A Breath Of Fresh Air

"For the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country." ~ Michelle Obama

I can think of no better way to say it.

Collective Wisdom

One more day. Then it's all over except for the counts, recounts and challenges. Meanwhile, back on the campaign trail both sides are busy trying to keep the momentum among their followers at a fevered pitch. So are the partisan guests on the news shows. It has been interesting viewing.

I find it interesting how divided the nation is in a campaign that has promoted change and a united front. Not that it's unexpected. Each candidate has radically different approaches to the same problems. Hopefully the collective wisdom of the voters will be crystal clear. No more elections decided by the Supreme Court.

After the results are in and the complexion of the incoming Congress is revealed I will have something to say to them, especially the old war horses who have seemed distant from the Presidential side of things. The pronouncements made by Barney Frank and a number of others is bothersome. Are they deaf? But as I said, that's for an upcoming post.

I browsed some blogs this morning and found a couple of things of interest. One is how many are agonizing over the outcome. That's partially because there is no clear cut winner yet in sight paired with a desperate desire to see real change.

The other is how partisan and derogatory some of the posts remain. I've been watching the behavior of the members of Congress who are "safe" . I haven't paid nearly enough attention to the attitudes of the citizenry. Here I find many of us as guilty of the sins of partisanship to which we claim we want an end.

To have a preference and a strong one is good. I certainly do. But to have such vehement, scathing criticism of the opposition, at this point in time, is not constructive.

Obama has been claiming, on the economic level, that the trickle down theory doesn't work. That prosperity and change has to come from the bottom up. There is a broader point to be taken from this.

He, by the very nature of who he is and what he has accomplished, would seem to be the starting point for trickle down. He doesn't have the burden of his age nor his length of service to create questions about the sincerity of coming late to that mantra. However, I by no means believe, no matter his age and coming late to the "change" sound bite, that John McCain is any less sincere nor cognizant of the need for it.

To bring it full circle, however, it does have to start from the bottom. With us. We have to be willing to accept the outcome of this election and be willing to work with those we elect to achieve change or it will never happen. We are the ones who will have to shout, "Stop. Enough of the bickering. Get to the business of the people!"

Whoever wins will have the burden of leadership. No easy task. We will have the burden of keeping them on track. Again, no easy task; perhaps even the more difficult of the two. After all is said and done, if we lapse back into apathy, those who will take advantage will resurface and we will have gained nothing.

Two years of campaigning and millions upon millions of dollars spent. For what? Maybe there is some merit to the saying, "Lead, follow or get out of the way."

Never Too Old To Learn

As time ticks down to the election, I've been taking a good look at myself. What did I see? Someone I once would not have recognized as "me".

I've found that I can still feel passionately. I've also found a healthy dose of reality. Politics. I've never been so immersed nor vocal in my entire adult life. That I like Obama the man is no secret. That I still have doubts as to the outcome of the election is also no secret. That I do not agree with all the Obama/Democratic positions is no secret. I'm pretty much an open book.

I've found within myself the attribute of faith. Faith that my judgement is sound. Courage. The courage to bestow that faith on another individual. One that I have never met nor ever will.

Openness. By being open I've found openness in return. With that openness is the possibility of differing opinions. While I might not be persuaded by them, I've learned from them.

The comfort of common ground. Throughout this process I've met many new people on-line. Whether we will visit each others sites as often after the dust settles remains to be seen, but it has been gratifying to have found such a diverse group because of one area of common ground. As it binds us together as cyber pals, it will bind us together as a nation.

Age is no longer irrelevant. Be we young, first time voters or well seasoned seniors, all who have wanted a voice have found one. I have not received one dismissive comment.

It has been an exhilarating ride these past several months. It has proven to me something I've believed all along. Being old and out of touch is not an option.

Our Love Hate Relationship With Sarah Palin

I laughed out loud this morning as I read Kathleen Parker's column regarding undecided voters. In it she described Sarah Palin as "the winking wonder woman of Wasilla".

It got me to thinking about how voters either love Ms. Palin or hate her. There seems to be no middle ground. Everything about her seems to be polarizing but I think there is a middle ground truth to be found.

Let's look at those who love her. Men who think she's hot! Parents of children with developmental disabilities. Staunch believers of the ideology of the Christian right. Those who see her as the girl next door who made good. She is not a "wonder woman" to them; she is "every woman".

Those who hold her in far less esteem are like me. They see someone who has done little since day one than pad her resume and hasn't made much of an effort to hide it. A woman with a modicum of raw ability and more than a modicum of ambition. One savvy enough to create an opportunity for herself yet naive enough to allow herself to be used to her own detriment. An unworldly lightweight.

The campaign has cried foul when her detractors have called her on her less than impressive credentials, especially members of her own party.

There are similar feelings about "Joe the Plumber". We either love him as an "every man" or we hate him as an opportunistic fraud.

What has caused this polarization? Where is the middle ground where each would have been met with a shrug then dismissed as a non issue? I think it's because we sense so much of ourselves in each of them. Perhaps we even recognize, through them, we have been a part of the problem in which we now find ourselves immersed.

We're not the intellectuals we'd like to think we are. We see ourselves as more important than we are. We exaggerate our strengths to minimize our weaknesses rather than facing the truth. We take to the stage for our fifteen minutes of fame whether or not it may do harm to others. It's all about us and not about us at all.

Even though the race is far closer than I'd have thought at this time, perhaps the reason Obama has been so successful is he always emphasizes it is not about himself, but about us. And perhaps the reason John McCain hasn't done better is because it always seems to be about him.

Mudslinging Ad Nauseam

If the candidates were really as horrible as their opponents would like us to believe this country would really be in big trouble. I expected fall out after the Obama "infomercial" and was not disappointed.

What I don't get, however, is how much energy is being devoted to trying to ruin the opposition rather than defending one's own positions this late in the game.

I haven't been listening to the campaign whistle stops today but did suffer through some of Hannity, and of course the headlines on the news sites. Will something finally stick in these last few days? The Aunt of Obama found in a Boston "slum"? The idea his half brother lives on the equivalent of $1 day in Kenya? That he didn't meet with his step mother, who resides in London, while on his whirlwind tour of the world? Or another association with a person of questionable repute in Fashid Khalidi, a professor of mid east studies at Columbia and a critic of Israel? Caught on tape!

You'd think that mud pit would be just about empty by now but apparently it is not. The thing that has piqued my curiosity is where was all of this during the primaries? If anyone could have unearthed this information and used it to their advantage you'd have thought the Clinton team would have done so. The Aunt was certainly in Boston at that time, the step mother in London and the half brother in Kenya.

Those terrorist associations, Ayers and Khalidi. Why is it they are professors at prestigious American universities?

Wow. Here is a man running for the Presidency of the United States because he has a vision for a nation better than what we have today. If we share that vision we will vote for him. If we don't we will vote for his opponent.

I don't buy, for one minute, that he is not a patriot because he hasn't always worn a flag pin, that elitism is some sort of fatal disease or that he is a closet Muslim with terrorist leanings.

What I do know is that he cannot bowl and probably can't field dress a moose. He is neither a rock star nor a messiah.

He's an intelligent, well educated young man with a devoted wife and two young daughters. He loves his country. He's an American.

Home at the dinner table, I don't imagine he's so very different from you or me. That's an assumption of course. I have no inside knowledge of his family dynamics. Until I do, and those of any and all associations he's had over a lifetime, I cannot judge.

I for one do not think the world as we know it will end if he is elected President. Is it not time to let that mud puddle dry out?

Presidential Pathos

This photo will probably not resonate with many of my readers. It is the forced grin McCain usually flashes after delivering an Obama put down. My readers probably don't see enough clips of McCain to realize this.

Having energy for little else then trying to beat a cold the past few days, I've seen quite a few of these on the various news shows covering campaign events. It has given me the opportunity to reflect on the rhetoric coming from both camps.

Obama has touched on substance to a degree; as much as I'd expect when trying not to provide fodder for the opposition. McCain tells me what Obama will do versus what he, McCain, will do but I have yet to hear him say how he actually intends to do anything.

The mantra has been reduced to ridiculous name calling; socialist, communist, redistributor and on and on. The stretch is so great I wonder that the whole nation hasn't tuned it out. He remains on the kick that Obama is too inexperienced and naive. I won't even go into the ranting coming from the Palin wing of the campaign other than to point out she hasn't improved her level of articulation, nor realize "Joe Mama" is not to be uttered lightly.

It seems to me McCain is accusing Obama of being a mirror image of himself as the one who doesn't "get it ". He promised to run an "honorable" campaign. What happened to it? A campaign of substance. Where is it? Oh, sure, all the policy positions can be found on the web site if one is so inclined to study them. In this age of instant gratification, it's unlikely many do.

Other than that the whole wrap up has been reduced to no more than a circus sideshow of personality bashing. It's McCain who doesn't "get it". Obama gets it just fine. That's what "change" is all about. A departure from the mudslinging and character assassination of partisan politics. An addressing of issues and ideas for solutions.

I've already voted, yet I continue to watch. Policy differences aside, an unaddressed issue is now the comportment of the candidates. Cool and composed versus hyper, bumbling, artificial and a deep seeded mean-spiritedness. There is no question in my mind which man I would rather have facing down the problems that loom before our nation.

As I have preached so often, campaign promises are only as good as the Congress in place and the circumstances of reality. They will change over the course of an administration. That is reality. Equally important to me is how the President will react to changing conditions; how willing he is to listen to advice and to alter his thinking if necessary. Wisdom. Prudence. Pragmatic.

Which candidate? To me it's a no brainer. I'm sorry the polls aren't reflecting a like minded constituency.

Spooky!

Just when I was beginning to feel good about new beginnings this turns up! The effigy of Sara Palin hangs in front of a West Hollywood home. Needless to say it has drawn quite a bit of attention, including news crews.

When asked if the scene was appropriate, the owner of the house agreed it would be out of bounds any other time of the year but now it is in the spirit of Halloween. "It should be seen as art, and is within the month of October. It's Halloween, it's time to be scary, it's time to be spooky." Indeed.

On that basis I suppose the 18 and 20 year old skinheads who plotted to kill 88 people including beheading 14 African Americans and ultimately assassinating Obama while dressed in top hats and white tuxedos should also be given a pass. It's time to be scary. It's time to be spooky.

There was the shooting at the University of Central Arkansas that left two students dead and another injured. And of course the murder of Jennifer Hudson's mother and brother and 7 year old nephew. It's a time to be scary. It's a time to be spooky.

I thank heaven that our humane society is not adopting out any cats until after Halloween. One can only imagine what would be found the day after. It's time to be scary. It's time to be spooky.

I'd like to think this had been a bad dream while sleeping off my cold, but no, I had to turn on that TV!

To Grandmother's House He Goes. Why Was It Even Questioned?

Barack Obama's Grandmother. She's 85 years old. She has osteoporosis. She recently took a fall that caused hospitalization and has since taken a turn for the worse. Who among us, if this was the lady that had raised us, would not be rushing to be with her?

Instead there was speculation about how much damage would be done by his leaving his campaign at this critical time. If the McCainites have any class at all, before each rally they'd be wishing Madelyn Dunham well.

In an interview with Harry Smith, Obama explained that change in his Mother's condition happened so fast he was unable to reach her side before she passed away. He was determined to not to let that happen again.

I know exactly how he feels. My own Mother had not been feeling well for several days and her Doctors were brushing her off. When her wonderfully persistent caregivers finally managed to get some tests ordered and completed the prognosis was dire. I was not able to get to her side before she passed away. I have never forgiven myself. You see, long before this happened, in one of our conversations about the inevitable, she told me she did not want to die alone. She did not. Her caregivers were with her. But it wasn't the same as having her daughter or son there. Neither of us were. I don't think I will ever get over the feeling that I let her down. That for all the times over so many, many years that she was always there for me, I wasn't there for her at that most important time of her life. Her death.

McCain has been saying Obama will say anything to get elected. Maybe, maybe not. For the moment the measure of this man is that his actions speak louder than any words possibly could.

Pretty Palin

"Pretty woman walkin' down the street
Pretty woman, the kind I like to meet
Pretty woman, I don't believe you
You're not the truth
No one could look as good as you
Mercy"

In all fairness, what's "hot"in Alaska may not pass muster in the D.C. social scene. The hair definitely needs some work; the gown - eh. Can't see enough of it. But $49,425.74 at Saks and $75,062.63 at Nieman's? WOWSER!

I'm sure glad to know political contributions are put to good use. After all we wouldn't want our potential Vice President looking like a pig in lipstick! Hmmm. Speaking of that, I wonder just how much of the $4,716.49 of the hair and make up expenditures actually went to lipstick!

Julia Roberts she ain't but with a fashion consultant and a budget, well, anything is possible!

Now I do know a little bit about these stores. A lot of my dressier clothes have come from Nieman's. Otherwise it's LL Bean or Murdochs. I know Saks and Nieman's are upscale but in my wildest dreams I'd have trouble spending bucks like that - even if I were in my prime and lived somewhere where the clothing might actually be appropriate.

I really feel sorry for Hub. He likes to buy me nice clothes but a fortune could have been saved had he had the foresight to declare me a charity. Then maybe those high tone threads could have come my way free - or well discounted. After all, they'd have been worn!

Here's a link to an actual catalog . Go ahead. Browse through it. Pick out your $75,000 worth of duds. See if the Republican donors are getting their money's worth.

Now in consideration of the Fairness Doctrine I want the DNC to fess up. How much did you guys put forth for Michelle Obama? Come on now. We want our potential First Lady to look every bit as good as our potential VP.

What about the men? Ah, a tux is a tux. Basic black is always in style. Can you tell if it's a Tux Shop rental or a Brooks Brothers hand tailored? I'll bet those Country Club Republicans and Limousine Liberals can!

What the heck. It's good for the economy.

A Few Final Thoughts From Out And About

In thinking about all those dinner conversations we overheard on our trip, it has occurred to me that something monumental had been happening. Those folks were discussing an issue, not a personality.

We stopped in Ames, resplendent with McCain/Palin signs, to visit with an old classmate of mine and her husband who had long been on staff at Iowa State. They were both for Obama and passionate about it. It goes to the point that imagery isn't necessarily the end all. All those signs.

Living in Ames, they are of course on hand for the Iowa caucuses and the famous straw poll. Having family coming in from out of town, they were asked to get tickets to hear Obama. Three hundred or so were expected; the demand rose to three thousand. We all know how Obama fared.

In watching the news tonight, the first time in a week, I was heartened to hear people who's opinion actually matters, beginning to admit that Ms. Palin is not yet qualified for the Vice Presidency. My sense of sanity is beginning to return.

This next fourteen days will see lots of nail biting as the polls are watched. I'm not at all comfortable that enough voters feel as strongly as I do about Obama's strengths versus his weaknesses. I am encouraged, however, that Ms. Palin is no longer being viewed as a novelty but as a genuine issue unto herself. And she is.

I love her on Saturday night live. I love her as cheer-leader-in-chief. I love the energy she has instilled into a stodgy old Republican campaign. But that's where it stops. Beyond that it is no longer a lark, a joke. It's dead serious.

Ms. Palin and Joe the Plumber have provided comic relief. They're the USO. Now, however, it's time to return to the reality of what we're doing. Electing a world leader.

No joke.

A Few Observations From Middle America

We've been to the banks of the Mississippi and back this past week and the trip was an eye opener.

First though, about the photo from my last post. Tropigal gets the gold star. The half body of the drinking fountain, the legs, standing in front of the Body Shop. Maybe you had to be there! The thing is I hadn't noticed the irony until I had the picture developed.

Okay. Middle America. Observation number one. This probably has to do with the time of year one travels but I had no idea how many sunflowers are grown in the Dakotas. Field after field of drooping heads all along the Interstate. It must have been spectacular a month ago.

More middle America.

If one is to go by the campaign signs McCain is going to win in a landslide. We did not see one single Obama sign from Idaho to Iowa. Even in the university towns of Ames and Iowa City the signs posted were all McCain/Palin. University towns, other than in Idaho, are usually bastions of liberalism.

There cannot possibly be one skunk left living between Idaho and Iowa; the highways at times seemed to be paved with them.

Ranchers and farmers do not like Obama's "spreading the wealth" idea one bit. It's easy to understand why. For them it's feast or famine depending on their harvest. If they are heavily taxed in a good year they'll have nothing to carry them through a bad one.

Our first night out we were having dinner in Miles City, MT. The debate was on the TV in the bar. While fully visible from our table we tried to ignore it and enjoy our meal but the cowboy at the next table was exercised. Finally he had to get it out of his system and spent the remainder of our time there extolling everything wrong with Obama's thinking. It was an interesting lesson in the economics of ranching.

That first evening turned out to be the norm. No matter where we were or where we ate, the dinner table conversations surrounding us were all about Obama and his economic plan. None of those conversations were applauding it.

I found out just how many people drive gray or silver cars when I watched who passed us in fog so thick we couldn't see the fog line.

Once again I was reminded again of how beautiful western Montana is this time of year. It is the peak season for the Tamarack warriors resplendent in their gold armor advancing up the mountain sides.

We're home safe and sound. Bacchus was a real trooper. The laundry is in progress.

Oh, yes, one last thought and apologies to Al Franken. Rush Limbaugh is still a big fat idiot. He should be hung and quartered for the hatchet job he did on Colin Powell yesterday.

Portrait Of A Frustrated Voter

I was sorting through some family keepsakes, getting things gathered to donate to the museum in my folks hometown, when I came across an old World War II ration book. Along side the coupons are tokens, a schedule letting you know when you could get certain items and an old civil defense volunteer armband.

I got to thinking maybe I should explain why I am so passionate about the upcoming election and frustrated with what I've been seeing. You see, these items belonged to my Mom and Dad. I was very young at the time but not so young that I don't remember what sacrifice meant to everyday Americans. And why that sacrifice was necessary. We were just coming off the Great Depression and entrenched in World War II.

We had strong leadership then - Roosevelt. He knew how to soothe or persuade - whichever was necessary. He never told us to go shopping. In fact, he prevented us from doing so! He talked to us.

I remember working in the victory gardens everyone in the neighborhood had. I developed a taste for tongue and heart and liver because we could get organ meat and Mom was a fantastic cook. She could and did make everything taste good. She made all my school clothes. There were no $100 Nikes, iPods or cell phones. If there had been no one would have bought them and the technology would have been applied to the War effort first.

As I grew up my interest in politics waned as one might expect. The war ended, the country stabilized. There was so much of interest going on. I loved school and band and my dance band and Friday night football games. Yes. I was a kid then and I loved every minute of it. I look back and treasure those memories. Today's kids are growing up so fast. Sex and drugs far too soon. One mistake and poof, no more childhood. And oh, my, what they missed. Being a kid.

My college years were a mixed bag. Our worst vice was maybe taking up smoking or guzzling 3.2 beer on the weekends. Even then loose girls were received with a raised eyebrow.

On the serious side I remember Nikita Khrushchev visiting our campus and men in trench coats prowling around roof tops with strange looking cases. The fervor over John Kennedy. Many of my classmates were veterans of the Korean War attending school on the GI bill. We had a large international presence. I dated Iranians, East Indians, Egyptians and Africans without giving it a second thought, yet I would not go out with a black basketball player from New York. Questions began to stir within me. I was learning how to look at myself, who I was and what options lay before me.

I remember Kent State with students lying dead, shot by our own National Guardsmen for protesting; I remember the National Guard being called out in cities across the country to quell race riots. Kennedy's death. I was watching live TV when Lee Harvey Oswald was murdered by Jack Ruby; Martin Luther King's death, the attempt on Gerald Ford, the attempt on Ronald Reagan. All unsettling times.

I remember Vietnam and the young men who came home. One friend, still in the Army, couldn't look at rice nor hear a car backfire. He had problems. He saw a letter from a male friend on my desk and threatened to break a chair over my head. That was the end of that relationship. My own brother-in-law came back with an alcohol and drug problem that caused his untimely death. It was a tough time for those who served. It would seem we still haven't learned the lesson that was taught.

Time marches on and maybe it's an old fogey thing. I'm not sure. But when I listen to the pundits on radio and television calling the events of this election like it's a play by play on Sunday afternoon football I get mad. Nothing going on today is a laughing matter. It's bad enough they don't handle it with the seriousness nor the depth of understanding it deserves, but it's worse that they don't appear to understand much of it themselves. There is really no one to explain it to those who are going through some of these things for the first time. Those of us who try either do not articulate it well enough or are considered less then credible because - what? We're old?

McCain, who lived through these time, isn't explaining things. Who better could? And why isn't he? Chanting he knows how to fix everything doesn't cut it. Where has his leadership been all these years?

Obama isn't explaining either. How can one lead us into the future without an understanding of our past? Is it okay that they, along with the rest of us, are bewildered by this massive breakdown and the speed with which it seemed to occur? Of course, in reality, it wasn't speedy at all. Everything just culminated all at the same time. Where was everybody?

It is not okay to pretend they know all the answers. They do not. I would rather hear that admission along with a pledge to do the best they can to find the right people, regardless of party, to get it l sorted out. The posturing and blame gaming of Barney Frank and his ilk does not inspire confidence in me. Many in Congress were part of the problem in the first place.

Every one of us is concerned about how and when things are going to shake out. We're angry and we're attacking anything that moves - in anger, without rationale. It is disturbing to witness. It's like the entire country is on the brink of a nervous breakdown and our shrinks are running around in little tight circles, the worst of us all!

The wars are not going to end tomorrow. Humans seem never to learn the cost and futility of them. They will continue to drain our treasury which really isn't so much ours any more. It will continue to kill our young men and women. A drain on our future talent. This is no laughing matter.

If ever there was a time for a clear head and a steady hand , one that realizes the seriousness of the circumstances in which we find ourselves and the courage to be honest about how difficult extraction from these circumstances is going to be, it is now.

This is why I'm so frustrated with the tone of the campaigns and the caliber of the candidates. We are walking on very thin ice. I've been there, I've seen it; I've lived it. Lessons not learned. Actions not taken or taken merely to give the appearance of doing something. This is nothing new. History has a way of repeating itself because our attention span is short if we pay attention at all.

There was a question in one of those "man on the street" columns just this last week. It asked the participants what they thought of Sarah Palin. Out of six only one even knew who she was and he was Canadian. The other five are all of voting age. Where have they been? Do you want them to vote?

Writing this hasn't really made me feel any better but it does bring to mind a question; can there be worse things than rationing books? You bet. In a time of national crisis there can be a lack of them.

Anarchy Looms!

This election is going to go down in history for many reasons. The first viable black candidate, the first Mormon candidate, the first viable female candidate and the oldest first time candidate. There is one more element and the most disturbing of all.

At a time when both candidates are championing the need for non-partisan cooperation and each claims to be the one most able to accomplish same, this is turning into one of the most divisive campaigns I can remember. I cannot ever remember the anger being shown within the parties at their own candidates such as we've been seeing at McCain rallies.

Today Michael Barone, in his column talks about how the Democrats are doing their best to quell anything put forth deemed criticism of Obama. Some supporters have gone so far as to threaten criminal prosecution of his critics. They have even gone so far as to edit the content on a Saturday Night Live skit that spoofed Barney Frank and a couple of contributors. This is obstruction of one of our few remaining freedoms - that of free speech, the First Amendment!

It is disturbing enough to watch the hate mongering I wrote about in the previous post. The "Obama thugocracy" , as Barone puts it, suppressing free speech is something we indeed need to fear should it continue unchecked.

These are frightening times. People are worried more than most have ever been in their lives. You have to be of my generation or older to remember the great depression and the World Wars. Even the Korean "police action" as they liked to call it. Knowledge of how these events were resolved and those who were the players are little more than names and lessons in a history book. If history is even being taught anymore. Revisionism seems to be popular this day and age so I have no idea what students are being "taught".

While all this is going on I'm looking for one or both of the candidates to take control of their own people and reign in the turmoil. I do not see it on either side. If the people are left to their own devices and their frustrations are allowed to boil over, neither candidate will ever be able to regain control. Then it becomes anarchy.

That's all we need on top of everything else.

Come on gentlemen. You're each vying to be our leader. Show us some leadership and nip this now while you still can. For your sake. And for ours!

Why I'm For Obama

Michelle Obama said something on Larry King the other night that really resonated with me. They were discussing the "that one" comment and the "what don't you know" question from the debate. She turned serious after a few quick quips and said, basically, Barack knows what he doesn't know and surrounds himself with those who can educate him. In other words he doesn't surround himself with "yes" men. That is important to me.

Realistically, neither candidate is going to be able to deliver all that they have promised. Even if times weren't so bad, campaign promises go only as far as Congress allows. So let's take that out of the equation. Being less than specific is political expedience. Both candidates practice it. Yes, it is frustrating when one wants specifics, but with today's political climate and constantly changing conditions, be it the economy or the wars, any specific statement would come back to haunt many times over. So they don't do it.

It's not because I'm a hard core Democrat. I am not. There are many policies Obama has put forth that I don't think he can deliver nor should. The same, however, holds true for McCain. When he states he'd have the government buy up the bad mortgages, it proves to me how little a grasp he has of the situation. Why? Because those mortgages have been split so many times between so many entities, no one knows exactly who has what. That's part of the problem. It's not as simplistic as McCain would have us believe.

I don't believe anyone is entitled to be President. McCain, to me, acts like he is. His superior attitude doesn't sit well with me as I watch him dither on policy. His choice of Sarah Palin stings like a slap in the face. Yes. I understand all the reasoning. I don't think it's valid if one is really putting "country" first.

Obama promised a different kind of campaign. Up until now he has kept his word. The depth of misinformation and fear mongering the McCain campaign has sunk to requires recourse and now the McCain campaign is shouting foul. Again, it does not sit well with me.

As for his associations; who among us at one time or another has not associated with someone, on some level, we could have done without? It's over and done with, in the distant past - or you didn't even realize it until after the fact, but if you're a public figure you're denied having a life with people in it. That's unrealistic.

His religion. He says he is not a Muslim. Why must that horse continue to be beaten? Even if he were, so what? Look how many of our athletes have become Muslims? Do you think they are out to over throw America? We have two Muslim Congressmen. Do you think they are intent on over throwing America? The people who elected them obviously do not. Why must a uniformed police officer have to insinuate the worst at a McCain/Palin rally? It's disgusting. And don't give me the free speech argument.

That Sarah Palin relates to the Joe Six-packs of America is great. I can almost hear the bubble gum pop when she talks. But I don't want Joe Six-pack for my President. I want one who can relate to more than the folks at the corner bar.

Many leaders from around the world have been educated in Great Britain - Oxford, Cambridge, Sandhurst. Those who have studied in this country have gone to Harvard, Yale or Princeton. I want our President to be able to relate on that level and to understand how they think and why they think the way they do. I'm tired of swagger, smirk and bullying. Condescension scares me.

I've said before we no longer get the best of the best running for public office for the very reason that is so evident today. Few want to put themselves or their families through the punishment. We're fortunate though. The cream of the African American/White community has risen to the top with Barack Obama. No longer are the race baiting rants of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton the foremost image of that segment of our society. Barack Obama is no self-anointed preacher. The worst I can say about him is he is a politician.

I am sure some aspects of this historical journey weigh heavily on him. Should he win he bears the burden of having to rise above expectations. He has done it before; I believe he will continue to do so. I believe he is an inspired leader, he resonates with the young, he is cool under pressure. That's not being elite. That's poise. That's what I want in our President. One who can stand shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the world. One who will not embarrass us. One who will listen. One who can articulate.

Our economy continues to tank, we're afraid for our futures, especially those of us who are no longer young and resilient. Just today the news talks of how the conflict in Afghanistan is worsening. That means more of our young men and women will perish. It is not a bright and sunny forecast.

I want in our President not the man who knows how to do it all as McCain claims he can, but the man who is willing to talk and listen and has the energy to tackle the multitude of problems facing us without illusion. I believe Barack Obama better fits this need and this is why I support him.

There is just too much of importance happening in the world to get caught up in the web of deceit.

Editorial Endorsements Ought To At Least Get It Right!

Eastern Washington is heavily Republican as is all of Idaho, so it was no surprise this morning when I saw that the editorial board of the Spokesman Review
endorsed John McCain.

At best it was lukewarm, a dictate from management it would seem, but never-the-less some of the text was ridiculous. For instance it points out McCain's call for an increase in troops was indeed the correct call. What isn't mentioned is that General Eric Shinseki told the Senate back at the outset, according to the AP , that a successful postwar occupying force would have to be several hundred thousands in order to stave off ethnic tensions and other problems. Rumsfeld stuck with his lean and mean theory and Shinseki lost his job.

The editorial goes on to suggest that McCain's stand on torture will do a great deal toward re-endearing us to the rest of the world. According to the Washington Post he called water boarding "torture and illegal" yet voted against Democratic sponsored legislation that would have, indeed, banned it along with other coercive tactics used by the CIA. He voted with the minority. Fifty one Senators voted for the ban.

As for the likelihood he'd be more bi-partisan with the Democratic led Congress on economic issues facing the country, I'd rest better if I thought he actually understood them.

In conclusion it is suggested we need a leader who has proven leadership and that John McCain's is a matter of record. Right. He suspended his campaign, ran to Washington, after snubbing David Letterman in order to visit with Katie Couric, then ended up voting for what may be the largest pork laden bill in the history of the country. Doonesbury is keeping McCain's promise to make those names public. How About Gary Trudeau for President?

There is more, but you get the idea. One reason why I read a wide range of papers and magazines, ones that I can actually name, is so I can get beyond managerial prejudices.

There is more at stake here than the "vision thing", as Bush one liked to say. It has a lot to do with who has the vision and how it applies to the people of the country today and in the future. A seventy two year old man does not see the world through the eyes of our youth. Neither do I. Though I make an effort. I have young friends I stay in touch with, listen to and ask questions of. We think differently and we learn from one another.

I want to enjoy the time I have left as pleasantly as possible; the young have so much more at stake and they deserve a leader who understands that - and them.

I'd at least like to have a President that knows what a Blackberry is and can send his own e-mails!

Loose Lips And Fact Free

I'm tired of looking at pictures of Sarah Palin so when I saw this I thought it made a good metaphor. Old Navy man John McCain being the ship. Hahahahaaaa.

Yep. It's all beginning to get to me. I read Bill Crystal's pander to Palin in the New York Times and thought there she goes again!

Crystal was having a little chat with Sarah discussing among other things Obama's associations with Reverend Jeremiah Wright and William Ayers. Now, we knew Wright was going to be resurrected didn't we? Specifically he wanted to know if Wright wasn't in fact the bigger issue because of Obama's closer connection with him.

She had this to say:

"To tell you the truth, Bill, I don’t know why that association isn’t discussed more, because those were appalling things that that pastor had said about our great country, and to have sat in the pews for 20 years and listened to that — with, I don’t know, a sense of condoning it, I guess, because he didn’t get up and leave — to me, that does say something about character..."

Discussed more? Where were you during the primaries, honey? It was beaten to death and then some!

First, it was explained, ad nauseam, that Reverand Wright did not spend every single sermon lambasting America. And, by checking the dates of the offensive sermons against Obama's schedule found his claims that he was not present to be true.

Oh, I'm getting so weary of Ms. Palin playing catch up and in so doing not doing her homework. Attacking Obama's character can be treading on thin ice. There is the Keating Five issue with McCain now getting some play; there is his Brazilian hottie and the treatment of his first wife that are all ripe for exploitation.

As for Palin, it's out there honey - your alleged affair with your husband's one time business partner not to mention hubby's involvement with a secessionist group. If seceding from the United States isn't anti-American I don't know what is!

Oh yeah, it's all out there. The bloggers have been having a field day with it. The main stream press is beginning to pick it up. But don't blame them for gottcha journalism.

Gottcha!

McCain's Macaca Moment Compliments Of His Brother?

Remember when Virginia Senator George Allen was on the fast track to the Republican nomination? Then he tried to make a joke by referring to an East Indian supporter of fellow Senate candidate Jim Webb as "macaca".

Macaca translates a couple of ways. It could be referring to a monkey that lives in the Eastern Hemisphere or, as in some European cultures, it is considered a racial slur. Either way, it was demeaning to the young man and in spite of explanations that fell flat and apologies, Allen's Presidential hopes came crashing down around him.

Maybe the candidates and their surrogates ought to leave humor to the professionals at Saturday Night Live.

Though I do have to laugh at the lunacy that is going on around us.

John McCain's brother, Joe, while campaigning for John referred to the Democratic leaning counties in northern Virginia as "communist country". Do these guys ever think before they speak? Of course the campaign passed it off as his attempt at humor. I have no doubt that it was, but I'm wondering how the local Democrats like being equated with Communists!

If "lipstick on a pig" is always a referral to Sarah Palin and Obama is "pallin' around with terrorists" I guess this comment should not be blown out of proportion. McCain spokesperson Gail Gitcho passed it off with this, "John McCain and Sarah Palin are committed to winning the support of voters in Northern Virginia and understand the region's importance to victory statewide."

I know McCain/Palin are a pair of mavericks and I know negativity is supposed to be the most effective way of winning votes, but I have yet to understand the strategy of damning the opposition as a way to convince voters you are the best choice to lead the country! Especially if you need a portion of those opposition votes!

Palin And McCain May Deserve Each Other But Do We Deserve Them?

I knew when I posted last night I did so at great peril. Defending Sarah Palin in any way, shape or form gave me great pause.

Today that feeling of uneasiness proved true. The gloves are off. The dirt is flying. And Sarah, in her own folksy way, is leading the charge with reckless abandon!

According to an AP article on Brietbart she has now accused Obama of "palling around with terrorists"!

Whoa, Nellie! She is, of course, referring to Bill Ayers, one of the founders of the radical Weather Underground. When the group was active and taking credit for violence during the Vietnam War era Obama was a child. In time Ayers denounced his own radical activities and is now a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Obama served on a charity board with Ayers and has indeed had dealings with Ayers over time. These include serving together on the board of the Woods Fund dedicated to the development of community groups to help the poor and Obama served on the board of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, a school reform group that Ayers founded.

If this is a terrorist I'd not mind palling around with him myself!

Ms. Palin had this to say about Obama, " Our opponent is someone who sees America, it seems, as being imperfect, imperfect enough, that he's palling around with terrorists who would target their own country" and "This is not a man who sees America as you see America and as I see America."

Whoa, again. Back the pony up to the cart! Your view, Ms. Palin, is not how I see America nor how I see Barack Obama.

I could suggest you didn't do your home work on this one or your handlers had so much to feed you they missed this, but I don't think that's the case.

You, Ms. Palin, and John McCain will do anything to turn the tide of this election. You both should be ashamed to have sunk to this low. I hope the American people are beginning to see you as the puppet you have become.

Yes. I'm angry now. You're team isn't resonating, your team is weak on the war, on the economy and on decency. Folksy doesn't cut it when you totally misrepresent your opponent. You degrade yourself, your ticket and your party.

I withdraw my earlier statement about you deserving anything. You owe an apology to Barack Obama and Bill Ayers.

Oh yes, when the dirt is dished about you, don't blame the media. Check under your rug. I understand the pile is getting pretty high.

Trouble In Paradise?

I don't think Sarah Palin is Vice Presidential material. That being said, I resent the fact that she is being used, as a woman, to further John McCain's ambitions. I'm beginning to think that even he doesn't think she measures up but if she can bring in the Christian conservative vote, so what?

This headline, Palin questions McCain's concession of Michigan on Yahoo news caught my eye. I was astounded.

The article reports that Palin only learned of it Friday morning when she read it in the papers! Talk about not being kept in the loop! What an unconscionable slap in the face!

Being the feisty go getter that she is, she had this to say, "Todd and I, we'd be happy to get to Michigan and walk through those plants of the car manufacturers. We'd be so happy to get to speak to the people of Michigan who are hurting because the economy is hurting" and "I want to get back to Michigan and I want to try".

I applaud Sarah Palin for that attitude. Walking away, pulling your ads and reassigning staff because the polls are against you is no way to convince the American public you are concerned about their needs. Only your own.

Governor Palin has been kept on a short leash for good reason. We've seen glimpses of why in her interviews and in the debate. The campaign is doing everything it can to minimize the exposure that showcases her weaknesses and in turn blame what does come through on the evil media.

That may work some of the time but when the Vice Presidential candidate is not informed of a major strategy decision until after the fact, it tells this voter a lot about the character of John McCain and just how Ms. Palin would be used if the team is elected.

I mentioned in my earlier post today how I'm hearing women voicing the feeling of insult and betrayal because this woman was chosen over many more qualified. Well, here's a new reason to feel both emotions. Whether you like Sarah Palin or not, whether you feel she's qualified or not, she deserves better from the man who put her in this position.

There's No Lipstick On The Senate Pigs

The three big pigs and their bailout bills. My version. We started with a three page bill from the administration's little pig, Treasury Secretary Paulson. It was made of straw. The big, bad wolf of a House huffed and puffed and blew it off.

Then they morphed into pigs themselves and build a bill of wood. The problem was they couldn't decide on what grade of wood; solid or full of knotty holes. So they huffed and they puffed and blamed each other and blew it off. Their bill had grown to 116 pages.

Now it's the Senate's turn. Being a wise, deliberative body, they noticed the pig shtick didn't work so they morphed into hogs and produced a bill of brick. 451 pages long!

Hub had the PDF waiting for me when I got home from errand running. Every lobbyist in the world that wanted to get something into a "must pass" bill got into this one.

Here is the said purpose of the bill:

The purposes of this Act are—
(1) to immediately provide authority and facili-
3
ties that the Secretary of the Treasury can use to
4
restore liquidity and stability to the financial system
5
of the United States; and
6
(2) to ensure that such authority and such fa-
7
cilities are used in a manner that—
8
(A) protects home values, college funds, re-
9
tirement accounts, and life savings;
10
(B) preserves homeownership and pro-
11
motes jobs and economic growth;
12
(C) maximizes overall returns to the tax-
13
payers of the United States; and
14
(D) provides public accountability for the
15
exercise of such authority.

Here are some of the provisions:

Subtitle A—Renewable Energy Incentives

Subtitle B—Carbon Mitigation and Coal Provisions

TITLE II—TRANSPORTATION AND DOMESTIC FUEL SECURITY
PROVISIONS

TITLE III—ENERGY CONSERVATION AND EFFICIENCY
...and on and on. I don't like to cut and paste but did so to give you an idea of where this is going.

I'm sorry but this bill should not be passed nor should the President sign if it is. Here we are agonizing over the result of what we've been told is greed from the home buyer on up to our largest financial institutions. It has and will have an effect on our lives for a long time to come. The purpose is to borrow from the taxpayer to re-establish liquidity within our financial institutions; not to fund every pet project under the sun!

Now is the opportunity for both candidates to shine. I'd like to hear them defend or discredit, provision by provision, every provision in this bill that has nothing to do with the bailout. Yes. It would take hours. It would also mean they would have to actually read it. That would be novel.

Gentlemen?