I am loving the fact that VP candidate Gov Palin is now the only candidate front and center of the 24 hour news cycle which means she is sucking up all of Obama's airspace.

Undecideds vote tend to vote popularity or rather whose name is most recognized and right now Obama is nowhere near the front and center he once was.

Take the gloves off, leave the gloves on; who cares.

The economy has tanked, right on schedule, and the media has hung the whole thing around the GOP's next. Sorry about that, but this time the media did it right. Gotcha, John McCain, you're toast.

Unfair, 'tis true, but McCain's failure to pin this economic chaos on Barney Frank et al just cost him the election.

Better luck next time, GOP.

Since it's apparently no longer about policies, I'll take Keating and the Witch Doctor over Ayers and Wright.

Not guilt by association, guilt by guilt as far as Keating is concerned. (Ben Smith)

Dream on libs. Dream on. Keating happened and someone was exonerated. Who was that? Oh yeah! McCain.

Ayers, Wright, and the other criminals and hustlers Obama embraces will bring him down. Main street people do not like the race baiters. ww

jp2: "Not guilt by association, guilt by guilt as far as Keating is concerned"

Fair enough. The only GUILTY parties in the Keating affair were: DEMOCRATS!

Two Senators, Glenn and McCain were completely exonerated! In fact, McCAin was only charged because it was the Dem's condition for going forward with ANY prosecution (to avoid it looking like an "all Dem" thing).

But even though exonerated, McCain apologized and became the "No EARMARKS!" and "Prosecute them all!" guy he is. Including prosecuting Republicans.

Case Closed!

Now...back to Obama, who described William Ayers as:
"Just a guy who lives in my neighborhood, and is an English teacher"

Adolph Hitler?? "Just some Austrian guy...I think he was a painter"

Kids, people are spooked that they're gonna be in a breadline next week, and McCain is babbling about Bill Ayers? People don't give a rat-fuck about some shady association when they're watching their whole economic world evaporate.

McCain is toast. Better luck next time.

WOW. the right is desperate but then everyone knew it would get to this.

Hitler Justrand??/

Next you'll be defending those shadowy, ominous black man videos. But hey, what else would you expect from you folks??

Ayers, ACORN, etc. is a trip down memory lane for some people -- memories of youth.

It's nostalgia.

I hope he follows Palin's advice and takes the gloves off. Obama is running a campaign on change, but what kind of change?

--The Chicago "community" he "organized" is still poor and falling apart.
--The Annenberg Project he chaired spent $1.5 billion on schools but student test scores and graduation rates did not increase at all.
--The Chicago politicians he spent his formative political years with are still corrupt and have driven private industry from the city.
--The Democratic party with which he associates still cries for more regulation of Wall Street but blocks oversight on Freddie or Fannie Mae, resulting in a national, maybe international financial meltdown.

The only two changes I see forthcoming, based on Senator Obama's record are (1) money traveling from taxpayers pockets into the bank accounts of politicians and their cronies and (2) in increased understanding of the second law of thermodynamics for the rest of us. That's not the kind of change that's good for our country, much less for most Americans.

The Obama campaign is now claiming that Obama just didn't know that Ayers was an unrepentant anti-American terrorist during the decades he worked with him. Just like he didn't know that Jeremiah Wright was an anti-American racist during the twenty years he used him as a "spiritual mentor". I give you two choices (surely there are no others) Obama is a as blatant a liar as has ever disgraced American politics, or he is terminally clueless. Since he appears likely to win this election, I sincerely hope it is the former, as horrible a thought as that is.

Correction: In my comment above, I incorrectly stated that the Annenberg Project spent $1.5 billion--the number was actually $150 million. Sorry about the error, but it does not affect the conclusions.

I was reminded of the lyrics from Buffalo Springfield and their song "Everybody Look What's Going Down" as I read the desperation rampant on this blog and other extremist right wing blogs:

"there's something happening here. what it is ain't
exactly clear. there's a man with a gun over
there. telling me i got to beware. its time we
stop, hey, what's that sound? everybody look
what's going down. paranoia strikes deep. into
your heart it will creep. it happens when you're
always afraid. step out of line and the man comes
to take you away. stop, hey, what's that sound?
everybody look what's going down. its time we
stop, hey, what's that sound? everybody look
what's going down. stop, hey, what's that sound?
everybody look what's going down. you hippie [blankers]..."

You could use most of these lyrics to describe the right wing today. Or maybe make it into an anthem for you folks with a few changes.?

JFO, the POINT is, that describing someone in an intentionally INNOCUOUS way is deceitful...at best!

Obama describres an UNREPENTANT TERRORIST that he had a VERY CLOSE ASSOCIATION with as:
"Just a guy who lives in my neighborhood, and is an English teacher"

Let's disect this...
Just a guy who lives in my neighborhood
This is intended to convey a lack of familiarity with the person beyond a casual one. CLEARLY A LIE. Ayers launched Obama's political career...in Ayer's HOUSE!

..."is an English teacher"
This in intended to convey the EXTENT of the knowledge Obama has about this person...and it praisworthy knowledge: he's an English Teacher!!

Obama's depiction of WHO Ayers is, and how WELL he knows him are both LIES! (ok, Ayers apparently IS an "English teacher")

My Hitler comment was only intended to show how you could take virtually ANY nefarious character and highlight an innocuous aspect of them!!

Why did Obama feel he needed to LIE about WHAT he knew about Ayers...and WHEN he knew it?

Sarah Palin echoes my sentiments exactly regarding this campaign. John McCain must stop acting like an officer and a gentleman when dealing with a low-level street brawler like Obama. He needs to get down and dirty. Obama has given McCain a great deal of material to use against him. Make the case that Obama is an unknown entity and therefore dangerous for the country. If he doesn't do this now, he will have forfeited his chance to be president. Rev. Wright, Bill Ayers, Tony Rezko, high taxes, far, far left allegiances, a wife who thinks the U.S.A. is a mean country -- Start laying this in Obama's lap and watch the polls change.

If this is how McCain/Palin want to play then it's fair game to talk about their past associations with secessionists and convicted felons.

Todd Palin was a member of the Alaska Independence Party for 7 years. The founder of the AIP had these things to say about the US:

"The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government."

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

"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."

Sarah Palin. She sleeps with traitors.

max,

Is that the best you got? Because that's small potatoes compared to Obama's decades long association with Ayers and Wright.

And that's just for starters.

...and as a follow up, max:

Is there a difference between forming a political party that wants to use the ballot to achieve its goals and forming a terrorist organization that prefers to use bombs?

I guess in your addled brain, not so much.

Gee. Let's see....

On the one hand, you've got Ayres and the Weathermen, who built bombs.

On the other hand, you've got the AIP - which looked to change the laws of Alaska through the legal voting process.

Gee, who would I rather be associated with? Tough damn call, that!

What's next, we're going to find that one of her sons or daughters has been a member of the SCA?

"The Gloves have come off," huh??

We know what this means:

THE REPUBLICANS KNOW THAT THEY CAN'T POSSIBLY WIN ON THE ISSUES. NO WAY!!! THEREFORE, THEY BELIEVE THAT THEY HAVE TO SLIME THEIR OPPONENTS IN ORDER TO WIN.

From the time of the eventually-repentant Lee Atwater through the days of his protege, Karl Rove, Republicans have absolutely loved employing politics of the gutter. No surprise there.

What's interesting this time is that you have a woman actually married to to a man who spent several years in a secessionist party doing the smear-job, a woman who herself actually wished the secessionist party good luck in its work. But she's a desperate Republican, and she knows it. And desperate Republicans have the capacity to get downright ugly.

Herman

Too many goons in Obama's campaign for you to point fingers at Republicans.

I have no doubt that if you elect Obama into the White House within two years of his goons in office you will be the first to call for his impeachment.

Herman,

As opposed to Democrats, who are perpetually "downright ugly".

The McCain campaign wants to turn the page on the economy. I agree. Last week disturbance was a minor thing. No big deal. Move along people, there's nothing to see here.

Hmmmm. Obama leads in the polls, and the confidence in the long term economy is dropping... Doesn't bode well for having the man in office for 4 years.

Ok Sheik, I guess we'll find out what resonates with voters, 'cause McCains leading the way into the gutter and Obama has no choice but to follow. All this crap will come out and we'll see who comes out on top.

http://www.keatingeconomics.com/

It's still the economy, dumbass.

William Ayers WAS and IS a terrorist. The agenda remains unchanged, it's just not being pursued with explosives now.

The stock market is very uneasy at this time as in ALL past presidential election cycles. When a liberal runs, they hold on to their money until they see how much it will cost them to do business. There is the reason for the slow market. Check the history libbies.

I am not worried at all. Obama and his campaign is the filthiest in history. He has a wife that you can see the hate she has for white people. He hangs with very questionable people. People most would not be comfortable around. He lies like Clinton. Hang on. Middle america will wake up. ww

Two Senators, Glenn and McCain were completely exonerated!

And the ethics committee ruled that McCain exercised "poor judgment".

But even though exonerated, McCain apologized

And admitted to "poor judgment".

And isn't this now the "good judgment" campaign?

Palin:To tell you the truth, Bill, I don't know why that association isn't discussed more, because those were appalling things that that pastor had said about our great country.

Part of Palin`s great country is no doubt her church, the Wasilla Assembly of God where she sat without blinking when her pastor Kalnins whom she is very close to `preached that critics of President Bush will be banished to hell`; and questioned whether people who voted for Sen. John Kerry in 2004 would be accepted to heaven...Which could be translated as God bless the Bush voters and God damn the Kerry voters....lovely...Let`s see Palin disown her pastor like Obama did his.. but don't hold your breath.

It's still the economy, dumbass.

Yes it is, max. And the truth is already out. But you don't really care about the whole story, do you?

The stock market is very uneasy at this time as in ALL past presidential election cycles.

Is that your new meme? That the stock market is just in a normal pre-election correction?

Run with that.

BTW, the link in 29 has an updated video in place, as good if not better than the last one.

Check your history libbies. The percentage of loss the stock market had last week did not even make the top ten of losses in the history of the market. All you have to do is just a little research. (That is when you independently investigate facts in a non partisan way)

Now we have Huffington Post sited as a source of info. Like the National Enquirer but at least the NE gets it right sometimes.

Okay, let's compare the two pastors. In the open. In the MSM. See which one looks like the hateful racist. (snicker) I love you lefties. You try to act so smart but most of the time prove the opposite. ww

Two Senators, Glenn and McCain were completely exonerated!

And the ethics committee ruled that McCain exercised "poor judgment".

But even though exonerated, McCain apologized

And admitted to "poor judgment".

And isn't this now the "good judgment" campaign?

And by acknowledging and apologizing for that poor judgment, rather than trying to sweep it under the rug as Obama does, McCain places himself light years ahead of Obama in accountability and responsibility for his poor judgment in trusting Keating. Instead of disassociating himself from his bad associations as McCain did when he found out about Keating, Obama maintained those relationships knowing that they were bad actors.

The percentage of loss the stock market had last week did not even make the top ten of losses in the history of the market.

But it did make the top 20.

Eliminate those from 1937 or before, and it's #4. All you have to do is just a little research.

Like I said. Go with the "it's not so bad" and "normal in an election year" meme. I'd like to see that.

But the lefties are complaining its the worst crash since 1929. A lie, but does it really matter to lefties? No. They live the lie. ww

And by acknowledging and apologizing for that poor judgment

So poor judgment is disqualification for president, but if your guy did it then it's OK as long as he acknowledged it.

By the way, he's un-acknowledged it.

Sarah Palin. She sleeps with traitors.

Max. The "successful" gigolo, who has "made love to many women of different backgrounds and colors", but has yet to have the respect of a successful American executive woman with traditional values. Yes, I do see a pattern in your life, max. Did you know that Casanova would be totally lost in the history pages were it not for the fact he just happened to work in a library and be an author?

I asked her whether she'd like to take this opportunity to challenge Joe Biden to another one. There was a pause, and I thought I heard some staff murmuring in the background (we were on speaker phones). She passed on the notion of a challenge.

I really wonder how much you guys would be mocking Biden as scared if that were him demurring instead of Palin.

I don't need a phone call to Biden to mock him. I already have plenty. "I am smarter then you", "that is not Barack's position", "Barack is not ready to be president", on and on it goes. 28 years worth. Love it. ww

Yeah, compared to 18 months worth. Glad you love it so.

Oh look, Palin's already calling herself "vice president". I seem to remember another candidate being mocked for being so arrogant....

"I was judged eventually, after three years, of using, quote, poor judgment, and I agree with that assessment." -John McCain, fraudster

I'm sure he's fixed that whole able-to-be-bribed thing. Hard to fix bad choices though.

Keep talking trash righties, the country is loving it. Obama up from 4 ahead to 8 ahead in latest CNN poll.

Yeah, yeah, yeah ..."we don't believe in no stinkin polls..." the extreme right says, unless of course the polls say everyone (including the polar bears) loves Palin.

It will be fun to watch as the sewage, filth and garbage flow from the once honorable McCain and the polls go down down down.

I can't wait till tomorrow's debate when he'll snarl, smirk, growl and otherwise drive a bigger nail into his political coffin.

Honorable man? Once, but no more.

jp2

I am voting for someone who can admit it when they make a mistake; such is the process of learning. I prefer that to someone who cannot, will not, is constitutionally unable to admit any error in judgement.

But I don't expect you to understand that because in your mind, Obama can do no wrong as he is the annointed one.

Erp, barf.

jp2~

It's that hillbilly in you talking again, isn't it? When it comes to wrong decisions, Obama just isn't saying anything, which seems to be his strategy of making it go away. He's received tons of "unspoken support" without admitting any wrong doing at all! Imagine that!

brian - "Oh look, Palin's already calling herself "vice president". I seem to remember another candidate being mocked for being so arrogant...."

Just where, exactly, is anything related to Palin suggesting, implying or outright saying she was already a VP?

She was quoting a "TV Pundit."

jp2 - "It's still the economy, dumbass."

And damn lucky for you guys isn't it?

Otherwise the public might not be "distracted" from the "most clueless politician to have ever reached the US Senate."

brian - "By the way, he's un-acknowledged it."

Who's "he?" Not McCain, his lawyer is quoted.

Furthermore you and the kos kiddie-like nutcase you linked to, and obviously yourself as well make a sorry attempt at conflating his lawyer's belief the K-5 investigation was "a political smear job on John [McCain]" into McCain not being sorry or repentant over his part in the matter.

That's not even a "sorry" attempt, it's no attempt at all.

Keep talking trash righties,

It's so much easier to dish it out, isn't it?

LaMedusa - "It's so much easier to dish it out, isn't it?"

Apparently so, and McCain has taken the concept to heart:

"My opponent's touchiness every time he is questioned about his record should make us only more concerned. For a guy who's already authored two memoirs, he's not exactly an open book. It's as if somehow the usual rules don't apply, and where other candidates have to explain themselves and their records, Senator Obama seems to think he is above all that. Whatever the question, whatever the issue, there's always a back story with Senator Obama. All people want to know is: What has this man ever actually accomplished in government? What does he plan for America? In short: Who is the real Barack Obama? But ask such questions and all you get in response is another barrage of angry insults."

I am voting for someone who can admit it when they make a mistake; such is the process of learning.

Hey, Dick Fuld, CEO of Lehman, admitted he he was wrong. Oh wait, that was back in April. Hopefully he learned from that. Uh oh, not so much, as he "was wrong" again in October. Maybe he'll learn from this.

Hmm, he admitted he was wrong twice! That's 100% more than McCain. Would you vote to put this guy in charge of another bank?

She was quoting a "TV Pundit."

No she wasn't.

Who's "he?" Not McCain, his lawyer is quoted.

Oh, so now McCain's campaign doesn't speak for him? That's a new one.

"Oh, so now McCain's campaign doesn't speak for him? That's a new one."

Brian, in case you missed my reply on the other thread:

http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/mccains-lawyer-keating-investigation-had-no-merit-2008-10-06.html

He wasn't speaking for McCain, he was giving his perspective on what happened. McCain has never retracted anything:

"I understand why John feels the way he does," Dowd said. "This was an embarrassing and humiliating matter."

Dowd called the hearings a "political stunt," adding that Democratic leadership "colored the hearings."

brian - "No she wasn't."

Show me the quote? Her statement can just as easily be read as her quoting a "TV pundit" as her referring to herself as the VP. It's an open question you chose to close in your biased hate everything Palin" way.

Brian - "Oh, so now McCain's campaign doesn't speak for him? That's a new one."

No one said that, you'd just like that to be true as a way to deflect from what was said and then contorted all out of any semblance to reality by one of the most fervent lib blogs existent.

LaMedusa - "The "successful" gigolo, who has "made love to many women of different backgrounds and colors", but has yet to have the respect of a successful American executive woman with traditional values. Yes, I do see a pattern in your life, max. Did you know that Casanova would be totally lost in the history pages were it not for the fact he just happened to work in a library and be an author?"

Alright, I know it's a mistake, but I have to ask. What the hell are you talking about?

And marc, I know this charge gets thrown around way too much, but it's definately appropriate here. You might want to brush up on your reading comprehension. Especially when it comes to who to insult. (hint: check posts 24 and 45)

max - "You might want to brush up on your reading comprehension. Especially when it comes to who to insult. (hint: check posts 24 and 45)"

Ooooh, gee I substituted your name for jp2... Like there's a difference?

That point still stands, one you didn't address.

Show me the quote?

I can't, because there was no quote. Thus substantiating my point.

No one said that

Uh... you did. Remember this?

>he's un-acknowledged it.
Who's "he?" Not McCain, his lawyer is quoted.

You see, that's you saying that when McCain's campaign puts McCain's lawyer out there to say something on McCain's behalf, it can't be taken as speaking for McCain.

brian - "You see, that's you saying that when McCain's campaign puts McCain's lawyer out there to say something on McCain's behalf, it can't be taken as speaking for McCain."

Where's the lawyer quoted as saying McCain was unrepentant, not sorry, or any otherwise unapologetic?

It doesn't exist, what does is his lawyer offering the opinion the investigation was a "smear," which may or may not be McCains position. I tend to believe it is, but that's beside the point.

There is a difference between myself and jp2. And what point exactly were you making? He says he didn't know, in '95, who Ayers was, and you say he did? Prove it.

And LaMedusa obviously doesn't read the articles he links to.

From the Hill article:

"John Dowd, on a conference call with reporters arranged by the McCain campaign, said he is not surprised the case has resurfaced after 20 years, but he does not agree with Sen. McCain's (Ariz.) acknowledgment of the appearance of impropriety, saying he thinks what McCain did "was very appropriate."

http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/mccains-lawyer-keating-investigation-had-no-merit-2008-10-06.html

Of course, since the McCain campaign has had so many gaffes and remarks that have been retracted, I wouldn't be surprised if they came out tomorrow and claimed that thats not what he meant.

max - "He says he didn't know, in '95, who Ayers was, and you say he did? Prove it."

What's to prove?

If you chose to believe obama didn't know Ayres was "unrepentant" I might give that some consideration, it's possible, however if you maintain he didn't know of Ayres involvement in terrorist activities you need to place yourself in that picture of three monkeys with the thought balloons that say "see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil."

It's totally implausible and preposterous, but the obama campaign is attempting to do just that.

max~ "Alright, I know it's a mistake, but I have to ask. What the hell are you talking about?" Yes, we both know it's a mistake, but for different reasons. We'll leave it at that.

And as far as the Hill article is concerned you also need to read the comments before jumping in like that. Brian said that McCain retracted what he said about regretting the Keating Five incident. He never said such a thing. His atty said it. And just because they work for him doesn't mean he retracted by saying he didn't make a mistake.

Where's the lawyer quoted as saying McCain was unrepentant, not sorry, or any otherwise unapologetic?

When he said, "the committee went too far in suggesting that McCain's intervention with regulators was poor judgment".

Or do you mean to claim that McCain agrees it was poor judgment, but thinks an ethics committee went too far by telling him they think so too?

Geez, marc, I sure hope you don't act like this in your personal relationships.

"Hey marc, I heard the movie was good."

"Says who? Do you have a link to the video? That's no link, that's a newspaper! Did you actually hear it, or did you read it? So you're a liar when you said you 'heard' it! And it doesn't say 'good', it says 'entertaining'! Ha! You can't even get that right! And it was an opinion, not a fact! And it's taken out of context! Did you speak to Roger Ebert personally? Then you really have no idea what he meant! Oh sure, it's doing well at the box office, but there could be many other reasons for that! In other words, the movie is terrible and you're just too biased to see it!"

Stop being thick, Brian. McCain was still repentant and of course the atty is going to defend his client during an arranged conference call. This stuff is almost 20 yrs old and a very weak attempt at a campaign smear. You are only dragging this out because it's not Obama.

Thank goodness McCain and Palin are finally taking off the gloves. Like millions of Americans I've awaited the truth, while feeling frustration watching Obama get a free ride. Subjects like Wright, Farrakhan, Pfleger, Rezko, Ayers, and others, seem to have been off limits for discussion, when they go to the core of who Obama is. In defense of Obama, the media treats him like a sacred cow, and implies that since these subjects were visited at one time, they're not fair game to revisit ... but, why not? Like millions of Americans I've never been comfortable with Obama attending Jeremiah Wright's church for TWENTY YEARS ... suddenly quitting for political expediency, and then claiming that he never heard the racist, anti-American sermons going on there. Also, the Trintity church website has since sanitized it's previous links on the 'Black Values System' ... and, the 'Black Liberation Theology' which Obama sworn an oath to for TWENTY YEARS.

If this is how McCain/Palin want to play then it's fair game to talk about their past associations with secessionists and convicted felons.

Todd Palin was a member of the Alaska Independence Party for 7 years. The
founder of the AIP had these things to say about the US:

"The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the
American government."

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

"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."

Sarah Palin. She sleeps with traitors.

max:

Do you have the links for this post?

maggie:

Yes.

max - "Yes."

And so.....?

Case thrown out for lack of evidence.

marc:

max - "Yes."

And so.....?

Case thrown out for lack of evidence

Apparently he is obtuse.

marc and maggie,
Quit pretending you don't know what I'm talking about. Todd Palins history with the anti-American Alaska Independence Party is common knowledge. If you are truly that clueless, hop on the google and search for it. Trust me, there's plenty of info out there. But then you already know that, you're just being disingenuous. Grow up, for crying out loud.