PastaJoe

I've never heard of getting a per diem for going home from work, especially when it's less than 50 miles. I drive 30 miles each way every day and would never expect such a perk. If you don't want to pay for the drive, move closer to the work. Hell, they even provide a residence for her in the capital if she moved there. And if you want to take your family on your business trip, that should be on your tab, not the taxpayers. The only exception should be the President and Vice President.

In Iowa last October, McCain drew comparisons between Hillary Clinton's current health care plan and the one she championed in 1993: "I think they put some lipstick on the pig, but it's still a pig." He used roughly the same line in May, after effectively claiming the Republican nomination. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/10...tick/index.html Other politicians have also used the phrase in recent years, including Vice President Dick Cheney, Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington state, Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Rep. John Mica of Florida and Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado, among others. Torie Clarke, a former McCain adviser, even wrote a book called, "Lipstick on a Pig: Winning In the No-Spin Era by Someone Who Knows the Game." McCain ally Mike Huckabee took Obama's side on the issue, saying he didn't think it was a swipe at Palin. "It's an old expression, and I'm going to have to cut Obama some slack on that one. I do not think he was referring to Sarah Palin; he didn't reference her. If you take the two sound bites together, it may sound like it," he said on Fox's "Hannity and Colmes." "But I've been a guy at the podium many times, and you say something that's maybe a part of an old joke and then somebody ties it in. So, I'm going to have to cut him slack."

I almost blew it for myself by playing the Colts D instead of Buffalo, but I went 3-0 this week thanks to the late Adrian Peterson TD last night that gave me a 5 point win in one league, 100-95.

Actually Marvel had a mini-series that had a black character as Captain America. In the 2003 limited series Truth: Red, White & Black, black soldiers act as test subjects for the WWII Super Soldier program of 1942. Most of the subjects die, or become deformed with the exception of one, Isaiah Bradley. Isaiah substitutes for Captain America on an assignment, discovering Jewish concentration camp detainees subjected to experiments. But it would ruin the story to not have white Steve Rogers as CA. This is the next chapter after Iron Man in ultimately bringing together the Avengers. You can't change the main characters from who they are. I imagine someone like Keifer Sutherland or Russell Crowe as Cap.

Obama/Biden need to keep reminding people about the economy, housing, the opportunity cost of Iraq, and the conservative social agenda. McCain/Palin want to change the debate away from policy to the Rove tactic of who would you rather have as a neighbor. More shine taken off Mother Inferior's fiscal conservative reformer claims: Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has billed taxpayers for 312 nights spent in her own home during her first 19 months in office, charging a "per diem" allowance intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business. The governor also has charged the state for travel expenses to take her children on official out-of-town missions. And her husband, Todd, has billed the state for expenses and a daily allowance for trips he makes on official business for his wife. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...ml?hpid=topnews

Spreading it over two days means that he won't be able to push too hard on the first day, or else they'll cut off the rest of the interview. Plus it allows her handlers to review what she does wrong to correct for the next day. Her press advisors were recently replaced by some from the White House because they thought her staff wasn't qualified to spin with the national media. If they were confident in her they would make her available to a press conference instead of making one reporter follow her in her safe zone.

Let's face it, Obama joining that church had more to do with making connections with the community, possibly for political reasons, than with the radical views of Rev Wright. But it appears that Palin really believes the radical views of her church, and has yet to say otherwise. We already have a president who thinks he's on a mission from God, we don't need another administration with that belief.

What's the issue? Obama properly disassociated himself from Rev Wright and the church. Are we responsible for what O.J. did because we attended Bills games, even if we've disassociated ourselves from him?

That was more on an indictment of Rev Wright. Fortunately Obama didn't support Wright's controversial social views and disassociated himself from that church. It remains to be seen if Palin will do the same or embrace her church's social views.

Gov. Sarah Palin's church is promoting a conference that promises to convert gays into heterosexuals through the power of prayer. "You'll be encouraged by the power of God's love and His desire to transform the lives of those impacted by homosexuality," according to the insert in the bulletin of the Wasilla Bible Church, where Palin has prayed for about six years. Palin, campaigning with McCain in the Midwest on Friday, has not publicly expressed a view on the so-called "pray away the gay" movement. Palin's conservative Christian views have energized that part of the GOP electorate, which was lukewarm to John McCain's candidacy before he named her as his vice presidential choice. She is staunchly anti-abortion (opposing exceptions for rape and incest), and opposes gay marriage and spousal rights for gay couples. http://news.aol.com/elections/article/pali...5540x1200532686 Speaking of the troops in Iraq, Palin says on the video, "Pray for our military men and women who are striving do to what is right. Also for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending them out on a task that is from God. That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for -- that there is a plan, and that plan is God's plan." Her campaign says she doesn't mix her faith with government business. But Palin did ask her audience to pray for a $30 billion natural gas pipeline she is on a mission to build in Alaska. In the video Palin says, "I think God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas pipeline built. So pray for that ... I can do my job there in developing my natural resources. But all of that doesn't do any good if the people of Alaska's heart is not good with God." Palin now attends the Wasilla Bible Church. She was there on August 17, just days before entering the national spotlight. David Brickner, the founder of Jews for Jesus, was a speaker. He told congregants that terrorist attacks on Israel were God's "judgment" of Jews who haven't embraced Christianity. Brickner said, "Judgment is very real and we see it played out on the pages of the newspapers and on the television. When a Palestinian from East Jerusalem took a bulldozer and went plowing through a score of cars, killing numbers of people. Judgment -- you can't miss it." The McCain campaign says Brickner's comments do not reflect her religious views. Palin's spokeswoman says she is pro-Israel. Pastor Ed Kalnin, the senior pastor of Palin's former Pentecostal church, has also come under fire for his comments. In 2004, he told church members if they voted for John Kerry for president, they wouldn't get into heaven. He told them, "I question your salvation." http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/08...stor/index.html

I think this is a generational election where the youth are more energized than in previous years, and there is a greater probability they will turn out, along with increased minority participation. The Democrats have a large registration program going.

The variable in this election is the increased number of people registering to vote for the first time (younger, minorities) which largely favors Obama it they vote. I wonder whether the polls take them into consideration, especially since many younger people just have cell phones and not land lines. And Obama's campaign has learned from the Republicans and built up a large grassroots campaign base, which was significant in winning the primaries.

"This big drunk guy accidentally knocked me into a bench, and when my husband came to my aid, he flipped us off with both fingers," Joanna Cone said. Dr. Jesse Cone, who had traveled here from Syracuse with his wife and other relatives, said the rowdy behavior fueled by alcohol consumption was downright frightening. "I was thinking of buying season tickets and bringing my sons, but I can't expose them to this", the physician, who grew up in Pavilion, said. Lisa McCall, a Rochester resident, said she and her husband, Joe, were also leaving early because one of the people they had traveled with was in no shape to sit through the final quarter. "It's unfortunate, but we're forced to leave. Our friend, well, she's had too much," McCall said. By day's end, police said 25 individuals had been arrested in and around the Orchard Park stadium on charges ranging from disorderly conduct to DWI. http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/433759.html

RealClearPolitics state polls show Obama still ahead in all states that Kerry won in 2004, plus ahead in Bush won states of Iowa, New Mexico, and Colorado, and tied in Virginia. McCain does not lead in any state Kerry won. http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/ma...vs_mccain/#data

There's plenty of people who went to Christian schools that have warped views of the world, what makes them any better than Muslim schools?

McCain's campaign manager was asked by Chris Wallace on Fox today when they'll make Palin available to press interviews. He said "We'll do it when and IF we decide it's the right time." When, after the election? WTF?

You have to go back 40 years for an example? OK, let's go back 40 years and consider McCain's judgement in cheating on his wife with the potential First Mistress Sin-dy McCain.

The Bush administration has conducted an extensive spying operation on Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, his staff and others in the Iraqi government, according to a new book by Washington Post associate editor Bob Woodward. "We know everything he says," according to one of multiple sources Woodward cites about the practice in "The War Within: A Secret White House History, 2006-2008," scheduled for release Monday. The book also says that the U.S. troop "surge" of 2007, in which President Bush sent nearly 30,000 additional U.S. combat forces and support troops to Iraq, was not the primary factor behind the steep drop in violence there during the past 16 months http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...ml?hpid=topnews Asked about his interest in body counts, Bush told Woodward: "I asked that on occasion to find out whether or not we're fighting back. Because the perception is that our guys are dying and they're not. Because we don't put out numbers. We don't have a tally. On the other hand, if I'm sitting here watching the casualties come in, I'd at least like to know whether or not our soldiers are fighting."

I guess Democrats are just better at vetting people and providing security.

Hoo boy, I can only imagine the checklist you must have attached to your bedpost. Do you make your partner sign a pre-copulation agreement too?

So you've only heard one acceptance speech in your life? Even the delegates in the crowd were yawning. Funny moment, after he mentioned adult literacy, there was a shot of a delegate holding a sign that said "Mavrick". We've been told McCain doesn't like to talk about his POW experience, but I've yet to hear a speech or interview where he doesn't find a way to mention it. It's interesting how the Republicans praise Cindy McCain and Sarah Palin as great role models. I keep wondering what Republicans and their radio talking heads would be saying if Michelle Obama had been Barak's mistress, and he had cheated on his first wife with her, and if Joe Biden had a pregnant unwed teen daughter. "Are these the values we want leading our country?! This is what you get from the liberal social agenda!"

Her husband works a union job on the North Slope for BP and is a champion snowmobile racer. Todd Palin's kind of job is highly sought-after because of the schedule and high pay. He arranges his work schedule so he can fish for salmon in Bristol Bay for a month or so in summer, but by no stretch of the imagination is fishing their major source of income. http://community.adn.com/adn/node/130537

Yeah, he's crying with joy... 'Obama's coffers have been filling since Sarah Palin attacked him repeatedly in St. Paul last night. An Obama aide confirms Drudge's report that Obama has raised about $8 million from more than 130,000 donors and is on pace to raise $10 million by the time McCain reaches the stage tonight. UPDATE: Obama spokesman Bill Burton says, "Sarah Palin's attacks have rallied our supporters in ways we never expected. And we fully expect John McCain's attacks tonight to help us make our grassroots organization even stronger."'

Television ratings = winning elections? She may have energized conservatives, but at the same time a good portion of the audience was probably like myself who never heard her before and wanted to see what she would say, and after watching came away thinking she is worse than expected on policy and condesending attitude. I love this pick, it confirms for moderates just how far to the right McCain and Republicans have gone off the tracks from the mainstream. I would have been concerned for Obama's chances if it was Ridge or Lieberman (which it could be by the time the public vetting is over).

Of course she was talking about people who have somewhat less than the resources available to a president and first lady.