This is beautiful. They keep proding, but he just stands strong. I think I have a man-crush.
A commentor posted this on my the previous post,
"I was actually watching Face the Nation when Bob (Slimebag) Schieffer bated Wes Clark with the question, almost taunting him, along the lines of "how can you say that John McCain is not more experienced" (Jimmie Hendrix was "Experienced" also) because of his military/POW service/confinement. Wes Clark replied with great aplomb and equanimity that flying in a jet, being shot down, and being a POW is not a requirement to be a good president. Again, context is all, and if folks had just heard the line of questioning leading up to that fair response, they would not be beside themselves, and that includes Barack Obama!"
Yesterday, Wes Clark said that McCain's military service does not qualify him to be the president. I agreed with the statement and I was thrilled to see an Obama surrogate go after McCain and his bogus claims.
Today, Obama rejected that statement. I thought his reasoning on this was totally flawed. Why would he reject such a great comment from a real military leader like Clark? Well, there are a few reasons.
1) Obama is about to make his big speech on patriotism and in that speech he talks says "I will never question the patriotism of others in this campaign. And I will not stand idly by when I hear others question mine". If he didn't put a little space between them, then it could appear somewhat contradictory.
2) Wes Clark is a smart guy. He knows what he said and he will defend his comment on Andrea Mitchell just fine. Obama knew this, talked to Clark about this and he is in no way throwing Clark under the bus. By putting distance, the Media has lost their narrative and can't smear Obama here. Having a smart and qualified attack dog like this is perfect. He made the space and now Clark can continue without being labelled unpatriotic or hurting Obama.
3) The Obama camp does want to start bringing up McCain's record in his campaign. McCain does it enough since his entire campaign is based on the fact that he was a POW. Obama knows that in order to win, YOU must make the story. YOU have to take it away from the GOP and set the tone. The Dems have lost too many times because they have been on the defense from the onslaught on the Right.
My Question: Will Obama realize how much of an asset Clark will be on the campaign trail or will he play it safe and find someone less abrasive?
And if he doesn't choose Clark as the VP, does that suggest that the Sec. of Defense position in his?
In tune with this political seasons growing theme of patriotism, Obama is set to make a big speech on patriotism. And just like the unity speech in Unity, NH, this patriotism speech will be in Independence, MO. (I wish it was in Patriotville, TX.) While I don't like doing this because it's much better listening to him and then reading it later, I figured I could give you a hint.
I will say that this speech is incredible and it easily goes in his top three. Perhaps this will help alter the course of this campaign and keep it on track with the concerns of the voters rather than the ratings of the networks.
June 2008 has come to a close and it was quite a month. Let's take a look at what happened this month.
We lost Bo Diddley, Tim Russert and George Carlin.
I've said it before and it's going to start happening a lot more these days. The greats of my generation and my parents' generation are going to start making that trip. At least Teddy dogged the bullet this time.
The Celtics ate the Lakers alive.
I used to be a pretty big Boston fan when I was young. I haven't paid attention since then. I used to have a pretty cool Celtics towel.
The International Olympic Committee announced a shortlist of finalists for the 2016 Olympics.
The list included Chicago, Rio, Tokyo and Madrid. It looks like it won't be Rio or Tokyo, and Greece just had it, so maybe Chicago will get it by default. Ideally, my wife and I are planning on living in Chicago and that would be great. Also, we're planning on staying with friends in London for the 2012, so we could return the hospitality.
Turkey's Constitutional Court reinstated a ban on the hijab in universities.
Forcing secularism is not right either.
Japan and North Korea resumed bilateral talks.
Like most talks with North Korea, this will not go anywhere. Prove me wrong.
Seven people were killed and ten injured in a stabbing spree in Tokyo.
This, and I just read about a 77 year old man who killed his whole family with a hammer. Rough.
Rafael Nadal won the men's singles title at the 2008 French Open for the fourth year in a row.
I first watched Nadal in summer of 2004. He was awesome. I'm better though.
Apple, Inc. introduced a new iPhone.
Of course, it already has problems. I like watching Samsung try to compete and realease the same phone, but worse and watch their profits fall.
India's prime minister Manmohan Singh called for global nuclear disarmament asking world countries to create 'timebound framework' to rid the world of atomic weapons.
Right, India. Great idea, but since when do you get a say?
South Korea's cabinet resigned following widespread protests at decisions to resume US beef imports in South Korea.
Do I have to comment on this?
US House of Representatives voted on whether to refer Articles of Impeachment against George W. Bush.
Of course Kucinich is leading the charge. That guy is my hero. Huge balls and how did he get that wife? Oh yeah, his balls.
The US Midwest flooded.
And Obama got dirty while McCain flew over. Who's elitist?
Muqtada al-Sadr claimed that he is developing a new force to fight United States forces in Iraq.
What??? But McCain told me that children were planting flowers and family picnics were becoing pandemic.
Gay couples finally got married in CA.
About time. Now, will this become another election issue?
Tiger Woods won.
Big whoop.
Typhoon Fengshen roughed up the Philippines.
It actually hit right around where we honeymooned. I hope our buddy Phol is okay.
The Supreme Court ruled on Exxon Shipping Co. v. Baker that the damages awarded in the Exxon Valdez case were excessive and reduces them from $2.7 billion to $507 million.
I like how the Supreme Court (well...the insane 5) can judge the damage done to the envirnoment.
China reopened Tibet to foreign tourists as a ban imposed during the Tibetan unrest was lifted.
I'm sure that Tibetans really love to be told that they've been reopened. Also, where are all of those protesters now?
North Korea destroyed the cooling tower of the Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center as a sign of its commitment to ending its nuclear weapons program.
Let the rice party begin.
Barack Obama won the Primary and prepares to face old man McCain.
I think I have covered this a few times on this blog.
***Check out "Musings" as I'll be wrapping up what went on with me this month (it should be up tomorrow though***
As November looms in the not-so-far-off distance, the story will become more defined and the election will become about one or two issues. While voters will still be worried about the economy, health-care costs and Iraq, the focus from the pundits and talking heads will be about meaningless slogans that they will create and blow out of proportion. The media has no interest in pushing real issues. If they focus on the economy or health care, then that becomes the story for the election. The problem with that story is that it doesn't make for a close rating-friendly election. Obama would slaughter old man McCain. The networks need a nail biter so people are glued to the television. The question is of course, what will they go with?
While this might seem complicated or impossible to accurately guess such a thing, there is one common storyline that always seems to bring the nutty right out in support of anything: Patriotism.
I think that this will become the story. Obama has all sorts of "dents" in the eyes of the GOP and the media will hype this up to make the race appear much closer, therefore defining the story for November. And it will work. The wingers love to focus on shallow expressions of patriotism like flag pins, bumper stickers, saluting the flag and telling other people that they know how patriotic others really are.
As John Kerry learned, even serving in Vietnam and being awarded two Purple Hearts is not patriotic enough to pass the average GOP-voter "patriotic" smell test. Besides the fact that more Congressional Dems have served in the military than the GOP, the Right truly believes that only they can be the judge of true patriotism. Afterall, they have outlined the few narrowly defined ways to express patriotism and the metric, of course, is immesuarble, i.e. Kerry went to Vietnam and was branded as unpatriotic, while Bush was too busy with blow to show up.
Here's a typical right-wing comment that I read on Politio in response to that Clark article. If you click on that link, you can scroll down and check out some of the opinions that illustrate just how easy the patriotism card is going to be pulled.
"When did Obama put His Life at risk for America. McCain was tortured for 5 years. Obama has Not even been in the Senate for that long. Obam should be ashamed of such a comment. He refuses any town hall meetings. He wants to have com-lete control of his public appearances and give a prepared speech. He is aferaid to answer questions from voters."
Yet again, Wes Clark is proving that he wants the VP position and he's got the balls to attack McCain on his only strong point.
“I don’t think getting in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to become president.”Keep them coming Clark.
It looks like McCain just might have more appeal than I thought.
Study: Most Children Strongly Opposed To Children�s Healthcare
Another party-line decision on the Supreme Court reverses the DC gun ban and nutters are rejoicing. Within minutes, St. McCain jumped in and let us know how original he can be.
“Unlike the elitist view that believes Americans cling to guns out of bitterness, today’s ruling recognizes that gun ownership is a fundamental right — sacred, just as the right to free speech and assembly,” Mr. McCain said."There is nothing elitist about wanting a safe country FREE of guns. And today's ruling only highlights the fact that we can not allow for a McCain presidency where it is almost certain that he will appoint more far right-wingers to the bench. Here is McCain's full statement:
"Today’s decision is a landmark victory for Second Amendment freedom in theThe timing of this issue is interesting as it will certainly help McCain is some of the rural areas. It will help the New McCain, not the one who battled with the NRA and gun lobby just years ago. And apparently, the right to own a gun is sacred and that scares the hell out of me.
United States. For this first time in the history of our Republic, the U.S.
Supreme Court affirmed that the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms was
and is an individual right as intended by our Founding Fathers. I applaud this
decision as well as the overturning of the District of Columbia’s ban on
handguns and limitations on the ability to use firearms for self-defense.
“Unlike Senator Obama, who refused to join me in signing a bipartisan amicus
brief, I was pleased to express my support and call for the ruling issued today.
Today’s ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller makes clear that other
municipalities like Chicago that have banned handguns have infringed on the
constitutional rights of Americans. Unlike the elitist view that believes
Americans cling to guns out of bitterness, today’s ruling recognizes that gun
ownership is a fundamental right — sacred, just as the right to free speech and
assembly.
“This ruling does not mark the end of our struggle against those
who seek to limit the rights of law-abiding citizens. We must always remain
vigilant in defense of our freedoms. But today, the Supreme Court ended forever
the specious argument that the Second Amendment did not confer an individual
right to keep and bear arms.”
"I have always believed that the Second Amendment protects the right of individuals to bear arms, but I also identify with the need for crime-ravaged communities to save their children from the violence that plagues our streets through common-sense, effective safety measures. The Supreme Court has now endorsed that view, and while it ruled that the D.C. gun ban went too far, Justice Scalia himself acknowledged that this right is not absolute and subject to reasonable regulations enacted by local communities to keep their streets safe. Today’s ruling, the first clear statement on this issue in 127 years, will provide much-needed guidance to local jurisdictions across the country.
“As President, I will uphold the constitutional rights of law-abiding gun-owners, hunters, and sportsmen. I know that what works in Chicago may not work in Cheyenne. We can work together to enact common-sense laws, like closing the gun show loophole and improving our background check system, so that guns do not fall into the hands of terrorists or criminals. Today’s decision reinforces that if we act responsibly, we can both protect the constitutional right to bear arms and keep our communities and our children safe."
I wrote about McCain's Youtube Problem a couple weeks ago and today I found this video.
Pretty bad.
Today is the 58th Memorial of the beginning of the Korean War.
ROK Drop has some great pics and will have several posts and images all day today. Check them out.
Jack Cafferty from CNN's Caffert File wrote this piece about McCain's consideration of a woman for VP.
Cafferty never really offers insight, he just poses questions. I think that this might be one of the dumbest moves he could make. He is clear opponent of womens rights and I think it would move more people away from him. Democratic women are among the strongest in the world and they do not want to be pandered to based on their mams.
Here are some comments from the post.
Damian writes:
As long as McCain has his track record against women’s rights, he could fill every post in his fantasy administration with women. I’d bet women are not going to swing for him, unless of course they want unequal pay and accept their body as being the property of the federal government.
Of course it would help. Unfortunately, given McCain’s age and the possibility that his veep will one day be president, there are a lot of women who would vote for him on that basis alone. I’m voting for him whoever he chooses, but Palin sounds best to me!
It is possible that a woman VP choice would get some support but only from those women who share the GOP Pro Life stance and want to see Roe v. Wade overturned. Even with a Femme VP the most die hard Clinton supporters would be hard pressed to support Mccain as he stands for almost everything they stand against. Women ain’t stupid, you know.
Well before any woman supports John Mccain, I strongly recommend that women ask about what happened with John McCain’s first wife. Also look at his record and stances on issues that women really care about. Even the so-called “security moms” should feel very insecure about a John Mccain Presidency!.
I just can’t believe all the “Hillary didn’t win the Nomination-so I will Vote McCain” haters that are still out here whining.
Wake up and smell the coffee…..McCain wants to Privatize Social Security……overturn Roe vs. Wade……fully supports NAFTA and the loss of U.S. jobs…..and is willing go sacrafice more of Our Troops to a War that should have never been waged and fought.
Oh…..and lets remember how he NOW embraces the Bush Tax Cuts for the Wealthiset Americans (you know…..the ones that DON’T need them).
Is your bitterness/vengeance worth losing more Troops ? Losing your job to an Overseas market that is unfair to the American Worker (Don’t think that it can’t happen to you). Having to retire without Dignity and a way to support yourself because Social Security is Privatized and your money was not invested well and their is no money left?
The only Woman that can help McCain is now firmly behind Obama…..if Hillary ever wants to be Voted into a Democratice Seat (or Presidency) ever again she will have to work hard to undo all the damage that she did when she fractured Her Party.
…….even adding a Woman to Mccain’s ticket will do no good.
The only way McCain wins is if there is Voter Suppression and dirt done by the Republican Party (you know……just like what happened in 2000). WE WANT CHANGE……We do NOT want a Bush 3rd Term. Our Country will not be able to survive 4 more years of this.
The RNC has a lot more money to spend than the DNC does. Bush is still raising some big bucks for McCain even though he is in the shadows.
The difference is big:
GOP: $85.1 million
Dems: $47.1 million
That means we have to work extra hard and donate to the DNC and Obama again and again. Remember, McCain is taking public finance, illegally used his general election stash as collatreal for a loan and has the nutty 527's just waiting to 'Swift Boat' Obama. We can do it, but then I see this crap from Hillary.
This is not the time for this plea. This is not the time to help her with her own campaign debt while the DNC is trailing the snakes in overall cash. She should be asking people redesignate their general election donation to Hillary over to Obama.
Look, I understand that she needs some help, but her timing is no good. She needs to be making pleas for her supporters to stop hoping for an Obama loss, a 2012 HRC run and start getting them to unite.
Donate to Barack Obama.
This would shut McCain up."Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki raised the possibility that his country won't sign a status of forces agreement with the United States and will ask U.S. troops to go home when their U.N. mandate to be in Iraq expires at the end of the year."
As if we didn't already know this was how the GOP operated, it's still nice to have it handed to us on a nice platter with a McCain insignia. The server, senior McCain adviser Charlie Black, decided that it would be a good move to publicly wish for a terrorist attack so that McCain can slip in on fear.
"The adviser, Charlie Black, was quoted in an interview with Fortune magazine describing the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in December was an “unfortunate event” but adding that: “But his knowledge and ability to talk about it re-emphasized that this is the guy who’s ready to be commander in chief. And it helped us.” The magazine then added: “As would, Black concedes with startling candor after we raise the issue, another terrorist attack on U.S. soil. ‘Certainly it would be a big advantage to him,’ says Black."
