Top McCain aide says McCain won't die during his first term in office, and admits Palin isn't ready to be commander in chief

Putting aside the creepiness of a top McCain adviser having to reassure the nation that McCain, at 72 years of age with four bouts of cancer, won't die in office, what Charlie Black said today was particularly damning of McCain's VP choice, Sarah Palin:

Mr. McCain’s advisers said Friday that Mr. McCain was well aware that Ms. Palin would be criticized for her lack of foreign policy experience, but that he viewed her as exceptionally talented and intelligent and that he felt she would be able to be educated quickly.

“She’s going to learn national security at the foot of the master for the next four years, and most doctors think that he’ll be around at least that long,” said Charlie Black, one of Mr. McCain’s top advisers, making light of concerns about Mr. McCain’s health, which Mr. McCain’s doctors reported as excellent in May.

So Black, the guy who said another 9/11-style attack on America would help McCain's campaign, is saying that McCain's VP doesn't know a thing about national security, but she can learn on the job over the next four years, you know, like night school. We're at war. And they're admitting that Palin may be our next commander in chief on day one, if McCain were to die or fall ill in office, yet she knows nothing about national security, and has never met a world leader. I, a blogger, have met more world leaders than McCain's VP.* Chew on that.

(*We had the two hour lunch with Bill Clinton two years ago, and when I worked on the Hill I attended a private sit down meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin in the early 90s. At the Rabin meeting, were only 8 or so of us in the room, and not enough chairs, so I was standing up against a wall, Rabin saw me, scooched over, and made me share the chair with him. I was mortified, and very impressed.) Read the rest of this post...

Wash. Post interviews Public Safety chief fired by Sarah Palin -- and it seems Todd Palin was very involved in this process

This is going to get very interesting.

Today's announcement proved McCain is more interested in the politics of his v.p. pick then the substance -- and the dopes in the punditry fell for that. On Olbermann tonight, I saw Howard Fineman from Newsweek call this announcement "fun and makes it interesting" as if it has no real world implications. Fun.

But, Sarah Palin isn't the squeaky clean figure John McCain said she was. But, then again, McCain isn't all that pure either. McCain and Palin barely know each other, which leads to the question: How did the vetting process work?

Because on the day of the v.p. roll out, the Washington Post talked to the former Commissioner of Public Safety, Walter Monegan, who was fired by Sarah Palin over what appears to be a messy family issue. Sarah Palin -- and her husband, Todd -- sound more and more like operatives who worked for Karl Rove:

Monegan, 57, a respected former chief of the Anchorage Police Department, said in an interview with The Washington Post's James V. Grimaldi on Friday that the governor repeatedly brought up the topic of her ex-brother-in-law, Michael Wooten, after Monegan became the state's commissioner of public safety in December 2006. Palin's husband, Todd, met with Monegan and presented a dossier of information about Wooten, who was going through a bitter custody battle with Palin's sister, Molly. Monegan also said Sarah Palin sent him e-mails on the subject, but Monegan declined to disclose them, saying he planned to give them to a legislative investigator looking into the matter.

Palin initially denied that she or anyone in her administration had ever pressured Monegan to fire the trooper, but this summer acknowledged more than a half a dozen contacts over the matter, including one phone call from a Palin administration official to a state police lieutenant. The call was recorded and was released by Palin's office this month. Todd Palin told a television reporter in Alaska that he did meet with Monegan, but said he was just "informing" Monegan about the issue, not exerting pressure.

"She never directly asked me to fire him," Monegan said.

But he said Todd Palin told him Wooten "shouldn't be a trooper. I've tried to explain to him, you can't head hunt like this. What you need to do is back off, because if the trooper does make a mistake, and it is a terminable offense, it can look like political interference.

How did the vetting process work? Did anyone on McCain's team talk to Monegan? Or Todd Palin? Seems like Todd Palin would be a good subject for reporters rooting around in Alaska. His name pops up a lot. Read the rest of this post...

Virginia GOP convention delegates cancel guide book order after they "discover" it has a section on gay nightlife

UPDATE: Sorry, here's the real link.

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Yes, let's pretend that there are no gay Republicans in the Virginia GOP. McCain even considered selecting a gay running mate, and that's okay to these bozos, but gay travel destinations - not gonna fly. Read the rest of this post...

T-Mobile charges US customer $2,367.40 in roaming charges for six phone calls in Montreal, refuses to prove charge is legit

This really sucks of T-Mobile to do this. The really fascinating part is that T-Mobile is apparently refusing repeated requests from the customer and the media to simply show proof that the roaming charges are real. The cell phone industry is the wild west. We pay ridiculous fees for things like text messages, that cost cell phone companies next to nothing. In Europe, they don't pay when they receive phone calls on their cells. In America, we do. Why is T-Mobile treating its customer like a piece of shit? Because it can. Until Congress finally holds some real hearings, and offers some real legislation, regularing the cell phone industry, we will continue to be treated like chumps. Then next up, we can hold some hearings on the cable TV, Internet and phone fiasco - we get charged several times more than they pay in Europe for worse service. Why is that? Read the rest of this post...

Happy 72nd birthday John McCain

Read the rest of this post...

VoteVets.Org's Jon Soltz: McCain "put political PR above sound judgment"

When Jon Soltz speaks, listen:

Maybe Palin could one day be someone who has the judgment and experience that would make me feel comfortable with her leading our Armed Forces. But not now. Not after just 60 days thinking about those issues, and even then, just toting the party line. What's this say about McCain's judgment - to put political PR above sound judgment when it comes to naming a potential, if not very possible, Commander in Chief? What's it say about his judgment vs. Barack Obama, who faced with the same question, answered, "Joe Biden."

In times like these, with the stakes so high, and the decent chance that McCain might not live long into his first term, I can think of no scarier thought as a proud war veteran than someone with such an empty resume holding in her hands the lives of my buddies still in the service.

What's bizarre is how the political pundits and talking heads are oohing and aahing over the raw politics of McCain's choice. McCain wanted to steal the news from Obama so he picked a v.p. who he even doesn't know -- and who has no foreign policy experience. None. So, the punditry is thinking McCain "won the day," as if that's the most serious implication of McCain's gimmick. It's not.

Jon Soltz once again cuts through the crap and explains quite clearly that McCain's political ploy could, god forbid, have dangerous implications for our national security and our troops. Read the rest of this post...

John McCain's gimmick: He doesn't even know Sarah Palin. They've only met once, maybe twice.

So, Sarah Palin doesn't know what the V.P. does. That's bad enough. It gets worse.

John McCain doesn't even know Sarah Palin, but he thinks she could lead our nation if something happens to him. (And, by the way, McCain is 72 years old today and has had cancer numerous times so we're not talking about some remote possibility.)

Watch this video Jed compiled. No one knows Palin:



Chuck Todd is right: "It's gimmicky." This is a gimmick -- a pure political gimmick. John McCain put politics before the best interests of his country. Read the rest of this post...

Sarah Palin wants to let the polar bears die, too. On global warming, she's aligned with" most discredited, fringe, extreme viewpoints"

Earlier this morning, before I left Denver, I wrote a post about oil companies and their cronies fighting the new rules designed to protect polar bears. Little did I know when I was writing the post that one of those cronies would be picked as McCain's v.p. Yes, guess who else wants no protections for the polar bears? Sarah Palin:

The State of Alaska will sue to challenge the recent listing of polar bears as a threatened species, Gov. Sarah Palin said Wednesday.

She and other Alaska elected officials fear a listing will cripple oil and gas development in prime polar bear habitat off the state's northern and northwestern coasts.

Palin argued there is not enough evidence to support a listing. Polar bears are well-managed and their population has dramatically increased over 30 years as a result of conservation, she said.

Climate models that predict continued loss of sea ice, the main habitat of polar bears, during summers are unreliable, Palin said.

The announcement drew a strong response from the primary author of the listing petition.

"She's either grossly misinformed or intentionally misleading, and both are unbecoming," said Kassie Siegel of the Center for Biological Diversity. "Alaska deserves better."

Siegel said it was unconscionable for Palin to ignore overwhelming evidence of global warming's threat to sea ice, the polar bear's habitat.

"Even the Bush administration can't deny the reality of global warming," she said. "The governor is aligning herself and the state of Alaska with the most discredited, fringe, extreme viewpoints by denying this."

Another global warming denier. Great. Sarah Palin is grossly misinformed. Maybe she should spend some time with the biologists who've been monitoring the polar bears lately. A report on this very subject came out this week:

Government scientists reported seeing at least nine polar bears swimming in open water over a six-hour period on August 16, including one more than 50 miles offshore, World Wildlife Fund officials said.

That represents a huge increase over previous sightings, said Margaret Williams of the fund's Alaska office. A total of 12 polar bears were spotted in open water between 1987 and 2003, Williams said in a telephone interview.

In 2004, she said, four drowned bears were observed.

"Unfortunately it's what we might expect to see if bears are forced to swim longer distances," Williams said. "The Arctic is gigantic. When you have nine bears sighted in one transect (route) ... one can assume that there are likely a lot more bears swimming in open water."

Sounds like Sarah Palin thinks the polar bears should just die. Read the rest of this post...

Sarah Palin not sure what the vice president does. (Here's one hint, Sarah: You might become President)

Jed posted video of Sarah Palin admitting she really doesn't know what the V.P. does. Okay, here's the thing: The main job of the vice president is to become president if something happens. It's especially relevant when the possible president is 72 years old ("McCain's advanced age" is how a top writer at the right wing National Review Online puts it), has had cancer numerous times and wouldn't really show the media his medical records.

All of this makes Sarah Palin's lack of experience is disturbing -- and lack knowledge about her new possible job even more troubling:



Inspire confidence? Read the rest of this post...

Convention Ratings Sky High at Mile High

Nielsen has released their ratings for last night's Obama speech - 38 million viewers. Stunning results, beating even the Olympic Opening Ceremonies that had weeks of hype surrounding it. From AP:

Barack Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention was seen by more than 38 million people.
Nielsen Media Research said more people watched Obama speak than watched the Olympics opening ceremony in Beijing, the final "American Idol" or the Academy Awards this year. Obama talked before a live audience of 80,000 people in Denver.

Overall, here's the breakdown night-by-night (other days from MarketWatch):

Monday: 22.3 million
Tuesday: 25.9 million
Wednesday: 24 million
Thursday: 38 million

Those are really, really, great numbers. Read the rest of this post...

GALLUP: Obama gets a bounce

Obama is now up 8 over McCain 49-41%. From Gallup:

The latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking finds Barack Obama moving to an eight percentage point lead over John McCain, 49% to 41%. Obama's significant lead over McCain almost certainly reflects the effects of the Democratic National Convention. The two presidential candidates were tied at 45% in the last Gallup Poll Daily tracking results conducted entirely before the convention began. The latest results include interviews from Tuesday through Thursday night, though most of the interviewing was conducted before Obama's acceptance speech late Thursday.

And this batch of polling does not yet include results from last night's speech. Gallup also acknowledges that it's nearly impossible to find or expect the kind of post-convention bump that has been seen in years past when conventions ran earlier and there was more time between the two party conventions.

Gallup has measured the convention bounce for candidates in previous years by comparing the last poll conducted entirely before the convention began with the first poll conducted entirely after the convention concludes. That historical calculation is complicated this year by the intense media focus on McCain's selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate on Friday, and the increasing focus on next week's Republican National Convention.

The next batch of Gallup daily tracking will be interesting. Read the rest of this post...

UNDER INVESTIGATION: Palin

So what kind of a politician is Sarah Palin? Well, let's just say she fits in quite nicely with the Republican culture of corruption that puts themselves ahead of the needs of the public. From the Anchorage Daily News, we learn why her fellow Alaskans authorized a $100,000 investigation into the firing of the Alaska Public Safety Commissioner for what appears to be exclusively personal reasons. From the Anchorage Daily News:

Alaska legislators on Monday voted to spend up to $100,000 to investigate Gov. Sarah Palin's controversial firing of former state Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan. The decision came from the Legislative Council, a bipartisan panel of state senators and representatives.

The committee itself will not conduct the probe. Rather, it will hire an independent investigator to explore whether Palin, her family or members of her administration pressured Monegan to fire an Alaska state trooper involved in a rough divorce from Palin's sister.

Monegan contends he did feel such pressure, and the question for the investigator will be whether Monegan might have lost his job for failing to dismiss trooper Mike Wooten.

Palin has denied applying any pressure or otherwise abusing her power as governor.
...
Palin abruptly fired Monegan on July 11 and later explained she wanted to take the Department of Public Safety in a different, more energetic direction. She replaced him with Chuck Kopp, the former Kenai police chief. But Kopp resigned Friday over questions about a reprimand he received after a sexual harassment complaint lodged against him in Kenai.
...
On Monday, the council voted 12-0 to spend up to $100,000 "to investigate the circumstances and events surrounding the termination of former Public Safety Commissioner Monegan, and potential abuses of power and/or improper actions by members of the executive branch."

A Republican who puts their personal interest ahead of the public? Palin fits in just perfect. Read the rest of this post...

Comcast will limit internet usage starting October 1

It's nice of them to give advanced notice so everyone can plan accordingly and dump Comcast's miserable service immediately. Is this really the direction the market is going? Limiting internet usage? Really? Comcast, already detested throughout the land for their nasty service, is making a serious effort to prop up the competition. Why would anyone even want to use this business? As soon as the US catches up with the rest of the world in terms of bringing TV via the phone lines (at half the price, I might add) Comcast is dead. Cable TV is definitely not the future, nor is limiting internet usage, which is sooooooo 1990's. Looks like it's time Congress to step in again. Read the rest of this post...

McCain VP Annoucement Open Thread

When thinking about picking a VP, someone a heartbeat away from the President, the first thing that comes to mind to me is someone with the experience of the Mayor of Wasilla Alaska. Don't you agree?

Watching Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) this morning - a woman who would have been eminently qualified for VP (for a Republican) - trying to talk positively about Palin was almost painful to watch. Meg Whitman, Carly Fiorina, Condi Rice, even Christine Todd Whitman would have brought more to the ticket for McCain than Palin.

This is a complete desperation move on McCain's part, trying to hold the base together in a weak attempt to pull off some Hillary voters. It's not going to work. Palin doesn't come close to sharing the values of Hillary voters.

The fight is now joined, and November is looking better and better. Thread away. Read the rest of this post...

Oil Lobby and its cronies: Let us kill the polar bears

Big oil is on a roll. John McCain is running around the country screeching about drilling anywhere, anytime. Money is pouring in. The industry lobbyists must feel invincible. So, they want to make sure they can destroy the polar bears:

Five industry groups have sued the Interior Department over a rule to protect the polar bear that they say unfairly singles out business operations in Alaska for their contribution to global warming.

Groups representing the oil and gas, mining, and manufacturing industries asked a federal judge Wednesday to ensure that laws designed to protect the bear, which was recently designated a threatened species, are not used to block projects that release heat-trapping gases in the state.

The American Petroleum Institute was joined by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Mining Association, the National Association of Manufacturers and the American Iron and Steel Institute in the lawsuit, which explicitly challenges three words - except in Alaska - that appear in a 62-page rule issued in May.

Wiping out polar bears. That's a great legacy and a worthy goal. Read the rest of this post...

Great reviews of Obama's speech

MSNBC Pat Buchanan – “It was a genuinely outstanding speech. It was magnificent. It is the finest – and I saw Cuomo’s speech, I saw Kennedy in ‘80, I even saw Douglas MacArthur, I saw Martin Luther King – this is the greatest convention speech, and probably the most important because unlike Cuomo and the others this is an acceptance speech. This came out of the heart of America and he went right at the heart of America…”

FOX Bill Kristol – “Barack Obama faced very high expectations tonight and honestly I think he met them and I honestly think he exceeded them…He eloquently explained America’s promise. He explained why the Bush Cheney administration had fallen short of that…I thought it was an awfully impressive performance.

CNN David Gergen – “In many ways it was less a speech than a symphony…It was a masterpiece”

MSNBC Tom Brokaw – “It was a wonderfully crafted political speech and the Republicans I’m sure were looking in and wondering what they’re going to be able to do next week to match it”

CNN Paul Begala – “He went fearlessly at John McCain’s greatest strength, national security. He went proudly into the social issue terrain that Democrats are usually so afraid of. He went boldly attacking the status quo of George Bush, Dick Cheney and John McCain, and then he went very comfortably in your living room…This is my ninth convention, it was as very nearly a perfect convention speech as I can imagine…”

MSNBC Chris Matthews – “I thought it was amazing – I’ve written speeches all my life, of course nothing like this…It was a great way of throwing back the other side’s best shot and saying it’s full of crap”

CNN Campbell Brown – “If anybody ever thought that Barack Obama was not tough enough to run against John McCain this speech should really put an end to that…”

FOX Chris Wallace – “I thought it was an exceedingly smart speech in which Barack Obama played offense and defense very effectively.”

CNN – Sen. Clinton delegates on Obama’s speech:

Jessica Yellin: “I have three people who as you say have been following this for a long time. Two of these women are Hillary Clinton supporters and I wanted to ask you first…

Woman: “Were.”

Yellin: “Were Hillary Clinton supporters. What turned you tonight?

Woman: “His speech, and I like her enjoyed it all but the end is what got me. You know, it’s a dream and it’s going to come true we gotta’ work for it. That’s what I got out of it.” Read the rest of this post...

McCain VP Open Thread

While I'm loathe to give McCain an ounce of free PR, the selection of the VP is a huge decision, particularly for a 72 year old man with a history of cancer. Fox News is reporting the selection is Sarah Palin, the Governor of Alaska. Take all this wth a grain of salt, because MSNBC's Morning Joe basically said that McCain staff lied to reporters last night that it was Tim Pawlenty.

UPDATE: NBC News is confirming Palin's selection. This is a HUGE hail mary pass on McCain's part in an attempt to win over former Hillary voters. Pail is pro-life, anti-gay rights, pro-guns, and has only been Governor for a year and a half. Pat Buchanan just called it the biggest political risk in history.

UPDATE 2: Palin is a perfect pick for the Republicans. She is currently under investigation for the firing of Department of Public Safety Commissioner for reportedly failing to fire a state trooper who was her sister's ex-husband. Yet another Republican who puts self-interests ahead of public safety (FEMA anyone?).

Earlier today there were a couple of commentators noting that when Dan Quayle was selected by George H. W. Bush in 1998, he arrived in New Orleans for the Republican Convention unprepared and with a "deer in the headlights" look on his face. Let's see what McCain's nominee looks like in the face of an overwhelmingly well received night for Obama. Read the rest of this post...

John McCain's running mate is named Gustav

The Republicans are in serious trouble. Not only did Obama rock last night, but Hurricane Gustav is threatening to suck all the media attention over the crucial weekend before the GOP convention. CNN already announced that Anderson Cooper is heading down to cover the storm, and I hear that one major network is sending 100 staff to cover the storm. The networks simply won't have staff available to cover the GOP like they intended. Nor will the news this weekend be about the convention. But even worse, as John McCain turns 72 today, the oldest first-time candidate to seek the presidency in America history, today is also the anniversary of McCain joining Bush in playing birthday games out west while Katrina hit New Orleans full force. The last thing McCain needs is split screen coverage of his convention and a hurricane hitting New Orleans.

One final thought. John McCain sent his wife to Georgia. Obama should send his running mate to New Orleans. The contrast between McCain's focus on war and Obama's focus on America couldn't be more stark. Read the rest of this post...

The AP keeps up its attack on Obama. Olbermann calls it "remarkable failure"

It's shameful, just shameful, how the Associated Press has deteriorated so rapidly. This seemed to accelerate after Ron Fournier (who considered going to work for John McCain) became the Washington bureau chief.

The latest screed was penned by Charles Babington. It was truly worthy of his colleagues, Fournier and Liz Sidoti. Unlike just about every other commentator, including hard core right wingers, Babington penned an assault on the Obama speech.

Olbermann let him have it -- "a remarkable failure" by AP:

Read the rest of this post...

Happy 72nd Birthday John McCain Open Thread

I'm sure all of you want to extend birthday wishes to John McCain. He's 72 today.

At the airport now, I have an early flight back to D.C. I really miss my dog.

Many others have written about just how amazing and powerful Obama's speech was last night. I feel honored to have been there. That was the Barack Obama who is going to change America. That was the Barack Obama who we needed to see. I like this Barack Obama a lot. He smacked McCain around with some great lines -- and a mocking tone. It was beautiful. And, I want to see that Barack Obama every day til November 4th. Yes, we can. We really can.

Have at it...but don't forget that it's John McCain's 72nd birthday. We should be hearing about McCain's v.p. pick anytime now, too. Read the rest of this post...

AP's Babington wrote anti-Obama piece before Obama's speech was finished

From Markos:

The piece is 603 words. So we are to believe, that Babington watched the speech, gave it due consideration, wrote it, turned it in, went through editing, when through copyediting, was then posted online -- all in 26 minutes?

Read the rest of this post...

McCain has chosen his VP. The buzz seems to be on Pawlenty.

McCain is going to try desperately to change the subject after Obama's blockbuster speech. He's throwing the "Hail Mary" pass by announcing his VP on later today. Obama announced his v.p. by text message. Wondering if John McCain will by issuing a telegraph. (Note from John: Just me, or does he sound like the groundhog?)

Possible foreshadowing from Liz Sidoti (who, as we know, is very close to McCain, as is her boss, Ron Fournier):

Republican presidential candidate John McCain decided on a running mate early Thursday, and top prospects waited to hear from the nominee-in-waiting.

"There's nothing really new to report on Senator McCain's decision. I think we'll all hear from him shortly and hopefully we'll be able to move forward together," Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty told the Associated Press in Minneapolis. Earlier in Denver and without explanation, Pawlenty called off an AP roundtable interview as well as other media appearances at the site of the Democratic National Convention.

We've seen what happens when Tim Pawlenty teams up with George Bush. Imagine what Pawlenty and McCain will do to the rest of America:
Read the rest of this post...