I'm watching him give his speech right now. I know he will be a great president. And John McCain will continue to be a very important senator.



I was touched by his speech. What a historic night.

Silliness from three veteran Saturday Night Live cast members...

It looks like a Democrat slipped it to her, and she didn't study it before she put it on. Unless Republicans are starting to sport red, white, and blue donkeys lately.

This site allows you to explore (by clicking around) the webmaster's idea of a Sarah Palin presidential office. Somebody went to a lot of work :-)

These videos are pretty funny. Thanks Crystal for bringing this event to my attention!








Here are a couple of highlights, from Obama's speech:

"I got my first name from my father... and my middle name from someone who obviously thought I would never run for president"

"I do love the Waldorf Astoria--I hear from the doorstep, you can see all the way to the Russian Tea Room"

It must be tough to be George W. Bush these days. Christine Gregoire's most pointed attack ads try to paint Dino Rossi as "just like George Bush". They even include a picture of Rossi morphing into Bush to stress the point.

Meanwhile, McCain's best moment in tonight's debate may have been when he stated "I am not President Bush"

I can't help but feel a tinge of sympathy for George Bush. With all this, and Oliver Stone's movie "W" about him opening tomorrow, it must be tough to be President Bush right now.

From tonight's headlines:


Relieved McCain aides thrilled over Bush one-liner ( Read more... )

The second presidential debate was held tonight, in a town hall format at Belmont University in Nashville.



Both candidates had their moments. But I don't think the debate gave McCain the push he needs to overcome the national economic crisis that seems to be sinking his campaign.

What do you all think?

For those who missed it, last night's Saturday Night Live opening skit...

The Washington Post reports that the presidential race will be going EVEN MORE negative as we enter the final month. Hold on to your sense of humor everyone!

Here is the story

The Vice-Presidential candidates had their much anticipated debate tonight. What did you all think?

It's pretty funny...

My friend Rebecca showed me this very funny website, where ordinary web surfers suggest captions for recent news photos. There are hundreds of them on here, and new ones every day.

The site is an equal-opportunity lampooner, so no one is really immune. But if you are in the mood, they are very funny. I am always amazed at what a strong sense of humor so many internet surfers possess.

Here were a few of my favorites: They can all be found at http://punditkitchen.com



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By now, most of you have seen
this story about the "lipstick on a pig" .

It interests me because the Republicans proudly tell us Sarah Palin is ready to be the Commander in Chief of the strongest nation on earth. She will take the 3:00 AM call, and protect us from our enemies, both foreign and domestic, everyone from blood-thirsty psychopath terrorists to heavily armed enemy nations. Sarah Palin calls herself "pit bull" and "barracuda" to emphasize her toughness.

So, are we really supposed to believe Sarah Palin is deeply offended because Obama called McCain's economic plan a "lipstick on a pig" variant of Bush's failed plan.

Can we expect McCain's camp to position a fainting couch at its events, so that any time someone challenges McCain's or Palin's lack of an economic policy, the Republicans can throw themselves on the couch in mock indignation, hurt, and outrage, and never have to actually respond to the challenge.

By the way, I hate it when the Democrats fake indignation as well, and I have the same gut reaction. Stop with the fake indignation, and answer the questions.

I'm a little surprised that John McCain didn't complain about Obama saying that a fish wrapped up in old newspaper is still a smelly old fish. Isn't he concerned that a delicate, sensitive individual like his running mate surely would see this as a play on her her nickname "barracuda"....except that, of course, the "fish in newspaper" like "lipstick on a pig", has been part of Obama's stump speech since before any of us ever heard of Sarah Palin.

So, while John McCain is focussed on fanning and reviving his "deeply offended" running mate, and Obama is distracted by trying to be even more outraged by the mock outrage, do any of you supporters of his want to tell us how McCain's economic plan will get us out of the current funk? Does his plan differ from Bush's policies in any way?

This Seattle Times article had me irritated this morning.

Here is an excerpt (in bold)

ALGIERS, Algeria — Now is not the right time for the U.S. to move forward on a once-celebrated deal for civilian nuclear cooperation with Russia, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Saturday.

Her comment increased speculation that President Bush is planning to punish Moscow for invading Georgia, a former Soviet republic, by canceling the agreement. Such a move is being planned, but is not final, according to senior Bush administration officials.

Here is my reaction:

This new intense stand-off with Russia is one of the most frustrating foreign policy developments I have seen come out of the Bush administration... and I've seen a lot of bad foreign policy from George W. Bush.

There is very little the United States can or should do about the tensions between Moscow and Georgia regarding the disputed territories. This is simply not a matter for the US to try to resolve. while Condoleezza Rice is talking about canceling nuclear energy agreements, the new lack of cooperation and new tensions will no doubt carry over into both countries nuclear arms decisions.

I don't like the rhetoric from Bush or John McCain stating that Russia is an enemy. This is simply not true. Is it 1980 again? Bush and McCain may not like Putin very much, and I'm sure the feeling is mutual. But we should not roll back agreements with whole nations just because we don't like their elected leaders. If other countries did this, we would probably not have any treaties or agreements with any other countries right now... given that most other nations approve of Bush less than the 31 % approval we at home give him.

We do not need a war or an new arms race with Russia. They don't want it, and neither should we.

Furthermore, we have completely dissipated our military might on other questionable foreign ventures, like the quest to eliminate the non-existent weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. And we have still not captured the terrorist that killed thousands right here at home seven years ago... wasn't Bush going to smoke him out of his cave, or something tough sounding like that?

Telling Russia that they have to get out of Georgia "or else" is a hollow threat that could very likely restart the Armageddon countdown. The cold war was NOT something we should restart, whether or not George Bush has friends in Georgia. It is simply too risky for humankind to even think about starting this up again.

We simply need to let Georgia and Russia work this out... even if they get involved in military movements. If things were reversed, and Alaska decided it wanted to be independent, would we allow Russia to tell us to leave them alone? I know it is not an exact parallel, but it is not too far off. Georgia was a USSR state for twenty years longer than Alaska has been a US state. And WE would NEVER let Russia tell us what to do. By the same token, Russia will not let George W Bush, or John McCain tell them what to do, no matter how tough they talk. Iraq is a small country (pop 27 million), with a small amount of technology and military might, compared to the force available in Russia (pop 143 million, nuclear arsenal).

Don't get me wrong. If Russia was in any way threatening the US right now, I would agree we should fight back hard; and make it clear that threats to our families and property would be met with overwhelming force.

But this is an argument with a disputed territory, on the other side of planet earth.

Time to stop making war... particularly when we can't get out of the ones we've already started.

With one billion other bloggers speculating hourly about Sarah Palin, I've been generally avoiding the topic.

However, as a semi-professional politician, I will make the observation that she is weathering the most intense media/blogger scrutiny I have ever observed in politics. Much of this can be blamed on left wing bloggers hoping to discredit her, as her supporters allege. But also there is an enormous amount of natural media curiosity in someone so unknown who comes into the last act of a 2-year performance, and has so much ability to change the ending. In two months, the media will be focussed on trying to do the same investigating that they have done of other candidates over years.

While I don't agree with many of her political positions, I have to admire the courage she and her family have shown to walk into this storm. And so far, it seems like she has weathered the character questions pretty well. Interestingly, even the trooper who was the alleged victim at the center of the firing-investigation is saying he wishes Sarah Palin well.

Since Sarah Palin is a very conservative republican, her positions will no doubt remain under scrutiny by the left. And the way politics in America is today, there will continue to be character rumors bubbling until the National Enquirer story is debunked (like so many of these stories are), or is somehow independently confirmed as in the Edwards case. When that resolution comes, it will be past the time for everyone to just focus on the political positions, and recognize that we have already asked too much about the private life of this public official and her family.

Again, I'm not planning on voting for her, because of the political positions she has taken. But from what I've seen, if she were a democrat supporting more of the policies I believe in, I might very well vote for her. Perhaps I would want to hear more from her to convince myself she had enough experience for the job, but again, these would not be questions about her character.

I wonder how all you other Rentonites feel about this.

Remember the great television show from the 90's, that they filmed right here in our state?

The sudden focus on Alaska has brought national attention to our Northwest neighbor, and this Alaska "Mudflats" blog (started before the recent news) which captures the Alaskan experience with a tone similar to the Northern Exposure TV show.
Radio DJ Chris Stevens, played by John Corbett, entertained with his musing about Alaska"

I liked my very-liberal son Andy's comment to me today about Sarah Palin's strong views on guns. His comment was "well at least Alaska really is a frontier, while Texas just thinks they are a frontier."

Wow! What an interesting race we see shaping up!




I watched Obama's history making acceptance speech, and then was as intrigued as everyone else to see McCain choose an appealing (even if I don't agree with all her views) running mate I had never even heard of before.

It looks like one of the biggest questions is whether McCain's VP choice is ready for a national level political contest; I don't think anyone really knows for sure at this point, but there are strong arguments on both sides.

I would like to hear how you all feel about the race for the presidency.

Thanks!

Randy

Hillary Clinton delivered a fine speech yesterday. Through her strong campaign, she has shown people everywhere that a woman certainly can be president of the United States. Clearly, if Barack Obama had not joined the contest with his message of change (along with his charisma and incredibly organized campaign), Hillary Clinton would have had the Democratic nomination.

And Ms. Clinton certainly brought the necessary commitment to the race to ensure she was never counted out. Her campaign was as historic as Barack Obamas, and will serve to ensure that the next woman who runs for president will never be underestimated by anyone based on her gender. In campaign management terms, Hillary Clinton's strong performance will help woman get a more level playing field as they raise funds and build early support in seeking future nominations for president.

Along with Barack Obama's official thanks to Senator Clinton, he has placed a thank you message on on his Myspace page which you can see here .

I love being American, and I'm particularly proud of our nation this year.

The local girl from the national ad turns out to be an Obama supporter.
Here is the story

John McCain received $12,000 in campaign contributions from Airbus officials!

By ERIC ROSENBERG
P-I WASHINGTON BUREAU

WASHINGTON -- Supporters of The Boeing Co. blame Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, for the company's failure to win the lucrative $35 billion contract to build new Air Force aerial refueling tankers.

Read the story here

One could see this would blow up on John McCain the day the contract was awarded. He will have to do some intense explaining if he wants to have a chance in Washington, Kansas, or California. (He already had Alabama won even before he helped them land their Airbus deal).

March 2, 2008, 1:37 pm
Obama Expresses Disappointment over Air Force Tanker Deal

Nick Timiraos reports on the presidential race from Nelsonville, Ohio.

Sen. Barack Obama expressed his disappointment Sunday that Northrop Grumann and the parent company of Europe’s Airbus beat out Chicago-based Boeing Co. for a contract worth up to $40 billion for the next generation of U.S. Air Force refueling tankers.

Obama said it was hard for him to believe “that having an American company that has been a traditional source of aeronautic excellence would not have done this job.” He preempted his comments by saying that he had not examined the deal carefully.

( Read more... )

The way the news is going, I think this issue will derail John McCain's campaign when it runs its course.

I don't think most people yet realize how unprecedented this contract is, or how small the presumed savings from not leasing were (McCain's claim-to-fame from 2003) in comparison to the severe economic impacts of promoting European aviation above US industry.

I also don't understand why promoting american jobs and technology is not a factor in the placing of huge contracts like this. Are we the only nation on earth that does not care about this?

In any case, I think Obama will get the edge he needs from this to make my pre-super-Tuesday prediction prove true. McCain already could count on Alabama as a solid red state, but he just lost Washington and Oregon for sure, and hurt himself severely in California and Kansas. There were forty states that stood to get jobs from the US-built airplane proposal, so any of these could become potential additional swing states.

What do you think?

Read the whole article here

I don't see how the US government can justify spending up to $100 billion taxpayer dollars ($40 billion procurement, and estimated $60 billion in support/maintenance) for a french product, when the US is perched on the edge of a recession. Furthermore, I don't see the logic in having anyone other than a US company in charge of spare parts and services for something as strategic as an air tanker.

Airbus has offered to build a new plant in Mobile Alabama, which takes some of the sting out of the announcement, but US labor unions and policy makers should not get too excited yet about this. Even if the plant is built, it will build the 167 tankers over ten years or so and then what....rust away as employees that have relocated to Mobile go jobless? Mobile is a beautiful place with fine people, but its isolated small-town economy can't easily handle the expansion and contraction that would come from a one-time manufacturing run of this magnitude.

Airbus may suggest that the plant will then be used to manufacture commercial plans, but this will never pass muster with european labor unions, which are among the strongest in the world. France is much more socialist than the United States, and the placement of Airbus manufacturing jobs in Mobile Alabama will generate significants complaints in their population long-term.

I think our US government has just handed Airbus a major leg-up in their competition with US airplane makers.

Sometimes I feel like we US taxpayers are already paying for the military defense of the entire world.... This latest decision now ensures that the French, not the US, get any resultant technological advantages from it.


Here is the story Be sure to read the "sound off" comments by readers at the end

P.S. I mentioned John McCain in the title because he scuttled Boeing's tanker contract in 2001 after raising concerns about the bidding process. While I understood his concerns, and watched in bewilderment as a former Boeing and former Air force procurement officer went to prison for improper dealings, the time for punishing the other 250,000 hard-working Boeing employees is long over. Furthermore, this decision punishes US taxpayers by giving tens of billions to France as the US enters a recession. Yet even today, new sources are reporting that this deal validates McCain's position.

Ralph Nader seems bent on destroying everything he has ever stood for. In restarting his role as spoiler, Obama will now be competing in the general election with one hand tied behind his back.

I think Ralph Nader's last run for president was a disaster, and I resent him even more for doing it again. I don't know what he hopes to accomplish. If he just wants to contribute to the dialog, he should get himself a radio show like Rush Limbaugh, or a blog like this one. Becoming a candidate is a sure-fire way to make sure that the next president, whether republican or democrat, is elected by a plurality...a minority of voters.

Grrr.....

_____________________________________________________________________

Nader Announces Another Presidential Bid

Ralph Nader is launching a third-party campaign for president. The consumer advocate made the announcement Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." He says most Americans are disenchanted with the Democratic and Republican parties, and that none of the presidential contenders are addressing ways to stem corporate crime and Pentagon waste and promote labor rights.

Read the full story here

I watched these videos with interest, and I would bet the fainting is authentic. Fainting would not be unusual given the long hot waits, the standing, the mixed-ages and health of the spectators, the sun (in many cases), and excitement.

Barack Obama has probably seen fainting enough that he takes it in relative stride, and he has probably learned it is safest, and he looks good, if he casually stops his speech and directs medics to the scene.

I'm curious to hear what you other Rentonites think.

Randy
________________________________________________________________

Here is Elizabeth's posting, as she left it in my comment section:

I was out driving today and playing radio roulette. Ended up with Dori Monson on 710 KIRO. He was talking about how there have been a person, front & center, fainting at several of Obama's rallies. When he started watching clips of each event, he said he thought it odd that the person was always front & center, and that he thought Obama basically said the same things each time and always had an unopened bottle of water at his podium that he'd give the person. (It wasn't the same person at each event.) So Monson's wondering if these individuals were plants. One caller was a security guy at concerts and he said inevitably someone front & center at concerts faints, and Monson shouldn't read more into this than people faint.

For sake of objectivity re: Obama, here is Dori Monson's website.
Click Here
He's got several of these clips on there so people can watch and decide for themselves. Monson thinks this will show up in the press more and wonders if, after this becomes more public, we'll stop seeing people fainting at Obama rallies.

I hope it's just that it's hot, folks aren't eating, and they're just getting caught up in the moment and getting light-headed. I keep searching for a politician who is genuine.

Elizabeth

If anyone wants a list of the 17 Washington State Democrat Party Super-delegates, or their current positions on the presidential nomination, they can be found here.