Under the pressure of the financial crisis, one presidential candidate is behaving like a flustered rookie playing in a league too high. It is not Barack Obama.

I think McCain's latest gambit is looking more like a childish display of attention-grabbing temper than anything else. The McCain/Palin ticket looks increasingly immature and erratic.

They're also big liars. Really big liars.

The devil is in the details so I'm waiting to hear more on the counter before commenting.

Just out of curiosity, how do you square McCain's deregulate-regulate (and fire Cox)-deregulate? To me, he's consistently inconsistent and he doesn't understand economics. (Although I suspect you know this and I'm betting he wasn't your first, second, or third choice for the nomination.)

OH SHIT! I just realized something! McCain is a Cox-sacker.

Wow - recycling Nixon...

I can't believe I missed that earlier this week. Better late than never...

Isn't that how the saying goes? I've never heard let erratic temperamental hot-heads prevail. It doesn't work nearly as well.

Does this mean I can start referring to my trips to Nogales as "trade missions" and the people who accompany me as "delegates"?

Delegates will travel to Mexico on a trade mission for tequila shots and margaritas.

Wow - it's so easy, too!

For someone who wants to brag about his ability to reach across the isle, McCain and his campaign sure come off as a really angry, self-absorbed group.

Four years of mister cranky-pants? No thanks.

McCain couldn't or wouldn't look at Obama, shooting his "reaching across the isle" credibility down the drain. Obama was respectful and McCain wasn't. McCain sounded absolutely ludicrous when he tried to liken Obama to Bush, although it got more laughs than his tired line about the money to study bear DNA.

McCain's handlers need to tell him that acting angry doesn't make you look like you're in command. In fact, quite the opposite.

I heard Obama even got GWB's old text books at the used book exchange. They were quite a deal:not a mark in them, but discounted because they kinda smelled like beer.

Puh. Leez.

Right on.

When I was in high school, I was lucky enough to be an extra in the movie Judge Roy Bean and got to watch Paul Newman work. It was hard to take your eyes off of him, he was so good looking and fun to watch. He was good to the crew and well-liked.

He made so many great films, it's hard to pick one that stands out above all the others. One that is absolutely wonderful but isn't mentioned as often is Sometimes a Great Notion, based on the Ken Kesey novel.

I misted up this morning when NPR played Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head after announcing his death. I'm grateful he was around for 83 years - wish he could have stayed a little longer.

I think for a lot of people, Palin represents the last straw. It was an irresponsible choice by McCain who obviously doesn't care about anything other than getting elected.

The fact that she thinks that she is qualified to be president is galling. I know more about foreign affairs than she does. You probably do, too.

So, work a phone bank for Obama. At least you'll be surrounded by like-minded people who won't mind a Palin rant. Smash mouth politics is blood sport in the USA and you can either accept it or shrink away and hope it improves. It won't. It has never been any different. Never, ever.

For perspective, I recommend the Robert Caro books on Lyndon Johnson: Means of Ascent, The Path to Power, and Master of the Senate. Believe it or not, they're page turners.

Also, any woman who stood for rape victims having to pay for their own rape kits is richly deserving of rants.

I called to leave a message with the senator to congratulate him on the bang-up job on working out a compromise and bringing the House Republicans along.

McCain is pathetic. More Democrats voted for the bill than Republicans - sounds like the Democratic leadership did their job. The Republicans wanted the Democrats to pass the legislation so they could blame them when they go home to campaign.

Boehner didn't count right. Now the Republicans want to blame the speech Pelosi delivered blaming it on Bush and the House Republicans were offended? I thought they were blaming it on Bush, too. They were playing chicken with the Democrats and lost. What a bunch of candy-ass losers.

The fact that the House Republicans can't explain what is going on to their constituents isn't my problem. Simply put, the choice here was whether you would rather have the flu or cancer. I'll take my chances with the flu.

Boehner said that they lost Republican votes due to Pelosi's speech.

Yes, the little House Republicans were offended by a speech Pelosi gave blaming Bush.

It isn't clear if the candy-ass House Republicans thought she blamed him too much or too little.

It had nothing to do with her speech. The candy-ass House Republicans were playing chicken with the Democrats. It's been made abundantly clear for days that this was to be a bipartisan bill and the House Republicans thought they could get away with voting no.

Now the market is in free fall and no one knows where this is headed.

If you want to know how your reps voted go here:

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2008/roll674.xml

Boehner thought the Republicans had the votes. It was the Republican leadership that blew it.

Don't believe me? Watch the tape of Boehner sweating bullets when he went in front of the cameras when the vote went south due to candy-ass House Republicans playing chicken on what was to be a bipartisan vote.

The same candy-ass House Republicans are getting in front of as many cameras as they can now to say they're confident they can deliver a bill by Friday.