Great Pumpkin

It's Official - Nobody Likes McCain

Ken Duberstein, former Reagan chief of staff, endorses Obama:

"Well let's put it this way - I think Colin Powell's decision is in fact the good housekeeping seal of approval on Barack Obama."

Referring to the vetting of Palin and McCain's two meets with her:

"Even at McDonalds you get interviewed three times," he said.

Even McCain Can't Choke It Out

When it comes to Palin he can't even get the word out. "Or..."

Socialist Muslim Terrorist Endorses McCain

Is this the last person they could find to say something nice about McCain?

Sign Of The Times - Halloween Edition

-You're not going to be the only one wearing it. It's painfully obvious.
-You are not being frugal, just lazy. Your friends thought up and likely paid for costumes. You are wearing a pair of glasses and a dress of your mom's.
-Seriously, there were like five people at Jim's party going as Sarah Palin, this is getting ridiculous.
-We don't care if you're a dude in a wig either.

via Wonkette

Is It Something In The Moose?

What the hell is it with the politicians from Alaska, anyway? They are just in complete denial. First Palin says the Troopergate findings exonerated her and proved she broke no laws when the report said she actually DID break the law, and now the nasty old Ted Stevens lets loose. Found guilty in a federal court last Monday, the guy had the gall to say this in his debate last night:

"I have not been convicted of anything. I'm not going to step down. I have not been convicted. I have a case pending against me."

Did he just completely blank about this last week entirely or is it just a case of "Who ya gonna believe, me or your lyin' eyes?"

Empirically Speaking

The premiere scientific journal in this country, Nature, for the first time in its 139 year history of publication, has endorsed a presidential candidate. Wanna guess who?

The Oval Office is not a debating chamber, nor is it a faculty club. As anyone in academia will know, a thoughtful and professorial air is not in itself a recommendation for executive power. But a commitment to seeking good advice and taking seriously the findings of disinterested enquiry seems an attractive attribute for a chief executive. It certainly matters more than any specific pledge to fund some particular agency or initiative at a certain level — pledges of a sort now largely rendered moot by the unpredictable flux of the economy.

This journal does not have a vote, and does not claim any particular standing from which to instruct those who do. But if it did, it would cast its vote for Barack Obama.

McCain Has No Friends II

The utterly conservative Economist changes its mind and endorses Obama:

This cannot be another election where the choice is based merely on fear. In terms of painting a brighter future for America and the world, Mr Obama has produced the more compelling and detailed portrait. He has campaigned with more style, intelligence and discipline than his opponent. Whether he can fulfil his immense potential remains to be seen. But Mr Obama deserves the presidency.

The Bradley Defect

So how do racists feel about Obama? Let's find out, shall we?

Tom Metzger, head of White Aryan Resistance and former Grand Dragon of the KKK is backing Obama because, "I’m a leftist. I’m not a rightist. I hate the transnational corporations far more than any black person.”

Erich Gliebe, Chairman of the National Alliance and founder of Resistance Records, backs Obama because, "He’s a very intelligent man, an excellent speaker and has charisma. John McCain offers none of that. Perhaps the best thing for the white race is to have a black president. My only problem with Obama is perhaps he’s not black enough.”

Rocky Suhayda, Chairman of the American Nazi Party, backs Obama because, "It’d be poetic justice to have a non-white as titular chief over this decaying modern Sodom and Gomorrah.”

Of course, there are countering views...

Ron Edwards, Imperial Wizard of the Imperial Klans of America, opposes Obama because, "I think he’s a piece of shit."

And from the black racists...

Yahanna, General,Israelite School Of Universal Practical Knowledge (Black Racist Org), opposes Obama because, "Finding out Barack Obama is the Democratic nominee for president was one of the saddest days in black history... He’s going to have to harm black people to make white people satisfied that he’s not Reverend Wright’s boy. The disappointment we’re going to suffer from him is going to set us back another fifty years. McCain is definitely the better shot for black people.”

So there you have it. 3 out of 5 racists support Obama. What more do you need?

McCain Has No Friends

Poor McCain is now just a tool. Palin is standing on his corpse to get to 2012 and now Joe the Plumber, who would still be up to his armpits in raw sewage if it weren't for McCain, is so busy trying to be country music star and congressman he doesn't even have time to show up at McCain rallies.



Aren't there laws against senior abuse?

Quote Of The Day

Reason has polled its staff for their voting choices. John Scalzi answers question #1:

Who are you voting for in November?
I'll be voting for Obama, because I think as a nation we're about to descend into a pile of hurt, and I want someone who is smart, pragmatic, and not prone to temper tantrums working to get us out of it as quickly as possible. Also, the possibility of a President Palin makes me want to prepare a bolthole in New Zealand, and as a patriotic American, I should never have to feel that way. Finally, I think the GOP need a moment or two in the Time Out corner, don't you?

By and large the staff of the oh so libertarian online mag is voting Obama with a few Barrs thrown in for credibility.

Glass Houses

McCain is beside himself, simply amazed at the audacity of the Obama campaign to boycott media who might treat them unfairly. Referring to the annoying interview Biden suffered through with WFTV, and the Obama campaign's subsequent refusal to do any more interviews with that poor little anchorwoman who was just doing her job (and just happens to be married to a paid GOP media consultant), McCain told Hannity yesterday:

“And of course, if anybody in the media, much less Joe the Plumber asks a tough question, then they’re boycotted. They pull their ads, etc.”

Thank goodness McCain is tackling this problem and putting those Obama folks in their place. One can only hope he goes after more of those politicians that boycott the media, like, say John McCain:

– McCain canceled an appearance on CNN’s Larry King Live after CNN’s Campbell Brown conducted a tough interview with McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds about Palin’s foreign policy experience.

– Last month, the McCain campaign barred New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd from flying on both the McCain and Palin press planes after she wrote a negative column.

– McCain campaign officials barred Time’s Joe Klein from traveling with them, after he asked McCain an uncomfortable question about foreign policy.

– Campaign officials have repeatedly gone on air to bash journalists after tough interviews, saying that Katie Couric asked Palin “a series of trapdoor questions,” the New York Times “cast aside it’s journalistic integrity to advocate for the defeat of John McCain,” and demanded that the media treat Palin with “deference.”

Go Johnny, Go!

via Think Progress

Who Needs Enemies

McCain's BFF, Chris Shays, won't be getting a card this Christmas from John:

“I just don’t see how [McCain] can win,” Shays said in an interview here on Sunday.

Shays, the Connecticut co-chair of McCain’s campaign, said he was disappointed by the standards of McCain’s race, which has increasingly relied on mudslinging.

“He has lost his brand as a maverick; he did not live up to his pledge to fight a clean campaign,” Shays said.

Suckling

Hit the teat and back off the Ritalin or so says a new study. Breast feeding keeps your kid from having behavior problems, eventually going crazy and maybe voting for McCain.

Parents of youngsters who were breast-fed as infants were less likely to report that their child had a behavior problem or psychiatric illness during the first five years of life, a new study found.

And the likelihood of mental health issues decreased in proportion to the duration of breast-feeding, meaning that a child who had been breast-fed for a year was less likely to have behavior problems than a child who had been breast-fed for just two months.

I am so betting Palin was a formula kid.

Si Se Puede

The Republican-leaning Cuban American National Foundation endorses Barack Obama.

Both presidential candidates have made clear that they want to help the Cuban people achieve freedom. But Barack Obama's forward-looking and proactive approach toward empowering the Cuban people is more in line with these proposals than John McCain's vow to continue the Bush administration's policy.

SNL Alum Really IS An Idiot

Remember that really dumb blond on SNL in the 80's, Victoria Jackson. Yeah the one who wasn't funny and that you figured kept her job because being a dumb blond didn't require her to "act". The one who did handstands? That's the one. She's got herself a website (exactly my reaction, "why?") and on this website she has some political wisdom to bestow upon us and some political recommendations to boot. Now, she's not so much endorsing a candidate as telling us which one of them is the anti-christ. Guess which one the idiot thinks has the mark of the beast? Go ahead, guess, I'll wait.

I don't want a political label, but Obama bears traits that resemble the anti- Christ and I'm scared to death that un- educated people will ignorantly vote him into office.

You see, what bothers me most, besides being a Communist, and a racist (Obama writes in his book, From Dreams of My Father, "I found a solace in nursing a pervasive sense of grievance and and animosity against my (white) mother's race.") (Obama's "religion" of the last 20 years is Black Liberation Theology. What is that? "It is simply Marxism dressed up in Christian rhetoric. But unlike traditional Marxism, Black Liberation Theology emphasizes race rather than class. It's leading theorist is James Cone who says Jesus was black, African-Americans are the chosen people, and whites are the devil. Cone says, "What we need is the destruction of whiteness, which is the source of human misery in the world." The McAlvany Intelligence Advisor), is that he is a LIAR. He pretends to be a Christian and he incriminates himself everytime he speaks about Christianity. To lie about being a believer in Christ is very dangerous. Lightning could strike him at any minute! But seriously, he doesn't have a clue what the Bible says and yet he pretends to be a church- going Christian to win votes. That is sooooo evil.

At least when Dennis Miller went rightwing lunkhead you could remember when he used to be funny. With the bimbo though, the grey matter is just leaching out of her ears. Can she even breath without a post-it note to remind her?

Socialist A or Socialist B

That crazy Marxist, Obama, isn't alone. He isn't the only one who wants to take everything you own and give it to some lazy slob with a hankering for Cheetos and cable porn. It seems they're all frickin socialists who want to "share the wealth", looking to turn us into *gasp* that Volvo driving gulag called Sweden.

Where's Michele Bachman's investigator anyway? Who speaks for good old American Babbittesque values? Not any of them, but especially not Sarah Palin:

For her part, Sarah Palin, who has lately taken to calling Obama “Barack the Wealth Spreader,” seems to be something of a suspect character herself. She is, at the very least, a fellow-traveller of what might be called socialism with an Alaskan face. The state that she governs has no income or sales tax. Instead, it imposes huge levies on the oil companies that lease its oil fields. The proceeds finance the government’s activities and enable it to issue a four-figure annual check to every man, woman, and child in the state. One of the reasons Palin has been a popular governor is that she added an extra twelve hundred dollars to this year’s check, bringing the per-person total to $3,269. A few weeks before she was nominated for Vice-President, she told a visiting journalist—Philip Gourevitch, of [The New Yorker]—that “we’re set up, unlike other states in the union, where it’s collectively Alaskans own the resources. So we share in the wealth when the development of these resources occurs.”

Responding To A "Crisis"

The crisis: rain. The candidates' responses:

Wearing jeans, white sneakers and an insulated windbreaker, Barack Obama delivered his stump speech this morning in a chilly, steady rain in Chester, Pa.

"A little bit of rain never hurt anybody," Obama said, surveying the soaking, umbrella-covered crowd at Widener University, occasionally rubbing his hands together for warmth and squinting through the raindrops.

Obama took the stage less than an hour after the McCain campaign announced it was postponing a rally at 1:15 p.m. in Quakertown, Pa., about one hour north of Chester, "due to weather."

The Obama campaign considered moving its event inside, but couldn't find an appropriate venue, an aide said. An estimated 9,000 people turned out.

via Ben Smith

Screw Plumbing

Because affording that business was always a bit of a stretch, and because plumbing sucks if you don't even have a license, Samuel Wurzelbacher, aka "Joe the Plumber", is thinking about running for congress in 2010.

Joe Wurzelbacher, the most famous plumber in America thanks to John McCain and Sarah Palin, told conservative talk radio host Laura Ingraham Friday he's considering a run for Congress in 2010.

Wurzelbacher's comments come a week after a group of college Republicans launched a Web site with the hope of drafting him for a congressional run.

“Washington, DC is broken and it needs to be fixed. Joe Wurzelbacher has a real-world perspective and the right attitude to clean up the mess on Capitol Hill,” says the group’s Web site, which carries the slogan, “Plunge the crap out of Washington.”

This all begs the question, if Joe the Plumber runs for congress who will be his Joe the Plumber?

Dork Gets Palin to Sign Obama Shirt

And now he's selling it on Craigslist, because he's... well... a dork.

I managed to get Sarah Palin to sign my Obama-Biden Tshirt when I attended the McCain-Palin rally in Virginia Beach Monday Oct.13 at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. I was wearing the Obama tshirt underneath another shirt, and when she came by signing autographs I asked her if she could sign my shoulder and I pulled my collar aside to expose enough space for her to sign but keeping the Obama logo hidden at the same time... voila.

via Ben Smith

The Obama-Voting McCain "Volunteers"

In one of the more entertaining stories of the day the McCain campaign is hiring "volunteers" in Chicago and shipping them to Des Moines to do "volunteer" work. Why go to the expense? Because the "volunteers" are African American and will perhaps influence some others as a result. Of course their McCain enthusiasm is a little suspect when the paid "volunteers" are voting for Obama.

Two women walk out of John McCain’s Mid-West headquarters carrying a pile of voter canvassing sheets, one sports a baseball hat declaring her a “team leader” of the Republican campaign. And both are black — an unusual sight in an election where Barack Obama’s support among African Americans is almost monolithic.

Are they volunteers? They look at each other sheepishly. “Not exactly,” replies one. “We work for an employment agency,” says the other. Who are they voting for? “I don’t want to say,” says the first woman. “Obama — of course!” whispers the braver of the pair.

They laugh, then look over their shoulders at the office behind them. “Don’t give him your name, he’ll put it in the paper,” says the cautious one, explaining that they cannot afford to lose their $10-an-hour (£6) jobs. “This is embarrassing. We’re doing this because we have to live. At least none of our friends can see us. We’re from Chicago — like Obama.”

If the people you're paying aren't voting for you how do you expect people to do it for free?

Doppleganger

McCain in Iowa today (yeah, why?) and behind him is a Palin lookalike. Ok, I can take that, but she thinks she is Palin. Watch the crazy lady thank the crowd. Um, security?

Oh, and McCain couldn't tell the difference.



via Wonkette

Unlikely

This is the electoral map as of today from Pollster. It shows the states that will more than likely go McCain (red), the states that will more than likely go Obama (blue), the leaners (pink and light blue), and the tossups (yellow).

A point to be made here:

It takes 270 electoral votes to win the election. Look at the numbers. To reach 270 McCain must win all his red states, all his leaners, all the tossups, AND all the Democratic leaners. If he does that he reaches 270... exactly. If Obama wins the dark blues and just one red, pink, yellow or light blue state, Obama wins the election. This is the row McCain must hoe over the next 9 days.

Another Weekend, Another 100.000

Barack Obama has another one of his intimate gatherings in Denver. You know, just a few close friends... 100,000 of 'em.


I used to live about four blocks from there and that space is a lot larger than it appears in the pics. That is one big crowd.

From the Denver Post:

"Do you ever have small crowds in Denver?" Obama asked the crowd, which shouted back "NO!"

Denver police estimated the crowd at more than 100,000.

The Obama campaign said it was the largest U.S. crowd to ever attend rally to see the Illinois senator.

The Capitol building in the background is four long blocks away.

Bad Day In McCainville

Charles Fried, Solicitor General under Reagan and a McCain campaign adviser, asked today to be removed from the various McCain advisery committees upon which he serves. He felt that was the the right thing to do since he had just voted for Obama.

Will the last McCain supporter turn off the lights when you leave?

She Should Have Gone With An "O"

Remember the McCain staffer who got the backwards "B" carved into her face yesterday by a mugger/Obama supporter? Well, not so much. She has confessed to having made it up and carving that letter herself. So much for McCain's Tawana.

Oh, and they're filing charges against her too.

The Vet Who Did Not Vet

A Bedtime Story:

Beware The Right

There's a quick, but fascinating interview at Foreign Policy with Larry Wilkerson who was Colin Powell's very powerful chief of staff. The money quote:

FP: What’s your take on the tone of the campaign?

LW: I was fully expecting the grand wizard of the Klu Klux Klan to arrive from Maryland and endorse McCain. I was becoming frightened that we were returning to 1968, when they assassinated Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. Those were bad times.

One of the most dramatic moments for me was when I was watching McCain on television, and I thought I saw in McCain’s eyes himself, when someone yelled something out, a recognition of, ‘Oh, God, what have I done?’ This is not McCain; he doesn’t cater to this. But for the first time in his political life, I think he realized that there are some strange people in the Republican tent. My father used to say, ‘Larry beware of the left because they will bankrupt you; beware of the right because they will kill you.’

Down, Down, Down

If you thought the stock markets were bad recently, hold on to your hats. Today is going to be daunting. The rest of the world's markets crashed in an ugly way and the U.S. markets are on their way. It's an elevator ride to hell, folks. It's also weird because everything is down. People aren't even buying gold which is the fallback in tough times. Is sleeping on wadded up bills stuffed in the mattress good for your back?

Welcome back, pork and beans... without the pork.

Rudy, Don't Take Your Love To Town

If not an endorsement of Obama, it's certainly acceptance. Rudy Giuliani has decided the race is over. Mr. "A Noun, A Verb and 9/11" has launched a website for his run at the Presidency in 2012. I'm sure McCain isn't feeling the love.

The Dam Is Bursting

Scott McLellan, Dubya's former press secretary, endorses Obama.

"From the very beginning I have said I am going to support the candidate that has the best chance for changing the way Washington works and getting things done and I will be voting for Barack Obama and clapping," McClellan told new CNN Host D.L. Hughley

Opie Hussein Cunningham

Ron Howard, Andy Griffith & Henry Winkler endorse Obama... weirdly.

McCain = Penguin, So...

Obama Bat Signal, Raleigh NC

via GoodnightRaleigh.com

WTF!?!?

We have people killing bear cubs and wrapping the corpses in Obama signs. We have tires being slashed at Obama rallies. We have McCain supporters being beaten with their own signs. And now we have this?

Pittsburgh Police are investigating a report by a campaign staffer for John McCain that she was mugged and the letter B was cut into her face following a robbery in Bloomfield last night.

Police say the 20-year-old woman, who is from Texas, reported that the attack occurred after she withdrew money from an ATM at Liberty Avenue and Pearl Street.

She said a man armed with a knife demanded her money. She gave it to him and began walking toward her car, which has McCain stickers.

Although the robber had moved away from her, he became agitated when he saw her car, punched her in the back of the head, pushed her to the ground and carved a B into her face, she reported.

Police said the woman declined medical treatment at the scene.

Update: Added photo above and...

Wonkette is highly skeptical, noting the photo of the victim features a backward "B" - the kind you would write if you were, say, looking in a mirror. They also note that Pittsburgh's other paper, the Post-Gazette, includes this aspect of the story:

“This is what she’s telling police,” police spokeswoman Diane Richard said. “We can’t substantiate it at this time.”

Wonkette points out the similiarity of the story to the infamous Morton Downey episode in the San Francisco Airport:

In 1989, as fascination with Morton Downey Jr’s TV show began to wane, he was involved in an incident in a San Francisco International Airport restroom in which he claimed to have been attacked by neo-Nazis who painted a swastika on his face and attempted to shave his head. Some inconsistencies in Downey’s account (e.g., the swastika was painted in reverse, suggesting that Downey had drawn it himself in a mirror), and the failure of the police to find supportive evidence, led many to suspect that the incident was a hoax and a plea for attention. A few months later, the show was canceled.

Further scrutiny is called for.

The Intellectual Side Of Palin

In a preview of an interview with People magazine out tomorrow, Palin says she considers herself an intellectual. She also said that if she and Todd had another child and it was a boy, "I always wanted a son named Zamboni."

Is There Any Room Left On The Obamacon Bus?

Former two term Republican Governor of Minnesota, Arne Carlson, endorses Obama:

"Regardless of our party, regardless of our partisan inclinations, there is no interest more compelling than the interest in the well-being of the United States," Carlson said at a gathering of Obama supporters at the state Capitol.

Carlson added, "He has laid out for this nation a vision for a national purpose."

Medicine Is Your Friend

There's a load of nuts on both sides in this battle but I think this one is going for the crown. From the comments section of the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

October 23, 2008 9:28 AM Link to this

The “convicted assassin” is George W. Bush committing 9/11 for domestic control, false war profiteering, Roman Catholic/Rockefeller Big Oil, heroin, and the Saudi regime, in keeping with PNAC’s anti-American, Anti-Christ aspirations.

It is not a coincidence that his father killed John Kennedy six weeks after NSAM263 ordered our military out of Rome’s slave plantation of Vietnam, that his grandfather was Hitler’s banker, nor that his family has been fronting for the Vatican-banker creators of the Oil Monopoly through unredressed murder and arson, the Rockefellers, for five generations.

The People, E Pluribus Unum, is “warden” of America, and crucifixion was the only and specific punishment for one single crime under codified Roman law: the second conviction for sedition.

In territory conquered by Rome any denying the divinity of caesar committed sedition. Tens of thousands of faithful Jews were crucified during the occupation chronicled in the Dead Sea Scrolls Rome and Rockefeller managed to keep under wraps for 50 years after their discovery.

Sarah Palin is a lying hypocrite philistine unsuited for your analog in the “Jesus” role.

“On earth as it is in Heaven:” G-d is King of America…and is not mocked.

Adherents of popery and the “popery of government,” monarchy, Rome’s Fifth Column’s attempt to destroy American Exceptionalism’s godly, liberal Novus Ordo Seclorem threat to the thrones of king and pope, born as the ultimate fruit of the Age of Reason, are traitors against the American Dream, the Constitution, and the People. Through their false money Fed and promotion of illegal immigration they have contrived to usurp Our Republic.

It is no coincidence that Sarah Palin shares the views of Hitler and the gay, Hitler Youth pope’s pedophile homosexual priesthood on a woman’s sovereignty over her own body, nor her support for those in the Alaska Independent Party’s advocating secession from the U.S.A.

Bush is, like his father and grandfather, a traitor and an assassin. Their sectarian faction, the Roman Anti-Christ’s Fifth Column, which has brought America to the brink of the abyss, must, by the righteous hand of the People, receive its due that the People not perish and restore its own sovereignty.

Each American is being sifted. Stay your hand from the work it must do to restore G-d’s Land of Promise by bowing to the satanic, anti-American urges of racism, fascism, and slavery to sustain the Fifth Column’s agents - Married to the Mob McCain and Hitler-in-Drag Palin - or lay your hand on the rope and Constitution to render righteous judgment to those who, through the generations, have been proven to steal our wealth to enrich themselves at the expense of the People and the Constitution, shedding the blood of innocents.

McCain/Palin is the devil’s work from the scars in McCain’s face and soul seen through his blinking grin, countenanced lies, and history of immorality and failure, to Palin, the inbred whitetrash whose lies, hypocrisies, maternal failure, and promotion of division could be no less clear.

Obama/Biden, and Martin in Georgia, and like men and women across the Nation willing to help remove this evil from upon us, is a first step on the road to recovery.

The “assassin” must have its just reward to return to the Maker and heal its presently cancerous soul. G-d willing, The People, “the warden,” will make the proper and righteous election on November fourth.

As in chess, future moves must be considered mid-game: those deemed operatives of Anti-Christ attempting to steal three presidential elections in a row on behalf of those who cheated the present Closet-Queen-in-Chief into office to commit 9/11 must be recognized as “enemies domestic” by all military and military veterans who are still obedient to The Oath by which they have placed their lives at sacrifice for the Constitution and the Sovereign People.

Stand good by your Oath, talk to fellow Patriots, make plans and establish procedures. The Electorate’s divine will expressed through honest ballot must be manifest that Righteous America not perish but be restored to even greater Probity, Economy and Justice.

Death for Treason

Jeffersonian Exegesis

History Remembers

An email sent to Ben Smith of Politico:

Upon arriving at the Hamilton County Board of Elections in Cincinnati to vote early today I happened upon some friends of my mothers - 3 small, elderly Jewish women. They were quite upset as they were being refused admitance to the polling location due to their Obama T-Shirts, hats and buttons. Apparently you cannot wear Obama/McCain gear into polling locations here in Ohio.... They were practically on the verge of tears.

After a minute or two of this a huge man (6'5", 300 lbs easy) wearing a Dale Earnhardt jacket and Bengal's baseball cap left the voting line, came up to us and introduced himself as Mike. He told us he had overheard our conversation and asked if the ladies would like to borrow his jacket to put over their t-shirts so they could go in and vote. The ladies quickly agreed. As long as I live I will never forget the image of these eighty plus year old Jewish ladies walking into the polling location wearing a huge Dale Earnhardt racing jacket that came over their hands and down to their knees!

Mike, patiently waited for each woman to cast thier vote, accepted thier many thanks and then got back in line (I saved him a place while he was helping out the ladies). When Mike got back in line I asked him if he was an Obama supporter. He said that he was not, but that he couldn't stand to see those ladies so upset. I thanked him for being a gentleman in a time of bitter partisanship and wished him well.

After I voted I walked out to the street to find my mother's friends surrouding our new friend Mike - they were laughing and having a great time. I joined them and soon learned that Mike had changed his mind in the polling booth and ended up voting for Obama. When I asked him why he changed his mind at the last minute, he explained that while he was waiting for his jacket he got into a conversation with one of the ladies who had explained how the Jewish community, and she, had worked side by side with the black community during the civil rights movements of the 60's, and that this vote was the culmination of those personal and community efforts so many years ago. That this election for her was more than just a vote...but a chance at history.

Mike looked at me and said, "Obama's going to win, and I didn't want to tell my grandchildren some day that I had an opportunity to vote for the first black president, but I missed my chance at history and voted for the other guy."

The Ultimate Obamacons

C.C. Goldwater, granddaughter of Barry, endorses Obama:

Myself, along with my siblings and a few cousins, will not be supporting the Republican presidential candidates this year. We believe strongly in what our grandfather stood for: honesty, integrity, and personal freedom, free from political maneuvering and fear tactics. I learned a lot about my grandfather while producing the documentary, Mr. Conservative Goldwater on Goldwater. Our generation of Goldwaters expects government to provide for constitutional protections. We reject the constant intrusion into our personal lives, along with other crucial policy issues of the McCain/Palin ticket.

My grandfather (Paka) would never suggest denying a woman's right to choose. My grandmother co-founded Planned Parenthood in Arizona in the 1930's, a cause my grandfather supported. I'm not sure about how he would feel about marriage rights based on same-sex orientation. I think he would feel that love and respect for ones privacy is what matters most and not the intolerance and poor judgment displayed by McCain over the years. Paka respected our civil liberties and passed on the message that that we should conduct our lives standing up for the basic freedoms we hold so dear.

There always have been a glimmer of hope that someday, someone would "race through the gate" full steam in Goldwater style. Unfortunately, this hasn't happened, and the Republican brand has been tarnished in a shameless effort to gain votes and appeal to the lowest emotion, fear. Nothing about McCain, except for maybe a uniform, compares to the same ideology of what Goldwater stood for as a politician. The McCain/Palin plan is to appear diverse and inclusive, using women and minorities to push an agenda that makes us all financially vulnerable, fearful, and less safe.

When you see the candidate's in political ads, you can't help but be reminded of the 1964 presidential campaign of Johnson/Goldwater, the 'origin of spin', that twists the truth and obscures what really matters. Nothing about the Republican ticket offers the hope America needs to regain it's standing in the world, that's why we're going to support Barack Obama. I think that Obama has shown his ability and integrity.

Thanks For That Ahhnold

From the Department of Ringing Endorsements:

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger speaking to CNN's Campbell Brown regarding Sarah Palin:

BROWN: Do you think she's qualified to be president?

SCHWARZENEGGER: I think that she will get to be qualified.

BROWN: She will get there? What do you mean? She's not ready yet?

SCHWARZENEGGER: By the time that she is sworn in I think she will be ready.

And Then There's This...

Stupid yeah, and a little icky, but so is most of the rest of this election cycle.

Obamacon-tagion

Does Palin Speak For McCain?

If anyone out there was still considering thowing in their lot with McCain, Palin said something very interesting today. In an interview with Focus on the Family's James Dobson, she was asked about McCain's support for the GOP platform:

DOBSON]: He's got some pretty powerful things to say and I do hope that the American people are listening to the concerns being expressed. I have to admit that early on, especially during the primaries I had a hard time deciding what direction I thought we ought to go. And there are concerns, have been concerns within the Republican party that really agitated me. But I am telling you the Republican platform is the strongest pro-life, pro-family document to come out of a political party. Even more so than the platforms during the campaigns of Ronald Reagan. There are principles there that just, I've been fighting for, for 30-40 years and you are trying to articulate those same principles aren't you?

[PALIN] Absolutely. And Dr. Dobson thank you so much for recognizing that. This is a strong platform. [inaudible] around the planks in this platform that respect life and respect the entrepreneurial spirit of this great country. And those things, back to the social issues that are what Republicans at least in the past had articulated and tried to stand on. Now finally we have very solid planks in the platform that will allow us to build an even stronger foundation for our country. It is all good and it is encouraging, you would maybe have assumed people would have, that we would have gotten further away from those strong planks. But no, they are there, they are solid, we stand on them and again I believe that it is the right agenda for the country at this time. Very, very clear and contrasted tickets in this election, November 4th. People are going to see the clear contrast, just go to the planks in our platform and that is where you see them.

[DOBSON] In your private conversations with Senator McCain is it your impression that he also strongly supports those [planks in the platform]? I know that he did not oppose that platform when it was written. Do you think he will implement it?

[PALIN] I do, from the bottom of my heart. I am such a strong believer that McCain believes in those strong planks and we do have good conversations about some of the details too, about the different planks and what they represent. And I'm very heartened that John McCain, he doesn't want a vice-president who will check the opinions of me at the door and we talk about some of these. And they are very important. It's most important though, as you are suggesting that Americans know that John McCain is solidly there on those solid planks in our platform that build the right agenda for America.

McCain has previously said he did not support constitutional amendments against abortion or gay marriage and that he did support stem cell research.

The GOP platform, one of the most conservative ever produced, demands a constitutional amendment against gay marriage, another against abortion, even in the case of rape or incest, and a prohibition on stem cell research, even by private labs.

If Palin is speaking for McCain he has a few things to answer for.

via Ambinder

Irony, Writ Large

Life Magazine, September 2004, John McCain and Tina Fey

via Poynter

Ain't No Diamonds On The Soles Of His Shoes

While the RNC spends $150,000 on Palin's wardrobe from Saks and Neiman Marcus, Obama has holes in the bottoms of his shoes - shoes he has already had resoled once in this campaign. Hmmm, which candidate is the conservative again?

via Kos

Doh! Fail

Democratic Representative John Murtha said Western Pennsylvania was nothing but a bunch of racists and spent a couple of days groveling for forgiveness. John McCain saw his opening and dove in. His plan was to bring them onboard. Of course, John McCain being John McCain, things didn't quite work out that way.

As TPM said:

You can see the glimmer of recognition of the flub, like he just chased Road Runner off the edge of the cliff. There's the split-second decision to try to pull off a miracle escape. But his legs stop spinning and gravity takes over and from there it's a long way down. For a guy who spent the last week reminding everyone he's not Bush, that's got to hurt.



I passed hot tea through my nose.

"Spirtual Warfare: It's Time You Learn!"

If you have been wondering how a virtual unknown rose from obscurity to be this close to the Presidency of the United States, look no further than the Endtime Handmaidens and Servants of Jasper, Arkansas. If you think there's something fishy, they know why.

Two days ago, I listened to a 9-6-08 message by Bree Keyton, a young woman evangelist who had just traveled to Kenya and visited Obama's home village and what she found out about his relations with his tribal people was chilling. And his "cousin" Odinga was dreadful. She said the witches, warlocks and those involved in satanism and the occult get up daily at 3 a.m. to release curses against McCain and Palin so B. Hussein Obama is elected.

They need your help to combat this:

IF YOU KNOW HOW TO DO SPIRITUAL WARFARE, PLEASE PRAY TODAY AND CONTINUALLY THAT ALL SUCH CURSES BE BROKEN AND SATAN'S PLAN FOR AMERICA BE DEFEATED, IN JESUS' NAME. PRAY AND COVER MCCAIN AND PALIN WITH THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. IF YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW TO DO SPIRITUAL WARFARE, IT IS TIME YOU LEARN!!!

Yeah, this really is the best part of election season, ain't it?

via Andrew Sullivan

Roots

Obama and his grandfather

As Obama travels to Hawaii to visit his ailing grandmother and celebrate her 86th birthday on Sunday it behooves us to remember from whence he came.

As Andrew Sullivan pointed out, his grandmother is his last living "parent". He was raised in part by his grandparents. To imagine that she might not see this through is immeasurably tragic.

Undecided

David Sedaris tries to pin down how voters can be undecided in this election:

To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. “Can I interest you in the chicken?” she asks. “Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it?”

To be undecided in this election is to pause for a moment and then ask how the chicken is cooked.

Wasilla

Small towns: "A place where strangers are just friends you haven't thrown up on yet."

Doing The Right Thing

From an email sent to Ben Smith of Politico:

I voted today. I'm a 33 year old, white, criminal defense lawyer in southwest Kansas. The early voting is at the courthouse. I arrive to find 12 old white people occupying all the voting machines. I wait. A machine opens up. The 80 something white male who had been using the machine is now up at the front table asking if he can vote again. The lady running the table says "no, one person, one vote." He replies, "well, I just want to make sure we don't have some terrorist running the country."

This obviously catches my attention so I look at the old man. Our eyes meet. He points a bony finger at me and says, "Don't let it happen." Thinking this old man could one day kill someone and need my services, I don't say anything and proceed to vote.

As I'm leaving the voting room, the young black janitor is in the hallway in front of the room with his cleaning cart. "Did you do the right thing?" He asks me. "You know it." I say and we exchange a terrorist fist jab.

Been Here Before

Replace Communism with Terrorism and it gets even more familiar. We all know how well this turned out.

via prosebeforehos

Polar Endorsements

Noam Chomsky endorsed Obama today (as if he would have endorsed McCain), though he described Obama as the "lesser of two evils" and a "standard centrist Democrat".

On the other side Obama got endorsed by Ken Adelman. The name won't mean anything to you unless you are a real political junkie, but Adelman is no "moderate" Republican. He is as hawkish and conservative as they come.

From The New Yorker:

Ken Adelman is a lifelong conservative Republican. Campaigned for Goldwater, was hired by Rumsfeld at the Office of Economic Opportunity under Nixon, was assistant to Defense Secretary Rumsfeld under Ford, served as Reagan’s director of arms control, and joined the Defense Policy Board for Rumsfeld’s second go-round at the Pentagon, in 2001. Adelman’s friendship with Rumsfeld, Cheney, and their wives goes back to the sixties, and he introduced Cheney to Paul Wolfowitz at a Washington brunch the day Reagan was sworn in.

What Adelman said:

When the economic crisis broke, I found John McCain bouncing all over the place. In those first few crisis days, he was impetuous, inconsistent, and imprudent; ending up just plain weird. Having worked with Ronald Reagan for seven years, and been with him in his critical three summits with Gorbachev, I’ve concluded that that’s no way a president can act under pressure.

Second is judgment. The most important decision John McCain made in his long campaign was deciding on a running mate.

That decision showed appalling lack of judgment. Not only is Sarah Palin not close to being acceptable in high office—I would not have hired her for even a mid-level post in the arms-control agency. But that selection contradicted McCain’s main two, and best two, themes for his campaign—Country First, and experience counts. Neither can he credibly claim, post-Palin pick.

Adelman Addendum

I asked Adelman whether Iraq had turned him against his party and thus McCain. No, he said, McCain’s criticisms of Rumsfeld and the handling of the war had made him admire McCain more, not less. But Adelman added:

The Republican handling of the war made me value “experience” far less. If Cheney, Rumsfeld & Powell are the epitome of experience, I’ll take the alternative. They’ve given experience a bad name.

Further thought: McCain’s campaign soured me a lot. His hiring of the Bush attack squad, South Carolina 2000, made me view this honorable man as heading a dishonorable effort. And that’s still the case. It’s pretty disgusting, what he’s doing…

Kerry Makes A Funny

John Kerry speaking at a business summit:

Kerry tried to relay to the audience what it is like to face the press corps' inquiries.

"I don't know if any of you know what it's like. I do, obviously," he said. "I've been asked all of those brilliant questions that were repeated this year."

"Barack got asked the famous boxers or briefs question," Kerry went on. "I was tempted to say commando."

The senator said Obama successfully parried that question but that John McCain, the GOP nominee, had some problems.

"Then they asked McCain and McCain said, ‘Depends,'" Kerry said to lots of laughter from the crowd.

I normally wouldn't find this funny, but it is pretty witty - especially for Kerry.

Size Matters

Obama drew a crowd in St. Louis on Saturday of 100,000. Today in a St. Louis suburb McCain spoke to 2000. Admittedly, Saturdays are easier for rally attendance than Mondays. But on Saturday, in DC McCain only managed 4000.

via Jonathan Martin

McCain Supporters Who Say Enough

McCain's campaign takes a beating from me pretty regularly, and for good reason: it has promoted nothing that even approaches its "Country First" slogan. It is divisive, mendacious, and offensive. That said, there are people within the campaign and McCain supporters who go against that strategy. They are heroic for their efforts and though I may not believe in their candidate I respect their attitude. This video shows some of them standing up to an ass. (Not to say they aren't a little self-serving when they say to the ass, "Are you trying to lose the election?")

Enraptured

Recently Curry forwarded me an email he had received (he found it amusing and offensive). It was anti-Obama and repeated many of the ridiculous claims that the GOP down-low had been promoting. I've been hearing this crap for a while and have found it amusing if not unexpected. I ignore it; what else can you do? But one oft-repeated bit of nonsense that showed up in that email deserves some kind of correction. It said:

According to The Book of Revelations:

The Anti-Christ will be a man, in his 40s, of MUSLIM
descent, who will deceive the nations with persuasive
language, and have a MASSIVE Christ-like appeal....the
prophecy says that people will flock to him and he will
promise false hope and world peace, and when he is in
power, he will destroy everything.

There it is. Obama is the Anti-Christ. And the Biblical evidence is substantial... if you're an idiot.

(Didn't these people see "The Omen": The Anti-Christ is white, comes from a wealthy powerful family, his dad is Gregory Peck, and he has some mean-ass dogs that do his bidding. Oh, and he kills his mom while she's watering plants.)

Let me help out those who believe this crap and those that foist it upon them (though I think they know it's bullshit).

First: It is called The Book of Revelation - not Revelations - there is no 's'; it is singular.

Second: The Book of Revelation makes no mention of the Anti-Christ being Muslim - there is no reference to Islam at all. Why? Because Muhammed, the founder of Islam, wasn't even born until 570, 500 years or so after the Apostle John set down his apocalyptic vision

Third: All these "End of Days" grunts who claim Obama is the Anti-Christ are warning us in the hope the we won't let Evil Ole Obama come to power. That is rather odd because the Book of Revelation ends so well for the grunts: the final confrontation takes place, Satan gets his ass whooped, all the good kids go to heaven. For exactly that reason these Nostradami should be out there campaigning for the Anti-Christ - they should be looking forward to this. At the very least they should be trying to convert the non-believers so they can join the rapture. That's exactly what they would be doing... if they actually believed it. But they don't. They're just trying to win an election and the whole Anti-Christ nonsense is just the last arrow in their quiver; the most foul mud they have left to sling.

Many of the morons that traffic in this nonsense are the same ones that frequent Free Republic. Yesterday, those "Obama=666" Freepers put on their tinfoil hats and went on a tirade, claiming the photos showing the huge crowds for Obama in St Louis and KC were doctored (yeah, with all those pictures it would take more doctoring than a MASH unit) to inflate the attendance. They argued there was no way Obama could have attracted such crowds. The funny thing is, that undercuts their whole biblical prophecy crap because, according to their theory, if Obama isn't popular - doesn't have MASSIVE appeal - then he ain't the Anti-Christ, right? These idiots have no idea whereof they speak and do nothing more than shovel bullshit through the incredibly cheap and anonymous technology of our age.

The only solace we can take from this is that if, by some miracle of idiocy, they are right, they won't be going to heaven either.

The Black McCains

Race is all the sudden more interesting. The McCain campaign doesn't want to talk about it and has asked others not to talk about it, but every two years there's a family reunion of the McCains. They all gather together on the property in Carroll County, MS, purchased in 1851 by John McCain's great grandfather. The property was a plantation and the descendants that gather there, all related to one another, are black and white.

McCain claims his family never owned slaves, but even his own brother Joe attends the reunions.

Lillie McCain, 56, another distant cousin of John McCain who is black, said the Republican presidential nominee is trying to hide his past, and refuses to accept the family’s history.

“After hearing him in 2000 claim his family never owned slaves, I sent him an email,” she recalled. “I told him no matter how much he denies it, it will not make it untrue, and he should accept this and embrace it.”

She said the senator never responded to her email.

The McCain campaign did not respond to repeated questions about John McCain’s black relatives, or about his relatives of both races who support Obama. Pablo Carrillo, a media liaison with the McCain campaign, said the senator was aware of his African-American relatives, but asked the reporter to put his questions into writing, and that someone would get back to him.

After the reporter sent questions in writing, and made repeated follow-up phone calls, neither Sen. McCain nor anyone else from the campaign responded.

It's sad that in an election where race is playing such a huge part, that John McCain can't diffuse these hatreds with a discussion of his own family. He would prefer to live in denial and act as if this family of his does not exist.

I won't delve into McCain's psyche - it's a scary place - but this denial of mixed race relatives fathered by his ancestors hints at the seeds of his arrogance, and the genuine dislike he feels for Obama.

Saturday In The Park With Barack

October 18, St Louis, MO, 100,000 people

October 18, Kansas City, MO, 75,000 people

Greatest Pop Song Of All Time

My Choice


What's yours?

Boybama

If you're gonna watch it, watch all of it.

The Cost Of Transparency

Sarah Palin, who ran for Governor of Alaska on a platform of "open and transparent" government did quite a bit of business through private email accounts. The press would like to see those emails. Palin has said sure, you betcha. Just one catch: that little peek will cost you about $15,000,000.

Exhuming McCarthy

If you haven't heard of Michele Bachman and you don't live in Minnesota, no one could blame you, but she's a real winner. She is the Representative of MN 6th district and today the little nut told Chris Matthews that:

"I'm very concerned that [Barack Obama] may have anti- American views. That's what the American people are concerned about. That's why they want to know what his answers are. That's why Joe the plumber has figured so highly in the last few days."

There should be an investigative report of all members of Congress to determine who among them is anti-American.



Hey Minnesotans, fix this please!

Bringing In The Votes

Meghan McCain, Old John's daughter, has made a promise to the voters of New Hampshire. If Daddy wins the state she'll get their motto, "Live Free Or Die", tattooed somewhere on her body.

Gas cards and tats: that's some incentive program. GOTV!

Chicago Tribune Endorses Obama

The Chicago Tribune for the first time in its history is endorsing a Democrat for President.

On Nov. 4 we're going to elect a president to lead us through a perilous time and restore in us a common sense of national purpose.

The strongest candidate to do that is Sen. Barack Obama. The Tribune is proud to endorse him today for president of the United States.

This endorsement makes some history for the Chicago Tribune. This is the first time the newspaper has endorsed the Democratic Party's nominee for president.

The Tribune in its earliest days took up the abolition of slavery and linked itself to a powerful force for that cause--the Republican Party. The Tribune's first great leader, Joseph Medill, was a founder of the GOP. The editorial page has been a proponent of conservative principles. It believes that government has to serve people honestly and efficiently.

With that in mind, in 1872 we endorsed Horace Greeley, who ran as an independent against the corrupt administration of Republican President Ulysses S. Grant. (Greeley was later endorsed by the Democrats.) In 1912 we endorsed Theodore Roosevelt, who ran as the Progressive Party candidate against Republican President William Howard Taft.

The Tribune's decisions then were driven by outrage at inept and corrupt business and political leaders.

We see parallels today.

Penguin

It was bound to happen.

Joe The Plumber And Keating

Ok, so yesterday I jump on this Joe the Plumber/Charles Keating connection and do a post about it. Half an hour later I come across a post on Kos that seems to kill it and dump my post. But I remain troubled through most of last night. There may or may not be a connection, but so far no one seems to have settled the matter.

It first showed up on Martin Eisenstadt's blog right after the debate. Eisenstadt works closely with the McCain campaign and here's what he wrote:

John McCain did great tonight in the debate. But every time John mentioned “Joe the Plumber,” some of us in the campaign banged our heads against the wall. If Steve Schmidt had any hair left, I hear he would have been pulling it out tonight. He reportedly screamed at John’s debate prep team tonight (out of earshot of reporters, of course). “You idiots - he’s related to Charles Keating… of the Keating Five scandal!” They thought they had a real live Joe Six-Pack who’s spurned Barack Obama’s tax plan. But what they forgot to do was check on Joe Wurzelbacher’s background.

Hmm. That seems to settle it. There were numerous followups including this comment on Eisenstadt's post:

I found that Samuel “Joe” was actually living in Tucson, AZ back in the early 1990’s precisely when RM Jr. was going on trial there. After a nasty divorce (which involved his wife fleeing to a women’s shelter and obtaining medical help, the police involved, etc.) he went to Toledo. So there is a connection geographically as well to RM Jr.

It should be pointed out that both RM Jr. and Sr. were quite wealthy Republican contributors, as were their wives. Both have residential ties to both Ohio and Arizona, and also “Unknown, Alaska”.

So there's a little more. There are only 170 Wurzelbachers living in the U.S. and that seems to narrow the whole mess down. There's even a Wurzelbacher who race dogsleds or snowmobiles and lives in Wasilla if you're hunting for weirdness.

If there is a connection it is this: Joe the Plumber, Samuel J Wurzelbacher, is related (son, brother, whatever) to Robert M Wurzelbacher. Robert was Vice President of the parent corporation of Lincoln Savings & Loan, American Continental Corporation, which was controlled by Charles Keating. Charles Keating was best buds with John McCain. Charles Keating was also Robert Wurzelbacher's father in law.

During the Lincoln S&L debacle of the late 80's, also referred to as the Keating Five scandal, many folks lost a lot of money through some very illegal dealings. Keating went to jail. Wurzelbacher went to jail, for 40 months. Four U.S. senators essentially saw their political aspirations destroyed for their involvement. McCain got a pass for his involvement primarily because the Senate didn't think it had the jurisdiction to rule on McCain who, at the time was not a Senator, but a representative. Nonetheless, McCain apologized for his part and claimed it was a severe lapse in his judgement.

The Kos post said this:

Just like in the days after Sarah Palin was picked for VP, there's a lot of speculation about this "Joe the Plumber" character. I think some of the speculation has been verified- the fact that he's got a tax lien, and he's not licensed as a plumber. But I've seen a lot of speculation about his possible ties to Robert Wurzelbacher, the son-on-law of Charles Keating of the Keating 5 scandal.

Move on. Nothing is there.

Robert M. Wurzelbacher, son-in-law of Keating, was 37 years old in 1991 when federal charges were filed against Keating. It appears that he has addresses in Phoenix and Coronado, CA.

The Robert M. Wurzelbacher of Milford, OH, a heavy donor to GOP candidates, is 83 years old and retired. They're not the same person.

Digging to see if this guy is a plant or a hypocrite is a good idea. But I think it's equally important to know the link before idle speculation.

That is what killed my post yesterday. Hey, look, Joe the Plumber is not a plumber, doesn't pay his taxes, isn't undecided, and apparently from court records has a history of domestic violence. That's more than enough to torture the guy.

But if he is also tied to Keating it makes the whole thing murky, strange and stupendously stupid or nefarious (you choose) on the part of the McCain campaign. We just don't know. I doubt he could have been planted as some have suggested - too many variables to assure success. I tend to lean toward the stupid argument. McCain vets no one and this is a perfect example. If it turns out that Joe has a Keating connection the next two weeks will be dominated by this and by a rehash of the Keating scandal. That is not what McCain needs or wants. It needs to be ferretted out and I'm certain there is some MSM that is doing just that right now.

In the end it will be cleared up, but a whole lot of people are jumping to some conclusions for which there is little supporting evidence. Stay tuned cause somebody is going to end up looking very bad and regardless of who it turns out to be, it won't be good.

Martin Eisenstadt is a hoax? Welcome to teh blogging world.

More California Pride

California is proud to lead the nation once again. This ditty is from the October newsletter by the Chaffey Community Republican Women, Federated. Isn't it a winner?

Time for me to get outta here.

Poor Old Joe The Plumber

Joe the Plumber said last night he didn't like new taxes. Apparently he doesn't like old ones either. It was reported this morning the state of Ohio slapped a lien against him for back income taxes. In addition, Joe's name is misspelled on his voter registration - a typo that could potentially get him purged from the voter rolls. And lastly, Joe seems to dislike regulation as well - his plumbing license never existed.

Man, his party last night left one hell of a hangover this morning.

Caption This

Joe The Plumber

I don't know Joe the Plumber, but I think we can get a good idea about him from a post debate interview he did with Katie Couric. He said a few things of interest but the kicker was when he explained he still didn't know where Obama stood. Joe the Plumber said that Obama could really do:

"a tap dance...almost as good as Sammy Davis, Jr."



Ahem, oh, so that's Joe the Plumber.

President Palin

Palin as President

Fox News And The Presidential "Race"

Bless Fox News. Without them from whence would we get the distinct flavor of Main Stream Media racism.

Colin Powell, it has long been rumored, will endorse Obama after tonight's debate. He had planned to do so earlier, but Bush had reportedly called Powell begging him to hold off, at least a while, on the endorsement - pretty please. All this has been common knowledge and reported by the blogging community, if not the MSM.

The former Secretary of State was in London and gave a speech at a festival there celebrating African American music and fashion. After his speech he tried out some hip-hop moves in that embarassing way that old guys do. Fox took that as their cue:

Colin Powell has his dancing shoes on, fueling speculation that he's gearing up to do the Obama Two-Step.

The normally staid former U.S. secretary of state and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff performed an impromptu hip-hop dance alongside well-known rap stars Tuesday following a speech at a festival in London celebrating African-American music and fashion.

His address at the "Africa Rising" celebration inside London's Royal Albert Hall fueled speculation that an endorsement of Barack Obama is imminent.

Yeah, once that rhythm hits 'em they can't help but endorse.

Nope

How Come My Money Sucks So Much?

Uh oh! Looks like that whole "depression is over/go ahead and Ebay your Campbells" thing from Monday was a little optimistic? Who could have known? The market's tanking again, we're in a depression for the second time in a week. That's two depressions in my lifetime - I seriously can't keep up. Just tell me when to stop making shoe soup.

Seems a retail sales report has investors in another funk. Maybe we should we bail out Macy's to make them happy.

Hmm, what's a Wall Streeter to do? Well, they shouldn't go to Rio: Brazil just halted trading on their market after it dumped 10% of its value this morning.

On the bright side, pawn shops are doing a booming business.