I mentioned this months ago and FINALLY someone at the Des Moines Register asks the obvious question:

"Throughout your adult life, am I right, as a veteran and a member of Congress and now someone over sixty five, throughout your adult life have you been covered by a taxpayer-financed health care plan?"

Senator McCain's repsonse?: "Well, I've never been an astronaut..."

Yes, in case you don't know, John McCain has been tended by government medical facilities since the day he was born. He has literally never had to pay for medical insurance.

You can see the video here.

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McCain is a never-ending source of amused disbelief. Today he offered a statement asking for more bipartisan goodwill... and then 16 minutes later televised an ad attacking Democrats and Obama. That the ad was chock full of lies and distortions suprised no one.

Of course, yesterday he blamed the Democrats for the failure of the Wall Street baliout and then asked that there be no finger-pointing... in almost the same breath:

"Senator Obama and his allies in Congress infused unnecessary partisanship into the process. Now is not the time to fix the blame, it's time to fix the problem."

What a card.

-------

In a recent Katy Couric interview John McCain harshly criticized Obama for daring to admit that if given the opportunity he'd launch a cross-border attack into Pakistan if it meant capturing or killing Osama bin Laden.

Said the senator, somewhat astonished:

"You don’t announce that you’re going to attack another country."

Ahem.

October 2001, on CNN:

PAULA ZAHN: "And as you know, Senator, the U.S. and Great Britain notified the U.N. Security Council yesterday that they reserve the right to strike against other countries in this campaign. What countries are we looking at?"

MCCAIN: "Well, I think very obviously Iraq is the first country, but there are others — Syria, Iran, the Sudan, who have continued to harbor terrorist organizations and actually assist them."

October 2001, on the Late Show with David Letterman:

LETTERMAN: How are things going in Afghanistan now?

MCCAIN: "I think we’re doing fine …. I think we’ll do fine. The second phase — if I could just make one, very quickly — the second phase is Iraq."

January 2002, on the deck of the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt:

MCCAIN: "Next up, Baghdad!"

Dick.

----------

When I was a freshman in college I smarted off to the wrong English teacher when I flippantly told her that "I knew everything".

It was a lonnnnng semester.

So I have an inkling of how stupid Sarah Palin must have felt when, in response to Katy Couric's recent question about which newspapers she reads, replied "Um, all of them."

Of course, there's a big difference between "19-year-old" stupid and "45-year-potential-veep" stupid.

-----------

Hey! The winner of the 1984 Miss Alaska beauty contest lives in New Smyrna , Georgia... and she's black.

So Palin could come in second to a negro twice in her life. This could ruin a conservative's whole day. Especially a racist one like Sarah Palin.

----------

Many soldiers have given their lives for this country. John McCain probably should have given his back in 1967 but he didn't. Know why?

Because his dad was an admiral.

No, seriously. Mr. McCain suffered serious injuries ejecting incorrectly from his bomber and the Viet Namese couldn't have cared less. They beat on him for a while and then chucked him in a cell with some other prisoners, saying "Good ruck, Charrie".

Then they found out his dad was a big shot in the Navy so they immediately transferred him to a hospital and fixed him up.

Any other GI... dead. McCain, not so much.

So all those other poor saps who lost their lives overseas just because they didn't have influential fathers? I'm voting for them when I vote for Obama.

Katie Couric, in her now-famous interviews with Sarah Palin, asked the prospective veep what she reads to help form her political opinions. Palin could not think of a single paper or magazine. It was very sad.

Yesterday, on MSNBC's Hardball, Politico's Mike Allen tried to be helpful, suggesting that the next time she's asked that same question to respond by saying she reads "The Economist". Said Allen, "Everyone lies about reading "The Economist".

So today, on Fox News, she was again asked what she reads. Betcha a million dollars you'll never guess which magazine she named.

Awwww, you guessed.

------

I think Sarah Palin deserves to spend the next four years in time-out for all those whoppers she tossed around tonight. Whoo-eee!

To top it all off, Palin's final quote was from Ronald Reagan, warning that without vigilance, "you and I are going to spend our sunset years telling our children, and our children's children, what it once was like in America when men were free."

In fact, Reagan was not warning about a general lack of vigilance about freedom, he was warning what would happen if Medicare was enacted.

-------

Speaking of big liars, John McCain got kinda huffy when the ladies of the Des Moines register recently asked him some serious questions that he didn't much like, some of them demeaning his well-known, straight-talkin' veracity.

As steam escaped his ears, hovering briefly in a cloudy mass before reassembing itself as a moist patina on the top of his mostly hairless pate, he attempted to regain self-respect by making the odd assertion that he always tells "100 percent, absolute truth", even in campaign ads.

Oh, really?

How about these ten glaring examples, John:

• Claiming Palin didn't take or ask for federal earmarks as governor of Alaska. In her first year, she actually took $256 million worth.

• Claiming Palin stopped the Bridge to Nowhere, when she didn't until the project would have to be paid for strictly from state funds.

• Claiming Obama's health care plan would cost jobs, reduce wages, and would force people to abandon their existing coverage.

• Claiming Obama wants to raise taxes on electricity and home heating oil.

• Claiming Obama wants to raise taxes on individuals making as little as $42,000 per year.

• Claiming he would never raise taxes, then admitting that his health care plan would raise taxes.

• Claiming Rick Davis had left his lobbying firm, and had never received lobbying fees from Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Turns out that Freddie Mac was paying Davis $15,000/month for doing nothing, and he still is a director in his firm.

• Claiming he had never requested a federal earmark for Arizona, when he has.

• Accusing Obama of voting to cut off funds for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

• Accusing Obama of skipping a visit to a military hospital in German because he wasn't able to bring news crews along.

If you care to learn more about John McCain's background or his character, by all means go read this. Read it now.

You'll find a man whose life has been led more by his pants than his heart or his mind. You'll also find him eerily similar to our current Quisling-in-chief. I.E., a man of little curiousity with a huge inferiority complex. We don't need more of those.

------

Do you know why mainstream media is so reluctant to call out John McCain and/or girl sidekick, Palin, the Girl Wonder. It's because McCain is offering them $1.44 "billion with a b" dollars in tax cuts.



But, hell, I've only been telling you this for months.

-------

Get ready.

Having absolutely nothing good to say about itself the John McCain campaign is about to commit almost 100% of its air-time to negative campaign ads about Barack Obama. They're going to attempt again to smear him with the likes of Frankli Raines, William Ayers and Reverend Wright.

It doesn't seem like such a good idea as all three of those gentlemen have, at best, tenuous connections with Mr. Obama.

These new attacks open the door to ads from the Obama campaign mentioning real criminals who were friends, business associates, or contributors with John McCain. People like Duke Cunningham, Libby Lewis, Jack Abramoff, Rafaello Follieri and John Keating, to name but a few. He was also a good friend of Richard Nixon and a close associate of Henry "If I'm not a war criminal, who is?" Kissinger.

And let's not forget future war criminals George Bush and Dick Cheney.

Unfortunately for those of us who would relish such a pitched battle Mr. Obama is not a "negative-ad" kind of guy. He sticks to the facts and trusts in the native wisdom of most Americans to see past the mud. Let's hope he's right.

-------

Remember when Sarah Palin couldn't name a single newspaper or magazine when asked by Katie Couric?

Well, now she's a regular bookworm as she mentioned the New york Times in a recent speech... twice!

I didn't even know the New York Times had a comic section.

-------

Barack Obama has jumped out to HUGE leads in the battleground states so the only thing you can expect to hear form conservative pundits is "A week is a lifetime in politics... expect the unexpected, especially this year... things can change on a dime...

Bullshit.

The only thing the Republicans can hope for now to save their miserable money-grubbing asses is another devastating attack on the US just before the elections. These slimebags understand that America is full of witless dunderheads who'll gratefully ignore who fumbled the ball yet again and then rush to reinstall these same scumbags on the unfounded yet popular notion that Republicans are better at national security than Democrats. Bah-loney.

Let's hope for the best, shall we?

Yeah, it's over.

Update: Months ago I was telling anyone who would listen that gas prices would make a dramatic tumble just before the elections on November 4th, just to calm down an irate public ready for change.

In my neighborhood it just dropped to $2.99, a number that is still historically high but one which has a huge psychological impact on a public concerned about their pocketbooks.

You should be pissed as hell, you should be murderously furious, your should be out for real blood at this obvious, childish ploy by the Republican party and their oil buddies who believe you're so stupid that your vote can be swayed this easily.

The price per gallon will no doubt go lower as we get closer to election day. Are you sheep with credit cards or will you remember who let  the oil barons treat us like so much kitty littter for the past 18 months?

Obama has a plan to make the oil lords irrelevant to American politics. McCain doesn't.

Vote change. Vote early. Vote early. Vote early.

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The Washington Times reports that in 1986, John McCain wrote a note on House stationery to Charles Keating, chairman of a failed savings and loan association who went to prison in the late 1980s. In the letter, McCain apologized for listing Keating as part of his Senate campaign finance committee. Keating wrote in response: “You can call me anything, write anything or do anything. I’m yours till death do us part“.

Cree. Pee.

National Debt When Jimmy Carter arrived at the White House: $660 billion.

Added during Carter's four years: $337 billion.

Added during Ronald Reagan's eight years: $1.6 trillion.

Added during George H. W. Bush's four years: $1.6 trillion.

Added during Bill Clinton's eight years: $1.5 trillion.

Added during George W. Bush's seven years, nine months: $4.5 trillion.

Portion of the $9.5 trillion added to the national debt during the past 31 years and seven months that came during Republican presidencies: $7.7 trillion.

Percentage of that $7.7 trillion added during George W. Bush's two terms: 58%.

Could somebody explain again what "fiscal conservative" means?

------------

John McCain is going to try and tar Mr. Obama with the brush of Bill Ayers at tonight's debate. I hope he remembers that two can play at that game.

You see, John McCain's presidential transition director, William Timmons, was head of public relations for Saddam Hussein back in 1992.

Remember Saddam? The guy so bad, so evil, so nefarious we had to wage a zillion dollar war to catch him and then hung him until he was good and dead? Mr. Timmons was paid a LOT of good money by Saddam to make him appear cute and fluffy in hopes of easing international sanctions against Iraq.

Talk about lying down with dogs.

Bill Ayers? Teaching college courses in Chicago. It doesn't seem to me that the backgrounds of the two are very comparable.

John McCain... screwed by George Bush again.

----------

Sarah Palin is so screwed.

Important Note: If at all possible do NOT vote on a provisional ballot. They will be thrown out. Protect your vote by voting early. Thank you.

------------

It seems that emails from the John McCain campaign are reaching their targets about 2/3 of the rate of Mr. Obama's emails. That's because McCain's email server has yet to be authenticated. Essentially, he's spamming everybody.

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You probably already know this but Joe the plumber (whose real name is Sam) is not a real plumber as he has no license. The business he claimed to want to buy operates out of suburban homes so there's no real business to buy. For someone thinkig in terms of high finance he's $1,200 behind in his taxes. He's a registered Republican and voted in the last primary. And there still exists the rumor that he's related to Charles Keating.

Added: He also once lived in the Matsu Valley in Alaska. That's near Wasilla. Small world, huh?

Regardless, I hope you've watched the video because , in retrospect, this was a set-up. He's the male Sarah Palin and that's not a compliment.

One last thing.... Joe the plumber has already given more interviews than Sarah Palin.

--------

So get this... the McCain campaign is having the Secret Service prevent the traveling press from interviewing attendees at its rallies. This has never been done before and it's clearly in reaction to the almost endless youtube stream of racist buffonery featuring from said attendees.

Freedom of the press? What's that?

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Bricks labeled "Palin" and "Maverick" were thrown through windows at Democratic state headquarters in Denver.

Just thought you should know.



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This is an "Obama Buck". It was in the newsletter that originated from the Chaffey Community Republican Women of Inland Empire, California.

Classy, ladies. Real classy.

Important Note: If at all possible do NOT vote on a provisional ballot as they will not be counted. Protect your vote by voting early. Thank you.

------------

John McCain thinks you're an idiot.

Both he and Sarah "The Parrot" Palin have been calling out the alarm on all this "voter fraud" perpetrated by ACORN.

To put it simply, it's not fraud until someone actually shows up and tries to vote as "Mickey Mouse". More to the point, ACORN is the victim here, not the perp.

According to a 2007 report by the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law "It is more likely that an individual will be struck by lightning than he will impersonate another voter at the polls."

The odds are actually lower than that as, on average, 400 Americans get struck by lightning each year, compared with only six people convicted of intentionally voting fraudulently.

And, golly, some of those people were Republicans.

------------

Here's a comparison of the McCain and Obama tax plans. Obama's doesn't look so bad, does it?
Our country is ten TRILLION dollars in debt. What kind of lunatic would promise tax cuts for everyone? The answer is right there in black-and-white.

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Sarah Palin has yet to have one press conference.

Thank you, John McCain, for such a fabulous choice.

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John McCain is not giving interivews these days, either, so he's only being stupid on TV shows and in his robocalls, one of which claims that "terrorist" Bill Ayers killed people.

I dare you to go research and find for yourself which people Bill Ayers killed.

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Missouri is typically a Red State. The picture above illustrates the 100,000 people who came to see Barack Obama in St. Louis on Saturday.

Wake me the next time Mr. McCain garners a 100,000 person crowd.

Add to this the fact that the Obama campaign raked in $150 million dollars in donations in September. The average donation: $84. It is clearly not the corporations which are backing Mr. Obama. It's you and me.

UPDATE: John McCain subsequently made two recent stops in Missouri, in Belton (just south of Kansas City) and Columbia. His total crowd size? About 6500.

Important Note: If at all possible do NOT vote on a provisional ballot as they will not be counted. Protect your vote by voting early. Thank you.

------------

As of Monday, October 21st, the number of newspapers endorsing the two presidential candidates:

Obama 121
McCain 42

26 of those papers now favoring Mr. Obama endorsed Bush in 2004.

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While Barack Obama was packing in over 175,000 people for two of his rallies in Missouri Senator McCain managed about 6500 at his two rallies over the weekend in that same state.

Wah-wah-wahhhhhhhhhhhhh.

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The League of Conservation Voters just released its 2008 National Environmental Scorecard — giving McCain a 0 percent rating. The scorecard ranks members of Congress on 11 key votes based on “the consensus of experts from about 20 respected environmental and conservation organizations.” McCain missed all 11 votes.

McCain’s lifetime LCV rating is 24 percent, with his highest rating at only 56 percent in 2003-2004. McCain has voted against tax incentives for renewable energy, updating building code standards for energy efficiency, and modernization of the electricity grid. Furthermore, he does not support any increases in fuel efficiency above existing law.

McCain curiously said in August, “I have not missed any crucial vote” on energy legislation.

----------

Am I the last one to know that John McCain has black relatives? Is it any surprise he's quietly hoping they'll go away?

--------


This nice couple is Stanley and Madelyn Dunham. If you made Stanley about three shades darker he'd look just like Barack Obama. Which wouldn't be unusual as he is Mr. Obama's grandfather.

Could someone please tell me again who is so stupid as to care about skin color?



Oh. Right.

In case you missed it, this guy is evidently voting for someone named Ohio Christians Against Baby-Murdering Muslims.

And you thought Barack was a weird name.

Important Note:  Protect your vote by voting early. If at all possible do NOT vote on a provisional ballot as they will not be counted. Thank you.

------------

As of Friday, October 24th, the number of newspapers endorsing the two presidential candidates:

Obama 128
McCain 49

28 of those papers now favoring Mr. Obama endorsed Bush in 2004.

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Former White House press secretary Scott McClellan endorsed Barack Obama for president today.

Come on, Dana Perino. You know you want to.

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The McCain campaign has made a big, hairy deal out of University professor Bill Ayers controversial life in the 60s. Having had enough of this over 3000 academics have signed a statement of support for Mr. Ayers.

That's good enough for me.

-----------

On Wednesday Senator McCain stated in an interview with CBS that he has not flipped or flopped on a single issue. That's actually true except for the following several instances:

• McCain supported the drilling moratorium; now he’s against it.
• McCain strongly opposes a windfall-tax on oil company profits. Three weeks earlier, he was perfectly comfortable with the idea.
• McCain thought Bush’s warrantless-wiretap program circumvented the law; now he believes the opposite.
• McCain defended “privatizing” Social Security. Now he says he’s against privatization (though he actually still supports it.)
Wait, I’m not done with the last two weeks yet….
• McCain wanted to change the Republican Party platform to protect abortion rights in cases of rape and incest. Now he doesn’t.
• McCain thought the estate tax was perfectly fair. Now he believes the opposite.
• He opposed indefinite detention of terrorist suspects. When the Supreme Court reached the same conclusion, he called it “one of the worst decisions in the history of this country.”
• McCain said he would “not impose a litmus test on any nominee.” He used to promise the opposite.
And these come after these other reversals from April and May:
• McCain believes the telecoms should be forced to explain their role in the administration’s warrantless surveillance program as a condition for retroactive immunity. He used to believe the opposite.
• McCain supported storing spent nuclear fuel at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. Now he believes the opposite.
• McCain supported moving “towards normalization of relations” with Cuba. Now he believes the opposite.
• McCain believed the U.S. should engage in diplomacy with Hamas. Now he believes the opposite.
• McCain believed the U.S. should engage in diplomacy with Syria. Now he believes the opposite.
• He argued the NRA should not have a role in the Republican Party’s policy making. Now he believes the opposite.
• McCain supported his own lobbying-reform legislation from 1997. Now he doesn’t.
• He wanted political support from radical televangelists like John Hagee and Rod Parsley. Now he doesn’t.
• McCain supported the Lieberman/Warner legislation to combat global warming. Now he doesn’t.
And these are the flip-flops I’ve noticed earlier:
• McCain pledged in February 2008 that he would not, under any circumstances, raise taxes. Specifically, McCain was asked if he is a “‘read my lips’ candidate, no new taxes, no matter what?” referring to George H.W. Bush’s 1988 pledge. “No new taxes,” McCain responded. Two weeks later, McCain said, “I’m not making a ‘read my lips’ statement, in that I will not raise taxes.”
• McCain is both for and against a “rogue state rollback” as a focus of his foreign policy vision.
• McCain says he considered and did not consider joining John Kerry’s Democratic ticket in 2004.
• In 1998, he championed raising cigarette taxes to fund programs to cut underage smoking, insisting that it would prevent illnesses and provide resources for public health programs. Now, McCain opposes a $0.61-per-pack tax increase, won’t commit to supporting a regulation bill he’s co-sponsoring, and has hired Philip Morris’ former lobbyist as his senior campaign adviser.
• McCain has changed his economic worldview on multiple occasions.
• McCain has changed his mind about a long-term U.S. military presence in Iraq on multiple occasions.
• McCain is both for and against attacking Barack Obama over his former pastor at his former church.
• McCain believes Americans are both better and worse off than they were before Bush took office.
• McCain is both for and against earmarks for Arizona.
• McCain believes his endorsement from radical televangelist John Hagee was both a good and bad idea.
• McCain’s first mortgage plan was premised on the notion that homeowners facing foreclosure shouldn’t be “rewarded” for acting “irresponsibly.” His second mortgage plan took largely the opposite position.
• McCain vowed, if elected, to balance the federal budget by the end of his first term. Soon after, he decided he would no longer even try to reach that goal.
• In February 2008, McCain reversed course on prohibiting waterboarding.
• McCain used to champion the Law of the Sea convention, even volunteering to testify on the treaty’s behalf before a Senate committee. Now he opposes it.
• McCain was a co-sponsor of the DREAM Act, which would grant legal status to illegal immigrants’ kids who graduate from high school. Now he’s against it.
• On immigration policy in general, McCain announced in February 2008 that he would vote against his own legislation.
• In 2006, McCain sponsored legislation to require grassroots lobbying coalitions to reveal their financial donors. In 2007, after receiving “feedback” on the proposal, McCain told far-right activist groups that he opposes his own measure.
• McCain said before the war in Iraq, “We will win this conflict. We will win it easily.” Four years later, McCain said he knew all along that the war in Iraq war was “probably going to be long and hard and tough.”
• McCain said he was the “greatest critic” of Rumsfeld’s failed Iraq policy. In December 2003, McCain praised the same strategy as “a mission accomplished.” In March 2004, he said, “I’m confident we’re on the right course.” In December 2005, he said, “Overall, I think a year from now, we will have made a fair amount of progress if we stay the course.”
• McCain went from saying he would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade to saying the exact opposite.
• McCain went from saying gay marriage should be allowed, to saying gay marriage shouldn’t be allowed.
• McCain criticized TV preacher Jerry Falwell as “an agent of intolerance” in 2002, but then decided to cozy up to the man who said Americans “deserved” the 9/11 attacks.
• McCain used to oppose Bush’s tax cuts for the very wealthy, but he reversed course in February.
• On a related note, he said 2005 that he opposed the tax cuts because they were “too tilted to the wealthy.” By 2007, he denied ever having said this, and insisted he opposed the cuts because of increased government spending.
• In 2000, McCain accused Texas businessmen Sam and Charles Wyly of being corrupt, spending “dirty money” to help finance Bush’s presidential campaign. McCain not only filed a complaint against the Wylys for allegedly violating campaign finance law, he also lashed out at them publicly. In April, McCain reached out to the Wylys for support.
• McCain supported a major campaign-finance reform measure that bore his name. In June 2007, he abandoned his own legislation.
• McCain opposed a holiday to honor Martin Luther King, Jr., before he supported it.
• McCain was against presidential candidates campaigning at Bob Jones University before he was for it.
• McCain was anti-ethanol. Now he’s pro-ethanol.
• McCain was both for and against state promotion of the Confederate flag.
• McCain decided in 2000 that he didn’t want anything to do with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, believing he “would taint the image of the ‘Straight Talk Express.’” Kissinger is now the Honorary Co-Chair for his presidential campaign in New York.

----------

On Monday I watched an inspring video of a Muslim gentleman, Daniel Zubairi, one of McCains statewide Leadership Directors, chase off a couple of anti-Muslim smear merchants at a rally in Woodbridge, Virginia. It was exactly the kind of thing that made me proud of the McCain campaign, something that has been few and far between lately.

The press was equally entranced by the video but the McCain campaign has slapped a muzzle on Mr. Zubairi, forbidding him form talking to the press about the incident.

Sigh.

Important Note:  Protect your vote by voting early. If at all possible do NOT vote on a provisional ballot as they will not be counted. Thank you. Stay Frosty.

------------

As of Sunday Monday the number of newspapers endorsing the two presidential candidates:

Obama 166 194
McCain 62    82

35 38 of those papers now favoring Mr. Obama endorsed George Bush in 2004.

------------

Oh. My. Dog.

It's been quite an exciting last few days for John McCain and his pals.

Joe McCain, John's brother, gets saucy with 911, telling them to perform an anatomically impossible act, and is forced to withdraw from the campaign.

Sarah Palin's make-up artist is discovered to have been paid about $11,000 a week ($53,000 total), more than anyone else on the campaign. So much for $400 haircuts.

Sarah also had a $150,000 shopping spree for clothes at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. Coincidentally, that's where Joe the plumber gets all his best ass-crack-revealing work pants.

It was also reported that Ms. Palin took her kids on government jaunts, costing upwards of $20,000 in public funds, later altering expense reports to make their company appear legitimate. Tsk-tsk.

The Anchorage Daily News (Alaska, in case you haven't figured that out) endorses Barack Obama, not Sarah Palin. Oh, dear.

In an interview with NBC's Brian Williams last Thursday Ms. Palin opined that people who bomb flamily planning centers are not terrorists. Ms. Palin did not say that she was an ignorant asshole, but we were all thinking it.

Sarah still doesn't know what the vice-president does.

John McCain holds a rally in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Saturday, drawing 1,500 supporters. Across town Barack Obama holds a similar rally. 45,000 people show up. Eek!

Aides close to the McCain campaign report that Sarah Palin isn't happy with the way she's been rolled-out and has been continually going off-script, positioning herself for 2012. Is she kidding? These same sources also report that she's also becoming a complete bitch, but not in so many words.

To top it off, a McCain campaign volunteer, Ms. Ashley Todd, ginned up a story that she was attacked by a big black guy who carved a "B", for "Barack", in her cheek. McCain's flack's began trumpeting the story to the high heavens.... and then Ms. Ashley's story fell completely apart. Even though it's clear who tipped off the press the McCain campaign is currently denying any involvement. No kidding.

-----------

Finally.... what if McCain wins the election but dies of a heart attack on December 15th. Who in their right mind thinks this beauty queen runner-up/journalism major/weather lady/opportunist is capable of running this country? Seriously. Really.

Important Note:  Protect your vote by voting early. If at all possible do NOT vote on a provisional ballot as they will not be counted. Thank you. Stay Frosty.

------------

As of Wednesday the number of newspapers endorsing the two presidential candidates:

Obama 222
McCain 93

43 of those papers now favoring Mr. Obama endorsed George Bush in 2004.

------------

One of my favorite stories of the election season occurred this past Sunday when 40 call-center workers for the McCain campaign walked off the job when they were asked to read something about Senator Obama that they considered too disgusting. No one was fired but they all lost their pay for that day.

I may talk a good game but these people, obviously down to taking whatever job they can find, walked the walk. To me, they're the real heroes in the McCain campaign.

------------

Although 2nd place for a medal should go to Florida's governor Charlie Crist who, in opposition to Republican party orders, extended the hours for voting in his state. Florida has been experiencing such heavy early voting that people were standing in line for up to five hours.

So more people are going to get to vote and that means more Democratic votes. Said one party operative, "He just blew florida for John McCain."

Love that guv.

------------

Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) granted an interview to a CBS affiliate in Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday, much of which ended up being filled with the usual Republican talking points.

This should come as no susprise as Palin insisted that the host supply her with the questions well in advance. That is only standard procedure if you have an "R" after your name.

-----------

It's hilarious hearing the McCain/Palin campaign paint the democratic candidates as "socialists". This year Alaska is going to send a $3800 check to all of its residents from taxes on the sales of oil.

That's not socialism?

In addition, here's a juicy quote from Ms. Mooseburger just before she was anointed as prospective veep:

"We’re set up, unlike other states in the union, where it’s collectively Alaskans own the resources. So we share in the wealth when the development of these resources occurs."

Well, I guess if anyone knows socialism, it's her.

Important Note:  Protect your vote by voting early. If at all possible do NOT vote on a provisional ballot as they will not be counted. Thank you. Stay Frosty.

------------

Saturday Update: On Thursday Republican Lawrence Eagleburger, foreign policy advisor for the McCain campaign, quite candidly told NPR in an interview that Sarah Palin was not prepared to take over the presidency in case of an emergency.

On Friday he recused himself, calling himself "just plain stupid", said he "wasn't thinking", "made a serious mistake" and "had his foot in his mouth" for having made such a statement.

Methinks he doth protest too much.

I'm thinking.... waterboarding?

-------------

Saturday Update II: At a Saturday Republican rally in Polk City, Florida, attended by Sarh Palin, something was amiss. While there were plenty of signs for Ms. Palin there were hardly any for John McCain. Yikes.

------------

Saturday Update III: During an interview with Fox News' Great van Susteren on Friday Night Sarah Palin said that we need to win these wars "in Iraq and Iran".

You might suggest this was a slip of the tongue about Iran, but let me remind you that the Bush administration was planning the invasion of Iraq long before 9-11.

------------

As of Thursday, October 30th, the number of newspapers endorsing the two presidential candidates:

Obama: 234
McCain: 105

47 of those papers now favoring Mr. Obama endorsed George Bush in 2004.

------------

Nature, the premier science journal, has been in existence since 1869. In all those years it has not endorsed a political candidate. In their own words:

"This journal does not have a vote, and does not claim any particular standing from which to instruct those who do. But if it did, it would cast its vote for Barack Obama."

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In case you missed the bulletin, Halloween is a socialist holiday, where everyone shares the delicious, high-calorie wealth. If you're a good Republican you better keep those kids at home tonight. They'll thank you later.

-----------

Not only does Sarah Palin not know what the vice-president does, she doesn't even know what the First Amendment guarantees. Glenn Greenwald spells it all out in beautiful LOL-O-Vision.

Wow. Just... wow.

----------

Today I asked my sister-in-law who she's voting for in the upcoming election. She said she didn't know, that McCain is too old and that Obama is a Muslim.

Sigh. Sigh-sigh-sigh-sigh-sigh.

But she's in bad company as it seems a full 23% of Texans erroneously believe Mr. Obama to be a Muslim. The study did not speculate on where such a notion derived.

Okay, now pay attention:

(1) Barack Obama is not a Muslim.

(2) Being a Muslim is just as fucked-up as being a Christian or a Jew. Regardless of what you beleive, or don't believe, we have a little something in America called "the Separation of Church and State", so it doesn't matter WHAT imaginary deity you fancy.

(3) Republicans believe in only one thing... money, and how to acquire it, even if it means running phony wars and killing innocent people. The Republican ideal is for one man to evnetually own everything. Currently 400 familes own most of everything. These are not Democratic families.

Now quit being stupid and go vote.

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Sarah Palin is currently being described as a "diva", a "rogue", "unhinged" and "a whack job" by members of the McCain presidential campaign.

Really? Who'd a guessed?

It's also been reported that McCain is refusing to speak to Ms. Palin when the two are travelling together.

Let the blame begin.

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Today Sarah Palin appeared at a solar energy plant in toldeo, Ohio, to give a speech. Her message:

"Drill, baby, drill!"

Whack job.

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At a recent McCain rally various audience members were asked to leave because they had the audacity to be college students.

Even those who had already voted for McCain were asked to leave.

This basically McCain saying "Hey kids! Get offa my lawn!"

Suckers!

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If Senator McCain wins the election, which seems doubtful, and enacts his tax plan he and Cindy will receive a $373,000 tax benefit. They would also receive another $50,000 from McCain's capital gains cut.

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Speaking of big bucks, when Exxon reported more record profits McCain responded by saying "When I’m President, we’re not gonna let’ Exxon reap record profits."

Neatly forgetting that his tax plan gives the oli companies a further $4.3 billion in tax benefits.

Whack job.

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Finally, the Center for Responsive Politics calculates that, by Election Day, $2.4 billion will have been spent on presidential campaigns in the two-year election cycle that began in January 2007, and an additional $2.9 billion will have been spent on 435 House and 35 Senate contests.

This $5.3 billion is a billion less than Americans will spend this year on potato chips.