Open Thread

John emailed the picture below of a kiosk, which sells political paraphernalia, at Dulles International Airport. John asked why they had more McCain stuff (mugs, t-shirts, buttons etc) than Obama stuff for sale. He got a simple answer: They can't keep the Obama stuff in stock:
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Home sales hit 10 year low

And like the jobs report, this report on existing home sales was also worse than the forecasts.

The National Association of Realtors reported that sales dropped by 2.6 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.86 million units, a 10-year low.

That was more than double the decline that had been expected and left sales 15.5 percent below where they were a year ago.

The downward slide in sales depressed prices, too. The median price for a home sold in June dropped to $215,100, down by 6.1 percent from a year ago. That was the fifth largest year-over-year price drop on record.

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Sure, the insurance industry wants to hear from you. Sure.

This week, the health insurance industry started its public relations campaign to convince the American people that the American people really don't want health insurance reform. Yeah, trust them. Just like you can trust your insurance company every time they have a problem. Almost everyone I know has some horror story of dealing with their insurance company. They're in the business to deny coverage -- but, now they want you to think they're on your side. As if. The insurance front group, America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), is launching, get this, a "listening tour."

This all started because of Health Care for America Now, the uber-coalition fighting for universal health care coverage. That coverage won't happen unless the insurance industry is reigned in. That means the insurance companies are going to spend massive amounts to defeat health care legislation.

Part of the insurance industry's p.r. campaign is a toll-free number -- 800-289-1136 -- for all of you to call with your ideas. One problem: Just like the industry they represent, no one answers the phone:

You've got to say this for the folks at AHIP, they're authentic. This is just like calling a health insurance company. No one is ever available.

No doubt, the health insurance lobby is going to spend a fortune to kill reform. They're going to be hiring a lot of lobbyists -- including Democratic lobbyists -- to defeat health care for all. In fact, the industry has already hired one Democratic organizer:

Field staffers will organize volunteers and work with local leaders in up to 20 states. To run the grass-roots activity, AHIP hired Beth Leonard, who was John Edwards’ state director in New Hampshire during his recent presidential campaign.

How one goes from Edwards to AHIP is beyond me. How any Democrat can take money to fight health insurance reform is also beyond me. But, plenty will. Read More......

McCain claimed Iraq was "the first major conflict since 9/11" -- ignoring the war in Afghanistan, where the 9/11 attackers were based

Okay, maybe the punditry will finally start paying attention to McCain's constant screw ups on basic foreign policy issues. They should, because this is one big error uncovered by the Cenk Uygur. Yesterday, he called the war in Iraq "the first major conflict since 9/11." As Cenk wrote:

Was Afghanistan not major enough for him? It almost reminds you of when Don Rumsfeld was not impressed with invading Afghanistan because it did not provide a rich enough target environment. He needed something more major.

In all likelihood, this was a simple mental mistake for McCain, among a litany of others recently. But it does go toward state of mind. They never saw Afghanistan as a priority.

Now, McCain did manage to work in a reference to 9/11, which makes his gaffe even worse. We went to war in Afghanistan directly because of 9/11. The masterminds of the 9/11 attack were operating in Afghanistan. They're still out there because McCain supported Bush's war in Iraq, which had nothing to do with 9/11.

This pattern of basic errors by McCain is becoming quite disconcerting. Read More......

Coburn's GOP colleagues being tested by Harry Reid's "Coburn Omnibus"

From Josh Orton at MyDD, who knows how things operate in the Senate, comes this analysis of which GOP Senators have been willingly rolled by their obstructionist colleague, Tom Coburn. These are the Republican Senators who will either side with their own policy initiatives or side with Tom Coburn. Harry Reid is giving them that choice:

And since many of the bills were bipartisan, quite a few Republican Senators will find themselves in the awkward position of either voting for the legislation they introduced, or selling out their constituencies to play politics and vote with Coburn.

Here, in no particular order, is a list of such Senators, and the legislation they partnered on:

Senator Thad Cochran - introduced - Stroke Treatment and Ongoing Prevention Act (S. 999/HR 477)

Sen. Christopher S. Bond - introduced - Vision Care for Kids Act (HR 507/S. 1117)

Sen. Sam Brownback- introduced- Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act (S. 1810/HR 3112)

Sen Domenici, Pete V - introduced - Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Reauthorization and Improvement Act (S. 2304/HR 3992)

Sen Vitter, David - introduced - Enhancing the Effective Prosecution of Child Pornography (S. 2869/HR 4136)

Sen Lugar, Richard G. - introduced - Reconstruction and Stabilization Civilian Management Act (HR 1084/S. 613)

Sen Coleman, Norm - introduced - Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization Act (HR 1678/S. 840)

Sen Stevens, Ted - introduced - Ocean Exploration, Mapping & Research (HR 1834/HR 2400/S. 39)

Sen Snowe, Olympia J. - introduced - Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act (S. 950/HR 2342)

Sen Voinovich, George V. - introduced - Appalachian Regional Development Act Amendments of 2008 (S. 496)

Coburn blocked every one of those bills - and every one of them will be in Reid's package next week.

This is going to be interesting to watch. You know Reid is really sticking it to the Republicans when the above-the-fold headline of the Moonie Times screams "Bill jeered as omnibus earmark full of pork: Coburn vows to thwart Reid on $11 billion in pet projects." In fact, it's Coburn and his fellow Republicans who are being thwarted.

And, isn't it more than a little creepy that David Vitter has any legislation dealing with porn? Read More......

Poll: Latinos favor Obama by big margin

Funny, I remember the corporate media telling us how Obama was gonna have real trouble with Latinos because Hillary won them by such an overwhelming margin. I recall at the time that Joe and I kept saying that just because someone votes for Hillary in the primary doesn't mean they'll vote for McCain in the general election. And what do you know? We were right. Read More......

McCain criticizes Obama for giving foreign speech -- despite having done the same thing last month himself

UPDATE: Here the video. NBC's Kelly O'Donnell is particularly annoying. She seems a tad obsessed with the propriety of Obama's large event today herself.

_____________________________

Remember, last month, when McCain gave the campaign speech in Canada? Most of us remember. McCain doesn't:

In his interview with NBC's Kelly O'Donnell, which will air on NBC's Nightly News tonight, McCain questions whether Obama should have given a speech in Berlin before becoming president.

"I would rather speak at a rally or a political gathering any place outside of the country after I am president of the United States," McCain told O'Donnell. "But that's a judgment that Sen. Obama and the American people will make."

However, on June 20, McCain himself gave a speech in Canada -- to the Economic Club of Canada -- in which he applauded NAFTA's successes. An implicit message behind that speech was that Obama had been critical of the trade accord. Also, McCain's trip to Canada was paid for by the campaign.

Just another small gaffe by the GOP nominee. McCain doesn't have to deal with facts. He can just make things up. Read More......

My interview with former Greek Foreign Minister George Pandreou

When I was in Greek last week attending the Symi Symposium, I got to interview former Greek Foreign Minister, and the current opposition party leader, George Papandreou. We only had about 15 to 20 minutes, so I kept it to three main topics. The first, socialism. Papandreou's party, PASOK, is a socialist party. What's more,Papandreou is the president of the Socialist International. To an American raised during the Cold War, both of those facts raise some eyebrows. So I asked Papandreou to explain to an American audience why we shouldn't be concerned when we hear that he's a "socialist." We then talked about Iraq, and finally about Barack Obama. I split the tape into three parts, each about 5 to 9 minutes long. Click below to watch each segment:

1. Socialism (also embedded below)

2. Iraq'

3. Barack Obama

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John McCain's week-long temper tantrum

You won't like him when he's angry.

· McCain Ad: Obama Is Responsible For Rising Gas Prices. "McCain is launching a new television ad that blames Democratic rival Barack Obama for rising gasoline prices. The ad, airing on national cable and in 11 battleground states, argues that the cost of fuel is rising because of opposition to oil drilling in the United States." [AP, 7/21/08]

· McCain Ad: Obama Voted Against Funding For Our Troops. "Just as Sen. Barack Obama was preparing for his first major overseas trip as a presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain released an attack ad on foreign policy. 'Barack Obama never held a single Senate hearing on Afghanistan,' an announcer states. 'He hasn't been to Iraq in years. He voted against funding our troops — positions that helped him win his nomination. Now Obama is changing to help himself become president. John McCain has always supported our troops and the surge that's working.'" [Politifact, 7/21/08]

· McCain Said That "Obama Would Rather Lose A War In Order To Win A Political Campaign"; Time Columnist Joe Klein Wrote That That Is The Most "Scurrilous Statement" He's Ever Seen, "Smacks Of Desperation" And "Renews Questions About Whether McCain Has The Right Temperament For The Presidency." "John McCain said this today in Rochester, New Hampshire: 'This is a clear choice that the American people have. I had the courage and the judgment to say I would rather lose a political campaign than lose a war. It seems to me that Obama would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign.' This is the ninth presidential campaign I've covered. I can't remember a more scurrilous statement by a major party candidate. It smacks of desperation. It renews questions about whether McCain has the right temperament for the presidency. How sad." [Joe Klein, Time Magazine, 7/22/08]

· McCain Web Ad Linked Obama To Castro. The Politico noted that a new McCain web ad displays side-by-side photos of Obama and Fidel Castro, with the caption: "FIDEL CASTRO Thinks he [Obama] is 'the most advanced candidate.'" [Politico, 7/24/08]

· McCain Adviser Said That The Obama Campaign's Attempt To Point Out That McCain Had His Facts Wrong On The Anbar Awakening Undermines "The American Troops And Their Sacrifice And Their Effort." According to Talking Points Memo, "Now we have a McCain surrogate explaining away McCain's flubbing of the Anbar Awakening and surge timing by saying that asking for the truth about Iraq undermines the troops." McCain adviser Nancy Pfotenhauer said "Barack Obama and his supporters can try to litigate what came first or what was crucial, but that's really an attempt to undermine the significance and the impact of the American troops and their sacrifice and their effort." [Talking Points Memo, 7/23/08]

· The McCain Campaign Implied That Obama's Commitment To Preventing Genocide Was Not Sincere And Attacked Him For His Comments At An Appearance At The Israeli Holocaust Memorial. "The McCain campaign implied on Wednesday that Barack Obama's commitment to preventing a future genocide was not sincere, attacking the Democratic candidate during his appearance at the Israeli Holocaust Memorial Yad Vashem. In an early morning press release, entitled Obama on Genocide," McCain aide Tucker Bounds emailed reporters a quote from Obama's appearance in which the Illinois Democrat reiterated the cry "never again." He followed that quote with one taken a year ago from an interview that the Senator gave with the Associated Press in which he said that genocide or humanitarian crises were not a prerequisite for keeping U.S. troops in Iraq." [Huffington Post, 7/23/08; McCain release, 7/23/08]

· McCain's Campaign Released A Video Documentary Attacking Obama That Concludes That Obama's Position On Iraq Are Shaped By "Whatever The Politics Demand." "John McCain's presidential campaign today released a new video entitled 'The Obama Iraq Documentary: Whatever the Politics Demand.' Examining his many statements on Iraq over the last several years, the video is a timeline of Barack Obama's political positioning on the most critical national security issue America faces today. As the video concludes, Barack Obama's positions on Iraq are shaped by 'whatever the politics demand.'" [McCain release, 7/17/08]

· McCain Said Obama Has The "Most Extreme" Record In The Senate And When Asked If He Though McCain Was A Socialist, Said "I Don't Know." McCain said Obama had the "most extreme" record in the Senate. Asked later if he thought Obama was an extremist, McCain said: "His voting record … is more to the left than the announced socialist in the United States Senate, Bernie Sanders of Vermont." Does McCain think Obama is a socialist? "I don't know. All I know is his voting record, and that's what people usually judge their elected representatives by." [Kansas City Star, 7/18/08]

· McCain Aides Said They Have Every Intention Of Continuing Their Attacks On Obama On His Overseas Trip. "Senator John McCain tends to follow the old adage 'politics ends at the water's edge,' but his aides tell CNN they have every intention of continuing their attacks on Obama while the presumptive Democratic nominee is on his overseas trip." [CNN, 7/19/08]

· McCain Said Obama Is "Someone Who Has No Military Experience Whatsoever." "Standing next to his fellow naval aviator on Walker's Point in Kennebunkport, McCain reminds reporters that Obama is "someone who has no military experience whatsoever." [Politico, 7/21/08]

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Obama's speech in Berlin

Remarks of Senator Barack Obama (as prepared for delivery)
“A World that Stands as One”
July 24th, 2008
Berlin, Germany

Thank you to the citizens of Berlin and to the people of Germany. Let me thank Chancellor Merkel and Foreign Minister Steinmeier for welcoming me earlier today. Thank you Mayor Wowereit, the Berlin Senate, the police, and most of all thank you for this welcome.

I come to Berlin as so many of my countrymen have come before. Tonight, I speak to you not as a candidate for President, but as a citizen – a proud citizen of the United States, and a fellow citizen of the world.

I know that I don’t look like the Americans who’ve previously spoken in this great city. The journey that led me here is improbable. My mother was born in the heartland of America, but my father grew up herding goats in Kenya. His father – my grandfather – was a cook, a domestic servant to the British.

At the height of the Cold War, my father decided, like so many others in the forgotten corners of the world, that his yearning – his dream – required the freedom and opportunity promised by the West. And so he wrote letter after letter to universities all across America until somebody, somewhere answered his prayer for a better life.

That is why I’m here. And you are here because you too know that yearning. This city, of all cities, knows the dream of freedom. And you know that the only reason we stand here tonight is because men and women from both of our nations came together to work, and struggle, and sacrifice for that better life.

Ours is a partnership that truly began sixty years ago this summer, on the day when the first American plane touched down at Templehof.

On that day, much of this continent still lay in ruin. The rubble of this city had yet to be built into a wall. The Soviet shadow had swept across Eastern Europe, while in the West, America, Britain, and France took stock of their losses, and pondered how the world might be remade.

This is where the two sides met. And on the twenty-fourth of June, 1948, the Communists chose to blockade the western part of the city. They cut off food and supplies to more than two million Germans in an effort to extinguish the last flame of freedom in Berlin.

The size of our forces was no match for the much larger Soviet Army. And yet retreat would have allowed Communism to march across Europe. Where the last war had ended, another World War could have easily begun. All that stood in the way was Berlin.

And that’s when the airlift began – when the largest and most unlikely rescue in history brought food and hope to the people of this city.

The odds were stacked against success. In the winter, a heavy fog filled the sky above, and many planes were forced to turn back without dropping off the needed supplies. The streets where we stand were filled with hungry families who had no comfort from the cold.

But in the darkest hours, the people of Berlin kept the flame of hope burning. The people of Berlin refused to give up. And on one fall day, hundreds of thousands of Berliners came here, to the Tiergarten, and heard the city’s mayor implore the world not to give up on freedom. “There is only one possibility,” he said. “For us to stand together united until this battle is won…The people of Berlin have spoken. We have done our duty, and we will keep on doing our duty. People of the world: now do your duty…People of the world, look at Berlin!”

People of the world – look at Berlin!

Look at Berlin, where Germans and Americans learned to work together and trust each other less than three years after facing each other on the field of battle.

Look at Berlin, where the determination of a people met the generosity of the Marshall Plan and created a German miracle; where a victory over tyranny gave rise to NATO, the greatest alliance ever formed to defend our common security.

Look at Berlin, where the bullet holes in the buildings and the somber stones and pillars near the Brandenburg Gate insist that we never forget our common humanity.

People of the world – look at Berlin, where a wall came down, a continent came together, and history proved that there is no challenge too great for a world that stands as one.

Sixty years after the airlift, we are called upon again. History has led us to a new crossroad, with new promise and new peril. When you, the German people, tore down that wall – a wall that divided East and West; freedom and tyranny; fear and hope – walls came tumbling down around the world. From Kiev to Cape Town, prison camps were closed, and the doors of democracy were opened. Markets opened too, and the spread of information and technology reduced barriers to opportunity and prosperity. While the 20th century taught us that we share a common destiny, the 21st has revealed a world more intertwined than at any time in human history.

The fall of the Berlin Wall brought new hope. But that very closeness has given rise to new dangers – dangers that cannot be contained within the borders of a country or by the distance of an ocean.

The terrorists of September 11th plotted in Hamburg and trained in Kandahar and Karachi before killing thousands from all over the globe on American soil.

As we speak, cars in Boston and factories in Beijing are melting the ice caps in the Arctic, shrinking coastlines in the Atlantic, and bringing drought to farms from Kansas to Kenya.

Poorly secured nuclear material in the former Soviet Union, or secrets from a scientist in Pakistan could help build a bomb that detonates in Paris. The poppies in Afghanistan become the heroin in Berlin. The poverty and violence in Somalia breeds the terror of tomorrow. The genocide in Darfur shames the conscience of us all.

In this new world, such dangerous currents have swept along faster than our efforts to contain them. That is why we cannot afford to be divided. No one nation, no matter how large or powerful, can defeat such challenges alone. None of us can deny these threats, or escape responsibility in meeting them. Yet, in the absence of Soviet tanks and a terrible wall, it has become easy to forget this truth. And if we’re honest with each other, we know that sometimes, on both sides of the Atlantic, we have drifted apart, and forgotten our shared destiny.

In Europe, the view that America is part of what has gone wrong in our world, rather than a force to help make it right, has become all too common. In America, there are voices that deride and deny the importance of Europe’s role in our security and our future. Both views miss the truth – that Europeans today are bearing new burdens and taking more responsibility in critical parts of the world; and that just as American bases built in the last century still help to defend the security of this continent, so does our country still sacrifice greatly for freedom around the globe.

Yes, there have been differences between America and Europe. No doubt, there will be differences in the future. But the burdens of global citizenship continue to bind us together. A change of leadership in Washington will not lift this burden. In this new century, Americans and Europeans alike will be required to do more – not less. Partnership and cooperation among nations is not a choice; it is the one way, the only way, to protect our common security and advance our common humanity.

That is why the greatest danger of all is to allow new walls to divide us from one another.
The walls between old allies on either side of the Atlantic cannot stand. The walls between the countries with the most and those with the least cannot stand. The walls between races and tribes; natives and immigrants; Christian and Muslim and Jew cannot stand. These now are the walls we must tear down.

We know they have fallen before. After centuries of strife, the people of Europe have formed a Union of promise and prosperity. Here, at the base of a column built to mark victory in war, we meet in the center of a Europe at peace. Not only have walls come down in Berlin, but they have come down in Belfast, where Protestant and Catholic found a way to live together; in the Balkans, where our Atlantic alliance ended wars and brought savage war criminals to justice; and in South Africa, where the struggle of a courageous people defeated apartheid.

So history reminds us that walls can be torn down. But the task is never easy. True partnership and true progress requires constant work and sustained sacrifice. They require sharing the burdens of development and diplomacy; of progress and peace. They require allies who will listen to each other, learn from each other and, most of all, trust each other.

That is why America cannot turn inward. That is why Europe cannot turn inward. America has no better partner than Europe. Now is the time to build new bridges across the globe as strong as the one that bound us across the Atlantic. Now is the time to join together, through constant cooperation, strong institutions, shared sacrifice, and a global commitment to progress, to meet the challenges of the 21st century. It was this spirit that led airlift planes to appear in the sky above our heads, and people to assemble where we stand today. And this is the moment when our nations – and all nations – must summon that spirit anew.

This is the moment when we must defeat terror and dry up the well of extremism that supports it. This threat is real and we cannot shrink from our responsibility to combat it. If we could create NATO to face down the Soviet Union, we can join in a new and global partnership to dismantle the networks that have struck in Madrid and Amman; in London and Bali; in Washington and New York. If we could win a battle of ideas against the communists, we can stand with the vast majority of Muslims who reject the extremism that leads to hate instead of hope.

This is the moment when we must renew our resolve to rout the terrorists who threaten our security in Afghanistan, and the traffickers who sell drugs on your streets. No one welcomes war. I recognize the enormous difficulties in Afghanistan. But my country and yours have a stake in seeing that NATO’s first mission beyond Europe’s borders is a success. For the people of Afghanistan, and for our shared security, the work must be done. America cannot do this alone. The Afghan people need our troops and your troops; our support and your support to defeat the Taliban and al Qaeda, to develop their economy, and to help them rebuild their nation. We have too much at stake to turn back now.

This is the moment when we must renew the goal of a world without nuclear weapons. The two superpowers that faced each other across the wall of this city came too close too often to destroying all we have built and all that we love. With that wall gone, we need not stand idly by and watch the further spread of the deadly atom. It is time to secure all loose nuclear materials; to stop the spread of nuclear weapons; and to reduce the arsenals from another era. This is the moment to begin the work of seeking the peace of a world without nuclear weapons.

This is the moment when every nation in Europe must have the chance to choose its own tomorrow free from the shadows of yesterday. In this century, we need a strong European Union that deepens the security and prosperity of this continent, while extending a hand abroad. In this century – in this city of all cities – we must reject the Cold War mind-set of the past, and resolve to work with Russia when we can, to stand up for our values when we must, and to seek a partnership that extends across this entire continent.

This is the moment when we must build on the wealth that open markets have created, and share its benefits more equitably. Trade has been a cornerstone of our growth and global development. But we will not be able to sustain this growth if it favors the few, and not the many. Together, we must forge trade that truly rewards the work that creates wealth, with meaningful protections for our people and our planet. This is the moment for trade that is free and fair for all.

This is the moment we must help answer the call for a new dawn in the Middle East. My country must stand with yours and with Europe in sending a direct message to Iran that it must abandon its nuclear ambitions. We must support the Lebanese who have marched and bled for democracy, and the Israelis and Palestinians who seek a secure and lasting peace. And despite past differences, this is the moment when the world should support the millions of Iraqis who seek to rebuild their lives, even as we pass responsibility to the Iraqi government and finally bring this war to a close.

This is the moment when we must come together to save this planet. Let us resolve that we will not leave our children a world where the oceans rise and famine spreads and terrible storms devastate our lands. Let us resolve that all nations – including my own – will act with the same seriousness of purpose as has your nation, and reduce the carbon we send into our atmosphere. This is the moment to give our children back their future. This is the moment to stand as one.

And this is the moment when we must give hope to those left behind in a globalized world. We must remember that the Cold War born in this city was not a battle for land or treasure. Sixty years ago, the planes that flew over Berlin did not drop bombs; instead they delivered food, and coal, and candy to grateful children. And in that show of solidarity, those pilots won more than a military victory. They won hearts and minds; love and loyalty and trust – not just from the people in this city, but from all those who heard the story of what they did here.

Now the world will watch and remember what we do here – what we do with this moment. Will we extend our hand to the people in the forgotten corners of this world who yearn for lives marked by dignity and opportunity; by security and justice? Will we lift the child in Bangladesh from poverty, shelter the refugee in Chad, and banish the scourge of AIDS in our time?

Will we stand for the human rights of the dissident in Burma, the blogger in Iran, or the voter in Zimbabwe? Will we give meaning to the words “never again” in Darfur?

Will we acknowledge that there is no more powerful example than the one each of our nations projects to the world? Will we reject torture and stand for the rule of law? Will we welcome immigrants from different lands, and shun discrimination against those who don’t look like us or worship like we do, and keep the promise of equality and opportunity for all of our people?

People of Berlin – people of the world – this is our moment. This is our time.

I know my country has not perfected itself. At times, we’ve struggled to keep the promise of liberty and equality for all of our people. We’ve made our share of mistakes, and there are times when our actions around the world have not lived up to our best intentions.

But I also know how much I love America. I know that for more than two centuries, we have strived – at great cost and great sacrifice – to form a more perfect union; to seek, with other nations, a more hopeful world. Our allegiance has never been to any particular tribe or kingdom – indeed, every language is spoken in our country; every culture has left its imprint on ours; every point of view is expressed in our public squares. What has always united us – what has always driven our people; what drew my father to America’s shores – is a set of ideals that speak to aspirations shared by all people: that we can live free from fear and free from want; that we can speak our minds and assemble with whomever we choose and worship as we please.

These are the aspirations that joined the fates of all nations in this city. These aspirations are bigger than anything that drives us apart. It is because of these aspirations that the airlift began. It is because of these aspirations that all free people – everywhere – became citizens of Berlin. It is in pursuit of these aspirations that a new generation – our generation – must make our mark on the world.

People of Berlin – and people of the world – the scale of our challenge is great. The road ahead will be long. But I come before you to say that we are heirs to a struggle for freedom. We are a people of improbable hope. With an eye toward the future, with resolve in our hearts, let us remember this history, and answer our destiny, and remake the world once again. Read More......

When are a series of major mistakes just "a series of small gaffes"? When John McCain makes them

Probably the biggest joke of the campaign was the recent effort by the Republicans to complain about Obama's media coverage. McCain has been getting a free ride from the press corps for months. The so-called "dean" of the political punditry, David Broder, basically said McCain can make mistakes and we don't care -- because the insiders all know McCain:

McCain benefits from a long-established reputation as a man who says what he believes. His shifts in position that have occurred in this campaign seem not to have damaged that aura.

And, apparently, all of McCain's recent mistakes haven't damaged that aura either. Hence, this paragraph buried in today's Washington Post:

McCain also made a series of small gaffes this week, referring to the "Iraq-Pakistan border" and later to the country of "Czechoslovakia," neither of which exist. And his mistaken comment yesterday that the troops increase in Iraq began a movement called the Awakening, which started months before the military buildup, forced a day of explanations from his campaign.

A series of small gaffes? On foreign policy? McCain's alleged strong suit? It's a small gaffe when McCain claimed that the surge produced a result it didn't?

This wouldn't be "a series of small gaffes" for any candidate for whom the media didn't have great affection (i.e., a Democrat). The aura would be gone. Read More......

Obama, live from Berlin, around 1pm Eastern - watch it here

Video of the speech can be viewed at Jedreport.

More lameness from the Washington Post:

Barack Obama isn't speaking in Berlin until 1:15 eastern time today but the crowds are already massing. Rumors are that one million people could show up although Obama himself dismissed such suggestions, telling reporters: "I doubt we're gonna have a million screaming Germans."

A huge crowd today could be a mixed blessing for Obama. On the one hand, it is a potent symbol of the excitement his candidacy has caused worldwide. On the other, thousands and thousands of cheering Germans may not play well stateside.

A million screaming Germans? What is that supposed to mean? And while, yes, Americans don't like fur-ners telling us how to vote, this would be the first time that anyone in the media, to my knowledge, has suggested that Obama's raucous world tour has the chance to hurt him. Sure, it's John McCain's line - though, funny, McCain didn't mind doing his own world tour in March, and then again a few weeks ago. Maybe the Post would be happier if no one showed up for Obama, that would go over much better with the American people. Whatever. Obama claimed the mantel of commander in chief this week. Deal with it. Read More......

Conservatives go bonkers over "esprit decor" if gays are let into the military

Absolutely hilarious hearing yesterday in the House about the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy that kind of sort of bans gays from serving in the US military. Dana Milbank's coverage is a must-read. Here are some highlights:

Donnelly was followed by Jones, a tough-talking businessman who suggested that the military's tradition of "selfless service" would be undermined by gay men and lesbians. "In the military environment, team cohesion, morale and esprit de corps is a matter of life and death," he said. His written statement spelled it "esprit decor"; it also warned of "a band of lesbians that harassed new females," and noted his own military experience when "the only way to keep from freezing at night was to get as close as possible for body heat -- which means skin to skin."

Funny, I'd have thought a few more gays would help the esprit decor, at the very least. Now watch Iraq vet Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA) weigh in during the hearing, it's good:

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An interactive guide to the White House's crimes and misdemeanors

Great new interactive guide to corruption in the Bush White House. From Slate. (You'll need to go the site and click the image to make it work.)

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Jobless claims well above forecast

A sign that we're not through with this, regardless of what Wall Street would like us to believe.

The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits jumped 34,000 last week, government data on Thursday showed, reflecting seasonal volatility typical at this time of year.

Initial claims for state unemployment insurance benefits rose to a seasonally adjusted 406,000 in the week ended July 19, from a revised 372,000 the prior week, the Labor Department said. It was the highest reading since late March.

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Wash Post: "CBS Admits to Editing McCain's Iraq Answers"

That headline, "CBS Admits to Editing McCain's Iraq Answers" in the print edition of the Washington Post sure caught my eye this morning. Pretty interesting admission, so I figured I'd post it. But, that's not the online title. As you can see, in "The Trail," that piece has as much more innocuous title, "McCain's Interview on CBS." Yes, it's McCain's interview on CBS, but it's a whole lot more than that:

In response to critics, led by MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann, CBS News Senior Vice President Paul Friedman noted the full transcript and video were available online. He added in a statement: "The report was edited under extreme time constraints and one piece of tape was put in the wrong order. Fortunately, this did not in any way distort what Senator McCain was saying."

Democrats quickly seized on McCain's statement in the interview, saying that it contained a remarkable gaffe for a politician who's supposed to be an expert on the Iraqi conflict.

As Democrats eagerly pointed out, the awakening started months before the surge in troops was announced in January of 2007. Troops did not actually get deployed until March of 2007, long after the awakening began.

So, in fact, if CBS News Senior Vice President Paul Friedman knew the actual issues involved in his network's editing mistake, he'd know that CBS did distort what McCain was saying. Read More......

Thursday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

Just heard Chuck Todd say that the RNC is running anti-Obama ads in towns named Berlin and Paris. I know I wasn't quite awake when I heard that little tidbit, so had to check. Susan G at Daily Kos caught it yesterday in her post "So Lame It Hurts." That title says it all. It think Susan G developed the logo of the McCain campaign: So Lame It Hurts.

Thread -- and don't be lame. Read More......

Bush-McCain economy continues to be top issue

No matter how hard John McCain tries, he can't break free from the Bush economy. Even yesterday McCain praised Bush for the drop in oil prices, despite a lack of any link. The list of Bush praisers is limited these days though McCain is only cementing the belief that most Americans already have, which is the McCain is Bush. Maybe McCain is simply confused again and thinks it's 2004. Either way, McCain is in trouble with the economy because not only is he deeply tied to the policies that brought us here via Gramm-O-Nomics but he admits that he knows nothing about economics. Well, except that he is reading Greenspan's book, as if that's comforting.

The economy is the nation's top concern by far, but anxiety about energy has grown more since spring than any other issue while the focus on Iraq continues to fade, according to a poll released Wednesday.

The findings by the Associated Press-Ipsos poll provide the latest confirmation of how economic woes — including job losses, rising inflation and the ailing financial and housing markets — are dominating voters' worries as this fall's presidential election approaches.

Read More......

East Africa food crisis becoming urgent

As always, war and drought are driving the terrible conditions. And, as always, Europe, US and China keep selling (and giving) more and more military equipment to the region. In the West many like to throw the blame at Africa without ever bothering to look at how the West (and now China) contributes significantly to the problem. As long as we all have our lapdog government, everything is possible without any concern for what may be benefit the greater good. Add to that the free-market phonies who preach open markets but deliver destruction to local market and you have a serious problem. Food prices have increased beyond what is affordable to most. When you are living on less than $1 per day, massive price increases of anything becomes impossible.

It is the second serious drought in the region in three years, it says.

Oxfam is calling on donors to increase aid levels to the region.

The call follows another warning on Tuesday from the UN World Food Programme, saying that more than 14 million people in the Horn of Africa needed food aid because of drought and rising food and fuel prices.

"The cost of food has escalated by up to 500% in some places, leaving people who have suffered drought after drought in utter destitution," says Oxfam's Rob McNeil, who has just returned from the Somali and Afar regions of Ethiopia.

Read More......