VOR wrote on Sep 18, 2008 1:34 AM:Alexandra Cloney just doesnt get it. First as the Palin bubble bursts under all the lies told and retold again, no one is foamimg because at the end of the day its McBush that is running. The choice was not bold, it was an insult to the citizens of America. It would have been like choosing Alexandra Cloney to be VP, the knowledge and experience would have been the same. Joe Biden wasn't rushed off for a month to be lectured and instructed on how to repeat the same phrase words and talking points, kept away from interviews because she doesn't have the knowledge to even act as if she would be an acceptable candidate. The bubble has burst and together McBush and Palin are Bush/Cheney on steriods.

But whats really disappointing is Alexandra Cloney's lack of interest in others. What war, she asked, is ever fought without the loss of innocent life? A war that isn't fought Alexandra. A war that doesn't cost 30,000 American casualties, 5 more today. A war that accomplished little, as we are still stuck in a quagmire, Al Queada and Bin Laden still run free and terrorist are still blowing people up. Iraq still has no government that can accomplish even the smallest tasks and hasnt had an election since America forced it upon them 4 years ago. Hussian may have killed a hundred thousand civilians with his horrid reign of terror but we brought down a half million more with our pre-emptive strike that has now mired us in loss of American life and loss of a trillion dollars of waste.

Alexandra Cloney thinks it's worth the loss but most of the American population disagrees. Funny, isn't the difference between the value of life that conservatives place on human life versus liberals so different. To conservatives the most important life is the life that is undeveloped and the life that in its final death throes. The inbetween life is of little matter, both the actual life and the quality of life. So blowing up a few Muslim families to Alexandra Cloney is a matter that she considers the price of doing business. A very bloody business.

People like Alexandra Cloney and Sarah Palin profess to be Christians. God, Jesus made his stay on earth pointed to represent peace and love and the above all theme in the Bible is to take care of God's children, the poor, the sick, the homeless. He repeats it in the Bible 8 times more then love for each other. Yet, have Christians like Cloney or much more importantly the conservative candidate Palin ever mentioned the poor, as she stands before us, wrapped in the American flag holding the proverbial Bible. Not once. Funny though, she has represented the opposite, as if she feels she is driven by God's will which she has already told her Congregation she knows. She has told them that God's will was to attack Irag and by the way, he wants a pipeling in Alaska and to Drill, Drill, Drill. That is factual no matter how crazed it sounds. But the point is this. If these are God fearing, Jesus emulating people, how come they don't act like it. How come everything that spews from their mouths is counter to Bible teachings? The only things I hear them saying and doing talks of hate for others, unfeeling for others and talk of war. They attack homosexuals using two scriptures in the Bible as a battle cry to discriminate against them but never mention once that the Bible stands firmly against war and killing. Have they sold out their beliefs; war for discrimination of gays? If reasonable they would understand that in the same breath the Bible talks about homosexuality it also Ok's slavery and indentured servatude. Wheres the rational thinking? I guess at the end of a long day, rational, logical and reasonable to conservatives is listed under bigotry, hate and prejudice.

VOR wrote on Sep 18, 2008 1:58 AM:Sometime this morning, copy and paste Ron will come on and claim that Democrats are panicking and Reardon will spew some meaningless chatter from a right wing hate site but lets look at the facts from todays Wall Street Journal poll.

Question: Who would bring about real change to the way things are done in Washington?

McCain- 37% agree; 59% disagree
Obama- 65% agree: 29% disagree

Despite an intense effort to distance himself from the way his party has done business in Washington, McCain is seen by voters as far less likely to bring change to Washington than Obama. He is widely viewed as a “typical Republican” who would continue or expand President Bush’s policies.

This poll taken after the Republican convention suggested that McBush had enjoyed a surge of support — particularly among white women after his selection of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate — but the latest poll indicates “the Palin effect” was, at least so far, a limited burst of interest. The contest appeared to be roughly where it was before the two conventions and before the vice-presidential selections: Obama had the support of 48 percent of registered voters, compared with 43 percent for McBush.

This poll suggested that Palin’s selection has, to date, helped McBush only among Republican base voters; there was no evidence of significantly increased support for him among women in general.

Well as Gomer Pyle would say- surprise, surprise, surprise. There is only one group that could be fooled by the selection of Palin.

75 percent said they thought McBush had picked Palin more to help him win the election than because he thought that she was well qualified to be president; by contrast, 31 percent said they thought that Obama had picked Biden more to help him win the election, while 57 percent said it was because he thought Biden was well qualified for the job.

Have you noticed that the words Republican and Bush are not used anymore to prevent the linking to the failures of the administration. LOL.
Two thirds of America disapprove of Bush and 82% think we are being forced in the wrong direction. Remember this is the same party of McCain we are talking about.

When asked who they thought would win in November, 45 percent said Obama and 38 percent said McCain. LOL

Cleaning Up Chicago wrote on Sep 18, 2008 4:12 AM:Ernest Sparks' letter shows he has been reading too much hate literature, riddled with half-truths that have been distorted and then taken out of context. that has been repeatedly debunked. The real story is that Obama took on dirty Chicago machine politics and, again, beat the insiders. Hello! If 757 signatures are required, they have to be valid. It does not matter if you turn in ten times the number of signatures, the requirement is that they be valid and legitimate and not duplications. The person he beat was the INCUMBENT. Don't you think the sitting officeholder should know the rules? But Chicago was notorious for its dirty politics, duplicate signatures, fabricated signatures, etc.
Obama challenged the system of insider corruption and won! If the "incumbent" had followed the rules, he wouldn't have been disqualified. He didn't follow the rules.
Ho-hum, Sparks then finishes with the obligatory recitation of every problematic person Obama has ever come across in his life who ever did something wrong, no matter how distant their wrongdoing was from Obama, who has never been implicated in anything wrong.
In contrast, I notice Sparks doesn't apply the same standard to Obama's opponent.
John McCain was directly involved in writing letters to help accused (and subsequently convicted) banker Charles Keating. The guy was found guilty and went to prison for bank fraud in the greatest collapse of financial systems in U.S. Hisotry - until now! McCain has a 26-year history of helping criminal bankers like KEATING and voting to deregulate financial institutions, and now claims he is going to get tough on those responsible for the current meltdown. No way! Time to get a real reformer, the one who notoriously knocked over Chicago machine politicians and establishment candidates.
Every time the hateful conservatives want to bring up sleazy acquaintances or financial failures, there is one word that must be repeated over and over: Keating! Keating! Keating! Keating!

Marlowe wrote on Sep 18, 2008 5:18 AM:Here we go again. In Michigan, GOP operatives are researching the names of people whose homes have been foreclosed in voting districts that contain many African Americans. The goal is to disqualify these folk from voting. Any unrelated technicality and bully tactic will be used to try to disenfranchise voters who are likely Democrats. This is the GOP's idea of democracy. Party over country every time.

Karl wrote on Sep 18, 2008 6:28 AM:Amen Gary Myers, sounds like a good initiative. With Healthcare facilities near shutdown our legislators actions are the height of arrogance. I will follow your brothers plan and vote against any incumbant. Voting all independent sound pretty good.

Karl wrote on Sep 18, 2008 6:39 AM:Boy VOR, you sure have a bigoted, hateful and prejudicial view of ALL conservatives. Go back to your room until you can judge people by their individual merits.

ChrisCanCelebrate wrote on Sep 18, 2008 6:54 AM:The news is reporting that seven U.S. soldiers killed in helicopter crash in Iraq. That will keep Chris and the rest of the hate America liberals happy for the day

To Karl at 6 39 wrote on Sep 18, 2008 6:59 AM:If the shoe fits...

And the shoe fits YOU!

Yokozuna wrote on Sep 18, 2008 6:59 AM:Some good news on the business front: Microsoft is discontinuing the Gates / Seinfield ads. Pretty good pay for old Jerry, $10 million.

He Said wrote on Sep 18, 2008 7:02 AM:Karl @ 6:39: Thanks, his fervency is quickly degenerating into fanaticism.

Karl Two wrote on Sep 18, 2008 7:03 AM:Boy Chuck, Bill, Ron, sdraoul, you sure have a bigoted, hateful and prejudicial view of ALL liberals. Go back to your room until you can judge people by their individual merits.

Ron wrote on Sep 18, 2008 7:11 AM:As always, people like "Cleaning Up Chicago" @4:12 AM have to "clean up" after the fact" because that's what liberals do. They hide the mess, they hide their questionable friends, they must fool you every day as to who they really are. Cause that's just what liberals do.
Take this phoney tax cut by his low-ness. We all saw this same phoney "I feel your pain" baloney with Bill Clinton. And that dude raised taxes on people making as little as $33,000 a year. Yep, that's rich....
Barack Obama has voted to recend the Bush tax cuts, not on "the Rich, but all the way down to those making $41,500 a year. So, tell me another one, would ya?
The Halo is tarnished, he's been exposed as just another liberal politician, nothing special, class-warfare, 1930's raw deal styled politician.

Anyways....
I see that incompetence never goes out of style. Judge Lance Ito....
Lance Ito was the judge in the Charles Keating case, and his conviction was overturned on a technicality.
Fast forward... OJ Simpson.
As I said, incompetence never goes out of style.

Oh brother wrote on Sep 18, 2008 7:15 AM:"If you start to dream bigger dreams and you start challenging the basic assumptions, you can change how things work, and we've done it in Florida, and the Good Lord knows we need to do it in Washington, D.C."

Jeb Bush this week, inadvertantly endorsing Obama.

Concerned Voter wrote on Sep 18, 2008 7:18 AM:To Marlowe
"GOP operatives are researching the names of people whose homes have been foreclosed in voting districts that contain many African Americans. The goal is to disqualify these folk from voting."

I fyou don't live there anymore, you are not eligible to vote. That is the law. What's wrong with that?

Chuck wrote on Sep 18, 2008 7:31 AM:VOR asks who will be change, Obama or McCain. Its no doubt Obama will bring change---the change that will be left in your paycheck when he increases taxes on your employer, the 5 cents change that will be left when you put 1 gallon of gas in your car and hand the attendant $7, the 2 cents that will be left when you check out a box of CornFlakes and hand the clerk $6, the change in your medical coverage when your employer cant afford to give you the benefit anymore, the change that will be left in your 401-K because Hussein wont drill. And all $8000 billion of the dollar bills will go to the 2 bit oil sheiks, Putin and Chavez because Hessein tell us to stick it when asked to open the ANWR. And the big change in the kindergarten kiddies when they come home with condoms, compliments of Hussein & the public schools

Give em hell VOR wrote on Sep 18, 2008 7:33 AM:"I don't give them Hell. I just tell the truth about them and they think it's Hell."

Harry Truman

Chuck wrote on Sep 18, 2008 7:36 AM:The liberals are smirking today, now that Palins emails are all over the internet.
Its the same smirk that was on their faces when they gleefully showed BinLaden and AlQaeda how the NSA was spying on their communications. And then the glee was expanded when they attacked and prevented Bush from using the Patriot act to further spy on the terrorists.

OBAMACAN wrote on Sep 18, 2008 7:38 AM:Boy, the hate-mongering Republican slime machine is out in force in this morning's letters, but thanks to John McCain, their hypocrisy is exposed. Maybe there still a reform-minded maverick hidden in what is left of him, in a perverse sort of way.
Steven Melcher makes an elaborate point about the importance of experience, and then finishes up with a defense of Sarah Palin who has NONE in national and international issues as if all women applying for his "job opening" are the same just because they have the same "plumbing" - talk about sexist! Amazingly funny, though. And of course, his comparison of the high-IQ mail clerk being made CEO doesn't add up at all, other than to describe a beauty queen TV newsgirl who managed a couple of small, remote, jurisdictions. Melcher tries to pretend this might apply to Obama, as if he is so desperate to find some way to turn intelligentce into a flaw. Melcher has no clue. Obama is not the proverbial mail clerk. He rose from very humble origins, overcoming enormous obstacles, to turn that intelligence not into a job as a mail clerk, but to get into the top law school in the United States, where his achievements earned him international renown while still a law student. He went back to Chicago, where he had previously been a "community organizer" as his first job out of college, became a high-visible civil rights attorney and professor of Constitutional law. He served several years in one of the largest, tougest and most complex state legislators in the nation, in the same statehouse as Abraham Lincoln. As "just" a state legislator, received national recognition, earned a Senate seat and as a U.S. Senator, announced for president, ran a seamless campaign, and was able to overcome enormous odds to displace a tough Democratic party insider favorite to win the nomination. Hardly sounds like a mailroom clerk who just happens to fall into the CEO spot.
Then there is the letter from Ernest Sparks, but "Cleaning up Chicago" at 4:13 a.m. dispatched that nonsense quite handily.

Ron wrote on Sep 18, 2008 7:38 AM:What we are all witnessing is the natural progression of Liberal Institutionalism. The financial meltdown does not surprise me, not one bit. Given the fact that ever since FDR and his raw deal has inserted the government into every nook and cranny of everyone's lives, individual, State, county, city, school district...
This is the natural fruitition of those policies.
What was the New deal/raw deal?
Well, it was an ideology that told people they would always be taken care of, no matter what stupid thing they did. No matter what they did, Big Daddy government would always be there to take care of you. That was the message.
That message has real world effects. For example, people used to save for their retirments, but no longer. They have Social Security, so why save at all? Nanny will be there to pull me out of the fire.
And we have watched this progression through welfare, where we had generations of people living off the government, money, housing, medical...
and most never got off it on their own. It became their lifestyle. The mindset is pretty clear, why should I have to work, when I can get all my needs met?
We've seen pension funds saved by this government, and they've messed that up by underfunding the plans. We've seen "loans" to corporations prior to this, oh sure, they paid them back, but it set the future precedent for what we are now seeing. Washington is so injected into every part of business, business people must make the pilgrimage to be heard, by paying first, of course.
I was watching Ted Nugent the other night, and he said something that was pretty profound. He said, Democrats today are more like socialists, while Republicans resmeble the Democrat party of the 50's & 60's. I think he's right.
Given the natural progression of this national mindset, this creeping liberal institutionalism, it has infected, and yes that's the right word, infected even my own party. Take GWB and his drug benefit plan? And expansion of entitlements by about $8 trillion.
So, what are we left with?
The message is now clear, no matter what anyone does, personally, corporate, State, county, city, or even school district Big nany government will be there to pull you from the fire.
You can buy a house you can not afford, and Fannie will buy that mortgage. when Fannie collaspes, the government will buy Fannie.
Heck, I'm thinking, since I now own AIG and Fannie/Freddie.. I should get a free mortgage, and insurance to cover it. I'm looking at a house I can't afford, say about.. I don't know... $3.5 million?
See how infectious this ideology is?
You can have it all, and the government will provide it for you, at no cost.
At least, that's what they'll have you believe.

Vista Granny wrote on Sep 18, 2008 7:43 AM:So much hatred and anger by the Repubs this a.m. - over Palin and the Bible? Isn't anyone a bit upset by what's happening in the financial world? No, I'm not talking about that great gambling casino - Wall Street - I'm talking about the fact that the those wonderful, stand on your own two feet, pull yourself up, don't trust government, privatize the world Republicans have used our hard earned tax money to bail out a whole lot of private risk takers and put the government in the insurance business -- so much for theories. I love this quote from a person in Iceland, "The taxpayer was not created to take care of the ... of the state or the ...damn bankers.They took their risk - we have
taken ours for all our lives!!!!" (NY Times readers' comments)

Ron wrote on Sep 18, 2008 7:46 AM:You just gotta love this liberal logic {is that logical?} by...
"VOR" @1:34 AM. {working overtime to save the world for BO}

>>>Hussian may have killed a hundred thousand civilians with his horrid reign of terror...">>>

Interpretation: See? He wasn't such a bad guy? Oh sure, he was killing his own people, but he was no threat to us.
We already had him boxed in.

My thoughts on this are well known. If this is the liberal tenet, then why did we go into Bosnia? That was a genocide, and did not threaten our national security.
And seriously, dude.
You really.. and I mean REALLY need to go back and re-read the Iraq resolution, the 2002 Authorization for the Use of Military Force in Iraq.
Then go read Peter Stark's House floor speech, and get back to us. Would ya?

Ron wrote on Sep 18, 2008 8:00 AM:Hey, Ernest Sparks... you forgot a few people.

In the rise of BO within the corrupt
Chicago political machine he made friends with a lot of unsavory charactors. Not only did he eliminate Alice Palmer in his State Senate seat, he then, with the help of his friends, got sealed court custody records of Jack Ryan opened, thus eliminating him.
Given the furvor of the Hillary coronation, the messiah {I'm not capitalizing messiah anymore, the halo is off, and he's been exposed as just any other lib politician} was to come flowing in, unchallenged, carrying the democrats to record seats on his robe-tails. NOT.

In addition to:
wrong Rev. Wright,
Antoin "Big Tony" Rezko,
Big Machine Richard Daley,
You need to add the following:
Frank "I'm a commie" Davis,
Carl "SDS" Davidson,
Bill "I'm still an unrepentant terrorist" Ayers,
Gerald "Saul Alinsky-ite" Kellman,
Father "racistpastor" Phleger.
In BO's search for his long, lost father, he sought comfort in the arms of these men. And you need to understand this, to understand BO.

Beer goggles wrote on Sep 18, 2008 8:03 AM:It seems American's have woken up to discover that underneath all that lipstick there was indeed still a, well, you know.
Who's in panic mode now? LOL

Nick wrote on Sep 18, 2008 8:04 AM:Ummmmmm.....I think Phil Acosta means save them from Obama.
I guess Phil doesn't realize that the only piece Obama ever wrote while in Harvard Law School was on abortion.

To summarize the article in the 1990 Harvard Law Review:

The six-page summary, tucked into the third volume of the year's Harvard Law Review, considers the charged, if peripheral question, of whether fetuses should be able to file lawsuits against their mothers. Obama's answer, like most courts'was No. He wrote approvingly of an Illinois Supreme Court ruling that the unborn cannot sue their mothers for negligence, and he suggested that allowing fetuses to sue would violate the mother's rights and could, perversely, cause her to take more risks with her pregnancy.

Just more propaganda from the loonie Dems who are running scared.
Cheers, Nick.

Vista Granny wrote on Sep 18, 2008 8:07 AM:For some reason, expressions which can be printed in the New York Times, are .......'d in this newspaper. I keep forgetting that I live in a red neck, Bible thumping part of California. Wonder if they'll print this? Maybe the editor is just prissy!

Marlowe to Concerned Voter wrote on Sep 18, 2008 8:12 AM:What's wrong with trying to deny people their right to vote if they've had a foreclosure? From the Michican Messenger QUOTE The Obama campaign and the Democratic National Committee have filed a lawsuit in federal court in Michigan over the Michigan GOP’s plan to use foreclosure lists to challenge voters at the polls, as first reported by the Michigan Messenger. Bob Bauer, general counsel for the Obama campaign, and Mark Brewer, chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party, announced the lawsuit in a conference call with reporters this afternoon. It was filed on behalf of the campaign, the party and three Michigan residents who have had their houses foreclosed upon in recent months. Bauer called the GOP plan to use foreclosure lists “a new and especially repellent version of caging.” Caging is a technique of challenging voters where they take lists of addresses, mail to them with a “do not forward” marking and if for whatever reason those mailings are returned, they use this as a basis for claiming that the voter no longer lives at the address at which they are registered. Bauer noted that using foreclosure lists to challenge a voter’s address is “false and illegal” for several reasons. First, because getting a foreclosure notice is not evidence that the person’s address has changed. In Michigan, homeowners have the opportunity to redeem the foreclosure even after a sheriff’s sale has occurred, which means they can stay in the home for many months after a foreclosure notice has been sent. Second, because under Michigan law a person can vote at their old precinct if they lost their home within 60 days of the election ENDQUOTE I hope this answers your question about what's wrong with that. They DO live there and even if they just moved, they are allowed under Michigan law to vote in that precinct. Also, of course, is the fact that the GOP is only doing this in highly black neighborhoods. But this is only the beginning of the GOP full frontal assault on democracy. Phone calls will tell people they can vote on Wednesday. Off-duty cops will dress like storm troopers and patrol black polling stations. Voting stations in some neighborhoods will be woefully understaffed and while people wait on those long lines, there will be people challenging their rights to be there. People will appear on lists of "felons" if their name is Jefferson. Seriously, this is nothing but a war on democracy, practiced by the GOP every four years. Every American should denounce these practices and demand they stop completely. Most Republicans won't. You know why? Party over country, every time.

Double standard wrote on Sep 18, 2008 8:14 AM:Funny how when someone mentions Keating, the conservative response is that McCain was never accused of an actual crime. But for Obama the standards are completely different: all you have to do is reel off a list of names "associated" (in any way whatsoever" with him and it's some kind of "evidence" that he's crooked. Not surprising. With the GOP it's party over country, every time.

Ron wrote on Sep 18, 2008 8:14 AM:I got a little story for...
"Vista Granny" @7:43 AM.

It's the tale of two cities.
One is San Francisco 1906, and the other is New Orleans, katrina style.

Now, we all know the story of how SF was rocked by an earthquake and the fires that followed. But, what probably most of you do not know is how that sity was re-built. Private money re-built SF. Most of it was insurance, private persons, interested parties, and donations from aboard. A pitance of the total was given by our own federal government to rebuild San Francisco.
San Francisco was a world reknown port, it was needed, and rebuilt.

New Orleans is also a world reknown port, but that city since 1965 has had more federal dollars spent to maintain it, built infrastructure, levees, seawalls, etc.
And the thing still went under, even though we spent, literally billions of dollars to prevent it.
It's a bowl, a flood plane. It simply does not make sense to have people live there. Maybe they can still operate the port, and have workers travel. but certainly not live in a bowl. It's not sound science, or practical.

But, the main thought I want to leave you with is this. One was rebuilt from the ground, by private money.
The other, has been the beneficiary of billion of federal dollars, and the thing still sunk.

Double standard part two wrote on Sep 18, 2008 8:17 AM:Oh, and then there's dear Sarah. She is actually under investigation for abuse of power. Not only is this investigation being obstructed by the top lawyers that the GOP can throw money at, and not only do the defenders of Palin claim that it's a bogus investigation (though she herself asked it to proceed until she became the vp pick), they treat the matter as trivial. Meanwhile, just because Obama worked Chicago, he is claimed to be dirty. The GOP, party over country, every time.

CANOBAMA wrote on Sep 18, 2008 8:17 AM:Beverly thinks Palin should go home and care for her special needs child. News break: this is 2008 and fathers are fully capable caregivers. Some women actually have successful careers and supportive husbands and families. Be happy for them.

Ms M wrote on Sep 18, 2008 8:18 AM:Concerned Voter
[-] wrote on Sep 18, 2008 7:18 AM:...um what about the folks who went into foreclosure and did not move - they could be renting from the new owners or maybe worked out something with the bank. What about the folks who have moved (nothing to do with foreclosure) and did not have the opportunity to send in a change of address - are these folks turned away? The cons are messing with the vote - don't try to defend/spin it!

CANOBAMA wrote on Sep 18, 2008 8:21 AM:The left stoops to new lows in their quest for dirt on Palin with Hackergate. Believe it or not, these are the same people who raised such a fuss over the Patriot Act, citing invasion of privacy.

Question for Nick wrote on Sep 18, 2008 8:28 AM:I don't understand your post about Obama's article on abortion. Are you saying that you believe a fertilized egg SHOULD have the right to sue the woman who is carrying it? Or are you agreeing with the Illinois Supreme Court and Obama? Obviously someone brought such a case to the court. Someone, I'd guess, who claims the fertilized egg is a "person". I don't get your charge of "loony". Please explain. Thanks in advance.

VOR wrote on Sep 18, 2008 8:39 AM:Notice copy and paste Ron's 7:38. The whole time he is attacking the conservative Republican party he tries to bend it back on Democrats. Why the need to try and mislead people Ronnie? It has nothing to do with Liberals and everything to do with the ethics and moral judgments of the Right. Policy decisions are all made by Republicans. All the statements that Ron makes are the fault of his own party, but he can't quite bring himself to tell the truth. Its like this....um um um....Bill Clinton did it!

One lie after another and the best thing about it is that Democrats are sitting back in their offices, cubicles or homes and laughing directly at you. Thats how very sad it has become.

The failure, remarkable stupidity of John McCain wa again demonstrated yesterday. When asked if he would consider meeting with Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, McBush proceeded to launch into what appeared to be a boilerplate declaration about Mexico and Latin America — but not Spain — pressing the need to stand up to world leaders who want to harm America. "I will meet with those leaders who are our friends and who want to work with us cooperatively," according to one translation. The reporter repeated the question two more times, apparently trying to clarify, but McCain referred again to Latin America.

Finally, the questioner said, "Okay, but I’m talking about Europe - the president of Spain, would you meet with him?" The Senator offered only a slight variance to his initial comment. "I will reunite with any leader that has the same principles and philosophy that we do: human rights, democracy, and liberty. And I will confront those that don’t have them."

An AP reporter observed that one possibility is that, since the questioner "asked about Castro and Chavez," McCain didn’t know who Zapatero was and assumed he "must be some other Latin American bad guy."

This is what I have been talking about when it comes to age and memory. McBush is incoherant, stumbling and uncoth when pressured into answers he hasn't been coached on. This is not a Presidential, trustworthy, confident man.

to CANOBAMA wrote on Sep 18, 2008 8:42 AM:How easy it is to assume and blame "the left" for the hack into Palin's email. As a liberal, I totally denounce this crime and refuse to explore the emails that have been posted. I would bet that the vast majority of liberals agree with me. For all we know, it was a Republican that did it just so dirt could be thrown at the presumed liberal culprits. Her emails are her own business, as is her family life. Unlike Republicans, most liberals actually believe in ethics in politics. If you want to be upset about something, why not focus on the top GOP lawyers that were pulled off the terrorism beat so they could go to Anchorage and interfere with the investigation into whether Palin abused her power as Governor. That's a real story. A story about possible abuse of power, and another story about how the GOP respects the rule of law at election time. Or perhaps you could look into the lawsuit the DNC is filing to stop the GOP in Michigan from illegally disenfranchising voters in black neighborhoods. Now that's a real story, one that goes to the very heart of our democracy.

No surprise Ron wrote on Sep 18, 2008 8:49 AM:Anytime anyone talks about the failure of the federal government to do things well, at least during the last 8 years, I feel obliged to remind them that this administration has been openly out to PROVE that the government doesn't work. It's rather easy to have the government fail if that's what you want to happen and you run it! We saw that at the time of Katrina, the head of FEMA, the famous Bush appointee "Brownie", had zero experience in crisis management. The current head of the Security and Exchange Commission, also a Bush appointee, is a man who is famous for radically opposing federal regulation of industry. And we don't have space for what has been going on at the Dept of the Interior! So, yes, government has been doing a lousy job. Or, as Bush and Cheney say, "Mission Accomplished"!

Ms M wrote on Sep 18, 2008 8:50 AM:Nick
[-] wrote on Sep 18, 2008 8:04 AM:...Just more propaganda from the loonie Dems who are running scared....obviously Nick you aren't up to the news of the past few days. If we are scared it's of what would happen IF McCain would get elected as ALL Americans should be. But the libs know that is not going to happen. Check out the news. Listen to what McCain is saying - and you will know who is desperate!

Focal Point wrote on Sep 18, 2008 8:52 AM:CANOBAMA[-] wrote on Sep 18, 2008 8:17 AM: I thought that hubby is gainfully employed. Did he quit, when Momma Palin was elected Queen of the North?

Chuck wrote on Sep 18, 2008 8:53 AM:>>>To Marlowe
"GOP operatives are researching the names of people whose homes have been foreclosed in voting districts that contain many African Americans. The goal is to disqualify these folk from voting.">>> LOL, sure they are. What a pathetic, moronic, desperate reach But how about your soul mate (can you say that in California??) to flat refuses to take any steps to prevent the 2-3 million illegals who voted in the last election from voting in this election. So, Brown will be looking for foreclosed blacks to make sure they vote while letting 2-3 million illegals into the booths

Backcountry wrote on Sep 18, 2008 8:59 AM:Has anyone noticed how successful Obama and the liberal doom-sayers have been at talking down the economy over the past two years? The Democrats efforts to bring down America so they can get elected are finally paying off as we look at recent financial failures.

Real leaders lead by example. Obama's leadership goes something like this: The sky is falling; global warming will get us; the worst economy since the great depression....follow me....follow me.....change is just over the cliff....follow Obama.

Hey Ron wrote on Sep 18, 2008 9:01 AM:Why did you address your cute little note to me? I know about the SF earthquake -- and New Orleans as well. So what? The world changes - and things become more complicated -- that's life. At any rate, I can't remember ever saying that I believe government should take care of everything. And, my post about we tax payers bailing out gamblers (read investment firms)and insurance companies was a hit on your side of the political fence. That was YOUR REPUBLICAN ADMINISTRATION that gave away all those tax dollars.

P.S. Your spelling and grammar need a lot of help. It's it "sank" - not it "sunk". Whew!!

VOR wrote on Sep 18, 2008 9:07 AM:Yes 8:42, Democrats like myself don't personally hate, hold grudges or want bad things to happen to anyone, whatever party or ideology affliation they have. We are all Americans. We should demand as a country that the AP release the identity of persons hacking Palin's e-mail.

You have to wonder why Palin would use personal email sites to conduct state business would be the question I would be asking. I would assume the only reason to bypass the "very secure" state run e-mail would be to bypass the Freedom of Information Act. But maybe she doesn't understand that law. Cheney didn't understand it either. Do you think that is an inbred trait with conservatives? Ot are they all clueless about the internet....Bush, McCain, Palin....

Me my 4 Liberals wrote on Sep 18, 2008 9:11 AM:The practice is dangerous, said experts, and can run counter to laws ensuring government is open and accountable -- a tough point for Palin, who has made "open government" a catchphrase of her political identity. "

Me my 4 Liberals wrote on Sep 18, 2008 9:13 AM:Chuck[-] wrote on Sep 18, 2008 7:36 AM: Hot Dog. All that spying must be successful. You would think that at one terrorists would have been identified, arrested, tried and sentenced by now. Any name or names come to mind-Chuck?

Three D wrote on Sep 18, 2008 9:14 AM:Alexandra Cloney's letter gives the requisite lip service to treating Jesus "reverently (for a change," then disrespects him by misstating and thus rejecting the FREE GIFT he gave. She says he (Jesus) "never read Saul Alinsky's 'Rules for Radicals.'"
Of course, Alinsky's book is not a book of ideology, but of tactics and strategy.
And, of course, Jesus lived long before Alinsky's book was written. Cloney is clawing at straws here.
That said, Cloney seems to forget exactly what Jesus did. He came into a world beset by a conquering authoritarian dictatorship of incredibly ruthless cruelty, into a society with an extremely strict moral code (the Law of Moses) that micromanaged every smallest detail of one's life, and openly challenged the established order, teaching a message of universal compassionate (agape) love that had to be expressed, not only as feelings, but as actions. By openly standing up to the repressive regimes in Jerusalem and Rome, Jesus openly risked his life and ultimately gave his life to teach this message of universal compassionate love.
Sadly, his free gift was to be short lived, as the nascent Jesus movement was quickly taken over by the murderous persecutor of early Christians, the renegade "apostle" Paul (nee Saul, who was both Roman by citizenship and Jewish by religious ethnicity), who first failed to destroy the infant movement by overt, open persecution, then succeeded wildly in destroying it by infiltrating it and smooth-talking his way past the gullible fisherman Peter to present a doctrine 100% diamentrically opposed to everything Jesus taught and stood for.
Cloney perpetuates today the legacy of Paul's hateful deceptions and distortions.
Blessings,
3D

Me my 4 Liberals wrote on Sep 18, 2008 9:15 AM:Chuck[-] wrote on Sep 18, 2008 8:53 AM:
Well Chuck~ Which is it? Is it 1 million or 2 million. Please name one illegal alien that voted in any election? Should be easy to find one out of two million. Don' ya think??

Karl wrote on Sep 18, 2008 9:16 AM:Vista Granny @ 8:07 AM, good one Granny, prissy.

Me my 4 Liberals wrote on Sep 18, 2008 9:18 AM:Backcountry[-] wrote on Sep 18, 2008 8:59 AM: You are one of the smart ones. Me and my 4 Liberals want to destroy the ecconmy to get our candidate elected. You need to get back in line for the smarts hand out. Why would we want to bring down the economy? Last time I checked, Liberals are hevingly invested in the American economy because we are Americans. All Americans would lose. Go take Logic 101 will ya?

Karl wrote on Sep 18, 2008 9:19 AM:To Karl at 6 39
[-] wrote on Sep 18, 2008 6:59 AM:If the shoe fits...

And the shoe fits YOU!

I know you are but what am I? I know you are but what am I? I know you are but what am I? I know you are but what am I? I know you are but what am I? I know you are but what am I? I know you are but what am I? I know you are but what am I? I know you are but what am I? I know you are but what am I?

Alright, I drew Karl Two back out from the cave, I must have hit a nerve.

Peace in my Lifetime

Budgetmaster wrote on Sep 18, 2008 9:25 AM:I agree with Gary Myers that legislators need to face real penalties with teeth in them for failing to pass a budget on time.
However, regarding the budget, I note they have now passed one and it is now Gov Ahnold who is holding it up. In a season when everyone had to make compromises (we need to lower the number of votes required to pass the budget to stop petulant minority obstructionists from blocking it), Ahnold is now threatening a veto tantrum because he is the one person who didn't get everything he wanted.
And the North County Times? For months the paper has been running a little box showing how many days the budget is late. I notice today they didn't print it. Instead, they used the space to print a little editorial endorsing Ahnold's tantrum. That's right! The NCT has been editorializing for weeks to get the budget deal done and, now that it is, they have joined in calling for more delays!

Karl wrote on Sep 18, 2008 9:25 AM:Ms M and concerned Voter @ 8:18, this is a non issue. Any registered voter can vote on a provisional ballot at any polling place. In all my years of working the polls I have never seen anyone turned down. If someone is refused their vote it is the action of the poll worker, not some party. If any poll worker would stoop to disallowing anyone to vote provisional they should serve prison time.

Ms M wrote on Sep 18, 2008 9:27 AM:Backcountry
[-] wrote on Sep 18, 2008 8:59 AM:...Has anyone noticed how successful Obama and the liberal doom-sayers have been at talking down the economy over the past two years?....TALK? You say TALK? Backcountry, TALK ain't got nothing to do with what has happened to the financial market - GREED!

Caro Hussein Cogitatus wrote on Sep 18, 2008 9:31 AM:Ouch. This is gonna leave a mark:

"Yesterday, John McCain actually said that if he's president that he'll take on, and I quote, ‘the old boys network in Washington.’ Now I’m not making this up. This is somebody who's been in Congress for twenty-six years, who put seven of the most powerful Washington lobbyists in charge of his campaign. And now he tells us that he's the one who's gonna' to take on the old boys network. The old boys network? In the McCain campaign that's called a staff meeting. Come, on!"

-Barack Obama in Elko, NV

Ms M wrote on Sep 18, 2008 9:34 AM:Am I the only one who feels that more than 3 folks should have made the bailout decision. Bush, and 2 guys sat in the oval office and decided that the people should bail out private businesses. Congress was not involved nor any votes taken. No discussion about how it would affect the taxpayer. Wow - this is PRIVATE business. I wonder if the big wigs of these companies are going to give back their multi million dollar bonuses - bonuses that were given for a job well done.

Greenergy wrote on Sep 18, 2008 9:37 AM:Bob Sheard's letter shows he must have been living in a cave if he needs to ask the true cost of solar. Oh wait, he doesn't really! He says he DOES know the true cost, including subsidies. In fact, the info on solar subsidies is very well known, completely transparent and the subject of extensive public debate.
In contrast, it is the true cost of dirty oil, in terms of pollution, oil spills, dependence on terrorist suppliers and the military costs to fight them, and the huge subsidies and tax breaks given to the president's special crony buddies, who (a recent administration report confirms) are literally in bed with the Interior Dept regulators who are supposed to be ensuring their responsible stewardship of the public lands they are allowed to drill on before selling their ill-gotten oil on international markets that do not help Americans and only drive up domestic prices.
Sheard's letter epitomizes the ignorance of the short-sighted "drill now" addicts.
In contrast, kudos to the excellent letters from Elizabeth Randol and Judy Berlfein. It looks like it is definitely ladies' day today in showing a modicum of brains on environmental and energy issues.

Reardon wrote on Sep 18, 2008 9:53 AM:There were a lot of Washington dogs that did not bark, in particular but not limited to:

Daniel Mudd, the outgoing CEO of Fannie Mae, who is remaining during the transition and has a multi-million dollar buyout. (Republican)

Richard Syron, outgoing CEO of Freddie Mac, who is remaining during the transition and has a multi-million dollar buyout. (Republican)

The Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee that has primary oversight: Christopher Dodd (Democrat)

The Chairman of the House Banking Committee that has secondary oversight: Barney Frank. (Democrat)

(''These two entities -- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- are not facing any kind of financial crisis.''The more people exaggerate these problems, the more pressure there is on these companies, the less we will see in terms of affordable housing.'')

The Secretary of the Treasury Henry M. Paulson, Jr (Republican)

Chairman of Securities and Exchange Commission, Christopher Cox (Republican)

Franklin Delano Raines, (Friend of Bill), who headed Fannie May from 1999 to 2005 and took home a salary of $100 million. (Democrat)

Bill Clinton, who pushed Fannie May and Freddie Mac to lake loans to low-income people (Democrat)

George Bush, who continued the bad practice and had eight years to stop it (Republican)

And there were countless Congressmen who opposed reform:
Melvin Watt of North Carolina (Democrat): (''I don't see much other than a shell game going on here, moving something from one agency to another and in the process weakening the bargaining power of poorer families and their ability to get affordable housing,'')

All of these people, and more, KNEW that this was a ticking time bomb, but in the time-honored political methodology, kicked the can down the road hoping the music would not stop while they were in office.

They were wrong, but the taxpayers will have to pay. All will be gone in six months, except Congressman Barney Frank (Democrat) and Senator Christopher Dodd (Democrat), and probably Melvin Watt (Democrat)

Bill wrote on Sep 18, 2008 9:54 AM:Anyone who disagrees with a liberal is called hateful.

BTW, Obama does want to teach 2nd graders about sex.

You can read it in his plan yourself. Just like you can read about his flawed tax re-distribution plan.

But if Palin is everything liberals say, then they ought not have anything to worry about in a few weeks.

However, they arent acting that way are they?

No, suddently they are quite thr traditionalists.

Ms M wrote on Sep 18, 2008 9:54 AM:The big whisper: What's Up With John McCain. The following are titles of articles that are out today:

McCain Remarks Appear to Reject Spain as an Ally

McCain Flip Flops on AIG Bailout: Rejects it Tuesday, Says it's Okay Wednesday

MCCain All Over the Place on the Economy

McCain Slams Wall Street "Fat Cats" Who Are His Biggest Donors

Increasing Numbers of Otherwise Sober Observers....Are Calling John McCain a Liar

Take a minute to read the articles - then you will see that the libs are NOT desperate, afraid or even worried. But it does boggle the mind that anyone would vote for this dude and continue down the path to total destruction.

Marlowe wrote on Sep 18, 2008 10:05 AM:Class, a lesson. Read my posts about GOP efforts to illegally disenfranchise voters. Then read Chuck's post about over a million illegals voting. This is the 2008 election in a nutshell. The left talks about what's going on truthfully. The right makes up lies in an effort to frighten people. Truth versus lies. Take your pick. Chuck is only doing what Bush, Cheney, Palin, and McCain do every day. Ideology over country, every time.

Chuck wrote on Sep 18, 2008 10:06 AM:>>>TALK ain't got nothing to do with what has happened to the financial market - GREED!>>> Thats right, the greedy people just had to have that home they couldnt afford and took hundreds of billions from other people to pay for those homes. The moment they became upside down, they headed for the hills and screwed the people who gave them the money. And now, it's those ingrates who scream the loudest over the bailout of the collapse they caused

Republican Socialist wrote on Sep 18, 2008 10:11 AM:The Republican socialists are at it again.
Not just loan guarantees.
Not just bailouts.
But they have taken an 80% government ownership of AIG, a private insurance corporation.
No protections, of course, for lowly individuals who need it the most.

Again, their mantra of socialism for the rich:
Privatize profits; socialize losses.

And why did the markets fail?
In 1933 the nation was reeling from economic Depression that was the direct result of lax (read = none) oversight of Wall Street. DEMOCRATS passed the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933 to regulate investments.
In 1999, Phil "nation of whiners" Gramm who wrote McCain's economic policy and was his long-time top economic advisor, spearheaded the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 to repeal Glass-Steagal and deregulated the financial markets.
The vote was 54-44 on a near party-line vote.
McCain voted for Gramm's deregulation of financial markets; Biden voted against it.

bogie wrote on Sep 18, 2008 10:13 AM:Ms M @ 9:34 AM, I might add that the crooks listed by Reardon need to repay their skimmings, campaign contributions, windfall profits and do hard time.

Huge f