intriguing view of one possible future -- cho

Bye Bye Barry

Joel S. Hirschhorn

The final results are in on this historic November day. Despite the hundreds of millions of dollars he raised, Barack Obama has lost the 2008 presidential election. American voters have boldly spoken truth to arrogance. Turned out that all those pre-election opinion polls that showed Obama’s inability to get over 50 percent support were prescient. Much of the public was never comfortable with Obama, though he clearly was so comfortable acting like he already was president.

Bumped. Originally posted 2008-08-16 18:34:54 -0500.

I am going to give this pastor the benefit of the doubt on all of this before tonight's debate between Obama and McCain since his background seems to show a little more enlightenment than most of the religious types we have seen spoon-fed to the masses on TV news in the last couple of decades:

"As a pastor, I believe in the separation of church and state, but I don't believe we can separate religion from politics, because one's faith determines one's worldview, which informs one's decisions and determines how one would lead," Warren said.

His views on many of the political problems we face appear to be more encompassing - to include all of the very real problems of AIDS, poverty, the environment - as well as the other issues we usually hear about from the one-trick pony that Dobson's Focus on the Freepers has become. There are too many important issues that Dobsonites have purposefully and completely ignored and, even, fought hard to suppress in the religious discussions of politics.

But I do have a problem with some of the McClatchy story on the debate:

It appears that Connecticut's junior Senator, Joe neocon Lieberman, can and will continue to try and set the bar lower:

"In my opinion, the choice could not be more clear: between one candidate, John McCain, who’s had experience, been tested in war and tried in peace, another candidate who has not," Mr. Lieberman said. "Between one candidate, John McCain, who has always put the country first, worked across party lines to get things done, and one candidate who has not. Between one candidate who’s a talker, and the other candidate who’s the leader America needs as our next candidate."

Just because Obama hasn't joined the neoconga line with you on the failed side of American party politics does not give you the right to question his patriotism.

Though I must admit that the pitiful desperation in your message suits you, Joe.

Watch this:

Voting for McCain isn't a vote for a third Bush term; it's a vote for a continuance of the worst of Bush's two-term disaster.

Boehner's communist leader, the ever incompetent Beijing George Bush, and his heir wannabe Beijing John McCain are cut from the same communist cloth as John McCain sets out to copy China and their internet astroturfing:

People who sign up for McCain's program receive reward points each time they place a favorable comment on one of the listed Web sites (subject to verification by McCain's webmasters). The points can be traded for prizes, such as books autographed by McCain, preferred seating at campaign events, even a ride with the candidate on his bus, known as the Straight Talk Express, according to campaign spokesman Brian Rogers.

...snip...

More chillingly, dissidents alleged earlier this year that the Chinese government has paid Chinese citizens token sums for each favorable comment about government policies they post in chat rooms and on blogs.

That John Beijing McCain is just a red republican chip off of the old communist block...

missed this earlier, originally posted 2008-08-03 13:58:08 -- bumped - cho

Though McCain clearly lied in his response to these questions... Just set that aside for a moment and watch his initial reactions to these questions.

If there were dogs nearby they would be sniffin' that fear oozing out of McCain. It's like he stands there stupefied awaiting for someone to explain the question to him again. I mean... HOLY CRAP! It only takes two simple questions coupled together to neuter his ability to schlep his talking points and send him into a paralyzed fear of what to do next. Another doe in the headlights reaction from John McCain. Remember when he was asked the viagara/birth control question?

During the awkward exchange, with several lengthy pauses, McCain said he had no immediate knowledge of the vote. "I've cast thousands of votes in the Senate," McCain said, then continued: "I will respond to--it's a, it's a..."

"Delicate issue," the reporter offered, to a relieved laugh from McCain.

"I don't usually duck an issue, but I'm--I'll try to get back to you," he explained.

Though John McCain broke his promise to get back to everyone on that question, NARAL did it for him:

"Let me give you a real, live example, which I've been hearing a lot about from women. There are many health insurance plans that will cover Viagra but won't cover birth control medication. Those women would like a choice," she said.

But as the abortion rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America was happy to point out, McCain twice voted against measures that would have required insurance companies to cover birth control -- in 2003 and 2005.

The Republican said Wednesday that he did not recall those votes. "It's something that I had not thought much about," he added.

A campaign aide who refused to speak by name said the Arizona senator opposed all mandates.

No wonder he has been unable to grasp the complex issues of foreign policy. Does McCain's "I don't recall" moment remind you of the bush administration, or what? (Plenty more below the fold)

obama in cedar rapids, ia

::

Contrary to Joe neocon Lieberman's statements and John McBush McSame McCain's claims of the surge succeeding... Violence in Iraq may be getting ready to explode AGAIN, and this will likely happen regardless of whether or not we follow last week's John McCain idea of "100 years in Iraq" or this week's John McCain flip-flopping to follow Obama's 16 month schedule for withdrawal which was recently endorsed by Maliki. A position that Maliki has been pretty consistent on even before he met with Obama. This is not to say that there will not be violence in Iraq when we pull out. The violence will be horrific. But delaying the day of withdrawal only continues the slow bleed of ethnic cleansing and infighting among power hungry Iraqis until further on up the road and until the shit really hits the fan.

Bumped again by Carol. Originally posted 2008-07-19 17:09:07 -0500; Originally promoted. -- GH

Stephen D reports on a Phil Gramm Friday night dump attributing Gramm's resignation from the McSame campaign to the "Americans are whiners!" comment. I think that is just cover for the more likely real reason:

UBS, LGT Helped Hide Assets, Evade Taxes, Senate Says

By David Voreacos and Carlyn Kolker

July 17 (Bloomberg) -- UBS AG and Liechtenstein bank LGT Group aided rich U.S. clients who wanted to disguise ownership of accounts and evade taxes on hidden assets, a Senate subcommittee said.

UBS, the world's largest wealth manager, hid as much as $17.9 billion for 19,000 Americans who didn't declare assets to the Internal Revenue Service, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations said in a report released in Washington late yesterday. LGT, owned by Liechtenstein's ruling family, fostered a ``culture of secrecy and deception'' while assigning code names to U.S. clients, the panel said.

Remember that Phil Gram works for and lobbies for one arm of UBS in the USA. More below...

event horizon: the boundary of a black hole beyond which nothing can escape from within it

-- Merriam-Webster Online

After five years and change of turned corners and dead enders and last throes, is it possible that we're approaching an event horizon in our Middle East miasma? Stuff seems to happen faster than anyone can deny it occurred these days, and from the sound of things, it won't be too long before we're committed to getting out of Iraq in smart fashion or sucked into staying there until kingdom come.