Inspired by McCain's new ad:

I guess John McCain would rather lose our respect than lose an election

It appears John McCain would rather lose his bearings than lose an election.

It appears John McCain would rather hurl specious, lie-filled attacks at Barack Obama than lose an election.

It appears John McCain would rather try to distract us from his lack of an economic plan, health care plan or responsible energy plan than lose an election.

It appears that John McCain would rather have his campaign taken over by Karl Rove than lose an election.

My Son Gabe's Obama Donation Link

By now, it seems that most people here are aware of the new,disgusting ad that the McCain camp is putting out. Let us show our support for Senator Obama by donating to the campaign.

Let's give Senator Obama the financial means to fight these smears and to finish off the so called "Maverick" come November

Here's a link where you can donate:

My Son Gabe's Obama Donation Link

My Son Gabe's Obama Donation Link

My Son Gabe's Obama Donation Link

This will be a short diary, but I thought it important enough to share this UPI story.

The Israeli Web site DEBKAfile.com, quoting Israel National Radio, reported Sunday that a "highly placed security-political" official said Bush would order the attack between Nov. 4, the date of the U.S. presidential election, and his last day in office in January 2009 should Iran not agree to abandon its efforts to enrich uranium.

DEBKAfile.com said the official made the statement shortly after Saturday's talks between Western powers and Iran in Geneva ended in a deadlock.

If it's true, it's pretty terrifying.

We don't buy our own hype.

This was how Obama responded to a question about the appearance of his foreign trip looking presumptuous to some. In an interview for tomorrow's Sunday NY Times, Obama took the question in stride, mentioning the risks of such  a trip.

While Mr. Obama said he knew the risks of "flying too close to the sun," as he put it, his confidence has swelled since he claimed the Democratic nomination early last month. These days, his public statements and news conferences often contain four words — "in an Obama administration" — as he settles to find the proper measure of confidence and humility in his pitch to voters.

"How do I avoid looking presumptuous?" Mr. Obama said in the interview. "I’m very much looking forward over the next three months to going back to Iowa, literally and figuratively, and spending a lot of time in town hall meetings, talking to voters and listening to voters."

The one thing that bothers me about political coverage is how little fact checking there is. Most news outlets talk about Keeping Them Honest, but far too often they don't. Sadly, in this day and age, truth has become a subjective thing. My truth might be different from your truth and that is so wrong, on so many levels. Truth should be verifiable with incontestable facts. It should not be subject to interpretation. As the late, great Daniel Patrick Moynihan once said: "You are entitled to your own opinions but you are not entitled to your own set of facts."

I know that starting political discussions can be dangerous. I have also learned that just because you know someone casually, you can't assume to divine their political leanings from their general behavior. People whom I have respected as individuals and co-workers have left me dumbfounded with their political beliefs (let's not even bring religion into the picture). So I have to wonder where my views fall in the continuum of liberal thought. Are my facts truly facts, or merely opinions?

So I've decided to post my understanding of the issues we face in this election cycle, seeking to initiate a dialog to test my facts. What do you think?

Senator Obama has had an amazing week outside of the U.S. He's helped to renew optimism and sense of mission in our brave men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan and the commanders(not that they were deficient in either but a little boost never hurts) while meeting with the leadership of both of those countries as well as the leaders of Israel, Jordan and the Palestinians.  All parties seemed to have gotten a genuine boost from his visit with some uneasiness being assuaged and relationships being built.  All the leaders seemed genuinely pleased and impressed with Senator Obama who did a wonderful job or representing the US Senate to the Middle East.  He then gives a thoughtful and moving speech in Germany reminding both us and our European allies of our common strengths and beliefs, opportunities to improve and our historic partnerships in both war and peace that helped reshape the world for the better without coming across as petulant, arrogant or pandering.  All in all it was a wonderful blend of statesmanship, patriotism, diplomacy and character that to be frank, our allies have seen all to little of from us (if at all) for these past 7.5 years.

More below the fold

I just got back from an evening of canvassing in Weld County Colorado.  Recent polls have shown the race here to be extremely close so I thought I'd share a few personal stories to help alleviate any jitters fellow Kossacks may be feeling because of the poll numbers.   We canvassed for one hour and every experience was a positive one with voters who are committed downticket to our candidates.

Note to Senator McCain: If you want to win an election, don't ever, EVER say "I would rather lose a political campaign." Specifically, don't say this, especially in relation to Iraq:

This is a clear choice that the American people have. I had the courage and the judgment to say I would rather lose a political campaign than lose a war. It seems to me that Obama would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign.

In 1967, John McCain was shot out of the North Vietnamese sky, crash landed in a lake, taken prisoner, and held in captivity for ... 41 years, so far.

No one can dismiss the unimaginable agony of enduring six years in an enemy prisoner of war camp. It is surely a brutal experience both physically and mentally. It is the sort of experience that never leaves you and, indeed, it seems never to have left John McCain. His entire post-POW frame of reference is shaped by what he went through, and also by what he missed as a consequence of his incarceration.

Many of us have noticed that over the last month, McCain has shown to be gaining in many of the polls. There is a good reason for this and it has very little to do with his general popularity. In fact, as I will explain, he should be polling better right now than he will later in the year.

Come fold with me and i'll explain why.

Senate Guru is on strike!  What are the Guru's demands?  To get the Guru back to blogging, we need to raise seven twenty-dollar bills each for red state Democratic Senate candidates Jim Martin, Jim Slattery, and Ronnie Musgrove on the Expand the Map! ActBlue page.  Your Andrew Jacksons will go toward a great cause: dislodging Shameless Saxby Chambliss, Bush-cover-up-artist Pat Roberts, and ethically questionable Roger Wicker from the U.S. Senate.  So, please, this weekend, send your twenties to these competitive Democrats in red states via the Expand the Map! ActBlue page and get the Guru back to blogging!

The first definition for the word Conservative on Dictionary.com is as follows

1. disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, etc., or to restore traditional ones, and to limit change.

The news media and pundits love to accuse Barack Obama of having a problem with winning over Jewish voters, though the polls tell otherwise. It's based mostly on those disgusting e-mail smears that have gone around regarding Obama's religion, of course, which makes this story extra curious.

I suppose this is a question of how far someone will go to prove they can be trusted, if it's true.

Obama, in Israel, Bar Mitzvah'd

Presumptive Democratic Presidential Nominee Barack Obama, continuing his high-profile and closely watched tour of the Middle East, was in Israel on Wednesday, where, after meeting with that country’s leaders, was called to the Torah in order to be ordained an adult man in the Jewish religious tradition.

We now have a new write-in candidate for Arizona Supervisory District 4 in Maricopa County.  We need everyone with "SUP: 4" on their voter ids to write in the name Leigh Strickman for Supervisor.  We need at least 600 signatures.  Without those signatures, Republican Max Wilson will run unopposed.

We can not afford a third Bush term, John McCain represents four more years of George W. Bush's failed policies.

It's an incredibly simple statement, yet devastating and for some reason I haven't been hearing it from the Obama campaign for a while. JMHO, but the reason John McCain has been making up ground isn't simply because of his advertising and campaigning but because the Obama campaign has been passively allowing him to pursue his message without going after him for supporting George Bush's failed policies. It used to be every speech at the end of the primaries and at the MN acceptance and a while beyond was calling McCain out on supporting Bush. The MSM will not make the contrasts, Obama has to take his microphone and like Iowa, go after John McCain every day as a third Bush term. MAKE McCain the incumbant. MAKE the election about McCain. The dynamics as they now stand give McCain a 50/50 shot of negative campaigning winning the day for Republicans. We can't let this be about Obama but about ideas: John McCain is running for George Bush's third term. EVERY democratic surrogate and talking head should be saying this EVERY day about EVERY subject. And so should we in our diaries.

Dear Journal,
The other I visited what Americans call the "grocery store". It was quite an experience. After all these years, I thought tha Frank my driver accumulated all of my food and delivered it. I had no idea that these stores existed.

Capt. Morton: [on the loudspeaker in reference to his "missing" palm tree... ] All right! Who did it? Who did it? You are going to stand sweating at those battle stations until someone confesses! It's an insult to the honor of this ship! The symbol of our cargo record has been destroyed and I'm going to find out who did it if it takes all night!

With Emperor George down to his underwear, the Department of State memos this week come across as incredibly petty. One wonders if the other cabinet departments are going to be similarly instructed to throw monkey wrenches once Obama's plane touches back down in the states.

I'm recalling an episode Sister Mary M., O.S.B. told us, about the second protest (1991) at the School of The Americas, Fort Benning, GA.  

Better organized than the first, when the march reached the gates and the guest speakers began prepared remarks, 5 huge tractor lawnmowers came over the hill like Sherman tanks.  The mowers proceeded to ride back and forth inside the fence, for the entire speechifying part of the protest. (The amusing followup is down in the replies)    

My question is "Where in the World Is Donald Segretti?"

Somebody has to say it, so I will:

John McCain is a grifter and a scoundrel.

He has built a career on a carefully crafted myth breathlessly repeated by his base of sycophants in the press. You know the hype: McCain the Maverick, McCain the Reformer, McCain the Straight Talker, McCain the ______ (insert worshipful drivel here).

Keep in mind that the same folks who sold George W. Bush and his failed policies to America are now working the streets to sell the myth of McCain—"the last honest man in politics".

Those willing to look behind the curtain will find a John McCain that has always surrounded himself with the most corrupt players on the political stage and kept himself one step ahead of exposure. His Abramoff investigation cover-up is a case in point (for details see this Diary).

Another one is the growing scandal swirling around his chief foreign policy advisor, Randy Scheunemann.

Randy shapes McCain’s foreign policy and—surprise—that policy helps Randy’s former and future clients. Ca-ching!

This, you need to know about.

To the jump...