Oh Alkaline, if we simply diverted your social security taxes that you pay directly into the stock market and it's handlers, the same people that benifit directly from your borrowing and spending would still get to see their economy grow, grow, grow.

When you are elderly, sick or just down and out (unless you are too big to fail, or have the right connections...) you need to buck up and take responsibility for your bad decisions.

McCain still hasn't told us how he plans to cut all these taxes and still balance the budget.

BTW, these artificially low interest rates and the dollar devaluation really do punish those of us that have tried to be "conservative" with our money.

Too bad someone didn't tell Obama's fan club this, say, yesterday ... or the day before ... or the day before that ... oh well ... busy, busy, busy

Too bad they had to defend him at all...because so many wanted to jump on him for it and tsk, tsk him on his choice.

BTW, the ego attack on him seems as silly to me as the people that derided Hillary for being "ambitious".

Anyone who is running for President of the US is ambitious and has a damn big ego. They wouldn't be there otherwise.

who will be protecting Obama that have just had the level of danger of their job multiplied by a huge factor.

I have no reason to doubt the sincerity of AKA or some of the other posters on this thread. I also think they are part of the base of our party, a base that needs to be respected.

The poll of Hillary supporters that AKA linked to gives me mixed feelings. I have two girlfriends that were huge Hillary fans/supporters and they both hate Obama. Trouble is, they both voted for Bush (both times), though now have regrets over that. They both voted for Arnold and for the recall of Gray Davis. They are not part of the base and I don't want to cater to them.

I have no doubt there was some independent appeal of Hillary, the Clinton years were a hell of a lot better than now and she comes off as smart and competent, something that is missing in Dubya.

But there is independent appeal to Obama, too, just a different group.

WN2FPM, when Bush goes to Iraq for suprise visits like the one a few Thanksgivings ago, he has a press contigent, too. And yet, it still is not announced to the world until it's a done deal.

If Obama had announced this info about Bush (or McCain) he would deserve my criticism, too.

Thanks for the reply.

I do think that Hillary was the target of the media, but in truth, she has been since 1992. The RW and many in the media have always hated her with a special passion and some people in the middle may have fallen for the garbage. I also think she was targeted with extra vigor because it was assumed she'd be the Democratic nominee against Rudy, who for some reason, the media kind of liked.

Jane Hamsher over at FDL has a post showing how the sexist attacks are being switched over to attacks on Michelle Obama, for many of the same reasons. The establishment likes nice, quiet women that have jobs that are non threatening. These darn women that aren't heiresses that do things like become lawyers don't fit their image of what a good first lady should be.

http://firedoglake.com/2008/07/18/wanted-first-lady-professional-women-need-not-apply/

It also points out that Michelle Obama is the one being branded as elitist, while the Cindy McCain flies around in a jet.

They want a princess and neither Hillary or Michelle Obama fit that mold.

You owe your vote to no one. I get it.

Now I will be rude.

Please...if you don't know the difference between McCain's stances and Obama's on things at this point, you haven't paid any attention. You are exactly the voter that shouldn't be catered to.

If you are 100% pro-life, want to invade Iran, think that the economy is being run properly, believe in laissez faire approach to everything that effects the poor, but the rich are overly burdened, if you believe SS is a disgrace, if you equate birth control with government handouts, if you think that what this country really needs is more Scalia's on the Supreme Court, if you think that we could have won in Vietnam if we had only stayed the course, so be it. McCain is your man. Vote for him with a clear conscience.

If you are a die hard Libertarian, a Green, a socialist, or any other third party. Fine, support them.

If you think that they all lie anyway, go with your gut, it's worked so well, especially if you doubt that Kerry would have been any better than Bush.

But the "I don't know" at this point is BS.

The NCO corps is based on longevity, and that version of the GI Bill hurts retention, and thus the NCO corps.

Yeah, I mean giving these guys a shot at something other than what they're doing? How awful if some NCO would actually choose to go to college and make a better life for himself rather than get sent back to Iraq for an extended tour, how demoralizing.

Retaining our troops because they don't have any options is disturbing.

Except for some of our resident Libertarians, I don't see anyone endorsing Bob Barr. Most of the others are just saying Barr is correct on this issue. I'm in the latter camp.

It's called Strage Bedfellows precisely because it's a group of people that DON'T agree on many things.