PastaJoe

Boehner knew they didn't have the votes they had promised the Dems even before Pelosi spoke: By Monday afternoon, staff members in the offices of Republican leaders were blaming one another for the failed vote. Blunt said he had come to the floor thinking 75 Republicans would support the plan. He was off by 10 — just short of the 12 that were needed to turn defeat into victory. But Boehner told a different story. He said that the GOP leaders never thought they’d get more than 68 Republicans to support the bill — and that he sent Blunt to tell Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) as much nearly two hours before the vote. “I sent [blunt] down to talk to Hoyer, 11:30, quarter to 12, somewhere in that time frame,” Boehner said. “We had a pretty good idea where we were, where we thought we could get to. And Hoyer knew.” Boehner added: “I did not talk to [Hoyer], so I don’t know what their conversation was. [blunt] and I had that conversation. We talked about ‘Should we just rise [walk out]?’ It wouldn’t have been good, but I thought it would have been better than this. It really doesn’t make any difference.” Democrats, for their part, said they assumed Blunt was lowballing his whip count to force Pelosi and the Democrats to line up more votes from their members. In the end, as Pelosi and her team tried to flip votes in favor of the proposal, there was little Boehner or his Republican leadership team could do to entice those who voted “no” to switch their tally in support of the controversial measure. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/14107_Page2.html

A majority is 50% + 1. Why couldn't the Republican leadership and Bush get 14 more votes out of 133? That's only 11% of the votes against.

I expected such a response, which is why I said I hope she's asked to give specifics on her views on science and what should be taught in schools. And they can ask Obama about his meeting with you.

The Democrat leadership got a majority of their party to vote for it. The Republican leadership and Bush couldn't get even half, yet it's the Democrat leadership that was the problem.

ANCHORAGE -- Soon after Sarah Palin was elected mayor of the foothill town of Wasilla, Alaska, she startled a local music teacher by insisting in casual conversation that men and dinosaurs coexisted on an Earth created 6,000 years ago -- about 65 million years after scientists say most dinosaurs became extinct -- the teacher said. After conducting a college band and watching Palin deliver a commencement address to a small group of home-schooled students in June 1997, Wasilla resident Philip Munger said, he asked the young mayor about her religious beliefs. Palin told him that "dinosaurs and humans walked the Earth at the same time," Munger said. When he asked her about prehistoric fossils and tracks dating back millions of years, Palin said "she had seen pictures of human footprints inside the tracks," recalled Munger, who teaches music at the University of Alaska in Anchorage and has regularly criticized Palin in recent years on his liberal political blog, called Progressive Alaska. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/na...story?track=rss Hopefully in the debate she'll be asked to clarify her views on science and what should be taught in school.

There's been no shortage of takeoffs on Sarah Palin lately, from television skits to action figures, but Bruce Elliott has gone one step further than most. He's taken off her clothes. Elliott, whose wife, Tobin Mitchen, owns the Old Town Ale House on Chicago's North Side, painted a nude portrait of the Republican vice presidential nominee and hung it above the bar, where it's now a prime attraction among his display of more than 200 celebrity portraits and other racy art. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/c...0,4944201.story

The fact is that most of those that voted against it from both parties are facing tough reelection fights and wanted to vote on the side of caution so it wouldn't be used against them by their opponents. Blaming it on what anyone said or any other excuse is just looking for political cover. I heard McCain make a statement after the vote, and I still can't tell if he would have voted for or against it, he seems to be straddling the fence. I know that Obama would have voted for it.

The same argument can be made regarding offshore drilling, but the pro-drilling argument has been that we have to start sometime, and it would show a committment that may change perceptions and speculation.

The expectations for her are so low at this point that anything short of acting like Admiral Stockdale ("Who am I, what am I doing here?") will be considered a good performance, and the spin will be how she showed she's qualified. I expect that she will be trained to rope-a-dope; long on generalities and short on specifics to ensure plausible deniablity about making any real gaffes.

Obama won the debate from a political standpoint in that he looked presidential and informed on the facts in a debate on the subject that was supposed to favor McCain. It showed uncommitted viewers that he could pass the commander-in-chief threshold. For those who agree with his domestic and social policies, but may have had questions about his grasp of foreign policy, he succeeded in answering their concerns.

So you're admitting that the current tax rates that were lowered under Bush have not prevented companies from going overseas, so taxes are not the reason they're leaving. Labor costs and environmental regulations are key factors, and Obama wants to negotiate trade deals that raise labor and envirormental standards overseas, not lower them in our country. Level the playing field for our workers, and our workers productivity will be an incentive to stay.

All weekend I kept reading and hearing that Westbrook was going to play. Then right before the game they report he's out; too late to change. Other than that it was basically the bye week and Willie Parker's injury that killed me.

Where's The Phantom when you need him?

But she's pro-life, and that trumps everything else, don't cha know.

Chris Rock keeping it real on Larry King: ROCK: I mean, just look the big thing right now is the economy. And people are going broke. And here: The choice isn't Republican or Democrat. The choice is you got a guy that's worth $150 million with 12 houses against a guy who's worth a million dollars with one house. KING: Well -- ROCK: The guy with one house really cares about losing a house, because he is homeless. The other guy can lose five houses and still got a bunch of houses. Does this make any sense? Am I the only one that sees this? KING: It's unique way of ... ROCK: I'm just saying, John McCain could lose half his houses. KING: You got a point. ROCK: And sleep well.

Just install some free condom dispensers and that will take care of a majority of the college men's health issues. And maybe some free laundry services so they don't wear dirty underwear and sleep on dirty sheets.

Did you check with the Patriots, they may have been doing some scouting.

No, they sent it in an email and he didn't know how to open it.

Two big scoops of Racky Road please, in cups with cherries on top.

McCain reminds me of the Inquisition skit on Monty Python. The inquisitors are running to get to their destination, finally get there and burst through the doors, and just as they're about to speak....the show ends, and you hear them cussing as the credits roll.

Crashed two jets and shot down in a third, not a great analogy picture for crisis leadership with the economy going down in flames. The debate is at 9pm. I don't know how long it takes to get from Washington to Mississippi (no jokes about 100 years time difference), but let's be generous and give him 5 hours. So he boards McPain One at 5pm eastern time, does the debate for 2 hours, then flys back (another 5 hours), he'll be back in Washington by 4am. Now what earth-shattering decisions will be made between 5pm Friday and 4am Saturday that requires he be there? The guy invented the Blackberry, isn't this a perfect time for him to make use of his own technology when away from Washington? How many times have we been told by some here that the president doesn't have to be in Washington to be on the job.

Maybe she has to spend time researching McCain's record of regulatory legislation. Couric-Palin interview: Couric: You've said, quote, "John McCain will reform the way Wall Street does business." Other than supporting stricter regulations of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac two years ago, can you give us any more example of his leading the charge for more oversight? Palin: I think that the example that you just cited, with his warnings two years ago about Fannie and Freddie - that, that's paramount. That's more than a heck of a lot of other senators and representatives did for us. Couric: But he's been in Congress for 26 years. He's been chairman of the powerful Commerce Committee. And he has almost always sided with less regulation, not more. Palin: He's also known as the maverick though, taking shots from his own party, and certainly taking shots from the other party. Trying to get people to understand what he's been talking about - the need to reform government. Couric: But can you give me any other concrete examples? Because I know you've said Barack Obama is a lot of talk and no action. Can you give me any other examples in his 26 years of John McCain truly taking a stand on this? Palin: I can give you examples of things that John McCain has done, that has shown his foresight, his pragmatism, and his leadership abilities. And that is what America needs today. Couric: I'm just going to ask you one more time - not to belabor the point. Specific examples in his 26 years of pushing for more regulation. Palin: I'll try to find you some and I'll bring them to you. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/24/...in4476173.shtml

Nobody said being president was easy if done properly. If they're not up to the job, then they shouldn't be running. And I don't expect a president to fix the economy by themself, but look at the economic advisors they surround themself with to assist them.

Shouldn't one of the requirements of being president be the ability to multitask problems?

Here's an idea, let the VP candidates debate on Friday. Imagine the reaction from Palin when she hears, "Governor, I know you were planning on cramming this weekend for your upcoming debate, but it's been moved up so you're going to have to wing it on Friday. When they ask you about the Czechs, don't say you prefer credit cards."