Obama Has 18 States In The Bag - Needs Just 4 More?


It's not a given that Obama will win the 20 states that John Kerry won in 2004. He might lose New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. So let's assume Obama has 18 states in the bag.

I don't think Obama is going to be hosting rallies in any of the solid blue states (New York, New England, Washington, Oregon, California). His focus will be on the battleground states. And of those, Obama just needs four of them. The four states he seems to be focusing on are Colorado, Virginia, North Carolina, and Iowa. If he wins those and retains Pennsylvania and New Hampshire (or picks-up additional battleground states like New Mexico, Indiana, and Ohio) then he's our 45th president.

In other words, this is Obama's race to lose. John Dickerson of Slate gives us the big picture:

Here's where things stand: If you look at the latest national polling, Obama is up by an average of about five points. That gap may shrink if McCain gets a bounce from his convention, but with each passing day, national numbers are increasingly meaningless. What's most important now is how things are going in the battleground states. In those states, things look much better for Obama than they do nationally. If you look at the pollster.com map of state polling, Obama has 260 of the 270 electoral votes he needs. John McCain has 186.

If current trends hold, Obama needs only to pick up Virginia and Colorado, two states where he's ahead, where trends favor him, and where he won in the primaries. Obama is not only ahead in all the states John Kerry won, he's virtually locked down Iowa, a state George Bush won. (He's ahead by 15 in the latest CNN poll.)

McCain's best chances to pick up states John Kerry won in 2004 are New Hampshire, where he is tied with Obama, and Michigan and Pennsylvania, where Obama is ahead just outside the margin of error. Yet even if McCain can reverse the trends in those states, he's still only at 241 electoral votes. So he also needs to keep Ohio and Florida in the GOP column (polls are even there) and not give up any of the other states, like North Carolina.

Sarah Palin Won't Be Facing Questions Anytime Soon


Perhaps she will be accepting filtered questions from Republican voters at campaign rallies and town halls, but Sarah Palin is not ready for questions from the evil media. Not Sunday morning, not on Oprah, not on MTV, not in primetime. Not for a while.

So says Nicole Wallace of the McCain campaign. You remember Nicole "It doesn't matter" Wallace. She's that Scots-Irish American hothead who runs the communications for the Scots-Irish American hothead running for president.

Here she is telling Jay Carney of Time Magazine that Sarah doesn't have to take any questions from the media, or from the general public.

Sorry, public. You'll have to rely on Ms. Palin's scripted speeches until her debate with Senator Biden. Nyah-nyah! You'll just have to trust us handlers. You're not naive to think that we live in a democracy, are ya?

Fair Investigative Journalism Covering Sarah Palin


The Right can complain about commentators on Daily Kos, but there are paid, legitimate journalists who are doing the work that the McCain campaign should have done weeks ago.

Laura McGann at the Washington Independent is doing a fine job going through all the public documents related to Sarah Palin's two terms as mayor of Wasilla. Take a lot at some of her first dispatches from Alaska:

Wasilla hired a Washington lobbyist in 2000 to attract more federal grants.

Palin to Wasilla librarian in 1996: Are you OK with censorship?

Palin on running Wasilla in 1996: "It's not rocket science."

McGann's colleague at the Washington Independent, Mike Lillis, follows-up on the federal lobbyist story:

With Palin remaining receptive to “Don Young’s Way,” Sen Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, has seen an opening. Thursday his office pounced, sending an email blast to reporters proclaiming, “Palin only announced opposition to one ‘Bridge to Nowhere,’ still supports the other one.”

[Lobbyist Steven] Silver, the former chief of staff to the now-indicted Stevens, began lobbying Congress on behalf of Wasilla in 2000. With Silver’s help, the town secured nearly $27 million in federal earmarks while Palin was mayor, according to an analysis done by Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan fiscal watchdog group.

A Word About Community Organizers


I see Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin both ridiculed Barack Obama for once being a "community organizer" on Chicago's South Side. It's arguably the weakest part of his resume, since you know, law school professor, attorney, state senator, and US Senator are pretty prestigious jobs to have.

It was good for a laugh, and for a moment, I was worried because I had feared that Barack's lack of a desk job between college and law school could hurt his campaign.

But then I had a good night's sleep. And then I thought more about it. And now I can see right through their attack. It is not a weak link in Obama's resume, it is a small part of his resume that simply frightens Republicans.

The ridicule of Obama's time as a "community organizer" ties-into the Republican anti-urban, anti-intellectual platform / culture war. Most ordinary Americans do not recognize a community organizer as a regular 9-to-5 job. But look at what the Republicans are attacking.

A community organizer is a hybrid role. It is part consultant, and part lobbyist. He's a consultant in that he offers advice and ideas to people who have fallen on hard times, and helps them help themselves to get back up (Joe Biden's theme). And he's a lobbyist for the neighborhood, working to attract businesses to replace those that have left. Bridgeport lost factories, but eventually won two professional sports teams. Pittsburgh lost steel mills, but eventually gained banks and museums. That wasn't just the work of business leaders. It took some grass-roots initiative as well. Community organizers bring together neighborhoods, local politicians, and business leaders (investors, corporations, etc.) in an effort to improve people's quality of life.

Community organizers run non-profit, grass-roots organizations that offer job and interview training, tenants' rights campaigns, and act as agents between residents, government, and businesses.

And it's not all selfless and out of the goodness of their hearts. Barack Obama probably would not have become a politician if he hadn't been a community organizer early in his career. It may have helped him get into Harvard Law School. After all, his three-year stint as a community organizer was in-between his bachelor's degree and his entrance into Harvard Law School in 1988. He was a young man. He was 25 when he left a New York think tank and moved to Chicago to get involved in the lives of South Side residents.

But let's dig deeper. Why does the Right hate community organizers? The simple Wikipedia entry gives us many clues:

The American Civil Rights Movement, the anti-war movements, the Chicano movement, the feminist movement, and the gay rights movement all influenced and were influenced by ideas of neighborhood organizing. Experience with federal anti-poverty programs and the upheavals in the cities produced a thoughtful response among activists and theorists in the early 1970s that has informed activities, organizations, strategies and movements through the end of the century. Less dramatically, civic associations and neighborhood block clubs were formed all across the country to foster community spirit and civic duty, as well as provide a social outlet.

Many of the most notable leaders in community organizing today emerged from the National Welfare Rights Organization. John Calkins of DART, Ernesto Cortes of the Industrial Areas Foundation, Wade Rathke of ACORN, John Dodds of Philadelphia Unemployment Project and Mark Splain of the AFL-CIO, among others.

Other famous community organizers include: Jane Addams, César Chávez, Samuel Gompers, Martin Luther King, Jr., John L. Lewis, Ralph Nader, Barack Obama, Pat Robertson, and Paul Wellstone.


Ah ha! There are some pretty evil names in that list. Union leaders. Civil rights leaders. Religious leaders. And a dead, liberal Senator from Minnesota.

Add to that list - Susan B. Anthony. You remember her from the history books? She fought for the right of American women to vote. And also add some historical dude named Jesus Christ.

No wonder they hate community organizers. They help people get back up and fight for equality and justice.

Hey. I just thought of three other non-traditional jobs. But these are jobs that the Republicans don't ridicule. I'm sure there are more. But off the top of my head, I can think of -

Lobbyists

Jack Abramoff was sentenced today, BTW.

Security consultants

The NYPD's resident spook, David Cohen, who has almost no recorded existence.


Defense contractors

You wont see the Right attacking or ridiculing those jobs.

And we know what great, productive, community-building job Sarah Palin held before becoming mayor of Wasilla, right?

Sportscaster.
(Sorry, no photos, video stills or videos available. They are all being erased from the Internets.)

In light of this, Keith Olbermann might be over-qualified to be President.

Critical Reactions To Sarah Palin's Speech


Will Bunch:

Yes, it was a great speech politically, and a great night for her family, but an empty speech for America -- and for America's families. It was defined by its lowest moment, Palin's shameless lie about "the Bridge to Nowhere." This was a Speech to Nowhere.

Adam McGourney, NY Times (registration required):

Clearly, her big task on Wednesday and in the days ahead was to drive home the image the McCain campaign has sought to attach to this unexpected pick: the corruption-fighting governor from outside Washington, a socially conservative mother of five who can easily connect with working-class Americans in a way that Mr. Obama has so far had trouble doing. She scorned the trappings of elitism — she talked about driving herself to work, and how she put the Alaska governor’s plane up for sale on eBay — as she signaled that she would serve as Mr. McCain’s ambassador to Americans who think the government has lost touch with their values and needs. She went as far to compare herself to a haberdasher from Missouri who became vice president and later president, Harry S. Truman.

The problem for Ms. Palin is that that story has been tripped up by disclosures about her professional and personal life, enough so that at least until Wednesday, she had become a bigger figure at this convention than Mr. McCain.



John Dickerson, Slate:
John McCain will win by making Barack Obama look un-American. That's sensitive stuff. Hillary Clinton destroyed herself trying to use it. But Palin may know how to use it. Palin's attacks are potentially dangerous because they are aimed at the crucial voting bloc of women and middle-class voters who can see their lives in her life. Obama talked about coming from a middle-class life. Palin still lives one. She could improvise a joke about being a hockey mom—what's the difference between a pit bull and a hockey mom? Lipstick—because she is one.

The secondary purpose of Palin's speech may be the most important in the long run. She wasn't just launching a new brand (her own). She was relaunching a whole new product: the McCain-Palin ticket. Experience is no longer the central argument. Reform is. McCain and Palin are presenting themselves as leaders who can deliver because they speak and act regardless of the political risk. "Here's how I look at the choice Americans face in this election," said Palin. "In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers. And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change."

It was a great act—but it was an act, a one-shot show. Palin will have to keep it up for the next nine weeks, when there won't be time to practice or the opportunity to sand down that line to keep it from sounding small and mean. This is a test Obama has already passed. And her sarcasm will wear thin quickly. Reagan could do it because he was a sunny optimist offering a vision of the future. Palin didn't do much of that, other than by offering platitudes (hey, she had a lot of ground to cover).

The Rude Pundit:

So, like, what the fuck does the governor of Alaska do? You can talk about getting rid of corruption as much as you want, but you're still lappin' at that pipeline like a rim job-givin' man whore. Essentially, one's job as governor of Alaska is to keep the oil companies happy as a pig in shit. Because without them, Alaska would still just be a territory of outlaws, moose hunters, and prospectors wondering what the fuck to do about the Inuit.

And to answer another of Palin's statements, um, a community organizer in the projects of Chicago is probably a little more active than a small town mayor in a distant suburb of Alaska. All Mayor Palin had to deal with was tax abatements for the new Target and the occasional walrus attack.

By the way, using one's PTA membership as an example of one's experience to be the vice president of the United States is like saying that because you once took an aspirin, you can handle your speedballs.

So the reason many of us are saying that Sarah Palin is unqualified is not sexism or anti-middle class bias or sucking up to the Washington power structure or whatever stupid ass excuse the right desperately is clinging to in order to calm that gut churn they're feeling. No, the reason we think Sarah Palin is unqualified is because she's unqualified.

Roger Simon: Why The Media Should Apologize (Scarcasm/Snark Alert)

Roger Simon, Politico, 'Why The Media Should Apologize':

On behalf of the media, I would like to say we are sorry.

On behalf of the elite media, I would like to say we are very sorry.

We have asked questions this week that we should never have asked.

We have asked pathetic questions like: Who is Sarah Palin? What is her record? Where does she stand on the issues? And is she is qualified to be a heartbeat away from the presidency?

We have asked mean questions like: How well did John McCain know her before he selected her? How well did his campaign vet her? And was she his first choice?

Bad questions. Bad media. Bad.

It is not our job to ask questions. Or it shouldn’t be. To hear from the pols at the Republican National Convention this week, our job is to endorse and support the decisions of the pols.

Sarah Palin hit the nail on the head Wednesday night (and several in the audience wish she had hit some reporters on the head instead) when she said: “I’m not a member of the permanent political establishment. And I’ve learned quickly, these past few days, that if you’re not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone.”

But where did we go wrong with Sarah Palin? Let me count the ways:

First, we should have stuck to the warm, human interest stuff like how she likes mooseburgers and hit an important free throw at her high school basketball tournament even though she had a stress fracture.

Second, we should have stuck to the press release stuff like how she opposed the Bridge to Nowhere (after she supported it).

Third, we should never have strayed into the other stuff. Like when The Washington Post recently wrote: “Palin is under investigation by a bipartisan state legislative body. … Palin had promised to cooperate with the legislative inquiry, but this week she hired a lawyer to fight to move the case to the jurisdiction of the state personnel board, which Palin appoints.”

Why go there? What trees does that plant?

Fourth, we should stop making with all the questions already. She gave a really good speech. And why go beyond that? As we all know, speeches cannot be written by others and rehearsed for days. They are true windows to the soul.

Unless they are delivered by Barack Obama, that is. In which case, as Palin said Wednesday, speeches are just a “cloud of rhetoric.”

Fifth, we should stop reporting on the families of the candidates. Unless the candidates want us to.

Sarah Palin wanted the media to report on her teenage son, Track, who enlisted in the Army on Sept. 11, 2007, and soon will deploy to Iraq.

Sarah Palin did not want the media to report on her teenage daughter, Bristol, who is pregnant and unmarried.

Sarah Palin thinks that one is good for her campaign and one is not, and that the media should report only on what is good for her campaign. That is our job, and that is our duty. If that is not actually in the Constitution, it should be. (And someday may be.)

The official theme of the convention’s third day was “prosperity,” but the unofficial theme was “the media are really, really awful.”

Even Mike Huckabee, who campaigned for president this year by saying “I am a conservative, but I am not mad at anybody,” discovered Wednesday night that he is mad at somebody.

“I’d like to thank the elite media for doing something,” Huckabee said, “that, quite frankly, I didn’t think could be done: unify the Republican party and all of America in support of John McCain and Sarah Palin.”

And could that be the real point of the attacks on the media? To unify the Republican Party?

No, that is simply the cynical, media view.

Though as Lily Tomlin says, “No matter how cynical I get, it’s just never enough to keep up.”

I couldn’t resist that. For which I am sorry.

She Started It

Governor Palin did not write her own speech. One of George W. Bush's former speechwriters did. But she owns the words that came out of her mouth. She threw some heavy punches at Senators Obama and Biden (shown below in bold). And now they must hit back.

The speech was entertaining, and was full of red meat and sarcasm (not to mention some lies which I will list in a separate post).

It seems that Governor Palin is a confident, somewhat cocky politician (maybe even more cocky than Obama). There is more than enough material in her speech to develop effective counterpunches. But can the Democrats fight back? Is the fighting Obama we saw last week going to stick around? Tonight he will be on the O'Reilly Factor, and we shall see.

Mr. Chairman, delegates, and fellow citizens: I am honored to be considered for the nomination for Vice President of the United States...

I accept the call to help our nominee for president to serve and defend America.

I accept the challenge of a tough fight in this election... against confident opponents ... at a crucial hour for our country.

And I accept the privilege of serving with a man who has come through much harder missions ... and met far graver challenges ... and knows how tough fights are won - the next president of the United States, John S. McCain.

It was just a year ago when all the experts in Washington counted out our nominee because he refused to hedge his commitment to the security of the country he loves.

With their usual certitude, they told us that all was lost - there was no hope for this candidate who said that he would rather lose an election than see his country lose a war.

But the pollsters and pundits overlooked just one thing when they wrote him off.

They overlooked the caliber of the man himself - the determination, resolve, and sheer guts of Senator John McCain. The voters knew better.

And maybe that's because they realize there is a time for politics and a time for leadership ... a time to campaign and a time to put our country first.

Our nominee for president is a true profile in courage, and people like that are hard to come by.

He's a man who wore the uniform of this country for 22 years, and refused to break faith with those troops in Iraq who have now brought victory within sight.

And as the mother of one of those troops, that is exactly the kind of man I want as commander in chief. I'm just one of many moms who'll say an extra prayer each night for our sons and daughters going into harm's way.

Our son Track is 19.

And one week from tomorrow - September 11th - he'll deploy to Iraq with the Army infantry in the service of his country.

My nephew Kasey also enlisted, and serves on a carrier in the Persian Gulf.

My family is proud of both of them and of all the fine men and women serving the country in uniform. Track is the eldest of our five children.

In our family, it's two boys and three girls in between - my strong and kind-hearted daughters Bristol, Willow, and Piper.

And in April, my husband Todd and I welcomed our littlest one into the world, a perfectly beautiful baby boy named Trig. From the inside, no family ever seems typical.

That's how it is with us.

Our family has the same ups and downs as any other ... the same challenges and the same joys.

Sometimes even the greatest joys bring challenge.

And children with special needs inspire a special love.

To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters.

I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House. Todd is a story all by himself. He's a lifelong commercial fisherman ... a production operator in the oil fields of Alaska's North Slope ... a proud member of the United Steel Workers' Union ... and world champion snow machine racer.

Throw in his Yup'ik Eskimo ancestry, and it all makes for quite a package.

We met in high school, and two decades and five children later he's still my guy. My Mom and Dad both worked at the elementary school in our small town.

And among the many things I owe them is one simple lesson: that this is America, and every woman can walk through every door of opportunity.

My parents are here tonight, and I am so proud to be the daughter of Chuck and Sally Heath. Long ago, a young farmer and habber-dasher from Missouri followed an unlikely path to the vice presidency.

A writer observed: "We grow good people in our small towns, with honesty, sincerity, and dignity." I know just the kind of people that writer had in mind when he praised Harry Truman.

I grew up with those people.

They are the ones who do some of the hardest work in America ... who grow our food, run our factories, and fight our wars.

They love their country, in good times and bad, and they're always proud of America. I had the privilege of living most of my life in a small town.

I was just your average hockey mom, and signed up for the PTA because I wanted to make my kids' public education better.

When I ran for city council, I didn't need focus groups and voter profiles because I knew those voters, and knew their families, too.

Before I became governor of the great state of Alaska, I was mayor of my hometown.

And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves.

I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a "community organizer," except that you have actual responsibilities. I might add that in small towns, we don't quite know what to make of a candidate who lavishes praise on working people when they are listening, and then talks about how bitterly they cling to their religion and guns when those people aren't listening.

We tend to prefer candidates who don't talk about us one way in Scranton and another way in San Francisco.

As for my running mate, you can be certain that wherever he goes, and whoever is listening, John McCain is the same man. I'm not a member of the permanent political establishment.

And I've learned quickly, these past few days, that if you're not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone.

But here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion - I'm going to Washington to serve the people of this country. Americans expect us to go to Washington for the right reasons, and not just to mingle with the right people.

Politics isn't just a game of clashing parties and competing interests.

The right reason is to challenge the status quo, to serve the common good, and to leave this nation better than we found it.

No one expects us to agree on everything.

But we are expected to govern with integrity, good will, clear convictions, and ... a servant's heart.

I pledge to all Americans that I will carry myself in this spirit as vice president of the United States. This was the spirit that brought me to the governor's office, when I took on the old politics as usual in Juneau ... when I stood up to the special interests, the lobbyists, big oil companies, and the good-ol' boys network.

Sudden and relentless reform never sits well with entrenched interests and power brokers. That's why true reform is so hard to achieve.

But with the support of the citizens of Alaska, we shook things up.

And in short order we put the government of our state back on the side of the people.

I came to office promising major ethics reform, to end the culture of self-dealing. And today, that ethics reform is the law.

While I was at it, I got rid of a few things in the governor's office that I didn't believe our citizens should have to pay for.

That luxury jet was over the top. I put it on eBay.

I also drive myself to work.

And I thought we could muddle through without the governor's personal chef - although I've got to admit that sometimes my kids sure miss her. I came to office promising to control spending - by request if possible and by veto if necessary.

Senator McCain also promises to use the power of veto in defense of the public interest - and as a chief executive, I can assure you it works.

Our state budget is under control.

We have a surplus.

And I have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending: nearly half a billion dollars in vetoes.

I suspended the state fuel tax, and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress.

I told the Congress "thanks, but no thanks," for that Bridge to Nowhere.

If our state wanted a bridge, we'd build it ourselves. When oil and gas prices went up dramatically, and filled up the state treasury, I sent a large share of that revenue back where it belonged - directly to the people of Alaska.

And despite fierce opposition from oil company lobbyists, who kind of liked things the way they were, we broke their monopoly on power and resources.

As governor, I insisted on competition and basic fairness to end their control of our state and return it to the people.

I fought to bring about the largest private-sector infrastructure project in North American history.

And when that deal was struck, we began a nearly forty billion dollar natural gas pipeline to help lead America to energy independence.

That pipeline, when the last section is laid and its valves are opened, will lead America one step farther away from dependence on dangerous foreign powers that do not have our interests at heart.

The stakes for our nation could not be higher.

When a hurricane strikes in the Gulf of Mexico, this country should not be so dependent on imported oil that we are forced to draw from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

And families cannot throw away more and more of their paychecks on gas and heating oil.

With Russia wanting to control a vital pipeline in the Caucasus, and to divide and intimidate our European allies by using energy as a weapon, we cannot leave ourselves at the mercy of foreign suppliers.

To confront the threat that Iran might seek to cut off nearly a fifth of world energy supplies ... or that terrorists might strike again at the Abqaiq facility in Saudi Arabia ... or that Venezuela might shut off its oil deliveries ... we Americans need to produce more of our own oil and gas.

And take it from a gal who knows the North Slope of Alaska: we've got lots of both.

Our opponents say, again and again, that drilling will not solve all of America's energy problems - as if we all didn't know that already.

But the fact that drilling won't solve every problem is no excuse to do nothing at all.

Starting in January, in a McCain-Palin administration, we're going to lay more pipelines ... build more new-clear plants ... create jobs with clean coal ... and move forward on solar, wind, geothermal, and other alternative sources.

We need American energy resources, brought to you by American ingenuity, and produced by American workers. I've noticed a pattern with our opponent.

Maybe you have, too.

We've all heard his dramatic speeches before devoted followers.

And there is much to like and admire about our opponent.

But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform - not even in the state senate.

This is a man who can give an entire speech about the wars America is fighting, and never use the word "victory" except when he's talking about his own campaign. But when the cloud of rhetoric has passed ... when the roar of the crowd fades away ... when the stadium lights go out, and those Styrofoam Greek columns are hauled back to some studio lot - what exactly is our opponent's plan? What does he actually seek to accomplish, after he's done turning back the waters and healing the planet? The answer is to make government bigger ... take more of your money ... give you more orders from Washington ... and to reduce the strength of America in a dangerous world. America needs more energy ... our opponent is against producing it.

Victory in Iraq is finally in sight ... he wants to forfeit.

Terrorist states are seeking new-clear weapons without delay ... he wants to meet them without preconditions.

Al Qaeda terrorists still plot to inflict catastrophic harm on America ... he's worried that someone won't read them their rights? Government is too big ... he wants to grow it.

Congress spends too much ... he promises more.

Taxes are too high ... he wants to raise them. His tax increases are the fine print in his economic plan, and let me be specific.

The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes ... raise payroll taxes ... raise investment income taxes ... raise the death tax ... raise business taxes ... and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars. My sister Heather and her husband have just built a service station that's now opened for business - like millions of others who run small businesses.

How are they going to be any better off if taxes go up? Or maybe you're trying to keep your job at a plant in Michigan or Ohio ... or create jobs with clean coal from Pennsylvania or West Virginia ... or keep a small farm in the family right here in Minnesota.

How are you going to be better off if our opponent adds a massive tax burden to the American economy? Here's how I look at the choice Americans face in this election.

In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers.

And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change.

They're the ones whose names appear on laws and landmark reforms, not just on buttons and banners, or on self-designed presidential seals.

Among politicians, there is the idealism of high-flown speechmaking, in which crowds are stirringly summoned to support great things.

And then there is the idealism of those leaders, like John McCain, who actually do great things. They're the ones who are good for more than talk ... the ones we have always been able to count on to serve and defend America. Senator McCain's record of actual achievement and reform helps explain why so many special interests, lobbyists, and comfortable committee chairmen in Congress have fought the prospect of a McCain presidency - from the primary election of 2000 to this very day.

Our nominee doesn't run with the Washington herd.

He's a man who's there to serve his country, and not just his party.

A leader who's not looking for a fight, but is not afraid of one either. Harry Reid, the Majority Leader of the current do-nothing Senate, not long ago summed up his feelings about our nominee.

He said, quote, "I can't stand John McCain." Ladies and gentlemen, perhaps no accolade we hear this week is better proof that we've chosen the right man. Clearly what the Majority Leader was driving at is that he can't stand up to John McCain. That is only one more reason to take the maverick of the Senate and put him in the White House. My fellow citizens, the American presidency is not supposed to be a journey of "personal discovery." This world of threats and dangers is not just a community, and it doesn't just need an organizer.

And though both Senator Obama and Senator Biden have been going on lately about how they are always, quote, "fighting for you," let us face the matter squarely.

There is only one man in this election who has ever really fought for you ... in places where winning means survival and defeat means death ... and that man is John McCain. In our day, politicians have readily shared much lesser tales of adversity than the nightmare world in which this man, and others equally brave, served and suffered for their country.

It's a long way from the fear and pain and squalor of a six-by-four cell in Hanoi to the Oval Office.

But if Senator McCain is elected president, that is the journey he will have made.

It's the journey of an upright and honorable man - the kind of fellow whose name you will find on war memorials in small towns across this country, only he was among those who came home.

To the most powerful office on earth, he would bring the compassion that comes from having once been powerless ... the wisdom that comes even to the captives, by the grace of God ... the special confidence of those who have seen evil, and seen how evil is overcome. A fellow prisoner of war, a man named Tom Moe of Lancaster, Ohio, recalls looking through a pin-hole in his cell door as Lieutenant Commander John McCain was led down the hallway, by the guards, day after day.

As the story is told, "When McCain shuffled back from torturous interrogations, he would turn toward Moe's door and flash a grin and thumbs up" - as if to say, "We're going to pull through this." My fellow Americans, that is the kind of man America needs to see us through these next four years.

For a season, a gifted speaker can inspire with his words.

For a lifetime, John McCain has inspired with his deeds.

If character is the measure in this election ... and hope the theme ... and change the goal we share, then I ask you to join our cause. Join our cause and help America elect a great man as the next president of the United States.

Thank you all, and may God bless America.

Sox Sweep Baltimore


Alex Cora had a good game for a change. Dustin Pedroia had a great game as usual (MVP, anyone?). And Orioles pitcher Jim Miller couldn't have had a worse day. He got run-over in the bottom of the 9th, which ended with two successful bunts to advance Alex Cora home for the winning run. Adding insult to injury, no outs were recorded in the bottom of the 9th, and Jim Miller's throw to home to get Cora was off the mark. The Sox have swept Baltimore. Last week's painful loss to the Yankees is all but forgotten.

The Red Sox improve to 83-57.

Final score - Baltimore 4, Red Sox 5

Barracuda's Big Night


Get the snacks and beverages ready, fellow Liberal Elites. This could be entertaining. The chances of a Palin gaffe are low, but if it happens, we will be watching.

Republicans Mount Defense of Palin Ahead of Speech
By CARL HULSE, New York Times staff
September 3, 2008

ST. PAUL — Gov. Sarah Palin, who has been in virtual seclusion since arriving here on Sunday, prepared to introduce herself to much of America on Wednesday night as Republicans mounted a full-throated pre-emptive defense of the Alaska governor.

Entering their second full night of speeches, Republican leaders also promised to sharpen their arguments against Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, sending out three of Mr. McCain’s former rivals for the presidential nomination — former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee — to take on the Democratic presidential nominee.

But for a party that was taken by surprise last Friday, when Mr. McCain announced that he had selected Ms. Palin, a 44-year-old mother of five to be his running mate, the anticipation of her appearance seemed to take up much of the oxygen here.

“Give the woman a chance to at least have two or three weeks of answering questions before you say, ‘Oh, she’s not prepared to be president or vice president,’ ” Mr. Giuliani said in an interview on the ABC program “Good Morning America.”

Hours later, a group of prominent Republican women held a news conference to highlight Ms. Palin’s executive experience as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, a town of less than 7,000 just outside Anchorage, then as governor of Alaska fore the past two years — a theme Republicans have increasingly pushed to contrast her resume with that of Mr. Obama.

“This is a well-qualified candidate for vice president and well-qualified to be a heartbeat away from the president,” said Carleton S. Fiorina, a top McCain campaign adviser and former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard.

Ms. Fiorina and others compared the intense scrutiny of Governor Palin to what they said was sexist coverage of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Democratic primary. Jane Swift, the former Governor of Massachusetts, portrayed the media’s coverage of her as “an outrageous smear campaign.”

Governor Palin, who has spent much of her time here in a hotel preparing for her address, walked through the Xcel Energy Center Wednesday morning, testing the microphones and getting a sense of the stage before what is looming as the most important speech of her political life — and perhaps of Mr. McCain’s as well. She is expected to speak around 10:30 p.m. Eastern time.

Republican officials said Ms. Palin would focus on her experiences in government and challenging entrenched interest in Alaska as well as what even Democrats acknowledge is an intriguing life story — one that took on a new aspect this week with the disclosure that her daughter, Bristol, 17, who is pregnant.

She and her family then met Mr. McCain, who arrived at the airport in early afternoon before making the rounds of selected gatherings. It was only a few days ago that there was some concern Mr. McCain might not appear at the convention had the hurricane inflicted devastating damage along the Gulf Coast.

After Mr. McCain stepped off his plane to greet his wife, Cindy, he and Governor Palin hugged. Mr. McCain also embraced Bristol Palin and shook hands with her boyfriend, Levi Johnston, a high school senior, and patted his shoulder. He lingered with Mr. Johnston and Bristol Palin — they have said they plan to marry and have their child — a little longer than he did with anyone else.

In all , the 16 assembled members of McCain and Palin families ranged in age from 4 months to 72 years. The two clans stood together for a family portrait before getting into the motorcade and leaving.

In a conference call with reporters, Rick Davis, Mr. McCain’s campaign manager, asserted that Governor Palin and her family had been the subject of frenzied, salacious coverage, which he said was unwarranted and should halt.

“I think everybody could dial it back,” Mr. Davis said.

As Democrats eagerly awaited Ms Palin’s appearance, they focused not on the governor’s personal background but on what they portrayed as discrepancies between the image of a reformer that Republicans are emphasizing and her push as a state official for the type of home-state federal spending projects, known as earmarks, that Mr. McCain opposes.

“Her reform and John McCain’s reform look a lot like what is already going on in Washington every day,” said Robert Gibbs, a top spokesman for the Obama campaign.

Mr. Gibbs also sought to set a high bar for Governor Palin, saying she would give a great speech and rouse her new admirers on the convention floor out of their seats.

She will not formally accept the nomination as vice president on Wednesday night, however, because Mr. McCain’s nomination and the roll call vote will follow her speech.

The aggressive defense of Ms. Palin actually began the night before, when former Senator Fred Thompson criticized “the other side and their friends in media.”

“I say give me a tough Alaskan governor who has taken on the political establishment in the largest state of the union and won, over the Beltway business-as-usual crowd any day of the week,” Mr. Thompson said.

Convention organizers also made it official today that Vice President Dick Cheney would not appear at the convention. He was scheduled to speak on Monday but left the country on a scheduled trip to three former Soviet republics, including Georgia, after his appearance was cancelled because of Hurricane Gustav. Looking ahead to the second night of speeches, Mr. Davis suggested the speakers would also be more aggressive in their criticism of Mr. Obama and the risks presented by a Democratic administration in the White House.

“We are getting more political tonight,” he said, adding that there will be more discussion of such issues as the economy, energy, health care and the environment. “We hit those pretty hard,” he said.

Appearing in Ohio at a town meeting on Thursday, Mr. Obama took the Republicans to task for largely ignoring the troubled American economy on their first night of speeches.

“You did not hear a single world about the economy,” Mr. Obama said before an outdoor gathering in New Philadelphia, Ohio. “Not once did they mention the hardships that people are going through.”

Please Read Glenn Greenwald - Preemptive Arrest Of Civil Liberties Activists Was Unconstitutional


Please read Glenn Greenwald's reports from the streets of St. Paul. This is a shocking roundup of peaceful protesters and watchdog groups who were not causing trouble or breaking the law.

Then trot over to our favorite blogger to hate, Megan McArdle, who takes a shot at Glenn Greenwald without linking to his article. She writes (again, without a hyperlink):

Glenn Greenwald, predictibly [sic],[sic] views these as fascist attempts to stifle dissent."

In the comments, Glenn Greenwald fires back:
The reason it's customary to link to what someone writes when criticizing what they've written is to prevent brazen lying like this.

I said -- so clearly that even you should have been able to digest it -- that the people who committed violence or otherwise broke the law should be arrested. What I wrote had nothing to do with anything you said I wrote.

Nonetheless, keep cheering on preemptive arrests of lawyers, journalists, videographers and legal observers -- along with home invasions and mass arrests of people who had no connection whatsoever with any criminality -- and then keep boasting about what "libertarian" you are. It's good for even more deep entertainment than you normally produce when you move your mouth.


Greenwald 2, McArdle 0

He Had Three Extra Months To Get Going


I sometimes question John McCain's drive to be President. Sometimes it seems he doesn't have his heart in the race.

Remember what I said back in July? I'm no pundit and even I figured out McCain's problem. He's too slow.

While Senator Obama and Senator Clinton raced to the finish line of the primary season, John McCain had three extra months to raise funds, refine his strategy, and begin vetting running mates. He had April, May, and June. And what happened? He wanted Joe Lieberman or Tom Ridge to be his running mate. But one or more members of his campaign steered him to Sarah Palin in August.

Now for the bombshell: McCain aides have admitted to the Washington Post that while Palin spent hours on her paperwork (tax returns, VP questionnaire), the actual 3-hour in-person interview with the McCain campaign did not occur until Wednessday August 27th - the day before Senator McCain asked her to be his running mate.

Dan Baltz, "Aides Say Team Interviewed Palin Late in the Process" (Registration required):

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was not subjected to a lengthy in-person background interview with the head of Sen. John McCain's vice presidential vetting team until last Wednesday in Arizona, the day before McCain asked her to be his running mate, and she did not disclose the fact that her 17-year-old daughter was pregnant until that meeting, two knowledgeable McCain officials acknowledged Tuesday.

Here is Maddow, Matthews, O'Donnell, Buchanan, and Robinson and when the story broke.


UPDATE From the 'Wow, Just Wow' Department:
 Laura McGann of the Washington Independent decided to give the Wasilla town hall a call yesterday. It turns out...wait, I'll let McGann's own words explain:

I just got off the phone with the very helpful city clerk at the Wasilla City Clerk’s office, Kristie Smithers, who is pulling some documents for me from when Gov. Sarah Palin was mayor.

I told her I appreciated her help, since I’m sure she’s been bombarded with requests these last few weeks. The clerk’s office keeps all City Council meeting agendas, minutes, legislation, ordinances, etc. She chuckled. Then she told me that I’m the first person who has asked her office for anything.

Barack Obama: It's Time For Them To Own Their Failure

Barry didn't try to emulate Lincoln or King last night. He was himself. And he rolled-up his sleeves and invited the Republicans to attack him and go negative. Bring it on, he seemed to say. He showed bravery, class, and a fighting spirit we haven't seen from a Democratic nominee since Bill Clinton (Sorry, Al; Sorry John). Obama far exceeded my expectations. If you can get past the faux southern preacher tone, he's a GREAT Democrat. We should be proud of our party for selecting the best man for the job.

And credit to the Democratic crowd, who tried take-back the flag waving and chants of 'USA! USA!' from the Republicans. We can wave the flag and chant as well as anyone else. A hippy fest it was not! That crowd was great. The tables may have been turned on McCain.


To Chairman Dean and my great friend Dick Durbin, and to all my fellow citizens of this great nation: With profound gratitude and great humility, I accept your nomination for the presidency of the United States.

Let me express my thanks to the historic slate of candidates who accompanied me on this journey, and especially the one who traveled the farthest— a champion for working Americans and an inspiration to my daughters and to yours — Hillary Rodham Clinton. To President Clinton, who last night made the case for change as only he can make it; to Ted Kennedy, who embodies the spirit of service; and to the next vice president of the United States, Joe Biden, I thank you. I am grateful to finish this journey with one of the finest statesmen of our time, a man at ease with everyone from world leaders to the conductors on the Amtrak train he still takes home every night.

To the love of my life, our next first lady, Michelle Obama, and to Sasha and Malia, I love you so much, and I'm so proud of all of you.

Four years ago, I stood before you and told you my story of the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren't well-off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America, their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to.

It is that promise that has always set this country apart, that through hard work and sacrifice, each of us can pursue our individual dreams but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams as well.

That's why I stand here tonight. Because for 232 years, at each moment when that promise was in jeopardy, ordinary men and women, students and soldiers, farmers and teachers, nurses and janitors, found the courage to keep it alive.

We meet at one of those defining moments, a moment when our nation is at war, our economy is in turmoil, and the American promise has been threatened once more.

Tonight, more Americans are out of work, and more are working harder for less. More of you have lost your homes, and even more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can't afford to drive, credit card bills you can't afford to pay, and tuition that's beyond your reach.

These challenges are not all of government's making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the failed policies of George W. Bush.

America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this.

This country is more decent than one where a woman in Ohio, on the brink of retirement, finds herself one illness away from disaster after a lifetime of hard work.

This country is more generous than one where a man in Indiana has to pack up the equipment he's worked on for twenty years and watch it shipped off to China, and then chokes up as he explains how he felt like a failure when he went home to tell his family the news.

We are more compassionate than a government that lets veterans sleep on our streets and families slide into poverty; that sits on its hands while a major American city drowns before our eyes.

Tonight, I say to the American people, to Democrats and Republicans and Independents across this great land: enough! This moment, this election is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive. Because next week, in Minnesota, the same party that brought you two terms of George Bush and Dick Cheney will ask this country for a third. And we are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look like the last eight. On Nov. 4, we must stand up and say: "Eight is enough."

Now let there be no doubt. The Republican nominee, John McCain, has worn the uniform of our country with bravery and distinction, and for that, we owe him our gratitude and respect. And next week, we'll also hear about those occasions when he's broken with his party as evidence that he can deliver the change that we need.

But the record's clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush 90 percent of the time. Senator McCain likes to talk about judgment, but really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush has been right more than ninety percent of the time? I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to take a ten percent chance on change.

The truth is, on issue after issue that would make a difference in your lives, on health care and education and the economy, Senator McCain has been anything but independent. He said that our economy has made "great progress" under this president. He said that the fundamentals of the economy are strong. And when one of his chief advisers, the man who wrote his economic plan, was talking about the anxiety Americans are feeling, he said that we were just suffering from a "mental recession," and that we've become, and I quote, "a nation of whiners."

A nation of whiners? Tell that to the proud auto workers at a Michigan plant who, after they found out it was closing, kept showing up every day and working as hard as ever, because they knew there were people who counted on the brakes that they made. Tell that to the military families who shoulder their burdens silently as they watch their loved ones leave for their third or fourth or fifth tour of duty. These are not whiners. They work hard and give back and keep going without complaint. These are the Americans that I know.

Now, I don't believe that Senator McCain doesn't care what's going on in the lives of Americans. I just think he doesn't know. Why else would he define middle-class as someone making under $5 million a year? How else could he propose hundreds of billions in tax breaks for big corporations and oil companies but not one penny of tax relief to more than 100 million Americans? How else could he offer a health care plan that would actually tax people's benefits, or an education plan that would do nothing to help families pay for college, or a plan that would privatize Social Security and gamble your retirement?

It's not because John McCain doesn't care. It's because John McCain doesn't get it.

For over two decades, he's subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy — give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else. In Washington, they call this the Ownership Society, but what it really means is, you're on your own. Out of work? Tough luck. No health care? The market will fix it. Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps, even if you don't have boots. You're on your own.

Well, it's time for them to own their failure. It's time for us to change America.

You see, we Democrats have a very different measure of what constitutes progress in this country.

We measure progress by how many people can find a job that pays the mortgage; whether you can put a little extra money away at the end of each month so you can someday watch your child receive her college diploma. We measure progress in the 23 million new jobs that were created when Bill Clinton was president, when the average American family saw its income go up $7,500 instead of down $2,000, like it has under George Bush.

We measure the strength of our economy not by the number of billionaires we have or the profits of the Fortune 500, but by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a new business, or whether the waitress who lives on tips can take a day off to look after a sick kid without losing her job an economy that honors the dignity of work.

The fundamentals we use to measure economic strength are whether we are living up to that fundamental promise that has made this country great, a promise that is the only reason I am standing here tonight.

Because in the faces of those young veterans who come back from Iraq and Afghanistan, I see my grandfather, who signed up after Pearl Harbor, marched in Patton's Army and was rewarded by a grateful nation with the chance to go to college on the GI Bill.

In the face of that young student who sleeps just three hours before working the night shift, I think about my mom, who raised my sister and me on her own while she worked and earned her degree; who once turned to food stamps but was still able to send us to the best schools in the country with the help of student loans and scholarships.

When I listen to another worker tell me that his factory has shut down, I remember all those men and women on the South Side of Chicago who I stood by and fought for two decades ago after the local steel plant closed.

And when I hear a woman talk about the difficulties of starting her own business, I think about my grandmother, who worked her way up from the secretarial pool to middle-management, despite years of being passed over for promotions because she was a woman. She's the one who taught me about hard work. She's the one who put off buying a new car or a new dress for herself so that I could have a better life. She poured everything she had into me. And although she can no longer travel, I know that she's watching tonight, and that tonight is her night as well.

I don't know what kind of lives John McCain thinks that celebrities lead, but this has been mine. These are my heroes. Theirs are the stories that shaped me. And it is on their behalf that I intend to win this election and keep our promise alive as president of the United States.

What is that promise?

It's a promise that says each of us has the freedom to make of our own lives what we will, but that we also have the obligation to treat each other with dignity and respect.

It's a promise that says the market should reward drive and innovation and generate growth, but that businesses should live up to their responsibilities to create American jobs, look out for American workers, and play by the rules of the road.

Ours is a promise that says government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves, protect us from harm and provide every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest in new schools and new roads and new science and technology.

Our government should work for us, not against us. It should help us, not hurt us. It should ensure opportunity, not just for those with the most money and influence, but for every American who's willing to work.

That's the promise of America, the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation; the fundamental belief that I am my brother's keeper; I am my sister's keeper.

That's the promise we need to keep. That's the change we need right now. So let me spell out exactly what that change would mean if I am president.

Change means a tax code that doesn't reward the lobbyists who wrote it, but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it.

Unlike John McCain, I will stop giving tax breaks to corporations that ship jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America.

I will eliminate capital gains taxes for the small businesses and the startups that will create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow.

I will cut taxes — cut taxes for 95% of all working families. Because in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle-class.

And for the sake of our economy, our security, and the future of our planet, I will set a clear goal as president: In ten years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East.

Washington's been talking about our oil addiction for the last thirty years, and John McCain has been there for twenty-six of them. In that time, he's said no to higher fuel-efficiency standards for cars, no to investments in renewable energy, no to renewable fuels. And today, we import triple the amount of oil as the day that Senator McCain took office.

Now is the time to end this addiction, and to understand that drilling is a stopgap measure, not a long-term solution. Not even close.

As president, I will tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power. I'll help our auto companies retool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America. I'll make it easier for the American people to afford these new cars. And I'll invest 150 billion dollars over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy; wind power and solar power and the next generation of biofuels; an investment that will lead to new industries and 5 million new jobs that pay well and can't ever be outsourced.

America, now is not the time for small plans.

Now is the time to finally meet our moral obligation to provide every child a world-class education, because it will take nothing less to compete in the global economy. Michelle and I are only here tonight because we were given a chance at an education. And I will not settle for an America where some kids don't have that chance. I'll invest in early childhood education. I'll recruit an army of new teachers, and pay them higher salaries and give them more support. And in exchange, I'll ask for higher standards and more accountability. And we will keep our promise to every young American — if you commit to serving your community or your country, we will make sure you can afford a college education.

Now is the time to finally keep the promise of affordable, accessible health care for every single American. If you have health care, my plan will lower your premiums. If you don't, you'll be able to get the same kind of coverage that members of Congress give themselves. And as someone who watched my mother argue with insurance companies while she lay in bed dying of cancer, I will make certain those companies stop discriminating against those who are sick and need care the most.

Now is the time to help families with paid sick days and better family leave, because nobody in America should have to choose between keeping their jobs and caring for a sick child or ailing parent.

Now is the time to change our bankruptcy laws, so that your pensions are protected ahead of CEO bonuses; and the time to protect Social Security for future generations.

And now is the time to keep the promise of equal pay for an equal day's work, because I want my daughters to have exactly the same opportunities as your sons.

Now, many of these plans will cost money, which is why I've laid out how I'll pay for every dime, by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens that don't help America grow. But I will also go through the federal budget, line by line, eliminating programs that no longer work and making the ones we do need work better and cost less because we cannot meet 21st century challenges with a 20th century bureaucracy.

And Democrats, we must also admit that fulfilling America's promise will require more than just money. It will require a renewed sense of responsibility from each of us to recover what John F. Kennedy called our "intellectual and moral strength." Yes, government must lead on energy independence, but each of us must do our part to make our homes and businesses more efficient. Yes, we must provide more ladders to success for young men who fall into lives of crime and despair. But we must also admit that programs alone can't replace parents; that government can't turn off the television and make a child do her homework; that fathers must take more responsibility for providing the love and guidance their children need.

Individual responsibility and mutual responsibility — that's the essence of America's promise.

And just as we keep our keep our promise to the next generation here at home, so must we keep America's promise abroad. If John McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperament, and judgment, to serve as the next commander in chief, that's a debate I'm ready to have.

For while Senator McCain was turning his sights to Iraq just days after 9/11, I stood up and opposed this war, knowing that it would distract us from the real threats we face. When John McCain said we could just "muddle through" in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources and more troops to finish the fight against the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11, and made clear that we must take out Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants if we have them in our sights. John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell, but he won't even go to the cave where he lives.

And today, as my call for a time frame to remove our troops from Iraq has been echoed by the Iraqi government and even the Bush administration, even after we learned that Iraq has a $79 billion surplus while we're wallowing in deficits, John McCain stands alone in his stubborn refusal to end a misguided war.

That's not the judgment we need. That won't keep America safe. We need a president who can face the threats of the future, not keep grasping at the ideas of the past.

You don't defeat a terrorist network that operates in 80 countries by occupying Iraq. You don't protect Israel and deter Iran just by talking tough in Washington. You can't truly stand up for Georgia when you've strained our oldest alliances. If John McCain wants to follow George Bush with more tough talk and bad strategy, that is his choice, but it is not the change we need.

We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. So don't tell me that Democrats won't defend this country. Don't tell me that Democrats won't keep us safe. The Bush-McCain foreign policy has squandered the legacy that generations of Americans — Democrats and Republicans have built, and we are here to restore that legacy.

As commander in chief, I will never hesitate to defend this nation, but I will only send our troops into harm's way with a clear mission and a sacred commitment to give them the equipment they need in battle and the care and benefits they deserve when they come home.

I will end this war in Iraq responsibly and finish the fight against al-Qaida and the Taliban in Afghanistan. I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts. But I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and curb Russian aggression. I will build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century: terrorism and nuclear proliferation; poverty and genocide; climate change and disease. And I will restore our moral standing, so that America is once again that last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future.

These are the policies I will pursue. And in the weeks ahead, I look forward to debating them with John McCain.

But what I will not do is suggest that the senator takes his positions for political purposes. Because one of the things that we have to change in our politics is the idea that people cannot disagree without challenging each other's character and patriotism.

The times are too serious, the stakes are too high for this same partisan playbook. So let us agree that patriotism has no party. I love this country, and so do you, and so does John McCain. The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America, they have served the United States of America.

So I've got news for you, John McCain. We all put our country first.

America, our work will not be easy. The challenges we face require tough choices, and Democrats as well as Republicans will need to cast off the worn-out ideas and politics of the past. For part of what has been lost these past eight years can't just be measured by lost wages or bigger trade deficits. What has also been lost is our sense of common purpose our sense of higher purpose. And that's what we have to restore.

We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country. The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than for those plagued by gang-violence in Cleveland, but don't tell me we can't uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination. Passions fly on immigration, but I don't know anyone who benefits when a mother is separated from her infant child or an employer undercuts American wages by hiring illegal workers. This, too, is part of America's promise, the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common effort.

I know there are those who dismiss such beliefs as happy talk. They claim that our insistence on something larger, something firmer and more honest in our public life is just a Trojan horse for higher taxes and the abandonment of traditional values. And that's to be expected. Because if you don't have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare the voters. If you don't have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from.

You make a big election about small things.

And you know what it's worked before. Because it feeds into the cynicism we all have about government. When Washington doesn't work, all its promises seem empty. If your hopes have been dashed again and again, then it's best to stop hoping, and settle for what you already know.

I get it. I realize that I am not the likeliest candidate for this office. I don't fit the typical pedigree, and I haven't spent my career in the halls of Washington.

But I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring. What the naysayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me. It's been about you.

For eighteen long months, you have stood up, one by one, and said enough to the politics of the past. You understand that in this election, the greatest risk we can take is to try the same old politics with the same old players and expect a different result. You have shown what history teaches us that at defining moments like this one, the change we need doesn't come from Washington. Change comes to Washington. Change happens because the American people demand it, because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time.

America, this is one of those moments.

I believe that as hard as it will be, the change we need is coming. Because I've seen it. Because I've lived it. I've seen it in Illinois, when we provided health care to more children and moved more families from welfare to work. I've seen it in Washington, when we worked across party lines to open up government and hold lobbyists more accountable, to give better care for our veterans and keep nuclear weapons out of terrorist hands.

And I've seen it in this campaign. In the young people who voted for the first time, and in those who got involved again after a very long time. In the Republicans who never thought they'd pick up a Democratic ballot, but did. I've seen it in the workers who would rather cut their hours back a day than see their friends lose their jobs, in the soldiers who re-enlist after losing a limb, in the good neighbors who take a stranger in when a hurricane strikes and the floodwaters rise.

This country of ours has more wealth than any nation, but that's not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military on Earth, but that's not what makes us strong. Our universities and our culture are the envy of the world, but that's not what keeps the world coming to our shores.

Instead, it is that American spirit that American promise that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend.

That promise is our greatest inheritance. It's a promise I make to my daughters when I tuck them in at night, and a promise that you make to yours, a promise that has led immigrants to cross oceans and pioneers to travel west; a promise that led workers to picket lines, and women to reach for the ballot.

And it is that promise that forty five years ago today, brought Americans from every corner of this land to stand together on a Mall in Washington, before Lincoln's Memorial, and hear a young preacher from Georgia speak of his dream.

The men and women who gathered there could've heard many things. They could've heard words of anger and discord. They could've been told to succumb to the fear and frustration of so many dreams deferred.

But what the people heard instead, people of every creed and color, from every walk of life, is that in America, our destiny is inextricably linked. That together, our dreams can be one.

"We cannot walk alone," the preacher cried. "And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back."

America, we cannot turn back. Not with so much work to be done. Not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend. America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone. At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise, that American promise, and in the words of Scripture, hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.

Live Blogging The Final Sox Yankees Game At The Stadium



I honestly didn't think the Sox had a chance to sweep the Yankees in their final regular season series at The 161st Street Crack House. The Sox have been playing better baseball since the All Star break. But the Yankees have had a better post-All Star record against Boston all decade, it seems. In fact, this time last year, the Yankees swept the Red Sox in the final regular-season series at The Stadium (5-3, 4-3, 5-0 - in which Wang nearly had a no-hitter). So to see the injured Red Sox roll-over to the Yankees in the final series at Yankee Stadium would not come as a complete surprise.

But then Tuesday happened. And then last night. And now it really does appear that the Yankees are are powerless to save their season. Back in June, Michael Kay and the Yankee faithful expressed fear on blogs and talk radio that the Yankees might just be a .500 team this season. And they were correct.

Let's look at this morning's papers.

Dan Shaughnessy, Boston Globe (registration required):

The Red Sox and Yankees have been playing one another at Yankee Stadium since 1923. Including playoffs, New York owns a 489-289-4 record against the Sox in this sacred house. But it ends today and it's ending badly for the Yankees. Here in the final days, the Red Sox have some sweet revenge.

John Harper, NY Daily News:

...the Yankees couldn't lose this game and expect to have any real shot at catching the Red Sox, or maybe the Twins or White Sox, for the wild-card spot.

So somebody had to do something as the Yanks went to the late innings down two runs. But, really, we should know better by now. Going all the way back to April, the Yankees haven't given anyone reason to believe they are a playoff team. Why was this night going to be any different?

Joel Sherman, NY Post:

This Yankees offense mimics Hank Steinbrenner, more bluster than action. Yammerin' Hank attended a home game last night for the first time since the season opener. The absentee owner blustered some more before game time, promising changes for next year. At least this time surrender was the right motif. The 2008 season is like the Stadium: History.

Tyler Kepner, NY Times (registration required):

In the owner’s box, Hank Steinbrenner was making his first appearance at Yankee Stadium since opening day. The team was healthy then, the young starters seemed ready, and there were few doubts that Yankee Stadium would see one more postseason, the 14th in a row for the franchise.

But as Pedroia rounded the bases, Steinbrenner hung his head. By the bottom of the inning, he was gone from his seat. There was no need to witness the final details of the Yankees’ 11-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox, the one that probably doomed their postseason chances.

I have to be honest - I'm loving this. Red Sox Nation is loving this. Yankee Haters and Mets fans are loving this. And while Dan Shaughnessy can spin it and lament that this rivalry has lost its edge (and he can no longer make money off of it), it is still the biggest rivalry in North American professional sports. Not the world, mind you. Chelsea vs. Arsenal and Manchester United vs. Liverpool might have something to say about that, not to mention AC Milan vs. Inter Milan (Italy), Rangers vs. Celtic (Scotland) and Boca Juniors vs. River Plate (Argentina).

But that's another post for another time.

Let's take a look at the preview from Stats, LLC:

The way the Boston Red Sox are playing, they may never lose again in Yankee Stadium. With only one game left for the Red Sox in the Bronx, such a feat is a realistic possibility.

Boston tries to leave The House That Ruth Built for the final time with a three-game sweep when it wraps up its series with the archrival Yankees on Thursday afternoon.

For the Red Sox (77-55), their final series in the venerable ballpark that opened in 1923 could prove sweet. Boston has taken the first two games of this set by a combined margin of 18-6, including an 11-3 rout Wednesday night. A sweep would be the first at Yankee Stadium for the Red Sox since April 23-25, 2004, and only their second in the Bronx this decade.

More importantly, Boston is dealing a major blow to the Yankees' playoff aspirations. The first two games of this series have dropped New York seven games behind the Red Sox for the wild card -- the best hope for the Yankees (70-62) to extend their streak of 13 consecutive postseason appearances.

"We just dug ourselves a bigger hole," New York outfielder Johnny Damon said. "This is definitely a tough time for us."

Jason Bay and Dustin Pedroia each drove in four runs Wednesday -- Pedroia's coming on a grand slam -- to help Boston win its third straight game and improve to 6-2 on its most successful road trip of the season.

"I never write the Yankees off until the season's over and the standings are set," Pedroia said. "They've been around too long and been in the playoffs for such a long time that we're definitely not counting them out."

Bay, acquired from Pittsburgh in the Manny Ramirez deal before last month's trade deadline, has excelled in his first two games as part of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry, going 4-for-8 with six RBIs. On Thursday, he'll be joined in the outfield by another new acquisition -- Mark Kotsay.

Boston acquired Kotsay from Atlanta for a minor leaguer Wednesday, adding depth to the outfield one day after J.D. Drew went on the disabled list with a lower back strain. Kotsay, who batted .289 in 88 games with the Braves but is best known for his stellar defense, will play right field on Thursday.

"I know that I've gotten messages from people all over the league that said he's everybody's all-time favorite. I know he's a real professional. I know he's excited about coming here," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "He said he'll do anything we ask to try to help us win."

A top-caliber pitching matchup will highlight the final meeting in Yankee Stadium between these rivals as Boston's Jon Lester (12-5, 3.49 ERA) faces New York's Mike Mussina (16-7, 3.45).

Lester has dominated the Yankees in two starts this season, compiling a 1.13 ERA while winning both. He tossed a shutout at Yankee Stadium on July 3, limiting the Yankees to five hits and two walks while striking out eight in Boston's 7-0 victory.

The left-hander, though, is now trying to bounce back from his worst start of the season. Lester lasted a career-low 2 1-3 innings in Saturday's 11-0 loss to Toronto, allowing a career high-tying seven earned runs with eight hits and two walks.

Mussina fared better than Lester in his last outing, but wound up without a decision at Baltimore last Friday, when he yielded four runs and nine hits in six innings and left the game with a 4-3 deficit. New York rallied to win 9-4.

Mussina has 266 victories, but is seeking the first 20-win season of his 18-year career.

The 39-year-old right-hander is 20-17 with a 3.74 ERA versus the Red Sox.


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Here we go. Like my three previous attempts at this, I give highlights as they happen in 24-hour time format. I got my browser windows, house windows, and a bottle of Jameson 18 all open.

13:13 David Ortiz walks with 2 out in the top of the first.

13:15 Kevin Youkilis flies out to end the top half of the inning. Mussina has himself a strong start. Three outs on 17 pitches, 10 of them strikes. He is glaring at the umpire a lot, but the strike zone today seems large. That doesn't stop the YES commentators from agreeing with the Moose.

13:19 Johnny Damon flies out to new right fielder, Mark Kotsay. Very nice!

13:20 Derek Jeter hits a single up the middle. His 233rd lifetime hit against the Red Sox and he is now 13 hits shy of Lou Gehrig's record for most hits ever at Yankee Stadium. There are 12 games remaining at the stadium after today.

13:23 Bobby Abreu hits a single up the middle. Jeter to second. Lester in early trouble with A-Rod coming up. Still 1 out.

13:27 A big swing and a miss by A-Rod. He strikes out. The boos resume. Come on, Yankee faithful, he didn't hit into a double play. And the swings were good.

13:28 Xander Nady, a solid player formerly of the Pirates, hits to Jed Lowrie, who steps on third base for the final out. Lester escapes.

13:20 BoSoxRule on Sons of Sam Horn: "A-Rod must be thrilled that he gets to deal with these idiots for 10 more years."

13:33 Jason Bay grounds out in the top of the second.

13:33 Mark Kotsay doubles. His 18th of the season and first with Boston.

13:36 Jed Lowrie strikes out.

13:37 Alex Cora grounds out to A-Rod. What do ya know - a Red Sox-Yankees game that is moving briskly! These day games are so much faster. But that doesn't mean we won't have any Sox-Yankees drama.

13:42 Bottom of the second. Robinson Cano flies out.

13:45 Hideki Matsui strikes out. Two away.

13:48 Cody Ransom, filling-in for Jason Giambi, gets hit on the foot. He takes first. Still hitting 1.000 for the Yankees.

13:48 Obscure Name at SOSH: "Will Cody Ransom continue to dominate the league?"

13:49 Jose Molina flies out. End of the second.

13:53 Varitek grounds out to Ransom at first. Come-on, Sox. We need some offensive momentum.

13:55 Jacoby Ellsbury goes down looking.

13:55 Dustin Pedroia swings at the first pitch and pops out to the catcher, Molina. Sox go down 1-2-3.

13:59 Lester recovers from being behind 3-0, and strikes out Johnny Damon. Hold the line, Jon.

14:00 Jeter singles to center field. He is 2-2 today.

14:02 On a failed hit and run, Abreu swings for his first strike, Jeter runs, and is then trapped and tagged at first. Two away.

14:03 Abreu flies out to Ellsbury. It was Jon Lester's strongest inning today. He's up to 56 pitches. But so far, Mussina is having the easier time today. Lester had to work hard to fight back in the third inning.

14:07 David Ortiz walks for the second time today. Please, Sox. Please bring him home.

14:08 Kevin Youkilis almost wraps one around the left field foul pole. But it deflects left, and it is strike two.

14:08 Michael Kay on YES: "I'm wondering guys, I've mentioned what Ortiz has done in this series. 4 for 6, 3 doubles, six walks. And although Youkilis is a very good player, he's not Manny Ramirez. I don't think you could be as careful with Ortiz if Manny Ramirez was behind him. Would you agree?"

14:09 Youkilis pops out.

14:13 Jason Bay grounds into a 4-4-3 double play. Mussina is up to 56 pitches, but he is doing very well neutralizing the Sox thus far.

14:15 E5 Yaz on SOSH: "Pitch counts are immaterial today. Red Sox bullpen is far more rested than the Yankees."

14:19 Alex Rodriguez strikes out. But it took Lester 8 fastballs to do the job.

14:21 Xander Nady strikes out looking. Two away.

14:22 Robinson Cano grounds out to first. A 1-2-3 inning for Jon Lester! End of the fourth inning. Can he last through six?

14:24 Jed Lowrie singles. Boston's second hit. There is one out in the top of the 5th.

14:27 Alex Cora is hit by a pitch. Michael Kay thinks Cora didn't try to get out of the way. He may be correct. Two on now for the Sox.

14:28 A line drive up right field for Jason Varitek. Lowrie comes home. It is 1-0 Sox!

14:30 Ellsbury hits one up center. The Yanks get Varitek at second, but not Ellsbury at first. Cora socres. It is 2-0 Sox. Two out.

14:32 Ellsbury is thrown out stealing by Molina. It was close, but the tag appeared to be applied just before Ellsbury reached the bag. On to the bottom of the 5th we go. The guys at SOSH are convinced that Ellsbury was safe.

14:35 Replay shows that Ellsbury was indeed safe. Cano's dramatic tag made it look like it was an out.

14:36 Matsui grounds out. One away in the bottom of the 5th.

14:38 Ransom strikes out swinging. Two away.

14:40 Jon Lester strikes out Molina. He's in control of things now. End of the 5th inning.

14:41 NomarRS05 on SOSH: "So, Lester is in control. That's pretty awesome."

14:44 Top of the 6th. Dustin Pedroia singles! Sox have a chance to score again.

14:46 Mussina throws a low pitch to David Ortiz and it is called strike. Bullshit. Such complete bullshit. But credit Molina for adjusting his mitt to make it look good.

14:48 Youkilis is hit by a pitch. Two on, one out. Michael Kay: "Very odd. Two Red Sox have been plunked today. Mussina rarely ever hits batters."

14:49 Ellsbury grounds to A-Rod. Alex Rodriguez tries to tag Pedroia running to third, but Pedroia runs to the grass. A-Rod's throw to first is on-time. But the umps blow the base running call. Pedroia is safe at third. Michael Kay is not pleased.

14:54 Mark Kotsay strikes out swinging. Sox strand two men in scoring position. Remember that one.

14:56 Lester hits Damon on the arm to open the bottom of the 6th.

15:01 Jeter singles again. It's his 11th 3-hit game of the season. Yankees threatening now.

15:03 Nuf Ced at SOSH: "Lester up to 95 pitches. Masterson up in the pen."

15:04 On Lester's 100th pitch, Boobby Abreu flies out to Ellsbury. Damon makes it to third. Still one out.

15:05 Alex Rodriguez up. On the first pitch he pops-out to Varitek! Two gone.

15:05 A-Rod vents his frustration on the bats rack. It is a subdued, silent tantrum. I've never seen anything like it. It was like he was hammering a nail, not trying to damage anything.


15:07 Xander Nady flies out! Lester escapes trouble and shows emotion for the first time today. Take a bow, Jon. You did your job. It wasn't easy, but you gave up no runs to the Pinstripes! 6 innings pitched, 4 hits, 7 strikeouts.

15:08 Foulkey Reese on SOSH: "Lester is fucking nails. And ARod is an epic choker."

15:12 Top of the 7th. Jed Lowrie pops out to Derek Jeter.

15:14 Alex Cora singles up the middle.

15:17 Varitek is at bat. It could be his last at bat at the Crack House. And Cora steals second! Molina lost his grip on the ball and didn't have a chance.

15:18 Varitek strikes out looking.

15:21 Ellsbury lines straight into Mussina's glove. Now the Disabled, Irish, asshole tenor, Ronan Tynan MD, sings God Bless America before the Red Sox for the last time in this blue vinyl-sided shithole of a stadium. The Yankees have always been dirtbag Republicans who wrap themselves in the flag. Fuck them.

15:23 BoSox Rule at SOSH: "Hands over your hearts you communist cunts!" If that wasn't sarcasm, then Boston has some gay Republican assholes as well.

15:23 Spacemans Bong on SOSH: "The nerd glasses really make you look good, Ronan."

15:23 SoxScout on SOSH: "It's Scott Van Pelt, +120 lbs."

15:25 Spacemans Bong on SOSH: "Displays of self-gratifying patriotism like this give a bad name to patriotism." Exactly. Thank you.

15:28 Bottom of the seventh inning and Lester is put back on the mound. Okey dokey, Terry. Robinson Cano pops out. Alex Cora runs to center and makes the catch with his back to the mound. Wide receiver, Alex Cora!

15:29 Jon Lester strikes out Hideki Matsui! Strikeout number 8 for Lester.

15:33 Cody Ransom doubles with two out and a full count. Calm down. We can get out of this. Terry Francoma makes a pitching change.

15:37 Lefthander Hideki Okajima takes the mound. He almost gets pinch-hitter Jason Giambi to pop out.

15:38 Shit. Giambi homers. The game is tied. Okajima could get the job done. Lester loses the chance of getting the win. Here's the drama we've been waiting for.

15:40 Johnny Damon strikes out looking. End of the 7th. And this is now a two-inning game.

15:43 Top of the 8th. Righthander Brian Bruney now on the mound for the Yankees. Pedroia pops out to Damon. Sox have to score a run here to have a good chance to win.

15:45 Pitching change. Yankees put lefty Demaso Marte on the mound to face David Ortiz. Joe Giradi managing a good game for a change.

15:47 David Ortiz grounds out. Crap.

15:48 And now Girardi puts Mariano Rivera on the mound. It is suddenly do or die time for the Red Sox. Kevin Youkilis will be at bat. Two out.

15:51 Youkilis flies out. Now Girardi looks like a genius. Three pitchers. Two pitches each. Three outs. That sucked.

15:54 Bottom of the eighth. Okajima still on the mound. Jeter his one deep. But Ellsbury makes a great sliding catch in center. The Sox finally stop Jeter.

15:58 Bobby Abreu flies out to Ellsbury in center. Two gone.

15:58 Now Francoma makes a move as Alex Rodriguez comes to the plate. Justin Masterson comes to the mound. With no one on base, A-Rod is quite dangerous in these situations. Michael Kay sets it up as a chance for redemption for A-Rod.

16:00 Razor Shines on SOSH: "If A-Rod comes through here, do the two-faced lardassed nathan's hot dog eating greaseballs in the stands applaud him?"

16:03 Full count for A-Rod. Varitek calls for a slider. A-Rod chases and misses the outside pitch! We go to the ninth inning.

16:03 Oil Can's Liver on SOSH: "Hat Trick Bitch!"

16:06 Top of the 9th. Jason Bay grounds to Jeter. But Jeter's throw pulls Giambi off the bag. Bay is safe. E-6!

16:07 Foulkey Reese on SOSH: "This will end well."

16:07 Mark Kotsay flies out to Abreu in right for the first out. Bay stays on first.

16:11 Jed Lowrie grounds out to Giambi. But Bay just makes it to second to avoid Jeter's tag.

16:12 Alex Cora grounds out to Jeter. So much for that. Sox are done in the 9th.

16:17 Bottom of the 9th. Tito sticks with Masterson in the hopes that Paplebon will be needed in the 10th inning. Xander Nady singles past a diving Alex Cora. The winning run is on-base for the Yankees. Brett Gardner pinch-runs for Nady. Cora is killing us today.

16:19 Robinson Cano lines out straight to Jed Lowry at third.

16:20 Brett Gardner steals second on ball 1 to Matsui. The solid throw from Varitek is not in-time. The winning run is now on second base. The Sox now wisely walk Matsui to face Ivan Rodriguez. Either this inning will end with a game-winning single or an inning-ending double play.

16:24 Full count to I-Rod. He doesn't go for Masterson's slider. He walks and the bases are now loaded. The Sox seem doomed. Paplebon comes to the mound with still just 1 out.

16:27 It's Paplebon vs. Jason Giambi. Bases loaded. This is really shitty. Tito has had a horrible inning, both halves of the 9th. Alex Cora totally sucked.

16:28 Two quick inside strikes from Paplebon. Here comes the third pitch...

16:29 Giambi lines a hit to center. The Yankees win 3-2. Michael Kay says the season stays alive. Hmm. I remember him saying the Yankees had to sweep or win 2 out of 3 to stay alive. Oh well. Another time, Yankees. We will finish you off in Boston.

16:30 Foulkey Reese on SOSH: "Well that sucked about as hard as a baseball game can suck."

16:30 DeltaForce on SOSH: "Damn. That hurts. But, they still took two in Yankee Stadium. I'd have taken that 100 times out of 100 three days ago."

16:31 RedOctober3129 on SOSH: "Fuck these guys. All we are going to hear about is how the Yankees won the last ever game at Yankee Stadium off of Papelbon on a walkoff when we dominated this series. Fuck Okajima. Fuck this. I fucking hate the fucking Yankees. DIE DIE DIE!!!!!!!!@!!@~!"

16:34 CR67Dream on SOSH: "How the fuck do you not throw high heat on 0-2? What a horrible call, and what a horrible pitch. Some horrible decisions from Tito in the last few innings too. Fucking fuck."

Indeed. A bummer ending to an otherwise great 6-3 road trip. I'll take 6-3 on a road trip as we now chase Tampa Bay.

Clinton and Obama's College Essays


Random thought of the day:

Do you think William Jefferson Clinton made reference to his hometown of Hope, AK in his application essay to Yale? Do you think he mentioned his middle name, which is an homage to our third president?

Do you think that Barack Obama's essay to Harvard contained either of the following sentences?

“My mother named me Barack, which means blessed.”

“Only in this country is my story possible.”

I guess my point is that some politicians are born, not made.

Obama Doing It The Hard Way


You have to give Brother Obama credit for doing this the hard way. The DNC could have simply kept this event in the Pepsi Center. Senator Obama speaking to 70,000 people in an NFL stadium on a stage with Greek columns can so easily be ridiculed and parodied by the Right. And they have already started.

For a few others, the sight will be downright scary. A black man speaking to a large audience is still not a regular sight in American politics. Not since Martin Luther King spoke to over 100,000 people on the DC mall 45 years ago today, has an American black man had to pitch his vision before so many people - both live and on television.

But Obama breathes, eats, and shits confidence. I haven't seen a national politician this strong and sure of himself since Bill Clinton in 1996. But as we have seen in the past, white Americans don't like a black man who acts like he's the coolest cat in town. In his defense, Obama has not tried to be cool (or hot) in any way. He's a Zegna-wearing centrist politician with a positive message, just like Bill Clinton (but I think Clinton wore Perry Ellis).

But because of racial stereotypes and a continued misunderstanding of his name and religion, Obama is walking a high wire tonight. One slip or misunderstood line and it could come to an end.

Senator Obama needs to be more than Barack Obama tonight. He needs to be Abe Lincoln...different, but universally understood and accepted. While it is impossible to deliver a bulletproof speech, he needs to deliver the best speech of his life (and remember, this is Barack Obama we're talking about - a proven deliverer of excellent speeches).

So if anyone can pull-off a speech this large in scope and this significant to the party and the presidential campaign...

Why not Obama?

17:03 UPDATE: The perfect rebuttal to the mocking of Obama's stage tonight is the stage that was used for Geroge W. Bush's coronation in New York four years ago. Now that was disgusting, complete with presidential seals. Obama's stage is very attractive, and the slightly cartoonish podium is a nice touch.