I have known and been friends with John McCain for almost 22 years. But every day now I learn something new about candidate McCain. To those who still believe in the myth of a maverick instead of the reality of a politician, I say, let’s compare Senator McCain to candidate McCain.

Candidate McCain now supports the wartime tax cuts that Senator McCain once denounced as immoral. Candidate McCain criticizes Senator McCain’s own climate change bill. Candidate McCain says he would now vote against the immigration bill that Senator McCain wrote. Are you kidding? Talk about being for it before you’re against it.

Let me tell you, before he ever debates Barack Obama, John McCain should finish the debate with himself. And what’s more, Senator McCain, who once railed against the smears of Karl Rove when he was the target, has morphed into candidate McCain who is using the same “Rove” tactics and the same “Rove” staff to repeat the same old politics of fear and smear. Well, not this year, not this time. The Rove-McCain tactics are old and outworn, and America will reject them in 2008.

So remember, when we choose a commander-in-chief this November, we are electing judgment and character, not years in the Senate or years on this earth. Time and again, Barack Obama has seen farther, thought harder, and listened better. And time and again, Barack Obama has been proven right.

When John McCain stood on the deck of an aircraft carrier just three months after 9/11 and proclaimed, “Next up, Baghdad!”, Barack Obama saw, even then, “an occupation of “undetermined length, undetermined cost, undetermined consequences” that would “only fan the flames of the Middle East.” Well, guess what? Mission accomplished.

So who can we trust to keep America safe? When Barack Obama promised to honor the best traditions of both parties and talk to our enemies, John McCain scoffed. George Bush called it “the soft comfort of appeasement.” But today, Bush’s diplomats are doing exactly what Obama said: talking with Iran.

So who can we trust to keep America safe? When democracy rolled out of Russia, and the tanks rolled into Georgia, we saw John McCain respond immediately with the outdated thinking of the Cold War. Barack Obama responded like a statesman of the 21st century.

So who can we trust to keep America safe? When we called for a timetable to make Iraqis stand up for Iraq and bring our heroes home, John McCain called it “cut and run.” But today, even President Bush has seen the light. He and Prime Minister Maliki agree on – guess what? – a timetable.

So who can we trust to keep America safe? The McCain-Bush Republicans have been wrong again and again and again. And they know they will lose on the issues. So, the candidate who once promised a “contest of ideas,” now has nothing left but personal attacks. How insulting to suggest that those who question the mission, question the troops. How pathetic to suggest that those who question a failed policy doubt America itself. How desperate to tell the son of a single mother who chose community service over money and privilege that he doesn’t put America first.

http://www.demconvention.com/john-kerry/

(or click on signature)

That this is a very historic nomination. We're taking it as a matter of course because we're liberally oriented, and find the diverse faces we see on TV from the Democratic convention to be normal. I bet it will really sink in only when you see the Republicans assembled at their convention.

Obama then also has the burden that this convention should not be marred as a great historic moment that people will be looking back at as an inspiration for years.

The story here:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/8/28/143857/589/90/577576

(or click on signature) will need to be repeated some 100 million times.

Money quote:

""I really didn't think the bias would be THAT obvious! I think I'll be watching tomorrow night on cspan again!""

Read this:

http://mudflats.wordpress.com/2008/08/29/sarah-palin-mccains-next-trophy-girl/

and click on signature.

And Palin is under investigation for nothing to do with spousal abuse:

http://www.ktva.com/ci_10026165

http://www.adn.com/monegan/story/492964.html

http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/496302.html

(and this is from Aug 17)

Quote:

Gov. Palin is revealing her ugly side during this, her toughest political battle to date. As she continues to dig a deeper hole for herself day by day in the so-called Troopergate scandal, the more desperate she appears. Sarah Palin is not handling the pressure well.

On Thursday Gov. Palin kept digging at Walt Monegan for lying for saying he felt pressured by her administration to fire her former brother-in-law, Mike Wooten.

If Monegan felt pressured to ax the trooper, he would have said so, she said. "I'm sure Monegan would have come to me and said, 'Call off the dogs, I'm feeling pressure,' " Palin said.

Translation: If Walt didn't like my husband and several members of my administration hounding him relentlessly about firing my ex-brother-in-law, he should have said something. What was he worried about? Was he afraid if he didn't fire Wooten, I would fire him? What a crazy idea that is.

The governor should really just stop talking when it comes to Troopergate.

End quote.

I can't believe that McCain picked her.

http://www.adn.com/opinion/comment/story/482537.html

Lots of interesting stuff in there, but this caught my eye:

July also brought us the e-mail controversy. The governor's office withholds hundreds of e-mails claiming executive privilege and deliberative process. E-mails with topics like re: Andrew Halcro or re: Lyda Green or re: The Alaska Ear or re: Channel 2 or re: Dan Fagan.

Do these topics sound like official executive business to you? Why can't the public see them? Could it be they are embarrassing to the administration?

We could ask citizen Todd Palin. Some of these e-mails deemed so top secret the public can't see were forwarded to Todd. Where's the media on this one? Outrageous!