Jay Leno Plays the Straight Man, Barack Obama Does Not

In these days of manipulative media, from Rush Limbaugh to Jon Stewart, one thing is sure: If you want to be liked, you need to get on a talk show.

As some scrutiny finally kicks in by more serious media, Barack Obama campaigns on Jay Leno's show. Almost as good as Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan, both masters of mugging the camera, we are seeing a new side of Obama: Love me tender.

Viewers might remark how much they love Obama, or are finding their love renewed. Drool? Droll? Either way, funnyman Jay Leno was clearly the straight man here tonight. He bent over backwards to appeal to Obama.

To Obama's credit, he is likable. John McCain lost the election, aside from Republican-hate and/or legitimately different views, because he was not as good looking or charismatic. It was Nixon vs Kennedy all over again. And Obama is smooth on camera. He has that cigarette commercial flair.

When the gloves finally come off, and intelligent deconstructions of what Obama is doing finally are not considered 'hating on my man', it will be interesting. When ObamaLove (t-shirts) moves to maturity, and his unified splendor runs cold (different t-shirt), what will have happened? A better economy? Freedom for Iraqis and the end of a war? Let's hope so.

How long before Obama's millions of lovers chase another man, and President Obama can get down to being president? He's bogged down by all of this, as necessary politically as it is. It could be worse, but John Kerry (who is much less funny) quit early.

More War Is the Answer, Says President Barack Obama

In a move that may be somehow justified by peace protesters who thought John McCain was war hungry, and that Barack Obama sought to pull troops away from the Middle East, Afghanistan will be seeing 17,000 new young men and women on the firing line.

While McCain may have done the same thing, that President Obama is adding 50% more troops will exhaust the minds of the sort who used to carry signs in front of President Bush's Crawford, TX home for the same reason.

Simply put, as it relates to Afghanistan, President Obama is pro-war.

Putting Stamp on Afghan War, Obama Will Send 17,000 Troops

“The president is committing these troops before he’s determined what the
mission is,” said Tom Andrews, director of the coalition organization Win
Without War. “We need to avoid the slippery slope of military escalation.”

Barack Obama Admits He is Not a Unifier

Pittsburgh Steeler fan Barack Obama picked the Steelers to win over the Arizona Cardinals. Maybe he was just trying to tick off John McCain fans?

He could have gone the route that Hillary Clinton used to go, claiming she was a northsider, and therefore a Chicago Cubs fan, while cheering for the Chicago White Sox when they were in the World Series? The truth is, Hillary was no northsider, but grew up in posh Park Ridge, a northwestern suburb, and that she cared nothing for sports.

All of It: One Man, One Place, All Said
http://anthonytrendl.blogspot.com

Barack Obama Goes Pro-War, Pro-Life, and Tells Gays They Aren't Welcome

Barack Obama worries the left. They are now wishing they voted in hype-liberal John McCain, a man they know can be counted on to support causes popular with the Cindy Sheehan crowd. After all, John married a woman named 'Cindy', so it makes sense what Cindys wants, Cindys get. Planned Parenthood too, is worried business will drop. Fewer abortions in a tough economy means less money in the bank, and ---

Waittaminnut.

Barack Obama supports abortion, not the war, and, by all accounts is the most liberal president-elect ever. Yet, he is taking heat from liberals?

Smells fishy.

Obama worries liberals
Barack Obama's Cabinet moves and policy choices are drawing fire from the left.
» 'Cause for concern'
Liberals are growing increasingly nervous – and some just flat-out angry – that President-elect Barack Obama seems to be stiffing them on Cabinet jobs and policy choices.

Obama has reversed pledges to immediately repeal tax cuts for the wealthy and take on Big Oil. He’s hedged his call for a quick drawdown in Iraq. And he’s stocking his White House with anything but stalwarts of the left.

Alabama county names new holiday 'Barack Obama Day'

No word on whether or not John McCain supporters will choose to work.

Alabama county names new holiday 'Barack Obama Day'
MARION, Ala. – In central Alabama's Perry County, government workers already get a day off for President's Day, Martin Luther King Day, and Veterans Day. In 2009, they'll get one more: "Barack Obama Day."

The rural county, which overwhelmingly supported Obama in last month's presidential election, has approved the second Monday in November as "The Barack Obama Day." Commissioners passed a measure that would close county offices for the new annual holiday and its roughly 40 workers will get a paid day off.

Even Hillary Would be Better

Look around -- I'm young, educated, suburban and care about issues like the homeless. Most of my friends are voting for Barack Obama. In fact, peer pressure to vote for him has been tremendous. That said, I know others who are so pro-John McCain that they cringe when I suggest that Obama will not ruin our country.

So I voted for John McCain. My writer friends, most whom care more about the homeless than actually spend time with them, think I am unintelligent.

Tomorrow, I will look out the window. If the world is still there, I will go to work. If not, I'll stay home and drink coffee.

January 21, I will repeat the process, if, as one friend suggests, I am not dead. If I am dead, I regretfully will no longer be blogging, nor looking out windows.

So I voted for John McCain. He is not my first choice, nor my second. Possibly, he is my third, but, really, Barack Obama is not on my list. Even Hillary Clinton is higher on my list.

270 electoral votes needed to win, 527 undecided?
Right. Poor old Barack is down in the first quarter, with John McCain up by five. The score is 8-3. The election is over, and was when I voted. Illinois' decisions were made long ago.

The upside is once Obama is run out of town, we can bring in a new senator, one committed to getting the job done.

And so, I voted for John McCain. Tomorrow, I'll be a tiny point in a million point spread, and next week, a minor, soon forgotten statistic for pollsters and analysts.

Sarah Palin ABC Interview with Charlie Gibson

Sarah Palin talks with Charles Gibson of ABC about foreign policy and her level of experience.

Also, a quick look into Palin's hisory (Snopes and elsewhere) all refute the rumor she banned books.

Part 1


Part 2
Sarah Palin ABC Gibson Interview - Nukes, Iran, Terrorism

Part 3
Sarah Palin ABC Gibson Interview - Russia is our neighbor!

Part 4
Sarah Palin ABC Gibson Interview - Georgia Conflict

Barack Obama Calls Sarah Palin a Pig (But It Doesn't Matter)

You heard the soundbite. Barack Obama calls Sarah Palin a pig. The right wing is in an uproar, but it does not matter. Sure, he did, and all the Obama's yapping about how he was really calling John McCain a pig is pure bull hockey. Palin is not offended. McCain's campaign is just capitalizing on a stupid Obama remark.

Still, it does not matter. Also, it does not matter that Obama's dad was a deadbeat, or that McCain is a war hero. What matters is what they stand for:

Barack Obama: Quintessential liberal: strongly prochoice, progovernment, antiIraq
John McCain: Quintessential conservative: strongly prolife, small governmemt, proIraq

Both claim reform. Both have a newbie (Obama/Palin). Both have a Washington career politician (Biden, McCain). All, but Palin, are loaded financially, and she is hardly poor.

Big Tobacco Supporter, Barack Obama?

Unless Barack Obama is growing his own tobacco, then rolling it, he supports Big Tobacco. In his case, Marlboro.

Unable to quit, Obama's addiction plays counter to his healthy image. While support of the American tobacco industry will hardly impact Obama's chance, as his voters, including the ones Hillary Clinton told to vote for him, aren't ooking at this issue. John McCain would likely also find it not impacting him.

Too bad. Big tobacco needs to be a national issue, right there with the abortion industry and capital punishment.

"And [Obama's] team works overtime trying to hide Obama's dirty little secret. He is -- get this -- a cigarette smoker. The point is: What else do we not know about Barack Obama?" Despite Gibson's claim that Obama's smoking is "a dirty little secret," Obama told the Chicago Tribune in December 2005 that his smoking is "an ongoing battle," and his cigarette use was, in fact, known during his 2004 Senate campaign, when his wife told the Chicago Sun-Times that he smokes "about three Marlboros a day."

Hillary Clinton's Best Speech

I have written my share of speeches. Yesterday's speech by Hillary Clinton was the best I have ever heard her give. The content was perfect: a balance of transfering power to Barack Obama mixed with Carl Sandburg-style patriotism. She sharply avoided specifics -- John McCain himself could have said much of it (minus a few digs at Republicans, of course).

Her poise was perfect, as was her delivery, staying away from the staggered phrasings that marked her own faled campaign. She dressed in a bright orange jumpsuit, good look for many late middle aged women, hitting the skin tones nicely in the bright DNC convention all lights.

She avoided mentioning the wealth of John McCain, knowing both she and Bill, as well as Obama, are about as well-heeled as it gets. Instead, she talked about unions.

One surprising thing was way she dissed Joe Biden's wife by indicating she would only have a minor support role.

All of those things she said in her campaign, like how little we know about Barack Obama, she apparently never meant.

Start here:

Democratic National Convention - Official Site of the 2008 Convention in Denver

Democratic National Convention - Official Site of the 2008 Convention in Denver
Official site with volunteer details, the convention history, how to attend, press coverage, a weblog, and multimedia. August 25-28, 2008.

No surprises expected. Hillary hopes for cheers. Obama will say she ran a hard campaign, and thanks he for her support, and Joe Biden will be lauded as the great white hope against John McCain.

Obama Supporter Compares McCain to Hitler (not just any supporter)

John McCain compared Barack Obama to fellow celebrity Paris Hilton. Paris Hilton makes fun of this, claims she's now in the election.

Another celebrity goes a different route, and compares John McCain to Adolf Hitler. Hitler, of course, made his name infamous by slaughtering six million Jews during WWII.

The Anti-Defamation League, which, in part, fights racism directed at Jews, is mad as hornets about this.

ADL Condemns Madonna's Use of Hitler in Concert Photo Montage

Their press release:
ADL Condemns Madonna's Use of Hitler in Concert Photo Montage

NEW YORK, Aug 25, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today condemned as "inappropriate and offensive" the use by Madonna of an image of Hitler as part of a concert photo montage that also included photos of John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, and Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe. The images were projected on a screen as Madonna launched her world tour with a live concert in Cardiff, Wales.

Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director and a Holocaust survivor, issued the following statement:

Comparisons to Hitler have no place in a music concert, or in the presidential campaign.

Whatever Madonna's political or personal views, it is outrageous to invoke Nazi imagery in the context of John McCain's candidacy or to make a comment on American political leadership.

It is inappropriate and offensive to compare any current or former world leaders with the man ultimately responsible for the death of six million Jews and the suffering of countless others during the Holocaust. Doing so trivializes the history of the Holocaust and is an insult to the memories of the victims and their families.
The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.

SOURCE Anti-Defamation League
http://www.adl.org

Barack Obama's Massive War Chest Not Enough to Shut Down John McCain

Barack Obama has more money. The media loves him. His speeches are as powerful as a TV evangelist's. He was leading the polls over John McCain by a massive margin.

Then, he goes before a church with McCaIN -- not a debate, but to answer questions that matter to churchgoers when it comes to voter. Was it his evasive replies on moral issues? Or, was it the news of Georgia being invaded by Russian troops, and what many believe was a weak response by Obama? Could it be that Hillary Clinton support is not jumping ship to jump on the Obama bandwagon?

What happened? Isn't this the easiest election for a Democrat to win? It is a slam dunk. George Bush hatred has never been stronger.

The Wall Street Journal thinks they know.

Paris Hilton Responds to John McCain Ad

Paris Hilton Responds to John McCain Ad

Barack Obama left silenced, having missed the opportunity to respond.

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Barack Obama Ignores Hillary Clinton as VP

Barack Obama is ignoring Hillary Clinton for all the expected reasons, and her supporters are ticked, for all the expected reasons.

A new concern are that the ObamaGlow is getting dimmer. John McCain is nicking away at that, explaining that Barack is not as big as his celebrity shine would indicate. McCain's even suggested Obama is playing the race card.

'Dream Ticket' Meets Reality: Obama Looks Beyond Clinton'
ABC News
By JENNIFER PARKER and SUNLEN MILLER Some supporters of Hillary Clinton are voicing anger that Barack Obama may choose another woman for his vice presidential running mate.

USA TodayPoll: McCain Shrinks Obama’s Lead in Three Battleground States

Colin Powell: Too Old? Too Military? Too Male? Too Republican? Too Black? Too Uninterested?

Colin Powell: Too Old? Too Military? Too Male? Too Republican? Too Black? Too Uninterested?

Colin Powell is black. I'll get that out of the way. While you probably noticed that, so will the American voter. Since Barack Obama has a few followers voting on his race, this could impact the competition.

Unless, what if, Barack Obama picks Powell? He's military, but Obama is not.

Powell is respected, a true leader. Most of his career we never heard of him, then, wham! He's in the public eye thanks to becoming Ronald Reagan's National Security Advisor followed by appointment as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, then, as George W Bush's Secretary of State. However, he hardly launched into those positions from nowhere, and served in leadership, but quietly.

Wise? Loaded with wisdom. As military people go, he is as diplomatic as you'll find.

What matters in any vice presidential candidate are his views. While in these days, we hardly expect that a VP will step up into the role of president, it can happen. We want a VP to represent what America, on the whole wants. Though Republican, some of his views will appeal to the more liberal side. These could alienate the conservative crowd, as well as evangelicals and Catholics who would prefer an anti-abortion White House.

• Pro-choice
• Supports affirmative action
• Favors some gun-control
• Supports the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.

Where he stands on the Iraq War is not as simple as for or against. While he seems to agree with Bush that Iraq is a source of future terrorism, and wants a peaceful Iraq, he disagrees that the USA military is capable of getting the job done. However, he'll concede that war will continue when we're gone. All said, I think, if in charge, he would send in a wave of troops to settle what could be quickly settled, then pull out, but leave advisers.

Views are not enough, though.

Race, of course, will be a strength and weakness. As many people out there who, as closet racists, will vote for him because he is black, there are as many, or more, who are equally racist, and not vote for him because of skin color. With Barack Obama running, though, this leaves the KKK crowd (and their subtler brethren) with the choice only not voting, voter for a this party, or voting against what they believe.

Meanwhile, he's 71. Ageism is a factor for some voters. Powell looks very alive, and younger than chronology suggests. He would be 75 after the first term. Two terms seems unlikely.

My guess: if offered, he would turn it down. His life as been the military, not domestic service. He's been a desk leader, as well as in the trenches. Capable as a leader, but his focus has been different. He has not pursued an office since 2005, and, will not this time. He's retired.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Powell

First seen here: Colin Powell: Too Old? Too Military? Too Black? Too Uninterested?

Obama Starts VP Search

Is this news? No. Both Barack Obama (Democrat) and John McCain (Republican) have known they have been the nominee for their respective parties for months. With Obama, it took longer to seal the deal, but no surprises.

Give both of these men credit. Each has a long and short list of running mates. They are not the kind who will be unprepared.

CNN reports, "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, was surprised Thursday to hear Obama has started a search." T which I say, "Good thing you aren't running."

Obama Starts VP Search

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Barack Obama is beginning his search for a running mate, but Sen. John McCain's campaign denies speculation that he's interviewing vice presidential candidates at his home this weekend.

Sen. Barack Obama has quietly begun searching for a vice presidential candidate, a source says.

A veteran Democratic activist told CNN that former Fannie Mae CEO Jim Johnson has accepted Obama's request to begin a screening and selection process for the No. 2 spot.

Johnson performed a similar role for Democratic presidential nominees Walter Mondale in 1984 and John Kerry in 2004.

Meanwhile, Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, is hosting top party figures at his home in Arizona this weekend, fueling speculation he is starting his own search for a running mate.

Abortion Group Endorses Obama

NARAL Pro-Choice America endorses Obama

NARAL believes Barack Obama will better serve the pro-abortion community than John McCain. Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, says her group has always considered McCain pro-life as well.

NARAL, of course, was founded as National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws by Bernard Nathanson and others. Their single agenda: abortion will be freely available to all women, all ages, no questions asked. It is, for them, a medical procedure, not the killing of human life.

Bernard Nathanson, like Sandra Cano ("Mary Doe") and Norma L. McCorvey ("Jane Roe"), is now a vocal pro-life activist, convinced that his efforts were based on misinformation, "I confess that I knew the figures were totally false, and I suppose the others did too if they stopped to think of it."

NARAL founder Bernard Nathanson discusses abortion in the documentary below

Pick Obama's and McCain's VP

Two new blogs to stir up conversation.

Pick Obama's VP
Who should be Barack Obama's Vice President Running Mate?

Pick McCain's VP
Who should be John McCain's Vice President Running Mate?

Plus the often updated and objective Media Analysis of the Hillary campaign.

Lemmings in an Era of Individuality: Limbaugh, Coulter, Colbert, Colmes, Stewart

Is there a Limbaugh factor? I could not say. I avoid all talk radio. The liberals and conservatives alike are filled with gassy self-righteousness. Some try to be funny, others are so serious that only bran cereal will fix their problem.

Rush Limbaugh, maybe the best known of all political radio hosts, is smart, but his agenda is not about focused, objective analysis. He is all about being against whatever the Democrats are scooping. One recent campaign was to cause chaos in the Dems primaries, to skew the numbers by convincing Republicans to vote Dem, then switch back. This isn't playing fair, but it is legal.

Easy toss out arguments against Limbaugh influence, "He's been busted for drugs," "He's arrogant," "He's conservative and stupid." Sorry, that just means you dislike him. Just like when Bill Clinton was playing with Monica Lewinsky's cigar, people ignore personal lifestyle choices.

A few days ago, I asked about which celebrity bamboozled you into voting for their guy. The most notable celebs to announce were not Republicans, but two very wealthy Hollywood Democrats.

Say what you will about extremist right-winger Limbaugh using his celebrity voice to influence to impact an election. Look at the highly publicized Jack Nicholson and Tom Hanks endorsements.

We are lemmings.

The Limbaugh Factor (story paste from the Washington Post). Interesting thoughts.

Our Readers Who Comment have also expressed special interest (or disgust) with a story that asked if conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh's "Operation Chaos" -- in which he urged Republicans to vote for Clinton in the Democratic primary -- actually held down Obama's totals. Limbaugh called off the operation yesterday, Alec MacGillis and Peter Slevin report, saying he wants Obama to be the party's pick, because "I now believe he would be the weakest of the Democrat nominees."

Limbaugh is a polarizing figure and has supporters in the comment string today, but most of those who bothered to write are not fans; many remind us that Limbaugh has had drug abuse problems, and several wonder if my colleagues at WaPo have lost their way in even bothering with the story, which I really liked.