Barack Obama's Change Ad - Obama Talks About Changing Washington

Senator Obama's latest ad features him talking to America, which I think is the best approach. He's telling what he brings to the White House.

Charles Krauthhammer Wrong On Obama Again. Forgot About Iraq War

In his latest column, conservative columnist Charles Krauthhammer writes that Senator Barack Obama's rise was not based on any policy position but on this...

Obama's meteoric rise was based not on issues -- there was not a dime's worth of difference between him and Hillary on issues -- but on narrative, on eloquence, on charisma.

Charles, I'm chuckling.  You forgot that the many issue Barack Obama gained notice for was his opposition to the war in Iraq.   If you need a reminder, here's a 2002 interview on the war on Iraq:





In fact, Obama, who was then in the Illinois Legislature, showed a great grasp of the issues surrounding the Iraq War at that time.

Todd Palin, Gov. Sarah Palin's Husband, Subpoena By Alaska's Legislature

In a stunning move that points to the number of political enemies Alaska's Governor Sarah Palin may have created for herself in her less-than-two-years as Governor of that state, the Alaska Legislature voted to Subpoena her husband Todd in the ongoing investigation of her possible abuse of power in the firing of the public safety director of the State of Alaska. The event was not without its colorful events:

Sen. Charlie Huggins, a Republican from Palin's hometown of Wasilla, appeared in camouflage pants on a short break from moose hunting to cast his vote. He lamented the political maneuvering that he saw as trying to interfere with the investigation.

"I see all this duck-foot action under the water," Huggins said. "Let's just get the facts on the table.

The Palin Administration is threatening to block the Subpoena, which can only bring more scrutiny to this entire story. It also calls into question Governor Palin's own claims of supporting open government because of this apparent attempt to block the flow of information on this matter of the abuse of power. But Palin's staff writes they will make themselves available if there's no subpoena:

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Gov. Sarah Palin's administration is threatening legal action to block any subpoenas by the Alaska Legislature as part of its investigation into whether she abused her authority in trying to have her former brother-in-law fired as a state trooper.

In a letter to lawmakers, an assistant attorney general on wrote that the administration was prepared to go to court to quash the subpoenas of Department of Administration staff if they're issued as expected Friday. The investigation, known as "Troopergate," took on new significance after Sen. John McCain, the GOP presidential nominee, selected Palin as his running mate.

However, the letter also suggested that if lawmakers agree that the governor has legal authority to designate staff to review confidential personnel files, the staff members will voluntarily speak with the Legislature's investigator—no subpoenas necessary.

Palin is Wrong on Former VP Credentials - Fact Check

During her interview with ABC News Thursday, Sarah Palin attempted to deflect a question about the fact she has never met head of state by saying that "many" other vice presidential nominees in history hadn't met a head of state either. She was mistaken. Every vice presidential nominee over the last 30 years had met a foreign head of state.

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John McCain and his Blizzard of LIES

This year, the McCain campaign keeps making assertions that anyone with an Internet connection can disprove in a minute. These stories have two things in common: they ’re all claims recently made by the McCain campaign — and they’re all out-and-out lies.

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U.S. Government Helping to Arrange Sale of Lehman Brothers

The Federal Reserve and Treasury are actively helping Lehman Brothers put itself up for sale, and officials are hoping a deal will be in place this weekend before Asian markets open on Monday, according to sources familiar with the matter.

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McCain On The View, Grilled On Roe v Wade

He was grilled on Sarah Palin, his Obama sex-ed for kids attack ads, his view on Roe v. Wade, the separation of church and state and more.

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Personal Attacks

If you took the Republican party at its word, you'd have to believe that they have no sense of reality. In politics, of course, it seems that folks rarely speak the truth. Spin rules and reality luks somewhere under the couch cushions with the pennies and popcorn kernels.

Today, the Obama campaign released a spot emphasizing that McCain is out of touch, but speaking nothing but the facts: he can't use a computer (completely relevant in the Internet age and world of cyber-terrorism), doesn't know much about the economy, and puts a heavier emphasis on corporate tax cuts than helping the middle class. I'm having a problem seeing how these attacks are "personal." Personal attacks are the ones like the despicable recent attack levied against Obama by the McCain camp; the attack which digustingly distorted his record on education reform to make it seem as though he wanted to teach Kindergarteners about sex instead of how to protect themselves against predators. That's personal.

Obama's response to McCain's nasty ad was also personal. In the response, the Obama camp questioned McCain's honor, saying, "Last week, John McCain told Time magazine he couldn’t define what honor was. Now we know why." While the Obama camp may have interpreted that truth (McCain actually told the interviewer to go read the five books he wrote to get his answer), it was essentially the truth. Stating it the way they did, though, does seem a bit personal. The Obama camp, however, had every right to be outraged.

According to the AP, "A spokesman for the Republican National Committee, Alex Conant, accused Obama of 'trying to destroy' McCain and running mate Sarah Palin with personal attacks." How this ad does anything to Sarah Palin is beyond me. And how speaking the truth about McCain is a personal attack stretches the definition. But this is politics, spin is spin. It's going to be a long 52 days.

Cross posted to AshPolitics

California Unemployment Insurance Fund Going Broke - Economy Failing

It's one thing to have people out of work and drawing unemployment, but it's more terrible to be in a position where that unemployment insurance fund is running out of money.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle today the California unemployment insurance fund is running out of money and will have to borrow from the Federal Government for the first time since the 1930s.  The projected deficit for 2009 is $1.6 billion.  

To make matters worse, not just California but 18 other states may find their unemployment insurance funds in deficit, including New York, Ohio, Michigan and Missouri.   

"We Are Out Here" - Republicans Speak Truth to McCain's Lies

We are out here - the Republicans or ex-Republicans who will no longer tolerate the racist, despicable slime machine that the right wing and the John McCain-Sarah Palin campaign has become.

One such Republican penned an article at Daily KOS - a place I seldom send people to read, because it has been so staunchly partisan. Yet this story merits the visit:

I know, for I am one of them. I am not your typical progressive, being an ex-Air Force officer (9 years), evangelical Christian, card carrying conservative...

Is this election going to be about lies, and distortions, or issues?

It's Obama's tax plan that favors over 90% of this country's families and voters, whereas McCain's tends to give money to the wealthiest.

It's Obama who wants to fix Health Care, whereas McCain says changes Obama proposes will reduce our choices and put bureaucrats in charge of our medical decisions. Has McCain never dealt with insurance company bureaucrats who control our health care already, making decisions based on profit not medical advice?

If McCain's all about choices in health care, why does he want to remove choice when it comes to women's reproductive health, and return us to the dangerous day of back-alley abortions?

Obama and Biden want to keep the government out of religious matters, whereas McCain's selected a rookie governor who wants to be able to ban books, and as a Mayor charged victims for rape kits if they reported the crime. That's not the kind of maverick outlook the Alaska State legislature condoned - in response they passed a law insuring victims weren't charged.

If John McCain really wants to campaign with dignity, what's up with all those ads? Is that conduct becoming of a senior Senator, let alone a candidate for the White House? Let's ask him:

Whatever became of "Do unto others," Senator McCain? Either you're outright lying about your intent, totally out of touch as James Carville suggested, or simply unable to control teh GOP and your lobbyists & campaign staff. Meanwhile Senator, your campaign seeks to divert us and the media from all these issues by manufacturing outrage over lines you've used yourself?

America, our moment is now. It's time to get past Red and Blue states, it's time to reclaim our former greatness, to reform DC, and start coping with the mess Bush has made of our economy, our housing markets, and our international reputation.

Obama for America.

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Palin Would Attack Russia - ABC News Interview

In released text of the interview with ABC's Charlie Gibson, Alaska Governor and GOP Vice Presidential Cadidate Sarah Palin was led into an answer regarding the U.S. involvement in the Russian / Georgian conflict that revealed her lack of gravitas in thinking about and discussing foreign policy issues.  

Palin pointed to the need to attack Russia as an option.  But in fairness, Palin quickly backpedaled to explain that other forms of punish

Give Gibson credit for leading Palin rather than outright challenging her in a way that the McCain camp could consider sexist or bullying.  He showed that he's a real pro.  

Here's the text: 

9/11 - Remembering September 11th Today

This is what I remember about "9-11" -- the day that the World Trade Center was destroyed due to a terrorist attack by what we now know and call the Al Qiada terrorist group. I was living in Oakland, Ca at the time.