Why is the mainstream media and left-wing bloggers not screaming from the rooftops how militaristic this country has become?

Because, there is too much money being made. Our economy has been based on war since the early 1940s. End the war, and all those comfy leveraged lifestyles go bye-bye.

Glenn... What exactly is the point of feeding Israel billions of dollars every year in military aid if we're going to deem every one of its fights to be our fight, and every one of its enemies to be our Enemy?

Hamas is also a threat to the monarchists, like the Hashemites in Jordan. Israel is perfectly capable of defending itself so who are we really there defending? Maybe it's really the Gulf state monarchies and emirates. The Saudis, etc.

It turns out that McCain's Straight Talk Express is going to shuttle journos between the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner to the Bloomberg afterparty, arguably the hottest after-party in town?

Guess who you may see in McCain's Straight Talk Express this weekend? Politico's Mike Allen. The bus will shuttle VIP guests between the Washington Hilton and the Costa Rican Embassy.

http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/prom/prom_want_to_get_into_bloomberg_83308.asp

That's really egregious. I'm gobsmacked.

Glenn, once again, thanks for a well written piece. McCain seems to be telegraphing his punches, and it may be that most people still do not see it coming. McCain is becoming the new darling of the neoconservative movement, and the facade of disdain as displayed by the "anybody but McCain" GOP pundits will quietly fade away.

What respect I have had for the man in the past is being usurped by his war mongering pseudo-patriotism.

Guess who you may see in McCain's Straight Talk Express this weekend? Politico's Mike Allen. The bus will shuttle VIP guests between the Washington Hilton and the Costa Rican Embassy.

http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/prom/prom_want_to_get_into_bloomberg_83308.asp

Got to be kidding.

Recently Hamas said something like "Obama would be the best candidate to change America, we hope he wins." Then McCain goes out and postures about how Hamas hates him, but loves Obama. I think this actually makes McCain even more of a joke, because he clearly only said "I will be Hamas's worst nightmare" because they recently approved of Obama. This isn't even a seriously held belief, he is just saying it to please the warmongers and his race fear filled constituency.

It turns out that McCain's Straight Talk Express is going to shuttle journos between the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner to the Bloomberg afterparty, arguably the hottest after-party in town?

I was about to write about this, but I'm finding it hard to believe that it's true (naive, I know). Why would journalists need the Straight Talk Express Bus to drive them across town? Can't they just take a cab?

This isn't even a seriously held belief, he is just saying it to please the warmongers and his race fear filled constituency.

I don't understand why people insist on taking McCain's most extreme and ridiculous statements and asserting that they're not really what he believes, that he's only saying it to placate his crazy political base.

How do you know that McCain doesn't really believe this? Everything I've heard from McCain with regard to foreign policy suggests that he does think this way in every realm.

Why would journalists need the Straight Talk Express Bus to drive them across town? Can't they just take a cab?

I know - but of all people I could most easily imagine eagerly taking part in this, Mike Allen is definitely one of them. I could see him sitting next to Joe Klein, chumming it up about how cool McCain's latest temper tantrum against them was.

Hagee speaks and McCain is his dummy. Hagee wants to be a player in the Middle East so he can pave the way to Jesus's return. He wants to wipe out the Arabs and hope that the Jews will return to Israel. At that point, the risen Jesus can slaughter all the Jews who have not apostasized their faith and converted to evangelical right wing Protestant Christianity.

McCain is sucking up to the Christian right. This is not the Israel lobby speaking. Indeed, many of us, American Jews, are on the side of a two-state solution living side by side in peace. Those of us who don't want to move to Israel so that Jesus can cut our throats prefer to establish good lives in American and wherever else we have settled.

When McCain decides to grow balls and kick Hagee out of bed, maybe he will be qualified to speak about the Middle East. Right now, he ought to just shut the heck up.

No, I'm pretty sure it's true. That's a link from here:

http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/prom/prom_buzzometer_83299.asp#more

DC Fishbowl covers all of the party goings on in DC with great care and is the recipient of much DC gossip. They are actually quite tuned in to the scene, attending virtually all of the best parties and providing pictures the next day.

As:

http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/events/party_photos_the_newseums_opening_gala_82354.asp#more

http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/events/party_photos_the_weeks_opinion_awards_81981.asp#more

http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/events/party_photos_tammy_haddads_50th_birthday_bash_73085.asp

So I tend to believe it. Maybe you could email Mike Allen to confirm?

Why?

Because it isn't cool to take a cab apparently, when you can ride free on the Straight Talk Express. There will be other shuttles, apparently.

Assuming that wasn't a rhetorical question.

If you're going to keep sarcastically calling him the Serious candidate, at least quote someone, anyone, calling him such. And it would help for your argument if that someone wasn't David Brooks or some guy working for the American Enterprise Institute. I don't see this "Serious" meme or bias anywhere. It seems to me most of the discussion of McCain and foreign policy has centered around "bomb Iran," "a hundred years," and "al-Qaeda is in Iraq," though I'm sure you'd say it hasn't been talked about enough for your taste and complain that Obama's bad bowling score got more press.