John McCain, re Obama not voting for a "partial-birth abortion" ban because it didn't include exceptions for the health and life of the mother:

Just again, the example of the eloquence of Sen. Obama. He's health for the mother. You know, that's been stretched by the pro-abortion movement in America to mean almost anything.

That's the extreme pro-abortion position, quote, "health."

Wow. Just... wow. The health of an adult woman in distress is an "extreme pro-abortion" concern. And that's not taken out of context. (Here's the transcript for proof.)

I can only infer that McCain's been spending so much time courting the religious right that he's completely internalized their shorthand.

But, then, this is the guy who keeps pushing employer-based health coverage even as unemployment rates rise. And he also seems to think that tax credits for employees to go out and shop for coverage are going to keep prices down. Those of us who have had to deal directly with health insurance companies can tell you what's likelier to happen: Rates will go up, because the insurance companies will smell extra money. The proposed tax credit won't cover comprehensive plans as it is.

It's obvious that John McCain hasn't ever had to shop for health insurance, or look for a job. Of course he hasn't: He's worked for the military and the federal government for almost all his working life. But the rest of us, who've worked for private companies, don't always have it so easy. (Which is not imply that it's easy to work for the military or the government, just that you don't have to worry quite so much about health coverage when you do.)

Obama is right that the American taxpayers are already paying for a lot of people's care, so we might as well make it work. John McCain apparently thinks that health care -- and possibly health itself -- is a liberal luxury.

Wow.

(P.S.: I still love you if you agree with what John McCain had to say. But I'd appreciate it if you could explain it to me, because I really can't come up with any plausible justification.)

I was having a nice little birthday walk along the beach today (distinguishable from all my other nice little walks along the beach only because of the date - I do love this corner of the world), idly wondering if I'd learned anything over the past year.

I was almost back to my car when I spotted a flash of green and black, hovering just over the surface of an empty parking lot. It was a kite, and there was a guy on Rollerblades who was trying to get that kite aloft. The fact that there was only the slightest breeze did not deter him. He'd speed across the lot, and the kite would billow and go up, just a little. He'd stop, and it would go down. He'd look at the kite, not the least bit frustrated, and he'd turn around, and head back across the lot, and the kite would fitfully skim over the asphalt as long as he was moving. And then he'd stop and turn around again. He was still at it when I left.

And that's when I realized what I learned this year:

Assuming they're not going to lead to obvious and immediate harm, it's okay to do futile things and make bad decisions. Because if you don't, how do you know you're really alive?

That, and Flash.

Dear Gov. Palin,

Bush Twins Party Hour is a work of satire, not intended to be used as a template for answering questions posed in debates and interviews. That said, I'm impressed by your ingenuity. I'd be even more impressed by a shout-out. If you can say hi to your brother's class during a debate, you can certainly give your character inspiration a little plugerooney. It makes great filler when you've used up all your memorized talking points and other people are talking about stuff that you didn't study at debate camp.

Thanks,
Rose

For all the economists out there -- especially those connected with the Bush administration, but a whole lot of others, too:

Unemployment's on the rise, stocks are in freefall, the social safety net looks more shredded every day, and the government keeps trying to bail out entire industries with money that may or may not exist.

How are we not in a recession?

Really. I'm curious.

Okay, Senator. I realize that having thrown your lot in with the religious right - the self-proclaimed "base" of the Republican party - you have to throw in their favorite phrases every now and then. That's how it works. So, fine: Talk about the "culture of life" all you want, and let people interpret the vague statement depending on their individual views.

But would you please stop talking about "legislating from the bench"?

The judicial branch can't legislate from the bench. They can't legislate, period. They can only look at legislation and decide whether or not it complies with the Constitution. It's up to the other branches of government to enforce the decision and/or change the Constitution.

I'm having a hard time considering you a legitimate candidate when you keep casting doubt on whether you've actually read that Constitution you've sworn to uphold.

It's entirely possible that you'll ignore this. After all, I'm just some tree-hugging Democrat -- clearly not the audience for whom you're reciting lines. You do what you're going to do. I'll vote for the guy who's done the required reading.

I've been poking away at assessments of both major candidates' VP picks, slated to be posted at rose-knows.net in the next day or two.

I keep getting sidetracked. Something's bothering me about the whole thing.

At first, I thought it might be Obama picking Joe Biden over me. But that's not it: If Barack wasn't going to go with me for the reasons I laid out, then most other sets of priorities do point straight to Biden.

Then I realized that the unease had set in right after John McCain announced that Sarah Palin was his running mate -- when his campaign started sending out that very clear message that disaffected Hillary Clinton supporters should vote for their ticket for the sole reason that John McCain had picked a female running mate.

Um. Wow. I think I'm kind of insulted.

As it happens, I voted for Obama in the primaries. But I'm still offended by the notion that a candidate's campaign things so little of a huge chunk of the electorate that they'll try to entice those people to vote for a ticket with views diametrically opposed to theirs -- first, because Obama didn't pick a woman; and, second, because McCain did.

The pick of Sarah Palin was clearly reverse-engineered by looking at the groups of likely Republican voters whose support for the candidate wasn't quite up to historical levels: Her voting record is right in line with what the evangelical community likes to see; she's a gun-owning mom with a kid in the military; and she's, y'know, a chick. Obviously, it was more important to fill in the demographic gaps than it was to pick someone qualified for the job. (Maybe I'm being overly snarky, but I've been on a job hunt of my own long enough to know that in the real world, her resume never would have made it past screening.)

You know who else is probably feeling kind of insulted? Parents of kids with Down syndrome. Sarah Palin's decision to go ahead and have a kid is being hailed by certain segments of the evangelical community as the greatest, bravest, most amazing decision ever. That clearly implies that people with Down syndrome are somehow "undesirable," so undesirable that people who are staunchly anti-abortion have a stack of "Get out of hell free" cards at the ready for just such occasions.

I don't know. Maybe I'm being overly sensitive.

I am, after all, a woman. You know us chicks.

Apparently, we're all the same.

...Okay, rant over. More sober assessment to follow on Rose Knows.

Hi Barack -

You probably have a lot of notes to get through, so I'll get straight to the point. I just heard that you're taking Joe with you to Denver. That's not why I'm writing. I'm sure you two will have a good time.

I'm writing because I think it was really cheesy of you not to tell me in person. Instead, I had to find out by text message in the middle of the night, like everyone else.

I don't know, maybe you didn't see my note. I guess it's possible that you had so many people inviting you to invite them to Denver that you missed mine. Except I know you're hyper-organized, so it's hard for me to think that you didn't file my note in alphabetical order with the rest of them. My last name starts with an A, and I know that if you were looking at the Bs and Cs then you had to have seen it. Plus, mine had glitter stickers. How can you miss something with glitter stickers?

So, yeah, I'm a little miffed. But in case you're worried about it, I'm not all that mad. I'll still vote for you for president of the January Ball, because I think you'll do much better than John would, and, anyway, you're cuter. I'll still be here in case you need me to help, which you might if that thing about Joe comes out. (What "thing about Joe"? Exactly. You heard nothing from me.) Call me or text me if you need me to talk to Hillary, or if Joe is totally boring you.

g/g - ttfn,
Rose

P.S. Tell Michelle I said hi.

To: Obama campaign vice presidential search committee (attn: Caroline Kennedy and Eric Holter)
From: Rose
Re: Availability

I'm a bit concerned. It's already August, mere weeks from the Democratic National Convention, and I still haven't heard from you.

Perhaps you missed my previous announcement, in which I declared my availability as a presidential running mate. Understandable; it was a while ago. Since then, I have become increasingly convinced of the importance of the importance of returning to the letter and spirit of the Constitution by choosing a vice president who does very nearly nothing. I'm kind of a workaholic, so it would be hard for me, but I can be idle for the good of my country.

I know you've considered every prominent Democrat -- and a few prominent Republicans -- in your search. It must be awfully tiring. You have a lot of factors to consider. Going by Senator Obama's recent appearance on Meet the Press, I honestly think I might be just what the Democratic ticket needs. And picking me now means that you can still enjoy a few weeks of summer.

From the interview:

I'm going to want somebody with integrity; I'm going to want somebody with independence, who's willing to tell me where he thinks or she thinks I'm wrong; and I'm, I'm going to want somebody who shares a vision of the country where we need to go, that we've got to fundamentally change not only our policies, but how our politics works, how business is done in Washington.

Integrity. I have integrity. The fact that absolutely no one will come forward to say otherwise should not be construed as proof to the contrary. I'm trustworthy; I do my best to follow through on my promises; and I have a compulsive's work ethic, especially if what I'm working on pays overtime.

Telling the President when he thinks he's wrong? As anyone who's ever been wrong within my earshot can tell you, that's not a problem. But I do try to do it nicely.

And I'm totally on board with the changing and the vision and the hope and all that stuff.

I think the most important thing from my perspective is somebody who can help me govern.

Oh, you mean a project manager? I'm sometimes a project manager! I'm pretty good at taking a vague proposal and turning it into something that makes sense, and I'm just awesome at telling people what to do.

Also, I know how politics work. I'm a bona-fide Student Congress trophy-winner. I haven't moved the previous question since high school, but I'm sure it will all come back to me that one time in four years that I have to show up at the Senate for something other than the State of the Union address.

I want somebody who I'm compatible with, who I can work with, who has a shared vision, who certainly complements me in the sense that they provide a knowledge base or an area of, of expertise that can be useful.

As it happens, I hold a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies. The whole country is my area of expertise.

Anyway, haven't you heard? Rose Knows!

Because we're going to have a lot of problems and a lot of work to do, and I'm not interested in a vice president who I just send off to go to funerals. I want somebody who's going to be able to roll up their sleeves and really do some work.

This is where I think we might have some philosophical differences. Going to funerals is a form of sitting around and doing nothing, which is the number one duty of the Vice President. But, let's face it, I'm kind of a workaholic. I bet I can come up with some way to get a lot of work done while maintaining a facade of idleness. Oh, I know! I'll work on the White House web site. If any reporters or informants walk by my office, I'll pull up a solitaire game. That should throw them right off.

...I think Hillary Clinton would be on anybody's short list. She, she is one of the most effective, intelligent, courageous leaders that we have in the Democratic Party.

Dude. Except for my occasional tendency to start statements with "Dude," I am exactly the kind of voter that Hillary Clinton was after. I'm a white, middle-class woman hit hard by the recession. If the die-hard Hillary supporters can't have her, I bet they'd be willing to take a look at me. Because I'm just like them. Only with better hair.

In the Democratic primaries, older voters were more likely to vote for Hillary than younger voters. I can help you there, too. See, grandmas love me. Doesn't matter what their race, ethnicity, religion, class, geographic area, political affiliation or shoe size is -- they love me. Even the ones who don't like my positions will love me for trying.

So we know what the candidate's looking for. How about the voters? Luckily, Slate.com has taken a poll. You'll notice that the word that jumps out from both the Democratic and Republican tag clouds is "experience".

Experience. I am not inexperienced in politics. I've been raising my voice since I had a voice to raise. I just don't have any experience being elected to anything besides political theory debate panels in college. But look at it this way: Next to me, Barack Obama would look incredibly experienced and distinguished. Problem addressed.

I'd also be a great help in fighting the smears against Senator Obama. Take the persistent rumor that Obama is a Muslim (not that there's anything wrong with that). I'm Jewish. The people who "know" that Barack Obama is Muslim are the same people who "know" that all Muslims hate Jews. By picking me, you're proving to that small but vocal population that he's really, really not Muslim. (Not that there would be anything wrong with that.) As for the other rumors, they're pretty easily provable or disprovable with a little Googling. I am a Google goddess. (In a non-pagan sense. Not that there's anything wrong with goddesses in the pagan sense.) Bring 'em on.

Now, I'm not perfect. I sometimes take too long to return emails, I talk about baseball too much, and I'm perhaps a bit too fond of karaoke. But you won't find any mistake for which I haven't apologized, no matter how hard you dig. And there will be digging, because some reporters are going to decide that my squeaky-clean public record indicates that I have something to hide. Even if I did (and I'm not saying I do, but doesn't everyone say that?), any incidents they find would be well within the law.

I am currently available for interviews and photo sessions. Please feel free to contact me through this blog. I look forward to hearing from you. I can't wait to detail my plans for turning Dick Cheney's man-sized safe into a craft supply closet.

Enjoy August in the Hamptons!

Given the current state of the economy, I'd think that any sort of entertainment hub-type neighborhood might want to encourage people to come out and spend money.

So why does it keep getting harder and harder to find free or cheap parking in Hollywood?

Summertime is time for new episodes of Bush Twins Party Hour! Be the first kid on your block to see what we've been up to this year:

- Find out how we got the Bush Party started in The Bushy Bunch
- Check out exclusive videos from Jenna's bachelorette party month, with some very special guests
- Get more presidential with Extreme Bush Makeover
- See how First Lady Laura Bush sends her daughters off on the campaign trail
- Put your knowledge of the family's misdeeds to the test in Bush Family Scandal!

Where will the trail take us? To the summer's hottest events, of course. You'd expect any less? Reports are coming in, and we'll let you know just as soon as they've cleared Secret Service.

Check us out at:
bushtwinspartyhour.com
www.myspace.com/bushtwinspartyhour