I just bans 'em as I sees 'em

Every day another golden nugget from Nanook of the North:

COURIC: And when it comes to establishing your world view, I was curious, what newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped for this — to stay informed and to understand the world?

PALIN: I’ve read most of them again with a great appreciation for the press, for the media —

COURIC: But what ones specifically? I’m curious.

PALIN: Um, all of them, any of them that have been in front of me over all these years.

COURIC: Can you name any of them?

PALIN: I have a vast variety of sources where we get our news.

Also, Biden is old -- and if a 15-year old girl becomes pregnant because her father raped her, she does believe that abortion should not be a legal choice. But no jail time for the sinning waif, so there's that. I guess the memories of being raped by dear-old-dad will have stare up at her every morning and evening as punishment for her sinful ways and that will be enough. Oh, Christian charity is rich in that Sarah.

I'm sure God wanted it that way.

Was that last section dripping in enough sarcasm for you?

Another Quick Thought

Has Al Davis ever consulted the McCain campaign?

FoxNews Math

via this Kos diarist

Quick Thought

In the interview linked below McCain said this:

"Gov. Palin and I agree that you don't announce that you're going to attack another country."

Um, you know that defense didn't work so well at Nuremberg or for say, Tojo.

Ouch

Ron Fournier has disappeared, though I'm sure he'll be back soon to fluff. In his absence though, the AP has some rather plain -- and stinging -- analysis for "The Ol' Cadavarick":

Republican John McCain has maneuvered himself into a political dead end and has five weeks to find his way out...

as the bailout plan appeared ready for passage Monday in the House, McCain bragged that he was an action-oriented Teddy Roosevelt Republican who did not sit on the sidelines at a moment of crisis.

The implication: that he played a critical role in building bipartisan support for the unprecedented bailout....

Within hours, however, the measure died in the House mainly at the hands of McCain's own Republicans.

Your "Eyewitness 13 News Team"!

That is what they look like. The grizzled old news veteran, and the younger happy-talk female anchor that will be traded in for a newer spokesmodel in about four to eight years. You know like John McCain does in real life.

Meanwhile, John McCain is "afraid Americans do not understand" when they ask Republican candidates questions they are practicing "gotcha journalism".

I understand this day and age `gotcha' journalism. Is that a pizza place? In a conversation with someone who you didn't hear ... the question very well, you don't know the context of the conversation. Grab a phrase. Gov. Palin and I agree that you don't announce that you're going to attack another country."

Especially from those damned pizza places. No wonder Americans have never taken to this bizarre ethnic food. To appeal to real Americans you have to eat at trendy asian fusion restaurants. That's what a hero does! As Tucker Bounds will tell you, "for five and a half years John McCain could not eat asian food".

How dare those "townhall" participants even ask McCain their scripted questions. Asking questions is un-American, where do you people think you are, Canada? And Sarah Palin knows all about Canada, while she's keeping an eye on Russia, she has Trig, Bristol, Track, Lugnut and Distributor Cap watching the Yukon preventing "two-line passes" and "icing".

Just do not ask questions.

[posted in part at Firedoglake]

Disturbing

Watching the Daily Show from last night. WaMu (Washington Mutual) is still running ads about how awesome and safe a bank they are.

Nice timing.

MAVERICK FAIL!!!

You know it is a bad day when you're a Republican and Mike Allen is mocking you:

McCain takes credit for bill before it loses

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and his top aides took credit for building a winning bailout coalition – hours before the vote failed and stocks tanked.

The rush to claim he had engineered a victory now looks like a strategic blunder that will prolong the McCain’s campaign’s difficulty in finding a winning message on the economy.

Shortly before the vote, McCain had bragged about his involvement and mocked Sen. Barack Obama for staying on the sidelines.

Roger Ebert, My New Hero

Ebert is not normally known for political commentary but this simple deconstruction of McCain at the debate was priceless.

No Surprises

When will Justice Department officials "get" it?  The Busheviks do not care how "blistering" the critiques are, they and their appartatniks only care about doing whatever they want to increase their power and to push their far right criminal agenda.  So, I guess McSame must be breathing a huge sigh of relief.  If he and the idiot are elected they will be able to do exactly as they please.  So, more incentive to campaign against McCain.

A Justice Department investigation offers a blistering critique of the political motivations that led to the firings of a group of United States attorneys in late 2006 but stops short of recommending criminal charges against former Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales or others in the affair, officials said.

The Justice Department’s inspector general and its Office of Professional Responsibility have been investigating the firings since last year, trying to determine who in the Bush administration ordered the firings, whether the dismissals were intended to thwart investigations and whether anyone had broken the law in carrying out the firings or in testifying about them.

Officials with the department refused to discuss the report in advance of its scheduled release on Monday, though it has been the subject of Web reports since Friday. A lawyer for Mr. Gonzales declined to comment.

Mr. Gonzales, who resigned last year after coming under criticism because of the firings, has been the main focus of interest, in part because several members of Congress charged that he may have perjured himself in his testimony through his memory lapses and misstatements about the firings.

Um, yeah

Because we know it is IMPOSSIBLE...

Butch Cassidy in Carnegie Hall [Jay Nordlinger]

I used to see Paul Newman from time to time in New York concert halls. I remember the first time, very well. There was this old man — old, short Jewish man — who was shockingly good-looking. I stared at him, because the sight was so unusual. And only after I stared at him for a bit did I realize it was Paul Newman.

Because, apparently we all know what older Jewish men are supposed to look like.

Pardon me, my midwesternism, but how the hell do you tell someone is Jewish if they are not in ultra-orthodox garb anyhow? Is there something called "goydar"?

Sums it up

Michael Grunwald in Time:

On Friday, though, McCain realized it probably wasn't in his interest to let Obama have the stage to himself, so he announced that he was going to debate after all, since the stalled negotiations were now on track, although in fact the on-track negotiations were now stalled, but whatever. By the time he left Washington — some Democrats suggested this was no coincidence — the negotiations seemed to un-stall. The bailout now appears to be back on track for next week, and at the debate, McCain suggested that he supports it. The wacky events of the week went unmentioned, and McCain made a strong case for himself as the candidate of adult leadership. Which, if you've been paying attention to his campaign, is probably true if your idea of an adult is Terrell Owens, although Terrell Owens is at least capable of running in a straight line.

Snake-eyes

Well, it appears that after flying back to Washington Northern Virginia, to help out bailout negotiations enjoy a 4-star meal with the Liebermans, John McCain is prepared to switch tactics against the Obama campaign.

[T]he campaign will press two arguments as forcefully as possible in the coming days. One is that Obama is not ready to be commander in chief and that, in a time of two wars, "his policies will make the world more dangerous and America less secure." Second, he said, McCain will argue that, in a time of economic crisis, Obama will raise taxes and spending and "will make our economy worse."

Which is so much more novel than their old argument; "Obama will raise taxes, make the economy worse, the world more dangerous and America less secure".

Viva la différence!

But McCain's real strategy is far more likely as suggested by Bill Kristol -- it fits McCain's nature (and lack of oversight) roll the dice:

He has a chance. But only if he overrules those of his aides who are trapped by conventional wisdom, huddled in a defensive crouch and overcome by ideological timidity.

In other words, double-down with more stunts from Evel McFeeble.
[Cross-posted at Firedoglake]

Watch Tom Brokaw be an assclown

Bending over for the "Cadaverick"*

BROKAW: In fairness to everybody here, I’m just going to end on one note and that is that we continue to poll on who is best equipped to be Commander in Chief, John McCain continues to lead in that category, despite the criticism from Barack Obama by a factor of 53 to 42 percent in our latest NBC/WSJ poll.

See, here’s the problem, Tom. I have the latest NBC/WSJ poll (.pdf) taken September 19-22. Guess what? THOSE NUMBERS AREN’T IN THERE. Pulled out of thin air, or an orifice of your choice. In fact, in the MSNBC.com political coverage of this poll, the headline read: Obama Up 2 in NBC/WSJ Poll. So where exactly are these numbers, Tom? If you go to Gallup, the lead is even stronger (50 to 42%), which is pretty close to the numbers you attributed to McCain.

So Tom Brokaw — in the interest of fairness to whom exactly, I’m unclear, since he is deliberately MISinforming the public — tries to mitigate Axelrod’s deft defense of Obama’s judgment by lying and saying that most people believe McCain is still better equipped to be Commander in Chief. You can leave a comment at the Meet The Press Comment Form on Brokaw’s campaigning on behalf of McCain.

*This nickname was not my idea, it was someone else's but I don't remember who coined it.

No expectations

Obvious thought:

So little is expected of Sarah Palin this Thursday, that if she manages to make it through 90 minutes without wetting herself, collapsing, or running off stage crying she will exceed expectations and be declared to obtain at least a draw by the usual cast of enablers pundits.

Double Down

To continue our John McCain's gambling addiction problems let us take note of this. Sarah Palin wants another chance to prove she is crazy enough to be defeated in an election, but not crazy enough to be committed.

Will This have an Effect?

Since the late 1990s, nineteen states have changed "felony disenfranchisement policies" to reduce restrictions and expand voter eligibility of the formerly incarcerated.  A new report from The Sentencing Project in Washington, D.C. examines the movement to re-enfranchise over three-quarters of a million citizens, especially in the past few years.

The report's release coincides with the introduction of legislation in Congress to secure federal voting rights.  Given efforts by the GOP in Southern states to take away the right to vote for so many, we need this federal legislation. 

We have to wonder if this will have any effect on the November elections.

Fearless VP Debate Prediction

Specifically, there will be no VP debate.

Instead, pram-face-to-be Bristol Palin will suddenly need her mummy by her side as she prepares for her weekend (shotgun) wedding.

Voila! Debate canceled.

Rolling Craps!

John McCain loves to gamble -- in fact, he loves high stakes gambling, like a guy who gets tax-free income from the government and doesn't have to worry too much about losing it because his spouse has more than enough money for both of them.

But more importantly John McCain loves to gamble at places he specifically oversees as part of his duties in the Senate.

Senator John McCain was on a roll. In a room reserved for high-stakes gamblers at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, he tossed $100 chips around a hot craps table. When the marathon session ended around 2:30 a.m., the Arizona senator and his entourage emerged with thousands of dollars in winnings.

A lifelong gambler, Mr. McCain takes risks, both on and off the craps table. He was throwing dice that night not long after his failed 2000 presidential bid, in which he was skewered by the Republican Party’s evangelical base, opponents of gambling. Mr. McCain was betting at a casino he oversaw as a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, and he was doing so with the lobbyist who represents that casino, according to three associates of Mr. McCain.

But he's the self-proclaimed most honorable man ever, so if he does it, it is only with honorable intentions and the most moral gambling problem ever -- and those who don't have such a petty vice with a blatant appearance of impropriety are beneath him and not even worth a second's eye-contact.

Perhaps no episode burnished Mr. McCain’s image as a reformer more than his stewardship three years ago of the Congressional investigation into Jack Abramoff, the disgraced Republican Indian gambling lobbyist who became a national symbol of the pay-to-play culture in Washington. The senator’s leadership during the scandal set the stage for the most sweeping overhaul of lobbying laws since Watergate.

“I’ve fought lobbyists who stole from Indian tribes,” the senator said in his speech accepting the Republican presidential nomination this month.

But interviews and records show that lobbyists and political operatives in Mr. McCain’s inner circle played a behind-the-scenes role in bringing Mr. Abramoff’s misdeeds to Mr. McCain’s attention — and then cashed in on the resulting investigation. The senator’s longtime chief political strategist, for example, was paid $100,000 over four months as a consultant to one tribe caught up in the inquiry, records show.

Etc., etc., etc.

So, given his love of casinos and literal gambling and his behavior the last several weeks one has to ask whether or not John McCain has a "GAMBLING PROBLEM" or if the guy is an adrenaline junkie.

And whether we even have to bother to ask whether that's not really a good thing in a President?

[pic found here]

Lying Sack of Shit update

Newsweek and Josh Marshall discover that Rick Davis is a master of Ponzi Schemes when it comes to getting money to lobby.

Even if it comes directly from the McCain Campaign for a an incredible joke of a "web design" enterprise.

From Marshall:

...3eDC is pretty closely tied to Davis Manafort. Not only, as Newsweek notes, does the company share an address with Davis Manafort. Last year, US News got Davis to admit that the company has two owners -- Rick Davis and Paul Manafort.

And there's a bit more. According to a July 2007 article in the Wall Street Journal, 3eDC was a "start-up ... with one customer -- the [McCain] campaign." The Journal further reported that within the campaign it was understood that 3eDC was essentially a pass-through, that it had a series of other 'partner firms' that did the actual work.

Perhaps not surprisingly, in June, the Post's Matthew Mosk reported that shortly after McCain took over the Republican National Committee in his role as de facto nominee, 3eDC resurfaced with its second client to date -- the Republican National Committee -- with a contract potentially worth as much as $3 million.

Un-fucking-believable.

I think she has her down

"People Just Liked Him"

In Adventures in the Screen Trade, screenwriter William Goldman devotes an entire section to my favorite Paul Newman movie, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. At one point, he discusses some of the information he uncovered during his research for the screenplay:

Now, The Wild Bunch consisted of some of the most murderous figures in Western history. Arrogant, brutal men. And yet here running things was Cassidy. Why? The answer is incredible but true--people just liked him

There's a reason why, when it came time to cast the part of Butch Cassidy, that Goldman and director George Roy Hill went for Paul Newman.

People just liked him.

R.I.P.

P.S. The Verdict and Mr. & Mrs. Bridge are also favorites.

"Fundamentally Flawed from the Beginning"

A few months ago, I attended a conference at which junior commissioners of the Bush administration's FTC, FDA, and FCC made presentations. There were two phrases that all three of them used over and over and over again:

1. "Self-regulation", and
2. "Market-based solutions"

NYT:

The chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, a longtime proponent of deregulation, acknowledged 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.

About fucking time.

“The last six months have made it abundantly clear that voluntary regulation does not work,” he said in a statement. The program “was fundamentally flawed from the beginning, because investment banks could opt in or out of supervision voluntarily. The fact that investment bank holding companies could withdraw from this voluntary supervision at their discretion diminished the perceived mandate” of the program, and “weakened its effectiveness,” he added.

No shit, Sherlock.

You don't have to be a Wall Street genius to understand why "voluntary supervision" and "self-regulation" work only in an infinitesimal amount of instances. Anyone who's ever tried to lose weight knows that "self-regulation" is hard and that the most basic human impulses -- whether with regard to food, booze, sex, money, or any other number of treats -- is "more! More! MORE!" Fighting that impulse -- self-regulation -- takes a heroic amount of attention and self-restraint, not to mention knowledge of how and ability to soothe oneself in another less destructive fashion. (That's why I don't want to hear any more hectoring bullshit from the likes of beauty queen newsreader Erin Burnett about how this crisis is the fault of individual borrowers. One of the primary reasons humans submit to government, you simpleminded money-grubbing bimbo, is to put an external check on those impulses. But I digress...)

The commission created the program after heavy lobbying for the plan from all five big investment banks. At the time, Mr. Paulson was the head of Goldman Sachs. He left two years later to become the Treasury secretary and has been the architect of the administration’s bailout plan.

The investment banks favored the S.E.C. as their umbrella regulator because that let them avoid regulation of their fast-growing European operations by the European Union.

Tell me again why anyone should trust Paulson? And can't we really refer to this bailout as Hank Paulson's "Salvage My Legacy" plan?

In 2004, at the urging of the investment banks, the [S.E.C.] dopted a voluntary program. In exchange for the relaxation of capital requirements by the commission, the banks agreed to submit to supervision of their holding companies by the agency.

Isn't that special? "Let me (recklessly) borrow more money and I'll let you watch me." Except that the S.E.C. didn't watch them.

The report found that the S.E.C. division that oversees trading and markets had failed to update the rules of the program and was “not fulfilling its obligations.” It said that nearly one-third of the firms under supervision had failed to file the required documents. And it found that the division had not adequately reviewed many of the filings made by other firms.

The division’s “failure to carry out the purpose and goals of the broker-dealer risk assessment program hinders the commission’s ability to foresee or respond to weaknesses in the financial markets,” the report said.

Kind of like putting someone on a diet, but never weighing them.

And now here we are.

While Joe Biden was allowed to answer questions on the Tee Vee...

Sarah Palin sang the Righteous Brothers at karaoke.

(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

As a guy who cuts and paste what other people say

I agree with this:

As a psychotherapist and someone who treats people with anger management problems, we typically try to educate people that anger is often an emotion that masks other emotions. I think it's significant that McCain didn't make much, if any, eye contact because it suggests one of two things to me; he doesn't want to make eye contact because he is prone to losing control of his emotions if he deals directly with the other person, or, his anger masks fear and the eye contact may increase or substantiate the fear.

I noticed him doing the same thing in the Republican primary debates. The perception observers are likely to have is that he is unwilling to acknowledge the opponent's legitimacy and/or is contemptuous of the opponent.

Atta J.Turk's Short Debate Summary

From the perspective of the relatively uninformed:

"Some younger guy said he should be President, but some cranky older guy said that yet another guy named Petraeus should be President.

Maybe the old guy was like Petraeus's butler or something?"

Amazing!

Obama has simply been amazing so far.  McBlinky (is his heart ok?) has simply been ghastly.  McCain has made few real coherent points thus far and is constantly trying to use campaign slogans rather than real policy.  Obama has clear ideas, coherent policy initiatives, and is articulating a clear vision of supporting education, infrastructure, tax breaks for the middle class, and yes, a coherent foreign policy.

Ah McCain... label all opponents "the left," wants to give tax breaks for corporations and the usual Rethuglican campaign attack crap.  I wonder how many right-wingers are going to lose their jobs if McCain has his way to suddenly clean up the government bureaucracy.  A bureaucracy he has been a part of for oh so many years.

Just a few of the campaign slogans McCain used so far:  You can't get there from here, handing _________ over to the federal government is wrong, I am not miss congeniality in the Senate..., I have a long record...

McCain:  Maverick, Maverick, Maverick...

America:  sigh...

McCain Campaign Calling Victory Before Debate

Oh well, no need to watch the debate going on right now, McCain campaign has already called the debate in his favor... sigh...

"His defeat is now imperative."

Yup. John Judis bottom-lines it:

That's a long way of saying that it is simply unpatriotic--it's an insult to flag, country, and all the things that McCain claims to hold dear--for McCain to hold this financial crisis hostage to his political ambitions. McCain doesn't know a thing about finance and is no position to help work out an agreement. If we do suffer a serious bank run, or a run on the dollar, it can be laid directly at his feet. As I said to friends last night, if McCain had been president at this point, I would have wanted to impeach him.

John McCain in 60 Seconds

Pass it on, people.

The Chicago Way

McCain is ALWAYS contemptuous of his opponents, ALWAYS. Yesterday, he got a lesson

It was McCain who had urged Bush to call the White House meeting but Democrats made sure Obama had a prominent part. And much as they complained later of being blindsided, the whole event turned out to be something of an ambush on their part—aimed at McCain and House Republicans.

“Speaking professionally,” said one Republican aide, “They did a very good job.”

When Bush yielded early to Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D- Nev.) to speak, they yielded to Obama to speak for the assembled Democrats. And it was Obama who raised the subject of the conservative alternative and pressed Paulson on what he thought of the idea.

House Republicans felt trapped—squeezed by Treasury, House Democrats and a bipartisan coalition in the Senate. And while McCain spoke surprisingly little after asking for the meeting, he conceded that it appeared there were not the votes for the core Paulson plan without major changes.

McCain's is going to try to save his ass one way or another today. Who knows how desperate he will flail.

But he'll get his sorry ass to Mississippi or risk complete collapse.

McCain's BOLD strategy revealed!

BEHOLD the Maverickyness:

CHARLES GIBSON: You say agreement you think can be reached? Can it be reached around --

JOHN MCCAIN: Soon -- Yes.

As soon as the interview ended, I'm sure.



via Atrios commenter Melior.

Yesterday

John McCain didn't have time to go to a debate on Friday.

But he did have time to be interviewed by:

- ABC
- CBS
- NBC

But, oh yeah, not David Letterman because David Letterman only does "comedy"

I remember this elaborate skit:



Oh and since now is NOT a moment for comedy, it is rather ironic that right after 9/11 (October 2001) John McCain showed up on Letterman's show and pushed for going to war...even then...in Iraq.

Notice ALL the war lovin' bold predictin' shallow war mongerin' that McCain engages in...almost all of it disgustingly wrong. Especially his nonsense about Iraq 1:10 in (and again with blowhard "tough guy" talk about Iraq and our big wangs about 4:05). From Iraq to Anthrax to predicting the capture of bin Laden to "great faith" in the investigations into the anthrax matter he is so wrong he should never have been heard from as a serious leader again. Oh, and there's some nice bigotry too.

"THE SECOND PHASE IS IRAQ"

"Mister, we could use a man like Herbert Hoover again!"

How much the GOP cares:

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson left a late-night session at the Capitol Thursday without a deal on the bailout plan the White House says is needed to prevent economic disaster.

Four of the five parties involved in the deal — House Democrats, Senate Democrats, Senate Republicans and the White House — had agreed to the general outlines of a plan, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) said after the meeting ended.

That left one remaining obstacle: House Republicans.

Or maybe two.

Although John McCain hasn’t said whether he supports the bipartisan, bicameral compromise struck earlier in the day Thursday, one of his leading Senate surrogates – Lindsey Graham of South Carolina – said Thursday night that McCain joined House Republicans in opposing that proposal.

And what do these House Republicans think?

According to one GOP lawmaker, some House Republicans are saying privately that they’d rather “let the markets crash” than sign on to a massive bailout.

“For the sake of the altar of the free market system, do you accept a Great Depression?” the member asked.

And remember the whole thing BLEW UP only AFTER John McCain grandstanded and stuck himself into the middle of the process so he could get attention.

I believe the operative word is "ASSHOLE"

Parachuting in to self-glorify again, McCain blows up the bi-partisan bailout plan.

At the bipartisan White House meeting that Mr. McCain had called for a day earlier, he sat silently for more than 40 minutes, more observer than leader, and then offered only a vague sense of where he stood, said people in the meeting.

In subsequent television interviews, Mr. McCain suggested that he saw the bipartisan plan that came apart at the White House meeting as the proper basis for an eventual agreement, but he did not tip his hand as to whether he would give any support to the alternative put on the table by angry House Republicans, with whom he had met before going to the White House.

He said he was hopeful that a deal could be struck quickly and that he could then show up for his scheduled debate on Friday night against his Democratic rival in the presidential race, Senator Barack Obama. But there was no evidence that he was playing a major role in the frantic efforts on Capitol Hill to put a deal back together again.

That's fucking recklessness we can believe in, my friends.

...by nightfall, the day provided the younger and less experienced Mr. Obama an opportunity to, in effect, shift roles with Mr. McCain. For a moment, at least, it was Mr. Obama presenting himself as the old hand at consensus building, and as the real face of bipartisan politics.

“What I’ve found, and I think it was confirmed today, is that when you inject presidential politics into delicate negotiations, it’s not necessarily as helpful as it needs to be,” Mr. Obama told reporters Thursday evening. “Just because there is a lot of glare of the spotlight, there’s the potential for posturing or suspicions.”

“When you’re not worrying about who’s getting credit, or who’s getting blamed, then things tend to move forward a little more constructively,” he said.

Now that's what a President does. I know it's been a good decade since we heard such language, but I have a sneaking suspicion it might be a better alternative than constantly crashing in to blow shit up.

Nice Vetting, part 300

Oy!

COURIC: Why isn’t it better, Governor Palin, to spend $700 billion helping middle-class families struggling with health care, housing, gas and groceries? … Instead of helping these big financial institutions that played a role in creating this mess?

PALIN: 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– 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.

What the fuck?

Couric did add something interesting in the way of comment:

“She’s not always responsive when she’s asked questions.”

And she wasn't talking about Trig. I suggest using a flashlight to detect eye movement.

Isrealites

The crazy witch-doctor obsessed Minister that annoints Sarah Palin later in the service has a telling quote about Jews made RIGHT in front of her -- that should go over big not only with Jewish voters, but sane people everywhere [possibly not a problem for Gregg Easterbrook or Pat Buchanan]:

The second area whereby God wants us, wants to penetrate in our society is in the economic area. The Bible says that the wealth of the wicked is stored up for the righteous. It's high time that we have top Christian businessmen, businesswomen, bankers, you know, who are men and women of integrity running the economics of our nations. That's what we are waiting for. That's part and parcel of transformation. If you look at the -- you know -- if you look at the Israelites, that's how they work. And that's how they are, even today.

Yes, references to Jews controlling money. Now, THAT'S tolerance.

Put it together with her utter vacuousness and mendacity and that's some awesome vetting from the McCain team!

Somebody please tell Bill...

To shut the fuck up. Really. Shut up.

Mission Accomplished

Anyone who has read Lawrence Wright's fabulous work "The Looming Tower" knows that there are two parallel stories about Osama bin Laden, Zawahiri and the other leaders of Al Qaeda.

First, they are no doubt sociopaths, but by and large they are zealous fuck ups. I mean they are incredibly determined yet extraordinarily incompetent. Like many criminal enterprises. In fact, he reminds me of Lenin in a way. Lenin was a fuck up all his life, but he was a fuck up with a dream...a dream that required the second thing about him he shares with bin Laden. Which more important than his derangement made him lucky in choosing his enemies.

Second, the people posed against bin Laden have been even bigger fuck ups and in control of far greater resources in which to magnify their gross incompetence. In doing so, they have managed to fuck up so badly even a jerk off, yet determined, bonehead like bin Laden accomplishes his dreams beyond anything he could imagine.

He's like Forrest Gump with a black black heart.

By going apeshit over his attack, rather than taking a deep breath and not acting with broad outrage against needless targets (i.e. bombing the shit out of two [or three] countries) we've managed to accomplish what bin Laden never could have. Damn near destroyed ourselves.

The $700 billion save "us" plan is only the latest massive debt price tag the Bush Administration has tossed out. We've spent that much so far in the needless Iraq War, sold with lies...amongst which was the claim "it'll pay for itself". A line they are trotting out again now that I mention it.

And now, not only do we have two clusterfucked wars started and just as badly managed by Bush at crippling cost we have a last ditch effort to pull the deregulated fat cats out of the fire or WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!

And as ever, what have we managed to do to ourselves that Osama could never otherwise have dreamed of accomplishing?

BEIJING, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Chinese regulators have told domestic banks to stop interbank lending to U.S. financial institutions to prevent possible losses during the financial crisis, the South China Morning Post reported on Thursday.

Ouch, that's bad. (Update, it is also being denied)

Anything else?

Why yes!

In some of the toughest language since the crisis worsened earlier this month, German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck told parliament the financial turmoil would leave "deep marks" but was primarily an American problem.

"The world will never be as it was before the crisis," Steinbrueck, a deputy leader of the centre-left Social Democrats, told the Bundestag lower house.

"The United States will lose its superpower status in the world financial system. The world financial system will become more multi-polar."

Steinbrueck, whose efforts to secure greater transparency on hedge funds during Germany's G8 presidency last year collapsed amid objections from Washington and London, attacked what he called an Anglo-Saxon drive for double-digit profits and massive bonuses for bankers and company executives.

"Investment bankers and politicians in New York, Washington and London were not willing to give these up," he said.

Bush & McCain asked us to sacrifice nothing at first...while making the rich richer. Now we are to sacrifice all the good will we have built up over the years nationally, and even our hard earned and fortunate wealth -- we'll have to sacrifice now -- because they drove us off a cliff and gave the parachutes to "God's Elect" the rich bastards who are too big to fail. So, there's no choice. That's sacrifice. And yet, they question our patriotism.

As bin Laden would say in his deranged and fortunate dark fantasies that become reality, Allahu Akhbar, indeed.

Oh, what are the hints this was a gimmick?

Besides the fact it is obvious?

Hey, look documentation!

What a bunch of Tuckers!

Low expectations or screwball comedy?

The debate on Friday was to focus on Mr. McCain’s perceived strength, foreign policy. Mr. McCain had not planned to devote large blocks of time to debate practice as did Mr. Obama, who was holing up with a tight circle of advisers at a hotel in Clearwater, Fla., on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to prepare. Mr. McCain had a preparatory session on Wednesday afternoon at the Morgan Library in Manhattan, but advisers said it had been interrupted by his decision, announced immediately afterward, to suspend his campaign.

McCain: "I don't wanna do this anymore, let's come up with an excuse. Get to work on an excuse, one of you various and sundry Tuckers, I employ!"

Now this information was clearly leaked by either a disgruntled Tucker or a weaselly Tucker playing the expectations game. There are so many Tuckers it is hard to truly know.

Meanwhile, another random Tucker is weaseling to try to get Sarah Palin out of a debate, having accomplished the dubious feat of being outwitted by Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric. "Unprepared, non-vetted, patronized, shallow ideologues rock!"

Dumb Tuckers.

[cross-posted at Firedoglake]

Memo to Barack Obama

To: Barack Obama

From: res

Date: 09/24/08

RE: White House Meeting of 09/25/08

Take a tape measure. Measure Oval Office for new BLUE rug while Bush babbles incoherently and McBush takes his afternoon nap.

Cheap and Classless

McCain's latest stunts prove how utterly morally bankrupt he has become.  He has reduced himself and his campaign to pulling cheap stunts so he can avoid responsibility in answering questions about his role and the role of his advisors in destroying the economy under the guise of supposedly working on the economy. 

What an indescribable ass.

Golly

Yesterday McNuggets & his Bun were gallivanting about New York meeting various war criminals and has beens all to prove that like looking at Russia, ol' Sarah would just absorb wisdom faster than McCain's adult diaper.

Then he found out that all his poll numbers are in the shitter and dropping fast.

THEN, and only then, it was time for a grand stunt.

And that stunt was to avoid sinking even further into the abyss by avoiding having to deign Obama sharing a stage.

Country first, my ass.

McCAIN McFIRST

You're so vain

Oh, how lovely:

John McCain, whose ads skewer Barack Obama for his "celebrity" status, has his own close ties to show business, the new issue of Us Weekly reports exclusively.

The 72-year-old was recently made TV-ready by makeup artist Tifanie White who's worked on So You Think You Can Dance and American Idol.

McCain paid the 2002 beauty-school grad $5,583.43 for her services, according to the Federal Election Commission.

Mortuary Science, I tell ya' what a racket.

Cue the John Edwards $400 Haircut brigade.

New Person Available to be Bush's Economics Czar

It's almost as if he's been President the last 7 and a half years already!

Did McCain know about it, and when did he know?

Yes, indeed, this sums it up:

"John McCain's campaign manager and Freddie Mac essentially had what amounts to a secret half a million dollar lay-a-way plan. For almost three years and as late as last month, Freddie Mac made secret, monthly payments of $15,000 to Rick Davis's firm, apparently in exchange for providing special access to a future McCain White House. If McCain knew about this, his presidential campaign should be in serious trouble. If he didn't know about it, he ought to fire Rick Davis immediately," said David Donnelly, Director of Campaign Money Watch.

Heh, indeed

What do you know?

"We do not support government bailouts of private institutions. Government interference in the markets exacerbates problems in the marketplace and causes the free market to take longer to correct itself."

- Republican Party Platform, 2008

But It's Okay if You're a Republican...or a Rich Broker.

Whoopee!

Bush is happy the U.N. came through on his request they install a Sybian.

(Reuters)

Always have this handy

When Palin starts speaking in tongues.

(Reuters)

For access

So the McCain campaign insists Rick Davis did no lobbying for the on-going payments his firm got from Freddie Mac.

He got the money for nothing...

Other than the fact he was close to John McCain.

That's the ONLY reason.

So it is even worse than lobbying, it's money just to get a chance to tell the economically ignorant "Maverick" what should be done with groups like, say, Freddie Mac.

Most prostitutes don't cost $2 million, and they give you a hell of a lot more than a Ben-Gay scented manhug.

Kissinger hasn't been this aroused

Since Operation Menu. Where's that left hand going?

Meanwhile, Lindsey Graham looks on jealously from behind.*



*That's a lot of double entendres in one sentence. I'm a little winded.


picture REUTERS/Brian Snyder

That's not YouTube?

About a half-hour ago, I had the TV on with the sound off and thought I saw old May Day footage of the late Konstantin Chernenko.

But it turns out it was a John McCain news conference.

Sums it all up doesn't it?

(Getty | Chip Somodevilla)

Aw, Dammit, Atrios beat me to it.

"Tell me about your (West Virginia) Childhood..."

West Virginia (and Rhode Island) beat New York for Neuroticism? No way!

D.C. beats NYC for Openness? ("Hell yes, says Mark Foley!")

Atta, you may have lost the Ugly Building Battle, but you're beating the pants off us on the Agreeableness and Conscientiousness scales.

Good for CNN

Typical, but a worthy punishment:

Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who has not held a press conference in nearly four weeks of campaigning, on Tuesday banned reporters from her first meetings with world leaders, allowing access only to photographers and a television crew.

CNN, which was providing the television coverage for news organizations, decided to pull its TV crew, effectively denying Palin the high visibility she had sought.

Has anyone suggested calling her Sarah Potemkin yet?

How nice

It's take your running mate to work day!

I think we all look forward to Sarah Palin giving her condolences to Bono over his tragic skiing death.

And, of course, it leads me to repeat myself:

To Summertime Blues:

I'm a'gonna raise a fuss,
I'm a'gonna raise some dollars
I've been wankin' all summer
Just to try lie and slander
Well I went to Steve Schmidt
Said, 'I got a big date.
'Steve Schmidt said 'No dice, Gramps,
you gotta bloviate

Sometimes I wonder what I'm a'gonna do
But there ain't no cure 'cept sayin' I'm a P.O.W.

Well my mom and father told me
'Son you gotta join the Navy,
If you want to fly a jet
and crash it every other Sunday.'
Well I got back from the War
I told my first wife I wanted out
She said
'You and your heiress 'can go to Hell you fuckin' lout

Sometimes I wonder what I'm a'gonna do
But none of that matters, 'cuz I'm a P.O.W.!

Later this morning
This will be the situation
Gonna take this moron









To the United Nations
Well I'll go to the reporters
They'll said: 'We'd like to help you Mac,
And we sure could use a hug.'

Sometimes I wonder what I'm a'gonna do
But none of that matters, 'cuz I'm a P.O.W.!

The "tank" gets bigger

The lyin' bastard express keeps rollin':

(Bloomberg) -- The lobbying firm of the man Republicans say John McCain has chosen to begin planning a presidential transition earned more than a quarter of a million dollars this year representing Freddie Mac, one of the companies McCain blames for the nation's financial crisis.

Timmons & Co., whose founder and chairman emeritus is William Timmons Sr., was registered to lobby for Freddie Mac from 2000 through this month, when the federal government took over both Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.

Newly available congressional records show Timmons's firm received $260,000 this year before its lobbying activities were barred under terms of the government rescue of the failed mortgage giant.

That's the SAME you can believe in, my friends.

Via TPM

Apparently George Will

Is "in the tank" too:

McCain's smear -- that Cox "betrayed the public's trust" -- is a harbinger of a McCain presidency. For McCain, politics is always operatic, pitting people who agree with him against those who are "corrupt" or "betray the public's trust," two categories that seem to be exhaustive -- there are no other people...

...Conservatives who insist that electing McCain is crucial usually start, and increasingly end, by saying he would make excellent judicial selections. But the more one sees of his impulsive, intensely personal reactions to people and events, the less confidence one has that he would select judges by calm reflection and clear principles, having neither patience nor aptitude for either.

Knock yourself out...

Well the first debate between the two major party candidates is this Friday, with the "well-timed" subject of foreign policy. The Wall Street Journal gives us keen insight into how John McCain will prepare for the rumble until the stumble.

McCain "will spar this week in mock debates" with former Maryland lieutenant governor Michael Steele who will play Obama "and use many of his speaking patterns, tactics and body language."

Michael Steele? What are the odds? Were J.C. Watts and Ron Christie otherwise occupied?

But McCain has a secret preparation method:

On the day of the debate, McCain "will host a town-hall event and take a short nap"

He will be up past his normal bedtime after all.

[Cross-posted at Firedoglake]

It was bound to happen eventually

In a Nutshell...

I am constantly asked about Palin and I am simply tired of the attention that she is receiving from a media that is so damn concerned with creating a tight race rather than reporting the facts.  Because for the media it is far more important to make a better news story than truly examine what she actually may or may not contribute to the GOP ticket.

Regarding Palin, my assessment is that she is an undereducated, small town conservative and a religious ideologue who has not been burdened with the complexities of the larger world. Her own family experience should cause her to rethink some of her religious ideas such as "abstinence education".   She exudes the kind of simple minded certainty that the public interprets as strong conviction.  But it is a conviction coming from a place of ignorance rather than out of knowledge and depth.

Time Magazine last week had an article about Palin which describes her as representing the popular myth of the moral superiority of small town America. It is a mythology, often shown in Hollywood films and is essential to the GOP's vision of itself, that is hard for Obama to counteract with the media displaying it 24-7 on cable news programs that must generate something to "talk about" rather than simply deliver the facts and allow others to determine what they think, feel, and believe.  Whether or not the mythology is real is unimportant to the media.  People want the simulation not the reality.

The problem for McCain is that this myth is a hard sell during massive corporate welfare, military adventurism, fast creeping inflation at the stores and pumps.  So, in the end, Palin and her mythology becomes meaningless if her effort at a "real person" Reagan-like attempt at mythology dies on the vine.

Ouch!

Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow...


McCain's cavalier cluelessness bites him in the ass, big time.

Low blows get the Karmac Treatment

Ouch.

Having lied and lied and lied again about Obama's ties to the former President of Freddie Mac (the fact that it was false, undoubtedly overcome by the fact that Franklin Raines is a black guy), the NY Times reveals psychic justice. Not only did his campaign chair, Rick Davis make $2 million lobbying for Freddie Mac, the reason this is now coming to be reported is this:

Incensed by the advertisements, several current and former executives of the companies came forward to discuss the role that Rick Davis, Mr. McCain’s campaign manager and longtime adviser, played in helping Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac beat back regulatory challenges when he served as president of their advocacy group, the Homeownership Alliance, formed in the summer of 2000. Some who came forward were Democrats, but Republicans, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed their descriptions.

“The value that he brought to the relationship was the closeness to Senator McCain and the possibility that Senator McCain was going to run for president again,” said Robert McCarson, a former spokesman for Fannie Mae, who said that while he worked there from 2000 to 2002, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac together paid Mr. Davis’s firm $35,000 a month. Mr. Davis “didn’t really do anything,” Mr. McCarson, a Democrat, said.

So Freddie Mac paid Davis $2,000,000 because they wanted to be in the warm embrace of Huggy McEjector Seat.

That's hypocrisy you can believe in, my friends.

Pimp his rides

Al Giordano has a pictorial guide to John McCain's fleet of cars (I bet he feels its the ONE fleet he can proclaim himself an Admiral over).

Meanwhile

It appears the Bush Administration is taking the ham-handed approach in trying to stir up a war with another country that is nominally our ally.

How novel for them, huh?

Pakistani troops fired on two U.S. helicopters that intruded into Pakistani territory on Sunday night, forcing them to turn back to Afghanistan, a senior Pakistani security official said on Monday...

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari is due to meet President George W. Bush on Tuesday in the United States.

Well, that should be an interesting meeting. Maybe we can shake them down for some Wall Street Money?

U B S(crewed)

Awesome!

The prospect of being locked out of the bailout set off alarm bells among chief executives of overseas banks whose American affiliates also hold distressed mortgage-related assets, like Barclays and UBS. The original text provided access to the $700 billion bailout for any financial institution based in the United States.

As the day wore on, some raised their concerns with the Treasury Department...By Saturday evening, the language had been changed to allow any financial institution “having significant operations” in the United States.

Phil Gramm, of course, is the architect of McCain's response to the housing mortgage crisis (laughable as it was) this Spring, he may still be his Treasury Secretary nominee. He is also vice chairman of UBS's US division and a lobbyist for UBS.

Oh, well at least McCain didn't meet any of those Fanny Mae folks at a greeting line -- he just let them run his campaign.

Senator John McCain’s campaign manager was paid more than $30,000 a month for five years as president of an advocacy group set up by the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to defend them against stricter regulations, current and former officials say.

Like I said, awesome!

[cross posted at Firedoglake]

A tool talks to an asshole

Racism much?

“a Bush insider’s prescription” for how Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) can change the dynamics of presidential race. ...The tactics that got them to mid-September in a tie are not going to get them to 50 percent plus one in November. They need … an eye toward driving out the range of contrast that makes McCain different from Obama (action-oriented rhetoric v. grand prose; accessible v. uppity; humble servant of country v. arrogant).”

Elitist Watch

Whoops:

Newsweek wondered how many cars might be parked at the presidential candidate's multiple homes.

The weekly newsmagazine checked vehicle registration records for both McCain and Sen. Barack Obama and found that when you include the candidates' spouses, McCain owns 13 cars, Obama 1.

McCain has a 2004 Cadillac CTS, a 2007 half-ton Ford pickup truck, a 1960 Willys Jeep, a 2008 Jeep Wranger among other American cars. He's got a few foreign vehicles in his fleet as well, owning a 2005 Volkswagen convertible and a 2001 Honda sedan.

The only vehicle registered in Obama's name is a 2008 Ford Escape hybrid.

McCain's wife, Cindy, an heiress to a beer distribution company, has her name on 11 vehicles but actually only drives one car - a Lexus with the personal plates MS BUD.

"MS BUD"?

CLASSY!

Bad Scripts

I say this not to brag, but as a mere statement of the ease in which anyone can surpass her standards.

My skits, such as they are, are far superior to that of Ms. Dowds.

But once again, how could they not be?

Bad Bill

Moving right along with what DeDurkheim said below, the fact is that what Bush wants is a $700 billion blank check.

1. He's gotten those before, and look how that has worked out?

2. This will be the last straw before Congress becomes the Senate under the Caesars.

3. There is NO WAY the following group of individuals should NOT be punished for their malfeasance and allowed to have their stupid, if not criminal, decisions with your money, be saved by well, your money:

"A lot of those people will have to sell their homes, they're going to cut back on the private jets and the vacations. They may even have to take their kids out of private school," said Frank. "It's a total reworking of their lifestyle."

He added that it's going to be no easy task.

"It's going to be very hard psychologically for these people," Frank said. "I talked to one guy who had to give up his private jet recently. And he said of all the trials in his life, giving that up was the hardest thing he's ever done."

That needed accompaniment by the world's tiniest golden violin.

Death of the Rule of Law

Honestly, I am increasingly disgusted at this so-called bail out which is actually unprecedented levels of corporate charity?  When is the government going to help me with my credit card debt?  And remember that all of the changes the Bush administration made to the bankruptcy laws prevent the average American from seeking similar help.

According to Christopher Penn's blog on the economy the legislation on the massive bailout of corporate finance creates a frightening precedent:

Section 8

Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.

Commentary: Treasury Secretary Paulson has been made immune from prosecution and basically been given a blank check to do whatever he wants with regard to the government bailout. Congress has given the Treasury the legal right to say that whatever the Treasury does is the law, and therefore cannot break the law.

If this is accurate, we have a complete destruction of any real accountability.  Ah the Bush legacy... we can do whatever we want for corporations and nothing for the American people.  Again and again.

Newsflash!

White people are afraid of black people. Who knew?

Fournication

Good ol' Hack Ron Fournier looks at polling data on racial attitudes -- which indicate from beginning to end that the appalling results are most clearly appalling with regard to Republicans and somehow pronounces it Obama's problem with White Democrats.

That's awful journalism we can believe in have to deal with, my friends.

Lying sack o' shit

The McCain Campaign, being run by Karl Rove's acolytes is playing the usual method of the GOP, lying baldly and hoping to outrun the truth with their next lie. But they are particularly ham-handed. After lying about the connection of Obama and former Fannie Mae head Franklin Rains because of the "magical unified bond that exists between all black people", this stinging letter hits them between the eyes -- perhaps near the drooping left one of McCain [what's up with that btw?]:

It is an interesting card for Senator McCain to play, given that his campaign manager, Rick Davis, was paid by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac several hundred thousand dollars early in this decade to head up an organization to lobby in their behalf called The Homeownership Alliance. ...

I worked in government relations for Fannie Mae for more than 20 years, leading the group for most of those years. When I see photographs of Sen. McCain's staff, it looks to me like the team of lobbyists who used to report to me. Senator McCain's attack on Senator Obama is a cheap shot, and hypocritical.

Sincerely,

William Maloni
Fannie Mae Senior Vice President for Government and Industry Relations (1983-2004)

Thanks for playing...

"Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less burdened by the worst excesses of state-based regulation."

- The immortal words of John McCain, Presidential Contender, statement made just this month.

It looks like they'll really have to unleash some grade A bullshit now.

About Face

Reading today's op-ed this morning from Krugman, made me wonder at what moment did the GOP decide that government was the solution to economic problems?

Is it just because the problems cannot be ignored that the Republicans have turned their attention away from the severely deluded Reagan line that 'government' is the problem?  Because it seems to me that they now are using government as an instrument -- a tool to attempt to repair the consequences of deregulation. 

And when one considers the social policies of the GOP, they have thought for quite some time that government is a means to advance their agenda on so-called 'family values.'

So, which is it Republicans?  Because it is hypocritical to say one thing and do another.

Fitting for 'Talk Like a Pirate Day'

Especially given recent financial events:

Attention Media

And attention Obama Campaign, let's make this plain statement, plainly known:

"The fundamentals of our economy are strong," John McCain said as Wall Street went into white-knuckle panic over diving investor confidence. Does he believe that? It doesn't really matter, because the Republican has outsourced his economic policy to the ideologues whose opposition to regulations brought the financial markets to their knees.

McCain's former economic adviser is ex-Texas Sen. Phil Gramm. On Dec. 15, 2000, hours before Congress was to leave for Christmas recess, Gramm had a 262-page amendment slipped into the appropriations bill. It forbade federal agencies to regulate the financial derivatives that greased the skids for passing along risky mortgage-backed securities to investors.

And that, my friends, is why everything's falling apart. That is why the taxpayers are now on the hook for the follies of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Bear Stearns and now the insurance giant AIG to the tune of $85 billion.

On Monday, McCain issued a tough-talk statement that he was "glad" that the feds "have said no to using taxpayer money to bail out Lehman Brothers, a position I have spoken about throughout this campaign." On Tuesday, the government did the daddy of all bailouts. It took over AIG, fearing its bankruptcy could set off a cataclysmic chain of events.

And do you know where the problems lay at AIG? They weren't in its main insurance business. They were in its derivatives-trading unit.

Last February, Fortune Magazine called Gramm "McCain's Econ Brain." Gramm lost the official title of economic adviser for making an impolitic remark about this being "a nation of whiners." But Gramm's belief in letting speculators do as they please was never an issue. And even after he left the campaign, Gramm had been mentioned as a possible treasury secretary in a McCain administration.

(pic from here)

My Fair Warcrime

Inspired by a pathetically true story!

(To "The Rain in Spain" from My Fair Lady)

Professor Huggy: Now, once again from where do our bombs rain?

Sarah: From the planes!

Colonel Rove: From the planes! And where do we send those planes?

Sarah: To Spain! To Spain!

All three: Bombs do rain on Spain, strikes mainly from our planes!
The bombs do rain on Spain mainly from our planes!

Sarah: How kind of you to let me bomb!

Professor Huggy: Now once again, from where do bombs rain?

Sarah:From a plane! Sent by McCain!

Professor Huggy: And what's that blasted by that plane?

Sarah: It's Spain! It's Spain!

All Three: Bombs do rain on Spain mainly from our planes!
Bombs do rain on Spain with strikes ordered by McCain!

Colonel Rove: By Rove, I think she's got it!

Breaking News

Overnight it appears that the S.E.C. has us by the "shorts".

But what of the "curlies"?

Sums it up

This rant from BigBearJohn was at D.U. and Aravosis has now posted it up, here's a portion of it:

Your Bush/McCain world view,

How many times do we have to hear:

We don't have ENOUGH MONEY to fix Social Security.
We don't have ENOUGH MONEY to fix Medicare.
We don't have ENOUGH MONEY to provide health care to ALL Americans.
We don't have ENOUGH MONEY to help out Americans losing their homes.
We don't have ENOUGH MONEY to help all our veterans returning from war.
We don't have ENOUGH MONEY to rescue "no child left behind".

BUT...

We DO HAVE ENOUGH MONEY to bail out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
We DO HAVE ENOUGH MONEY to bail out Bears Stearns.
We DO HAVE ENOUGH MONEY to bail out AIG.
We DO HAVE ENOUGH MONEY to pay for an unnecessary TRILLION DOLLAR war.

When the LITTLE GUY needs help, they scornfully say, "GET A JOB!"
But when one of their BIG GUY CRONIES need a bailout, what do they say? SURE, NO PROBLEM. Where's the checkbook?

It's just a fleshwound

Yesterday, after LITERALLY taking action to prevent her house from being foreclosed upon (you cannot make this shit up) White House Spokesmodel Dana Perino kept insisting what was going on was a mere "market correction".

If it is just a "market correction" why are we about to spend $600 billion all-totaled correcting it?

Hey right-wing assholes

Most particularly McCain's chosen intellectual splooge monkey, Michael Goldfarb.

Remember when you slandered Private Scott Beauchamp's stories about abuse in Iraq by quoting this:

My soldiers conduct is consistently honorable. This soldier has other underlining issues which I’m sure will come out in the course of the investigation. No one at any of the post we live at or frequent, remotely fit the descriptions of any of the persons depicted in this young man’s fairy tale.
- 1st Sgt. Hatley

Well, guess what ol' Sgt. Hatley and his "consistently honorable" soldiers under his command have been up to and WHO has the "underlying issues" :

A U.S. soldier who admitted involvement in the shooting of detainees in Iraq early last year has been sentenced to seven months in jail and will be dishonorably discharged, the army said on Thursday.

Specialist Belmor Ramos, 23, pleaded guilty at a court martial in Germany to charges of conspiracy to commit premeditated murder. He agreed to testify in the trials of other soldiers involved, the army said in a statement.

Ramos was present when four unarmed, handcuffed and blindfolded Iraqi detainees were allegedly shot dead near a canal in Baghdad in March or April 2007.

Three other U.S. soldiers have been identified by witnesses as the shooters: Sergeant First Class Joseph P. Mayo, the platoon sergeant, Sergeant Michael P. Leahy Jr., a senior medic and an acting squad leader, and First Sergeant John E. Hatley.

Criminal charges have been filed against Hatley, Mayo and Leahy, as well as against Staff Sergeant Jess Cunningham, Sergeant Charles Quigley .

As John Cole notes, Beauchamp is still in the army, apparently still in Iraq, and still serving his nation honorably.

His slanderers, not so much.

Michael Goldfarb is getting the filthy lucre wanking for John McCain's campaign.

Says something about the ol' Maverick doesn't it?