Wernerd630's Blog

Vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin targeted key goals for a faltering campaign by claiming that Democrat Barack Obama is "palling around with terrorists" and doesn't see the U.S. like other Americans. Although she may have scored a political hit, her attack was unsubstantiated and carried a racially tinged subtext that John McCain himself may come to regret. Her attack shows that her energetic debate with rival Joe Biden may be just the beginning, not the end, of a sharpened role in the battle to win the presidency. "Our opponent ... is someone who sees America, it seems, as being so imperfect, imperfect enough, that he's palling around with terrorists who would target

their own country," Palin told a group of donors in Englewood, Colo. A deliberate attempt to smear Obama, McCain's ticket-mate echoed the line at three separate events Saturday. "This is not a man who sees America like you and I see America," she said. "We see America as a force of good in this world. We see an America of

exceptionalism."

A harsh and plainly partisan judgment, certainly, but not on the level of suggesting that a fellow senator is un-American and even a friend of terrorists.In her character attack, Palin questions Obama's association with William Ayers, a member of the Vietnam-era Weather Underground. Her reference was exaggerated at best if not outright false. No evidence shows they were "pals" or even close when they worked on community boards years ago and Ayers hosted a political event for Obama early in his career.

With her criticism, Palin is taking on the running mate's traditional role of attacker, said Rich Galen, a Republican strategist.

"There appears to be a newfound sense of confidence in Sarah Palin as a candidate, given her performance the other night," Galen said. "I think that they are comfortable enough with her now that she's got the standing with the

electorate to take off after Obama." Also, Palin's charge draws media and voter attention away from the worsening economy. It also comes after McCain supported a pork-laden Wall Street bailout plan in spite of conservative anger and his own misgivings.

"It's a giant changing of the subject," said Jenny Backus, a Democratic strategist. "The problem is the messenger. If you want to start throwing fire bombs, you don't send out the fluffy bunny to do it. I think people don't take Sarah Palin seriously."

The larger purpose behind Palin's broadside is to reintroduce the question of Obama's associations. Millions of voters, many of them open to being swayed to one side or the other, are starting to pay attention to an election a month away.

For the McCain campaign, that makes Obama's ties to Ayers as well as convicted felon Antoin "Tony" Rezko and the controversial minister Jeremiah Wright ripe for renewed criticism. And Palin brings a fresh voice to the argument.

Effective character attacks have come earlier in campaigns. In June 1988, Republican George H.W. Bush criticized Democrat Michael Dukakis over the furlough granted to Willie Horton, a convicted murderer who then raped a woman and stabbed her companion. Related TV ads followed in September and October.

The Vietnam-era Swift Boat veterans who attacked Democrat John Kerry's war record started in the spring of 2004 and gained traction in late summer. "The four weeks that are left are an eternity. There's plenty of time in the

campaign," said Republican strategist Joe Gaylord. "I think it is a legitimate strategy to talk about Obama and to talk about his background and who he pals around with." Palin's words avoid repulsing voters with overt racism. But is there another subtext for creating the false image of a black presidential nominee "palling around" with terrorists while assuring a predominantly white audience that he doesn't see their America? In a post-Sept. 11 America, terrorists are envisioned as dark-skinned radical Muslims, not the homegrown anarchists of Ayers' day 40 years ago. With Obama a relative unknown when he began his campaign, the Internet hummed with false e-mails about ties to radical Islam of a foreign-born candidate. Whether intended or not by the McCain campaign, portraying Obama as "not like us" is another potential appeal to racism. It suggests that the Hawaiian-born Christian is, at heart, un-American. The fact is that when racism creeps into the discussion, it serves a purpose for McCain. As the fallout from Wright's sermons showed earlier this year, forcing Obama to abandon issues to talk about race leads to unresolved arguments about America's promise to treat all people equally. John McCain occasionally says he looks back on decisions with regret. He has apologized for opposing a holiday to honor Martin Luther King Jr. He has apologized for refusing to call for the removal of a Confederate flag from South Carolina's Capitol. When the 2008 campaign is over will McCain say he regrets appeals such as Palin's?

Cliff Lee won his 11th straight decision and moved a remarkable 20 games over .500 with his 22nd win, leading the Cleveland Indians past the Kansas City Royals 12-5 on Friday night. Unbeaten in 12 starts since July 11, Lee (22-2) allowed four earned runs in 8 1-3 innings to win his eighth straight start. He's 5-0 in five outings against Kansas City, which was also Lee's opponent for wins No. 4, 8, 18 and 21. Luckily, the Royals won't have to face the left-hander again until next season.

Lee, who was demoted to the minors last season and was left off Cleveland's 2007 postseason roster, had to win a spot as the Indians' fifth starter during spring training. He is the first pitcher to have 20 more wins than losses since Oakland's Bob Welch in 1990. Welch went 27-6 and won the AL Cy Young Award that season, and Lee, who is scheduled to make three more starts, appears to be on his way to giving Cleveland its second straight award winner following CC Sabathia.

Lee's streak is the longest by an Indians pitcher since Gaylord Perry won 15 straight decisions in 1974. He was almost machinelike in his efficiency. Lee did not go to a single three-ball count and was three outs away from his fifth complete game when the Royals, who collected 11 hits, scored three runs off him in the ninth. As consistent as he's been on the mound, Lee has been equally unshakable when talking about his magnificent season. He refuses to be impressed by his own eye-popping statistics, and insists all he's trying to do is give the Indians a chance to win. Lee barely cracked a smile when he was asked if he'd ever lose gain.

''I don't know,'' he said. ''I'm going to try not to. I'm just trying to give myself a chance every time out.''

Lee will likely make three more starts, and he's just hoping to finish a season no one saw coming.

''It's not over yet,'' said Lee, the first pitcher to reach 22 wins since Dontrelle Willis in 2005. ''So far, it's going pretty good. But I'm not going to start patting myself on the back yet.''

The Indians, now 35-21 since July 10, scored four runs in the fifth to open a 6-1 lead and Cleveland blew it open with three runs in the sixth, more than enough for Lee.

''I caught Cliff,'' Shoppach said. ''He did what he's done all year.''Notes: Lee is now one win shy of matching Vean Gregg (1911) for the most wins in a season by a Cleveland left-hander.

   McCain

John McCain uses lies, phony outrage and Swift-boat politics, claiming Obama used a sexist comment against vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. "I don't care what they say about me. But I love this country too much to let them take over another election with lies and phony outrage and Swift-boat politics. Enough is enough," he said. Obama criticized McCain's economic policies as similar to those of President Bush, saying: "You can put lipstick on a pig ... it's still a pig. You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change. It's still going to stink after eight years. "The McCain campaign contended that the comments were directed at Palin, the GOP's first woman on a presidential ticket. In her acceptance speech last week, she had referred to herself in a joke about lipstick being the only difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull. Accusing Obama of "smearing" Palin in "offensive and disgraceful" comments, the McCain campaign demanded an apology, even though McCain himself used the folksy metaphor a few times last year, including once to describe Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's health care plan. The McCain campaign on Wednesday issued an Internet ad that said Obama was talking about Palin and said of Obama: "Ready to lead? No. Ready to smear? Yes.""What their campaign has done this morning is the same game that has made people sick and tired of politics in this country. They seize on an innocent remark, try to take it out of context, throw up an outrageous ad because they know that it's catnip for the news media," Obama said. Obama's campaign has accused the GOP camp of engaging in a "pathetic attempt to play the gender card." In an e-mail to reporters Wednesday, the campaign noted two other instances of McCain using the phrase "lipstick on a pig" and its use by other Republicans such as House Minority Leader John Boehner and Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl.

Ohio has a new way to help notify family members more quickly whenever there’s an accident or other emergency involving a loved one. The Buckeye State launched one of the nation’s first statewide registries for next-of-kin information, and residents may start providing the names of people who should be contacted. The information will be entered into a secure database accessible only by law enforcement in case of a serious injury. The registry is voluntary. Anyone with an Ohio driver license or state identification card may submit their emergency contact information either at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles office or online (at www.bmv.ohio.gov).

Source: (news-herald.com)

                                John McCain

Oh my gosh. Paris Hilton has a sense of humor. Although she's just another gold-digging blonde, she proved thet she at least can make me chuckle. Last week, McCain launched an ad that compared Barack Obama to Hilton and Britney Spears, and hinting that Obama was no more than a celebrity candidate unready to lead the nation. Paris responed with an ad of her own on the web site Funny or Die. She says "Hey America, I'm Paris Hilton and I'm a celebrity, too, only I'm not from the olden days and I'm not promising change like that other guy. I'm just hot," Hilton said, speaking as she reclined in a pool chair in a revealing bathing suit and a pair of pumps. "But then that wrinkly, white-haired guy used me in his campaign ad, which I guess means I'm running for president. So thanks for the endorsement white-haired dude." "I want America to know that I'm, like, totally ready to lead," and she spoke on America's energy policy, and suggested a hybrid of McCain's offshore oil drilling plan and Obama's incentives for new energy technology. She then said "Energy crisis solved! I'll see you at the debates." Paris' mother said that McCain's ad is "a complete waste of the country's time and attention at the very moment when millions of people are losing their homes and their jobs." McCain's ad uses footage of Obama's reception by Germans during a recent trip to Berlin to dismiss him as just another celebrity. Obama's campaign has criticized the ad; McCain has defended it as humorous. Hilton's rebuttal includes plenty of humor at McCain's expense. An announcer refers to McCain as "the oldest celebrity in the world, like super-old, old enough to remember when dancing was a sin and beer was served in a bucket," and asks, "but is he ready to lead?" Hilton's ad also includes Yoda from Star Wars and the cast of "The Golden Girls."

I am so grateful that the President of Sudan is going to be held responsible for the genocide in Sudan. Although the killing won't end, it may be a start. People are finally doing something! The conditions these people live in are nothing less than sickening. China is Khartoums largest arm supplier, forcing them to make difficult choices concerning their relationship with Bashir. On top of the 35,000 directly killed by Sudan's armed forces and the militia they support, 2.5 million were subjected to a campaign of rape, hunger and fear in refugee camps where genocide continues. International experts say at least 200,000 people have died in Darfur and 2 and a half million have been displaced since 2003. From all of this, there will also be many consequences which China won't like.

If you like to drink beer, ya better vote Democrat before McCain vetoes it. Check this out,.....

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2008/06/
10/sot.mccain.veto.beer.cnn

AWESOME DAY OUTSIDE TODAY, KEEP IT COMING!!