In fact, as the Rethugs' Big Guns expectorated in Obama's general direction at their convention, the word "Consitution" was notably absent from their stated reasons why they want to retain control of the presidency. Bush didn't mention the word. Palin didn't mention the word. Thompson didn't mention the word. Giuliani didn't mention the word. Romney referred to the Constitution as a basis for attacking a "liberal" Supreme Court.

Obama went on record at the DNC in his speech, accepting the challenge of the Oath of Office to "protect and defend the Constitituion." The Rethugs have completely ignored that one, singular, constitutionally-mandated cornerstone of the President's oath to the nation. Seems marginally relevant to me.

And it isn't accidental. The Rethugs hate the Constitution, consider it inconvenient, quaint and irrelevant, and they are asking us to agree with them.

The Obama campaign is so filled with condescension toward average (small town, working class, etc.) Americans that they are incapable of recognizing it. This leaves a void for someone to fill, which Palin did. The result is not pretty, and the problem is not easily fixed.

Yea, but your just making that up, so there's that.

... with what Glen has said. Often it appears that the Democrats just don't know how the political game is played in the U.S.

Personal attacks are all part of the game. They don't mean that the politicians are not friendly with each other behind the scenes (Carville/Matalin, anyone?), but they are a crowd pleaser.

Watch the televised version of the British House of Parliament sometime, with all the booing and jeering that goes on--all in good spirits, of course.

McCain, yes the poor dude spent several years as a POW, but then if he had not make a habit of crashing planes, maybe that would never have happened. Boom-boom!

The planet is overpopulated and Palin and her rapid-spawning family are part of the cause, not the solution...

McCain never met a lobbyist he didn't like

The Keating Five

But surely the Democratic leaders can do better than I.

Hillary could do a lot to blunt the impact of Palin's attacks, by telling the public that Palin is wrong, wrong for America. Being a woman she can do this more forcefully, without having to worry about being accused of being sexist or too harsh.

But will she? We'll see. It depends on whether she is willing to let bygones be bygones and pull out the stops to put a Democrat back in the White House, even if it is Barack Obama. A feeble statement here and there won't do it. She needs to take Palin on big time. But will she?

(NEW PHILADELPHIA, OHIO) - Barack Obama says this election is not about him. It’s about the electorate and the issues that voters face every day.

But the Republicans have clearly decided to make the election about him, his inexperience, his wife, his preacher, his fame. Whatever, the election is all about Obama. If anyone needed further confirmation, John McCain’s campaign manager, Rick Davis, has provided it. Speaking to the Washington Post editorial board, Davis said this:

"This election is not about issues... This election is about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates.

They truly have no shame about any of this. The personal attacks against Obama, the belittling of all "community organizers", the OUTRAGE they express at the media for asking any question about Palin (which is immediately carved into "sexism"), they do it all out in the open. Palin even repeated her "bridge to nowhere" lie after it had been thoroughly debunked by a news article and a picture of her holding up a t-shirt that said, "Nowhere, Alaska 99909". I mean, they will stoop to no level to low and do it in your face without remorse.

link in sig

slam--DUNK!

"game of chicken" was the 2000 florida election mess in a nutshell. the bushies at least convinced the democrats that they would have an armed insurrection if they had to, and all of a sudden the democrats were saying "well, how much difference does it make, with the electorate this close, he will have to govern as a centrist".

your analysis of republicans and democrats reminds me of parasitology. parasites typically start off as actual independent creatures with functional organs and such; but evolution streamlines them by removing everything that isn't directly related to making them efficient parasites. the democrats suffer from still having some vestigial scruples and concern for american citizens, and this excess baggage weighs them down in comparison to the republican party, which is a highly tuned machine for gaining political power and selling that power to the highest bidders for cash which it then uses to gain more political power; any considerations which may divert some of that cash or power to any other purposes have been whittled away. democrats still waste time, energy, money, and/or votes doing things which are morally, ethically, or logically correct but cost them votes; opposing "drill here, drill now", for example, at the cost of getting stuck trying to explain it to drunken harley riders. apparently, however, the powerful hand of natural selection is now eliminating this drag on electoral fitness as well, as we have seen in the democrats recently.

ironic that the republican party, such a product of evolution, doesn't believe in it on the grounds that it leaves no room for morality.

@Dierk

Yes, they can be 'viciously' attacked just by showing what they said and what they did (supporting the Bridge to Nowhere, for example).

But they're being so damn nice! I cannot believe that both Obama and Biden said Palin's kids were off limits and anybody in their campaign who said anything about the kids would be fired and DID NOT continue on to demand that the scumbag in the McCain campaign who put Obama's children in a McCain ad must be fired immediately. They're giving a free pass to McCain to do what they have promised not to.

Dumb.

Biden should ask her how old the Earth is.