Sunday, August 31, 2008

The Things Guys who have dumped their first wife for a younger model

Should never say when #2 hits AARP status:

[Sarah Palin] is my "partner and a soulmate."


How creepy a thing is that for a 72-year old man to say about anybody nearly 30 years younger than him, male or female?

Who'd have mistaken John McCain for Woody Allen?

UPDATE:

And here we go...HILARIOUS



It is all awesome, but dig the wedding ring thing. Oh my!

Kindred Spirits













McBush calls Palin a kindred spirt. Don't know about that, and considering the vetting he gave her, I doubt he does either. But she's got a kindred spirit, alright.

Update: Oh boy, she is a Dumbya Dream Girl: Palin got her first passport in June 2007.

Seventy-two-year-old heartbeat away from the presidency, people.

Photo of idiot boy: REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

Well, media

You sure went off on the four or five crazed GOP operatives posing as disgruntled Hillary Clinton supporters in Denver.

Naturally, you are too busy to give any attention to the outright crushing of the First Amendment in St. Paul.

They gave what, zero minutes to the disgusting "Free Speech Zones" already of course. I imagine they'll be no need of one in St. Paul because every progressive in that town will be arrested.

I guess the U of Minnesota can just be called Guantanamo North while the GOP is in town.

Presumptuous Much?

Dig this trial balloon:

McCain made plans to travel to a threatened area of the Gulf Coast on Sunday, accompanied by his wife, Cindy, and running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. They planned to meet Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R) in Jackson, Miss., aides said.

McCain was scheduled to deliver his acceptance speech Thursday but now may do so from the devastation zone if the storm hits the U.S. coast with the ferocity feared by forecasters.


Because having police and fireman occupied in setting up security for your sorry ass, instead of doing their actual jobs in helping victims is shows real leadership.

What an ass, to even float this idea, let alone do it.

Of course, they are already planning on visiting today, both McCain and Ms. Moose-Killer. Again, taking away emergency workers to save their sorry ass when they have more important things to do.

Un-fucking-believable.

And, of course, he is the obligatory picture of what McCain thought was important when Katrina hit:


But at least then he was staying the hell out of the way.

MATLOCK!!!

David Broder, truly needs to retire.

When incontinence affects your critical skills it is time to go.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

In which I agree with Joe Klein

Because I think is the real Achilles heel of McCain as demonstrated by the Palin choice:

the Palin pick reflects the most dangerous tendencies in McCain's foriegn policy--the tendency to react, to overreact, to crises, without thinking it through. It also reflects a defiant, adolescent "screw you" attitude toward governance.

Picture of Health

JOHN McCAIN 2008, HE'LL PROBABLY LIVE A LITTLE WHILE LONGER!



(AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

Incompetent

Who says he isn't just like Bush?

A very reliable source overheard Republican spokesperson McHugh Pierre state TODAY that he had spoken to the McCain Campaign. They are coming to Alaska tomorrow to check out the "Troopergate" investigation.

In other words, THEY DID NOT DO SO PROPERLY AHEAD OF TIME.


Oh how I wish Thomas Eagleton were alive to enjoy this.

via Firedoglake.

So, how much attention will this get

When compared to the few dozen self-proclaimed Hillary PUMA's and their coverage in Denver?

There's no room at the Xcel Energy Center for maverick Ron Paul, so his acolytes have packed their cars, hitched rides on "Ronvoys" and will pitch tents at Ronstock '08 in Minneapolis in defiance of next week's GOP convention in St. Paul, Minn.

More than 9,700 tickets had been sold for the Rally for the Republic, which seeks to bring together activists who are anti-war, anti-government regulation, anti-immigration, anti-taxes, anti-Federal Reserve, anti-outsourcing, pro-individual liberty, pro-civil liberties and pro-Paul.

That will probably come damn close, or even exceed the number in the actual convention hall, it will dwarf the number of actual delegates.

But I bet it gets one-tenth the airtime that the a couple dozen in Denver received.

Change we can believe in

Quickly becoming the Lime Jell-O & Cottage Cheese of Vice-Presidential Nominations:

Mr. McCain’s advisers said Friday that Mr. McCain was well aware that Ms. Palin would be criticized for her lack of foreign policy experience, but that he viewed her as exceptionally talented and intelligent and that he felt she would be able to be educated quickly.

“She’s going to learn national security at the foot of the master for the next four years, and most doctors think that he’ll be around at least that long,” said Charlie Black, one of Mr. McCain’s top advisers, making light of concerns about Mr. McCain’s health, which Mr. McCain’s doctors reported as excellent in May.


Zen and the art of saying too much.

Shorter McCain Campaign:

VOTE McCAIN, HE HAS A GOOD CHANCE OF LIVING!

Friday, August 29, 2008

Republican Women of the World Unite!

Is the bench that shallow? Good lord what an insult to Republicans and women everywhere.

Attention PUMAS ... all 15 of you

March 2008, Sarah Palin on Hillary Clinton:

...her feelings about Sen. Hillary Clinton. (She said she felt kind of bad she couldn't support a woman, but she didn't like Clinton's "whining.")


Of course, she's also anti-choice and a creationist, but you all go ahead and pull that lever.

That'll show 'em.

Wow, OUTSTANDING NEWS

WOW-Bama!

Barack Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention was seen by more than 38 million people.

Nielsen Media Research said more people watched Obama speak than watched the Olympics opening ceremony in Beijing, the final "American Idol" or the Academy Awards this year. Obama talked before a live audience of 80,000 people in Denver.

His TV audience nearly doubled the amount of people who watched John Kerry accept the Democratic nomination to run against President Bush four years ago. Kerry's speech was seen by just over 20 million people.

Obama's audience might be higher, since Nielsen didn't have an estimate for how many people watched Obama on PBS or C-SPAN Thursday night.

Deep Thought

Has Charlie Crist broken his engagement yet?

Attention Ron Fournier


When is your AP Analysis coming out describing how this pick demonstrates McCain's awesome confidence?

(pic via Mystieus at D.U.)


Update: Apparently the emails stuck in Fournier's craw...it's almost fair & balanced.

Update 2: I have now seen their preferred headline. Wankier than ever. I stand corrected, Fournier wallows in bullshit.

Paris Hilton, Miss Alaska

Just saying.

Palin

First, kudos to DeDurkheim for calling it.

Second, Palin, isn't she the just out of high school woman who married the old dude on Northern Exposure?

Oh, and since she's a mystery let me be the first to exploit the newest of American traditions and proclaim...

She's a secret Muslim!*













*not that there's anything wrong with that.

Maybe... <gasp> a Woman for McCheat?

There is some word on the streets in Ohio.  Ok, wait before you pelt us with garbage...

Well, the streets in Middletown, Ohio to be precise... A middle-sized town situated somewhere between Dayton and Cincinnati along the I75 corridor there is a struggling former industrial town that saw a strange site last night.  According to some on the ground there, a plane landed from Alaska.  Rumors swirled over why the first ever plane from Alaska landed here not far from where McCheat will announce his running mate.

Well, sounds like McCheat may have decided on Alaska governor Sarah Palin.  We will see.  Those former iron wranglers and auto part makers from Middletown have never let me down yet.

Why is this one of the Top Stories?

Ok, I know making history throws off the media.  And with the nomination and acceptance of the first African-American presidential candidate, we have unmistakable history being made.

And I understand that the mainstream media can only report on news and information with the necessary corporate boss approved Transformers-type tie in but certainly talking about the craziness of a crowd is the wrong way to spin the change in the Democratic Party and a real historic moment.

Am I alone in being tired of the cheap and thoughtless manner in which the mainstream media does its job?  My eleven-year old son writes better copy.

Happy 72nd Birthday John Sidney McCain III


Here's you on your bestest birthday ever three years ago. When Bush gave you the gift of a complete and tragic national disaster to remember it by.

I know that Lindsey Graham's gift of a spanking for each year was heartfelt (among other regions) it is only a shame he developed Carpal Tunnel half-way through the process.

Jeebus, you'd think she, of all people, would understand the concept of

...the pity f**k.

A Lot of People [Kathryn Jean Lopez]

Are emailing me to say that they have made their first McCain donation tonight.

Maybe McCain shouldn't speak next week and replay this instead?


Keep on keepin' on there 'America's slump buster'.



I know, I know.

Next time I'll be crueler and blunter.

Hey, it's every Republican's former bestest buddy

Especially the always wankteriffic Randy Scheunemann, look who is accused of making BOMBS BOMBS BOMBS BOMBS IN IRAN!:

U.S. forces have arrested a deputy of Ahmad Chalabi, who was once the Bush administration's favorite Iraqi politician, and implicated him in bombings that killed Americans and Iraqis, Chalabi and Iraqi government officials said Thursday.

The U.S. military alleged that the arrested official was working with the "highest echelons" of the Iranian "special groups" criminals, referring to what the U.S. military says are Iranian-backed militias operating in Iraq.


Somebody should ask John McCain about that. He was a P.O.W. y'know.

Still Cracks me up

This is simply hilarious:

While Obamaniacs competed for tickets and withstood long lines to see their hero at Denver's Invesco Field, John McCain's rumored announcement of his running mate here tomorrow is not exactly drawing the same interest.

McCain arrived here tonight to news reports that free tickets are still available to his rally tomorrow at a basketball arena at Wright State University. The Nutter Center has a capacity of about 12,000.

While McCain aides have mocked as grandiose Obama's plan to give his acceptance speech before more than 75,000 at the stadium where the Denver Broncos play, McCain's events Saturday and Sunday on his "Road to the Convention" tour are also at stadiums.

Minor league stadiums.


*rim shot*

The McCain campaign will blame his inability to excite anyone on his POW experience.


By the way, here are some photos from Invesco Field last night...every seat filled. Incredible pics.

Running Mates

Apparently it's going to be either Mitt or Falling Bridges Pawlenty.

I am really hoping for the comedic stylings of Mitt, so I may be a bit disappointed. But on the other hand, there's a whole new vein of comedic material over whatshisname, so there's that.

McCain, you're still losing Minnesota too.

Comparative John McCain speech 9/4/2008, entire current draft

"Thank you. I'm not as good a speaker as my opponent. But I was a P.O.W. so suck.on.that.

U.S.A.!

Thank you and God Bless America!"

Well that was a damn sacred effort

Clean up on whatever aisle McCain's staff is at.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

What's Your Obama Tax Cut?

Interactive! Exciting!

Oh Please, Oh Please, Oh Please be true!

MITTENS!

If security sweeps are the giveaway, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney may be on the brink of being selected as Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) vice presidential running mate.

According to sources with strong Michigan ties, the Secret Service has conducted a security sweep of the home of Romney’s sister. Romney was raised in Michigan, where his father served as governor.


Oh in the name of Jesus and New World Jesus let this be true!

Not Live-Blogging "Project Runway"

I was busy last night, so I didn't get to live-blog "Project Runway," but I did want to share a "PR"-related anecdote with you (and say that I'm pleased that Keith got the boot).

On Tuesday night, pal Sexy Pixie (henceforth, "SP") and I went to Barnes & Noble Tribeca to see Nina Garcia move some books. One of my Atriot pals calls Nina "Meana," but I have to tell you that I found Nina quite charming and even prettier in real life than she is on "PR". She wore a basic black dress by Top American Designer Michael Kors™ , a pair of fierce 5" platform stilettos, and some kick-ass highlights. Speaking of which, highlight of the evening was Nina complimenting SP on her blouse, a little white ruffled Diane von Furstenberg number.

Question from the audience: "What fashion trend does Nina hate?" Crocs. Can't say I blame her.

P.S. to the woman in the front row who asked about Nina's "editor at large" gig: you're a jerk.

We're Number One!



Take THAT, Des Moines!

Beating more than 150 other municipal water systems, New York City came in first — for the first time — in the New York State Water Taste Test at the State Fair in Syracuse this week.

Okay, so it was only a statewide competetion (take THAT, Syracuse, White Plains, Albany, and Rochester!). We're still beating Des Moines in the ongoing (to my mind, anyway) Ugly Building Battle.

(Seriously, the water here does taste good. Could it be the traces of tranquelizers that have been found within? Lawn Guyland water is good, too.)

Enthusiasm gap

When your candidate decides to campaign as an asshole it causes problems:

Barack Obama can fill a 75,000 seat stadium.

John McCain, it seems, is having trouble filling a 10,000 seat theater in Dayton. They're giving away free tickets in several states and plan to bus in supporters. The VP announcement can't be overshadowed by a less-than-capacity crowd.

The Great Speech the Cable Networks didn't show you

Best speech I've heard him give:

McCain-o-nomics, Part II -- *POOF* no uninsured

Your McCain solution to the uninsured -- HOW ABOUT WE BLOW THIS ONE UP AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE FOLKS?

John Goodman, president of the National Center for Policy Analysis, a right-leaning Dallas-based think tank. Mr. Goodman, who helped craft Sen. John McCain's health care policy, said anyone with access to an emergency room effectively has insurance, albeit the government acts as the payer of last resort. (Hospital emergency rooms by law cannot turn away a patient in need of immediate care.)

"So I have a solution. And it will cost not one thin dime," Mr. Goodman said. "The next president of the United States should sign an executive order requiring the Census Bureau to cease and desist from describing any American – even illegal aliens – as uninsured. Instead, the bureau should categorize people according to the likely source of payment should they need care.

"So, there you have it. Voila! Problem solved."


Can you fuckin' believe it?

Fez Tip to TexasTom

McCain-o-nomics, "you can't do it my friends"



via PaulVA.

Unleash Pat Robertson

You know seriously, if there is a God this is an indication he has a wicked sense of humor with Gustav set to hit New Orleans on the third anniversary of Katrina and while the GOP is having its convention.



But there are people in this area that REALLY don't need to be in on the joke. Let's hope it weakens and then dissipates.

MSNBC's outdoor coverage

Rather than going indoors, like the CNN-fantasuite, MSNBC has put all of its stars, except Brokaw, outside.

Naturally, the light-air and brisk winds of Denver go right to Chris "Tweety" Matthews dyed locks.

And you know what that means...



Wednesday, August 27, 2008

One of the most significant events in American History just happened

And I'm damn proud to be an American and a Democrat and to have lived to see this day.

Minne-HA! HA! September 2-4


I was stuck in New York during the 2004 RNC and I can tell you that it was a miserable experience. "W" button-, fanny-pack-, and crappy denture-sporting Republicans invaded our streets, our subways, and our nightmares. Thank God, we had the Billionaires for Bush to keep us sane.
If you'll be unable to escape Minneapolis during the 2008 RNC, we at Rising Hegemon have a suggestion for you: get yourself a ticket to Shoot the Messenger, which "Daily Show" creator Lizz Winstead is bringing to Minneapolis for three nights to concide with the Republican onslaught of your fair city.
It may be the only way to preserve your sanity.

Bobo's World, from the mealy mouth of the Super-Genius himself...

How much is this moron paid for this bullshit? I mean, criminy, Bill Kristol and Krauthammer couldn't come up with something this moronic:

NORRIS: David, how much does this hurt John McCain, particularly as so many Americans are losing the one home that they have in the foreclosure crisis?

Mr. BROOKS: I’d say medium. You know, we’ve got a vast oversupply of houses. And if Cindy McCain is using her money to soak up some of that oversupply and build up the price, I think that’s a notable public service and we should all buy multiple homes.

No, I don’t think it’s going to be a big problem in part because John McCain has many flaws, but seeming like a spoiled rich guy is actually not one of them. And there are plenty of good candidates who have a lot of homes, plenty of bad candidates who have no homes...

Blogging thoughts

John Aravosis needs to get out of the house a bit more.

If true...WOW

Some of you may remember the right-wing assault upon The New Republic's soldier blogger Scott Beauchamp wherein he alleged violent acts of American soldiers in Iraq.

One of the main soldiers cited by right-wingers in defending the conduct of the military was an individual First Sgt. John E. Hatley.

A New York Times article describes some reprehensible behavior (reprehensible hell really, it was murder) of American soldiers:

A In their statements, Sergeants Mayo and Leahy each described killing at least one of the Iraqi detainees on instructions from First Sgt. John E. Hatley, who the soldiers said killed two of the detainees with pistol shots to the back of their heads. Sergeant Hatley’s civilian lawyer in Germany, David Court, did not respond to phone calls and e-mail messages Tuesday.

Last month, four other soldiers from Sergeant Hatley’s unit were charged with murder conspiracy for agreeing to go along with the plan to kill the four prisoners, in violation of military laws that forbid harming enemy combatants once they are disarmed and in custody.


I would never have recalled the relationship of these two separate events, but a Kos diarist, Bernhard, did and believes these 1st Sgt. John E. Hatley's are one and the same.

This deserves some looking into and some pushback.

See more at Bernhard's actual blog Moon of Alabama.

I Knew McCain was close to the Georgians


But I didn't know it was 'Something about Mary' hair-gel close.


(AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov)

Fourniercation Under Contrived Keyboarding

Well, not terribly surprisingly -- unless you were a paid television pundit -- Hillary Clinton gave a full-throated speech endorsing Barack Obama. Not some tepid declaration, but a whole-hearted sincere endorsement of Obama and a ringing denunciation of the Maverick Sidekick.

What's a not very well-hidden McCain campaign operative to do about this?

Ron Fournier knows...


For one evening, their political world was perfect. Or so it seemed.

Standing before thousands of delegates, almost half of them her backers, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton declared it time "to unite as a single party with a single purpose" and urged her followers to help elect once-bitter rival Barack Obama. "We are on the same team," she said, after allowing the applause to build to a crescendo and linger, longer than usual — much like the Democratic primary race itself.

"Barack Obama is my candidate," she said. "And he must be our president."

But did she mean it?


Of course, not long ago Ron Fournier kissed Karl Rove's ample behind while the latter blatantly lied about the death of Pat Tillman and Fournier attempted to land a job with the McCain campaign, a campaign he has YET to write one critical piece about (his only negative GOP piece this year was a piece criticizing Romney so as to praise McCain). I'm sure Fournier would claim this is not reflected in how he operates as an alleged "journalist". Watch his pieces on the Republican Convention closely next week...and feel the love and the sprinkles.

And we know he doesn't mean it.

So keep up the protests of Fournier's partisan hackery. It is starting to be noticed. And there are signs, the AP is paying the price.

[cross-posted at Firedoglake]

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Hell of a Speech

Ok, I understand that the talking heads are going to feel the need to debate this endlessly, but I have to say simply and directly -- what a speech Hillary!  Well done Senator Clinton.  'nuff said.

$600 Billion so far, another $10 billion every month, 4,200 dead Americans

And we don't even get to fully exploit Dick Cheney's Oil?!!!

Iraq is on the verge of reviving an 11-year-old contract with China worth $1.2 billion, its largest oil deal since the invasion in 2003, an Oil Ministry official said Tuesday...


The article makes plain that the current Iraqi government is falling back and honoring Saddam's old oil contracts (which obviously didn't include the United States).

Cheney isn't just a monster, he's an incredibly incompetent monster. All those billions and all those deaths, and China, Russia, India, and Vietnam (wasn't John McCain there for five and a half years? I'm not sure yet) are the main beneficiaries. You'd think we'd at least get to exploit our colony, rather than fuck up so very thoroughly.

[Via TPM Cafe]

Dear Zeiben...

I don't know you, but I love you (for this).

xxx...res

What Hillary Needs to Do™

No lists today, but rather, a suggestion for the opening salvo of HRC's speech to the DNC tonight. Feel free to crib at will, Team HRC!

Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Tonight I'd like to talk to you about a woman scorned. A powerful, fierce, tenacious woman of substance who was taken for granted, disregarded, and disrespected ... passed over if you will. A woman who only grew more ferocious and determined as she was ignored, and who, in the end, demanded her place at the table -- and wreaked havoc in the process.

That woman's name was "Katrina", my fellow Americans, and she was -- and remains -- a literal expression of and a metaphor for the colossal failures of the Republican party, its leader, George W. Bush, and his political soul-mate and would-be successor, John McCain.

Then Hillary uses Hurricane Katrina as a jumping-off point to open a giant can of whup-ass on George W. Bush, John McCain, and thirty years of Republican party failures, bringing the house down and becoming the hero of the convention in the process.

Feel free to continue the speech in comments, people.

Similar to the last hissy fit an intern may have seen

Meanwhile in the Happy Land that time and the media forgot

After McCain declared victory:

08/26/08 AFP : Blast kills 12 security recruits in Iraq
At least 12 security recruits were killed and 40 wounded in a suicide bomb attack at Jalawla, 150 kilometres north of Baghdad, the defence ministry and police said. The attack targeted a crowd of young Iraqis outside a police recruiting office, they said.

08/26/08 AP: Police say at least 9 killed in blast in Iraq
Iraqi security officials say at least nine people have been killed in the northeastern Diyala province. Tuesday's blast struck the town of Jalula but officials have offered conflicting reports about the circumstances of the explosion...

08/26/08 AFP: Car bomb injures 13 in Saddam's home town
A car bomb in Tikrit, the central Iraq hometown of executed dictator Saddam Hussein, injured 13 people including four policemen on Tuesday, police said.

08/26/08 Reuters
: Death toll climbs to 28 killed in N.Iraq blast
A suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest struck a crowd of Iraqi police recruits at a recruitment station in a volatile northern province on Tuesday, killing 28 people and wounding 45, a police source said.

Juxtaposition

Think Progress this morning:

Police investigate possible plot to assassinate Obama.


"at least four people are under arrest in connection with a possible plot to kill Barack Obama" and one of the suspects reportedly told authorities that they were "going to shoot Obama from a high vantage point using a ... rifle … sighted at 750 yards."


And right below that story is this:

McCain Camp Tries To Downplay Top Aide Lobbying In Favor Of Gun Rights For Suspected Terrorists

In 2007, Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced legislation giving the Justice Department the discretion to prohibit gun sales to terror suspects. The legislation was supported by gun-control groups as well as the Bush administration.

Siding with the gun industry in opposing closing this “terror gap” was Randy Scheunemann, now Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) top foreign policy adviser. Newsweek reports that Scheunemann lobbied against the bill on behalf of the National Shooting Sports Foundation

When does he start to do the "Bob Hope Walk On?"

Well McCain went on Leno (known to we Letterman fans as "that hump" Leno) and the macro was hit:


Leno: "For a million dollars, how many houses do you have?"

McCain: "Could I just mention to you, Jay, that, at a moment of seriousness. I spent five-and-a-half years in a prison cell. I didn't have a house. I didn't have a kitchen table. I didn't have a table. I didn't have a chair...


Apparently that is McCain's 13th visit to "The Tonight Show", a dozen times more than the man he accuses of being a "celebrity", Barack Obama. I'm just glad the Democrats aren't nominating Joan Embery of the San Diego Zoo.

Stay tuned for the next episode of "Noun, verb, POW" when we go back into McCain's early years:


Admiral John Sidney McCain, Jr.: Johnny, I've looked at your class standing at the Naval Academy and I'm afraid a rank of 894 out of 899 is not likely to get you into flight school. I suggest you prepare yourself for the black-shoe Navy.

Midshipmen McCain: Aw, gee 'my Dad', don't you remember when I was six and you grounded me for five and a half days. 'My Dad', how am I expected to finish middle of the pack with that kind of baggage?

Admiral John Sidney McCain Jr.: Okay, Johnny, I'll make some phone calls. And just 'Dad' is fine.


[cross-posted at Firedoglake]

Monday, August 25, 2008

Nice

Obama's commercial deftly uses humor on McCain

Of course, McCain's contemporary positions cannot be mocked because he was a POW.

Things Obama Needs To Do™

  1. Get us out of Iraq.
  2. Show us that he's up to the Commander in Chief challenge (i.e., is willing to drop a few bombs when someone gets out of line).
  3. Bring down gas prices.
  4. Break us of our fossil fuel addiction.
  5. Cut inflation.
  6. Deal with the deficit.
  7. Get Pooty Poot under control.
  8. Cut my taxes.
  9. Not be a Scary Black Man™.
  10. Sing the praises of Bill Clinton during his acceptance speech.
  11. Soothe the hurt feelings of HRC supporters.
  12. Assuage the fears of Donnie Fowler.
  13. Unleash Joe Biden.
  14. Reign in Joe Biden.
  15. Not talk about John McCain's (a) service; (b) POW status; (c) age; (d) seven nine houses; (e) discarded first wife
  16. Vacation at Myrtle Beach.
  17. Not vacation at all.
  18. Be very inspirational.
  19. Not be too wonky.
  20. Not eat arugala.
  21. Attack McCain!
  22. Be nice to McCain (he's old and a bit slow, after all).
  23. Smoke.
  24. Not smoke.
  25. Go negative.
  26. Stay positive.
  27. Keep hope alive.
  28. Tamp down expectations.
  29. Emphasize "change".
  30. Emphasize experience.
  31. Focus on his uniquely American personal story.
  32. Avoid emphasizing his unusual personal story.
  33. Be blacker.
  34. Be less black.
  35. Emphasize his Christianity.
  36. De-emphasize his middle name.
  37. Tie McCain to Bush.
  38. Tie McCain to the Republican party.
  39. Tie McCain to the first wife he abandoned.
  40. Not see his grandmother in Hawaii.
  41. See his brother in Africa.
  42. Not see his brother in Africa.
  43. Put Michelle out there more.
  44. Keep Michelle out of sight.
  45. Gain weight.
  46. Help me lose weight.
  47. Do something about America's "obesity crisis".
  48. Not be too cerebral/Ivy League/faculty lounge.
  49. Not be too "street".
  50. Ignore Code Pink.
  51. Give a gender speech.
  52. Not drink orange juice.
  53. Drink (American) beer.

Anything else Obama needs to do? Need your house painted? Some sense smacked into your kid? Someone to tell your neighbors to cut out that racket? Get your supermarket to start carrying the off-brand cream soda you like again? Barack Obama is there for you! Got advice for Obama? He hears you and will tailor his campaign to fit your needs. Put your suggestions for What Barack Obama Needs to Do™ in comments.

Line of the Day

If not the year, via the good Roger Aisles:

The McCain campaign keeps emphasizing that McCain was a prisoner in Vietnam, as proof of his qualification for the Presidency.

Well, so was Gary Glitter, and I'm not voting for him either.


As someone who attempts to ply the "snark" trade, this line is sheer genius, it will NEVER be bettered.

AMERICA'S CONCERN TROLL™


All you really need to know about self-proclaimed funny-guy Richard Cohen, in one quote:

“If you’re a little bit critical of Barack Obama, you get really a pie of vilification right in the face,” Cohen said, adding that his liberal critics “were born too late, because they would have been great Communists.”


Awesome, now he's channeling Joe McCarthy.

Our exclusive coverage of the DNC

Will be focused upon its effect upon my living room.

So far...no change.

Kristol's meth

If Ron Fournier's thoughts were his own when he wrote his latest execrable anti-Obama screed that picking Joe Biden was a sign of "weakness", Bill Kristol lets you know who writes the former's columns:


McCain operatives were pleased by the Biden selection, which they considered, as one said to me, “a pick from weakness.”


Amazing how McCain's operatives had that thought and Ron Fournier had this thought:


In picking Sen. Joe Biden to be his running mate, Barack Obama sought to shore up his weakness


As others have noticed, no wonder he didn't end up working for McCain formally, when he can do the same thing on someone else's dime?

But by far my favorite aspect of Kristol's column -- other than the forthcoming correction -- is the never ending series of McCain VP predictions.

Let us review, Kristol has previously suggested McCain will pick the following to run with him: Clarence Thomas, General Petraeus, General Odierno, and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

But Kristol is back and never one to be embarassed, he has a new prediction and suggestion -- that McCain nominate his bestest li'l buddy, Joe Lieberman [somewhere Lindsey Graham is crest-fallen].

And why?


Hillary supporters could protest Obama’s glass ceiling by voting for John McCain and the Democratic Party’s 2000 vice presidential nominee.


Yes, because who would bring down the "glass ceiling" faster than another two white guys who opposed equal pay and reproductive rights?

Yes, McCain/Lieberman breaking the glass ceiling in time for the shards to plummet into your uterus -- but it's just a short-ride to another hospital.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

By McCain's standards

The United States should be proud of all those future leaders with ready-made excuses we are making at GITMO.

I can see it now, all those guards making Crescent Moons in the dirt.

Mark this day

The "brilliance" cannot be understated:

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who is on Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) vice presidential short list, criticized Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) yesterday for his selection of Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) as his running mate. Instead, Pawlenty said that Obama should have picked Gen. David Petraeus, whom he considers “an outstanding leader and somebody who would better represent the mainstream of the country.”
I know the right-wing has wet dreams about the Petraeus which are downright fascist, but considering the guy has issued a Shermanesque denial for the position its ridiculous.

When McCain doesn't get Iraqi-Jesus to run with him and names, say, Tim Pawlenty, what will the latter say?

Not that these idiots are ever called on their bullshit, but I'm ever hopeful.

Dicky Lube


No, not the greatest lubricant name ever -- but one of the worst human beings bestriding the 50-states:

A two-year-old letter by Vice President Dick Cheney that pushed a controversial Alaska natural-gas pipeline bill is getting renewed scrutiny because of recently disclosed evidence in the Justice Department's corruption case against Sen. Ted Stevens. In a conversation secretly tape-recorded by the FBI on June 25, 2006, Stevens discussed ways to get a pipeline bill through the Alaska Legislature with Bill Allen, an oil-services executive accused of providing the senator with about $250,000 in undisclosed financial benefits. According to a Justice motion, Stevens told Allen, "I'm gonna try to see if I can get some bigwigs from back here and say, 'Look … you gotta get this done'." Two days later, Cheney wrote a letter to the Alaska Legislature urging members to "promptly enact" a bill to build the pipeline. The letter was considered unusual because the White House rarely contacts state lawmakers about pending legislative matters. It also angered state Democrats, who accused Cheney of pushing oil-company interests. The former executive director of Cheney's energy task force had gone to work as a lobbyist for British Petroleum, one of three firms slated to build the pipeline.
What a total non-surprise. Best crawl into that man-safe Dick.

Oh my...

I see the McCain campaign is desperately tossing out potential VP candidates. First it was McCain's biggest man crush, Petraeus now it is Colin Powell.

All trial balloons.

Not going to happen.

Which, if Jebus or New World Jeebus really love me will leave us with Mittens and his magic underwear.

Fourniercation in one location

How fucked up is the once prestigious AP?

This fucked up.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

L.A. Times reports Dewey beats Truman

Hilariously embarrassing.

"Obama chooses Gov. Tim Kaine for VP slot"

Ron Fournier Strikes Again (Fourniercation)

From the AP's Washington Bureau Chief who loves Karl Rove and almost went to work for John McCain. And should have resigned in shame...but looking at the last sentence has none of it.

An article bashing Obama choosing Biden.

What a fucking puke.

Friday, August 22, 2008

Yuma

I remember when McBush made his famous "There are jobs Americans won't do" speech in front of the AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades meeting back in April 2006. It made me mad as hell and it must have made the people in the audience mad, too, because they booed his wrinkled old ass. Full disclosure: I sit on my butt in front of a computer in air conditioned office all day, but I don't know one person -- blue collar, white collar, no collar, including me -- who wouldn't pick lettuce for $50/hour -- hell, for a lot less than $50/hour -- if that's what stood between them and, say, eating. Would it be easy? No way. Would I like it? Doubtful. Would I do it? You bet I would -- and so would you.

But would McCain?

No. He wouldn't. And there's the rub. This guy has been living large on someone else's dime for almost thirty years -- and he probably hates himself (and the source of his largesse) for it. He's been pampered for so long that he can't imagine working that way, and so he projects that lack of imagination and contempt for himself onto you and I.

I wish those AFL-CIO people in the audience had hurled rotten lettuce at him when he insulted them.

I'm trying to think how McCain is going to get out of this one. Maybe he'll try to tie it together with the $273,000 he paid household help last year. Maybe he'll say, "Well, I can't get anyone to serve me cocktails and canapes or trim the agave for less than $50/hour, so why would anyone pick lettuce for $50/hour?" Whatever. If you think this guy won't ship a few more thousand American jobs offshore because he thinks we won't do them, you are sadly mistaken, my friend. What an asshole.

I'm sorry who's elitist?

Because we know who a moron is.



Click on this video and spread it around. It's the sound of John McCain's campaign sinking.

Pigs Fly, Hell Freezes Over, Stopped Clock and...

Andrew Sullivan is right.

The "Common Man"


Hit "F5" for "He was a P.O.W." macro:

By midafternoon, both campaigns were in full battle cry and sought to portray the other candidate as living an ostentatious lifestyle. Both campaigns called reporters, rushed out scathing TV attack ads, unveiled new websites and unleashed surrogates.

McCain, who huddled with advisors at his desert compound in Sedona, Ariz., said nothing in public. A nine-car motorcade took him to a nearby Starbucks early in the morning, where he ordered a large cappuccino. McCain otherwise avoided reporters.

Forced into damage-control mode, his campaign aides counterattacked to reinforce their claim that Obama is an elitist.


Is it too elitist to send one of his staff, or his $270,000 worth of servants to go get him a goddamned large cappaccino?

John McCain the "evironmentalist" and "non-elitist" taking 9 cars to Starbucks.

(picture from here)

Shorter McCain Campaign

"Without John McCain's bold leadership the Bush Administration never would have been able to agree that Barack Obama was right about a timeline to leave Iraq.

And don't forget, McCain was a P.O.W.!"

They forgot to slam arugula and Dungeons & Dragons players.

Oh, cool

I got a text message.

Apparently, Obama has chosen me to be his running mate.

This should win him the votes of all those people with both Turkish & Norwegian ancestry.

That's two more votes for Obama.

Et tu, McClatchy

Really, this is just embarrassing, once again, the word you are looking for is "Uppity":

Can Obama win over those voters who find him pompous?

Many swing voters here and throughout the country consider the presumptive Democratic nominee distant, pompous, arrogant, even elitist.

"It's a big issue that he needs to address," said Eric Davis, a professor emeritus of political science at Middlebury College in Vermont.

Obama has Ivy League degrees from Columbia and Harvard universities. He's extraordinarily articulate and exudes self-confidence. Those credentials and qualities combine to strike some people as arrogant.


Ooh, here's an idea...become white.

Jesus, how many buzzwords are in this?

"extraordinarily articulate?"

*sigh*

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Transcript of Rudy Giuliani's GOP Keynote Address

"Without really thinking, based on just emotion, spontaneous, I grabbed the arm of then Police Commissioner NAME WITHDRAWN, and I said to him, "NAME WITHDRAWN, thank God John McCain was a P.O.W."

What's Worse?

The fact that John McCain can't remember how many houses he owns -- or the McCains' taste?

Svetlana is supposed to see John McCain's awesomeness


But all she and Ludmila see is pogrom fodder.

(Pool/Shakh Aivazov/Reuters)

Stop!


In the name of Loathe!


Supremely unpopular.

(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Oh, oh!


Looks like Interpol made it through the barricade.


(AP Photo/Bill Haber)

Again?

If the "awesome" surge is so "awesome" why are visits still a "surprise"?

"Surprise Visits" to Iraq, a Bush Administration tradition since 2003. It's like Santa Claus, only with more 'splosions.

"So, Dmitri, I'm telling you..."


"Spicy Mustard off a clip-on just does not compare to old french onion dip off a double windsor."

REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze (GEORGIA)

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Live-Blogging "Project Runway"

Before "PR" gets going I have a clothing-related anecdote to relate. Tonight, on Sullivan between West 3rd and Bleeker, catty corner from V Bar, where pal J and I met for a pre-"PR" cocktail, I saw a guy changing his clothes on the sidewalk: not some homeless guy, either, but rather, a plain vanilla 30-something dude who looked like he could have come from his Wall Street gig. He was standing in front of a doorway in his work clothes when he switched his trousers for shorts, revealing his patterned boxers in the process. Excuse me, but when did it become acceptable to drop trou in the middle of the street? Okay, onto the show ...

9:02: Hey, it's nice to see Chris March, even in his Viking get-up. Unfortunately, I don't see the drag queen who gave me the ambush makeover last new year's eve.

9:03: Holy Crap!™ You can say "big titted" on Bravo?

9:06: So who is the Laura Bennett of this group (i.e., the most tasteful)? I see whoever that is having big problems here. As Surfer Boy has no taste, something tells me he will survive this challenge, which is unfortunate.

9:07: Hmmm...maybe Stelluh is in huh element here.

9:18: Has res mentioned that res does not like Suede and that res thinks that Suede putting lettuce on Hedda Lettuce's dress is sort of freaking obvious?

9:20: Jesus! Where have I been? You can say "titties" on TV? When did this happen?

9:21: I actually think these fittings have got to be difficult. How can the designers envision how the garments will look when these drag queens are glammed up, i.e., with full make-up and hair? A dress on a guy looks like, well, a dress on a guy.

9:22: res told Suede that Hedda Lettuce's getup was a tad obvious, did res not? Hedda Lettuce is not pleased.

9:28: Good grief, does Surfer Boy get that Tim thinks that his garment stinks?

9:29: Hmmm, Keith's might be too boring rather than too tasteful. The problem is the color, I think. Too dull for drag queens.

9:33: res thinks that Suede and Hedda Lettuce just had the "Come to Jesus" talk.

9:39: Okay, everybody runway!

9:40: Kenley: okay, but the colors are dull. Surfer Boy: silly, but Top American Designer Michael Kors™ seems pleased. Stella's girl looks great. Hmmm...res thinks Hedda Lettuce may not love Suede's get-up, but she's working it just the same. Daniel: dress is not very drag-queeney. Damn! Teri went to town (although the thing is a bit all over the place). Keith's girl looks sort of scary. Eek! What the heck is that thing Leanne made?

9:43: Leanne made it? Weird. I'm thinking Daniel is going to get the hook tonight. His dress is boring and he's not great TV.

9:45: The judges are giving Jerrell a tough time, but I don't think he's going to get the boot. Keith's Toilet Paper II outfit is far worse.

9:48: This isn't the first time Daniel hasn't done the assignment. I think he's out.

9:51: I think this is Joe's night.

9:56: And I was right! Joe wins.

9:57: Right again! Sullen Daniel and his "impeccable" taste go home. Knee-nah G. and Top American Designer Michael Kors™ were right. Daniel always rejected criticism and that's why he never learned. This isn't "Seinfeld" Daniel (i.e., no hugging/no learning) you've got to air kiss and hug and you've got to digest the wisdom of Knee-nah and Kors, otherwise, it's Auf wiedersehn!

Very Sad

Congressperson Stephanie Tubbs Jones has died.

Or not, there are conflicting reports. In any case, it is not sounding good.

Where Were You in '82?

I messed up my earlier "Where Were You in '82" thread. (The video was giving me trouble -- I blame Ronald Reagan.) I lost all your great comments. I'm sorry. Reposting it by popular demand.

So as I said, me -- high school, reading The World According to Garp and Lolita, crushing on one of my teachers, and tooling around in that car...

Fearless VP Picks



Because I'm confident enough in my candidate (Zogby or no Zogby) to see OBAMA/ROTTEN '08 on bumper stickers all over America.

(Just as an aside, if any of you know where I can find video of Mr. Lydon covering the 2000 Republican and Democratic National Conventions, I would appreciate it if you could point me to it. It really cracked me up.)

Put your Fearless VP Picks in comments, please.

Alert Sigmund Freud

How many illegitimate "x" chromosomes did Cindy "Cinpoopy" McCain's daddy donate to other women?

Always unquestioningly Awesome


John McCain's awesome record of Afghanistan, nearly as bad (yet portrayed as 'awesome') as his record on predicting success in Iraq.

Of course, McCain was calling for attacking Iraq from virtually the moment September 11th happened and he's never been terribly enthused, organized, or cognizant of Afghanistan or anything that fell outside of where the bombs drop.

But this moment in 2003 reflects McCain's philosophy in Afghanistan right up until the time he decided to copy Obama's long-time call (and most Democrats) for a commitment to going after the real Al Qaeda where 9/11 was hatched as opposed to providing a training ground for them at a loss of more than $10 billion a month out of the mythical magic off-budget fairy (or as it is known in our modern world of corporate branding "The Halliburton Off-Budget Fairy"). Meanwhile the war McCain's never come to grips with continues to go down the crapper:


Taliban insurgents mounted their most serious attacks in six years of fighting in Afghanistan over the last two days, including a coordinated assault by at least 10 suicide bombers against one of the largest American military bases in the country, and another by about 100 insurgents who killed 10 elite French paratroopers.

The attack on the French, in a district near Kabul, added to the sense of siege around the capital and was the deadliest single loss for foreign troops in a ground battle since the United States-led invasion chased the Taliban from power in 2001.

Taken together, the attacks were part of a sharp escalation in fighting as insurgents have seized a window of opportunity to press their campaign this summer — taking advantage of a wavering NATO commitment, an outgoing American administration, a flailing Afghan government and a Pakistani government in deep disarray that has given the militants freer rein across the border.


And why? Because our alleged buddies in Pakistan are far more concerned about "their" national interest than in ours. A fact that seemingly has never dawned on the Bush Administration (or McCain for that matter) other than as an excuse to lie about their motivations.


Pakistan’s military has agreed to a series of peace deals with the militants under which it stopped large-scale operations in the tribal areas in February, allowing the insurgents greater freedom to train, recruit and carry out attacks into Afghanistan.

More foreign fighters are entering Afghanistan this summer than in previous years, NATO officials say, an indication that Al Qaeda and allied groups have been able to gather more foreigners in their tribal redoubts.

The push by the insurgents has taken a rising toll. Before the attack on Monday, 173 foreign soldiers had been killed in Afghanistan this year, including 99 Americans. In all of 2007, 232 foreign troops were killed, the highest number since the war began in 2001.


Earlier this year as he emerged as the clear front runner in the Democratic race Obama made a speech that recognized the reality that Pakistan is following their own interest and not ours:


I understand that President Musharraf has his own challenges. But let me make this clear. There are terrorists holed up in those mountains who murdered 3,000 Americans. They are plotting to strike again. It was a terrible mistake to fail to act when we had a chance to take out an Al Qaeda leadership meeting in 2005. If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won't act, we will.


...and how did self-proclaimed national security expert John McCain respond?


"Sen. John McCain of Arizona, close to clinching the GOP nomination, called Sen. Barack Obama 'naive' today and...blasted him for advocating a bombing of Al Qaeda hide-outs in Pakistan"


That was in February 2008, six months later, once again, who was correct in pointing out this situation and how it would manifest itself in Afghanistan?

And McCain is a long-time unquestioning hugger of Musharraf, including praise for the awesome job he did in not confronting Al Qaeda.

Yet, the media never allows this prescience to be reported and McCain NEVER gets any criticism on his reflexive hugging of every Bush foreign policy failure by arguing for more of the same.

[cross-posted at Firedoglake]

Pathetic

When will Maureen Dowd be hired by a paper more worthy of her talents?

Like Teen Beat?

Guy stuff


Last weekend I actually cleaned my windows for the first time in 3 years.

This weekend, I am going to get into that refrigerator and dispose of the probably half-dozen mostly empty pickle jars, two or three nearly empty olive jars, and contemplate what must be five or six containers of mostly gone mustards of various flavors.

I figure this will empty out the refrigetor by at least 25%.

I always seem to have a lot of mustard, but never any when I need it.

I attribute this problem solely to my gender. And to the fact I am apparently turning into Andy Rooney.

Better trim my eyebrows.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Awesome!


Promising MORE of the same in 2008!

Wholesale inflation surged in July, leaving prices for the past year rising at the fastest pace in 27 years, according to government data released Tuesday.

The Labor Department reported that wholesale prices shot up 1.2 percent in July, pushed higher by rising costs for energy, motor vehicles and other products. The increase was more than twice the 0.5 percent gain that economists expected.

"Mr. Straight Talk"

Imagine if a Democrat had said this, volume MMMXI:

During Saturday's presidential forum at Rick Warren's California megachurch, John McCain was asked to name the "three wisest people" he would "rely heavily on" if elected president. He didn't cite close confidantes Phil Gramm and Randy Scheunemann, possibly because they have gotten McCain into trouble politically. Instead McCain chose Gen. David Petraeus; former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, one of his economic advisers; and Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), a leading figure in the civil rights movement.


I thought at the time, that sure sounds like a big ass lie (because I was certain it was) ... and, of course, it was:

Rep. Lewis said in a statement requested by Mother Jones, "I cannot stop one human being, even a presidential candidate, from admiring the courage and sacrifice of peaceful protesters on the Edmund Pettus Bridge or making comments about it." But, he added, "Sen. McCain and I are colleagues in the US Congress, not confidantes. He does not consult me. And I do not consult him."


Hugs all around.

You see the whole deal is...

John McCain misunderstood the notion of "Cone of Silence"

It's all part of his pre-nup with Cindy.

As are marking his territory and scooting.

But where was their stylish cross in the dirt?

McCain, shortly after his release as a POW in 1973:

Now I don't hate them any more—not these particular guys. I hate and detest the leaders. Some guards would just come in and do their job. When they were told to beat you they would come in and do it. Some seemed to get a big bang out of it. A lot of them were homosexual, although never toward us. Some, who were pretty damned sadistic, seemed to get a big thrill out of the beatings.


How did he know they were "gay" if they weren't gay towards him? Did they say, "Hi, I'm Comrade Cho and I'll be your gay prison guard today." Was it by how they whipped him? Were the "gay" ones in John McCain's mind the ones who enjoyed whipping people?

Well, well, well

Cindy McCain is kind of, well, hiding anything smacking of family unpleasantness (the sort that is quite common today...but the reserve of the wealthy only a couple generations ago [when her husband first got his AARP card]).

She is, contrary to her claims, not an only child.

And, I've never believed the claim that women look to marry their fathers necessarily, but...

Monday, August 18, 2008

The Great late 70s cesspool of television

Didn't get more backed up than "Pink Lady & Jeff" -- Champollion requested this be found, so blame him. And check out the sludge of political incorrectness that occurs in the last 10 seconds. OMG!




Here's an ol' chestnut to wash that taste out of your brain:

Who's elitist?

Cokie Roberts calls going to Hawaii (i.e. America's Middle Income Paradise) "exotic" even though most of Obama's significant non-nuclear family lives there.

Where was Cokie while Obama vacationed?

Nan-fuckin'-tucket!

Nantucket, one of America's wealthiest enclaves -- like the Hamptons with less horse-shit.

But apparently no lack of bullshit.

There was an ol' bitty on Nantucket
Whose Journalism came with a bucket
She could afford lobster roll
By always playing concern troll
And now my scorn she can suck it.

Well, another job Bush is unqualified for


Touching up McCain's bald (and liver) spots.

(Mark Avery/Reuters)

About time


"Who's up for some fisting?"


But when and will he actually do so?

Nuclear-armed Pakistan's beleaguered President Pervez Musharraf announced his resignation on Monday in the face of an impending impeachment motion by the ruling coalition government.


Now what is it going to take to wash the Bush-taint away in this country?

(picture AP Photo/APTN)

Your Brett Favre "Manlove" moment of the day

You literally could just pick alternating Peter King/John Madden quotes every freaking day for the rest of the year (and it is tempting but I won't). Here's King:

I think I don't want to hear what great fans the Jets have. Not for a long time. That crowd Saturday night was a disgrace. At least half the stadium was empty for Favre's debut in a Jets' uniform.


IT'S FUCKING PRE-SEASON!

Punch the "Macro"


Shorter John McCain:


"I am always reluctant to talk about my POW experience...make sure you quote me on that again"


As always, let me give the obligatory I'm sure it must have been hell and it's compelling. It also ended more than 35 years ago. Don Rumsfeld had been the Secretary of Defense at that time, it certainly didn't make him a good one all these years later. And that's literally one-to-one experience not tangential experience.

Nothing becomes a "hero" more than reluctance to be called one. McCain has managed to sell this theme, but he hardly lives it.

Whenever he gets called out or accused of being less than forthright this comes out via his press flack:


“The insinuation from the Obama campaign that John McCain, a former prisoner of war, cheated is outrageous”


Well, that's a fine line of logic isn't it?

But it is all part of a pattern.

When called out for a factual error in something so trivial, yet memorable as using dominant pro football teams of an era to patronize he uses the POW card.

He uses the POW Card to push his Cuba policy.

He uses the POW Card to get a forty year old dig in at hippies.

He has used the POW card to say he isn't a racist, evidence to the contrary notwithstanding.

He has used the POW card to excuse years of voting against issues supporting veterans.

He just used the POW experience again to apparently plagiarize Solzhenitsyn (classy, the guy just died). But then again, how dare I accuse John McCain of this, he was a war hero. Only Democrats with three purple hearts, a bronze star and a silver star, and who actually had to kill a man in direct, personal, combat are worthy of being called deceitful or wimps.

And the most shallow of McCain surrogatoes on cable (and is there any other kind?) even excuse cheating on your wife through the POW experience.

When will the press notice?

If you accuse me of naivete I remind you I was sent to my room as a child. On more than one occasion. So really, how dare you!

[cross-posted at Firedoglake]

(picture from SLoomis08)

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Mmmmm, last Tuesday's Chili...

So, this is John McCain's awesome buddy?

Amazing

Yes, Phelps winning 8 gold medals -- some of which came in incredible finishes -- is truly amazing.

But seeing a guy, Usain Bolt, set a world record in the 100 meters at 9.69 seconds when he coasted and celebrated the last 20 meters is among the most amazing things I've ever seen.

All you need to know

About McCain:

Within a month [of 9/11/2001] he made clear his priority. “Very obviously Iraq is the first country,” he declared on CNN. By Jan. 2, [2002] Mr. McCain was on the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt in the Arabian Sea, yelling to a crowd of sailors and airmen: “Next up, Baghdad!”

Now, as Mr. McCain prepares to accept the Republican presidential nomination, his response to the attacks of Sept. 11 opens a window onto how he might approach the gravest responsibilities of a potential commander in chief.


"bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb [fill in country here]"

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Hmmm

I know the news networks tried to shove the "Fuck the Rest of You" forum down our throats. And I know that those who paid their scalper to get in to show how much they loved bombing people for Jeebus cheered loudest for McBombBomb but think of this.

By going first Obama was all done before Michael Phelps and the rest of the swimmers got busy.

Which is what was going on while McCain gaved canned answers to stupid questions.

And I don't know about you, but most Americans are just patriotic enough to live vicariously through the effort of others as proof of their own awesomeness than watch some goateed creep ask stupid questions.

Funny how they don't remember

Maybe a Werther's Original would help?

Curiously, although the records clearly list the plaintiffs, McCain's campaign says that the Arizona senator didn't know about or authorize the 1990 lawsuit with his ex-wife, Carol, and that his mother's 1980 lawsuit was filed "unintentionally." And McCain's 96-year-old mother, Roberta, says she never sued Carol.

But others involved dispute those assertions.


Must be those trick "trial lawyers".

Yeah, right

Charles Babb(ling)ton, the Nedra Pickler of 2008 (other than Nedra Pickler that is):

Both parties reach for center on abortion debate


So much bullshit in one headline. John McCain is NOT appointing pro-choice justices. There's no "center".

And it also repeats this lie:

Democratic officials also gave a convention speaking slot to Sen. Bob Casey Jr., D-Pa., who opposes abortion rights. His father, the late Pennsylvania Gov. Robert P. Casey, was denied a coveted slot at the 1992 convention because of his opposition to abortion rights.


Casey Sr. did not support Clinton, the parties nominee, so he did not speak. I cannot be that hard to believe that this is pretty common practice at political conventions.

Friday, August 15, 2008

John McCain's health care plan

Apparently is completely and solely reliant upon Shaquille O'Neil and the occasional jumping jack (post-up against chicken fat?):



That's non-change you can completely believe in...accomplishing zip.

Yes, relying upon the TALENT of Shaq!


Thanks Maverick.

Thanks so fucking much!

(via McCain vs. Iowa)

Help me out

The English Premier League kicks off this weekend in a season that lasts 9 months. It's like baseball, only even more deliberate!

My goal every year (and this is the second straight) is to adopt the suckiest team possible and cheer them right into relegation.

My George Bush-like merde touch was bestowed upon Derby last year and they became the worst Premier League team of all time.

So, who do I choose? Stoke, Hull, West Brom, Bolton?

I'm kind of thinking of Bolton because this may also be the year we relegate John & Josh -- and god forbid Michael.

Your votes appreciated.

The winner will have the joy of knowing I have no fucking idea what I am doing.

Just wondering


Has anyone seen Karen Hughes lately?

A couple of hunters in northern Georgia (the state, not the country) claim to have found a carcass of the legendary creature known as Bigfoot (or Sasquatch, if you prefer).


(pic from Newscoma)

About right

Galloway:

Bush and Cheney seven and a half years ago inherited control of the world's only reigning superpower, and in that short time they've squandered our military power, our international good name and our national treasury.

The only sadder sight in a week full of sad sights was a John McCain op-ed piece in The Wall Street Journal with the headline: "We Are All Georgians."


There's no "Candidate Privilege" so I think it's important that we know when McCain started talking to Saakashvili every day. And what exactly did Randy Scheunemann tell him to say?

When was the last time a Presidential managed not only screwed up a foreign crisis or made it worse, but may have been involved in actually starting one?

Meanwhile, a poignant statement from Olga Ivanova, a Russian graduate student in the United States:

Over the past week, American media have achieved one thing for sure: They have lost prestige among a generation of young Russians who believed that America is a country of true, uncorrupted, independent information. Many Russian youths come to the United States for college and then go back to Russia to help build our own democracy. Russians believe in democracy. But I don't know whether many Russians will ever trust American media reports again.

U.S. newspapers have lost esteem among Russian journalists as well. These reporters have long looked to American newspapers as icons of quality journalism. They are supposed to stand for truth and serve the people's interests. But whose interests did newspapers serve by publishing stories in the best traditions of the Cold War?

I think that both the Russian and Georgian governments attacked civilians. I blame the governments for this war. But I am also saddened by the unfair coverage of the conflict from Russian and American media. If this is what freedom of the press looks like, then I no longer want to believe in this freedom. I prefer to stay neutral and independent, just like a professional journalist has to do.


Rupert Murdoch and Fred Hiatt happens.

Metaphors

Indeed:

In honor of the 73rd anniversary of President Franklin Roosevelt’s signing of the Social Security Act, the New Mexico Democratic Party attempted to sing “Happy 73rd Birthday to Social Security” outside of a McCain campaign office, “only to have the birthday cake thrown in the trash by the campaign” ...

Conchita Cruz, the press secretary for the Democratic Party of New Mexico, called the cake trashing a “perfect metaphor” for McCain’s approach to Social Security policy.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Memes that will not die no matter the evidence

Troops overseas give six times more in contributions to Obama than McUndefined Victory.
Funny that.

Okay, which country?

February 20, 2008:


ROBERTS: So it’s clear you have no regrets in saying that the U.S. could be in Iraq for a hundred years.

MCCAIN: The U.S. could have a military presence anywhere in the world for a long period of time.


"Country First" adorns the masthead of McCain's website -- and he's produced commercials with that theme as well.

So, like commenter Stony Pillow, I have to wonder...


In a conversation with the Tribune, McCain said he has spoken to the Georgian president every day.


Which country it is...


The situation in Georgia remains fluid and dangerous. As soon as possible my colleagues senators Lieberman and Graham will be traveling to Georgia.


...that comes first?

We know which country did not come first in August 2005:




Cross-Posted at Firedoglake.

Um....hooray?

While John McCain put "another" country first:

U.S. foreclosure activity in July rose 55 percent from a year earlier as a slump in once-sizzling housing markets forced yet more borrowers to default on their mortgages, according to a monthly report.

Foreclosure filings -- default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions -- rose 8 percent from June and 55 percent from July 2007 to 272,171, according to RealtyTrac, which records property in various stages of foreclosure.

Birthday Gifts

For watertigers.





























































Every reason to doubt them

Last week the FBI decided it was a convenient time to close the Anthrax investigation.

Naturally, this being the Bush Administration, shoddy workmanship is at hand.

Federal investigators probing the deadly 2001 anthrax attacks recovered samples of human hair from a mailbox in Princeton, N.J., but the strands did not match the lead suspect in the case, according to sources briefed on the probe.

Never let it be said

That Fred Hiatt hasn't done his utmost to enable the Bush Administration's crimes.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Live-Blogging "Project Runway"

Okay, I realize this is not very Hegemonian, but I am going to try to live-blog one of my guilty pleasures: "Project Runway". I think this is the last season for me and "PR", as the show is moving to (a) Lifetime (which will probably dilute its gay sensibility, a sensibility I find fun) and (b) L.A. (which is just, well, sooooooo Jeffrey Sebelia, i.e., ew). Anyway, I'm sitting here with a glass of fortifying rosé. I would like to see bottle blonde faux-surfer dude Blayne get the boot, but let's see how it goes.

9:01: Okay, Blayne is already annoying me with "Girlicious" schtick. Also, Heidi's thighs are, once again, playing a starring role in this episode. I want to nominate Heidi for "What Not to Wear," so that Stacy London can teach her the "No miniskirts after age thirty-five" (yeah, even if you are a supermodel) rule.

9:03: I love Stella and her horrible Queens accent. She has absolutely no chance of winning, of course. But I love the woman and I would love to see her smack down a few of these people.

9:04: Uh-oh, design a look for a "high-powered professional woman". I see potential for a lot of '80s Joan Collins/Linda Evans padded shoulder catastrophes here. On the positive side, they have to work in teams, which means there's a potential for a major bitch-fest.

9:05: Hmmm...Utah guy (Keith) wants to make her look "very leggy, sexy". Maybe that's what will provoke (Top American Designer) Michael Kors' "Slutty Slutty Slutty" comment in the promo.

9:07: Oh dear, Very Special Guest™ Brooke Shields appears to like faux-surfer dude's sketch.

9:08: Excellent, Terri made it. I'm glad. I think she's the dark horse of the season (and no, saying "dark horse" in reference to a black woman is not racist, dammit!).

[Commercial for "Vicky Christina Barcelona". Okay, so I want Javier Bardem. Does that make me a bad person?]

[Commercial for Saturn starring Chris March, one of my faves from last season. Chris March seems like such a mensch. I met a faaaabulous drag queen this past new year's who (a) gave me an ambush makeover and (b) told me that Chris March saved her life by tailoring a sort of go-go style size 22 wedding dress for her.]

9:15: Oy, Keith picks Kenley as his partner and is already complaining about her. And Jerrell picks Stella because of her mad skillz with leathuh.

Just as an aside, my dream come true would be for Tim Gunn, Stacy London, Clinton Kelly, Carson Kressley, and my friends watertiger, R and H to take me shopping (and to the tailor). (Actually, watertiger has offered to shop with me, and little does she know, I plan to take her up on it!)

9:19: Suede is very uncomfortable. (And he ought to be, with a name like "Suede".)

9:21: Keith and Kenley ... Keith makes this flowing stuff. She makes very tailored stuff. What made him think they could work together? Totally different sensibilities? Maybe he admires her sewing skills?

9:22: Kelly, why would you throw Stella over for Daniel? He sort of sucks and his attitude is awful. You won the first challenge. Why would you risk tonight on this guy?

9:28: Tim is digging on Stella and Jerrell and is dubious about Daniel and Kelly.

9:31: Damn, Tim has concerns and Joe turns weasel. I would not fuck with Korto, though.

[You know, I think I'm gonna ask Bluefly to sponsor my closet. Of course, they'd probably be appalled at its contents, but I'm thinking of this as a promising new revenue stream for res, Inc. TRESemmé can sponsor my shower.]

Commercial: starving so I make edamame. Wonder briefly, "Would Cokie Roberts consider this snack 'elitist'?" Decide that she definitely would and immediately send Barack Obama email suggesting that he, Michelle, and the kids live exclusively on the stuff between now and election day.

9:42: Korto's jacket is great, but I think the dress is a disater. Not sure about this thing of Kelly and Daniel's. No, I am sure. It's ugly. Wow, I like the Keith/Kenley thing. Oh boy, Terri's ensemble is great. Surfer Boy/Leanne's thing is sort of blah.

9:45: Korto and Terri are in. Glad about Terri, but I was kind of looking forward to Korto going nuclear on Joe. Oh, well....

9:46: Holy crap™! What is Jerrell wearing?

9:47: Okay, "Slutty Slutty Slutty" was directed at Daniel and Kelly. Daniel, confronted with his "taste level" claims to have "impeccable" taste. You know, I think there are certain things you should just DO and not say, e.g., "I am a great lay." "I am very devout." "I am smart." "I have impeccable taste."

9:48: Okay, I was right. The Keith/Kenley flowing/tailored combo worked.

9:49: Oooo, surfer boy may be spending the rest of the summer in a strip mall tanning booth.

9:50: Oh Brooke. You went to Princeton and your father married an Auchincloss. Never EVER used the word "classy". Ugh! To add insult to injury, you say "classiness".

9:57: Keith wins and my girl Stella is in.

9:58: Daniel is in. Oh boy. Is Surfer Boy going home?

9:59: Whoa! Kelly gets the boot? Doesn't seem right. Jerrell's crying. He knows Blayne should have been permanently retired to the tanning beds.

Chris March and drag queens next week. As much as I like the show, I have to say this is evidence of its decline. I think they are out of ideas. That said, I wonder if that drag queen I met on New Years will be there?