If the worst happens and McCain gets elected and then succumbs to old age and Palin inherits, it's frightening to think of who will then be writing her talking points. Will it be the First Dude Todd, Steve Schmidt, her WH staff from K Street or even worse, Dick Cheney at an undisclosed location.

The Democrats should pay Lyda Green to follow Sarah Palin around the country as a truth squad, countering her political lies.

Posted at October 5, 2008 8:11 PM in response to First George Will, Now Krauthammer: Obama Is The Better Candidate. Brooks Lies

The McCain Campaign is desperate since there is little time and the straight-talk-express is not working anymore. Obama doesn't have a long history in politics like McCain so they won't find much garbage. While a long history gives McCain name recognition he also carries years of political baggage that can be used against him. Couple McCain's part in the Keating Five along with his current campaign organization full of lobbyists and the press should have plenty of stories for the next four weeks, if they want to pursue them.

If elected, Obama will not become the first black president but the first bi-racial president. There are many bi-racial children, adults and families in the US, it's nothing new or scary.

Posted at October 5, 2008 7:18 PM in response to AP Analysis: McCain Running a Racist Campaign He Will Regret (Especially if He Wins)

In fact, the bailout bill isn't really taxpayer supported. It will be funded by additional federal debt, issued mostly to foreign governments -- especially the Chinese and in the Middle East.

And as you wisely point out, our foreign policy towards China and the Middle East is altered again because they will hold more of our debt. As easily as the Congressional Democrats folded on this issue, I'm not optimistic that they will spearhead any reform agenda driven by anger over this disaster. I only hope that an Obama Administration will push through strong reforms on Wall Street and reduce the gap between rich and poor. The voters have their say on November 4th and we'll see who gets the blame.

Posted at October 2, 2008 12:31 AM in response to The Almost-Done Deal, and the Era of Angry Populism

Another commentator on NPR noted that the main reason that banks are reluctant to lend to each other or only at very high interest rates is that the lending institutions don't know how much bad debt is sitting on the borrowers books. Seems like the first step in resolving this crisis is open and honest audits, otherwise it's like pumping money into an Enron and having shell companies full of debit popping up all over the place.

Posted at October 1, 2008 11:09 AM in response to Senators, Beware!

Sounds like the same response she gave when asked which newspapers she reads - all of them was her reply. Couric couldn't pin her down on which ones.

Posted at October 1, 2008 10:42 AM in response to Palin: Media Hates Me Because I'm An Average American

The word proselytizing is not restricted to religion, it also applies to secular recruiting efforts in favor of particular institutions and causes. Many religious groups have secular arms that also happen to advance their religious agenda.

Posted at September 28, 2008 6:39 PM in response to Rightist Israeli Group To Flood US With 28 Million Hate Videos To Tip Election

So much for Bush's Harvard MBA, but it does raise questions about how he got in. With Bush as an alum it tends to cheapen the once lofty MBA from Harvard University.

Posted at September 28, 2008 6:16 PM in response to BAILOUT -- Part 1, What Crisis?

There is still a lot of hard feelings among voters (myself included) that the problems in the ecomony were diagnosed and scheduled for surgery without a second or third opinion. Without more time and a few other opinions we don't know that this is the only alternative to restore the patient to health.

Just another case of this Administration hustling our leaders into the backroom and intimidating them with evidence that in the past has been bogus, shades of Iraq. You're right, the journalists have played along without questioning. Where are the fact checkers for this Administration?

If Paulson and Bernanke had evidence then that information should be shared. I strongly suspect that China, wealthy Middle Eastern and Asian countries etc must have threatened to cause havoc in our banking system unless the mess was cleaned up.

Posted at September 28, 2008 1:39 PM in response to BAILOUT -- Part 1, What Crisis?

Good idea, a consumer protection commission aimed at those financial institutions we all must have in our lives. This would be a good time to push it as the banking industry has been wounded and the public is very upset about bailing them out. The States are impotent and an autonomous entity ala the Federal Trade Commission is what is needed. A good next project for Barney Frank and his House Financial Services Committee.

Posted at September 28, 2008 1:22 PM in response to Colonel Ken

The non-verbals in a debate are just as important to me as the verbals and Obama scored high in the non-verbals. Obama came across as the nice guy who is also smart but likeable and not scary. McCain reminded us twice that he isn't Miss Collegiality in Congress and since his temper is common knowledge, I wonder if he would goven by yelling or working with others. He was never an elected executive (a mayor or governor) so there is no history.

John Pitney is currently a professor (Claremont McKenna College) but he's a former aide to Dick Cheney and worked as a researcher for the RNC. After stating his bias, it's apparent he was just following the party line. Mona Charen is also spinning it, along with digs about Obama being a leftist and connecting him to Al Sharpton, implying Sharpton's that scary black preacher.

Keith Olbermann and Rachael Maddow on MSNBC and some of the panelists on Anderson Cooper's show also mentioned that McCain appeared to be angry and stiff. Age and vitality were very apparent last night, that's not a compliment for McCain.

Posted at September 27, 2008 10:15 PM in response to Meanwhile, in an Alternate Universe