Change in 2008

Change, the most popular word of 2008, made famous by President-elect Barack Obama.

Change is the symbolization for the transition in power - from current President Bush to the next. Change is what this country is apparently looking for. And change is what this country will indeed have. The only question this blogger continues to ask is what kind of change it will be?

Because I may or may not disagree with the actions of the current administration does that mean I just accept the ones of the next? Do we give the 44^th president a free pass because he represents change, because he isn’t Bush? No.

Change isn’t a word created in 2007 or 2008. It’s always come from every political party, with each candidate being an agent of change. But again, what kind of change is it? Will it be for better, or for worse? A new chapter is starting in America’s history and it started with change in 2008.

Chambliss is Still the Man for the Job

To the Democratic Party, a good number of Georgia voters had one thing to say, “Whoa there not so fast!” On Dec. 2 Georgia voters helped keep Sen. Saxby Chambliss hold his seat in U.S. senate, thwarting Democrats' hopes of winning a 60-seat filibuster-proof majority.

The run-off election comes after neither Chambliss nor his Democratic opponent Jim Martin was able to take the seat in the General Election. While Barack Obama went on to win the presidency, Martin wasn’t able to get Obama voters in large enough numbers to overcome the Republican advantage. As Fox News put it Conservatives, who had been upset with Chambliss, were “fearful of unchecked Democratic dominance”.

But with every politician who gets a second term, we can only pray that Chambliss is still the man for the job.

Change with Paul Volcker

Today President-elect Obama announced Former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker as head of the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board, while the board's top staff official will be Austan Goolsbee, a University of Chicago economist. And guess what! Goolsbee has never been in Washington! However, Volcker has.

In this morning’s news conference, Obama tried to reassure Americans that "help is on the way" for the economy. Apparently this help comes in the form of Paul Volcker, who was appointed Chairman of the Federal Reserve in August 1979 by President Jimmy Carter and reappointed in 1983 by President Ronald Reagan. Volcker helped tame inflation by raising interest rates, despite intense opposition by some in Congress. However, Volcker’s Fed contributed to the significant recession the U.S. economy experienced in the early 1980s, which included the highest unemployment levels since the Great Depression. Volcker's Fed also elicited the strongest political attacks and most wide-spread protests in the history of the Federal Reserve.

The President-elect also stated, again, how the “old ways of thinking just won’t do”. I guess by old ways he means anything from the last “horrific” eight years, anyone from the CARTER or Clinton administration is fine. I’m sorry but if help is on the way, why would you (Reagan and Obama) appoint a guy who’s Fed contributed to a recession and included the highest unemployment levels of its time? Plus I thought recession was a bad thing. And we all have heard the rising numbers in job employment, and Obama’s answer is to bring Volcker? It’s like you’re in a building on fire and Volcker’s the fireman who makes the fire spread. Am I missing something here?

But don’t worry America you’ll get your change, or least pray that your wallets will still have change with Paul Volcker.

Experience for the Country

Though having been defeated on Nov. 4, the media has seemed to still hold an interest in Gov. Sarah Palin, such as her place in the future of the Republican Party. What, suddenly they want her in the picture? Whatever the future holds for Gov. Palin, CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric offered the Alaskan governor some advice. In an interview with New York Post Couric said, “I think she should keep her head down, work really hard and learn about governing. But I'm not anyone to give advice to anyone about anything.” Learn…

WE INTERUPT THIS POST TO BRING YOU THIS POLITICAL UPDATE.

This just in, today (Sunday) marks the day when President-elect Barack Obama resigns from his four year term in the senate. I know what you’re thinking, he was in the senate?

WE NOW RETURN YOU TO OUT POST ALREADY IN PROGRESS.

…about governing? Katie, “GOVENOR” Palin will have been Alaska’s governor for two years on Dec. 4^th of this year. Now true, that hasn’t been a long time, but she was mayor for six years (1996-2002) of Wasilla. She was also was elected twice to the city council in 1992 and 1995, though she did not complete her second term due to her campaign for mayor. So either the people of Alaska are really dumb or a good portion of the people see a real leader in Sarah Palin – I’m going to go with them seeing a real leader.

Apparently having such executive experience still isn’t enough, because she was only mayor of Wasilla, and governor of Alaska, we all know that hardly qualifies, right? Wrong. People with the mindset of Matt Damon and Diddy (-dumb), seem to think of Palin and Alaska as some sort of breeding ground for low intelligence. It also seems that some Americans tend to not see Alaska as one of the United States, if I were a citizen of Alaska the Alaskan Independence Party would certainly be looking good right about now.

Palin may be a Washington outsider, but she isn’t an idiot. She may have gone to a few different colleges, but that doesn’t mean she some sort of party-girl bimbo. She hunts, who cares, lots of presidential and vice-presidental candidates have hunted, that doesn’t make her some sort of whacked out hillbilly. Oh and by the way Katie, Gov. Palin has Bachelor of Science degree in communications-journalism, she could do your job. It can’t be that hard to pull bias garbage out of your…anyway, enough with the trash on the eight-year executive experienced and qualified governor of Alaska. Let’s instead focus on what Illinois’ former “four-year” state senator will do his experience for the country.

America's 44th President

Come January 20, 2009 Americans will watch as Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America.

And now the tasks of fixing the country, with apparently so many problems that we forget we’re so much better off, now lies with President-elect Obama. Mr. Obama will have to keep true to his voice of change, and how this election year change is indeed more than just a slogan, even if other presidents have said the say thing before. He has to prove he can deliver change for the better and not change that means we don’t have a Republican in the Oval Office. The Voice of Hope was heard all across this country and we as a country have to pray that it’s not just hype or encouraging words.

President-elect Obama now has a huge burden to carry, as well as his fellow party members who are gaining seats. They are now responsible for a good portion of America’s choices and future, and they won’t be able to utter the words “failed Republican policies”. This is the time in our country where once again we know what politicians are made of. Do they really care? Do they really get it? Did I vote for the candidate who will speak for me, or did I just elect the next American Idol?

But also think of this, the candidate of change, Democrat or Republican, can promise you a brighter tomorrow, but something can come along that throws a curveball in their agenda. The American president is one person, one person being advised, one person who has to make hard decisions. So perhaps you should try pretending you were in their shoes. Jimmy Carter said many things that sound like what Mr. Obama said, but you don’t hear anyone talking about the glory days of the Carter administration. Many have labeled President Bush a failure, why don’t we wait a few years before we call that one. Also, and this is a little of topic, but while Mr. Bush’s approval ratings are low, Congress’ are even lower. So look up who makes the majority of congress for these past two years and explain that one to me, it seems a little weird about the American mindset.
But anyway, this is certainly an exciting time in American history, and there’s nothing wrong with supporting Mr. Obama even if you didn’t vote for him. Because if this country is devided, it’s time we get back together, something I hope we all could’ve done even if Sen. McCain had been elected America’s 44th President.

“I wish Godspeed to the man who was my former opponent and will be my president. And I call on all Americans, as I have often in this campaign, to not despair of our present difficulties, but to believe, always, in the promise and greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable here.
Americans never quit. We never surrender. We never hide from history. We make history.” - Sen. John McCain

“This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we cant, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:
Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.” – President-elect Barack Obama

Go Vote!

So here we find ourselves on Election Eve of 2008. Hopefully, when casting your vote you voted, or will vote, because you care about the issues. Voting can’t be about political parties, race, or personality. And you shouldn’t vote based on talking points. You’ve had plenty of time to research, to watch the candidates and find out who they are and what they really stand for, and hopefully, the kept to their beliefs.

I’ve blogged about flip-flopping before, and like I said then, flip-flopping is only a problem when it becomes a change for the worse. If a candidate supports something they didn’t support long ago, don’t vote based on the past. And speaking of the past, if the past years have been so terrible do you really know why?

When it comes to change, change can come from either side. If the past 8 years have been bad, than it is possible to learn from our mistakes and fix them. It's that very message McCain and Palin are trying to get across, while it's easier for Obama. Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin promote themselves as mavericks, they should instead be promoting themselves as MacGyver. Oh and remember, every political candidate is an agent of change, and agents like that have been around for a long time.

So come Wednesday, I hope America will have chosen the best person for the job, and not because they're considered a maverick or the face of hope- and this is assuming the election doesn’t go 2000 on us. So do what’s right for the country, and don't elect your American Idol. Now go vote!

Trust, But Verify - a.k.a. The Presidents' Conversation

Imagine if you will a small room, a sort of meeting hall. There are windows running down the length of both sides of the room, in the center of the room a rectangular conference table. There are eleven chairs, five on each side, with one at the head of the table. The doors open behind the head chair and in walk eleven men, figures of American history. Each take their assigned seats, and quietly converse. The men are eleven of America’s presidents.

Private conversations go on for some time until Thomas Jefferson begins to speak. Folding his issue of today’s newspaper he says, “My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.” Nodding his head, Gerald Ford states, “A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.” “The people are the government, administering it by their agents; they are the government, the sovereign power,” says Andrew Jackson. “Man is not free unless government is limited,” adds Ronald Reagan. From the end of the right side of the table, Abraham Lincoln speaks. “The people will save their government, if the government itself will allow them,” he then adds, “This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or exercise their revolutionary right to overthrow it.” Turning from Lincoln, Andrew Jackson faces the rest of the presidents and says, “Fear not, the people may be deluded for a moment, but cannot be corrupted.”

The topic shifts to the state of the government and the economy. “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much it is whether we provide enough for those who have little,” states Franklin Roosevelt. Lincoln turns to FDR and says, “You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.” “A wise and frugal government, shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor and bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government,” says Thomas Jefferson. “Collecting more taxes than is absolutely necessary is legalized robbery,” adds Calvin Coolidge. “Entrepreneurs and their small enterprises are responsible for almost all the economic growth in the United States,” says Ronald Reagan. Andrew Jackson faces his successors and predecessor, “The planter, the farmer, the mechanic, and the laborer... form the great body of the people of the United States, they are the bone and sinew of the country men who love liberty and desire nothing but equal rights and equal laws.” “The things that will destroy America are prosperity-at-any-price, peace-at-any-price, safety-first instead of duty-first, the love of soft living, and the get-rich-quick theory of life,” states Teddy Roosevelt. With a small smile coming across his face Ronald Reagan says, “The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.” A few more smiles appear amongst the presidents as Reagan adds, “Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.”

Some more time passes, the issues are discussed, and final statements just two days before the 2008 election are stated. Not resisting Teddy states, “If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn't sit for a month.” Gerald Ford smiles as he closes saying, “Even though this is late in an election year, there is no way we can go forward except together and no way anybody can win except by serving the people's urgent needs. We cannot stand still or slip backwards. We must go forward now together.” From the head of the table the current President states, “Our nation must come together to unite.” Kennedy raises his hand, “Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future,” he then adds, “…ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” Shaking his head Lincoln says, “Government of the people, by the people, for the people.” “No man will ever carry out of the Presidency with the reputation which carried him into it,” says Jefferson. Ronald Reagan turns to Jefferson, “Trust, but verify.”

The Lyin', the Watch, and the Wardrobe

Dear Sarah is how the one of the latest anti-Gov. Palin videos circling the web starts off. A bunch of teenage girls, including younger girls, all basically stating that what Gov. Palin stands for will somehow ruin their lives. One little girl tells Sarah not to tell her what books she can’t read. One says that Sarah wants God to let the soldiers to die in Iraq, while another thinks that Sarah’s beliefs have to be hers. Another girl states how more women are raped in Alaska, but adds that Gov. Palin did nothing. Bottom line, these girls all “think” that Gov. Sarah Palin will undo all that women fought for. Well if a ten-year-old said it, it must be true. No. Now it is true that rape numbers are higher in Alaska, but it’s a lie that Gov. Palin did nothing.

Of course another “concern” for the McCain-Palin campaign the polls numbers, well, somewhat. Turn on ABC, CBS, NBC, and Obama leads by 7-11 points. But watch carefully now, because usually the network name is followed by a joint partner in polling, like an ABC News-Washington Post poll. How trustworthy can a poll like that be when the Washington Post has endorsed Obama? So watch carefully, and don’t be fooled.

And lastly, what do you think of Gov. Palin’s clothes? To be honest, who cares? Well sadly the media does. For all last week it was the big concern involving the $150,000 spent on Gov. Palin’s clothes by the RNC. Palin doesn’t get to keep the clothes, and SHE DIDN’T BUT THEM. Hey what about John McCain’s $500+ shoes or Barack Obama’s $1,500+ specially made suits? At least Palin's clothes will be auctioned off with the proceeds to go to charity.

It’s no secret that the campaign trail is rough for McCain and Palin. And it’s no secret their under a greater microscope than Sen. Obama. I’m just wondering if people are even focusing to the issues, I mean really focusing and listening. Obama has pointed out how McCain campaign manager Rick Davis said about this election not being about the issues. And at times it seems like that with what the media tends to report. It seems the media is more interested in reporting the lyin’, the watch (poll numbers and other flaws), and the wardrobe.

Crisis for Obama is Biden

By now you’ve probably heard about that old guy who says negative things about Barack Obama, no it’s not McCain, its Joe Biden. Yes, Obama’s running mate has looked into his crystal ball and has seen that within six months of Obama’s presidency, there will be an international crisis. “Mark my words. It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking,” said Biden. Alright so the world will test him, but did he have to add, “Remember I said it standing here if you don’t remember anything else I said. Watch, we’re gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy.” Apparently he did. “He’s gonna have to make some really tough - I don’t know what the decision’s gonna be, but I promise you it will occur. As a student of history and having served with seven presidents, I guarantee you it’s gonna happen.”

Thank you Carnac.

Obama responded to the comments saying that Biden’s core point was that the next administration is going to be tested regardless of who it is. Well that’s one way to look at it, but Biden said, “It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama.” Sen. Obama went on to add that the question “…is will the next president meet that test by moving America in a new direction by sending a clear signal to the rest of the world that we are no longer about bluster and unilateralism and ideology, but we’re about creating partnerships around the world to solve practical problems?”

Did this give you a warm and fuzzy feeling? If there is an Obama administration let’s hope the only crisis for Obama is Biden.

Sen. Robin Hood’s Strategy

How do you create more jobs if you’re going to tax the businesses that create the jobs? The answer…you can’t, or at least not many jobs.

When Barack Obama came down the street of one Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher a.k.a. Joe the Plumber, Joe had this to say, “I'm getting ready to buy a company that makes about $250,000 … $270-$280,000 a year. Your new tax plan's gonna tax me more, isn't it?” Now if Joe, who has been working for fifteen years, buys another truck and adds something else to it and builds the company, he’ll be getting taxed more and more while “fulfilling the American Dream”.

Said Sen. Obama in response, “So, over the last 15 years, when you weren't making $250,000, you would have been getting a tax cut from me. So you'd actually have more money, which means you would have saved more, which means that you would have gotten to the point where you could build your small business quicker than under the current tax code. So there are two ways of looking at it. I mean, one way of looking at it is, now that you've become more successful through hard work, you don't want to be taxed as much.”

And…

“…I'm going to cut taxes a little bit more for the folks who are most in need, and for the 5 percent of the folks who are doing very well, even though they've been working hard … and I understand that; I appreciate that … I just want to make sure that they're paying a little bit more in order to pay for those other tax cuts. Now, I respect your disagreement, but I just want you to be clear. It's not that I want to punish your success. I just want to make sure that everybody who is behind you, that they've got a chance at success, too.”

So he’s going to tax the well off, or the rich, so that everyone has a chance at success. But what happens if Joe gets beyond the $250,000 mark? He may not be able to provide healthcare to his employees, or hire; he may have to lay some if his workers off. Odds are he’d have to charge more, but what if his customers aren’t willing to pay more? Say good-bye to Joe’s plumbing business. But on the bright side, someone was getting the money from Joe’s taxes, and they get the chance to succeed, assuming they even start a business. And if they do, what are the odds they’ll end up like Joe?

This is what Obama calls “spreading the wealth around”. Says Obama, “…my attitude is that if the economy's good for folks from the bottom up, it's gonna be good for everybody. If you've got a plumbing business, you're gonna be better off if you've got a whole bunch of customers who can afford to hire you.” But like I said, what if they can’t afford to hire Joe because Joe has to charge more because of higher taxes? And we’re not just talking small business but major corporations. When taxes are low, businesses can afford to take on more workers, you know, provide jobs – help the middle class. But hey, the media is more concerned about non-licensed Joe asking Obama a question and going Big Brother on him. Heaven forbid we really question Sen. Robin Hood’s strategy.

The Final Debate

In this point we're not going to worry about who won, or what's true and what isn't. Instead I'll encourage you to study the candidates on the issues and use common sense. Anyway, here are some highlights from the final debate.

John McCain:

• Americans are hurting right now and they’re angry.
• They want this country to go in a new direction.
• Homeowners first.
• Help Joe buy that business which he can’t afford due to Obama’s tax increases.
• Take Joe’s money give it to Sen. Obama and let him spread the wealth around.
• McCain wants small businesses/& owners to keep their money.
• Nobody likes taxes; let’s not raise anybody’s taxes.
• Cut people’s taxes, and create jobs.
• Stop saving $700 billion a year to countries that don’t like us.
• Cut Back:
  Spending
  Marketing assistance programs
  Subsidies for ethanol
  Eliminate the tax on sugar cane based ethanol
• Can you balance the budget: Yes
• "Sen. Obama I am not President Bush, if you wanted to run against President Bush you should’ve run four years ago."
• Obama voted for the energy bill that was full of goodies.
• I have fought against spending, reform, etc.
• Obama has spent more money on negative ads than any other campaign in history.
• Sarah Palin is a reformer.
• Given money back to tax payers
• Joe Biden has been wrong on foreign policy issues which are supposed to be his strength.
• We can offshore drill now, we have to now.

Barack Obama:

• Rescue package for the middle class.
• Focus on jobs.
• End jobs overseas.
• Let’s help families right away.
• Fix healthcare and education.
• Homeowners renegotiate mortgages.
• McCain’s plan is a giveaway to banks.
• We both want to cut taxes.
• McCain wants to add $200 billion add. tax cuts to corporate America.
• 95% of working families will get a tax cut.
• 100% percent of McCain’s ads are negative.
• Special needs will require additional spending.
• In 10 years we can reduce our dependence on foreign oil.
  We can’t drill our way out of the problem.

What’s the Joke?

By now you’ve heard of Samuel Joseph (Joe) Wurzelbacher, a.k.a. Joe the Plumber. He’s the guy who went up to Sen. Obama worried, because Obama’s tax plan will increase taxes on small businesses making more than $250,000, and Joe doesn’t want that. Well according to the Toledo Blade, Joe doesn’t have a required plumbing license and isn't registered to work as a plumber in Ohio. He also does not have the money to buy the plumbing business where he now works. So why would a non-licensed non-registered plumber have anything to worry about?

Truth, I don’t know.

But perhaps Joe’s question is one shared by other small business who ARE wondering what Joe asked. But even if Joe had the money to buy the business it is doubted by the Obama campaign that any plumber makes more than a quarter million a year. And apparently that very thought of is quite comical at Obama rallies. It’s funny that John McCain would try to help a plumber. I’m sorry but wouldn’t plumbers fall under the middle class category? I mean Barack Obama talks so much about how John McCain doesn’t talk about the middle class, that when someone, like Joe, from the middle class has a problem, it’s funny? Tell me He who is running for president, what’s the joke?

Thee Old Political Stratagem

“We can’t afford four more years of failed Republican policies.” “John McCain voted with George Bush ninety-percent of the time.” If you’re paying attention to politics it is these two phrase, and those like it, which come up every week from the Democratic Party., and usually the word/phrase “change” follows.

• Bill Clinton- 1992
  • “Tonight I want to talk with you about my hope for the future, my faith in the American people, and my vision of the kind of country we can build together.”
  • “Now that we have changed the world, it’s time to change America.”
  • “I have news for the forces of greed and the defenders of the status quo: Your time has come and gone. Its time for a change in America.”
  • “We can seize this moment, make it exciting and energizing and heroic to be American again. We can renew our faith in each other and in ourselves. We can restore our sense of unity and community.”
  • “I want every person in this hall and every person in this land to reach out and join us in a great new adventures, to chart a bold new future.”

• George W. Bush- 2000
  • “Together, we will renew America's purpose.”
  • “…it is the time for new beginnings.”
  • “My fellow citizens, we can begin again.”
  • “An era of tarnished ideals is giving way to a responsibility era, and it won't be long now.”
  • “I know how serious the task is before me. I know the presidency is an office that turns pride into prayer. But I am eager to start on the work ahead, and I believe America is ready for a new beginning."
  • “Americans live on the sunrise side of the mountain, the night is passing, and we're ready for the day to come.”

In case you’re asking yourself about the quotes above they come from the acceptance speeches of Former President Clinton, and President Bush. The purpose for the quotes is show that with every election brings the candidates of change. Each one, Republican and Democrat, speak to tell America how it’s time for a new start to help America get back on track, that we need change. They’ll point out how voters can’t afford to elect another party member of the current administration.

It’s no secret that Barack Obama is running on change, and John McCain says he is as well. Barack Obama shoots a phrase like the ones at the beginning of the post to obviously keep voters from electing McCain. And just so we’re clear McCain would do the same, it’s thee old political stratagem.

The Vice-Presidential Debate: Sen. Biden

You’ve heard a lot about John McCain and Barack Obama, and last night you continued to hear about them, except this time it was from their running mates. Sen. Joe Biden and Gov. Sarah Palin took to the stage to appear before America and do their best to convince them why their candidate needs to be the next leader of the free world.

The Vice-Presidential Debate: Sen. Biden

Responding to the first question, Sen. Biden said, “I think it's neither the best or worst of Washington, but its evidence of the fact that the economic policies of the last eight years have been the worst economic policies we've ever had.”

Obama/Biden Rescue Plan

1. “Oversight. We're not going to write any check to anybody unless there's oversight for the -- of the secretary of Treasury.”
2. “Focus on homeowners and folks on Main Street.”
3. “Treat the taxpayers like investors in this case.”
4. “Make sure that CEOs don't benefit from this, because this could end up, in the long run, people making money off of this rescue plan.”

Says Biden, “We're (Obama & Biden) going to fundamentally change the focus of the economic policy. We're going to focus on the middle class, because it's -- when the middle class is growing, the economy grows and everybody does well, not just focus on the wealthy and corporate America.”

• John McCain is out of touch.
• We let Wall Street run wild.
• John McCain called for more deregulation.
• The middle class needs relief.
• 95% of small business owners make less than 250,000 a year.
• Obama did not vote to raise taxes.
• Eliminate wasteful spending in the budget.
• John McCain has voted 20 times in the past decade against funding alternative energies.
• Does not support gay marriage.
• Shift responsibilities to Iraqis.
• You’ve got to have a timeline to withdrawal troops and shift responsibilities to Iraqis.
• We will end this war.
• John McCain voted against funding the troops.
• John McCain has been dead wrong on the fundamental issues’ in Iraq.
• An attack will come from the hills of Afghanistan, not Iraq.
• John continues to tell us that the central front on the war on terror is in Iraq.
• McCain wouldn’t sit down with the government of Spain.
• How are McCain’s policies going to be different than George Bush’s?
• John McCain has been no maverick on the issues that make a difference in people’s lives.
• Last 8 years we’ve been dug into a very deep whole.
• It’s time for America to get up together.

The Vice-Presidential Debate: Gov. Palin

You’ve heard a lot about John McCain and Barack Obama, and last night you continued to hear about them, except this time it was from their running mates. Sen. Joe Biden and Gov. Sarah Palin took to the stage to appear before America and do their best to convince them why their candidate needs to be the next leader of the free world.

Last night was especially big for Gov. Palin seeing how she’s received negative feedback for her recent interviews with the major networks. The Alaskan governor had to prove she knows what she’s talking about, and tell us why John McCain will bring change to America. Unfortunately she failed to tell us which specific newspapers and newsmagazines she reads.

The Vice-Presidential Debate: Gov. Palin

• “Americans are tired of old politics.”
• On the economy- “We have the opportunity to learn a heck of a lot of good lessons.”
• “Darn right we need tax relief.”
• It’s not patriotic to pay higher taxes if you make more than $250,000.
• $5,000 Healthcare credit- Budget neutral = doesn’t cost the government anything.
• John McCain doesn’t tell one thing to one group and something else to another.
• Promises to do what is right for the American people.
• Believes John McCain has not made any promise that he cannot keep.
• We have got to clean up this planet.
• We’ve got to become energy independent.
• Supports all of the above approach to energy-alternative, clean coal, nuclear, etc.
• Does not support gay marriage.
• Barack Obama voted against funding the troops in Iraq even after he said he wouldn’t do that.
• “We can’t afford to leave Iraq early.”
• More troops in Afghanistan.
• Closer and closer to victory.
• “Your plan (Obama-Biden) is a white flag of surrender.”
• Biden didn’t support Obama before VP pick. Remember the Democratic debates?
• Iran cannot be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons.
• We will learn from past mistakes.
• McCain ticket creates jobs. Obama ticket increases taxes and cuts jobs.
• We need flexibility in No Child Left Behind.
• Speak to the American people without the Main stream media.
• “We are so blessed.”
• “We have to fight for our freedoms.”
• “I've grown up just knowing that, you know, at the end of the day, as long as we're all working together for the greater good, it's going to be OK.”

Candidates are Heading to Washington

Last week things weren’t exactly going swimmingly on Wall Street, and the financial crisis allowed the presidential candidates to grab the attention of voters. Yesterday Sen. McCain announced he would be suspending his campaign to head back to Washington to help with the problem at hand. McCain also called for Friday’s Presidential Debate to be postponed until a deal to address the issue was reached, Sen. Obama disagreed.

“This is exactly the time when the American people need to hear from the person who in approximately 40 days will be responsible for dealing with this mess,” said Sen. Obama. “In my mind, it’s more important than ever that we present ourselves to the American people and describe where we want to take the country and where we want to take the economy.” Well that makes sense, let’s wait forty days to elect a candidate and then wait another fifty plus until he’s sworn in, yes then we can discuss our financial woes. The senator went on to say how he would help out if he thought he could be useful- opportunity to add major economic solution to list of Real Reasons You Should Elect Me President, missed.

In an address to the country last night, President Bush stated how he had invited Senators McCain and Obama to the White House to help speed the discussions toward a bipartisan bill. As far as I know both of the candidates are heading to Washington.

Iraq: Awaiting the McCain-Palin Reponse

The future of America’s place in Iraq has yet to be decided. And it’s the very question of that uncertainty that still has voters wondering the political parties plan on doing about it. On Thursday Barack Obama sat down with Bill O’Reilly of Fox News. On the topic of the Surge in Iraq, O’Reilly asked the senator, “Why can't you say, "I was right in the beginning, and I was wrong about the surge"? “Because there's an underlying problem where what have we done. We have reduced the violence. But the Iraqis still haven't taken responsibility, and we still don't have the kind of political reconciliation,” said Sen. Obama.

Now this morning on ABC News’ This Week, Sen. Obama had this to say in the recently taped interview. “…John McCain insists on continuing to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

…Well Prime Minister Maliki has said that, “we are ready to take control and responsibility for what’s happening in Iraq”. And John McCain seems resistant even at a time when George Bush is prepared to say that we need to have some sort of timeframe or timetable.”

Despite the confusion in both of Sen. Obama’s statements as to whether or not the Iraqi government is ready to take control, President Bush has stated he is considering a timetable of the withdrawal of U.S. forces in Iraq.

In November of 2005, President Bush said that Iraqi troops were increasingly taking the lead in battle but that "this will take time and patience." However, the president refused again to set a timetable for a U.S. withdrawal, saying conditions in Iraq will dictate when American forces can come home. He said setting a deadline to pull out is "not a plan for victory."

Considering the mere thought of a pull out by 2011 would go against the very opposing position the president had to such action over the past few years. The president’s hesitance on such an issue was partly due to not wanting al-Qaida or the Taliban to wait the American forces out- which makes sense.

On Sept. 1, The New York Times said, “Mr. McCain told veterans on Aug. 11 that he would end the war, but intended to “win it first” and assured them that “victory in Iraq is finally in sight.” He needs to explain what he means by victory. A free and democratic Iraq, as Mr. Bush originally promised? That would take generations. …Iraq’s leaders have at least agreed on one thing: they want the Americans gone, sooner rather than later.

This morning on Meet the Press, Democratic nominee for Vice-President Joe Biden said, “We're about to get a deal from the president of the United States and Maliki, the head of the Iraqi government, that's going to land on my desk as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee saying we're going to set a timeline to draw down our forces. The only guy in America out of step is John McCain. John McCain's saying no timeline. They've signed on to Barack Obama's proposal (not the exact plan he would add).” Tom Brokaw than asked, “Five years from now, do you think Iraq will have relative stability and democratic principles in a central government? Sen. Biden replied saying, “If there is an Obama-Biden administration, yeah. …And by the way, that Biden proposal, 75 senators voted for it, including the majority of the Republican Party.” “But the Iraqi government didn't like the idea,” said Brokaw. Replied Biden, “Well, the Iraqi government--Maliki didn't, but the rest of the government liked it.” “But he is the head of the government. It's their country,” replied Brokaw.

And so the Obama-Biden campaign, along with Americans, are awaiting the McCain-Palin response.

John McCain, Country First

The media will say it was boring, they’ll say public speaking is not McCain’s strength, they’ll say he couldn’t top Gov. Palin’s speech, but that’s their opinion. They'll also point out what McCain didn't say but to be fair Obama didn't elaborate either. While both Sen. Obama and McCain could've said more on how they will go about bringing change, but used their acceptance speeches to bring a positive reassurance to Amercian voters.

On Sarah Palin:
“She has executive experience and a real record of accomplishment. She’s tackled tough problems like energy independence and corruption. She’s balanced a budget, cut taxes, and taken on the special interests. She’s reached across the aisle and asked Republicans, Democrats and Independents to serve in her administration. She’s the mother of five children. She’s helped run a small business, worked with her hands and knows what it’s like to worry about mortgage payments and health care and the cost of gasoline and groceries. She knows where she comes from and she knows who she works for. She stands up for what’s right, and she doesn’t let anyone tell her to sit down. I’m very proud to have introduced our next Vice President to the country. But I can’t wait until I introduce her to Washington. And let me offer an advance warning to the old, big spending, do nothing, me first, country second Washington crowd: change is coming.”

On the GOP in Washington:
“We were elected to change Washington, and we let Washington change us. We lost the trust of the American people when some Republicans gave in to the temptations of corruption. We lost their trust when rather than reform government, both parties made it bigger. We lost their trust when instead of freeing ourselves from a dangerous dependence on foreign oil, both parties and Senator Obama passed another corporate welfare bill for oil companies. We lost their trust, when we valued our power over our principles. We’re going to change that. We’re going to recover the people’s trust by standing up again for the values Americans admire. The party of Lincoln, Roosevelt and Reagan is going to get back to basics.”

Comparing himself to Obama:

• I will keep taxes low and cut them where I can. My opponent will raise them.


• I will open new markets to our goods and services. My opponent will close them.


• I will cut government spending. He will increase it.


• My tax cuts will create jobs. His tax increases will eliminate them.


• My health care plan will make it easier for more Americans to find and keep good health care insurance. His plan will force small businesses to cut jobs, reduce wages, and force families into a government run health care system where a bureaucrat stands between you and your doctor.


• My opponent promises to bring back old jobs by wishing away the global economy. We’re going to help workers who’ve lost a job that won’t come back, find a new one that won’t go away.”

Energy:
“We are going to stop sending $700 billion a year to countries that don’t like us very much. We will attack the problem on every front. We will produce more energy at home. We will drill new wells offshore, and we’ll drill them now. We will build more nuclear power plants. We will develop clean coal technology. We will increase the use of wind, tide, solar and natural gas. We will encourage the development and use of flex fuel, hybrid and electric automobiles. Senator Obama thinks we can achieve energy independence without more drilling and without more nuclear power. But Americans know better than that.”

Closing Statements:
“I fell in love with my country when I was a prisoner in someone else’s. I loved it not just for the many comforts of life here. I loved it for its decency; for its faith in the wisdom, justice and goodness of its people. I loved it because it was not just a place, but an idea, a cause worth fighting for. I was never the same again. I wasn’t my own man anymore. I was my country’s.

I’m not running for president because I think I’m blessed with such personal greatness that history has anointed me to save our country in its hour of need. My country saved me. My country saved me, and I cannot forget it. And I will fight for her for as long as I draw breath, so help me God.

If you find faults with our country, make it a better one. If you’re disappointed with the mistakes of government, join its ranks and work to correct them. Enlist in our Armed Forces. Become a teacher. Enter the ministry. Run for public office. Feed a hungry child. Teach an illiterate adult to read. Comfort the afflicted. Defend the rights of the oppressed. Our country will be the better, and you will be the happier. Because nothing brings greater happiness in life than to serve a cause greater than yourself.

I’m going to fight for my cause every day as your President. I’m going to fight to make sure every American has every reason to thank God, as I thank Him: that I’m an American, a proud citizen of the greatest country on earth, and with hard work, strong faith and a little courage, great things are always within our reach. Fight with me. Fight with me.

Fight for what’s right for our country.

Fight for the ideals and character of a free people.

Fight for our children’s future.

Fight for justice and opportunity for all.

Stand up to defend our country from its enemies.

Stand up for each other; for beautiful, blessed, bountiful America.

Stand up, stand up, stand up and fight. Nothing is inevitable here. We’re Americans, and we never give up. We never quit. We never hide from history. We make history.

Thank you, and God Bless you.”


Yes, certainly a poor performance for John McCain to Republicans and Americans. You may be tired of John McCain the POW, but John McCain is looking to move beyond and prove that after all his years, he is the man for the job. In his own words it is said that when Sen. McCain ran for president in 2000, he put himself first. But as of last night it looks like John McCain is looking to fight for Americans again proving his campaign slogan true, John McCain, Country First.

A Piece of Palin

Since last Friday America has been introduced to just about everything involving Gov. Sarah Palin. John McCain’s announcement that he had chosen the Alaskan governor to be his running mate sent a huge wave of energy into the Republican Party. It also launched a search a huge media search into her closet to uncover and skeletons. But with all the praise and controversy surrounding Gov. Palin, she made sure on Wednesday night at the Republican National Convention to set things straight on who she is.

On family:
“Our family has the same ups and downs as any other ... the same challenges and the same joys. Sometimes even the greatest joys bring challenge. And children with special needs inspire a special love. To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters. I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House.”

On her experience and Barack Obama’s:
“I was just your average hockey mom, and signed up for the PTA because I wanted to make my kids' public education better. When I ran for city council, I didn't need focus groups and voter profiles because I knew those voters, and knew their families, too.Before I became governor of the great state of Alaska, I was mayor of my hometown.And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves. I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a "community organizer," except that you have actual responsibilities. I might add that in small towns, we don't quite know what to make of a candidate who lavishes praise on working people when they are listening, and then talks about how bitterly they cling to their religion and guns when those people aren't listening.We tend to prefer candidates who don't talk about us one way in Scranton and another way in San Francisco. As for my running mate, you can be certain that wherever he goes, and whoever is listening, John McCain is the same man.”

Message to the media:
“I'm not a member of the permanent political establishment. And I've learned quickly, these past few days, that if you're not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone. But here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion - I'm going to Washington to serve the people of this country. Americans expect us to go to Washington for the right reasons, and not just to mingle with the right people. No one expects us to agree on everything.”

Now you’ve heard and seen the media talk about how she has energized the GOP, you’ve heard them question her experience, whether or not her baby was hers, they question whether she’s a fit mother, and they even launch an investigation into her political background. And it’s not an investigation to uncover her experience; it’s to find the dirt. They’re looking for a story that puts Sarah Palin in the negative spotlight. And why are they doing this? I have no idea, they probably think they’re doing Americans a favor, they think they’re doing something right by exposing any possible skeletons. In the past two nights I’ve watch Nightly News, they’ve shown two stories on people’s views of Gov. Palin, one on an Alaskan woman who didn’t agree with Gov. Palin and people who did, and another following the same format. Does anyone recall an investigation into whether or not Barack Obama is fit for office, or a segment on voters (anyone not supporting McCain) who don’t agree with him?

This morning on Today, Joe Biden reacted to Palin’s speech as nothing but attacks on Obama. Wake up Joe, the women’s trying to get her running mate elected! Why on earth would she lift Obama any higher in praise then he already has? Plus, what do you call last week when Democrats said, “We can’t have four more years of failed Republican policies,” or, “McCain voted with Bush ninety percent of the time”?
And speaking of Joe Biden, we’ve all seen the reaction Palin is getting- she’s not a part of Washington, so how is Joe Biden change for America? Rush Limbaugh put the idea out that Obama might rethink his VP choice. One Obama changing his position Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani said this, “hope for his sake, Joe Biden got that VP thing in writing.” Hmmm, who knows, Barack Obama might want a piece of Sarah Palin. But he may have to get in line, because all of America wants a piece of Palin (and I mean that in a good way).

John McCain and Sarah Palin

Ever since Barack Obama announced Joe Biden as his running mate, America has been waiting to see who John McCain would pick. But first, remember the days where Mike Huckabee, one of the last to run against McCain for the GOP nominee, was thought to be a possible VP pick? And even in the past week Mitt Romney, another former opponent, was a possible choice, along with other candidates in mind, including Joe Liberman. Well those days are gone because as of today McCain's VP pick is Sarah Palin. Who?

Alaska's youngest and first female governor, surprised the country today when McCain announced her as his running mate. But the one thing on just about everyone's mind was, "who is this woman?"

She was point guard and captain of her high school's basketball team. She earned the nickname "Sarah Barracuda" because of her intense play. In 1984, Palin won the Miss Wasilla beauty contest, then finished second in the Miss Alaska pageant, which won her a college scholarship. Today she celebrated her 20th wedding anniversary. She has five children. The eldest, a son, is heading off to Iraq next month, and her youngest son (born in April) has Down syndrome.

As stated on Fox News, McCain described Palin as someone with “grit and integrity and devotion to the common good that is exactly what we need in Washington today,” McCain said Palin “knows where she comes from and she knows who she works for. She stands up for what is right and she doesn’t tell anyone to sit down. She’s fought oil companies and party bosses and do-nothing bureaucrats and anyone who puts their interests before the people they serve.”

The McCain campaign also calls Pain a reformer "who has challenged the influence of the big oil companies while fighting for the development of new energy resources. She leads a state that matters to every one of us. In Alaska, Governor Palin challenged a corrupt system and passed a landmark ethics reform bill. She has actually used her veto and cut budgetary spending. She put a stop to the ‘bridge to nowhere’ that would have cost taxpayers $400 million dollars".

A McCain campaign aide says it best that a shake-up is coming to Washington, John McCain and Sarah Palin.

Just Another Inspiring Barack Speech

Thursday, August 28, 2008 will be remembered as the day where Sen. Barack Obama was the first African-American to accept the Democratic nomination for President of the United States of America. Unfortunately, and in my opinion, that’s about all it will be remembered for. Why? Because I’m pretty sure it’s the speech has been used before. I mean there was nothing new, nothing really to explain why he must be the candidate to elect. As far as I’ve seen Democrats, and even Republicans, know one strategy; bash the rival and the rival's party. “But the record's clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush ninety percent of the time. Senator McCain likes to talk about judgment, but really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush has been right more than ninety percent of the time? I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to take a ten percent chance on change.” Not ready to take a ten percent chance on change, but wants Americans to take a one-hundred percent chance/risk/leap of faith on him, a candidate Shawn Hannity has no problem labeling “inexperienced”- even Biden said something similar.

After watching BS (Barack’s Speech, hahaha) last night, I would find the most ridiculous statement to be, “John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell - but he won't even go to the cave where he lives.” What? First off, “gates of hell” and the “cave where he lives” sound pretty much like the same, I think McCain meant he would hunt down bin Laden at all costs or increase the search. And second, saying McCain won’t go to the cave where Osama lives is pathetic seeing its obvious McCain can’t because and here’s a shocker, OSAMA’S HIDING!

I can definitely see why people are do drawn to Barack Obama, but I feel that, especially now, he needs to really elaborate on what he plans to do for America. Enough with the “failed” Republican policies; enough John McCain served his country and we thank him but…; enough with Washington/America are down in the dumps, and enough “it’s time for change”. Please, give me a reason!

“This country of ours has more wealth than any nation, but that's not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military on Earth, but that's not what makes us strong. Our universities and our culture are the envy of the world, but that's not what keeps the world coming to our shores. Instead, it is that American spirit - that American promise - that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend.

...America, we cannot turn back. Not with so much work to be done. Not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend. America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone. At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise - that American promise - and in the words of Scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess."

America has its share of problems, but we’re not bad off. If we need improving, Obama and McCain have told us what it is, and now the time has come to really talk about what their plans are. If Barack hopes to be America’s next president, this country needs to hear more than just another inspiring Barack speech.

Oh Yeah, and Vote for Barack Obama

While Halloween is still two months away, I wonder if anyone told Charlie Brown that the Great Pumpkin would be speaking at the Democratic Convention in Denver. Deciding that the orange pant suit would work best on camera, Hillary Clinton took to the stage not as the vice-president nominee but as a proud Barack Obama supporter.

“Whether you voted for me, or voted for Barack, the time is now to unite as a single party with a single purpose. We are on the same team, and none of us can sit on the sidelines.” Well of course they have to unite; Hillary had to tell her supporters to vote for Barack for the sake of the Democratic Party. Especially since many women are switching over to John McCain instead. Said Hillary, “Barack Obama is my candidate, and he must be our President.”

And while Tuesday night was Hillary Clinton’s big chance to bring the masses to Obama, instead it sounded more like another “bowing out of the campaign/goodbye” speech. I mean did anyone else notice how many times she said, “I will always…, or I ran…”? She spoke more about what she ran for then why Americans should elect Barack Obama; doesn’t that just make everyone a little nervous? Sure they list their reasons why America is going down the drains (and are we really, I mean seriously?), but how much have they really talked about what they’ll do? The Democrats can yell “change” all they want, but a nice change would be to see them talk about fixing problems then just stating that there are problems.

It’s also common for either parties to put their opponent down, but I think I have to say that Hillary really did give a good one to McCain. “John McCain says the economy is fundamentally sound. John McCain doesn't think that 47 million people without health insurance is a crisis. John McCain wants to privatize Social Security. And in 2008, he still thinks it's okay when women don't earn equal pay for equal work. With an agenda like that, it makes sense that George Bush and John McCain will be together next week in the Twin Cities, because these days they're awfully hard to tell apart.” Burn!

So finally, when you look past her campaign stories, the history of women’s rights, and how America can’t afford to have four more years of failed Republican policies, you’re left with this final insert, “oh yeah and vote for Barack Obama.”

Joe Biden and Barack Obama

Rest easy America because the day has finally come where Barack Obama has announced his running mate….OPRAH!!!!! Yes, Oprah Winfrey will be Obama’s VP and to help with the whole high gas prices issue, all supporters are getting a FREE HYBRID!!!!!!!!- Taxes included.

Alright so it’s not Oprah, but instead Sen. Joe Biden. Yes he who once said that Obama wasn’t ready to be America’s next president, is now his running mate. Of course Biden himself ran for the 2008 presidency but failed, but when asked if he wanted to be vice-president his answer was “no”.

Said Biden to Brian Williams on the June 22 edition of Meet the Press, “Now--number one, I, I am not interested in being vice president. I've let the candidate know. If the candidate asks me to be vice president, the answer is I got to say yes. But he's not going to ask me…if the presidential nominee thought I could help him win, am I going to say to the first African-American candidate about to make history in the world that, "No, I will not help you out like you want me to"? Of course, I'm--I'll say yes.”
So for the sake of the Democratic Party, Biden said yes.

Now when the 3 A.M announcement went out on Obama’s VP pick, Sen. McCain’s campaign was quick to respond. Including the statement made by Biden on his thoughts on Obama’s readiness, the McCain campaign added Biden’s thoughts on McCain, which was a more positive opinion.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi had this to say on Sen. Biden on today’s Meet the Press, “He is well-respected throughout the world. Not only does he know the leaders of other countries, they know him and they respect him. So I believe that on that issue when it comes to the security of our people, whether it's in their neighborhoods or in the security of our country, we will see a strong message coming from the Democrats.”

Some say that Biden has just as much experience in Washington as John McCain. So does Biden help make up for where Barack lacks? Is he the other 98% to Obama’s 2%? Now Biden brings a lot, just maybe not the Hillary supporters, and that’s where McCain needs to act. So with the Democratic Convention kicking off this weekend, America will be hearing a lot about Presi…I mean Vice-Presidential candidate Joe Biden and Barack Obama.

For Better or for Worse

When I'm making a grilled cheese sandwich or pancakes, I usually flip them a few times to see if their ready- call it a lack of patience. In politics we look for the candidate who comes close enough to the person we want in the White House. That process begins the moment we hear about the possibility of their run for the presidency, or we just like them and what them to run. The candidates will face the nation and tell you what their plans are for America, how they can turn things around from bad to good. But if a candidate says one thing on one day and changes his opinion on it the next, we call him or her a "flip-flopper".

When a candidate flip flops, the media or ourselves are quick to change the attitude or view of that candidate. A campaign ad by Barack Obama will tell you that John McCain voted against alternative energies, but if you've had your ears on the radio or TV you know McCain is now for them. Democrats will tell you that McCain has flip-flopped and is now sharing ideas of Obama. Barack Obama voted against the invasion into Iraq, he can't admit the surge worked, but now that he finally went over to the Middle East his views on a time-table seem to be a little more open minded.

So is flip-flopping wrong? It is if you just can't tell where the candidate is leaning or what he or her will end up doing, making the risk factor greater. When voting for any politician of any party there's always a risk, because you just don't know if they'll stay true to what they promised. So keep your eyes and ears open, because if your candidate changes their mind it's either for better or for worse.

What the Country Can Do- Act!

If you're still standing at the gas pump saying to yourself, "I'm tired of all talk and no action, I want lower prices," you'll still be saying that next time you have to fill up.

While Democrats and Republicans understand your pain (hopefully), they don't quite see the same solution. On Friday, just before Congress was to begin a five-week recess, they failed to pass energy legislation and other measures aimed at lowering the price of gasoline. Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi had the microphones turned off, the TV feeds to C-Span were stopped and the lights were dimmed after the pre-noon vote to adjourn for the August recess- but Republicans stayed behind. "Madame Speaker, where art thou?" shouted out Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, "Where oh where has Congress gone?" Rep. Ander Crenshaw, R-Fla. said, "Congress shouldn't leave its business unfinished while American wallets are drained at the pump." During the five hour protest, the GOP leaders demanded that the president call a special session of the Congress on energy.

On the subject of oil President Bush said, "To reduce pressure on prices, we need to increase the supply of oil, especially oil produced here at home." Unfortunately for the president, the Democratic Congress refuses to allow a vote. The president has acknowledged it would be years before any of the oil beneath the offshore waters could be pumped, but he said "lifting the ban would create new opportunities for American workers and businessmen."

Barack Obama said that he would consider accepting some new offshore oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico in exchange for stripping oil companies of tax breaks and extending several tax credits to spur the search for alternative fuels. Stated by Michael Powell of the New York Times, " Mr. Obama has until now opposed any expansion of lands for offshore drilling. But in a news conference here, he noted that there had been “very constructive” talks between Senate Republicans and Democrats on this issue in recent days, applauding a plan unveiled by a group of Republican and Democratic senators to permit drilling while supporting an effort to convert most vehicles to using alternative fuels in 20 years."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi calls it a hoax, saying it won't solve the crisis at the pump. How do the Democrat know this when no offshore drilling has taken place? Or right, their "experts". The Democrats want the oil companies to drill on the available land, but that leaves the question as to why they won't. They say offshore drilling won't solve anything, well maybe that's a chance that'll just have to be taken, but if nothing is done now, then our problems will just be extended. President Kennedy said he wanted to get a man to the moon in ten years, if they hadn't started it wouldn't have happened. He also said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." Hmmm, for right now I'll stick with what the country (Congress) can do- act!

Trying to Win an Election

John McCain put Paris Hilton in a video comparing Barack Obama to that of a celebrity who isn't fit to run the country, and Paris and the media aren't finding it hot. For anyone thinking John McCain is saying Sen. Obama is just like Paris Hilton or Britney Spears, I doubt that's what the McCain campaign was going for- Obama's IQ levels are way higher.

Sen. McCain's recent ads going against Sen. Obama, have received much criticism from, and here's a shocker, those who don't support John McCain. It's been pointed out that McCain promised to run a clean campaign, because as he put it, " Americans want a respectful campaign. They're tired of the attacks. They're tired of the impugning people's character and integrity. They want a respectful campaign, and, and I, and I am of the firm belief that they'll get it and that they can get it if the American people demand it and reject a lot of this negative stuff that goes on." McCain's proud of the ad, but many believe this puts a negative outlook on him and can only do more harm than good for his campaign. Barack Obama says we should not be talking about Paris but the issues in America. Well maybe the only Sen. McCain can get to talk about the issues is to create ads calling Obama unfit to lead so that Americans will look McCain and see what he has to say.

If you look at any of the ads the candidates air, it's better to watch and come up with your own opinion rather than the one the media will give you. But apparently common sense has to come in the form of a burning bush to get people's attention, for instance there's another McCain ad where some say he's comparing Obama to Moses. No, the scene used from The Ten Commandments is Moses at the Red Sea proclaiming,"Behold his mighty hand," which is followed by the presidential seal bearing Obama's name, as if to say, "look here comes Mr. Wonderful or Captain America." Take a look for yourself at the going against Obama's "Hakuna Matata" talk.

Barack Obam's ad compare McCain to President Bush, and say McCain's offering the same old politics and the same failed policies, of course he's not copying McCain's style. It's funny how the media is shocked that Sen. McCain would air an ad making Obama unfit for the presidency- it's almost like he's trying to win an election.

Obama Overseas: Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Acting like little girls in their tween years obsessed with Miley Cyrus, the media hopped aboard a plane and rushed to meet up with Senator Barack Obama. If only someone had told them that as a candidate for the American presidency, Sen. Obama would be coming back. Apparently there was some sort of contest to see who could get the Illinois senator to admit that the surge worked. Honorable mention goes to Katie Couric for her numerous attempts:

1. Before the surge, as you know, Senator, there were 80 to 100 U.S. casualties a month, the country was rife with sectarian violence, and you raised a lot of eyebrows on this trip saying even knowing what you know now, you still would not have supported the surge. People may be scratching their heads and saying, "Why?"


2. But didn't the surge help do that?


3. But do you not give the surge any credit for reducing violence in Iraq?


4. But talking microcosmically, did the surge, the addition of 30,000 additional troops ... help the situation in Iraq?


5. But yet you're saying … given what you know now, you still wouldn't support it … so I'm just trying to understand this.


6. And I really don't mean to belabor this, Senator, because I'm really, I'm trying … to figure out your position. Do you think the level of security in Iraq would exist today without the surge?
   

"Katie, I have no idea what would have happened had we applied my approach, which was to put more pressure on the Iraqis to arrive at a political reconciliation. So this is all hypotheticals. What I can say is that there's no doubt that our U.S. troops have contributed to a reduction of violence in Iraq. I said that, not just today, not just yesterday, but I've said that previously. What that doesn't change is that we've got to have a different strategic approach if we're going to make America as safe as possible."

Just to throw this in, last September, Sen. Obama was quoted saying, "Let me be clear: There is no military solution in Iraq and there never was.

The best way to protect our security and to pressure Iraq's leaders to resolve their civil war is to immediately begin to remove our combat troops. Not in six months or one year - now."

Senator it's a simple yes or know, you're the candidate for change, it's ok to CHANGE your mind, politicians do it all the time- assuming you don't make a habit of it. Or has he? It's certainly what Sen. John McCain wants to prove.

As USA Today had to say, "Why can't Obama bring himself to acknowledge the surge worked better than he and other skeptics thought that it would? What does that stubbornness say about the kind of president that he would be?" This quote was mentioned on today's edition (July 27) of Meet the Press by Tom Brokaw to Sen. Obama. In response Obama said, "Well, listen. I, I actually think that there's no doubt that the violence has gone down more than any of us anticipated, including President Bush and John McCain. If you, if you would--if you had talked to them and, and said, "You know what? We're going to bring down violence to the levels that we have," I think--I, I, I suspect USA Today's own editorial board wouldn't have anticipated that. That's not a, that's not a hard thing to acknowledge, that the situations have improved more rapidly than we had anticipated. That doesn't change the broader strategic questions that we've got to deal with." Not a hard thing to acknowledge ey, so why can't you just come out and admit it?

Alright, so the surge worked, so who cares if Barack Obama admits it or not? You and I will both know that it did, what's important now is what happens next. Apparently the next phase would be focusing back on Afghanistan. Barack Obama's plan for Afghanistan:

1. More troops; add 2 more brigades to the American fighting force.


2. Germany prepared to another 1,000 troops.

Along with Afghanistan is Pakistan, and all this from the candidate who began with the plan for immediate withdrawal. But it wasn't until John McCain criticized him for not meeting with American commanders in the Middle East did the light bulb finally go off and Obama headed overseas. A man who as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and running for president, made his first trip four months before voters head to the voting booths. "Well, look, the, the fact is, is that I've been busy also working on issues like Iraq, on nuclear proliferation. There are a whole range of issues that we've got to deal with," said Obama- he certainly loves playing dodge-ball. And after Obama's huge speech in Berlin, does that sound like an to fighting? Well actually yes, accept when you think that's he calling for the world to step it up with the support. We may pull out of Iraq, but that doesn't mean we're pulling out of the Middle East. So to lower any speculation, Sen. Obama needs to once and for all be very clear what his plans are, and where he stands now! Because if he doesn't, John McCain is just going to keep rolling adds similar to the one above. People say their voting for him because, like already stated, he's for change, well I 'd like to know if that includes changes from something he said a year ago. And finally, whatever Obama or McCain say now, can go a completely different way on Day One. So it's time for Sen. Obama to finalize on those, as David Bowie would put it, ch-ch-ch-ch-changes.