Well, it's Saturday, so yes folks, my time to get political (hey - at least a little!)

So I think the Republicans had a pretty good week.  Obama's bounce is gone; his speech from the Obamopolis is forgotten, and like Sarah Palin says, the styrofoam columns (almost as phony as he is) have been returned to some movie set.

The latest Democrat talking point?  John McCain is a Washington insider . . .  so why expect change?

heh - as Powerlineblog says . . .  FEEBLE!!!

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives2/2008/09/021437.php

Today's headline in the Washington Post was:

McCain Accepts GOP Nomination: 'Change is Coming,' Veteran Senator Says, Emphasizing Commitment to Putting Interests of Country Before Party

Is the reference to McCain as a "veteran Senator" an attempt to suggest that there's a disconnect when a Washington fixture trumpets change? I wouldn't be surprised.

This, in any case, is the Democrats' latest talking point, and one of their most foolish. It's obviously fallacious to claim that because Congress has both loath to enact reform, a given member of Congress is not a reformer. When one considers McCain's record, the claim as applied to him is absurd.

Thus, John Podhoretz suggests the following response to Barack Obama's question of McCain: where have you been for 26 years:

Here's where I have been. I changed campaign-finance law. I changed telecommunications law. I took on the tobacco companies when other Republicans wouldn't. I took on the cable companies when they wouldn't let people choose what channels they might want to watch. I saw a standoff in the Senate on confirming judges and I changed a standoff into a bipartisan agreement. I took on the earmarks and the Bridge to Nowhere and the breaks for oil companies you, Obama, voted for in 2005. And I helped change the war in Iraq from a defeat into what appears to be a victory. Where have you been for 26 years?

JOHN adds: There really is no case to be made for the go along/get along careerist, Barack Obama. McCain will win, and it won't be particularly close.

PAUL adds: I hope so. McCain needs to start using John Podhoretz's line, with that kind of specificity, and pounding it home.

To comment on this post, go here.

Posted by Paul at 9:26 PM  |    |  

So I'm on the way in to work this morning, checking out a couple projects and I happen to hear Redbeard on LoneStar 92.5 with his "In the Studio" show.  He's featuring Little Feat's new album, "Join the Band"

http://www.amazon.com/Join-Band-Little-Feat/dp/B0019OP0KG/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1220718785&sr=8-1

Nothing short of amazing.

They've got an all star line-up of stars who "Join the Band" to sing with them, including: Dave Matthews, Jimmy Buffet, Emmylou Harris, Sam Bush, Vince Gill, Bob Seger, Bela Fleck and Chris Robinson.

It will be in my CD player by the end of the day.

From HotAir.com

http://hotair.com/archives/2008/09/06/the-recycled-flags-of-the-dncc/

The Recycled Flags of the DNCC

posted at 12:00 pm on September 6, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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Democrats brought out tens of thousands of American flags to Invesco Field, saluting Barack Obama as he spoke from the Styrofoam columns of the Barackopolis at the conclusion of the Democratic convention.  Perhaps some of them took the flags home as souvenirs, but where did the rest go?  According to David Harsanyi, they went into the trash — and would have gone to a landfill, except for a worker at Invesco who rescued them from the dumpsters:

This morning, Republicans tell me that a worker at Invesco Field in Denver saved thousands of unused flags from the Democratic National Convention that were headed for the garbage. Guerrilla campaigning. They will use these flags at their own event today in Colorado Springs with John McCain and Sarah Palin.

Before McCain speaks today, veterans will haul these garbage bags filled with flags out onto the stage — with dramatic effect, no doubt — and tell the story.

Didn't anyone make arrangements for better disposal of these flags from Invesco?  At the very least, they were an investment that could have been re-used at rallies in Colorado as well as the rest of the nation during the general election.  Instead, they've handed a dramatic moment to John McCain and Sarah Palin, as well as relieved them of the cost of 12,000 such flags — as well as a full 3′x5′ flag that also wound up in the trash.

Remember when the DNCC was supposed to be the "greenest convention ever"?  How they worried about the color of the food and using organic materials in their merchandise?  I guess we can see where the "green" concern ends … at red, white, and blue.

Still … I hope the RNCC did a better job rescuing discarded flags at the Xcel Center.

Update: If you want to know how to properly dispose of flags, you can check the US Flag Code. If you're still confused, contact your local American Legion or VFW, and they will help you dispose of them.  (h/t: Indythinker in comments)

Yep - you can tell Obama knows he's in trouble. . .

From HotAir.com

http://hotair.com/archives/2008/09/05/guess-which-card-obama-pulled-out-of-the-deck-today/

Guess which card Obama pulled out of the deck today?

posted at 3:30 pm on September 5, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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With both Rasmussen and Gallup showing Barack Obama moving backwards even before the Republican Convention dropped its balloons on Andrea Mitchell, one can excuse the Democratic nominee for hearing footsteps.   How desperate has he gotten?  Looks like he's playing the race card once again:

"I know that I'm not your typical presidential candidate," Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., told executives and employees of the Schott glass company Friday afternoon, "and I just want to be honest with you. I know that."

"And I know that the temptation is to say, 'You know what? …The guy hasn't been there that long in Washington.,' You know, 'he's got funny name,' You know, 'we're not sure about him,'" Obama continued. "And that's what the Republicans, when they say, 'This isn't about issues, it's about personalities,' what they're really saying is, 'We're going to try to scare people about Barack. So we're going to say that you know, maybe he's got Muslim connections or we're going to say that, you know, he hangs out with radicals or he's not patriotic.'

Once again, Obama has resorted to a smear campaign against the McCain campaign.  They have never –never — even hinted that Obama has "Muslim connections".  They have never made even a slight attempt to make his race an issue, despite this fourth repeat of this particular smear.  Neither has the RNC nor any mainstream Republicans.  In fact, the McCain campaign let go one staffer who only Twittered a link to a Jeremiah Wright video earlier this year.

If Obama wants to argue that some misdirected bloggers have made these kind of attacks, he might have a point.  But by that standard, the Democrats have attacked Bristol Palin, smeared Sarah Palin about the maternity of her youngest child, and questioned the mental capacity of John McCain.  If Obama wants to start making these kinds of accusations, then maybe he ought to get his own house in order first.

That's not the only data point of desperation today, either:

Sen. Barack Obama ditched his normal languid cool today, punching back at Gov. Sarah Palin as he spoke with reporters in York, Pa, hotly defending his work as a community organizer. He said he assumes Palin "wants to be treated same way guys want to be treated, which means their records are under scrutinty. I've been through this for 19 months. She's been through it, what four days?"

Obama's hackles were clearly raised by Palin's dismissal of his community organizing –a response to his earlier dismissal of her record as a small-town mayor. "Why would that kind of work be ridiculed?" Obama said. "Who are they fighting for?" The idea that community organizing is not relevant to the presidency, he said, just shows why Republicans "are out of touch and don't get it."

The Obama campaign was clearly on the defensive today, acknowledging how appealing Palin came across, and sending out surrogates hitting their talking points that Republicans have spent their time on attacks rather than substance.

Says the man who keeps calling John McCain the same as George Bush.  There's a word for a man who can dish it out but can't take it.  I'll leave it to you to reach your own conclusions.

This is TOO GOOD!

From floppingaces.net

the link:  http://www.floppingaces.net/2008/08/29/message-to-obama-camp-reader-post/more-7394

On this day, 29 Aug 2008.

Let it be known that upon the announcement of Governor Sarah Palin as Senator John McCain's Vice Presidential choice, the Obama dream of a socialist America, is finished.

FINISHED.

Advice to Obama:

Notify the Kos and Media Matters turds to start the attacks.

Go home and update your resume to reflect a failed run for president.

Figure out how your going to pay George Soros back after you failed him.

Ask Cynthia McKinney if she needs your ACORN crooks for her campaign, remember, your finished.

Advise your wife that it's okay for her to speak freely about how she really feels about America from here on out.  It can't hurt anything now, your finished.

Go home and sob into a pillow like a good liberal pansy.

Breath a sigh of relief that you won't actually get a chance to dismantle Jimmy Carter as the worst president in history.

Take your Communist Party membership card out of your home safe and put it back in your wallet.  It doesn't matter anymore, did I mention your finished?

And lastly, call Jeremiah and tell him you'll be back in church next week.  It doesn't matter anymore.

Why?

CAUSE YOUR FINISHED!

From the NY Post: http://www.nypost.com/seven/08302008/news/columnists/a_brilliant_trap_makes_dems_the_male_cha_126765.htm?page=0

A BRILLIANT TRAP MAKES DEMS THE MALE CHAUVINISTS

By KIRSTEN POWERS

In no particular order:

Poor Judgement - his longstanding relationship with the TERRORIST Bill Ayres (that he's DESPERATELY TRYING TO HIDE AND COVER UP)  Here's a link:  http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives2/print/021285.php

Poor Judgement - he's trying to silence his critics who seek to expose his relationship - see this link: http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives2/2008/08/021325.php

Poor Judgement - his 20yr relationship with a RACIST and HATE-FILLED church, his pastor - Rev. Jeremiah "KKK" Wright and sidekick priest Father Phlager.

Poor Judgement - his relationship with convicted felon and Illinois slumlord Tony Rezco.

He's just another prototypical corrupt Chicago polititian:  see this little synopsis:  http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/08/obamas_bag_of_tricks.html

Poor Judgement - He was 100% wrong on his signature issue and claim to fame - his opposition to the Iraq War; and his assertion that we couldn't win.

Poor Judgement - although he heads a Subcommitte of the U.S. Senate, the Senate Subcommittee on European Affairs (which includes oversight of Afghanistan), he has never bothered to hold a meeting. That's "LEADERSHIP"???  huh?  See this link:  http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives2/2008/08/021164.php

Poor Judgement - his plan to impose a WINDFALL profits tax on Big Oil Companies and REDISTRIBUTE the proceeds as $1000 checks to every American family. Newsflash to Obama - we are NOT a socialist country.

Poor Judgement - his allegiance to Socialist Saul Alinski.

Poor Judgement - his work as a "community organizer" for an organization that's been convicted of VOTER FRAUD:    ACORN

Poor Judgement - he supports INFANTACIDE

He doesn't represent America: He and his runningmate Sen. Joe Biden have been identified as TWO of the THREE most liberal Senators in the U.S. Senate. These are two EXTREMISTS - and don't represent the majority of America in the least.

Lack of Accomplishments - the guy has never done ANYTHING. Not one piece of important legislation bears his name. His supporters cannot name a single milestone accomplishment - much less ANY that demonstrate he's qualified to be President of the United States.

The guy is a joke.
And to be honest - so is the party who allowed themselves to be hijacked and bamboozled by a bunch of extremists into nominating The Joke.

I think John McCain just hit a home run with his pick for VP. Gov. Palin is someone with all the right credentials: she's conservative; she's a straight shooter; she's got HONESTY and INTEGRITY; she walks the walk that Obama and Biden talk - that their really "just one of us".

She hunts; she fishes. She does stuff us REAL FOLKS do!  She's a hockey mom and basketball coach; mother of 5 - including a soldier and a Down's Syndrome baby. And she's got more executive experience at actually RUNNING things than Obama and Biden COMBINED!

From Powerlineblog.com

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives2/2008/08/021365.php

Paul and I have already voiced our concerns about John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin for Vice-President. Now it's time to look at the upside. In fact, there is a lot to like about Palin. To begin with, her nomination provoked a typically mean-spirited reaction from the Obama campaign:

Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency.

Of course, "zero foreign policy experience" describes Obama, too, unless giving ill-informed campaign speeches constitutes "experience." So maybe, in the end, Palin will highlight Obama's lack of qualifications rather than undermining McCain's critique of them. Maybe.

Then, too, Palin's selection was probably the only one that could drive Obama's speech last night off the front pages. Just in time, perhaps, as the Obama bounce is now up to 8 points if you believe Gallup. (That tends to support the conclusion that Obama is an effective demagogue.)

Palin could help McCain with several demographics, like the pageant community. Here she is as Miss Wasilla 1984:

News reports indicate that the crowd in Dayton, Ohio responded enthusiastically to references to Palin as an athlete. She was the point guard on a state champion basketball team:

I think McCain has pretty much got the hunter/fisherman demographic sewn up, but Palin will certainly be a plus there, too:

She is a big supporter of the troops, and her oldest son is headed for Iraq:

I like this one; Palin is the one with the gun. Unlike Michael Dukakis, she actually knows how to fire it:

I think voters will like the whole Palin family. Her husband Todd is a commercial fisherman and also works in oil production on the North Slope. I think this photo is of Sarah working on the family's fishing boat; I'm told that as Governor, she still does that on weekends:

Todd Palin is a union member and a world-class snowmobile racer; here they are at a race:

A lot of voters are going to find this image appealing. I certainly do. In general, Palin's strengths seem to reinforce McCain's, but she could help a bit with blue-collar voters.

Substantively, Palin is a legitimate reformer. She killed the "bridge to nowhere," which is probably the only pork project most voters have heard of. She is a solid conservative and, perhaps best of all, she is an expert on energy and a staunch advocate of drilling. A large majority of Alaskans want develop ANWR; one hopes that Palin can change McCain's mind on that part of the energy issue.

I, for one, am very tired of hearing Democrats say that we can't drill ourselves out of our energy shortage. We could, actually, but since when is that the standard? Wharton Econometrics Forecasting Associates estimates that developing ANWR petroleum alone could create 736,000 American jobs. How about if we stop outsourcing our energy production and drill ourselves a few million great, high-paying jobs? The energy issue is a huge winner for the Republicans, and Palin should be able to help make the case, especially if McCain comes around on Alaska oil.

A favorite mainstream media trick is to begin the description of any Republican or conservative by reciting his or her opposition to abortion and gay marriage, as though these were that person's signature issues. I've seen that done already with Palin. By now, everyone knows that her youngest child, an infant, has Down syndrome. Palin's commitment to her pro-life principles has made her popular with social conservatives--again, not a group that McCain particularly needs help with--and respected by some moderates, too.

McCain may have selected Palin in part to appeal to disaffected Hillary Clinton supporters; if so, I'm not sure there are a lot of votes there to be had. But Palin may well be a plus with more moderate women. Ann Althouse, a classic swing voter, I think, is very excited about the pick, and it seems that many women share that sentiment.

So, while it's hard to argue that Sarah Palin was the most qualified of the candidates McCain had to choose from, she is obviously a bold choice and one that may turn out to pay dividends.

PAUL adds: A friend who is toiling at the convention on one of the committees reports that Palin's selection was greeted by "thunderous applause and a standing ovation." (The reaction from Alaskans at the convention apparently is more mixed -- a sign that she's been a genuine reformer there).

Thus, Bill Otis may well be right when he says:

She's going to bring some excitement to our people that McCain couldn't and wouldn't get by himself. A campaign needs foot soldiers, call makers, [and] envelope stuffers. Our people have been glum for months. The reason contributions were way down is that enthusiasm was way down. Palin will perk it up.

McCain apparently was trying for two-fer: someone who can energize the base but who also has cross-over appeal -- not to hard core Hillary supporters, but to moderate voters, especially females. There were few, if any, other prospective nominees who offered this sort of possibility.

To comment on this post, go here.

Posted by John at 12:48 PM  |    |  

Pre-booty call agreement (hereinafter referred to as the "Agreement") is entered into on the _____day of __________, 2008, by_______________________, between ____________and______________. THIS AGREEMENT SHALL COVER THE FOLLOWING RULES AND PRINCIPLES:

1. No sleeping over - unless it is very good and we need to repeat it in the morning.

2. No meeting in public except for dinner or drinks before the events of the evening

3. No calls before 9 PM - we don't have shit to talk about.

4. None of that "lovemaking" shit - only sex allowed.

5. No emotional discussions (i.e. Where are we heading with this? Do you love me?) The answer is no, so don't ask.

6. No plans made in advance - that is why you are called the "backup, " unless you are from out-of-town, then it's only a one-time advanced arrangement.

7. No calling each other "friends with privileges" we are not friends, just sex buddies.

8. Calling out the wrong name during sex is OK - don't be offended.

9. No extra clothing - I don't want your ass leaving anything behind when you leave. (you are, however, encouraged to wear sexy panties - just for me!)

10. No falling asleep right after sex - it's over, so get your ass up, get dressed and go the fuck home.

11. Don't be offended if I don't ask if you enjoyed it - I don't care.

12. If anyone asks who you are, the standard response will be: "My roommate's girlfriend/boyfriend."

13. Doggie style is the preferred position - the reason is less eye contact the better.

14. No condoms, no fucking. Carry your ass home.

17. No phone use, please - don't want anyone calling back looking for your ass.

Participating Party Signature______________________________________ Date: _______________

Participating Party Signature______________________________________ Date: ________________ 

The annointed one is sinking. Badly.

It's a good thing the Democrat convention is this week . . . another week or two and the loonie lefties might figure out there's no way he'll ever beat John McCain and nominate Hillary instead.

Annenberg Challange - the annointed one's terrorist connections are coming back to roost!

I'm optimistic!

Lots of good reading . . .  but hey, I won't bore you with details and links . . . unless you ask!