NEW VIDEO: WHAT HAPPENED IN SADR CITY

The Real News Network and Alive In Baghdad produced this illuminating video which tells what happened in the Sadr City neighborhood in Baghdad after U.S. forces moved into the area.

Several civilians talk about what happened and how the U.S. forces virtually destroyed their city.

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://therealnews.com/t/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=2275

PENTAGON URGES CAUTION IN TROOP DRAWDOWN IN IRAQ: BUSH, McCAIN, PALIN PLAY POLITICS WITH TROOPS

The top military leaders at the Pentagon are urging caution in too quick a drawdown of U.S. troops from Iraq, however President Bush and GOP candidates for President and Vice President, John McCain and Sarah Palin, are playing "politics" with our troops in Iraq and want at least 8,000 troops returned home or shipped to Afghanistan where the bulk of the war is now taking place.

Pentagon leaders to urge caution in troop cuts

Wednesday September 10, 2008 8:46 AM
By LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press Writer
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,,-7786950,00.html

WASHINGTON (AP) - Top defense leaders are telling Congress the U.S. must be cautious as the Pentagon begins to cut troops in Iraq and focus more attention on the escalating fight in Afghanistan.

In testimony Wednesday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates was to note the dramatic security gains in Iraq over the past year but say that uncertainty remains and further troop reductions must be done with balance and care, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said.

At the same time, Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were looking ahead to a broader effort in Afghanistan to beat back a Taliban resurgence and build up the fragile Afghan central government.

Both were scheduled to testify before the House Armed Services Committee about the latest proposal by President Bush to slowly reduce troop levels in Iraq and start shifting forces to Afghanistan.

Bush announced Tuesday that he will pull about 4,000 troops out of Iraq before the end of the year, and another 4,000 in January - reducing force levels there to roughly 138,000. The 8,000-troop drawdown represents just 5 percent of the 146,000 U.S. troops now in Iraq.

Continue reading here http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,,-7786950,00.html

MAINSTREAM MEDIA LETS MCCAIN GET AWAY WITH CLAIMS THAT THE "SURGE" HAS WORKED

Commercial Media Let McCain Get Away with Claims that the "Surge" has Worked


By Robert Parry, Consortium NewsPosted on September 10, 2008, Printed on September 10, 2008
http://www.alternet.org/story/98171/

Despite strong evidence to the contrary, it has become established conventional wisdom among mainstream Washington journalists that the "surge" was the singular reason for the recent decline in Iraq's violence. It's also agreed that McCain deserves great credit for pushing the "surge" idea early.

Barack Obama has been repeatedly chastised -- even badgered -- for opposing the "surge." His attempts to refocus the debate more broadly on the wisdom of invading Iraq in the first place are rudely rejected by Big Media interviewers.

The latest example came during an ABC News "This Week" interview on Sept. 7 when George Stephanopoulos demanded of Obama: "How do you escape the logic that ... John McCain was right about the surge?"

When Obama responded that he didn't understand "why people are so focused on what has happened in the last year and a half and not on the previous five," Stephanopoulos cut him off, saying "Granted, you think you made the right decision about going in, but about the surge?"
In other words, the big-name journalists don't want a discussion about the decision to illegally invade Iraq under false pretenses in 2003 (presumably because they almost all were cheering the invasion on), but instead they want the debate to center entirely on their latest false assumption, that the "surge" has virtually won the war.

In reality, the "surge" of about 30,000 additional troops sent to Iraq appears to have been only one factor and -- according to military officials interviewed for Bob Woodward's new book, The War Within -- possibly a secondary one in explaining the drop-off in the violence that had made Iraq a living hell.

As Woodward writes, "In Washington, conventional wisdom translated these events into a simple view: The surge had worked. But the full story was more complicated. At least three other factors were as important as, or even more important than, the surge."

Woodward, whose book draws heavily from Pentagon insiders, reported that the Sunni rejection of al-Qaeda extremists in Anbar province (which preceded the surge) and the surprise decision of radical Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr to order a unilateral cease-fire by his militia were two important factors.

Click here to read more http://www.alternet.org/story/98171/

THIS IS WHY CHARLEY GIBSON'S INTERVIEW WITH SARAH PALIN WILL BE A "WHITE"WASH.

Charley Gibson of ABC News is scheduled to interview Sarah Palin. What a joke.

Why not have Palin sitdown with Rick Davis, campaign director, for McCain/Palin?

Charley Gibson is about the worst anchor/reporter in the history of network television. He is a right wing jerk who will throw nothing but softballs at Palin and let her hit them out of the park.

Here is how Media Matters looks at the upcoming interview between wishy-washy Charley Gibson and the Sarah Palin:

Gibson, who is scheduled to interview Palin, let several McCain falsehoods go unchallenged

Summary: ABC's Charlie Gibson posed no challenge to several false, contradictory, or dubious assertions made by Sen. John McCain during a September 3 interview. Gibson is scheduled to interview McCain's running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin, later this week.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200809090020?lid=583734&rid=14142581

On the September 7 edition of Fox News Sunday, Rick Davis, campaign manager for Sen. John McCain, asserted that Gov. Sarah Palin would not be interviewed until "at which point in time we feel like the news media is going to treat her with some level of respect and deference."

ABC News subsequently announced that World News anchor Charlie Gibson had secured the first television interview with Palin following her vice-presidential nomination, which is scheduled to air on September 11 and 12. Indeed, during a September 3 interview with McCain, Gibson posed no challenge to several of his false, contradictory, or dubious assertions.

For example, Gibson did not challenge McCain on his false claim that when Palin became governor of Alaska, she said, "No more [earmarks] for my state"; Gibson offered no rebuttal to McCain's claim that Sen. Barack Obama has never "taken on the special interests in his party on a major issue"; and did not note that McCain previously reportedly had a different view from his current one of the relevance of a governor's experience presiding over his or her state's National Guard.

Earmarks and the "bridge to nowhere"

As Media Matters for America documented, Gibson did not challenge the claim by McCain that after Palin obtained millions of dollars in earmarks as mayor of her Alaskan hometown, Wasilla, she "learned that earmarks are bad" when she became governor and said, "No more for my state." At no point did Gibson point out that as governor, Palin, by her own account, requested nearly $200 million in earmarks for Alaska just this year. Other media outlets have noted Palin's earmark requests as governor; The Seattle Times reported on September 2 that her earmark requests for 2008 amounted to "more, per person, than any other state."

Gibson also left unchallenged McCain's claim that Palin said, "We don't want the 'bridge to nowhere.' " In fact, as The Seattle Times article reported, after "appear[ing] to embrace" the "so-called 'Bridge to Nowhere' " during her run for governor, "A year later, as criticism of earmarks mounted, Palin began to speak out against earmarks" but nonetheless kept the federal money for Alaska and used the funds for other projects.

Obama "has never taken on the special interests in his party on a major issue ever"
Gibson allowed McCain to claim without challenge that Obama "has never taken on the special interests in his party on a major issue ever." Gibson did not note that Obama has refuted that claim by pointing to his work dealing with ethics reform and education, and that media, including ABC News, have reported that Obama has taken positions that were not popular with interests or politicians within his party.

ABCNews.com reported on Obama's proposal for merit pay for teachers in a November 20, 2007, analysis by Teddy Davis and Sunlen Miller headlined "Obama Bucks Party Line on Education":

Obama's willingness to boost teacher pay based on performance separates him from his Democratic rivals, including Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., who supports school-based, rather than individual teacher-based, merit pay. The broader political significance of his unorthodox proposal is that it gives him an opportunity to buttress his argument that he is the Democrat best positioned to bring people together for purposes of challenging the status quo.
Even author David Freddoso wrote in his book, The Case Against Barack Obama, that an ethics reform bill co-sponsored by Obama, The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006, was "a real accomplishment for Obama in the name of reform" and "a small victory for open government and bipartisanship" that was "approved over the objection of some of Capitol Hill's worst porkers." From Pages 93-94 of Freddoso's book:

Obama's reform record is not a complete wash. His most notable accomplishment in Washington was the bill he co-sponsored with Republican senator Tom Coburn, the conservative junior senator from Oklahoma. The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 -- also known as "Google for Government" -- helped expose to the sunlight the congressional practice of "earmarking," in which members of Congress direct federal spending to parochial projects -- swimming pools, bridges to nowhere -- that often have no national importance or congressional authorization.63 Coburn and Obama's bill, approved over the objection of some of Capitol Hill's worst porkers, really was a small victory for open government and bipartisanship.
This was a real accomplishment for Obama in the name of reform -- the second such accomplishment of his career after the Illinois ethics law.

In a June 16 interview with ABC News senior national correspondent Jake Tapper, Obama cited "ethics reform legislation" as an example of a time he "worked across the aisle in such a way that entailed a political risk." According to the Nexis database, the exchange was aired on the August 12 edition of World News, in a segment introduced and concluded by Gibson.

From the interview transcript:
TAPPER: But have you ever worked across the aisle in such a way that entailed a political risk for yourself?

OBAMA: Well, look, when I was doing ethics reform legislation, for example, that wasn't popular with Democrats or Republicans. So any time that you actually try to get something done in Washington, it entails some political risks.

Obama also cited ethics reform as an example of when he "went against party loyalty, and maybe even went against your own best interest, for the good of America" during the August 16 Saddleback Presidential Forum, moderated by pastor Rick Warren:

Continue reading here: http://mediamatters.org/items/200809090020?lid=583734&rid=14142581

VOTERS LOOK FOR ANY EXCUSE NOT TO VOTE FOR A BLACK MAN

If his name was John Smith and he was WHITE, he would be be so far ahead of John McCain and Sarah Palin they would call off the election out of respect for the disabled.

But his name is Barack Obama and he is a BLACK man and that is the reason the polls are so tight and in some cases McCain and Plain are ahead.

It is a pity the people on TV don't live in a racially changing neighborhood like I do.

If they did, they would know in a heartbeat all the code words that are used to describe a BLACK person.

As they say, it goes with the territory.

Below is a story were the writer from the Huffington Post wrestles with why Barack Obama is not miles ahead of John McCain in the polls.

Good story, but he doesn't get it.

Commentary by Bill Corcoran, Editor, CORKSPHERE

Poll Madness: McCain Takes Lead Even As Democrats Out-Register Republicans?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/09/poll-madness-mccain-takes_n_125158.html

This week's mainstream coverage of the presidential horse-race has been dominated by a series of polls showing the McCain-Palin ticket with its first stable lead over Obama and Biden.

Gallup's tracking poll, USA Today and CBS News all show the Republicans with some kind of lead over the Democratic ticket. But, interestingly, all three polls were also conducted using a higher sampling of Republican voters than in July, raising a question of methodology.

In a year in which Democrats have a lead of 11 million registered voters over Republicans, and have been adding to that advantage through a robust field operation, are pollsters over-sampling Republicans?

Despite a raft of advantages in the electorate for Democrats, in September's first Gallup tracking poll, an equal number of Republicans and Democrats were surveyed (including "leaners") from Sept. 3-5, compared to a 10-point Democratic identification advantage two weeks ago. That partisan makeup of the polling pool resulted in a 5-point lead for McCain in Sept. 5 tracking poll.

Meanwhile, the new CBS poll features a 6-point swing in partisan composition toward Republicans, which plays some role in the poll's two-point lead for McCain. Finally, the latest USA Today poll, which claims a four-point edge for McCain, was arrived at after a 10-point swing in partisan makeup toward GOP respondents.

Some polling experts say the changing state of party affiliation in the field is slow to be reflected in polls themselves. Democratic pollster Anna Greenberg told the Huffington Post that "when it comes to registration and turnout, the polls often do a very bad job of taking those [factors] into account," because newly registered voters aren't in the voter files used by firms that survey public opinion. "You could make the argument they are under-representing new registrants," she said, which would mean that the Democrats new edge would not be taken into account.

Monday's USA Today poll had a 48-47 split between Democrats and Republicans surveyed. That represents a nearly 10 point shift in party identification toward Republicans since USA Today's July polling. When asked for comment, USA Today polling editor Jim Norman wrote that "it's possible" that their latest sample includes too many Republicans. Though he added, "it's also possible that we have too many Democrats," because "there's always the chance of an over- or under-representation" in polls.

Still, Norman admitted that the GOP identification in the latest survey has spiked. "The party ID in our most recent poll does show a shift away from what Gallup has been getting in earlier polls, going all the way back to 2005," Norman said. "But previous conventions -- the Republican one in 1988, the Democratic one in 1992, the Democratic one in 2000 -- have also shown shifts in party ID toward the party that had the convention, and those shifts seemed to last, to greater or lesser degrees, though the election. Further, I've been told by Gallup that their tracking poll has shown a similar shift in party ID since the Republican convention. ... I guarantee you we will be watching closely in all of our polls between now and election day to see whether there are further shifts in party ID in either direction."

And it's true. Gallup's own GOP identification (including leaners) has swung six points in the last month, from 42 percent of voters to 48, according to tables provided to the Huffington Post. Meanwhile, solid and leaning Democrats have fallen from 52 to 48 percent of those polled. For political scientists who believe that partisanship is largely stable over time -- and who take note of the advantage in voter registration being experienced by Democrats during the same period -- the newly GOP-heavy poll samples can raise eyebrows.

Emory University political scientist Alan Abramowitz is highly skeptical of the new Gallup, USA Today and CBS polls. About the latter, which showed a statistically insignificant two point lead for McCain, Abramowitz said: "One reason for the dramatic difference between the two recent CBS polls is that the two samples differed fairly dramatically in terms of partisan composition. The first sample was 35.2% Democratic, 26.2 percent Republicans, and 38.6 percent independent. The second sample was 34.9% Democratic, 31.1% Republican, and 34.0% independent. That's a change from a 9 point Democratic advantage to a 3.8 point Democratic advantage. That alone would probably explain about half of the difference in candidate preferences between the two [CBS] polls."

Continue reading here http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/09/poll-madness-mccain-takes_n_125158.html

HARROWING AND GRISLY VIDEO BACKS AFGHAN CLAIMS U.S. TROOPS KILLED CIVILIANS

Click on link below to read the story about how U.S. troops killed Afghan civilians and to watch the VIDEO.

WARNING ABOUT THE VIDEO: IT IS VERY GRAPHIC AND SHOWS IN DETAIL AFGHAN CIVILIANS KILLED BY U.S. TROOPS.


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article4699077.ece

NEW VIDEO: FOX NEWS USES SAME TACTICS ON OBAMA THEY USED ON KERRY

FOX NEWS continues to put on public display how they are the lowest form of journalism in the history of the United States.

In this striking NEW VIDEO, the FOX NEWS "GOP parrots" are seen using the same lines they used on John Kerry in 2004 on Barack Obama in 2008.

Everyone knows FOX NEWS appeals to people with a room temperature IQ.

H.L. Mencken, the award-winning journalist, wrote in 1926 that nobody would ever go broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people.

P.T. Barnum, the great circus guru, once said: "A sucker is born every minute."

FOX NEWS CONTINUES TO PROVE WITH THEIR HUGE AUDIENCE THAT AMERICA IS MADE UP OF PEOPLE WITH A WADING POOL DEPTH MENTALITY.

WATCH THIS NEW VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/lM3oww9Vk-c&hl=en&fs=1

CLICK ON DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW IN CENTER OF PICTURE TO ACTIVATE VIDEO

CNN REPORTS PALIN'S PASTOR SAYS GOP DOWNPLAYING HER RELIGIOUS BELIEFS: MAINSTREAM MEDIA STILL MUM ON PALIN

Even though more and more is coming out about Sarah Palin that could damage the McCAIN/PALIN ticket, the mainstream media continue to turn a blind eye on covering all the revelations.

The mainstream media has become the defacto public relations arm of the McCAIN/PALIN candidacy.

Pastor: GOP may be downplaying Palin's religious beliefs

Story Highlights
Sarah Palin belonged to Pentecostal church for more than two decades until 2002
Campaign: Palin is deeply religious, doesn't consider herself Pentecostal
Pastor: Issues of belief could be misunderstood, played upon by people
Speaking of the troops in Iraq, Palin says they were sent on "task that is from God"

By Randi KayeAC360° Correspondent
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/08/palin.pastor/index.html

WASILLA, Alaska (CNN) -- For more than two decades, vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin was a practicing Pentecostal.

She belonged to the Wasilla Assembly of God church in her hometown of Wasilla, Alaska. But though she attended the church from her teenage years to 2002, the Alaska governor hasn't talked much about her religion since joining the Republican ticket.

Palin's former pastor, Tim McGraw, says that like many Pentecostal churches, some members speak in tongues, although he says he's never seen Palin do so. Church member Caroline Spangler told CNN, "When the spirit comes on you, you utter things that nobody else can understand ... only God can understand what is coming out of our mouths."
Some Pentecostals from Assembly of God also believe in "faith healing" and the "end times" -- a violent upheaval that they believe will deliver Jesus Christ's second coming.

"Our basic belief is that God is God and he knows where history is going and he has a purposeful plan and within the middle of that plan we live in an environment in our world where certain events would take place," says McGraw. "Sarah wasn't taught to look for one particular sign -- a cataclysmic sign. She knew as every Christian does ... that God is sovereign and he is in control."
The McCain campaign says the governor doesn't consider herself Pentecostal.

Watch Palin's father talk about her religious upbringing »


McGraw says Palin's Pentecostal roots may be being downplayed for a reason: "I think there may be issues of belief that could be misunderstood or played upon by people that don't know."
When asked by CNN about Palin's beliefs, campaign spokeswoman Meghan Stapleton would only say the Republican vice presidential candidate has "deep religious convictions.

" Watch how Palin's religious roots formed »


But how might her religious beliefs impact policy in Washington if the Republican ticket is successful?

Palin's former pastor says he has no doubt her religious beliefs will influence her decision making when it comes to government policy. Regarding her desire to build an Alaskan pipeline and explore for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, McGraw told CNN, "Sarah knows that in Genesis, God creates the world and it's very good and that we're supposed to be caretakers in terms of not destroying the environment, so there's no way that Sarah is going to exploit or damage the Alaska tundra in the name of getting gas if she doesn't have to.

" Palin's neighbors react to her swift rise

WASHINGTON POST: PALIN BILLED STATE FOR NIGHTS SPENT AT HOME AND FAMILY TRAVEL

Palin Billed State for Nights Spent at HomeTaxpayers Also Funded Family's Travel

By James V. Grimaldi and Karl Vick

Washington Post Staff WritersTuesday, September 9, 2008; A01
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/08/AR2008090803088.html?wpisrc=newsletter

ANCHORAGE, Sept. 8 -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has billed taxpayers for 312 nights spent in her own home during her first 19 months in office, charging a "per diem" allowance intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business.

The governor also has charged the state for travel expenses to take her children on official out-of-town missions. And her husband, Todd, has billed the state for expenses and a daily allowance for trips he makes on official business for his wife.

Palin, who earns $125,000 a year, claimed and received $16,951 as her allowance, which officials say was permitted because her official "duty station" is Juneau, according to an analysis of her travel documents by The Washington Post.

The governor's daughters and husband charged the state $43,490 to travel, and many of the trips were between their house in Wasilla and Juneau, the capital city 600 miles away, the documents show.

Gubernatorial spokeswoman Sharon Leighow said Monday that Palin's expenses are not unusual and that, under state policy, the first family could have claimed per diem expenses for each child taken on official business but has not done so.

Click here to read full story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/08/AR2008090803088.html?wpisrc=newsletter

"COMMUNITY ORGANIZER"---WINK, WINK: REMEMBER OBAMA IS A BLACK MAN

The GOP and the McCain/Palin campaign has seized on something I knew was eventually going to come out and that is simply to keep reminding the American people that Barack Obama is an African-American.

Notice how many times McCain and Palin talk about Obama as a "community organizer."

That is Republican double-speak, or code words for ginning up the anti-African American vote and you would have to be living under a rock not to see it.

The GOP and the McCain/Palin campaign use "community organizer," which Barack Obama was in Chicago, as just another sneaky way to inject racism into the race for POTUS.

McCain and Palin are under the wing of Republican dirty trickster pro Karl Rove's minions who will use every racial slur they can come up to further divide the United States along racial lines.

Someone once wisely observed: "Politics ain't beanbag."

The GOP and McCain/Palin aren't using a "beanbag" but a sledge hammer to drive home the point every chance they get that Barack Obama is an African-American.

You can expect the veiled "racial slurs" to increase as each day and week goes by until November 4.

GOD HELP THE UNITED STATES WHEN KARL ROVE'S PEOPLE ARE IN CHARGE OF THE McCAIN/PALIN CAMPAIGN.

This campaign is going to set race relations back before the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and in the end could spell the end of the United States of America.

Commentary by BILL CORCORAN, editor of CORKSPHERE

SARAH PALIN'S "INTERVIEW" WITH ABC'S CHARLEY GIBSON WILL BE WORTHLESS GOP HYPE

The McCain/Palin campaign picked out the biggest wus in the network news business, Charley Gibson of ABC NEWS, for Sarah Palin to do her first interview.

Why did they bother?

Why didn't they just put her on FOX NEWS or let her sitdown with Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham or Michael Savage?

NONE of them are reporters either.

Commentary by BILL CORCORAN, editor of CORKSPHERE



Sarah Palin's "interview" with Charles Gibson won't give her any credibility

By Chad
Created 09/08/2008 - 10:15am
Published on BuzzFlash.org (http://www.buzzflash.com/articles)

The McCain campaign has been hiding Sarah Palin, treating her as if she is a China doll.

"She's too delicate to be presented in a one-on-one interview with a reporter who might ask 'tough' questions" is the impression given by the McCain campaign.

McCain campaign manager Rick Davis summed it up well on Sunday. "We run our campaign, not the news media. And we'll do things on our timetable."Well, that timetable got thwarted when the campaign realized that keeping her in a box forever isn't going to work. So they decided to grant one reporter a chance to interview Sarah Palin.Now if you run the McCain campaign, you have lots of options.

You can go with a total partisan (Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, among others) but that might seem a hollow gesture. You could go with a woman reporter who you know will be soft toward Gov. Palin, such as Diane Sawyer and Katie Couric.

Not only knowing that won't hit hard for political reasons, but also the idea of having a woman interview the first female Republican vice presidential candidate. But perhaps you think that there may be a backlash against Palin being interviewed by a woman (an incredibly sexist thought).

So you decide to pick a white man who will be on your side [1] but have perceived credibility:

ABC's Charlie Gibson. Perfect.We know Gibson's obsession with capital gains tax cuts [1] from the debates, and his utter disdain for Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton in Philadelphia [1] is legendary. And it gets even worse for the truth: Gibson will travel to Alaska to do the interview.

The idea that Palin will gain the upper hand by having the setup on her home turf diminishes even more so the little credibility the interview might generate.

So when Gibson treats her with softball questions, and treads lightly on any possible issue (and won't address alleged serious corruption issues during her brief reign as governor or as mayor of Wasilla), then the McCain campaign will get to say, "See, she can stand up to the test."By the time the interview will take place, Palin will have been in the national spotlight for two weeks. You know the McCain campaign has been testing her and feeding her material so she can sound somewhat informed.

If the McCain campaign people seriously think they have treated Sarah Palin well in all of this, they are sadly mistaken. The more they treat her like a China doll, the more of a joke she becomes.

Davis also said Sunday that Gov. Palin won't subject herself [2] to any tough questions from reporters "until the point in time when she'll be treated with respect and deference." She's a politician running to be vice president of the United States: respect and deference don't come for any candidate.

Short of something more extreme coming out, Palin won't be the next Thomas Eagleton [3]. So as long as Gov. Palin will be in the spotlight, she needs to speak for herself in an objective scenario where she might fall flat on her face.

Vice presidential candidates have done so for over 200 years without much harm done.

We currently have a vice president whom the media is scared of, and won't ask tough questions.

To replace him with a vice president who is scared to take questions isn't a scenario for a democratic republic.

HOW McCAIN AND PALIN INSULTED OUR TROOPS

How Did the RNC Insult Troops and Veterans? Let me count the ways?
Posted: 08 Sep 2008 10:12 AM CDT

http://www.vetvoice.com/

Last week's Republican convention sure made every superficial effort to come off as pro-Troop and pro-Veteran. And, of course, the media ate it up, not challenging a single thing. But to those of us who did serve, it was offense after offense after offense. Let's count the ways:
McCain Didn't Mention Veterans' Care: Maybe it's because he has a terrible record, but not once in John McCain's speech did he talk about taking care of those who served their nation in the military. With exploding rates of PTSD, suicide, homelessness among veterans. With ridiculous wait times for veterans seeking care, and a VA that every major vets group says is woefully underfunded. With administrators dumping vets out of the veterans care system by diagnosing them with a lesser mental injury than they have. Not. A. Single. Word. And, with the shame of...


Walter Reed: What a slap in the face. The first photo that John McCain stood in front of was Walter Reed. Walter Reed Middle School in North Hollywood, California. Chalk it up to someone in the campaign not knowing the difference between the two, but what I find even more offensive is this: At some point John McCain asked his campaign what was going to be on the screen behind him. And someone told him the first picture would be Walter Reed Army Medical Center. John McCain didn't object - even though he voted against closing tax loopholes to help fund military hospitals like Walter Reed. But that wasn't the only bit of fake imagery....
"Phony Soldiers": For the amount that Rush Limbaugh likes to rant on "phony soldiers," there was a big silence and others from the mainstream media on the fact that the McCain campaign used stock footage of actors pretending to be soldiers in a video, intended to show how pro-military McCain is. It's actually kind of fitting - phony soldiers to promote a phony record on military and veterans' issues.


Speaking of phony: Remember that faux-outrage from the McCain campaign when General Wesley Clark dared to point out that being a POW isn't a qualification for being Commander in Chief? Boy, the McCain campaign wouldn't let up on that. Where were they when Fred Thompson said the same exact thing?


Real outrage: But, there were some things to be angry about. First, Sarah Palin repeatedly saying that her son was deploying for Iraq on September 11. First, not only is this not exactly true, but if she sincerely believed it to be true, she would be knowingly violating Operational Security (OPSEC), which says you should never tell the enemy when people and units are going to be landing in Iraq. Thankfully, Palin was fudging the truth, and not endangering the troops. So, she either knew she wasn't telling the truth, or she thought she was and thought violating OPSEC was worth the political points. Second, there's the fact that right after the Republican convention, the party produced a bunch of flags that they stole from the Democratic convention in Denver, in an attempt to "prove" the Democrats were throwing out the flag. In fact, workers in Denver were collecting all the flags left at Invesco Field, to send to community events around the country, where other patriotic Americans might want to wave the flag. So, to promote a complete fabrication, Republicans stole flags that some five-year old kid might have wanted to wave on Main Street. Stay classy...


It's things like this that caused those troops deployed to donate to Obama by a 6-1 ratio.
Though many in the media may lap up the lies, the distortions, and fake representations, troops certainly don't. We know the difference between fantasy and reality.

And that brings me to the last point. Speaker after speaker told the convention that the "surge worked" and we were on our way to "victory."

Except not so much. Bob Woodward, in his new book, explains what those of us in the military always knew - commanders on the ground were against the surge, and knew it would not work strategically. And, in fact, it hasn't worked in stabilizing Iraq's internal political problems, hasn't aided our global strategy, or helped strengthen our military.

But, as the President explained to General Abizaid, and others, success wasn't the point of the surge - the APPEARANCE of success was the purpose. Quoting Woodward's finding, "A surge would "also help here at home, since for many the measure of success is reduction in violence," Bush said [to Abizaid]."

In short, Bush knew that since less than one-percent of America had served in the wars, and most commentators were ignorant about what constitutes true military and strategic success, a reduction of violence could be sold as "success," even if it was not.

And that, perhaps, was the biggest insult to those of us in the military, out of many, coming from the Republican National Convention.

AP Doing Everything Except Actually Physically Handing Track Palin Over to Insurgents
Posted: 08 Sep 2008 02:27 AM CDT

Following the example of Governor Sarah Palin's idiotic reference to her son Track's impending deployment to Iraq "on September 11th," the AP has now really outdone itself in terms of compromising the operational security of Track's unit.

In a piece published Sunday, the AP divulged PFC Track Palin's division, his brigade, and even his company. So far as I can tell, the only identifying unit information they've left out is his battalion and platoon--which I assume is simply an oversight on the AP's part. I'm sure if they realized it was relevant, they'd post it.

They went so far as to describe exactly what job PFC Palin would be doing with his unit. They gave away the Iraqi province to which his unit is deploying. They gave the date he would deploy (which his irresponsible mother--the VP candidate--has done as well), where he would go first, where he would go second, and how long he would remain in Iraq.

For good measure, they threw in a photo of PFC Palin.

So let's analyze this now. Let's say I'm an insurgent and I want to take out the potential Vice President's son. I now know where to look for him. I know what unit he's in down to the company level. I know how to identify that unit (because I know how to use "the Google"). If I don't find him immediately, I know how long he'll be in the country--which guides my sense of urgency. And, of course, I know what he looks like.

The worst thing about this is the added danger in which the entire unit is now placed. The men of the unit now face a more precarious situation because there is the potential that the unit will be specifically targeted.

I know everyone in the media is giddy over this deal, but those covering the story need to shut their pieholes. That goes for Governor Palin, too--who should probably now be prohibited from holding a security clearance if--God forbid--she gets elected.
(

BRUTAL WAR VIDEO: WHAT REPUBLICANS CAN EXPECT TO SEE MORE OF IF McCAIN AND PALIN ARE ELECTED

EXTREMELY GRAPHIC IRAQ WAR VIDEO: WHAT THE CHILDREN OF REPUBLICANS VOTING FOR McCAIN AND PALIN HAVE IN STORE FOR THEM

The media in the United States has filtered out everything that has to do with the horrors of the Iraq war, but this video captures the true essence of what is happening to the innocent Iraqi civilians inside of Iraq which is being kept from the people of the United States by the mainstream media.

John McCain and Sarah Palin are warmongers and they will most certainly take us to war with IRAN if they are elected and that means there will have to be a military DRAFT and EVERYONE---Republican and Democrat---kids will be DRAFTED and shipped off to IRAN to get a taste of what WAR is really like.

WARNING: This video is very, very graphic.

CLICK ON DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW IN CENTER OF PIC TO ACTIVATE VIDEO

http://www.youtube.com/v/ApsfQzQDzi0&hl=en&rel=0

A LETTER FROM SARAH PALIN'S HOMETOWN IN ALASKA

THIS LETTER HAS BEEN CHECKED OUT BY SNOPES AND IT IS LEGITIMATE

Anne Kilkenny, Wasilla Resident, writes ABOUT SARAH PALIN
August 31, 2008

A Note to All by Anne Kilkenny

I am a resident of Wasilla, Alaska. I have known Sarah since 1992.

Everyone here knows Sarah, so it is nothing special to say we are on a first-name basis.

Our children have attended the same schools.

Her father was my child's favorite substitute teacher.

I also am on a first name basis with her parents and mother-in-law. I attended more City Council meetings during her administration than about 99% of the residents of the city.

She is enormously popular; in every way she’s like the most popular girl in middle school. Even men who think she is a poor choice and won't vote for her can't quit smiling when talking about her because she is a "babe".

It is astonishing and almost scary how well she can keep a secret. She kept her most recent pregnancy a secret from her children and parents for seven months.

She is "pro-life". She recently gave birth to a Down's syndrome baby. There is no cover-up involved, here; Trig is her baby.

She is energetic and hardworking. She regularly worked out at the gym. She is savvy. She doesn't take positions; she just "puts things out there" and if they prove to be popular, then she takes credit.

Her husband works a union job on the North Slope for BP and is a champion snowmobile racer. Todd Palin’s kind of job is highly sought-after because of the schedule and high pay. He arranges his work schedule so he can fish for salmon in Bristol Bay for a month or so in summer, but by no stretch of the imagination is fishing their major source of income. Nor has her life-style ever been anything like that of native Alaskans.

Sarah and her whole family are avid hunters. She's smart. Her experience is as mayor of a city with a population of about 5,000 (at the time), and less than 2 years as governor of a state with about 670,000 residents.

During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running this small city was turned over to an administrator.

She had been pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had given rise to a recall campaign. Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a "fiscal conservative." During her 6 years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over 33%. During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the City increased by 38%. This was during a period of low inflation (1996-2002). She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a regressive sales tax which taxed even food. The tax cuts that she promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they benefited residents. The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration weren't enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed money was needed, too. She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it with indebtedness of over $22 million. What did Mayor Palin encourage the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? or a new library? No. $1m for a park. $15m-plus for construction of a multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece of property that the City didn't even have clear title to, that was still in litigation 7 yrs later — to the delight of the lawyers involved! The sports complex itself is a nice addition to the community but a huge money pit, not the profit-generator she claimed it would be. She also supported bonds for $5.5m for road projects that could have been done in 5-7 yrs without any borrowing. While Mayor, City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office redecorated more than once. These are small numbers, but Wasilla is a very small city. As an oil producer, the high price of oil has created a budget surplus in Alaska. Rather than invest this surplus in technology that will make us energy independent and increase efficiency, as Governor she proposed distribution of this surplus to every individual in the state. In this time of record state revenues and budget surpluses, she recommended that the state borrow/bond for road projects, even while she proposed distribution of surplus state revenues: spend today's surplus, borrow for needs. She's not very tolerant of divergent opinions or open to outside ideas or compromise. As Mayor, she fought ideas that weren’t generated by her or her staff. Ideas weren't evaluated on their merits, but on the basis of who proposed them. While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire our highly respected City Librarian because the Librarian refused to consider removing from the library some books that Sarah wanted removed. City residents rallied to the defense of the City Librarian and against Palin's attempt at out-and-out censorship, so Palin backed down and withdrew her termination letter. People who fought her attempt to oust the Librarian are on her enemies list to this day. Sarah complained about the "old boys' club" when she first ran for Mayor, so what did she bring Wasilla? A new set of "old boys." Palin fired most of the experienced staff she inherited. At the City and as Governor she hired or elevated new, inexperienced, obscure people, creating a staff totally dependent on her for their jobs and eternally grateful and fiercely loyal — loyal to the point of abusing their power to further her personal agenda, as she has acknowledged happened in the case of pressuring the State's top cop (see below). As Mayor, Sarah fired Wasilla's Police Chief because he "intimidated" her, she told the press. As Governor, her recent firing of Alaska's top cop has the ring of familiarity about it. He served at her pleasure and she had every legal right to fire him, but it's pretty clear that an important factor in her decision to fire him was because he wouldn't fire her sister's ex-husband, a State Trooper. Under investigation for abuse of power, she has had to admit that more than 2 dozen contacts were made between her staff and family to the person that she later fired, pressuring him to fire her ex-brother-in-law. She tried to replace the man she fired with a man who she knew had been reprimanded for sexual harassment; when this caused a public furor, she withdrew her support. She has bitten the hand of every person who extended theirs to her in help. The City Council person who personally escorted her around town introducing her to voters when she first ran for Wasilla City Council became one of her first targets when she was later elected Mayor. She abruptly fired her loyal City Administrator; even people who didn’t like the guy were stunned by this ruthlessness. Fear of retribution has kept all of these people from saying anything publicly about her. When then-Governor Murkowski was handing out political plums, Sarah got the best, Chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission: one of the few jobs not in Juneau and one of the best paid. She had no background in oil & gas issues. Within months of scoring this great job which paid $122,400/yr, she was complaining in the press about the high salary. I was told that she hated that job: the commute, the structured hours, the work. Sarah became aware that a member of this Commission (who was also the State Chair of the Republican Party) engaged in unethical behavior on the job. In a gutsy move which some undoubtedly cautioned her could be political suicide, Sarah solved all her problems in one fell swoop: got out of the job she hated and garnered gobs of media attention as the patron saint of ethics and as a gutsy fighter against the "old boys' club" when she dramatically quit, exposing this man’s ethics violations (for which he was fined). As Mayor, she had her hand stuck out as far as anyone for pork from Senator Ted Stevens. Lately, she has castigated his pork-barrel politics and publicly humiliated him. She only opposed the "bridge to nowhere" after it became clear that it would be unwise not to. As Governor, she gave the Legislature no direction and budget guidelines, then made a big grandstand display of line-item vetoing projects, calling them pork. Public outcry and further legislative action restored most of these projects — which had been vetoed simply because she was not aware of their importance — but with the unobservant she had gained a reputation as "anti-pork." She is solidly Republican: no political maverick. The State party leaders hate her because she has bit them in the back and humiliated them. Other members of the party object to her self-description as a fiscal conservative. Around Wasilla there are people who went to high school with Sarah. They call her "Sarah Barracuda" because of her unbridled ambition and predatory ruthlessness. Before she became so powerful, very ugly stories circulated around town about shenanigans she pulled to be made point guard on the high school basketball team. When Sarah's mother-in-law, a highly respected member of the community and experienced manager, ran for Mayor, Sarah refused to endorse her. As Governor, she stepped outside of the box and put together a package of legislation known as "AGIA" that forced the oil companies to march to the beat of her drum. Like most Alaskans, she favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. She has questioned if the loss of sea ice is linked to global warming. She campaigned "as a private citizen" against a state initiaitive that would have either a) protected salmon streams from pollution from mines, or b) tied up in the courts all mining in the state (depending on who you listen to). She has pushed the State’s lawsuit against the Dept. of the Interior's decision to list polar bears as threatened species. McCain is the oldest person to ever run for President; Sarah will be a heartbeat away from being President. There has to be literally millions of Americans who are more knowledgeable and experienced than she. However, there's a lot of people who have underestimated her and are regretting it. CLAIM VS FACT o "Hockey mom": true for a few years o "PTA mom": true years ago when her first-born was in elementary school, not since p "NRA supporter": absolutely true o social conservative: mixed. Opposes gay marriage, BUT vetoed a bill that would have denied benefits to employees in same-sex relationships (said she did this because it was unconsitutional). o pro-creationism: mixed. Supports it, BUT did nothing as Governor to promote it. o "Pro-life": mixed. Knowingly gave birth to a Down's syndrome baby BUT declined to call a special legislative session on some pro-life legislation. o "Experienced": Some high schools have more students than Wasilla has residents. Many cities have more residents than the state of Alaska. No legislative experience other than City Council. Little hands-on supervisory or managerial experience; needed help of a city administrator to run town of about 5,000. o political maverick: not at all o gutsy: absolutely! o open & transparent: ??? Good at keeping secrets. Not good at explaining actions. o has a developed philosophy of public policy: no o "a Greenie": no. Turned Wasilla into a wasteland of big box stores and disconnected parking lots. Is pro-drilling off-shore and in ANWR. o fiscal conservative: not by my definition! o pro-infrastructure: No. Promoted a sports complex and park in a city without a sewage treatment plant or storm drainage system. Built streets to early 20th century standards. o pro-tax relief: Lowered taxes for businesses, increased tax burden on residents. o pro-small government: No. Oversaw greatest expansion of city government in Wasilla's history. o pro-labor/pro-union. No. Just because her husband works union doesn't make her pro-labor. I have seen nothing to support any claim that she is pro-labor/pro-union. WHY AM I WRITING THIS? First, I have long believed in the importance of being an informed voter. I am a voter registrar. For 10 years I put on student voting programs in the schools. If you google my name (Anne Kilkenny + Alaska), you will find references to my participation in local government, education, and PTA/parent organizations. Secondly, I've always operated in the belief that "Bad things happen when good people stay silent". Few people know as much as I do because few have gone to as many City Council meetings. Third, I am just a housewife. I don't have a job she can bump me out of. I don't belong to any organization that she can hurt. But, I am no fool; she is immensely popular here, and it is likely that this will cost me somehow in the future: that’s life. Fourth, she has hated me since back in 1996, when I was one of the 100 or so people who rallied to support the City Librarian against Sarah's attempt at censorship. Fifth, I looked around and realized that everybody else was afraid to say anything because they were somehow vulnerable. CAVEATS I am not a statistician. I developed the numbers for the increase in spending & taxation 2 years ago (when Palin was running for Governor) from information supplied to me by the Finance Director of the City of Wasilla, and I can't recall exactly what I adjusted for: did I adjust for inflation? for population increases? Right now, it is impossible for a private person to get any info out of City Hall — they are swamped. So I can't verify my numbers. You may have noticed that there are various numbers circulating for the population of Wasilla, ranging from my "about 5,000", up to 9,000. The day Palin’s selection was announced a city official told me that the current population is about 7,000. The official 2000 census count was 5,460. I have used about 5,000 because Palin was Mayor from 1996 to 2002, and the city was growing rapidly in the mid-90’s. Anne Kilkenny August 31, 2008

SARAH PALIN'S ONLY INTERVIEW

If Sarah Palin is ONLY going to do ONE interview with that right-wing kiss ass Charley Gibson of ABC news, I'm through writing and talking about this election.

Let the Republicans win and let McCain, Lieberman, Lindsay Graham and the "Cairbou Barbie" doll take us to war with IRAN and then every MFing Republican in the country will see their little darlings DRAFTED and sent off to probably DIE on the sands of IRAN.

It would serve all of them right.

And any Repuke who doesn't think we aren't going to go to war with IRAN hasn't been listening to Lieberman, Graham and even that SOB Dick Cheney who was in Georgia (not the state) telling them we would come to their defense if Russia jacks them around anymore.

With what Cheney? Spitballs? The F..king military is broken. We couldn't beat Haiti.

The U.S. commander in charge of the war in Afghanistan said TODAY he needs more troops and we don't have them.

CAN'T REPUKES SEE WHAT IS COMING? FOR CRISSAKES THERE WILL HAVE TO BE A DRAFT AND THAT IS WHY THE SELECTIVE SERVICE BOARD IS SECRETLY MAKING PLANS FOR A DRAFT AND TIGHTENING UP THE BORDERS SO NODOBY---REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT---CAN RUN ACROSS THE BORDER AND HIDE FROM THE DRAFT.

I'm at the point where I know RACISM is going to defeat Obama and I'm also at the point where I really don't give a shit if McCain/Palin win because I know McCain will pull another knee-jerk reaction like he did in picking the Holier-than Thou "Moose Killer" and before anyone knows it we will be at war with IRAN.

Bush used to say "Bring it On!" That is my new rallying cry. "Bring it On" McCain and Palin and be sure and put in an extra large order for bodybags because you are going to need them. Better order some more C-130s while you are at it. You'll need a lot of them to bring back the AMERICAN KIA from IRAN to Dover AFB.

I want to see EVERY Republican who will vote for McCain/Palin standing next to a grave when a GI hands them a folded up American flag that was on the coffin of their son, daughter or grandchild who were KIA in IRAN....ALL BECAUSE OF MCCAIN AND PALIN and their VOTE.

Commentary by BILL CORCORAN, editor of CORKSPHERE

STUDY: MORE SEX ASSAULTS OCCUR IN US MILITARY THAN REPORTED: ARMY TIMES

Study: More sex assaults occur than reported
Prevention program’s director says new approach is making some progress

By William H. McMichael - Staff writerPosted : Sunday Sep 7, 2008 8:56:01 EDT
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/09/army_sexassault_090708w/

The director of the Pentagon’s program to prevent and respond to sexual assault in the ranks is not surprised at a government investigation’s conclusion that far more rapes and other sexual assaults are being committed than reports indicate.

It’s one of the nation’s most underreported crimes, period, said Kaye Whitley, director of the Defense Department’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office.

Continue reading http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/09/army_sexassault_090708w/

PROTESTER WHO INTERRUPTED McCAIN'S SPEECH IS AN IRAQ WAR VETERAN

Protester who interrupted McCain’s speech is an Iraq War Veteran

by Mary MacElveen on Sat 06 Sep 2008 01:12 AM EDT By Mary MacElveen
September 6, 2008
http://www.marymacelveen.com/blog/_archives/2008/9/6/3871122.html

Much has been made of the surge strategy in Iraq by the McCain/Palin ticket since John McCain supported it and it should open the door to actually discuss the conduct of this God awful war and those brave soldiers who come home from it and the ones who do not. Putting personalities aside, drama aside, let us at least discuss this war. Yes, we are spending $10 billion a month on it, but what about the true human cost meaning those who have died and those who come home. Some forever broken.

In his acceptance speech before the Republican convention, there was no mention of the veterans who have served over in Iraq by John McCain. As he gave his acceptance speech a protester interrupted that speech and this is what McCain said of it, "My friends, my dear friends ... please, please don't be diverted by the ground noise and the static," in which those gathered at the convention shouted back at that protester, “USA” over and over. Let some of them walk a mile in his shoes.

Little did they know or John McCain know that this protester actually served over in Iraq and according to Iraq Veterans Against the War, his name is, Adam Kokesh who is an IVAW board member. He held up a sign stating, "McCain Votes Against Vets." Surge nothing, this patriotic American actually put on the uniform, served his country deserved some respect coming from McCain and those Republicans gathered at the convention. While they may not have know who he was, it was the sign that should have at least clued them in before they belligerently shouted him down.

According to IVAW, “McCain's record on veterans' issues is extremely poor. He received a "D" rating from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and the Disabled American Veterans reports that he voted for legislation benefiting veterans only 20% of the time.” That is one dismal record and the mainstream media should press him on it. Then again, the McCain campaign as well as those in attendance demonized the media by calling them elitists. But, the facts should be brought out none the less.

Another fact not really being talked about as reported by the IVAW, "Despite numerous mailed, faxed, and in-person invitations to meet, McCain’s office refused to send anyone to receive the briefing. When Davey, a retired Army First Sergeant and former St. Paul police officer, attempted to deliver the briefing, he was escorted off the premises." Such arrogance coming from the McCain campaign.

If McCain truly wants to be the Commander in Chief of the armed forces; shouldn’t he at least hear any grievances and concerns coming from these veterans? You would think so. Then again, he has circled the wagons where he will not allow the mainstream media to interview Sarah Palin. Obama, McCain, Biden and others have been fully vetted by the media and so should Palin.

On May 21st, 2008, The Nation reported that Senator Barack Obama slammed McCain for not supporting a GI bill sponsored by Virginia’s senator, Jim Webb and Nebraska’s senator, Chuck Hagel. This bill “would increase the amount of money given to returning vets to cover tuition, books, and a living stipend…”

Also reported by The Nation, "Today, soldiers receive only a fraction of the benefits that they used to, and the college costs covered by the military are usually only enough to cover about 60 percent of a public education, and far less at a private institution."

It was none other than Senator Barack Obama who stood up for our veterans when he said, "He is one of the few Senators (meaning McCain) of either party who oppose this bill because he thinks it's too generous. I couldn't disagree more." So Barack did not wear a flag lapel pin, but he did after all stand up in support of our veterans when it counted most.

According to Veterans for Common Sense, they do list McCain’s dismal record in his non-support of our troops and veterans.

This site reports that "John McCain skipped close to a dozen votes on Iraq, and on at least another 10 occasions, he voted against arming and equipping the troops, providing adequate rest for the troops between deployments and for health care or other benefits for veterans." Yet, yet, he wants to be the Commander in Chief of the Armed forces?

Below you will read but a few votes McCain voted against.

September 2007: McCain voted against the Webb amendment calling for adequate troop rest between deployments. At the time, nearly 65% of people polled in a CNN poll indicted that "things are going either moderately badly or very badly in Iraq.

May 2006: McCain voted against an amendment that would provide $20 million to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for health care facilities.

April 2006: McCain was one of only 13 Senators to vote against $430,000,000 for the Department of Veteran Affairs for Medical Services for outpatient care and treatment for veterans.

March 2006: McCain voted against increasing Veterans medical services funding by $1.5 billion in FY 2007 to be paid for by closing corporate tax loopholes.

In reading a past piece by The Hill dated, May 17th, 2007, you will read, “Sen. McCain has spent considerable time defending the president on Iraq and catering to the Republican base on immigration, but has only managed to show up for four of the last 14 Iraq votes…”

It is no wonder why that protester who interrupted his speech was so angry. I would be too especially if a candidate could become the next president of the United States.

We should expect more from a man who can become the next president, but again, according to The Hill, "McCain’s campaign said the rigorous travel schedule necessary when running for the White House makes it extremely difficult to be voting all the time in Washington."

The McCain/Palin ticket or should we say the McBush/Palin ticket often states that Senator Obama just talks, but when it came to these important votes, he did what was expected of him when one reads, “Barack Obama (D-Ill.) voted on each of the 14 measures.” Voting is an action and it is exactly why his constituents voted him into office in the first place.

This article also cites, "Iraq has arguably become the central issue of McCain’s campaign, as he has been the most outspoken in his defense of the recent troop surge." Well what about McCain's defense and support of our troops when they do need him?

Yes, he was a POW during the Viet Nam War and did come home, but we also must remember that over 58,000 soldiers did not make it home alive from that war. So far over 4,000 did not make it home from this war and those still serving are being stretched to the limit.

I will be writing of the devastation of war during the next few weeks, since McBush brought it up, but I wish to end this one piece with one of the most powerful essays written to date called The Wall by Alfred A. Hambidge, Jr.. When I first read it, no words came to me to adequately describe how it made me feel, but I do think it extremely important for all of my readers to read in its entirety so that McCain aka McBush does not go onto become the next Commander in Chief.

In the meantime, here is but a snippet of this marvelous essay, “You know what really galls me? How those that seem to yell loudest for war have never seen one. They've never seen a buddy disappear from the waist up after a shell hit, then see his legs stand there for a moment before falling over. They never saw a friend all psyched up about going home tomorrow after finishing his tour get hit in the belly with shrapnel, see his guts spill out, then watch him try to gather up his intestines lying in the dirt.” In true support of our troops and veterans, all I ask is that you pass this piece onto everyone you know asking they do the same and then go out and vote.

You may contact the author at this email address, xmjmac@optonline.net

VIDEO: FROM THE FOLKS AT JIB JAB. A GREAT POLITICAL LAUGH FOR ALL

I hope you will enjoy this video from the folks at Jib Jab:

http://www.peteyandpetunia.com/VoteHere/VoteHere.htm

FOUR EXAMPLES OF HOW McCAIN AND PALIN LIE TO AMERICANS

Here are four documented examples of how John McCain and Sarah Palin are lying to the American public and continue to do it shamelessly.

The McCain campaign has said they will NOT allow Sarah Palin to be interviewed by the mainstream media and she will only go on FOX NEWS and talkradio shows like Rush Limbaugh and others.

Welcome to the FOURTH REICH. Move over HITLER. There is a new DICTATOR and his parrot in town.

The new Adolph Hitler and Eva Braun are John McCain and Sarah Palin.

Comment by Bill Corcoran, Editor of CORKSPHERE: url: http://corksphere.blogspot.com

Click on links below for the REAL documented TRUTH about John McCain and Sarah Palin:

http://corksphere.blogspot.com/2008/09/mccainpalin-spin-iraq-victory-here-is.html

http://corksphere.blogspot.com/2008/09/cnn-reports-iraq-bombings-kills-6wounds.html

http://corksphere.blogspot.com/2008/09/cnn-reports-bush-to-cut-8000-troops.html

http://corksphere.blogspot.com/2008/09/palins-governor-plane-not-sold-on-e-bay.html

McCAIN/PALIN "SPIN" IRAQ VICTORY. HERE IS THE REAL TRUTH

Spinning Iraq for a GOP Victory

By Patrick Cockburn, Independent UKPosted on September 3, 2008, Printed on September 6, 2008

http://www.alternet.org/story/97511/

Political events in Iraq are seldom what they seem.

The handover by the U.S. military of control of Anbar province, once the heartland of the Sunni rebellion, to Iraqi forces is a case in point.

The U.S. will keep 25,000 American soldiers in Anbar, so the extent to which the Iraqi government will really take over is debatable. But the future of Anbar is a crucial pointer to the fate of Iraq. It is a vast area and one of the few parts of Iraq that is overwhelmingly Sunni.

The Iraqi government is dominated by Shia Islamic parties in alliance with Kurdish nationalists.

The vital question now is whether or not this Shia-dominated government can reassure the Sunni minority that they are not going to be overrun as the U.S. withdraws its forces. The Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, is in a very confident mood. In the past four months he feels he has successfully faced down the Shia militiamen of Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army by taking back control of Basra, Sadr City and Amarah.

Then he refused to sign a new security accord with the U.S. which President George Bush wanted to see agreed by August 31st.

In the past few weeks he has been confronting his Kurdish allies over the future of the oil city of Kirkuk and the town of Khanaqin.

Maliki may be overplaying his hand but there is no doubt that the Iraqi state is becoming more powerful in Iraq and the Mahdi Army, the Americans and the Kurds less so. The Americans in particular feel that he exaggerates the extent to which his success against the Mahdi Army was because of the new strength of the Iraqi security forces. These troops were doing badly until they received American support.

Click here to read full story: http://www.alternet.org/story/97511/