[QUOTE=wblipp;136255]Dick Morris thinks Condi is the obvious choice for McCains VP, although she may not accept it. [/QUOTE]

I'm sure the ever-ready-to-serve-and-defend current VP would be more than happy to sacrifice for his country and serve another term should Condi-for-Veep not work out. Either choice would make the "McBush" moniker highly appropriate.

But let's go with Condi as VP and try to flesh out the rest of the hypothetical McBush cabinet - I'll start the bidding with:

- Dick Cheney as Secretary of State ["I'll swap with ya, Condi!"];

- Paul Wolfowitz as Secretary of Defense;

- Whoever-the-current-CEO-of-Exxon-Mobil-is as EPA head [note that the EPA is not a Cabinet agency, but the Administrator is normally given cabinet rank - thanks, Wikipedia!];

- Ann Coulter as Ambassador to the UN [also not a cabinet post, but I felt it important enough to include];

- Rush Limbaugh as White House Press Secretary [ditto.]

I look forward to others' suggestions for fleshing out the rest of this "Taking America back forward into the past" cabinet.

Olbermann Nails McCain to the Wall
 

Did anyone see this piece on last Thursday's [i]Countdown[/i]? Devastating stuff.

[url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25126582/]Keith Olbermann: McCain should know better[/url]: [i]Context and decency elude the GOP presidential nominee[/i]

OT: The Worst-President Debate
 

It seems Jimmy Carter is getting some stiff competition these days from our current Dear Leader. Which raises the question: to what extent is Carter's reputation as a feckless naif whose policies led to the disastrous economic "stagflation" of the 70s deserved? Saw this interesting summing-up on a message board today - not saying I agree 100% with it [my main objection is that I think Carter in fact did "proactively" make the economic situation he inherited worse], but I'd be interested to hear people's take on it:

[b][i]"What makes Bush worse than Carter is this: Carter simply got caught trying to clean up the mess after Nixon and Johnson. He had no way to win. Bushie Boy inherited a balanced budget with a surplus, a growing and stable economy and had the benefit of learning from the MISTAKES of the 1960s, 1970s, Vietnam and his predecessors. But, what did he do? He wiped out decades of progress, racked up ten trillion in debt, crushed our economy and got the US into ANOTHER Vietnam no win war. No matter what you think of the Bush war, one thing is undeniable. It will take DECADES to pay off the debt no matter the outcome."[/i][/b]

OT: The Worst-President Debate
 

[U]Moderators, I propose right now that all Carter-slander be taken to a new thread, titled Carter-slander, that I'll start in a few minutes.[/U]

In the gasoline-price thread, I recently ranted about the false accusation that Carter instituted price controls on oil and gasoline (the truth is, basically, the opposite of that), but I tried to confine my comments mainly to that part of the Carter-slander that concerns oil and gasoline. (See bottom part of [URL="http://www.mersenneforum.org/showpost.php?p=136414&postcount=110.)I"]http://www.mersenneforum.org/showpost.php?p=136414&postcount=110.)[/URL]

I made brief reference to the larger problem of conservative distortions of history intended to make Carter look bad, especially in comparison to Reagan (who benefited mightily from actions that Carter started but bore fruit only in what would have been Carter's second term if he had been re-elected).

Cheesehead, you mistake my intention. First off, in what possible way could rhetorically asking "to what extent is Carter's reputation as a feckless naif whose policies led to the disastrous economic 'stagflation' of the 70s deserved?" be construed as slander? Is that not a fairly accurate description of how most conservatives [and I suspect no small number of liberals as well] view the man?

And the quote I used in effect says "no matter what you think or Carter, there is little doubt that G.W. Bush has been a far worse president, in spades."

If there is any slander in my post, 'twould be toward Bush.

If my intention was to slander Carter, there are far better ways to do it, and such a post would likely have involved tendentious phrasing like "supporter of Robert Mugabe," "Billy Carter: Ambassador to Libya?", "Helped create and then completely botched the handling of the Iranian hostage crisis," and "Self-Righteous Christian-Proselytizing Missionary Diplomacy." Just so you know what it might look like if I ever really wanted to take Carter to task. But there is a sitting president who is much deserving of being taken to task, so please don't tempt me with your reactionary "Carter did no wrong" defense.

[quote=ewmayer;136537]Cheesehead, you mistake my intention.[/quote]No, it is you who have mistaken mine.

I didn't claim that [U]you[/U] slandered Carter.

There is nothing in your latest posting (#357) that runs counter to how I had interpreted your intentions in your earlier posting (#355), so my interpretation of post #355 still seems totally correct to me. I'm not claiming that my post #356 lays out all details, or indeed [I]any[/I] details of my interpretation of post #355, just claiming that the interpretation in my head has no contradiction with your post #357 and still seems to need no adjusting (though it [I]does[/I] need to be explained!).

I do see now how you could easily misunderstand what I wrote, but it is your misunderstanding, not mine. It was I who failed to make my writing plainly unambiguous.

Now, I will attempt to correct your misperception by clarifying my own writing, for my own writing obviously (now, that is) was too-easily misunderstood and needs restating.

[quote]First off, in what possible way could rhetorically asking "to what extent is Carter's reputation as a feckless naif whose policies led to the disastrous economic 'stagflation' of the 70s deserved?" be construed as slander?[/quote]I am astonished that you think I was accusing you of slander. The contention that Carter's policies led to the stagflation of the 70s is the slander, and you correctly stated that Carter's reputation included that slanderous contention.

[quote]Is that not a fairly accurate description of how most conservatives [and I suspect no small number of liberals as well] view the man?[/quote]Of course it is, and I never claimed otherwise.

[quote]And the quote I used in effect says "no matter what you think or Carter, there is little doubt that G.W. Bush has been a far worse president, in spades."[/quote]Yes, and that quote contains no slander of Carter.

[quote]If there is any slander in my post, 'twould be toward Bush.[/quote]What I referred to was the slander of Carter (that you correctly stated), not your own words about Bush.

[quote]If my intention was to slander Carter,[/quote]I never imagined that was your intention!

[quote]please don't tempt me with your reactionary "Carter did no wrong" defense.[/quote][U]I never said Carter did no wrong![/U]

What I've said is that [I]some[/I] things Carter is widely supposed to have done wrong are not actually true, and I want to set the record straight about them. Despite my new thread's biased title (maybe I should ask that it be changed to "Correcting Historical Revisionism of the Carter Administration"), in the original posting I invite contributions in a neutral tone that applies to both the wrongs and the rights of Carter's administration [I]insofar as either the wrongs or the rights have been popularly misstated[/I]. That is, I want to correct widespread erroneous statements about Carter's presidential actions, whether in his favor or not. But your comment does alert me that I need to add a notice to that effect, emphasizing that the thread is open to the subjects of errors that need correcting, no matter whether those errors are in Carter's favor or not.

Notice that in "gasoline prices" thread post #110 at [URL]http://www.mersenneforum.org/showpost.php?p=136414&postcount=110[/URL] I wrote at the bottom, "Carter did do some loopy things -- his synfuels program was a bust, for instance." If someone shows evidence that Carter's synfuels program is widely thought by the general public to have been successful, then it would be appropriate to bring that up in my new thread as an example of public misperception of a Carter action. (This assumes that my opinion that his synfuels program was a bust is correctly aligned with expert opinion, that is.)

From [url]http://www.slate.com/id/2193798/[/url] and spotted on [url]http://www.randem.net/[/url]
[QUOTE]Rather than restate untruths about Obama, the campaign would do better to start some rumors of its own. Here's a template e-mail the Obama campaign might consider disseminating.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE]Subject: FW: WHO IS BARACK OBAMA?

There are many things people do not know about BARACK OBAMA. It is every American’s duty to read this message and pass it along to all of their friends and loved ones.

Barack Obama wears a FLAG PIN at all times. Even in the shower.

Barack Obama says the PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE every time he sees an American flag. He also ends every sentence by saying, “WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.” Click here for video of Obama quietly mouthing the PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE in his sleep.

A tape exists of Michelle Obama saying the PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE at a conference on PATRIOTISM.

Every weekend, Barack and Michelle take their daughters HUNTING.

Barack Obama is a PATRIOTIC AMERICAN. He has one HAND over his HEART at all times. He occasionally switches when one arm gets tired, which is almost never because he is STRONG.

Barack Obama has the DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE tattooed on his stomach. It’s upside-down, so he can read it while doing sit-ups.

There’s only one artist on Barack Obama’s iPod: FRANCIS SCOTT KEY.

Barack Obama is a DEVOUT CHRISTIAN. His favorite book is the BIBLE, which he has memorized. His name means HE WHO LOVES JESUS in the ancient language of Aramaic. He is PROUD that Jesus was an American.

Barack Obama goes to church every morning. He goes to church every afternoon. He goes to church every evening. He is IN CHURCH RIGHT NOW.

Barack Obama’s new airplane includes a conference room, a kitchen, and a MEGACHURCH.

Barack Obama’s skin is the color of AMERICAN SOIL.

Barack Obama buys AMERICAN STUFF. He owns a FORD, a BASEBALL TEAM, and a COMPUTER HE BUILT HIMSELF FROM AMERICAN PARTS. He travels mostly by FORKLIFT.

Barack Obama says that Americans cling to GUNS and RELIGION because they are AWESOME.[/QUOTE]

His name is Bayh. Evan Bayh.
 

On Wednesday, Obama may announce that his choice for Vice-President is U.S. Senator Evan Bayh (D-Indiana).

Evan Bayh is the son of famous U.S. Senator Birch Bayh (who himself ran for president three decades ago).

("Bayh" rhymes with "by".)

[URL="http://www.howeypolitics.com/2008/08/01/an-obama-bayh-ticket-wednesday/"]An Obama-Bayh Ticket Wednesday?[/URL]

[quote=www.howeypolitics.com]Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama will stop in Indiana this Wednesday at Concord High School in Elkhart ... The visit ... could be to announce the selection of Senator Evan Bayh as Obama’s running mate. ... Sources say the details appear to be different than a normal presidential candidate visit. ... A choice this week would also come days before the beginning of the Beijing Olympics, an event during which a Vice Presidential selection is thought to be unlikely. The Democratic National Convention will begin August 25, the day after the close of August 8-24 Olympic games.[/quote]So, the timing is right.

Further commentary:

[URL]http://theoneblog.brendanloy.com/2008/08/obama-to-announce-bayh-as-veep-in.html[/URL]

[URL]http://www.howeypolitics.com/2008/07/24/hpi-special-report-bayhs-senate-career-lands-him-on-obama-veep-list/[/URL]

[URL]http://www.howeypolitics.com/2008/07/30/quayle-bayh-and-veepstakes-revisited/[/URL]

Two factors in Bayh's favor are that (a) he was a Hillary supporter (to placate that group), and (b) is from a state that leans Republican but might be swayed, offsetting the apparent lack of traditional "regional balance" that a V-P candidate from a different region of the country than the presidential candidate is alleged to add to a ticket.

- - -

"Bayh", "Barack", and "Obama" are all on a list of commonly-mispronounced names: [URL]http://inogolo.com/prtag/commonly+mispronounced[/URL]. (At least, "Obama-Bayh" rolls off the tongue easily. But watch for Republican taunts along the lines of "Bye-bye Obama".)

Have we had any U.S. Prez/Veep tickets with two (or three) commonly-mispronounced names, in the past?

[quote=cheesehead;138786]Have we had any U.S. Prez/Veep tickets with two (or three) commonly-mispronounced names, in the past?[/quote]
There was Clay/Frelinghuysen in 1844... and Grant/Schuyler Colfax in 1868...

We also had Adlai Stevenson with Estes Kefauver in 1956. That's a good pick for most unusually named ticket (until now, anyway).

Incidentally, Adlai Stevenson is one of my all time political heroes for his [URL="http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Adlai_Stevenson's_Cuban_Missile_Crisis_speech_to_the_United_Nations_Security_Council"]speech at the UN during the Cuban Missile Crisis[/URL]. My favorite bit:
[quote]
All right, sir, let me ask you one simple question: Do you, Ambassador Zorin, deny that the U.S.S.R. has placed and is placing medium- and intermediate-range missiles and sites in Cuba? Yes or no—don’t wait for the translation—yes or no?

(The Soviet representative refused to answer.)

You can answer yes or no. You have denied they exist. I want to know if I understood you correctly. I am prepared to wait for my answer until hell freezes over, if that’s your decision. And I am also prepared to present the evidence in this room.
[/quote]

Those were the days...

The only UN moment that comes close in recent memory was Jack Straw rather derisively and undiplomatically referring to French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin as "Dominique" [I]repeatedly[/I] in a key speech during the runup to the Iraq invasion. Can't find a transcript though... it was deliciously insouciant.

Anyway, I digress. Adlai gets my vote on general principle...

The Clinton Chaos | McCain's Windmill of Lies
 

[url=http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/12/the-clinton-chaos/index.html?ref=opinion]NYT: The Opinionator | The Clinton Chaos[/url]
[quote]Topic A in blogland today is Joshua Green’s tale of the Fall of the House of Clinton in The Atlantic and the trove of internal Hillary Clinton campaign documents — e-mails, strategy memos and more — posted on the magazine’s Web site.

“Clinton ran on the basis of managerial competence — on her capacity, as she liked to put it, to ‘do the job from Day One,’” Green writes. “In fact, she never behaved like a chief executive, and her own staff proved to be her Achilles’ heel. What is clear from the internal documents is that Clinton’s loss derived not from any specific decision she made but rather from the preponderance of the many she did not make. Her hesitancy and habit of avoiding hard choices exacted a price that eventually sank her chances at the presidency.”

After reading the piece, John Cole has this reaction at his Balloon Juice blog: “Reading through the litany of misfires and infighting wasn’t so much illuminating as it was confirmation of everything we thought we already knew. I don’t know how anyone can not look at the hash her internal campaign was and think anything other than that we dodged a bullet when she lost. If these guys were in charge right now, they would be publicly fighting over whose fault Georgia was while trying to figure out if launching ICBM’s at Russia would poll well with women voters and white males.”[/quote]
So now we know that "The Red Phone" in the (in)famous Clinton campaign ad was really a line to her chief pollster.


[url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/13/opinion/13friedman.html?ref=opinion]NYTimes Op-Ed | McCain`s Renewable-Energy Scammery[/url]
[quote]John McCain recently tried to underscore his seriousness about pushing through a new energy policy, with a strong focus on more drilling for oil, by telling a motorcycle convention that Congress needed to come back from vacation immediately and do something about America’s energy crisis. “Tell them to come back and get to work!” McCain bellowed.

Sorry, but I can’t let that one go by. McCain knows why.

It was only five days earlier, on July 30, that the Senate was voting for the eighth time in the past year on a broad, vitally important bill — S. 3335 — that would have extended the investment tax credits for installing solar energy and the production tax credits for building wind turbines and other energy-efficiency systems.

Both the wind and solar industries depend on these credits — which expire in December — to scale their businesses and become competitive with coal, oil and natural gas. Unlike offshore drilling, these credits could have an immediate impact on America’s energy profile.

Senator McCain did not show up for the crucial vote on July 30, and the renewable energy bill was defeated for the eighth time. In fact, John McCain has a perfect record on this renewable energy legislation. He has missed all eight votes over the last year — which effectively counts as a no vote each time. Once, he was even in the Senate and wouldn’t leave his office to vote.

“McCain did not show up on any votes,” said Scott Sklar, president of The Stella Group, which tracks clean-technology legislation. Despite that, McCain’s campaign commercial running during the Olympics shows a bunch of spinning wind turbines — the very wind turbines that he would not cast a vote to subsidize, even though he supports big subsidies for nuclear power.

...

What impact does this have? In the solar industry today there is a rush to finish any project that would be up and running by Dec. 31 — when the credits expire — and most everything beyond that is now on hold. Consider the Solana concentrated solar power plant, 70 miles southwest of Phoenix in McCain’s home state. It is the biggest proposed concentrating solar energy project ever. The farsighted local utility is ready to buy its power.

But because of the Senate’s refusal to extend the solar tax credits, “we cannot get our bank financing,” said Fred Morse, a senior adviser for the American operations of Abengoa Solar, which is building the project. “Without the credits, the numbers don’t work.” Some 2,000 construction jobs are on hold.[/quote]

Conventional Musings | Repugnant + Republicans = ?
 

I wasn't planning to watch any of the Dem's convention, but wound up watching most of Shrillary's speech the other night and Biden's yesterday - loved how he ragged on McSame and the Republicans. I had hoped that Obama would pick NM governor Bill Richardson, but Biden seems like an OK guy. I know Bob Silverman prefers "Republiguns", but maybe a better term for the GOP would be the "Repugnicans".

Rumor is that McCain was leaning toward Mitt "Rich White Dude #2" Romney as his veep, but after realizing that Biden would rip Rom to shreds in the VP candidate debate, was having 2nd thoughts. Some of the TV pundits say he should go with Joe "Ach Du" Lieberman instead ... but I thought Lieberman had already committed to being the Presidential candidate of the People's Front of Judaea. [Which apparently required a religious conversion - as Joe now says wherever he goes, "I'm not a Jew, I'm a Roman ... Catholic!" As ever, politics and religion make for strange bedfellows, at least outside the GOP's Big Republican Revival Tent.

Even though I still can't stand her speech voice, Props to Hillary for doing the right thing. Looks like she finally managed to get Bill to STFU and behave himself, too. :)