W. Maybe Should Have Listened To THis Dude More...

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What this means....here.

Way to Change it up....

I'm tempted to resubscribe..

The Chicago Tribune, in the first time in the HISTORY of the newspaper, has endorsed a Democratic Candidate for President of the United States.

I mean, this paper endorsed George W. Bush, twice....

A sample:

"We have known Obama since he entered politics a dozen years ago. We have watched him, worked with him, argued with him as he rose from an effective state senator to an inspiring U.S. senator to the Democratic Party's nominee for president.We have tremendous confidence in his intellectual rigor, his moral compass and his ability to make sound, thoughtful, careful decisions. He is ready...

"McCain failed in his most important executive decision. Give him credit for choosing a female running mate--but he passed up any number of supremely qualified Republican women who could have served. Having called Obama not ready to lead, McCain chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. His campaign has tried to stage-manage Palin's exposure to the public. But it's clear she is not prepared to step in at a moment's notice and serve as president. McCain put his campaign before his country."

Read it, here.

And the jokes just write themselves...

Cup O' Joe...and another...and another...

Um, guys, one time is a decent example of a small business man with legitimate questions about how tax plans will impact him, his family and his business. Double Digit shout outs turns you into a caricature with nothing else to talk about.
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See, for example, Audiences Laughing at, Not With, John McCain

From TIME's Amy Sullivan:

In politics it is generally not considered a good sign when voters are laughing at you, not with you. And by the end of the third and last presidential debate, the undecided voters who had gathered in Denver for Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg’s focus group were “audibly snickering” at John McCain’s grimaces, eye-bulging, and repeated references to “Joe the Plumber.”

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!

Love him or, you know, strongly dislike, him, you can't dispute that Rev. Jesse Jackson has spent his whole life working for the betterment of African Americans. Maybe sometimes his methods are a bit off....but his run for the Presidency can be said to have set the stage, in some way, for Sen. Obama's run now. Even though the Rev. was caught making some off color remarks about the Senator earlier this year, I really would be surprised that Rev. Jackson would want to sabotage in any way the opportunity for the United States to take this historic step in race relations and elect a Black President....

But....

Jackson is now being quoted speaking in France last week that "decades of putting Israel's interests first" would end and "zionists" would suffer from an Obama election. (He's denying the quotes).

Although Sen. O is ahead in all forms of polling and the Electoral College predictions are leaning toward a wipe out--this thing ain't over yet. He certainly doesn't need swing voters in the suburbs to think Rev. Jackson is going to be a defacto Secretary of State in an Obama Administration. Look, Rev., take a break for three weeks...you've had your share of the spotlight. Don't give my fellow honkies any reason to go into that booth and pull a last minute lever for a Repub. If the quote is correct, you are doing a disservice to the Country by shooting off your yap. Remember how that whole "hymietown" thing worked out for you? Do you think that's going to help Nov. 4??? Shhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Arguably the most conservative newspaper in the country...

Tells McCain to give it a rest...The Wall Street Journal Opinion section today published the following:

"The culture wars are the familiar demagogic tactic of our own time, building monstrous offenses out of the tiniest slights. The fading rancor that each grievance is meant to revive, of course, dates to the 1960s and the antiwar protests, urban riots and annoying youth culture that originally triggered our great turn to the right.

This year the Democrats chose Barack Obama as their leader, a man who was born in 1961 and who largely missed our cultural civil war. In response, Republican campaign masterminds have sought to plunge him back into it in the most desperate and grotesque manner yet...

"Mr. Ayers is a professor of education at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), where his work is esteemed by colleagues of different political viewpoints. Herbert Walberg, an advocate of school vouchers who is a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution, told me he remembers Mr. Ayers as "a responsible colleague, in the professional sense of the word." Bill Schubert, who served as the chairman of UIC's Department of Curriculum and Instruction for many years, thinks so highly of Mr. Ayers that, in response to the current allegations, he compiled a lengthy résumé of the man's books, journal articles, guest lectures and keynote speeches.

Mr. Ayers has been involved with countless foundation efforts and has received various awards. He volunteers for everything. He may once have been wanted by the FBI, but in the intervening years the man has become such a good citizen he ought to be an honorary Eagle Scout...."

Full Opinion piece by Thomas Frank here.

Ain't nobody driving the bus...

Roger Simon, at Politico:

"John McCain’s campaign is pretty much a shambles right now.

If you don’t believe me, just listen to John McCain. His chief goal these days is calming down his crowds, not firing them up.

And that is an honorable thing to do. It may not be a winning thing to do. But it is honorable.

Sarah Palin, once seen as a huge plus to the ticket, is now increasingly emerging as a liability.

Forget that an independent legislative panel found Friday that she had abused her power and violated ethics laws as governor of Alaska. Forget that with the possibility of Palin being a heartbeat away from the presidency, McCain gives up the argument that his ticket represents experience and a steady hand on the tiller.

The real problem for McCain is that Palin is running a separate — and scary — campaign that does not seem to be under anybody’s control."

Keep going, here.
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Meanwhile... Columnist and Iraq War Hawk Christopher Hitchens blasts Palin on October 13...


"The most insulting thing that a politician can do is to compel you to ask yourself: "What does he take me for?" Precisely this question is provoked by the selection of Gov. Sarah Palin. I wrote not long ago that it was not right to condescend to her just because of her provincial roots or her piety, let alone her slight flirtatiousness, but really her conduct since then has been a national disgrace. It turns out that none of her early claims to political courage was founded in fact, and it further turns out that some of the untested rumors about her -- her vindictiveness in local quarrels, her bizarre religious and political affiliations -- were very well-founded, indeed..."
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And well known conservative Bill Kristol, is apparently "in the tank" for Obama according to Fox "News". Why?

For writing this:

"[McCain's] campaign is totally overmatched by Obama’s. The Obama team is well organized, flush with resources, and the candidate and the campaign are in sync. The McCain campaign, once merely problematic, is now close to being out-and-out dysfunctional. Its combination of strategic incoherence and operational incompetence has become toxic. If the race continues over the next three weeks to be a conventional one, McCain is doomed."

And more like it, in the NYT.
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And another rat jumping ship--Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, passed over to be McCain's running mate in favor of Gov. YouBetcha, decided to skip a McCain Rally over the weekend to go to...Disney World. It was reported: ''When I have time to help, I'll try to do that,'' Crist said. Think Crist would have made time if he were the running mate? Check out the Miami Herald.
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Why am I posting all this...mostly because it amuses me to no end. I know three weeks is a long time in an election...but things look pretty good from where we lefties sit right now. Still, we can't coast. The state by state polls are still close in some areas, and voter turnout (and eliminating as much voter suppression as possible) will still be a key. Keep up the good work, Team O, but keep the pressure on.

Way to Support the Troops, Sen. POW

Sen. POW received a "D" for his efforts in support of veterans on a report card issued by a prominent Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Group. Again, an Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Group. This is not some "liberal" group of "tree hugging surrender monkeys." These are people trained to kill with their bare hands. They have shown McCain for the hypocrite he's become. He wasn't even a sponsor of a GI Bill for Iraq veterans--but he's watching out for them....Please. Check out the rankings here.

Sens. Obama and Biden received "Bs" by the way.

Okay so it's 13 minutes long...Watch Anyway