Letterman's Top Ten Signs Barack Obama is Over Confident

McCain Obama News Links

The Audacity of Ego - Boston Globe

Obama’s Prayerful Stagecraft – National Review Online

McCain Gains On Obama in Poll – ABC News

Why You Think Obama Is Dangerous – Canada Free Press

McCain Wins Rochester Again – Fosters Democrat

McCain campaign: Obama shortchanged injured troops - AP

John McCain: One Prisoner of War's Fresh Appraisal of U.S. in 1973 – US News and World Report

Why Obama snubbed the troops: no photo op allowed - Hot Air

Obama: I Have Become a Symbol - Washington Post

McCain Promotes Drilling for Oil Off the US Coast – USA Today

Women voters aren't warming to 'cool' Obama – Chicago Sun

When Obama Said He Wanted Change I Has No Idea...

Now that would be a ticket!

From CNN

Obama: McCain 'Wildly Inappropriate' for Wounded Troop Criticism

From the AP McCain campaign: Obama shortchanged injured troops

Republican John McCain's campaign on Saturday sharply criticized Democratic rival Barack Obama for canceling a visit to wounded troops in Germany, contending Obama chose foreign leaders and cheering Europeans over "injured American heroes."

Obama's campaign called the accusation "wildly inappropriate." His spokesman has claimed that the visit to a military hospital in Germany was scrapped after the Pentagon raised concerns about political activity on a military base. Earlier, though, the campaign had said Obama decided the visit might be seen as inappropriate politicking. However, the Pentagon said the senator was never told not to visit.

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"Senator McCain knows full well that Senator Obama strongly supports and honors our troops, which is what makes this attack so disingenuous. This politicization of our soldiers is exactly what Senator Obama sought to avoid," Vietor said.

Obama was flying from London to Chicago on Saturday when the McCain campaign issued a statement from Joe Repya, a retired Army colonel who said Obama had broken a commitment to visit the wounded Americans.

"Several explanations were offered, none was convincing and each was at odds with the statements of American military leaders," Repya said. "For a young man so apt at playing president, Barack Obama badly misjudged the important demands of the office he seeks."

If Senator Obama sought to avoid 'politicization' of his scheduled meeting with the troops, why not ditch the cameras and campaign staff and go visit the injured soldiers quietly under the radar? Apparently it is 'wildly inappropriate' and 'disingenuous' for Senator McCain to confront Senator Obama with facts. The facts remain, as they have from the begining, the Pentagon never told Senator Obama he couldn't visit the hospital simply that he could not campaign there. The facts are that Obama first said he didn't go because he thought it was 'inappropriate' to visit the troops on his campaign's dime. Then he blamed it on the Pentagon. So Senator Obama and his campaign can be express outrage at the McCain campaign if they'd like, but McCain isn't the one snubbed wounded American soldiers.

First Posted at: Obama: McCain 'Wildly Inappropriate' for Wounded Troop Criticism

Obama Snubs Wounded Soldiers

The Wall Street Journal Reports...

The Obama camp said they canceled the event after the Pentagon ruled it was a campaign event, and needed to be funded from the senator’s election kitty.

“Senator Obama did not want to have a trip to see our wounded warriors perceived as a campaign event when his visit was to show his appreciation for our troops and decided instead not to go,” Obama advisor, retired Gen. Scott Gration, said in a statement.

How about visiting the troops without the media tagging along, then it wouldn't look like a campaign event. Senator Obama is spending $5 on advertising during the Olympics, but won't visit wounded soldiers on his campaign's dime? Apparently, it's more important for him to have the media take pictures of him at the Ritz Carlton gym lifting weights, than to take a moment leave the press behind and talk to the people who defend this country.

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NBC and Hot Air are now confirming that Obama did not visit the troops because press would not be allowed to also attend.
Why Obama snubbed the troops: no photo op allowed
MSNBC First Read

Obama No Cameras Then No Troops

Obama McCain – Form vs. Substance

One thing you have to give Senator Obama, he can put on a show. He knows what sunglasses to where with a flak jacket. He knows just the right moments to lose the baby blue tie and roll up his sleeves, and shoot some hoops. He can address thousands of adoring fans, and whip them into a frenzy. He can do all this without addressing any issues. He can fix the world just don’t ask him how.

On the other hand, Senator McCain is not the most gifted speaker to ever run for president. It sort of looks like someone is chasing him when he reads from a teleprompter. He doesn’t look like a J. Crew model, he looks like someone you might run into at the hardware store. However, ask him a policy question anywhere anytime and he’ll give you a thoughtful honest response.

The media seems somewhat baffled that McCain has been closing in on Obama’s lead. No pretty pictures come out of the McCain campaign. He’s talking to folks in restaurants, in grocery stores, and in town halls across America. How could that possibly be more appealing than Senator Obama’s stage show. Screaming fans, massive crowds, the media eating from the palm of his hand, but no ‘world tour bounce’ for Senator Obama.

Substantively, what did come out this week is that Senator McCain was right about the surge. He made a solid foreign policy decision that could have hurt him politically, and the country is better off for it. Could voters possibly be choosing substance over form? Could the media’s crush on Obama be so obvious that voters disregard their glowing reviews of him? Could the fact that Senator Obama doesn’t answer questions, be starting to backfire? Could ‘hope’ and ‘change’ be wearing thin for people paying $4.00 a gallon at the pump? This race could possibly come down to whether voters choose the candidate of substance or choose the candidate of show.

Hype the Obama Effect - the movie

Obama's Foreign Policy Confusion

Senator Obama continues to make foreign policy statements that show off his confusion and inexperience. As Charlie Gibson points out, Senator Obama's speech at AIPAC showed him to be a rookie. Senator Obama has long list of foreign policy misteps. He agreed to meet with foreign dictators in his first term without preconditions, a statement immediately met with criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike. He has stated just this week that their has been progress in Iraq, but isn't convinced the Surge has worked, and this just adds to his litany of condradictory statements on Iraq. He's said Iran isn't a serious threat then said shortly after that it was a grave threat. Polls have shown that voters don't trust Obama as Commander-in-Chief. He is a risky candidate for president in peace time, but a dangerous candidate at a time of war.

Obama's Ich Nine Beginner Poster

Something tells me this poster won't play well with anyone who has any recollection, or has read anything about World War II. This is part out of control ego, and part stupidity. Certainly the Obama himself doesn't do the graphics for his campaign, but anyone with a modicum of history or art history knowledge should recognize that using a candidate's face in a decidedly European style poster with German writing harkens back brutal dictators with cult-like followings.

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Hat tip to TheNextRight for the poster. Hat tip to Fox News for Ich Nine Beginner remark.

Ego as an Issue

The Boston Globe article The Audacity of Ego addresses a growing concern about the ego of Senator Obama.

Barack Obama always was a larger-than-life candidate with a healthy ego. Now he's turning into the A-Rod of politics. It's all about him.

He's giving his opponent something other than issues to attack him on: narcissism.

A convention hall isn't good enough for the presumptive Democratic nominee. He plans to deliver his acceptance speech in the 75,000 seat stadium where the Denver Broncos play. Before a vote is cast, he's embarking on a foreign policy tour that will use cheering Europeans - and America's top news anchors - as extras in his campaign. What do you expect from a candidate who already auditioned a quasi-presidential seal with the Latin inscription, "Vero possumus" - "Yes, we can"?

Obama finds criticism of his wife "infuriating" and doesn't want either of them to be the target of satire. Tell that to the Carters, the Reagans, the Clintons, and the Bushes, father and son.

There's no such thing as a humble politician. But when Obama looks into the mirror, he doesn't just see a president; he sees JFK.

In 1960, John F. Kennedy accepted his party's nomination with an outdoor speech at the Los Angeles Coliseum. But he waited until he was elected before going to Germany to declare "Ich bin ein Berliner."

Ego problems aren't just a matter of annoyance they speak to what type of leader a person will be. There is a stark contrast between the two candidates in this area, both in form and substance. Senator McCain is a 'town hall' candidate. He talks to people, he listens to their questions and concerns, and he answers those questions to the best of his ability. It's not that uncommon for him to be interupted by a protestor, or seriously criticized by an attendee. Yet he gives respect to people with opposing view points, and delights in the give and take of this environment.

Conversely, Sentor Obama is a speaker, and a good one. Much of his success is based on his ability to excite a crowd with soaring rhetoric. Certainly can't fault him for having this skill, but the problem is that this isn't an adequate substitute for substance. No critics are allowed anywhere near Senator Obama only adoring fans. There is no attempt to answer questions, he is content in revelling in these grandiose stage events. Large crowds and adoring fan are fine for a rock concert, but not always appropriate for politics.

Certainly no successful politician is short of confidence or ego, but Senator McCain's self-effacing humor and personal connection to the voters is starkly different than Senator Obama's stage show. Humor may seem like the last thing relevant to presidential qualifications, but the inability to take a joke or to accept criticism is a problem, particularly for a young and inexperienced candidate. Ego and politics have historically been a very dangerous combination. Yet big ego's play better on camera, leaving voters with the question of whether they want to elect the Elvis of politics, or chose a less superficial and highly qualified candiate.

Exibit A...
Movie Trailor for Hype - the Obama Effect

Obama Iraq

Obama Iraq

McCain Dominating 'Commander-in-Chief' Race

In the latest ABC poll when people were asked about which candidate would make a good Commander-in-Chief, Senator McCain won in a landslide. 72% believe he would be a good Commander-in-Chief, and only 48% believe Senator Obama would be a good Commander-in-Chief.


Senator Clinton agrees, and explains why...

First published at PurplePeopleVote.blogspot.com - Commander-in-Chief test McCain Wins in a Landslide

Carly Fiorina Obama Running for Bush 3 Not John McCain

Carly Fiorina Obama Running for Bush 3 Not John McCain

Cindy McCain Operation Smile

Cindy McCain Operation Smile

An Odd Similarity Between McCain Supporters and Hillary Supporters

This may seem like a reach, but there is a sort of odd similarity between McCain supporters and Hillary Supporters. Though it is a limited comparison, circumstances in the McCain campaign and in the Clinton campaign have created this odd similarity. The start of the comparison begins early last summer when Senator McCain supported immigration legislation. Senator McCain wasn't just challenged on the merits of his position, which would have been fully understandable, but he was trashed by many for his position. He was called a traitor (particularly insulting to a military man) and he even received death threats. For months after that everyone, except McCain supporters, thought he was toast; and in reality there was no way that he 'should' have won the nomination. Everything was stacked against him. Right wingers did not like him, the media hammered him for his stance on Iraq, and there were constant predictions about when he would drop out of the race.

Sound oddly familiar? While there definitely are diffrences; Clinton got hammered in the media, while the press had a serious case of puppy love for Senator Obama. Many either pushed for, or predicted, her withdrawal from the race prior to the end of the primary season, and Senator Clinton was subject to attacks that went well beyond the bounds of common decency. Thus the similarity in the two candidate's supporters. They've both been told their candidate is done, and they've often become very defensive of their candidate because of the unfairness of the attacks. Finally, we're down to the current day comparison, which resides primarily with a frustration with the media. This comes from what appears to be a blatant bias for Senator Obama. If Senator Obama's ever changing record, and questionable associations were reported on in the main stream media the race would likely look a lot different than it does today.

A Woman's Vote Should Not Be Taken for Granted

Carly Fiorina addresses Women for Fair Politics. She details why she supports Senator McCain, and states that a woman's vote should not be taken for granted.



Video found at Wake Up America Hillary Clinton $100,000 Backers to Meet with Avid John McCain Supporter, Carly Fiorina.

McCain Love of Country

McCain Love

Obama: Finger on the Button, Woops Not That Button!

The LA Times reports in their article Obama said oops on 6 state Senate votes, that Sentaor Obama accidentally voted the wrong way as a state Senator at least six times. This is sometimes seen as a tactic to appease people on both sides of the issue. So the question is whether Senator Obama literally has trouble voting, or if he just has difficulty taking a stand.

"Barack Obama angered fellow Democrats in the Illinois Senate when he voted to strip millions of dollars from a child welfare office on Chicago's West Side. But Obama had a ready explanation: He goofed.

"I was not aware that I had voted no," he said that day in June 2002, asking that the record be changed to reflect that he "intended to vote yes."

That was not the only misfire for the former civil rights attorney first elected to the state Senate in 1996. During his eight years in state office, Obama cast more than 4,000 votes. Of those, according to transcripts of the proceedings in Springfield, he hit the wrong button at least six times."

Clintons4McCain Launches New Weekly Radio Show

Press Release from Clintons 4 McCain

Washington, DC - Working to empower voters nationwide, the maverick group of Hillary Clinton supporters, Clintons4McCain, has launched a new weekly radio show. The interactive 60-minute show, originating from cities across the United States, will focus on politics and current affairs ignored by the Main Stream Media. The show will air every Saturday from 5pm to 6pm EST on the BlogTALKRadio network. Anyone with a computer can listen from anywhere in the world at www.blogtalkradio.com/clintons4mccain and listeners can take part in the conversation by calling (347) 633-9273.

The Clintons4McCain radio show will include interviews with nationally-known newsmakers and Washington insiders, plus allow disaffected voters to voice their frustrations over the 2008 Democratic primary season. "Our goal is to educate voters, help shape America's future and to do the job the American media should have been doing all along," said the group's founder, Cristi Adkins.

Adkins, featured on the Fox News Channel, CNN, the Washington Post and dozens of other media outlets, will join other concerned voters - Anne Franklin and Peter Boykin - as rotating hosts for the show. "People don't think their voice matters," said Carlson. "This show will allow voters to express their viewpoints and take a stand against this year's unjust and fraudulent election process."

Opponents have accused Clintons4McCain members of being republican operatives, a charge the group finds amusing. "We're real voters - Democrats, Independents and moderate Republicans" said Anne Franklin. "Clinton is our first preference. If, somehow Hillary pulls off the nomination before August, we'll no longer be Clintons4McCain, we'll be Clintons4Hillary!"

Peter Boykin says, "It's no secret that many Hillary supporters are extremely disgruntled over Barack Obama being "anointed" the Democratic presidential nominee by special interest groups, not elected by American voters. That's why we're seeing an ever-growing coalition of groups banding together, fighting to take America back!"

For more information about Clintons 4 McCain, visit their website at www.clintons4mccain.com. If you'd like to suggest interview topics or schedule guest speakers, email Catherine Couch at nomeansnobama@hotmail.com or contact Cristi Adkins at cristi@clintons4mccain.com. Registration for BlogTalkRadio is easy, just go to http://www.blogtalkradio.com/register.aspx.

McCain Endorsed: The Awkward Dance of Religion and Politics

Senator McCain gained the backing of about 100 Christian leaders in Denver this week,

"Collectively we feel that he will support and advance those moral values that we hold much greater than Obama, who in our view will decimate moral values," said Mat Staver, the chairman of Liberty Counsel, a legal advocacy group, who previously supported Mike Huckabee's candidacy.
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A second person who attended the event, but asked not to be named, said that the group was motivated principally by a desire to defeat Barack Obama. "None of these people want to meet their maker knowing that they didn't do everything they could to keep Barack Obama from being president," the participant said. "You've got these two people running for president. One of them is going to become president. That's the perspective. That that's the whole discussion."

This comes in the same week that Senator Obama renewed his attempts to court the evangelical vote. This endorsement not only deflates those efforts, it points out the odd pairing of politics and religion in this presidential campaign. One of Obama's electiblity arguments during the primaries was that he could win over evangelicals, but then Reverend Wright came along. One of the most over-the-top public figures to hit the scene in years has been Obama's pastor and spiritiual advisor for twenty years. So this week Senator Obama announces that he will continue President Bush's faith based initiatives under a new name. This makes a lot of people on both sides of the isle uncomfortable. What sort of religion will Senator Obama be promoting as Chief Executive?

This leads to Senator McCain's awkward dance with Christian conservatives. While this week many concluded to back him fully, in many ways it is due to the serious issues they have with Obama. Senator McCain has shown a reluctance to talk about religion. He is quick to credit his survival as a P.O.W. to faith, but rarely addresses the issue unless asked directly. However, this may be a good thing, or even a very good thing. Certainly it has given him some political difficulties in the Republican party, but promoting a religious doctrine through an elected official can be problematic. The seperation of church and state is an incredibly important part of the consititution, and when a leader either promotes, or appears to promote, a certain brand of religion it gives all those not under that umbrella a very uneasy feeling. Certainly people of faith have every right to question their leaders in any way they see fit. However, there are excellent reasons for a political leader to not market their religion.

Purple People Vote - McCain Endorsed: The Awkward Dance of Religion and Politics

Senator McCain Discusses Energy Policy

The No Unity Report Launched

The No Unity Report has launched. It will keep track of the 'No Unity' movement within the Democratic party from an outside perspective. The No Unity Report provides main stream media reports on this movement, including clips of 'No Unity' or 'Puma' members stating their case on the news. Readers are encouraged to submit news stories.

Democrats Sing the Praises of John McCain

McCain Tolerance, Respect, and Freedom

Are Senator Obama's Chickens Coming Home to Roost

Recent political debate has revolved around the question of whether General Clark's comments about Senator McCain were a greater part offense or greater part idiotic. In the Politico article Who's Smearing Whom they call Senator Obama on his surregates string of oddly similar attacks on McCain's military service. Also noting that the Obama campaign has routinely cried 'smear' or 'about to smear' with no evidence that either the McCain campaign or the Republican party has any intention of playing dirty. The question is; were Wesley Clark's criticism so rediculous and ham-handed that people will start recognizing this pattern of unseamly attacks as more than just a coincidence?

Contrast the absence of smears from the McCain camp with some of the outlandish remarks made by high-ranking Obama supporters. In April, West Virginia Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV said that because McCain “was a fighter pilot, who dropped laser-guided missiles from 35,000 feet,” and “was long gone when they hit,” the Arizona senator who spent five and a half years in a Vietcong tiger cage having his arms repeatedly broken didn’t really understand the carnage of war. “What happened when [the missiles] get to the ground?” Rockefeller asked a crowd at an Obama rally. “He doesn’t know. You have to care about the lives of people. McCain never gets into those issues.” That the great-grandson of John D. Rockefeller would impugn the wartime experience of John McCain is especially rich, given that the only “battle” Rockefeller has seen is when he hunts wild game at his 80-acre ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyo.

Rockefeller’s smear was the first salvo in a pattern of attacks meant to insinuate that McCain’s Vietnam experience not only shouldn’t count as meaningful “experience,” but rendered him psychologically unfit for presidential office. In May, Iowa Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin said of McCain, “Everything is looked at from his life experiences, from always having been in the military, and I think that can be pretty dangerous.” Over the weekend, retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark said that McCain is “untested and untried,” and elaborated that, “I don't think getting in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to become president.” Clark, you may remember, ran for president in 2004 on his record as a career military officer, so his comment, which he has not retracted, was not just morally offensive but self-discrediting.

The smears didn’t stop there. On Monday, Obama foreign policy adviser Rand Beers unfavorably compared McCain’s POW experience with “the members of the Senate who were in the ground forces or who were ashore in Vietnam,” and who “have a very different view of Vietnam and the cost ... than John McCain does because he was in isolation essentially for many of those years and did not experience the turmoil here or the challenges that were involved for those of us who served in Vietnam during the Vietnam War.”

It’s curious how anyone could argue that a man with such visceral understanding of the capacity for what America’s enemies will do to our men and women in uniform doesn’t fully appreciate the cost of war. But even more troubling is the unmistakable pattern of these smears, all of them unsubtly alleging that McCain is an unhinged, mentally unstable warmonger who would deploy soldiers capriciously because he hasn’t truly experienced the horrors of ground battle. Indeed, the claims of these four men — and the short period of time in which they were all uttered — are so similar in tone that one would be foolish not to at least consider the possibility they were coordinated by the Obama campaign.