Ron Mills- News And Commentary

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Monday, May 26, 2008

Another Attack On Obama

When it comes to confusing Osama bin Laden and Sen. Barack Obama on the cablers, there have been a surprisingly large number of instances, be it a verbal or a graphic error. Yesterday brought the newest instance of Obama/Osama confusion, although it may be the least of the implications.

During an interview on Fox News between anchor Eric Shawn and contributor Liz Trotta about the "assassination" comment by Sen. Hillary Clinton, Trotta mistakenly refers to Obama as Osama. "The vast right wing conspiracy blame has been undermined by her evasions, by her outright lies if I may say, by her pandering, by her race baiting, and now we have what some are reading as a suggestion that somebody knock off Osama," she said.

Shawn corrected Trotta just as she herself realized she said the wrong name, and they simultaneously said, "Obama." Then, Trotta appears to attempt to make a joke about the gaffe. "Well, both if we could," she says, and laughs while Shawn says, "Talk about how you really feel." He then changes the subject.

Across the web, the reaction to what Trotta may have been implying has been varied. Whatever the implication, it is the latest in the string of Obama/Osama mistakes in the mainstream media.

Click continued to see the full segment of the interview...

continued...

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Small Donations Continue to Fuel Democrats

April Presidential Reports: Small Donations Continue to Fuel Democrats; McCain Has His Best Month; Clinton's Debts Rise to $19.5 Million

According to monthly reports filed with the Federal Election Commission on May 20, the three remaining presidential candidates raised $76 million in April, only slightly less than the $78 million they raised in March. For the third month in a row, more than half of Senator Barack Obama's and Senator Hillary Clinton's primary contributions – 65% and 59% respectively – came in amounts of $200 or less. Another 16% of Obama's funds and 21% of Clinton's came in amounts of $1,000 or more. For Senator John McCain, the percentages were reversed. Although April was McCain's best fundraising month, only 24% of the $18.5 million he raised came in amounts of $200 or less; 63% were in amounts of $1,000 or more. Cumulatively from January 1, 2007 through April 30, 2008: Obama has raised 47% of his funds in amounts of $200 or less, Clinton 33% and McCain 23%; during the same period Obama has raised 34% cumulatively in amounts of $1,000 or more, Clinton 51% and McCain 63%.

Summary Table - Remaining Candidates

* Clinton's debt includes $10 million to herself.

Clinton's Debts

There has been some interest among reporters recently about Sen. Clinton's debt. The debt reported to the Federal Election Commission was $19,480,893 as of April 30. This included $10,000,000 in loans the candidate made to the campaign and the remainder in debts to others, most of whom were vendors.

Since the "Millionaire's Amendment" to the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, everything above $250,000 in candidate self-loans must be repaid by the date of the relevant election, or else be converted to gifts. The election, in this case, will be the date on which a party's presidential candidate is nominated.

Sen. Clinton's debts to her vendors were about $840,000 less than they were at the end of March. The largest vendor debts were to the political consulting firms of Penn, Schoen and Berland ($4.8 million); MSHC Partners ($956,409) and Grunwald Communications ($695,379). She is continuing to purchase services and make payments to these vendors. Penn, Schoen and Berland billed the campaign for $3.3 million during the month of April and received $3.1 million in payments; Grunwald Communications billed $860,767 and received $693,867; MSHC Partners billed $44,725 in April and received payments of the same amount. The remaining $3 million in debt is owed to a total of more than 150 creditors.

Tables:

Table 1: Presidential Candidates' Fundraising Activity, April 1 - 30, 2008 (Active Candidates).

Table 2: Presidential Candidates' Fundraising Activity, Jan. 1, 2007 through April 30, 2008 (All Candidates).

Table 3: Presidential Candidates' Primary Money Raised and Spent, Jan. 1, 2007 through April 30, 2008 (Active Candidates).

Table 4: Past Presidential Candidates' Fundraising: January 1, 2003 - April 30, 2004 and January 1, 1999 - April 30, 2000 (All Candidates).

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Sunday, May 25, 2008

Obama: McCain's Lobbyiest Problem

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Double Talk Express: On Health Care

Is the media covering McCain 2000 or McCain 2008?

When Sen. John McCain referred to the press as his "base," he was joking — right?

The notion that the news media are crazy about McCain was around for years before anyone had even heard of Barack Obama, let alone before it became the prevailing wisdom that journalists were swooning over him.

As Paul Farhi points out in his excellent upcoming piece (see "In the Tank?" in AJR's June/July issue), the relationships between the news media and the candidates are generally much more complex than the reigning narratives of the moment would suggest. That said, the press will face a challenge this time when (if?) the Democratic primary season ends and we move on to the general election.

There's no doubt that McCain has long had a good relationship with reporters. And no wonder. He gives great access. He seems to enjoy the give-and-take. He conveys an air of authenticity. And he makes for great copy. The POW saga gives him serious street cred. The post-Keating Five, born-again reformer is another good story line. Then there's the "straight talk." And — sorry, there's no way around this — that whole "maverick" business.

Once a public figure's image is established, it can be tough to change. Think of Al Gore, forever the Internet-inventing résumé padder. Or John Kerry, forever the chardonnay-sipping, windsurfing Brahmin who ordered a cheesesteak in Philadelphia with, ohmigod, Swiss cheese.

That phenomenon hasn't been so good for Gore and Kerry, as you may have noticed. But it has paid big dividends for McCain.

There's no doubt that McCain earned his maverick stripes back in the day. He was a different kind of Republican, always a conservative to be sure, but one who reveled in defying the party's orthodoxy. But the John McCain running in 2008 is a far cry from the one who ran in 2000. A lot less mavericky.

The old — sorry — McCain back then was against George W. Bush's tax cuts. The current McCain embraces them.

McCain was 100 percent against torture. Then he voted against legislation that would have banned the CIA from waterboarding.

McCain once called Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson "agents of intolerance." He later withdrew the remark and spoke at Falwell's Liberty University.

Then there's the whole business about Hamas looking forward to an Obama presidency. This is an odd gambit indeed for a candidate who insists the campaign should be played out on the high road.

It's often said of Hillary Clinton, not without evidence, that she will say anything it takes to get elected. And Hillary has been endlessly pilloried for this. But McCain in this campaign has hardly performed as a high-minded model of consistency.

Save for the occasional flurry over his Sunni/Shiite gaffes, McCain has largely escaped the glare of the media in recent months. And for good reason. McCain has had the GOP nomination locked up for quite some time, and the media's focus has been on the bruising battle between Clinton and Obama.

But when the general election heats up, it will be crucial for journalists to cast a critical eye at McCain, to make sure they're not blinded by viewing him through an outdated prism.

As for Obama, he of course must receive the same sort of close, clear-eyed scrutiny, and I'm sure he'll get it. The Rev. Jeremiah Wright paroxysm was a big-time welcome to the NBA.

While journalists have been accused of having been stricken by Obamamania, I never sensed it had much to do with personal affection for the candidate. Unlike McCain, Obama has generally been aloof from the press, granting very little access to the scribes on the bus. That distance brings with it some pitfalls.

Not long ago, a friend of mine who is a national political correspondent took issue with my column blasting ABC's Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos for their questions in the Clinton/Obama faceoff in Philadelphia (see "Silly in Philly," online special). That was the one with the relentless focus on what have come to be known as "distractions."

My friend argued that journalists had to use that opportunity to question Obama about Wright and Bittergate because that was their only opportunity. In my mind, that hardly excuses the endless torrent of inquiries about gaffes and silliness, a barrage that inspired my daughter, Amanda, to text me wondering if we'd ever hear a word about issues. I don't know which was my favorite, the flag pin colloquy or the question about whether Wright loves America as much as Obama does. Nevertheless, my friend raised a valid point.

As for the positive coverage pre-Wright, my take is that the reporting reflected the fact Obama had come out of nowhere to take the lead from Clinton, the much better known candidate who had virtually been awarded the nomination by the media. And there were those huge, enthusiastic, surprising crowds. Obama was the Next Big Thing.

The weeks of negative coverage for Obama leading up to Pennsylvania showed he had returned to earth.

Once they are engaged mano a mano — barring a Hillary hail Mary — the two onetime media darlings should find themselves squarely in the media's sights. Right where they belong.

### Source: AJR

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Saturday, May 24, 2008

The DNC’s state blogger credentialing process is on the verge of becoming a fiasco

The DNC's state blogger credentialing process is on the verge of becoming a fiasco. Marc Ambinder discovered a letter from 21 credentialed state bloggers who are protesting the exclusion of their progressive colleagues from the convention. They allege that some bloggers were chosen for their party loyalty, and not for their progressive bona fides. "The Democratic Party endangers its own long-term viability when it makes fealty a criterion for inclusion," they write. Matt Stoller calls the credentialing of Cathleen Carrigan, an employee of Michigan Governer Jennifer Granholm "simply absurd… Granholm can get her employees credentials, she doesn't need to take them from independent progressive activists." We think it's about time for some damage control from Howard Dean.

GOP's Secret Weapon

The Trustees of the Republican Leadership Trust (yes, that's the real name) are working on a secret weapon: the Republican All in One™ Political Suite.™ Beware Democrats! Look out progressives! The TRLT is convinced that their new tool will be the "GOP's answer to MoveOn.org, Act Blue and multiple commercial vendors who provide political technology." Without giving any details at all about what their Political Suite will look like, the TRLT is asking for pledges of $10 or $25 a month to help take over the world.

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Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Your Blog of Rights

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We need your help sharing the message of rights and liberty across the
Web. Visit Blog of Rights and become a part of our effort to educate
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Monday, May 19, 2008

Fire The Lobbyist

Sign the petition!

A fifth top aide to McCain resigns (Washington Post)
McCain camp revises policy on ethics (Boston Globe)
Lobbyist scandal promotes scrutiny (Huffington Post)
McCain-Dictator Connection (Mother Jones)

John McCain's campaign relies on well-heeled Washington lobbyists to run and raise money for his White House bid. In fact, he's relying on at least 112 lobbyists as staff or fundraisers, including at least ten who represent brutal dictators, human rights abusers, and other unsavory foreign interests.

Sign Here

or go to http://www.firethelobbyists.com/

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Your family's fortune is built on the bones of the very people butchered by the Nazis, my family and the families of those in the Knesset who applauded you today:

Friday, May 16, 2008

The Bush Family A Family Of Nazis

* if you can not view video CLICK HERE

Bush Family Ties to Hitler And Nazis

Warning! this is a very long, while informative post

By: Larisa Alexandrovna

Dear Mr. Bush,

Your speech on the Knesset floor today was not only a disgrace; it was nothing short of treachery. Worse still, your exploitation of the Holocaust in a country carved out of the wounds of that very crime, in order to strike a low blow at American citizens whose politics differs from your own is unforgivable and unpardonable. Let me remind you, Mr. Bush, of your words today:

"Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along," Bush said at Israel's 60th anniversary celebration in Jerusalem.

"We have heard this foolish delusion before," Bush said in remarks to Israel's parliament, the Knesset. "As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: 'Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided.' We have an obligation to call this what it is -- the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history."

Well Mr. Bush, the only thing this comment lacked was a mirror and some historical facts. You want to discuss the crimes of Nazis against my family and millions of other families in Europe during World War II? Let me revive a favorite phrase of yours: Bring. It. On!

The All-American Nazi

WASHINGTON -- President Bush's grandfather was a director of a bank seized by the federal government because of its ties to a German industrialist who helped bankroll Adolf Hitler's rise to power, government documents show.

Prescott Bush was one of seven directors of Union Banking Corp. (search), a New York investment bank owned by a bank controlled by the Thyssen family, according to recently declassified National Archives documents reviewed by The Associated Press.

Fritz Thyssen was an early financial supporter of Hitler, whose Nazi party Thyssen believed was preferable to communism.

--snip--

Both Harrimans and Bush were partners in the New York investment firm of Brown Brothers, Harriman and Co., which handled the financial transactions of the bank as well as other financial dealings with several other companies linked to Bank voor Handel that were confiscated by the U.S. government during World War II.

Union Banking was seized by the government in October 1942 under the Trading with the Enemy Act.

Oh, but there is much more too:

The two Holocaust survivors suing the US government and the Bush family for a total of $40bn in compensation claim both materially benefited from Auschwitz slave labour during the second world war, Kurt Julius Goldstein, 87, and Peter Gingold, 85, began a class action in America in 2001, but the case was thrown out by Judge Rosemary Collier on the grounds that the government cannot be held liable under the principle of "state sovereignty".

I cannot think of one Democrat who can boast this kind of lineage. Can you? No, I don't think so. But you can lie brazenly and attack a sitting US Senator on foreign soil by comparing him to Nazi sympathizers? Let us continue down memory lane to help those who applaud you understand just what it is they are celebrating.

The All American Traitor

You family did not stop with supporting fascists and Nazis abroad, did they Mr. Bush? Surely you must know of your grandfather's role in the treasonous plot of 1933 to overthrow democracy in America? Let me remind you.

Grandpa Bush - that is to say, your grandfather - wanted fascism imported into the United States, or as you now call this type of transformation, "exporting democracy." Prescott went so far as to subsidize a coup attempt in order to achieve his dream of a fascist America (see BBC report below):

Document uncovers details of a planned coup in the USA in 1933 by right-wing American businessmen. The coup was aimed at toppling President Franklin D Roosevelt with the help of half-a-million war veterans. The plotters, who were alleged to involve some of the most famous families in America, (owners of Heinz, Birds Eye, Goodtea, Maxwell Hse & George Bush's Grandfather, Prescott) believed that their country should adopt the policies of Hitler and Mussolini to beat the great depression. Mike Thomson investigates why so little is known about this biggest ever peacetime threat to American

In other words, not only was your grandfather a self-professed fascist, he was a Nazi sympathizer and a war profiteer who should have stood trial at the Hague instead of buying his way into the US Senate. He was also a traitor, twice over.

Now clearly the crimes of Prescott Bush are not your fault, Mr. George W. Bush. Let us therefore judge your actions and words on their own merit.

Iraq is your Poland

Your reminiscence today about the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany should have been seen as your own condemnation of your own abhorrent actions against Iraq. The morbid irony of what you said will likely never register with your or your speechwriter. To truly grasp the grotesqueness of what you said requires that you have both a conscience and some understanding of history. We know you possess neither.

I will therefore make your history lesson brief, but to the point. The unprovoked attack on Poland by Germany was a war crime just as your attack against Iraq - based on lies - is a war crime. This is not my opinion. This is not a political attack. This is a fact. Consider the words of the esteemed former chief prosecutor in the Nuremburg trials, Benjamin Ferencz, regarding your war of aggression against Iraq:

"...Prima facie case can be made that the United States is guilty of the supreme crime against humanity, that being an illegal war of aggression against a sovereign nation."

Moreover, your reckless verbiage and partisan pandering using something as tragic and criminal as Germany's war of aggression against Poland is an insult to all victims of those atrocities.

My grandfather's sister and parents were having supper in their Warsaw home when a German bomb erased them from this planet. Your evoking the German atrocities against Poland in order to play dirty politics against Democrats is as offensive to me as if you had pinned a swastika onto your lapel.

Even your own words appear to be penned by Hitler's ghost all the while you imply that Democrats are Nazis and/or terrorists - something you have done over and over. Your lies and Hitler's lies even have the same purpose.

When you, Mr. Bush, said "see in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda," were you aware of Adolph Hitler's eerily similar statement? Hitler said "If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed."

Yet if words alone were your only weapon and words strung together into lies your only crime, you might be seen as simply the loathsome, unethical dilettante and despot that you are. Unfortunately, your crimes are many and so similar to those of the Nazi regime that at times one wonders if you are not yourself reenacting that very history you used today as an insult against a political opponent.

Your very own concentration camps

You ordered the creation of secret camps all over the world and on US territory where you also authorized the torture of countless men, women and children is a violation of the Geneva Conventions, international law, and domestic law. In other words, you authorized war crimes.

We don't know the number of people you have had disappeared, tortured, and possibly murdered. Although we have some idea of what these numbers may be, I doubt the full truth of it all will ever be known.

In 2005, I had a CENTCOM document leaked to me illustrating that since the start of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, more than 70,000 men, women, and children have been detained at one of your various camps Mr. Bush. We don't know what happened to them, if they were tortured, raped, or murdered. What we do know is that less than 2% of those 70,000 had any sort of charge brought against them in a court of law. None of those alleged crimes, by the way, were acts of terrorism. We don't know if that 70,000 figure was the actual and full count of detainees in US custody around the world in 2005. But it is safe to say that in the last 3 years since this document was published, the number of detainees has likely grown.

What we also now know, in great horror, is that at least one of your camps had a crematorium in it, which some of the US soldiers stationed there suspected was used for burning bodies:

"We had some kind of incinerator at the end of our building," Specialist Megan Ambuhl said. "It was this huge circular thing. We just didn't know what was incinerated in there. It could have been people, for all we knew--bodies." Sergeant Davis was not in doubt. "It had bones in it," he said, and he called it the crematorium. "But hey, you're at war," he said. "Suck it up or drive on."

What we also now know is that Dick Cheney and senior members of your administration carried out a plan of torture and abuse that violated international and domestic law with regard to human rights, down to the type of torture tactics that would be used against prisoners in our custody. This plan, we now know, was approved by you.

Has the mirror cracked yet from this much fact or are you still peering into the political sphere hoping to ascribe your own crimes to others? It won't work. It never has and it certainly won't work now. We know far too much about you and yours.

I could continue listing the litany of your crimes, both against the United States and against foreign nations. I won't. We know what you are and what you have done. Having roughly 1,000,000 dead Iraqis under your belt should have shamed you into the parasitic hole you came out of, attaching yourself to the blood of this nation and sucking it dry. Instead, you parade around, the globe-trotting horror show and anti-Semite that you are.

Yes, you are an anti-Semite

Would you say no, you are not an anti-Semite? Consider your own words when you thought no one was keeping score:

"You know what I'm gonna tell those Jews when I get to Israel, don't you Herman?" a then Governor George W. Bush allegedly asked a reporter for the Austin American-Statesman.

When the journalist, Ken Herman, replied that he did not know, Bush reportedly delivered the punch line: "I'm telling 'em they're all going to hell."

Only an anti-Semite would think this type of humor is acceptable. Did you tell the Jews of Israel they were going to hell? No, instead, you told them that American Democrats are Nazi sympathizers and in an act of sheer indecency, the right wing Likud party orchestrated the greatest applause you ever got. For shame!

What this blind adoration finally proves to me is that the right-wing regime that has overtaken Israel cares nothing for its people, its heritage, and the tragic history that they now honor by applauding a man whose family-fortune was built on the bodies of their loved ones. Like their Republican (and Lieberman) counterparts in the United States, Likud does not represent its people, rather, it represents its owners. Likud has traded Israel, its Jews, their heritage and history for the same golden calf purchased and sold by the far-right wing in the United States.

I am ashamed of you Mr. Bush. I am ashamed of those who applauded your political porn played out against the hallowed backdrop of the Holocaust. I am ashamed of those reporters with you, who between them could not muster the moral courage to call you out on your ugly rhetoric and ask you about your own family Nazi ties. You are, sir, the most abhorrent human being of my lifetime. I dare say, in the lifetime of this nation.

posted at huffington Post

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Stop Florida from damaging another election

A Guest Post

by Chris Chiari Campaign

Wed May 14, 2008 at 11:28:40 AM PDT

Dear Friends,

From the 2000 recount, to the debacle over delegates, Florida has a long, painful history of problems during election season. Who's to blame? The Republican-Led Florida Legislature.

I am running against the Majority Whip of the Florida House - the very person that secured the votes that got us into the latest delegate mess.

In the last term, my opponent:

- Voted for legislation that discredits evolution and opens the door to intelligent design in school curriculum.

- Violated a woman's right to privacy by voting to make an ultrasound mandatory prior to exercising a woman's right to choose.

- Supported legislation criminalizing embryonic stem cell research

- Voted specifically to exclude mental and physical disabilities and sexual orientation from enumerated categories of bullying in anti-bullying legislation.

- Voted to change Florida law to allow people to take their guns to work.

We may not all be Florida Democrats, but we all know the story: Voters disenfranchised and a primary in chaos.

On top of that, back in January, 2004, my opponent won the first election in America using black-box voting machines. The result – a contested election and a judge, not voters, choosing the winner.

It gets worse: She is also the Florida Co-Chair of the McCain for Florida campaign.

We may be a state in chaos… We may be a Democratic party in chaos… but we will win in November.
Help me remove a key member of the Florida Republican leadership: Click here to lend me your support.

Chris Chiari

Democrat for Florida State House
Cross Posted At DailyKos

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

McSame: “Out of Touch”

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Monday, May 12, 2008

Stop The Spread Of Hate

After she was exposed, Rep. Kern refused to apologize. In fact, she has even appeared on television to repeat her outrageous assertions.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Wrong Way McSame

McCain lost five U.S. Navy aircraft

Navy pilot John Sidney McCain III should have never been allowed to graduate from the U.S. Navy flight school. He was a below average student and a lousy pilot. Had his father and grandfather not been famous four star U.S. Navy admirals, McCain III would have never been allowed in the cockpit of a military aircraft.

His father John S. "Junior" McCain was commander of U.S. forces in Europe later becoming commander of American forces in Vietnam while McCain III was being held prisoner of war. McCain III's grandfather John S. McCain, Sr. commanded naval aviation at the Battle of Okinawa in 1945.

During his relative short stunt on flight status, McCain III lost five U.S. Navy aircraft, four in accidents and one in combat.

Robert Timberg, author of The Nightingale's Song, a book about Annapolis graduates and their tours in Vietnam, wrote that McCain "learned to fly at Pensacola, though his performance was below par, at best good enough to get by. He liked flying, but didn't love it."

McCain III lost jet number one in 1958 when he plunged into Corpus Christi Bay while practicing landings. He was knocked unconscious by the impact coming to as the plane settled to the bottom.

McCain's second crash occurred while he was deployed in the Mediterranean. "Flying too low over the Iberian Peninsula," Timberg wrote, "he took out some power lines [reminiscent of the 1998 incident in which a Marine Corps jet sliced through the cables of a gondola at an Italian ski resort, killing 20] which led to a spate of newspaper stories in which he was predictably identified as the son of an admiral."

McCain's third crash three occurred when he was returning from flying a Navy trainer solo to Philadelphia for an Army-Navy football game.

Timberg reported that McCain radioed, "I've got a flameout" and went through standard relight procedures three times before ejecting at one thousand feet. McCain landed on a deserted beach moments before the plane slammed into a clump of trees.

McCain's fourth aircraft loss occurred July 29, 1967, soon after he was assigned to the USS Forrestal as an A-4 Skyhawk pilot. While seated in the cockpit of his aircraft waiting his turn for takeoff, an accidently fired rocket slammed into McCain's plane. He escaped from the burning aircraft, but the explosions that followed killed 134 sailors, destroyed at least 20 aircraft, and threatened to sink the ship.

McCain's fifth loss happened during his 23rd mission over North Vietnam on Oct. 26, 1967, when McCain's A-4 Skyhawk was shot down by a surface-to-air missile. McCain ejected from the plane breaking both arms and a leg in the process and subsequently parachuted into Truc Bach Lake near Hanoi.

After being drug from the lake, a mob gathered around McCain, spit on him, kicked him and stripped him of his clothing. He was bayoneted in his left foot and his shoulder crushed by a rifle butt. He was then transported to the Hoa Lo Prison, also known as the Hanoi Hilton.

After being periodically slapped around for "three or four days" by his captors who wanted military information, McCain called for an officer on his fourth day of captivity. He told the officer, "O.K., I'll give you military information if you will take me to the hospital." -U.S. News and World Report, May 14, 1973 article written by former POW John McCain

"Demands for military information were accompanied by threats to terminate my medical treatment if I [McCain] did not cooperate. Eventually, I gave them my ship's name and squadron number, and confirmed that my target had been the power plant." Page 193-194, Faith of My Fathers by John McCain.

When the communist learned that McCain's father was Admiral John S. McCain, Jr., the soon-to-be commander of all U.S. Forces in the Pacific, he was rushed to Gai Lam military hospital (U.S. government documents), a medical facility normally unavailable for U.S. POWs.

The communist Vietnamese figured, because POW McCain's father was of such high military rank, that he was of royalty or the governing circle. Thereafter the communist bragged that they had captured "the crown prince."

For 23 combat missions (an estimated 20 hours over enemy territory), the U.S. Navy awarded McCain a Silver Star, a Legion of Merit for Valor, a Distinguished Flying Cross, three Bronze Stars, two Commendation medals plus two Purple Hearts and a dozen service medals.

"McCain had roughly 20 hours in combat," explains Bill Bell, a veteran of Vietnam and former chief of the U.S. Office for POW/MIA Affairs -- the first official U.S. representative in Vietnam since the 1973 fall of Saigon. "Since McCain got 28 medals," Bell continues, "that equals out to about a medal-and-a-half for each hour he spent in combat. There were infantry guys -- grunts on the ground -- who had more than 7,000 hours in combat and I can tell you that there were times and situations where I'm sure a prison cell would have looked pretty good to them by comparison. The question really is how many guys got that number of medals for not being shot down."

For years, McCain has been an unchecked master at manipulating an overly friendly and biased news media. The former POW turned Congressman, turned U.S. Senator, has managed to gloss over his failures as a pilot and collaborations with the enemy by exaggerating his military service and lying about his feats of heroism.

McCain has sprouted a halo and wings to become America's POW-hero presidential candidate

Posted At: THE U.S. VETERAN DISPATCH

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Saturday, May 10, 2008

Why Florida Matters

Posted At NoQuarter

Many people are asking. "Why isn't Hillary leaving the race?" Or, "Isn't the math prohibitive?" Well, the answer is given quite simply by Karl Rove. Now Karl may be a lot of things, but he is not stupid and he knows politics and elections. Unlike Hillary and her surrogates in the Democratic party, he does not have to say, "either candidate can win the general but Hillary is stronger." 2209

He can tell the unvarnished version which is that Hillary wins against McCain and Barack loses. So it's simple, a vote for Barack in the primary is tantamount to a vote for McCain in the general. (The chart to the right reflects Karl's analysis that Nebraska and North Dakota will end up in the Republican column.) It's very striking to me that the Democratic fortunes in November are completely reversed if we are foolish enough to nominate Barack. I'm sure this is why many superdelegates are sticking with Hillary or are still undecided. No one wants four or eight more years of a Republican in the White House.

I've posted his discussion by Fox News about this and about the Dems problem with Florida.

UPDATE: Please take a look at the analysis by Mr. X who writes that "His [Karl's] numbers match almost exactly what I have. There is almost ZERO way Obama can win and it's almost impossible for Hillary to lose in the GE." )

Over a dozen members of Congress from swing states had this to say in a letter they sent to their colleagues today:

Pennsylvania was not just a victory for Hillary Clinton. It was also a wake- up call for superdelegates, forcing us to ask ourselves two essential questions:

Read the rest

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Friday, May 09, 2008

Has Donna Brazile Lost it?

A posting from noquarter

Thousands are calling for her resignation. Thousands more are wondering if she's off her meds (or needs to be ON some meds). What I WANT TO KNOW is WHAT IN THE HELL the poor saps like us who donate to the Democratic party are paying this woman? (I actually searched for information today on what Donna Brazile is paid by the DNC, but was unable to find any financial statements. If any of you can, please find it and share it with us.)

There's a sweet soul who has a lovely little blog, Little Isis, who had the temerity to write to Miss Donna Brazile. Her polite note included:

Hi Donna!!!!
I am emailing you on behalf of many people. I am, as you may know, a Hillary Clinton Supporter. You have probably gotten a lot of emails from her supporters, and I understand from the blogs I often frequent that you have responded to many of them.
I want you to know that I read bits and pieces of your autobiography, Cooking With Grease, and thought it was wonderful and well written. I came to understand from your book and from a lot of what I have witnessed in this election cycle that to simply put groups of people in Demographics and Exit polls is a misunderstanding of both America and the Democratic Party. …

The rest of her letter to Donna Brazile was similarly polite, kindly, and complimentary. She signed it, "respectfully, A young female voter from Ohio." THIS is the response this young Democrat received:

Thanks Natalie,
As of today, I am not going to respond to any more anti American, Anti Democratic emails. Have a nice day.
I am sorry because you are sincere, but the Hillary forces are uncivil, repugnant and vile. When you come up for air and would like to email a person who cares about America and not just a personality, I will respond.
Thanks for your time and your interest.
Donna

What can one say?

Well, leave it to the very earnest and polite LittleIsis to write a rational response to her blog's readers:

I kid you not. That was her reply. This is DNC leadership. A Superdelegate and a person responsible for seating Florida and Michigan. Is this normal behavior for party leadership? I must say that I'm somewhat confused. And if anyone can tell me how my letter to her was "Anti-American" and "Anti-Democratic" and how I supposedly "don't care about America" because I urged her to count the votes in two swing states, please let me know. I'm dying to figure out how counting votes is "Anti-American" and "Anti-Democratic".

I would urge everyone not to try and email her anymore. She is beyond rationality at this point. And I would also urge everyone who did have exchanges with her to contact the DNC about this and also to send what she wrote back to every media outlet you possibly can. She clearly is incredibly unprofessional, and it alarms me that she is in the position she is in right now.

You may share your opinions with Little Isis.

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Thursday, May 08, 2008

McCain's "Spiritual Guide" Wants America to Destroy Islam

You may have heard of Rev. John Hagee, the McCain supporter who said God created Hurricane Katrina to punish New Orleans for its homosexual "sins." Well now meet Rev. Rod Parsley, the televangelist megachurch pastor from Ohio who hates Islam. According to David Corn of Mother Jones, Parsley has called on Christians to wage war against Islam, which he considers to be a "false religion." In the past, Parsley has also railed against the separation of church and state, homosexuals, and abortion rights, comparing Planned Parenthood to Nazis.

John McCain actively sought and received Parsley's endorsement in the presidential race. McCain has called Parsley "a spiritual guide," and he hasn't said whether he shares Parsley's vicious anti-Islam views. That's because the mainstream media refuses to ask. And so, we've taken matters into our own hands, joining Mother Jones to present the truth about McCain's pastor:

Since the media won't question McCain about his deeply bigoted pastor, it's up to you to call attention to this issue. Make McCain's pastor problem a major story by forwarding this video to your family, friends, and colleagues. Digg it! Anything to spread the word.

We can't let McCain get away with aligning himself with a religious leader who's called for an all-out war on Islam, someone who draws no distinctions between Muslims and violent Islamic extremists. Now is the crucial time to act.

Yours,
Robert Greenwald
and the Brave New Team

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Hillary’s Path to Victory

Are All Remaining Super Delegates Just Whimps.............

Craig Crawford asks the obvious question:

If Democratic superdelegates truly want Hillary Rodham Clinton to quit the nomination race, why don't they just publicly endorse Barack Obama and get it over with? There are more than enough of them to make up the difference needed to give him the winning majority.

Until she officially loses, Clinton has no reason to drop out. And if this fight goes all the way to the convention floor because Obama doesn't have the required number of votes on record to formally claim the nomination, the blame falls on wimpy superdelegates -- not her.

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

The Tie Breaker

To: Interested Parties
From: The Clinton Campaign
Date: May 6, 2008
RE: Tie-Breaker

In April, Barack Obama called Indiana a 'tie-breaker' for the Democratic nominating process: "You know, Sen. Clinton is more favored in Pennsylvania and I'm right now a little more favored in North Carolina, so Indiana right now may end up being the tiebreaker. So we want to work very hard in Indiana."

At the time, Senator Obama's comments seemed to be part of an elaborate plan to lower expectations for the Indiana contest. After all, roughly 20% of Indiana Democratic primary voters have been exposed to Senator Obama for years because they live within the Chicago media market. He's never lost a state that borders his home-state of Illinois.

The fact that Indiana was an open primary – Republicans and independents can vote in the Democratic contest – also augured well for Senator Obama. He has regularly argued that he should be nominated because he "appeal[s] to Republicans and Independents in a way that none of the other nominees can." Read the rest

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Clinton Comes From Behind

"Tonight we've come from behind, we've broken the tie, and thanks to you it's full speed on to the White House"

Obama claimed Indiana would be the tie-breaker.

Hillary won it.

Hello West Virginia!

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Sunday, May 04, 2008

Cazayoux Wins!

House Republicans tried to nationalize this election, illegally coordinated with Freedom's Watch, used false and deceptive special interest smears, and funneled nearly a million dollars into a district that Republicans held for more than three decades. ... Read More

Unfiltered Sunday Views

Would A Clinton Win Destroy the Party? - David Broder, Washington Post

Wright Deflated Obamamania - Matthew Continetti, Weekly Standard

The Hypocrisy of Hurricane Jeremiah - Frank Rich, New York Times

Will McCain's Age Just Be a Number? - Jonathan Martin, Politico

Leaving Wright's America For Obama's - Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune

Truman's Effect on Today's Presidency - George Will, Houston Chronicle

Obama Forced to Put His Life in Reverse - Maureen Dowd, New York Times

Obama's Rhetorical Magic vs Reality - Mark Steyn, Orange County Register

What Israel Has Given - Alan Dershowitz, New York Post

Media Not Reporting Unstable Iraq - Joan Vennochi, Boston Globe

The Left Starts to Rethink Reagan - Evan Thomas, Newsweek

Zogby Tracking: North Carolina: Obama +9.0 | Indiana: Obama +2.0

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Clinton Camp Memo on Indiana, North Carolina Contests

To: Interested Parties

From: The Clinton Campaign

Date: May 3, 2008

RE: Why Did the Obama Campaign Predict Victory in Indiana? Does That Prediction

Still Stand?

Three months ago the Obama campaign produced a spreadsheet that, with one exception, has accurately predicted the winners in each of the upcoming primaries and caucuses.

Tellingly, that spreadsheet predicted an Obama victory in Indiana by 7 points, as well as an Obama victory in North Carolina.

Does the Obama campaign still stand by that prediction? If not, why not, and what has happened?

It is easy to see why the Obama campaign predicted victory in Indiana. Senator Obama has won each of the primaries in the states that border Illinois – Iowa, Wisconsin, and Missouri, and 25% of Hoosiers get their television from Illinois stations – a huge advantage for Senator Obama. Indiana's primary is open, and Senator Obama has tended to do better in those contests.

The Obama campaign has also dramatically outspent Senator Clinton in Indiana by more than $2.4 million — $5.6m - $3.2m and has even gone up on broadcast television in the very expensive Chicago media market.

Despite Senator Obama's advantages and his prediction of victory, we have worked hard in Indiana to do as well as we can and anticipate a close finish.

In North Carolina, Tuesday's other contest, Senator Obama enjoyed a lead of over 20 points in public polls throughout this year and outspent us there on TV by $1.3m — $4.9 - $3.5. Senator Clinton has been working hard to narrow that 20 point gap.

The Clinton campaign is closing on the big challenges and questions facing American families – who is on your side and who is best able to fight for working and middle class people on Day One in the White House?

Under The Bus

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Saturday, May 03, 2008

Obama Is Too CHICKEN to Debate

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GOP uses Obama to boost Republican candidates

Even if the people smoking hopium won't see or admit it, the GOP has figured out who they want to run against. The AP reports that Obama is being linked to local candidates to drag them down and stomp on them and boost their candidates.

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Former DNC chairs: Hillary would beat McCain today — Obama wouldn't

Former DNC chairs: Hillary would beat McCain today — Obama wouldn't

They write that "if the election were held today, Hillary would beat Senator McCain, but Senator Obama would lose to the presumptive GOP nominee."

"Hillary has run one of the most formidable campaigns in the history of our Party," the chairs wrote, listing Clinton's primary season victories. "Her base of support includes women, Hispanics, seniors, Catholics, middle and low income Americans, and rural, suburban and urban voters. That's a formidable coalition tailor-made for victory in a November general election.

"…We encourage you to continue to fully consider Hillary Clinton and the fact that she is qualified and accomplished. Too much is at stake for us not to consider deeply the choice we must make for our Party and our country." ... ..

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Infamous YouTube - BingoFrogger - Identities revealed

Obama Supporters getting down and dirty

Youtube was abuzz this week with a clip (now deleted because it was a fraud and doctored)
with a Clinton supporter Mickey Kantor using the (N) in the movie THE WAR ROOM, According to the film makers that never happened. Did the Obama camp put out more mud and more race baiting?

Filmmakers Chris Hegedus and D A Pennebaker write: "We would like to respond to some erroneous statements made today about our film, THE WAR ROOM. These statements alleged certain remarks to Mickey Kantor that simply are not true. The transcript of the scene in question confirms this."
The official transcript:
GEORGE AND CARVILLE: Indiana, we're ahead.
JACQUELINE: Indiana!

GEORGE: Kentucky.

CARVILLE: Kentucky is five. Michigan is eleven, New York's done.
GEORGE: Holy s---, we're pulling away in Ohio.

CARVILLE: Oklahoma we're up.

GEORGE: Tied in Texas.

CARVILLE: Tied in Texas. It looks good. Now let's just say that. I like the text here.

GEORGE: Can you beep Wendy please? Looks pretty good. Looks pretty good.

MICKEY KANTOR: Look at Indiana. Wait, wait. Look at Indiana. Forty-two, forty. It doesn't matter if we win. Those people are s----ing (oh, excuse me) in the White House. How would you like to be... Look at Texas, go down to Texas.
CARVILLE: Even.

MICKEY: Yeah. Thirty-nine, thirty-nine.
CARVILLE: Perot's kind of holding, isn't he?
GEORGE: He held.

MICKEY: Yeah, he held. His numbers held. I'm sort of surprised, frankly.
***

So Kantor was NOT insulting Hoosiers, he was experiencing a moment of schadenfreude about the Bush (Sr.) White House.
Check it out HERE.

Now back to that other question -- who did the fake clip with Kantor saying the N word?!
It's the definition of a dirty trick -- and from what I can tell all the YouTube links have disappeared. Fingerprints gone.

update:

Blogger at MyDD.com may have found the slimebag who posted the video:

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CNN Poll: Obama Losing Support

Obama Losing Support

"In mid-March, Obama had a 52 percent to 45 percent edge over Clinton, but his support has dropped six points..." ... "The bigger problem appears to be Obama's string of losses to Clinton in big states like Pennsylvania and Ohio. Those losses have not driven up Clinton's support. But they may have created doubts about Obama's ability to win," Schneider said. Read More

Friday, May 02, 2008

More Bad News For Obama

58% Say Obama Denounced Wright for Political Convenience, not Outrage

The Best Of Clinton

Hillary at Her Best

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When Will Obama Close the Deal?

Obama Media

Try JibJab Sendables!

Poll Shows Clinton With Big Lead Over Obama

This survey, conducted by Indianapolis-based TeleResearch Corp. and released exclusively to 6News, showed Clinton with a 10-point lead over Obama in Indiana -- 48 percent to 38 percent -- with 14 percent of respondents undecided... Read More

If Obama doesn't win Indiana and North Carolina by 10 points, does he need to drop out of the race. isn't the race statistically tied today?

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Clinton's Polling Numbers: The best they have been in 2 years

This is Sen. Clinton's strongest overall performance since the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University began special surveys two years ago in the three largest and most important swing states in the Electoral College. This latest survey finds:
Florida: Clinton tops McCain 49 - 41 percent; McCain gets 44 percent to Obama's 43 percent; Ohio: Clinton beats McCain 48 - 38 percent; McCain gets 43 percent to Obama's 42 percent; Pennsylvania: Clinton tops McCain 51 - 37 percent; Obama leads McCain 47 - 38 percent.
Among white working-class voters, Clinton ties McCain 45 - 45 percent in Florida, leads 46 - 40 percent in Ohio and 48 - 40 percent in Pennsylvania. These same voters back McCain over Obama 51 - 34 percent in Florida, 49 - 34 percent in Ohio and 45 - 38 percent in Pennsylvania.
"If the super delegates are looking at electability, these results could be a shot in the arm for Sen. Clinton. No one has won the White House since 1960 without carrying two of these three swing states, Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania. And she clearly is running much better against Sen. McCain than is Sen. Obama, at least for now," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
"There is no indication that Obama's problems with white working class Democrats in the Ohio and Pennsylvania primaries have gone away," Brown added.

Read The Poll

To Stay up to date visit: http://RonMills.us

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Super Delegates: Get A Grip

She's going to destroy the party! We must act now or it will be curtains for us. John McCain will win in November if we allow Clinton to continue her reckless and dangerous quest for the nomination. The Party is headed for a disaster of biblical proportions.

Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling!
Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes…
The dead rising from the grave!
Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together… mass hysteria!
What's next? Howard Dean giving a speech at the United Nations with pictures of trailers in the desert filled with voter registration forms for unregistered voters?

Will you people get a grip?!

How can you guys expect us to take you seriously if your superdelegates keep coming up with lame excuses for why they're switching their votes? It's completely unbelievable. And there's no reason to pre-emptively strike Clinton by saying she's going to say mean things about you. Sticks and stones and all that. Besides, she hasn't *done* anything to you yet.

It seems to me like the DNC and the party power brokers have decided to unilaterally disarm Clinton without taking the voters into account. They desperately want the anti-Clinton candidate to win. Does the fact that Obama's campaign cut a deal with the DNC on joint fundraising have anything to do with it? The DNC is headed towards insolvency but instead of settling FL and MI so that it is fair to voters and to Clinton, they'd rather screw the voters in those states and, by extension, every other state that Clinton won. And voters are rightfully withholding their DNC contributions until the problem is solved to their satisfaction. Too bad solving it gets in the way of the party's beautiful plans to take over the presidency.

Now they are reduced to relying on the Obama campaign to bring in the big bucks and bail them out with the vendors they are beholden to in Denver and all of the downticket candidates who are hurting. And those big donors for Obama, who can now open their pockets with $28,500 donations instead of the paltry $2300 per candidate are demanding quo for their quid. Out trots Andrew to do the dirty work. Now, I wouldn't call him a traitor, but you know what happened to Colin Powell.

So, produce the evidence, Mr Andrews. Bring forth the nukes and the poisoned gas or stop the stupid fearmongering and STFU.

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Thursday, May 01, 2008

If the super delegates are looking at electability: Clinton Wins Hands Down

Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said in a news release:

"If the super delegates are looking at electability, these results could be a shot in the arm for Senator Clinton. No one has won the White House since 1960 without carrying two of these three swing states, Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania. And she clearly is running much better against Senator McCain than is Senator Obama, at least for now.

"There is no indication that Obama's problems with white working class Democrats in the Ohio and Pennsylvania primaries have gone away.

"Many voters cite trustworthiness as the most important quality they want in a candidate. Clinton is found wanting in that department, but still does best in the matchups. She wins because she is seen as a strong leader who cares about people and can improve the economy.

"McCain's age is a significant problem in the minds of voters as are his ties to President George W. Bush. He is seen as the least able to fix the economy and bring about change. The data indicates he needs to continue to try and put some distance between himself and President Bush, whose job approval ratings remain awful."

From April 23 - 29, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,411 Florida voters. The results have a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.

Other findingsl

Demographics
- Facing McCain in November, Clinton leads 54 - 37 percent among women, while he gets 45 percent of men to her 43 percent. They tie 45 - 45 percent among white voters, while she leads 80 - 11 percent among black voters.

- In an Obama-McCain matchup, men back McCain 46 - 42 percent, while women split, with 44 percent for Obama and 42 percent for McCain. The Republican leads among white voters 50 - 36 percent, while the Democrat leads among black voters 83 - 8 percent.

Favorability
- Clinton has a 49 - 40 percent favorability rating. That means 49 percent have a favorable view and 40 percent unfavorable. Obama is 47 percent - 36 percent for Obama and McCain is 51 - 32 percent.

Economy- The economy is the most important issue in their vote, 50 percent of Florida voters say, with 22 percent who list the war in Iraq and 10 percent who list health care.

- If Clinton is elected, 44 percent say the economy will get better. If Obama is elected, 38 percent say the economy will get better. Only 24 percent say the economy will improve under McCain.

Candidate Characteristics

- The most important quality they want in a candidate is strong leadership, 29 percent of voters say, while 27 percent want someone trustworthy and 23 percent want someone competent.

- McCain is a strong leader, 73 percent of the voters say, while 20 percent consider him not a strong leader. The leadership split is 69 - 27 percent for Clinton and 58 - 30 percent for Obama. McCain also leads on the trustworthy measure 68 - 22 percent, with 58 - 28 percent saying Obama is trustworthy, and Clinton split at 46 - 46 percent.

- A total of 43 percent of Florida voters say a candidate's age is "very important" or "somewhat important."

"In Florida, with its large number of senior citizens, age is an issue. That could hurt Senator McCain. These same voters are less concerned with gender or race, which would impact Senator Clinton or Senator Obama. But it may well be that people are more reluctant to concede they're making decisions based on a candidate's race or sex," Brown said.

Full poll results here.

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