It makes me sick to the stomach to read about the stupid press people at camp Obama reiterating how both McCain and Obama both love the troops, support the troops, and all that bullshit. This stupid press department did the same during the primaries, leaving me wondering exactly which candidate they were working for. While the primaries involved battling against fellow Democrats, and a delicate balancing act indeed that was, particularly when battling a woman, this is the general, and the Rethugs need us never, not once be their spokesperson for any of their virtues (if there are indeed any)

This staying above the fray will just never work with Rethugs, and this is the perfect example of why this should never have been allowed to happen! I honestly don't know that the Obama candidacy can survive this onslaught!

I have no idea who came up with the brilliant idea of covering up for Condi, Gates, Bush and Co!

An interesting moment occurred a few weeks ago in my family.

My mother--at the age of 86--was a classic HRC supporter. She never dreamed that a woman would be so close to being the nominee of a major party for president in her lifetime.

She watched every TV show regarding politics. She loved HRC.

ANd after Hillary conceded and endorsed BO, she even thought briefly whether to go to the McCain side.

But then something happened--something mysterious and exciting...

I was just wondering what would the talking heads use to usurp the bounce in the national daily tracking polls.  

I really hope everyone on dKos hasn't flipped out over the new ad that McCain released tonight in a desperate attempt to undercut the obvious current climate...

Even a blind old geezer like McCain can see movement like that

It is then no surprise at all then that McCain would level such a patently false advertisement; and in truth, this is great news.

"John McCain is an honorable man who is running an increasingly dishonorable campaign,"Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor

That is too kind.  

You are what you do.  Or as Forrest Gump used to say: "Stupid is as stupid does."

Over the course of this campaign McCain has showed himself for who he is.  A churlish, hot-headed, unpreparedman whose ignorance about world affairs is only equaled by his ignorance of basic economic conceptsand deep seated stubbornness concerning military issues.

What's not to like?

CNN is firing on all blasters with this story:
McCain camp rips Obama for cutting troop visit

Sen. John McCain's campaign Saturday lashed out at Sen. Barack Obama for canceling a visit to a U.S. military base in Germany on Thursday. Obama failed to fulfill a "responsibility to the men and women who serve this country," a McCain campaign spokesman said

Interesting pick up from Ben Smith at Politico...

Ben Smith's Article...

(the quoted section in in the last half of the article...

Just listen to the lyrics, irony couldn't get better than this.

For a lot of us, following politics can blur between hobby and obsession. It is certainly true for me, and because of my long years at this, I have contacts in the strangest places. Today I recieved this image from a contact in McCain campaign headquarters and I thought I would share it with you all, as it gives a lot of insight into the "behind the scenes" at something like the now infamous "Crybaby" Address from McCain.

Candid pictures like this are rare unless you work for one of the big media corporations, so I hope you guys enjoy a glimpse "behind the curtain" so to speak. Check it out below the fold:

Are we only listening to the Pentagon's version of the surge?   Here's a different perspective and some alarming numbers.  

Ronald Reagan has become an icon in the Republican party, and among many independents.

This is in part because Reagan had the courage to stand against Communist totalitarianism, and to take action that bankrupted the Soviets.  Reagan famously said that, "the march of freedom and democracy which will leave Marxism-Leninism on the ash-heap of history as it has left other tyrannies which stifle the freedom and muzzle the self-expression of the people."

In 2008, I believe that the central force of totalitarianism is not "Islamofascism".  They don't have the money or the military might.  The world will stand against them, and if we keep our eye on the ball, we'll get energy independence and stop funneling tens of billions to Muslim extremists with oil wells.

Is the Media's version of the Obama-McCain horse-race correct? (Race will be very tight, nobody's ahead)

Or my friend in Georgia? (McCain supporters are everywhere - you liberals just can't see them - McCain will win)

Or my haircutter? (You never know what terrorist attack or October Surprise those Republicans will pull out to change the vote in November)

The disappointed Berkeley activist (Obama will win anyhow, so my vote for Nader won't matter, this time)

Or the optimist's view (McCain is SO awful, Obama so smart, how could Americans make another choice?)

Cross posted at my other blog "If I Ran The Zoo"

The phrase "Senator Obama you were wrong about the surge" looms in the balance of the 2008 election. It is basically the one "gotcha phrase" that the McCain camp has at its disposal that the Obama camp has not effectively neutralized.
Ultimately, the acusation will be delivered again and again throughout the campaign. Most importantly, it will be dramatically delivered during the first Presidential debate. How Obama responds will weigh heavily on the outcome of the debate. In the mean time, the Obama camp must work hard not to vacillate and sputter on thier response.

It struck me that McCain's biggest weakness is if people start to recognize that he is angry, confused, somewhat out there on the edge and is running to be the guy with his finger on the trigger. I was talking to some pals and just mentioned a smattering of McCain stories in these areas and you could see the worry it caused. In particular I like pointing out the discussion I had with a lass I knew who worked for Grover Norquist, she told me a while ago -- you know MCCain is nuts....and essentially made one ask the question -- would you want his finger on the trigger?

I would not of course. And I bet most Americans would agree if they knew these stories.

I guess this actually it isn't framing -- it is truth telling.

I remember George Bush Sr., while building a campaign on impugning Michael Dukakis' patriotism, protesting (paraphrasing here), "I'm not questioning his patriotism, just his judgment." Hypocrisy is the debt that vice pays to virtue. Bush at least recognized that openly questioning his opponent's patriotism was scurrilous.

McCain, on the other hand, has made a conscious choice to explictly base his campaign on the absurd allegation that Obama "would rather lose a war than lose a campaign." That's worse than a direct assault on patriotism - it's a denial of the Obama's integrity. Here's  
the latest:

There are some items up on News Unfiltered that may interest the community.

Apparently things CAN get worse for McCain, says the DNC:

Another week of bad news, bad reviews and campaign chaos for the McCain campaign. The only change: the campaign's increasingly desperate response. In what has become a recurring theme, McCain's week was dominated by foreign policy gaffes, misleading attacks, terrible reviews and new polls showing him lagging far behind among key groups of voters. Instead of addressing those challenges, the McCain campaign chose to lash out at the media and launch desperate new attacks. Despite starting his general election campaign by pledging "to conduct a respectful campaign" and run "the most positive kind of campaign," McCain has resorted to the kind of negative attacks that would make even Karl Rove blush -- capped off with McCain himself questioning Senator Obama's patriotism.

Read more.

John McCain gaffes have increased like the temperature on a hot day in the Mojave Desert and the press continues to ignore them. What would have happened if Senator Obama had made this many gaffes? The Drudge Report Siren would have be on it like "white on rice" and he, Obama, would have been toast - history - KIBOSH! We would currently be supporting Hillary Clinton as the Democratic Nominee - not Barack.

Why is it that John McCain can brag about how he graduated at the bottom of his class at the Naval Academy, and we some how find this amusing and acceptable? As a nation we should be very concerned that the potential President of the United States and the free world has below level intelligence. Didn't we learn anything from the Bush Presidency? Did eight years of Dubya make us phlegmatic to mediocrity and stupidty?  

Hey folks, intelligence does matter.