To be clear, this is less about Sarah Palin and all about the judgment of Sen. John McCain.  If McCain had exercised the kind of judgment and conducted the type of thorough investigation befitting a choice of individual for the second most powerful position in the free world, perhaps we would not be having this discussion.   The media has uncovered quite a bit of troubling information about Gov. Palin in the last couple of days simply by conducting a google search.  Judging from the McCain campaign responses, they did not bother to conduct such a search.  When requesting a response from the McCain campaign about the various facts below, McCain surrogates appear befuddled and confused.   As a matter of fact, the McCain campaign is currently engaged in a post-selection vetting process.  Though we are sure that Gov. Palin is a good person, Sen. McCain has demonstrated the kind of rash, reckless, shoot first ask questions last, shoot…ready…aim, invade Iraq then find non-existent WMAs, rush to judgment that is the hallmark of the current Bush administration.  This is the first and most important presidential decision that McCain will make as a candidate for the top spot.  The decision of who will serve in the second most powerful position in the world. How such a decision is made is indicative of a candidate’s style of governing.  After the revelation of the following facts, McCain may have failed his first presidential task.  It appears as if gambler McCain picked up the dice, blew on them, and rolled.  Unfortunately for him, it appears that he may have rolled craps.  The following is information McCain could have easily learned had he bothered to properly vet Gov. Palin.

1. Palin is linked to the Alaskan Secessionist party.   Sarah Palin is linked to and her husband was a member of the Alaska Independence Party.  Palin reportedly attended the AIP convention in 1994.  AIP’s motto is “Alaska First.”  Also, Gov. Palin sent a video message to the 2008 AIP convention telling the group “to keep up the good work.”  The group’s goal is to have a vote on Alaska’s state status on the question of whether the state should secede from the United States.
2. Palin was mayor of the town of Wasilla, population at the time, around 5000, less than the population of most high schools in the U.S.
3. Palin was almost recalled as mayor because of an alleged abuse of power scandal
4. Palin reportedly, as mayor, left the small town of Wasilla $22 million dollars in debt
5. Palin directed fundraising for indicted Ted Stevens 527 group (”bridge to nowhere” Senator)
6. Palin was for the “bridge to nowhere” before she was against it
7. Palin currently being investigated in another abuse of power scandal involving a state trooper
8. Palin called Iraq a war for oil (opposite of McCain’s position)
9. Palin admits that she has “not really focused on Iraq”…huh?
10. Palin admits on Larry King that she is not sure what a Vice President does
11. According to Alaskan National Guard General:  Palin played no role in national defense….as governor of Alaska, she is not even consulted.
12. McCain only recently  sent a dozen communications operatives and lawyers to Alaska to further investigate Palin
13. Even though the McCain campaign is attempting to position Palin as anti-earmark, Palin has lobied for and received millions in earmarks as governor and mayor.
14. The state of Alaska has requested 31 earmarks totaling 197.8 million from next year’s federal budget….this is pivotal considering McCain’s promise to make all politicians who request earmarks famous by vetoing all earmarks that cross his desk if he were to become president.  The reformer label the McCain campaign is pushing Palin as doesn’t fit.
15. Palin’s mother-in-law may vote for Sen. Barack Obama and is not sure what Palin brings to the ticket other than she is a woman and a conservative.
16. That Palins approval rating is not the touted 80% but 67% and sinking.
17. “[A] number of leading [Alaskan] Republican officeholders in the state who mocked Palin’s qualifications. “She’s not prepared to be governor. How can she be prepared to be vice president or president?” said Lyda Green, the president of the State Senate, a Republican from Palin’s hometown of Wasilla. “Look at what she’s done to this state. What would she do to the nation?”
18. Alaska top Republican, John Harris, the speaker of the House, when asked about her qualifications for Veep, replied with this: “She’s old enough. She’s a U.S. citizen.”
19. Daily News-Minerin Fairbanks Alaska:   Most people would acknowledge that, regardless of her charm and good intentions, Palin is not ready for the top job. McCain seems to have put his political interests ahead of the nation’s when he created the possibility that she might fill it.
20. Editorial in the Anchorage Daily News:  Palin joins the ticket with one huge weakness: She’s a total beginner on national and international issues.
21. Palin only obtained a passport one year ago.
22. Palin has never traveled to Russia despite its proximity to Alaska
23. Regarding the “bridge to nowhere” and earmarks, in June Palin gave a speech to the Wasilla Assembly of God, Ms. Palin proclaimed that it is ”God’s will” that the federal government contribute to a $30 billion gas pipeline she wants built in Alaska.

Judgment

Senator John McCain has chosen and unknown, untested, trophy candidate as his vice presidential nominee.  Does anyone really think that Gov. Sarah Palin really is prepared to lead this county in the event of of a national security emergency.  One out of three vice presidents has had to act as president during their tenure.  For those who think that this will not happen in light of McCain’s status as a 72 year-old, four-time cancer survivor, they are deluding themselves. 

For those of you who are comparing Obama to Palin, Sen. Obama has a track record of being right on several of the most important foreign policy decision of this decade.  The Illinois senator has proven that he has the judgment and temperament to be president.  First, Sen. Obama spoke out against the Iraq War, Sen. Obama pushed for a timetable for Iraq (we now have a timetable), Sen. Obama pushed to keep Pakistan in the dark as to our strategy for taking out key members of Al Queda on the Pakistan/Afghanistan border (after doing which we took out a key member of Al Qaeda), Sen. Obama said we should talk to our enemies.  President Bush spoke with North Korea, after Obama had been saying to do so for a year, afterwards North Korea agrees to begin dismanteling its nukes. The Bush administration is now talking to Iran. Not to mention that Sen. Obama has run a 50-state campaign against a formidable candidate and won.  Lastly, Sen. Obama proved himself to the American people, and as a result, the AMERICAN people in their vote of confidence, voted him into his current position as the democratic nominee.  Sen. McCain  put Palin in her position and he hasn’t proven to the American people that we can trust his judgment on anything, let alone choosing a neophyte to become a heartbeat away from the presidency.  This is a irrational and desperate decision that was made by McCain after meeting with the Alaskan governor once….ONCE, before making her the offer to become his running mate.  

Scary Fact: Governor Palin was asked the following question in 2006 about the Pledge of Allegiance:

Q: Are you offended by the phrase “Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance? Why or why not?

PALIN: Not on your life. If it was good enough for the founding fathers, its good enough for me and I’ll fight in defense of our Pledge of Allegiance

Slight problem, the Pledge of Allegience was not written until 1892, 56 years after the death of the last founding father.  Thus the founding fathers never knew of or said the Pledge of Allegiance.  The Pledge of Allegiance was not made the official Pledge until 1942, six years after Sen. John McCain was born.  Further, Palin was a member of the Alaskan Independence Party.  The AIP has since the 1970s been pushing for a legal vote for Alaskans to decide whether or not residents of the 49th state can SECEDE from the United States.  Are you kidding me?  The motto of AIP is instead of “Country First,” is “Alaskans First, Alaskans Always.”  So she does not know the history of the U.S. and was a member of a group that does not want Alaska to be part of the United States.  Do you think that the McCain campaign could have found out this information if they had bothered to properly vet Palin before choosing her as the VP candidate?  Judgment.  This is the person to whom Sen. McCain would like to entrust the safety and security of the American people. 

Apparently, McCain also does not have confidence in the abilities of his running mate because the campaign has relegated her to fund raising for down ticket candidates.  The McCain campaign said that 80% of Palin’s time will be spent fundraising for donations that the McCain campaign cannot spend after today because the Arizona senator opted for $87 million in public financing.  If Palin is such a great choice and has energized the republican base, why not put her out on the trail as much as possible in order to secure votes?  Why…because Palin is a trophy candidate.

The McCain campaign sites as Palin’s foreign policy experience, the fact that she has a son going to Iraq and the fact that Alaska is close to Russia!  Are you kidding me!!!  McCain’s veep choice decision comes off as rash and erratic.  How else do you explain risking the security of the country in the hands of a governor of a state that boast a population of 685,000?  San Jose, California has a larger population than the whole state of Alaska.  Does that mean that the mayor of San Jose is ready to be president?  Just the city of Chicago is four times the size of the state of Alaska. As for her mayoral experience of presiding over Wasilla, population at the time, about 5000, there are high schools that have more students than Wasilla has residents.  There are a significant number of republican female governors and senators who are at least qualified and many significantly more qualified than Palin.  There are republican female political figures who would have been much more sensible and practical choices for McCain if the Arizona senator had put country first as he claims he will always do.  This is not a “maverick” decision, it is an arbitrary and erratic one, made for obvious political reasons. 

Choosing their running mate is the first presidential decision that each of these candidates had to make. We the voters were able to witness the decision making process of the candidates.  Do they take the time to think through the implications of the decision to the country?  Do they think that if something happens to me, I trust this person to lead the country? Or, do they think, I want to win regardless?  Or, I choose this person because she looks good on the ticket (shock value), regardless of whether she is capable of leading the country?  Is the vice president decision a reasoned decision or a reckless and impulsive one solely for political gains?  You decide.  Another interesting tidbit,  the McCain campain has only as recent as this week sent attorneys to Alaska to more deeply vet Governor Palin.  Shouldn’t this have been done before choosing Gov. Palin for the second most powerful job in the free world.  Judgment.   Sen. Obama took the time and effort to put all of the potential veeps through a vigorous vetting process.  Sen. McCain met with Palin once…..once for 15 minutes, and is only now, after announcing his choice, is deeply vetting the Alaskan governor.  There is a difference between maverick and reckless.  Choosing a neophyte running mate based on one 15 minute meeting leans more towards reckless than maverick. 

This is characteristic of McCain’s methodology when it comes to making decisions. In the Naval Academy, McCain has said that he came very close to flunking out and ended up barely graduating fifth from the bottom of his class, 894 out of 899.   Many of McCain’s long time friends have said of the Arizona senator “if you didn’t want to live on the edge, then don’t hang around with John McCain.”  Living on the edge is one of McCain’s trademarks, boasting actors such as Marlon Brando and James Dean as his heroes.  It’s very interesting how reminiscent his current attitude is in comparison to his attitude as a young adult.  Sen. McCain has himself revealed that during his aviator training that he chose recreational reading “at the expense of learning my flight procedures which I probably should have given a higher priority to” and could not remember how to eject after his plane crashed.  Such antics resulted in a couple of near death experiences for McCain.  Okay, so instead of learning the rules and mechanics of flying a plane in flight school he decided to get in the plane and wing it?   Is this really the safe choice for America in terms of its Commander-in-Chief?  Are Americans actually comfortable with someone who is so easily willing to play chicken when it comes to life and death.  Some may define this as a maverick quality…..this writer defines it as unnecessary risk taking and reckless behavior.  So for those of you who are conned into buying the maverick meme being pandered by the McCain campaign and the main stream media,  I say that this is an erratic, impulsive, and irresponsible decision by someone who proclaims to put country first.

Whose judgment do you trust? 

Yesterday was the 88th anniversary of women’s right to vote and the platform for the Democratic Party Convention was all about women. The day started out with a women’s caucus featuring Mame Reilly of Virginia moderating. The caucus focused on all the accomplishes in the United States since women received the right to vote. It also emphasized the stakes of this election. It was repeated that John McCain voted against women on the equal pay for equal work bill before the Senate. Also, the importance actress Fran Dresher emphasized how important it is for the government not to legislate women’s bodies by taking away the right to choose. Ms. Dresher told her personal story of how she hates that her right to choose was taken because of a radical histerectomy and how women in general will also hate if their right to choose is taken by electing McCain. Dresher said that women should not allow the goverment to take their right to choose by electing John McCain as president. Ann Richards daughter, Cecile Richards electrified the caucus when she spoke about her mother and the many reasons for choosing Sen. Barack Obama over Sen. John McCain. Richards also empasized the record of Sen. Barack Obama on women’s issues. Obama voted for birth control, comprehensive women’s health education, and a women’s right to chose. Richards told how Sen. McCain has voted against women’s healthcare 125 times. She also reiterated that McCain wants to overturn Roe v. Wade. However, the quote of the day from Richards was when she said “a woman voting for John McCain is like a chicken voting for Cornel Sanders.” Other speakers were United States Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan. There was also a tribute to United States Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio.

A couple of unnamed sources close to Sen. John McCain say that he has settled for Mitt Romney as his VP according to Mark Halperin at Time.  

My guess is that the McCain campaign is releasing this information now because it is trying to change the subject from the fact that the Arizona senator is out of touch.   So out of touch that he can’t keep track of the number of houses that he owns and so out of touch that a $3 million dollar income equals middle class. McCains world…party time…Excellent!

Sen. John McCain is living in a dream world where the the rest of us live in the real one.  McCain lives in the world of eight million dollar homes, $125 million fortune, $580 Ferragamo shoes, a $3 million dollar income equals middle class, the “fundamentals of our economy are strong”, America is filled with a “nation of whiners”, there is no Abramoff scandle, he was not having cake with Bush on an Arizona tarmac when Katrina hit, there was no McCain pro-Iraq war vote/support before the Surge, every response to conflict is a military one……….Party On!  This is the person who purports to feel the pain of the average American yet he cannot be bothered to keep up with the number of homes that he owns.  How can the Arizona senator identify with the struggles of the average person?  From all the comments that McCain and his surrogates have given with respect to the economy, veterans, etc., McCain appears to be a person who could not be less in touch with the challenges of Joe and Sue Public.  If you can’t identify with the average person how do you shape policy affecting him or her.  We have had eight years of Bush policies favoring his and McCain’s peers, the 100 million dollar men, its time to draft and implement policies that benefit the majority of the American people.  McCain has been deemed a “maverick” by the media because he has bucked his party on a few occasions in the past.  But the issues McCain purportedly bucked his party on have little to do with the fact that we have a record deficit resulting from the spending policies, agreed to by Sen. McCain, and implemented by a republican controlled Congress and White House.  Bush and McCain are one and the same when it comes to fiscal and foreign policy.  Though Bush-McCain project a facade of being the guy you can have a beer with and the guy who will fight for the average American, nothing can be further from the truth.  Both are out of touch with most Americans and are missing the empathy gene when it comes to the pain of the typical American during this economic downturn. 

After eight years of Bush, we are not deserving………we’re not deserving!…….we’re not deserving………of Sen. John McCain.  It’s time for the Bush policies that are being  lovingly embraced by Sen. McCain to fade-out (insert arms waving in front of face).

Former National Security Council counter-terrorism adviser and Obama supporter, Richard Clarke, spoke yesterday about the judgment of John McCain.  Clark monikers the Arizona senator “quick draw McCain” due to his eagerness to go to war with Iraq after 9/11.  Apparently, McCain was pushing for war with Iraq while the Bush administration was merely thinking about the possibility.  Clarke went on to say that McCain and other neocons are one of the reasons that Bush went to war with Iraq in the first place.  This is why McCain has the reputation as a war monger.  And there is a strong possibility that McCain plans to staff these wars of his……….by reinstating the draft.  When asked about the draft yesterday, McCain indicated that he would be open to the idea.  Last September when asked about the draft, McCain said “I might consider it, I don’t think it’s necessary, but I might consider it if you could design a draft where everybody equally could serve.”  I guess you would have to consider it if war is your first line of defense in dealing with conflict.  One wonders how many wars American can be involved in at one time.  Lets see, we’re in Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran and Russia may be possibilities (depending on who wins the White House)……..after all when McCain looks in Putin’s eyes he “sees a K…a G..and a B,” nice way to approach the negotiation table.  It is statements like the former that are telling when it comes to the judgement McCain would provide in the White House.  It appears that if McCain had his way he would take us back to the Cold War.  The Arizona senator has also promised that “there will be more wars.”  Personally the idea of another President who uses military might as a first line of defense is very scary given our current national security situation and the state of our economy.  The military does not like wars and there is a reason why the majority of such military support Sen. Obama for president.  We already have China paying for the wars that we are currently fighting.  Our military is already overstretched.  This is a new global environment that is constantly changing, we need a leader who is capable of adapting.  Does anyone see McCain as an adaptable kind of guy?  I didn’t think so.  We also must use other ways to get along with the world community.  We are all for a strong defense but our defense and our nation is weakened if we continue to engage in useless wars.  We found out with the Bush administration that a President can enter us into a war under false pretences, so we must make sure that we have a person with a global perspective holding that position.  Sen. McCain has demonstrated that he has a penchant for war.  We have just had seven and a half years of cowboy diplomacy………and………….this past year, Sen. John McCain has voted with Pres. Bush 100% of the time……..100%!  By McCain’s own admission, he has voted with Bush 95% of the time throughout Bush’s tenure in office. Do we really want someone in the White House that voted with George Bush 95% of the time?  How is that not a continuation of the policies of the Bush administration?  In what universe does that represent change?  We have to ask if the person has the intellectual capacity and temperament to be the leader of the free world?  We need to rebuild our moral standing through our willingness to engage and work with leaders, adversaries and friends, of other nations.  We cannot do that with a hair-trigger finger on the war gun.

Most of us have heard the the rampant speculation about the possibility of John McCain picking a pro-life vice presidential candidate.  The two most popular names being put out there by the McCain campaign are Joe Lieberman and Tom Ridge.  However, McCain believes that such a choice would be a suicide move for his candidacy and has no intention if picking Lieberman or Ridge.  Not to mention the fact that the Republican convention would be a disaster with conservatives picketing or not showing up at all.  The McCain campaign knows this.  This is a complete fake-out, bait and switch operation by the McCain campaign.  The murmur within the republican party is that McCain is simply floating Lieberman and Ridge out there so that conservatives will not give him grief for picking Mitt Romney.  The McCain campaign, with the help of some very loud conservative talk radio host, has decided to get conservatives in a feverish tizzy over the possibility of him picking a pro-choice running mate so that Romney as the veep choice will be a huge relief.  Conservatives have issues with Romney because of his flip flop on the abortion issue.  The former governor ran for Massachussetts governor on a pro-choice platform but then changed his mind and became pro-life once he decided to run for President.  So at this point who knows what he believes.  This way McCain has the best of both worlds, a candidate who takes both sides of the abortion issue as well as most other issues. 

If anyone watched the two candidates, Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain, on Saturday with Pastor Rick Warren the average listener came away with some definite impressions.  Just as bit of background on Pastor Warren and his audience.  Pastor Warren is a conservative, pro-life, republican.  Thus, the questions were framed with a conservative bent. The audience consisted of all evangelicals and tailor made for McCain or any GOP candidate for that matter.  Also, 75% of of his audience voted for Pres. Bush in 2004.  It was actually a brave move for Sen. Obama to participate.  One other quick point:  Only McCain, a man worth $125 million would define rich as someone making $5 million a year.  It’s all relatively elitist I guess.  There are many folks out there who are making $500,000 a year who consider themselves rich.  Okay back to the point of this post.  Having viewed the interviews on CSPAN and listened to the reaction from listeners before I heard any pundit analysis.  My overall impression differs significantly from that of the pundit class.  Many of the listeners who called in said that Sen. McCain’s answers seemed rehearsed and canned and Sen. Obama was more engaged in a thoughtful conversation.   I also noticed several times that Sen. McCain seemed to answer the questions before Pastor Warren could actually get out the question.  This indicates to me that McCain heard the questions beforehand and was not in a “cone of silence.” Come to find out that Sen. McCain was not in the building when Pastor Warren said that he was in the “cone of silence” but had just left his hotel at the time that the statement was made.  Pastor Warren did say that he gave each of the candidates, one question, that is one question, not two questions (as reported by National Review Online)but one question beforehand.  Warren also said that he did give Sen. Obama a second question that he did not get to Sen. McCain, because McCain showed up late, regarding giving the pastor a commitment to an “emergency plan for orphans” similar to the one that Bush initiated for AIDS.  Giving Sen. Obama a single extra question is a different story then receiving a complete preview of the questions and the opposing candidates answers beforehand.  Does anyone believe, with the stakes at risk in this campaign, that the McCain campaign did not at least listen to CSPAN radio on the way to the event and therefore had a heads up with respect to the questions and Obama’s answers before he arrived.  Yea…I didn’t think so.  McCain’s interview also now makes much more sense. The Arizona senator had a ready anecdote for almost every single answer.  I might also mention that those anecdotes are ones that even for the average person who have been only slightly paying attention to this race thus far have heard at least twice.  As someone who has paid a great deal of attention to this race, I have heard each of his stories and McCainisms ad nauseum, including the “cross in the sand” story.  What I have not heard is a real explanation about his moral failing. McCain skipped over this question by saying that his “failure of [his] first marriage” was his greatest moral failure and quickly moved on without giving an explanation as to why.  Sen. Obama answered the question thoughtfully and provided detail.  McCain did however manage to insert “Americans failed to serve a purpose greater than there own self interest” and ”following Osama bin Laden to the gates of hell” when needed.  We have heard McCain say these and other McCainisms sprinkled throughout his interview at town hall meetings, in speeches, in interviews, etc……the exact same phrases.  While I agree with the sentiment, he needs some new material.  We need a president who has the ability to think through the difficult problems and grasp the intricacies of what the repercussions of a bad decision will mean, not someone who constantly repeats the talking points that he has been using since 2000 and has a well documented volatile and hair-trigger history of speaking without thought.  We have had eight years of cowboy diplomacy.

Here’s is a camparison of answers given by Obama and McCain respectively that proves my point that McCain had a heads-up.

Warren and Obama:

Q. OKAY LET’S GO TO EDUCATION. AMERICA RIGHT NOW 23 RANKS 19TH IN HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION. WE’RE FIRST IN INCARCERATIONS.

A. NOT GOOD.

Q. NOT GOOD. 80 PERCENT OF AMERICANS RECENT POLE SAID THEY BELIEVE IN MERIT PAY FOR TEACHERS.

1. I’M NOT ASKING DO YOU THINK ALL TEACHERS SHOULD GET A RAISE.

2. DO YOU THINK BETTER TEACHERS SHOULD BE PAID BETTER?

3. THEY SHOULD BE MAKING MORE THAN POOR TEACHERS?

Now Warren and McCain:

Q ALL RIGHT. LET’S TALK ABOUT EDUCATION. AMERICA 18 RANKS 19TH IN HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATIONS, BUT WE’RE FIRST IN 19 INCARCERATION. EVERYBODY SAYS THEY WANT MORE ACCOUNTABILITY IN SCHOOLS?

A  UH-HUH.

Q  ABOUT 80 PERCENT OF AMERICA SAYS THEY SUPPORT MERIT PAY FOR THE BEST TEACHERS. NOW, I DON’T WANT TO HEAR YOUR STUMP SPEECH ON EDUCATION?

A  YES. YES. AND FIND BAD TEACHERS ANOTHER LINE OF WORK.

Q  YOU KNOW –

A  CAN I –

Q  YOU ARE ANSWERING SO QUICKLY.

A  CAN I –

Q YOU WANT TO PLAY A GAME OF POKER?

As for the pundits, so I hear the listeners reactions on CSPAN and I have the same reaction as the CSPAN listeners, but I then turn to MSNBC to hear the pundit analysis thinking that they would be echoing what seemed to be obvious with respect to the rehearsed or canned nature of McCain’s answers…and what do I hear?  The pundit class going on and on about how great McCain was tonight.  How McCain was at the top of his game and gave great, quick, and decisive answers (that happens when you know the questions in advance and have answered such questions the same exact way in various other forums).   The same thing was being said on CNN.  Give me a break.  McCain was not being interviewed, he was acting out a play where he received the the script and rehearsal time prior to the performance.  The listeners of CSPAN saw and heard it……why would the pundit class miss such an obvious fake out.  Why…to create more of a horse race people.  Trust your own instincts.

Is Bush/Cheney about to be impeached?  Congressman John Conyers may be ready to do just that. The Bush presidency is just bad precedent for future presidents.  Imagine if all presidents entered the White House thinking that could get away with what this administration has attempted to get away with.  Accountability is essential to any democracy.  

House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers has taken the highly unusual step of calling his committee back from summer recess in order to investigate allegations by Ron Suskind that the Bush administration forged a letter to buttress the links made between Saddam and 9/11, and Saddam and WMD. The congressional Authorization for the Use of Force Against Iraq, the “”War Resolution” which, as far short as it fell of a congressional declaration of war, gave the invasion its constitutional legal cover, and gave Bush the authorization to invade only after he had certified to congress the existence of these two critical links. If Saddam had nothing to do with 9/11, and if he did not possess WMD, the war was off.

Is Sen. John McCain a warmonger?…..his Republican colleagues seem to think so. View the video below.

Pat Buchanan Says McCain “Will Make Cheney Look Like GhandiExec Fired for Not Donating to Mitt Romney

John McCain says he needs more sleep

McCain Blogger Lies, Says Obama Received More Big Oil Money

Who’d give more to the middle class? Obama . . . Not McCain

McCain’s Newest “Celebrity” Attack Ad Proven False . . . AGAIN

Blogola: John McCain Bribing People to Comment on Blogs

McCain, Campaign Mgr Involved in Deal Costing 8000 Ohio Jobs

CIA Forged Iraq Intelligence

Do you know who you’re voting for?

Well, we did not report on this story here because it was originally sourced by the National Enquirer.  Now it has been confirmed by the former Senator of South Carolina himself.  There may even be some legal issues with respect to use of campaign funds.  What a continuued difficult time for Elizabeth Edwards and the Edwards family.  So sad.  This does beg the question of why he would run for president knowing this was in his background?  See story below.

John Edwards repeatedly lied during his Presidential campaign about an extramarital affair with a novice filmmaker, the former Senator admitted to ABC News today.

In an interview for broadcast tonight on Nightline, Edwards told ABC News correspondent Bob Woodruff he did have an affair with 44-year old Rielle Hunter, but said that he did not love her.

Edwards also denied he was the father of Hunter’s baby girl, Frances Quinn, although the one-time Democratic Presidential candidate said he has not taken a paternity test.

Edwards said he knew he was not the father based on timing of the baby’s birth on February 27, 2008. He said his affair ended too soon for him to have been the father.

A former campaign aide, Andrew Young, has said he was the father of the child.  Read remainder of story

Edwards releases statement:

“In 2006, I made a serious error in judgment and conducted myself in a way that was disloyal to my family and to my core beliefs. I recognized my mistake and I told my wife that I had a liaison with another woman, and I asked for her forgiveness. Although I was honest in every painful detail with my family, I did not tell the public. When a supermarket tabloid told a version of the story, I used the fact that the story contained many falsities to deny it. But being 99% honest is no longer enough.

“I was and am ashamed of my conduct and choices, and I had hoped that it would never become public. With my family, I took responsibility for my actions in 2006 and today I take full responsibility publicly. But that misconduct took place for a short period in 2006. It ended then. I am and have been willing to take any test necessary to establish the fact that I am not the father of any baby, and I am truly hopeful that a test will be done so this fact can be definitively established. I only know that the apparent father has said publicly that he is the father of the baby. I also have not been engaged in any activity of any description that requested, agreed to or supported payments of any kind to the woman or to the apparent father of the baby.

“It is inadequate to say to the people who believed in me that I am sorry, as it is inadequate to say to the people who love me that I am sorry. In the course of several campaigns, I started to believe that I was special and became increasingly egocentric and narcissistic. If you want to beat me up - feel free. You cannot beat me up more than I have already beaten up myself. I have been stripped bare and will now work with everything I have to help my family and others who need my help.

“I have given a complete interview on this matter and having done so, will have nothing more to say.”

The Obama and Clinton campaigns released a joint statement announcing that the former president, Bill Clinton, will be speaking on Wednesday night at the Democratic convention in Denver.  President Clinton will speak before the vice presidential pick on Wednesday.  The role of the former president would play at the convention has been a subject of speculation for a few weeks and in the last week its reached a fever pitch.  Up until yesterday, the Democratic party was deciding whether John Edwards would speak at all in light of some tabloid stories alleging a scandal involving infidelity.  As a matter of fact, the Party is reported to have told the former North Carolina senator that he would need to clear up the scandal before he would be invited to speak.  Now it appears that Bill Clinton has been given that open spot and Edwards is out.

We implore voters to quiet all the distracting noise and start listening to what the candidate will do to improve your life.  You have a candidate paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to put out ads for his self-described own “amusement.”  Meanwhile, the American people are hurting.  We have soaring gas prices, a sinking economy, Americans losing jobs and being foreclosed on in their homes, yet one $110 million dollar candidate decides that the best way to deal with these issues is to put out ads featuring Britney Spears and Paris Hilton for his own amusement.   Way to empathize with the plight of struggling American families.   Rather than stand in the shoes of the average working man, McCain prefers to stand in his $600 a pair Ferragamo loafers thank you very much! 

In one of McCain’s latest ads where he features Charlton Heston playing Moses. many interpret the ad as trivializing a prominent biblical figure.  Many of us consider Moses a sacrosanct figure not to be used in vain.  One wonders what hard-working Catholic and Jewish Americans think of this latest ad featuring the biblical figure.  It is a blasphemous demonstration that many find offensive. 

We are very happy that the McCain campaign is getting their jollies at the expense of struggling families in Ohio, Georgia, Mississippi, Arizona, Colorado, and the list goes on.  I guess that it what is to be expected of a candidate whose wife professes that the only way to get around Arizona is by small private plane.  Anybody who would pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for a giggle does not strike this writer as having the judgment to be the lead us out of a flailing economy.  Such giggle extravagances are reserved as luxuries for the mega rich. To be this frivolous with money donated to a campaign by hard-working citizens, who in many cases can only donate a couple of dollars, is beyond reproach.  Is this the type of fiscal responsibility that Americans can expect from a McCain administration?  Is this how a McCain administration will get us out of our three trillion dollar debt? In this writer’s opinion, this demonstrates how the $110 million dollar candidate is completely out of touch with the day-to-day struggles of the average American.  It also demonstrates the culture of the McCain campaign advisers.  Remember when McCain’s former Senior advisor referred to Americans as “whiners” because we acknowledge that we are struggling harder than ever before and we may be in a recession. 

The campaigns released the presidential and vice presidential debates schedule today and guess which network was noticeably absent….sucks for you ABC.  PBS will host the vice presidential and a single presidential debate.  NBC and CBS will moderate the last two presidential debates.

ABC’s absence may be a result of its democratic primary debate hosting gig that many perceived as a “gotcha” style debate  sans substantive issues.  That ABC primary debate was hosted by Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos.

Schedule:

Presidential Debates

Jim Lehrer, Sept. 26, at the University of Mississippi @9pm EST  (foreign policy debate)
Tom Brokaw, Oct. 7, in Nashville at Belmont University @9pm EST   (townhall meeting, questions from the audience)
Bob Schieffer, Oct. 15, at Hofstra University @9pm EST  (domestic policy debate)

Vice Presidential Debate
Gwen Ifill, Oct. 2, at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri @9pm  (domestic and foreign policy)

It looks as if the respectability and credibility of the Associated Press may be lost under its new leadership.  An example of its new bias is its headline last weekend announcing the newly scheduled presidential debates. This weekend the Obama campaign agreed to three debates and one vice presidential debate.  However, according to the Associated Press, Sen. Obama backed down from Sen. McCain’s debate challenge.  This is the exact AP headline:

“Obama Backs Away from McCain Debate Challenge”

The spin regarding the Obama-McCain debates is an egregious example of what we can now expect from the AP.  As a bit of background, in 2007, the Associated Press’ new Washington Bureau Chief, Ron Fournier, was asked by the McCain campaign to sign on as a senior campaign advisor. Yes folks, he was offered a job in the McCain campaign.  Many have noted that the the new Chief is in the tank for McCain.  If there was any doubt before, the above headline removes it.  Fournier has also been in communication with McCain unofficial advisor Karl Rove.  As a matter of fact, during the Pat Tillman and Jessica Lynch expose, Fournier sent an email correspondence to Karl Rove telling him to “keep up the fight.”

This information is provided in an effort to disclose to voters that everyone has their own agenda even if they have previously appeared to balanced.  Because many people go to the Associated Press expecting unfiltered news,  it is important to know that it has changed and there is a new Chief in town.  Further, in the interest of full disclosure, Rupert Murdoch, owner of “fair and balanced” Fox News, is on the board of the Associated Press.

It is unfortunate that such a respectable institution has slid to the right, but also more of a reason to always consider the source whenever you read or hear anything from any source. 

Sen.  John McCain sent a message to Sen. Barack Obama to call Congress back to work to vote on a GOP energy proposal.  McCain:  “Congress get back to work.”  This is bloody rich coming from McCain given that he himself has not been to work  since April 2008.  So before McCain starts chastising Congress, perhaps he should take his own advice. 

Sen. John McCain accused the Obama campaign of playing the race card.  McCain alleged shock last week at the Obama campaign for accusing him of using nefarious tactics in its effort to portray Obama as a “risky” candidate.  The Arizona senator went so far as to say that he” has fought for equal rights his entire life.”  Well, a reporter called him on his claim by asking him to elaborate on what specifically he has done that focused on the improvement of the lives of African-Americans?  Deer in headlights folks.  See below

DISTRACTION ALERT:  The McCain campaign is up in arms about a comment made by Sen. Barack Obama yesterday regarding the “scare” campaign tactics of the other side. The exact quote from Sen. Obama: 

Nobody thinks that Bush and McCain have a real answer to the challenges we face. So what they’re going to try to do is make you scared of me,” Obama said. “You know, ‘he’s not patriotic enough, he’s got a funny name,’ you know, ‘he doesn’t look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills.” 

This is completely ridiculous! Obama was preempting what is to come. Something McCain is very aware of since he has done the same thing many times over with respect to his age.  How many times have John McCain referred to the fact that he is “old” in an attempt to take it off the table.  The gander certainly cannot accuse the goose for something that it has been doing in the hen house for months prior.  How many times has John McCain alluded to Obama’s alleged “inexperience” or “arrogance” for doing things that he himself has done except that Obama is perceived as having done them better.  The trip to the Middle East for example.  McCain made the exact same trip but perceived not to have been as successful.  What Obama completed brilliantly yesterday was a preemptive strike against the “race card.”  No one can deny, not even the main stream pundits, that there has been several right-wing pundits, whisper campaigns, talk radio shock jocks, right-wing bloggers,  527 groups etc., who have used race left, right, sideways, and center in ”their” attempt to punt the Illinois senator.  So with this knowledge, why is the McCain campaign so up in arms about Obama comment?  With all the right-wing lunatic fringe groups focusing at every opportunity on the fact that Obama is different because he is black, how else do you combat such distracting noise but mention the fact that you have been very upfront about the fact that Obama is different because he is black. So it’s dumbfounding how the campaign can conclude that Obama is playing the race card.  It seems that the double standard in the McCain campaign is in full force. This is a stretch beyond elasticity and the main stream media is jumping all over it.  Remember folks, CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC, all have a very big horse in this race….RATINGS.  The greater the perception of a horse race, the more advertising dollars.  And by the way, Obama has made the same comment many times prior to yesterday. This is an extreme and disproportionate reaction from the McCain campaign.  It’s called the politics of destraction and deflection….deflect from the positive press from Obama’s overseas trip and distract from the weaknesses of McCain, economy, gas prices, EXXON Mobil record profits (11.68 billion), mortgage crisis, etc.  Karl Rove tactics on full blast. 

Rupert Murdoch owned Wall Street Journal columnist Daniel Henninger evaluates John McCain’s tax policy and responds, “This isn’t a flip-flop. It’s a sex-change operation.” The columnist goes on to ask the question of whether McCain is losing his way. Henninger writes :

What I’m asking is, does John McCain have the mental focus, the intellectual discipline, to avoid being out-slicked by Barack Obama, if he isn’t abandoned by his own voters?
 

It’s not just taxes. Recently the subject came up of Al Gore’s assertion that the U.S. could get its energy solely from renewables in 10 years. Sen. McCain said: “If the vice president says it’s doable, I believe it’s doable.” What!!?? In a later interview, Mr. McCain said he hadn’t read “all the specifics” of the Gore plan and now, “I don’t think it’s doable without nuclear power.” It just sounds loopy.

Why as well shouldn’t the Obama camp exploit all of this? If Sen. Obama’s “inexperience” is Mr. McCain’s ace in the hole, why not trump that by asking, “Does Sen. McCain know his own mind?”

…

Yes, Sen. McCain has honor and country. Another month of illogical, impolitic remarks and Sen. McCain will erase even that. Absent a coherent message for voters, he will be one-on-one with Barack Obama in the fall. He will lose.

Looks like the McCain campaign has received its wish for more media attention and being given the scrutiny that the Obama campaign has received throughout this election process.  Like we said last week, be carefule what you wish for.

Alluding to his temper when things don’t go his way, Sen. John McCain told George Stephanopoulos on This Week  that with respect to the Pentagon policy preventing Obama from visiting the military hospital in Germany as part of a campaign trip, ”if I was there and wanted to be there there would have been a seismic event” had they prevented him from seeing the troops.  However, McCain’s track record with respect to our wounded warriors and their healthcare very much suggest otherwise.  McCain has repeatedly either voted against pro-veteran legislation, or not bothered to even show up to vote at all for such legislation.  So my question to John McCain is….where was the “seismic event” when key pieces of legislation that provided our “gravely wounded” veterans with healthcare, and other services, came up for a vote in the Senate and in many cases you opposed the legislation or didn’t even bother to show up to vote?  One could only conclude, given your statement on This Week, that you really didn’t “want to be there.”  Perhaps you can provide an explanation for your vote or lack thereof on the following pro-veteran legislation.  The following list is courtesy of the AFL-CIO.

McCain did not support the Medicare Bill that prevented a decrease in medical services for Military Families.  Cuts in physicians Medicare payments would have resulted in an inability of physicians to continue to treat Medicare patients. This bill is important to veterans because of Tricare.  Tricare payouts are indexed to Medicare, therefore, if Medicare payments are cut so are Tricare payments.  If the bill had not passed, it would be much more difficult for military families to find doctors willing to treat them. Apparently, the insurance companies were against this bill also.

McCain Opposes the 21st Century GI Bill Because It Is Too Generous.McCain did not vote on the GI Bill that will provide better educational opportunities to veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, paying full tuition at in-state schools and living expenses for those who have served at least three years since the 9/11 attacks. McCain said he opposes the bill because he thinks the generous benefits would “encourage more people to leave the military.” (S.Amdt. 4803 to H.R. 2642, Vote 137, 5/22/08; Chattanooga Times Free Press, 6/2/08; Boston Globe, 5/23/08; ABCNews.com, 5/26/08)

McCain Voted Against Increased Funding for Veterans’ Health Care.Although McCain told voters at a campaign rally that improving veterans’ health care was his top domestic priority, he voted against increasing funding for veterans’ health care in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. (Greenville News, 12/12/2007; S.Amdt. 2745 to S.C.R. 95, Vote 40, 3/10/04; Senate S.C.R. 18, Vote 55, 3/16/05; S.Amdt. 3007 to S.C.R. 83, Vote 41, 3/14/06; H.R. 1591, Vote 126, 3/29/07)

Opposed an Assured Funding Stream for Veterans’ Health Care.McCain opposed providing an assured funding stream for veterans’ health care, taking into account annual changes in veterans’ population and inflation. (S.Amdt. 3141 to S.C.R. 83, Vote 63, 3/16/06)

McCain Voted Against Adding More Than $400 Million for Veterans’ Care.McCain was one of 13 Republicans to vote against providing an additional $430 million to the Department of Veterans Affairs for outpatient care and treatment for veterans. (S.Amdt. 3642 to H.R. 4939, Vote 98, 4/26/06)

Voted Against Establishing a $1 Billion Trust Fund for Military Health Facilities.McCain voted against establishing a $1 billion trust fund to improve military health facilities by refusing to repeal tax cuts for those making more than $1 million a year. (S.Amdt. 2735 to S.Amdt. 2707 to H.R. 4297, Vote 7, 2/2/06)

McCain Opposed $500 Million for Counseling Services for Veterans with Mental Disorders.McCain voted against an amendment to appropriate $500 million annually from 2006-2010 for counseling, mental health and rehabilitation services for veterans diagnosed with mental illness, posttraumatic stress disorder or substance abuse. (S. 2020, S.Amdt. 2634, Vote 343, 11/17/05)

McCain Voted in Support of Disabled Veterans Only 25 Percent of the Time from 2004-2005. While McCain claims he “has been a leading advocate” for veterans with disabilities, statistics show he supported the Disabled American Veterans’ interests only 25 percent of the time in 2004-2005. In 2006, that figure slipped to 20 percent of the time. (Project Vote Smart)

McCain Voted Against Providing Automatic Cost-of-Living Adjustments to Veterans.McCain voted against providing automatic annual cost-ofliving adjustments for certain veterans’ benefits. (S. 869, Vote 259, 11/20/91)

INCLUDING BETTER ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE FOR GUARD AND RESERVISTS

McCain Opposed Increasing Spending on TRICARE and Giving Greater Access to National Guard and Reservists.Although his campaign website devotes a large section to veterans issues, including expanding benefits for reservists and members of the National Guard, McCain voted against increasing spending on the TRICARE program by $20.3 billion over 10 years to give members of the National Guard and Reserves and their families greater access to the health care program. The increase would be offset by a reduction in tax cuts for the wealthy. (www.johnmccain.com/Informing/ Issues/9cb5d2aa-f237-464e-9cdf-a5ad32771b9f.htm; S.Amdt. 324 to S.C.R. 23, Vote 81, 3/25/03)

McCAIN ALSO VOTED TO OUTSOURCE JOBS AT MILITARY FACILITIES

McCain Supported Outsourcing VA Jobs.McCain opposed an amendment that would have prevented the Department of Veterans Affairs from outsourcing jobs, many held by blue-collar veterans, without first giving the workers a chance to compete. (S.Amdt. 2673 to H.R. 2642, Vote 315, 9/6/07)

He Also Supported Outsourcing at Walter Reed.McCain opposed an amendment to prevent the outsourcing of 350 federal employee jobs at Walter Reed Army Medical Center—outsourcing that contributed to the scandalous treatment of veterans at Walter Reed that McCain called a “disgrace.” (S.Amdt. 4895 to H.R. 5631, Vote 234, 9/6/06; Speech to VFW in Kansas City, Mo., 4/4/08)

AND HE REPEATEDLY VOTED AGAINST FUNDING FOR THE VETERANS AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT

2003: McCain Voted Against $122.7 Billion for Department of Veterans Affairs. McCain voted against an appropriations bill that included $122.7 billion in fiscal 2004 for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development and other related agencies. (H.R. 2861, Vote 449, 11/12/03)

2001: McCain Voted Against $51 Billion in Veterans Funding. McCain was one of five senators to vote against the bill and seven to vote against the conference report that provided $51.1 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as funding for the federal housing, environmental and emergency management agencies and NASA. (H.R. 2620, Vote 334, 11/8/01; Vote 269, 8/2/01)

2000: McCain Voted Against $47 Billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs. McCain was one of eight senators to vote against a bill that provided $47 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs. (H.R. 4635, Vote 272, 10/12/00)

1999: McCain Voted Against $44.3 Billion for Veterans Programs. McCain was one of five senators to vote against a bill providing $44.3 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs, plus funding for other federal agencies. (H.R. 2684, Vote 328, 10/15/99)

1996: McCain Voted Against a $13 Billion Increase in Funding for Veterans Programs. McCain voted against an amendment to increase spending on veterans programs by $13 billion. (S.C.R. 57, Vote 115, 5/16/96)

1995: McCain Voted to Underfund Department of Veterans Affairs. McCain voted for an appropriations bill that underfunded the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development by $8.9 billion. (H.R. 2099, Vote 470, 9/27/95)

1995: McCain Voted Against Closing Tax Loopholes to Increase Veterans Funding by $74 Million. McCain voted against eliminating tax breaks and closing tax loopholes to provide revenue to restore some of the proposed cuts in Veterans Affairs spending. (S.C.R. 13, Vote 226, 5/25/95)

1994: McCain Voted Against Funding the Department of Veterans Affairs. McCain was one of nine senators to vote against appropriating $90 billion in budget authority for the Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development departments. (H.R. 4624, Vote 306, 9/27/94)

So Sen. McCain though you say that you visited the troops abroad, you do not seem to support their interest back at home.  Why is that?  Though you said that you would never use the troops as a political issue, in your latest television ad you do just that.  You star the troops front, line, and center in an attack aimed at Sen. Obama.  Never mind that in your allegation that Obama does not visit the troops, you use footage of him shooting hoops….WITH THE TROOPS in the Middle East.  You also use the troops in your false allegation that Obama did not visit the troops because there could be no television cameras.  The allegation is disproved by the many visits that Sen. Obama has made to Walter Reed as well as several visits with the troops sans television cameras during his Middle East trip.

And by the way, McCain’s Republican colleague, Chuck Hagel, said the following about Obama’s decision regarding the German military hospital visit on Face the Nation on Sunday:

BOB SCHIEFFER: Senator Reed, now you’ve done a lot of these trips. They call them “codels,” “congressional delegations,” go. Are you ever allowed to take cameras when you go in to visit wounded troops? I thought that was sort of the general rule that everybody knew about.

JACK REED: I don’t think Senator Obama would have done that. Senator Hagel, Senator Obama and I visited the combat support hospital at Baghdad to thank those nurses, those doctors, to see patients that were there, to bring a bit of greetings from home and profound thanks. That should be in the ad that Senator McCain is running. I think Senator Obama made a very wise choice. Any suggestion that a visit to a military hospital would be political, he made the wise choice not to go. But when you were in Baghdad we made a point at the end of a very exhausting day to go in and see these magnificent young Americans and those doctors and nurses that give such tremendous care without a lot of fanfare, just to say thanks. He did it-the same thing. We went-we didn’t stay in Kabul. We went to Jalalabad to see the soldiers of the 173rd. We stopped in Basra to see our soldiers down there. We went into Anbar province to see soldiers there. That is a completely distorted, and, I think, inappropriate advertisement.

CHUCK HAGEL: Let me add to that. As you know, Bob, the congressional delegation that you referred to ended when we parted in Jordan. At that point, it was a political trip for Senator Obama. I think it would have been inappropriate for him and certainly he would have been criticized by the McCain people and the press and probably should have been if on a political trip in Europe paid for by political funds-not the taxpayers-to go, essentially, then and be accused of using our wounded men and women as props for his campaign. I think the judgment there-and I don’t know the facts by the way. I know what you’ve just read. No one has asked me about it other than what you’ve just asked about. But I think it would be totally inappropriate for him on a campaign trip to go to a military hospital and use those soldiers as props. So I think he probably, based on what I know, he did the right thing. We saw troops everywhere we went on the congressional delegation. We went out of our way to see those troops. We wanted to see those troops. And that’s part of our job to see those troops, by the way, and listen to those troops, Bob. And we did.

BOB SCHIEFFER: Do you think that ad was appropriate?

CHUCK HAGEL: I do not think it was appropriate.

BOB SCHIEFFER: You do not.

CHUCK HAGEL: I do not.

If this is not a reason to suspect Sen. John McCain’s judgment I don’t know what is.  Last Monday, Rush Limbaugh suggested on his show that John McCain go out to an oil rig and give a speech in support of his proposal to drill offshore.  A great photo-op said Limbaugh.   Yesterday, all of sudden, the McCain campaign announces that it will be giving a speech from an oil rig to counter Obama’s speech in Berlin. Are you serious???  McCain is taking strategy suggestions from the guy who proclaims himself the leader of the dittoheads…seriously…….I mean seriously!! 

A funny thing happened on the way to the rig.  The actual rig where McCain was set to deliver his speech is very near the 400,000 gallon oil spill that occurred yesterday in the Mississippi River.  There is a time when you have to ask yourself……is the universe trying to tell me something?   I can’t remember when the last time we had an oil spill this big….and the day before McCain campaign is scheduled to give a speech on how offshore drilling is the panacea for solving all our energy problems. 

This is a description of the disaster by a local paper:

Residents in Algiers, Gretna, St. Bernard Parish and Plaquemines Parish are also being asked to conserve water, as water intakes for those communities are closed to prevent contamination of the drinking water supply. Water flowing through the tap is from reserve supplies, which could run out in many areas by afternoon or early evening, officials said.

Oil from the spill is visible along the New Orleans riverfront, with a thick coat of black muck washing up along the rocks near the Moonwalk. Farther away from the bank, the muck broke off into small islands.

A thick blanket of oil stuck to the hull of a Coast Guard cutter patrolling the area between the wrecked barge and the riverfront near the Aquarium of the Americas. The surrounding air there smells like it would near a gas station or in a traffic jam, only stronger.

The McCain campaign claims that the photo-op was cancelled due to weather.  WE THINK NOT!  An oil spill of this magnitude does not exactly bolster McCain’s position for offshore drilling.  Can you say poetic justice??!

Not to mention the fact that this is what happens when you take campaign strategy advice from, of all people, Rush Limbaugh!!  Are you kidding me? 

Why the media is not shining a bright spotlight on these huge lapses by Sen. John McCain is beyond the belief of this writer.  This person is auditioning to run this country for petes sake!!!!  Sen. John McCain has consistently demonstrated his inability to keep track of world events, names, places, past positions, and past statements.  Just last week, McCain released security information regarding Obama’s Middle East trip!  Such a slip is unprecedented in presidential politics, yet the main stream media continues to ignore or treat such gaffes as insignificant.  The MSM continues to rely on McCain’s lengthy history in the Senate and POW status as proof of his competency for the job of President of the United States of America. Yesterday, the Senator accused Obama of wanting “to lose a war in order to win a political campaign.”  Unprecedented!  No presidential candidate in history has ever accused another candidate of such nefariousness. Once, maybe twice, but McCain’s continuous memory lapses, or confusion, or blatant untruths, or all of the above, are causing serious doubts as to whether he is capable of being the next leader of the free world. 

And the latest is a DOOZY! 

In an interview last night with CBS anchor Katie Couric, John McCain made a huge blunder while claiming that Barack Obama does not understand foreign policy.  The IRONY!!!!!

Couric: Senator McCain, Sen. Obama says, while the increased number of U.S. troops contributed to increased security in Iraq, he also credits the Sunni awakening and the Shiite government going after militias. And says that there might have been improved security even without the surge. What’s your response to that?

McCain: I don’t know how you respond to something that is such a false depiction of what actually happened. Colonel McFarlane (phonetic) was contacted by one of the major Sunni sheiks. Because of the surge we were able to go out and protect that sheik and others. And it BEGAN the Anbar awakening. I mean, that’s just a matter of history. Thanks to General Petraeus, our leadership, and the sacrifice of brave young Americans. I mean, to deny that their sacrifice didn’t make possible the success of the surge in Iraq, I think, does a great disservice to young men and women who are serving and have sacrificed.

They were out there. They were protecting these sheiks. We had the Anbar awakening. We now have a government that’s effective. We have a legal system that’s working, although poorly. And we have progress on all fronts, including an incredible measure of security for the people of Iraq. There will still be attacks. Al Qaeda’s not defeated. But the progress has been immense. And to not recognize that, and why it happened, and how it happened, I think is really quite a commentary.

Senator McCain says that it was the SURGE that BEGAN the Anbar Awakening. Well Senator, the Anbar Awakening BEGAN in 2006 and the SURGE did not happen until 2007.  This is a basic fact that even a congressional page is able to grasp.  Yet McCain is unable to recall this basic timeline to make his faulty point that Obama does not understand the significance of the SURGE.  McCain has been pushing how he was right about the SURGE and it is because of the SURGE that violence in Iraq has decreased.  The problem is….McCain seems to have lost track of when the SURGE began.  Had he recalled the proper order of events he may have realized that his point was built on a faulty premise.  The McCain campaign attempts damage control by claiming that McCain’s explanation is in line with General Petraeus’ explanation.  However, Petraeus said that the Anbar Awakening began in 2006 and that the SURGE may have helped the process when it began in 2007.  Had McCain consulted with Gen. Petraeus, like he accuses Obama of not doing, about how and when the Anbar Awakening began, Petraeus could have explained to him that the Awakening began way before even he, Petraeus, came onto the scene and thus at least six months before the SURGE happened.  Side note to Joe Scarborough: apparently you think that viewers should substitute your judgment for that of  Gen. Petraeus.  Scarborough claimed that like the Invasion of Normandi helped during World War II, the SURGE helped the war in Iraq, and it was only the SURGE that caused conditions on the ground to improve.  Wrong.  Your conclusion is incorrect on its face but lets get to the point.  Mr. Scarborough, that is not what John McCain claimed.  And in your failure to grasp the gaffe, you are attempting to introduce a red herring to the argument.  The gaffe is that McCain said that the SURGE BEGAN the Anbar Awakening, not that it helped.  That my friend is a BLUNDER because the ANBAR Awakening BEGAN a year earlier.  Your smug disengeniousness tells this writer that you are attempting to change the focus in order to change the narrative….cover up?  Nice try.

Lets discuss an even bigger story.  Why did CBS fail to report on such a significant gaffe?  CBS edited out McCain’s original response from the video and replaced it with a different answer given by McCain in response to a completely different question.  However,  CBS neglected to delete the Arizona senator’s original response to the question from the transcript. Why would CBS  not report on such a blunder?  Incompetence? Cover-up? I look forward to hearing the network’s explanation. This is irresponsible and incompetent journalism at best and duplicitous at worst.  Absolutely UNBELIEVABLE! 

Write to CBS to express your outrage and demand an explanation.

CBS Email: evening@cbsnews.com

As for McCain, Sen. McCain goaded Obama for weeks to go to the Middle East in his effort to set a trap for the Illinois senator.  Turns out that thus far the trip has been a boon for Obama and backfired on McCain.  The McCain campaign and the RIGHT has been ”whining” all week about the amount of press coverage Sen. Obama is receiving.  Looks like McCain is the candidate that has been caught up during Obama’s Middle East trip.  This is the person whose alleged grasp of foreign affairs and basic political facts has never been questioned or tested, just ASSUMED.

So the Right and the McCain campaign want more media attention on its candidate, this writer agrees.  John McCain definitely needs more media attention and scrutiny.  Message to the McCain campaign……..be careful about what you wish for.

UPDATE x1:  So, the McCain campaign cancelled its press availability for today without giving a reason.  I wonder what happened (snark)?? Ben Smith from Politico notes possible reasons:

He hasn’t explained what he meant by juggling the timeline on the surge and Awakening (though his staff did the best salvage job possible); whether he meant that Obama was deliberately selling out the country; whether he shares his campaign’s grievance with the press; or what he thinks of his staff’s genocide-themed attack.

UPDATE x2:  Apparently, CBS has decided to imploy the don’t believe your lying eyes defense.  Today the network released the following statement in response to the charge of unethical and deceitful journalism. CBS News Senior Vice President Paul Friedman said:

The report was edited under extreme time constraints and one piece of tape was put in the wrong order. Fortunately, this did not in any way distort what Senator McCain was saying.

To claim that its editing did not in any way distort McCain’s answer is insulting to its viewers.

Roll the tape…….Nuff said.

Uh Oh Sen. McCain!  The McCain campaign might not want to continue its narrative of ”the SURGE is working” regarding Iraq.  In the original interview from SpiegelOnline, Maliki fails to mention the SURGE as one of the contributing factors responsible for the decreasing violence in Iraq.

SPIEGEL: In your opinion, which factor has contributed most to bringing calm to the situation in the country?

Maliki: There are many factors, but I see them in the following order. First, there is the political rapprochement we have managed to achieve in central Iraq. This has enabled us, above all, to pull the plug on al-Qaida. Second, there is the progress being made by our security forces. Third, there is the deep sense of abhorrence with which the population has reacted to the atrocities of al-Qaida and the militias. Finally, of course, there is the economic recovery.

Today on the Today Show, Meredith Vieira calls Sen. John McCain on the carpet regarding his criticism of Obama for not holding Afghanistan hearings when he, Sen. McCain, has missed all six Senate hearings held by the Senate Armed Services Committee on Afghanistan of which he has been a member for the last two years.  Vieira pointedly asked McCain “where is your accountability???”   McCain rambled on for a bit about how he has been to Afghanistan a few times and how the SURGE worked.  He continued his ramble, the SURGE is working, completely dodging the question.  Meredith then questioned him about his past statements on the economy and Phil Gramm! He rambled and dodge again.  Even continued talking over Meredith in an obvious attempt to ignore follow-up questions.  Great interview!  Finally, someone in the main stream media wakes up. 
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