ENOUGH!

Thank you to this Boston Globe writer for nailing it:

Check this article out

Note that the Boston Globe is one of the liberal bastion publications in the country...

I Hope Not

There are reports out (I think the first you can see at this link but apparently there have been others) that suggest that Obama when he was on his recent trip to Iraq, was doing some behind-the-scenes negotiations with Iraqi leaders and even American commanders, along the lines of trying to get the Iraqis to delay until after the election announcing that they had worked out with the US a tentative framework for gradual US troop withdrawals.  I assume the point would be that even though this was worked out by the Iraqis and the Bush administration, the timing would cause it to be associated with Obama should he win the election.  

If this is true, it is incredibly disturbing.  The idea of a major political candidate working outside the official diplomatic framework of the United States for his own political purposes would have terrible implications, I think.  Both legally and historically, it is always critical that the United States speak with one official voice to both friend and foe internationally.  And this case would look even worse, because essentially it would have Barack Obama saying to Iraqis behind closed doors: 'look, I'm going to be the next President so you should listen to me now and do what I'm asking (which, by the way, is to my political benefit), instead of doing what you've worked out with the current sitting administration.'  

I wouldn't bring this up, except that I still haven't heard a denial of this from the Obama camp, and it appears the story has credibility enough to get a comment from the McCain camp.

"McCain spokesman Randy Scheunemann stated as follows:

At this point, it is not yet clear what official American negotiations Senator Obama tried to undermine with Iraqi leaders, but the possibility of such actions is unprecedented. It should be concerning to all that he reportedly urged that the democratically-elected Iraqi government listen to him rather than the US administration in power. If news reports are accurate, this is an egregious act of political interference by a presidential candidate seeking political advantage overseas. Senator Obama needs to reveal what he said to Iraq's Foreign Minister during their closed door meeting. The charge that he sought to delay the withdrawal of Americans from Iraq raises serious questions about Senator Obama's judgment and it demands an explanation."

Let me just say, political differences/preferences aside...I really, really, really hope Senator Obama would not do such a thing.  It would be a terrible thing if he did.  I imagine we will hear more about this and hopefully we can get corroborating information one way or the other.  

Gibson Keeps Getting Slammed...YEAH!

There's been a lot going around about Gibson's glowering, condescending interview of Sarah Palin recently on ABC.  The most talked about moment was when Palin was hesitant about Gibson's meaning referring to the "Bush doctrine" and yet, the very person who coined the term, columnist Charles Krauthammer, says there have come to be several meanings of the term, and the one Gibson said it meant is not in common use any more.

Krauthammer: 

"Presidential doctrines are inherently malleable and difficult to define. The only fixed "doctrines" in American history are the Monroe and the Truman doctrines which come out of single presidential statements during administrations where there were few other contradictory or conflicting foreign policy crosscurrents.

Such is not the case with the Bush doctrine.

Yes, Sarah Palin didn't know what it is. But neither does Charlie Gibson. And at least she didn't pretend to know -- while he looked down his nose and over his glasses with weary disdain, sighing and "sounding like an impatient teacher," as the Times noted. In doing so, he captured perfectly the establishment snobbery and intellectual condescension that has characterized the chattering classes' reaction to the mother of five who presumes to play on their stage."

Political Art - Good Stuff

Arrrrrgh on the Media

I really am not at all a conspiratorialist.  But good heavens, Mr. Media!

Get this, by Mark Hemingway on NRO's "The Corner" blog:

"John notes that the Washington Post seems to be downplaying the McCain-Palin rally in its backyard. But the bigger crime may be how the Washington Post article on the rally was written. Let's just do a by numbers comparison:

Number of paragraphs in the Washington Post story: 14

Number of paragraphs about pro-Obama protesters: 8

Number of McCain-Palin supporters present: 23,000

Number of Obama protesters: about 30

You do the math." 

Amazing...

Before Returning To Regular Programming...

In the next few days I will start comparing Obama and McCain on several issues, including foreign policy, taxes, health care proposals, and Supreme Court issues.  

For a moment longer, however, let's note just how astounding it is to see a VP candidate so suddenly become the focus of both campaigns.  I mean...WOW!  That suggests very, very real political and communication skill on her part.  

The small lead by McCain has held for a couple of days held fairly well, but as polls do I'm sure we will see variation in upcoming weeks until the debates.  

This whole little flap about Obama's "lipstick" comment I think is just stupid.  Both campaigns, but McCain's in particular, should move on.  

From Howard Kurtz: "The Project for Excellence in Journalism says that 60 percent of last week's stories were about her: "Palin enjoyed more coverage as a VP candidate during the GOP convention than Obama did a week earlier when he became the first person of color to accept the nomination for president of a major party."

Amazing, Amazing - McCain-Palin Rockets Up

The latest polls are beginning to show a McCain lead over Obama.  In the USA Today poll, a whopping 10 point lead!  And the Gallup racking poll has it as a 3 point lead.  Amazing is the least we can say.

And yet, as is reviewed at this link, the Left continues to try to smear Palin, including several blatantly spurious claims that made into mainstream liberal media before being retracted as they finally concluded there was zero evidence to support them.  Sad stuff, regardless of which side you're on.  

Republicans Win Ratings

From Fox News: "As a television draw, John McCain was every bit the equal of Barack Obama.

The GOP presidential candidate attracted roughly the same number of viewers to his convention acceptance speech Thursday as Obama did before the Democrats last week, according to Nielsen Media Research.

It marked the end of an astonishing run where more than 40 million people watched political speeches on three nights by Obama, McCain and Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. The Republican convention was the most-watched convention on television ever, beating a standard set by the Democrats a week earlier."

McCain's Backbone

John McCain is at his best as a speaker it seems when taking a serious tone and talking about serious issues.  He did a very good job tonight, and I suspect will have strengthened his support and position from the public because of it.  Specifically, here's where I thought he was great:

1) The repetition as well as revelation of additional details of McCain's life changing experience as a POW in Vietnam over the course of this convention was capped off by hearing from the man himself.  You come away with the powerful impression of a man who is utterly incorruptible and unstoppable in his determination to accomplish what he believes will benefit the United States of America and its people, simply because no matter how tough things get, he has been through worse, and in addition, the gratitude and the dedication he feels toward America and its people hardly know any bounds.

I thought the following stretch of his speech demonstrated this: "[Governor Palin] knows where she comes from and she knows who she works for. She stands up for what's right, and she doesn't let anyone tell her to sit down. I'm very proud to have introduced our next vice president to the country. But I can't wait until I introduce her to Washington. And let me offer an advance warning to the old, big spending, do nothing, me first, country second Washington crowd: Change is coming.

I'm not in the habit of breaking promises to my country and neither is Gov. Palin. And when we tell you we're going to change Washington, and stop leaving our country's problems for some unluckier generation to fix, you can count on it. We've got a record of doing just that, and the strength, experience, judgment and backbone to keep our word to you.

You know, I've been called a maverick; someone who marches to the beat of his own drum. Sometimes it's meant as a compliment and sometimes it's not. What it really means is I understand who I work for. I don't work for a party. I don't work for a special interest. I don't work for myself. I work for you."

2) I thought he was able to bring up several policy issues, from Iraq to education to healthcare policy and so forth, enough to sketch out basic differences in the approach he would take compared to Obama. 

"I will keep taxes low and cut them where I can. My opponent will raise them. I will open new markets to our goods and services. My opponent will close them. I will cut government spending. He will increase it.
My tax cuts will create jobs. His tax increases will eliminate them. My health care plan will make it easier for more Americans to find and keep good health care insurance. His plan will force small businesses to cut jobs, reduce wages, and force families into a government-run health care system where a bureaucrat stands between you and your doctor.

Keeping taxes low helps small businesses grow and create new jobs. Cutting the second-highest business tax rate in the world will help American companies compete and keep jobs from moving overseas. Doubling the child tax exemption from $3,500 to $7,000 will improve the lives of millions of American families. Reducing government spending and getting rid of failed programs will let you keep more of your own money to save, spend and invest as you see fit. Opening new markets and preparing workers to compete in the world economy is essential to our future prosperity."

3) He also formulated the core principles which most Republicans and conservatives believe will strengthen our nation most:

"We're going to recover the people's trust by standing up again for the values Americans admire. The party of Lincoln, Roosevelt and Reagan is going to get back to basics.

We believe everyone has something to contribute and deserves the opportunity to reach their God-given potential from the boy whose descendants arrived on the Mayflower to the Latina daughter of migrant workers. We're all God's children and we're all Americans.

We believe in low taxes, spending discipline and open markets. We believe in rewarding hard work and risk takers and letting people keep the fruits of their labor.

We believe in a strong defense, work, faith, service, a culture of life, personal responsibility, the rule of law, and judges who dispense justice impartially and don't legislate from the bench. We believe in the values of families, neighborhoods and communities.

We believe in a government that unleashes the creativity and initiative of Americans. Government that doesn't make your choices for you, but works to make sure you have more choices to make for yourself." 

4) McCain is clearly working to establish himself as an American running for president, as opposed to simply a partisan nominee.  He wants to bring new and more people to support him, beyond the GOP "base."  And he's not afraid to take on Obama and the Democrats in areas you would think he would shy away from.  Consider these lines from his speech, keeping in mind who he is running against.

"Education is the civil rights issue of this century. Equal access to public education has been gained. But what is the value of access to a failing school? We need to shake up failed school bureaucracies with competition, empower parents with choice, remove barriers to qualified instructors, attract and reward good teachers, and help bad teachers find another line of work.

When a public school fails to meet its obligations to students, parents deserve a choice in the education of their children. And I intend to give it to them. Some may choose a better public school. Some may choose a private one. Many will choose a charter school. But they will have that choice and their children will have that opportunity.

Sen. Obama wants our schools to answer to unions and entrenched bureaucracies. I want schools to answer to parents and students. And when I'm president, they will." 

------------------

Sarah Palin I think remains the star of the Republican convention, but McCain is the anchor and weight.  They did themselves well I think.  

I suspect the polls will really tighten up, then we shall see what happens over the next 8 weeks! 

Palin v. Obama

I read that Palin had almost as many viewers watching her speech last night as Obama had watch his nomination speech.  Not bad for a VP pick vs. the presidential nominee of a party.   And she had about 50% more watch her than her Democratic VP counterpart, Biden.

Not bad. 

And from another NRO blog post: "The ability to effectively skewer political opponents with a twinkle of the eye and remain likeable is a rare political skill. The three best I’ve ever seen: Reagan, Clinton, Palin." 

And an article today from The Weekly Standard's Kristol: 

"The Speech
By William Kristol, The Weekly Standard
September 4, 2008

NOW WE SEE why the liberal establishment has been trying for the last few days to destroy Sarah Palin. She is a threat to their hopes to take the White House this year, a threat to their broader claims to speak for youth, for women, and for the future, and a threat to their attempt to control the high ground in the culture war. After her stunning success last night, some in the liberal media may retire from the ring for a while. Others, with the threat now even more evident, may redouble their assaults and become even more desperate and vicious. Surely they'll fail.

A star was born last night--but I won't belabor that fact, especially since it was the title of my New York Times column Monday. Nor will I analyze the whole speech, which I'm sure will be ably done by others. I'll just make three points.

1. I've heard one or two Palin skeptics acknowledge that it was a good speech, but then say--well, another nominee could have given a similarly good speech. Actually, no. The speech was so effective because it was given by someone who is, at once: a relative unknown, an executive not a legislator, a real reformer, a middle American who made it on her own, an outsider who was greeted with hostility by the D.C. establishment--and, yes, a woman. Obviously, another nominee could have given a good if different speech. But what made last night's speech special--what may have made last night an inflection point in this campaign, and even in American politics beyond Nov. 4--depended on the peculiar combination of qualities Sarah Palin brought to the table. Her speech was as far as a speech could be from being a generic one. Only Sarah Palin could have given it. The fact that she had the help of an excellent speechwriter, Matthew Scully, doesn't change the fact that this was in a precise way, and I'd almost say a profound way, Sarah Palin's speech.

2. The attack on Obama was very deft. Palin went right for Obama's fundamental weakness--that he's never done anything impressive. (And by giving such a good speech, she partly undermined his claim to be the only one who could speak impressively.) For example, consider this line--which I predict will be remembered two months from now: "I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities." This deflates all the sanctimonious praise of Obama at the Democratic convention for all his selfless years as a community organizer. And if you take away the community organizing, Obama's just a career politician, one "who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform," one of those who has used "change to promote their careers." What's left of Obama's résumé, and his claim to deserve the presidency? Not much.

3. Don't underestimate the power of this statement: "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." The McCain campaign should flesh this out in policy terms, should not get worried by the inevitable attacks on McCain for voting (as he must have) for some budget resolution or other that would have cut (or not increased as much as some wanted) some special-needs programs, and just keep on emphasizing that Palin will take the lead on these issues, and McCain will see to it she gets the support, budgetary and otherwise, she needs. This would be real compassionate conservatism, and would be good both for conservatism and for the country."