Quote of the Day

Michelle Obama:

“I mean, ‘whitey’? That’s something that George Jefferson would say. Anyone who says that doesn’t know me. They don’t know the life I’ve lived. They don’t know anything about me.”

Conservatives Are Full Of It.

Former UN ambassador John Bolton claims Iranian missile could possibly ‘hit some military installations’ in the U.S.

The current range of Iran’s Shahab missiles is said to be 1,200 miles, but the United States and Iran are much more than 1,200 miles apart. The approximate distance between Tehran and Washington, D.C. is actually 6,340 miles.

Republican hack Mary Matalin repeats lie about China drilling off the coast of Cuba.

Conservative pundit Mary Matalin insisted on opening more U.S. land, including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, to oil drilling, claiming that the U.S. is “the only nation” impeding efforts at more drilling. She repeated the conservatives’ current favorite lie: that China is drilling near Cuba, just off the coast of Florida — even though the lie has been thoroughly debunked and Vice President Cheney himself has admitted the story was false.

Barack Obama's Speech on Father's Day

Everything Is Not About You or The Clintons

Seriously.

Hiring Patti Solis Doyle, which one can argue is a bad managerial move, is not an insult or a slap in the face to Hillary Clinton. People like Big Tent Democrat at Talk Left and the Clinton dead enders are going to have a melt down when Obama does not pick Hillary Clinton as his Vice Presidential running mate.

John Cole:

So hiring former Clinton staffers is a slap in the face, thinking about nominating a woman other than Clinton as VP is a slap-in-the-face, and, well, pretty much everything is a slap-in-the-face. THE QUEEN BEE DOES NOT HAVE THE NOMINATION, AND EVERYTHING IS A SLAP IN THE FACE.

John McCain: Swimmers Needed 'To Get Bin Laden'

Apparently the only thing stopping us from getting Bin Laden is the lack of human spies who can swim in between the mountains of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Republican Presidential candidate John McCain, once again giving the American people the straight talk.

“I will look you in the eye and promise you that I will get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice,” McCain said in response to a direct question from one of the 2,000 people in attendance at the college’s Pemberton campus gym.

McCain said the key to ending the long search for bin Landen was to increase the number of human spies abroad.

“We need better human intelligence. We need people who can swim in the water,” McCain said.

As the map above notes, there is no mass of water in between the mountains of Pakistan and Afghanistan. So, what the hell is the very serious John McCain talking about?

Quote of the Day

DNC Chairman Howard Dean:

“Once again John McCain’s campaign is trying to mislead the American people. Senator McCain should understand that after seven years of a President who has divided Americans and pursued a scorched earth policy full of misleading propaganda campaigns, we need a leader who understands he is the President for all Americans not just his supporters. If Senator McCain likes to brag so much about running a transparent campaign, why is he copying the Bush campaign model by stacking this event with his prescreened supporters? If that is John McCain’s idea of straight talk, the American people are in for a long and disappointing campaign season.”

John McCain on Privatizing Social Security

Who are you going to believe the John McCain of 2008 or the John McCain or 2004?

John McCain & this Allies of Hate

Republican Presidential candidate John McCain, the Republican National Committee and people who are spreading anti-Obama rumors have a common cause to defeat Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama. The straight talking John McCain who claims to be a man of principle will not reject or denounce these efforts to slime Obama as a terrorist, muslin, marxist, communist and anti-American. It is the only way McCain can win the Presidency. Fear and Karl Rove tactics will be guidelines John MCain will base this campaign on.

The Obama Campaign has set up Fight the Smears website to debunk the rumors.

Barack Obama is a Black Man and he has a Black Family

Which is totally unacceptably to Fox News, the Conservative Movement, the Republican Party, unhinged Clinton supporters, hate talk radio and their allies. Sometime between now and November, somebody is just going to go out and say that a N***** can not be President.

In till then, they are going to use code words and dog whistle to make Barack Obama unacceptable.

This will keep happening. Fox News will keep finding ways to remind its viewers that the Obamas are black (and possibly Muslim), Michelle Malkin will continue to make excuses for Fox News’ dog-whistling racism that expose the fact that she’s about as familiar with logical thinking as a rainbow trout is with knitting, and eventually some portion of the Fox News audience will get to the ballot box in November convinced that they’re not really racists, they just know that there’s something about that Obama boy they just don’t like. This is how it will go. Let’s not pretend it’s not part of equation, this election year.

McCain of 2008 vs McCain of 2005

Who are you going to believe the John McCain of 2005 or the McCain of 2008?

John McCain’s Tax Plan would benefit Wealthy American

I know, it's shocking.

A detailed analysis of the candidates' tax plans confirms one of Barack Obama's top arguments against John McCain: the Arizona senator's proposals would offer substantial benefits to wealthy Americans.

An analysis of both campaigns proposals by the Washington-based, nonpartisan Tax Policy Center found that for people with incomes between $66,354 and $111,645, Obama's proposals would cut their taxes by more than $1000, compared to around $300 under McCain's plan. But for Americans with incomes above $603,402, Obama would raise their taxes dramatically, by more than $115,000 a year, while McCain would cut them by $45,000.

"The Obama tax plan would make the tax system significantly more progressive by providing large tax breaks to those at the bottom of the income scale and raising taxes significantly on upper-income earners," the group concludes. "The McCain tax plan would make the tax system more regressive.... It would do so by providing relatively little tax relief to those at the bottom of the income scale while providing huge tax cuts to households at the very top of the income distribution."

On a related note:

The McCains' marriage has mixed business and politics from the beginning, according to an expansive review by The Associated Press of thousands of pages of campaign, personal finance, real estate and property records nationwide. The paperwork chronicles the McCains' ascent from Arizona newlyweds to political power couple on the national stage.

As heiress to her father's stake in Hensley & Co. of Phoenix, Cindy McCain is an executive whose worth may exceed $100 million. Her beer earnings have afforded the GOP presidential nominee a wealthy lifestyle with a private jet and vacation homes at his disposal, and her connections helped him launch his political career - even if the millions remain in her name alone.

Photo of the Day

(Photo Via Five Thirty Eight)

That is a picture of the signage at an extremely popular (and very good) taqueria in my neighborhood in Chicago. They have a conspicuously large sign which is visible from a major intersection and is probably worth a couple thousand bucks a month in advertising impressions, and have decided to devote roughly the bottom third of it to a homemade testament to Barack Obama.

John McCain is Computer Illiterate

When asked whether he is a Mac or PC person, John McCain answered:

Neither, I'm an illiterate that has to rely on my wife for all of the assistance I can get.

Fresh off of comparing Senator Obama to William Jennings Bryan and then to President Jimmy Carter, Republican John McCain proves he is a man of the 19th century.

Is Bill O’Reilly a Racist?

Yes.

Bill O’Reilly:

While discussing ninth-grade students at a school in New Jersey who were suspended for distributing topless photographs of their classmates, Bill O'Reilly stated, "But it's an amazing amount of kids involved with this -- 20 -- in an affluent school district. This isn't, you know, the inner city; you would think that these kids would have some kind of a values system."

Quote of the Day

John McCain:

On the transcendent issues, the most important issues of our day, I've been totally in agreement and support of President Bush. -- June. 19, 2005

Clueless on Iraq: John McCain

The Carpetbagger Report:

Whether he’s 72 or 22 is irrelevant — he’s been consistently wrong about Iraq, demonstrating time and again that he just doesn’t understand the basics.

* McCain has been confused about how many U.S. troops are in Iraq.

* McCain has been confused about whether the U.S. can maintain a long-term presence in Iraq.

* McCain has been confused about the source of violence in Iraq.

* McCain has been confused about Iran’s relationship with al Qaeda.

* McCain has been confused about the difference between Sunni and Shi’ia.

* McCain has been confused about Gen. Petraeus’ responsibilities in Iraq.

* McCain has been confused about what transpired during the Maliki government’s recent offensive in Basra.

* McCain has been confused about Gen. Petraeus’ ability to travel around Baghdad “in a non-armed Humvee.”

* McCain has been so confused about Iraq, in November 2006, he couldn’t even do a live interview about the war without reading prepared notes on national television.

John McCain: Not Too Important

The DNC slams Republican John McCain over this "not too important" comment.

Do you want a neo-empire in the Middle East?

If your answer is yes, then Republican John McCain is your candidate.

Andrew Sullivan:

That's the critical question in this campaign: do Americans want a neo-empire in the Middle East? Do they want US troops permanently stationed in Iraq with up to 60 permanent bases? That's what the Bush administration wants to foist onto Iraq; and that's what McCain believes in. The viral video now buzzing on the Internets is not a gaffe, it's the truth. McCain would love to see US troops stationed peacefully in Iraq for the foreseeable future. To him it does not matter when they come home. What matters is that the casualty rate get low enough to persuade Americans they shouldn't care about another expansion of American empire. In fact, the entire debate about bringing them home is puzzling and frustrating to McCain. After all, why should we bring them home when being there for ever is the point?

John McCain on Bring the Troops Home: Not Too Important

On NBC's "Today" show, Republican Presidential candidate John McCain was asked whether he could estimate when U.S. troops could leave post-surge Iraq.

"No, but that's not too important," McCain said. "What's important is casualties in Iraq.

Harry Reid, Senate majority leader:

McCain’s statement today that withdrawing troops doesn’t matter is a crystal-clear indicator that he just doesn’t get the grave national-security consequences of staying the course -– Osama bin Laden is freely plotting attacks, our efforts in Afghanistan are undermanned, and our military readiness has been dangerously diminished. We need a smart change in strategy to make America more secure, not a commitment to indefinitely keep our troops in an intractable civil war."

Joe Biden, chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations:

"I think many of our brave soldiers and their families would disagree that it's 'not too important' when they come home. Knowing when our troops can come home from Iraq is vitally important, because the costs of staying with 140,000 or more troops are getting steeper every day. ... It is long past time to refocus our foreign policy on the many challenges we face, not just Iraq. Like President Bush, Sen. McCain cannot tell the American people when, or even if, Iraqis will come together politically -- which was [the] purpose of the surge in the first place. He can't tell us when, or even if, we will draw down below pre-surge levels. He can't tell us when, or even if, Iraq will be able to stand on its own two feet. He can't tell us when, or even if, this war will end."

Rahm Emanuel, House Democratic Caucus chair:

"Once again, John McCain has displayed a fundamental misunderstanding about the situation in Iraq, our strained military, and American troops and their families. ... With each passing day, the more John McCain talks about Iraq, the more the American people are reminded of how much we need change in Washington -- not more of the same from Sen. McCain."

Senator John Kerry:

Speaking of military families, Kerry said: "To them it's the most important thing in the world when they come home."

Kerry also cast the comments as proof that McCain is befuddled about the situation our military finds itself in. "Our generals have made it crystal clear that we cannot sustain our forces in Iraq at this level," he said.

"Senator McCain, it is important when they come home," Kerry concluded. "It is important when we can revitalize our military."

Speaker Nancy Pelosi:

"Senator McCain’s statement that it is ‘not too important’ when U.S. troops are redeployed from Iraq is yet another indication how out of touch he is with the effect the war in Iraq is having on the readiness of our military. Addressing the national security implications of the military readiness crisis ought to be considered as extremely important by someone who aspires to be commander in chief.

"The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, said again yesterday that our military commitment in Iraq is hindering our ability to meet threats to our national security in places such as Afghanistan. Military leaders agree that the demands of frequent deployments to Iraq are stretching our Army to the breaking point, and that unacceptable strain is being placed on our troops, their families, and their equipment.

"For our military readiness, for the families of our brave men and women in uniform, and for our national security, America needs a New Direction in Iraq -- not the continuation of the Bush-McCain plan for an endless war in Iraq.”

Only a Fool: John McCain

You Tube is going to piss off John McCain this whole election season.

Quote of the Day

Obama's Communications Director:

Responding to a McCain attack on taxes on Fox, details whose taxes will go up:

"He's going to raise taxes on those wealthy lobbyists that work for the McCain campaign," he says.

Quote of the Day

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

“Over the past 16 months, tens of millions of Americans from all walks of life have been inspired to support Barack Obama's historic campaign for President, and with good reason: he is a once-in-a-generation leader who connects with the hopes and dreams of the American people and will deliver the long-overdue change that our country desperately needs”

John McCain Vs. Women’s Rights

When it comes to women’s health, John McCain is just plain out of touch.

John McCain is one of only a few Senators to earn a Zero percent lifetime rating from Planned Parenthood’s Action Fund, and he only scored that high because the organization doesn’t have a lower rating…. Let’s look at his record:

He voted against requiring health care plans to cover birth control (3/22/03).

He voted against comprehensive, medically accurate sex education (7/25/06).

He voted against international family planning funding (3/14/96).

He voted against funding to prevent teen and unintended pregnancies (3/17/05).

He voted against public education for emergency contraception (3/17/05).

And he voted against restoring Medicaid funding that could be used for family planning for low-income women (3/17/05).

NPR reported (2/2/08) that, “Many Republican voters seem to believe, incorrectly, that the current Republican front-runner, Arizona Senator John McCain, supports abortion rights.”

John McCain wants us to believe that he’s a moderate who supports improving the health of women in the United States, but in fact he’s among the most extreme members of Congress who voted against common sense measures on family planning, sex education and access to basic healthcare.

Barack Obama:

"From the first moment a woman dared to speak that hope - dared to believe that the American Dream was meant for her too - ordinary women have taken on extraordinary odds to give their daughters the chance for something else; for a life more equal, more free, and filled with more opportunity than they ever had. In so many ways we have succeeded, but in so many areas we have much work left to do.”

John McCain Supporter: "How Do We Beat the Bitch"

Photo of the Day

Barack Obama:

"If you're in a fight, and we are going to be in a fight, you want Jim Webb to have your back."

John McCain Defends Bush's Iraq Strategy

John McCain will continue Iraq policies of President Bush as President.

John McCain: "I do not support Roe versus Wade"

John McCain will overturn the law that legalized the women right to choose.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain, looking to improve his standing with the party's conservative voters, said the law that legalized abortion should be overturned.

John McCain Opposes Expanded GI Bill, Passes Senate

Republican Presidential candidate John McCain:

By a vote of 75-22, the Senate approved an expanded version of the GI bill today. Proposed by Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., it's the biggest expansion of the bill in the past quarter-century, according to the New York Times. But it has also been opposed by, among others, President Bush and presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain.

McCain: Bush right to veto kids health insurance expansion

Republican Presidential candidate John McCain:

Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, told CNN Wednesday he agrees with President Bush's veto of legislation expanding a children's health insurance program, saying the bill provided a "phony smoke and mirrors way of paying for it."

McCain: Would Be "Fine" To Keep Troops in Iraq for "A Hundred Years"

Republican Presidential candidate John McCain:

The United States military could stay in Iraq for "maybe a hundred years" and that "would be fine with me," John McCain told two hundred or so people at a town hall meeting in Derry, New Hampshire, on Thursday evening.

John McCain Supports Privatizing Social Security

Republican Presidential candidate John McCain will continue to push President Bush policy of privatizing Social Security as President.

John McCain Economic Policy Shaped By Lobbyist

Swiss bank paid Phil Gramm, McCain national campaign co-chair, to push agenda on U.S. mortgage crisis.

Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain’s national campaign general co-chair was being paid by a Swiss bank to lobby Congress about the U.S. mortgage crisis at the same time he was advising McCain about his economic policy, federal records show.

John McCain Votes to Filibuster Minimum Wage Hike

Republican Presidential candidate John McCain:

Senator John McCain joined his fellow Republicans to vote to maintain a filibuster on the minimum wage hike. This is clearly a vote to win him financial backing and support from the elites, but it is one that should come back to haunt him in his Presidential bid.

A hike in the minimum wage is supported by at least 75% of Americans -- that number includes a large percentage of Republicans. And it's an issue you can use to win -- as Sherrod Brown learned in Ohio, a state where I'm guessing McCain will want to perform well.

2008 will likely be the year when the rightwing economic vision and electoral reality collide into eachother. This vote is a clear example of how that will happen.

Barack Obama, Democratic nominee for President

Obama Clinches Nomination:

Senator Barack Obama claimed the Democratic presidential nomination on Tuesday evening, prevailing through an epic battle with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in a primary campaign that inspired millions of voters from every corner of America to demand change in Washington.