The media keeps going on and on about if Palin turns out to be great, this will have been a brilliant decision by McCain.   Uhhhh….sorry, it doesn’t work that way.  The point is that Sen. McCain jeopardized the security of this country based on a whim.  For goodness sake…she is linked to a group that advocates Alaska seceding from the United States.  Isn’t that kind of a deal breaker if you plan to pledge to be the vice president of the UNITED states.  After misleading the public for the past five days claiming that Gov. Palin was properly vetted, the McCain campaign has finally admitted that they did not really vet this person before offering her the VP spot.  Reckless.  It is irrelevant how tonight turns out for Palin, if she does end up doing a bang up job, Sen. McCain had no idea about her abilities and therefore just got lucky with her ability to deliver a good speech.  That’s it….luck.   Not brilliant and informed decision making based on some profound wisdom……….just luck.   McCain nor his campaign has any idea of the type of leader Palin is or would be.  Thus far, all the information that McCain and his campaign are spouting about Palin being a “reformer” or a “maverick” has turned out to be false.  It is prima facia irresponsible to choose a person that will be a heart beat away from the presidency after a single 15-minute meeting.  The President will be responsible for staffing many critical and influential positions in his cabinet, it is very, very, scary to know that this is how such decisions will be made.  Gov. Palin will probably give a good speech this evening, after all she has been held up in her hotel room in Minnesota practicing for three days.  This says nothing about her character, judgment, or track record when it comes to the addressing the complicated issues facing our nation involving Al Queda, Russia, North Korea, etc..  Before you say that Obama gives a great speech, Obama has proven his character and judgment to the American people by actually WINNING the democratic nomination with over 20 million actual votes of confidence from citizens of the United States.  McCain himself didn’t win as many votes.  Obama has also shown the American people how he would deal with the national security and economic issues of this nation.  The point is that there is still disturbing information being discovered about the Alaskan governor and McCain, nor his campaign, has any idea what to expect.  A good performance tonight will not change that fact.  This is about the judgment and temperament of the top of the ticket.  In other words, this is all about John McCain. 

Anyone who isn’t convinced that electing McCain would be the same as a third term of Bush should be aware of a story just posted by the Anchorage Daily News.  Apparently, even though Gov. Palin has invited the bi-partisan State Senate Legislative Counsel Committee in Alaska to investigate her and hold her accountable, the McCain campaign seem more interested in cover-up and unaccountability.  The bi-partisan panel is investigating Gov. Palin regarding an allegation that the governor abused her power by firing an employee who refused to fire the governor’s brother-in-law who was involved in a bitter custody battle with the governor’s sister.  The committee’s findings are scheduled to be released on October 31st, four days before the general election.  Is this familiar to anyone….the Bush administration, Rove, and the firing of several Attorney Generals because of their political beliefs?  The McCain campaign has gone to Alaska and challenged the bi-partisan panel’s authority to even conduct the investigation.  The project manager of the bi-partisan panel, Senator Hollis French, democrat,  says that there is likely damaging information to the Governor.  Palin has a track record of getting rid of employees that did not back her during her run for governor.  As a matter of fact, after being sworn into office, Gov. Palin ask such employees to voluntarily resign.  When a couple of them did not, she fired them.  Now, the McCain campaign is pushing for the troopergate investigation to be transferred to the state Personnel Board.  Such Personnel Board is stacked or made up of three Gov. Palin appointees.  Sound familiar.  Bush/Cheney/McCain, all the same.   Haven’t we had enough of this kind of politics.  Seriously, voting McCain into office is a validation of the Bush/Cheney style of leadership and gives a McCain administration no reason to change that style of leadership.  Do we as voters really want that?   See story below.

The state has hired a private lawyer to represent Gov. Sarah Palin’s office in the Legislature’s investigation into the firing of former Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan. The lawyer already has challenged whether lawmakers even have authority to oversee the inquiry.
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Van Flein said the investigation should be handled by the state Personnel Board, not the Legislature, because it’s “statutorily mandated” to handle ethics cases. The three-member Personnel Board is appointed by the governor.

The McCain campaign excluded several names this morning sending the pundits speculative minds in a tizzy.  Alaskan governor Sarah Palin is a staunch conservative.  It appears as if the McCain decided to roll the dice on this pick. Sarah Palin is a 44 year old first term governor from Alaska and a rookie on the national stage.   She is pro-life and catholic.  The question is can this woman be president of the United States.   Sen. McCain is 72 years old today. 

Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal, a former Clinton administration appointee, announced Wednesday that he will support Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination.Freudenthal said he was impressed by the large, enthusiastic crowds that turned out to see Obama when he visited Wyoming ahead of last month’s caucuses.  “They paid attention and were riveted and reactivated, and trying to be part of an America that’s bigger than just their own self-interest,” Freudenthal told The Associated Press. “And you hope that can work. Because something has got to dig us out of this morass that we’ve gotten into, where it’s sort of gotcha politics.”  Freudenthal is the second Western governor and former Clinton appointee to endorse Obama in recent weeks. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, former energy secretary and UN ambassador under Clinton, announced his support for Obama two weeks ago.  Read article

Former 2008 presidential candidate and current New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson endorses Barack Obama for President!!  Bill Richardson is the nations only Hispanic governor.  Richardson was also appointed U.S. Ambassador of the United Nations and Secretary of Energy by Bill Clinton during Clinton’s administration.  This is a real coo for Obama.  Hillary and Bill Clinton really pursued this endorsement.  Bill Clinton pursued it so hard that he showed up in New Mexico, unannouced, to watch the Super Bowl with Richardson.  In his statement released last night, Richardson said, “I believe he is the kind of once-in-a-lifetime leader that can bring our nation together and restore America’s moral leadership in the world,”  Richardson further said, “[a]s a presidential candidate, I know full well Sen. Obama’s unique moral ability to inspire the American people to confront our urgent challenges at home and abroad in a spirit of bipartisanship and reconciliation.”  The New Mexico Governor will be making the official announcement later today.

ALBANY - Gov. Eliot Spitzer has informed his most senior administration officials that he had been involved in a prostitution ring, an administration official said this morning. Mr. Spitzer, who was huddled with his top aides early this afternoon, had hours earlier abruptly canceled his scheduled public events for the day. He is set to make an announcement about 2:15 this afternoon at his Manhattan office.  Mr. Spitzer, a first-term Democrat who pledged to bring ethics reform and end the often seamy ways of Albany, is married with three children.  Just last week, federal prosecutors arrested four people in connection with an expensive prostitution operation. Administration officials would not say that this was the ring with which the governor had become involved. He had a difficult first year in office, rocked by a mix of scandal and legislative setbacks. In recent weeks, however, Mr. Spitzer seemed to have rebounded, with his Democratic party poised to perhaps gain control of the state Senate for the first time in four decades.  Mr. Spitzer gained national attention when he served as attorney general with his relentless pursuit of Wall Street wrongdoing. As attorney general, he also had prosecuted at least two prostitution rings as head of the state’s organized crime task force. New York Times article 

Eliot Spitzer comes from an affluent family that is worth about a half billion dollars.  Spitzer’s father is a self-made millionaire.  The Governor was the Attorney General of New York before becoming Governor.  Spitzer attended Princeton University as an undergraduate, and Harvard Law School, where he was editor of the Harvard law review.  Spitzer busted at least two prostitution rings while he was Attorney General.  Eliot Spitzer has been married to his wife for 20 years and has three daughters.  Apparently, text messages from the New York Governor are in the hands of federal prosecuters.  Federal prosecuters are saying that the main charge against the ring is money laundering.  It is also being reported that federal prosecuters may have come across such information while investigating the Gambino crime family, which is one of five families that control organized crime in New York City.   The Gambino connection has since been discredited.  The bust also reportedly involved other very high profile names.  The Governor busted several prostitution rings while Attorney General.  Many report that the Governor held himself out as a champion of ethics and morality, so many suggests that the fact that he is being implicated in such a ring is the peak of hypocracy on his part.  The Governor just gave a statement, ”I have acted in a way that violates my obligations to my family … my or any sense of right and wrong,” he said at a news conference at his Manhattan office. “I must now dedicate some time to rededicate my trust to my family.”  I apologize to my family…I apologize to the public. I am disappointed and have failed to live up to the standard that I have set for myself.”  The prostitution ring involved is called the Emperors Club VIP.  AP is reporting that Spitzer’s involvement was caught on a federal wiretap.  Sources say that the Governor is expected to step down from office.  David Patterson, lieutenant Governor, is expected to step up as Governor.  Because David Patterson is blind, he would be the first person with such an impairment to hold the highest office in a state.

Top Clinton campaign surrogate and Governor of Pennsylvania, Ed Rendell, said yesterday on Meet the Press with Tim Russert, that even if Obama is ahead in the popular vote, ahead in elected delegates, and ahead in states won, Clinton should still win the nomination.  In other words, okay kids (electorate),…go play in the romper room and let the grown ups take it from here.  Russert asked Rendell again…even if Obama is ahead in ELECTED delegates, should Obama win the nomination?  Rendell answered…no, Clinton should still be the nominee.  Rendell then said something to the effect of,  the voters don’t really understand what is going on so it’s up to us to make their decision for them..i.e. thank you kids….the big boys will take over from here.  It is the height of insult and condescension to the American people, who are more informed and engaged and have come out and participated in greater numbers than any other election in history.  That inescapable fact seems to be irrelevant to the Clinton campaign.  According to Campaign Clinton, the will of the voters is immaterial.  The campaign’s attitude appears to be that the voters don’t matter….us politicians (meaning the Clinton campaign and its surrogates), know what is best for America.  The campaign also continues to make the disingenuous argument that because Clinton won some of the big states that she somehow has an edge over Obama in a general election.  Does the Clinton campaign really expect the American people to believe that because she won a few LARGE states, by a small margin, that are ALWAYS won, with the exception of Ohio, by the democratic candidate in the general election, that hers is a stronger case than Obama’s double digit wins in both LARGE states and red states, therefore putting in play such republican states as Virginia, Missouri, Minnesota and Iowa for the general election???  Obama’s wins effectively enlarge the democratic electorate/base dramatically and demonstrably thereby significantly increasing the party’s chances of victory in the fall.  Just to put things in perspective, John Kerry won PENNSYLVANIA, New York, Rhode Island, New Jersey, California, and Massachusetts in the 2004 election against George W. Bush.  So all the states that the Clinton campaign claims as ”better” wins than Obama’s, are solid blue states that have been won by the democratic candidate in the general election for the last several decades.  Therefore, it stands to reason and logic that Obama will also win such states in the fall.   Enough with the empty and false arguments.  The latest Clinton campaign strategy, at least in Mississippi, is the Jedi mind-trick strategy.  Clinton, behind in the popular vote, behind in states won, and behind in elected delegates, is attempting to offer Barack Obama the vice president position.  In other words, the person in the number two position, is offering the person in the number one position, the number two spot.  The Clinton campaign pushes this option in hopes of gaining votes by, what can only be described as, hoodwinking the American people into believing that such a ticket is possible.  Obama has flat out said that we will not see him as a vice presidential candidate on any ticket.  The offer is also illogical and inconsistent with Clinton’s assertion that Obama is not ready to be President.  Because every vice president has to be ready on “day one” to assume the presidential role, how then can you argue out of one side of your mouth that Obama is not ready to be President and out of the other side endorse him as vice president?  Either you believe that he is ready to be President or you do not.  We the voters are not so easily fooled as to accept both arguments as valid.  Luucy…you got some splaining to do.  Obviously, the campaign did not think either strategy through before putting it out there. To top it off, Clinton essentially said that John McCain is ready to be President, she is ready to be President, but Barack Obama is not.  Clinton actually argues that the republican candidate is a better option than the leading candidate in her own party.  In this writers opinion, Clinton has officially become the suicide candidate.  As she detonates herself, she plans to detonate the entire Democratic party along with her, thereby gifting the White House to the republicans in the fall.  It seems that Clinton’s loyalty is to herself first, to the Democratic party second, and to the the voters….a very distant last.  Viva Clinton!!!

There is a question that should be answered with respect to recent results in the Ohio and Texas primaries.  Rush Limbaugh who broadcasts to a national audience urged his listeners in Ohio and Texas to influence the democratic primaries on March 4th by voting for Hillary Clinton.  Limbaugh’s motivation?  To drag out the democratic race and get Obama all “bloodied” up from Clinton attacks for the general election against John McCain.  Apparently, the Clinton campaign doesn’t care how it wins because Bill Clinton went on the Rush Limbaugh show (Bill Clinton on Rush Limbaugh?????) the day of the primaries in an effort to, what can only be interpreted as, encourage such strategy.  A little back story for those who have lived in Siberia during and since the Clinton administration.  Rush Limbaugh hates Bill and Hillary Clinton.  Limbaugh has done nothing but insult, rail, disparage, and spew vitriolic attacks against the Clintons since Bill Clinton was elected in 1992.  So the fact that Bill Clinton went on the radio show of his most vehement public enemy tells me that he endorses this republican manipulation. In Texas, it turns out that Obama did win the republican vote 53-46, however, of the conservative republicans who voted, Clinton won them 52-45 for the first time since Super Tuesday.  Republican turnout in the Texas and Ohio primaries was up overall by 3-5 points from previous open democratic primaries.  Not to mention that conservative republicans voting in the democratic primary was up by at least 7% from previous contests.  Side note: the conservative wing of the republican party sole mission is to keep the Clintons out of the White House, the Senate, and any other public office.  However, Clinton won an additional 16% of the conservative republicans voting in the Texas democratic primary who said that Obama is the most electable candidate.  Coinkydink? probably not.  One can conclude from such a contradiction that the 16% are voting for who would be the weakest candidate in the general election so that their candidate, John McCain, has the best chance of winning.  Considering that the Texas primary was won by Clinton with only a 2.8% margin, and republican turnout in the Texas primary was up from previous state contests by at least 3% and in some states as much as 5%, chances are that such tainted votes played a significant part in Clinton’s win in Texas, and to a lesser extent, Ohio.  I have said this before, the longer the democrats drag this out, the increased likelihood of mischief by the Republican Party thereby allowing the conservative right wing of that party to choose the democratic nominee rather than the choice being made by true affiliates of the party.   As mentioned in an earlier post, even republican governor and staunch John McCain supporter,  Bill Crist is trying to influence the choice of democratic nominee.  Those who think that a long drawn out fight is good for the Democratic Party should respond to the points in this post.  This is not the way to get more voters involved in the process especially if such process is ripe for and can so easily be manipulated thereby making all the voter enthusiasm, dedication, and commitment, moot.

Looks like the Governor of Florida is offering his support for a repeat democratic primary.  Because taxpayers pay for primaries in Florida, this would help with the financing portion of the repeat.  How kind of the the Governor to help out the democrats…(sarcasm intended).  Newsflash: if the REPUBLICAN Governor of Florida, who endorses his party’s nominee for his governing state’s primary, offers assistance to the opposing party……beware of true motives.  I’ll just point out the obvious.  It is in Crist’s interest to drag out the democratic primary with the two democratic candidates slinging as much mud as possible so that his party has ample necessary opposition research.  Democrats can be sure that all the negatives asserted between the two democratic candidates during this primary will show up in the general election in the form of republican ammunition.  I know that the media wants to drag this out because it translates into millions of advertising dollars, but it is really time for the democrats to UNITE behind a single nominee or face a serious risk of losing the general election in the fall.  We also now have conservative republican talk radio hosts encouraging their listeners to vote for Clinton because McCain has pretty much locked down the republican nomination.  The shock jocks are asking their listeners to use their vote in Ohio and Texas to sabotage the democrats for the general election by way of voting for the candidate that they have railed against for the last 20 years.  The longer this is drawn out the more susceptibility to mischief by the opposing party.  Democrats, its time to choose a candidate and make a decision before you shoot yourself in the foot.  Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico, who has not endorsed either democratic candidate, has also said whomever is ahead in delegates on Wednesday Oct 5th, should be the nominee and the other candidate should drop out of the race.  This should be about who can best lead and unite the democratic party as a whole, as well as who can beat the opposing party in November.  This should be less about supporting an entitlement theory.  Those who are backing the theory that Clinton should wait it out in hopes of Obama making a mistake is based on an underlying false premise that somehow Clinton is entitled to the nomination.  Or, there is some sort of financial gain involved for the person/industry supporting the strategy.  I have heard a couple of pundits pushing this approach.  I wholeheartedly disagree.  Democrats need to be DECISIVE on March 4th and start preparing  for the general election uphill battle in November.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, the governor of California, will endorse John McCain.  The California governor is expected to make the official announcement tomorrow.  If the endorsement of Florida governor Charlie Crist is anything to judge by, Romney needs to ramp it up a notch!