How will Senator McCain choose?

[McCovey Cove Returns]

So it looks like Senator John McCain has locked up the Republican Presidential nomination. Who does he choose as his running mate and why? Does he go with Mike Huckabee to appeal to staunch conservatives? Maybe Mitt Romney? Does he tap a younger member of the GOP to negate the questions about his age?

Go ahead and speculate.

[Lazlo Toth]

I betcha he won't do "eenie, meeni, minie, mo."

[s'news]

But a dartboard is possible.

[Da Woodshed]

Choose that nimrod Diplomat. That would guarantee a Democratic victory. With Dip running, even a Chimp would win.

[Ralphie the buffalo]

Go ahead and speculate.

He takes the loser between Hillary and Obama because he is a real prick.
I'd rather vote for a shiit sandwich than him.

If there was ever a year for a 3-party candidate to make headway it is in this election.
And the Dems will win. But, they will anyway so who cares?
At least that jerk McCain isn't in the mix.

[s'news]

There's the time-honored out-of-a-hat system.

[rootboyslim]

He takes the loser between Hillary and Obama because he is a real prick.
I'd rather vote for a shiit sandwich than him.

If there was ever a year for a 3-party candidate to make headway it is in this election.
And the Dems will win. But, they will anyway so who cares?
At least that jerk McCain isn't in the mix.

Ralphie---why is McCain a jerk?

[Bandit]

I don't get the McCain hatred. The dude has a more conservative record than some of the darlings of the Limbaugh & Coulter crowd.


This is about who has the power, pure and simple. Someone said before and I agree - that the people in power in the Republican Party would rather lose the election and keep control rather than win and not be in charge.

[cinehead]

The McCain is a jerk thing surprises me. From everything I've seen on him, and I've followed him for a long time, he seems like a completely decent guy. What I like about him, is that he doesn't follow a pre-stated ideology. He makes his decision on each issue independently. He's one of the few politicians that seems to consider both sides of an issue before making a decision.

[Diplomat]

Choose that nimrod Diplomat. That would guarantee a Democratic victory. With Dip running, even a Chimp would win.

I'm not a hunter nor am I mentioned in the Torah.

Once again, a far-leftist shows how intelligent and kind and compassionate she is, not to mention she's using a term for which she obviously didn't know the definition. We'll wait for Woodshed to bleat her cries of "name-calling" and "social justice" and all those silly, meaningless terms far leftists love to use.

To get back to the subject, which Woodshed sidetracked us from in her off-topic comment, Mr. McCain will choose whoever he thinks can best help his chances in November. He'll likely look for someone with geographic, ideological or other balance, just like most of the candidates do.

[Mr. Pratfall]

He'll ask Dick Cheney to find him a running mate, which will naturally result in Dick Cheney as his running mate.

[TXPhotog]

He'll ask Dick Cheney to find him a running mate, which will naturally result in Dick Cheney as his running mate.

Or you could just give Cheney a shotgun, blindfold him, spin him around a half dozen times and then yell "BIRD!"

[TV Dad]

If there was ever a year for a 3-party candidate to make headway it is in this election.


I thought 2004 was the opportune year for a third party candidate and I thought McCain was that person. The Democrats weren't crazy about Kerry and Bush had revealed himself not to be the uniter that many people thought they had elected. So we've been looking for a true bi-partisan leader for close to a decade now.

[Angel's Hell]

I think I should be his running mate! Me, Ms. Angel's Hell! VPOTUS 08! I'd rock!

[Spike]

I have come out of my drug-induced stupor to say:

So it looks like Senator John McCain has locked up the Republican Presidential nomination.

You won't be so smug when RON PAUL shows McCain the door!

Now... More oxycodone.

[NotImpressed]

Huckabee is a lock for VP. The extreme religious zealots won't vote unless he's on the ballot.

[Ralphie the buffalo]

Ralphie---why is McCain a jerk?

I don't care what Limbaugh, Coulter or the other pundits say. I don't even know what they have specifically said. My issue with McCain is very specific.

Forgive me for cut and pasting. I would reather be accurate than original in this case. The original article I am quoting from is http://partners.nytimes.com/library/politics/camp/022700wh-gop-mccain.html


"Politics was not an entirely new idea, for Mr. McCain had always been far more ambitious than he liked to let on. Connie Bookbinder, Carol McCain's college roommate and close friend, realized early on that this young Navy man had plenty of dreams.

"When they were dating," Mrs. Bookbinder recalled, "I asked Carol: 'What does John want to do with his life? Does he want to be an admiral like his dad?' She said, 'He wants to do something important, so he'll be in the history books.' "

Mr. McCain let the scope of his ambitions slip out again in fall 1970, when he was in Vietnam and four of the prisoners of war were put together in a cell. They spent a couple of weeks talking nonstop, and the conversation soon touched on their dreams: one wanted to have command of his own squadron, another wanted to be an academic, the third yearned to be a military attaché in an embassy.

"We asked John what he wanted to be -- chief of naval operations?" recalled Richard A. Stratton, one of those present. "He said, no, the best job in the Navy is commander in chief of Pacific forces, because then you're chief warrior. But he said that what he really wanted to be was president. "With him, it's no flash in the pan, no sudden dream," Mr. Stratton said. "He's been thinking of this for a long time."

So it has been established that McCain has had lofty political ambitions for a long time. I have no problem there. It is good to have high goals.

My issues with McCain, the man, are with how he went after the goals. Something happened to his wife when he was in Vietnam as a POW. It is something that John McCain would have to deal with when he got home if he wanted to succeed in reaching his goals. And this is why he is a jerk...

"His wife, Carol, a tall, slim woman who had once been a model, had nearly died in a car wreck in 1969. H. Ross Perot, the businessman and advocate of prisoners of war, had paid for her medical care, but the injuries left her four inches shorter and on crutches, and she had gained a good deal of weight."

So basically, Carol wasn't going to be a good wife for a politically ambitous guy like McCain. He latched onto Cindy Hensley, daughter of one of the largest Anheuser-Busch distributors in the nation. She was 18 years younger than him. And her Dad was connected politically.

So McCain ditched his broken-down crippled wife who was a liability to his ambitions. He also left his 3 children. Marring Cindy was a good move for him. Her Daddy's business and political contacts helped gain John McCain a strong foothold in Arizona politics. Jackpot!

And that is why I think he is a jerk. What he did is a mortal sin in my book. It is indefensible and I won't look past it.

You don't leave the wounded on the battlefield to fend for themselves. Any military guy will understand that. McCain did. And he should pay the price now for this transgression.

[Ralphie the buffalo]

BUMP for Rootboy

[The Mockingbird]

I thought this was a WWJD thread for Republicans hoping to hold onto the White House. :eek:

[Clubbeat]

There is talk of Florida Governor Charlie Crist being his VP choice.

[Da Woodshed]

I

Once again, a far-leftist shows how intelligent and kind and compassionate she is, not to mention she's using a term for which she obviously didn't know the definition. We'll wait for Woodshed to bleat her cries of "name-calling" and "social justice" and all those silly, meaningless terms far leftists love to use.


Swing and a miss! Spike was right, you're microcephalic.

[Diplomat]

Swing and a miss! Spike was right, you're microcephalic.

It took you several days to come up with that. That is slow, even for you. Guess that was your vocabulary word for the week.

Thanks for playing, though.

[Da Woodshed]

I don't live on here like some people do. Obviously it appears this is most of your life seeing the number of posts you've accumulated. I just enjoy coming around once in a while to see what warped crap you're spewing.

[Kace]

McCain should choose Ron Paul, just 'cause.

[Roy Hobbs]

"You must choose...wisely."
http://www.ttuhsc.edu/SOM/Success/grail%20advice.jpg

[Sultanosurf]

I don't live on here like some people do. Obviously it appears this is most of your life seeing the number of posts you've accumulated. I just enjoy coming around once in a while to see what warped crap you're spewing.

And yet you burn a valuable post on Dippy's inexorable march to 20,000. S'ok, we've all tossed a few waste pitches at him...

[s'news]

Inexorable. Nice word.

[Diplomat]

And yet you burn a valuable post on Dippy's inexorable march to 20,000. S'ok, we've all tossed a few waste pitches at him...

And I've tossed a few at you, too. Your colossal ego is a rather large target.

[s'news]

I'd say colossal isn't nearly as impressive a word as inexorable.

[Diplomat]

I'd say colossal isn't nearly as impressive a word as inexorable.

True, but it was appropriate in that particular sentence.

[s'news]

"S'ok" is also interesting.

[Pro]

Actually, I prefer "'salright". If it was good enough for John Lennon.....:rockon:

[Zero]

I don't get the McCain hatred. The dude has a more conservative record than some of the darlings of the Limbaugh & Coulter crowd.

Don't be such a dupe. Have you seen the President's approval rating? It's in the toilet, even among Republicans.

Limbaugh and Coulter and Hannity and Laura Schlessinger have all been in lockstep about publicly decrying how liberal McCain is. Something's fishy about that. Unless you suspect, as I do, that it's an orchestrated campaign to make McCain look absolutely moderate and therefore acceptable to voters appropriately put off by the harsh Dick Cheney/Donald Rumsfeld/Karl Rove/George Bush neo-con crowd.

This faux criticism absolutely works in their favor.

The hard line Republicans are going to vote for McCain in droves. Make no mistake about it.

Just wait, the fear campaign will get going once the election nears. And I'm quite certain that we'll start hearing from deadman Osama bin Laden who will praise Obama. Guess in whose favor that works?

Middle America will say they sure do like that Obama guy, but dammit, you know what? He's just not tough like that John McCain. And McCain isn't as bad as those guys he's replacing.

McCain denounced waterboarding as torture, yet he still voted against the Democratic legislation banning the practice. Did you have to stop and wonder why? He will use it to campaign as being tougher on terrorists than the Democrats. Obama will be painted as someone who would rather negotiate with the terrorists.

You just watch.

Who will McCain select as his running mate? I don't know. But I can tell you one thing for certain, it won't be Huckabee. Otherwise he wouldn't still be campaigning.

No, McCain will get a good looking youthful face with great hair and a nice campaign smile and of course a solid standing with the many voters who cast their ballots for religious conservatives.

I'm thinking John Thune of South Dakota. He doesn't believe in evolution.

http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/congress/members/photos/228/T000250.jpg

[FD2BLK]

What's Dan Quayle doing these days?

[rootboyslim]

Ralphie---I agree that is a lapse in his character. One thing I do know is I cannot begin to understand what trauma or transformation one may go through as a POW. No, not an excuse.but I wonder how much he changed in those five years.

[Ralphie the buffalo]

One thing I do know is I cannot begin to understand what trauma or transformation one may go through as a POW. No, not an excuse.but I wonder how much he changed in those five years.

Oh, I'm sure he changed.

http://www.nwfilm.org/screenings/images/353/manchurian_candidate.jpg

[Paper Trail]

McCain denounced waterboarding as torture, yet he still voted against the Democratic legislation banning the practice. Did you have to stop and wonder why? He will use it to campaign as being tougher on terrorists than the Democrats. Obama will be painted as someone who would rather negotiate with the terrorists.

Letter: GOP Whip Roy Blunt assails House Democrats over FISA

Today, House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) has released the following letter in regards to the sunset of the Protect America Act:

####

At midnight tonight, a critical national security law will expire. It is set to expire, because House Democratic leaders blatantly refused to take up bipartisan, Senate legislation that would have closed a dangerous terrorist loophole. The consequence is that our intelligence community will lose its ability to affectively and quickly listen to terrorist communications.

This is no exaggeration. The Director of National Intelligence and the Attorney General of the United States, in a letter to the Senate Majority Leader earlier this year, wrote that if the Congress failed to act our ability to obtain intelligence information would be weakened. This same message was sent by the Democratic Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee who said on the Senate floor Thursday 'that the quality of the intelligence we are going to be receiving is going to be degraded.'

The issue at hand is over legal protection for telecommunications companies that helped our government in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks intercept foreign terrorist communications. This lack of protection has already hurt our ability to gather intelligence – and it will only get worse. As companies fear being dragged into the court room, they will stop their activities in support of tracking terrorists.

I am angry that the House did not consider this bill. And House Democrats should be angry as well. The Democratic leadership allowed our intelligence gathering to be compromised, because they failed to pass a bill by a deadline that they themselves set.

Some allege that there is no urgency. I wholeheartedly disagree. With each passing day, our intelligence capacity grows dimmer and dimmer and the less able we are to track a call or intercept an email into the United States from someone like Osama Bin Laden.

Our nation should not be in this situation. The House’s failure to act is a gross dereliction of our constitutional duty to stand for the nation’s defense.

#

[Pro]

Again, all this means is that the intelligence agencies will have to get FISA court approval for wiretaps, as they did before. That's all. Blount conveniently failed to mention that.

[writer2]

McCain should choose Romney, cuz Romney has lotsa money!
At least, he used to. Why are Romney's children crying?

[Zero]

McCain should choose Romney.

Yeah, cause he really needs the Mormon vote.

[Diplomat]

McCain should choose Romney, cuz Romney has lotsa money!
At least, he used to. Why are Romney's children crying?

I didn't realize you were an expert on Romney's personal finances.

[writer2]

Yeah, cause he really needs the Mormon vote.

Maybe the Money vote? ;)

[Zero]

MCain will have a lot of Republican money flowing his way. He doesn't have to worry about that. Republicans never do.

He doesn't need Florida Governor Charlie Crist to take that state, cause he's already in the fold. I think Thune will win out. He beat Daschle. He's appealing to young voters, conservatives, and hard core Christians. He's campaigning hard for McCain right now.

[zeppelin42]

Maybe he'll get Dan Quayle to help downplay concerns about his age. It worked in 1988.
-z

[Pro]

Don't look for McCain to pick any Senator from a state with a Democratic governor. The same way Clinton/Obama won't pick a Senator from a state with a Republican governor.

[Sultanosurf]

Well, he could always choose a governor from a red state. Somebody who knows how to handle pork...

http://www.palmettoscoop.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/sanfordspigs.jpg

[cinehead]

He should pick Jeb Bush. If Obama gets the nomination, why should I have to suffer through the my first election without a Bush or a Clinton on the ballot?

[Paper Trail]

Just wait, the fear campaign will get going once the election nears.

By E&P Staff and The Associated Press (http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003722255)


NEW YORK The Associated Press reports today that an Iowa Republican congressman said Friday that terrorists would be "dancing in the streets" if Democratic candidate Barack Obama were to win the presidency.

Rep. Steve King based his prediction on Obama's pledge to pull troops out of Iraq, his Kenyan heritage and his middle name, Hussein.

"The radical Islamists, the al-Qaida ... would be dancing in the streets in greater numbers than they did on Sept. 11 because they would declare victory in this war on terror," King said in an interview with the Daily Reporter in Spencer.

King said his comments were not meant to demean Obama but to warn how an Obama presidency would look to the world.

"His middle name does matter," King said. "It matters because they read a meaning into that."

In criticizing King, Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor said, "These comments have no place in our politics." He called on John McCain, the apparent Republican nominee, to "repudiate them like he has previous offensive comments from his supporters."

Last month, McCain denounced an introduction from Cincinnati talk-show host Bill Cunningham, who referred to Obama three times as "Barack Hussein Obama."

But the Associated Press account underplays the true inflammatory nature of the attacks, as carried by the same local paper, which reported it as follows.
*

"I don't want to disparage anyone because of their race, their ethnicity, their name - whatever their religion their father might have been," he said. "I'll just say this: When you think about the option of a Barack Obama potentially getting elected President of the United States -- I mean, what does this look like to the rest of the world? What does it look like to the world of Islam?"

He continued: "I will tell you that, if he is elected president, then the radical Islamists, the al-Qaida, the radical Islamists and their supporters, will be dancing in the streets in greater numbers than they did on September 11 because they will declare victory in this War on Terror."

King thinks radical Islamists will say the United States has capitulated because the Obama administration would be pulling troops out of any conflict associated with al-Qaida.

"Additionally, his middle name (Hussein) does matter," King said. "It matters because they read a meaning into that in the rest of the world. That has a special meaning to them. They will be dancing in the streets because of his middle name. They will be dancing in the streets because of who his father was and because of his posture that says: Pull out of the Middle East and pull out of this conflict."

[Pro]

Who cares what they might think? What they think is of no concern.

[Zero]

Who cares what they might think?

Hundreds of thousands of voters in the red states will care what terrorists think, because they will be told that a vote for Obama is a vote to make the terrorists happy. It's so ****ing stupid it'll work.

[buckpasser]

Steve King just won Iowa for Obama, should he get the nomination.

This is a state Bush carried in 2004, Gore in 2000, Clinton in 1996, 1992.

Obama's people demand McCain denounce the comments. McCain rolls into Monday with this. Sunday talk shows will have this. Dumb. DEE-YOU-EM Dumb.

It's gonna come down to states, and McCain just lost Iowa. Subject to change, of course. However, it will turn out vote for Obama, and McCain lost Iowa to Huckabee so he's not that popular there. Overall...if McCain is trailing in the polls, and Republicans get desperate, you will see more of this. I told you Republicans can't control themselves. There's an underbelly to the Republican Party, and it will be exposed come election time.

[Zero]

McCain lost Iowa to Huckabee so he's not that popular there..

Which is why an Iowa Congressman made the statement. People vote out of fear. It's a proven fact. McCain won't have to say these things, other Republicans, and talk show hosts, will say it for him. And it will snowball.

[Pro]

Hundreds of thousands of voters in the red states will care what terrorists think, because they will be told that a vote for Obama is a vote to make the terrorists happy. It's so ****ing stupid it'll work.

Maybe. But does it really matter if they are "happy" or not?

[Zero]

Maybe. But does it really matter if they are "happy" or not?

To hundreds of thousands of red state voters... yeah. It'll be sold as "A vote for Obama is a vote for the terrorists."

You think the Republicans wouldn't do that?

They're already doing it.

[buckpasser]

To hundreds of thousands of red state voters... yeah. It'll be sold as "A vote for Obama is a vote for the terrorists."

You think the Republicans wouldn't do that?

They're already doing it.

McCain loses Iowa, but wins Mississippi by more votes?


Hard to see this is a winning stance with indies and dems.

[Zero]

Hard to see this is a winning stance with indies and dems.

It will motivate those many, many, red state Republicans who think Obama acts like a nice guy to vote against him.

The Repubs will also work hard to make sure that voters know about Obama's United Church of Christ affiliation. Not something that Pat Robertson or James Dobson fans endorse. The IRS is already investigating the United Church of Christ for "political activities" because Obama gave a keynote speech at the church's 50th Anniversary in Hartford. The Rev. Barry W. Lynn is an ordained Church of Christ minister... but guess what? He's also the Executive Director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

Think that'll go over well with the evangelicals? I wonder if Repubs will ever bring that up?

I kind of think they will.

Religion and fear. Two powerful motivators for red state Republicans.

Look for them to throw around gay marriage... again. That always works. Obama voted against an amendment to ban gay marriage.

Guess how McCain began to answer the question after learing that James Dobson said he would not support any candidate who supports gay marriages? Yup, now McCain supports a ban on gay marriage.

[Paper Trail]

Obama's Pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Has a History of What Even Obama's Campaign Aides Say Is 'Inflammatory Rhetoric'

By BRIAN ROSS and REHAB EL-BURI (http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=4443788)

Sen. Barack Obama's pastor says blacks should not sing "God Bless America" but "God damn America."

The Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Obama's pastor for the last 20 years at the Trinity United Church of Christ on Chicago's south side, has a long history of what even Obama's campaign aides concede is "inflammatory rhetoric," including the assertion that the United States brought on the 9/11 attacks with its own "terrorism."

In a campaign appearance earlier this month, Sen. Obama said, "I don't think my church is actually particularly controversial." He said Rev. Wright "is like an old uncle who says things I don't always agree with," telling a Jewish group that everyone has someone like that in their family.

Rev. Wright married Obama and his wife Michelle, baptized their two daughters and is credited by Obama for the title of his book, "The Audacity of Hope."

An ABC News review of dozens of Rev. Wright's sermons, offered for sale by the church, found repeated denunciations of the U.S. based on what he described as his reading of the Gospels and the treatment of black Americans.

"The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America.' No, no, no, God damn America, that's in the Bible for killing innocent people," he said in a 2003 sermon. "God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human. God damn America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme."

In addition to damning America, he told his congregation on the Sunday after Sept. 11, 2001 that the United States had brought on al Qaeda's attacks because of its own terrorism.

"We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye," Rev. Wright said in a sermon on Sept. 16, 2001.

"We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost," he told his congregation.

Sen. Obama told the New York Times he was not at the church on the day of Rev. Wright's 9/11 sermon. "The violence of 9/11 was inexcusable and without justification," Obama said in a recent interview. "It sounds like he was trying to be provocative," Obama told the paper.

Rev. Wright, who announced his retirement last month, has built a large and loyal following at his church with his mesmerizing sermons, mixing traditional spiritual content and his views on contemporary issues.

"I wouldn't call it radical. I call it being black in America," said one congregation member outside the church last Sunday.

"He has impacted the life of Barack Obama so much so that he wants to portray that feeling he got from Rev. Wright onto the country because we all need something positive," said another member of the congregation.

Rev. Wright, who declined to be interviewed by ABC News, is considered one of the country's 10 most influential black pastors, according to members of the Obama campaign.

Obama has praised at least one aspect of Rev. Wright's approach, referring to his "social gospel" and his focus on Africa, "and I agree with him on that."

Sen. Obama declined to comment on Rev. Wright's denunciations of the United States, but a campaign religious adviser, Shaun Casey, appearing on "Good Morning America" Thursday, said Obama "had repudiated" those comments.

In a statement to ABCNews.com, Obama's press spokesman Bill Burton said, "Sen. Obama has said repeatedly that personal attacks such as this have no place in this campaign or our politics, whether they're offered from a platform at a rally or the pulpit of a church. Sen. Obama does not think of the pastor of his church in political terms. Like a member of his family, there are things he says with which Sen. Obama deeply disagrees. But now that he is retired, that doesn't detract from Sen. Obama's affection for Rev. Wright or his appreciation for the good works he has done."

Click Here for the Investigative Homepage. (http://abcnews.go.com/blotter)



Copyright © 2008 ABC News Internet Ventures

[Paper Trail]

Here's the video of Obama's pastor, first aired on Fox News (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAYe7MT5BxM)

[Angel's Hell]

Pick me! Pick me! I'd be a great nominee! I can go on fundraising trips abroad to try to recover our tourism industry. I have a broad appeal to many religious groups, so I am able to negotiate with ARAMCO and the Texas Oilmen. I can help OPEC with their future goals planning and make sure that the US is an integral part of that work.

In short, I'd be a great VEEP!!!

[Paper Trail]

Just wait, the fear campaign will get going once the election nears. And I'm quite certain that we'll start hearing from deadman Osama bin Laden who will praise Obama. Guess in whose favor that works?

Osama bin Laden to release new message

WASHINGTON (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSN1933570520080319?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&rpc=22&sp=true) - Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is expected to release a new message, the U.S.-based terrorism monitoring service SITE Institute said on Wednesday.

The message is entitled, "The Response Will Be What You See, Not What You Hear," SITE said in a release.

It said an announcement of the pending message was posted on Wednesday, the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, by the administrator of the al Qaeda-affiliated Al-Ekhlaas Internet forum.

(Reporting by Randall Mikkelsen; Editing by Bill Trott)

[Zero]

It will motivate those many, many, red state Republicans who think Obama acts like a nice guy to vote against him.

The Repubs will also work hard to make sure that voters know about Obama's United Church of Christ affiliation. Not something that Pat Robertson or James Dobson fans endorse. The IRS is already investigating the United Church of Christ for "political activities" because Obama gave a keynote speech at the church's 50th Anniversary in Hartford. The Rev. Barry W. Lynn is an ordained Church of Christ minister... but guess what? He's also the Executive Director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

Think that'll go over well with the evangelicals? I wonder if Repubs will ever bring that up?

I kind of think they will.

Religion and fear. Two powerful motivators for red state Republicans.

Look for them to throw around gay marriage... again. That always works. Obama voted against an amendment to ban gay marriage.

Guess how McCain began to answer the question after learing that James Dobson said he would not support any candidate who supports gay marriages? Yup, now McCain supports a ban on gay marriage.

Oh, what a shock... gay marriage is gonna be a campaign issue in the upcoming presidential election.

The Repubs are gonna use it, just like I said they would. Just like I said they would use terrorism. Just like I said they would use religion.

It's not that I'm smart. It's just how predicitable they are.

Analysis: Gay marriage back as campaign issue By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer
Thu May 15, 6:47 PM ET



WASHINGTON - A California Supreme Court decision clearing the way for gay marriages in the state injects an element of uncertainty into a presidential race in which the Iraq war and the sputtering economy have largely overshadowed social issues.

John McCain, the GOP nominee-in-waiting whose position on the issue rankles the Republican Party's conservative base, sought to strike a delicate balance to the Thursday ruling.

He "supports the right of the people of California to recognize marriage as a unique institution sanctioning the union between a man and a woman, just as he did in his home state of Arizona," his campaign said in response. "John McCain doesn't believe judges should be making these decisions."

McCain rejected the will of the state's high court even as he tried to maintain his long-held stance that the issue should be left to the states. He suggested that he backs an effort by California's religious conservatives to put a constitutional amendment defining marriage as solely between a man and a woman on the November ballot.

The Arizona senator opposes gay marriage but, in a break with the GOP's right flank, he also opposes a federal constitutional amendment banning same-sex unions on grounds that states traditionally have decided the issue. McCain did work to ban gay marriage in Arizona, campaigning for a ballot measure there in 2006. The measure failed.

This year, there are indications that the GOP's conservative base is not nearly as energized as the Democrats' liberal base. If true, a California ballot initiative — and others in Arizona and Florida — could help mobilize dispirited conservatives to turn out in the fall there and elsewhere, and, perhaps, boost McCain's prospects.

Complicating McCain's position, his top ally in California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, said in a statement that he respected the court's decision and would uphold the ruling. But he also said: "I will not support an amendment to the constitution that would overturn this state Supreme Court ruling."

Like McCain, Democratic rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton say the marriage issue should be left to the states, and they, too, seemed to tread carefully.

"Barack Obama has always believed that same-sex couples should enjoy equal rights under the law, and he will continue to fight for civil unions as president. He respects the decision of the California Supreme Court, and continues to believe that states should make their own decisions when it comes to the issue of marriage," the Illinois senator's campaign said.

Clinton's campaign said she "believes that gay and lesbian couples in committed relationships should have the same rights and responsibilities as all Americans and believes that civil unions are the best way to achieve this goal. As president, Hillary Clinton will work to ensure same-sex couples have access to these rights and responsibilities at the federal level. She has said and continues to believe that the issue of marriage should be left to the states."

In a victory for gay-rights advocates, the California court narrowly overturned a voter-approved ban on gay marriage and said domestic partnerships are not a substitute for marriage.

Some Democrats and gay-rights advocates rejoiced. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called the ruling "a significant milestone."

In turn, some Republicans and gay-marriage opponents vowed to press forward with their ballot initiative effort. Tony Perkins, the head of the Family Research Council, said, "It's outrageous that the court has overturned not only the historic definition of marriage, but the clear will of the people of California."

California's secretary of state is expected to rule by the end of June whether the sponsors have gathered enough signatures to put the anti-gay-marriage question on the ballot. If approved, it would trump the court's decision.

In 2004 and 2006, voters in more than 20 states approved similar measures, and conservative groups were extraordinarily active in mobilizing their rank-and-file to go to the polls to support the initiatives. Some analysts have suggested that such turnout activity helped lift President Bush to re-election over Democrat John Kerry four years ago. Others dispute the notion.

Given the Iraq war and the economy, social issues such as gay marriage have seemed to matter little so far in the 2008 presidential race.

Until midwinter, the war was the dominant concern among voters. Since then, the economy has become their top concern.

Gay marriage aside, five proposals related to other conservative issues — abortion and race-based affirmative action — have failed to even make state ballots. And, besides California, Arizona and Florida are the only other states likely to vote on a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

Now, however, conservative activists will have a talking point as they work to rally their supporters.

___

AP National Writer David Crary in New York contributed to this report.

[Kace]

Gay Marriage will backfire on The L Word.

...Well, actually it did. Thanks, writers!!! :-/

[Produce man]

Buckpasser must be on vacation, as Zero seems to be carrying the torch now.

[Mighty Dyckerson]

Buckpasser must be on vacation, as Zero seems to be carrying the torch now.

And are you still carrying a torch for your mama??

[Delta Dawn]

He will use it to campaign as being tougher on terrorists than the Democrats. Obama will be painted as someone who would rather negotiate with the terrorists.

You just watch.


From Bush to the Isralei Knesset

"Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along," the President said. "We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: 'Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided.' We have an obligation to call this what it is - the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history."

[Kace]

Good call, Zero.

[The Thrill]

Couldn't he just use the big board?

http://content.ytmnd.com/content/0/3/8/03897859eb4adc0fc83ed302f607cdf9.gif

Big bucks, big bucks, no Whammies.........STOP! (Hit your Escape key and the board really stops! No sound effects, though...sorry.)

[Kace]

Damn, got the whammy!

[Paper Trail]

FACTBOX: Possible U.S. Republican vice presidential candidates

(Reuters) - Now that Republican John McCain has clinched his party's nomination for the November presidential election, the Arizona senator must choose a running mate.

Following is a list of Republicans who have been mentioned as possible vice presidential candidates, in alphabetical order:

* Charlie Crist, 51 - The Florida governor helped McCain win the nomination with his endorsement and might help him in an important battleground state that could go either Republican or Democratic in the November election. The charismatic former Florida attorney general, who notched an easy first term gubernatorial victory in 2006, is a vibrant campaigner. But he could face trouble with the more conservative wing of the party because of questions about his views on abortion.

* Mike Huckabee, 52 - The former Arkansas governor battled McCain for the party's presidential nomination and was the last major candidate to withdraw. The former preacher is a social conservative who has support from the party's evangelical Christian base and is strong in the South.

* Bobby Jindal, 36 - Louisiana's governor and the first Indian-American elected head of a U.S. state. The Oxford-educated conservative would add youth and diversity to the Republican ticket. His domestic health policy experience would be a plus, but he might be seen as being too young, especially in contrast to 71-year-old McCain.

* Tim Pawlenty, 47 - The two-term Minnesota governor and an early and steadfast McCain supporter could help with a Midwestern battleground state. Pawlenty would appeal to social conservatives but he is not well-known on the national stage.

* Robert Portman, 62 - A former congressman from Ohio who was the U.S. Trade Representative and budget director under President George W. Bush. A fiscal conservative, Portman could give McCain needed economic policy strength and would help in Ohio -- an important battleground state.

* Mitt Romney, 61 - The former Massachusetts governor lost the nomination to McCain. But Romney might have problems because of questions about his Mormon faith and because he once supported abortion rights. The businessman, who pumped about $35 million of his own fortune into his presidential bid, could do the same for a vice presidential campaign or help McCain with fund-raising. The former head of a private equity firm who also ran the Salt Lake City Olympics, Romney would bring management experience to the ticket.

* John Thune, 47 - The senator from South Dakota would appeal to conservatives but McCain may not want to choose another senator as his running mate. After narrowly defeating the leader of the U.S. Senate Democrats, Tom Daschle, in 2004, Thune was seen as a giant killer which gained him clout in the party. However he is also not very well known nationally.

(Reporting by Deborah Charles and Peter Cooney, editing by Vicki Allen)

[Pro]

My own handicapping, FWIW:

Crist: Probably the favorite. He's the "Ray Sullivan" of the field - a Republican no one in the party will object to.

Huckabee: Does not fall in line with the Republicans on tax and entitlement issues.

Jindal: Not yet. But watch out for him in 2012 or 2016. And not for VP.

Pawlenty: Many, many people are going to say "Who?"

Portman: McCain will NOT choose anyone with ties to the Bush Adminsistration.

Romney: A filp-flopper (abortion) on the same ticket as another flip-flopper (tax cuts)?

Thune: See the entry for Pawlenty.

[Zero]

You're dead wrong. Crist is going to campaign to make sure that McCain wins in Florida, but he doesn't have to be on the ticket to do that. In fact, because of his (ahem) abortion views, (ahem MAJOR PROBLEM), Crist won't go over well with the evangelicals.

Who will? John Thune. You don't know him now, but you will. The far right will eat this guy up. He's young and handsome and doesn't believe in evolution. And he's the guy that beat Tom Daschle. McCain needs John Thune to reassure the religious right that McCain's their man. McCain needs John Thune to bring up evangelical hard lines during the debates against whoever the Dems choose.

The far right will eat this guy up, above all others.

[Tippster]

I still think he'll go with Pawlenty. Both candidates will end up w/a Governor as VP.

[Pro]

You're dead wrong.

How can anyone be "wrong" about an opinion - or in this case, speculation?

[Zero]

Obviously, you're wrong, IN MY OPINION.

You're welcome.

[Paper Trail]

Just wait, the fear campaign will get going once the election nears. And I'm quite certain that we'll start hearing from deadman Osama bin Laden who will praise Obama. Guess in whose favor that works?

Al Qaeda Tape to Call for Use of WMDs
Authorities: New Tape to Urge Use of Weapons of Mass Destruction on Civilians
By PIERRE THOMAS and THERESA COOK (http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/FedCrimes/story?id=4941724)

Intelligence and law enforcement sources tell ABC News they are expecting al Qaeda operatives will post a new video on the Internet in the next 24 hours, calling for what one source said is "jihadists to use biological, chemical and nuclear weapons to attack the West."

"There have been several reports that al Qaeda will release a new message calling for the use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) against civilians," FBI spokesman Richard Kolko told ABC News in an e-mail.

"Although there have been similar messages in the past, the FBI and [Department of Homeland Security] have no intelligence of any specific plot or indication of a threat to the U.S.," the e-mail said. "The FBI and U.S. intelligence community will review the message for any intelligence value."

While there is no evidence of any direct threat, the FBI sent a bulletin to 18,000 law enforcement agencies across the country, out of an abundance of caution.

The expected posting of a new tape comes on the heels of a spate of messages from Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri.

Earlier this month, al Qaeda released an audio message from bin Laden, excoriating the media and countries that are supportive of Israel. The release was timed to coincide with the nation's 60th anniversary and President Bush's trip to the region.

So far this year, four bin Laden tapes have surfaced.


In April, the terror group released audio recordings in which al-Zawahiri answered questions submitted to an online forum several months earlier.

The increasing volume of tapes seems to signal to the law enforcement and intelligence communities that top al Qaeda leadership is comfortable monitoring current events and communicating messages frequently.

Officials have tracked the trend, but FBI director Robert Mueller downplayed the surge of messages during an appearance earlier this month, noting that "there is a difference between al Qaeda's ability to communicate internally and al Qaeda's ability to post a message on the Internet. As we all know, the Internet is so broad. The access is absolutely open that just about anybody can post material on the Internet."

[Paper Trail]

Bin Laden in northern Pakistan: Afghan official

A top Afghan intelligence official said Tuesday his agency received information several months ago that Al-Qaeda figurehead Osama bin Laden is hiding in northern Pakistan bordering Afghanistan.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that bin Laden was said to be in a mountainous region in Chitral, a Pakistani region facing Afghanistan's eastern province of Kunar.

Pakistani officials have in the past said that the world's most wanted man was hiding in Kunar, a claim strongly rejected by Kabul.

"We've received new information that he is hiding in Chitral. We got the information about his presence in that area about four, five months ago," the Afghan intelligence official said.

US authorities have previously also said that the fugitive Al-Qaeda chief had taken refuge in Chitral and Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar is also in Pakistan's tribal areas.

Thousands of US and NATO soldiers are based in Afghanistan hunting for the pair and fighting back an Al-Qaeda-backed insurgency the Taliban launched after they were ousted from government in 2001.

Al-Arabiya television reported last week that Pakistani sources had said US and Afghan officials had discussed launching military operations in Pakistan's northern areas in light of information that bin Laden was there.

[Produce man]

Bin Laden in northern Pakistan: Afghan official

A top Afghan intelligence official said Tuesday his agency received information several months ago that Al-Qaeda figurehead Osama bin Laden is hiding in northern Pakistan bordering Afghanistan.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that bin Laden was said to be in a mountainous region in Chitral, a Pakistani region facing Afghanistan's eastern province of Kunar.

Pakistani officials have in the past said that the world's most wanted man was hiding in Kunar, a claim strongly rejected by Kabul.

"We've received new information that he is hiding in Chitral. We got the information about his presence in that area about four, five months ago," the Afghan intelligence official said.

US authorities have previously also said that the fugitive Al-Qaeda chief had taken refuge in Chitral and Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar is also in Pakistan's tribal areas.

Thousands of US and NATO soldiers are based in Afghanistan hunting for the pair and fighting back an Al-Qaeda-backed insurgency the Taliban launched after they were ousted from government in 2001.

Al-Arabiya television reported last week that Pakistani sources had said US and Afghan officials had discussed launching military operations in Pakistan's northern areas in light of information that bin Laden was there.That's all well and good, except for one thing. Osama is dead.

[Pro]

That's all well and good, except for one thing. Osama is dead.

And you know that for a fact how, exactly?

[Produce man]

And you know that for a fact how, exactly?Because I haven't seen him on tape, referencing recent events, in almost 4 years.

[Pro]

Because I haven't seen him on tape, referencing recent events, in almost 4 years.

It sounds more like wishful thinking.

[Produce man]

It sounds more like wishful thinking.No, it's called common sense. Think of Achem's (sp) razor.

[Kace]

Ocham?

[Pro]

No, it's called common sense. Think of Achem's (sp) razor.

What the hell are you going on about, now?

"Common sense"????????

I think YOU should think of the facilly of post hoc ergo propter hoc.

Look it up.

[Produce man]

What the hell are you going on about, now?

"Common sense"????????

I think YOU should think of the facilly of post hoc ergo propter hoc.

Look it up.I did. I admit, I had to look it up. The result was a pool of Gatorade on my keyboard. Jeezus Pro, even I didn't think you were so crazy left to use THAT term...

Even funnier, Wikipedia says "for more information, see 'The West Wing'."


Great stuff!:thumbsup:

[Pro]

But that's your mis-logic: A follows B. Therefore, B caused A.

Which is almost never true.

Doesn't stop you from believing it.

And, BTW, I thought you eschewed Wikipedia. I guess that's only when it suits your puropose.

Hypocrite.

[Produce man]

But that's your mis-logic: A follows B. Therefore, B caused A.

Which is almost never true.

Doesn't stop you from believing it.

And, BTW, I thought you eschewed Wikipedia. I guess that's only when it suits your puropose.

Hypocrite.Wrong. I looked up several sites on google. The Wikipedia entry just cracked me up, so I mentioned it.

I'll take your stunned silence as an apology.

[Mighty Dyckerson]

I'll take your stunned silence as an apology.

Well, well, well. Somebody's up past his bedtime tonight. What's wrong, Douchey? Did your inflatable girlfriend spring a leak?

[Pro]

I'll take your stunned silence as an apology.

No apology. I stand by what I wrote. Especially with the likes of you.

[Clever Login Name]

What the hell are you going on about, now?

"Common sense"????????

I think YOU should think of the facilly of post hoc ergo propter hoc.

Look it up.

Look up how to spell "fallacy", which I think is the word you were feebly reaching for. Don't call people stupid in a post where you can't even come close to getting your main point spelled correctly.

[Pro]

Look up how to spell "fallacy", which I think is the word you were feebly reaching for. Don't call people stupid in a post where you can't even come close to getting your main point spelled correctly.

Is THAT the best you can do?

Do you dispute my point?

Or are you just grasping at straws?

[Clever Login Name]

I wasn't even following whatever point you were trying to make in your little snipe-fest with Produce ... I just think it's funny how you expect people to take you seriously and respect your opinion when many of your posts have horrendous grammar and spelling mistakes in them. Sorry, but to me the inability to determine the right word and its proper spelling does not bolster any argument you might be trying to make. It makes you look stupid ... IN MY OPINION.

Here's where you respond "Of course you see it that way."

I get it. You still look like a fool.

[Pro]

You still look like a fool.

And you look like a desperate fool.

[wx or not]

Ocham?
It's Occam's Razor.

[Pro]

It's Occam's Razor.

I wonder why Clever didn't point that out?

Hypocrite.

[Produce man]

Too little, too late, Pro.

You've been owned.

Peace out.

[Pro]

Too little, too late, Pro.

You've been owned.

Says who? YOU? In your little mind? Give me a break.....:rolleyes:

[Clever Login Name]

I wonder why Clever didn't point that out?

Hypocrite.

Congrats on spelling everything correctly.

But how does my pointing out your apparent lack of intelligence when it comes to language make me desperate?

[Produce man]

Says who? YOU? Yes, me. How are you still not getting this?

[Kace]

Well, I was close.

[Pro]

Yes, me.

Thank you. I knew I shouldn't take it seriously.

[Pro]

But how does my pointing out your apparent lack of intelligence when it comes to language make me desperate?

When you can't attack the message, attack the messenger.

Interesting how you pick and choose who's typos you jump on....

Hypocrite.

[Paper Trail]

Just wait, the fear campaign will get going once the election nears. And I'm quite certain that we'll start hearing from deadman Osama bin Laden who will praise Obama. Guess in whose favor that works?

YES! The ultimate Obama endorsement! (http://michellemalkin.com/)(UPDATED)

By see-dubya • June 22, 2008 02:15 PM Charles at LGF links to this report at the American-based OneFreeKorea, which is a good site I’ve seen linking here a few times. I’m going to wait to light the cigar until it gets verified a little more and we see the whole translated text, but it looks like we’ve got another tyrant endorsement:

The Chosun Sinbo, the mouthpiece of North Korea’s Japanese front organization Chongryon and often for the North Korean regime itself, has announced its preference for Obama over McCain, whom it calls “a variant of Bush” and “nothing better than a scarecrow of neoconservatives,” which is a bit odd considering that the Bush Administration’s giveaway diplomacy is better for Kim Jong Il than even Clinton’s awful performance.

Castro we knew about, and Qaddafi chimed in just the other day, but Kim Jong Il?

I wasn’t expecting that.

Take me now, Lord. My life as a blogger is complete.

The Obamessiah must ask himself once again: Why do all these anti-American tyrants keep s…um, endorsing my candidacy?

http://michellemalkin.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/tennysonroneryendorsement.png

Also, OneFreeKorea has updated their link above with a translation of the Korean press release. It’s even more delicious than I had hoped, because it emphasizes the endorsement stems from Obama’s willingness to meet Mr. Ronery sans preconditions:

We will see a better relationship between the U.S. and the Korean Peninsula with Obama, who sternly criticizes Bush and who would meet the leader of Chosun without pre-conditions, than with the “Bush clone” and scarecrow of the neocons McCain.

Come on, Osama, your turn…you know you’ve got one tape left in you…

[Paper Trail]

Is Sen. Thune Trying Out for Veep Nominee? (http://blog.washingtonpost.com/sleuth/2008/07/is_sen_thune_trying_out_for_ve.html?hpid=topnews)

After making his third appearance on behalf of John McCain's presidential campaign in about as many weeks, Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) has begun to look like he's at Major League tryout camp.

On Thursday, Thune participated in a news conference in Washington to unveil a McCain campaign video slamming presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's "political posturing" on the Iraq war. That followed two conference calls with political reporters on behalf of the McCain campaign over the past several weeks, combined with numerous TV appearances and radio hits as a McCain surrogate.

Could Thune be trying out for the role of vice presidential running mate? He has certainly been mentioned widely of late as a potential contender for the veep slot.

Thune, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has developed a personal relationship with McCain over the past four years and has traveled with the presumptive GOP presidential nominee to Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East. But the biggest thing Thune has going for him is -- in a word -- youth.

He's young, easy on the eyes, articulate and personable. At the ripe age of 47, standing tall, trim and fit, Thune's good looks could counterbalance McCain's most glaring liability: his old looks. McCain turns 72 next month and, thanks to the toll that battling skin cancer took on his visage, he looks every day his age.

Veteran GOP political consultant Dick Wadhams, who ran Thune's successful 2004 Senate campaign against then Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) says he thinks Thune could also appeal to the reservoir of independent and undecided voters who haven't rushed to embrace Obama. He thinks those voters could get the "change" factor without the fear of putting a novice in the White House.

"John Thune comes from the same age group as Obama, yet he'd be the vice presidential nominee," says Wadhams. "You'd have a very experienced, well-defined presidential candidate yet still have that generational message with John Thune."

Thune has an "aw, shucks" sort of reaction to talk of putting him -- instead of, say, a more seasoned politician like Mitt Romney -- on the GOP ticket with McCain.

"I'm just helping out where I can," Thune says. "I've traveled overseas with Senator McCain on several occasions and I've been very impressed with his command of the issues and the respect he receives from our military personnel, our military commanders and world leaders."

And he gives an answer other rumored vice presidential contenders in both parties tend to give. "I'm happy with the job I have," he says.

Which is to say, he'd obviously be open to a new one.

[rootboyslim]

How funny. Paper Trail replied with a quote to his/her own alter ego. (ego being the operative word here)

[Zero]

Different posters, same computer.

Yep. You're a goober.

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g246/kajunchic2u/goober.gif

[rootboyslim]

Whatever, still don't believe you despite the number of times you call people names and belittle them to try and make up for the small size of your unit.

[Diplomat]

How funny. Paper Trail replied with a quote to his/her own alter ego. (ego being the operative word here)

Well put.

[Zero]

Whatever.

Yep. You're a Goober.

http://sbritt.com/images/goober.jpg

[rootboyslim]

Yep. You're a Goober.

http://sbritt.com/images/goober.jpg

Teeny unit!

[Zero]

Yep. You're a Goober.

http://i14.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/f1/f8/5bca_1.JPG

Your ignorant questioning of a simple fact here is an interesting attempt to change the subject, because clearly you don't have a thought of your own to add, but let's just try and get back on point. This thread is about McCain's choice for a running mate, which I said long ago would most likely be a little known senator from South Dakota named John Thune. Since then Thune's name has been bandied about as a possible choice, and a few other intelligent people have even called Thune a good choice for McCain. But obviously this discussion doesn't quite compare with your fantasizing about the size of my sex organ. I would think a lot of serious posters here would find that appalling, regardless of their politics.

So, what is the deal? Could you explain it to us unwashed, classless political savvy types who spend all our time discussing legitimate topics?

Oh, I guess I shouldn't complain because sometimes I'm actually tickled that you're here, Goober. There are some days when I think, let’s have some media rivalry fun for our compatriots. Perhaps they're bored or having a bad day. This is good for a few extra page views, if nothing else, I'm sure. And invite your co-workers over, if you have any. They're welcome, too. Then they can see how obsessed you are about the male anatomy rather than upholding journalistic responsibility or offering informed political observations on the national landscape.

Remember the name John Thune. Remember that you heard it here first. And maybe if I'm lucky, once you get thinking about that, you can begin fantasizing about the length and girth of his penis.

One can only hope, Goober.

In the meantime, I'll leave you to once again entertain some of your many thoughts about my sizeable wang.

[Produce man]

Wow, Zero...congratulations. You've devolved into talking about your "wang".

Mighty Dickless owes you a diploma.

[Mighty Dyckerson]

Wow, Zero...congratulations. You've devolved into talking about your "wang".

Mighty Dickless owes you a diploma.

Translation: I have no defense, so I will attempt to change the subject.

[Paper Trail]

McCain Makes Significant Gains in Key Battleground States
Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/07/24/ST2008072401398.html)

Other internal numbers in the battleground polls are less rosy for McCain. Nearly one-quarter of voters in each of the four states said McCain's age -- he will be 72 at the time of the election -- makes them less likely to vote for him. Numbers like that may put more pressure on McCain to pick someone considerably younger than him -- Gov. Tim Pawlenty (Minn.) or Sen. John Thune (S.D.) -- as his vice presidential running mate.

[rootboyslim]

McCain Makes Significant Gains in Key Battleground States
Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/07/24/ST2008072401398.html)

Other internal numbers in the battleground polls are less rosy for McCain. Nearly one-quarter of voters in each of the four states said McCain's age -- he will be 72 at the time of the election -- makes them less likely to vote for him. Numbers like that may put more pressure on McCain to pick someone considerably younger than him -- Gov. Tim Pawlenty (Minn.) or Sen. John Thune (S.D.) -- as his vice presidential running mate.

Thanks, Zero. Here's a clue:guess what in here gives away your identity? Tool!

[Zero]

Yep. You're a Goober.

http://www.geocities.com/mastown/pictures/goober.jpg

[Diplomat]

Thanks, Zero. Here's a clue:guess what in here gives away your identity? Tool!

You go, Root!

[Zero]

Another Goober.

http://www.tvacres.com/images/pyle_goober3.jpg

[Produce man]

Zero=OWNED.

[Clever Login Name]

Here's a bunch of goobers ...

[rootboyslim]

Zero gets pooned so her resorts to name calling. Typical.

[Zero]

Yep. You're a Goober.

http://www.rockingham.k12.va.us/sound_sorting/initial_consonants/y/images/yawn.jpg

[rootboyslim]

Zero/Paper Trail---pooned continuously, can only call names. he has nothing else.

You are either:

1). a complete wuss who was beaten and pounded your entire life, in which case, I truly feel sorry for you, or:

2). a big bully with no self esteem who has spent his entire life growing up fighting with people, verbally or physically, winning most since you pick on people smaller than you, in which case, I hope you pick on the wrong person one day.

What goes around comes around. And how do I know this? I see how you treat people on this board, with such authority and so cocksure. There is no discussion with you. You are 1 or 2.

There you are in a bucket! Good day, now go find another George Lindsey photo.

[Clever Login Name]

I've always considered him to be a great big pile of #2.

[Kace]

Different posters, same computer.

Zero, I like you. But the different person/same computer thing's been used too many times by too many people at too many message boards over the years. So basically what this means is you're either lying about not being Paper Trail (for whatever reason) or you don't have enough sense to make sure you're signed in under your name first.

I'm gonna give you the benefit of the doubt and go with the former, 'cause otherwise people are gonna start pickin' on ya for not havin' enough sense. So your best bet at this point is to just come clean about using the Paper Trail name when you wanna post an article and be done with it. No one'll hold it against you (well, not me anyway) and everything'll be cool.

:hug:

[Paper Trail]

Thune says he won't be McCain's veep choice
By MARY CLARE JALONICK

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said Monday that he's out of the running to be John McCain's vice presidential nominee.

Thune, an early McCain supporter who has been a mouthpiece for the campaign, said he has not given the campaign any personal documents used to vet prospective running mates.

"I've talked to (the McCain campaign) a little bit about the issue but certainly not about me being in that mix," he said of the selection process. "I would say I'm out of the running."

There has been some speculation that Thune, 47, was an attractive prospect for the McCain ticket, partly because of his relative youth and his successful campaign to oust Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota in 2004.

Thune said he will be taking his daughter to her Minnesota college on Friday before he attends the GOP convention in Minneapolis next week. A McCain announcement could come by the end of this week.

He said that Democrat Barack Obama's selection of Delaware Sen. Joe Biden will allow McCain to be freer in his choice of a vice presidential nominee because Obama didn't choose someone who was a Washington outsider or someone who could bring in a lot of electoral votes from their home state.

"I do think it really steps on (Obama's) change message," Thune said of Obama's choice of Biden, who has been in the Senate since 1972.

[Produce man]

How funny. Paper Trail replied with a quote to his/her own alter ego. (ego being the operative word here)Mighty Dickless/Sac Attack do it all the time.

[buckpasser]

Politico.com
Rove tried to kill Lieberman VP pick
By: Jonathan Martin
August 28, 2008 08:32 AM EST

Republican strategist Karl Rove called Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) late last week and urged him to contact John McCain to withdraw his name from vice presidential consideration, according to three sources familiar with the conversation.

Lieberman dismissed the request, these sources agreed.

Lieberman “laughed at the suggestion and certainly did not call [McCain] on it,” said one source familiar with the details.

“Rove called Lieberman,” recounted a second source. “Lieberman told him he would not make that call.”

Rove did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

[Clever Login Name]

Who says Novak can't protect someone's identity?

Avoiding a Lieberman Disaster


WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Reports of strong support within John McCain's presidential campaign for Independent Democratic Sen. Joseph Lieberman as the Republican candidate for vice president are not a fairy tale. Influential McCain backers, plus McCain himself, would pick the pro-choice liberal from Connecticut if they thought they could get away with it.
But they can't get away with it -- and this has been made clear to McCain by none other than Joe Lieberman himself.


Lieberman surely doesn't know that much about Republican politics, but he has close Republican friends. One of them prevailed on Lieberman to tell McCain that a McCain-Lieberman ticket would be a disaster for all concerned, and especially for the GOP.


Actually, Lieberman is a heroic figure among Republicans for having risked his Senate seat to support President George W. Bush's war policy. But aside from the war, he votes the straight liberal line, including pro-choice on abortion. Lieberman's Republican friend told him that the Republicans would leave Minnesota in a state of disarray with a McCain-Lieberman ticket, alienating social conservatives who now make up the core of Republican voters.


At the heart of the desire for Lieberman as running mate is a basic strategic disagreement between the Bush and McCain high commands.


McCain's top strategists argue that the Bush coalition that won the last two presidential elections is dead and must be replaced by a new one that extends to the left, as Lieberman would.
Bush strategists disagree, asserting that McCain is getting around 90 percent of the old Bush vote and can win the election with a few moderates added in.


The Republican operative who urged Lieberman to dissuade McCain from picking him believes that there is still a very useful role for the maverick Democrat in this campaign: as McCain's secretary of state. While an announcement in St. Paul of Lieberman as vice president would bring groans from the assembled Republicans, placing him at the State Department would evoke a standing ovation.


At this writing, nobody knows McCain's choice. He is keeping the selection process secret, and his closest aides are in the dark. Could he still name Lieberman after being told by Lieberman himself that it is not a good idea? Nobody absolutely rules it out.


Selecting a vice presidential nominee from the opposite party has not fared well, partly because the two most prominent such selections quickly succeeded to a vacant presidency.


In 1864, Republican President Abraham Lincoln picked a pro-Union Democrat, Andrew Johnson, as his running mate. Johnson clashed continuously with the Republican Congress and became the first president to be impeached. In 1840, Whig President William Henry Harrison selected Democrat John Tyler for vice president. Tyler became president upon Harrison's death in 1841. Tyler found himself surrounded by old political enemies in a Whig Cabinet.


Those problems might be less serious for Lieberman should he quickly succeed to the presidency, however. He is on intimate terms with the McCain inner circle, especially Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.


Still, Republicans assembling in St. Paul have their fingers crossed that McCain will not press his luck by naming Lieberman as his running mate.


To find out more about Robert D. Novak and read his past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2008 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.

[Pro]

Lieberman? Oh please, please let it be true!! I can't wait to see the look on the right-wingers' faces if McCain selects Lieberman.

[Pro]

But, alas, the last-minute "buzz" is that it's Pawlenty:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26440907/

I was soooo hoping it would have been Lieberman. But maybe the "buzz" is wrong. We'll see.