WHY KEN ADELMAN ENDORSED OBAMA

From TheAtlantic.com: Ken Adelman further explains why he is voting for Obama:
"I've considered myself less of a partisan than an ideologue. I cared about conservative principles, and still do, instead of caring about the GOP.
"Granted, McCain's views are closer to mine than Obama's. But I've learned over this Bush era to value competence along with ideology. Otherwise, our ideology gets discredited, as it has so disastrously over the past eight years."
Read more about why he endorsed Obama.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The late, great Molly Ivins quotes George W. Bush in one of his "Bushisms":

"What I am against is quotas. I am against hard quotas, quotas they basically delineate based upon whatever. However they delineate, quotas, I think vulcanize society. So I don't know how that fits into what everybody else is saying, their relative positions, but that's my position."

Zztopdog: How could any thinking person have ever voted for this moron?!

VOTE FOR HOPE

Thanks to My Life with Dogs for this video.

COLIN POWELL ENDORCES OBAMA

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell told NBC's Meet the Press he backs Barack Obama "because of his ability to inspire, because of the inclusive nature of his campaign, because he's reaching out all across America, because of who he is."

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

By John Amato, from Crooks and Liars:
"McCain calls Obama a Socialist, but McCain voted for the Bail Out and wants to spend government money on the mortgage crisis."

Um, sure, makes sense to me....

YOU THINK AYERS IS BAD...

From Liberaland, via Crooks and Liars:
It appears that John McCain’s transition chief worked for Saddam Hussein.
Murray Waas reports:
William Timmons, the Washington lobbyist who John McCain has named to head his presidential transition team, aided an influence effort on behalf of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein to ease international sanctions against his regime.

This is the same William Timmons who earned $260,000 this year representing Freddie Mac before its lobbying activities were halted by the government bailout.
The two lobbyists who Timmons worked closely with over a five year period on the lobbying campaign later either pleaded guilty to or were convicted of federal criminal charges that they had acted as unregistered agents of Saddam Hussein's government.
During the same period beginning in 1992, Timmons worked closely with the two lobbyists, Samir Vincent and Tongsun Park, on a previously unreported prospective deal with the Iraqis in which they hoped to be awarded a contract to purchase and resell Iraqi oil. Timmons, Vincent, and Park stood to share at least $45 million if the business deal went through.
Timmons' activities occurred in the years following the first Gulf War, when Washington considered Iraq to be a rogue enemy state and a sponsor of terrorism. His dealings on behalf of the deceased Iraqi leader stand in stark contrast to the views his current employer held at the time.
John McCain strongly supported the 1991 military action against Iraq, and as recently as Sunday described Saddam Hussein as a one-time menace to the region who had "stated categorically that he would acquire weapons of mass destruction, and he would use them wherever he could."

WHY DO THE PALINS HATE AMERICA?

From Barry Eisler's Heart of the Matter:
"Imagine the reaction if Michelle Obama had belonged to a political party that advocated secession from America, a party whose founder ranted, 'The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government... And I won't be buried under their damn flag... I'm not an American... I've got no use for America or her damned institutions.'
"And imagine if Barack Obama had attended that party's conventions, even after swearing his oath of office to uphold the Constitution.
"But wait, this has nothing to do with the Obamas -- it's all about the Palins! For seven years, Todd Palin was a member of this party -- the 'Alaska Independence Party' -- and Sarah Palin repeatedly attended its annual conventions, even after she had been sworn in as Alaska's governor. The quotes above are from the party's founder, Joe Vogler.
"So where are Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, and Peggy Noonan, the ardent defenders of America from the radicals who hate our freedoms and attack our values? Maybe these patriotic pundits just haven't heard about the Palins and their connection to the Alaska Independence Party? Because if they knew, I'm sure they'd be upset.
"I hope someone will tell them so they can expose the Palins for the America-hating radicals they are -- terrorist appeasers who pal around with people who despise our country and hate our freedoms!
"Please cut and paste or otherwise forward this message to every patriotic, country-first, red-blooded American you know -- I'm sure they'd want to know that the Palins have been palling around with people who hate America so much they want Alaska to be a separate country."

LIBERALAND HATE MAIL

From Alan Colmes' Liberaland Hate Mail:

From: Raven
Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2008 10:25 PM
To: Alan
Subject: YOU ARE………………………………………………….

ALLEN COLMES,

YOU ARE THE MOST DUMBEST SON OF A BITCH IN THE WORLD!!!!!

NO I WOULD KILL MY SELF IS I WAS KIN TO YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YOU NEED TO GET OFF OF THE SHOW, AS YOU DUMB BASTARD,CAN NOT EVEN
ASK A QUESTION WITHOUT MAKING A FOOL OF YOURSELF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YOU AND OBAMA AND BIDEN NEED TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY TOGETHER AND
GO TO RUSSIA AND LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I HAVE SEEN DUMB PEOPLE IN MY LIFE, BUT YOU TAKE THE CAKE !!!!!!!

EVERY TIME I TRY TO WATCH THE SHOW, WHEN YOU TALK I GET SICK,
YOUR VOICE SOUNDS LIKE A QUEER TALKING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NO OBOMA FOR PRESIDENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WE DON’T NEED TO LEARN TO SPEAK RUSSIA..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ALLEN, I AM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN, AND I LOVE MY FREEDOM!!!!

GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS FOR KEEPING OUR FREEDOM, AND GIVING YOU THE
RIGHT TO ACT LIKE A DUMB BASTARD ON TV. AND RADIO…
GET OFF THE SHOW PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ECO DRIVING

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No matter what you drive, you can reduce carbon dioxide and save money - right now. Here's how to start.

HANDY LATIN PHRASES

From Excused Lame, for the "Elitists" who visit this blog:

Non calor sed umor est qui nobis incommodat.
It's not the heat, it's the humidity.

Di! Ecce hora! Uxor mea me necabit!
God, look at the time! My wife will kill me!

Estne volumen in toga, an solum tibi libet me videre?
Is that a scroll in your toga, or are you just happy to see me?

Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
The designated hitter rule has got to go.

Caesar si viveret, ad remum dareris.
If Caesar were alive, you'd be chained to an oar.

Animadvertistine, ubicumque stes, fumum recta in faciem ferri?
Ever noticed how wherever you stand, the smoke goes right into your face?

Sona si Latine loqueris.
Honk if you speak Latin.

Si Hoc Legere Scis Nimium Eruditionis Habes
If you can read this you're over-educated

Mihi ignosce. Cum homine de cane debeo congredi.
Excuse me. I've got to see a man about a dog.

Raptus regaliterRoyally screwedSi hoc signum legere potes, operis boni in rebus Latinus alacribus et fructuosis potiri potes!
If you can read this sign, you can get a good job in the fast-paced, high-paying world of Latin!

Gramen artificiosum odi.
I hate Astroturf.

Nihil curo de ista tua stulta superstitione.
I'm not interested in your dopey religious cult.

Noli me vocare, ego te vocabo.
Don't call me, I'll call you.

Fac ut gaudeam.
Make my day.

Braccae illae virides cum subucula rosea et tunica Caledonia-quam elenganter concinnatur!
Those green pants go so well with that pink shirt and the plaid jacket!

Visne saltare? Viam Latam Fungosam scio.
Do you want to dance? I know the Funky Broadway.

Re vera, potas bene.
Say, you sure are drinking a lot.

Utinam barbari spatium proprium tuum invadant!
May barbarians invade your personal space!

Utinam logica falsa tuam philosophiam totam suffodiant!
May faulty logic undermine your entire philosophy!

Radix lecti
Couch potato

Quo signo nata es?
What's your sign?

O! Plus! Perge! Aio! Hui! Hem!
Oh! More! Go on! Yes! Ooh! Ummm!

Mellita, domi adsum.
Honey, I'm home.

Tam exanimis quam tunica Nehru fio.
I am as dead as the Nehru jacket.

Ventis secundis, tene cursum.
Go with the flow.

Totum dependeat.
Let it all hang out.

Te precor dulcissime supplex!
Pretty please with a cherry on top!

Magister Mundi sum!
I am the Master of the Universe!

Fac me cocleario vomere!
Gag me with a spoon!

Estne volumen in toga, an solum tibi libet me videre?
Is that a scroll in your toga, or are you just happy to see me?

Prehende uxorem meam, sis!
Take my wife, please!

Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Recedite, plebes! Gero rem imperialem!
Stand aside plebians! I am on imperial business.

Vescere bracis meis.
Eat my shorts.

Fac ut vivas.
Get a life.

IS JOHN McCAINCIENT REALLY OUR FRIEND?

By Erica Jong on the Huffington Post:
"My day began with Ben Bernanke putting the American public to sleep with his woolly explanation of the financial 'rescue' package. I tried to understand his logic but with my 401(k) halving then quartering, my concentration was hardly the best. George W. Bush performed the coup de grace on the Dow and the NASDAQ, making it clear to me that my husband and I would be working well into our nineties. What excellent preparation for the Obama/McCain debate!
"Why are these debates so incredibly boring? Is it the questions framed by committee? Is it Tom Brokaw trying to exude gravitas? Is it John McCain telling us constantly he is our friend while he grimaces in a way that is friendly to no one? Or is it Barack Obama keeping his cool despite all the idiotic lies and provocations?
"My admiration for Obama has grown. Not only for his lucid intelligence, his excellent preparation, his understanding that eight years of deregulatin' dudes (as Sarah Palin might put it) has accelerated this financial mess, but also his amazing ability not to grunt, sigh or punch his opponent. When McCain lies with a straight face and pretends he has never had anything to do with the GOP, I'd slug him. But Obama is a prince among debaters. He just smiles elegantly and awaits his chance for a reasonable response. His calm blows me away. I'd hate to debate him. I'd be raising my voice and tearing my hair (as we did at Jewish dinner tables on the Upper West Side when I was a kid) but he'd be cool as the proverbial cucumber. He will make a great president. His temperament is superb.
"McCain looks old and ill to me. He seems to have no circulation under his papery white skin. He always looks like he is suppressing a fart. He has no cool at all. Even though he tried to correct his curmudgeonly reputation tonight, he was unconvincing. It seemed as if he had taken a Valium and it was wearing off. I wouldn't trust him to look into Vladimir Putin's eyes anymore than I trusted George W. Bush. He's the bomb-bomb King, no question. Erratic and rageful, condescending and insincere, he seemed to be auditioning to play Simon Legree in an antebellum bodice ripper.
"And why did he run from the stage while Michelle Obama and Barack greeted the folks? Was he afraid of retribution? Or possibly a hair transplant?
"Or maybe I just mistrust men with comb-overs."

POCK-I-STAHN

By Steve Benen in The Washington Monthly:
"ONLY ELITISTS CARE ABOUT PRONUNCIATION.... Barack Obama pronounces 'Pakistan' correctly, with a soft 'a,' just like a lot of people who know what they're talking about, including Gen. David Petraeus. Apparently, having completely run out of compelling policy arguments to make, some high-profile conservatives have decided to make this their latest campaign hobbyhorse.
"This came after the National Review's Kathryn Jean Lopez posted an email that argued, '[N]o one in flyover country says Pock-i-stahn. It's annoying.'
"The inanity of what the right decides to whine about never ceases to amaze me. That Obama's pronunciation is accurate is irrelevant. Mispronunciation apparently makes some conservatives feel better about themselves, and raises doubts about candidates who care to get this right. 'Elites' care about country names; real Americans don't."

THE PALIN DEBATE FLOW CHART

From the Daily Kos, via Cynical-C:

SO, McCAINCIENT WANTS TO FIGHT DIRTY...

By Ari Melber, from The Washington Independent:
"When the McCain campaign announced this weekend that it would start attacking Sen. Barack Obama via guilt by association, peddling smears about people he barely knows, I thought the tack would lead to the Keating Five. But I didn’t know it would happen this quickly.
"The Obama campaign swung into action immediately. By the time the Sunday news shows were taping, Democratic surrogates were hitting McCain with opposition research on his associations with extremist, racist groups (Begala) and the Keating Five (Emanuel). Today, of course, camp Obama is pushing a new Keating Economics website, which begins streaming a documentary about McCain’s Keating problem at noon.
"Obama’s campaign has never pushed the Keating button before, so this attack carries an original punch–and is clearly salient given the current financial crisis. Because the scandal involved McCain’s actions in public service, it is more likely to arise during the remaining two debates.
"McCain’s dredging up of Bill Ayers, in contrast, is not only old news but has no link to anything Obama has done in public life. Patrick Ruffini, a Republican operative who worked on Bush’s reelection campaign, said today that McCain’s Ayers attacks are so old that airing them now 'appears desperate.'
"Desperate and risky — given the corrupt skeletons in McCain’s closet."

ANN COULTER CALLS BIDEN A COOTY-HEAD

From Badtux, the Snarky Penguin:

"Ah yes, Republican maturity...!

VP DEBATE

After watching the first half-hour of the debate, I had to get out of the room for a while - I was getting such a headache. One can only listen to the canned Republican mantra for only so long.... Senator Biden did very well, and came across as a very knowledable, likeable man.