I have been wrong about who "won" the presidential debate each time it has occurred. So, with that in mind, here’s my take on Thursday’s debate. First, moderator Bob Schieffer was so significantly better then any previous moderator of these debates that he should be given the job permanently. For the first time searching questions were asked and the candidates better required to answer them. He was the first moderator who seemed to me to be in full control. My…
I have not been the Lone Ranger in making known the disdain for the self righteous who, all too often, turn out to be total hypocrites. The list of examples is a very long one and unfortunately touches both sides of the political fence as well as a variety of religions. On the religious side we have good old Jimmy Swaggart the anti Catholic, anti Jew televangelist who took in more then $150 million each year. He decided to attack…
My take regarding the debate, from the viewpoint of a supporter of Obama and Biden, was that both candidates surprised me regarding how well they did as to demeanor and overall impression. Biden did an excellent job. He was poised and not verbose, nor argumentative nor overbearing as some had feared. He had great demeanor and presence. Palin was no less impressive with her self confident, poise and articulate responses. I’m not talking about the content or accuracy nor even the responsiveness of her answers. I’m talking about…
What do Barrack Obama and Ricardo "El Matador" Mayorga have in common? Mayorga is a boxer whose bravado in the ring used to involve allowing his opponent to take a free punch at his head – that’s what they have in common. I watched the so called debate while Obama invited McCain to take a free swing at Obama's chin and then drop his gloves instead of hitting back. My clear impression is that Obama is not an effective debater. He is too…
In her book The Loss That is Forever, the author, Maxine Harris, talks about an unlikely connection between two very different men, Abraham Lincoln and Adolph Hitler. They both shared fear of death as well as their mutual desire to be remembered in history. Both had suffered deaths in their family. Hitler was orphaned at seventeen and Lincoln’s mother died when he was nine. She says that throughout his life Hitler was obsessed with the idea that time was short and he…
The Huffington Blog points out the following language in the Bush administration’s proposal for a bail out of the failing corporations. It reads: “Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.” This means that $700 billion of taxpayer dollars to save several financial institutions will be totally at the discretion of the Executive branch without any…
Ann McFeatters a PI columnist has written about John McCain’s willingness to switch position for political motives. I’ve commented on what I see as his changed character, in his drive to be elected, from the maverick U.S. Senator to a desperate presidential candidate. It is also galling to me as a Northwest resident that he played a major role in the Boeing Company’s loss of the bid for the Air Force refueling tanker to a French company. But, this involves…
The media reports that Senate Republicans blocked a poposed windfall profit tax on the oil industry. The Bush administration and Republican Congress have had their way for eight years in protecting the oil industry while it continued to collect more and more profits. Sixty votes were needed to pass the bill and only fifty one voted for it. Senator Mary Landrieu, Louisiana was the only Democrat to oppose the bill and she has ties to the oil industry in her…
John Edwards has decided to endorse Obama. Edwards collected a large percentage of votes in West Virginia in the Clinton-Obama race when he wasn’t even in the running. John Edwards has been the candidate Lita and I have supported in two attempts at the White house. A long time friend of ours, John also is an extraordinary competent and bright person. I can’t think of a better combination than Obama and Edwards for the White house this year.
Politics and religion. Those are the two subjects we were told we should avoid in talking with others if we want to be socially acceptable. Yet, politics has come to play such a significant part of our lives that it is hard not to talk about it, especially in a presidential election year. Much of the political disputes involves differing views as to the reason for and role of government. Take the conservatives and in particular Grover Norquist. Norquist, who…
