My reaction exactly (via Sasha Issenberg, The Boston Globe).

ST. PAUL -- One of the most enduring taboos in American politics, the airing of graphic images from the September 11 attacks in a partisan context, died today. It was nearly seven years old.

The informal prohibition, which had been occasionally threatened by political ads in recent years, was pronounced dead at approximately 7:40 CST, when a video aired before delegates at the Republican National Convention included slow-motion footage of a plane striking the World Trade Center, the towers' subsequent collapse, and smoke emerging from the Pentagon.

The September 11 precedent was one of the few surviving campaign-season taboos. It is survived by direct comparisons of one's opponents to Hitler.

Country First!, except when trying to get elected.

Let's see.

The GOP spent the past four days lying (maverick?), distorting(we won in Iraq; the war's over) and fear-mongering (9/11) , and yet, here we are, one day after McSame's endless droning, and it's damn near impossible to find a high-level Dem voicing any passion or outrage at some of the falsehoods (see: dailyhowler for more on this as well).

Biden and Obama have even gone out of the way to praise the cute couple.

Guys, the game is all tied up and we're heading into extra innings. Time to show some urgency and fight back.

Looks like someone whitewashed Dexter Clark (AIP, Vice Pres.) where he address members and mentions Sarah Palin as a "former AIP member @ 6-minute mark of vid.

This used to be the link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHFY1o...) but can't find it anymore on youtube.

Dem Leaders ought to send this vid out to all of their surrogates - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEfwX6WWsKY

Here is a link to "objective" Fox reporter Carl Cameron's written report (with the aid of "objective" Fox producer Bonney Kapp)on the phony flag flap over the weekend.

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/09/06/mccain-camp-to-chastise-dems-for-discarding-american-flags/.

It would take a studious 9-year old about three minutes to "objectively" dismiss this novel report as rubbish.

The first four paragraphs, in particular, are classic examples of not only propoganda, but truly sophomoric propoganda. The lead of the whole story is particularly slimy and dishonest.

Democrats are not caring for their Stars and Stripes. At least that’s the message out of John McCain’s campaign.

McCain supporters, claiming they rescued 12,000 miniature American flags from the site of Barack Obama’s nomination acceptance speech last Thursday, redistributed the orphan flags to audience members ahead of a McCain rally in Colorado Springs on Saturday.

The move was an overt swipe at Obama from a campaign whose motto has been “country first.” But Democratic convention organizers claimed the flags were not going to be discarded — but instead were snatched from the site of Obama’s historic address to carry out a “cheap political stunt.”

McCain supporters said the flags were discovered by a vendor at Denver’s Invesco Field after the conclusion of the Democratic National Convention. The vendor supposedly found trash bags full of flags in and near garbage bins, and turned them over to the McCain campaign.

Notice the anonymous, hearsay, third-person account of an anonymous vendor supposedly finding these flags.

Is this what serious journalists such as Hume, Cameron, Chuck Gibson, Brokaw and the late, great Buffalo Tim Russert consider honest & important work?

The Actual story is "who are these silly people running for President"? But this report was plastered on the front page of the Fox website for almost three days, with the Democratic Convention organizers stuff added several hours only after it was originally posted.

And finally, shame on the Democrats & their surrogates for failing to strongly and repeatedly issuing a smackdown of Cameron, Fox News & John McCain with regards to this silly, but highly influential Lie.

Not a good weekend all-around for Obama and his supporters.

This says it all.

Clearly [Kathryn Jean Lopez]

Someone at MSNBC is reading NR.

09/08 08:00 AM

The surprising thing about this NYT article is that it took four people to write it.

Headline: Palin fuses politics and motherhood in new way

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/09/08/america/08baby.php

First, I find out his middle name is Hussein.

And that he likes to order orange juice in a diner.

And that he can't bowl. And that his wife has some opinions of her own.

And, ya know, he sort of reminds me of the guy in the country club (one of those mostly black country clubs) who thinks he's better than everyone else.

And I see he doesn't wear a flag pin 24/7 and he lives in a big house and that he is one of them community organizer types.

All of that is bad enough and should make one consider Obama's character and qualifications for PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

But using this "lipstick on a pig" cliche is almost the last straw.

I'm seriously thinking of voting for McCain/Bush in November.

Eight more years!