Rove: People In Pennsylvania "Cling To Their Guns And Their Faith"

When Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) made his infamous “bitter” comments this past April, the right-wing pounced. Leading the charge against Obama was Karl Rove...
"We here have news for Barack Obama. The values of those people you diminished are the values of America. And those people don’t like getting patronized, or viewed as an alien species."

But just yesterday...
"But it’s a conservative part of the state, and then if you take the far southwestern corner over there near Pittsburgh and the suburbs, that’s coal country, and that’s the kind of people who really do cling to their guns and their faith, and took a lot of — you know that was part of the state where Obama might be expected to do well."

When he got called out by Hannity's whipping boy Alan Colmes, Rove quickly back tracked and said he was merely quoting Obama. riiiight. Look for yourself. Does it sound like he was quoting someone? I think not.

McCain: Palin "Most Qualified" VP in Recent History

Via Time:

"I think she's the most qualified of anyone recently who has run for vice president to tell you the truth... I'm frankly entertained at the elitist attidue toward a person who is a proven leader."

Here is a list of the VP canidates in recent years (since 1984):
John Edwards
Dick Cheney x2
Joe Lieberman
Jack Kemp
Al Gore x2
Dan Quayle x2
Lloyd Bentsen
George H. W. Bush
Geraldine Ferraro

She's more qualified than ALL of them?

McCain Flip-Flops on Bailout Failure Blame

Just 2 Weeks Ago:
"This bill failed because Barack Obama and the Democrats put politics ahead of country," adviser Doug Holtz-Eakin said

Just Today:
Rick Davis expressed outrage that, "in the middle of the greatest disaster in our financial system that we’d had in our lifetime, that the Democrats in the United States Senate would actually link payments to ACORN in the bailout package that they promoted -- prior to Sen. McCain coming to town and actually blowing that package up.

Well, which is it? Did the democrats cause it to fail, or did McCain? Make up your mind.

Sarah Palin Debate Flow Chart

"Post Turtle" Palin

A doctor struck up a conversation with an old rancher. Eventually the topic got around to Sarah Palin and her bid for vice president. The old rancher said, "Well, ya know, Palin is a 'Post Turtle'". Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a 'post turtle' was. The old rancher said, "When you're driving down a country road you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that's a 'post turtle".

The old rancher saw the puzzled look on the doctor's face so he continued to explain. "You know she didn't get up there by herself, she doesn't belong up there, and she doesn't know what to do while she's up there, and you just wonder what kind of dummy put her up there to begin with".

McCain WebAds - I Won the Debate... Before the Debate

Via WashingtonPost-

Although the fate of tonight's presidential debate in Mississippi remains very much up in the air, John McCain has apparently already won it -- if you believe an Internet ad an astute reader spotted next to this piece in the online edition of the Wall Street Journal this morning.

"McCain Wins Debate!" declares the ad which features a headshot of a smiling McCain with an American flag background. Another ad spotted by our eagle-eyed observer featured a quote from McCain campaign manager Rick Davis declaring: "McCain won the debate-- hands down."

Palin: Kissinger, Powell and Obama are "beyond naïve"

From Palin's CBS Interview:

Palin: Barack Obama is so off-base in his proclamation that he would meet with some of these leaders around our world who would seek to destroy America and that, and without preconditions being met. That's beyond naïve. And it's beyond bad judgment.

Couric: Are you saying Henry Kissinger …

Palin: It's dangerous.

Couric: … is naïve for supporting that?

Palin: I've never heard Henry Kissinger say, "Yeah, I'll meet with these leaders without preconditions being met."

Actually. That's exactly Henry Kissinger's position. And Couric even went ahead and confirmed it with Kissinger after the interview. Here is what Kissinger said just last week at a forum of five secretaries of state:

“I’m in favor of negotiating with Iran. And one – (unintelligible) – of negotiation is to put before Iran our vision of a Middle East – of a stable Middle East and our notion of nuclear proliferation at a high enough level so that they have to study it."

It's not only Kissinger's position. It is James Baker and Colin Powell's position as well.

Powell: "we should start to talk to them. Don't wait for a letter coming from them. Start discussion. We've been talking to them up through 2003." Asked whether we should "take the initiative?" Powell responded, "Yeah. We shouldn't we? What are we afraid of? We did."

Palin: 15% Attendance Record as Governor

Via Politico-

The Washington Post recently reported that, in her first 19 months as governor, Palin billed the state of Alaska per diem charges for 312 days she spent at her home in Wasilla. Palin’s staff has explained that it was appropriate to bill the state for expenses related to Palin staying in her own house because her “official duty station” was at the state capital of Juneau, where the governor’s official office and mansion are located. But that argument raises a different question: How much time did that leave for her to spend at her “official duty station”?

Nineteen months totals 578 days, but after subtracting weekends and holidays, it is only about 397 workdays. Assuming Palin did not routinely bill the state for staying in her own home on weekends and holidays, she would have spent no more than 85 workdays in the state capital over the course of her 19 months in office, even if she traveled nowhere else in Alaska or outside of the state. That compares with 168 days that the Alaska Legislature was in session during the same period.

One of the state’s leading papers, the Juneau Empire, described her attendance like this:

“Palin has spent little time in Juneau, rarely coming to the state capital except when the Legislature was in session, and sometimes not even then. During a recent special session called by Palin herself, she faced criticism from several legislators for not showing up personally to push for her agenda. Someone at the Capitol even printed up buttons asking, ‘Where’s Sarah?’”

....almost all of the members of the Alaska Legislature were in the state capital far more often than the governor.

One member told the Juneau Empire, “At a time when [Palin’s] leadership was truly needed, we didn’t know where she was.”

Her attendance record: 15%. That's... like.... 21% lower than McCain's congressional attendance record the last 12 months.

McCain / Palin.... "Change is... um.... hello? You coming? Hello? Are you there?? Hmmm.... must have gone home. Well, change was here."

The $700 BIllion Bailout's Dirty Little Secret

Dirty Secret Of The Bailout: Thirty-Two Words That None Dare Utter

A critical - and radical - component of the bailout package proposed by the Bush administration has thus far failed to garner the serious attention of anyone in the press. Section 8 (which ironically reminds one of the popular name of the portion of the 1937 Housing Act that paved the way for subsidized affordable housing ) of this legislation is just a single sentence of thirty-two words, but it represents a significant consolidation of power and an abdication of oversight authority that's so flat-out astounding that it ought to set one's hair on fire. It reads, in its entirety:

Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.

In short, the so-called "mother of all bailouts," which will transfer $700 billion taxpayer dollars to purchase the distressed assets of several failed financial institutions, will be conducted in a manner unchallengeable by courts and ungovernable by the People's duly sworn representatives. All decision-making power will be consolidated into the Executive Branch - who, we remind you, will have the incentive to act upon this privilege as quickly as possible, before they leave office. The measure will run up the budget deficit by a significant amount, with no guarantee of recouping the outlay, and no fundamental means of holding those who fail to do so accountable.

WOW!!! Just Wow! now, THAT'S a power grab. Please spread the word!

Great comment I just read:
"This is the financial equivalent of the Patriot Act. Write and email your representatives. We can't allow this gross reach of abusive power to happen again."

Flip-Flop Express: Big Soaring Speeches at Rallies

Via FoxNews-

For a candidate who once railed against “stale soundbites, staged rallies and over-managed messages,” John McCain seems to have turned over a new leaf.

Today marks the four-week anniversary since McCain held his last press conference (8/13 in Birmingham, MI) and three weeks since his last public town hall meeting (8/20 in Las Cruces, NM).

McCain’s new campaign strategy: staged rallies with thousands of supporters. Since announcing Sarah Palin as his VP choice on August 29, McCain’s has appeared at 11 rallies with his new running mate where both members of the ticket delivered a 10-15 minute stump speech.

While shifting to rallies is inevitable for any party nominee during a general election, McCain has always touted town hall meetings and interactions with the press as reasons for his success.

Amazing! For a man who has said Obama is nothing but big rallies and empty worded soaring speeches in front of fans who proclaim him the savior of the world, John McCain has now resorted to large rallies filled with soaring speeches and fans who proclaim Palin the savior of the world.

Kinda hypocritical if you ask me.