THE CANDIDATES AS PHONES?

Found this over HERE.

JOHN McCAIN FALLS BEHIND BY 11 POINTS - CHANGES COURSE AGAIN

It's amazing to see John McCain change his tactics almost hourly depending on what the polls are doing. In a fit of desperation this week, McCain (and company) have been stoking the fires of anger against Obama by bringing up associations with Bill Ayers, and trying to paint their competitor as un-American. Of course, this led to angry chants of "terrorist" and "kill him" from his enthusiastic base.

However it didn't play so well with the ever-important independents, as evidenced by an 11-point Obama lead in Newsweek's new Presidential Poll. So what does John McCain do? Why simply turn 180-degrees of course. Here's John McCain at a town hall getting booed as he describes Senator Obama as a "decent person":

What's truly sad is the fact that McCain feels no real remorse for the way he's treated Obama. He's simply reacting to something standing in the way of his single-minded desire for the White House. If attacking Obama had tightened the poll numbers, we'd be hearing even stronger rhetoric in the days to come. It's really sick stuff.

MORE "TURD POLISHING" WITH FRANK LUNTZ

Conservative pollster Frank Luntz is paid by Fox News to spin debate focus groups in favor of John McCain. As you can see here, his job is getting more difficult by the minute:

THE DAILY SHOW MOCKS THE OTHER FAUX NEWS NETWORK

OBAMA KNEW McCAIN'S SMEAR TACTICS WERE COMING

On July 30th of this year, Barack Obama gave a speech where he predicted the kind of campaign that would be run against him. Here's an update on how well he guessed:

DOES PALIN KNOW ANYTHING?!

John McCain has said repeatedly that Sarah Palin, "knows more about energy than probably anyone in the United States of America." So with that in mind, why doesn't she actually know something about Alaskan Energy?

She has repeatedly misstated the amount of oil and energy (by far) that Alaska produced. She said Alaska "produces nearly 20 percent of the U.S. domestic supply of energy," when it was actually just 3.5 percent. According to McCain that would mean the "2nd smartest" person on energy would be MORE than 16.5 percent wrong on such "facts". Sheesh.

Then today, Palin got screwed up again when talking about "her strength" yet again. At a town hall meeting, Palin was told about a rumor where 75 percent of Alaskan oil was being exported to countries like China. Palin's response:

"No. It's not 75 percent of our oil being exported," Palin said, suggesting some of Alaska's oil, in fact, may be going abroad but not that much.

"In fact," she added, "Congress is pretty strict on, um, export bans of oil and gas especially."

Congressional bans on oil exports? Maybe when Palin was like in second grade. But no such ban has been in place since Palin was elected mayor of a tiny town in Alaska. Oh Sarah, will you ever win?

In these times of economic and foreign policy turmoil, rest easy America! Cause Sarah Palin is pretty, and dresses snazzy, and winks! And what can't that solve!

McCAIN AND KEATING EXCHANGE LOVE LETTERS

As John McCain (and company) continue an attempt to find a substantial relationship between Barack Obama and William Ayers, the Washington Times has turned up something much deeper between McCain and convicted felon Charles Keating.

In a letter from John McCain to Keating dated March 5th, 1986, McCain apologizes to Keating for listing his friend as part of his campaign finance committee, saying in part, "I would not want to do anything which would offend you." In return, Keating's hand-written note showers adoration on his "friend" as he states:

John,
Don't be silly. You can call me anything, write anything, or do anything. I'm yours till death do us part.
Charlie

My goodness, just what did McCain and Keating do down there in the Bahamas? Maybe McCain is the one who should be explaining the "depth" of his friendship, huh?

Also, I would remind you that this letter was written some two years after Keating started playing "fast and loose" with innocent people's money, in part with the help of massive deregulation brought about by his Republican friends in Washington. Just three years later, some 21,000 investors (mostly elderly retirees) lost their life savings through Keating's shenanigans.

Here's a scan of the actual letter for those who want to truly feel the love:

CLICK TO ENLARGE

FOX NEWS HOLDS IMPORTANT ISSUES HOSTAGE, RELEASES TRIPE

This morning the Dow Jones fell below 9,000 for the first time since 2003. Two nights ago, John McCain proposed a 300 billion dollar plan that would force taxpayers to bailout greedy banks and ignorant home owners of their terrible loans. But that's not what Fox News wanted to talk about - it's "All Ayers, All The Time" over there.

Again, if Fox News is too lazy (or unwilling) to investigate this themselves, then why are they allowed to continue asking the same questions? Conservatives have had two years to dig up some substantial association here, and the best they've got is that Obama and Ayers had a work relationship (through a board created by Republican donors) some 25 years after Ayers' anti-war actions. Furthermore, Obama did an interview with Bill O'Reilly and answered his questions about Ayers on the air.

Fox News is gambling that the American people are stupid, and I sincerely hope they're wrong.

SARAH PALIN CONTINUES TO BE A WORTHLESS LIAR

Sarah Palin went on a conservative radio talk show today and said this:

"What does it say when Barack Obama says he would sit down unconditionally with Ahmadinejad, Kim Jong Il and others, unconditionally, and I guess sort of hand over some of the prestige of the United States presidency and validate, I think validate, some of the positions that these dictators have taken.

Barack Obama is so far out of mainstream America. And the policies I fear that he would support, that are so far left, that are maybe today in the campaign are packaged up to look real pretty and mainstream, they are not."

Point one, Obama is backed up by FIVE previous Secretaries of State (and three Republican) that we need to have talks with Iran and North Korea without preconditions. Palin (and McCain) are backing Bush's plan of isolationism that has only sped up the nuclear (or nook-you-lur for Palin) ambitions for these nations.

Point two, notice how Palin refuses to get specific about what policies are "so far left"? It's much easier to simply label someone "liberal" than craft an argument against their election. I simply astounds me that Palin can't expound on what "packaging" she's talking about?

Maybe that's why McCain/Palin choose to talk about Bill Ayers, Reverend Wright, and others while our economy continues to melt down around our ears? Without ANY REAL IDEAS to get us out of this mess, it's easier to simply point fingers and yell.

WHAT? SOME CONTEXT ON THE WHOLE "BILL AYERS" THING? DOES N.P.R. THINK THE TRUTH REALLY MATTERS ANYMORE?

Because Republicans (and their like-minded, Fox-News-watching-robots) keep bringing up the William "Bill" Ayers smear in an attempt to convict Barack Obama of guilt by association, I thought I'd try to find as much information as I could on the subject.

I still find it weird that such a "domestic terrorist" has never been incarcerated for such acts? After all, if he were in prison for bombing the Pentagon and Capitol Building, he couldn't have served on a board with Obama, right? At any rate, I also think it's important that whoever (or whatever) Bill Ayers is... he's a COMPLETELY SEPARATE person from Barack Obama.

Anyway, in a sea of otherwise useless rhetoric about Ayers and Obama, I found this article published on National Public Radio's site. Now before any right-wingers roll there eyes, I should warn everyone that they've actually interviewed people who have worked (gasp) with Ayers, and some of them are actually (double-gasp) Republican! One such quote reads:

"It was never a concern by any of us in the Chicago school reform movement that he had led a fugitive life years earlier," said former Illinois state Republican Rep. Diana Nelson, who worked with both Obama and Ayers over the years. "It's ridiculous. There is no reason at all to smear Barack Obama with this association. It's nonsensical, and it just makes me crazy. It's so silly."

Another quote is from Ayers himself, and adds some context to his "bombing" line that was made famous in the wake of 9/11.

But in a New York Times article on the book, Ayers is quoted as saying, "I don't regret setting bombs. I feel we didn't do enough." Coincidently, that article was published on Sept. 11, 2001. Days later, Ayers complained on his Web site that the quote was taken out of context, saying, "My memoir is from start to finish a condemnation of terrorism, of the indiscriminate murder of human beings, whether driven by fanaticism or official policy."

So that's my two cents on a subject that should be trivial in the wake of such catastrophic economic times - and yet these are the same Republicans that tried to impeach a President for a blow job while Osama bin Laden was bombing U.S. Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya.

KEITH OLBERMANN PLAYS THE "ASSOCIATION GAME" WITH JOHN McCAIN

And it features right-wing hate mongers from Oregon too? How could I not post it?

CINDY McCAIN KEEPS INJECTING HERSELF INTO POLITICS, HOW LONG BEFORE THE MEDIA MENTIONS HER OTHER "INJECTIONS"?

The wife of John McCain, and former drug addict, Cindy McCain seemingly can't help herself from taking part in the mudslinging of her husband's campaign. Yesterday, she laughably asserted that it is Obama who's been running "the dirtiest campaign in history," while it's plain (for most) to see that the Democrat isn't even running the dirtiest campaign in a two-party race.

Now Cindy is trying to attack Obama for his war funding votes. Stating:

"The day that Sen. Obama cast a vote to not to fund my son when he was serving sent a cold chill through my body let me tell you."

Of course this whole issue is concerning the issue of "timetables" and whether they would be included in legislation connected to funding the wars. Obama voted against a troop funding bill that didn't include a specific timetable for withdrawal from Iraq, something the American people largely supported at the time, and still do.

But what Cindy doesn't mention is that her OWN HUSBAND voted against funding the Iraq and Afghanistan troops in 2007 as well. H.R. 1591 provided 1 billion in support for BOTH wars and added funds to Veterans Affairs, and McCain voted against it. Why would he do such a thing? Because the bill included a timetable, that's why.

Did that "send a cold chill" through Cindy McCain's body too? Or are those "cold chills" just the rush of Percocet hitting the bloodstream?

AH YES, THE REASSURING WORDS OF A PRESIDENTAL CANDIDATE: "MY FELLOW PRISONERS"

Apparently, in John McCain's mind, the United States is just one huge Hanoi Hilton:

A CHANGE IN LOGO?

My friend, and fellow video/audio junkie, Steven Epstein seized on John McCain's message in last night's debate and decided to change Barack Obama's iconic logo:
"THAT" is where it's at!

OBAMA COMMERCIAL HITS McCAIN IN THE AREA WHERE HIS BALLS USED TO BE

DID McCAIN REALLY ANTICIPATE THE SUBPRIME MORTGAGE MELTDOWN?

John McCain stated again in this evening's debate that he "gave a speech 2 years ago" warning about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the trouble's we were facing. However, here's an interview less than a year ago in which McCain states:

I don’t know of hardly anybody, with the exception of a handful, that said “wait a minute, this thing is getting completely out of hand and is overheating.” So, I’d like to tell you that I did anticipate it, but I have to give you straight talk, I did not.

Take a look:

IS CINDY McCAIN BACK ON THE PILLS?

John McCain's wife has a history of stealing prescription medications from her charities, and taking them to escape from the horrors of being filthy rich and married to a U.S. Senator. She's supposedly been clean and sober since the 1990's, but after today, I'd like a drug test please. In speaking to reporters today at a Tennessee hospital, Cindy McCain said Barack Obama has:

"...waged the dirtiest campaign in American history.”

At this point, it's unclear whether Mrs. McCain is altered to the point where she believes her 72 year-old husband is actually named Barack Obama, or if she's in a hallucinatory "alternate universe" where the two Presidential candidates have switched brains. Either way, it seems that Cindy is making a desperate bid to fill the void left by the death of Anna Nicole Smith.

HERE'S HOW MUCH YOU CAN BELIEVE JOHN McCAIN

In a stump speech today in Albuquerque, New Mexico, John McCain said this about Barack Obama:

"As recently as September of last year he said that sub prime loans had been, quote, 'a good idea' - to hear him talk now, you’d think he’d always opposed the dangerous practices at these institutions. But there is absolutely nothing in his record to suggest he did. Nothing, zero, zippo, nada."

And here's Obama's ACTUAL QUOTE from September 2007:

And we cannot help but see some reflections of these practices when we look at the subprime mortgage fiasco today.

Subprime lending started off as a good idea – helping Americans buy homes who couldn't previously afford to...

Most everyone knew that some of these deals were just too good to be true, but all that money flowing in made it tempting to look the other way and ignore the unscrupulous practice of some bad actors.

In the very same speech, Obama also warns of the deregulation problem that we're seeing today:

In recent years, we have seen a dangerous erosion of the rules and principles that have allowed our market to work and our economy to thrive. Instead of thinking about what's good for America or what's good for business, a mentality has crept into certain corners of Washington and the business world that says, "what's good for me is good enough."

I would encourage anyone who'd like to judge Obama's words accordingly to read the entire speech HERE. It's quite an "eye opener" into the mind of a smart man who's grasp of the economy dominates McCain's simplistic "cut taxes, lower spending" mantra.

In addition, there's hardly "Nothing, zero, zippo, nada" in Obama's record regarding the dangerous nature of sub prime lending. Take this letter from Obama to Chairman Bernanke and Secretary Paulson in March of 2007 which warned of "a potential coming wave of foreclosures." In addition, he stated:

Rampant foreclosures are in nobody’s interest, and I believe this is a case where all responsible industry players can share the objective of eliminating deceptive or abusive practices, preserving homeownership, and stabilizing housing markets.

You can read more about McCain and his lies HERE. It seems pretty clear that "Old Johnny McCain" really wants the White House, and he's willing to lie, cheat, and steal in an attempt to get it done.

"KEATING ECONOMICS" STARRING JOHN McCAIN

The McCain Campaign has started an all out blitz on Barack Obama's character in an attempt to "turn the page" on the economic crisis. In return, the Obama Campaign issued a 13-minute documentary entitled Keating Economics, which directly ties McCain's actions (and economic beliefs) during the 1990's bailout scandal to today's current mess.

The video features an in-depth interview with one of the government regulators who was present when McCain and four other U.S. Senators tried to pressure the investigators to drop their case again Charles Keating. It's a scathing expose on McCain's actions some 18 years ago - as well as an enlightening look into his still warped views of the economy.

CLICK PICTURE TO WATCH

"2000 JOHN McCAIN" MAKES "2008 JOHN McCAIN" LOOK LIKE A FOOL

PALIN SMEARS OBAMA, OPENS UP A PANDORA'S BOX

On Saturday Sarah Palin said of Barack Obama:

"This is not a man who sees America as you and I do -- as the greatest force for good in the world," Palin said "This is someone who sees America as imperfect enough to pal around with terrorists who targeted their own country."

The "someone" Palin is referring to is one William Ayers, a Vietnam-era radical who headed a group that bombed government buildings in opposition of the war. It should be noted that Ayers carried out these acts when Obama (born in 1961) was a child, that he somehow was never even prosecuted for these terrorist acts, and has since become an education professor at the University of Illinois, Chicago.

In addition, Palin was referring to this New York Times article which stated that, "...the two men do not appear to have been close." Which begs the question, "Why would Palin drag out an attack that's already been answered numerous times during the primaries, and even on National Television with Bill O'Reilly a few weeks ago?" Just for the record, Obama has been candid about Ayers as, "somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago, when I was 8."

However, if the McCain Campaign would like to play the "association game", then how about having Palin explain why she would happily address a secessionist party convention? That's right, Palin videotaped a smiling address for a party who's founder is on the record for saying things like:

"I'm an Alaskan, not an American. I've got no use for America or her damned institutions."

and

"The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government. And I won't be buried under their damn flag. I'll be buried in Dawson. And when Alaska is an independent nation they can bring my bones home."

Now does that sound like "Country First" rhetoric to you? And yet Palin (who's husband was a member of the party until 2001) decided to record this less than a year ago:

How's that for seedy "Anti-American" associations Sarah?