit in a corner, put his ears in his ears and hold his breath until he gets his way? Grow up!!!!

Paz

Quick Thought

To me, this is the most important political election ever – not just because a black man is running for President, but because our country has essentially derailed. I am truly hopeful that we as a people will do the right thing and elect Obama, but you never know. When I interact with McCain supporters I think of an old proverb (I’m guessing from the Bible): “There is none so blind as those who will not see.”

Email About Palin

Here's an email I just sent out on Sarah Palin:

Ok, back from lunch, to finish...her speech definitely wasn't taken out of context (check the video) and she's had a history of similar statements citing how God wants us to do some sort of work. Here's a question - how is the right going to defend her crazy ass Pastor since the republicans had such a hard-on about Reverend Wright? Have you seen some of the things he's said? Here's an example:

"I hate criticisms towards the President," he said, "because it's like criticisms towards the pastor -- it's almost like, it's not going to get you anywhere, you know, except for hell. That's what it'll get you."

This is relevant because Palin wanted go all Fahrenheit 451 on a librarian who did not give her "full support" as Mayor, which amounted to Palin wanting to remove books with "inappropriate language". Really? Colin, you're an advocate of our Bill of Rights so i'm sure you like the First Amendment as much as I do:

• [Former Wasilla mayor John Stein] says that as mayor, Palin continued to inject religious beliefs into her policy at times. "She asked the library how she could go about banning books," he says, because some voters thought they had inappropriate language in them. "The librarian was aghast." The librarian, Mary Ellen Baker, couldn't be reached for comment, but news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire her for not giving "full support" to the mayor. (http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1837918,00.html) and (http://www.adn.com/sarahpalin/story/510219.html)

In those same articles, they detail how she attempted to fire several city employees for not supporting her in the election. What does that remind you of? That's right, Karl Rove, Alberto Gonzales and the politicization of the Department of Justice! (http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Conyers_subpoenas_Karl_Rove_0522.html)

So to sum it all up with some more fun facts:

• She was elected Alaska's governor a little over a year and a half ago. Her previous office was mayor of Wasilla, a small town outside Anchorage. She has no foreign policy experience.¹
  
• Palin is strongly anti-choice, opposing abortion even in the case of rape or incest.²
  
• She supported right-wing extremist Pat Buchanan for president in 2000. ³
  
• Palin thinks creationism should be taught in public schools.⁴
  
• She's doesn't think humans are the cause of climate change.⁵
  
• She's solidly in line with John McCain's "Big Oil first" energy policy. She's pushed hard for more oil drilling and says renewables won't be ready for years. She also sued the Bush administration for listing polar bears as an endangered species—she was worried it would interfere with more oil drilling in Alaska.⁶
• How closely did John McCain vet this choice? He met Sarah Palin once at a meeting. They spoke a second time, last Sunday, when he called her about being vice-president. Then he offered her the position.⁷

At the end of the day, I can safely say that I'd do a better job as Vice President than this kook.


Sources:

1. "Sarah Palin," Wikipedia, Accessed August 29, 2008
http://www.factcheck.org

2. "McCain Selects Anti-Choice Sarah Palin as Running Mate," NARAL Pro-Choice America, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r 515&id 661-8285693-m.xl33x&t=1

3. "Sarah Palin, Buchananite," The Nation, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r 736&id 661-8285693-m.xl33x&t=2

4. "'Creation science' enters the race," Anchorage Daily News, October 27, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r 737&id 661-8285693-m.xl33x&t=3

5. "Palin buys climate denial PR spin—ignores science," Huffington Post, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r 517&id 661-8285693-m.xl33x&t=4

6. "McCain VP Pick Completes Shift to Bush Energy Policy," Sierra Club, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r 518&id 661-8285693-m.xl33x&t=5

"Choice of Palin Promises Failed Energy Policies of the Past," League of Conservation Voters, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r 519&id 661-8285693-m.xl33x&t=6

"Protecting polar bears gets in way of drilling for oil, says governor," The Times of London, May 23, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r 520&id 661-8285693-m.xl33x&t=7

7 "McCain met Palin once before yesterday," MSNBC, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r!119&id 661-8285693-m.xl33x&t=8

No Longer Silent

So a lot has been happening on the political scene since my last post. Most importantly, I believe the 2008 Presidential Campaign has turned a corner. Below is a quick summary of happenings in the past few days of the race:

1. When asked how many houses he has, McCain answered "I'll have my staff get to you." Interestingly enough, McCain is the one attempting to paint Obama as elitist and out of touch, and yet McCain pays his butlers and maids a total of $270,000, $50,000 more than the median housing cost in the U.S.!

2. The U.S. and Iraq just agreed on a timetable (yes, the dreaded "T" word) for U.S. troop withdrawal. One staple of McCain's recent attacks is as follows: "Obama would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign" because he wants to withdraw from Iraq prematurely (in his opinion). McCain can now officially be viewed in the same light as the Flat Earth Society, the Holocaust deniers and those who still believe in Bigfoot...oh wait, I thought we finally found him - whoops!

3. McCain continues to question Obama's overall judgement, saying he does not question Barack's patriotism, just his judgement. Well, let me steal a post on Digg for that one:

"When last fall he suggested bombing Pakistan if we had actionable intelligence you all laughed at him and called him an idiot. Then Bush did it. When he called for Timetables for withdrawal from Iraq (a war which we won a long time ago - we beat the Iraqi Army and Sadaam was executed- how is that a loss? It's been a civil war between Iraqi's since then) you all called him an idiot and today Condi Rice slipped into Baghdad and voila- Agreed to TIMETABLES. When Barack has been shouting for more troops in Afghanistan, you all laughed at him, but just yesterday the Pentagon sent 12,000 new troops there. It seems like Barack has pretty good judgment."

That's just three quick points I wanted to make before I left work for the weekend. I could write for an immeasurably longer period of time on this, but the upcoming conventions and VP pick (Biden?) will be more than enough fodder to fuel my upcoming posts. I shall leave you will Obama's newest ad, which, in my opinion, can't be any better:

Why You Shouldn't Vote for McCain

Hillary is Going Down!!

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/05/hillary-clint-1.html

ABC News' Kate Snow Reports: In an interview with the Argus Leader, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., took the unusual step of invoking the assassination of Sen. Robert Kennedy, D-N.Y., when discussing the continuing Democratic nomination battle.

"My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. I don't understand it." Clinton said.

Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton responded: "Senator Clinton's statement before the Argus Leader editorial board was unfortunate and has no place in this campaign."

Sen. Clinton almost immediately tried to blunt the potential impact of her statement, telling reporters in South Dakota, "Earlier today I was discussing the democratic primary history and in the course of that discussion mentioned the campaigns that both my husband and Senator Kennedy waged in California in June in 1992 and 1968. And I was referencing those to make the point that we have had nomination primary contests that go into June that's a historic fact. The Kennedy's have been much on my mind for the last days because of Senator Kennedy."

"I regret that if my referencing that moment of trauma for our entire nation - particularly for that family - was in any way offensive," Clinton continued. "I certainly had no intention of that whatsoever. My view is that we have to look to the past and to our leaders who have inspired us and give us a lot to live up to and I'm honored to hold Senator Kennedy's seat in the United States Senate in the state of New York. And have the highest regard for the entire Kennedy family."

Clinton's statement stands in contrast to the initial reation from the Clinton camp.

"She was simply referencing her husband in 1992 and Bobby Kennedy in 1968 as historic examples of the nominating process going well into the summer. Any reading into beyond that would be inaccurate," responded Clinton campaign spokesperson Mo Elleithee.

The context of the statement came as Clinton said that reports that her campaign has made overtures to the Obama campaign about her being vice president or about an exit strategy were "flatly untrue."

"This is part of an ongong effort to end this before it's over," Clinton said. "I sure don't think it's over."

Clinton said that perhaps people are forgetting that there were other candidates in the past who were finishing a distant second and who went all the way to the convention. "I rememeber very well 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992," she said.

Clinton also said she would look to "the camp of my opponent for the source of those stories (about an Obama-Clinton ticket)."

"People have been tyring to push me out of this ever since Iowa," Clinton continued.

"Why?" the reporter asked. "I don't know. I don't know. I find it curious. Because it is unprecedented in history. I don't understand it. Between my opponent and some in the media there has been this urgency to end this. And historically, that makes no sense. So I find it a bit of a mystery," Clinton responded.

The reporter asked if she buys the argument that Democrats are seeking party unity.

"I don't because I've been around long enough. My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. I don't understand it," Clinton said.

Clinton said it was a "historical curiousity" to her that she is being pushed to leave the race and when asked if she thought it had anything to do with her gender, she said she would not speculate but noted that others have.

Clinton went on to argue -- as she has been arguing for some time -- that she is best positioned to beat John McCain in the fall. She cited Karl Rove's electoral maps obtained by ABC News last week as proof that she has a better chance of winning in November.

"Does that mean that my opponent can't win? Of course not. But based on what we know now, if you're a South Dakotan, who would your best bet be to win the White House? It would be me," Clinton said.

Pressed on whether Obama could win the presidency, Clinton said, "Of course he can win. Anything is possible in politics."

ABC News' Jake Tapper contributed to this report.

Chris Rock On...

A few of my favorites:
On John McCain's age: "How you going to make decisions about the future when you aren't going to be here?"
On the primaries: "What are superdelegates anyway? Certain white people count for nine?"
On black people not voting for Obama: "He reminds me too much of me."
On race: "Marion Jones is in jail. Don't you feel safe?" And: "When I heard they were trying to get rid of the word n_____, I told my accountant to buy 800 shares of coon."

Almost There...

Barack wins North Carolina!!

CLICK HERE

Hopefully this will spur Billary to finally concede defeat. Be a grown-up about everything, Hill!

Nice Vid

Tracy Morgan Responding to Tina Fey

"Bitch may be the new black, but black is the new president, bitch."

LINK

Who would have thought that Tracy Morgan would provide intelligent insight on anything except reefer and strip clubs?

Some Facts

How about this - about 14% of the electorate is comprised of Black voters. The remaining 86% is split between Whites, Asians, Hispanics and others. Since the majority of Hispanics are voting for Hillary, that means that Barack is winning the majority of the White vote. Why is the media focusing only on facts like Obama winning 91% of the Black vote in Mississippi? I think we all know the answer to that, but don't you think it's pretty remarkable that Barack Hussein Obama is winning the majority of the White vote? I know I do, but it's interesting that none of the media does...

Olbermann's Comment on Clinton

Sinbad PWNS Hillary

LINK

Sinbad Unloads on Hillary Clinton

Finally, the Barack Obama campaign has found a big gun to help shoot down Hillary Rodham Clinton's self-proclaimed foreign policy experience. And he may be the wackiest gun of all: Sinbad, the actor, who has come out from under a rock to defend Obama in the war over foreign policy credentials.

Sinbad, along with singer Sheryl Crow, was on that 1996 trip to Bosnia that Clinton has described as a harrowing international experience that makes her tested and ready to answer a 3 a.m. phone call at the White House on day one, a claim for which she's taking much grief on the campaign trail.

Harrowing? Not that Sinbad recalls. He just remembers it being a USO tour to buck up the troops amid a much worse situation than he had imagined between the Bosnians and Serbs.

In an interview with the Sleuth Monday, he said the "scariest" part of the trip was wondering where he'd eat next. "I think the only 'red-phone' moment was: 'Do we eat here or at the next place.'"

Clinton, during a late December campaign appearance in Iowa, described a hair-raising corkscrew landing in war-torn Bosnia, a trip she took with her then-teenage daughter, Chelsea. "They said there might be sniper fire," Clinton said.

Threat of bullets? Sinbad doesn't remember that, either.

"I never felt that I was in a dangerous position. I never felt being in a sense of peril, or 'Oh, God, I hope I'm going to be OK when I get out of this helicopter or when I get out of his tank.'"

In her Iowa stump speech, Clinton also said, "We used to say in the White House that if a place is too dangerous, too small or too poor, send the First Lady."

Say what? As Sinbad put it: "What kind of president would say, 'Hey, man, I can't go 'cause I might get shot so I'm going to send my wife...oh, and take a guitar player and a comedian with you.'"

As you may have guessed by now, Sinbad isn't supporting Clinton for president. He's an Obama guy. All because of Clinton.

"What got me about Hillary was her attitude of entitlement, like he messed up her plan, like he had no reason to be there," Sinbad said. "I got angry. I actually got angry! I said, 'I will be for Obama like never before.'"

But he's less ticked off with the Clinton campaign than he is with Saturday Night Live for its Hillary-loving sketches that portray Obama as an unqualified nervous Nelly. What really bothers him is SNL's choice of actor (Fred Armisen) to play Obama.

"My problem is -- you couldn't just temporarily hire a black man to play Obama? You had to put a white man in a black face? You couldn't find a light-skinned brother to play Obama?"

The Clinton campaign doesn't seem amused by Sinbad's commentary or his recollection of the 1996 Bosnia trip as more depressing than harrowing.

Defending Clinton's characterization of her Bosnia mission, campaign spokesman Phil Singer kindly provided experts from news stories written about the trip at the time, including a Washington Post story from May 26, 1996, that said, "This trip to Bosnia marks the first time since Roosevelt that a first lady has voyaged to a potential combat zone."

Singer also cited a Kansas City Star article from September 2000 that quoted Sinbad as describing the situation in Bosnia as "so tense. It was Crips and Bloods." (And that's how Sinbad continued to characterize the situation in our interview Monday. He said, "At the time, we didn't realize how crazy it was between the Bosnians and the Serbs. I didn't realize how much hate was going on.")

Still, defending Clinton against Sinbad the refuter, Singer said, "The sad reality of what was going on in Bosnia at the time Senator Clinton traveled there as first lady has been well documented. It appears that Sinbad's experience in Bosnia goes back further than Senator Obama's does. In fact, has Senator Obama ever been to Bosnia?"

Snarky, snarky!

What Foreign Policy Experience?

So Hillary has been boasting about all of her foreign policy "experience". Just how "experienced" is she? Let's site the Chicago Tribune and CNN for some examples:

"Pressed in a CNN interview this week for specific examples of foreign policy experience that has prepared her for an international crisis, Clinton claimed that she "helped to bring peace" to Northern Ireland and negotiated with Macedonia to open up its border to refugees from Kosovo. She also cited "standing up" to the Chinese government on women's rights and a one-day visit she made to Bosnia following the Dayton peace accords.

Earlier in the campaign, she and her husband claimed that she had advocated on behalf of a U.S. military intervention in Rwanda to stop the genocide there.

But her involvement in the Northern Ireland peace process was primarily to encourage activism among women's groups there, a contribution that the lead U.S. negotiator described as "helpful" but that an Irish historian who has written extensively about the conflict dismissed as "ancillary" to the peace process.

The Macedonian government opened its border to refugees the day before Clinton arrived to meet with government leaders. And her mission to Bosnia was a one-day visit in which she was accompanied by performers Sheryl Crow and Sinbad, as well as her daughter, Chelsea, according to the commanding general who hosted her.

Whatever her private conversations with the president may have been, key foreign policy officials say that a U.S. military intervention in Rwanda was never considered in the Clinton administration's policy deliberations. Despite lengthy memoirs by both Clintons and former Secretary of State and UN Ambassador Madeleine Albright, any advice she gave on Rwanda had not been mentioned until her presidential campaign." - LINK

Now, it seems to me like Hillary has inflated her record on most things from Heathcare to Education, but this really caught my eye. And having already "been in the White House" and experienced the political process, she has to be the best candidate, right? Well I ask this, would you feel comfortable with a nurse performing brain surgery on you just because she's assisted a doctor in a few surgeries?

The Morning After...

LINK

So here we are, the morning after...I feel a bit unsatisfied. Like a quickie. Used and just thrown away. I'm speaking about last nights election results, of course. I was hoping that there could be some sort of resolution, but Hillary, despite her having no possibility of winning, insists in staying in the race. Not to mention she floated the idea of sharing a ticket with HER as the Prez...ugh. Ok that's enough venting, now let's talk about a much more important issue.

PUPPY INCIDENT

Now I'm sure you all have seen this. Some messed up Marine threw a puppy off a cliff. Don't laugh, this is serious stuff. I mean, this one puppy is waaaay more important than this statistic. I'm so happy the media decided to throw all of their resources into covering the death of this poor, poor puppy when over half a million civilians have lost their lives from this "war".

Sarcasm aside, how messed up are we as a people that we care more about a puppy than the deaths of half a million civilians? That's the disgusting part, not some jackass who gets off from killing a puppy (if the video was real). Let me know what you all think...what's also interesting is how up in arms people were over the Michael Vick thing when PETA killed over 85% of the animals it took in. Nuts.

POTUS

New Week, Fresh Start

Big weekend for the 2BP - sold the car, sold the motorcycle....One step closer to financial freedom, I suppose. That being said, I'm pretty sad that the bike is gone. The feeling of riding a motorcycle really is indescribable (sorry for the cliche). I've also been a bit under the weather with some cold/flu/bronchitis combination, I never really can tell the difference. I'll come back strong with reaction on tomorrow's voting results. It's a big day for both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Let's hope that whatever the results are tomorrow, they are clear and without question. Could be the last hurrah for Clinton.

I'll be picking up my next car this weekend (hopefully Capital One cooperates) so I'll also have some pictures and perhaps video from my exploits with the Wrangler. Also, I want to start a poll for potential names...I've had Veronica, Claudia and a few others, but since this is an American car, it has to be a strong name that elicits chopping wood, exploring, conquering foreign allies and chasing the American Dream...

I've attached a photo of the Jeep, so I'll take some nominations for names and then put them up in a poll...the winner will be announced sometime next week!

Paz

POTUS

Shady! Even Nader Can Be Bought!

LINK

Whenever this story breaks, it will be huge. Back in 2000, multiple republicans donated huge sums of money to Ralph Nader, bolstering his campaign. Wow. I'd like to say I'm surprised, but not really. Old story, but still worthwhile.

More Dirty Tactics from Hillary's Camp

LINK

Now this is ridiculous. I know Hillary is trailing in every single poll, but attempting to paint Barack as some Islamic extremist is nuts. There's several inherent problems with what she's trying to do:

1. Historically, US Presidents, Congressmen, and Government officials all dress up in the traditional dress of whichever country they are visiting. (see below)

2. Attempting to play on the country's fears of 9/11 is shameful. Invoking anti-Muslim sentiment over and over again to try and win an election is as low as Flo-rida (without the catchy hook). Haven't Muslims suffered enough in the last 7 years from politicians stereotyping a religion that preaches love based on the work of extremists who have drastically mis-read the Qur'an?

"The ink of a scholar is worth a thousand times more than the blood of a martyr." - The Prophet Muhammad

3. Not only is Hillary making herself look bad, but she is coming dangerously close to fracturing the Democratic party AND setting herself up for a defeat whenever she's up for election. People discuss her legacy and what impact going negative will have on the way people view her. I can tell you this - if she continues on this course of action, her name will forever be associated with dirty politics, fear-mongering and stereotyping all for the sake of politics.

Shame on you, Hillary! Shame on you!