Hey, Everybody,
Merry Christmas!
I need to get back on this thing.
Hope all is well.
joe

Did America just win the lottery and not tell me?

Really, where is all this make believe money going to come from?

I am reading up on bailout-mania.

If these idiotic ideas pass, the only realistic outcome is the complete devaluation of the American dollar. Think of Zimbabwe or Italy's problem with the Lira. There are acts of complete financial irresponsibility being considered that boggle the mind.

America became a strong, prosperous nation because we let the market work. Now, it seems that only bad ideas are being rewarded. The rest of us are beginning to feel like suckers. Why am I paying my mortgage when I may soon have more rights by not paying it?

For years, conservatives and economists have predicted that the UAW's pension funding will kill the big Three. Now, great, instead of killing that bad idea, we get to prop it up.

The solution is pain. Short and hard. Kill the gangrene, feed the living. Instead, well, we are going to tax and regulate the fuck out of any profitable business in America and let the cancer grow deeper in the rest.

I can't believe that I grew up in a country where one of the core beliefs was free trade and personal and professional responsibility has now sold out those ideals and is racing towards the bad ideas that have nearly destroyed the rest of the world. It's not like we are going full on, death camp socialism next week, but even Western Europe is waking up from the 5 decade long infatuation with the welfare state. But no, these ideas keep getting pushed on us. And, thanks to some failure on the part of America's intellectuals and opinion leaders, we are going to get a taste of all these bad ideas.

As an aside, I also wonder how "bailing" out the three American automakers affects our Free Trade Agreements with other countries. Could this also mark the dawn of a new age of protectionism? (that would be bad for way too many reasons)

Finally, my hope for change is that now with the baby tantrum party in charge of things, that they'll grow up. The loyal opposition rode Mark Foley and a host of embarrassing Republicans into power. The Democrats associated intellectual vanity with their brand label, so that voting Democrat is as much of a fashion statement (and an act of political reasoning) as choosing to wear what Vogue tells Carrie Bradshaw.

I don't think they will. All indications point to a party in control with no fucking clue how the world operates outside a hyper legalistic perspective.

Is it the end of the world as we know it?

Yes, but it turns out that that happened a long time ago.

And truth be told I blame all the usual suspects.

Bush 41 and 43 for being such inarticulate defenders of this land's source of prosperity.

Ted Kennedy for opening up the floodgates to generations of immigrants who, through no fault of their own, were enmeshed in a public school system that taught them to hate this country in the guise of multiculturalism. Add some of this blame to McCain because he wants to join in on the systematic firing of the voters. It's a neat trick in a democracy, if you find the present citizenry too "reactionary," go ahead and bring in 50 million new citizens to tip the scales the other way.

So, the culture's changed, the economy's going to change, and who knows what else.

These upcoming decisions are going change the world because America will effectively slit her wrists. The thing is, the baby tantrum party has this mushy and naive view of the world where every potential opposing super power isn't that bad. But they are. The world will not be better off with an ascending Russia or China or Iran. And what isms will replace Americanism? Well, we know there is the Mohamedism of Iran, the facsism of China, the thugism of Russia, the nanny statism of Europe, and god knows that communism and socialism are always ready to intoxicate a people's "intellectuals" with dreams of ruling over the red staters.

Hey, look. I need you to give me all your money, quit your job, and live your life according to the way I dictate.

Why?

Oh, uh...

the polar bears are dying.

Proof? proof?

Don't be a global warming denier, that's worse than Hitler. Or, worse than denying Hitler. Or something, you should be fired and shot.

Fine, you anti-science zealot, you want proof?

I have a picture of a polar bear on an ice floe. They're dying!!!!

Still not convinced?

How about this, Russia had the hottest October ever!

No, you can't look at my numbers. Really, there's no time to even question the research. You've got to act now. Give me your money, quit your job, and let me tell you in what manner you may make carbon dioxide. Yeah, I know that everything you do creates carbon dioxide and that I could potentially determine every action you take, but think of the planet. and the bears!

Fine, you are worse than Hitler, here's my data.

What? It's not scientific to replace October's data with September? The polar bears are doing fine, they like to swim for miles and dork around on ice floes? So what if I ignore satellite data and rely on thermal data from land stations that are inaccurate? I fix the data to compensate....

So, I guess you want more information before you let me tell you how to do everything?

You really are worse than Hitler.

In the spirit of bipartisanship, I am gonna bash Maverick real quick.


First, a new nickname for old Johnny Mack, I dub him Mackerel. He got old and stinky real quick, ya know? Anyway, way to stick up for Palin. Apparently, Mackerel's campaign aides are dumping on Palin. Based on Mackerel's campaign strategy of passive blame absorption, I think he's pissed that Palin was able to rally the base and prevented a Mondale sized defeat.


For all you idiot, reflexive Palin bashers out there, remember, she actually has executive experience and was a reformer. She has more experience than Obama. She got smeared on the same things that were off limits about Obama. And, her interviews were basically ambush, quiz show affairs that were edited to make her look like an hayseed, Godbag who thought that Jesus rode a dinosaur on the way to the gunshow. On the other hand, Pinko and the Brain hid from the press in the last month of the election cycle. Also, neither of Pinko and the Brain had any tough quiz show questions asked of them. Pinko was asked more fluffy, how does it feel to be so awesome questions. The Brain? Well, the campaign just hid his ass after it turned out that every answer he gave in his debate with Palin was factually wrong.


The type of unfair press treatment Palin received could have done the exact same thing to Obama, but the media wouldn't let that happen. Hell, fair press treatment would have exposed Obama.


No biggie, aside from a baby's right to life, the right to bear arms, the right to an undiluted ballot, freedom of speech, the security of one in one's property, the property right in your 401K, and the right of privacy of a secret ballot, Obama's going to protect our rights and make some Eurotrash socialists love us.

Oh, wait, here it is. The first Jimmy Carter moment, as Obama's peanuts come home to roost. What makes this moment so heartwarming is that he hasn't even been inaugurated yet.


So, the first Great March Forward Step, mandatory student activism, has turned into his first Jimmy Carter moment. No more mandatory volunteer work.


The website change.gov has quietly been changed. Please provide your own Hope and Change joke.


Anyway, while we're on Jimmy Carter moments, the time has come for conservatives to daydream about what a hypothetical president would do to help ensure that the Obama presidency has at least some incentive to be somewhat clean. Alas, those of us Bush supporters that nonetheless bash his idiotic, turn the other cheek method of passive blame acceptance know these options will never happen. Hey, if Clinton could pardon donors on his last day of office and lower the arsenic guidelines past the point of diminishing returns so that Bush had to change them, why can't Bush do these things.



*Appoint U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Patrick Fitzpatrick as a special prosecutor so he can pursue his investigation of Tony Rezko and his corrupt dealings with Illinois's governor and other creatures and spoilsmen of the Daley Machine. This will make it politically difficult for a President Obama to pardon Mr. Rezko and impossible for him to terminate Mr. Fitzpatrick as a federal officer come January 21 as a way of de-railing this investigation.


* Appoint a special prosecutor to investigate ACORN's voter registration methods and its dealings with the Obama campaign.


* Appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the Obama campaign's on-line fundraising operation, including its disabling of the credit card security software on its on-line donations system. File a complaint with the Federal Election Commission regarding same.


* Appoint a bipartisan (love that word!) presidential commission to review the candidates' fundraising in this election cycle and to recommend changes in federal election laws.


Would the One dare to fire "the prosecutor's prosecutor" Fitzgerald?

Ah, the smell of managing expectations.

Let's say you are a member of the Bush Derangement Syndrome community, your world view is formed by what's called the Community Based Reality. You once had a brain and formulated this thought, "if Bush loses the War on Terror, the war in Afghanistan, and/or the war in Iraq, it won't be so bad because I can use that loss to support my hatred of the president. And even if we lose-lose this war, I'll still be safe and sound here in America." Years later, all that remains of your soul is the Gollum-like repetition of various anti-war tropes.

So, you put the No Blood for Oil bumpersticker on your car, you drone on and on about Gitmo and Abu Gharib. Your only goal on earth is contrarianly opposing every action that has been taken since 2003. The surge? You brainlessly answer it's been a failure. You also push hard for Obama because he understands. His hardest decision in his life was not voting to invade Iraq...when he wasn't even in the Senate.

So, here is Newsweek, lowering expectations on Gitmo.

4 reasons why Obama most likely won't close Gitmo.

Oh well, at least Obama still supports gay marriage. what, he doesn't?!? Why did the New York Times not tell people about that until after the election? Next thing you know, they'll lay the groundwork that he won't immediately abandon Iraq. Nah, he wouldn't do that. would he?

Anyway, the media's not saying, they're just saying. You know, he's not president yet, folks, and there's only so many promises that can be kept.

Ooops, spoke too soon.

There's another category. I am a little surprised I missed this one, considering the Mouth of Damacles that is Joe Biden.

Consider that the duo of Pinko and the Brain are both gaffetastic windbags who say some of the most retarded shit out there, we have to keep track of the laugh track, whether it's Obama's 59 states, Biden's visits to Katie's Diner, or shit about the seas going down.

So, Mr. Magnanimous, the most merciful and competent, Lord Barrack Hussein Obama, finds himself in a bit of a gaffe...and decides to insult Nancy Reagan.

Well played, sir.

Obama takes shot at nancy reagan
Uploaded by dollarsandsense123

So, two points here.
One, Obama has no idea what he's doing. He is going to be swallowed up by his cabinet. He is going to flail about in the daily running of the government, let alone by how idiotic his ideas on America's place in the world actually are.
Two, Obama's role in the credit crisis shows that his only skill is passing the buck by asking other people to do his job for him.

It seems to me that stories like this should be categorized by the incompetence bomb about to go off in the Federal Government. Other Obama categories will be the Jimmy Carter watch as Obama regularly hinders and punishes our allies, rewards our enemies, and engages in rather wildly conceived military expeditions. A third category should deal with managing expectations. As Obama is all things to all people, it's going to be hard for him to deliver baby, virgin unicorns to everyone in the country. There are going to be some upset folks. Peggy Joseph, I believe you will still be paying for gas and for your house. Finally, a Great March Forward watch. I think the guy's a radical, so let's see what kind of changes he proposes.

So, first Great March forward Watch item:
Hey, college kids, thanks for being so annoying. Thanks for ramrodding Obama down our throats. Here's your thanks: Mandatory Community Service.
Have fun, fuckers.

One of the problems with taking a month off from blogging are that some ideas go to seed.

I was considering the other day, however, about leadership. Every presidential administration is hit by the turmoil of managing many different, high strung personalities. Generally, this is where executive experience is important. You need to manage people because your ideas, strong as you may think they are, will be executed by someone else. That is why Clinton fired all the DOJ attorneys right off the bat. Carter, Reagan, Clinton, and W all had governor backgrounds. W had a Harvard MBA and managed a sports team as well as Texas. George H.W. Bush had the CIA. Generals ran huge organizations.

Senators basically have a staff. Their work product is a vote and a law that is generally written by someone else. McCain, at least, ran several aviation units in the Navy.

Obama. Well, he has 143 days of work as a U.S. Senator. Even those few days were spend campaigning and voting present. In Chicago, he was a cog in the Daley machine before that. He claims to have had experience from running his campaign, although he had a campaign manager to actually, you know, run it. His time at the Chicago Annenburg Challenge was one where he basically handed out money. There was no work product because the kids he indoctrinated had no observable increases in their actual education. His other "community organizer" product was setting up a job bank (fail), setting up a "secondary economy (fail), and running a slum (fail).

Sidenote: It's at this point where I realized that Jesus wasn't a community organizer. Nope, Lenin was a community organizer. That's what Obama did, try to whip up the masses. But that's another post.

What does this mean for the 44th president? Well, he needs Rahm Emmanuel to keep his people in line because Obama is going to be overwhelmed. Executives can give big picture directional guidance. I don't think, however, that anything in Obama's history has prepared him for dealing with actual results based activities or dealing with other executives. You've seen people who've actually run states and armies get bogged down and betrayed by their staffs. Obama? he won't see it coming and won't know what to do about it.

Which brings me to the letter.

Obama claimed to have foreseen the Housing Crisis and its landslide impact into what he have now. That's a lie, of course. He loved sub prime loans and all the other things that were done to create this crisis.

Nonetheless, the letter he wrote is here.

Here is his leadership.

"There is grave concern in low-income communities about a potential coming wave of foreclosures. Because regulators are partly responsible for creating the environment that is leading to rising rates of home foreclosure in the subprime mortgage market, I urge you immediately to convene a homeownership preservation summit with leading mortgage lenders, investors, loan servicing organizations, consumer advocates, federal regulators and housing-related agencies to assess options for private sector responses to the challenge."

Get it? Uh, can you please do something about this so that the people who got home loans they couldn't afford don't lose their homes.

It gets better:

"The summit should consider best practice loan marketing, underwriting, and origination practices consistent with the recent (and overdue) regulators’ Proposed Statement on Subprime Mortgage Lending. The summit participants should also evaluate options for independent loan counseling, voluntary loan restructuring, limited forbearance, and other possible workout strategies. I would also urge you to facilitate a serious conversation about the following:

* What standards investors should require of lenders, particularly with regard to verification of income and assets and the underwriting of borrowers based on fully indexed and fully amortized rates.

* How to facilitate and encourage appropriate intervention by loan servicing companies at the earliest signs of borrower difficulty.

* How to support independent community-based-organizations to provide counseling and work-out services to prevent foreclosure and preserve homeownership where practical.

* How to provide more effective information disclosure and financial education to ensure that borrowers are treated fairly and that deception is never a source of competitive advantage.

* How to adopt principles of fair competition that promote affordability, transparency, non-discrimination, genuine consumer value, and competitive returns.

* How to ensure adequate liquidity across all mortgage markets without exacerbating consumer and housing market vulnerability."

So, yeah, the lending industry was torn apart by people like Obama who forced banks to loan money to risky borrowers in the name of affordable housing. These loans are now decried by people like Obama as "predatory lending." Nonetheless, Obama looks past the damage to the financial sector done by FF/MM in packaging these risky loans into AAA rated MBS's guaranteed by the under capitalized FF/MM.

And also note, that he wanted to help community based organizations (i.e., ACORN) profit from the mess. Also, he wanted to figure out how to make the borrowers have an easier time not paying back their mortgages. That's the solution he had. You and me, homeowners that actually work and pay our bills on time, we're just a bunch of suckers.

Nope, his concern is keeping every one's villains, the idiots who got subprime loans when they couldn't afford them in their houses. Maverick and W both tried to actually fix the problem. Obama wants Bernanke to, uh, convene a summit to figure out how to give poor people more of your money. A job of a Senator is to do things like the things he wants someone else to do. Senators write laws. They hold hearings. They hopefully foresee and solve problems.

Obama simply wrote a letter to Santa Clause and addressed it to the guy who oversees the American money supply. AND IT MISSED THE WHOLE POINT OF THE CRISIS. The crisis was the cancer that these loans were. They killed the AAA rating of the MBS holding them, causing -under current idiotic mark to market laws- the inability of institutions holding these items from using them as valuations in their liquidity.

I wish that Bernanke sent the following reply:

"Dear Senator Obama,

After much research and deliberation, we have come up with the following response to your wishlist, fantasy, extortion letter:

Tell your deadbeat constituents to get jobs and pay their bills.

Thank you,

people who actually worked for a living."

(all my links and formatting got shot to hell, so imagine that this post looks nice and has links to cool stuff)

Some thoughts from the Great One on where do we go? What of our values? What of the Republic? Hmm, the parallels to a nascent Jimmy Carter presidency are just screaming at you, aren't they?

Well, actually, I do have a post election admission on how Bush failed to respect our fundamental rights: he allowed his department of justice to basically look the other way to massive levels of voter fraud. In addition, his lax attitude towards illegal immigration led to even more voter fraud by persons who weren't even citizens to begin with. Oh, and his administration looked the other way when Saint Obama turned off the address verification system for his credit card contributors. So, I.P. Freely and Joe Stalin along with Mickey Mouse were able to dump millions of dollars of contributions into Obama's war chest. McCain, of course, was too busy magnanimously working on his concession speech to raise any real objections to any of these things.

So, the story of Tan Nguyen is one example where attempts to stop voter fraud is prosecuted as voter suppression. Similar arguments were made throughout the country. The Ohio Secretary of State said the same things as she declined to vet incoming votes.

So, is avoiding voter fraud a fundamental right? Is it a bad thing only when you disagree with it? Doesn't a fraudulent vote cancel out your vote? Doesn't that suppress your vote? So, was Obama aiding and abetting disenfranchisement of unknown number of voters across the country.

Do you think the Obama administration is going to make stopping organized (i.e., ACORN enabled) voter fraud a priority? Is that RICO suit likely to stayopen?

I don't think that ACORN's registration of the Dallas Cowboys and Mickey Mouse, Obama campaigners voting in Ohio and in their homestate, college kids doing the same, or idiot Philadelphians who admit to voting twice on CNN added up to Obama's popular vote margin. However, there are several states that were close. There are congressmen and Senators who lost close races. And they lost because of this voter fraud.

ACORN, with their millions of fradulent voters needed to be hit with a RICO suit back in 2000. Obama should have at least been forced to operate within the law during his campaign. Instead, he gave them $800,000.

I guess right and wrong does not matter to some people.

A further discussion of Obama's respect for "our rights" continued.

As a disciple of Saul Alinsky, we've seen the tactics espoused by Rules for Radicals in the current campaign, and we will see them used in Obama's administration. These examples are not that outlanding, the Bush 43 White House had many DOJ prosecutors who have already used these tactics. Now this is not a criticism about Bush being Hitler, blah blah blah, it's more of a criticism that he kept aboard DOJ lawyers who were apt to go after the wrong people. He should have fired everyone when he came in. But, dipshit decided to be magnanimous and keep those thug Clinton lawyers in the stable.

This article provides some more insight. As I said, what is chilling is that you can come up with examples of how this stuff has already been used in the recent election cycle.

"Watch what Michael Barone called the Obama "thugocracy" use the Justice Department to stifle dissent. Anybody who complains about vote fraud will be charged with "vote suppression." Anybody who complains about DoJ's actions will be charged with interfering with an investigation. Anybody who denies having interfered will be charged with perjury. Likewise, anybody who peacefully protests abortion clinics or the use of state-sponsored racial quotas will be charged with a civil rights violation."

Tan Nguyen was investigated and bankrupted for "vote suppression" because his campaign issued a letter warning illegals not to vote. Similar threats were (I witnessed this) made again poll watchers in 2004 warning them of the liklihood of jail time for "vote suppression," by asking for IDs. Of course, stopping fradulent voting isn't a priority, especially by Obama voters in swing states. From CNN, "It's time for change, man," Jones said. He complained about the long lines and said that "I decided to come back and vote a couple times." "I think that's against the law, but it's okay, all right. Well, thanks, Ron,"



We already saw how Jack Ryan and Joe the Plumber learned about the "Chicago Way."

Of course, all you Ozombies who voted for Hope and Change and for Obama to pay for your gas and mortgage, and to make the world love us knew all this stuff already. You've mindlessly repeated stuff about Bush rewriting the bill of rights or something because he maintained that the executive had commander in chief powers to spy on our enemies, including phone calls between people in America and known overseas Al Qaeda operatives.

Second, the recently uncovered 2001 interview of Obama illustrates what he means by change, Change is wealth redistribution. So, what is hope? Meh, that's a just a meaningless phrase used to hypnotize the gullible, suckers.

"I think that there was a tendency to lose track of the political and community organizing and activities on the ground that are able to put together the actual coalitions of power through which you bring about redistributed change and in some ways we still suffer from that. "

Ah, yes, redistribution. That sort of goes against a fundemental liberty: the security in one's possessions. At least Europe loves us now, right?

Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are

Just a little fun as I formulate my thoughts on internecine retribution.

Hey, if Maverick is so magnanimous to take the blame of the credit crisis because to actually "fight for us," wouldn't fit into his ideas of gentlemanly politicking, then no wonder he had such a well polished concession speech.

Four years ago, I was acting as a poll observer, election peon for a major political party.

About this time in the evening, the great Kerry victory celebration got put on hold as an associate's palm pilot brought up the Drudge Report. The pre-vote polls were wrong. The exit polls were wrong. All of the sudden, states were going to W.

This time, Maverick's GOTV effort is more, ah, how you say? virtual. Nonetheless, interesting time in the election day.

The failed policies of the past, like not outright bankrupting major portions of the American economy such as coal (how will that affect your energy bills, suckers?), have apparently been embraced as somehow being hopey and changey.

I noticed a comment about the election that is three flavors of wrong and I figured I may as well end the suspense by declaring that this blog is officially endorsing McCain.

I have my nose-plugs. But then again, McCain, Maverick he may be, is a patriot and someone who has done more in his life for this nation than many have been called upon to do. Another person pointed out that McCain may have been born privilege, but he has served. The story of his confinement alone gives many people feel-good notions about what kind of guy he is. Look, I would have blabbed. I would have taken the early exit. He also, has commanded units, he learned to fly planes. He got himself elected to Congress, first in the house and then to the Senate. He managed to become more than an anonymous law maker who existed merely to vote along with whatever legislation it is that was being pushed down the sausage factory.

On the other hand, Obama may not have been born to an admiral, but he has had a fast and easy rise. His hardest moment of government service was voting against the Iraq war. Only, you know, he was still dog catcher in the Daley political machine in Chicago. He has never served this country. I doubt he was a boy scout. I doubt he ever socially met a patriot until he got to DC in 2004. And, he is a straight party line, reliable vote producer. No, ah yes, what's the word, intellectual curiosity on his part.

And another problem with the One is that no one knows anything about the Obozo. A comment to this blog posted that " that they [ayers and obama] aren't friends, and he isn't an influence on Obama. That's kinda the sticking point that ruins the argument" I found this sort of interesting study of the half-life of whatever it is Ozero says. Well, which answer is it, ya know?

This blog is a very good starting point in connecting the dots.

Let's talk about Obama's influences. The man has been surrounded by socialist and anti-American influences his entire life. Dad was one. His preacher seems to be at least a black liberation theology version of one. He worked with ACORN and Ayers and other agitation types in the Chicago Annenberg Challenge (the CAC). The CAC was billed as an education initiative, but it was really a political indoctrination effort. Kids weren't taught to read, write, add, or subtract, but to be pissed off at America. These kids were taught to become political activists in the Alinksy view of the country.

Ayers was and is an influence on Obama. Ayers helped launched his career. They worked together. Hell, some egghead semiotics experts think that Ayers helped Obama write his two books.

So, since time is short and I have goofed off on collecting links to everything I have read in the past two months, let summarize it:

Obama’s economic policies are insane. His economic advisors are academic socialist types. That is, instead of following a Friedman, Laffer, or Greenspan model of the economy, he has chosen Krugmanesque insanity. America needs business friendly laws, not institutional anti-business bias. Unless, you are already independently wealthy (i.e., a democrat) or you live and work in an area or field that does not rely on “businesses” to sell you things or pay you money.

His tax policy is Earned Income Tax Credit hijinks, where non-tax payers get refunds for money they didn’t pay. He will let the current tax rates expire, raising everyone’s rates.

As far as foreign policy goes, Obama has shown a consistent anti-American preference in his world view. I am going to say that this is a return to Jimmy Carter’s ineffectual and reflexively passive foreign policy. I found this awesome quote today from a hostage from Iran:

“The day that Carter was defeated, one of the "students" couldn't wait to come into our cell to tell us. Another Marine said, "You mean Reagan won?!?!" "Yes." he said with a big humus-eating grin. The other Marine and I looked at each other and said "Oooooooooooooooo" (the international sound for 'You are so %^(k#> dude!') The student asked what the problem was at which point the other Marine walked right up to his face and made an explosion noise while miming a mushroom cloud with his hands.”

I just had to throw that in there. Iran is still a problem today. Note that in Iraq, Obama’s policy preference was to cut and run. He opposed the surge. I am willing to bet that he wasn’t even that crazy about going into Afghanistan. After all, attacks on America are merely blowback from our evil foreign policies. You’ve heard the tapes of his chosen preacher give his week of 9-11 sermons, right?

We also have this comment “Obama has the ability to do more to strengthen the cohesiveness of the country and the view the international community has of the US. And for me, I always prefer a president who believes in my civil rights and doesn't believe in taking rights away -- or pushing his or her religious views on me as a citizen. The US needs a government it can trust. Remains to be seen if Obama can do that, but I'm wagering he can do it better than a McCain/Palin administration."

Ok, well, I don't know where to start, let's talk about Joe the Plumber. Or about Jack Ryan. Some part of the Chicago political machine release Ryan’s sealed divorce papers, embarrassing him (apparently he liked to have sex with Jerri Ryan) into resigning his campaign run, leaving State Senator Obama virtually unopposed. Or Joe the Plumber, gets his tax leins and other issues exposed. Yup, you, average citizen, will be liable for a public rectal reaming should you publicly oppose the One.

What about that first amendment? He won’t veto a return of the Fairness Doctrine. Now, everyone except talk radio will be free to be unfair, but only conservative types will be silenced.

God knows, what he plans to do about guns, but I doubt Obama is a strong second amendment sort.

I have a few friends who are single issue voters. They are big into killing babies and/or into gay marriage. Well, my initial suspicions about Rev. Wright were that his church had no love for bro on bro love. It turns out that that is true and that Obama shares that view. No gay marriage for you under Obama. Actually, who knows?

As for baby killing, yes, Obama believes that a woman’s right to kill outweighs a baby’s right to live. In fact, he has gone South Park and supported post birth denial of care for unwanted babies. He lied and said he didn’t, but the analysis says he did. So, yes, if you really really really want to terminate unwanted people (except for felons), Obama is your guy. On the other hand, maybe you could focus on the things that the President actually has power over instead of worry about a primarily legislative issue.

On the issue of adopting Mexico. Yes, Maverick and the One agree. It’s time to bring em all in. No English, no respect for America, no understanding of our traditions, no problem.

Obama goes even further with his Global Poverty Initiative which basically adopts everyone else in the world who isn’t already here illegally. Mo money! It’s cool, the government will just print more.

I won’t even get started on the hidden efforts to nationalize your 401k.

So, anything going on?

Two visits to the left coast in less than a month, and I have to say that Frisco reminds me of Portland, only I think people shower in Cali.

Also, heads up, expensive Napa wine seems to be overrated. I didn't stop at Edgewood, but I did enjoy meeting my gal Gloria Ferrer. On the other hand, maybe the $180 difference of Opus One eluded me. I was unimpressed by what I thought was flat tasting red water. It was awesome seeing the Grgrich winery and somewhat cool to see Cakebread.


Oh yes, the election. Look, instead of information overload, it's like wanna write overload.

What can you say? Indeed, what would you want to say? I am not Joe the Plumber, but I don't (er, actually "wouldn't") want the AP and the New York Times to go through my life's story if I were unlucky enough to ask Saint Obama a question to which he responded with knee jerk armchair socialist rhetoric. Well, we now know more about Joe and Palin's grandkid's paternity than we do about the Annenberg Challenge.

Nonetheless, every now and then I have a snippet for you, the meager audience of my idiotic blog. An exasperated lib was exasperated that this Ayers stuff keeps coming up. "Haven't we head enough about Ayers?" they whine...

Short answer: no.

Long answer:

To liberals for whom Obama's associations with insane anti-Americans and socialists under whom Obama has shaped his world view are not important, not character flaws, and probably stuff that they already agree with, this is indeed tedious subject matter and the answer would be "yes." It's not a bug, it's a feature.

For people who think that Obama's not a radical, that he's just a wonderchild that the media would love for them to vote for and for the remaining few who would nonetheless probably like to know more about this guy who spent 143 working days in the Senate, most of which was spent running for president and voting "present," the answer is "no, why haven't I heard this stuff before, why is it being whitewashed? Tell us more about this guy."

Indeed, we now know more about Joe's qualifications as a plumber (and evidently his standing to ask questions about tax policy) than we (well, you) know about Obama's resume.

More to come.

But really, what can you do? I don't want my car to get demolished because I put a McCain bumpersticker on it.

You know what? Screw John McCain. No, wait fuck George W. Bush. No, wait, let’s blame this on Clinton. You know what, that Obama guy is starting to appear more and more like a street thug, Chicago-style politician with totalitarian instincts everyday, so screw him too.

First, Clinton. Like many of the problems that W has inherited, the Fannie/Mae, Freddie Mac (FFMM) disaster has Clinton's fingerprints all over it. At least Uncle Bill is so pissed at Obama that he is willing to sandbag the Ozombie campaign with this crisis. So where Ozombie tried to foist the current situation on a banking deregulation bill passed on his watch, Clinton shitcanned that. Even better though is that he also pointed out that Congressional democrats have failed to regulated FFMM. Sweet!

But whatevs, a dishonest democrat? no! A dishonest, pissy Clinton, never! gasp(!)

Let’s complain about my side instead. Ah, yes, the ruthless, street fighting Bush administration and the hot-tempered McCain. Their actions (or lack thereof) have put the lie into that spin. Bush has always seemed to me to take his born again, turn the other cheek nonsense, a little too strongly. McCain on the other hand, seems to be in no mood to do anything so partisan as to actually run for president. So, thanks, guys, you’ve successfully sabotaged yourselves, your party, and therefore the rest of the country. And I say the country because we all know that the DNC is full of children that couldn’t run a country, let alone organize a community. I hope that deep down they know this.

Anyway, in the past few weeks, FFMM has blown up and has – apparently – threatened the economic well-being of this country, arguably placing this great nation, and the world(!), on the precipice of an economic calamity unseen since the Great Depression (during which BTW, in 1929, president FDR went on TV to address the country… way to go. Slow-Joe!).

So, what happened to FFMM? First, since President Carter, social-justice types (i.e., thieves) have been trying to get banks to ignore things like lending standards to loan money to poor people to buy homes they weren’t qualified to buy. Now, big deal, Carter is the worst president evah, bad ideas were his forte. But Clinton stepped this practice up into overdrive and he also helped turn FFMM into the monster institutions they are so as to buy up these risky loans from the banks forced to make them. Apparently, then, FFMM packaged these stupid mortgages into mortgage based securities (MBS’s) that they sold to wall street firms as AAA rated investments. Now, I’ve heard a lot about greed on Wall Street, but can you blame them for buying AAA rated securities? That’s a safe bet, supposedly the safest bet out there.

So, in essence, FFMM was set up to hand out money. And as described in this editorial, apparently, FFMM was also set up to hand out money to various Clinton cronies as well, including F.D. Raines and Jamie Gorelick:

"As soon as Clinton crony Franklin Delano Raines took the helm in 1999 at Fannie Mae, for example, he used it as his personal piggy bank, looting it for a total of almost $100 million in compensation by the time he left in early 2005 under an ethical cloud.

Other Clinton cronies, including Janet Reno aide Jamie Gorelick, padded their pockets to the tune of another $75 million."

Furthermore, FFMM was a little crooked,

"In the end, Fannie had to pay a record $400 million civil fine for SEC and other violations, while also agreeing as part of a settlement to make changes in its accounting procedures and ways of managing risk."

Even better, FFMM was undercapitalized,

"A 1.2% capital ratio (1 divided by 79) is less than half what even the best (Tier 1) banks are required to maintain."

So, because of FFMM’s market position created by their inherent government sponsorship, they wildly overpriced and distorted the market. They were also inexorably leading the market towards a fall that only a few people could have recognized. That is, when you or I bought our houses between 2003 and 2005, we thought improved, rising prices were supported by economic growth and population growth. Nope, it turns out that the market was being distorted by FFMM throwing money at poor people, driving up the prices of everything.

Alas, who could have foreseen these problems?

Only Bush and McCain in particular, and Republicans in general. Ah, so why didn’t they try to fix it? Well, idiot Trent Lott gave split Senate leadership to the DNC after 2000 election, resulting in committee gridlock, that I am sure Sen Dodd (D) took advantage of. Likewise, Barney Frank used his seniority and grassroots efforts (like Obama’s community organize) to silence and intimidate members of his committee. Failure of leadership, but even with the majority, some things weren’t going to change (like the similar thing we are going to encounter with social security).

So, get this, Bush and McCain put in laws that attempted to reform FFMM. And the D’s killed them.

So, why are the tame Bush and tame McCain not trumpeting this? Who the fuck knows. Instead, they decided to own the mess that they were trying to fix, thereby letting Dems like Clinton and Clinton, Dodd, Franks, an Obama off the hook. Good job guys, way to not sully politics with politics. Oh yeah, Bill Frist and Trent Lott hold some blame because they played nice in 2001 and let the losing democrats keep some leadership roles in the Senate, which I imagine helped Dodd kill FFMM regulations.

So, bills concerning FFMM regulation were shot down in committee by democrats. These democrats being recipients of financial contributions from FFMM. Think about that! A government sponsored entity was paying lobbyist to prevent its own regulation. Aside from money, grassroots efforts also prevented the regulation of FFMM. Organizations such as ACORN hit lawmakers with phone calls and other pressures to prevent wayward democrats and weak republicans from going off message. And guess who has both ACORN roots and FFMM money? Obama.

Hope and Change. How about more of the same Democrat Chicago Machine politics.

Here are some of the efforts of the (blamed) Bush White House:

** 2001

April: The Administration's FY02 budget declares that the size of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is "a potential problem," because "financial trouble of a large GSE could cause strong repercussions in financial markets, affecting Federally insured entities and economic activity."

** 2002

May: The President calls for the disclosure and corporate governance principles contained in his 10-point plan for corporate responsibility to apply to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. (OMB Prompt Letter to OFHEO, 5/29/02)

** 2003
September: Treasury Secretary John Snow testifies before the House Financial Services Committee to recommend that Congress enact "legislation to create a new Federal agency to regulate and supervise the financial activities of our housing-related government sponsored enterprises" and set prudent and appropriate minimum capital adequacy requirements.

November: Council of the Economic Advisers (CEA) Chairman Greg Mankiw explains that any "legislation to reform GSE regulation should empower the new regulator with sufficient strength and credibility to reduce systemic risk." To reduce the potential for systemic instability, the regulator would have "broad authority to set both risk-based and minimum capital standards" and "receivership powers necessary to wind down the affairs of a troubled GSE." (N. Gregory Mankiw, Remarks At The Conference Of State Bank Supervisors State Banking Summit And Leadership, 11/6/03)

** 2004

February: The President's FY05 Budget again highlights the risk posed by the explosive growth of the GSEs and their low levels of required capital, and called for creation of a new, world-class regulator: "The Administration has determined that the safety and soundness regulators of the housing GSEs lack sufficient power and stature to meet their responsibilities, and therefore…should be replaced with a new strengthened regulator." (2005 Budget Analytic Perspectives, pg. 83)

February: CEA Chairman Mankiw cautions Congress to "not take [the financial market's] strength for granted." Again, the call from the Administration was to reduce this risk by "ensuring that the housing GSEs are overseen by an effective regulator." (N. Gregory Mankiw, Op-Ed, "Keeping Fannie And Freddie's House In Order," Financial Times, 2/24/04)

June: Deputy Secretary of Treasury Samuel Bodman spotlights the risk posed by the GSEs and called for reform, saying "We do not have a world-class system of supervision of the housing government sponsored enterprises (GSEs), even though the importance of the housing financial system that the GSEs serve demands the best in supervision to ensure the long-term vitality of that system. Therefore, the Administration has called for a new, first class, regulatory supervisor for the three housing GSEs: Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banking System." (Samuel Bodman, House Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Testimony, 6/16/04)

** 2005

April: Treasury Secretary John Snow repeats his call for GSE reform, saying "Events that have transpired since I testified before this Committee in 2003 reinforce concerns over the systemic risks posed by the GSEs and further highlight the need for real GSE reform to ensure that our housing finance system remains a strong and vibrant source of funding for expanding homeownership opportunities in America… Half-measures will only exacerbate the risks to our financial system." (Secretary John W. Snow, "Testimony Before The U.S. House Financial Services Committee," 4/13/05)

** 2007
August: President Bush emphatically calls on Congress to pass a reform package for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, saying "first things first when it comes to those two institutions. Congress needs to get them reformed, get them streamlined, get them focused, and then I will consider other options." (President George W. Bush, Press Conference, The White House, 8/9/07)

December: President Bush again warns Congress of the need to pass legislation reforming GSEs, saying "These institutions provide liquidity in the mortgage market that benefits millions of homeowners, and it is vital they operate safely and operate soundly. So I've called on Congress to pass legislation that strengthens independent regulation of the GSEs – and ensures they focus on their important housing mission. The GSE reform bill passed by the House earlier this year is a good start. But the Senate has not acted. And the United States Senate needs to pass this legislation soon." (President George W. Bush, Discusses Housing, The White House, 12/6/07)

** 2008
February: Assistant Secretary David Nason reiterates the urgency of reforms, says "A new regulatory structure for the housing GSEs is essential if these entities are to continue to perform their public mission successfully." (David Nason, Testimony On Reforming GSE Regulation, Senate Committee On Banking, Housing And Urban Affairs, 2/7/08)

March: President Bush calls on Congress to take action and "move forward with reforms on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. They need to continue to modernize the FHA, as well as allow State housing agencies to issue tax-free bonds to homeowners to refinance their mortgages." (President George W. Bush, Remarks To The Economic Club Of New York, New York, NY, 3/14/08)

April: President Bush urges Congress to pass the much needed legislation and "modernize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. [There are] constructive things Congress can do that will encourage the housing market to correct quickly by … helping people stay in their homes." (President George W. Bush, Meeting With Cabinet, the White House, 4/14/08)

May: President Bush issues several pleas to Congress to pass legislation reforming Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac before the situation deteriorates further.

"Americans are concerned about making their mortgage payments and keeping their homes. Yet Congress has failed to pass legislation I have repeatedly requested to modernize the Federal Housing Administration that will help more families stay in their homes, reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to ensure they focus on their housing mission, and allow State housing agencies to issue tax-free bonds to refinance sub-prime loans." (President George W. Bush, Radio Address, 5/3/08)

"[T]he government ought to be helping creditworthy people stay in their homes. And one way we can do that – and Congress is making progress on this – is the reform of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. That reform will come with a strong, independent regulator." (President George W. Bush, Meeting With The Secretary Of The Treasury, the White House, 5/19/08)

"Congress needs to pass legislation to modernize the Federal Housing Administration, reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to ensure they focus on their housing mission, and allow State housing agencies to issue tax-free bonds to refinance subprime loans." (President George W. Bush, Radio Address, 5/31/08)

June: As foreclosure rates continued to rise in the first quarter, the President once again asks Congress to take the necessary measures to address this challenge, saying "we need to pass legislation to reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac." (President George W. Bush, Remarks At Swearing In Ceremony For Secretary Of Housing And Urban Development, Washington, D.C., 6/6/08)

As reported in the NYT’s:

September 11, 2003

New Agency Proposed to Oversee Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae

By STEPHEN LABATON

The Bush administration today recommended the most significant regulatory overhaul in the housing finance industry since the savings and loan crisis a decade ago.

or McCain here:

"Mr. President, this week Fannie Mae’s regulator reported that the company’s quarterly reports of profit growth over the past few years were “illusions deliberately and systematically created” by the company’s senior management, which resulted in a $10.6 billion accounting scandal.

The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight’s report goes on to say that Fannie Mae employees deliberately and intentionally manipulated financial reports to hit earnings targets in order to trigger bonuses for senior executives. In the case of Franklin Raines, Fannie Mae’s former chief executive officer, OFHEO’s report shows that over half of Mr. Raines’ compensation for the 6 years through 2003 was directly tied to meeting earnings targets. The report of financial misconduct at Fannie Mae echoes the deeply troubling $5 billion profit restatement at Freddie Mac."

Some selected quotes from obstructionist Dems:

Rep. Barney Frank (D., Mass.): "I worry, frankly, that there's a tension here. The more people, in my judgment, exaggerate a threat of safety and soundness, the more people conjure up the possibility of serious financial losses to the Treasury, which I do not see. I think we see entities that are fundamentally sound financially and withstand some of the disaster scenarios. "

But why read when you can watch and listen:

Two weeks?

That's what happens when you can guide a missile by satellite, you lose track of the little people..

Anyway, every day, my financial analysis blog post gets a page longer in my head as events go faster and faster.

So, here is today's smartest thing ever said: "We paid $1 trillion to avoid being socialized. We can make the money back. We damn well know that structural changes could be forever."

Aside from that, on various blogs and to various conservatives, I have been pounding the following points for at least a week. McCain and/or Bush need to get ahead of this thing. They needed to put the blame squarely on Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac (FFMM). They needed to establish that this was not a failure of the mythical unregulated free market, but a result of a blatantly corrupt, unregulated government sponsored enterprise that protected its corruption by making political contributions.

But, McCain and Bush are just too lad-di-dah sweet and non-partisan to actually defend themselves and now they have ended up wearing this mess.

Some people suggest that they held their tongues to be problem solvers. That idea is stupid because the debate is now framed. Forget ACORN, FFMM, CDMA, and at least 17 attempts since 2001 to fix this shit. The moonbats have their meme...damn you Bush!

So, I have a topic label entitled why won't this country hurry up and explode so I can blame it on Bush? Well, the country took a big hit, it's not exploded, but I guess if you predict rain for 7 years, you can eventually take credit for rain, right?

Hey, hey, what's going on with Joe?

So, I am still buzzing because I had a great work out. Today's chest routine started heavy.
275 3 times;
255 6 times;
235 8 times;
225 8 times; and
225 7 times.
As the kids would say, daayam.
What does this mean for P90X?
Well, I dig some of their routines. But I feel that there isn't as much of a strength component. So, I mix in real world weights, running, and other cardio to keep it fresh. So, in the past week, it's been mini-tri on cardio. Chest-tri-shoulder dvd, bicep and back dvd, plyometrics, heavy arms-triceps-back, and now heavy chest.
Still, kids, it's all about the diet. Still working on that.

I bought the new Metallica album. My first impression is that there is no hook. that middle aged has taken away the sense of crushing oppression and doom from the music, and that Rick Rubin has melded Metallica's sound into something almost generic. But as I listen now, I am warming up to it. We die hard, or whatever it's called is pretty good. I still don't think there are any hooks, think about the good old stuff, the doo-do-do-doo, ba whamp ba whamp isn't there.

Also, I think Lars's drums are mellower too.

On the other hand, Fuel had no hook, but it had the Lars drums and it had speed and for once some melody.

James's voice is also off. He's not singing in a Metallica manner. He's actually trying to sing at points. He's just yelling at others. There is just not enough of macho there or his classic "-uh" style. Like "seeeeeee seeeeeek-uh and destroy-uh."

I am listening to something now with a RATM'ish intro. It's too slick, man, give me devil music dammit!

UPDATE
Nope, the new album just went up a few pegs to pretty good on the second listen, so this album isn't like St. Anger where I had to force myself to appreciate the train wreck acoustic-aesthetics (obviously there is a better word for that). No, this album simply had to get past its newness.

I think I was thrown off by the new tricks these old dogs learned. I swear, at points, I could detect some Zepplin, some Rage, and even some Helmet (!). Yes, We Die Hard and Day That Never Comes are both radio friendly and awesome. The instrumental just rocks. Although, that instrumental is like a bad girl friend, just as soon as you're like "oh yeah, that's the stuff," the song figuratively fixes its hair or answers the phone. Well, not answer the phone bad, but I question the arrangement. Why interrupt a good guitar riff with a lame one? I think they were trying to be Metallica choppy, but it doesn't help.
And at other points, the album is like a mind reader, I was thinking to myself, "you know what would be good here...some of this or some of that," and at that point, I guess Rick Rubin agreed because all of the sudden the missing element is inserted.
Good album. Not the Black Album good, but Load good.

Oh yeah, Palinmania!

No, I am not talking about the good feelings and lead in the polls that Governor Palin has brought to the Maverick/Barracuda ticket. I am talking about the insane mania that Palin has brought to the cocooned media and the insane left...but those categories are redundant.

First off, I would like to blog about Palin the governor, her fast rise, her accomplishments and the things I find positive about her. But instead, I have to lay some ground rules. After a year of Saint Obama, I just hope that my side doesn't do the same with her. She's good. Got it. I am at least comforted that the sort of mush minded thought processes that made Senator Uh from Ill-uh-noise into a demi-god doesn't occur on our side.

No, instead I am going to write about how upset I am. Yes. Fucking pissed off. The treatment of Palin has gone from slanderous to simply the worst shit I have had to sit through in years. And I've had to sit through the rise of Alinsky disciple (Alinsky BTW dedicated his book Rules for Radicals to Satan) Hopey McChangealot and just wonder if I am living in Gotham city and Raz Al Guhl has put his crazy dust in the air and I am the only person who was inoculated.

No.

This post is about "Jesus was a community organizer and Pilate was a governor."

What the fucking fuck? I mean seriously, what the fucking fuck? No, seriously, are you fucking kidding me? What? What?!?!

The first time I heard that phrase, I gamefuly played along, I thought to myself, "No, Jesus was handed over to the community organizers after Pilate washed his hands."
But then, the more I heard this idiotic mantra repeated, the more the sheer idiocy of it struck me.

First, you are insulting my intellect.
I can't believe that this passes for a thought in the "reality based community." Who is supposed to be persuaded by that line? Seriously, does the Obama camp believe that someone who cares about things like Jesus would say, "oh yeah, now that you mention it..."

No, this line has zero capacity to persuade. Instead, it's a feel good throwaway line by clueless anti-religious types. Why do I say anti-religious types? Because only someone who does not have the slightest care about religion, or at least Christian theology, would say such a thing.

Nonetheless, let's game this out, what is the point of this quip?
Is Obama Jesus? No, his supporters say, we're just saying...
Is Palin supposed to be Pontius Pilate? Er, no, his supporters say, we don't think so.
What? Are governors bad? No, they say, it's just that Community Organizers do things like help people who the politicians have screwed.
Uh, what does that mean? Well, you see, uh...
Aren't these people living in a democrat state run by democrats and didn't they work in a plant that was run by democrat machine union types? I think you're being racist by your negative implications about Community Organizers!
Didn't Obama say that he had to prove that he was, ah, hued enough to get that job? Yes, but he only said it when he didn't think it would matter.

Ok, so here we go. No, Obama is not Jesus, nor is he like Jesus. Palin is not like Pilate.

And also, apparently, executive experience is a negative because, uh, Obama doesn't have any. No, seriously, what are they saying, that yeah sure Palin rose fast, changed things up, and governed based on a clear set of principles but you know, uh, that is where the thought process ends. Pilate was a governor. That's it that's all the intellect we have to fight back with.

All you are left with is a shell of an insult, an insult that is repeated because the teller of that insult believes that religious types will be so duped by anything with Jesus in it that they'll flush their brains down the toilet. It's empty, it's insulting to it's intended audience, and it makes no sense.

Oh, so let's get insulted by the religious aspect.

Fuck you, Obama, you are not Jesus. How about that? Pretty cut and dried. Jesus delivered the word of God, gave his life so that we can be forgiven for our sins, and various other theological points. Obama worked as hired muscle for Chicago machine politics. He studied under Alinsky. He went to hate monger Rev. Wright's church. He chills with terrorists.

A little research on Obie's actual job:
"First, he got community members to demand a job center that would provide job referrals, but there were few jobs to distribute. Then, he tried to create what he called a "second-level consumer economy" in Roseland consisting of shops, restaurants, and theaters. This, too, went nowhere."
Ah, but then "what we could do was begin to improve basic services at Altgeld--get the toilets fixed, the heaters working, the windows repaired."

There you go. It sounds more like the Mario Bros. were Community Organizers.
One of the fifteen different things that now piss me off about Obama is that he seems to buy into his own messianic propaganda.

Ugh, disgusting.

Third, there's the mindless repetition.

This closely mirrors my first point but the distinction is that this stupid ass meme has grown from a blog post to a fully grown talking point mouthed by Donna Brazille. It's a stupid idea from a stupid campaign that thinks that by belittling executive experience, their candidate's complete lack of accomplishment can be spun away.

It's creepy and it highlights the symbiotic ties between Obama and the media.

Sorry, the outright lying and media framing of this woman is outrageous. It's also amazing that Obama could get by scott free when nearly every charge against Palin goes 10 times worse for him.
Palin being portrayed as a talking in tongues bible thumper while mentioning Rev. Wright is a no-no.
Fantasizing about her husband's so called secessionist fervor while ignoring bomber Bill Ayers.

Maybe actual problem solving doesn't count as intellectual curiosity, but it demonstrates the ability to achieve and lead. This woman rose fast but she has accomplished reform and has governed during that time. Obama's rise from the swamps of Chicago machine politics and his failed efforts as an organizer show the opposite.

A little wandering off the main point of this post because this is not a compare and contrast between the two because Maverick is who Obama is running against, but I would vote for Palin over Obama for president too. Obama is awful in every sense of the word. No, I am ticked because the sliming of Palin has gone mainstream. It was one thing when insane bloggers question the parentage of hey youngest child, but now ABC decides to simply change her words to make her sound crazy and uninformed.

The part of the interview that struck me was when she called out Gibson on his dead lie about her "exact words." She called him on it. He maintained. She said, well, I was paraphrasing a lincoln speech. ABC cut the exchange to make it appear that she agreed with Gibson.

GIBSON: You said recently, in your old church, "Our national leaders are sending U.S. soldiers on a task that is from God."

PALIN: You know, I don't know if that was my exact quote.

GIBSON: Exact words.

PALIN: But the reference there is a repeat of Abraham Lincoln's words when he said -- first, he suggested never presume to know what God's will is, and I would never presume to know God's will or to speak God's words.

Oh and then, the Russia thing, where her comments about the basic idea of what to do if a member of NATO were invaded was twisted into some sort of warmongerish bloodlust instead of :

Asked whether the United States would have to go to war with Russia if it invaded Georgia, and the country was part of NATO, Palin said: “Perhaps so.”

“I mean, that is the agreement when you are a NATO ally, is if another country is attacked, you’re going to be expected to be called upon and help,” she said.

Grow Up Media, please? I wish I could do more, I don't buy your papers, I don't watch your tv shows. All I can do is give money to these people so that maybe they can win despite your lies.