Punish Success

I've been wanting to address this for awhile, buy I didn't want to seem like I'm whining. But this video just made me so angry I'm going to go there.

Here is the conversation between the man and the video and Obama:

Plumber to Obama: “Your new tax plan is going to tax me more. Isn’t it?”

Obama: “It’s not that I want to punish your success, I just want to make sure that everybody that is behind you, that they have a chance for success too. I think that when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody.”

This is socialism. Pure and simple.

Over the years, as many of you know, I have given of my time and treasure to help those less fortunate. The difference between what I do and what Obama wants us to do is that I do it voluntarily AND it goes straight to those who need the help and in the manner I wish for it to help, instead of through a bloated government bureaucracy. I want to spread the wealth too, I just don't want to be forced to do it.

When my husband and I got married 25 yrs ago, he was still in college. He put himself through college. We spent years paying back low interest school loans. We didn't have 2 nickles to rub together. I remember regularly going to a happy hour that had free appetizers. We would order a beer and the appetizers would be our dinner.

We bought used cars. We survived seven layoffs. We bought houses below what we could afford and we went in and put in wood floors, painted, and fixed up and then sold them at a profit. When we had our children I was determined to stay home. I shopped at garage sales, I bought used baby furniture and fixed it up.

For 20 years we put 19% of our income into savings and investments. We have no debt. We never ever carried any credit card debt. We only bought used cars when we could pay cash for them. I could write a book on how we saved money.

All that work and effort has paid off. We are doing very well and of course we have no debt. But we do have 2 children in college and five cars (3 of my kids are driving and live in 3 different towns). So, although we do very well we have a lot of expenses.

And now, Obama wants to do exactly what he says he doesn't want to do......punish our success. We scrimped and saved for so many years so we could reap the benefits of our hard work and Obama is just going to take it away.......just like that. We already pay an insane amount of taxes (our property tax bill alone is $10,000 a year). And now Obama will take more.

I never thought in my lifetime that socialism would come knocking at my door.

But here it is.

Vote for McCain.

There are a hundred reasons to vote against Obama. Anyone who reads this blog knows what they are. But let's not forget why we should vote FOR McCain. He did a pretty good job of reminding us today in Virginia Beach: (via NRO)


Three weeks from now, you will choose a new President. Choose well. There is much at stake.

These are hard times. Our economy is in crisis. Financial markets are collapsing. Credit is drying up. Your savings are in danger. Your retirement is at risk. Jobs are disappearing. The cost of health care, your children's college, gasoline and groceries are rising all the time with no end in sight. While your most important asset — your home — is losing value every day.
Americans are fighting in two wars. We face many enemies in this dangerous world, and they are waiting to see if our current troubles will permanently weaken us.

The next President won't have time to get used to the office. He won't have the luxury of studying up on the issues before he acts. He will have to act immediately. And to do that, he will need experience, courage, judgment and a bold plan of action to take this country in a new direction. We cannot spend the next four years as we have spent much of the last eight: waiting for our luck to change. The hour is late; our troubles are getting worse; our enemies watch. We have to act immediately. We have to change direction now. We have to fight.

I've been fighting for this country since I was seventeen years old, and I have the scars to prove it. If I'm elected President, I will fight to take America in a new direction from my first day in office until my last. I'm not afraid of the fight, I'm ready for it.

I'm not going to spend $700 billion dollars of your money just bailing out the Wall Street bankers and brokers who got us into this mess. I'm going to make sure we take care of the people who were devastated by the excesses of Wall Street and Washington. I'm going to spend a lot of that money to bring relief to you, and I'm not going to wait sixty days to start doing it.
I have a plan to protect the value of your home and get it rising again by buying up bad mortgages and refinancing them so if your neighbor defaults he doesn't bring down the value of your house with him.

I have a plan to let retirees and people nearing retirement keep their money in their retirement accounts longer so they can rebuild their savings.
I have a plan to rebuild the retirement savings of every worker.

I have a plan to hold the line on taxes and cut them to make America more competitive and create jobs here at home.

Raising taxes makes a bad economy much worse. Keeping taxes low creates jobs, keeps money in your hands and strengthens our economy.

The explosion of government spending over the last eight years has put us deeper in debt to foreign countries that don't have our best interests at heart. It weakened the dollar and made everything you buy more expensive.
If I'm elected President, I won't spend nearly a trillion dollars more of your money, on top of the $700 billion we just gave the Treasury Secretary, as Senator Obama proposes. Because he can't do that without raising your taxes or digging us further into debt. I'm going to make government live on a budget just like you do.

I will freeze government spending on all but the most important programs like defense, veterans care, Social Security and health care until we scrub every single government program and get rid of the ones that aren't working for the American people. And I will veto every single pork barrel bill Congresses passes.

If I'm elected President, I won't fine small businesses and families with children, as Senator Obama proposes, to force them into a new huge government run health care program, while I keep the cost of the fine a secret until I hit you with it. I will bring down the skyrocketing cost of health care with competition and choice to lower your premiums, and make it more available to more Americans. I'll make sure you can keep the same health plan if you change jobs or leave a job to stay home.

I will provide every single American family with a $5000 refundable tax credit to help them purchase insurance. Workers who already have health care insurance from their employers will keep it and have more money to cover costs. Workers who don't have health insurance can use it to find a policy anywhere in this country to meet their basic needs.

If I'm elected President, I won't raise taxes on small businesses, as Senator Obama proposes, and force them to cut jobs. I will keep small business taxes where they are, help them keep their costs low, and let them spend their earnings to create more jobs.

If I'm elected President, I won't make it harder to sell our goods overseas and kill more jobs as Senator Obama proposes. I will open new markets to goods made in America and make sure our trade is free and fair. And I'll make sure we help workers who've lost a job that won't come back find a new one that won't go away.

The last President to raise taxes and restrict trade in a bad economy as Senator Obama proposes was Herbert Hoover. That didn't turn out too well. They say those who don't learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them. Well, my friends, I know my history lessons, and I sure won't make the mistakes Senator Obama will.

If I'm elected President, we're going to stop sending $700 billion to countries that don't like us very much. I won't argue to delay drilling for more oil and gas and building new nuclear power plants in America, as Senator Obama does. We will start new drilling now. We will invest in all energy alternatives — nuclear, wind, solar, and tide. We will encourage the manufacture of hybrid, flex fuel and electric automobiles. We will invest in clean coal technology. We will lower the cost of energy within months, and we will create millions of new jobs.

Let me give you the state of the race today. We have 22 days to go. We're 6 points down. The national media has written us off. Senator Obama is measuring the drapes, and planning with Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid to raise taxes, increase spending, take away your right to vote by secret ballot in labor elections, and concede defeat in Iraq. But they forgot to let you decide. My friends, we've got them just where we want them.

What America needs in this hour is a fighter; someone who puts all his cards on the table and trusts the judgment of the American people. I come from a long line of McCains who believed that to love America is to fight for her. I have fought for you most of my life. There are other ways to love this country, but I've never been the kind to do it from the sidelines.

This has always been an uphill battle. A big one. The media doesn't even try to hide their bias for Obama. Hollywood has poured their lefty love into the Obama campaign with money and their celebrity. The media and Hollywood have painted an unfair and unjust picture of Sarah Palin and the media doesn't correct it. Obama has outspent us 5 to 1. ACORN has spread voter fraud across this nation in favor of Obama. Obama's lawyers threaten those who point out Obama's true record and past.

So Obama has the media in his pocket and all the money. He has put on a mask of moderation. The media refuses to expose the Democrats for being behind this economic meltdown and the cronies in the Obama campaign who were a big part of it. But the American people are smarter than they are given credit for.

Just remember to vote, tell your relatives and friends to vote. Give them rides and volunteer for McCain.

Is it possible that we will elect a novice with a questionable past and not enough experience promising the moon to get elected? Yes.

But if we make sure that people understand that the alternative is a war hero who has integrity, experience, and has always done what was best for America, telling us the truth, even when we didn't like it. Then Americans will do the right thing and elect John McCain.

Free speech for me, but not for you

When I spoke to a NRA board member the other day he told that the Obama campaign had threatened radio stations in Pennsylvania and Ohio if they ran a NRA ad called "Hunter."

An Obama lawyer sent a letter to the stations that read in part:

"For the sake of both FCC licensing requirements and the public interest, your station should refuse to continue to air this advertisement."

In other words, "We know where you live."

I really didn't believe the NRA guy until I looked this up myself. Does it bother any one else that Obama's lawyers are threatening free speech?

As Michael Barone points out:

Other Obama supporters have threatened critics with criminal prosecution. In September, St. Louis County Circuit Attorney Bob McCulloch and St. Louis City Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce warned citizens that they would bring criminal libel prosecutions against anyone who made statements against Obama that were “false.” I had been under the impression that the Alien and Sedition Acts had gone out of existence in 1801-02. Not so, apparently, in metropolitan St. Louis. Similarly, the Obama campaign called for a criminal investigation of the American Issues Project when it ran ads highlighting Obama’s ties to Ayers.

These attempts to shut down political speech have become routine for liberals. Congressional Democrats sought to reimpose the “fairness doctrine” on broadcasters, which until it was repealed in the 1980s required equal time for different points of view. The motive was plain: to shut down the one conservative-leaning communications medium, talk radio. Liberal talk-show hosts have mostly failed to draw audiences, and many liberals can’t abide having citizens hear contrary views.

This is disturbing to say the least.


via HotAir

The Tar and Feathering of Sarah Palin

Has any Vice Presidential candidate in the history of our country ever been smeared the way Sarah Palin has? I thought Hillary was treated badly in the primary, but that was a ticklefest compared to what Palin has been put through.

They said she faked her pregnancy, used her down syndrome baby as a "prop," was a member of a secessionist party, charged women for rape kits, had an affair, didn't support contraception, was a creationist, and was a bad mother for running.

All, not just lies, but damned lies. And some people are still circulating those lies. They even photoshopped and passed around as real, a photo of Palin a bikini holding a shotgun.

SNL makes fun of Palin suggesting she may not have grip on world affairs, when in reality it was Biden who showed that he didn't have a clue about many of the questions asked in the debate. It was Biden who didn't have a clue to the role of the Vice Presidency. SNL made fun of Palin as a "beauty queen," when it reality it is Biden who has hair plugs, self tans, and who obviously uses teeth whitener as toothpaste.

Now the left gleefully points to MSM headlines that say Palin abused her power while Governor, even though the report says she did nothing illegal. But that's not the best part. Does the left even know what they are defending here? The Public Safety Commissioner she fired serves at the pleasure of the Governor and she can fire him for any reason. But the left says that she fired him because he refused to fire her ex-brother in law, a state trooper. But what many on the left don't want you to understand (and it is not in any of the MSM reports that I have read) is that her ex-brother in law was a child abuser. He tazered his own 10 yr old step-son with the tazer he used in his capacity as a state trooper. I would hope that EVERYONE would want this guy fired. I would hope that everyone would see how right that was. But the left would rather defend a man who abused a child than to defend a woman running for Vice President on the Republican ticket.

THAT is how twisted it has all become.

Sexism is alive and well in the Democratic party. Make no mistake about that.

Update: Michelle Malkin has a display of the hatred and insanity that is out there for Sarah. Oh boy, even I wasn't aware of most of this.

They can bash Sarah all they wish. But this is why I love her. She understands the most basic thing to me. That every life matters.

ACORN

Well, this video was pulled by Youtube. Gotta love those who think conservatives are the censors when in reality, it's them.

Anyway, here is the video at McCain's site.

Obama and Gun Rights

After the NRA endorsed John McCain yesterday, I decided to call up the Executive Director of the Texas State Rifle Association, James Dark, to get his reaction. Mr. Dark sits on the NRA board of directors as well.

Mr. Dark is in complete agreement with the decision. Obama, he says, is the single most anti-gun candidate to ever run for President. He said that John McCain has had his differences with the NRA when it comes to gun-show rules and campaign finance restrictions, but an Obama Presidency would threaten gun rights as never before. Obama's choice of Justices for the Supreme Court could tilt the court toward anti-2nd amendment rights. Mr. Dark cited the District of Columbia v. Heller decision in June. This was the first Supreme Court case in United States history to directly address whether the right to bear arms is a right of individuals or a collective right that applies only to state-regulated militias. The TSRA statement read in part:

"The Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to own and possess firearms for lawful purposes not connected with militia service, rather than a “collective rights” view allowing states to keep militias. The court also ruled that two provisions of District of Columbia law are unconstitutional; a near complete ban on handgun ownership, and a requirement that rifles and shotguns kept in one’s own home be disassembled or trigger-locked."

That's the good news. The bad news? It was a 5 to 4 decision. In other words, as Mr. Dark points out, we are one vote away from removing any meaningful 2nd Amendment rights. It is clear that given Obama's past voting record, his Judicial appointees would tip the court in favor of upending the 2nd Amendment.

While Obama's campaign rhetoric is more moderate on gun rights, his voting record tells a different story. The Obama camp has complained about the NRA's description of Obama's stances on this issue, but what Obama admits to is bad enough. Obama has called for national legislation against carrying concealed firearms, and he would make permanent the expired ban on semi-automatic assault weapons. Obama is also in favor of handgun law registration and licensing handguns. The most disturbing thing of all to me is the fact that while running for the Senate, Obama actually called for national legislation to prevent anyone but law enforcers from carrying concealed firearms. Obama even cited Texas as an example of a place where the concealed handgun law had "malfunctioned."

Obama may talk a good game about "common sense gun laws," but taking away a law abiding citizen's right to conceal and carry is not common sense, it's simply wrong.

I remember when my mind completely changed on this issue. It was when I heard the eye witness account of the bloody massacre at the Luby's in Killen Texas in 1991 by Suzanna Hupp. Twenty people were killed and twentyone others wounded by a deranged murderer. Hupp's parents were among the twenty dead. Imagine. You are having lunch with your parents one minute, and the next you watch as they are shot dead in front of you.

When the shooting began Hupp instinctively reached in her purse for her .38-caliber Smith & Wesson, but it was in her car. She was afraid of losing her chiropractic license if she were arrested for carrying a concealed weapon. If she had been allowed to carry it into the restaurant, 20 people's lives would have been saved, including her parents.

We can pass all the gun laws we want, but the simple truth is that criminals and madmen don't obey gun laws.

If you don't think this issue is important, then next time you are eating dinner with a loved one imagine what Hupp went through. Imagine a gunman coming into the restaurant and shooting people. You close your eyes and imagine it, and tell me that at that moment you don't wish for that concealed handgun. Tell me you won't wish for it.

I won't believe you.

"When The Messiah Speaks"

Louis Farrakhan lovin on some Obama.

Geeze.

via Ace

'Ambition'

Biden and Palin. A heartbeat Away

Lost in all the economic news and then the 2nd Presidential debate was how simply wrong Sen. Biden was on so many things in the debate with Sarah Palin.

I came across this piece at Fox News by John Lott who is the author of Freedomnomics and a senior research scholar at the University of Maryland.

Here he details claims made by Biden that were completely false. The media likes to portray Palin as the one not quite on top of things, but reality shows us that Biden is the one who needs some civic lessons. Among them is the role of the Vice President, which Biden got wrong. Read the link to understand it. Here are a few more of Bidem's "mistakes:"

-- Will McCain's health care proposals raise taxes? Biden says that McCain’s proposal will cost people money. The Tax Foundation finds that could easily be "roughly deficit-neutral over ten years."

-- Under an Obama Administration the middle class will "pay no more than they did under Ronald Reagan"? No, the tax rates will be similar to the higher rates under Clinton.

-- Did "we spend more money in three weeks on combat in Iraq than we spent on the entirety of the last seven years that we have been in Afghanistan building that country"? No, one year’s worth of spending in Iraq equaled five in Afghanistan.

-- France and the U.S. "kicked Hezbollah out of Lebanon"? No, and it wouldn't have made much more sense if he had said "Syria" instead.
-- Is it really “simply not true” that Obama said that he would meet with the leader of countries such as Iran without preconditions? No, Obama said “I would.”

-- Did Obama warn against letting Hamas participate in Palestinian legislative elections in 2005? No.

-- Do “Iraqis have an $80 billion surplus”? No. If oil prices had remained high, it might have reached $50 billion by the end of this year.

-- Finally, an amusing point as evidence that Biden is just one of the people he pointed to, inviting anyone to have a beer with him at "Katie's Restaurant" in Wilmington, Del. Unfortunately, people will have a hard time taking him up on his offer, since the restaurant hasn't had that name for probably 15 years.

Lott also details how even the fact checkers ignored most of this. He ends with a very relevant question:

It might not fit the simple template for a 36-year veteran of the Senate to not understand what vice presidents do (after all, eight vice presidents have served with him), but Biden knew less about this than the political outsider, Sarah Palin. Given that they are running to be vice president, why didn’t that story dominate the news coverage after the debate?

"Socialists!"

I saw this live today and I knew it would make the rounds and be on the news. I love how the man asked McCain to let him finish and McCain says, "Eeexuuuse me." Too funny.

I also love how he called the Democrats "hooligans." Perfect. The guy says basically that McCain and Sarah need to get mad and be more aggressive. Not sure about that, but I understand the man's frustration.

NRA endorses McCain

Here.

And you can thank our girl, Sarah for that one.

The Mystery of Donations to Obama

CBS news reported 3 days ago regarding more bogus Obama donors. They report that the Obama campaign are returning these bogus donations. But Newsweek reported this week that FEC auditors have ordered Obama's campaign to return large sums of money from sources with fake names. You might have heard about Mr. "Good Will" who listed "Loving" as his employer. The address was an Austin Goodwill store that claimed to not be involved in the donation. Another made up name was "Doodad Pro" with a liquor store as his address. These fake names gave in excess of the $2,300 that is the limit.

More:

"Campaigns may accept donations of less than $200 without providing the donors' names and addresses in campaign finance reports, but Sen. John McCain's camp has made its full donor database available on the Internet. Independent campaign finance watchdog organizations have asked the Obama campaign to list all its donors, as well, but it's refused."

The Washington Post is reporting that the RNC is filing a complaint with the FEC asking for an investigation into the sources of Obama's thousands of unkown donors, many possible foreign donations. Obama has received the largest amount of unidentified money that has ever come into a U.S. election. According to the Washington Post overseas donations are illegal. I didn't know that, did you? I know that accepting donations from non-US citizens is illegal so I am guessing that is the same thing.

One source that has been identified are two Palestinian brothers form Gaza who donated $33,000 worth of Obama T-shirts to the campaign. They had listed their address as "Ga" which the campaign mistook for the state of Georgia.

A Newsmax report noted a separate FEC database of more than 11,500 overseas contributions to Obama that totaled $33.8 million. Now I know that NewsMax isn't the most reliable source, but if that is true than isn't that $33.8 million illegal donations given the report in the Washington Post?

What is with the fake name donations and fake names in voter registration? Do people not believe that Obama can win this thing honestly? This really does a dis service to Obama and he should be outraged over it. Although I hope Obama doesn't win, I certainly think he is capable of it without his supporters cheating.

In the end their exuberance in wanting to help Obama may cause many problems that won't shine a very good light on the Obama campaign.

ACORN Fraud

Well, thank God we are discovering it now instead of later.

Election officials in states across the country are continuing to scrutinize questionable voter registration forms submitted by an advocacy group that was raided Tuesday by Nevada authorities investigating voter fraud allegations.

In Missouri, Jackson County's top election official, Charlene Davis, says they've discovered more than 800 potentially fraudulent forms from the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN.

"I don't even know the entire scope of it because registrations are coming in so heavy," Davis said. "We have identified about 100 duplicates, and probably 280 addresses that don't exist, people who have driver's license numbers that won't verify or Social Security numbers that won't verify. Some have no address at all."

Officials said one name was registered 10 times, all with different birthdays and social security numbers, but with what appeared to be the same signature. Officials said ACORN employees even tried to register a 12-year-old.

......................

On Tuesday, authorities in Nevada seized records from ACORN after finding fraudulent registration forms that included the starting lineup of the Dallas Cowboys.

In April, eight ACORN workers in St. Louis city and county pleaded guilty to federal election fraud for submitting false registration cards for the 2006 election. U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway said they submitted cards with false addresses and names and forged signatures.

......................

More on how ACORN is trying to win this election for Obama by fraud here.

ACORN has targeted swing states.

ACORN claims to empower lower income voters to vote, a noble idea that is being brought down and shamed by deceit.

More on ACORN here, here and here. Also here and here

Sarah!!!!!!!!

Gov. Sarah Palin will be on "On the Record with Greta Van Susteren” on Fox News Channel, 10 pm ET/9 pm Central!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CBS Reporter says Obama campaign stinks

Well, the plane stinks anyway. And the planning obviously does too.

via HotAir

Still Learning Stuff About Obama

Last summer Obama's camp denied rumors that he had ever been a member of the socialist "New Party" in Chicago.

It turns out he lied.

He was a member. The New Party scrubbed their website of any mention of Obama, but a blogger found the scrubbed page though Internet Archive Organization.

Read all the details at Newsbusters.

I'm not sure what bothers me the most. The fact that he was a member or that he lied and the organization did everything it could to make sure no one discovered that lie.

Obama seems very good at hiding many things.

I. Love. It.

via NRO

Too Funny!

Biden is being introduced today at a rally. Just watch it. Priceless.

Learning New Things about Obama Every Day

While reading at NRO about Obama and Ayers and the work they did on the board of the Woods Fund, I learned that they gave thousands of dollars to Rev. Wright’s Trinity Church to promote its “black liberation theology.” They underwrote the Arab American Action Network (AAAN) founded by Rashid Khalidi, a man who once directed WAFA, the terrorist PLO's news agency. Then, The AAAN also supports driver’s licenses and public welfare benefits for illegal aliens and believes that the establishment of Israel was an illegitimate “catastrophe.” Khalidi, who sees Israel as a “racist” “apartheid” state and advocates Palestinian terror strikes against Israeli military targets.

This is what I mean when I say that Obama appears to be moderate, but his work has been on the radical left. Now, one is free to be radical left in this country as Ayers and Khalidi clearly show, but let's be honest about our beliefs. That is all I ask of Obama.

The Debate

ZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz...........

I didn't get to see all of it because I had a meeting, but it had to have been the most boring debate ever. Obama did what he does best, appear to be a moderate. McCain was the forceful determined guy he always is. Saying things that make conservatives mad, but always going his own way.

I'm wondering what has happened to any discussion of illegal immigration, gun rights, and abortion. The last two debates...nothing.

It seemed both camps were playing it safe. Boring safe.

We are going into the stretch. McCain is behind. But it won't have been the first time McCain came out of what looked like defeat and won.

In life and in politics.

NBC is a joke.

Look at the video while you can. The Secret NBC Police may yank it at any time.

I saw this on Fox yesterday. Just unbelievable.

From RedState:

The Saturday Night LIve skit lampooning the mortgage bailout has been yanked from the internet by NBC. GregInFla mentioned this yesterday.

The skit correctly pointed out that the Democrats blocked oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac when President Bush and the Republicans warned them there was a problem coming.

Likewise, the skit mocked Herbert and Marion Sandler and George Soros, three of the super rich Democrats the bailout is going to help.

There is new information out this morning suggesting NBC did, in fact, yank the video because it portrayed the Democrats badly.

What makes things look even worse for NBC in this case is that they’re not only going about the business of removing the clip wherever it showed up, but they’re also removing any comments that inquire as to what happened to the clip and why it was removed.

Is NBC really that far into the pocket of the Democrats or is there a more plausible explanation? I searched for one all over, and the answers were a bit difficult to arrive at due to the fact that none on the liberal side of the political blogosphere seemed willing to cover the story at all.

NBC has ceased to be, in any residual way, anything but an outlet for the Democrats. And remember folks, these same people want the fairness doctrine to shut down Rush Limbaugh.

By the way, why don't you call Amy Zelvin of NBC Universal Digital Media Communications at (212) 664-7436 and ask what happened to the video and why even comments at Hulu about the video are being deleted?

You can email her at amy.zelvin@nbcuni.com.

Likewise, you can call Jeff Zucker at (212) 664-4444 and email him at jeff.zucker@nbcuni.com.

"Bless your heart sir.."

Watch to the end. Palin slams a protestor. God, I love this woman.

Even if Obama wins this thing, it might be worth it to have forced McCain to put this spectacular woman on the national stage. Maybe Obama's greatest achievements will have been to cause a house to fall on the wicked witch of the Democratic party so that the Glenda the good Republican could have her turn in the sun.

Campaign to Save Michigan

Go. Contribute. Now.

Obama and Ayers. Does it matter?

I think, like most Americans, I had never heard of Bill Ayers before it was reported that Ayers had introduced Obama into Chicago Politics with a "coffee" at his home. Since then. many of us have read about Ayer's domestic terrorist group, The Weather Underground of the 1970s.

When we read that no one was killed except three of the weather Underground members themselves in a botched bombing, we tend to shrug off the enormity of evil that these people attempted. Obama wasn't the only one who was a child at the time of Bill Ayer's terrorism. So was this man. After reading his experience I finally get a full picture of the horror Bill Ayer's and his wife was capable of.

Early on the morning of February 21, as my family slept, three gasoline-filled firebombs exploded at our home on the northern tip of Manhattan, two at the front door and the third tucked neatly under the gas tank of the family car. (Today, of course, we’d call that a car bomb.) A neighbor heard the first two blasts and, with the remains of a snowman I had built a few days earlier, managed to douse the flames beneath the car. That was an act whose courage I fully appreciated only as an adult, an act that doubtless saved multiple lives that night.

Conveniently and suddenly Obama says he didn't know about Ayer's violent path when Ayer's threw him a party at his home in 1995 and as Obama served on several boards with him and he lived 1/2 mile from his own home.

Now, someone like myself might not have heard of Ayers, but I'm thinking that all those in that Harvard educated elitist neighborhood not only knew every detail of The Weather Underground, but obviously admired the man who was such a big part of it. Hyde Park is a close community of liberals after all. Bill Ayer's wife Bernadine Dorn, another Weather Underground member is a co-orker with Michelle Obama at the Chicago law firm where Obama and Michelle met. Obama worked with Ayers at the Woods Fund for years and didn't know about his terrorist past? Please.

The Obama campaign says this is just a "distraction" and that Obama has condemned the actions of Ayer's. But condemning the actions now, for the purpose of running for President doesn't mean much to me. If he had condemned Ayers say.......while he was running for the state legislature, then I might believe him. If Obama had said he didn't know of Ayer's violent past over a year ago when it was first brought up to him, then I might believe him. If Obama would stop calling every question about his associations "a smear" and just be honest, I might have more respect for him.

We can never know the intimate conversations (if there were any) of Obama and Ayers as they worked together on different boards in Chicago and were neighbors. I'm glad for one thing though. I am glad that America is learning about Bill Ayers and his wife. This man committed despicable acts and says he would do the same thing all over again if he had the chance ("I don't regret setting bombs. I feel we didn't do enough"), is a full professor of education at the University of Illinois at Chicago. That, in and of itself, sickens me. This man would be in prison today except for legal technicalities. If you read the link above then you can see that except for the quick actions of a neighbor, a child and a family almost died because of Bill Ayers. Three people did die later.

Maybe this isn't important. Maybe Obama doesn't deserve to be questioned about this. Maybe people don't really care. But at least America is forced to look at those in our own country who hate this country. And don't tell me that Ayer's doesn't hate this country. When you proudly have a picture of yourself stomping on the American flag, you hate this country.


Now Obama brings up the Keating Five. And that is fine too. We need to know about who are about to elect as President during this troubled times. There is nothing wrong with bringing up the past as long as we stay truthful. We are known, after all, by the company we keep.

Obama claims to be mainstream

But as NRO points out, I think everyone reading this post can say the following:

*My career was not launched with the assistance of an unrepentant terrorist.
*My pastor has never said "God damn America."
*I don't think our troops are "just air-raiding villages and killing civilians."
*My spouse doesn't think America is a "downright mean country."
*I've never sat on a board with an unrepentant terrorist.
*I've never directed millions of dollars to radical organizations.
*I've never opposed requiring medical care for babies who are born alive.
*I bought my home without assistance from a convicted felon.
*I've never taken my kids to a church whose pastor thinks AIDS was created by the government.

But Obama cannot.

I love me some dogs.....

I used to write silly little self motivational and cute sayings on the inside of my Bible when I was young (as if what was contained in the Bible wasn't enough) I laugh when I read some of them now, but one holds true. It says, "God spelled backwards is still man's best friend." Have I mentioned lately how much I adore my dogs? Check out this video for just one example of why dogs are so freakin great. I got this from Dave over at Ace's and as he says, "They never forget us."

Obama: Clueless

Remember that guy Schults on Hogan's Hero's who would say, "I hear nothing, I see nothing, I know nothing!" whenever he thought he might get in trouble? That's Obama.

First there was Rev. Wright racist rants that Obama claims he never knew anything about. And now he claims that he didn't know about Ayer's violent past.


From HotAir via CNN:

The Democratic nominee’s chief strategist David Axelrod maintains Obama at that time had no idea about Ayers’ violent past.

I've seen everything now...

I didn't think I could be surprised any more than I have in this election. Obama beat Hillary. I just couldn't believe it. McCain picked Palin. I just couldn't believe it. The ups and downs of both campaigns have just blown me away, but this....this has to be the shocker of all times.



The president of LA's National Organization for Women, Shelly Mandel, endorses Gov. Palin.

...Look!!! Did you guys see that? I just saw a pig fly by!

From this moment on, nothing will surprise me. Nothing.

I'm sure you will be hearing this all over the news..*snort*

via Wizbang

"Dangerous"

When I was a freshman in college I climbed into my baby blue Cougar XR-7 with a close friend and we caravaned with about 3 other cars to Key West Florida for spring break. We took turns driving and when it was my friend's turn to drive I fell asleep for a few hours. When she woke me up we were on a dark highway in the middle of no where and she told me she we were about to run out of gas and she hadn't seen any gas stations for miles and miles. "Where is everyone else?" I asked. "I don't know," she replied, "They took off and I couldn't keep up with them."

A few minutes later we did indeed run out of gas and pulled over on this lonely highway. I was angry at myself for going to sleep. I was angry at her for not paying attention to how much gas we had left. But most of all I was scared. Even as naive as I was at the time to the ugliness of this world, I knew that two young girls stuck on a dark highway in the middle of the night was a bad place to be. No gun and no cell phones then. Nothing. There were no houses or businesses within sight. We had no choice but to sit there. We locked the doors and the icy fingers of fear played at the back of my neck.

Soon a nice man stopped and offered to drive to get us some gas. I handed him money through the window I had rolled down slightly knowing I might never see the money or the guy again, but what choice did I have? An hour later he returned and put the gas in and we thanked him profusely.

I tell this story because when I think of this election, I feel kind of the same way I did back then sitting in that car and feeling fear. Because I know, especially with the wisdom of years behind me now, how very wrong that night could have gone. I know how easy, and just as likely, it would have been for someone not so nice to have stopped.

I fear for our country. I fear that we may elect Obama, the man who taps on the window and smiles and seems so harmless, but in the end hurts us. I fear he will hurt our country in ways that can't be measured. I don't mean that Obama is a bad person. I am speaking metaphorically. I mean that the socialistic things he wants to achieve and his misunderstanding of the war on terror will make us so much less of a country and hurt us for generations to come.

He is the dangerous one.

Oh, Sarah, That Thing You do

I've talked to a lot of people about the debate. Just about everyone saw it that I've talked to so far. It was the most watched V.P. debate ever, with 70 million viewers, far surpassing last week's debate with McCain and Obama.

I can guarantee you that they didn't tune in to see Joe Biden. American wanted a good close look at this woman who is inspiring so much love and so much hate among all those political.

For those of us who love her, we continue to love her and smile when we see her. For those who hate her, they continue to hate her and nothing she does is going to change that. She is unapologetically conservative and they hate that. And because they hate that, they will slam her unfairly. The same can be said for those who feel the same way about Obama and his liberalism. Nothing Obama can do will change that either.

But I wanted to talk to people who aren't political, but certainly vote. Those were the ones tuning in as well. Lots of them. Maybe they didn't get the policy issues and what the candidates meant by each statement, but they did get the charisma and down to earth vibe that Sarah gives.

Every single person I talked to who didn't claim a party, the independents as it were, liked her. They felt she was real. They said She seemed like us. That is because she is like us.

When Sarah talks about what parents say to each other during soccer games, you can be sure she was doing just that recently. Biden tried to sound like one of us by asking people to come with him to Wilmington to Katie’s Restaurant or Home Depot where he says he spends a lot of time. Only problem? Katie's Restaurant closed in 1990, so it's been at least 18 years or more since Biden spent any time there.

People who don't care much for politics may not understand all the nuances of policy, but they know when someone is conning them. Sarah doesn't con. She just tells it like it is. And that is why people like her. That is why people wanted to tune in and watch her.

She is the new kid on the block. Different and historical. Just like Obama. It makes things very interesting for those independents that really are the ones who decide Presidential politics. She was under incredible pressure. Most of us would have crumbled long ago. Her tenaciousness and grit just make her that much more admirable to those who haven't chosen sides yet.

Imagine. No matter which way this goes in November, we will have have made history, either with the first black President or the first woman Vice President. I find it all very exciting.

The McCain camp made a big mistake not letting Palin be Palin and I think they are turning that around now. Ignore the critics on the left who will never treat her fairly or say one good thing about her.

She's the real deal. Let her get out there and show everyone what a smart tough woman can do.

Let her do that thing she does.

What Just Happened?

Oh, it's good.

via HotAir

Can I just say this...

Sarah Palin is stunningly beautiful and Todd Palin is stunningly handsome.

These are some pics from Gateway Pundit who was at the after party last night.

I can't wait for the V.P. Christmas card.

The V.P. Debate

I didn't expect Sarah to actually win this debate hands down, given her inexperience with such things, but she did. I thought She was personable, knowledgeable, and down to earth. Considering, as she said, she has been on the national stage for five weeks and was up against a man who had been Senator for 36 years and has run for President twice, she more than held her own (Noonan says, "She killed').

No one can argue that she is your usual politician. She is more than a breath of fresh air, she is amazing, while being completely natural.

Her best moments were when discussing healthcare, gay marriage, and defending the surge in Iraq. The surge discussion got Biden off his game. He seemed to just ramble on there.

Biden clearly loves to "sound" dramatic. But it seems he is trying too hard. He refers to himself in third person, which I always find bizarre. He says things that make no sense. Someone over at NRO pointed to this line: "The American public has a stomach for success." What? His rant on the constitutional role of the Vice Presidency was convoluted, and as I understand it, completely misstated.

Biden simply lied when he asserted that Obama had never said he would meet with Achmenijad. He lied about McCain voting for the Obama tax hike. (McCain has a list of his "14 lies).

I loved that Biden had no response when Sarah reminded him that he had once said that Obama was not ready to be commander-in-chief.

Some people are wondering why Ifill didn't bring up abortion, but I think people are just about sick of hearing questions about it coming from an obvious pro-choice stance. If you have been paying any attention at all you know she is unapologetically pro-life. That's it. You either like her position or you don't. So I am glad Ifill didn't bring it up.

Sarah comes across as your next door neighbor, and she does it without having to mention the "kitchen table" over and over and how great Home Depot is, like Biden does. And I love the winks.

Biden was clearly staying away from attacking a woman and actually seemed to show affection for her. That worked in his favor. He didn't condescend to her. Good for him. When Biden isn't stating untruths, he is superb at being substantial in his arguments. He shines when he explains beliefs he has held his entire career. He is a lawyer and that comes though. He only stumbles when trying to explain how now he is on board with Obama on things he was not before.

I was glad that Sarah brought up the way she fought corruption in Alaska and the changes she made there that usually take most politicians years to accomplish. Her amazing job as Governor has been overlooked by the MSM.

When Sarah was referring to Biden's wife as a teacher saying, "her reward is in heaven," teachers everywhere must have said, "Amen." God knows they aren't rewarded on this earth for what they do. I loved that line though.

I love how she ended it with a line she has used from the start. "There is really only one candidate in this race that has ever really fought for you."

And that is John McCain and that is the "dog gone" truth.

Open overnight thread

Palin rocked! Debate it.

NPR

NPR is asking those who tweet to tweet them if Biden or Palin say something inaccurate. You just know they will be fair, right?

So go to the link and tweet them if you see Biden screw up. You may be the only one who reports it.

Follow me while you are at it.

I'm Voting Democrat

Too funny.

via twitter and Cao's blog

"Educate The Idiots"

Who are the idiots in the mind of "Democracy Alliance" in Colorado?

"minorities, GED's, drop-outs."

This particular campaign to "educate the idiots" was assigned to the state's AFL-CIO union.

Unbelievable. Wait...no it isn't.

via Drudge.

The Worst Lies About Sarah Palin don't compare with the Plain Truths about Barack Obama.

Sometimes a comment should be a post. Such is the case with a comment by Socky left at Ace's:

The Worst Lies About Sarah Palin don't compare with the Plain Truths about Barack Obama.

Lie about Sarah Palin charging for rape kits, we'll tell the truth about Obama arguing and voting to let babies die after botched abortions.

Lie about Sarah Palin banning books, we'll tell the truth about Barack Obama threatening to use the Justice Department against critics, and sending his supporters to bully radio hosts who interview his critics.

Lie about Sarah Palin supporting the Bridge to Nowhere, we'll tell the truth that Obama and Biden both voted for it, and voted for billions in other earmarks, including payoffs to Michelle Obama's employer and Obama's pals at ACORN.

Lie about Sarah Palin wanting to fire a State Trooper who tasered a ten year old, we'll tell the truth about Barack Obama fighting against state laws to curb gang violence.

Lie about Sarah Palin's connections to the AIP, we'll come back with the truth about Barack Obama's connections to ACORN and the Weather Underground.

I could go on like this for days.

History of collapse pop quiz

Here.

If you get an A, it doesn't matter because grades or integrity don't count in Washington.

Palin/Biden

I'm having "one of those weeks." If my blogging seems sluggish, that is why. Don't even ask.

I'm really looking forward to the debate tonight. I'm not sure if I will have a chat up or direct you to where I am, but check back.

I'm not all that bothered by Gwen Ifill writing a book about Obama. All of these moderators are for Obama and nothing is going to change that. We can't change the media, we have to work around them.

I do find it interesting that Biden "embellishing" about about his helicopter being "forced down" in Afghanistan. isn't getting the attention it deserves.

At a Sept. 9, fundraiser, Biden addressed his national security credentials by talking about "the superhighway of terror between Pakistan and Afghanistan where my helicopter was forced down. John McCain wants to know where bin Laden and the gates of Hell are? I can tell him where. That's where Al Qaida is. That's where bin Laden is."

The truth is that snow, not Afghan extremists, forced the helicopter down. And as just a side note, McCain doesn't want to know where the gates of hell are.

Hillary got slammed over and over for her "Bosnia under fire" story, but I haven't even heard this story on the T.V. news about good ole Joe. Add this to the gaffes Biden has made just since he was picked for V.P. and you have someone who makes more gaffes in a week than Bush does in a year. But it's Palin that SNL makes fun of, of course.

I didn't watch the Palin/Couric interview because I literally can't stand to look at or listen to Katie Couric, (and apparently a lot of Americans feel the same way since her ratings couldn't be lower) but my lefty commenters told me Palin did terrible. But I have seen excerpts and I don't see that at all.

Couric seemed to ask questions that I don't think any other V.P. pick would have been asked about. She certaintly didn't ask Biden these questions. Questions about votes or decisions that McCain made in his 20 yr career in the Senate and about which Supreme Court decisions she disagrees with. Other than Roe, I can't name any by name, can you? Couric is the worst of the bunch as far as being petty, liberal, bitter, with a huge hidden agenda. Palin was going to be sliced and diced no matter what. Would or has Biden or Obama been grilled and grilled about abortion like that? Even though their positions are as "extreme" in the other direction? Of course not. Obama will never be asked about his statement that letting a baby born alive during a botched abortion would "burden the original decision." He was basically saying that a born baby should die because letting it live would burden the decision made by the mother. If that isn't extreme, I don't know what is. But the media lets that go. Biden would and has never been asked exactly what Obama did as a community organizer or Obama's worst or best votes as a Senator. These interviews are suppose to be about the issues, not trying to find a question you hope they can't answer.

Palin did wonderful in what I saw, and I can't wait for her to make Biden seem like the blowhard Uncle at Thanksgiving that laughs too loud and brags about everything until everyone is rolling their eyes at each other.

In other news...

The Fox has stopped asking to guard the henhouse and has asked that the Snake guard it instead.

"An Iranian envoy says Tehran has dropped its bid for a seat on the board of the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA.
Ali Asghar Soltanieh said Iran wanted to make way for its regional ally Syria to become a board member instead."

Educate the Jews!

If you are elderly, Jewish, live in Florida, and are supporting John McCain for President, then you need to be "educated" by your much hipper and smarter Jewish grandchildren.

It's not like you would know more than they do about the Jewish experience, right? You are obviously too old to know what you are doing.

Check it out. It's some funny funny propaganda. I tell ya.

You can change the world if you can convince Grandma how stupid she is!

I learn something new every day

Which should come as no surprise to most of you.

Tennessee Republican Marsha Blackburn explains to Kathryn Lopez at NRO why she voted no to the bailout. First of all, she was influenced by her constituents, who called and e-mailed by the thousands. I figured that would be the case, but I didn't know this:

Lopez: Are you concerned by your vote you might have played a role in a pending market collapse?

Blackburn: The markets like certainty. We know that. We also know that the bill before us today did not solve the underlying problems. Some provisions that could have immediately addressed the liquidity issue, such as mark-to-market, uptick rule, increases in FDIC insurance could be done with immediate rule changes should be done.

So we can immediately address the liquidity issue? Then why don't we do that? Like.... now.

Lopez: Are you worried you might have just helped hand the election to Obama?

Blackburn: I don’t think this is handing the election to Obama. A more solid solution, crafted this week, will restore confidence in the market and in Congress. I do think it is important to get this done right so that we preserve free markets for the future.

Lopez: Some on the Right are arguing “no” votes were irresponsible. Why do you think they’re wrong?

Blackburn: The responsible action is to pass the most effective legislation in as short a time frame as possible. The bill before us didn’t do that. It leveraged too many federal assets and too few Wall Street assets. It also ignored some market-oriented solutions that could be carried out immediately. Again, I’d look to options like mark-to-market reform, increases in FDIC insurance, etc.

I think all this sounds great and I totally trust the integrity of people like Blackburn. But my concern is the timing. Let's get the changes done. Let's force Pelosi's back against the wall.

I feel like we are in a TV movie and the bomb is ticking. Let's get a move on. Let's go.

I don't want the last frame to be the bomb going off.

The Dummies Guide to how this crisis happened

Jay Tea at Wizbang:

When Bill Clinton pushed through the expansion of the Community Reinvestment Act in the last 1990s, the theory was to get more people into homes. At that point, the banks -- who would be making the loans -- balked. "Yeah, we can get them into the homes, but a good chunk of them won't be able to stay there. We'll end up having to foreclose, and then we'll be owning a bunch of homes we don't want."

"Don't worry," said the Democrats. "We'll take care of that. We'll let you sell off the loans as 'investment-grade assets.' You won't get stuck with them."

"But who the hell would buy them? They're still shaky loans, no matter who owns them or what we call them."

"It's OK, we'll get Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to insure them. With those folks behind the loans, they'll sell like hotcakes. And later, if they bust, you'll be off the hook."

"I dunno... it's still a shaky deal. I think we'll just pass, thanks. You can't make us give mortgages that we think will go bad."

"Actually, we can. You see, if you ever want to merge with any other bank, or make any other major moves, the public can sue to stop it -- and one of the grounds will be if you're in compliance with the CRA. In other words, you start making these loans, or our buddies at ACORN and the like will shut down any big moves you want to make. But really, that shouldn't be necessary -- you'll still make money off these bad loans, so what's the problem?"

Bill Clinton goes to bat for us...again

I'm waiting for Clinton to just come out in full support of McCain any day now. That it how surreal this has all gotten.

via Wizbang

Reason 137 I love my girl Palin

From NRO, this is part of her stump speech now:

Third, I'll be helping families who have children with special needs, which is an issue close to my heart. That great governor, Robert Casey of Pennsylvania, he was asked once how society should treat the most vulnerable among us, such as children with special needs. He said it simple. He said, you put them first in line. Governor Casey reminded us that these beautiful children, who we are to cherish, they can inspire a special love. They're not a problem. They are a priority.

Governor Casey, you might recall, was one of the...umm...one of Democrat leaders that actually did stand up for the most innocent and vulnerable among us.

L'shana tova

"Never again will we risk another Holocaust. And this is not a wish, a request, or a plea to Israel's enemies. This is a promise that the United States and Israel will honor, against any enemy who cares to test us. It is John McCain's promise and it is my promise." -- Sarah Palin, 22 September 2008

Rove sums it up....

This audio is making the rounds because Karl Rove really gives us an inside look at how the Republicans are getting completely screwed on this vote. When he starts listing all the Democrats who voted no on this, including one on the banking committee, you will want to scream. Pelosi blames Republicans when she gave Democrats in safe districts (and many in swing states) permission to vote no.

Pelosi is a complete and utter scumbag.

via HotAir

Hurricane Bailout

That is what this is beginning to feel like.

The week before Hurricane Ike hit the Galveston/Houston, the skies were blue with wispy white clouds. They were beautiful warm clear days that gave no hint at the disaster that was coming. That Monday I heeded the warnings on the radio and went to the grocery store to stock up on water, batteries, and food. No one else was doing the same. I figured they were waiting until the last minute. On Wednesday I filled up the cars with gas. No lines.

By Friday the dire warnings coming from the news and weather channel had finally gotten some worrying. Galveston enacted mandatory evacuation and still 40% of the city stayed.

Why? Because it's hard to imagine a horrible storm when the skies are blue and the breeze is sweet.

I have a bad feeling that that is what is going on right now. I'm like most Americans. I think this bill stinks. It's ridiculous that we have to fund this bailout. The reasons, complicated as they are, are not American's fault. We are naturally ticked.

I've read and listened to people I trust on things like this. Smart people who know the markets and the banking system. They see a market disaster worst than what Hurricane Ike left in Galveston. I also listened to Lou Dobbs, who I have great respect for, rant until he his dimples turned red on how we should not do this bail out and there will be no disaster in the markets.

But I am a cautious person. I don't take chances. After listening and reading so much on this, I think we better stop looking at the blue skies and thinking the dark storm will never come, and we better do something to avoid what I'm afraid will bring us so much loss.

I think the House Republicans have made their points and have gotten their concessions. I understand the unfairness of Pelosi's attack and I understand their anger, but it's time to face what is coming.

If they have to change a few things more, then change them. Stop the bickering. Just do it.

I feel the wind blowing. Just do it.

Oops

“When Barack Obama released remarks today that praised the passage of America’s economic rescue plan, just before his allies in Congress voted to kill it, it revealed just how out of touch Barack Obama has been during this crisis. As our country stares economic disaster directly in the face, Barack Obama has called for higher taxes we can’t afford, more federal spending we can’t afford and shown failed leadership we can’t afford.” ---Tucker Bounds, spokesman McCain-Palin 2008

Pelosi blows it

I think anyone who views the video from 2004 below a few posts down, showing the Democrats involvment in the economic fiasco, will understand why some Republicans turned their vote at the last minute because Speaker Pelosi opened her big stretched mouth and tried to blame this all on Bush.

The Republicans are saying that Pelosi had the votes but because of Pelosi's statements, 12 Republicans turned their votes.

Update: I thought it curious that Pelosi went on a rant basically offending those whose votes she wished to have.

I've asked this before, but I really want an answer from all my lefty friends. Has Pelosi or the Democrats in Congress done anything that you wanted them to do? They let the offshore drilling ban expire. They caved to Republicans on that.They didn't end the war. They caved on wiretapping (FISA bill). They voted for the surge. They voted to continue funding the war. They didn't so much as hint at any investigation of Bush going into the war. They are now in bed with Pres. Bush, of all people, in this ridiculous government bailout. And this is with you guys in the majority!

Add to that, Speaker Pelosi has the social skills of a porcupine, which may have just killed any progress made on this bill. Let's face it, the more time the American people have to look at the bill and the more we understand it, the more likely it is that it will never pass. Not the way it is written now, anyway.

Why the bailout bill didn't pass the house

via Urbangrounds

This is when Youtube really comes in handy....

It's 2004, Democrats insist that there is nothing wrong with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and are insulted that Republicans are insisting that there is. Republicans try to insure regulations and are shot down by Democrats. The first speaker is boring but stick with it to the second speaker, Maxine Waters and then it gets better. It's worth it. via HotAir

The Bailout Negotiated

It's no wonder that Democrats (specifically Harry Reid and Chris Dodd) were so angry at McCain for inserting himself in the bailout deal. Reid said that McCain hurt the process. McCain did hurt the process and thank God for that. Because the process needed to stopped in it's tracks. The Democrats were trying to ram sweet deals for themselves down the throat of Republicans (read about the concessions below).

John Boehner, the Republican Minority Leader for the House of Representatives said yesterday that if it hadn't been for McCain the Democrats would have run over him "like a freight train" and kept him from putting more taxpayer protections in the bill

McCain is sorta known for ticking off the most conservative of Republicans, but this time he stood up for them in negotiations that they had no control over.

What is clear to me is that there was no way Pelosi and Dodd were going to get enough Republican support for this bill to make it bi-partisan without McCain stepping in and making conservative's like Republican leader John Boehner (who had called the bailout a "crap sandwich) happy enough to encourage other Republican members to vote yes.

Here are the details at Time Magazine:

The 106-page bill gives Paulson the $700 billion he requested in a three-page proposal 10 days ago but divvies the money up: $250 billion immediately, another $100 billion upon request of the President; the rest, if and when it is needed, will require the approval of Congress. And the money comes with strings. Paulson must report back to Congress more often and transactions must be posted online within two days. The House is expected to take up the bill on Monday and the Senate aims to pass it by Wednesday.

Once the bill is signed into law, Paulson has many options open to him on how unclog the credit markets, which Senator Judd Gregg, the top negotiator on the bill for Senate Republicans, described as a massive car accident in the middle of the highway. The government must clear the accident away by buying the toxic debt so that normal traffic can flow freely. One avenue will be to do a reverse auction, where banks compete to sell the Treasury their bad paper, with the Treasury choosing the lowest offers. The Treasury may also directly negotiate with companies, though no one knows exactly how that will work.

After their McCain-backed White House rebellion last week, House Republicans won a few concessions in the compromise: they had funding for a controversial housing program taken out and a bankruptcy provision that they argued was a giveaway to trial lawyers removed. They also got the Treasury Department to establish a federally backed insurance program for the debt — an alternative solution that is easier on the taxpayers but more expensive for the already cash-strapped banks — though the Treasury would not be required to actually use the program and Paulson has expressed opposition to such a route.

The issue of executive compensation nearly blew up the bill in the final talks that for some staff went well past 3:30 a.m. Sunday morning. But a compromise was reached that places a tax on executive salaries and bonuses of $500,000 or more at companies where the Treasury has bought more than $300 million in assets at auction. For companies where the Treasury intervenes directly, a 20% surcharge on "golden parachutes" is instituted.

It was a strange situation where McCain went up against Pelosi and the Democrats AND the President.

Personally I find this bill to be "the crap sandwich" Boehner referred to. The government created this problem and now the government is suppose to solve it? No thanks. But the pressure is too great, so I think they will get the bi-partisan support they need.

I haven't looked at my 401K or investments. It would be too depressing.

There really aren't any winners here. None. We all lose.

Yikes!

Newsbusters is reporting that the family of the fallen soldier whose name is on the bracelet that Obama referred to in the debate, has asked him to stop wearing the bracelet and using their son for political purposes:

Radio host Glenn Moberg of the show "Route 51" asked Mr. Jopek, a man who believes in the efforts in Iraq and is not in favor of Obama's positions on the war, what he and his ex-wife think of Obama continually using their son's name on the campaign trail. (h/t D. Keith Howington of www.dehavelle.com)

Jopek began by saying that his ex-wife was taken aback, even upset, that Obama has made the death of her son a campaign issue. Jopek says his wife gave Obama the bracelet because "she just wanted Mr. Obama to know Ryan's name." Jopek went on to say that "she wasn't looking to turn it into a big media event" and "just wanted it to be something between Barack Obama and herself." Apparently, they were all shocked it became such a big deal.

But, he also said that his ex-wife has refused further interviews on the matter and that she wanted Obama to stop wearing the reminder of her son's sacrifice that he keeps turning into a campaign soundbyte. This begins at about 10 minutes into the radio program. (Download radio show HERE)

TRANSCRIPT

Brian Jopek: Because of some of the negative feedback she's gotten on the Internet, you know Internet blogs, you know people accusing her of... or accusing Obama of trying to get votes doing it... and that sort of thing.

Radio Host Moberg: Yeah

Jopek: She has turned down any subsequent interviews with the media because she just didn't want it to get turned into something that it wasn't. She had told me in an email that she had asked, actually asked Mr. Obama to not wear the bracelet any more at any of his public appearances. Which I don't think he's...

Moberg: It has been a while since he's brought it up.

Jopek: Right. But, the other night I was watching the news and he was on, uh, speaking somewhere and he was still wearing it on his right wrist. I could see it on his right wrist. So, that's his own choice. I mean that's something Barack Obama, that's a choice that he continues to wear it despite Tracy asking him not to... Because she is a Barack Obama supporter and she didn't want to do anything to sabotage his campaign, so, if he's still wearing the bracelet then, uh, that of course is entirely up to him.

Moberg: Maybe there's a difference between wearing it and making a point to bring it up in your speeches?

This radio show was back in March. Now, since Mr. Jopek is supporting McCain and his ex-wife is clearly supporting Obama, I would rather hear this straight from his ex-wife, but I can understand her not wanting to hurt Obama's chances by making a big deal out it.

But like Newsbusters pointed out, if this were John McCain and any member of the family of the soldier on his bracelet had said the same thing, it would be front page news.

If we win this thing it will be against a tsunami of media love for Obama.