Craig Crawford's Trail Mix

W00t

Blue,
If you are still around DSM and want to meet up, let me know. zoeyp2001atyahoodotcom

I'll dig up Spike for the occaision.

hi zoey

zoey, our photo is my favorite of the campaign:

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/craigzoey.JPG

even more favorite than my Obama Girl pic:

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/obamagirl_web.jpg

205? You are generous Craig, LOL

Obama 319 McCain 219...Obama + 5

Thanks Craig. I was glad we got to run into each other since it will probably be awhile before we are in the same place at the same time.

Craig -- flattery will get you everywhere with Zoey....

Zoey -- Dig me up? All you have to do is wait until after dark and knock on the crypt...

i get to McCain 205 mainly because i don't think Obama wins Missouri -- too many Catholics and evangelicals, McCaskill notwithstanding

Zoey to Craig -- "I was glad we got to run into each other since it will probably be awhile before we are in the same place at the same time."

Don't forget, the 2012 Iowa caucus campaign starts in about 5 months...

spike (and zoey), i hate to say it because i love you guys but i am FED UP with Iowa (unless Florida is allowed into the mix)

Doonesbury predicts winner

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-national/20081031/Obama.Doonesbury/

and incidentally, the Republican campaign begins at midnight on Nov. 5

The only state I gave to McCain that I think won't prove true is WV, but hey there is a chance, slight one, that Obama could flip AZ.

or 11pm, when i'm hearing the networks expect to call it for Obama

Damn, Craig...that shore iz two purty ladies you have posted pics of!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I could have voted early...it's closer than where I have to vote on 11-4, but I decided to wait...it's just a big deal to vote on election day for me, and I have only voted in 9 presidential elections ...my tenth is special!

BTW I do think you will see a several point jump in the dailies tomorrow, mostly as a result of the infomercial and the states Obama is working now.

Iowa does have a strangle hold on the electoral process and it isn't pretty, but then I really, really hate the caucus system.

Also CNN was reporting early, Candi what's her name (what is her last name?) that the Obama people were telling her that their internals were telling them that the early vote has more than likely already given Obama an advantage that McCain just can't overcome at this point.

well, dexter, you found my all-favorite video of 2008, and i'll forever be grateful:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtLPhDgMSlk

U mean Candy Crowley?

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/11/my-electoral-college-predictio.html#comment-166946

Your correct Craig, but I meant we'll actually have candidates on the ground here about March, 2009. At least that's about the same amount of time after the 2004 election we started seeing candidates.

yes dex, tnx

yeah, Craig...that is indeed one heckuva dog!

i want to be that dog

I'm a little surprised Obama isn't doing better in Ark. the gov and both senators are dems, and most of their state govt. is Dem too.

"State officials say there's no doubt Barack Obama was born in Hawaii"

ROFL G Man, tell us who you would believe if you think the State Health (vital stats) officials lie.

arkansans very bitter toward obama (clinton stuff), i've found, brian

Dexter, I feel the same way about going to the polls. You reminded me about the number of Presidents I've voted for. My first was 1968 as well.

Oh boy! I CAN'T wait until McCain goes on SNL ! (Yawn...)
BTW...that crazy appearance McCain made in Defiance, Ohio Thursday was just 15 minutes from my house (next town from me). My neighbor went and said the big crowds were 90% little school kids that were forced-bused in...

BTW, Intrade.com is now taking trades on the 2012 Presidential Futures Market:

Republicans available for trade (so far):
Huckabee
Jindal
Palin
Romney

Democrats available for trade (so far):
Obama
Clinton

Gordo, why not let Obama paraphrase Tito the Builder: Born wherever, but MADE IN THE USA

jamie...my first was 1972, for McGovern. This will be my tenth. For Obama.

Oh...a Huckabee sighting...only a nanosecond as I flipped past Faux Noise....

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/11/my-electoral-college-predictio.html#comment-166962

that makes sense.

Out at the casino tonite, there was a contest for best costume by employees and customers. I wonder how many people this year went with an Ashley Todd look. I saw one of each with a backwards B and J .lol

dex, your dog video has inspired me -- i'm off to the tub. thanks again.

Craig,
"dex, your dog video has inspired me -- i'm off to the tub. thanks again."

Will there be video involved?

Craig - From OT - Nope, haven't moved to Des Moines yet, but I keep threatening folks here. Traffic was a mess due to Barak-fest downtown; heard him over the loudspeaker as we sat in traffic on the way to where we were going.

Carter - 76. I've always been glad that my first vote proved to be for the winner.

i saw where the Governator was criticizing Obama for his physique. Damn, is there nothing off limits with these goopers.

Good night all.

Arnold could have helped McCain had been out there campaigning 2 months ago, now it's meaningless. There has been a noticeable lack of star power in the McCain campaign. Save Palin, and she just much as harm as good. It's also a little odd that both Palin and McCain took tonight off.

Thom Hartmann suggested there are three types of undecideds:
Those that don't know/don't care what the hells going on and will vote willy nilly on the 4th; those that don't want to tell or let anyone know their feelings and those that say they're undecided and probably won't vote at all. Interesting.

ET,

Only for you.
Today when I picked my wife up after her work at TESC, I asked her if anyone was unusually costumed for Halloween. She just laughed and said that's it's hard to tell at Evergreen.

Anyone who hasn't made up their mind by now shouldn't be allowed to vote. It's been a very long time since we've had two such different candidates. One is a right wing repug, and the other is a socialist, LOL.

I do not have the ability to make a prediction.

Same thing with Jamie's horse races. ;-)

tt

Rezdog -------------------

"State officials say there's no doubt Barack Obama was born in Hawaii"

My response:

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/10/checkmate-in-florida.html#comment-166911

Proves nothing. The question still remains -- why does he REFUSE to make public certified hardcopy BCs and other documents? If the HI official is telling the TRUTH, then why doesn't SoetorObama authorize the release of all hardcopy BCs?

Still serious citizenship questions and the possible use of a name(BHO) for about 30 years that is not his legal name.

Craig---------------

"Gordo, why not let Obama paraphrase Tito the Builder: Born wherever, but MADE IN THE USA"

MADE = created

I'll not go into this (tin -foil world), but that might be an accurate description.

It proves a lot! Who the hell are you! You're not anyone official. You didn't bother to address the question I asked, just your spin to a statement. Something you always do.

"tell us who you would believe if you think the State Health (vital stats) officials lie."

"just your spin to a statement. Something you always do."

Well duh!

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/11/my-electoral-college-predictio.html#comment-166981

c'mon tiptoe, you can do it. play with our electoral map and make your predicition:

http://innovation.cq.com/prezMap08/?tab=2

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/11/my-electoral-college-predictio.html#comment-166983

ha, GORDO, there's HOPE for you yet

Rezdog ---------------

It proves ZERO !!!

Make ALL the documents public. That includes hospital records (which hospital -- two have been named) and everything necessary to PROVE that he is Constitutionally qualified. Let's see the certified hardcopy records.

Do you believe government officials never lie? What cave have you been living in?

You do understand (was explained several days ago) that a HI birth certificate can be issued to an infant born in another state and even outside the US.

SoetorObama continues to stonewall. This issue is not going away. If he wins, plans are being formulated to stop him in the Electorial College (heard it discussed tonight on a netcast).
------------------------------
Electoral College

"In 2008, it will make this selection on December 15. The Electoral College is an example of an indirect election.

Electors are technically free to vote for anyone eligible to be President, ..."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Electoral_College

ELIGIBLE ELIGIBLE ELIGIBLE

You're nutz Gordo,

"HI birth certificate can be issued to an infant born in another state and even outside the US."

The Director said no doubt he was born IN Hawaii. Dummy.

Still, who in the world would you believe? In my mind, nobody!

So this is all about casting doubt. "You don't want to know the truth."
LOL

Rezdog ------------

"The Director said no doubt he was born IN Hawaii."

How do we know the Director is telling the TRUTH?

Why does SoetorObama refuse to release certified hardcopy documents that can be examined by a panel of document specialists?

Even if he was born in HI, it's very likely he lost his "natural" born status. Problems with Indonesia and Kenya.

Need to see this:

"Certified copies of Obama’s Application and Admission forms for Occidental College, Columbia University and Harvard Law School"

What did he list as his nationality? Was it Indonesian or Kenyan?

What is SoetorObama hidding? Plenty !!!

Ping - was this directed at me? I ask because my name is Bethy, not Betty. Also, I'm not sure what you're referring to here if I am indeed the intended recipient - are you referring to the letter from the Blue states? If so, that was a joke and I didn't write it - couldn't have and actually wouldn't have. I don't think like that but thought it was funny and wanted to acknowledge someone else's handiwork. I find your comment a little nasty - I don't think I've ever posted anything nasty to you. I actually don't even think in insulting terms - I don't want to.

""Betty do you have any understanding of Capital stucture..... ah no need to waste my time.""

Posted by: Ping Pong | October 31, 2008 9:51 PM

In re Lampe's post: I don't see that as racist. She (not he) sounds very frustrated to me. Are you forgetting that Lampe is black?

Bye Gordo

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/11/my-electoral-college-predictio.html#comment-166991

How do you know he/she is black, cause he/she said so?

Uncle Tom is a pejorative for a black person who is perceived by others as behaving in a subservient manner to White American authority figures, or as seeking ingratiation with them by way of unnecessary accommodation. The term Uncle Tom comes from the title character of Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, although there is debate over whether the character himself is deserving of the pejorative attributed to him. The term "Uncle Tom" was never meant to degrade blacks, but Stowe's novel changed the meaning.[1]

It is commonly used to describe black people whose political views or allegiances are considered by their critics as detrimental to blacks as a group.

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

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/11/my-electoral-college-predictio.html#comment-166967

1980 was my first vote. I voted for Jimmy Carter on the same day I registered to vote in Minnesota. I was pissed when he lost. I worked as a volunteer in Seattle for Mondale/Ferraro... we won Seattle SIGINIFICANTLY, at least 70% as I recall but still lost KING county. 88 I voted for boring Dukakis and then, of course '92 and '96 for Bill Clinton.. my first ever times to have chosen the winning candidate. Gore 2000, didn't care about Kerry but still voting for him (why are Massachusetts candidates so boring?). and 2008 Barack Obama which I am cautiously hoping will win the election. Oh yeah the first vote... I was not 18 until August 1977, so I just missed the '76 election. I would have voted for Carter then too, but in retrospect, I think Gerald Ford was a true gentleman and if someone of his stature was in the Republican party today I would vote for them (depending on the opposition).

how do we know brian is black
just because he/she said so

I'm white.

Gordo, nice photo...

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k189/boredbotting/tinfoilhat.jpg

Obama 374 McCain 164 Obama +12

Brian - Yes, Lampe has told us she is a black female of
around 45 or 50 - my fault in that I don't remember her exact age. She has been very open about not liking Obama - I started to describe her feelings more precisely but realized I'd be speaking for her and might mis-speak to her detriment. She seems to be very sincere to me - of course, I trust nobody, so I admit she could be lying through her teeth , a blonde sitting poolside.

However, until she changes her message I'll take her at face value as we all do here. I have found her posts to be thoughtful and personal.

Her dislike of Obama doesn't seem to be rooted in economics as is Anselm's, but more because of the man. I think she offers a unique point of view, one that shouldn't hurt anyone to hear. She might make you mad, tho, but not by slinging mud - you would probably just disagree with her.

There is absolutely no snarkiness in this post - I'm trying to use words judiciously so am being a little stiff.

Brian - just for you. Since you are so into polls.

http://www.zogby.com/main.htm

The other article that has come up just awhile ago - OblameO aunt is in this country ILLEGALLY!!! cannot wait for him to give is answer to this one.. stutter stutter -

So brian what is your view on BO palestian leanings? His friend Khalidi was a spokesman for the PlO and Bo saying negative things about Isreal.. Or do you not care about Isreal?

Jamie time to start a new pool -

It is probably the second-most-pressing question circulating in the salons of Washington’s media elite: Who will be the permanent host, or hosts, of the NBC program “Meet the Press”?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/01/arts/television/01meet.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/11/my-electoral-college-predictio.html#comment-167003

BO has palestinian leanings? Since ween?

For me, I care very little about

my goodness.......John Cleese has called Bill O'Reilly a most curious word........ he called him a "berk", which he then explained is cockney rhyming slang and short for Berkshire Hunt. the translation i leave to google.

I hear McCain was responsible for a lot of money which was given to Khalidi......$400 thousand or so.....

O.....383
Mac......155

McCain 272
Obama - the remainder

Off to swim districts

our task for today, crawdads, is to find a better word than "landslide" for the msm to use the next few days.

"avalanche" is just too scary and too much like being buried by big hunky rocks. so too, but damper is "tsunami".

so how about "earthquake" or "flood" or " scree" or???

"But the scariest thing McCain has said — worthy of Scotland Yard’s “Black Museum” of horrors — is one I’ve barely seen commented on.

I heard him say that when the White House phone rings at the dread 3 o’clock in the morning, you don’t want someone picking it up who has to take time to “think and analyze the situation, but someone who will act.” This, coming from a man with the “thinking and analyzing” traits of a snapping turtle cannot help but bring the Cuban missile crisis to mind — and what the world might be today had the Arizona senior been in charge. If it (the world) would even be at all."

---Dick Cavett, in his blog at the NY Times

deluge as in "apres moi"

Sentimental Favorite: Mudslide

Obamalanche

Tsubami

Standing O-vation

ha.....we have a lady democrat ( for whom my daughter says I must vote) (actually, I thought she should know better......Ain't I a democrat?) (apologies to Sojourner Truth) running here in SC who has been accused of being a liberal by her opponent, an old fat white man...........So her latest ad says....."I am NOT a liberal, I'm a business woman."

woids woids woids and south carolina......an unending source of amusement.

John McCain: 275
Barack Obama: 263
Popular Vote: Obama +0.5

a dollar for mr ping:

http://www.jonco48.com/blog/zero_20bill.jpg

The Ass and the Mule
A MULETEER set forth on a journey, driving before him an Ass and a Mule, both well laden. The Ass, as long as he traveled along the plain, carried his load with ease, but when he began to ascend the steep path of the mountain, felt his load to be more than he could bear. He entreated his companion to relieve him of a small portion, that he might carry home the rest; but the Mule paid no attention to the request. The Ass shortly afterwards fell down dead under his burden. Not knowing what else to do in so wild a region, the Muleteer placed upon the Mule the load carried by the Ass in addition to his own, and at the top of all placed the hide of the Ass, after he had skinned him. The Mule, groaning beneath his heavy burden, said to himself: "I am treated according to my deserts. If I had only been willing to assist the Ass a little in his need, I should not now be bearing, together with his burden, himself as well."
---Eye soap.

Sturg, sorry you're in an area without kids--Halloween is a special journey into escapism, a road that we should all travel every once in a while.

We had about 50 kids stop by. Without exception they were delightful--even the young teens. And, they were unfailingly polite.

I'm looking forward to next year!

Well, I guess Mr Obama is going to have a chance to show his support for protecting our borders:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081101/ap_on_el_pr/obama_aunt

275-McCain
263-Obama

Really, I have no idea and little interest. Mr Nader is on C-Span right now.

flatus.....I'm just the opposite......I have no interest (in the actual numbers) and little idea.

If you missed Charlie Rose last night with the pollster from 538 (short) and then two long interviews with Charles Schumer and David Brooks. The subjects were the current campaign but with Schumer the whole financial mess both its causes and resolution plus what the next President will be facing.

Brooks went over the split in the modern Republican party and was bot wistful and funny.

I looked on the Charlie Rose site, but the video isn't up yet.

We're looking at a borderline mandate...
378 Obama
160 McCain
6.7% margin (lunatic precision)

I do have one prediction. If it appears as if the contest after the voting is close, and one or two states could turn the tide, it will be James Baker who will determine the winner--and, it won't be Mr Obama.

from what I hear mr baker might be up against an angry army of democratic fighting lawyers......

damn I was almost asleep when I wrote my response over the ridiculous comment about Obama hating Israel. What I was saying was, personally speaking, I don't give a frack about Israel. We should cut all funds to them and let them finance themselves.

Sturg, they folded like a deck of cards in 2000.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/11/my-electoral-college-predictio.html#comment-167004

Anon,

You need to pick another name so that we can tell who you are. Or just a letter. We all recognize Anon P. :-)

For meet the press, I would like to see Chuck Todd and Gwen Ifill either rotate or co host.

"What I was saying was, personally speaking, I don't give a frack about Israel. We should cut all funds to them and let them finance themselves. " ET@8:39

On any number of levels we're obligated to support Israel. That obligation was formalized in 1947 by the Truman administration.

And, in the last fifty years, Israel has been our military proxy in the Middle East. Their blood was shed instead of ours.

We owe them--big-time.

Sturgeone

I really like Tsubama

That wave is going roll right across the whole country.

Ha! I like the boldness of corey's math.

Jamie, I like Ifill for the position.

flatus......exactly......2000........I dont think the current crew believe in folding......I think they'll raise antes and carry the fight to the opponents......perhaps even to scorched earth.......I think the leaders have set fire to the boats

I heard JOhn Cleese say that and got very curious looks from people who didn't quite understand what was so funny.

"...I think the leaders have set fire to the boats "

Which probably means the crew is going over the side, swimming for shore while it is still on the horizon.

but the boats were beached.........no retreat........no quarter.............

lol

I will be watching from a hilltop well away from the coast!

A great article from Justin Webb of the BBC

The greatest political show on earth

The most fascinating, most gruelling and most expensive US presidential election campaign for generations is almost over. Whoever wins, says Justin Webb, the contest has left him wondering if any other political show could ever compete.
Three unforgettable moments...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7701877.stm

( I stashed a rowboat a little ways up the coast......)

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/11/my-electoral-college-predictio.html#comment-167035

pffffft ... they have the money, the military and the ability to protect themselves. Unless we want to make them a colony, we should cut loose and let them pay for themselves... unless there was a serious attack or war. I don't say we have to cut ties; we already have a presence in the Middle East. And the USA can always be supportive. But, as they say in Republican camps, it's time to lift themselves up by the boot straps and take responsibility for themselves... a bit of Repub paraphrasing on personal responsibility.

I don't hate Israel, even though I don't think they were legitimately given the land they live on when considering what happened to the palestinian peoples who lived there, torn out of their homes and tossed out of the new country.

Okay.

Everyone double check. Here is what I have for the predictions. Zed is interesting with a pop vote win for O and an electoral vote for M. That would cause trouble.

Flatus 263 275
Zed 263 275
Ping Pong 266 272
PatD 290 248
EProf2 295 243
Rezdog 297 241
Lardass 307 231
Karl 313 225
Dexter 319 219
Pogo 326 202
Cong. Quar. 333 205
Blond Wino 344 194
Euro Tom 349 189
Gilbert In DC 353 185
Unlikely Burrito 364 174
Sheila 365 173
X Repug 372 166
Dink 374 164
datadwarf 378 160
Bear 380 158
Brian 381 157
Sturgeone 383 155
Jamie 386 152
AP 390 148
Corey 538 0

The Palestinians were not thrown off "their" land.
Speak to the Jordanians.

Some here have no knowledge of history and are simply mouthing the lies of terrorists.

ET, your 9:07

It looks as if you've really been influenced by the Palestinian talking-points. So be it.

For balance, if you haven't done so, why not do a reading of Uris' Exodus and Wouk's War and Remembrance and it's sequel (the title escapes me).

Yes those pesky palestinians... Terrorists one and all...

Craig -
Your Fla. theory is holding up well -

(in-person & absentee returned)

3,360,088

2008 2004
Party

Dem
45.6% 40.7%
Rep
38.2% 43.5%
No/Oth
16.2% 15.8%
Ballot

Absentee
41.5%
In-person
58.5%

44.0% (% of total 2004 vote)

7,640,319 (2004 total vote)

36.1% ( 2004 early vote %)

OBAMA =373
MCCAIN=165

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/11/my-electoral-college-predictio.html#comment-167047

ET

That isn't what happened. All were free to stay. The neighbors told the Palestinians to leave and get out of the way and when Israel was destroyed, they could go home again. It didn't work out that way, so the neighbors didn't really want the Palestinians either because absorbing them would mean the loss of a political weapon against Israel. So they ended up in a no mans land.

Many Palestinians live within Israel. They have complaints about representation in government and prejudice and whole lot of other items, but they are in their homes unlike those who departed.

McCain on TV now, " I never asked for pork barrel projects"

There 80,000 people living on the Navajo Reservation who don't have running water.

It would be nice if McCain knew what he was talking about when he talks about these things he wouldn't allow in the budget such as the "overhead projector".

Talk about stupid talking to stupid. Of course he might know wht that "projector" was and that makes it pandering which makes it manipulative liar agitating stupid.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/11/my-electoral-college-predictio.html#comment-167014

Sturge...that note from Cavett's blog you posted goes right to the heart of one of my pet peeves about McCain and Palin rhetoric: The whole idea that a "maverick" makes a good leader. By definition, a maverick is a lone colt that has ESCAPED FROM THE HERD! What does that have to do with being a leader??? And Palin's convention speech, she used the phrase "we'll be a TEAM of mavericks". Can there be such a thing? Isn't that like saying "a TEAM of loners."??

Pingy: Just saw your note from last night. Go Boone!

I have really grown to loath McCain this fall.

South Florida at Cincinnati now on ESPNU (DirecTv 614). Tied 7-7 in the first quarter. USF is an exciting team to watch. Go Bulls!

Curious ... has anyone here read "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid" by Jimmy Carter? I know there was a lot of controversy....

I am also interested in the works of ilan pappe'

"Ilan Pappe, born in Haifa in 1954 is currently a Chair in the Department of History, the University of Exeter and a co-director of the Exeter Center for Ethno-Political Studies. He was the academic head and founder of the Institute for Peace studies in Givat Haviva Israel (1992-2000) and the Chair of the Emil Touma Institute for Palestinian Studies in Haifa (2000-2008).

Pappe is a both a professional historian and a human rights’ activist who believes that commitment and professionalism do not necessarily clash, but rather reinforce each other.

He wrote extensively on the 1948 Nakbah and is regarded as one of Israel ‘new historians’ who challenged the official Zionist version of events.

Pappe has also written on the Modern Middle East, multiculturalism and historiography."

“Occupiers cannot also be liberal”: An interview with Ilan Pappe

Apostolis Fotiadis, The Electronic Intifada, 21 June 2008

ATHENS (IPS) - Support for an academic boycott of Israeli universities exposed Ilan Pappe to death threats last year, forced him to resign as senior lecturer of political science at the University of Haifa, and leave the country.

His argument that the creation of Israel in 1948 was followed by a policy of cleansing Israeli territory of Palestinians, his support to Hamas resistance despite rejecting its political ideology, and the denouncement of Israeli academia for justifying the occupation of Palestine have made him an unwanted person in Israel. But still he remains a firm believer that the only way to improve this reality is by exposing its worst aspects.

Pappe now teaches history at the University of Exeter in Britain.

In an interview with Inter Press Service correspondent Apostolis Fotiadis, Pappe discusses the situation in Palestine today, and the Arab-Israeli conflict 60 years after it began. Continue →

http://ilanpappe.com/?cat=15

Being Jewish, Mr. Pappe is considered a traitor.

His latest book:

"The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine"

"Since the Holocaust, it has been almost impossible to hide large-scale crimes against humanity. In our communicative world few modern catastrophes are concealed from the public eye. And yet, Ilan Pappe unveils, one such crime has been erased from the global public memory: the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians in 1948. The pervasive denial of the Nakbah, as Palestinians call the catastrophe that befell them, is still a mystery today. But why is it denied, and by whom?"

Noam Chomsky on Israel, Lebanon and Palestine

By Kaveh Afrasiabi of Global Interfaith Peace

08/07/06 "Information Clearing House" -- --

NEWS YOU WON'T FIND ON CNN

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14404.htm

McCaine just has to lose. Just the thought of "My Friends" for the next four years is an impeachable offense.

I don't think Presidents are allowed to torture citizens until they are forced into ear covered fetal balls.

Here's hoping his prostate swells to the size of a grapefruit.

Peggy Noonan with some kind words for Barack Obama (and John McCain too) in her Wall Street Journal column.

Begins: "The case for Barack Obama, in broad strokes:

He has within him the possibility to change the direction and tone of American foreign policy, which need changing; his rise will serve as a practical rebuke to the past five years, which need rebuking; his victory would provide a fresh start in a nation in which a fresh start would come as a national relief. He climbed steep stairs, born off the continent with no father to guide, a dreamy, abandoning mother, mixed race, no connections. He rose with guts and gifts. He is steady, calm, and, in terms of the execution of his political ascent, still the primary and almost only area in which his executive abilities can be discerned, he shows good judgment in terms of whom to hire and consult, what steps to take and moves to make. We witnessed from him this year something unique in American politics: He took down a political machine without raising his voice. ..."

http://www.peggynoonan.com/article.php?article=440

Jamie, I confess that I am not an expert on the Middle East... And I do believe that there are issues of legitimacy on both sides of the conflicts... I do think our supporting one side has done little to strengthen our interests in the region.

But hey, I admit I have a lot to learn. In the meantime, a country that actually spies on the USA and is their biggest benefactor politically, financially and militarily doesn't sit well with me. The money given to Israel could finance many programs in the USA...

why are weather phenomena compared to sports equiptment, while health and body issues are compared to fruit?
--george carlin (i think)

hailstones as big as golfballs

prostate as big as a grapefruit......

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/12/28/noonan/

Peggy Noonan is a joke. Now she is trying to look like she always knew what she was doing. Ride the magic dolphins Peggums you stupid idiot.

Why do people continue to quote idiots because they are hoping on a bandwagon.

If you want better media, you have to get rid of the idiots first not pet them on the head when they happened to find an acorn.

What a stupid and vapid woman this is, but respected and admired by our media class because she fits right in with them -- endlessly impressed by her own sophistication, maturity and insight while drooling out platitudes one never hears except in seventh-grade cafeterias and on our political talk shows. As always, this isn't worth noting because the adolescent stupidity on display here is unique to Noonan, but precisely because it isn't. This is how our national elections are decided: by people like her, spewing things like this.
Glenn Greenwald

Popular vote:
Obama 49.5%, McCain: 47.5%, Others: 3%

Electoral college:
Obama: 300 (Kerry states, NM, IA, CO, FL)
McCain: 238

Fact Check Please,

Noonan is highly respected in most corners of this country. She is a pundit and writer. She's not a journalist. She can write and endorse who and how she wants.

I may not agree with Peggy Noonan at times, but she is nothing if truthful and courageously writing about what she believes.

In case you didn't know, she's been moving steadily toward Obama for about a year now, as with a lot of other republicans.

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/

Today's 538

Obama 349.7 McCain 188.3

"I don't think Presidents are allowed to torture citizens until they are forced into ear covered fetal balls."

Can we put Bush in jail for THAT? (hoping...)

I am also of the opinion that Noonan and Brooks' truth telling about Obama, helped the Old Guard Republicans move toward Endorsing him rather than keeping silent.

No matter how the election ends next Tuesday, that fact is significant in American History.

Jamie, isn't that about what I predicted? Wow!!

Off to watch Battlestar Galactica. Good lord, let Tuesday come and pass quickly... I am wound up like a rubber band ready to bust :-)

Some of the early vote is off the charts -
Georgia
2004 - 20.2%
2008 - 53.3% (% of 2004 total vote)

North Carolina-
2004 - 30.8%
2008 - 66.2% (% of 2004 total vote)

Colorado -
2004 - 47.9%
2008 - 68.8% (% of 2004 total vote)

Tennessee
2004 - 47.3%
2008 - 63.1% (% of 2004 total vote)

http://elections.gmu.edu/early_vote_2008.html

Peggey Noonan is an idiot and has a history of writing nonsense.

People who think Reagan was a good president and voted for him --flock together and are also stupid

Nooners wrote terrible things about John Edwards and other Democrats. Her support for Obama is bogus and what she should be doing is apologizing for her support of George W Bush

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/11/my-electoral-college-predictio.html#comment-167069

Sheila,

Noonan was one of the correspondents mentioned by Brooks last night on Charlie Rose as being in that group like himself "arugula eating conservatives" :-)

The ones who have been turned off by the part of the party given over to the "Joe Six Packs" and the praise of ignorance.

He really went into the division talking about the Reagan and Buckley wings. He really sounded sad and saying it would be a decade before the party resolved the internal conflicts.

Sunday, February 24, 2008
Peggy Noonan Idiot
Shorter Peggy Noonan Barack Obama doesn't understand 'normal' people like we rich white Republicans do.
http://genderqueerview.blogspot.com/2008/02/peggy-noonan-idiot.html

-Bertrand Russell
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Peggy Noonan: Armchair Juror
As far as political pundits go, there is no one more vacuous and insubstantial than Peggy Noonan. As I've noted before, her columns read like something she dictated into a tape recorder on her drive to work. Her understanding of the facts is superficial at best, and she invariably supports her strange knee-jerk opinions with arguments that any 12-year old could easily turn back around on her. In fact, Noonan has such a tendency to make these self-destructive arguments that I named an award after her.

Noonan's latest column is a real masterpiece. It's titled: "They Should Have Killed Him." The "him" she's referring to is Zacharias Moussaoui, who on Wednesday was sentenced to life in prison (and spared the death penalty) for his tangential role in the planning of the 9/11 attacks.
http://www.anonymousliberal.com/2006/05/peggy-noonan-armchair-juror.html

Peggy practically stalked Ronald Reagan wanting to jump on his bandwagon -- he finally gave it up and hired her. She would be saying exactly the opposite if McCain had a chance in hell, cause she's a campfollower before all.

Peggy Noonan writes in front of a mirror.

And because I am wound tight over the election, I want to escape in some comedy...

Check this out...

http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/paulblartmallcop/

Paul Blart: Mall Cop
In theaters: January 16, 2009

Can't they release it like NOW? xoxoxoxo to all

Wow fact Check,

At least present links to back up your insistance that all of us agree with you.

I like Peggy Noonan. She has never written anything even remotely like Bill Crystal.

I do, however, agree that Obama has kept his cool through the process. We'll see if he will deliver on his promises. And believe me, he's made a boatload of 'em.

Get your own links.
You are the one defending the piece of crap journalist

If you think she is so great prove it. What has she written besids a cya piece on Obama that is so smart.

Fact Check,

I see you did. Thanks!

Economic Consequences of the Bailout Plan »
Irrefutable Proof That Peggy Noonan Has The Self-Awareness Of A Fruit Fly
By: Blue Texan Friday October 3, 2008 10:47 am

Nooner, who is still sore from the wingnut flogging she endured over telling the truth about Palin, writes today (emphasis mine):

I find obnoxious the political game in which if you expressed doubts about the vice presidential nominee, or criticized her, you were treated as if you were knocking the real America—small towns, sound values.

"It's time that normal Joe Six-Pack American is finally represented in the position of vice presidency," Mrs. Palin told talk-show host Hugh Hewitt...
http://firedoglake.com/2008/10/03/peggy-noonan-its-obnoxious-and-divisive-to-conflate-a-politician-with-the-real-america/

......and there is my time to exit. Factcheckplease is upset and foaming at the mouth.

Thanks for he post on Brooks Jamie. Patsi good to see you.

Anon, great posting! You brind good back ground to the subject!

Hi Tom!!

ET

One thing to consider when speaking of foreign aid is that it really is a tiny part of the US budget unless you are speaking about the costs of an active war as being "foreign aid".

The majority of the money does not go directly to the country concerned. It stays in the US creating jobs by buying equipment, food, medical supplies etc. that is then shipped to the country in question. Money that actually does go to countries is often bribes to dictators to stay on our side of an argument not funds that benefit the citizens.

It is that old saying of "Don't take down a fence until you know why it was built".

The trouble with the U.S. budget is that there is both a great deal of waste on projects that do little more that swell someone's bank account and projects that create jobs where needed but whose project is not needed at all. You would almost have to do a zero based penny by penny analysis of the thing and then throw up your hands in defeat because any correction is likely to be worse that what it replaces.

I love the scene in "Dave" where he brings in his accounting friend to work all night on the budget to find some necessary money. Nice fantasy and a whole lot of wishful thinking.

Like fact check, I try to recall just what some of these people were saying before the various parades started. So many act as though they were not part of the right wing cheering squad.

It's extremely unpopular to be a rabid Republican right now, and certainly will be for the next eight years. People like Sullivan and Noonan want to keep their invitations to the party, no matter which it is.

Palestinians

Palinstinians

Not upset or foaming too bad you pretend you want discussion but can't take it

Just the facts. Something some here would rather make up
then check.

Fact: I agree: Peggy Noonan says some amazingly deplorable stuff sometimes too. (Her "Savor" column -- on how the GOP should savor GWBush's 2004 win, despite all attempts by the elites and the media to deny him one blah blah blah is way too hard to get all the way through. I've never managed!)

But: and this holds for Maureen Dowd too (and columnists across the board) -- because a lot of what Noonan says is occasionally drivel (although always engagingly written), that does not mean she cannot have some real insight too.

Lots of folks despise MoDo and Noonan, but a lot of their columns stand up to scrutiny (in part, if not in full) and got the major point correct. Inconvenient as that is for many to admit.

Before I go.

one last comment.

Noonan and Brooks are just examples of how wonderful the US is. They have the freedom to change their minds and opinions.

Obama or some one like him can always feel free to convince someone to agree with their side.

We have the freedom from retribution o change our opinons and speak out.

We have a great country.

Noonan and Dowd are idiots and add nothing to political commentary in this country. They are snide, snarky and irrelevant and should be fired. Their commentary does not stand up.

I feel sorry for Bri Bri when he figures out the rest of the Obama supporters are closet Republicans who are looking for a place to hide.

Post partisan unity. What a joke.

Patsi: Andrew Sullivan saw through GWBush pretty quickly and has written at length and passionately on the abuses of Bush-Cheney.

Sullivan endorsed John Kerry in 2004, not out of any particular admiration for Kerry but because he could see what a disaster Bush was. (Sullivan was initially onboard with Bush after 9/11, but thought it through and came to regret his support for much of Bush's initial actions. And wrote about it in his blog -- lots of intellectual honesty and admission of personal failings there. He also left the early posts up there in the archive.)

Sullivan used to like McCain more -- he misses the 2000 Straight Talker, as many of us do -- and also pegged Obama as a rare political talent and authentic agent of change early on.

It saddens me that you cannot give Andrew Sullivan any points for his honesty and even grace, but I suspect you don't read him very closely anyway.

"But: and this holds for Maureen Dowd too (and columnists across the board) -- because a lot of what Noonan says is occasionally drivel (although always engagingly written), that does not mean she cannot have some real insight too."

I could probably find some good points and insight in almost anyone's writings, and that includes some real baddies. But you will never convince me that either of those writers, or Sullivan, have not done damage by swimming with the pack. There are actually people out there who read them without any critical thinking skills.

Saturday, November 1

*
o 11:00 am
o Joe and Jill Biden hold an "Early Vote Rally for Change" in Evansville, Indiana
*
o 11:30 am
o Vice President Cheney delivers remarks at a "Wyoming Victory Rally" in Laramie, Wyoming
*
o Midday
o Barack Obama holds a "Change We Need" rally at Coronado High School in Henderson, Nevada
*
o 12:00 pm
o John McCain holds a "Road to Victory" rally in Springfield, Virginia
o Sarah Palin holds a "Road to Victory" rally in Polk City, Florida
*
o 3:00 pm
o John McCain holds a "Road to Victory" rally in Perkasie, Pennsylvania
o Sarah Palin holds a "Road to Victory" rally in Ocala, Florid
*
o 4:15 pm
o Joe and Jill Biden hold a "Change We Need" rally in Marion, Ohio
*
o 5:00 pm
o Barack and Michelle Obama hold a "Change We Need" rally at Union Avenue Historic District in Pueblo, Colorado
*
o 7:00 pm
o Sarah Palin holds a "Road to Victory" rally in Raleigh, North Carolina
*
o Evening
o Barack and Michelle Obama hold a "Change We Need" rally at Parkview High School in Springfield, Missouri
o Joe and Jill Biden hold a "Change We Need" rally at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio
*
o 9:30 pm
o Sarah Palin holds a "Road to Victory" rally in Glen Allen, Virginia
*
o 11:00 pm
o John McCain makes a cameo on NBC's "Saturday Night Live"

Watch McCain's condition tonight, if he's not doing "Keep alert pills" I'm Dick Cheney.

You're right, dog -- although I used to read Sullivan often. He was one of several wingers I followed through the post 9/11 nightmare. My blood ran cold the minute George Bush used the word "crusade" and the slogan "with us or against us."

Then I started hearing "9/11 changes everything." And I started reading as many people from all over the spectrum as possible. They helped push this country into madness, sheer madness.

(I no longer trust what Thom Friedman says, either.)

MY FRIENDS: THE MUSICAL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdBsv0uCT0c

(I no longer trust what Thom Friedman says, either.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedman_(unit)
The term is in reference to a May 16, 2006 article by Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) detailing journalist Thomas Friedman's repeated use[10] of "the next six months" as the period in which, according to Friedman, "we're going to find out...whether a decent outcome is possible" in the Iraq War. As documented by FAIR, Friedman had been making such six-month predictions for a period of two and a half years, on at least fourteen different occasions, starting with a column in the November 30, 2003 edition of The New York Times, in which he stated: "The next six months in Iraq—which will determine the prospects for democracy-building there—are the most important six months in U.S. foreign policy in a long, long time."[11]

We deserve a better class of political journalists and editorial writers.

Today's Thread on The BackChannel Blog

My Big Adventure into Socialized Medicine, by Horsedooty

http://clistersbackchannel.wordpress.com/

re: Tom Friedman, etc.

Guys and gals: you can read for content and decide whether the argument passes the critical thinking skills test. I generally pick up something useful from Friedman's work, even if he does not convince me.

That said, anyone who believes Bill Kristol's commentary in his various columns and appearances will NEVER get that time spent reading or viewing back.

Unless you enjoy yourself while compiling an evidence list for the "so wrong so completely so often, but he STILL has a column in one of the world's most read papers -- WTF?!" meme.

(Props: Kristol did write a touching and seemingly honest column on the late Tony Snow. Whom he knew and observed personally. But that's not enough to atone for the other junk he comes up with!!)

signed,

dog, defender of deserving opinion columnists (and yes, that is arbitrary!!)

fcp -

Those are called "Friedman units"

6 mos = 1 Friedman unit

"anyone who believes Bill Kristol's commentary in his various columns and appearances will NEVER get that time spent reading or viewing back. "

Absolutely in agreement on this one, dog.

The biggest problem with the op/ed writers who have no real core is that the cable news cycles pick up what they say and it often becomes a chant. As with the drumbeat to war.

And it was done in such a way that people were called anti-American freedon-haters if they dared disagree. (Much like now, only the term is racist old hag...)

shelia

Obama or some one like him can always feel free to convince someone to agree with their side.

We have the freedom from retribution o change our opinons and speak out.

We have a great country.
except if you critisize obama....as per joe the plunber

i hope McCain wins because it will be fun listening to pundits scramble to explain all their bias and predictions ....as they look to blame someone or something on obamas loss

since it seems I'm the only regular poster who hasn't picked "the numbers" yet, I've made a decision....

since all sports and games require some sort of support from fandom.....

I will become the fan in the grandstand...... wearing a big funky hat..... a large mint julep in hand and a large bag of popcorn by my side....... screaming "GO, GO, GO!"..... while the rest of you run around the track...... ;)

received an a robo call from a Bishop urging catholics NOT to vote for a pro-abortion candidate (no such candidate exists)...then in his scariest voice...Barack Hussein Obama is a such a pro-abortion candidate. Paid for by the Latinos for (4) reform.

http://128.121.140.50/

Our catholic church in Mesilla is celebrating this weekend its elevation to a Basilica and the Bishop's last name is similar to the one on the robo call...I knew the organization was not from this area...would have used Hispanics for Reform, rather than 'latino'. It is the kind of call a good catholic would listen to....first time I have ever received such a call during a prez election. Rudy will be in Mesilla tonight for McCain. Timing is every thing!

"I will become the fan in the grandstand...... wearing a big funky hat..... a large mint julep in hand and a large bag of popcorn by my side....... screaming "GO, GO, GO!"..... while the rest of you run around the track...... ;)"

ROFL! Can I sit with you, Renee?