* America needs a bailout ~ from failed leadership - The Houston Chronicle reports that undocumented workers will be the linchpin in efforts to clean up Texas following hurricane Ike. A local contractor said “he’s having trouble finding legal local workers to help with hurricane cleanup. In what has become a commonplace irony, “The region needs the muscle of undocumented immigrants, but simultaneously is a cog in a broader crackdown of illegal immigrants at worksites.” Is our immigration dilemma not a metaphor for the other large issues burdening and daunting America? The financial crisis, the war on terror, environmental degradation, oil dependency, job losses, and special interest dominance have either been ignored or addressed with faulty or incoherent premises. Some of these problems can be attributed to George Bush and Republicans and some go back over 3 decades with Democrats equally culpable. The American people are experiencing the results of failed leadership across party lines, ideologies and time frames.
* A funny thing happened on the way to the forum - We have a major political party that offers us a vice presidential candidate that is about as prepared for the position as Harriet Miers was to be a Supreme Court Justice. Miers had written two legal opinions in her entire career. Being against abortion and homosexuals is not qualification for our highest court or for our second highest elected office. On September 25th Katie Couric interviewed Sarah Palin. The question to Palin was, “Why do you think the Wall Street bailout is needed?” Palin’s response was,” Ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the health care reform that is needed to help shore up the economy. (Realizing she had confused her tutored and tortured talking points she quickly looked at her notes and continued.) Oh, it’s got to be about job creation too. So health care reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions.” No, this was not a skit on Saturday Night Live. You can watch the video.
Expect to see more people questioning the Palin nomination as conservative columnist Kathleen Parker did on Friday. Parker said, “Palin’s recent interviews with Charles Gibson, Sean Hannity, and now Katie Couric have all revealed an attractive, earnest, confident candidate. Who Is Clearly Out Of Her League.”
Thursday’s debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin may prove to be the defining moment of this campaign, surpassing the impact of the McCain-Obama debates. I say this because John McCain has made his judgment and experience a cornerstone of his presidential candidacy. Reality has been replacing the excitement generated in the early days of Palin’s selection. I watched Joe Biden respond to very tough questions on Meet the Press three weeks ago and Palin’s responses in interviews noted above. I expect that the VP debate will shine a klieg light on McCain’s terrible judgment and insult to the American people by injecting a person with no credentials, experience or gravitas onto the Republican ticket. It would not surprise me that McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin proves to be the deal breaker for American voters.
* Call 911 ~ a missing persons report – During the negotiations to bail out Wall Street something came out of the mahogany woodwork in the Rayburn Building. They are known as House Republicans and they threw a hissy fit that the government was about to provide Wall Street with $700 billion. This is not to say that their obstinacy did not have some merit. They pride themselves on being fiscally conservative. My question is, “Where the hell have you been?” For almost 8 years you have rubber-stamped virtually every spending bill that George Bush has requested. You watched a federal deficit go from $5.3 trillion to what will likely be almost $11 trillion before the end of 2008. While this debt burden exploded and the value of the dollar imploded, with no hesitancy you reduced taxes for the wealthy and made no attempt to curb the financial irresponsibility of Wall Street. Something had to give and it included your integrity. Perhaps some of your individual constituencies will look the other way on November 4th and pull your lever. That will not change the fact that for eight years the only thing you have pulled is our leg.
Also receiving dishonorable mention in failed financial leadership is Christopher Cox, Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). He is another stalwart of deregulation who had to acknowledge on Friday “that failures in a voluntary supervision program for Wall Street’s largest investment banks had contributed to the global financial crisis, and he abruptly shut the program down.” Quite the post-active manager! He agreed that “the oversight program was fundamentally flawed from the beginning.” This admission followed a report by the SEC’s inspector general strongly criticizing the agency’s performance in monitoring Bear Stearns before it collapsed in March. Did President Bush, during his speech Wednesday night, make any mention that his policy to overspend, push deregulation and appoint watchdogs that also opposed oversight was responsible for the potential collapse of our financial system? I may have missed such a comment while getting my popcorn from the microwave. Or, perhaps he failed to take any responsibility for his disastrous tenure, again.
* Grate American Families ~ where laws and decency too often become non sequiturs - Last week I noted that John McCain had a less than noble role in the last financial crisis, the Savings and Loan failures. He attempted to influence regulators because one of the bankers being investigated was a friend and major contributor – Charles Keating. He was also protecting investments of his wife Cindy McCain. A short video provides the details. Another example of getting a repeated free ride is George Bush’s brother Neil. He was involved in shady dealings as a board member of the infamous Silverado Savings and Loan. Its collapse cost taxpayers $1 billion. Neil has since made millions of dollars through his software company selling products to George’s No Child Left Behind program. Recall that mother Barbara Bush, when she made a financial donation to the Katrina recovery effort, designated the money to buy educational products from son Neil’s company. At this point I am Straight-Talked out and Bushed.
* Defying time, space, and reality ~ On Friday morning, before McCain confirmed that he would attend the first presidential debate, his campaign website had a picture of the Senator surrounded by American flags declaring “McCain Wins Debate” accompanied by a quote from McCain campaign manager and financial industry lobbyist Rick Davis saying, “McCain won the debate – hands down.” Cockeyed optimism was selecting Sarah Palin. This was just cockeyed.
* Quote of the Week – “Barack Obama is probably America’s last hope of ending this country’s reputation as the assholes of the Universe.” An observation by comedienne Sarah Silverman
* If it’s true it’s not hyperbole – A reader took me to task for saying, “What else would one expect from a Bush appointee but lies and arrogance?” after I noted that Secretary of Treasury Paulsen had lied while appearing before the Senate Banking Committee. The following went into my comment: President Bush, VP Dick Cheney, David Addington, Donald Rumsfeld, Alberto Gonzalez, Michael Chertoff, Scooter Libby, Josh Bolten, Karl Rove, Harriet Miers, Dick Kempthorne, Michael Leavitt, Condoleezza Rice, Monica Goodling and the leaders of the EPA, FDA, NASA, VA, CIA, NSA and almost every combination of capital letters one will find in the federal government. I would suggest that the reader will find greater veracity in a minimum security federal penitentiary, where a number of the above mentioned should be receiving their mail.
* “Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom.”
Thomas Jefferson (1743 – 1826) third President of the United States and principal author of the Declaration of Independence
Showing posts with label Joe Biden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joe Biden. Show all posts
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Saturday, September 6, 2008
* Did Pat Buchanan need medical attention? – Watching his commentary on MSNBC during the Republican convention it was obvious that he was sporting a more than 4-hour political erection over the Sarah Palin VP nomination. His gushing over the Alaskan governor made motor-mouth Chris Matthews seem a Forrest Gump. What does this tell us? If Buchanan is for Palin, Palin would not be good for America. Buchanan’s prejudice against anyone whose ancestors did not land at Plymouth Rock is well-documented. He and his sister Bey Buchanan speak for that minority of Americans who would rather live in a world where poor people, people of color and non-fundamentalist Christians know their place. The Palin pick is an attempt to solidify the Republican bases of social conservatives and political ultra-conservatives while disingenuously presenting her to mainstream America as a woman of the people. Let’s take a closer look.
* What have we learned about Sarah Palin? She is an ideal Republican candidate – long on rhetoric and short on ever-elusive truth, giving voice to religious fundamentalism while muting science. Not mentioned in Palin’s remarks to the GOP delegates and what the McCain campaign does not want us to know about her:
~ Palin recently said that the war in Iraq is "God's task."
~ Palin has actively sought the support of the fringe Alaska Independence Party that advocates Alaska seceding from the U.S.
~ Palin wants to teach creationism in public schools.
~ Palin doesn't believe that humans contribute to global warming.
~ Palin has close ties to Big Oil. Her inauguration was even sponsored by BP.
~ Palin is extremely anti-choice. She doesn't even support abortion in the case of rape or incest
~ Palin opposes comprehensive sex-education in public schools. She's said she will only support abstinence-only approaches – approaches that are demonstrable failures.
~ As mayor, Palin tried to ban books from the library. Palin asked the library how she might go about banning books because some had inappropriate language in them—shocking the librarian, Mary Ellen Baker. According to Time, "news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving "full support" to the mayor."
~ She DID support the Bridge to Nowhere while now claiming she opposed it.
What can we conclude about Sarah Palin? She is George Bush in high heels with silicone-enhanced integrity and experience.
For a penetrating analysis of the Sarah Palin speech and why it was so off base (for anyone not of the base) I recommend the blog Consenting Adult written by Sue Katz. One of these two women has a sense of community and what it means to be an American. The other is running for Vice President.
*What do Republican spokespeople think about the Palin nomination? – During an MSNBC broadcast of the Republican convention the moderator and guests thought the telecast had gone to break. That was not the case. Wall Street Journal columnist and former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan and former John McCain adviser and Time columnist Mike Murphy were caught on tape disparaging the selection of Palin. "It's over," Noonan said. When Chuck Todd asked her if this was the most qualified woman the Republicans could nominate, Noonan responded, "The most qualified? No. I think they went for this, excuse me, political bullshit about narratives.” Murphy characterized the Palin selection as "cynical" and "gimmicky." You can see a video of this cinema vérité at this link.
* Republican platform on gays in the military - "To protect our servicemen and women and ensure that America's Armed Forces remain the best in the world, we affirm the timeliness of those values, the benefits of traditional military culture, and the incompatibility of homosexuality with military service." Recall when the Bush administration fired a large number of translators in Iraq because they were gay and left the U.S. Command in Baghdad with almost no personnel that spoke Arabic. For not the first time ideology trumped humanity, practicality and America’s interest. By commission the Republican Party has no room at the inn for Americans with alternative lifestyles. By omission, these pillars of the community have little room for minorities. It was noted during a broadcast this week that 5% of Latinos are registered Republicans and 2% of African Americans are registered with the Grand Old Party. The Buchanans must be very proud!
* Republicans and “special” needs – There was much fanfare when Palin, a parent of a special needs child, said that when she is in Washington she will be a voice for this constituency. The reality is that Republicans are deaf to people with real needs. Recall that this year it was Republicans that attempted to block health insurance for 10 million children. They are spending our treasure on weapons of questionable value and to bail out American financial industry icons Bear Stearns, Fanny Mae and Fanny Mac who lost billions of dollars due to incompetent and avaricious business decisions. The bailout is costing taxpayers billions of dollars. The American flag was waving fervently in the background during the speeches at the Republican convention but their promises, as usual, are limp.
* 64 percent ~ people concerned that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) "would pursue policies that are too similar to what George W. Bush has pursued," according to a new USA Today/Gallup poll conducted over Labor Day weekend. Forty-seven percent fall into the "very concerned" category and 17 percent rate themselves "somewhat concerned." Other polls of interest this week: Obama, for the first time, reached 50% in a national poll (Gallup); in a CNN/Time opinion poll in Iowa, a state with a 95% white population, Obama leads McCain 55% to 40%.
* Four more years ~ the Republican platform in need of CPR – With a recent history of little if any accomplishment and a future of no promise for the majority of the American people Republicans once again have opened their Karl Rove book by creating non-issues and lies on which to run their campaign. On Tuesday night they invited a former Democrat and current Independent to address their convention. With the economy, meaningful jobs, infrastructure and the standing of the U.S. in the world community all in decline what did Joe Lieberman focus on - film maker and political activist Michael Moore. That will always energize the base. Did any Republican orator discuss methods to improve the economy, help the deteriorating economic situation of middle class and poor citizens, improve health care for those most in need? They did offer one solution to one of the issues of concern to most Americans – fossil fuel dependence. Their solution and subsequent coordinated chant by the assembled Republican delegates – drill, drill, drill. Watching this display I felt like I was at the dentist.
* Republican Presidential Slogan - "McCAIN-PALIN: A BRIDGE TO NOWHERE"
What did John McCain embrace during his acceptance speech in St. Paul? With one arm around Bush (he voted with him 90% of the time in 2007 and 2008), with one arm around Karl Rove (a very influential advisor) and one arm around Sarah Palin (and the religious right) McCain painted himself a maverick that will change the way Washington does business – while being remiss in not mentioning the over 120 lobbyists involved with his campaign. If this is change you can believe in McCain must believe that the electorate are atheists.
* Yes Virginia, and 49 other states, there is a critical need for clean energy in America the beautiful - The clean energy tax credit will expire at the end of 2008. This tax credit encourages industry to develop renewable energy such as wind and solar power and its extension would appear to be a no brainer. But logic and good governance in Washington D.C. is not something we can assume. EarthJustice is providing a petition to congress urging the renewal of this important legislation.
* $1 billion in aid for Georgia ~ the country, not the state – The Bush administration announced a $1 billion package of aid to help rebuild Georgia after its rout by Russian forces last month. Are I and Ron Paul the only ones that find this “charity” curious? The U.S. is not exactly rolling in assets as our deficit grows as fast as the dishonesty emanating from the McCain campaign. The aid package is intended to rebuild Georgia’s infrastructure and its economy. One wonders if the President of the United States ever heard of the country whose infrastructure is in great need of repair and whose economy is facing major struggles – a country that goes by the name ‘United States.”
* Speaking of Georgia ~ the state, not the country ~ meet the Derriere Orifice of the Week, Representative Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA). He was asked to compare Sarah Palin and Michelle Obama and said, “Just from what little I’ve seen of her and Mr. Obama, Sen. Obama, they’re a member of an elitist-class individual that thinks that they’re uppity.” The word “uppity” was used by Westmoreland’s ancestors when not wearing a white sheet and carrying a flaming cross. When dressed in their drag the “N” word was their mot du choice. Recall that Westmoreland was the lawmaker who co-sponsored legislation requiring that the Ten Commandments be displayed in court houses. He then appeared on the Colbert Report where he was asked to recite the Commandments. He barely was able to name five of them. I guess this was the reason he needed them displayed in public places – constitutional law aside.
* No way to treat a lady ~ I find it amusing the intensity with which the political pundits caution Joe Biden that he will have to be careful when he debates Sarah Palin. Do not be condescending; do not be a bully. I say Biden should use the approach that our adversaries will bring to the negotiating table should Palin lead this country: Russia will bring Baked Alaska, China will bring Cherries Jubilee and North Korea will bring Candied Moose Ears. Maybe Biden should just send flowers and not show up. Oops, that was George Bush’s approach to foreign policy negotiation. Never mind.
* Politicians are like diapers. They both need changing regularly and for the same reason.
Author Unknown
* What have we learned about Sarah Palin? She is an ideal Republican candidate – long on rhetoric and short on ever-elusive truth, giving voice to religious fundamentalism while muting science. Not mentioned in Palin’s remarks to the GOP delegates and what the McCain campaign does not want us to know about her:
~ Palin recently said that the war in Iraq is "God's task."
~ Palin has actively sought the support of the fringe Alaska Independence Party that advocates Alaska seceding from the U.S.
~ Palin wants to teach creationism in public schools.
~ Palin doesn't believe that humans contribute to global warming.
~ Palin has close ties to Big Oil. Her inauguration was even sponsored by BP.
~ Palin is extremely anti-choice. She doesn't even support abortion in the case of rape or incest
~ Palin opposes comprehensive sex-education in public schools. She's said she will only support abstinence-only approaches – approaches that are demonstrable failures.
~ As mayor, Palin tried to ban books from the library. Palin asked the library how she might go about banning books because some had inappropriate language in them—shocking the librarian, Mary Ellen Baker. According to Time, "news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving "full support" to the mayor."
~ She DID support the Bridge to Nowhere while now claiming she opposed it.
What can we conclude about Sarah Palin? She is George Bush in high heels with silicone-enhanced integrity and experience.
For a penetrating analysis of the Sarah Palin speech and why it was so off base (for anyone not of the base) I recommend the blog Consenting Adult written by Sue Katz. One of these two women has a sense of community and what it means to be an American. The other is running for Vice President.
*What do Republican spokespeople think about the Palin nomination? – During an MSNBC broadcast of the Republican convention the moderator and guests thought the telecast had gone to break. That was not the case. Wall Street Journal columnist and former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan and former John McCain adviser and Time columnist Mike Murphy were caught on tape disparaging the selection of Palin. "It's over," Noonan said. When Chuck Todd asked her if this was the most qualified woman the Republicans could nominate, Noonan responded, "The most qualified? No. I think they went for this, excuse me, political bullshit about narratives.” Murphy characterized the Palin selection as "cynical" and "gimmicky." You can see a video of this cinema vérité at this link.
* Republican platform on gays in the military - "To protect our servicemen and women and ensure that America's Armed Forces remain the best in the world, we affirm the timeliness of those values, the benefits of traditional military culture, and the incompatibility of homosexuality with military service." Recall when the Bush administration fired a large number of translators in Iraq because they were gay and left the U.S. Command in Baghdad with almost no personnel that spoke Arabic. For not the first time ideology trumped humanity, practicality and America’s interest. By commission the Republican Party has no room at the inn for Americans with alternative lifestyles. By omission, these pillars of the community have little room for minorities. It was noted during a broadcast this week that 5% of Latinos are registered Republicans and 2% of African Americans are registered with the Grand Old Party. The Buchanans must be very proud!
* Republicans and “special” needs – There was much fanfare when Palin, a parent of a special needs child, said that when she is in Washington she will be a voice for this constituency. The reality is that Republicans are deaf to people with real needs. Recall that this year it was Republicans that attempted to block health insurance for 10 million children. They are spending our treasure on weapons of questionable value and to bail out American financial industry icons Bear Stearns, Fanny Mae and Fanny Mac who lost billions of dollars due to incompetent and avaricious business decisions. The bailout is costing taxpayers billions of dollars. The American flag was waving fervently in the background during the speeches at the Republican convention but their promises, as usual, are limp.
* 64 percent ~ people concerned that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) "would pursue policies that are too similar to what George W. Bush has pursued," according to a new USA Today/Gallup poll conducted over Labor Day weekend. Forty-seven percent fall into the "very concerned" category and 17 percent rate themselves "somewhat concerned." Other polls of interest this week: Obama, for the first time, reached 50% in a national poll (Gallup); in a CNN/Time opinion poll in Iowa, a state with a 95% white population, Obama leads McCain 55% to 40%.
* Four more years ~ the Republican platform in need of CPR – With a recent history of little if any accomplishment and a future of no promise for the majority of the American people Republicans once again have opened their Karl Rove book by creating non-issues and lies on which to run their campaign. On Tuesday night they invited a former Democrat and current Independent to address their convention. With the economy, meaningful jobs, infrastructure and the standing of the U.S. in the world community all in decline what did Joe Lieberman focus on - film maker and political activist Michael Moore. That will always energize the base. Did any Republican orator discuss methods to improve the economy, help the deteriorating economic situation of middle class and poor citizens, improve health care for those most in need? They did offer one solution to one of the issues of concern to most Americans – fossil fuel dependence. Their solution and subsequent coordinated chant by the assembled Republican delegates – drill, drill, drill. Watching this display I felt like I was at the dentist.
* Republican Presidential Slogan - "McCAIN-PALIN: A BRIDGE TO NOWHERE"
What did John McCain embrace during his acceptance speech in St. Paul? With one arm around Bush (he voted with him 90% of the time in 2007 and 2008), with one arm around Karl Rove (a very influential advisor) and one arm around Sarah Palin (and the religious right) McCain painted himself a maverick that will change the way Washington does business – while being remiss in not mentioning the over 120 lobbyists involved with his campaign. If this is change you can believe in McCain must believe that the electorate are atheists.
* Yes Virginia, and 49 other states, there is a critical need for clean energy in America the beautiful - The clean energy tax credit will expire at the end of 2008. This tax credit encourages industry to develop renewable energy such as wind and solar power and its extension would appear to be a no brainer. But logic and good governance in Washington D.C. is not something we can assume. EarthJustice is providing a petition to congress urging the renewal of this important legislation.
* $1 billion in aid for Georgia ~ the country, not the state – The Bush administration announced a $1 billion package of aid to help rebuild Georgia after its rout by Russian forces last month. Are I and Ron Paul the only ones that find this “charity” curious? The U.S. is not exactly rolling in assets as our deficit grows as fast as the dishonesty emanating from the McCain campaign. The aid package is intended to rebuild Georgia’s infrastructure and its economy. One wonders if the President of the United States ever heard of the country whose infrastructure is in great need of repair and whose economy is facing major struggles – a country that goes by the name ‘United States.”
* Speaking of Georgia ~ the state, not the country ~ meet the Derriere Orifice of the Week, Representative Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA). He was asked to compare Sarah Palin and Michelle Obama and said, “Just from what little I’ve seen of her and Mr. Obama, Sen. Obama, they’re a member of an elitist-class individual that thinks that they’re uppity.” The word “uppity” was used by Westmoreland’s ancestors when not wearing a white sheet and carrying a flaming cross. When dressed in their drag the “N” word was their mot du choice. Recall that Westmoreland was the lawmaker who co-sponsored legislation requiring that the Ten Commandments be displayed in court houses. He then appeared on the Colbert Report where he was asked to recite the Commandments. He barely was able to name five of them. I guess this was the reason he needed them displayed in public places – constitutional law aside.
* No way to treat a lady ~ I find it amusing the intensity with which the political pundits caution Joe Biden that he will have to be careful when he debates Sarah Palin. Do not be condescending; do not be a bully. I say Biden should use the approach that our adversaries will bring to the negotiating table should Palin lead this country: Russia will bring Baked Alaska, China will bring Cherries Jubilee and North Korea will bring Candied Moose Ears. Maybe Biden should just send flowers and not show up. Oops, that was George Bush’s approach to foreign policy negotiation. Never mind.
* Politicians are like diapers. They both need changing regularly and for the same reason.
Author Unknown
Friday, August 29, 2008
* “Who Are You?” – This is the title of a song by one of my favorite rock groups, The Who. It could also be the theme song for the 2008 presidential campaign. Barack Obama is a relative newcomer to the national political scene and voters are just getting to know him. There is uneasiness about and questions for the man who would lead America and be a force in the world community. The undecided voters will be the deciding votes in this election so Senator Obama’s challenge will be to convince America that he is the one to lead a country that finds itself in a critically precarious national and international condition and that is suffering from incompetence and neglect over the last eight years.
At the same time, “Who Are You?” must also be asked of the man who says he is the one with the experience and the candidate most prepared to reside in the White House on January 20, 2009. While addressing the Democratic National Convention John Kerry made it very clear that there is a deep chasm between John McCain the senator and John McCain the candidate. Citing the well-worn phrase “he was for it before he was against it,” a phrase used against Kerry during his bid for the White House in 2004, he applied it to McCain’s frequent whip lash reversals that include McCain being against the use of torture, new off-shore drilling, negative campaign tactics and tax breaks for the wealthy as a senator. As the Republican presidential candidate he is now for them. The list of McCain pirouettes also include being outspoken against lobbyist influence in Washington and the negative influence of the Christian religious right, both groups that he now embraces with bear hug ferocity. During the Republican presidential primaries Mitt Romney set a very high bar for flip-flopping. McCain has surpassed this obsequious pandering, thus garnering the tarnished irony medal.
* The phrase “political pundit” has become code for derriere orifice – The quality of political commentators imposed upon us during broadcasts of the Democratic convention was unworthy of the gravity of the 2008 election. If you watched the telecasts you also are shaking your head and fighting a gag reflex. What particularly had me reaching for a roll of Rolaids was CBS. They brought on board a body language expert to analyze whether Hillary Clinton really meant it when she endorsed Barack Obama on Tuesday night in Denver. If Senator Clinton were not protected by the Secret Service I imagine some yoyo with a microphone would have body-slammed her to the stage and compressed her wind pipe until she admitted that she hates Barack (Note: President Bush acquiesces enhanced interrogation methods). I suggest that the executives and producers of this week’s commercial news broadcasts be locked in a room until the election on November 4th and be forced to watch continuous loops of the sophomoric pap they inflicted on viewers. Congratulations to PBS’ Jim Lehrer, his associates and guests for providing interesting, civil and cogent commentary on the convention.
* The phrase “private contractor” has become code for political cronyism and payoffs ~ U.S. intelligence agencies are increasingly using private contractors to perform essential intelligence work. From The Washington Post, “About a quarter of the nation's core intelligence workers are contractors, perhaps as many as 37,000 private employees who work side-by-side with civil servants as analysts, technology specialists and mission managers, according to a report about government outsourcing by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.” The contract worker cost the government $207,000 while the government employee they sit next to earns $125,000. This is not unlike the equally disturbing situation in Iraq with Bush/Cheney best pals - the private contractors KBR and Blackwater. There is much evidence that their work has been fraught with fraud and incompetence, over-charging and non-performance. This is what the Republicans call fiscal responsibility and reducing the size of the federal government. Talk is cheap but not the economic burden of their policies.
* The Olympics are over and the fall television lineup is weeks away. What can we distract ourselves with to keep our minds off global warming, the Iraq war, the tenuousness of the Pakistani government, rising food prices, dropping home values and falling arches? Greeting cards may fill the bill. Hallmark just released its new line of Gay Marriage Greeting Cards and the religious right is not sending Thank You notes. Donald E. Wildmon, founder and chairman of the Christian right American Family Association tells his members: “Hallmark pushes same-sex marriage” and urges members to tell Hallmark to “stop promoting a lifestyle that is not only unhealthy but illegal in 48 states.” I say let’s take this a step further. Since heterosexual sex also has the potential to be unhealthy let’s eliminate all sexual intercourse, cease species reproduction and soon eliminate the entire market for Hallmark cards. That will teach these heathen bastards a lesson.
* Attention and About Face! - It has been about 1950 days since our Commander-In-Chief, donning a Corinthian leather flight jacket, heroically uttered the words about our invasion of Iraq – “Mission Accomplished.” An accomplished mission would imply an end to hostilities but in this case they became worse and worse and many more Iraqi and American lives were lost and many more limbs were lost and other injuries incurred. Those who called for an end to the Iraq fiasco were called cowards and traitors by administration officials and Republican spokespeople. The irony of this “marketing” of the war is how can one promote defeatism for a mission that had already claimed victory? Another irony that stands out is that the Bush administration just agreed for a timetable of complete withdrawal of U.S. troops by the end of 2011 after first demanding an end-date of 2015 - a maneuver that Bush and McCain railed would result in America’s defeat. Okay, they are not calling it a timetable because that would make them appear even greater fools. Through the erudition of Secretary Rice they have come up with an “approximate horizon” and “aspirational timetable” for troop withdrawal. Call it what you will but it is another concession to stubborn failed policy suffered by the Bush administration.
* My reaction to the nomination of Joe Biden for Democratic VP is quite positive. I generally like the man and my reservations about him are few. Biden voted for the Iraq war but since then he has been a strong voice in supporting the troops and extricating the U.S. from Iraq. I am also disappointed in his support of the consumer bankruptcy legislation which was extremely regressive for consumers and contrary to Biden’s “blue collar” credentials. It was legislation strongly pushed by MBNA before being acquired by Bank of America. MBNA was based in Biden’s state of Delaware so I have to wonder about the motivation behind Biden’s support for this legislation. That being said, I think he was a strong addition to the Democratic ticket providing serious experience on national security issues.
* My reaction to the nomination of Sarah Palin for Republican VP is one of bewilderment. On the non-political plus side the 44-year old Governor of Alaska has challenged what has been a state with considerable corruption by passing strong ethics reform legislation and putting to an end the $400 million dollar boondoggle of Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens’ bridge to nowhere. On the Republican plus side she is pro-gun, anti-choice and not particularly concerned about the environment. However, having been mayor of Wasilla with a population of under 10,000 people and now chief executive for only two years of a state with a population under 700,000 does not make for a substantial resume. Why is her experience important to voters? She would be a heartbeat away from the most important and powerful political position in the world - separated from that position by 72-year old John McCain with a history of serious skin cancer. Strategically, this VP nomination may attract some Hillary Clinton supporter votes but for most of us the question for Governor Palin is, Who Are You?
* American voters will be asking the following questions from now until November 4, 2008:
Well, who are you?
(Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
I really wanna know
(Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)'
Cause I really wanna know
(Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
These lyrics from the song “Who Are You?” do not remind one of Irving Berlin but, the song has a great beat.
* "For over two decades, he's (McCain) subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy — give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else. In Washington, they call this the Ownership Society, but what it really means is you're on your own. Out of work? Tough luck. No health care? The market will fix it. Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps — even if you don’t have boots. You're on your own. Well, it's time for them to own their failure. It's time for us to change America."
Barack Obama, speaking at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado 8/28/08
At the same time, “Who Are You?” must also be asked of the man who says he is the one with the experience and the candidate most prepared to reside in the White House on January 20, 2009. While addressing the Democratic National Convention John Kerry made it very clear that there is a deep chasm between John McCain the senator and John McCain the candidate. Citing the well-worn phrase “he was for it before he was against it,” a phrase used against Kerry during his bid for the White House in 2004, he applied it to McCain’s frequent whip lash reversals that include McCain being against the use of torture, new off-shore drilling, negative campaign tactics and tax breaks for the wealthy as a senator. As the Republican presidential candidate he is now for them. The list of McCain pirouettes also include being outspoken against lobbyist influence in Washington and the negative influence of the Christian religious right, both groups that he now embraces with bear hug ferocity. During the Republican presidential primaries Mitt Romney set a very high bar for flip-flopping. McCain has surpassed this obsequious pandering, thus garnering the tarnished irony medal.
* The phrase “political pundit” has become code for derriere orifice – The quality of political commentators imposed upon us during broadcasts of the Democratic convention was unworthy of the gravity of the 2008 election. If you watched the telecasts you also are shaking your head and fighting a gag reflex. What particularly had me reaching for a roll of Rolaids was CBS. They brought on board a body language expert to analyze whether Hillary Clinton really meant it when she endorsed Barack Obama on Tuesday night in Denver. If Senator Clinton were not protected by the Secret Service I imagine some yoyo with a microphone would have body-slammed her to the stage and compressed her wind pipe until she admitted that she hates Barack (Note: President Bush acquiesces enhanced interrogation methods). I suggest that the executives and producers of this week’s commercial news broadcasts be locked in a room until the election on November 4th and be forced to watch continuous loops of the sophomoric pap they inflicted on viewers. Congratulations to PBS’ Jim Lehrer, his associates and guests for providing interesting, civil and cogent commentary on the convention.
* The phrase “private contractor” has become code for political cronyism and payoffs ~ U.S. intelligence agencies are increasingly using private contractors to perform essential intelligence work. From The Washington Post, “About a quarter of the nation's core intelligence workers are contractors, perhaps as many as 37,000 private employees who work side-by-side with civil servants as analysts, technology specialists and mission managers, according to a report about government outsourcing by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.” The contract worker cost the government $207,000 while the government employee they sit next to earns $125,000. This is not unlike the equally disturbing situation in Iraq with Bush/Cheney best pals - the private contractors KBR and Blackwater. There is much evidence that their work has been fraught with fraud and incompetence, over-charging and non-performance. This is what the Republicans call fiscal responsibility and reducing the size of the federal government. Talk is cheap but not the economic burden of their policies.
* The Olympics are over and the fall television lineup is weeks away. What can we distract ourselves with to keep our minds off global warming, the Iraq war, the tenuousness of the Pakistani government, rising food prices, dropping home values and falling arches? Greeting cards may fill the bill. Hallmark just released its new line of Gay Marriage Greeting Cards and the religious right is not sending Thank You notes. Donald E. Wildmon, founder and chairman of the Christian right American Family Association tells his members: “Hallmark pushes same-sex marriage” and urges members to tell Hallmark to “stop promoting a lifestyle that is not only unhealthy but illegal in 48 states.” I say let’s take this a step further. Since heterosexual sex also has the potential to be unhealthy let’s eliminate all sexual intercourse, cease species reproduction and soon eliminate the entire market for Hallmark cards. That will teach these heathen bastards a lesson.
* Attention and About Face! - It has been about 1950 days since our Commander-In-Chief, donning a Corinthian leather flight jacket, heroically uttered the words about our invasion of Iraq – “Mission Accomplished.” An accomplished mission would imply an end to hostilities but in this case they became worse and worse and many more Iraqi and American lives were lost and many more limbs were lost and other injuries incurred. Those who called for an end to the Iraq fiasco were called cowards and traitors by administration officials and Republican spokespeople. The irony of this “marketing” of the war is how can one promote defeatism for a mission that had already claimed victory? Another irony that stands out is that the Bush administration just agreed for a timetable of complete withdrawal of U.S. troops by the end of 2011 after first demanding an end-date of 2015 - a maneuver that Bush and McCain railed would result in America’s defeat. Okay, they are not calling it a timetable because that would make them appear even greater fools. Through the erudition of Secretary Rice they have come up with an “approximate horizon” and “aspirational timetable” for troop withdrawal. Call it what you will but it is another concession to stubborn failed policy suffered by the Bush administration.
* My reaction to the nomination of Joe Biden for Democratic VP is quite positive. I generally like the man and my reservations about him are few. Biden voted for the Iraq war but since then he has been a strong voice in supporting the troops and extricating the U.S. from Iraq. I am also disappointed in his support of the consumer bankruptcy legislation which was extremely regressive for consumers and contrary to Biden’s “blue collar” credentials. It was legislation strongly pushed by MBNA before being acquired by Bank of America. MBNA was based in Biden’s state of Delaware so I have to wonder about the motivation behind Biden’s support for this legislation. That being said, I think he was a strong addition to the Democratic ticket providing serious experience on national security issues.
* My reaction to the nomination of Sarah Palin for Republican VP is one of bewilderment. On the non-political plus side the 44-year old Governor of Alaska has challenged what has been a state with considerable corruption by passing strong ethics reform legislation and putting to an end the $400 million dollar boondoggle of Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens’ bridge to nowhere. On the Republican plus side she is pro-gun, anti-choice and not particularly concerned about the environment. However, having been mayor of Wasilla with a population of under 10,000 people and now chief executive for only two years of a state with a population under 700,000 does not make for a substantial resume. Why is her experience important to voters? She would be a heartbeat away from the most important and powerful political position in the world - separated from that position by 72-year old John McCain with a history of serious skin cancer. Strategically, this VP nomination may attract some Hillary Clinton supporter votes but for most of us the question for Governor Palin is, Who Are You?
* American voters will be asking the following questions from now until November 4, 2008:
Well, who are you?
(Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
I really wanna know
(Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)'
Cause I really wanna know
(Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
These lyrics from the song “Who Are You?” do not remind one of Irving Berlin but, the song has a great beat.
* "For over two decades, he's (McCain) subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy — give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else. In Washington, they call this the Ownership Society, but what it really means is you're on your own. Out of work? Tough luck. No health care? The market will fix it. Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps — even if you don’t have boots. You're on your own. Well, it's time for them to own their failure. It's time for us to change America."
Barack Obama, speaking at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado 8/28/08
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