OBAMA GIRL SWITCHES TO RALPH NADER IN NEW WEB-SERIAL

The Ralph Nader and Obama Girl show, debuted yesterday on YouTube. Set in a tiny office, the first web installment, Ralph and Obama Girl talk about how Ralph has been “excluded” from the debates.

MCCAIN SHOWS REAL LEADERSHIP IN TIME OF CRISIS

26, 2008

COMMENTARY

STEVE HUNTLEY:: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

Well, it was nice of Barack Obama to take a break from his debate prep to fly to Washington to help address what he calls the biggest economic crisis facing the nation since the Depression. Of course, it did take a presidential invitation to jolt him into action. In contrast, John McCain, on his own initiative, suspended his campaign to offer aid in achieving bipartisan consensus on economic rescue legislation.

What we are talking about here is leadership in a time of crisis. Maybe there was a political calculation in the McCain campaign as the Republican presidential nominee, whose poll numbers have sagged, made his decision. But wasn't his surprise announcement completely in character for the maverick senator? Be it campaign finance regulation, immigration reform or climate change, he has never hesitated to take a leadership position on an issue he sees as critical to the country.

With George W. Bush being a lame duck president whose influence is declining among Republican lawmakers, McCain is the head of the GOP. By the same token, Obama has replaced former President Bill Clinton as the leader of the Democrats. In what everyone believes is a critical governing moment for the country, both men -- who are, after all, members of the Senate -- should be at the center of decision-making. It's a simple matter of all officers on deck in the heat of battle.

As it turns out, McCain was encouraged by forces outside his campaign. The Wall Street Journal reported that in a Wednesday meeting with some of the "financial titans" of Wall Street, he was told of the pressing need to pass the rescue package soon. "We urged John to get all over it, that this is a national security issue," one executive told the Journal.

Also, it was apparent that GOP lawmakers were looking to him for guidance, especially since many of their constituents harbor doubts about the rescue bill. No less a figure than Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said McCain's support was necessary to pass the bill. But once McCain's announcement came, Reid switched signals and claimed he wasn't needed in Washington. Talk about cynical politics. Reid recognized McCain was exercising leadership that the Democratic nominee wasn't, and he tried to demean it.

Obama was no less dismissive. Calling for the campaign to continue, he said, "It's going to be part of the president's job to deal with more than one thing at once." That's certainly glib. But it ignores the obvious fact that we are in a time of extraordinary challenge that requires concentrated focus by our nation's leaders to meet it.

Obama finally relented and left his preparations for the debate (scheduled for tonight but in doubt because McCain has suspended his campaign) after Bush invited him to join McCain and congressional leaders for a meeting Thursday. The idea of a presidential session to work toward a bipartisan solution was suggested to the White House by McCain. That's a pretty clear picture of the veteran senator trying to play a helpful role.

There was some heated rhetoric about presidential politics being injected into the economic rescue deliberations. As if politics is ever far from anything in Washington. Political risks exist for both sides. McCain could end up with little to show for his intervention and Obama could be branded as reluctant to act in a time of national crisis. Whatever the political fallout, the voters will learn something about both candidates as they ponder the decision they must make Nov. 4.

BIDEN HIRES LOBBYIST—AS OBAMA ATTACKS MCCAIN LOBBYIST TIES

[USATODAY.com]

As Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama targets his Republican rival Sen. John McCain for hiring former lobbyists to work on his campaign, a key member of Obama's campaign is paying a Washington lobbyist for legal advice: his running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, USA Today reports.

Lobbyist William Oldaker continues to represent the Delaware Democrat in his simultaneous bid for Senate re-election, serving as legal counsel just as he has for Biden's campaigns for the past 25 years, the newspaper says.

Oldaker is an election law attorney and partners with Biden's son Hunter at the Washington firm, Oldaker, Biden & Belair. He is also an appropriations lobbyist who represents lawyers, American Indians, and educational and health care institutions and who drew fire in 2005 for serving on numerous fundraising committees that donate to the lawmakers he lobbies, USA Today notes.

Obama's campaign launched a multimedia assault on McCain last weekend, with two television advertisements, a new website, www.mclobbyist.com, and a Web video highlighting the seven former lobbyists who serve as McCain's top advisers.

However, the McCain campaign has required all paid staff to cease all lobbying activities or resign. Not so with Obama’s running mate Biden.

SARAH PALIN’S EMAIL ACCOUNT HACKED IN MODERN WATERGATE

Politico’s Jonathan Martin reports:

“Without knowing the content, it seems like the news that Sarah Palin's personal email has been hacked will only give Republicans more fodder to paint her as a smear victim.”

Oh, how A-MU-S-ING. Someone committed [a] felony offense[s], and stole Sarah Palin's emails, and then (how F-U-NYY). Gawker PUBLISHED the stolen data.

My God. The Press, in its unbridled, unabashed lust to see Obama elected, has abandoned all decency.

Under what fanciful scenario does anyone envision that Sarah Palin is not the "victim" of hacking, theft, and invasion of privacy?

Not one ounce of even qualified, pretend outrage here?

Could you be more transparent about your patent anti-Palin bias?

We are literally sick to our stomach.

This is a modern-day Watergate-style break-in, and rest assured this will be investigated.

RIP Richard Wright

Richard Wright, Pink Floyd Founder, Keyboardist, Dies at Age 65

Pink Floyd - Have a Cigar

CLINTON BACKER AND DNC MEMBER TO ENDORSE MCCAIN

From CNN Political Editor Mark Preston, Extra

Lynn Forester de Rothschild, a prominent Hillary Clinton supporter and member of the Democratic National Committee’s Platform Committee, will endorse John McCain for president on Wednesday, CNN reports.

According to CNN, Forester’s announcement will take place at a news conference on Capitol Hill, just blocks away from the DNC headquarters. Forester will “campaign and help him through the election,” the spokesman said of her plans to help the Republican presidential nominee.

CNN points out that Forester was a major donor for Clinton earning her the title as a Hillraiser for helping to raise at least $100,000 for the New York Democratic senator’s failed presidential bid.

In an interview with CNN this summer, Forester did not hide her distaste for eventual Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

“This is a hard decision for me personally because frankly I don't like him,” she said of Obama in an interview with CNN’s Joe Johns. “I feel like he is an elitist. I feel like he has not given me reason to trust him.”

Forester is the CEO of EL Rothschild, a holding company with businesses around the world. She is married to international banker Sir Evelyn de Rothschild. Forester is a member of the DNC’s Democrats Abroad chapter and splits her time living in London and New York.

OBAMA FETED BY STARS AT $9 MILLION HOLLYWOOD FUNDRAISER

[AFP]

Oscar-winning singer and actress Barbra Streisand will perform at a glittering and lucrative Hollywood fundraiser for Democrat Barack Obama Tuesday, the AFP reports.

Obama will attend a dinner in Beverly Hills costing attendees 28,500 dollars each and Streisand will then sing at a reception at the swanky Beverly Wilshire hotel, costing attendees $2,500 per person, campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Monday. Under US law, the first 2,300 dollars of donations can go to Obama's campaign and anything over that will go to the DNC.

Politico.com has reported that upwards of 250 donors would attend the star studded, celebrity events expected to raise nine million dollars, which would be the most amassed by any candidate in a single day.

Apparently, the economy is not crimpling Obama’s fundraising style.

TIRED HEARING PALIN ISN'T QUALIFIED

We occasionally read a letter to the editor by an ordinary citizen that encapsulates the views of many, so we reprint Don E. Walston’s letter to the editor of the TC Palm.

“Sometimes letter writers lie as well. Gov. Sarah Palin did not say she sold the state jet on e-Bay. She said, “That luxury jet was over the top; I put it on e-Bay.” It was sold at a loss by a jet broker, after no offers on e-Bay. Don’t lie about it.

“She is also taking hits about the “bridge to nowhere.” Gov. Palin originally supported the earmark spending on the Ketchikan bridge (to nowhere). She eventually killed the project, choosing to spend the federal money on other infrastructure programs.

“Sens. Joe Biden and Barack Obama voted for funding the “bridge to nowhere,” even when given a second chance by Sen. Tom Coburn, who proposed shifting earmark funds to Katrina relief.

“Sen. John McCain did not vote on the Coburn amendment, though he is on record as opposing the bridge.

“I’m tired of hearing how Gov. Palin is not qualified and only a heartbeat away from being president. Consider this, Nancy Pelosi is only two heartbeats away; now that’s scary. I can’t think of a better reason to prevent a president and vice president from riding on the same airplane.

“If your man Obama is so qualified and “in touch,” why isn’t Hillary Clinton on his ticket?"

--Don E. Walston, Fort Pierce, FL

'John McCain would rather lose his honor than lose an election.

John McCain's Lies

Republican Presidential candidate John McCain is running a deceitful campaign.

OBAMA, BIDEN VOTED FOR “BRIDGE TO NOWHERE” THAT PALIN KILLED

The attacks on Sarah Palin continue. These attacks give new meaning to the word hypocrisy, as best exemplified by the so-called Bridge to Nowhere controversy.

While it is true that Governor Sarah Palin initially supported funding for the “Bridge to Nowhere”, the fact remains that she killed the project, and did indeed say “no thanks”.

But lost in the reporting of Obama-Biden’s attacks on Palin’s initial support for the Bridge to Nowhere project is the fact that BOTH Senators Obama AND Biden VOTED FOR funding the Bridge-- even when given a second chance by Sen. Tom Coburn, who proposed shifting earmark funds to Katrina relief.

Source: Chicago Daily Observer, with links to the Biden and Obama voting records on the Bridge to Nowhere funding bill (which they voted for) and the Coburn amendment (which they opposed).

SARAH PALIN ABC INTERVIEW: “I AM READY TO BE VICE PRESIDENT”

GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin was interviewed on camera today by ABC’s Charlie Gibson in the first of a series of exclusive interviews to be conducted this week. The first interview will be aired tonight on ABC World News—but excerpts have been released by the network.

According to the excerpts, Gibson asked Palin if she was ready to be a heart beat away from the presidency, and without missing a beat, Palin confidently replied in the affirmative: "I'm ready," Palin said.

Palin said she had no hesitation about accepting McCain's offer to be on the ticket:

"I answered him yes because I have the confidence in that readiness and knowing that you can't blink, you have to be wired in a way of being so committed to the mission, the mission that we're on, reform of this country and victory in the war, you can't blink," Palin explained. "So I didn't blink then even when asked to run as his running mate."

Palin also confidently expressed her views on Georgia joining NATO dispite Russian opposition.

When asked by Gibson if under the NATO treaty, the U.S. would have to go to war if Russia again invaded Georgia, Palin responded: "Perhaps so. I mean, that is the agreement when you are a NATO ally, is if another country is attacked, you're going to be expected to be called upon and help.

"And we've got to keep an eye on Russia. For Russia to have exerted such pressure in terms of invading a smaller democratic country, unprovoked, is unacceptable," she told ABC News' Charles Gibson in an exclusive interview.

According to the interview excerpts released so far, Palin defied the expectations of some who have suggested that she was not up to the task, and nothing occurred to call into question Palin’s qualifications for the vice presidency.

NEW HARD-HITTING MCCAIN AD TAKES ON OBAMA’S PALIN ATTACKS

MCCAIN-PALIN STRIKE BACK AT OBAMA WITH NEW LIPSTICK AD

OBAMA SELF DESTRUCTS BY CALLING PALIN A “PIG WITH LIPSTICK”

Breaking news, from the ABC political blog Political Punch by ABC News' Senior National Correspondent Jake Tapper:

Today in Lebanon Virginia, Barack Obama said “That’s not change”, and then referred to Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin as a “pig”. yes, that is right, a "pig with lipstick".

"You know, you can put lipstick on a pig," Obama said, "but it's still a pig."

Senator Obama was no doubt referencing Sarah Palin’s acceptance speech joke, stating that hockey moms such as herself are differentiated from pit bulls "by the lipstick."

As shocking as Obama's remarks seem, this blog, and others, have been reporting for months about the Democratic presidential nominee’s sexist propensities, including what Obama admitted was his “habit” of referring to women that he has just met as “sweetie”, as well has his serial references to Hillary Clinton’s “emotionality” and even her menstrual cycle. (See here, here, and here and the YouTube video here—wherein Obama brushed off a female reporter with “hold on just a minute sweetie” during a factory visit, then swaggered off accompanied by the laughter of his male plant escorts.

And then there are the Obama surrogates who are suggesting that as a mother of five, Palin could not take care of her family AND be a competent vice president.

It would appear that the only “pig” is Barack Obama, as in big fat sexist pig.

.

UPDATE: Watch Obma's "lipstick on a pig" remark here:

MEDIA’S ATTEMPT TO SMEAR PALIN’S RELIGIOUS BELIEFS WILL FAIL

We saw Anderson Cooper on CNN last night doing what he and Joel Kline ridiculed Clinton spokesman Lanny Davis for doing on Cooper’s 360 show in early April, 2008: Raise questions about Barack Obama based on things his lifetime pastor, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright has said.

Setting this hypocrisy and palpable anti-Palin bias aside, these attempts to diminish Palin by trying to falsely cast Palin’s minister as some kind of Reverend Wright (and Palin as some kind of Pentecostal religious extremist) are doomed to failure.

As Barack Obama’s early insurgent and wildly successful primary campaign proved, Americans are hungry for a fresh faced Washington DC outsider who will bring real change to the political landscape.

Two things have happened to weaken the Chicago Senator’s hold on the change mantel:

First, this campaign has gone on so long that the press has literally taken photographic note of the graying of Obama. Meaning, Barack Hussein Obama has been in this fight so long, has made so many speeches, and appeared in so many thousands of political ads that he seems less fresh faced than old hat.

Second, Obama made a tactical choice in the face of blistering attacks from Hillary Clinton to abandon (or at least set aside) his core message of hope and change to crawl into the gutter and knife fight it out. In other words, Obama became politics as usual. Obama’s shift from his original core message has been incremental, and culminated with the selection of Joe Biden—a political has been who garnered all of 10,000 votes in the primary and had to chuck his 1987 bid to become president after lying about his resume—and getting caught.

Enter Sarah Palin in the final act.

Fresh face. Reformer. Fought the good-old boys and entrenched interests in Alaska. By most accounts the real deal. In any event, with the ring of that rarest of political commodities: Authenticity.

Thus, Palin’s appeal is not as cultural warrior, standard bearer for the right, tongue talking religious extremist—or any other of a dozen labels that the Republican’s tried to pin on Barack Obama when HE was unstoppable: She has taken on the mantle of change. SHE has become the embodiment of America’s change hunger. THAT is why Palin is so popular, and why McCain leads Obama by ten points in the Gallup Poll.

In addition, like Obama—before he wore out this change mantle—nothing, no false rumor of baby fraud, no bridge to nowhere inconsistencies, no preacher-gate, no trouper-gate, no nothing will dislodge Sarah Palin as the living embodiment of America’s hope-change dream.

At least between now and election day. Or have you all forgotten how NOTHING could stick to Obama in the early days, no Jeremiah Wright, no nothing?

ABC NEWS GIVEN “UNLIMITED ACCESS” TO SARAH PALIN

Politico.com

Politico is reporting that Charles Gibson of ABC’s “World News” will not simply be interviewing Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin next week, but “the anchorman will get extensive, repeated access to Palin throughout her first trip home since becoming the nominee.”

“ABC News will have plenty of time to question her and examine her and spend time with her,” a campaign official said. “They’ll do multiple interviews over two days. No topics are off-limits – there are no ground rules. There’s tons of time to talk to her about every topic.”

The “remarkable rollout”, according to Politico, “reflects new confidence in Palin by her handlers, who initially had suggested it would be a while before she did interviews. Now, there will be several.”

Palin will speak at her son’s Army deployment ceremony on 9/11 and spend two days with ABC News crews later this week, Politico reports.

According to Politico:

“Two interviews with Gibson are planned for Thursday, including a conversation about her support for a natural-gas pipeline – a key applause line in her convention speech. Then on Friday, Palin will spend “as much time as both parties need” in Wasilla and Anchorage, the official said. She will fly into Anchorage and then drive to Wasilla.”

So much for Joe Biden’s claim that Palin has been “sequestered”. Our thought, be careful what you wish for Senator.

FALSE MEDIA ATTACKS ON SARAH PALIN CONTINUE

Just as a new Rasmussen survey was released showing that 51% of likely voters believe that the media has tried to hurt Republican Vice President nominee Sarah Palin with false media reports, yet another attack on Palin was released yesterday by CNN, the Huffington Post, and many bloggers: The assertion that Palin acted as Governor of Alaska to “slash” educational funding for special needs kids by as much as 62%. (The media claims varied from 38% to 62%.)

Except, as revealed by the ultra left blog the Daily Kos the report is a blatant lie.

The reality is that funding for special needs children never significantly decreased under Governor Palin’s administration.

Moreover, Palin signed a bill into law that will dramatically INCREASE funding for special needs kids in Alaska from $26,900 per student to $73,840 per child beginning in fiscal year 2011.

Clearly, for their own reasons, the media is anxious to bring Palin down.

Nevertheless, as the Rasmussen poll shows, these false attacks have been so transparently motivated that a majority of American voters are now rallying around Palin. 24% of respondents in the Rasmussen poll stated they were more likely to vote for Palin as a result.

This blatant media bias must stop. And if candidate Obama fails to denounce these vicious false media attacks, then the American people are free to draw their own conclusions. Apparently, they already have.

RASMUSSEN: 51% OF LIKELY VOTERS THINK MEDIA UNFAIR TO PALIN

[ Boston.com ]

The Rasmussen Reports survey found that 51 percent of voters believe that the media is trying to hurt the Alaska governor with its coverage -- and 24 percent say that makes them more likely to support the Republican ticket—The Boston Globe reports.

What is more, the national poll was conducted before Palin's highly regarded speech Wednesday night at the Republican National Convention.

And there is more bad news for the Senator from Chicago: A new CBS poll now shows that Obama has now lost his 8 point lead coming out of the Democratic Convention.

Will McCain take the lead in the national polls after the effects of the RNC convention are reflected in the results?

Stay tuned.

Maybe Obama will rethink only agreeing to a single debate with John McCain?