People and politics

I read this on Bob Barr’s campaign site and I’d love to hear your thoughts: As it stands now, Bob Barr is the Lone Candidate in the Lone Star State. As the filing deadline passed this week, Bob Barr was the only presidential candidate legally certified on the ballot in Texas. The new Texas law is clear: A political party is entitled to have the names of its nominees for president and vice-president of the United States placed on the ballot in a presidential general election if . . . before

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—Ace A “masterstroke,” Teh Fred! enthuses. Sneak peeks of the speech at the link therein. Here’s what I want Palin to talk about. First of all, I want a 40 minute speech. I realize that’s a bit long, but she’s introducing herself to America, and she needs to do a lot in this speech. I want: 5 minutes bio. We know about enough this. Obligatory but can be bullet-pointed. 5 minutes corruption-fighting/reform/integrity. Another thing we know a lot about. 10 minutes energy. Her acknowledged ar

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Biden tells Israel that it will need to learn to live with a nuclear Iran. Israel decides you should know what Biden is telling them when the media isn’t watching. US Senator and vice presidential hopeful Joe Biden reportedly told Israeli officials three years ago that sooner or later they would have to reconcile themselves to the reality of a nuclear-armed Iran. Israel’s Army Radio reported on the remarks, which Biden is said to have made to visiting Israeli officials in his capacity as chairm

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Valery Dzutsev notes on a rumor that “shortly before his killing Magomed Yevloev was about to start the campaign for collection of signatures among the Ingush for secession from Russian Federation. The latest Ingush opposition initiatives may have derived from unilateral recognition of South Ossetia by Russia.”

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Greetings from St. Paul! Happy Birthday to my dad Bill who is with me in the Twin Cities. Not telling his age but email him at bsaxman@shenspring.com and wish him many more. Good man and a great dad. He still is not proficient with chop sticks but LOVES sushi and sashimi - yes, we found a great place near the hotel - been twice. Brief but succinct. Minnesotans are incredibly friendly and gracious hosts. Security is tight. Protesters? Well, you got to love when anarchists are screaming

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President Bush will travel to Louisiana tomorrow to survey damage caused by Hurricane Gustav, the White House has announced. Bush will make several stops, but his schedule is not yet final. 46 Vote(s)

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I am very interested in this year’s elections and how they are going to turn out, and I am trying to do as much as possible to help see to it that we elect pro-life politicians, especially the President. So when I was at my local fair this summer, helping tend the pro-life booth there, I jumped at the opportunity to approach the people who were tending the Democrat booth, and ask them if they knew, and were comfortable with, the extreme pro-abortion views of Barack Obama. This was definitely

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Grandpa is losing it…….. and hopefully pissing off CNN. This is just insane. This is the REAL McCain. How is he to deal with world leaders? It would not be pretty. He can’t even deal with CNN without throwing a hissy fit. And by the by……where IS Sarah Palin? I guess she’s in McCain’s Evelyn Woods speed school for neocon talking points. Gotta teach her fast so they can throw her out there. From Broadcasting & Publishing: According to CNN, Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ari

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Be sure to read Sidney Blumenthal’s account of the cancellation of Bush’s speech last night. The McCain campaign used Gustave to shove Bush off the program, and Bush is pissed. In order that Bush and Cheney not seem to have been humiliated, McCain cancelled the entire proceedings for the first evening. Almost certainly, Bush had to cancel his planned speech while Gustav loomed. But the sources say he didn’t like the idea and felt pushed. Bush is described by sources as “furious” at McCain fo

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This election is about realities. But the election campaign depends on the political mind—how people understand the candidates and the realities. Democrats have mostly criticized Sarah Palin as unqualified to deal with the r 32 Vote(s)

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Land That I Loved Bush has spread his filth from Bagram and Abu Ghraib and Guantanomo all the way back home to the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Watch the girl holding the flower — not violent, not impeding in any way the slow march of the cops, anonymous behind their beetle masks — but merely holding out a flower. Watch the vicious little shit in blue amuse himself by spraying her in the face with pepper spray. Now watch the same cowardly torturer, still safe and

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I used to watch the CBS Alaskan-set dramedy Northern Exposure all the time in the 1990s. I loved its depiction of small town life peopled with unique and quirky characters. However, I guess I missed the episodes with Sarah Palin as mayor of Cicely, AK. Or maybe Shelly, the former beauty queen, was actually based on Gov. Palin’s character? Think about it. Nonetheless, it does appear Gov. Palin did end up marrying Chris Stevens. Who knew!

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In honor of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s selection as the nominee for Vice President, I’m going to lead off this three-post look at Delaware’s three major election races with the ladies first: the U.S. Senate tilt between incumbent Senator (and Democrat Vice-Presidntial pick) Joe Biden and Republican hopeful Christine O’Donnell. In truth, this is sort of a courtesy to those interested in the race because neither Biden or O’Donnell have any opposition in the upcoming September 9th primary, nor

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Relax There is nothing to Trooper Gate 30 Aug Posted by macranger as 2008 Election, Barack Obama, News, democrats The National Enquire of the blogsphere the so-called “Talking Points Memo” has been harping about Palin’s “trooper-gate” as if it’s the scandal of the years. The McCain campaign has fully vetted this story and the facts behind it and agreed it’s nothing and simply a partisan game. As of this date nothing substantive has been discovered. In fact fack on August 5th, Anderson Co

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INUVIK, N.W.T. _ No longer content to wait for federal largesse to build what it considers a crucial road link, the Northwest Territories government is considering turning to the private sector to help complete the Mackenzie Valley Highway.It would be a $700-million, 800-kilometre ribbon of asphalt that would directly link Canada`s northern coast to the south for the first time.We`re looking at … potential P3 (public-private partnership) proposals to see if there`s any interest in moving forwa

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Ron Brownstein’s excellent point about politics in the Boomer age: deeply divided (primarily over social issues, I would note, since my 18 years in national security finds me finding little real difference there between Dems and Republicans–despite the magnificent hoopla) but closely matched (thus the frustration over stalemates galore and asinine political competition that seems neatly divorced from all reality that truly matters). You watch CNN and Fox cover the recent convention (I would exp

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My Friends, I am honored to announce that I have chosen Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska as my choice for the Republican nominee for Vice President. As a father with three daughters, I can’t express how proud I am to choose the first female Republican Vice-Presidential nominee. Sarah Palin is a trailblazer and a reformer. As the first female governor of Alaska, she challenged a corrupt system and has been a tireless advocate for reform - passing a landmark bill on ethics reform. She has take

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The WaPo, which I’ve come to think of as pretty much a Republican paper editorially (though solid on its news pages) ever since Bush v. Gore, makes point I was hoping to see become the conventional wisdom about the Palin selection. Two different correspondents independently have dubbed it “the WTF question”: The most important question Mr. McCain should have asked himself about Ms. Palin was not whether she could help him win the presidency. It was whether she is qualified and prepared to serve

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The Real History Made Yesterday August 30th, 2008 by Layla Elizabeth Gonzalez Obama declared the making of history Thursday evening in Denver at his dog and pony show. To most Americans that respect ethnicity and race - Obama lied. He is not just an Afro-American - he is also a White-American. To stake claim to being the first African American to be nominated for President of the United States is just semantics. The man is not just half Black and half white, but Arab also. Put a real

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Sarah Palin on the Republican ticket is a great birthday present. Thank you, Senator McCain. It’s just what I wanted. Donna asked me the other day who I thought McCain should pick as his Veep. Sarah Palin was the only name I offered. She’s smart, she’s an outsider, she’s tough and she can pull Hillary voters to her bosom. She runs the most unforgiving state in the union. She does all the things that male politicians pretend to do in order to get elected. She’s young *with* experience.

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From a comment by Ripper McCord at TPM: Appearing on Late Night with Conan O’Brien in July, John McCain was reminded that [he] often tells his audiences the vice president has only two duties: Breaking tie votes in the Senate and inquiring daily about the health of the president. “That job will be very, very important in my case,” replied McCain, who turned 72 today. And this was the most qualified candidate he could come up with… {{Retrieved from geoffarnold.com via RSS/ATOM.}} Quote of t

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Red Flags of ‘Consent’/ Black Flags of Freedom and We, the Civil Society guest post by TRINA NILEENA BANERJEE (Written in Feb 2008) The way towards Nandigram in November 2007 was fraught with a spectacle of flags. I use the word ‘fraught’ deliberately – because as the journey progressed that autumn morning1, this proliferation of flags left me with a sense of mounting fear and apprehension. This was only ten days or so after the ‘recapture’ of Nandigram. But the fear, if you will believe

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Deadline: October 17th, 2008 Enter the WeSay Best of Citizen Photojournalism Photo Contest. Unlike some other photo contests online, this one is free. You can win a real prize - one of THREE Apple iPhones for the grand prizes, one of three gift certificates for $100, $75 and $25 from Photographer’s Warehouse or a $68.95 Photo Book from dotPhoto. There will also be several Editor’s Choice awards issued. In addition, amateur photographers will be considered for publication on the homepage of the

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This one from former Dem Congressman Charlie Wilson of Texas — the one who was recently lionized in the movie Charlie Wilson’s War. “We should be led by Osama bin Laden,” he said, then quickly corrected himself. “I mean Obama…

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From Mark Warner’s speech to the Democratic Convention: “This election isn’t about liberal versus conservative. It’s not about left versus right. It’s about the future versus the past. […] In four months, we’ll have an administration that actually believes in science.”

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Well, it’s obviously a plus if the vice-presidential pick helps the ticket win, but the real importance of the VP choice is that this guy might someday end up being president. It’s happened to over a third of American vice-presidents, either through succession or election. Encarta says “The vice president’s most important role is to replace the president if the president dies or becomes unable to manage the country’s affairs. Under the Constitution of the United States, the vice president auto

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“Lame duck” Bush helps Russia 3:46am ET President Bush’s waning influence on the world stage is encouraging Russia’s show of military force in Georgia and move to recognize two rebel regions there as independent states.

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Some Election Results by BooMan Wed Aug 27th, 2008 at 06:33:00 AM EST They are having some weather in Florida which may help explain a couple of strange primary results in the 9th and 10th Districts down there. Proving that money isn’t everything in politics, Bill Mitchell and Bob Hackworth won their respective primaries over much better funded opponents. Check them out because they are going to need money to compete in their races. The big money went to their opponents but the people had th

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TODAY: Medvedev recognizes independence of Georgian breakaway states, says Russia does not fear a new Cold War - full text of statement. Western world responds with outrage; Russia thought to be seeking Asian support; EU urges Russia to join WTO; tensions over Russia’s Nato agreements for Afghanistan. In a widely condemned move, President Dmitry Medvedev has signed a decree recognizing the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Georgia’s two breakaway republics. “Now Russia appears to be wi

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Techdirt has an interesting post this morning on Getting People to Pay for Investigative Reporting Directly. The idea, as reported more fully in the New York Times is that people club together to commission a piece on investigative reporting and pay in advance. Spot.us in San Francisco is offering just this service raising money to write a piece on whether California can meet it’s ethanol demand and to fact check political ads. Once the piece has been written it is up to the commissioning group

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My Nomination for Most Interesting Speech of Dem Convention’s First Night August 26th, 2008 by MARK DANIELS What was the most interesting speech of the first night of the Democratic National Convention in Denver? Well, the short, heroic address of Senator Edward M. Kennedy was certainly the most emotional, eliciting an enthusiastic response from the crowd in the hall. Michelle Obama, wife of the presumptive nominee, hit all the buttons she needed to hit in what has become a tiresome conven

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DVD LINKS: RELEASE DATES | NEW DVDS | REVIEWS | RSS FEED First things first. For those of you interested and excited that Criterion is going to start releasing Blu-ray titles but worried about the cost, considering Criterion DVDs aren’t exactly cheap and to spend the same kind of money on essentially the same film in high-definition need not worry so much, there is a small bit of fresh air. Of course, this isn’t a solution that makes it a free upgrade, but the die-hards out there at le

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Real or Photoshop quizzes are becoming pretty common on the web. Here’s another one. My criticism of this one is that it’s using the term “photoshop” to refer to any fake photo, including ones that have been staged or falsely captioned. I’ve noticed this usage becoming increasingly common. However, if you’re going to call falsely captioned photos fake, then you need to at least include the caption. Otherwise, the photos aren’t making any claim, true or false. For instance, the quiz includes a

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Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim looks set to win today’s parliamentary by-election in Penang, marking a remarkable political comeback for the 61-year-old politician. His margin of victory will say as much about voters’ dissatisfaction with the ruling coalition’s platform as it will about Mr. Anwar’s growing popularity. Anwar casting vote If there is a fair ballot, Mr. Anwar’s victory is pretty much assured. He has won every election he’s ever contested in his home constituency of Pe

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London, Aug 26 (ANI): Democrat Barack Obama will lose the November US presidential election to John McCain unless he overhauls his message of change, outlines specific plans and reassures Americans that he is one of them, according to swing voters in Denver. The results of a focus group held by Frank Luntz, the leading American pollster, on the eve of the Democratic convention should sound alarm bells for the Obama campaign after a month in which McCain, has drawn level in the polls. “The

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After Michelle Obama’s Monday night speech at the Democratic National Convention, ABC and NBC mentioned her “for the first time in my adult lifetime I’m proud of my country” previous slap at the United States, but in the context of how she resolved any doubts. ABC’s George Stephanopoulos declared: “Tonight, there was no doubt. The money line in this speech was that line when she said, ‘that is why I love this country,’ and she lingered.” Noting how “we heard the word ‘America’ or ‘American’ or

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(Due to technical difficulties and unspeakable complications, this post written on Sunday is only now being posted.  I will soon post several entries to get caught up for today and be ready for tomorrow.) Today’s flights across America on a relatively cloudless day gave me time to reflect on our country as I rarely do.  I […]

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Beirut - The focus in Lebanon today will be the parliament session and the discussions on the new electoral law including the division of the electoral districts. The opposition wants this on the agenda , while the ruling majority wants the discussions on this item postponed until the Administration and Judicial committee

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Ailing Kennedy addresses Democratic convention Posted in News - Comments Off August 26th, 2008 by admin DENVER (AP) — His voice firm, his wave familiar, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy told a cheering Democratic National Convention Monday night that his is “a season of hope” for an era of justice and fair prosperity with the election of Barack Obama as president….

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Teaser: Crawford, Texas — President George Bush directed three top officials Monday to assess whether parts of the Pacific Ocean under U.S. control need more environmental protection. Story: The president directed the secretaries of defense, interior and commerce to provide him with “relevant supporting information” about whether it would be a good thing to increase protection or conservation and management of islands, coral reefs, geologic features and surrounding marine waters. Howeve

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