John the Fulla$#i++er

Barbara Ann

Was I the only one who found much of last night's debate unwatchable? For most of it I don't think either candidate did a particularly good job. Sure I agree with Obama's policies, but for most of the time last night he seem to be throwing too many telegraphed punches at Bush, the Republicans, and muddling where he might have had better thought out attacks at McCain. Only with respect to the "Bomb Iran" issue did I think he made the kind of direct and stinging assault against the illogic of McCain's "talk softly but carry a big stick" argument.

I don't think McCain made any major errors, though he continues to amaze me with his failure to show any humanity towards Obama. I suppose that may be called for when some of your support believes that your opponent is (1) a Manchurian candidate (2) a closet Muslim (3) colored (4) the anti-Christ or all of the above. I must admit though I like the wink and nod McCain doctrine - (sure we are willing to bomb anyone, anytime, anywhere) we just aren't going to talk about bombing anyone - that would be wrong. I mean it worked for Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Better to be duplicitous and bellicose. [Ed: this means lie and fight - Sarah].

I just found myself thinking - I'd rather be reading policy papers from both candidates than enduring this junk.

Stand up, stand up, stand up... for change

Oddly I found that I was quite moved by the closing of John McCain's speech last night. While he hasn't entirely "lost it", he's clearly lost a couple steps (in the sense that aging athletes lose steps)...which I think makes me feel that he is being used to some extent, and that is really awful to consider. I think I was moved because he sort of represented elderly people in general and there is a real pain involved in turning away from them as leaders and ultimately as active participants in society...you might have a great deal of respect for them as people, great appreciation for what they did to build society, but as they begin to lose their powers (imperceptible though the loss may be to them) you are forced at some point to deny them things they may seek. This feels terrible.

But I can't put Sen. McCain, or anyone who's reached that point, in the incredibly taxing role of a reformist President. I don't believe McCain still has the enormous powers required to put an active hand to the tiller of the huge ship of the federal government -- and thus to elect him is to allow the status quo to continue. Change and reform above all else require energy, they require persistence and followthrough. If McCain was the leader of a movement committed to reform, I'd feel differently -- but as far as his team is concerned the "reform" theme is about a week old. Barack Obama's massive organization is well-aligned with his message; he has many partners who actively seek the same results he does. Meanwhile, McCain is a maverick in his own organization: his inner circle has been selling his "experience" for months, and the outer circles of the GOP establishment aren't into cleaning themselves up (whatever that would involve). McCain just seems too weakened to do it for real all by himself. Once elected I imagine his advisers constantly giving him the slip, fooling him into signing off on things, or simply failing ("sure, Mr. President, we'll get that picture of the Walter Reed building for you...") because attention to detail requires more energy than perhaps anything else imaginable. This would leave unelected functionaries all across Washington (the same Republican ones manipulating the current figurehead) running the show themselves -- and since they aren't about the "reform", it won't happen.

The only change would come with Obama: the one who hasn't been in Washington too long, the one with the deep intellect and knowledge, the energy of a man in his prime, and the committed team of like-minded workers and advisors he built with that energy -- not to mention the internal drive and belief that drove him to weather the slings and arrows in seeking this office. If you believe in a democracy where the elected official himself is the one who's really in charge, you want Obama, as painful as it may be to turn away from a hero like McCain. If you're comfortable with the status quo -- that is, rule by the neoconservatives behind the W curtain -- you can indulge yourself by voting to see one more smile on the old veteran's face.

McCain - following in the Spades Marathon footsteps...

McCain Plays Catch-Up: Attends German Restaurant In German Village, Ohio
July 24, 2008 12:09 PM

John McCain is still playing catch up to Barack Obama.

As the Illinois Democrat speaks before the picturesque Victory Column in Berlin today, the Arizona Republican is doing a slightly less exciting form of German outreach. He is having a lunch meeting with small business leaders at a German restaurant in German Village, Columbus, Ohio.

The presidential race, it seems has boiled down to who has the greatest German appeal. McCain's appearance at Schmidts' restaurant, a "Sausage Haus" comes after the RNC launched several advertisements in towns named Berlin.

Among the items he may have ordered include: Sauerkraut-Bratwurst Balls, Hoffbrau Schnitzel, or the Bratwurst, voted the "Best Wurst" by Columbus Monthly.



Fung and Adam have their picture taken with their faces in those things - they look at each other with love! Sadly - the pictures are on another computer right now...I'll tell you what - win or lose - McCain's in for a NICE lunch. I hope he throws up on some autoship dealer from Zanesville. Meanwhile, this strategy seems to be working as he starts making a dent in the battleground ("we only watch O'Reilly when our shows aren't on") states

Things Younger than John McCain

The six-pack. Nachos. etc.


~

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz(cont)

McCain’s Canal Zone Birth Prompts Queries About Whether That Rules Him Out

Shouldn't they check this (and make a ruling) when a person STARTS their candidacy? They need to change the law anyway. If you're born to US parents, it shouldn't matter where you were when you were born - why would that be good enuff for citizenship but not for the presidency? And why shouldn't Ahnuld be able to run? In a true democracy, we should be able to vote in whoever we want. Even a non citizen. Some guy just off the boat from Haiti should be eligible, at least for the two days before we send him back.

well, he's old, he forgets a lot of stuff

Or maybe he doesn't know he's being recorded...

John McCain: There are No Thomas Jeffersons in Iraq

McCain: When I took my position on the surge — when I was the only one of all these people around me that said you got to do the surge and four years ago that the Rumsfeld strategy was doomed to failure and it was terrible – [12/02/07]

Though he was right on board from the start:

“But I believe, Katie, that the Iraqi people will greet us as liberators.” [NBC, 3/20/03]

“It’s clear that the end is very much in sight.” [ABC, 4/9/03]

“There’s not a history of clashes that are violent between Sunnis and Shiahs. So I think they can probably get along.” [MSNBC, 4/23/03]

“This is a mission accomplished. They know how much influence Saddam Hussein had on the Iraqi people, how much more difficult it made to get their cooperation.” [This Week, ABC, 12/14/03]

“I’m confident we’re on the right course.” [ABC News, 3/7/04]

“I think the initial phases of it were so spectacularly successful that it took us all by surprise.” [CBS, 10/31/04]

“I do think that progress is being made in a lot of Iraq. Overall, I think a year from now, we will have made a fair amount of progress if we stay the course. If I thought we weren’t making progress, I’d be despondent.” [The Hill, 12/8/05]

he won't be missed

News headline: McCain's future linked to outcome in Iraq

"I'm full@$#!+!"

New: McCain makes it official