3/29/08

John McCain: The Panamanian president Americans have been waiting for?

Everyone focuses on the message this campaign ad might say about Obama...

The voice-over then concludes, “John McCain: The American president Americans have been waiting for.”

It’s that last line that’s probably the most provocative.

Obama, of course, delivered a speech on Super Tuesday that said, “We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.” The McCain ad, meanwhile, argued that McCain is the “American president Americans have been waiting for.”

So, why use the word “American” twice in the same sentence? Media consultants, especially when creating presidential campaign ads for the general election, don’t waste so much as a syllable. The sentence would have sounded just fine if it said, “John McCain: The president Americans have been waiting for.” But the campaign wanted to add that one extra word.

Michael Crowley noted:

That’s an awfully conspicuous formulation when your opponent has been accused of being unpatriotic and of murky foreign origin. All the more so given that it echoes Obama’s line, “we’re the ones we’ve been waiting for.” Am I reading too much into it?

I don’t think so.

Maybe... BUT they forget the fact that McCain has so many campaign flaws that need to be reformed in the eyes of the republican wing nuts. Stuff like the fact that John Sidney McCain was born in Panama and, theoretically, may not legally be eligible to become president of the USA, nor how his birth in his native homeland of Panama plays out to anti-immigrant voters:

Can Foreign Born John McCain Be President?

The fact that John McCain was born in a foreign land has even the McCain campaign scrambling for legal cover:
Mr. McCain’s likely nomination as the Republican candidate for president and the happenstance of his birth in the Panama Canal Zone in 1936 are reviving a musty debate that has surfaced periodically since the founders first set quill to parchment and declared that only a “natural-born citizen” can hold the nation’s highest office.

The phrase “natural born” was in early drafts of the Constitution. Scholars say notes of the Constitutional Convention give away little of the intent of the framers. Its origin may be traced to a letter from John Jay to George Washington, with Jay suggesting that to prevent foreigners from becoming commander in chief, the Constitution needed to “declare expressly” that only a natural-born citizen could be president.

Ms. Duggin and others who have explored the arcane subject in depth say legal argument and basic fairness may indeed be on the side of Mr. McCain, a longtime member of Congress from Arizona. But multiple experts and scholarly reviews say the issue has never been definitively resolved by either Congress or the Supreme Court.
Just some food for thought as conservatives seem to be on their way to nominating the first Panamanian born candidate for President of the United States of America. Not that he is likely to win, but I wonder if McCain is related to Manuel Noriega?


There is always the possibility that this message is supposed to be some kind of message to their own base as well as the possible undertones directed towards Obama in this typical GOP type campaign ad.

3/27/08

Get Paid To Blog on Politics?

Come on... I keep posting these positions for you Bloggers and a good part of Connecticut is well within the commuting distance to NYC:

Looking For That Special Someone

We're hiring a new reporter.

--Josh Marshall


Need more details?

Job Opening at TPM

Starting today, we're announcing a job opening for a reporter-blogger at TPMmuckraker. The new hire will be one of two full-time reporter-bloggers for the site. There is no deadline for applications. We'll be hiring as soon as we find the right person. If you're interested please send a resume, two clips and a letter describing your interest and qualifications for the job to talk (at) talkingpointsmemo.com with the subject line "TPMmuckraker Job".

This is a full-time position, with health care. The reporter-blogger will report from either New York or Washington, DC., depending on the applicant.

If you've already expressed interest in the position informally, please submit an application as described above.

To learn more about what we do at TPM and what we've accomplished in the last year, see these news reports on TPM from 2007. And thanks to our readers who make all of this possible.

For many of you that are more than qualified to do this job... What are you waiting for?

Also, TPM media is (almost) always looking for interns. Get some great experience and learn from what is a truly top-notch news organization:

TPM interns are vital to our operation and have a hand in everything we do. They work alongside our reporters to write and break stories, help our editors keep a finger on the pulse of the news day, and produce all kinds of digital media from youtube clips to mash-up photographs. Some of our interns have gone on to jobs here at TPM, others have moved on to jobs in new and old media alike, working for Think Progress, The Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, The New York Sun, and more. To learn more about what we do at TPM and what we've accomplished in the last year, see these news reports on TPM from 2007.

Because each intern is encouraged to work in multiple parts of our operation, it's important that applicants have a basic understanding of new media technologies (blogging, youtube, etc.) and a desire and ability to learn quickly. All internships are unpaid and based in TPM's New York City office.

To apply for any of our internships, send an email to talk at talkingpointsmemo.com with a cover letter, resume and two references. Include in the email subject "TPM Internship."

Spring 2008 Internship

Our Spring 2008 Internship runs from mid-March to early June. We will be accepting three or four full time interns. Part-time interns may be considered.

Applications are due on February 8th.

Summer 2008 Internship

Our Spring 2008 Internship runs from early June to late August. We will be accepting four or five full time interns. Part-time interns will not be considered.

Applications are due on March 21st.

Rolling Internships (Intern now!)

At any given time, it is always possible that we could use a smart person in the office to replace a lost intern or help us manage the ever-growing mountain of muck and news. If you're available to come in sooner than the beginning of the next internship cycle begins, let us know.

Think about it... A crash course in political reporting during what will be one heck of an exciting election cycle! And from one of the best political news organizations out there.

About the only disadvantage to the reporting job or the internships I can think of is that you would no longer be able to Blog naked. I am not the only one that does that, am I? :)

3/26/08

John McCain's MASSIVE Credibility Gap

Questions on John "The Bruce McQueen" McCain's credibility from Kevin Drum that the media really needs to address, but instead of just generalizing about the MSM... Perhaps we need to direct this to each of the slack-jawed media bobblehead stenographers individually to get their attention:

Come on Tim Russert:

How about this Brian Williams:

And you Wolf AIPAC Blitzer:

Just for you Britt Hume:

For David Gregory:
  • Straight talking cred lets him get away with brutally slandering Mitt Romney in the closing days of the Republican primary.

Maybe Greg Stephanopolous could cover this:
  • Maverick uprightness cred allows him to get away with begging for endorsements from extremist religious leaders like John Hagee.

And for Chris Matthews:
  • "Man of conviction" cred allows him to get away with transparent flip-flopping so egregious it would make any other politician a laughingstock.

How about this topic Joe Scarborough:
  • Anti-torture cred allows him to get away with supporting torture as long as only the CIA does it.

Everyone wants to know:

Remind me again: where does all this cred come from? And what window do Democrats go to to get the same treatment the press gives McCain?
So....

Do any of you media types have what
it takes to present a truly unbiased look at
John McCain's MASSIVE credibility gap
on almost every single topic he pushes
into your media talking points?

If any of these issues came up for a candidate on the Dem side it would be on an endless media loop and the lead story on every political wonks show...

3/25/08

Visit Republican Roger Stone's Swingers Club

Josh Marshall from TPM brings up some interesting questions concerning where Roger Stone was when he got his info on Elliot Spitzer... And he would like you to go visit the place to see what you can find at the swingers club called Miami Velvet:
Sure you know about Eliot Spitzer's hooker-gate implosion. But did long-time Spitzer nemesis and GOP dirty trickster Roger Stone grease the skids for Spitzer's downfall with information he learned while chillin' at a Miami swingers club? In today's episode of TPMtv we bring you all the lurid details:


If you are thinking of visiting (just to help Josh out with research, of course!), remember that it is an "On Premise" club... Meaning people will likely be having sex there in public view and in more private rooms, as well. Just don't expect to find Stone there. I am guessing that Roger Stone will no longer be welcomed at Miami Velvet since he has broken one of their "Swingers Rules To Live By For a Guaranteed Great Time" as listed on their website:
Demand absolute discretion! And be worthy of the same. Discretion is paramount in this lifestyle! Privacy is imperative!!! Never, ever discuss details inappropriately. Everything you do, everything you see, MUST remain private. Miami Velvet has a saying, "Everything you see here, Everything you hear here, must remain here when you leave here".
In fact, Roger Stone may find that he will no longer be welcome at any swingers clubs having broken this rule. Obviously, swingers cannot count on his absolute discretion. Is there a certain amount of irony in the possibility of a Republican being left with the one option of having sex with only their spouse? Just Curious?

Given the fact that he is just another typical Republican, they should have known that he could not EVER be trusted. lol

Comparing Joe neocon Lieberman To A Dog?

Jeff Huber, at ePM, may want to be careful because the SPCA could come after him for animal abuse with a comparison like this:
It must be a kick in the head to base your claim to the presidency on your savvy in foreign affairs only to have it get out that Joe Lieberman knows more about them than you do. I bet it’s a lot like how I feel when my dog corrects my grammar in front of people.

3/24/08

4000 Dead American Soldiers In Iraq



4000 Dead American Soldiers In Iraq...
The overall U.S. death toll in Iraq rose to 4,000 after four soldiers were killed in a roadside bombing in Baghdad, a grim milestone that is likely to fuel calls for the withdrawal of American forces as the war enters its sixth year.

The American deaths occurred Sunday, the same day rockets and mortars pounded the U.S.-protected Green Zone in Baghdad and a wave of attacks left at least 61 Iraqis dead nationwide.

As reported in the Seattle times article, Overall US Death Toll in Iraq Hits 4,000, for which the title seems to ignore the hundreds (thousands?) of mercenaries that have died, as well.



One soldier was wounded in the attack:
The four soldiers died when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb while on patrol late Sunday in southern Baghdad, bringing the overall toll to 4,000, according to an AFP tally based on independent website www.icasualties.org.

Another soldier was wounded in the attack, a military statement said.

The chaotic and brutal conflict which is now in its sixth year has also wounded more than 29,000 American soldiers, according to icasualties.org.

At least 97 percent of the deaths occurred after US President George W. Bush announced the end of "major combat" in Iraq on May 1, 2003, as the military became caught between a raging anti-American insurgency and brutal sectarian strife unleashed since the toppling of Saddam.

Bear in mind the reality that over one million Iraqis have died since "shock and awe" began indiscriminately killing Iraqis.



And all of this over a pack of lies sold to you by the criminal bush administration...
I know, we went to Iraq to bring the Democracy, to stop the terrorists over there so we wouldn't have to fight them over here, and all that other nonsense.

Fortunately, there are some (not the corporate media) who will keep history alive and accurate.

Please, if you have an hour and feel the need to "purge", take the time to review the case for war as made by the Bush Administration in all of its glory.

I only wish this was required viewing for every candidate running for office today, and after viewing it, each candidate were to have to address their vote (if they voted) or their public stands.