Terrorist Attacks in Mumbai, India : Direct Online Mainstream Media Link

Since things are moving a million times faster than we could ever even dream of typing, for those who like learning from those at the scene, those on the ground and those in the know, we're strongly suggesting helping yourself.

MUMBAI - India - Direct Online Mainstream Media Link.



(Cross posted across at 'appletree')

Venezuela's President Chavez warmly welcomes Russia's President Medvedev - and the ruddy Russian Navy.

Venezuela's Chavez welcomes Russian warships

LA GUAIRA, Venezuela – Russian warships sailed into port in Venezuela on Tuesday in a show of strength as Moscow seeks to counter U.S. influence in Latin America.

Russia's first such deployment in the Caribbean since the Cold War is
timed to coincide with President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to Venezuela, the first ever by a Russian president.

Surprised?

You shouldn't be. (What's the betting Mr Biden isn't?)

Surely you've heard similar sorts of stories before.

You know, such as the old seafarers' old saying re: stranger things happening at sea.

Read a bit more about it right here.



*(Cross posted across at 'appletree')

So Big Brother Bush spied on Blood Brother Blair. So What?

Here's a short & sweet intelligence test.

Question:

Is the following statement a total waste of time and space?

... under a long-standing agreement, the US and Britain have pledged “not to collect on each other,” former US intelligence officials said.

Answer:

Are you a wacko or what? Of course it's complete crap.

They do it every damned day.

They always have and always will.

The truth is that neither dare not do.

This header's taken from today's (London) 'Times'.

US intelligence file was held on Tony Blair while he was Prime Minister

Now read the rest.



*(Cross posted across at 'appletree'.)

Re : Hillary (Hardball) Clinton ...

Hillary plays hardball

The first sign of friction in the Obama camp as Mrs Clinton demands - and gets - a purge of her critics before accepting Secretary of State role

By Leonard Doyle in Washington - Sunday, 23 November 2008

Hillary Clinton insisted on direct access to the President

Before Hillary Clinton has been formally offered the job as Secretary of State, a purge of Barack Obama's top foreign policy team has begun.

The advisers who helped trash the former First Lady's foreign policy credentials on the campaign trail are being brutally shunted aside, as the price of her accepting the job of being the public face of America to the world.

In negotiations with Mr Obama this week before agreeing to take the job, she demanded and received assurances that she alone should appoint staff to the State Department.

She also got assurances that she will have direct access to the President and will not have to go through his foreign policy advisers on the National Security Council, which is where many of her critics in the Obama team are expected to end up.

Aha!

Hath hell no fury, Hillary?

Read the rest this rather revealing report right here.



*(Cross posted across at 'appletree')

United States : Superpower's swansong?

Don't ask us.

What would we know?

What do you think?

US global dominance 'set to wane'

The US will face more competition at the top of a multi-polar global system US economic, military and political dominance is likely to decline over the next two decades, according to a new US intelligence report on global trends.

The National Intelligence Council (NIC) predicts China, India and Russia will increasingly challenge US influence.

It also says the dollar may no longer be the world's major currency, and food and water shortages will fuel conflict.

Read the rest.

Is the end in sight?

What say ye?

*(Cross posted across at 'appletree')

Oregon farming community elects nation's first transgendered mayor

Democrat Stu Rasmussen, a heterosexual man with breast implants and high heels, is the new mayor of Silverton, Oregon. Rasmussen is believed to be the first openly transgendered man to be elected mayor of an American town.

Some readers may assume that Silverton must be one of those suburbs of Portland that sounds like a small town, like Beaverton or Lake Oswego. Nope. It's a farm town with fewer than 10,000 people, situated a few miles away from Salem. Most of the people in Silverton either work on farms or for businesses that cater to farmers, including a large feed store, a seed company, and a business that delivers agricultural lime. There's a lot of grass grown around here, but it's the kind that you put in your yard to make it pretty, not the kind that you smoke.

Rasmussen had served on the city council for four years, and served as mayor during the late 1980s, back before he started cross-dressing in public. Outgoing mayor Ken Hector, who served as mayor for 16 years, blamed his loss on the current wave of anti-Republican sentiment that is sweeping the country.

(cross posted at appletree)

Special International Info-tainment Incident:Strictly Come Dancing's Old Brit Broadcast Journalist, John Sergeant Succumbs Secedes

Hold the front page.

This special info-tainment item seems set to, quite possibly, secure some sort of national pride of place amongst the top televised stories of the past several centuries; if not of all time

Former political journalist John Sergeant has decided to pull out of the BBC One show Strictly Come Dancing.

The 64-year-old has received strong support from the public since the show started, but the judges have been critical of his dancing.

In a statement, he said: "The trouble is that there is now a real danger that I might win the competition. Even for me that would be a joke too far."

[Pic purposely posted twice for proper effect. And, to enthusiastically encourage and further facilitate all & sundry readers' proper pondering.]

If anyone asks us, we can't see how, in all honesty, we can say such an all round 'good guy' & 'broadcaster-bloke' as John Sergeant, could possibly be all that bad.



See also, some bits about "Strictly ..."

*

Lord Bingham : Iraq Invasion Illegal

Iraq war 'violated rule of law'

Former attorney general Lord Goldsmith defended his legal advice

Legal advice given to Tony Blair by the attorney general prior to the Iraq war was fundamentally "flawed," a former law lord has claimed.

Lord Bingham said Lord Goldsmith had given Mr Blair "no hard evidence" that Iraq had defied UN resolutions "in a manner justifying resort to force".

Therefore, the action by the UK and US was "a serious violation of international law," Lord Bingham added.

Don't ask us how, but we've somehow managed to summon up sufficient super-human strength to stop ourselves from taking to the streets, screaming to everyone in sight: "We told you so."

*(Cross posted across at 'appletree')

Bush is now just a cautionary tale

It's really not possible to take Bush seriously these days

When Georgian troops attacked in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin wanted to invade Georgia, hang President Saakashvili, and set up a new government in Georgia. He was dissuaded when French president Nicolas Sarkozy pointed out that it was the sort of thing George W. Bush would do:

The Russian Prime Minister had revealed his plans for disposing of Mr Saakashvili when Mr Sarkozy was in Moscow in August to broker a ceasefire in Georgia.

With Russian tanks only 30 miles from Tbilisi on August 12, Mr Sarkozy told Mr Putin that the world would not accept the overthrow of Georgia’s Government. According to Mr Levitte, the Russian seemed unconcerned by international reaction. “I am going to hang Saakashvili by the balls,” Mr Putin declared.

Mr Sarkozy thought he had misheard. “Hang him?” — he asked. “Why not?” Mr Putin replied. “The Americans hanged Saddam Hussein.”

Mr Sarkozy tried to reason with him: “Yes but do you want to end up like Bush?” Mr Putin was briefly lost for words, then said: “Ah — you have scored a point there.”

Today, the leaders of the world's largest economies met and tried to lay the foundation for a new system of international finance. The United States was represented by a man whom other world leaders look to when they want to know what NOT to do. Thank goodness we only have to endure another two months under this dolt.

(cross posted at appletree)

Israel's ongoing insistance on continuing it's primitive, not to mention criminal, so cleverly & carefully contrived collective punishment

If you're a supporter of collective punishment or a denier of what's been inflicted on the people of Gaza by Israeli for God alone knows how long, then may we respectfully suggest simply shoving straight off. Moreover, we'd go so far as to say it would be better for all concerned if you made said move this instant.



Better by far, we firmly believe, that you find one of the many blogs and/or websites sharing your personal uncivilised sentiments. After all, there's certainly no shortage of same.

Hamas barrage as Gaza under fire

(snip)

On Thursday, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees said it had no more food to distribute in the Gaza Strip, because of the Israeli blockade.

(snip)

John Ging, of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa), said on Thursday that handouts for 750,000 Gazans would have to be suspended until Saturday at the earliest, and called Gaza's economic situation "a disaster".

Israel earlier denied entry to a convoy carrying humanitarian supplies.

(snip)

Also on Thursday, Israel refused permission for a group of senior European diplomats to visit the coastal enclave.

It has also prevented journalists, including those from the BBC, from entering the territory.

(snip)

The current round of clashes and rocket fire began on 5 November when Israeli troops entered Gaza to destroy what Israel said was a tunnel dug by militants to abduct its troops.

One militant died in the gunfight, and a subsequent Israeli air strike on Hamas positions in southern Gaza killed at least five fighters.

Hamas responded with a barrage of rockets fired into Israel.

Read the rest of this report.

Then read this one.

And, be sure not to miss this, re : Israel's latest lot of atrocious anti-Muslim activities in Jerusalem.



Tolerance?

More like tripe.

Talk about trying to insult the wider world's collective intelligence.

Without doubt, the souls of all those European Jews who suffered so much as a result of similarly shocking, rampant elitism being allowed to continue unchecked untill, sadly, it was far too late to save them, surely must be crying screaming out right now; as must the stones themselves.

For shame.

The kindest thing we can, in all conscience, call such coldly calculated and patently, purposely provocative sorts of sinfully shameful, officially state sponsored, abominable actions is, to say the least, horrifically hypocritical and unarguably indefensible, pure "clap-trap".



We wonder what Simon Wiesenthal himself would say?

Since we're absolutely certain that such a special man simply couldn't stay silent on this score.


[Hat-tip to 'sparrowchat']

*(Cross posted across at 'appletree')

So, we see that 'birthday boy' Prince Charles has hit the BIG 60

So why such a flaming fuss?

The lad doesn't realise just how lucky he is.

The same thing happened to us years ago as we sat sneezing, shivering and shaking, whilst waiting (in flipping'freezing fog) for one of many missing Merseyrail trains at our city centre's Central station.

Prince Charles turns 60 waiting for throne

Incidentally, hands up who knew that cheerful old 'Chazzer the chinless' has his own official web site.

(*Cross posted across at 'appletree')

Catholic Bishops to confront Obama on abortion

From the Washington Post:

The nation's Roman Catholic bishops vowed Tuesday to forcefully confront the Obama administration over its support for abortion rights, saying the church and religious freedom could be under attack in the new presidential administration. In an impassioned discussion on Catholics in public life, several bishops said they would accept no compromise on abortion policy. Many condemned Catholics who had argued it was morally acceptable to back President-elect Obama because he pledged to reduce abortion rates.

Several prelates promised to call out Catholic policy makers on their failures to follow church teaching. Bishop Joseph Martino of Scranton, Pa., singled out Vice President-elect Biden, a Catholic, Scranton native who supports abortion rights.

"I cannot have a vice president-elect coming to Scranton to say he's learned his values there when those values are utterly against the teachings of the Catholic Church," Martino said. The Obama-Biden press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Archbishop Joseph Naumann of the Diocese of Kansas City in Kansas said politicians "can't check your principles at the door of the legislature." Naumann has said repeatedly that Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, a Catholic Democrat who supports abortion rights, should stop taking Holy Communion until she changes her stance. "They cannot call themselves Catholic when they violate such a core belief as the dignity of the unborn," Naumann said Tuesday.

According to exit polls, 54 percent of Catholics chose Obama, who is Protestant. The new bishops' statement is meant to drive home the point in a way that cannot be misconstrued.

"We have a very important thing to say. I think we should say it clearly and with a punch," said New York Cardinal Edward Egan.

These would be the same bishops who thought it was perfectly OK to vote for George W. Bush, despite the fact that Bush launched an aggressive war that has killed hundreds of thousands, withdrew money from AIDS prevention programs, and ordered the torture of prisoners. And I don't remember any of these guys running to the press to warn Catholics that some of their priests were child molesters, and that their fellow bishops were protecting the pedophiles by moving them from parish to parish.

Apparently, the only time these guys find their voices is when they're trying to tell women what to do with their bodies. No wonder most American Catholics ignore them.

(cross posted at appletree)

It's 'Comical Caption' competition time again ...

Latest re: Serbia's Ratko (the rat) Mladic

Quick! Cross your fingers.

Serbs hunt Mladic in factory raid

Ratko Mladic has been on the run for 13 years

Serbian special forces hunting the fugitive former chief of the Bosnian Serb army chief Ratko Mladic are searching a factory in the west of the country.

Then read the rest of this report right here.

Incidentally, if they do catch this cretinous creep of a mass murderer, and we sooo hope that they do, we wonder if US General Wesley Clark will get his cap back from his old comrade in crimes arms?



Ugh!

*(Cross posted across at 'appletree')

Special Remembrance Sunday Supplement : It's Awful in Afghanistan : Truly. Honestly. Really.

Oy, Obama!

Oy, Brown!

Oy, every-bloody-body!

Over 'ere!

Look over 'ere!

Everyone!



Right!

Now that we've attracted your attention, we hope, read this report from today's UK's 'Independent' .

And, read it right now!

So, what are we fighting for today? Soldiers demand an end to 'farcical' lack of war leadership

Right?!

Getting the message?

Understand the mess?

See how serious it is?



"Support" our troops?

Jesus!

Just DON'T sodding start us.



*(Cross posted across at 'appletree')

German doctor accidentally cures AIDS in patient

Gero Hutter

From the Wall Street Journal:

The startling case of an AIDS patient who underwent a bone marrow transplant to treat leukemia is stirring new hope that gene-therapy strategies on the far edges of AIDS research might someday cure the disease.

The patient, a 42-year-old American living in Berlin, is still recovering from his leukemia therapy, but he appears to have won his battle with AIDS. Doctors have not been able to detect the virus in his blood for more than 600 days, despite his having ceased all conventional AIDS medication. Normally when a patient stops taking AIDS drugs, the virus stampedes through the body within weeks, or days.

"I was very surprised," said the doctor, Gero Hütter.

The breakthrough appears to be that Dr. Hütter, a soft-spoken hematologist who isn't an AIDS specialist, deliberately replaced the patient's bone marrow cells with those from a donor who has a naturally occurring genetic mutation that renders his cells immune to almost all strains of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

The development suggests a potential new therapeutic avenue and comes as the search for a cure has adopted new urgency. Many fear that current AIDS drugs aren't sustainable. Known as antiretrovirals, the medications prevent the virus from replicating but must be taken every day for life and are expensive for poor countries where the disease runs rampant. Last year, AIDS killed two million people; 2.7 million more contracted the virus, so treatment costs will keep ballooning.

In other good news, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine entirely decoded the DNA of a cancer cell for the first time, finding 10 mutations from normal human DNA.

Also, stem-cell researchers in the US are celebrating Obama's victory.

(cross posted at appletree)

Regarding reining in a rather rampant Russia, and a bit about brains versus Brawn

... 'twas ever thus.

Europe, not the US, can get Russia to behave

When war erupted in August between Russia and
Georgia, it was the European Union (EU) president who achieved a cease-fire agreement. Was this just a lucky break for the EU, or a sign of Europe's strength?

The answer is one that Europe needs to take full advantage of:
Nicolas Sarkozy achieved the cease-fire not because the EU has more military divisions than Stalin's heirs. His personal energy and France's weight may have helped, but Europe's real clout is its pull on Russia and its people.

As the tone of Russian President Dimitry Medvedev's state-of-the-union address indicated this week, big challenges remain. On top of strong language for Washington, Russia has military predominance on Georgia's doorstep and no Western counterweight is in sight. Moscow's recognition of the "independence" of the Georgian separatist areas of Abkhazia and South Ossetia – despite international condemnation – seems intended to signal that Moscow will not retreat.

Europe, not America is now best able to get Moscow to behave.

Europe is a neighbor and huge market for Russian energy and minerals. The EU accounted for just over half of Russia's foreign trade in 2007. Russians see Europe as appealing – a rich and stable region where the state plays a large role and citizens enjoy generous social benefits. And Russian elites have long aspired to European ways. Underlining Europe's pull, President Medvedev recently called the EU a "strategic partner" and waxed that Europe and Russia were "united by history, by common borders, and most important, I hope, we are united by the vision of a new greater Europe."

Unless you're a fully paid up partisan member of the mighty Military Industrial Complex (MIC) or some sort of similarly treacherous war profiteer, may we make so bold as to suggest some reading, learning and inwardly digesting?

*(Cross posted across at 'appletree')

Sarah Palin is out of her depth

Well, the knives are out. After pressing McCain to pick Sarah Palin as a running mate, campaign officials are now blaming Palin for losing the election. And there is a case to be made.

As Shepard Smith points out, the McCain spin that the Campaign was going just fine until a series of bankruptcies and stock market plunges is absolutely false. McCain did need to energize social conservatives within his party, and he did get an initial boost from Sarah Palin. But the campaign went off the rails after a series of disastrous interviews that exposed Palin's lack of knowledge, days before McCain lost any hope of winning by declaring that the fundamentals of the economy were sound.

McCain aides didn't stop with the information that they fed to Fox News, though. They've been telling everyone who will listen all sorts of embarrassing things about Palin:

* One night, Steve Schmidt and Mark Salter went to her hotel room to brief her. After a minute, Palin sailed into the room wearing nothing but a towel, with another on her wet hair. She told them to chat with her laconic husband, Todd.

* Palin launched her attack on Obama's association with William Ayers, the former Weather Underground bomber, before the campaign had finalized a plan to raise the issue. McCain's advisers were working on a strategy that they hoped to unveil the following week, but McCain had not signed off on it, and top adviser Mark Salter was resisting.

* Palin's shopping spree at high-end department stores was more extensive than previously reported. While publicly supporting Palin, McCain's top advisers privately fumed at what they regarded as her outrageous profligacy. One senior aide said that Nicolle Wallace had told Palin to buy three suits for the convention and hire a stylist. But instead, the vice presidential nominee began buying for herself and her family--clothes and accessories from top stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. According to two knowledgeable sources, a vast majority of the clothes were bought by a wealthy donor, who was shocked when he got the bill. One aide estimated that she spent "tens of thousands" more than the reported $150,000, and that $20,000 to $40,000 went to buy clothes for her husband. Some articles of clothing have apparently been lost.

And of course, we're to believe that John McCain had no idea any of this was going on:

McCain himself rarely spoke to Palin during the campaign, and aides kept him in the dark about the details of her spending on clothes because they were sure he would be offended. Palin asked to speak along with McCain at his Arizona concession speech Tuesday night, but campaign strategist Steve Schmidt vetoed the request.

I don't buy it. I think McCain's aides are trying to salvage their own careers by blaming Palin for their incompetence, and the Republican establishment is trying to ensure that Palin can never get the nomination in the future because they think she's too radical to win in a general election (and they're probably right).

It's clear that she's terribly uninformed, but it's hard for me to believe that she refused to prepare for the interview with Katie Couric. Then again, how much preparation does a person need to answer simple questions like, "what's a Supreme Court decision with which you've disagreed" or "what newspapers and magazines do you read?" And there's no excuse for lying about trade missions to Russia and Russian overflights of Alaska.

And how is it that McCain's aides told her to buy 3 suits and hire a stylist, then didn't bat an eye when she went to the most expensive stores in the country and spent $150,000-$200,000, then made her stylist the highest-paid member of McCain's staff? If find it hard to believe that a woman who would greet someone wearing only a towel would insist on having clothes from Neiman Marcus a stylist who charges thousands of dollars a week.

That sounds more like the taste of the McCains, who regularly strut around in $15,000 outfits and $500 shoes.

Read more »

Regarding Barack Obama's Recruitment of Rahm Emanuel ...

We hear that Barack Obama is recruiting Rahm Emanuel as his front man ... oops, sorry ... we meant to say Chief of Staff.

You know which Mr Rahm Emanuel we're referring to ... he of this sort of stuff ...

Notably, he reportedly told British Prime Minister Tony Blair, prior to Blair appearing in public with Clinton for the first time after the Lewinsky scandal, "This is important. Don't fuck it up."

Emanuel is said to have "mailed a rotting fish to a former coworker after the two parted ways."

On the night after the 1996 election, "Emanuel was so angry at the president's enemies that he stood up at a celebratory dinner with colleagues from the campaign, grabbed a steak knife and began rattling off a list of betrayers, shouting 'Dead! ... Dead! ... Dead!' and plunging the knife into the table after every name."

Yes sir, that's right, THAT Rahm Emanuel. The same one as said his mates should shun Stephen Colbert's shows.



Remember?

Comprendo?

THAT Rahm Emanuel?

Ah well, fee fi, fo fum.

Ho hum, hi ho, so it's off to work we go -- again.

No rest for the wicked, witter & twitter, such like, etcetera, so on, and so forth.

Right?



Damned right!

*(Cross posted across at 'appletree')

And Now Another American Attack Annihilates Another Afghan Wedding Party

Amid today's unbridled American presidential election celebrations, we learn that another, now all too familiar, almighty US military f*ck up has once again wiped out many innocent men, women and children. Ordinary/regular people whose only 'crime' seems to have been celebrating something special of their own.

And after all, lets face it, such long suffering, sad & sorry civilian souls have had precious little to celebrate since the dark day that the evil Saudi Arabian, Osama bin Laden's 9/11 bait was so eagerly swallowed (hook, line and sinker) by bloodsucking BushCo and mighty M.I.C. mates.

If ever "even the stones cry out" in Afghanistan, then the din will be deafening. And we do mean damned well deafening.

Surely, it must, by now, be more than bloody obvious even to the most moronic among the wantonly warmongering and (futile) cold-blooded vengeance wreaking retards, that criminal negligence and/or incompetence of epic proportions, is, alas, now endemic in America's modern day military.

And so, we wonder if the word 'accountability' is to be included anywhere among Barack Obama's many recently promised changes.

US Afghan air strike 'killed 40'

US air strikes have been blamed for many civilian deaths

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said about 40 people were killed in a US air strike in southern Kandahar province.

Many more were wounded when a wedding party was hit. US officials confirmed civilian deaths and are investigating.

"We cannot win the fight against terrorism with air strikes," Mr Karzai said in comments directed at US President-elect Barack Obama.

Mr Karzai has repeatedly criticised the high level of civilian casualties in such bombings.

The latest civilian deaths underline the challenges facing the US president-elect and future commander-in-chief.

Read the rest of this report right here.

*(Cross posted across at 'appletree')

Some special messages to Obama and his fellow Americans, from some fellow human beings ...

Now, please read some of these seriously salient messages being sent from the wider world.



*(Cross posted across at 'appletree')

Republicans' worst fears come to pass: Obama given mandate to impose socialism, sharia law

Well, it's all over. Barack Obama is our second black president, and our first Muslim president. And the first socialist this country has elected since Bill Clinton.

Americans were informed that Obama is determined to impose Sharia law in the US. We were told of his Afrocentrism and of his and his wife's hatred for whites. Sarah Palin and Joe the Plumber warned us that Obama's a socialist. We were told that Obama would allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons, and allow them to use those weapons to obliterate Israel. John McCain himself warned that Obama would surrender in Iraq.

And yet, Americans voted for Obama. In fact, we gave him a strong mandate, much stronger than the mandate Bush claimed in 2004, the one that the Republicans said justified a complete overhaul of social security and a major expansion of executive power.

I can only conclude that Obama's mandate is to impose socialism and Sharia, to promote the interests of blacks at the expense of whites, to allow Iran to nuke Israel, and to surrender to al Qaeda in Iraq. In fact, his mandate is so strong that it would be positively un-democratic and un-American to ask Obama to compromise as he pursues these goals.

So conservatives, get out of the way. You painted a fair picture of Obama, and Americans decided that's what they wanted. After all, words mean things, and elections have consequences.

(cross posted at appletree)

Just one of the reasons it's so great growing older ...

*

Today we'd like you to look at the light of our lives.



Bugger Obama and McCain for bit.

We're having a big day of our own.

See who's just surprised us by jetting in from Germany?

Our gorgeous granddaughter, the super-sweet Sophie - aka - the greatest gift we've ever been given.

If (seemingly) growing older sorta sooner is what it takes to be able to see someone one loves so dearly, blossom so beautifully, then so what?

So be it.

Since this, in all certainty, is one special young lady who is (so much) more than 'well worth it'.

Advancing years?

Huh.

Bring 'em on.

We should worry.

After all, we waited a long, long time to even get started on the track that's taken us through to where we're at today.

*(Cross posted across at 'appletree')

I wouldn't mind so much, but...

This photo doesn't really relate to the post, but I couldn't resist (source)

Here's what McCain had to say about his chances in tomorrow's election:

The candidate did all he could to stir the crowd's passions. McCain, who until recently opposed offshore drilling, vowed: "We'll drill offshore!" ("Drill, baby, drill," the crowd answered). McCain, who voted in support of the $750 billion financial bailout, declared: "We're not going to spend $750 billion of your money bailing out Wall Street bankers." He even invoked a favorite conservative boogeyman, the openly gay Rep. Barney Frank, who he said wants "to cut defense spending by one-fourth."

Having roused the lethargic audience with fear of Frank and love of drilling, McCain thought it safe to "give you a little straight talk about the state of the race today."

"Just two days left, a couple of points behind," he said. "My friends, the Mac is back!"

The Mac then flew up to the University of Scranton, where a third of the college gym was blocked off by a curtain, making the rest of the gym look more full. The candidate read from the teleprompter roughly the same pep talk he had read at his first stop: "I can sense the momentum and the enthusiasm. . . . We're going to win this race. . . . Americans are figuring it out in the last 48 hours. . . . A few points down. . . . The Mac is back!"

I don't mind McCain saying that he thinks he's going to win. It's expected of politicians, even those who don't really have a chance. But why did he say that he was giving the crowd "a little straight talk"? That's not straight talk. That's blowing sunshine up people's asses. Straight talk would sound more like this:

My friends, we're a couple of points down in Pennsylvania, which is a must-win state for me. We're a couple of points down, by which I mean we're about 10 points down. I've been criticizing John Murtha for saying that a lot of Pennsylvanians are racists, but the fact is that I agree with him. In fact, I'm counting on that. It's the whole reason I've been spending so much time in Pennsylvania, despite the fact that the polls show that I haven't got a prayer of winning the state.

The fact is, unless Barack Obama is caught within the next 24 hours with either a dead girl or a live boy, I can't win unless people set aside their concerns about the economy long enough to remember a time when it was absurd to imagine hiring a black lawyer, let alone voting for a black president. So join me in my fervent hope that people fear black men more than they fear losing their jobs and their homes. Let's all work to keep voter turnout low, especially among ethnic minorities. We can still win, even though the odds in our favor are vanishingly small!

But of course, "straight talk" was always an empty phrase for McCain, no more meaningful to him than "my friends" or "maverick" or "country first".

(cross posted at appletree)

Separation of Church and State in the United States? Are you so & so serious?

*

Ha.

Richard's header's rich today, eh?



Right?!

Please pull the other one, people : it's got blinkin' bells on : bloomin' bows and ribbons even : with knobs on : sideways : to mention but a few : and the band played 'Believe me if you like'.

Campaign comes to churches on final Sunday

George W. Bush : Worst US President Ever?

*

We're certain that you've heard (and/or thought), as often as we have that George W. Bush is/was America's worst president, ever.



But no, that's not so, says today's Sunday Times.



They tell us that the Buchanan bloke shown above was.

They name some other pitiful (in their opinion) US presidents too.

Also, they openly opine about the best of the the whole bunch of the (both famous and infamous), 43 C-in-Cs.

Go see for yourself, The Sunday Times' take on that score.



* (Cross posted across at 'appletree')