• John McCain,  Mitt Romney,  Tim Pawlenty

    John McCain Watch: Pawlenty or Romney?

    McCainthumbsup

    John McCain’s choice for Vice President is a toss-up?

    Geraghty says informed sources indicate an announcement soon and it is either Tim Pawlenty or Mitt Romney.

    Judging from the activity on the blogs and MSM press it really could go either way. Lobbying activity is heavy for both candidates.

    McCain will be well served in making a sooner rather than later announcement.


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  • Ted Stevens

    Senator Ted Stevens Indicted – Say Good Bye

    +++++Update+++++

    Stevens gives statement and declares innocence

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    U.S. President George W. Bush (R) shakes hands with U.S. Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington in this file photo taken August 3, 2007. Veteran Republican senator Stevens was charged on Tuesday with concealing $250,000 of gifts from an oil services company and its top executive, the Justice Department said

    Say good bye to Senator Ted Stevens (R- Alaska).

    John McCain should take the opportunity to make an example of him and the financially corrupt morass of the Congress.


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  • John McCain,  Mitt Romney

    Evangelicals to McCain – No Mitt Romney as Vice President

    romneyand mccainmarch 2008

    Republican presidential hopeful John McCain, seen here with former Republican presidential hopeful and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, speaks in March 2008 in Salt Lake City, Utah

    The Evangelical Christian Right has warned John McCain to NOT choose Mitt Romney as his running mate.

    Prominent evangelical leaders are warning Sen. John McCain against picking former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as his running mate, saying their troops will abandon the Republican ticket on Election Day if that happens.

    They say Mr. Romney lacks trust on issues such as outlawing abortion and opposing same-sex marriage and because he is a Mormon. Opposition is particularly powerful among those who supported former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in the Republican presidential primaries earlier this year.

    “McCain and Romney would be like oil and water,” said evangelical novelist Tim LaHaye, who supported Mr. Huckabee. “We aren’t against Mormonism, but Romney is not a thoroughgoing evangelical and his flip-flopping on issues is understandable in a liberal state like Massachusetts, but our people won’t understand that.”

    The Rev. Rob McCoy, pastor of Calvary Chapel in Thousand Oaks, Calif., who speaks at evangelical events across the country, told The Washington Times, “I will vote for McCain unless he does one thing. You know what that is? If he puts Romney on the ticket as veep.

    “It will alienate the entire evangelical community – 62 million self-professing evangelicals in this country, half of them registered to vote, are going to be deeply saddened,” Mr. McCoy added.

    John McCain faces a “risk” in selecting Mitt Romney – especially with the Evangelical Christian Right. Is this piece and Mike Huckabee’s announcement on Fox News last night that he thought Tim Pawlenty would be John McCain’s Vice President an endorsement of the Minnesota Governor? (Remembering that Mike Huckabee visited Pastor McCoy’s church in Thousand Oaks in March of this year.)

    As the lobbying between the pro and anti-Romney forces in the GOP continues, Flap hopes somebody is doing some focus groups and polling in Michigan, Nevada and Colorado.

    John McCain needs to pick the very best candidate.

    Stay tuned…….

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  • Barack Obama,  Iraq,  Iraq War

    Barack Obama Watch: Say What About The Surge?

    Barack Obama has said The Surge would actually worsen sectarian violence In Iraq

    Jake Tapper over at ABC fact checks Barack Obama on Team Obama’s “spin” of his Iraq War policy and The Surge.

    Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, on January 10 2007 predicted (watch HERE) that the surge of troops in Iraq would fail. “I am not persuaded that 20,000 additional troops in Iraq is going to solve the sectarian violence there,” he told MSNBC. “In fact, I think it will do the reverse.”

    Four days later he told CBS’s Face the Nation, that “we cannot impose a military solution on what has effectively become a civil war. And until we acknowledge that reality — we can send 15,000 more troops, 20,000 more troops, 30,000 more troops, I don’t know any expert on the region or any military officer that I’ve spoken to privately that believes that that is going to make a substantial difference on the situation on the ground.”

    Asked about these predictions on Sunday’s Meet the Press, Obama told NBC’s Tom Brokaw that “I know that there’s that little snippet that you ran,” referring to the MSNBC clip, “but there were also statements made during the course of this debate in which I said there’s no doubt that additional U.S. troops could temporarily quell the violence. But unless we saw an underlying change in the politics of the country, unless Sunni, Shia, Kurd made different decisions, then we were going to have a civil war and we could not stop a civil war simply with more troops.”

    This has become an Obama meme — that during the debate over the surge he acknowledged that more US troops would mean a temporary reduction in violence.

    But is it true?

    No, it isn’t. But, American voters are not paying attention to the details and expect their politicians to lie with impunity when they come out on the wrong end of an issue.

    And, clearly Obama has. Barry is just a typical pol who is a “rookie” on the world stage.

    The gloves appear to be off between Obama and the MSM. No more free ride for “The One.”


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  • Barack Obama,  John McCain

    Barack Obama Watch: The 11 Reasons I Did Not Visit the Troops in Germany


    John McCain’s latest television ad, Troops

    Team Obama’s excuses for Barack Obama’s GAFFE in not visitng the troops while in Germany (but managing to make it to the gym) is becoming laughable.

    Here are the latest ELEVEN reasons:

    Explanation #1: Obama Adviser Robert Gibbs Said That Barack Obama Decided That It Would Be “Inappropriate” To Visit Troops In Germany. ” “Obama senior adviser Robert Gibbs told us in a statement, ‘During his trip as part of the CODEL to Afghanistan and Iraq, Senator Obama visited the combat support hospital in the Green Zone in Baghdad and had a number of other visits with the troops. For the second part of his trip, the senator wanted to visit the men and women at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center to express his gratitude for their service and sacrifice. The senator decided out of respect for these servicemen and women that it would be inappropriate to make a stop to visit troops at a U.S. military facility as part of a trip funded by the campaign.'” (Jake Tapper, “Obama Scrubs Visit To See Troops In Germany,” ABC News’ “Political Punch” Blog, http://blogs.abcnews.com, Posted 7/24/08)

    · Gibbs: “Senator Obama Made The Decision That We Were Not Going To Have Wounded Men And Women Become Involved In A Campaign Event Or What Would Be Perceived As A Campaign Event.” “Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said Friday the campaign was initially given clearance to land at Ramstein Air Base, but were told by the Pentagon Wednesday that the trip ‘would be viewed as a campaign stop.’ Obama also had plans to visit the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. Gibbs said on the flight from Tel Aviv to Germany, Obama made the call not to go. ‘Senator Obama made the decision that we were not going to have wounded men and women become involved in a campaign event or what would be perceived as a campaign event,’ Gibbs said.” (“Obama Camp: Visit To Troops Would Have Seemed Too Political,” Fox News, 7/25/08)

    Explanation #2: Obama Adviser Retired Air Force General Scott Gration Said The Campaign Had Decided Not To Go To The Bases After The Pentagon Said “That The Visit Would Be Viewed Instead As A Campaign Event.” “From Berlin, USA TODAY’s Kathy Kiely files this statement from retired Air Force general Scott Gration, an adviser to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, about why the senator did not visit U.S. troops at Ramstein Air Base and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany during his visit there yesterday or today: ‘Senator Obama had hoped to and had every intention of visiting our troops to express his appreciation and gratitude for their service to our country. We learned from the Pentagon last night that the visit would be viewed instead as a campaign event. Senator Obama did not want to have a trip to see our wounded warriors perceived as a campaign event when his visit was to show his appreciation for our troops and decided instead not to go.'” (Mark Memmott And Jill Lawrence, “Obama Campaign Says Pentagon Felt Visit To Wounded Troops Would Be A ‘Campaign Event,'” USA Today‘s “On Politics” Blog, 7/24/08)

    Explanation #3: Obama Senior Strategist David Axelrod Said The Pentagon Told The Campaign That Obama’s Military Adviser “Should Not Come.” “Though the Rammstein visit had been planned for days, Obama senior strategist David Axelrod said that that Pentagon notified an Obama military advisor only yesterday or the day before that he should not come. The Pentagon ‘viewed this as a campaign event and therefore they said he should not come,’ Axelrod said.” (Lynn Sweet, “Pentagon Tells Obama Not To Visit U.S. Troops At German Base Because It Would Be Too Political,” Chicago Sun Times‘ “Sweet” Blog, http://blogs.suntimes.com, Posted 7/25/08)

    Explanation #4: Obama Adviser Robert Gibbs Said The Pentagon Had Made Clear That The Visit Would Have To Be Considered Campaign Related. “Flying from Berlin to Paris this afternoon, Gibbs provided reporters with further information. He said that in mid-July the campaign had received approval from the Pentagon to land at Ramstein Air Base, near Landstuhl. He said it is not clear that the Pentagon ever revoked that approval, but earlier this week, Pentagon officials said their interpretation of regulations made it clear that this visit would have to be considered campaign related.” (Dan Balz, “No Troop Visits For Obama In Germany,” The Washington Post‘s “Trail” Blog, http://blog.washingtonpost.com, Posted 7/25/08)

    Explanation #5: MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Said That The Obama Campaign Accused McCain Foreign Policy Advisers Of Having Something To Do With Barack Obama Not Being Able To Visit The Base. MITCHELL: “They felt that they couldn’t win. They felt they were in a no win situation, that the Pentagon, perhaps the military with cooperation from some Republican operatives, that’s the scuttlebutt, that there have been some foreign policy advisers of John McCain with connections in the Pentagon who’ve had something to do with this but that is perhaps just the normal political paranoia of the season.” (MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” 7/25/08)

    · Mitchell: The Obama Campaign Was Angry That They Could Not Visit The Military Base With Campaign Aides. MITCHELL: “The military said that the rules are that he could only go as part of a previously arranged Congressional delegation to Ramstein. Clearly people in the campaign are really angry. They had wanted this to be the final stop on the trip here in Germany, and to do it without the press corps, just to do it on its own. But the objections of the military were that he’s now being staffed by campaign aides, not by his senate staff, who were the people with him when he went with Hagel and Jack Reed in Iraq. So the anger here in the campaign is pretty intense at the Pentagon.” (MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” 7/25/08)

    · Mitchell Reported That The Obama Campaign Accused The Military Of “Drawing Some Lines” That They Would Not Have For Others. MITCHELL: “They feel that the military are drawing some lines. They are not saying this publicly of course but drawing lines that they might not have drawn for other people.” (MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” 7/25/08)

    Explanation #6: Obama Adviser Robert Gibbs Blames The Pentagon For Outlining Regulations Concerning The Visit “Late In The Game.” “Gibbs explained the details of the planning of the visit, known as the tick tock, and suggested the Pentagon came to the Obama campaign late in the game citing a regulation issue in making the case for the Obama campaign to cancel the visit. … Per Gibbs, Gen. Gration had been in contact with the Pentagon for three weeks during the planning of the visit. On July 15 or 16, he said the campaign received a PPR, a ‘prior permission required’ – which was required to land a nonmilitary aircraft (Obama’s campaign plane) at an airbase in Germany. Everything was fine until Wednesday when Gen. Gration received new information from the Pentagon, saying that this visit would be viewed as a campaign stop. ” (Sunlen Miller, “Obama Camp Pins Scrubbed Troop Visit On Pentagon,” ABC News, 7/25/08)

    Explanation #7: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports That A Stumbling Block Could Have Been An Aide’s Inability To Accompany Obama. Mitchell: “Privately, some people are suggesting that one of the issues was a general – Scott Gration — who travels with him who’s a campaign aide and retired air force general and that the general was told that he could not use his privilege as a retired member of the military to accompany Senator Obama because he is now joined the political campaign. … So that may have been one of the stumbling blocks.” (MSNBC, 7/25/08)

    Explanation #8: In London, Barack Obama Said That Because His Military Adviser Would Be Treated As A Campaign Person, Obama Decided That The Visit Would Be Viewed As Political In Nature. OBAMA: “You know, the staff was working this, so I don’t know each and every detail. But here’s what I understand happened. We had scheduled to go. We had no problem at all in leaving — we always leave press and staff out. That’s why we left it off the schedule. We were treating it in the same way that we would have treated a visit to Walter Reed, which I was able to do quietly three weeks ago without any fanfare whatsoever. I was going to be accompanied by one of my advisers, former military officer, and we got notice that he would be treated as a campaign person, and it would therefore be perceived as political, because he had endorsed my candidacy, but he wasn’t on the senate staff. That triggered, then, a concern that maybe our visit was going to be perceived as political. And the last thing that I want to do is have injured soldiers and the staff at these wonderful institutions having to sort through whether this is political or not, or get caught in the cross fire between campaigns. So, rather than go forward and potentially get caught up in what might have been considered a political controversy of some sort, what we decided was that we would not make a visit, and instead I would call some of the troops who were there. So that’s essentially the extent of the story.” (Sen. Barack Obama, Press Conference, London, United Kingdom, 7/26/08)

    · Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W-tete95u8

    Explanation #9: In An Interview With Fox News, Barack Obama Said That He Did Not Want To Distract From The Troops. OBAMA: “No, not at all, it was scheduled, we intended to go, we had planned to go and we got wind that there was some concern that this might be perceived as political because we were using campaign resources and at that point, the last thing I want to do is to in any way distract the terrific work that’s being done in terms of treating our troops by getting it fouled up with a bunch of politics, so, since I have a chance to visit folks in Walter Reed, we had a chance to visit folks in Iraq, I didn’t want it to be a distraction.” (Fox News’ “Live,” 7/26/08)

    · Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyyL3XtNVC4

    Explanation #10: Obama Adviser Robert Gibbs Says The Campaign Never Said The Pentagon Prevented The Trip. GIBBS: “We never – Joe – we never said that the Pentagon prevented us from going. What we did say was that the Pentagon considered the trip to be a campaign trip. That’s when we decided that we weren’t going to put our men and women into a political campaign event. That’s why we decided not to go.” (MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” 7/28/08)

    Explanation #11: Obama Adviser Robert Gibbs Says That The Campaign Decided Not To Go Because “Even [Barack Obama] Going Alone Would Likely Be Characterized By Some As A Political Event.” “If the story behind the story of the canceled troop visit has run its course, one question remains: Why didn’t Mr. Obama leave his aides behind, even the retired general, and make the visit by himself? ‘Even him going alone would likely be characterized by some as a political event,’ Mr. Gibbs said in an interview on Monday, adding, ‘He decided not to put the troops in that position.'” (Jeff Zeleny, “A Canceled Obama Visit, And The Story Behind It,” The New York Times, 7/29/08)

    Flap will await the 12th and so on………

    Will Obama be defined by Jeremiah Wright who called Barack “just another pol” or by Obama’s “all about me” snobbery?

    Hard to tell at this time.

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  • Barack Obama,  Hillary Clinton,  President 2008

    Hillary Clinton Watch: No Vice President for Hillary?

    GET US-ELECTIONS-DEBATE-DEMOCRATS

    Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama at the You Tube debate last year

    Think that Hillary Clinton might be Barack Obama’s choice for Vice President, especially since John McCain has made a resurgence in the polls?

    Think again.

    And, what about the money? You know, Barack paying off Hillary’s campaign debts?

    There is also continued grousing within Mrs. Clinton’s circle that Mr. Obama is not doing more to help her pay off her debt, and continued grousing within Mr. Obama’s circle that Mrs. Clinton expects him to do much to help her repay her debt.

    Barack Obama is going his own way on the Vice President choice. Good news for John McCain, Hillary Clinton and the GOP.

    Look for Hillary Clinton to continually undermine Obama with Clinton Cabal “LEAKS” such as this.


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  • Day By Day,  John Edwards,  Los Angeles Times

    Day By Day by Chris Muir July 29, 2008

    daybyday072908

    Day By Day by Chris Muir

    Chris, the Los Angeles Times which has been laying off employees in droves (due to declining circulation) merely instructed its bloggers to not indulge the National Inquirer story about John Edwards’ mistress and love child.

    Yawn……

    What else is new at the Los Angeles Times?

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    The Day By Day Archive


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  • Del.icio.us Links

    links for 2008-07-29