Is Zapatero Part of McCain’s Axis of Evil?

A McCain advisor stated that the McCain snub to Spain’s Zapatero was because he wouldn’t commit to meeting with the NATO ally. If this is truly the case, then this demonstrates the complete ass that McCain is, and why he’s dangerous to our national security. He’s basically saying if you’re not with us, then you’re the equivalent of Iran’s leader, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, another leader McCain’s unwilling to meet with.

The Fundamental Truth About McCain’s Economic Lies

McCain is a liar. I’m not referring to any attack ad he used against Obama. No, I’m talking about his statement today, when he stated, “…the fundamentals of the American Economy are strong.”

Ironically, McCain made this statement on the day he launched a new ad about the economic crisis facing the Americans, and when the DOW dropped 500 points. This follows a weekend when Allen Greenspan describe the economy as the worst in his lifetime, and the Lehman Brothers Bank filed the largest bankruptcy in US history.

To try and recover from his gaffe (if you want to give him that) McCain later clarified. By fundamentals, he meant the hard working, ingenious, American worker.

Whatever he meant, in both cases, its a flat out lie - and one only the most idiot of economic students would make.

The truth is, the American economy is fundamentally about regulated capitalism. Congress and the White House do the regulating. American businesses do the capitalizing. For most of the last eight years the congress and the White House has been controlled by Republicans. This economy is the fundamental result of their regulating making it easy for businesses to capitalize unregulated.

The American worker works just as hard in a good economy as a bad one - maybe even harder in a bad economy, because they don’t want to lose their job. However the fundamentals - money liquidity, inflation, unemployment, tax policy, spending, deficits, trade agreements - these fundamentals are not strong.

People can’t get money - not because they can’t pay it back, but banks are afraid to lend. Liquidity has tightened. The economy is slowing. Layoffs will follow. Interest rates will rise to combat inflation that’s been created by pumping billions and billions of new money into the economy.

More and more of America is actually owned by oil producing countries, and other economies like China.

These are all fundamentals, and they are not sound.

If we are to believe McCain, and take his word for it, that he really meant the American worker as the fundamental economic foundation, well where does he stand on that. Does he not know that over 600,000 jobs have been lost? These are jobs that belonged to hard working Americans? Jobs that are no longer here. That is not a sound fundamental.

Does McCain not understand that while the average American worker continues to lead in productivity, their actual income has dropped by nearly $2000 over the last eight years? And does McCain not understand that by deciding to tax health care benefits as if they are income, which is a tax most heavily on the middle class, that he’s raising taxes on the middle class, while asking little of the most fortunate (and hardly working) rich?

My Republican and Independent friends - what McCain means by the “fundamentals of the economy” is not the American worker. No, he means the fundamentals of the Republican economic policy are sound. This is a policy that reduces taxes, preaches about shrinking government, but really means, using government as a funnel for money to their lobbyists interests. Republicans believe that fundamentally, you are on your own, that regulation is bad.

No, I’m sorry, the fundamentals of the American economy are on shaky ground. The next president will face the toughest economic situation any president has faced since FDR. The one thing Americans need is a President that at least understands the fundamentals are not sound.

OMG…Palin Has a Tanning Bed. Palin Must Have an Energy Plan Too!

What’s ironic about the story of Sarah Palin’s tanning bed , is how much it aligns with apolitical Paris Hilton. Remember back with McCain was against “celebrities” before he decided he was for them? That’s when Paris Hilton came out with her own ad, and convinced the old man that attractive women could have smart energy plans too - who cares if some have to read them from a teleprompter.

After Sarah Palin fired the chef, and got rid of the corporate jet on EBay, (now I give her credit for this) she took the money she was bilking tax payers for by staying at her own home in Wasilla and splurged a little bit on a tanning bed for her personal use while in Juneau.

Now I’m an ex-Alaskan, and I know that those long winters can be tough. And a person’s choice to expose themselves to harmful UV rays is really between that person and their skin, I mean next of kin. What I can’t get though - if Palin’s a frequent tanner (and she has to be to decide she needs her own tanning bed) even if her pregnancy didn’t show up, certainly her lost tan during the months of December, January and February would have. People would have noticed her original color.

Either that or she was tanning while pregnant.

You tell me … did she stop tanning, or just kept on feeling the glow?

Secret Killing Program Key to Iraq Success

What century and what country to I belong to?

That’s what crossed my mind when I read Bob Woodward’s remark, “It is a wonderful example of American ingenuity solving a problem in war, as we often have.” Woodward was discussing his most recent book, The War Within: Secret White House History 2006-2008 (2008). According to CNN, Woodward suggested the secret killing program was comparable to the World War II era Manhattan Project.

“It is a wonderful example of American ingenuity solving a problem in war…”

- Bob Woodward, Journalist

Supposedly, this secret killing program is meant to target al Qaeda and other insurgent leaders. Is this supposed to be comforting? And what do we typically learn about Bush’s secret programs.

I’ve been searching for speculative answers as to what might be entailed in this secret program. A few answers have been offered. One details the use of targeted GPS bombings, another, the random mass killing by new rules of engaged sniper fire.

There’s a complete diary tread that can be followed on the speculation over at the DailyKOS.

Whatever the case may be, a secret killing program is not an example of “American ingenuity.”

Lipstick on a Pig, Old Fish New Wrapper,

Ok this is probably going to play badly for Obama, mainly because many people are stupid. However, when you watch the entire clip, and hear the comment in context you realize he wasn’t talking about Sarah Palin, and he wasn’t talking about John McCain. He was talking specifically about the policies of George W Bush, that John McCain touts as change, but are really an attempt at bad policies repackaged.

Now this normally wouldn’t be a big deal to use a common phrase “Put lipstick on a pig, it’s still a pig”, except for the McCain campaign immediately decided to claim that Obama was speaking specifically of Sarah Palin. (You know how she wears lipstick and all.)

Wow, on one hand you’ve got the Obama campaign not willing to call out any of McCain’s verbal slips, such as his confusion of the Czech Republic, the border of Pakistan, the insurgents in Iraq trained by Iranians, $50 hour lettuce, Buffalo Chip pageant wife…oh the list could go on, and the other candidate’s campaign that’s crying foul over their own misinterpretation of the statement.

Do you really think the crowd would have cheered for Obama had he made such an obviously rude statement about Palin, considering how popular she is?

So who’s really to blame for this gross exaggeration? Well, it happens to be none other than the Amy Chozick, writer of the Is Obama too Skinny to be President?, who used sources from a Yahoo message board. Way to go there Amy!

Watch the video for yourself and decide:

Sarah Palin’s First Gaffe - Introducing the Gaffe-O-Meter

Sarah Palin’s first gaffe was going to happen. Hey, gaffing is part of being a candidate right? (I was going to a have the YouTube video, but it just so happens it’s no longer available - go figure.) You can check the story out here: Palin Makes Her First Gaffe (HuffingtonPost, September 8, 2008)

To help rate Palin’s first gaffe (and other gaffe’s that happen), I’ve developed the Gaffe-O-Meter.

The Gaffe-O-Meter’s scientific rating matrix is based on thoroughly subjective review, and considers three criteria for its final basis. The three aspects considered are:

1. Is there a high likelihood that an average person would perceive a gaffe? (High +100 points, Medium +75, Low +50)

2. Was the gaffe immediately caught and corrected? (-25 points)

3. Did people clap, nod, otherwise support the gaffe? (+25 points)

Using this method I’ll give Sarah low rating for the first benchmark. Most Americans probably think Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are government agencies. Hey they have “federal” in their name, right? And in fact, there was a time, prior to 1968, that they were government ran.

On the second point, Palin said this pretty straight faced and with conviction and no one caught her. Unfortunately, she didn’t have Lieberman at her shoulder, and the old white haired dude she did have - John McCain doesn’t understand economics that well. Point being, she’ doesn’t get a catch reduction.

Point three, did people clap? Yep, even Mr. John McCain himself. However, here again is the guy that uses a geography-bee as his national security litmus test (ie which state is closest to the USSR? and which Iraq province borders Pakistan?). So because people clapped and supported her gaffe, she gets another 25 points. So yes, this is a serious gaffe, but not the kind that would cost her old boy McCain the election.

Just another sign the Red and Purple people of this Country are easily fooled.

First and Last Thoughts on the Palin’s Speech from a Wasilla Redneck

Wow, Sarah Palin delivered a rousing speech.

My redneck Wasilla pride blushed from my neck to my…ah, anyway. It made me wanna grab for my shot gun and shoots some fridges behind my house.

Boy the way she lit into Obama - how could it not make an Alaskan proud. And she didn’t hesitate cause he was African American or nothing historic like that. No, she calls ‘em as she sees ‘em.

You see, in Wasilla, we didn’t need diversity. In schools, on the job. Why, I attended all of the schools of the valley. I went to Butte Elementary, then Swanson Elementary, then Iditarod right after the fire.

Then I remember our school being so crowded, that they put us on split shifts until they finally got Tanina built. Then I went there. Moved onto Wasilla Middle School before I was home schooled. After the seventh grade, I went up to Houston High, then was transfered to Palmer High. Even attended a few semesters at the Mat-Su Community College. And in all that time, maybe two black students. No natives.

Yes, this is one hella a diverse community. Wow, anyway what can I say, I’m floored.

So you liberal elitists, and “angry” lefties, and anti-conceivers can take your smear rumors about Palin banning books, or drilling in ANWR, or not having ’nuff experience. Who the hell wants to read witchcraft shit like Harry Potter anyway.

NOTE: First, the commentary above is totally satire based on my real-world experience of living out 17 years of my most “can I forget those years” life. With that said, there is credibility to the story that Sarah Palin wanted to pursue book bans at the local public library (TIME Magazine, Sept 2, 2008). While the books cannot be confirmed, they probably include some of the books on the ALA 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books.

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