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Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Press? What Press?
Last Wednesday, John McCain held a press conference to talk about the situation between Georgia and Russia. He then opened the floor to questions from the assembled press (he was in Michigan).
In response to one of the questions, he unloaded this gem: "In the 21st century, nations don't invade other nations."
I nearly shat myself.
And then I waited. And McCain got another question...and another question...and another question...
AND NO ONE MENTIONED WHAT HE JUST SAID.
I'm am so confused by this. How, as a "journalist," so you hear him say that and NOT start drooling? How is your arm not waving like crazy to get a question in, eager to say "Senator McCain, you just said that nation's don't invade other nation's in the 21st century, but hasn't the U.S. done that TWICE in the last seven years?"
This is what always boggles my mind about the press. It seems like they're unwilling to make a scene. I'm sure someone in attendance will go back and write their article or their blog and will mention exactly what it is McCain said and they'll criticize him for it. But why not address the matter while you have the guy right there? Why let that meatball just cruise on over the plate?
What bothers me even more about this is that, head to head, thinking on his feet is a category in which Obama just dominates over McCain. Any time McCain tries to rife without a speech, he sounds like the crazy old man that he is. In fact, most times he's actually nonsensical. It's amazing, not unlike watching a car accident.
McCain can paint Obama as a celebrity all he wants, but it's clear who's getting the free ride from the press. Maybe they feel bad for attacking a senile old man, I don't know. But whatever it is, it needs to stop. They're only hurting themselves...and us.
In response to one of the questions, he unloaded this gem: "In the 21st century, nations don't invade other nations."
I nearly shat myself.
And then I waited. And McCain got another question...and another question...and another question...
AND NO ONE MENTIONED WHAT HE JUST SAID.
I'm am so confused by this. How, as a "journalist," so you hear him say that and NOT start drooling? How is your arm not waving like crazy to get a question in, eager to say "Senator McCain, you just said that nation's don't invade other nation's in the 21st century, but hasn't the U.S. done that TWICE in the last seven years?"
This is what always boggles my mind about the press. It seems like they're unwilling to make a scene. I'm sure someone in attendance will go back and write their article or their blog and will mention exactly what it is McCain said and they'll criticize him for it. But why not address the matter while you have the guy right there? Why let that meatball just cruise on over the plate?
What bothers me even more about this is that, head to head, thinking on his feet is a category in which Obama just dominates over McCain. Any time McCain tries to rife without a speech, he sounds like the crazy old man that he is. In fact, most times he's actually nonsensical. It's amazing, not unlike watching a car accident.
McCain can paint Obama as a celebrity all he wants, but it's clear who's getting the free ride from the press. Maybe they feel bad for attacking a senile old man, I don't know. But whatever it is, it needs to stop. They're only hurting themselves...and us.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
The Surge
Obama's had a good week. I'm currently watching him speaking in Berlin and it's actually very emotional. The idea that a giant crowd of Germans would be waving little American flags is mind boggling. Our country has so little good will left on this planet, the idea that a single man could get that back...it's crazy.
In an effort to undercut Obama's good week, John McCain has taken to calling him out on The Surge. McCain claims that Obama must acknowledge that The Surge, which Obama voted against, has worked, and that he can't call for bringing the troops home without recognizing that fact.
The Germans are chanting "Obama" now.
There are a number of things wrong with Crazy Old Man's counterpoint to Obama's trip. Allow me to lay them out:
1) McCain keeps referring to The Surge as a success. The problem is that, using the definintion we got from Bush himself, The Surge is NOT a success. The point of The Surge was to stablize Iraq so that we could bring our troops home. Bush sold it as being a temporary increase of troops which would then allow us to decrease that number. Guess what? There are currently more American troops in Iraq than there were BEFORE The Surge. The troops haven't come home. The Surge is not a success.
2) But, hey, I'm willing to play this game. Let's go ahead and concede this point to McCain and say, yes, Crazy Old Man, you're right, The Surge which you supported from day one has worked. If that's the case, then the troops should be able to come home now! Hooray! What? What's that? Bush isn't bringing the troops home? YOU wouldn't bring the troops home, either? But...but you said The Surge was a success. That means they can come home now. That was the point. That's what you told us. If it worked, they come home. If they don't come home, then, by your own definition, it didn't work.
3) Perhaps even better, McCain is attempting to re-write history to prove that The Surge is the only thing that has prevented, I don't know, WWIII or something. Obama, rightfully so, gave credit to the people of Iraq and, specifically, the Anbar Awakening, as a key point in the turn around. He went so far as to suggest that we can't predict what would have happened had we NOT increased troop levels. He's right. There's no way to predict that, and McCain's claim to the contrary are fictional.
4) Here's the kicker, for me. Since the stated end results of The Surge have not yet happened and there's no way to say for sure what would have happened had we not increased troop levels, you have to look at what we DO know. You want definitive information? Since The Surge was announced, 1,306 U.S. troops have died. So let's tell the families of those 1,306 people that The Surge was a good idea.
If you haven't seen McCain's attempt at explaining his gaffe on The Surge timelines (the one that was originally edited out of his CBS interview, which is an entirely different issue), I'll try to add it here. It's an amazing piece of political backtalk, a very obvious effort to talk around an issue, and it's equal parts nonsense, Crazy Old Man, and talking points (note the number to times he mentions going to Iraq).
In an effort to undercut Obama's good week, John McCain has taken to calling him out on The Surge. McCain claims that Obama must acknowledge that The Surge, which Obama voted against, has worked, and that he can't call for bringing the troops home without recognizing that fact.
The Germans are chanting "Obama" now.
There are a number of things wrong with Crazy Old Man's counterpoint to Obama's trip. Allow me to lay them out:
1) McCain keeps referring to The Surge as a success. The problem is that, using the definintion we got from Bush himself, The Surge is NOT a success. The point of The Surge was to stablize Iraq so that we could bring our troops home. Bush sold it as being a temporary increase of troops which would then allow us to decrease that number. Guess what? There are currently more American troops in Iraq than there were BEFORE The Surge. The troops haven't come home. The Surge is not a success.
2) But, hey, I'm willing to play this game. Let's go ahead and concede this point to McCain and say, yes, Crazy Old Man, you're right, The Surge which you supported from day one has worked. If that's the case, then the troops should be able to come home now! Hooray! What? What's that? Bush isn't bringing the troops home? YOU wouldn't bring the troops home, either? But...but you said The Surge was a success. That means they can come home now. That was the point. That's what you told us. If it worked, they come home. If they don't come home, then, by your own definition, it didn't work.
3) Perhaps even better, McCain is attempting to re-write history to prove that The Surge is the only thing that has prevented, I don't know, WWIII or something. Obama, rightfully so, gave credit to the people of Iraq and, specifically, the Anbar Awakening, as a key point in the turn around. He went so far as to suggest that we can't predict what would have happened had we NOT increased troop levels. He's right. There's no way to predict that, and McCain's claim to the contrary are fictional.
4) Here's the kicker, for me. Since the stated end results of The Surge have not yet happened and there's no way to say for sure what would have happened had we not increased troop levels, you have to look at what we DO know. You want definitive information? Since The Surge was announced, 1,306 U.S. troops have died. So let's tell the families of those 1,306 people that The Surge was a good idea.
If you haven't seen McCain's attempt at explaining his gaffe on The Surge timelines (the one that was originally edited out of his CBS interview, which is an entirely different issue), I'll try to add it here. It's an amazing piece of political backtalk, a very obvious effort to talk around an issue, and it's equal parts nonsense, Crazy Old Man, and talking points (note the number to times he mentions going to Iraq).
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Crazy Old Man
I think the Democrats are going about their campaign wrong. I appreciate the desire to maintain the "candidate of change" bit with Obama and I'm on board with that. But I don't know that they've really set on a specific marginalization of McCain (unlike the Republicans who have jumped all over the un-patriotic angle because that's what the Republicans do).
So I'm here to offer this suggestion to the Democrats: Crazy old man.
There's just so much fuel for that fire. There's his temper, which he's actually unleashed on his wife in public (with the least female friendly insult you can imagine). There's his general confusion on major issues (including Iraq, a situation one would think he'd have some knowledge of). And now there's his economic plan.
It's not just that his economic plan is questionable, it's that he's lying about it. Via the ever vigilante Ben Smith at Politico, McCain was asked about his plan to balance the budget, and he said that 300 economists -- including five nobel laureates -- have signed off on his plan.
Here's the problem with that: none of them signed off on anything remotely involving balancing the budget or, for that matter, McCain's vaunted gas tax holiday.
Those economists simply signed off on a 400 word document that had no specifics, and many of them signed off on it months ago.
He's just so completely clueless about the ins and outs of modern American society it's astounding. He is out of touch, and THAT is what the Democrats need to focus on.
As for Obama, he's walking a fine line these days. I keep reading about how he's moving towards the middle in preparation for the general election, but I don't see it. I think he's simply being more cautious for fear of another "bitter" controversy. I think he's also attempting to play up his "All-American" image which invariable comes across as pandering which, in the case of a liberal, comes across as moving towards the center.
The real test, I think, will come in Denver.
Still, Democrats: Crazy old man. Run with it.
So I'm here to offer this suggestion to the Democrats: Crazy old man.
There's just so much fuel for that fire. There's his temper, which he's actually unleashed on his wife in public (with the least female friendly insult you can imagine). There's his general confusion on major issues (including Iraq, a situation one would think he'd have some knowledge of). And now there's his economic plan.
It's not just that his economic plan is questionable, it's that he's lying about it. Via the ever vigilante Ben Smith at Politico, McCain was asked about his plan to balance the budget, and he said that 300 economists -- including five nobel laureates -- have signed off on his plan.
Here's the problem with that: none of them signed off on anything remotely involving balancing the budget or, for that matter, McCain's vaunted gas tax holiday.
Those economists simply signed off on a 400 word document that had no specifics, and many of them signed off on it months ago.
He's just so completely clueless about the ins and outs of modern American society it's astounding. He is out of touch, and THAT is what the Democrats need to focus on.
As for Obama, he's walking a fine line these days. I keep reading about how he's moving towards the middle in preparation for the general election, but I don't see it. I think he's simply being more cautious for fear of another "bitter" controversy. I think he's also attempting to play up his "All-American" image which invariable comes across as pandering which, in the case of a liberal, comes across as moving towards the center.
The real test, I think, will come in Denver.
Still, Democrats: Crazy old man. Run with it.
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