Quote of the Day

"House Republicans led the way and will get most of the blame. . .If this economy slides, they will go down in history as the Smoot-Hawleys of the 21st century. With this vote, they've taken responsibility for this economy and they will be held accountable. The short term blows will fall on John McCain, the long term stress on the existence of the GOP as we know it." - - conservative columnist David Brooks, writing today in the op-ed of the NY Times on the failure of the financial bailout legislation.

Rethuglican Treachery

Reports are swirling that the Rethuglican National Committee sent ads to the media on Monday morning - - before the failure of the bailout vote - - wrongly presuming the bill would pass the House. It didn't, of course, and the Rethug message in the ads was clearly "the Dems are at fault", wasting your taxpayer dollars. They assumed that the bill would pass with few Democratic dissenters (not true), and that most of the Rethug votes would oppose the bill (true, despite McLame's bragging that morning that he had "won" the day - - oops!). In other words, instead of trying to resolve the crisis that their laissez faire, cut-the-regulations financial policies had brought about, they chose to lay back and let the Dems try to explain why this had to pass, ugly as it was, to save the financial and credit markets.

Now the question is how deep and how long the coming severe recession will be. It shouldn't be about who is to blame.

Political Training Wheels

It looks as though Gov. Who? won't be doing major media interviews without her chaperone, Sen. McLame. Noticing that evil, mean ol' Katie Couric drew some catastrophic material out of his running mate in recent interviews, McLame decided to accompany her and make sure she stayed on the maverick reservation and was defended from mean ol' Katie. Imagine (shiver) if she became President and had to face down those real meanies Ahmadinejad or Kim Il Jong. She won't just be able to read off of a teleprompter.

This is what political training wheels look like.

Missing In Action

Last week's McClown charade, where he "suspended" his campaign (only to appear on every network and cable outlet) to parachute into Washington to help negotiations the economic rescue plan (about which he knew nothing), only to see the negotiations stall on his arrival (and restart Friday when he decided the game was up). . .well, you get the idea. And where was McClown during the tense negotiations Saturday night? Politico has the answer:

"As his colleagues worked the deal at the Capitol Saturday night, McCain and his wife, Cindy, dined with Sen. Joe Lieberman and his wife, Hadassah, at Cafe Mozu inside Washington's Mandarin Oriental Hotel."

So while his colleagues were chowing on pizza and Five Guys burgers, McClown was away from the battle, with his number one sycophant and whisperer of facts, Joe Lieberliar, dining in a four star hotel. Such leadership!

(photo: "I don't think the oysters on the halfshell were fresh, Cindy. . .mmmfffff. . .bleaaaah")

Mooseburgers and Dinosaur Burgers

The Huffington Post has one of the more mind-boggling nuggets about Gov. Who?: her belief that humans and dinosaurs co-existed on Earth, which she believes was created about 6,000 years ago.

And she's a heartbeat away from a 72 year old man with four previous melanoma surgeries (and who won't release his medical records).

Reckless

". . .no presidential nomineee in either party in the last century has seemed so willing to endanger the country's security as McCain in his reckless choice of a running mate." - - Carl Bernstein, adding his voice to the growing chorus over the past three weeks that Gov. Who?'s choice reveals McNasty as a reckless, cynical and self-serving pol. Read his whole article.

Factoids

The Washington Post reports that Sen. Metamucil McNasty has missed 115 roll call votes in the Senate - - the latest being a pair of votes on continuing resolutions to keep the government running past Sept. 30. In fact, McNasty hasn't voted in 174 days. (Obama's last vote was July 9).

Putting Country First.

Latest Polling

Five Thirty Eight, our favorite site for polling information, has some good news. Today's polls are showing Obama's biggest lead over McDrama so far. Due to his performance in a number of battleground states, Obama is looking very good in the Electoral College tally. But, of course, November 4 is the real poll, and there's a lot of time for ups and downs before then. But good news is good news.

Broder's Man Crush

David Broder, WaPo gasbag, "dean" of has-been columnists, and worshiper at the altar of bipartisanship, has weighed in on the first Obama/ McNastymaverick debate. Short version: McCain was the alpha male and outpointed Obama, who did not embarrass himself, but somehow America saw a different debate and definitely tilted toward Obama.

Yeah, that was right on, Dean! (Psst! Wipe off the BBQ sauce on your chin!)

How much longer will the Post carry this skater on the thin ice of his former glories, this lunch partner of the party hacks, this senile rocker on Karl Rove's Texas hill country porch?

The Incredibly Shrinking Badgers

Some of the Hackwhackers family are happy and some are sad with the results of yesterday's game between Wisconsin and Michigan. Final score: Michigan 27, Wisconsin 25. A very sloppy game ended with Michigan showing a lot more desire than the flat Badgers, whose offense was pathetic in the second half. (Note to self: control anger, be happy that other members of your family are rejoicing)

Ohio State and Penn State are coming up in Madison, so the Badgers will need spinal implants to prevail.

(image: the shrunken Wisconsin "W")

(Former) Asshat Mark Halperin Grades the Debate

Either Time's Mark Halperin has suddenly experienced a metaphysical conversion, or he had a fill-in write this assessment of last night's Obama/ McNastymaverick debate. In any event, we would, of course, agree with the assessment.

Paul Newman, RIP

Sad news that Paul Newman has died of cancer at age 83. So many memorable films: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Exodus, The Hustler, Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, The Sting, and more. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Color of Money, and was nominated for many more Oscars. His philanthropy was legendary, raising over $250 million for charity, through profits from his Newman's Own food brand. A favorite of ours, Newman was a great actor and man.

Public Says Obama Won Debate

A quick look at the post-debate polls reveals that the majority of viewers thought that Sen. Obama won last night's debate over Sen. Metamucil McCranky. The CNN poll gave Obama a 51 to 38 edge as to which did the best job in the debate, with Obama getting a 52 to 47 edge over McCranky on who would do a better job of handling Iraq. On the key issue of who would do a better job on the economy, Obama won by his largest percentage, 58 to 37.

CBS polled uncommitted voters, and Obama won the night by an almost 2 to 1 margin, 40 to 22. As to who would make the right decisions on the economy, Obama scored a whopping 66.

As a footnote, some pundits are commenting on McCranky's angry demeanor throughout the debate, and particularly his refusal to make eye contact with Obama. When confronted by Obama, McCranky chose to look away or down at the lecturn, which is usually the mark of someone with something to hide.

The Wingers Are Restless

"If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself." So said conservative collumnist Kathleen Parker in the right wing National Review Online yesterday. She had more to say, including "Palin's recent interviews. . .have all revealed an attractive, earnest, confident candidate. Who Is Clearly Out Of Her League." This is on top of critical articles of McCranky and Gov. Who? from conservative pundits George Will, Rich Lowry, David Frum, and David Brooks.

Wingnuts are starting to see Gov. Who? in unscripted interviews, rather than in set speeches to supporters, and they're getting increasingly worried about it. But they're stuck with her on the ticket, and most must be hoping that next week's 90 minutes of debate with Joe Biden go by ever so quickly.

Don't Look Now. . . .

We've long believed that the Pakistan border tribal region of Waziristan was the home base of al Qaeda, and that their numbers were growing largely due to the acquiescence of the Pakistani government. Now, the NY Times reports that yesterday Pakistani troops fired warning shots at U.S. helicopters patrolling the border. The helicopters returned warning shots and turned back into Afghanistan.

Not a reassuring picture, given the $1 billion in aid we provide to Pakistan each year. And unlike Iran and Iraq, Pakistan is a nuclear weapons state, which makes it even more attractive for al Qaeda subversion. But don't tell Sen. McBombbombbomb or Preznit Dumbya. Victory in Iraq! Bomb Iran! High five! Booyah!

A Drama Queen Up To No Good

Sen. Maverick McPanic's sudden interest in the economic crisis that caused him to parachute into Washington to save the day (day = his campaign) has had some serious consequences. House and Senate negotiators, along with the Treasury Secretary and Fed Chairman, were making progress on a compromise that would protect taxpayers and homeowners, and establish oversight controls. The meeting at the White House - - convened by Chimpy at the request of the McPanic campaign - - was a photo op that managed to undo the bipartisan progress earlier in the week. When it was his chance to speak, McPanic (who had not even read the Assministration's 3 page proposal until Wednesday) talked in generalities for only 2 minutes, not offering anything substantive (as if). The House's right wing Rethug caucus then proceeded to back out of negotiations with the Assministration/Senate Rethugs/House and Senate Democrats, and offered a proposal which the Treasury Secretary said "wouldn't work."

So it's Rethug against Rethug playing games, while the Dems are trying to be the adults in the room. Meanwhile, McPanic gets his face in the papers and on TV (didn't he suspend his campaign? Oh, right). As Sen. Chris Dodd said, this wasn't about an economic rescue, this was a McPanic campaign rescue.

Pious Pervert

Federal and State officials arrested evangelist Tony "Baloney" Alamo in Flagstaff,
AZ, after a two year investigation into child pornography allegations that Alamo and his ministry transported children across state lines for sexual purposes. After his arrest, Baloney claimed innocence and compared himself to Jesus, saying, "Why were they after Jesus?" Well, Baloney, it certainly wasn't for the same reason they came after you. Looks like another pious pervert may be heading to the slammer.

Suspended

Following Sen. Maverick McPanic's example, due to the economic crisis, Hackwhackers is suspending blogging for a couple of hours.

A Funny Smell

Sen. Maverick McPanic's desire to suspend the campaign, postpone Friday's debate, and rush to Washington to save the day, as only he can, has a funny smell. Negotiations in Congress have been going relatively well, with some conservative House Rethugs digging in their heels against any bailout. The egomania of McPanic is striking, as is the sudden grandstanding of someone who has not been to the Senate to vote since last April. Of course, for McPanic, it's all about "looking like he's Presidential" and in charge. But what he's doing is injecting his political campaign and ego into these complex negotiations. Here's someone who, in 26 years in the Senate, voted nearly 100% to de-regulate commerce, including the banking and financial industries.

Here an open letter to Congress signed by dozens of economists and business academics, including 3 Nobel laureates, that says in a nutshell, "Let's do this bailout/rescue right, and not be stampeded into something that taxpayers will regret."

"I Feel Pretty, Oh So Pretty. . ."

Us Magazine has the story that Sen. Maverick McPretty has been using American Idol makeup artist Tifanie White to cover those age spots. She got over $5500 in August alone, so there's no telling how much she'll collect as McPretty nears the Nov. 4 finish line. "More makeup, faster, faster."

Remember what McPretty said in 1992 after his wife pointed out that his hair was thinning? "At least I don't plaster on makeup like a trollop, you c**t." Look who's talking.

AP photo Mary Altaffer

McReformer's Campaign Manager Problem

Sen. Maverick McReformer has been raging insincerely over the last 10 days against the "corruption" in Washington and Wall Street, while the lobbying firm of his campaign manager, Rick "Chinless Wonder" Davis, has been collecting hefty lobbying payments from Fannie Mae. Davis' firm, Davis Manafort, has received $345,000 from Fannie Mae since 2006, and collected $15,000 month up until August for access to McReformer.

Interestingly, McReformer's "boiling moralism" (as George Will put it) may cause a revisiting of his history in the "Keating Five" scandal in the '80s, when he tried to assist his benefactor, Charles Keating, in getting looser regulations for Keating's Lincoln Savings and Loan. Let's see where that will go.

Obama Rises in the Polls

A new Washington Post/ABC News poll shows Sen. Obama with a 52 to 43 point lead among likely voters over Sen. Maverick McSame. Voter concerns over the economic crisis is clearly moving some formerly undecideds over to Obama, as McSame is seen as flailing around in his response. McSame's conversion to a market regulator came only 10 days ago, with the collapse of Lehmann Brothers, AIG, and the stock market. Prior to that, he supported every piece of deregulation legislation that came up for a vote in the Senate. Now, the public's beginning to notice, and to assign responsibility. May this expand to a 15 point lead from which McSame won't recover.

29 Seconds

That's the amount of time Gov. Who? was exposed to the media today, on her whirlwind photo-op with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. After Gov. Who? and Karzai exchanged small talk about children, the media was ushered out of the room, after which presumably Gov. Who? discussed her strategic plans for ridding Afghanistan of Taliban and al Qaeda forces: "pray."

The mainstream media are getting very restless over the stonewall that the McMaverick campaign has erected around their VP nominee. Weeks of unavailability, no press conferences, nada. What do we know about her, someone who could be a heartbeat away from the Presidency? It shows the contempt that the McMaverick bunch has for our democracy.

Get In The Game, Or Get Off The Sidelines

Politico's Ben Smith makes the observation that former President Clinton was acting as an analyst and not as an Obama surrogate in his recent appearance on "The View." He gives lukewarm support to Obama, while praising McBush as "a great man." This is disturbing, and is a total contrast with Sen. Hillary Clinton's actions, which have been very supportive of Sen. Obama's campaign. Sen. Clinton has been making appearances for Obama in many key states, and is following through on her commitment to help elect Obama. Her hubby? He's still pouting, even after Obama paid a courtesy call on the former President a few days ago. It's becoming more clear that he just wanted to redeem his term as President through his wife's election.

Narcissist Bill had a lot to do with undermining his wife's campaign by ill-considered statements, so it's a gamble to unleash him in support of Obama. If he stays "on message" he could help a great deal in some key states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida. The problem is, he doesn't seem to want to.

UPDATE: Paul Slansky says it well.

George Will Applies A 2 by 4 To McPanic's Head

Sen. Maverick McPanic is not having a good week. The polls are showing Obama either maintaining his lead, or increasing it. The public is blaming the Rethugs by a 2 to 1 margin for the financial meltdown. And now this morning, George "Quill Pen" Will is letting McPanic have it for his intemperate reaction to last week's crisis. A few phrases capture the mood:

"McCain Loses His Head" (headline of article)
"childish reflex"
"McCain's shallowness"
"McCain's smear"
"McCain's Queen of Hearts intervention" (ref. to Alice in Wonderland)
"substituting vehemence for coherence"
"boiling moralism and bottomless reservoir of certitudes"
"a dismaying temperament"

Ah, fresh air coming from the conservative side for a change.

"Trust Us"

". . .after all, aren't we the most competent team you've ever seen?"

(photo: study in body language - - the guilty protect their gonads with hands and podium)

"Cash For Trash"?

The NYTimes' Paul Krugman takes on the crowd that wants to give the Bushit Assministration $700 billion with no-strings-attached to bail out the financial system. Krugman's proposal would be to use taxpayer funds to provide capital to the financial institutions, rather than simply giving the financial institutions money to cover bad business deals and reward the wheeler-dealers who fouled up. In return, the taxpayers would have ownership of the business and reap whatever downstream rewards would come, similar to the process used for the savings and loans in the '80s.

Trusting the crowd that has said over the past year that the financial crisis was "contained" with a no-strings-attached handout would be crazier than trusting them in the first place.

Pimp My Rides!

Al Giordano asks the pictorial question "How many cars does one need?" In St. John McMansion's case - TEN, not counting 3 electric vehicles that look a lot like pimped-up golf carts.

(Photo: what 60% of McMansion's fleet would look like.)

Accountability

The New York Times has news on the accountability front concerning St. John McBush's campaign manager, Rick "Chinless Wonder" Davis, and his complicity in the "deregulation" of the financial markets that has led to our current state of affairs -- all while the McBushies are desperately trying to spin tall tales to distract voters from the most obvious conclusions (h/t to TPM). Let's hope this and other evidence of McBush's history of "trusting the market" (i.e., looking the other way), not to mention relying on the lobbyists who contributed to the debacle, is pounded on from now until November 4.

Quote of the Day

"John McCain showed his personality this week, and made some of us fearful." - - conservative columnist George Will, speaking on ABC's "This Week" about McSleazy's flailing around for days about the financial crisis after declaring the fundamentals of the economy were strong. McMaverick kept looking for "someone to fire" and generally flapping his arms in a brand new persona as "regulator." This was not a demonstration of coolness under fire by McMaverick.

McSleazy Campaign Running Alaska Governor's Office

The Anchorage Daily News asks, "is it too much to ask that Alaska's governor speak for herself, directly to Alaskans, about her actions as Alaska's governor?" The McSleazy campaign has airlifted dozens of lawyers and other political operatives into Alaska to squash the "Troopergate" investigation, and to generally deflect other inquiries into Gov. Who?'s record as governor and as mayor of the metropolis of Wasilla. They've literally taken over the Governor's Office for the state of Alaska in an attempt to keep the lid on her record and actions until the November elections. It makes the Bushit/Dead Eye Assministration look positively transparent.

The Central Front

For years, the Bush Assministration and St. John McBombbombbomb have declared Iraq to be the central front of the war on terror, despite the fact that al Qaeda in Iraq never represented more than 10 percent of the insurgency, according to the U.S. military. While we were distracted by Dumbya's Iraqi misadventure, al Qaeda and its allies have been building up their forces in the northwestern frontier of Pakistan and in Afghanistan, where today the Taliban allies of al Qaeda control much of the country and threaten the Karzai government. Here's a link to one of our posts in February 2007 about the rise of al Qaeda.

Today's bombing of the Islamabad Marriott hotel is a stark reminder that the "central front" was always where al Qaeda's command structure lived - - in those same mountains straddling the Afghan/Pakistan frontier. The years wasted in Dumbya's settling of Bush family scores with Saddam Hussein, and his Assministration's deceptions leading up to the Iraq war, represent a huge betrayal in the fight against the 9/11 attackers. We've lost precious time and resources, and we're getting to the point of no return in that fight.

(photo: Agence France Presse)

Quote of the Day

"Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less burdened by the worst excesses of state-based regulation." -- Sen. St. John McMaverick, writing in the Sept./Oct. 2008 issue of Contingencies magazine, published by the American Association of Actuaries.

Don't you feel good that McMaverick wants to put health insurance on the same footing as our banking industry? As is should, this is getting wide play on the blogosphere, and in some major outlets (TIME, etc.).

More Bad Economic News

The Onion spots an emerging problem in the economy: the expected drop in anti-Bushit tee shirts, buttons, etc. leading to massive unemployment.

It's somewhat sad that in a few months Hackwhackers won't have Dumbya to kick around. . . .NOT!

Quotes of the Day

"John McCain can't decide whether he's Barry Goldwater or Dennis Kucinich." - - Sen. Obama in New Mexico referring to John McSleazy's sudden conversion to a populist regulator of Wall Street.

"Un-presidential." - - The Wall Street Journal's characterization of McSleazy's behavior in the wake of the Wall Street crisis.

Gov. Who? A John Bircher?

The John Birch Society, one of the oldest extreme right organizations in the country, was famous once for calling World War II hero and President Dwight Eisenhower a communist. They've supported militia groups that have gone up against law enforcement, and are even rejected by mainstream Rethuglicans. That's how far on the lunatic right they are. Now, Firedoglake and Politico have stories about Gov. Who?'s possible link to the Birchers. It makes sense that she would have links. "First Dude" Todd was a member of the Alaskan Independence Party until 2002, a rabid right wing group that condemns "American institutions" and wants to secede from the U.S.

And she could be a heartbeat away.

George "Macaca" Allen To Headline GOP Minority Outreach Event

That's not a misprint. Tomorrow in Fairfax, VA, former Sen. George "Macaca" Allen will kick off the Rethuglicans' minority outreach efforts - - likely to a sparse crowd. Macaca Allen never recovered from being caught calling a minority "macaca" at a campaign rally, and compounded it by later grudgingly admitting that his own mother was Jewish ("I loved her pork chops, and she made ham sandwiches"), as if it was something to hide.

His appearance is bound to convince minorities that the GOP is the place for them ("Welcome, macacas. And you too, wetbacks, chinks and towel heads!").

Wha? Spain's Not In South America?

In an interview with a Spanish network, Sen. McSenile seems to be confused as to where Spain is. He responds to a question about meeting with Prime Minister Zapatero of Spain, and seems to think he's talking about some South American commie. Read the account in TPM for a full understanding of this latest gaffe. It's pathetic, unless you forget that he's claiming to have all kinds of foreign policy experience.

(photo: McSenile conferring with his advisor on youth affairs)

Obama Regains Lead In Polls

CNN's "poll of polls" indicates that in the period ending September 16, Sen. Obama erased the Gov. Who? bounce after the Rethug fibfest in St. Paul, and is now an average of 2 points up on McPanic. The effect of the Wall Street crash, and how much it will move undecided (or leaning Rethuglican) voters, should start being measured in the polls over the next five days, but the trend is obvious.

The downright dishonesty of the McSleazy campaign, Gov. Who?'s gaffes and stonewalling on "troopergate," and McSleazy's cluelessness on the economy are starting to register with all but the most hardcore base of the Rethuglican Party. Once the majority of the public realizes that McSleazy and his top advisors were instrumental in deregulating the financial and insurance markets over the last 20 years, who knows what the polls will show then.

Uh, John. My Face Is Up Here.

In addition to checking out his running mate's, um, ass-
ets, McSleazy has also been seen to twist his wedding ring at the same time. Stay close to him, Cindy. Especially if he starts showing a craving for mooseburgers.

The Barbeque Press Want "Mac Back"

Time has an item that on takeoff from Tampa, the press corps traveling with McFibber started to chant, "bring Mac back." The McFibber campaign hasn't had a press conference in over a month and the boys and girls who used to get fed barbeque and doughnuts are feeling neglected.

The McFibber campaign has already announced that they're not going to "talk" to the American people through the "filter" of the media, preferring to talk to them through dishonest ads and staged campaign appearances. You've been had, boys and girls of the barbeque press. McFibber and his campaign loathe you, despite the chatty sessions on the bus and barbeque outings with you that were meant to get favorable coverage. It's over.

Quote of the Day

"[McCain} tells us that he's the one who's going to take on the old boys' network. The old boys' network? In the McCain campaign, that's called a staff meeting." -- Sen. Obama speaking today in Elko, Nevada.

So Mavericky!

As the Washington Post reports today, Sen. St. John McMaverick has long opposed regulation of the banking and insurance industries, which are now going through the throes of bankruptcy - - AIG being the latest to get a Federal bailout of $85 billion. A decade ago, McMaverick supported legislation to gut regulations for these industries, and is now trying to recast himself as a "reformer" and proponent of stronger regulation. Sort of like, "Yes I committed a serious crime, but if you let me go, I won't do it again." Because Mavericks don't believe in accountability.

Obama's Too Elitist for Lady de Rothschild

Today, the McLame campaign will be introducing a new supporter that formerly backed Hillary Clinton: Lynn Forester de Rothschild, denizen of London and New York. de Rothschild's reason for not backing Sen. Obama? She said that she thinks he's arrogant and has a problem connecting with average Americans. de Rothschild, of course, can identify completely with average Americans whose net worth is in the billions. (Pause for a series of extended belly laughs).

Lady de Rothschild, wife of billionaire Sir Evelyn de Rothschild of the banking dynasty, was a member of the Democratic National Committee's Platform Committee (where she must have been responsible for the plank for working class Americans). It's hoped that the DNC will terminate their relationship with this truly elitist moron, and tell her to join the party that represents her interests best. We're thinking that the Obama campaign wants the "Lady de Rothschild Endorses McCain" story out to every town and hamlet.

(photo: Lady de Rothschild takes a break from her waitress job at Applebees)

There She Goes Again

ABC News' Jake Tapper picked up on this little lie of Gov. Who? on the campaign trail in Ohio. She's saying that the teleprompter "messed up" during her convention speech, and that she just looked at the Ohio delegation and was inspired to wing her remarks. But reporters following the text of her speech are saying that she hit every pause and emphasis noted in their official copies of the speech, and that the teleprompter seemed to be working just fine. That's backed up by convention planners and technical people responsible for the teleprompter operation, according to ABC News.

In Colorado yesterday, she again trotted out the lie that she said "thanks, but no thanks" to the Bridge to Nowhere, which she supported when running for Governor, and when Congress killed the project, she kept the money that was appropriated and used it on other projects.

Shifting Winds

While the polls don't yet reflect a change in the Presidental race, the meltdown in the financial market will almost certainly shift the conversation from lipstick to the economy. Also, parts of the mainstream media are starting to put down the McMaverick barbeque, wipe the sauce away, and to write about the dishonesty of the McMaverick/Who? team. Some actually are using the word "lie." Former McMaverick idolizer Richard Cohen is up in arms about the lies. Take it away, Dickie:

"McCain has turned ugly. His dishonesty would be unacceptable in any politician. . .his opportunistic and irresponsible choice of Sarah Palin as his political heir. . .is a form of personal treason, a betrayal of all he once stood for."

Of course some of us would argue that "all he once stood for" was an act put on to charm and co-opt his media fans. McMaverick is fond of saying that he'd rather (fill in the blank) than be President. No, he'd rather be President than run an honest, honorable campaign.

Just The Facts, Cont'd.

Despite St. John McFibber's claim that running mate Gov. Who? has not requested pork barrel earmarks while governor of Alaska, the Wall Street Journal (!!) notes that Gov. Who? has requested $453 million in earmarks in the past 2 years, including a $4.5 million upgrade for an airport serving fewer than 100 people.

Meanwhile, the conservative U.S. News and World Report carries an article by John Farrell entitled, "John McCain's Journey From Maverick To Liar." Worth the read.

Is there anything the McMavericks are not willing to lie about?

On Wisconsin!

Wisconsin's football team is ranked #8 in both the AP Top 25 and the Coach's Top 25 Poll, after their narrow win over ranked Fresno State. Ohio State slipped to #13 and #14 respectively. (Apologies to family members rooting for Michigan [1-3]- - bwahaha).

On Wisconsin!

The Unraveling of the Right Wing Economic Myth

As an "amen" to our previous post on the Wall Street meltdown, Time's Joe Klein has a great piece on the Rethugs' and McMaverick's role in the deregulation of the financial institutions that are collapsing, along with taxpayer investments. The whole "hands off" policies of the conservative Rethug orthodoxy - - one which McMaverick embraces - - toward financial markets are resulting in the current crisis in the financial and housing markets. In fact McMaverick said again today, "the fundamentals of the economy are strong." What planet is 7-house McSame on?

The Rethugs "sold" deregulation over the past 20 years as a benefit to small businesses, when in fact their intended beneficiaries were the major corporations who felt they were chafing under strong environmental and worker safety regulations. The chickens have truly come home to roost, but will the American public know who the perpetrators were?

UPDATE: Dow was down 500 points, biggest single loss since 9/11. Go Rethugs!

"Financial Meltdown"

The news over the weekend and this morning about the financial meltdown going on on Wall Street is more than disconcerting. Lehman Brothers filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and Bank of America buying (bailing out) Merrill Lynch means big trouble for many who have invested in those firms and certainly for their employees (people with brokerage accounts are protected by something called the SIPC - comparable to the FDIC).

Meanwhile, St. John McMaverick is vowing to clean up Wall Street after he's elected. [Pause for uncontrollable laughter.] Really?! Where has Sen. McMaverick been for the last 26 years? Oh, right. In Congress and the Senate. We don't recall him pushing for reforms during that quarter century. This is the man who claims not to know much about the economy (he'll have to leave those questions to his expert on all things, Gov. Who?). Remember also McMaverick's role in the Keating Five scandal of the 1970's involving the savings and loan meltdown - yeah, he's got experience with meltdowns!

(In a bit of unfortunate timing, one of McMaverick's financial advisers, Donald Luskin, had a piece in the WaPo over the weekend. Message: economically, this could be the best of times! With advisers like that, how can McMaverick go wrong?!)

Not a small reason for the current state of affairs is the deregulation so religiously pursued by the Rethuglicans since St. Ronnie the Government is the Problem was in office. E-coli conservatives. Bridge collapse conservatives. Katrina conservatives. Now financial meltdown conservatives. Quite a series of accomplishments!

Advice To The Media

Saturday Night Live's brilliant opening, featuring Tina Fey as Gov. Who? and Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton, has been gathering rave reviews. Fey was dead-on in her impersonation of Who?, even down to the Northern woods accent. Out of so many priceless lines, one of the best was at the end, when "Sen. Clinton" told the media that asking questions about a person's qualifications was not sexist. "I invite the media to grow a pair, and if you can't I'll lend you mine." Will they grow them, or will they continue to be distracted by phony outrage and diversions from the McMaverick campaign? We're not optimistic.

More PUMA Poo, And Lil' Georgie Too!

Crooks and Liars has a summary of the latest Lil' George Steponaflagpinopolous' water-carrying for Rethugs. This time, he's enabling the PUMA (Party Unity My Ass) meme again. We think Lil' George is peeved that ABC (along with sister network Fox) will be shut out of the presidential debates, making it impossible for him to continue his relentless search for the truth of Sen. Obama's missing flag pin.

Fighting the Depression

There are a few reasons (new time constraints being chief among them) why this Hackwhacker has slowed down in recent weeks (fortunately, his brother Hackwhacker has been more than keeping up the struggle). As to other reasons, it would be less-than-honest (and therefore Rethuglican) if I didn't also mention my increasing gloom at the resurgence of our modern-day Know-Nothing party and the incomprehensible willingness of a large portion of the American public to give the Rethuglicans four more years to continue the damage they inflicted in the last eight. Talk about being dumber than a sack of hammers. Makes it kind of hard to get up the juice to blog.

While pondering my malaise (not the Jimmy Carter kind), I came across a short piece in Firedoglake wherein the point is made that part of the Turdblossom Rove strategy being pursued by the McBush campaign is designed to demoralize the opposition, and that it's our duty to fight back against the depression. It's not easy. (Now for some non-PC venting: It's easier fighting the dishonest and hypocritical than it is fighting the stupid, the lazy, the proudly uninformed --and yes, the racist-- who seem to make up a large chunk of the electorate. I'm speaking of those who cannot or will not connect the dots - who operate on "gut feelings" and disinformation provided by the scurrilously dishonest McBush ads and hacks. How else to explain the ease with which the Rethug team has been able to convince so many that they will bring change? Are they that easily swayed by demonstrable lies and exaggerations? So far, that would seem to be the case.)

You have to be hopeful that the current situation turns around before Election Day. Hopeful, yes. Sanguine, no.

McFibber's Judgement

Good editorial in today's New York Times.

At the heart of it, the selection of Gov. Who? as McFibber's running mate reflects a profound lack of judgement of his part. It's not Who?'s problem that she's only 20 months from being the mayor of a small town in Alaska, and unprepared to assume the office of President if necessary. She didn't select herself (although she has a nutty belief that she can do the job with a total lack of preparation). It's McFibber's hideous judgement and cynicism that is reflected in passing over so many qualified running mates.

Voter Supression - - A Rethug Value

Newsweek's Jonathan Alter has a detailed run-down of Rethuglican efforts to dampen the votes of African Americans, similar to the old Jim Crow laws of segregated America. The new tactic is to require drivers licenses when arriving at the polling place. Of course, poorer and working class citizens often don't have cars; they rely on public transportation, or on friends who do have cars. In a close election, this tactic may work in close Congressional races and even the Presidential race. But it tells you a lot about how Rethuglicans view the cherished right to vote, that was guaranteed by generations of soldiers - - including African Americans - - who gave their lives to preserve that right.

Headline of the Day

"Is it sexist to want the person flying the plane to be a pilot?" - - Kathleen Reardon's article in HuffPo talking about Who?'s qualifications.

Short Term Memory

Back in October 2007, when McSleazy was running for the Rethug nomination, he disparaged short term mayors and governors as not having the national security experience required to be President. He obviously wasn't referring to his running mate, Gov. Who?, former mayor of Wasilla (pop. 8,400) and Alaskan Governor for 20 months. She's soooooo qualified!

Bwahahahahahahaha.

Worth A Thousand Words

McSleazy: "No hard feelings, huh Barack? Lying is just part of politics, heh heh heh. Why are you staring at me? You're not going to slap me are you?"

Obama: "Relax. I was just noticing my reflection on top of your head."

Job Interview

Yesterday, ABC's Charlie Gibson gave Gov. Who? her first real job interview, since McMaverick didn't do an adequate job himself. The verdict? Well, she had no clue about the main foreign policy doctrine that her party's President has operated under since 2002. She also thinks it would be grand to stick a thumb in Russia's eye by having Georgia (and Ukraine) in NATO. Thus, the next time Saakashvili sends troops into South Ossetia, and the Russians react, we can go to war with the Russkies! And then maybe Iran!

But don't take our biased view that she bombed by simply repeating stock, practiced responses to almost every question. A cursory view of wingnut websites (no links) shows that they are in a worried tizzy that Gibson would ask Who? such impertinent foreign policy questions. They know she didn't cut it, but they're blaming the interviewer and the questions. "Let's talk about lipstick on a pig!"

Just The Facts, cont'd.

FactCheck.org, the independent "fact checker" of the nonpartisan Annenberg Public Policy Center, is calling out the McSleaze campaign for its distortions of FactCheck's statements. A McSleaze ad claimed that the Obama campaign was scurrilously attacking Gov. Who?, when in fact the FactCheck claim referred to some anonymous e-mails floating around the internet. The lies are mounting.

Heckuva Job

Read this post on Hullabaloo to understand why, on the 9/11 anniversary, we should be deeply angry at the Bushies for their incompetence.

No Home, No Vote?

In case you ever wondered what Rethuglican politics were all about, this should answer your questions. The Macomb Co., Michigan, Rethuglican party chairman is planning to challenge the voters whose homes were foreclosed on in his county. So no home, no vote. What makes this especially perverse is that Rethuglican policies led to the housing and credit (and unemployment) crises by deregulating lending and allowing predatory mortages. Now they want to take their votes away, too. Despicable.

7 Years Ago

To the brave police and firefighters who gave their lives trying to save others. To all the innocent who died that day. We remember.

Lipstick on a Pig? We're Offended!

TPM has a nice piece ,complete with McBush/Palin graphic, on the inept attempt by the Rethugs to feint outrage (OUTRAGE!) at Obama's use of the "lipstick on a pig" phrase to describe the McBushies claiming the Mantle of Change. Or, as Hillary Clinton put it while campaigning in Florida on Monday:

"The Republicans are trying to convince us to give them 4 more years to clean up the mess they made. Choosing a Republican to clean up this mess is like asking an iceberg to save the Titanic."

Now that's some lipstick you can believe in!

Just The Facts

Following up on the talking-to that Paul Begala gave to the media on CNN the other day (our post yesterday at 12:08), he has this post at Huffington. He's right that "subjective" arguments (whether a candidate is more compassionate, whether a candidate identifies with voters, etc.) can be debated with the media looking on. But facts should not be debatable (is the earth flat or not?), and that's where the mavericky mainstream media is falling down on the job by not calling out candidates that don't stick to the facts (bridge to nowhere, turned down pork barrel money, etc.) - - what most people would call "lying."

Campaign Ads and the Liars That Make Them

St. John McMaverick released an ad yesterday that claims that Sen. Obama supported "comprehensive sex education for kindergartners" as an Illinois State Senator. The problem with that ad is its sheer dishonesty. The program that Obama supported was designed in large part to teach kids how to recognize and avoid inappropriate touching and to protect them from pedophiles. Since a number of Rethuglican politicians fall into the pedophile category, this would seem to be a can of worms for them to open. But the strategy is to do the quick hit job, expect that our broken media will spread it without rebuttal, and to put the Obama campaign in the position of explaining why it's a lie.

In this case, the Obama campaign put out a strongly worded statement, but it takes more than that. A political adage goes, "if you're busy explaining, you're busy losing." They need to seize on issues, go on the offensive and hit them hard first.

I'll Have A Whopper

Whopper: That Sen. Obama has requested $1 billion in earmarks, according to St. John McFibber.

Fact: Sen. Obama requested $311 million in earmarks last year, and no earmarks this year.

The Smell Got To Him

News item: Upon returning to his Senate office after speaking at the Rethuglican convention, Sen. Joe Lieberliar (Likud-CT) was handed the resignation of his legislative director, Joe Goffman.

No word on whether Goffman had a clothespin on his nose when offering the resignation.

Nowhere Lady

On CNN, Rethug "political analyst" Alex Castellanos was pulled up short by the tough Paul Begala when Castellanos tried to repeat the fable that Gov. Who? was opposed to the Bridge to Nowhere. Atrios has the excerpt from the transcript. The simple "that's not true" was wonderful in itself, but Begala interrupts CNN hair-man John "See No Evil" Roberts to remind him that facts matter, and shouldn't be subject to debate.

By the way, during her 20 months as governor, Who? supported $589 million in earmarks for Alaska, the highest per capita amount of any state in the union. Oink oink.

Pushing Back

The Obama campaign released a new ad that punctures the "maverick" image the McBush campaign has tried to create. And for the first time, an Obama ad uses the "L" word - - lie - - to describe their claims. Most in the mainstream media won't call lies what they are, preferring to say that McBush & Co. are "stretching the truth" or "exaggerating." However, the conservative Wall Street Journal is the latest to call out the McBush campaign for the whopper about Gov. Who?'s "opposition" to the Bridge to Nowhere. And there are more distortions and lies about the records of McBush and Who? to be exposed and debunked. It just needs an independent press that isn't afraid to put down McBush's barbeque ribs, stop putting facts and lies on an equal footing, and do their jobs.

More On Why It's 50/50 (Or Worse)

Not to belabor our point earlier (ok, we will), but Adam McKay has a piece today that elaborates somewhat on the post-RNC-Palin bounce, and why we're seeing McBush riding so high when, in reality, he's just more of the same discredited, exhausted Rethug corpus, only much older.

(Oh, and this, too. Is anyone in the Obama/Biden camp reading this?)

Not So Fast, McFibber

Sen. St. John McFibber likes to go on about how he was "right" about the surge - - nevermind his support of the disastrous decision to shift our focus from al Qaeda in Afghanistan/Pakistan, to toppling Bush family nemesis Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Journalist Bob Woodward's new book sheds light on not only the internal debate between top military officers and hardcore neocons in the White House, but also on the fact that the increase in U.S. forces played perhaps the least significant role in bringing violence down primarily in Baghdad. Special operations' targeting of key al Qaeda and insurgent officials, the turning of Sunni tribes in Anbar province against al Qaeda, and Muqtada al Sadr's Mahdi Army cease fire are viewed as even more significant than the effect of additional combat brigades.

"How Many Elections Must Democrats Lose..."

After seeing the latest polls, it's difficult not to be somewhat affected by how successful the Rethugs have been in marketing their "mavericky" ticket. Reading Hullabaloo today, we find a reflection of our own frustration with the curious tendency of Democrats to not want to mix it up with Rethugs. As we've been saying for over a month, we need a gut fighter -- a Harry Truman, not an Adlai Stevenson -- to give the Rethugs the hell they richly deserve. This election is too important to let it become Kerry Campaign, Part II. After all, they're not "mavericks," they're Republicans!

Critique of the Week

"[McCain] used the word 'change' at least 10 times in his bombastic speech...but since the Republicans have controlled the White House for the past eight years, what does McCain want to change from? And to?...It's like staging a revolution against yourself -- saying that the Republicans have got to go so the Republicans can move in and clean up the mess." Tom Shales, WaPo, September 5.

Memories

We look back on last week's Rethuglican National Convention fib-a-thon, and have to say that our favorite image - - one that symbolizes the competence, and fitness to govern of the typical Rethug politician - - is our "cottage cheese with lime Jello" shot of Sen. McMaverick holding forth. (Wow, someone really slathered on the "man-cake" on McMaverick's pasty face - - trollop!)

(photo: "Hey, you kids, get off my lawn!")

"A Disastrous Mayor"

Less than 2 years ago, Sarah "Who?" Palin was the part-time mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, population 8,400. As Andrew Sullivan notes in The Atlantic, her terms as mayor were a disaster for the town: project cost overruns, botched land acquisition, and leaving a town that was without debt when she started to one having $19 million in long-term debt ($3,000 per resident of Wasilla) when she left to become Governor.

What is so troubling about her designation as the McSame running mate is not so much Who?'s lack of credentials - - that's not her fault, and she may end up being a successful governor of Alaska. It's McSame's recklessness and cynicism in picking her over many, many more qualified candidates (including at least 20 women*) in the way that he did simply to rev-up the evangelical base and sway some Hillary voters. He had met her only once before, and she was only interviewed in detail the day before her designation. He wants to put her a heartbeat away from the presidency, and that speaks volumes not about her unfitness, but about McSame's.

___________
*For starters, Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Elizabeth Dole, and Olympia Snowe, Govs. Jodie Rell and Linda Lingle, and former business executive Carly Fiorina are often mentioned.

(photo: Wasilla City Hall and bakery shop)

Hip-Hip Hypocrisy!

Thanks to "The Daily Show," we have a video record of the stunning, often unintentionally hilarious hypocrisy of the "Mayberry Machiavelli's" who have been "running" this country for the past 8 years, and who want to continue to "run" it (into the ground) for the next 4.

(h/t to Balloon Juice)

Competence You Can Believe In

Since some of us were busy nodding off during last night's speech by Sen. McAncient, we missed the backdrop during part of his speech. The close shots made it look like he was standing in front of that green backdrop that he unfortunately used the night Obama clinched the nomination. But it was the lawn of the Walter Reed Middle School. What does that school have to do with anything in his speech? Well, apparently the Rethug geniuses that put on the show don't know the difference between Walter Reed Middle School and the Walter Reed Army Hospital in D.C., and certainly don't care. Support our vets!

As Atrios puts it (channeling McAncient), "that's not competence we can believe in, my friends."

More Sobering Numbers

... $313,100. That's the cost of suds heiress and McMansion's meal ticket Cindy McCain's wardrobe ensemble from Monday night - dress, diamond earrings, pearl necklace, Chanel watch, etc. They're feeling your pain, Mr. and Mrs. Middle America!

(Photo: Cindy McSuds in a modest $3900 ensemble, suitable for wearing when you're piloting your private jet.)

Sobering Numbers

Unemployment figures out for the month of August jumped to 6.1 percent, a 5-year high. Some 605,000 Americans have lost their jobs so far in 2008.

It's incredible that McBush is getting over 40% in the polls. Which party has been in the White House for 8 years, and controlled Congress for 6 of the last 8? Many in that 40% are not paying attention, or simply don't care.

Say Goodnight

The Huffington Post has a good sampling of reactions to St. John McAncient's snoozer at the Rethuglican convention last night. Most of the opinions, even those of Rethug pundits, were that the speech was decidedly underwhelming and flat. Some delegates napped (probably in the TV audience as well), and the speech wandered and presented no new ideas. After Who? read her speech Wednesday night, McAncient had a tough act to follow among the assembled wingers. The majority of Rethugs are energized by Gov. Who?'s far-right record and beliefs, and not by their Presidential candidate. His speech didn't change that.

Oink Oink

It seems that, according to a House Appropriations Committee staf member, Alaska got $506 per capita in "earmarks" in 2008, vs. the national average of $51. Gov. Who?'s town of Wasilla got $1,000 per capita in 2002 while she was part-time mayor, or 20 times the national average for "earmarks" - - what St. John McOinkoink calls "pork barrel spending."

(note: love the Who? style glasses on the porker)

Skunk At The Picnic

We're sure that the last thing the St. John McIamchange campaign wanted was for disgraced former Rep. Tom "Show Me The Money" Delay to show up in St. Paul. But, there he was, hosting a reception that drew hundreds of party faithful and delegates. "SMTM" was deeply involved with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who is the symbol for the corrupt Rethug - corporate lobbyist machine in D.C. But "SMTM" is still a major hero to many in the clueless Rethug Party. You know, the party of "change, but we'd prefer folding money!"

Atten-Hut! About Face!

Tuned into the RNC fib-a-thon last night, but changed channels after (honestly) 30 seconds of watching the antics of Rudy, "Mayor of 9/11." The Travel Channel was doing a tour of doughnut shops around the U.S. which was more interesting.

So we missed the speech that someone wrote last week for a different gender VP, and had to rewrite when Sen. McAncient went with his "gut" at the last minute and selected Who? Hopefully, she talked about her Alaska National Guard "command" experience, because here's what her hometown newspaper had to say about that. Did she direct the deployment of a C-17 cargo plane for Hurricane Gustav relief? No, her chief of staff did. Was she involved in the decisionmaking to send her National Guard to handle erosion problems in western and northwestern Alaska? No, the general in command did that. OK, well did she even ask the Guard to provide security for the Mount Marathon Run (seriously)? No, that was the general, too. In the last year, the Governor hasn't directed the Alaska National Guard for anything, delegating the responsibility to the general.

Face Of The Day

"Ms. McCain, what do you think of your husband's chances for election in November?"

(Photo: Getty/A.Wong)

Quote of the Day

"Now that Hurricane Gustav has fizzled, there's only one disaster story to cover, and she's it. . . .The press is merely doing on short notice what the McCain campaign's vetting team should have done since March. . .and now: properly vetting his vice-presidential candidate." - - Jack Shafer, in Slate.

The Real "PUMAs"

Luckily, we haven't been holding our breath for the "mainsteam media" to notice that Ron Paul has a bunch of "PUMAs" (Party Unity My Ass) over at the Target Center in Minneapolis... 10,000 of them (at least that's how many tickets were sold). By our unofficial calculation, that's 9,942 more than the so-called disaffected Hillary PUMAs that the media kept chasing around Denver for interviews. (We think those PUMAs were mostly part of Rush Limpballs' "Operation Chaos" anyway.) To cover the Ron Paul group of disaffected right-wingers/ libertarians would violate the media's meme: look how divided the Democrats are!

These folks could be critical in states like Georgia (Bob Barr's territory) and in "battleground" states like Colorado and even Montana. But, trust our brain-dead media to ignore what might undercut their hero, St. John McBungle.

So Mavericky!

Gov. Who? has told some fibs about her resistance to pork spending, most notably when she said that she fought the infamous "bridge to nowhere." Well, not exactly. She stood with the state in welcoming the funds for the bridge, and supported other pork spending in Alaska that McAncient himself identified as pork. Oops!

But that's a "maverick" for you. Never let the facts get in the way of a good political tale.

Charity Begins (And Ends) At Home

The Alaska legislature passed a bill last April that would have provided $5 million in state funds for Covenant House Alaska, which provides teen mothers with a place to live if needed. Gov. Who? cut the funding of Covenant House by $1.1 million through her line-item veto. That was maybe a month after her daughter became pregnant herself.

Suggested slogan for Who? to campaign on: Not My Problem.

This has been another episode in the story of "Rethuglican Family Values."

It Just Gets Vetter. . .

There are reports that the McBungle campaign is acknowledging that Sarah "Who?" Palin was only subjected to a more detailed background interview the day before St. John McBungle announced her as his running mate, when she revealed her daughter's pregnancy. The. Day. Before. Vetting your most important selection.

Unbelievable. Remember that McBungle wrapped up the Rethuglican nomination in March, and has had roughly 5 months to conduct a thorough and responsible vetting of a vice presidential candidate. His Rethug competitors in the primaries were on board with his candidacy, and he had lots of time for consideration. Contrast that with Sen. Obama, who was locked in a tough primary fight with Sen. Clinton until early June, yet who still managed to do a credible job of selecting a running mate. And McBungle wants us to trust him (and Who?) with the most serious job on earth after showing such stellar judgement and wisdom.

Act in haste, repent at your leisure. Isn't that Dumbya's philosophy, too?

Quote of the Week

"She's going to learn national security at the foot of a master in the next four years, and most doctors think that he'll be around at least that long." - - McAncient senior advisor Charlie "Clear As" Black, in commenting on Sarah "Who?" Palin's selection as VP running mate.

That's totally reassuring. Is there a doctor in the house?

Worth Reading

CNN's Jack Cafferty (possibly the only reason for tuning in to CNN these days) has a sharp rebuke to the Rethugs holding their convention this week. He notes that over 10 percent of Rethuglican Senators are not bothering to show up: "they recognize dog food when they see it." The nation will be spared a full four days of fibbing, spinning and unctuous speechifying, thanks (if that's the word) to Hurricane Gustav's center stage drama. But the Rethugs have made it clear that they will spare nothing in their attempt to hold on to power, regardless of the damage the last 8 years have done to America. It's going to get dirtier.

Who Vetted St. John McBungle?

Listening to CBS Radio News this morning, it's becoming clear that despite the media's initial obsession with Sarah "Who?" Palin's daughter's situation, the real stories are found in Palin's abuse of authority in the "Troopergate" saga, and, more strangely, in her confirmed membership in a nutbag outfit called the "Alaska Independence Party," about which we blogged yesterday. News organizations and blogs are on this story, and found this quote from the Alaska Independence Party's founder: "I'm an Alaskan, not an American. I've got no use for America or her damned institutions." Gov. Who? might want to have an answer for why she was a member of that "party."

And speaking of answers, we would all be interested in St. John McBungle's explanation of why his campaign started serious vetting of Who? after her selection to be his running mate, and what he thinks the American people should make of his judgement and steadiness. In the most important decision in his campaign, he was impulsive, shallow and arrogant, by passing over many more qualified candidates. Maybe McBungle wasn't vetted enough either.

Sarah Palin, Secessionist?

"Sidekick" soul mate Sarah Palin may have a few more skeletons in her closet. Let's see if the "Sidekick" McBush vetting team turns this up in their rigorous, after- the- fact process. The McBush motto? Ready, Fire, AIP!

(Photo: Celebrity governor Palin, ready to rock the Alaskan Independence Party!)

Words to Remember

As the Rethugs desperately and laughably try to brand McBush-Who? as the "change" ticket, here are some words from St. John "Sidekick" McBush on "Meet the Press" from just a few short years ago:

"The fact is that I have agreed with President Bush far more than I have disagreed. And on the transcendent issues, the most important issues of our day, I've been totally in agreement and support of President Bush... My support for President Bush has been active and very impassioned on issues that are important to the American people. And I'm particularly talking about the war on terror, the war in Iraq, national security, national defense, support of men and women in the military, fiscal discipline, a number of other issues. So I strongly disagree with any assertion that I've been more at odds with the president of the United States than I have been in agreement with him."-- "Meet the Press," June 2005, when Bush's approval rating was around 50% and Sidekick was positioning himself to run for the Rethug nomination.

St. Paul Welcomes (?) Rethugs to Convention

The Rethug Convention will be missing two of its most anticipated speakers, Dumbya and Dead Eye Dick, who have used Hurricane Gustav as a convenient excuse to duck the convention. We would have loved to have heard them speak of the glories of the last 8 years. There's talk that the Rethugs will convert part of their convention to a telethon-like event for victims in an attempt to seem "concerned" after the Hurricane Katrina debacle three years ago last weekend. St. John McAncient and his running mate Who? are in Mississippi staging photo ops and trying to look like they're actually in charge of something, while their presence diverts local law enforcement and firefighters from assisting in hurricane relief.

The Rethugs have wisely decided not to use "Family Values" as a theme for this year's convention, with the catalogue of scandals and corruption from the last 8 years hanging over them like an elephant's fart. That's not to say that Minneapolis/St. Paul hasn't seen an influx of prostitutes in the last few days, hoping that conventioneers will have left their "morality" at home, as Rethug politicians so often do. Party on, animals!

UPDATE: Oops! They took the "party on, animals" seriously according to Wonkette. Shades of Larry Craig!! (warning: not family values language)

(photos: Sen. David "Diapers" Vitter, left, and Sen. Larry "Wide Stance" Craig)