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[The Chosen One]

My money's on one of those pics being reversed.

Well I know the second pic isn't reversed.

In the first picture his watch is on his left hand. In the second picture his watch also seems to be on his left hand. So there's some consistency. Usually you put your watch on your off hand.

My guess: Obama is right handed (or ambidextrous), both those images are non-reversed, he can shoot a 3 pointer with both hands, therefore he's the man.

 

[Tommie Hu$tle]

NPR a few day back had a segment on left handers and Obama was mentioned in that segment.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1139701

 

[reilo]

Stewart: "Of course after a quick meet and greet with King Abdullah, Obama was off to Israel, where he made a quick stop at the manger in Bethlehem... where he was born."

:lol :lol

Oliver: "OVEEEEER RATED"

:lol :lol

OMG

"Nixon couldn't do it all on his own. He was the Lebron James of corruption."

Daily Show has been ON this week.

 

[Thomper]

Stewart: "Of course after a quick meet and greet with King Abdullah, Obama was off to Israel, where he made a quick stop at the manger in Bethlehem... where he was born."

:lol :lol

Oliver: "OVEEEEER RATED"

:lol :lol

OMG

"Nixon couldn't do it all on his own. He was the Lebron James of corruption."

Daily Show has been ON this week.

It's been obvious that they've had trouble finding ways to make fun of Obama without the audience not laughing at it, and I think that with the Obama Quest stuff they've finally found a way to ridiculise him without alienating the audience.

 

[Farmboy]

Jed Lewison has compiled a wealth of footage featuring McCain on Iraq, from the advent of the war to the present. It's great stuff, deserving of your Diggs (it was actually getting a lot of those, but McCain-supporters started to bury it).

 

[Jason's Ultimatum]

Anyone got a link that specifies the Iraqi surge was to add more troops to provide security so the Iraqi government could come into place? Can't find anything on Wikipedia.

 

[scorcho]

Anyone got a link that specifies the Iraqi surge was to add more troops to provide security so the Iraqi government could come into place? Can't find anything on Wikipedia.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6740122
Jan 8 2007 (two days before the President's address)

To justify it, the president will have to rely on his allies in Congress, including Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Graham argues that an increase in U.S. forces will create conditions that could give the Iraqi government some breathing room to govern.

"A surge of troops is the result of the current strategy not working and it by itself will not lead to a successful outcome, but a precondition to political stability and economic recovery is security," Graham said.

 

[Xisiqomelir]

Old? Vanity Fair Parodies New Yorker Cover.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/07/22/vanity-fair-parodies-new-yorker-cover/

New to me :lol :lol

 

[Jason's Ultimatum]

Thanks. Also, more on the McCain gaffe:

McCain: I don’t know how you respond to something that is such a false depiction of what actually happened. Colonel McFarlane (phonetic) was contacted by one of the major Sunni sheiks. Because of the surge we were able to go out and protect that sheik and others. And it began the Anbar awakening. I mean, that’s just a matter of history. Thanks to General Petraeus, our leadership, and the sacrifice of brave young Americans. I mean, to deny that their sacrifice didn’t make possible the success of the surge in Iraq, I think, does a great disservice to young men and women who are serving and have sacrificed.

As Olbermann himself mentions, the McFarland statement on the Anbar Awakening was issued in September of 2006. The beginning of the Anbar Awakening actually dates to August 2006 when dozens of tribal leaders met in Anbar to plot out an anti-Al Qaeda strategy. The surge did not begin until January 2007 and did not reach fruition until about June 2007.

Poor McCain. Way to start the week. :lol

 

[StoOgE]

Thanks. Also, more on the McCain gaffe:





Poor McCain. Way to start the week. :lol

Yeah this week is backfire total for McCain.

 

[gcubed]

was that the answer that was edited out?

 

[StoOgE]

was that the answer that was edited out?

yes

 

[Tamanon]

was that the answer that was edited out?

Yuppers. Although oddly enough the McCain camp is taking the weird tact of .....sticking with the story!

 

[ToyMachine228]

Poor McCain. Way to start the week. :lol

McCain makes so many of these mistakes it's unbelievable. To me it shows that he really doesn't know all that much and he relies on other people to tell him what's what. And in just about everything other than foreign policy that includes Lobbyists. The guy's just making a fool out of himself everywhere he goes.

 

[gcubed]

Yuppers. Although oddly enough the McCain camp is taking the weird tact of .....sticking with the story!

yeah i went and looked it all up. So Obamas camp noted he was completely wrong, and instead of talking about anything in particular, they start talking about how Obama thought the surge was wrong.

I'm nervous, because it looks like the election is going to be ... TOO easy.

 

[SolidSnakex]

Thanks. Also, more on the McCain gaffe:





Poor McCain. Way to start the week. :lol

Joe Scarborough was all over this on Morning Joe and was defending that comment by saying that without the surge the Anbar Awakening would've never succeeded. Late in the show Wesley Clark came in and absolutely destroyed him on the subject. I hope someone puts up a video because Joe looks really pissed toward the end of it.

 

[worldrunover]

Apparently someone at the Obama camp was watching Olberman last night because they are running with this timeline story today. They found the edited tape and it's been playing in a few places.

 

[maximum360]

Joe Scarborough was all over this on Morning Joe and was defending that comment by saying that without the surge the Anbar Awakening would've never succeeded. Late in the show Wesley Clark came in and absolutely destroyed him on the subject. I hope someone puts up a video because Joe looks really pissed toward the end of it.

Joe hates being wrong. He'll never admit it. He'll just say "ok, ok" and return full circle to his talking points at the end. Rinse, repeat.

 

[Farmboy]

Nice list of McCain's 99 problems:

99. Bush's willingness to talk directly with Iran.
98. Bush's new time "horizon" for troop withdrawals.
97. al-Maliki's endorsement of Obama's Iraq strategy.
96. Obama's headline-dominating foreign tour.
95. His disagreement with the majority of Americans on Iraq.
94. His lack of economic expertise and policy.
93. Obama's $52M June.
92. His $21M June.
91. 29% of the Latino vote.
90. 2% of the black vote.
89. Charles Keating (he'll be back).
88. Vicki Iseman (she'll be back).
87. Randy Scheunemann (he'll be leaving).
86. His band-aid approach to energy (more drilling, more nuclear, a $300M "prize").
85. His band-aid approach to healthcare (tax credits, more competition).
84. His band-aid.
83. Saying things like "I know how to win wars," despite his never having won a war.
82. His wife.
81. His ex-wife.
80. The Hagee/Parsley un-endorsement debacle.
79. An uninspired base.
78. Ape rape.
77. His bff, Joe Lieberman.
76. His claim that Czechoslovakia still exists (it doesn't).
75. His claim that Iran is training Al-Qaeda (they aren't).
74. His claim that Iraq and Pakistan share a border (they don't).
73. His claim that Somalia is the same place as Sudan (it isn't).
72. His claim that Vladimir Putin is the president of Germany (he isn't).
71. 71.
70. The images of 70,000+ screaming Democrats at Invesco Field.
69. Phil Gramm's "nation of whiners" implosion.
68. His unwillingness to call the situation in Afghanistan "urgent."
67. Steve Schmidt's failure to right the ship.
66. A new generation of Evangelicals who don't care what James Dobson thinks.
65. "C-nt."
64. "I hate the gooks."
63. His plan to resurrect Bush's plan to privatize Social Security.
62. The writer's rooms of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.
61. His tarmac birthday party with Bush -- as Katrina made landfall.
60. "General Petraeus goes out there almost every day in an unarmed Humvee."
59. His belief that Americans are better off than they were eight years ago.
58. His "Frankenstein on barbiturates" oratory skill.
57. His beyond-pathetic "Pump" ad, which blames Obama for $4.50 gas.
56. His "Obama Love" ad, which blames the MSM for his terribly-run campaign.
55. His computer illiteracy (c'mon...this is 2008).
54. A tax plan that doesn't even TRY to hide the fact that it's geared toward the wealthy.
53. Bob Barr.
52. Ron Paul.
51. Rupert Murdoch.
50. His gay adoption/marriage high wire acts.
49. His immigration high wire act.
48. His torture high wire act.
47. His drilling high wire act.
46. His tax cuts high wire act.
45. Not churchgoing enough for some evangelicals.
44. Too evangelical for some independents.
43. His temper.
42. "I know what [Iraqis] want."
41. The starlet gap: McCain = Heidi Montag; Obama = Scarlett Johansson.
40. The Facebook gap: McCain = 173K supporters; Obama = 1.17M supporters.
39. His 1983-94 opposition to the Rev. Martin Luther King holiday.
38. His 2008 opposition to the Ledbetter Fair Pay [for women] Act.
37. His 2008 opposition to the G.I. Bill.
36. "100 years."
35. Viagra-gate.
34. His 0% rating from Planned Parenthood.
33. His 0% attendance record for the last six Senate Afghanistan hearings.
32. "Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because her father is Janet Reno."
31. David Plouffe.
30. David Axelrod.
29. Republicans losing elections in traditional GOP strongholds.
28. His October 2002 insistence that victory in Iraq would be "easy."
27. His January 2007 insistence that he never said it would be "easy."
26. A resurgent Taliban.
25. Europe's Obamamania.
24. Kneeling at the feet of Jerry Falwell.
23. His penchant for gaffes.
22. 80% of Americans convinced we're on the wrong track.
21. The National Review calling his campaign strategy "likely to fail."
20. Another terrorist attack on U.S. soil "would be a big advantage to him."
19. Record turnout in the Democratic primaries.
18. A free Osama bin Laden.
17. "Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran."
16. A campaign hierarchy dominated by lobbyists.
15. Suggesting Obama is a "Socialist."
14. The Dow Jones down 2,000 points for the year.
13. Foreclosures soaring, banks failing, and inflation at a 17-year high.
12. Still pushing his ridiculous, Big Oil-friendly gas tax holiday.
11. Being out-raised by Obama 2:1...in West Virginia.
10. His "no" vote on SCHIP (healthcare for poor children) reauthorization.
9. His support for overturning Roe v. Wade.
8. His consistent opposition to minimum wage increases.
7. Obama's 50-state strategy.
6. Al.
5. Bill.
4. Hillary.
3. Mitt.
2. John McCain.
1. George W. Bush.

...but a bitch ain't one*.

*

Spoiler

88, 82, 81, 65, 9 and 4 notwithstanding

 

[SolidSnakex]

Joe hates being wrong. He'll never admit it. He'll just say "ok, ok" and return full circle to his talking points at the end. Rinse, repeat.

He was really going after Mika this morning about the whole issue with Obama and the surge. She kept trying to point out that it's not as simplistic as Joe was trying to make it out to be and that there were various reasons why the violence isn't as high in Iraq now as it once was. Everytime she'd start going into that though he'd start speaking over her until she eventually just gave up and stopped trying to make that point.

 

[polyh3dron]

Obama wants to offer carrots and sticks to Iran.. HES AN APPEASER CHRIS!

 

[sc0la]

My money's on one of those pics being reversed.

but his watch remains on his left hand in both instances

 

[bob_arctor]

I think I read that he's left-hand dominant but ambidextrous.

Woohoo! He's just like me!

 

[GhaleonEB]

http://www.politicalbase.com/profile/Mark Nickolas/blog/&blogId=2838

McCain Made Progress In Only 1 of 11 States In June Where He Spent $16 Million In Ads

Below are the current trend lines from Pollster.com of 10 of these states (West Virginia was the 11th state and there's been no polling to compare). What you'll see is that only in Nevada was McCain able to manage any sort of reversal of momentum. In most states -- especially the big swing states -- McCain continued to lose ground, sometimes considerable ground.

Keep on spending, John.

 

[maximum360]

He was really going after Mika this morning about the whole issue with Obama and the surge. She kept trying to point out that it's not as simplistic as Joe was trying to make it out to be and that there were various reasons why the violence isn't as high in Iraq now as it once was. Everytime she'd start going into that though he'd start speaking over her until she eventually just gave up and stopped trying to make that point.

Well, when Mika stops being ditzy and has a legitimate point on some issue that is standard fare. She then reverts back to being sheepish for the rest of the show. I've never witness Willie objecting to any of those points so he's useless. Joe I can tolerate because I have no illusions about what he's about. "Mr. DLC" on the other hand is a waste of space.

 

[Clevinger]

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0708/Attacking_Obama_at_Yad_Vashem.html

The McCain campaign just blasted out a posting on the campaign blog which essentially calls Obama a flip-flopper...on genocide.

Obama on Genocide

Obama today at Yad Vashem:

“Let our children come here and know this history so they can add their voices to proclaim ‘never again.’ And may we remember those who perished, not only as victims but also as individuals who hoped and loved and dreamed like us and who have become symbols of the human spirit.”

Obama on July 20, 2007:

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama said Thursday the United States cannot use its military to solve humanitarian problems and that preventing a potential genocide in Iraq isn’t a good enough reason to keep U.S. forces there.

“Well, look, if that’s the criteria by which we are making decisions on the deployment of U.S. forces, then by that argument you would have 300,000 troops in the Congo right now — where millions have been slaughtered as a consequence of ethnic strife — which we haven’t done,” Obama said in an interview with The Associated Press.

The filters do seem to be off over there, for better or worse: Attacking your rival while he's visiting a Holocaust memorial, and accusing him of willing complicity in genocide...well, it's a way to get some attention.

 

[StoOgE]

http://www.politicalbase.com/profile/Mark Nickolas/blog/&blogId=2838

McCain Made Progress In Only 1 of 11 States In June Where He Spent $16 Million In Ads


Keep on spending, John.

Nice, so McCains spending does little/no good while Obama builds up a stockpile of cash for September and October (when he should be spending)... sweet.

 

[sc0la]

Obama wants to offer carrots and sticks to Iran.. HES AN APPEASER CHRIS!

app-Peas And Carrots!

 

[PhoenixDark]

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0708/Attacking_Obama_at_Yad_Vashem.html

That's beyond a stretch. Obama's statement on genocide is the typical one every politician gives while touring a site that has gone through it. Yet you won't find many politicians who think any instance of genocide around the world justifies military intervention. It would be nigh impossible - not to mention unproductive - to stretch the military all around the world to combat genocide. This is just McCain trying to stay relevant, and just like his treason accusations it's getting out of hand.

 

[bob_arctor]

....and just like his treason accusations it's getting out of hand.

To say that Barack Obama wants to "lose" in Iraq is completely beyond acceptable standards of political discourse. For Senator McCain to impugn the loyalty and patriotism of a sitting United States Senator while he is overseas to gain some short-term political leverage is beneath the dignity of the office which he holds. This is an act of political desperation and moral cowardice. John McCain should be ashamed of himself and immediately apologize.

Terence O'Rourke
Portsmouth, NH
Iraq veteran
Army
2006-07

Some more responses here

 

[Eric P]

That's beyond a stretch. Obama's statement on genocide is the typical one every politician gives while touring a site that has gone through it. Yet you won't find many politicians who think any instance of genocide around the world justifies military intervention. It would be nigh impossible - not to mention unproductive - to stretch the military all around the world to combat genocide. This is just McCain trying to stay relevant, and just like his treason accusations it's getting out of hand.

watching mccain is kind of sad at this point

it's like watching Vanilla Ice's career.

This campaign is McCain's "Cool as Ice"

 

[siamesedreamer]

Yet you won't find many politicians who think any instance of genocide around the world justifies military intervention.

Obama does and he doesn't. Or something like that. Just gotta test which way the wind is blowing that particular day. From his Nightline interview:

I've always reserved the right, uh, to say---let's say that ethnic, uh, ethnic fighting broke out once again---I've reserved the right to say---I don't--I'm not going to stand idly by if genocide is occurring. I'm not going to stand idly by if vital United States interests are at stake. Um, so in that sense yes, I retain the flexibility anyone who in the job of commander in chief is constantly reassessing facts, risks, and so forth."

 

[GhaleonEB]

That's beyond a stretch. Obama's statement on genocide is the typical one every politician gives while touring a site that has gone through it. Yet you won't find many politicians who think any instance of genocide around the world justifies military intervention. It would be nigh impossible - not to mention unproductive - to stretch the military all around the world to combat genocide. This is just McCain trying to stay relevant, and just like his treason accusations it's getting out of hand.

McCain really is looking kind of pathetic while Obama is out of the country. There's no narrative - just an effort to distract from the news cycle of the day. They really botched how to handle this.

First Read is teasing their new WSJ/NBC poll (the last one was the first post-primary national poll, and had Obama up by 6).

*** Poll alert: Where does the McCain-Obama race stand? Has Obama received a bump from his overseas trip? Do most Americans support a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq? Is Obama a riskier choice than McCain is safe? And how many think the country is on the wrong track? Some answers to these questions will be revealed when the latest NBC/WSJ poll -- the first national survey to come out after Obama departed on his international trip -- is released on NBC Nightly News and MSNBC.com at 6:30 pm ET.

sigh

 

[gcubed]

Obama does and he doesn't. Or something like that. Just gotta test which way the wind is blowing that particular day. From his Nightline interview:

and you sir, are just embarssing. You could have pulled a CBS and edited out the portion of that which hurts your (albeit bad) argument in the first place.

I've always reserved the right, uh, to say---let's say that ethnic, uh, ethnic fighting broke out once again---I've reserved the right to say---I don't--I'm not going to stand idly by if genocide is occurring. I'm not going to stand idly by if vital United States interests are at stake. Um, so in that sense yes, I retain the flexibility anyone who in the job of commander in chief is constantly reassessing facts, risks, and so forth."

 

[BotoxAgent]

the fact that the news media has been so easy on McCain is proving to be hurtful for him in the long run. McCain is untested, now he seems to be very undisciplined and very amateur sounding in his talking points and speeches. He's all over the place.

 

[PhoenixDark]

good lord SD, what would Ryan do :lol

 

[siamesedreamer]

and you sir, are just embarssing. You could have pulled a CBS and edited out the portion of that which hurts your (albeit bad) argument in the first place.

My "bad" argument comes directly from the horse's mouth.

Carry on though...

 

[Steve Youngblood]

As a general question, having not followed the campaigns as closely as I had been, I just wanted to know if McCain has done anything as of late besides try to show contradictions in Obama statements to paint him as a dreaded flip-flopper?

 

[WickedAngel]

As a general question, having not followed the campaigns as closely as I had been, I just wanted to know if McCain has done anything as of late besides try to show contradictions in Obama statements to paint him as a dreaded flip-flopper?

Not really; most of what he says is reactionary. He has nothing new to offer.

 

[gcubed]

My "bad" argument comes directly from the horse's mouth.

Carry on though...

your "bad" argument makes no sense. Genocide or not, any president is going to use miltary action when "vital US interests at stake".

 

[Triumph]

Uh, as someone who hasn't been really keeping up with things, what's up with the "Edwards mistress" thing?

Also, ignore SD people. He means well, he was just raised wrong. Or something. Anyway, he's a Braves fan so he's not 100% evil like ripclawe or a libertarian or something.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

People are saying that Senator Obama’s recent changes of position have made him a flip-flopper.

He’s not!

Flip-floppers only hold one position at a time.

Senator Obama is different: he holds two positions at the same time.

Both ways on banning handguns.

Both ways on public campaign financing.

And now, both ways on withdrawing from Iraq.

He’s ‘Both Ways Barack.’ Worse than a flip-flopper!

Both black and white. What game is he playing!?

 

[Tamanon]

Uh, as someone who hasn't been really keeping up with things, what's up with the "Edwards mistress" thing?

Also, ignore SD people. He means well, he was just raised wrong. Or something. Anyway, he's a Braves fan so he's not 100% evil like ripclawe or a libertarian or something.

Enquirer claims to have finally caught Edwards with his supposed mistress. Nothing else as of yet from Edwards or them, heh.

And really, McCain's camp seems to be flying off the rails. Accusing a sitting senator of supporting GENOCIDE while he's in Israel. That's just....I mean....even Karl Rove thinks that's a bit uncouth.

 

[PhoenixDark]

Uh, as someone who hasn't been really keeping up with things, what's up with the "Edwards mistress" thing?

Also, ignore SD people. He means well, he was just raised wrong. Or something. Anyway, he's a Braves fan so he's not 100% evil like ripclawe or a libertarian or something.

Edwards got caught visiting his mistress...at 2:40 in the morning. What a fucktard. And because you've given me an excuse to post this again:

Kerry talked with several potential picks, including Gephardt and Edwards. He was comfortable after his conversations with Gephardt, but even queasier about Edwards after they met. Edwards had told Kerry he was going to share a story with him that he'd never told anyone else—that after his son Wade had been killed, he climbed onto the slab at the funeral home, laid there and hugged his body, and promised that he'd do all he could to make life better for people, to live up to Wade's ideals of service. Kerry was stunned, not moved, because, as he told me later, Edwards had recounted the same exact story to him, almost in the exact same words, a year or two before—and with the same preface, that he'd never shared the memory with anyone else. Kerry said he found it chilling, and he decided he couldn't pick Edwards unless he met with him again

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1626498,00.html

 

[siamesedreamer]

your "bad" argument makes no sense. Genocide or not, any president is going to use miltary action when "vital US interests at stake".

Clearly he was talking about two seperate things.

 

[StoOgE]

Obama does and he doesn't. Or something like that. Just gotta test which way the wind is blowing that particular day. From his Nightline interview:

except there is a critical difference between allowing genocide to occur in Iraq now (after we destabalized the region and in many ways made said genocide more feasible) and using it as an excuse to overthrow a regime with military force. Especially when said genecide occured in the 1980's while Sadam was our ally.

You are taking a quote completely out of context and trying to apply it to another quote taken out of context.

Barack is correct, if we used regimes commiting genocide and human rights violations as a impetus for war we would have to be fighting too many wars at once including one against China. However, if we destabalize a country and as a result genocide breaks out? Then we have some responsibility there.

Political idealoagies are never 100% black and white, they cant be. Context is everything.

 

[Triumph]

Edwards got caught visiting his mistress...at 2:40 in the morning. What a fucktard. And because you've given me an excuse to post this again:


http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1626498,00.html

Yeah yeah yeah, that Edwards dead son thing is old and has been turfed into the ground, who cares really. But apparently the only source for the Edwards mistress thing is the Enquirer, right? I'm not buying it until I see it sourced somewhere else.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Yeah yeah yeah, that Edwards dead son thing is old and has been turfed into the ground, who cares really. But apparently the only source for the Edwards mistress thing is the Enquirer, right? I'm not buying it until I see it sourced somewhere else.

It's complete tripe. They were the only "press" to report it, because it's not true. They caught Edwards at a hotel...and that was all.

Also, McCain cancels his Q&A with the press today. :lol

Despite the press crowd around Obama, McCain's avail today was the one with more promise to make news:

He hasn't explained what he meant by juggling the timeline on the surge and Awakening (though his staff did the best salvage job possible); whether he meant that Obama was deliberately selling out the country; whether he shares his campaign's grievance with the press; or what he thinks of his staff's genocide-themed attack.

And now he's canceled the avail.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0708/McCain_cancels_avail.html?showall

What a coward.

 

[mckmas8808]

watching mccain is kind of sad at this point

it's like watching Vanilla Ice's career.

This campaign is McCain's "Cool as Ice"

It is getting quite sad. How has Obama been doing today?

 

[StoOgE]

It's complete tripe. They were the only "press" to report it, because it's not true. They caught Edwards at a hotel...and that was all.

Also, McCain cancels his Q&A with the press today. :lol


http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0708/McCain_cancels_avail.html?showall

What a coward.

The best way to win a prsidential election is to avoid press at all costs, right? :lol