You look young enough to be the son my father never had.

You seem young enough to not realize what is happening this year.

But: I love you anyway.

I don't get the second of LisB's contentions, either.

I think Dude's spot on. I had not seen the McCain quote he posted (been busy most of the day; did he say it today?). But it's scary shit and points exactly, I think, to M.B.'s posited potentiality.

LisB, did you mean something other than to discount the possibility of an October surprise?

Hold up kids,
I'm firmly in Obama's court but we have to check the context of statement before we assign nefarious thought behind them.

Here's the link to the Q&A where he made the quote. It's about 11 minutes in.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/25429119#25413811

McCain was answering a question about being so far behind and that he would have to campaign very hard to catch Obama.

Fair point.

I took McCain's comment as sinister too, but I think it's a bluff. He's just trying to keep his 15 or so supporters on board. But just to be on the safe side, the Obama campaign had better be ready to drop some dirt at a moment's notice. Keating Five redux, anyone?

How about a NOVEMBER surprise a la Diebold? How about a mysterious win in close states when the exit polling suggests a win for Obama? He's talking about a 48-hour turnaround before the election. I think he's been told by those who did it before that the fix is in.

Of course a bomb - anywhere - would be right up his alley, although I can't for the life of me see how they get these supposed "creds."

Wasn't George warned about 911?
Didn't he tell the CIA guy who warned him, "OK, now you've covered your ass?"
Didn't George then go on vacation?
Didn't he sit and stare into space when the planes hit?

And the Repubs get credit for "keeping us safe?

I just don't get it.

PS == Don't worry about Lis. She just wishes she had your youthly youth!

Republicans HAD the September Surprise in September 2006, remember? The Bin Laden tape? That was supposed to remind voters to be very afraid!

Bush may attack Iran between now and January 2009, but he's doing it more for his OWN legacy than to get McCain elected. He wants a continuation of his policies, but he's not taking any chances. He's trying to lock in his successor even if it's Obama. That's the SOFA with Iraq, the surge, and a basket-load of pardons for everybody connected with the Bush crime-family as they leave town.

It's unclear what the American people will think of $10 a gallon gas. They're not happy with $5 a gallon right now. Doubling the price of oil won't make them happier.

McCain might lose in a landslide if this rebounded against the Republicans. It would be the ultimate in cynicism to start another war at the very end of your term and leave an even bigger mess for the next President. That would be hard even for the slavish boot-licking media to explain away.

Well, (she said, donning her fetching tinfoil bonnet) this is one great big reason - the October Surprise - that I think Obama has done the right thing with regard to FISA. FISA is obnoxious legislation as originally written - it was written to empower the executive to violate the constitution - that's the whole reason for the statute. Whether Obama votes in favor or against "telecom immunity" is so irrelevant that I'm shocked that that is the sticking point.

Be that as it may, If Obama had stood up and gone off on constitutional right and then we were attacked- he'd be fucking crucified for his vote against FISA, which is a national security measure - that's why it was enacted. And it was around long before Bush and other presidents have used it to authorize unwarranted searches. The difference is they met the requirement to go back to the FISA court. Bush was turned down twice, by the FISA court, which is a rubber stamp agency. He quit reporting after that and just totally ignored the law.

But the law he ignored is FISA. He didn't come up with it and it's going to be on the books long after President Obama's 2d term is done, in form or another, like it or not. And I don't, but it's not Obama's fault that the damn law exists.

Tena - And how will you feel about Obama's FISA surrender if the FISA change bill is enacted, and then there is an October surprise/Diebold fraud/whatever and McCain is prez with the new, additional FISA powers at his beck and call???

Don't you see any danger in that at all???

altho I DO see suing the telcoms via nonprofits like EFF as having been the last, best hope to allow us to see the dirt underneath the Bush - Cheney carpet of combined globalized corporatism and egomaniacal monarchism -

HusseinTenax is probably right - that ignoring that long term need for Sunshine in order for a democracy to thrive - by refusing to speak on the Constitutional issues - may be Obama's only way to inoculate himself against what satyagraha & Fr. Rich worry over...

H. Texan is right, because - if we end up with McCain, our democracy will not only be foregoing 'sunshine' - but we can probably kiss the whole kit and kaboodle goodbye sooner rather than later. The guy is just SO unstable.

Telecoms aren't immune from criminal prosecution, only the torts. One more time: retroactive immunity revokes the lawsuits. FISA bill does not immunize companies from crimes against the state -- only individuals. Telecoms are still on the hook.

Folks,

There is one way you stop the FISA bill before it is enacted and that's with an election.

I don't think anyone is taking it lightly, what we are saying is the WH has stonewalled on any information on who or what has been spied on.

Step one. Get on record the who and what... Step two. Elect Dems in the house and senate
Step three. (completed in concert with step two... Elect BO POTUS).

I'm not worried about anything Republicans can do.

It's the ass hats in my own party who need to be shouted down.