You know that old saying about “keep your friends close, but your enemies closer?” Barack Obama might want to consider taking it. If only because it might help keeping his friends a little further away:
South Carolina Democratic chairwoman Carol Fowler sharply attacked Sarah Palin today, saying John McCain had chosen a running mate “whose primary qualification seems to be that she hasn’t had an abortion…”
Fowler told my colleague Alex Burns in an interview that the selection of an opponent of abortion rights would not boost McCain among many women…
Told of McCain’s boost in the new ABC/Washington Post among white women following the Palin pick, Fowler said: “Just anecdotally, I believe that those white women are Republican women anyway.”
Gosh.
Update: Never mind. I see that hizzoner is already all over it.
Oh Kee-rist can we talk about something important than some dem functionary throwing spitballs at Sarah or people spending a full 24 hour news cycle deciding whether “lipstick on a pig” referred to McCain’s economic policy or running mate? Or having McCain accusing Obama of teaching intercourse to Kindergartners? Geebus $%#-ing Christ what a bunch of Britney Spears-ish BS. We’re spending bazillions on oil every second and sending it to our arch enemies, and yet arguing about “I know you are but what am I.”
What a #$%-ing embarrassment to even have this be a topic of discussion in America. McCain has drank Rove’s…something. And it ain’t pretty. Where’d the honor go? I expected better from a fellow Naval Aviator.
Taxi1,
This is the third election in my time resident in the US, and, in general, I must agree with you.
The substantive issues which the next President will have to deal with have precisely zero in common with the puerilities hashed and rehashed in the so-called news media.
So far, I think the only genuine examination of both candidates which had any substance – any substance whatsoever – were the recent interviews with Pastor Rick (sorry, have forgotten his surname).
For the first time, some of the hard stuff was put to McCain and Obama, and in a civilized, informed and professional manner, and gave me some insight into their grip on the serious stuff.
Still, I daresay the inanities of Fox News will continue to fill too many voters’ expectations of news and questioning, and endlessly project emotive and divisive garbage about non-issues.
Oh well.
Do what I do, and never watch TV news without an adult beverage at hand.
It’s the only way, amigo.
This lady’s husband was the numb-nuts who was on (hidden) tape two weeks ago laughing about the hurricane coming to NO during the Republican Convention.
Scum.
What do you expect, though?
PS Taxi1, why are we spending a ga-zillion dollars on foreign oil? Might have something to do with Nancy, Harry, and Barry not letting us drill. Congress tried to get Slick willie to do it 10+ years ago. His answer “That won’t do anything to help the price of oil NOW.”
Ah now, Nose, you’re not gonna put that on Willie Jeff now. Are ya? I mean, after all, with all that kittie on the brain, what was he supposed to do?
And when you add to that him having to noodle out what to do with Kosovo…and Mog…and, oh geez, Congress has finally had it with my BS…
Indy, your advice has spared my TV an ignominious death many a time. Well said…
What a nasty, nasty “B”…….South Carolinians are usually so civilized, too. The Dims foot in mouth disease is spreading amongst them at the speed of light.
Obama is losing his cool daily in his frantic attempts to reclaim the victim’s role so successful in dethroning Hillary, B.P.
Comments 1&2: While I agree with your disgust re the present buffoonery you are both grossly misdirected on your critiques. Suggest your vitriol be aimed at the B.H.O. side of the equation. I don’t see MY fellow Naval Aviator touching this subject much. And why should he?
BTW, who is nastier, Karl Rove or James Carville?
B2
Cap’n,
While I can certainly agreee that some of what these gentlemen resonate with me (namely can start discussing more topics such as what do they plan to do to improve this country’s economic situation) I must disagree with one salient point:
To whit – the voters in this country know something about one Presidential candidate, we know very little about the other. Senator McCain has a considerable amount of recorded votes, news stories, interviews and controversial stands (e.g., the potential unconstitutionality of McCain – Feingold) Senator Obama has virtually nothing in comparison. Further, Senator McCain has a known personal background being the son and grandson of Admirals. We know virtually nothing about Senator Obama’s background; specifically we (as voters) have not received either refutation or repudiation of his friendship with the un-repentent Maoist William Ayers. What we do know about Senator Obama seems more Socialist rather than Main-Stream America.
While I do not believe we should always vote for Main Street values, I do think we need to understand where each candidate stands on the simple issue of from which side of the political spectrum.
I feel like this site has just turned into another biased political blog…
PS Taxi1, why are we spending a ga-zillion dollars on foreign oil? Might have something to do with Nancy, Harry, and Barry not letting us drill.
HOW CAN I THINK ABOUT THAT WHEN BRITNEY SPEARS WON 3 AWARDS AT THE VMA!!! EXCUSE ME WHILE I CRAP MYSELF!!! AFTER POKING MYSELF IN THE EYE WITH MY PENCIL!!!
You fellers, it’s a political season, and your host is not so terribly gifted with original thoughts as to be able to avoid the topics of the day and keep ever last one of yez thoroughly entertained with tales of aerial derring-do and best traditions of the naval service, all of it tailored to your individual interests and tastes.
So it comes down to this: If you cannot tolerate the periodic sally into the world of politics from a certain point of view, I encourage you to either go back through the archives or else seek your entertainment elsewhere.
I promise that I’ll refund every penny you’ve spent so far.
What are you trying to say, Lex?
That we get what pay for, maybe?
B2,
Both are probably viscious. Rove does it with more subtle finesse and he manages to appear like you could still have a drink with him.
Carville is just pure nasty on-air and off. It’s probably because when he was young someone hit him in the face with an ugly-shovel.
Lex,
It’s a privilege to ‘tolerate your periodic sallies’ into pastures political, including those of the short-lived, story-of-the-day variety.
It’s the excrescence in what passes for both TV and newspaper news reporting and commentary that test the wide and rubbery limits of my toleration and bonhomie.
As for the Rove and Carville question, I’d have to plump for Carville as the lesser of two evils.
It’s impossible to not have a decent drink and fine time with a southerner, and, whatever else he may be, Jim Carville is 100 per cent southern gentleman.
In a brutal, thuggish way.
Nose,
Bill’s answer is still correct. All we can do is make a dent in the supply 10 years down the pike. And as Pickens points out-it does nothing to: stop the dollar drain, or change American habits of usage.
I think it *is* important to discuss the mudslinging, because the particular type of mud being thrown is revealing. Specifically, “progressives” are clearly demonstrating the contempt many of them feel for a broad segment of the American population.
There’s a story about a British gentleman who visted the Old West, sometime in the 1800s. Upon meeting a cowboy, he asked:
“Where is your master, my man?”
To which the cowboy replied: “Son of a bitch ain’t been born yet.”
I think this attitude (the cowboy’s, that is) really bothers some people.
B2 … you ask who is nastier, Karl Rove or James Carville. Let’s put it this way: Carville is a gutter fighter — no style, just brute force. Rove, on the other hand, is like a msster fencer — quick, sneaky, elegant and stylish. After he strikes, you say, “hey, never touched me!’ Then you shake your head and it falls off. Ooops.
That’s why the Democrats hate Rove so intensely.
Marianne
Just a point of order. Rove is a Southerner as well.
I think it is just fine, that our host, freed from the encumberences of active duty, feels free to address the political topics of the day. And I enjoy that so many of the commenters here have so much to add to the duscussion.
But Skippy is still wrong. If ANWAR and the OCS were producing more oil now, that would be money that would NOT be flowing out of the nation.
Correction, Rove was an import to the South. He was born in Denver. Who knew?
Indy, I know James Carville. I went to school with James Carville (until he flunked out.)James Carville was a Fraternity brother of my roomate and doubles partner on the tennis team………..I knew him well……Trust me, James Carville is no southern gentleman. He was the same raving, pulsating, gyrating, mincing, obnoxious SOB then that he shows himself to be on national TV now.
Most people don’t change much and Carville is exhibit#1
Lex,
Once again my thanks to you; good host. Please beer with us until the day. I arranged to mobilize some 300 reserve comrades and will be a regular at the Coronado B Company for the next little while as they prep for overseas movement. Most of them started to hit the bureaucracy yesterday with an eye to being in town in the next 7 days.
Skippy,
Oil prices are not crazy high because demand is outrunning supply. Oil prices are crazy high because speculators drive the price up betting that those that supply us just might one day turn against us. Were more oil coming from home, we would, as XBrad said, keep more money at home and be a bit more secure.
I’m all for hydrosolarwindnuclearcoldfusion but realistic use of that stuff is 20-30 years down the pike. Time to use OUR assets to keep us safe.
Now.
Would have been nice to have a head start. Obviously Pelosi and Reid don’t have the country’s best interest in mind, they just want to keep poking Bush in the eye. What worries me is that Obama is cut from the same cloth…
Nose
I’m for drilling too. However, without a dramatic change in the way we use oil-as well as the amount, even with drilling we will be back in the same price position in about 5 years or so. Thanks to 2 billion Indians and Chinese out there who want to use oil too……which will make the market more competitive in the future.
Marianne-
re Carville v. Rove: my impression, too. I agree 100% w/Adeodatus and Virgil has intel to confirm.
Indy- For me, having a drink with Carville would make me think I was drinking with “Chucky”.
The point of asking the question was to point out that this is politics- American politics- the way it is. You want nasty? Go back to the election of 1800 and see nasty….No internet then either…Look over 80% of the folks who will likely vote in November have already made their mind up (like a lot of us…). it’s that other 20% or less of wishy-washy procrastinators they’re fightin over..and it’s always ugly.
Lastly. I would point out to “another 1390″ (pilot trainee) would be that this is a pretty conservative, mainstream, common-sense, reality/fact based, blog-buffet Lex set’s out daily based on what he may perceive as the most outrageous or ironic (his favorite), news du jour… Give him a break, he’s only a knuckle-draggin fighter pilot. You want fair and balanced political debate? Go to Fox…LOL.
b2
i concur with curtis @ 19 above, in asking you to please beer with us….
meanwhile, we seem to have lost sight of the fact that, in just a little over 86 days from now, there will be the most important contest of this year, in Philadelphia.
go army, beat navy.
(no caps, no exclamation points, today is a somber day of reflection)
Nose, Skippy-san and others,
As we slouch our way to November, I was caught up in an interesting discussion. We have seen oil prices sink to $102 per barrel. Yet gasoline prices have yet to return to the same price per gallon when oil itself was at $102.
Kinda makes one curious if we drill and ’strike oil’ how soon gas prices will go below $2.50 per gallon.
SeniorD — it is called LIFO, and only understandable by the green eyeshade crowd.
Some interest charts are here, that show the direct correlation between the President’s announcement about lifting the offshore drilling ban, and the decline in the price of crude.
Senior – Don’t claim to be an economist (did stay at a Holiday Inn express last night) –
While our price of gas is tied to the cost of a bbl of oil, there are many other factors. Refining is a huge “rate determining step” (I know it is a chemistry term, but it seems to fit) and we don’t have enough refineries to process oil into gas efficiently. Also, that guy you buy gas from is the retailer, and there are many people in-between.
I have a friend that owns 2 BP stations. The morning after Katrina, he went to work and had a message from the company:
(paraphrased)
“Please do not overreact and raise prices. Let us see how this plays out. Right now our inventory looks solid and we don’t anticipate any supply problems in the near future.”
Jay, being an ethical guy left prices where they were. 6 hours later, BP raised the price of HIS gas .25/gal. Start of a 5 day trend up.
Despite what mother Pelosi says, I don’t think “Big Oil” is any more evil than “Big Grocery stores” or “Big Athletic shoe” company, I do think that every industry is driven by profit motive over all other motives. Right/wrong are part of the equation, but not necessarily top 5. Just remember, of every dollar you spend on gas, Uncle Sam takes just under FOUR TIMES the amount that the “Big Oil” nets on the transaction, then spends it on a Navy Base in Robert Byrd’s West Virginia…
Virgil Xenophon,
I happily stand duly corrected.
Standing high and happy with southerners has become my default setting, as Mrs Indy is of half-Appalachian stock, and my life wouldn’t be worth two cents if I ever dissed a southerner.
Cheers!
Scott and Nose,
Thanks for the education. After reading the text that accompanies the charts, I see that Congress could/possibly/maybe affect oil and gas prices by not letting the ban expire. Doing so would possibly/maybe cause prices to rise and (he says hopefully) Congress gets the blame in an election year with no time to contain the damage to their elected posteriors.
One can only dream.
Think T.Boon all of the sudden went lagit …riiiight.
Read this ; http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_25/b4089040017753.htm?chan=search