“Showdown at Saddleback”: McCain & Obama Take Part in SoCal Church Forum
August 16, 2008
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Earlier this evening Presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and John McCain took turns answering questions from mega church Pastor Rick Warren. The setting was Saddleback Mega Church, which is located in sunny Orange County, CA and also is one of the larger, more mainstream evangelical super centers of prayer. Both candidates are friends with Pastor Warren, the founder of the church and moderator of tonights forum, and came up with the idea of a dual candidate Q and A months ago.
McCain Reality Check… “Military Personnel Support Obama 6-1″
August 15, 2008
Some of you may have read the piece I put together yesterday regarding Republican candidate John McCain’s growing problems with military personnel, both active and retired. Well it turns out that it may be worse then even I though - and there are numbers to prove it. As this mornings papers rolled out, we began seeing headline after headline focusing on the Military and their overwhelming support for Senator Barack Obama, with money to prove the statement, which otherwise would be understandably laughable.
“1 in 14 Military Veterans Say They Support McCain”: How Can This be?
August 14, 2008
We now know that Senator John McCain, the man who perpetuates everything military (or at least he attempts too) seems to have a growing problem among military veterans - of all ages, rank and service. This began to surface months ago, and we began to see support for McCain, among former soldiers, diminish at a very high rate. Subsequently this began to shape into what we see today right around the time McCain adamantly refused to endorse and went as far as to speak out against the latest GI bill, which was co-sponsored by two other Vietnam veterans in the Senate, Republican Chuck Hagel of Nebraska and Democrat Jim Webb of Virginia.
Unequivocal Proof Bush & Co. Lied Their Way Into the Iraq War: Everyone Needs to Read This
August 9, 2008
It has been well documented that George W. Bush and his cronies that include VP Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Duncan Keith, Richard Pearle, and many others knowingly lied to the American public regarding why we were going to invade the sovereign nation of Iraq. Whether it be the Pentagon releasing hard documents showing that the Bush administration knowingly lied 935 times about various facets of the invasion, or whistle blowers like Scott McClellan going public with admissions of knowingly lying on behalf of the President regarding Iraq.
Edwards Revisited: Stories of Deceit, Self Interest & Campaign Disputes Resurface
August 9, 2008
Well it seems as though the flood gates have opened on good ‘ole John Edwards, and lets just say it would be in both his and his families best interest if he did his best to stay out of the public eye for a very - very long time. Since his admission to an extra marital affair, story after story of Edwards lies over the past couple of years have surface, or in this case, resurfaced - with the only difference being that this time people are taking them to heart.
Andrew Sullivan over at the DailyDish.com writes about a story recanted by longtime Democrat operative, and veteran campaign director (Kerry ‘04, Gore ‘00, etc) Bob Shrum which revolves around John Kerry’s VP selection in 2004 and the unease Kerry felt with Edwards after their initial meetings regarding the VP slot:
“Kerry talked with several potential picks, including Gephardt and Edwards. He was comfortable after his conversations with Gephardt, but even queasier about Edwards after they met. Edwards had told Kerry he was going to share a story with him that he’d never told anyone else—that after his son Wade had been killed, he climbed onto the slab at the funeral home, laid there and hugged his body, and promised that he’d do all he could to make life better for people, to live up to Wade’s ideals of service. Kerry was stunned, not moved, because, as he told me later, Edwards had recounted the same exact story to him, almost in the exact same words, a year or two before—and with the same preface, that he’d never shared the memory with anyone else. Kerry said he found it chilling, and he decided he couldn’t pick Edwards unless he met with him again.
When they did, Kerry tried to get a better personal feel for his potential number two; as rivals for national office since 2000, shortly after Edwards had entered the Senate, the two men hadn’t spent a lot of time together. Kerry also wanted a specific reassurance. He asked Edwards for a commitment that if he was chosen and the ticket lost, Edwards wouldn’t run against him in 2008. Edwards agreed “absolutely,” as Kerry recalled him saying. If Kerry had shared this at the time, I would have told him what I did later: it was naive to think he could rely on a promise like that.”
This doesn’t come as a real big surprise - it’s fair to call the disconnect between Edwards and Kerry “common knowledge”, as they had a number of disputes, disagreements, and misc conflicts throughout the ‘04 race that culminated with the disagreement over whether or not Kerry should conceded - which as we all know, he ultimately followed through with.
However this story is really quite telling as to just what kind of person John Edwards is. Any man who would use his son Wade and his tragic death as a “pitch” to get something, or in this case the VP position, is disgusting - let alone telling the story in such a uniformed and regular manner that he cannot even keep track of whom he told it too.
Here is an excerpt from a New York Times cover story which analyzes the angst between Kerry and Edwards throughout the 2004 campaign. From the sounds of it - and there are many other reasons besides this article to believe the following - John Edwards simply wouldn’t listen, or in this case - carry out the traditional VP task due to his inability too function when he’s not the “number one” in whatever situation he finds himself apart of:
“To the end of their disappointing run, the two men were unable to agree on the script, whether for slogans or more substantive matters. And like so many political marriages, the one between Mr. Kerry and Mr. Edwards — Senate colleagues who became rivals then running mates but never really friends — ended in recrimination and regrets.
Kerry aides complain that Mr. Edwards never stopped running for president — a Democratic Party official recalled some aides wearing “Edwards for President” pins at a fund-raiser long after they were working for the Kerry-Edwards ticket. Kerry supporters say Mr. Edwards refused to play the traditional vice-presidential role of attack dog even going up against a purebred, Dick Cheney. And Mr. Kerry had barely conceded the race, they say, before Mr. Edwards was aiming for 2008 and embarking on what one campaign aide called the “it wasn’t my fault tour” around his home state to distance himself from the lost.
The former running mates have spoken little since that day in Faneuil Hall. In March, Mr. Kerry telephoned the Edwardses after Mr. Edwards announced that his wife’s cancer had returned and was incurable, and that he was still running for president. A spokesman for Mr. Kerry said they had had a nice conversation. A spokesman for Mr. Edwards, however, said Mr. Kerry had spoken only with Elizabeth.”
This continues to reinforce the notion that it is in fact Elizabeth Edwards who is the real champion in the relationship. Time and time again you hear about Elizabeth Edwards taking meetings, discussing issues, etc, etc. However it seems that she has always been viewed as simply “John’s wife”, rather then the respected political force she rightfully deserves.
What does all of this mean? I don’t know. I suppose it is up to you to draw your own conclusions. Personally all of this rehashing of old Edwards stories strikes me much differently then it initially did - and know as unfortunate as it is to say, I really have no respect for Edwards, his work, or his arguments simply because I do not believe any of it was genuine.
Analyzing the Connection Between the Neo-con Right, Israel & Iran
August 8, 2008
Since the Bush administration literally took power back in 2000 we have seen an increase in both ego maniacal neo-conservatives such as Richard Pearle, Duncan Keith, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, etc. and the saber rattling which in one case - Iraq - has turned into an abyss of chaos which includes unprecedented monetary sacrifice and most important, the life’s of over 4,000 men and women of our armed services. But the neo-cons have a new target in sight, and they have been honing in on them for some time now - of course I am referring to none other then Iran - which continues to appear as being the “next country on the list” for the fringe right in Washington.
John & Cindy McCaub Flex Their Mainstream Media ‘Flak Jacket’ Yet Again
July 16, 2008
As the current Presidential election continues to play out throughout the dog days of summer, John McCain has yet to disappoint in regards to his steady stream of gaffes, flip-flops and stories of a raging temper with a lovely streak of sexism to boot. Then there is his wife, Cindy who has had quite the “eventful” past herself. From marrying John while he was still legally wed to his then current wife, to her chronicled addiction to drugs McCain’s ’sugar mama’ is far from the angel the media portrays her as. This really isn’t surprising seeing as though they seem to enjoy expending all their bitter, personal, and speculative attacks on Michelle Obama.
New Quinnipiac Shows Obama Leading McCain 49-41 Nationally
July 15, 2008
A brand new Quinnipiac Poll (literally. It was released a couple minutes ago) shows Barack Obama holding a 50% - 41% lead over his Republican counterpart John McCain. This according to a nationwide poll of likely voters which was comprised over a three day span, July 10th through 13th. The internals of this poll however are almost, if not altogether, more intriguing then the actual surface number, which has Obama up by 9 points.
Phew! The U.S. “Terrorist Watch List” Surpasses the 1 Million Mark: I Finally Feel Safe…
July 14, 2008
Don’t look know but the United States “terrorist” watch list has surpassed the one million mark. The idea behind the whole “terrorist watch list” is put together by the Terrorist Screening Center (TSC), which was born out of the Homeland Security Presidential Directive 6 back in December of 2003. The most recent audit released by TSC officials shows that the “terrorist watch list” has been growing steadily at about 20,000 plus new names added per month - an extreme growth rate by any standard.
Is Colorado the New Ohio? How the Rocky Mountain Swing State Could Decide the Election
July 14, 2008
There has been a lot of talk regarding the electoral map “swing states” as of late. A particular focus has been put on Ohio, Michigan, Florida, Pennsylvania and Missouri all states where the current polls are close, but reflect similar numbers at this time back in 2000 and 2004. That is why electoral experts have begun to believe that Colorado will ultimately decide the 2008 election - and this is not an assertion that should be taken lightly either. Those arguing that Colorado is very likely in deciding the ‘08 election have quite a compelling argument on their side - one that makes more and more sense as each day passes, and state polls are released.
