David Corn

Um, I think Pinkerton is right but could that be the stopped clock rule?

Could this be the start of something new? Like a few more coming out against the Christian Radical Cleric in America? Doubtful, it just doesn't sell as well as Isamlic Radical Clerics.

Doubtful that McCain will renounce anyone who can get him a vote or a buck.

I think the more important part of the story is the fact that McSame seeked the endorsement - not for religious reasons but for votes - pure and simple.

Frankly, I couldn't care less about which church a candidate attends (or even no church) but when they obviously pander to radicals just to bring in votes - THAT bugs me.

Articles of "faith" always sound a bit odd or absurd to those that don't share the same point of view.

Maybe folks will believe what the candidates say about the reasons for their actions - I think McSame will lose on this one.

McCain can continue to embrace Parsley,

the religious reverend with extreme, irrational, religious-war-mongering views about Christianity and Islam, USA and Muslim states and secure votes

or discuss how his own views are different, and risk some votes.

Straight talk is straight talk. Are Parsley's political views the same as McCain's and if not, how are they different? BraveNew makes good political films.

Obama’s Remarks at Bend, Oregon Presser

[...]

Now, I respect John McCain’s honorable service to this country, but what the American people need aren’t stunts; what they need are real solutions. And I hope that’s what John McCain offers when he comes to Oregon on Monday to talk about energy. But the fact is, when he had the chance to provide real relief for struggling families by taxing the windfall profits of oil companies, he opposed it. Just like he opposed making price gouging by oil companies a federal crime. Just like he’s opposed real solutions to reduce our dependence on oil time and time again. He’s voted repeatedly against mandates to ensure that we’re using more renewable energy, and measures to spark investment in clean energy. And he’s voted against raising fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks.

http://tinyurl.com/6q9w8n

*****

I wonder if calling McSame a "stuntman" is insulting his advanced age?

Shiites ruin McCain's Sunni disposition

In a major speech on the war in Iraq today, presumptive GOP nominee Sen. John McCain said that the Iraqis have split into two factions, Shiites and Sunnis, with a sinister goal in mind.

"My friends, the Iraqis have divided themselves into these two groups for one reason and one reason only," McCain told an audience in a retirement village in Scottsdale, Ariz. "They are trying to confuse me."

McCain said that while the two groups of Iraqis are "well-nigh impossible" to tell apart, he vowed to commit American troops to Iraq "for as long as it takes for me to figure out just what the difference between Sunnis and Shiites is."

"If it takes 100 years, 1,000 years, or a billion zillion years, we will stay there until I can tell Sunnis and Shiites apart," the Arizona senator said.

McCain reserved his harshest words for the Shiites, who he said were trying to confuse him by sometimes referring to themselves as "Shiites" and other times as "Shia."

"What's that all about, anyway?" he asked. "Stop clowning around and call yourself one thing."

McCain seemed alarmed when a reporter asked him whether he believed that the Kurds, the third major group in Iraq, were trying to confuse him as well.

"The Kurds?" McCain said. "Who the heck are they?"

McCain then cut short the campaign appearance, explaining that he needed a nap.

Elsewhere, United and US Airways entered merger talks, hoping to combine their lack of services.

By Andy Borowitz

More on the “web imprint” of Rod Parsley and John Hagee:

The Plain Dealer, Cleveland
http://blog.cleveland.com/lifestyles/2008/03/_by_omar_sacirbey.html

Support of Christian Zionists makes some Jews uneasy
Posted by Omar Sacirbey/Religion News Service March 17, 2008

“Christian Zionism has various interpretations, but the central belief is that ancient Israel must be restored to bring about Armageddon and the Second Coming of Christ. Most Christian Zionists believe that during the Second Coming, Jews will ether convert to Christianity or perish.

“That theology alone is enough to give many Jews pause.

“While Israel's birth in 1948 seemed to fulfill biblical prophecy, Christian Zionists believe an intact Israel must also include Judea and Samaria -- the predominantly Palestinian West Bank captured by Israel in 1967. As such, they have resisted returning any land to the Palestinians as part of peace deal. And a war with Iran, some say, could usher in Armageddon.

“Estimates on the number of Christian Zionists in the U.S. range from 20 million to 40 million. The movement is mostly evangelical, and is most potent force is Christians United For Israel, established two years ago by Hagee, the pastor of the 18,000-member Cornerstone Church in San Antonio. The group's executive board includes Gary Bauer, Jonathan Falwell and other evangelical leaders.”

And later…

“One of the directors for Christians United for Israel, Ohio megachurch pastor Rod Parsley, has said ‘Islam must be destroyed’ and issued a ‘lock and load’ call against spiritual enemies. Hagee has been equally critical of Islam, but said that ‘my remarks about Islam are always ... about radical Islam.’

“Still, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, said such bombastic rhetoric is bound to raise eyebrows -- and concerns.

"’I think we need to be very, very reluctant to partner with anyone who isn't fundamentally respectful towards other religious traditions,’ Yoffie said. ‘His comments on Islam are a legitimate and important factor here when Jewish groups consider whether they should join with him.’"

Off topic here but . .

SUPPORT THE TROOPS
Many soldiers missing out on Bush’s stimulus checks

In August 2006 the 10th Mountain Division, 2nd BCT, 1-89 Cavalry was sent to Iraq for 12 months. In April 2007, the troops were told the Army was adding three additional months to their time in country.

In November 2007 the troopers of 1-89 arrived back in New York from their tour. They are now being told by the IRS, via the IRS Web site, that they haven’t earned enough money to qualify for the economic stimulus check.

(C&L)

*****

Does this make you crazy or what?

"Support the Troops" may be off topic, Capt, but I share your amazement at this lack of consideration for the brave men and women fighting in Iraq (and presumably, it will apply to troops in Afghanistan).

I can't think of any group that is more deserving of a little bit of "free" money--although it has probably been borrowed from Chinese financial sources, and so we will have to pay it back--than the troops and their families. My guess is that they will still spend it like the rest of us: catching up on utilities and buying gas and groceries.

The government always screws the troops. (in too many ways to count)

Grrrrr

Tom Davis, who chaired the NRCC for four years, said he doubts the effectiveness of the anti-Obama strategy because of the contrast between the consistently unpopular Bush and the likely Democratic nominee.

"When Bush tries to articulate a vision," Davis said, pausing to choose his words carefully, "he will butcher the Gettysburg Address. Obama, he will make an A&P grocery list sing."

House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), in a private meeting with Republicans on Tuesday, admitted the limitations of the anti-Obama strategy and tried to sell his troops on an Obama-like message of "change" as their only hope for success.

"We can't win SOLELY by tying our opponents to Barack Obama and his liberal views. We also have to prove Republicans are agents of change," Boehner told his colleagues, according to talking points prepared by his staff and provided to The Post.

Boehner expects to unveil portions of a new policy agenda this week, part of a year-long effort to "rebrand" his party's image.

(WaPo)

*****

Memo to the GOP:

Sucks to be you!

lol

Rumsfeld Blames the Generals for Poor Pre-War Planning

In February 2003, Gen. Eric Shinseki famously predicted that "several hundred thousand" troops would be needed for post-war hostilities in Iraq. According to documents recently released by the Pentagon in response to The New York Times's expose on its propaganda program, however, Donald Rumsfeld claimed in a 2006 briefing that the reason why he did not support a larger invasion force was because commanders did not request it:

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/#84911

*****

Darn generals. If only we could have some kind of civilian control of the military - maybe a non-military Defense Sec. or CIC that could actually give orders to the generals?

What benefits soldiers will benefit all of us

http://tinyurl.com/5ye929

*****

A good piece and spot on. We have an opportunity to save the country by doing something good for our troops at the same time.

I imagine there would be fewer mental health issues if those returning had some of the security and advantages of the new GI bill.

Another Conservative (Andrew Sullivan) has been calling for the GOP to steer clear of the Christianists for the last few years. The Radical Religious Right has been playing Jedi mind tricks with the DMW for years. The Christianists issue their religious fatwas and the Pat Roberts, the Tom Coburns and their ilk follow their commandments.

Watch Jon Stewart challange Gramps McBush to refute, repudiate and renounce his spiritual mentor:
http://tinyurl.com/5lrr5j

Gramps literally tried to cut-and-run. Too freekin funny.

Challange? Sun ova beach.

How 'bout some Mother's Day Funnies?

"One of Hillary Clinton's advisers says that the chance of Hillary conceding the nomination to Barack Obama and dropping out of the race is only about 10%. Yeah, however, the adviser admits that if Obama wins the presidency, that number could go as high as 11%. She can hang on."
--Conan O'Brien

"John McCain, remember him? No one talks about him much anymore. He won his side of this thing like four months ago. He's just wandering around. John McCain's wife was recently overheard saying that they own eight or nine homes. Eight or nine homes, yeah. Yeah, McCain's wife denied this, and stated, 'What I said is, I've tried to put him in a home eight or nine times.'"
--Conan O'Brien

"So here's what happened on Tuesday. Hillary Clinton barely won my home state of Indiana. And she lost in the state of North Carolina. But here is the good news. She has a substantial lead in the state of denial."
--David Letterman

"I was thinking about this, and I'm no political genius. I'm no pundit, but it occurred to me that Hillary Clinton has one thing in common with President Bush. Neither of them has an exit strategy."
--David Letterman

"Now here's what I don't understand about government and politics and stuff like that. ... Earlier today, President Bush asked Congress to okay ... an additional $50 billion for his daughter's wedding."
--David Letterman

"This weekend, in Crawford, Texas, at the Bush family ranch, one of president Bush's daughter, Jenna, will be getting married. As a matter of fact, tomorrow she is getting married. And I thought this was cute. Because the groom went to President Bush and he asked President Bush for his daughter's hand in marriage. And President Bush said, 'Well, it's okay with me, but you gotta run it by Cheney.'"
--David Letterman

"Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons, he's the one accused of groping a woman in a Las Vegas parking lot while drunk. The guy's the governor, by the way. But he's filed for divorce. He's now trying to evict his wife from the Governor's Mansion. He's trying to kick her out. Yeah. And he told the press, 'You know what it's like when a woman just won't get the hint and leave?' To which Barack Obama said, 'Tell me about it!'"
--Jay Leno

"Best wishes to President Bush's daughter, Jenna. She's getting married this weekend. I understand both John McCain and Dick Cheney will attend. That way they'll have something old and something blue."
--Jay Leno

"Barack Obama picked up four more superdelegates this week. Those are the party big shots whose votes, for some reason, mean a lot more than our votes mean. Even so, it's nice to see a politician pick up something other than a prostitute every once in a while."
--Jimmy Kimmel

"The Democrats are in a tough spot now, because if the superdelegates somehow give the nomination to Clinton, that's going to alienate a lot of African-Americans who support Obama, but if Obama wins, there's going to be a lot of disappointed women voters, which is why I think, now more than ever, we need a President Oprah."
--Jimmy Kimmel

"Very tough night for Hillary Clinton, as you're aware. Hillary Clinton says she isn't dropping out, 'cause there are still six states that haven't had their Democratic primary. That's right. Barack Obama's favored in the states of Oregon, Montana and South Dakota, and Hillary is favored in the state of denial."
--Conan O'Brien

"Well, you know what's interesting. The experts say, if you do the math, there's no way Hillary Clinton can win the nomination. And today, Hillary responded by saying, 'People who do math are elitist.'"
--Jay Leno

"You know, they use that word a lot in the election, 'elitist.' Here's my question. Didn't elite used to be a good thing? I mean, if you were elite, didn't that mean the best? 'Oh, no. We don't want anybody who's elitist. God forbid we should have decent people doing this.' And they say the Clinton campaign is out of money, and today, Republicans said, 'How much do you need?'"
--Jay Leno

"Yeah, not looking good for Hillary. Today, even Yogi Berra said, 'It's over.'"
--Jay Leno

"And you can tell Barack Obama is feeling confident. Did you see what he did this afternoon? Did you see what he did today? He went bowling with his former pastor, Reverend Wright. ... That's confidence."
--Jay Leno

"President Bush has offered to help Myanmar. I guess it used to be called Burma. That's where they had that terrible cyclone, where thousands of people were killed as the country was hit by a devastating cyclone. In fact, Bush offered to help the country under one condition, 'Don't tell New Orleans."
--Jay Leno

"Hey, you know who is getting married this weekend? One of the Bush sisters. Jenna Bush is getting married this weekend at her father's place in Crawford, Texas. And this is no surprise: the $2 billion ice sculpture contract went to Halliburton."
--David Letterman

And my favorite:

"Hillary Clinton said, in an interview with George Stephanopoulos Sunday night, that Rush Limbaugh has always had a crush on her. What is it with the Clintons and their magical power over chubby people? What is it? Chubby people can't resist them."
--Jay Leno

WTF? Chubby? Rush is "Chubby" the way the sun is "warm." Rush is "chubby" the way Mr. 20% is a dingbat. Reminds me of conservative comedian Dennis Miller's quote, "Bush surrounds himself with smart people the way a hole surrounds itself with a donut."

A little youtube for HRC's supporters. It's got lots of baaaaad words, so beware!

As they say in the moovies, she's one tough hombre:
http://tinyurl.com/6p4pdv

Secret McBush Slogan memo discovered (via HuffPost):
Source: http://tinyurl.com/5gthb2

#3 Hope is What You Have Before You Get Old
#6 John McCain: He's NOT Black
#10 Got Old? (playing off the Got Milk? ads)
#15 McCain: He Has an American Flag Pin Lodged in His Colon!

But the winner is clearly #9:
McCain: Obliterating the Middle East is On His Bucket List!

More humor from the HuffPost:
http://tinyurl.com/6a3y6e

Bill Clinton Endorses Obama

The former president said he would relish a return to the White House, calling his tenure there "good times."

For her part, Sen. Clinton said that the defection of her husband would not deter her from staying in the race, adding, "To my knowledge, he's the only white voter Sen. Obama has."

The New York senator denied that she was playing the race card, arguing, "Every other member of my family is supporting me, and by the way, they're white."

Elsewhere, a defiant John McCain said that his wife will not release her tax returns, "and neither will my girlfriend."

Pande,

Excellent stuff! Thanks

And:

A very Happy Mother's Day.

'Raw Politics': Religious right leaning toward Democrats?

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- For decades, evangelicals have been seen as solid supporters of the Republican Party. That could be changing.

The religious right, a cornerstone of the so-called Reagan revolution -- the battle over abortion law, and gay marriage -- wants a change.

At least some evangelicals do.

A group of influential Christian leaders are declaring they are tired of divisive politics, tired of watching fights over some issues trump all the good they could be doing.

"Our proposal in [our] manifesto is to join forces with all those who support a civil public square. ... a vision of public life in which people of all faiths -- which, of course, means no faith -- are free to enter and engage public life on the basis of their faith," said evangelical leader Os Guinness.

http://tinyurl.com/4yr95q

*****

Praise the lord and pass the pancakes!

Well anyway pass the pancakes this Mother's Day.

Yawn...

Dozens of posts on this site... All puerile and cartoonish character assassination... First against Hillary, now against McCain.

McCain is clearly a weak candidate... Let's just assume he's a goner and Obama will be President... What then?

Someone tell me what they think Obama might accomplish? What will he attempt? How will he do it?

Seriously, tell me what he's going to fight FOR? What's he stand FOR? (And I mean it, try to tell me without generalities and platitudes.) I'm asking a serious question!

And this "radical cleric" stuff is so petty.... The people who made a big deal of Wright were fools.... Why try to emulate them? Parsley, Hagee, Wright.... They're marginal characters... The less "oxygen" you give them the better if you ask me...

NO ONE believes McCain believes what Parsley or Hagee believe. And people quickly bounced back and realized that Obama doesn't believe the crackpot notions of Rev. Wright...

Drop it! Let's get back to the "new politics!"

You're "losing your bearings!" (And I mean that the way Obama did... Get back to something POSITIVE that you're actually FOR!)

McCain Loses Bearings in Speech on Constitution; Campaign Covers Up Error

http://tinyurl.com/6ojduc

*****

The general election campaign hasn't even started yet . . .

Just in case anybody missed the SNL skit - very funny:

Last night's all new "Saturday Night Live" was hosted by actor Shia Labeouf. The show opened with Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton giving a message to America.

Poehler's Clinton says how the race is "hopelessly deadlocked" and she gives reasons why she will make the better president. Reason one? "I am a sore loser... I will probably refuse to campaign for him." Second: "My supporters are racist." It goes from there.

http://tinyurl.com/5xen9l