Nah, No Crisis Here...

Democrats, in their own words 2004. It speaks for itself...

Finger-Pointing and Fingerprints

Jeff Jacoby from the Boston Globe has an opinion on whose fingerprints are all over the sub-prime mortgage mess and who killed reforms before it affected the economy. While Democrats blame the private-sector for causing the crisis and President Bush for blocking attempts to reign in Fannie and Freddie, the facts prove otherwise.

...while the mortgage crisis convulsing Wall Street has its share of private-sector culprits they weren't the ones who "got us into this mess." Barney Frank's talking points notwithstanding, mortgage lenders didn't wake up one fine day deciding to junk long-held standards of creditworthiness in order to make ill-advised loans to unqualified borrowers. It would be closer to the truth to say they woke up to find the government twisting their arms and demanding that they do so - or else.

The roots of this crisis go back to the Carter administration. That was when government officials, egged on by left-wing activists, began accusing mortgage lenders of racism and "redlining" because urban blacks were being denied mortgages at a higher rate than suburban whites.

Like most left-wing ideas, the solution was to water-down requirements under the guise of "fairness". But when did it become clear to some that the sub-prime mortgage industry was in trouble and might bring the entire economy down?

Time and time again, Frank insisted that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were in good shape. Five years ago, for example, when the Bush administration proposed much tighter regulation of the two companies, Frank was adamant that "these two entities, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, are not facing any kind of financial crisis." When the White House warned of "systemic risk for our financial system" unless the mortgage giants were curbed, Frank complained that the administration was more concerned about financial safety than about housing.

Now that the bubble has burst and the "systemic risk" is apparent to all, Frank blithely declares: "The private sector got us into this mess." Well, give the congressman points for gall.

He's got gall alright.

Bailout Earmark to ACORN??

You have got to be kidding me.

Paul Newman

From AP

Legendary, driven, and genuine, Paul Newman died today of cancer at the age of 93. Beyond his acting career, Newman was an entreprenuer, a racing fanatic, and deeply committed to his wife of 50 years, Joanne Woodward.

It's estimated that Newman's Own brand netted $200 million in charitable donations over the years.

Pop Go the Weasels

There's a great point being made about the questions Sarah Palin has been peppered with in her few interviews. I couldn't put my finger on it, but knew something was odd; something told me I had seen this before.

If you remember the 2000 election, Bush was asked identify the leader of Pakistan - he bumbled the answer. It was the first of many attempts to cast W as clueless on foreign affairs. Likewise, Palin is being subjected to the same style of grilling.

A topic at The Corner, leads you to an article about the Pop-Quiz style questioning intended to trip up Palin. It gives Sarah advice about how to answer the baited questions she continually gets tossed.

"...back to your question. You seem to be implying that if I don't know something you didn't learn about until you were preparing for this interview, somehow that means I'm not qualified for office. I realize you're just doing your job, but don't you think the American people want a leader, not a Jeopardy winner?

"And by the way: Did you ever ask John Edwards that question?"

That kind of a response would end the Double-Jeopardy questioning from the dimwitted Katie Couric and her comrades in a heartbeat.

Despite the Hype, Debate Uneventful

Neither guy hit a home run tonight. Considering Barack just had to hold his own, he succeeded in his task.

Still, the Big O has been sold as this great debater, a brilliant mind. I just don't see it. More importantly, I bet those who are just tuning in may have been disappointed in Barry's lack of quick-witted responses. One thing he's not - the reincarnation of Slick Willie.

McCain was himself; dry and sometimes awkward with words. But he understands the issues related to security and it showed. He capitalized on the rookie's mistakes, though couldn't find the exact phrase to expose them properly.

John's only glaring mistake, the occasional stares into the audience (once with his hand blocking the lights) which made it look like he was searching for a secret sign from an audience member.

There weren't many soundbite-worthy quotes, with one good exception. At this point in the debate, they were discussing when it's appropriate to use diplomacy verses taking action...

An American Carol

The movie Hollywood doesn't want you to see...



It's a spoof of Michael Moore, played by Kevin Farley. Created by David Zucker, the genius behind Kentucky Fried Movie and the Naked Gun . Opens October 3rd.

HT/TP

Bush on the Bailout

The news desks will only give you 30 seconds of the speech Bush gave last night. In all fairness, their formats don't allow more than that. So here's the entire speech.



If you want to cut through the politicking on the issue, learn some history behind the crisis, and the reasoning behind this bailout, it's worth 13 minutes of your time.

Note: No blame or political finger-pointing, although he certainly could have taken advantage of the spotlight to do so.

Chickens and Ducks

Those angry leftists; such short memories.

As soon as Barack Obama won the Democrat nomination for President, John McCain challenged him to a series of debates, town-hall style. If Obama had accepted, we would have had a handful or so already. But Barry ducked the requests.

Now Barry and the O-supporters want to call McCain a chicken for wanting to push back a debate on Barry's weakest issue, and John's strongest, national security. Does that even make sense?

It was an economic collapse which put the final nail in the Soviet coffin - no amount of weapons could save them. In essence, it was a grave security issue. Now, America finds itself in a similar security crisis - heading toward a more socialistic state which would put us in economic collapse.

Instead of accepting the challenge to put aside politics for a few days, Barry is ducking a debate on the financial mess we are in. Why? It's simple. To resolve the issue, we must discuss how we got here. That's a security issue Barry and the Democrats (Chris Dodd, Charlie Rangel, etc.) can't afford to discuss.

For months now, Obama has been ducking debates. They can call McCain what they want, but the 'chickens' are on the left. Walk and chew gum at the same time? How about a discussion about their socialistic plans and how they lead to this economic disaster. Can they handle it?

There is just no reasoning with these people. So let them name-call and act like high-school punks. The facts prove otherwise.

Allyson Schwartz Silence

Utilizing the old Bob Casey Jr trick of saying absolutely nothing in the midst of a campaign, Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz (D-PA 13) is strangely silent these days.

Silent on the bailout, silent on energy solutions, and silent on GOP contender Marina Kats' challenge to debate. Two days and counting - see clock bottom right of page.

Leftist Blogs React to McCain Suspension

"Chicken McCain"
"Grandpa McCain suspends his campaign to take a nap"
"I'm taking my ball and going home"
"Is McCain chickening out of the debate?"

These are just a sampling of the headlines by childish-left PA bloggers as they realize McCain just outsmarted Obama by suspending his campaign to focus on the terms of the bailout.

They probably realize it will reverse the advantage Obama gained over the last few days caused by the financial crisis in the sub-prime lending market (Democrat Social Engineering fingerprints all over it). They probably don't want a real look into what caused this problem. They probably see it will be viewed as an act of leadership by the Republican candidate. They probably wish Barack had done this first.

Otherwise, why else would they react so emotionally; so childishly. Really fellas, you need to grow up.

No links to their comments - I refuse to give them any increased traffic directly.

The Experience of Legends

Here are a few facts about a would-be Vice President...

Under 45 years old
Loves the outdoors
Is an experienced hunter
Took on the Republican establishment
Has many children
Has 2 years of executive experience as Governor

In 2008, such a candidate is considered a political light weight. But in 1900, so was the conventional wisdom toward Teddy Roosevelt.

They mocked Teddy too, as this Wikipedia picture shows. But the leader of America's original progressive movement, is now permenently carved in Mount Rushmore's stone.

HT Ted Taylor

Democrat 'Canard'

From the Wall Street Journal opinion page, is an article by by Charles W. Calomiris and Peter J. Wallison who point out some historical facts behind the sub-prime mortgage crisis.

In light of the collapse of Fannie and Freddie, both John McCain and Barack Obama now criticize the risk-tolerant regulatory regime that produced the current crisis. But Sen. McCain's criticisms are at least credible, since he has been pointing to systemic risks in the mortgage market and trying to do something about them for years. In contrast, Sen. Obama's conversion as a financial reformer marks a reversal from his actions in previous years, when he did nothing to disturb the status quo. The first head of Mr. Obama's vice-presidential search committee, Jim Johnson, a former chairman of Fannie Mae, was the one who announced Fannie's original affordable-housing program in 1991 -- just as Congress was taking up the first GSE regulatory legislation.

In 2005, the Senate Banking Committee, then under Republican control, adopted a strong reform bill, introduced by Republican Sens. Elizabeth Dole, John Sununu and Chuck Hagel, and supported by then chairman Richard Shelby. The bill prohibited the GSEs from holding portfolios, and gave their regulator prudential authority (such as setting capital requirements) roughly equivalent to a bank regulator. In light of the current financial crisis, this bill was probably the most important piece of financial regulation before Congress in 2005 and 2006. All the Republicans on the Committee supported the bill, and all the Democrats voted against it. Mr. McCain endorsed the legislation in a speech on the Senate floor. Mr. Obama, like all other Democrats, remained silent.

Now the Democrats are blaming the financial crisis on "deregulation." This is a canard.

They created this mess when President Jimmy Carter signed the Community Development Act in 1977. During the Clinton administration they pressured lenders to increase CRA (Community Reinvestment Act) ratings. And as shown above, they blocked efforts to fix the current mess, before it became a reality.

Yet they still want to blame Republicans and the Bush policies for the meltdown. Anyone suprised?

Obama-tied PR Firm Behind Palin Smears

Hat tip to The Corner's Katheryn Jean Lopez.

Did the Obama camp hire a PR firm to dig up dirt on Palin? The firm is named Winner and Associates, a division of Publicis Group, one of the world's top 10 PR firms.

If this is true, it must just be typical political tactics, hence no big deal, right? Yeah, maybe not so much.

It's possible this is a clear violation of FEC rules regarding identifying who paid for the messages and announcing their ties (if any) to campaigns - two things the creators did not do.

Ronnie Spectacular

Ronnie Brown and the Miami Dolphins knock Yankee Stadium's curtain call off the front page of ESPN's SportsCenter.


By the numbers...
The Pats 21 game regular season winning streak, an NFL record, ends.
Pats 15 game home winning streak ends.
This is the first week the Patriots have not lead the AFC East, since week 6, 2003
The Dolphins end a 11 game road losing streak.

In Philly, the Birds defense swarmed the Steelers and Correll Buckhalter leaped for the game's only TD as the Eagles chalk up their 2nd win over visiting Pittsburgh. It was a dominating and breath-taking win, although most of the breaths were taken when Brian Westbrook turned his right ankle awkwardly.

Other significant sports happenings...
The US defeats Europe in a convincing 16 1/2 to 11 1/2 win in the Ryder Cup.
The Phils stretch out to a somewhat comfy 1 1/2 game lead in the NL East.
Greg Biffle makes in two in a row by winning at Dover, moving up 6 positions in the cup standings.

...and page13-SFL takes the Ray Nap division lead, thanks to Ronnie Brown.

Race and the Union Vote

An interesting article from Selena Zito at Real Clear Politics.

It seems race will play a role with some voters according to Bill George, Pennsylvania's AFL-CIO leader. But George is responding to his Ohio counterpart's endorsement of John McCain and attempts to draw race parallels.

"We in America like to think we don't have any hang-ups or stereotypes. But because of our history and because of a lot of industrial psychology controlling the masses, people have innate prejudices."

George says that the mind-set of some people in the labor movement regarding race is no different than it is in church groups, or in the Republican Party.

If true, what is he saying about the Democrat's most-loyal voting base? If it's not true, perhaps members actually have real issues with Barack Obama beyond race and, thinking for themselves, reject his ideas.

Additionally, why is this type of mindset equivocated with presumed Republican racism? It seems George is telling us a lot about the core of the Democrat party, but attempts to justify it by accusing Republicans of doing the same. That's weak and eye opening.

The left assumes conservatives are racists, much like they assumed we were sexists. Were being the key word - it became past tense after they witnessed how much Sarah Palin lit the fuse of the GOP base.

Barack's Other Advisor

The other Obama advisor who ran Fannie Mae into the ground, earning millions in the meantime, Jim Johnson.


The rest of the story...
Johnson was also a part of the Vice Presidential search committee. The choice, Joe Biden, banking giant MBNA's best friend.

Obama Advisors and Fannie Mae

The newest McCain ad and our first look at one of two gentleman who controlled Fannie Mae, Frank Raines.

Mentiras en Español

When you have something you must lie about, do it Spanish, no one will notice.

ABC is reporting that an ad by Barack Obama falsely connects John McCain and Rush Limbaugh on the issue of immigration and associates Rush with statements about illegals taken out of context. The problem? The ad ("Dos Caras")was run in Spanish - apparently to hide the outrageous charges contained within.



Of course, anyone who listens to Rush daily would know he and McCain were on opposite sides of the immigration issue and have been for a long time. The quotes attributed to Limbaugh in the ad were taken out of context, as the ABC report points out.

Now to the real issue. The ad proves the complete ignorance of the left. The Obama camp assumed Republicans would never discover the lies. After all, they can't possibly understand Spanish, right?

Palin Email Hacker - Son of a Dem

The apparent hacker of Sarah Palin's email account may be the son of Tennessee State Representative, Mike Kernell.

What a bleeping surprise - yeah, not so much. Tip to Alex at PaWaterCooler.

General Patraeus - A Job Well Done

The Miami Herald is giving General David Patraeus his proper credit. They point to three areas where his efforts have improved the landscape, both militarily and politically, in Iraq.

Quietly hidden at the bottom of the opinion is the following...

Now that the U.S. withdrawal of forces from Iraq has started, it is unlikely to stop until most of the troops have left. The end game has begun.

There's that damn Bush administration, and the heroic American soldiers succeeding again. Any questions now MoveOn.org?

Olbermann, the "editorial page" of NBC

From TVNEWSER, NBC CEO Jeff Zucker sees Keith Olbermann's Countdown as the editorial page of NBC.

"For most of its day [MSNBC] is the rest of the front section of the newspaper and then brings an editorial point of view from its editorial page at 8 o'clock at night,"

It's about time someone in the MSM admits a little bias. In fact he stated he felt "incredibly comfortable" with Olbermann's show. What is it with these guys and tingly feelings for each other?

Unfortunately, Zucker failed to admit that Hardball, the Nightly News, the Today Show, and Meet the Press are just as biased and editorial in nature. They just aren't as blantently obvious about it as Keith.

RightChange.com

If you've been paying attention to any cable news tonight, you've seen this commercial. Describing themselves as non-partisan group for the next generation, not the next election, RightChange.com, has a unique way of making a point.

The Real Culprit - Social Engineering

Here's a few exerpts from an article by Investor Business Daily which shows how we arrived at yesterday's (relatively minor) sell-off on Wall Street.

The untold story in this whole national crisis is that President Clinton put on steroids the Community Redevelopment Act, a well-intended Carter-era law designed to encourage minority homeownership. And in so doing, he helped create the market for the risky subprime loans that he and Democrats now decry as not only greedy but "predatory."

Yes, the market was fueled by greed and overleveraging in the secondary market for subprimes, vis-a-vis mortgaged-backed securities traded on Wall Street. But the seed was planted in the '90s by Clinton and his social engineers. They were the political catalyst behind this slow-motion financial train wreck.

And it was the Clinton administration that mismanaged the quasi-governmental agencies that over the decades have come to manage the real estate market in America.

As soon as Clinton crony Franklin Delano Raines took the helm in 1999 at Fannie Mae, for example, he used it as his personal piggy bank, looting it for a total of almost $100 million in compensation by the time he left in early 2005 under an ethical cloud.

Other Clinton cronies, including Janet Reno aide Jamie Gorelick, padded their pockets to the tune of another $75 million.

Wait a minute! You mean while Janet Reno (of Waco assault and Elian Gonzalez fame) and Jamie Gorelick (creator of the pre 9-11 CIA/FBI wall) were raiding American homes and tying intelligence agency hands behind them, they were getting rich off of low income housing?

There's a political root cause to this mess that we ignore at our peril. If we blame the wrong culprits, we'll learn the wrong lessons. And taxpayers will be on the hook for even larger bailouts down the road.

But the government-can-do-no-wrong crowd just doesn't get it. They won't acknowledge the law of unintended consequences from well-meaning, if misguided, acts.

Prompt Queen

Kudos to Mark Stein at The Corner.

It seems the wise, educated, and articulate Barack Obama isn't performing as well off-prompter as the campaign would like. Barry must abandon the ad-libbing and stay on message.

Unfortunately for Barry, no amount of lip stick - or pretty, scripted words - can disguise his clear ignorance.

Whoopi Concerned of a Return to Slavery

This is why the left is out of their minds.

This segment of The View last week started out as a serious discussion about Roe v Wade. Thanks to Whoopi, it deteriorated into silliness. First at the 1:10 mark, which didn't get recognized, then again at 2:00 she gets her chance.



It proves, once again, the left is clueless as to how America became the greatest nation in the world. They have an unbelievable ignorance of history and what the phrase "strict constructionist" means. Pssst, hey Whoopi, it's not constitutionalists.

The assumption is, of course, conservatives are just evil. The left thinks conservatives want to throw women in jail for abortion - inaccurate at best. And when we are done, we want to bring back slavery - stupidity and ignorance beyond belief. I don't suppose that's the race card being used again, is it?

Shame is, John didn't recognize the problem with her question.

Obama - and his rhetoric - peaked much too soon

Here's a Charles (Hammer) Krauthammer piece courtesy of the Inquirer which takes a look at Obama's rise and his inability to hold on to the high altitude/expectations he reached earlier this year.

He points to 5 key moments (speeches) which have defined Barry's rise and ultimately lead to his fall.

Gallop: Congressional Races Suddenly Competitive

There's more evidence of a strong shift to Republicans since the conventions. Gallup is reporting the gap between Democrats and Republicans on a generic congressional ballot has closed to within 3 points with registered voters.

But once again, with likely voters, the GOP leads 50-45. Enthusiasm from Republican voters is also up.

Intrade is also showing a McCain lead; one he's held since 9-11-08.

The left thought this year was a done deal. But as we enter crunch time, Democrats are struggling to find there voice. They and their supporters, in full panic mode, are turning bitterly negative.

Historically, Americans are turned off by such desperate actions. So don't be surprised if the trends continue the GOP way.

Krauthammer: Palin Right on 'Bush Doctrine'

HT Tony P

I'd like to see The Hammer interview Gibson. It's only fair game don't you think?

Read the entire Krauthammer piece here.

Dear Mr. Obama

One man's message to Barack. Self-produced and profoundly moving. Who is he? You have to watch it to the end to find out.

September 11th

As it was covered...

...page13news will never forget.

If only the beaurocrats would get on with rebuilding the towers. 7 years and it's still a hole in the ground. Sad.

Matt Damon - Just Another Idiot Actor

Matt Damon comparing the Palin pick to a bad Disney movie.

"I wanna know if she thinks dinosaurs were here 4,000 years ago. I wanna know that, I really do, cause she's gonna have the nuclear codes..."

Uh, Matt. Barry is one of those Christians you hate too. Are you concerned about his view on creation as well?

A strong, successful, driven, no-nonsense woman...no wonder Matt is so scared.



HT JB

Qaddafi on Obama

Courtesy of Sweetness and Light, Libyan dictator Mu'ammar Qaddafi talks about Barack Obama's real faith, an infiriority complex which may make Barry act 'Whiter than White', and recent flip on Iraq.

The juicy quote...

There are elections in America now. Along came a black citizen of Kenyan African origins, a Muslim, who had studied in an Islamic school in Indonesia. His name is Obama.

All the people in the Arab and Islamic world and in Africa applauded this man. They welcomed him and prayed for him and for his success, and they may have even been involved in legitimate contribution campaigns to enable him to win the American presidency.

But we were taken by surprise when our African Kenyan brother, who is an American national, made statements that shocked all his supporters in the Arab world, in Africa, and in the Islamic world. We hope that this is merely an elections “clearance sale,” as they say in Egypt – in other words, merely an elections lie.

It seems to me Mu'ammar is expecting or at least hoping for a special kind of cooperation from the change agent.

Bridge to Exaggeration

Another day, another Democrat/media/leftist-blogger exaggerated controversy. Who says so? The Dems in Alaska.

HT to View from the Ridge, an Alaskan blogger who has the story the MSM won't cover.

Specifically, the Democrats in Alaska credited the State of Alaska (Sarah Palin) with killing the bridge to nowhere. So said (key word) their website until yesterday. The comments were promptly pulled when they started receiving attention.

A link within their comments points out that Palin, in September of 2007, said the following,

"Ketchikan desires a better way to reach the airport, but the $398 million bridge is not the answer," Gov. Sarah Palin said in a prepared statement.

Thanks to the diligence of Ridgeliner, it's also noted that both Obama and Biden voted against an October 2005 amendment by Senator Tom Coburn that would have shifted funds from Alaska's bridge and to Katrina-ravaged New Orleans a month after the disaster. McCain did not vote on the measure.

So while Sarah may have supported her state receiving funds initially, the two Democrats actually voted to keep it. I wonder if New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin is aware of that juicy tid-bit?

The Original Mavericks

MSNBC - Olbermann and Matthews Bye-Bye

From the Washington Post, MSNBC is replacing the pair as hosts of their live political coverage because they are too opinionated (try biased). That's good news except David Gregory - not exactly fair or balanced himself - will be replacing them.

The article didn't mention if both Obama cheerleaders were going to lose their prime-time and Sunday morning shows, but one can hope.

Don't let the door hit you in the rear-end fellas!

McCain Opens Double Digit Lead

HT to Alex at PAWaterCooler. USA Today/Gallup poll shows McCain with a 50-46 lead over Barack Obama amongst registered voters.

However, when you look at likely voters later in the article, the poll shows McCain with a 54-44 lead. Contrast that with the same poll (see RealClearPolitics charts here) taken at the end of the Democratic convention, where Barry held a 7 point lead. Prior to both conventions, the poll showed Obama with a 3 point lead.

Obama's bounce of 4 points following the DNC convention pales to the McCain/Palin bounce of 17 after the GOP had the chance to set the record straight.

Ladies and gentleman, the tide has turned.

Jersey Bloggers Convention

Rather than sit home yesterday and watch coverage of the remnants of hurricane Hanna, I trekked up the Jersey turnpike to attend a regional right wing blogger gathering.

RightOnline, the conservative version of Netroots (the Daily KOS), held a one-day seminar in the shadows of a cloud-covered Big Apple.

Sponsored by Americans for Prosperity and hosted by former Garden State republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Lonegan, the event attracted over 150 Jersey bloggers and a few from neighboring states.

John Fund, of the Wall Street Journal and author of Stealing Elections - How Voter Fraud Threatens Our Democracy, educated the attendees about the realities of the American electorate, Obama's experience, and what Democrats have planned for this years election.

Phil Kerpen (Philkerpen.com) is a contributing editor for National Review Online, director of policy for AFP, and chairman of the Internet Freedom Coalition. Kerpen covered energy, taxes, spending, global warming, and internet regulation; issues key in this election cycle.

Matt Lewis of Townhall.com explained how the blogosphere has influenced the direction of elections and has a way of changing the tone of a debate. Citing examples such as Monica Lewinski, Trent Lott, George Allen, Harriet Myers, and the rumored origin of Michele Obama's so-called "whitey" remarks, Lewis explained to the attendees how much impact bloggers have made already.

Also presenting were former pro wrestler Michael Illions of Conservatives with Attitude, Bill Beutler of New Media Strategies, and Virgil Huston.

Event organizer Erik Telford gave the audience tips on blogging and video production. Fellow Keystone-stater, Aaron Marks of Three Group, LLC, talked about the critical role of social media and how political organizations can and have benefited from these networking opportunities.

Trent Seibert, best known for exposing the truth about the energy efficiency of Al Gore's house (NRO's story), spoke about investigative reporting and where information on public officials (and their donors) can be found.

Ralph Banko wrapped up the event with insight into his new book, The Websters Dictionary - How to use the Web to Transform the World. The book aims to educate even rookie bloggers how to maximize the power of the web.

Many thanks to Steve Lonegan for being a gracious host, including a fantastic barbecue at his home after the event despite the rain.

The national meeting for RightOnline will be held October 10th and 11th in Washington, D.C.. Expect page13news to be in the crowd.

A Convention that Sparked the GOP

I don't usually turn to Time magazine for a good story on the GOP, but this one is different.

Though dotted with typically inaccurate views of conservatives, it's still worth the read.

McCain's Crowning Moment

The tone was different on the RNC's final night of their abbreviated convention.

The buzz was still all about the new rock star in politics, Sarah Palin.

Lindsey Graham and Tom Ridge did a fine job setting the table. Cindy McCain was stellar in her heartfelt speech about the man she married.

A few leftist wackos tried to spoil the event, but the crowd promptly drown them out. Pssssst, they're losing their minds folks!!

Not sure if the teleprompter was working tonight, but honestly who cared? The GOP doesn't need a flawless speech by an egotistical used-car salesman to win voters.

Instead, we choose to keep it real. WE GET IT.

I'm not going to hide my initial disappointment in John McCain being this party's choice. But tonight he proved why he should be elected president.

John wasn't afraid to deal the republican party a little tongue lashing. And while McCain could use a lashing himself on certain issues, he rightly stated that the GOP lost its trust from the voting public when it strayed from its (I don't know if he realizes he said it) conservative stances. Still, he tried to distance himself from the current republican brand.

Then he got into the "specifics on issues" that so many leftists asked for. He contrasted his PLAN to the failed policies of liberalism and their current poster boy.

He spoke openly and honestly about the direction government has taken and about specific ideas to fix them.

"Education", he stated, "is the civil rights issue of this century. What's the value of access to failed schools? ...empower parents with CHOICE...and help bad teachers find another line of work!!!!!!"

"We're going to stop sending money to countries that don't like us very much. We're going to start drilling off-shore, and start drilling now!! We'll invest in more nuclear power, wind, hydro, as well as alternative fuel industries. This will create new opportunities and jobs for the next generation."

He left foreign affairs to the end, noting Russian empire re-emergence and the war on terror. "We can't turn a blind eye to aggression. We face a lot of threats around the world, but I'm not afraid of them, I'm prepared for them."

"I hate war", he said, "but my obligation is to keep the country I love safe...and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't thank God for that privilege".

The final third of the speech was brilliant! Measured, full of common sense and personal stories. Not over the top with insults and one-liners. McCain took the high road, he finally looked like a true leader to me.

John put the unofficial nail in coffin tonight. Combined with Sara-cudda's speech the night before, the GOP has changed the tone of this race. The left won't recognize it until the polls tell them officially, but unless something unforseen takes place, it's over.

The GOP didn't need 4 nights to make their point - turns out they only needed two.

Megan Kelly Exposes US Weekly Editor

"A Star is Born"

The energy in the room (from my living room vantage point) was electric.

She started flawlessly, ended brilliantly. She's got a sense of humor and a firm grip on reality. She's got a nasty little snarl; one I'm sure her detractors will get to see a lot of in the coming years.

They thought she lacked depth, they were wrong. She's sweet, yet tough. They thought she lacked substance, they were wrong. They thought she was just a stewardess, they were ignorantly WRONG. They thought she was an uptight conservative christian...oooooooo, sorry, WRONG!!

Quotes I'll take from this classic speech...

Every woman (I add, not just Liberal Dems) can walk through the door of opportunity.

I guess a small-town mayor is sorta like a community organizer, except you have actual responsibilities.

The difference between a hockey mom and pit-bulls...lipstick!!

Al-Queda wants to inflict catastrophic harm on Americans, and he's (Obama) worried that someone won't read them their rights.

Barack Obama has had the time to write two memoirs, but no time to write meaningful legislation.

Let's be clear, there's just one man in this election who's every really fought for you.

There are some politicians who use change to promote their careers, and some who use their careers to promote change.

When the cloud of rhetoric has passed, when the roar of the crowd fades away, when the stadium lights go out, and those styrofoam Greek columns head back to Hollywood...and after he's done parting the waters and healing the planet...the answer (from Obama) is to make government bigger.

She had the audience in her hand and the MSM by the balls. I could almost hear Keith Olbermann choking.

Newt on Target

HT to Stop the ACLU via gunservatively.

Newt, always quick on his feet, responds to the ignorant question on the Obama aide's (eh, MSNBC's) mind.

RNC Convention First Half

Hurricane Gustav threw a curve ball at the GOP, so the first night of the convention was scaled back, leaving last night as the first opportunity for voters to hear from the right side of the aisle.

The bigger event on opening night came from "anarchists" (I put the quotes because the MSM is convinced Dems wouldn't do this) who attempted stir up a little news of their own. To their dismay, I'm sure, Gustav stole the headlines from them as well.

Night two, Fred Thompson, Presdient Bush, and former Democrat VP choice Joe Lieberman addressed the - I have to admit, unimpressive - audience.

Fred was fired up, but I can only wonder why he wasn't this energetic on the campaign trail. W called McCain "ready to lead" - an obvious link back to John's ads which portray Obama as not so ready. Lieberman's theme was to convince marginal Democrats to cross party lines because, "country is more important to me than party".
All good, not great, speeches.

However, these are clearly just the prequel to the main event - Palin.

Each one of my non-political friends still see Sarah as a lightweight. No doubt she will have a lot of attentive eyes tonight. She could make or break the entire convention, not to mention the fall election, with tonight's speech.

Son of a...

More bad news for Democrats.

Let me decipher for you. It's good news for the country.

Here's how Democrats Joe Biden, Harry Reid, John Murtha, Jim Webb, Chuck Schumer, saw the issue...

And my personal favorite, Keith Olbermann with a 10-plus minute Special Comment when Bush announced the surge.



...it's special alright!

And yet today, Olbermann feels he's credible enough to scrutinize Sarah Palin's resume? I guess ESPN knew what kind of fraud they were letting go.

Big Event Saturday

There's a big event in the New York metro region this weekend. No, it's not the Dolphins/Jets game - Farve v Pennington 1 will take place in Miami. The Giants and Redskins will play Thursday, so that's not it.

Ah, you may be saying, Phillies/Mets 4pm Saturday at Shea? Good guess, but wrong.

RightOnline, the conservative version of Netroots, will hold its second convention in 6 weeks this Saturday in the shadows of the Big Apple. The Wall Street Journal's John Fund and Matt Lewis of Townhall.com are among the notable guests who will be attending.

The first convention, held in Austin, TX in July, was attended by over 500 bloggers and right wing activists. There's a good chance the numbers in the megalopolis will be higher.

Following the event, I suggest Philly-area bloggers head over to Flushing Meadows to see what sort of trouble we can create with Mets fans. I'm searching for tickets now. Of course a trip to Greenwich Village could be just as interesting.

Remote Control

Palin's Daughter Expecting

Multiple sources on this one.

Sarah Pailin's 17 year old daughter is pregnant.

Bank on the usual suspects making jokes and attempting the ah-ha tactic, like one childish page13 reader did earlier today. Forget that it's a 17 year old, there's blood in the water. Never mind the personal issues the family has to deal with, the left will surely attack the Palin family for political gain.

Oh, by the way. She's keeping the baby and will marry the father. More than most of her critics would ever consider. That would be too inconvenient for them.

It's the Experience, STUPID!

Here's a more in-depth look at the comparison between the cover girl who would be one heartbeat from the presidency and the community organizer who wants the position immediately.

Sarah Palin vs. Barack Obama AUDACITY OF TRUTH

HT Yardo