Merit-bound Alley

From this interview with Joe Biden:

“Everybody talks about change. Let me tell you something, I am fascinated to find out that all of the sudden John McCain and Sarah Palin are the agents of change,” Biden said. “Name me one single place where the McCain-Palin ticket disagrees with George Bush.”

Not only is their apparent lack of change from the policieso f the Bush administration fascinating, but I am also intrigues by McCain’s co-opting of Obamas campaign motif. It’s almost like McCain doesn’t have a successful message at all!

Well, McCain finally did something maverick-y. He selected Sara Palin as his running mate for his lackluster race for President.

Sarah Palin was elected governor of Alaska in 2006. Before that, she was on the Wasilla City Council from 1992-1996, Mayor of Wasilla from 1996-2002, failed a bid for Lt. Gov. in 2002, and served on the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission from 2003-2004.

Frankly, I know little about her, except that she’s pro-life and a whistleblower against her fellow Republicans. McCain may have to watch out for that if he’s going to be Bush the Third. However, I think it is awfully hypocritical of the McCain campaign to spend so much time citing Obama’s lack of experience, which was their strongest message against him (if not their only one), then pick someone with even less.

Not that I think a lack of hard experience is the most convincing argument against a candidate, I’m just not a fan of hypocrisy. The fact that McCain chose Palin shows that he thinks his own arguments against Obama are irrelevant, and doesn’t have a real handle on his message, at least as it pertains to Obama.

I’m thinking we have even less to worry about now.

Both Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain have shown startling ignorance and blind loyalty in their reactions to the conflict in South Ossetia.

Sen. Barack Obama delivered a statement from Hawaii about the worsening crisis in Georgia, declaring of Russia’s aggression in the former Soviet republic, “There is no possible justification for these attacks.”

No possible justification except for the fact that Georgia moved into the are first in strikes to clear the area of South Ossetian separatists. I guess since Georgia is an ally, we should ignore the fact that they have once again thumbed their nose at the fragile cease fire in the region. This kind of blind loyalty is completely irresponsible on the world stage, especially at a point where the world opinion of the U.S. is so low. Our politicians should be denigrating Georgia’s lack of political ethics and reconsidering our positive relationship with the hotheaded Sakaashvili.

Like Sen. John McCain, Obama called for “active international engagement” to address the dispute, “including a high-level and neutral international mediator, and a genuine international peacekeeping force — not simply Russian troops.”

Gutterball! The peacekeeping forces in South Ossetia was comprised of Russian, Georgian, and South Ossetian separatists. Either both candidates are completely retarded, or they have to make serious decisions about replacing their foreign policy consultants.

As a bonus, let’s take a look at the media, who made no effort to even report the fact that the conflict was initiated by Georgia in the first few days. How did they end this article about the candidates views on this horrible conflict?

[Obama] sketched out his plans at a 4,000-person rally on the first day:
“I’m going to get a plate lunch. I might go to Zippy’s. I might go to Rainbow Drive-In. I haven’t decided yet. Get some Zip Min. I’m going to go get some shave ice. I’m going to go body surfing at an undisclosed location. I’m going to see my tutu — my grandma — and I’m going to watch my girls play on the beach, and once in a while I might go into the water. But mostly I’m going to watch them.”

“Obama’s presence caused a stir everywhere he showed up,” the paper reported, but one prominent resident wasn’t impressed — Hawaii’s GOP Gov. Linda Lingle. “This is not ‘American Idol,’” the McCain supporter said of the choice facing voters this year, according to the article. “This is making an important decision on who should lead our nation.”

Just cutting journalism Washington Post! Bravo on giving this war the solemn journalism it deserves. Brav-O!

I understand that experience is a good thing in life. It can help build and arsenal of learn-by-doing-and-failing knowhow. You know what else is a good way to know how to do the right thing? Insight and basic smarts.

That’s one of the reasons that the jibes at Sen. Obama for being inexperienced just don’t seem to be taking hold of the public. Anyone who has lived a life knows that experience is not the only way to be able to make appropriate decisions. Also, that shit can backfire.

Last night, Sen. John McCain made a weak move to misrepresent a statement by Obama, alleging that Obama wanted to bomb Pakistan, a U.S. ally. What Obama really said was this:

If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets, and President Musharraf won’t act, we will.

Not quite the same thing, Sen. McCain. Especially since this exact scenario was recently actioned by the CIA to take out a senior Al-Qaeda official. The CIA had the intel and had several times been roadblocked by the Pakistani government, so they went ahead with the mission, giving the Pakistani government a notice that the mission was underway.

In summary, not only was Sen. Barack Obama able to give a thoughtful response to a rhetorical question, he was soon proven correct when the CIA took the exact measures he described. It was a good try, McCain, but you’re still a dope.

Last night, the call fo change was heard and embraced yet again as Sen. Obama widened his delegate lead over Sen. Clinton by decisive victories in Wisconsin and Hawaii.

Wisconsin:

Obama: 58% of the popular vote and 38 delegates

Clinton: 41% of the popular vote and 27 delegates

Hawaii:

Obama: 76% of the popular vote, no delegate count yet

Clinton: 24% of the popular vote, no delegate count

The speeches have started to use stronger wording, with Obama taking a shot at the  quagmire (giggity) in Washington, D.C:

It is going to require more than rousing speeches. … It is going to require something more, because the problem that we face in America today is not the lack of good ideas. It’s that Washington has become a place where good ideas go to die

And McCain taking a shot at Obama:

I will fight every moment of every day in this campaign to make sure Americans are not deceived by an eloquent but empty call for change

Absent from McCain’s speech was any mention of Senator Clinton. It seems he knows who will be his opponent when the conventions are said and done.

Onr thing I just thought of: where was Huckabee last night?

I know that partisan politics is full of creating insult where there is none, and unless someone spends more time weeding out possible insults than they do writing their speeches, another from the other team will find a reason to whine and bitch.

Today’s example is from Mark Finklestein blogging on Newsbusters who takes a compliment of McCain’s years of public service as an insult to the Republican future nominee’s age. The quote:

Now, I believe John McCain is a good man and a genuine American hero. And we honor his half-century of service to this nation.

This was said in a speech by Sen. Barack Obama at yesterday’s Jefferson-Jackson dinner. Yes, the Senators mention of McCain’s laudable 50 years of service is a slight on the mans age. Good thing Finklestein didn’t hear Obama’s compliment of Sen. Clintons “7 years out of the kitchen” or Huckabee’s “years of rule over the fictional land of Mayberry”.

A word of advice to Mr. Finklestein: stop looking for insult where there is none, ice that crotch, and man up before writing another article.

The first votes of the NewHampshire primary have been tallied in the small town of Dixville Notch. A small graphic in the article shows some exciting statistics which, if they remain unchanged, show promise for a decisive election.

(graphic courtesy of Associated Press)

Look at that! Barack Obama has seven votes to Clintons zero. I’m not the strongest mathematician, but that looks like an infinite lead to me! We see the same occurrence with McCain/Pyle. Now, I’m not a huge fan of McCain, but Huck is a straight-up nutcase who will ruin this country if he gains the office of the President.

Very heartening numbers from the first results of the primary!