REASON SHALL WIN

1:39:49 PM EDT

Thanks to the Republican cowboy in waiting, John Wayne McCain, who suddenly suspended his campaign, canceled the debate and parachuted into Washington to save America... for Freedom and the right to stay in Iraq as long as he wants to... instead blew-up the delicate negotiations that were going on when the price tag was only $700 Billion. 

So, Big Bad John, instead of supporting the mine on his back so his fellow Republicans could do the right thing, pulled the mine down on America's head as the stock market went into free-fall and credit markets froze.  So now, thanks to Mr. Hero we have a bill that passed, that now includes a late penalty of $150 Billion dollars worth of earmarked pork.  But not to worry John Wayne McCain, Mr. Earmark Pork Killer, will save the day by refusing to vote for these earmarks and getting all his friends to stop this bill.  Instead little Johnny slinked from Washington with his tail tucked between his legs as the Polls started crashing down around him for his erratic and misguided judgment on the Economy, something he admits he knows little about and repeatedly proves.  Seriously.... ?  Phil Gramm and Carly Fiorina are advising McCain....   Please...  It makes no sense.

And in spite of saving enough face to go on, does anybody really believe Sarah Palin is qualified to be VP, let alone President...  A resounding no from a majority of Americans, including an awful lot of Republicans.  John McCain's erratic and misguided judgment was on display with his poor choice for VP and clearly he did not put his Country First.  The ONLY thing John McCain puts first, is John McCain.  McCain-Palin and 4 more years of Republican idiot-ology could kill this country.

It's 1932 and your choices are Herbert Hoover or FDR...  It's a no-brainer.

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12:29:16 PM EDT

IF YOU LIKE CLOWNS.

I'm sure the Republican right-wing base is all aflutter again after the Palin VP Debate, but the cold hard facts are she lost the debate and she really didn't dispel the notion that she can't think on her feet.  The Convention speech was a well practiced, well rehearsed well scripted speech.  What we saw from Palin in the debate was just another well-rehearsed well scripted speech, she just gave it in smaller sound bites.

She failed to answer direct and important questions and she kept running back to the few topics she has some knowledge on, like Oil, she was sarcastic in tone, just like her convention performance, she showed no depth whatsoever and she repeated herself over and over, she tried to be too familiar and cute by half, and her Gomer of Mayberry imitation left me cold... and my family is from the Carolinas.

In the final analysis while every other word out of her mouth was "change" and "mavericks" as she raced away from the Bush Administration she could not name a single way in which John McCain has offered a policy on the economy on taxes or on the Iraq War that is different from the Bush Administration.  Where's the moose meat of these supposed change agents.  It is all talk and bluster.  George Bush did the exact same thing in his campaigns.  Sarah Palin is, in fact, the female clone of George Bush and essentially shares his philosophy and World view as much or really, more than John McCain... and worse yet, she favors the neo-nut version of George Bush's first term.  Even GeorgeBush has discarded those failed principles and policies and moved on to diplomacy and actual works as opposed to the empty cowboy rhetoric.

And for all their claims of bi-partisanship and wanting to reach across the aisle, continuing to accuse Democrats of "...waving the flag of surrender" in Iraq shows a hateful partisan bias.  There is no need for that incendiary language.  We have to get out of this War.  Thanks to Republicans we couldn't afford it in the first place (tax-cuts during a War are unprecedented in our history)and the cost is killing us now as the economy melts down.  And the fact that the Bush Administration and the Iraq Government are in virtual agreement on a pull-out, this type flaming rhetoric belies their true feelings and indicates John McCain is in no hurry to leave Iraq.  I get the distinct impression John McCain doesn't care what the Iraqis want either.

And in Caribou Barbie's final parting cheap shot about how talking about the Bush Administration (can they run away fast enough from their own President?) is not looking forward....  if Biden had been allowed to confront her directly as Obama and McCain did each other, his riposte would have been quite easy, "....That's the problem governor, in looking forward at a McCain-Palin Administration all we see is the past, because you have offered America nothing different from the Bush Administration." 

Actually, if this had been a male-male or female-female debate, Joe Biden would have been allowed to confront the huge holes and mistakes in her arguments and he would have easily sliced and diced Mrs. Bullwinkle like so much chopped liver.  There was sexism at work alright and it was all in Palin's favor. 

And, of course, that was the crux of Palin's success.  The format favored her short little speeches that could be given with no fear of follow-up or confrontation on some of her off the wall, off topic answers from either the moderator or Joe Biden.

And lastly, does the McCain campaign now free Palin to do the News and Sunday political talk shows or do they but her back in the crypt in that regard.  That will be more telling about Sarah Palin's true qualifications than this piece of smoke and mirrors performance art we saw last Thursday night.  And since she is clearly not qualified, it would be a shock if she did hard interviews.

I will say this, Palin may have helped herself in the debate, vis-a-vis 2012 or 2016, with the Republican hardcore right-wing (we are forewarned), but she won't, in the end, have  helped John McCain in this election very much.  And that's a damning indictment of his blind ambition, lack of judgment and (not) putting his Country First. 

 

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4:15:50 PM EDT

Wow... what a performance by Barack Obama during the debate.  On the other guy's policy turf and he kicks butt.  Obama certainly came across as Presidential, sadly, John McCain not so much. 

Obama was cool, calm, poised, articulate, direct, honest and confident, exactly what we need in our next President.  John McCain on the other hand looked fearful, angry, edgy, hunched over, and defensive, even refusing to engage Obama directly in spite of the moderator's urging. 

John, apparently, has some serious anger issues and was close to meltdown a couple of times when Obama would turn to face him and tell him he was wrong.  John was about to bust a blood vessel as he death gripped that rostrum.  He suddenly realized this guy next to him is for real and ain't going away.  That's why McCain refused to look Barack Obama in the eye, he knew his eyes would betray the visceral hate John McCain has for Obama.  McCain obviously considers himself above Obama in every way and he simply cannot understand how some black kid now in the way of his blind ambition, is beating him.  Who, again, is the elitist?

So Obama has proven he's there on the Presidential issue, but much work is left to do for him to win this election.

However, I do wait with great expectation and glee the debut of the savior of the Republican Party, Sarah Palin.  Caribou Barbie better not come across as Mrs. Bullwinkle or she's toast and so is that other guy on her ticket.  Did I mention that Kathleen Parker, the conservative version of Maureen Dowd, who has been defending the choice said she couldn't take it anymore after the Katy Couric interviews.  Sarah Palin is clearly not qualified...

I also look ,very much look, forward to the next Obama - McCain debate.  Maybe McCain will do a Zell Miller meltdown and challenge the young whippersnapper to a fight or maybe he'll do a Captain Queeg and accuse Obama of stealing his strawberries or a Jack Nicholson decent into hell, "You can't handle the truth" or the always Nicholson favorite, "Here's Johnny!"  The Republican ticket looks like it could use a little psychiatric, psychological and family planning intervention at the moment.  And they want to give us 4 more years of George Bush?  America needs to say, thanks, but no thanks, on that bridge to nowhere.

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11:57:04 AM EDT

Not voting? Voting for McCain? That doesn't seem to make sense?  I have seen quite a few elections and never have two more starker choices run.  It is pretty apparent that Obama has looked the ever stronger candidate as time goes on.  He's unflappable, well mannered, polished, knowledgeable, not afraid to lead and seems to be an excellent manager of his campaign.  It is certainly clear he's not stumbling around in the dark like John McCain and that he has an over-arching cohesive strategy for his campaign. 

He's being well received on the World stage and promises immediate returns on improving the world's view of America post Bush which  boosts our diplomatic credibility and ability to negotiate. 

He obviously has good people around him and having worked the streets Chicago as a political organizer he seems to be a very good judge of people. 

He promises to end our Iraq engagement, sooner rather than later, he still supports greater efforts to get Bin Laden and his nest of terrorist vipers along the Afghan-Pakistan border. 

He doesn't appear to be the least bit afraid of using the military and it was particularly telling that he made it clear to Petraeus that the Commander-in-Chief is the boss and that Iraq is only one piece of a puzzle the CIC must handle and that the buck stops with the President and civilian leadership. 

Now that does not mean he won't seek and take advice, but clearly he knows he would be the boss and he's not awed by the Generals and he won't hide behind them and the "troops" like George Bush has.

The only reason a Democrat or Independent would not vote or vote for McCain would be to vote against Barack Obama for something other than his policies or his ability. 

I have heard a lot of rhetoric and supposition, but I have seen no concrete challenge of the man's abilities.  Even the die hard Hillary supporters (and I was one) would be hard-pressed to blame Obama for Hillary's loss.  If they have a quarrel, it might be with the media.

Consider this, although using Bush as an example lowers the bar considerably, consider where the stumbling, bumbling, malaprop-prone  Bush was at this point in his campaign.  Obama is light-years pass George in virtually every way possible. 

Why in the world would anyone who disliked George Bush and his policies for the last going-on 8 years, vote for another 4 years of John McBush? 

I have yet to hear a good enough reason to even consider not voting for Obama. 

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4:20:53 PM EDT
The simple fact is Obama did not attend a Madrassa, Obama is a Christian not a Muslim (not that there is anything wrong with whatever religion he is, I don't particularly like any of them), Obama is not a Manchurian Candidate (like the movie it would most likely be a lilly white Republican) Obama is a patriot.  How the hell do you run for the Presidency and not be patriotic by definition, for to take on the task of even running for this job you have to love your country.  Obama is an American citizen, not Kenyan and his wife is not Angela Davis.

Obama is trying to bridge the black world (and that includes all manner of people and factions within that community, some of whom were or are black nationalists) with the white world and he has showen he is willing to demand personal responsibility and accountability from the black community by preaching family and personal responsibility and by rejecting the black nationalism of some of his congregation.  This includes his own Minister who, unfortunately, clearly demonstrated he was not going to help facilitate Barack's message even when given a second chance. 

Why some people seem to take this repudiation as a personal insult or a sign of lack of character are really missing the bus.  The fact that he believes in his message so much that he is willing to reject people in his community with whom he has had long and close relationships that will not support his unity efforts seems to me to be a huge plus and shows that he's not "owned" by his color or any "church" or political group.

So the question is, why can't Republicans and Obama critics at least be honest about the man? Aren't they only using these as place-markers for their racism?  After all the modern Republican Party was built with the racist "Southern Strategy." Is it not astonishing that they feel they must lie in order to win this election?

 

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5:50:18 PM EDT

These desperate Republican attempts to try to box Obama in on Iraq is pathetically transparent, but of course the Media are using it as the best made up story of the week. 

He has not changed his position on Iraq.  He still wants us out of Iraq as soon as possible and as carefully as possible and 16 months was and is the "GOAL." 

"Everyone" needs to chill on where Barack stands.  He hasn't moved.

Both Obama and McCain are "candidates" for President, it would be foolish for any candidate to say they would ignore the additional information that they will receive as the President of the United States.  However, that also doesn't mean what they learn is automatically going to change their minds, but a good leader is willing to incorporate new data and make refinements, if necessary.  We've seen what stubborn arrogance has done over the last 7 plus years and it ain't been pretty now has it?

To believe that what Obama would learn would suddenly switch him to McBush's 100 year proposition is the Repuke delusion they want America to believe, but the simple fact is if Bush and the Generals had something that could change Obama's mind Bush would have found a way to share it with the American people and help keep Republicans in power.

Case closed.

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4:59:19 PM EDT

As we with a brain have long known and as Scott McClellen has recently confirmed (yet again), George Bush & his Neo-nut Administration manipulated the American People and the American Media with propaganda and lies into an un-necessary War in Iraq.

Now as I listen to lamebrain McSame and all the little Bush sychophants rant and rail against Islamic Terrorists and the Islamo-Fascists it becomes crystal clear why this cynical and corrupt strategy to drag America into a foolish War, so Bush could make a fool out of himself (and us) by trying to project Democracy at the end of a gun was, and still is, doomed to failure.

When you see the right-wing nutjobs and talking heads rant and rave and practically call for genocide against all of Islam we can esily see how Bushwhack and company drummed up the War and whipped up the American people by directing their hate-filled propaganda at anything Islamic and by conflating 9-11 with Iraq and Iran and anything Islamic. 

Well that was fine when they were trying to whip up Americans belief in the need for War, but the American part of the Iraq War is really over now and America needs to win the peace in Iraq and throughout the Islamic World.  Hence we see, the Bush negotiations with the radicals and Sunni terrorists and the resulting bribes and putting them on the American payroll and by the same token, the attempts to negotiate with Syria and Iran (in secret).  

Those efforts have resulted in a reduction of violence in Iraq (though the Iraq political will is still clearly not there), but unfortunately, it is a lot harder to turn the hate off so America can move forward, than it was to turn the hate on.  And you can see that from the hate-filled Republicans as they attack Barack Obama for wanting to do, what they know they too will have to do in the end as well.

The Administration has vainly tried to walk the tightrope between Islamic hate and Islamic peace by periodically publicly stating "officially" that we are not at War with Islam. 

Unfortunately, every time the Bush Adminsitration has gotten into political trouble they quickly fall back on the fear-mongering and the War-mongering to whip their "followers" and a gullible American Media and public into line which continues to support the brazen and cynical Bush/McBush duplicity.  But every time they do that they poison the well for future peace. The Bush/McBush "patriots," don't see that peace will require us to dial it back and eventually make friends with Islamic Countries if there is ever to be any true peace and they cannot see how they are being so badly used for political purposes. 

Again, anyone with a brain knows fighting a war, especially a nuclear war, with all of Islam would be disasterous for everybody and it just isn't going to happen, barring some fool like Bush/McBush, after painting themselves into a corner with their hate-filled rhetoric, makes a gross miscalculation.

In the end, the Bush duplicity, is just going to make it that much harder, if not impossible, to eventually make that pivot to peace.  And supporting John McSame is only going to make things worse, because the American people they fired up with all that Islamic hate-mongering don't want to hear about the pivot to peace and the grand long-term vision (sic) and they will politically turn on anyone, including the instigators, when it becomes necessary to end this War.

Likewise, the people who have had all this hate and War directed their way (i.e., the non-terrorist Islamists), aren't the least bit interested in hearing about the grand vision either, all they know is Americans seemingly want them all dead and they aren't going to ever trust America, especially as long as Bush and McBush are calling the shots.

Voting for John McBush will be just as big a mistake as his evil twin becoming President was in the first place. It is time to wipe the slate clean and Barack Obama is just the man for the job.

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4:56:39 PM EDT
 The frantic Republican spin and swiftboating has grown to tidal wave proportions. Kathleen Parker and Bob Dole, for two, wrote sleazy mean-spirted hate filled personal attacks on poor old Scott. Apparently, Scott throws little puppies into traffic in his spare time.

Little Scottie Mac obviously scared the bejesus out of the Bush crowd as in a knife through their rotten heart.

Don't you love the way the Republican hit-squad are trying to make the story all about McClellan's "betrayal." Betrayals occur every day, they are part of the human condition, have been and probably always will be (soap operas) and are not noteworthy, but the story is not Scotties disloyalty to a President it is whether what he said about the President and Republican leaders (sic) of our country and how they manipulated the media and the American people to go to a War that would prove to be a huge, expensive, deadly blunder is really true. Obviously, it is.  They protesteth too much.

They want you to pay no attention that George Bush came into office with this grand vision to remold the Middle-east in his image and that 9-11 gave him the perfect excuse he was looking for. Of course it's too bad he was fixated on Iraq and his "grand vision" instead of noticing the gathering 9-11 threat.

And then there was that apparent macho need to prove he wasn't a wuss like his father was accused of being. Unfortunately, Afghanistan wasn't sexy enough (oil - Rumsfeld said it didn't have enough targets) so he let Osama roam free and headed off to build King George's great legacy in Iraq. And God told him to do it.

Actually, when he had Bin Laden trapped at Bora Bora, he realized he couldn't really catch the guy, because then he would not be able to fear-monger the American people with this boogie man and keep his never-ending, by definition, "War on Terror " going so he could further abuse the Constitution and the rule of law while he consolidated power and implemented his deluded "democracy at the point of a gun" idiotology.

They want you to pay no attention to the fact that our President was complicit in the outing of a CIA. I'm sure his Dad is real proud his son's "the lowest kind of traitor."

Pay no attention that virtually all the claims they have made about Iraq were mostly manufactured propaganda. There was no immediate threat of any kind. Going to War when we did was by choice and Bush had already chosen to do so before 9-11.

So yeah, Scottie's been a bad boy for telling on his friends. Shame on Scottie for being a whistle blower. But shame on these critics who are putting their personal and party loyalties ahead of loyalty to their country with these vile personal unprofessional and unworthy attacks. Since the very definition of patriotism is love of your "country", their response is at best unpatriotic. But worse yet, George Bush, the President of all of the United States has been unpatriotic and disloyal to his country. America doesn't want and can't afford any more leaders like this or people like Kathleen Parker and Bob Dole who let them get away with it.

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7:06:23 PM EDT

It seems to me that a lot of non-black people have seized on certain recent events surrounding Barack Obama as a flimsy shield against racial prejudice in America. Racism was also always going to be a factor in this race, as was sexism, especially for the surviving candidate.  But America said it was ready according to the polls.

The Media have been particularly disappointing in this process. After hailing Obama as a transformational candidate who could transcend the inherent racism, guilt, hate and anger on both sides of the racial divide… and after they extolled the brilliant speech on race he gave, a speech even his detractors acknowledged was good, they have failed to understand or embrace the obvious ramifications of these ideas in actual practice and what it takes to put them into practice.

Rightfully or wrongfully, the Reverend Wright represents a significant portion of the black community, and likely has increased degrees of support for certain arguments against the white political establishment. But certainly there are the John Hagee’s, Pat Robertson’s, Jerry Falwells’, and others on the other side whose extremist views have been directed against America and Americans over 9-11, yet very few have been "denounced and repudiated" on the public stage by their own. John McCain did once, but then flip-flopped to appease the agents of intolerance so he could run for President.

So isn’t this exactly the type of things we want a transformational character who can bridge the racial divide, having had a foot in both cultures, to address? It seems the Media and certain people think that this man in the middle Barack Obama, with a white mother and a black father, could build a bridge, but only if he will cut his ties to the people he’s trying to build half the bridge to.

White Americans are going to have to forgive and extend their hand too, if this bridge is ever to happen.  Is America really as ready as it claims it is?

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6:12:05 PM EST

Not since Ronald Reagan have I seen a candidate to which nothing seems to stick.  And of course we now know, that in spite of the Republican Revolution Reagan supposedly led and that great (mythical) reverence in which he is held, in the end, at one time or another, he violated virtually every major principle he ever espoused.  Such is politics. 

However, we have before us now a true phenomena in the visage of one Barack Hussein Obama.  Even his middle name speaks to our time.  This is a candidate that offers so much hope and promise.  He's an American, multi-national, multi-racial (ala Tiger Woods), Christian candidate that is far above his competition and that is bound to score immediate points with so many diverse constituencies that he has a huge leg up in consensus building, perceived fairness, diplomacy and bipartisan potential. 

America's allies will eat this guy up, but better yet in a crystal clear message that only a United States of America can deliver, even our enemies will have to concede that America is truly a free country to elect such an individual...   in a landslide.

Sadly, with John McCain, who was a true war hero, but who has been far from perfect since (I speak mostly of the pandering and flip-floping in any loss of my confidence), the Republicans are offering a continuation of the Bush Policies (that McCain has apparently now "freely" embraced) and at least 4 (to maybe a 100) more years of War, and possibly more countries being pre-emptively attacked and invaded by the United States of America.  I liked John McCain, but I get the distinct impression lately that he's sold his soul to the RNC and they are very much regretting the purchase.

Iraq and Afghanistan should have proved one thing to the American people, its a lot harder and more expensive to have this kind of dangerous and aggressive foreign policy than our Republican leaders ever imagined, as has been repeatedly proven to them over the last 5 years. 

America's inherent military superiority is not lost, but its limitsare exposed.  That makes our enemies stronger.  Bush may be able to convince his loyalists that his shortcomings don't matter, but our enemies are recruiting more suicide bombers on the strength of it. 

For all the Bush Adminisrations bluster and phony "Shock & Awe" macho it eventually caved to the politics of collateral damage, locking us into the quagmire.   With the only answer America committing genocide in another country is a big loser, why did it take them so long to realize that?  George Bush messed this up in so many ways that we never had any chance to do anything right, let alone capitalize on it.

So its pretty simple, do you want to try a better, more balanced approach to our foreign policy with a likable, well-received and smart leader or do you want to have 4, or maybe a 100, more years of War and the same Bush Republican policies of the last, then, 8 years??

And don't even get me started on the economy where McCain is just as delusional and out of touch as George Bush and, unbelievably, McCain doesn't want to change those Bush policies either. 

And the one thing Republicans still haven't figured out, America is truly sick of the political "attacks" and they will backfire this time.

Barack Hussein Obama, truly a man for his time, the man this time for the United States of America. 

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