Sarah Palin: Hockey Mom Goes Disney!

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Sarah Palin Hangs With Boozers at Irish Shove in Philadelphia?

Sweet Ms. Lip Gloss was tossin' them back in Philly, eh? What's next? Rugby Queen?

The Citi Never Sleeps - Aren't You Glad You're NOT With Wachovia?

Well certainly good ol' greedy boy Ken Thompson whom Wachovia gave the axe to a few months ago is laughing himself all the way to the bank since he has the ultimate golden parachute, eh? Who knew his need to make Wachovia SO LARGE would make it fall SO FAR, right?

So Citi Group is buying Wachovia? And the Wachovia stock is suspended today because pre market trading had it at around $1.85 a share? Or was it 95 cents a share as Bloomberg said? Wow, bet Wachovia's phone lines are busy today.

Did Wachovia get what it deserved like everyone else? Probably. But what about all the employees? Wachovia employees and former employees have already been screwed for years. Now what?

So yes, the Citi never sleeps, and aren't you glad you AREN'T with Wachovia today? Bet Sarah Palin will git right back to all of us on this, huh?

Open Thread . Wachovia Bank Bought By Citibank
By NancyAcloseAuthor: NancyA Name: Nancy A
Email: susanunpc@gmail.com
September 29, 2008 at 11:55 AM in Current Affairs, Economy, Open Thread

This is an open thread on the House vote today, and more. Among the hottest stories today — Drudge Report titles it “CITI EATS WACHOVIA” — from Fox News:

This morning, further financial disaster was averted with the intervention of Citigroup. They agreed to buy the assets of Wachovia Bank. With Washington Mutual failing last week, the economy did not need another bank to fail.

Huffington Post: Nail Biter


New York Times: Citigroup Buys Banking Operations of Wachovia
By ERIC DASH and ANDREW ROSS SORKIN
Published: September 29, 2008

Citigroup reached an agreement early Monday morning to acquire the banking operations of the Wachovia Corporation after making a daring bid that pulled the deeply troubled company from the brink of collapse.

Federal regulators worked around the clock this weekend to orchestrate the sale, finally reaching an agreement at 4 a.m. on Monday morning. In the end, the government agreed to provide Citigroup with a financial guarantee on Wachovia’s most risky assets. It is similar to the deal that the Federal Reserve established with JPMorgan Chase’s emergency takeover of Bear Stearns...Under the deal, Citigroup will buy all of Wachovia’s assets and liabilities — a move that should protect Wachovia’s bondholders. It will also acquire Wachovia’s big retail operations as well as its corporate and private banking. It will also takeover Wachovia’s relatively small investment banking operations, which have catered to real estate and medium-size corporations. Citigroup is leaving behind the A.G. Edwards retail brokerage operations and Evergreen Investments, Wachovia’s money management arm. Senior management decision have not been worked out, according to people involved in the talks...The risk is that Citigroup could be saddled with tens of billions of dollars in losses tied to Wachovia’s giant loan portfolio. Wachovia has been hurt badly by its 2006 purchase of Golden West Financial, a California lender specializing in so-called pay-option mortgages. And the bank also faced mounting losses on loans made to home builders and commercial real estate developers.

Ahhh yes, once again it all comes back to bad loans, real estate agents and developers and mortgage brokers, huh?

Bloomberg:Citigroup Agrees to Buy Wachovia's Banking Business (Update5)
By Steve Dickson and David Mildenberg

Sept. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Citigroup Inc., the biggest U.S. bank by assets, will acquire banking operations of Wachovia Corp. for about $2.16 billion after shares of the North Carolina lender collapsed under the weight of overdue mortgages.

The all-stock deal equals about $1 a share for the Charlotte-based bank, ranked sixth by assets in the U.S. All depositors will be protected, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., which helped broker the takeover by Citigroup. The New York-based bank plans to cut its own dividend in half and raise $10 billion in capital as it takes on Wachovia's senior and subordinated debt. ..Wachovia's stock, which finished last week at $10 on the New York Stock Exchange, traded for 95 cents at 9 a.m. in early transactions. It had lost 83 percent in the past two years as of last week. Trading today was halted during regular hours. Citigroup gained 4.5 percent to $21.06 as of 12:01 p.m.

AP:Citigroup to buy Wachovia banking operations
3 hours ago

(The best part about the AP report is the photo quote:

In this Feb. 21, 2008 file photo, former Wachovia CEO Ken Thompson talks to employees during a meeting at the bank's corporate headquarters in Charlotte, N.C. With a Wall Street bailout looming that will almost certainly limit CEO pay, some of the poster boys of the financial crisis have already fled the scene, taking millions of dollars in severance packages with them.

Saturday Night Live Gets it Right on Election 08

David Letterman's Disdain

John McCain is such a dumb ass on this one:

Art Hershey = Bad Guy/Jim Gerlach = Good Guy

Well, Art Hershey and his dog hating pals in Harrisburg are still at it, they are still trying to drown PA HB 2525 in amendments that would render it useless. Don't believe me? Check out North Penn Puppy Mill Watch. Also good to read? This:

Senate amends dog bill
Adds a number of changes
By SUSAN E. LINDT, Staff

State lawmakers made some significant changes to proposed legislation designed to improve the lives of Pennsylvania's thousands of breeder dogs.

After overwhelming support in the House last week, the Senate Agriculture Committee on Wednesday added several amendments to House Bill 2525.....Jessie L. Smith, the state's special deputy secretary for dog-law enforcement at the Bureau was unavailable for comment Wednesday. But Thomas G. Hickey Sr., also a member of the Dog Law Advisory Board that wrote H.B. 2525, said he's not entirely opposed to all the Senate amendments.

"I don't want to sound the alarms that we're in trouble because I don't know that to be true yet," Hickey said. "But if we read these amendments and they are devastating to the bill then we need to come up with a way to convince legislators that Pennsylvanians want these dogs protected, and they won't let politics get in the way of that this time."

Hickey said the three-year waiver is too long, although he acknowledged some responsible kennel operators may take a financial hit to meet the proposed legislation's standards.

Hickey said he preferred that the law set standards for kennel conditions such as lighting, heating and cooling rather than leaving the issue to be determined by a Canine Health Board.....Not so with North Penn Puppy Mill Watch's Jenny Stephens.

"We do not accept these amendments," Stephens said Wednesday. "These amendments undo the amendments that were so soundly defeated in the House last week. So it's like a second bite at the apple."

Stephens said the most untenable of the amendments was the three-year waiver.

"If you look at the kennels that were raided over the summer, they all had pretty much clean inspection reports until their last inspection," Stephens said. "So those kennel owners wouldn't have to implement any of these provisions based on that."

Stephens also said delaying the effective date of the law's requirements means more dogs continue living in horrid conditions.

"This is guaranteeing that hundreds of dogs freeze to death this winter and die of heat exhaustion next summer," she said. "And that is shameful."

But take heart, there are still some good Republicans around in spite of Art Hershey - namely a Republican Congressman from Chester County named Jim Gerlach.

Congressman Gerlach is signed on to budding federal legislation on Puppy Mills! Good for him for knowing the difference between right and wrong! (Notice Bob Roggio has been mum on the topic?)

09/21/08
Federal Legislation To Crackdown On Puppy Mills
Horst Hoefinger

This is truly a historic week when it comes to puppy mill reform. A few days ago the Puppy Mill Bill was passed by the PA House of Representatives and is on the way to the Senate.

Now, there is new legislation seeking to close a loophole in the Animal Welfare Act, which allows puppies to be sold via the internet without Federal oversight.

Federal Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Crack Down on Abusive Puppy Mills
September 19, 2008
Legislation Seeks to Close Loophole in Animal Welfare Act that Allows Internet Breeders to Sell Puppies without Federal Oversight

WASHINGTON — The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society Legislative Fund commend federal lawmakers for introducing bills that will crack down on abusive "puppy mills" in the United States — where breeding dogs are often stacked in wire cages for years to produce litter after litter. The legislation will close a loophole in the Animal Welfare Act that currently allows large, commercial breeders who sell puppies online and directly to the public to escape licensing and regulation.

The legislation — known as the "Puppy Uniform Protection Statute" (PUPS), or "Baby's Bill" in honor of rescued puppy mill survivor Baby who is the subject of Jana Kohl's new book A Rare Breed of Love — was introduced in the House of Representatives yesterday as H.R. 6949 by Reps. Sam Farr (D-Calif.), Jim Gerlach (R-Pa.), Lois Capps (D-Calif.) and Terry Everett (R-Ala.). A companion bill, S. 3519, was also introduced in the Senate by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.).

The bills also require that dogs used for breeding be removed from their cages for exercise every day. Female breeding dogs in puppy mills are typically forced to live their entire lives in small cages with no opportunity for exercise, no socialization, and little human interaction.

"Dogs are not livestock, and they shouldn't be treated like a cash crop," said Michael Markarian, executive vice president of The Humane Society of the United States and president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. "We are grateful to federal lawmakers for introducing this legislation to curb the worst abuses in the puppy mill industry. It's a much-needed upgrade to our nation's laws that protect man's best friend from cruelty and harm."

...."I'm proud to join with Congressman Farr and representatives of The Humane Society of the United States today as we continue our efforts to ensure that commercial dog breeders are appropriately regulated," added Rep. Gerlach. "Our bill, the PUPS Act, will close a loophole in current law that allows large breeding operations avoid any and all oversight. I am confident that this bill will not hinder the operation of reputable and responsible breeders. Instead, it is aimed at protecting dogs and making individuals who are motivated by profit over the fair and humane treatment of dogs accountable for their actions."

The legislation will close the loophole in the AWA that allows thousands of commercial breeders to go unregulated. It will require the following changes to the AWA:

All dog breeders who sell more than 50 puppies per year directly to the public will be federally licensed and inspected; and
Dogs at commercial breeding facilities must be given the opportunity to exercise for 60 minutes a day.

The bill will not affect small breeders and hobby breeders who sell fewer than 50 dogs per year directly to the public, but is crafted to cover only the largest commercial breeding facilities.

Public concern about the inhumane conditions typical in puppy mills is at an all-time high, due to coverage on national television and several large-scale cruelty investigations and rescues from puppy mills this summer that The HSUS and local shelters spearheaded. Earlier this year, the Farm Bill passed by Congress included a new provision to ban the importation of puppies under six months old from puppy mills in China, Russia, Mexico and other foreign countries.

Jim Gerlach = Good Guy

Art Hershey = Bad Guy

If Idiots Ruled The World...

....they would write blog posts like this. I think this blogger paid a visit to Sarah Palin's witch doctor, eh? When I read this post I had a fit of the giggles, and it comes down to a case of you show me yours, I'll show you mine. This guy probably blogs in jammies and fuzzy slippers, but if he wants to lead the checkbook revolution, how about he posts his checkbook online? I did learn something new, though - I did not know Sarah Palin could add, and here she is posting Alaska's checkbook online like a grown up. (I wonder, where are the mani-pedis listed? And how do we list all the glamour kitty scare dos? Business expense?)

Here's this post and it makes me giggle:

Governor Palin of Alaska posted the state government’s check book online. Posting ALL the Senate and House checkbooks online would demonstrate real commitment to transparent and accountable government. If you are sincere about accountability, show the accounts.

I took the opportunity to peruse a few other posts on this guy's blog and noticed he seems to spend an awful lot of time telling people how to spend their money, so I wonder, how does he spend his?

Anyway, maybe this guy has a point, maybe he doesn't all I know is that hero worship of an inexperienced has been beauty queen who made it to the state house probably because everyone else was lining up for corruption charges is nothing to write home about....and this scandal that is following Caribou Barbie? What happened to they would cooperate with the investigation? Ohhh, yeah......righhhhht, after the election...well since John McCain cancelled his appearance on Letterman due to the "halting of his campaign over the economic crisis", well then Sarah and First Dude should be able to answer questions, right? (Of course what really happened is McCain ditched Letterman for a skirt...err Katie Couric...and got caught.)

News of the Day Gets in Networks' Way
By Lisa de Moraes
Thursday, September 25, 2008; Page C07

Collapsing Wall Street is wreaking havoc on the broadcast networks during Premiere Week.

First, President Bush decided to address the country last night -- the first Wednesday of the new TV season -- interrupting several networks' program-debut plans.

Then, Republican presidential candidate John McCain bailed from David Letterman's show only about two hours before it was to tape, calling the late-night host personally to tell him the economy was in such a state of crisis he was suspending his campaign and had to leave immediately to get back to Washington., Letterman got word that McCain.....was, in fact, taping an interview with Katie Couric.

Letterman had his producers throw up the CBS in-house video feed, showing McCain getting makeup applied to his face before the interview taping. "Now, he doesn't seem to be racing back to the airport, does he?" Letterman asked.....Hey, John! I've got a question -- you need a ride to the airport?" Letterman said

But Letterman has a point: if John McCain were President and got overwhelmed, would he just suspend the White House until he could cope? Sigh....where's Jed Bartlett when you need him?

Also check out this stunning editorial in the New York Times:

Op-Ed Columnist
Park Avenue Diplomacy
By MAUREEN DOWD
Published: September 23, 2008

I don’t agree with those muttering darkly that the picture of Gov. Sarah Palin with a perky smile and shapely gams posing with a pleased Henry Kissinger, famous for calling power the ultimate aphrodisiac, is a sign of the apocalypse.

It isn’t even a sign of the apocalipstick.

How the mighty 85-year-old Henry the K has fallen from his days chasing Jill St. John and running the world to his hour briefing of a 44-year-old Wasilla hockey mom who may end up running the world.

Governor Palin knows a lot about the End of Days from her years at the Pentecostal Wasilla Assembly of God...Sarah was motorcading around Manhattan even as a “greed is good” Wall Street experienced an End of Days vibe while a world gone sour on America descended on the United Nations.

After losing its moral superiority abroad with phony evidence for attacking Iraq, the U.S. has now lost its moral superiority in the financial arena. Once more, W. took the ball, carried it off the cliff and went biking.

It’s hard to imagine that John McCain and Sarah Palin still want advice from the Unwise Man Kissinger. It’s sort of like villagers in those old movies who bring in the wizened witch doctor to shake a stick over them.....Sarah speed-dated diplomacy on Tuesday.

So the country is in the toilet and y'all had better hope all our elected officials do something before they head to recess - yes, seriously, they could just LEAVE this mess and leave Washington, couldn't they? But how did we get here exactly? It did not happen overnight. And should I the Average American be made responsible for the debts of the fiscally irresponsible? Sorry, but the reality of that kind of pisses me off...just like when we look at the housing bubble that burst into the festering sore that is the current failed U.S. economy I can't help but wonder: why is no one talking about regulating all the mortgage brokers and realtors who were financial whores in all of this and got rich by upselling people to loans and mortgages they couldn't afford, and houses as well? These people have a degree of culpability, and they all did whatever they had to do to close the sale and sell the package, didn't they?

Now of course, on the Main Line no one is feeling the pinch, or that is what some would have you believe....I say people are just hiding it just as a lot have been hiding all along that all they have is a lot of expensive stuff. Soon more of these illusions will crumble...but seriously, who is fit to be in the White House come November? Do we take the historical knee jerk political reaction and vote in another party because the LAST party screwed up? Or do we attempt to look at the issues and solutions proposed? Does either candidate have a foggy idea of how to solve this mess? I know Sarah Palin doesn't - she is just there to make McCain look young and to appeal to all those kooky Christian factions of religious Moonies in this country. I am sorry, but I actually know "hockey moms" who are a million more times qualified than Sarah Palin. Let's just auction Sarah off on Ebay and forget about it, eh? And as for "faith" and "god" in political rhetoric, that is offensive. I have my religion, my faith, only like my body it's my business and I do not feel I should foist it on anyone. It seems more and more in the campaign to garner votes, candidates and campaigns forget the tenets of religious and personal freedoms on which this country was founded. And that, folks, is pure bullshit.

Oh and here's Sarah and the witchdoctor:

What Does Tom Corbett DO All Day?

I guess Tommy boy is readying himself for a run at higher office? His moves are ever-so political these days (more than ususal)....he postponed "bonusgate" until AFTER the election? Isn't this like the little ballot scandal a car wash diva had issues with in the primary? Where that was put off until after the election and no one ever heard another word one way of the other?

High five to Keystone Politics for pointing me to this article:

Posted on Tue, Sep. 23, 2008
Bonusgate charges delayed till after election
By Mario F. Cattabiani
Inquirer Staff Writer

HARRISBURG - Insisting there is too much work and not enough time, Attorney General Tom Corbett said yesterday that he would not bring a fresh round of charges in the 19-month-old Bonusgate probe until after the Nov. 4 election, if at all.
"This investigation is like a novel. There are many chapters to this investigation, there are many plots and subplots to this investigation," Corbett said at the monthly luncheon of the Pennsylvania Press Club in Harrisburg, ". . . and it's just not ready."

The announcement allows many in the state Capitol, especially Corbett's fellow Republicans, to breathe a bit easier. At least, for now.

Two weeks ago, Corbett held out the possibility that he could file additional charges in the probe - now focused on the GOP - before the election, but only if "all the dominoes" line up by September's end. Otherwise, he said, it wouldn't be fair to announce indictments within a month of the election.

Time to bring back the Pink Pig!


And what else am I reading today? This interesting thing from YoungPhillyPolitics:

Home » Blogs » Dan U-A's blog
The Philadelphia Story: A Crisis For the Last 15 Years
Submitted by Dan U-A on Mon, 09/22/2008 - 10:09pm.

The Puppy Mill Bills Passed The House! Take THAT Art Hershey!

Yippee!!!!!!!!

Dog Law Passes in PA House

Governor Rendell Praises House Passage of Dog Law Reforms
Last update: 5:48 p.m. EDT Sept. 17, 2008

HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept 17, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Governor Edward G. Rendell today praised the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for voting to pass House Bills 2525 and 2532, which he said will protect kennel dogs and the families that welcome them into their homes.

He urged swift passage of the bills in the Senate to help rid Pennsylvania of its reputation as "Puppy Mill Capital of the East."

"The bills that passed in the House today with overwhelming, bi-partisan support will go a long way to protecting dogs kept in kennels with poor but currently legal conditions," the Governor said. "I applaud the House of Representatives for defeating the many amendments to House Bill 2525 filed on behalf of special interest groups and aimed at weakening the bill. The House has delivered strong legislation that reflects not only the needs of dogs, but the will of the public in improving the minimum standards in the worst of Pennsylvania's kennels.

Update: Puppy mill bill passes House
Contributor: Melissa Sadowski
Email: news@cbs21.com
Last Update: 4:27 pm

A bill aimed at improving conditions in state dog kennels has passed the State House and is now headed for the State Senate.

Today Ask St. Francis For PA To Pass The Puppy Mill Bills

St. Francis as most pet owners know is the patron saint of animals.

So today is the day of the big vote in Harrisburg I am told, and I am praying for the passage of the puppy mill bills, hopefully without the useless amendments proposed by Rep. Art Hershey, Chief Asshat of The Moment.

Of course, you all realize why Art Hershey is just being an asshat over this, right? He is not running for re-election. So he is thumbing his nose at Pennsylvanians and not doing what his job has supposedly been: to represent the best interest of Pennsylvanians. Art Hershey doesn't care about how dogs live, not really. To him, they are just an ear of corn.
I knew folks who were at yesterday's rally on the steps of the capitol in Harrisburg. I am very proud of what they did. I am also proud of the elected officials who stepped up to the plate on this. Of course, I wonder where some of the candidates stand on the puppy mill bills and wonder why they find it not important to talk about even though some promised to address it? Hmmmm?

So, here are some articles about yesterday:

State legislature could decide on puppy mill bills
By STACY LEE, Daily News Staff Writer
09/15/2008

When puppy mill investigator Bob Baker of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals went on an undercover investigation to a Quarryville puppy mill in February, he found an Italian greyhound pregnant and starving to death.

"I asked if the owner had any dogs for sale," Baker said. "He said, 'Yeah, I'm stuck with these Italian greyhounds that aren't selling anymore.' I went out into his bitterly cold cow barn and found an Italian greyhound who was about to give birth. He was intentionally starving her to death; she was skin and bones."

The greyhound, later named Cecilia, is just one of the many dogs suffering neglectful abuse in commercial kennels - or puppy mills - that numerous state legislators are targeting through House Bills 2525 and 2532. These bills could be up for a vote this week as the state House of Representatives returns today.

H.B. 2525 was introduced by state Rep. James Casorio Jr., D-Westmoreland, and approved by the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee. It contains the signatures of nearly 100 bipartisan co-sponsors.

"We're hopeful the bills will be called for a vote," said Cori Menkin, ASPCA's senior director of legislative services. "A small group of legislators led by Art Hershey (R-Cochranville) wanted to stall (H.B. 2525) by adding amendments. There are even place-holder amendments with no text. It was a political move, knowing legislators would not want to deal with the amendments before they recess for the summer."

"Dogs continue to suffer and die in Pennsylvania because this group of legislators has chosen to protect irresponsible kennel owners at the expense of thousands of dogs who are sick, suffering and even being killed," Casorio said.

Out of the 117 amendments introduced, Hershey reportedly personally brought in 44.

A representative at Hershey's Harrisburg office had no comment on reports that he blocked H.B. 2525.

Hundreds protest puppy mills
Contributor: Melissa Sadowski
Email: news@cbs21.com
Last Update: 9/16 6:55 pm

Hundreds gathered at the State Capitol Tuesday to protest puppy mills, and show their support for House Bill 2525.

Local/StateDog lovers call for puppy mill reform
Tuesday, September 16, 2008 | 8:51 PM 6ABC By John Rawlins

HARRISBURG, Pa. - September 16, 2008 - (WPVI) -- Animals lovers are urging lawmakers to protect dogs from unnecessary abuse.

They say puppy mill laws are not tough enough and need to be reformed. They say there are certain large breeders in Pennsylvania that treat the dogs like a cash crop.

They took their message, and their four legged friends to Harrisburg Tuesday to make a point.

Also at the event was a golden retriever named Maggie, who appeared alongside Governor Ed Rendell. She delivered her third litter stillborn.

"If she hadn't, she'd have probably stayed in a rabbit hutch, where she lived for the first two years of her life," Gov. Rendell said. "Then, after seven or eight years, she probably would have been discarded."

Lancaster Online: Ralliers press for puppy-mill bill
By SUSAN E. LINDT, Staff

Gov. Ed Rendell and his golden retriever, Maggie, attended Tuesday's Capitol rally to support pending ...(more) 1 of 1A large pack of dogs brought about 250 humans to rally at the Capitol on Tuesday for House Bill 2525 — legislation to improve the lives of breeder dogs living in Pennsylvania's commercial kennels.

But one dog stole the show when her human, Gov. Ed Rendell, rallied loudest for H.B. 2525, which faced a series of potentially devastating amendments Monday in the state House. The amendments were defeated, and the bill is expected to pass the House today.

"There are a lot of special-interest groups in this building fighting to defeat this legislation," Rendell said on the Capitol steps during the noon rally, which drew animal advocates from around the country.

"What does it say about us that we allow people to shoot and kill dogs?" he asked the crowd.

In the works for two years, H.B. 2525 has become a lightning rod for some breeders and for legislators who support breeders' business interests.

The bill gained momentum in August, when the state's Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement announced that two Berks County breeders had shot and killed their 80 otherwise healthy dogs after inspectors ordered 39 of them to be checked by veterinarians for flea bites.

And now, with only a week's worth of voting days left in the legislative session, the rally marked a loud, final push to move H.B. 2525 through both chambers. Otherwise, it must face reintroduction in January.

On Tuesday, though, the bill seemed to have plenty of support from legislators, who lined up behind Rendell at the podium.

Rendell introduced Maggie, a small retriever he adopted from Chester County's Main Line Animal Rescue after she was rescued from a Lancaster County puppy mill....Also speaking Tuesday was Main Line Animal Rescue's Bill Smith, who lobbied for Oprah Winfrey to cover the issue on her daily talk show in April. Smith said Winfrey will feature the issue again in an upcoming segment and that People magazine has a story on Pennsylvania's puppy mills in this week's issue.

Art Hershey, when all is said and done, you are a prince among assholes.

Tina Fey For Prez, Blog Monkey as VP!

Tina Fey is just the BEST!



In case they take that one down, there is this:

The Woman John McCain Left Behind

Read all about the woman left behind...fabulous family values...

The wife U.S. Republican John McCain callously left behind
By Sharon Churcher
Last updated at 1:45 AM on 08th June 2008

Now that Hillary Clinton has at last formally withdrawn from the race for the White House, the eyes of America and the world will focus on Barack Obama and his Republican rival Senator John McCain.


While Obama will surely press his credentials as the embodiment of the American dream – a handsome, charismatic young black man who was raised on food stamps by a single mother and who represents his country’s future – McCain will present himself as a selfless, principled war hero whose campaign represents not so much a battle for the presidency of the United States, but a crusade to rescue the nation’s tarnished reputation.

McCain likes to illustrate his moral fibre by referring to his five years as a prisoner-of-war in Vietnam. And to demonstrate his commitment to family values, the 71-year-old former US Navy pilot pays warm tribute to his beautiful blonde wife, Cindy, with whom he has four children.

But there is another Mrs McCain who casts a ghostly shadow over the Senator’s presidential campaign. She is seldom seen and rarely written about, despite being mother to McCain’s three eldest children.

And yet, had events turned out differently, it would be she, rather than Cindy, who would be vying to be First Lady. She is McCain’s first wife, Carol, who was a famous beauty and a successful swimwear model when they married in 1965.

She was the woman McCain dreamed of during his long incarceration and torture in Vietnam’s infamous ‘Hanoi Hilton’ prison and the woman who faithfully stayed at home looking after the children and waiting anxiously for news.

But when McCain returned to America in 1973 to a fanfare of publicity and a handshake from Richard Nixon, he discovered his wife had been disfigured in a terrible car crash three years earlier. .... McCain divorced her in 1980 and married Cindy, 18 years his junior and the heir to an Arizona brewing fortune, just one month later....When McCain – his hair turned prematurely white and his body reduced to little more than a skeleton – was released in March 1973, he told reporters he was overjoyed to see Carol again....But Ross Perot, who paid her medical bills all those years ago, now believes that both Carol McCain and the American people have been taken in by a man who is unusually slick and cruel – even by the standards of modern politics.

‘McCain is the classic opportunist. He’s always reaching for attention and glory,’ he said.

‘After he came home, Carol walked with a limp. So he threw her over for a poster girl with big money from Arizona. And the rest is history.’

Look! Barbie and Skipper!

I am sooo excited, I found Barbie and Skipper Go Camping in my closet! I am looking forward to the new book "Barbie and Skipper Go Campaigning"

Dumb and dumber

Sorry, but I am not so left, I am merely a woman who thinks about things, and one thing that is a big deal to me is and always will be MY BODY MY CHOICE.

GOP Speed Dating

I can't get over the image in my mind's eye of John McCain choosing his running mate, High Tundra Mama Sarah Palin at speed dating in Washington D.C. can you? Yes, fellow Americans, I think the presumed Republican Nominee used GOP Speed Dating to choose his running mate.

I am not so good at photo shop, but this is how I picture it looking:


So you have the idea? John McCain in a D.C. Restaurant with his campaign staff and an egg timer. I picture Rudy Giuliani, Huckabee, Tom Ridge and others all rotating and John McCain remaining at his table with a list of questions.

I am not sure if he consulted Break Up girl or not when he was on his speed dating excursion, but I am almost certain he must have done it that way....

Can't you just hear the conversation:

JOHN: You have six minutes to prove to me you should be my running mate

SARAH: Well my name is Sarah and I did inhale.

JOHN: I can deal with that

SARAH: I was a beauty queen and like to shoot my rifles for fun, or shoot at my hubby when he's likkered up

JOHN: I can deal with that. Cindy occasionally slaps me upside the head, hence the flat appearance.

SARAH: I like moose burgers.

JOHN: I prefer bison burgers myself.

SARAH: I believe in spawning early and often and my 17 year old daughter is knocked up.

JOHN: Is she cute?

SARAH: She's my girl.

JOHN: Cool.

SARAH: I believe in Jesus my savior when he says God Helps Those Who Help Themselves.

JOHN: He sounds like a good Republican.

SARAH: If you choose me, I would like to redecorate the bridge to nowhere.

JOHN: Uhhhh...do you know if I have a house near there?

Now here is something you should be reading:

Sarah Palin and John McCain's Cynical Game
It's a cheap political ploy—and any voters who fall for it deserve what they get
By John Mashek US News & World Report
Posted September 3, 2008

As Republicans meet in convention in St. Paul, Minn., this week, I have a simple question for America's voters watching their TV sets: Does anyone really think Sen. John McCain or Gov. Sarah Palin would have delivered such strong praise for Sen. Hillary Clinton if she had been on either end of the Democratic ticket?....McCain and Palin, who disagree with Clinton or even Ferraro on every important issue, are playing a cynical game. Clinton and Palin disagree on issues such as abortion rights, gun control, and, perhaps most intensely, the environment. Palin seems intent on drilling for oil everywhere in Alaska but in her own backyard and maybe there, too. Clinton is a strong backer of alternative energy sources and a "green" environment.....Hurricane Gustav bumped President Bush and Vice President Cheney from the convention speakers list. You could almost hear the welcome sigh of relief all the way from the Twin Cities that voters won't be exposed to the image of McCain and Bush speaking from the same podium to the same adoring crowd, even if days apart.....McCain and Palin are currently close in the polls, but they face an even tougher job of selling this combination than does the history-shattering ticket of Obama-Biden.

Also be sure to check out the dedicated Sarah page on Huffington Post

And the Borowitz Report, which is so friggin' fun to read I can't stand it! Take this for example:

Palin Blames Daughter's Pregnancy on Media
Demands That Media Marry Bristol

Coming out on the offensive after a day of controversy, presumptive GOP vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin said today that the media was to blame for making her daughter Bristol pregnant.

"My husband and I are well aware that Bristol is pregnant, and we know who made her that way -- the media," she told reporters in Pittsburgh.

It has become common in presidential campaigns for candidates to lash out against the news media, but Gov. Palin's attack was the first known example of a politician blaming the media for her daughter's pregnancy.

Gov. Palin went on to say that since the media had made her daughter pregnant, it was now up to the media to "do the right thing and marry her."

Moments after the governor's statement, the National Enquirer said that it would marry Bristol Palin in exchange for exclusive rights to the wedding photos and the first pictures of the baby.

Get Your Hair Freak On Here....

Seriously....I can't make this stuff up. When my hair stylist told me there were YouTube videos on the topic of hair styling, I said "o.k., so?". Well, then she told me about two in particular she had found by accident, and it is so funny, I have to share. (She showed me some other funny ones, but these two were the best) This babe is definitely getting her freak on....and she has man hands to boot. I googled around and discovered this website and giggled some more. I am waiting for the "as seen on TV" man with the fake Aussie accent doing the infomercial. In a nutshell, ladies, with this piece of plastic crap that looks like a frozen ribbon curl escaped from a child's birthday present, you too can look like you need someone to hand you a comb! You too can look like all you are missing is that fabulously fashionable straight jacket and padded cell! And it can be yours for $19.99. yes, indeed, you can have that straight from bed, bed head, sex head, rat's nest look...all with "ThinnyHairHolders". And is the "model" with the man hands? Man, couldn't they afford to have her visit with a stylist and makeup artist? She's definitely Scary Spice.

Anyway, I am sure some boobs at QVC or HSN will pick her up...here, have a giggle on me this morning, and pray your brother doesn't bring this one home to meet the family:

Secret TV Behavior: I will Watch The New 90210 Once...

...Sorry, but I admit it...I loved 90210 and can't wait to see it just once....I missed Gossip Girl (those teens crack me up but they have great clothes!), but am definitely checking out the new 90210...Brenda is practically middle aged, so I want to see how long the bad girl lasts...she made Charmed fab, but then she blew it...Shannen Doherty is a piece of work...anyway, off to watch the premiere!

Lisa Nova on Sarah Palin...Laugh Yourself Silly

Lisa Nova for President...I have played this so many times already I swear I will wear it out...this ROCKS.

The Palin Prophecy: Pregnant Teens and No Polar Bears

"Kinder, Küche, Kirche" ("children, kitchen, church")?
Well, John McCain, there's no fool like an old fool...you let your Johnson do the talking and in a political speed dating session picked a Tina Fey doppelganger only crazy for your running mate. Count me as a woman you lost at hello on this one.

Yeah, McCain, let's all be pregnant, barefoot and in the kitchen like Sarah Palin's daughter, ok? Is this the all American moral majority? No thanks.

First I hear that Sarah Palin is involved in pig gluts like the "Bridge to Nowhere", then I read that when Sarah Palin isn't eating moose burgers she is trying to make people believe that polar bears aren't an endangered species.

YEP, check it out in her own words:
Last updated January 8, 2008 5:25 p.m. PT
Listing polar bears wrong move
SARAH PALIN
GUEST COLUMNIST

The entire world has seen animated holiday images of cute, cuddly, polar bears smiling and dancing -- and pitching cold soft drinks on TV and movie screens.

That's the closest most Americans will ever get to a polar bear. To steal a line from one of the commercials, it's not "the real thing."

It's unfortunate, because polar bears are magnificent animals, not cartoon characters. They are worthy of our utmost efforts to conserve them and their Arctic habitat.

For Alaska, that means recognizing that although climate change is a serious concern for everyone on the planet, it is not the only issue surrounding polar bears.......Listing the bears under the Endangered Species Act is the wrong move at this time. My decision is based on a comprehensive review by state wildlife officials of scientific information from a broad range of climate, ice and polar bear experts

Then I hear that Sarah Palin had a 17 year old knocked up daughter? Way to go Sarah, great parenting skills....and this woman wants us to accept her as a choice for Vice President? An advocate of teen preganncy? She is probably against birth control too, right? Sorry Sarah, this is an issue. You are a nutjob from Alaska that John McCain banged out of a big elephant pinata at a pre convention BBQ on Bush's ranch in Texas (well maybe that's not how it happened, but it sure seems logical, right?)

According to the fantabulous Huffington Post, Palin was quoted as saying

"Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. We're proud of Bristol's decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents," Sarah and Todd Palin said in the brief statement.

"Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family," they added.

Oh great, Sarah Palin, are you going to run on a teen pregnancy platform? Do you advocate teens getting pregnant over getting an education? I know, I know you're a reformed pothead too, right? So maybe that accounts for your apparent lack of brain cells? Or would they have been damaged by all the hairspray used between you and Barbie Doll, err Cindy, McCain?

(This is why everyone should hop on over to Slate and read what they have to say)

Sarah Palin is such an insult to intellegent, thinking women everywhere...might as well skip the election...and what about Hurricane Gustav? Is God telling the Republicans to give it up now?

RNC Day 1: Gustav & Palin's pregnant daughter

By DAVID ESPO AP Special CorrespondentST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - September 1, 2008 -- Republicans staged a subdued opening to their storm-shadowed national convention on Monday, seeking aid for the Gulf Coast victims of Hurricane Gustav as well as support to send John McCain to the White House.

Personal news blended with the political when McCain's running mate announced that her 17-year-old unmarried daughter was pregnant. "We're proud of Bristol's decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents," Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said in a statement with her husband.

Outside the Xcel center, an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 anti-war protesters marched toward the convention, some of them smashing windows, puncturing tires and throwing bottles along the way. Police used pepper spray on the demonstrators and made at least five arrests.....The opening day convention program was shorn of political rhetoric, and trimmed to 2½ hours from an intended seven in deference to the threat Gustav posed to New Orleans and other areas along the Gulf Coast.

Rather than a keynote address or other political oratory, the convention programmers gave McCain's wife, Cindy, and first lady Laura Bush top billing to make televised appeals for help for hurricane victims.....Aides said they would determine the podium schedule for the balance of the week on a day-to-day basis.

The Stump: Mulling Palin's Pregnant Daughter

I just got out of a lunch for the Michigan delegation, where the subject of Sarah Palin's future grandchild came up repeatedly. The gist: People were still pretty excited about Palin, but somewhat anxious about how the pregnancy would play. One group of Michigan men decided it would be a wash because while these sorts of revelations are never helpful, Democrats wouldn't be able to do anything with the story.

The most interesting theory I heard came while waiting in line: A man behind me said the McCain camp should welcome the development, since it sets up a direct contrast (and presumably favorable, in this person's opinion) with Obama, who has said he wouldn't want his daughters carrying a baby to term if they got pregnant as teenagers. We'll see...

Cuicago Sun Times
McCain, Obama agree: Don't use Palin's pregnant daughter as political fodder
September 1, 2008Recommend (4)
FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

John McCain and Barack Obama differ on a host of issues, but the competing campaigns agreed today that the pregnancy of Sarah Palin's 17-year-old daughter should not become political fodder.

Campaigning in Michigan, Obama said the Republican vice presidential candidate's children should be ''off limits'' and cited his own mother, who gave birth to Obama when she was 18.

''This shouldn't be part of our politics, it has no relevance to Governor Palin's performance as a governor or her potential performance as a vice president, and so I would strongly urge people to back off these kinds of stories,'' Obama told reporters.

McCain advisers Stephen Schmidt and Mark Salter told reporters in St. Paul today for the Republican National Convention that the campaign learned of Bristol's pregnancy when they vetted her mother.

''Many American families have experiences like this,'' Salter said. ''Unfortunately, it has to play out in the public spotlight.''

I disagree...this is an issue in the US and Sarah Palin seems to be advocating that teen pregancy is o.k. Maybe Sarah Palin is related to Britney Spears and her white trash teen spawning clan?

Thanks John McCain...for reducing my choices to vote as a woman....if you wanted a dope, you could have looked up Dan Quayle....he's at least a harmless dope...but not this tricked out prom queen...