PERRspectives: August 2008 Archives

August 2008 Archives

	Oil, Business Groups Join Palin's Crusade Against Polar Bears One sure measure of McCain VP pick Sarah Palin's extremism is her lawsuit to stop the Bush administration, no friend of the environment, from adding polar bears to the list of endangered species. Now, the Alaska governor has company, as a group of five oil and business organizations have joined in her legal battle against the declining population of the beloved white bears. As the Washington Post detailed Sunday, the American Petroleum Institute, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the... more Posted on August 31, 2008 \| Comments (2)

	RNC Gustav Plans Reopen Issue of the McCains' Charitable Giving On Sunday, Cindy McCain announced she was "offended" by Barack Obama's critique of her husband as an out-of-touch politician of privilege who "doesn't know" about the economic challenges Americans face. If so, Hurricane Gustav may provide her just the opportunity to refute the point. With the GOP hoping to capitalize on the potential tragedy by converting the Republican National Convention into a massive telethon, the McCains can give early, often and generously. And then, Cindy McCain can come clean about... more Posted on August 31, 2008 \| Comments (0)

	McCain's Palin Pander Raises Age, Ends Experience Issue With his unexpected selection today of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, John McCain stayed true to form. Not as the mythical maverick, but as the craven opportunist willing to do anything to capture the presidency. Desperate to pander to whatever disgruntled Hillary Clinton voters may remain, McCain turned to a 44 year old woman virtually unknown on the national stage. More important, by putting his campaign and not the country first, the now 72 year old McCain... more Posted on August 29, 2008 \| Comments (5)

	Romney Blasts McCain's Out of Control Temper During the Democratic Convention, the desperately seeking second Mitt Romney has been John McCain's faithful attack dog. On Tuesday, Romney announced that John McCain had "earned" his too-many-to-remember houses with his "hard work," while playing the false Rezko card against Barack Obama. On Wednesday, Romney upped the ante, suggesting that McCain's multiple mansions were reasonable compensation for "being homeless for five years." But as it turns out, back in January Mitt Romney sounded a lot more like Democrats Harry Reid,... more Posted on August 28, 2008 \| Comments (1)

	McCain Camp Joins Bush and Delay: There Are No Uninsured As I've noted previously, what passes for John McCain's health care plan is virtually identical to the stillborn scheme from George W. Bush. Now, the McCain campaign has joined President Bush and indicted former House Majority Leader Tom Delay in offering a novel solution - denial - to the problem of America's 46 million uninsured. As it turns out, they simply don't exist. That's the word from the architect of John McCain's health care proposals, John Goodman. No one in... more Posted on August 28, 2008 \| Comments (2)

	Americans Prefer Obama Tax Plan, for Good Reason As ThinkProgress just reported, CNN earlier today showed a deceptive chart which wrongly suggests that John McCain's tax plan provides more Americans with greater savings than that offered by Barack Obama. But CNN's upper-crust income brackets starting at $161,000 conceal the inescapable truth that Barack Obama's proposals offer working and middle class Americans steeper tax benefits at every income level up to $110,000. And according to a new Gallup poll released today, that truth isn't lost on American voters. By... more Posted on August 26, 2008 \| Comments (5)

	McCain to Mark Birthday, Katrina Anniversary with VP Pick Friday In the latest chapter of their campaign of contrasts, Barack Obama and John McCain are set to mark two very different milestones this week. On Thursday, Obama will accept his party's nomination on the 45th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s' "I Have a Dream" speech. But in an altogether different act of symbolism the next morning, John McCain will announce his running mate on his 72nd birthday. That date also just happens to mark three years to the... more Posted on August 26, 2008 \| Comments (1)

	Kudlow Rewrites History, Blames Dow's Slide on Democrats Monday was a miserable day for the Dow, with the market suffering a 242 point drop. But rather than joining "so-called market analysts" in attributing the sell-off to credit market woes, higher oil prices and a fluctuating dollar, the National Review's resident class warrior Larry Kudlow found a predictable villain. Despite the inescapable history that the stock market does better under Democratic presidents than Republican ones, Kudlow blamed the market steep slide on the opening of the Democratic Convention in... more Posted on August 26, 2008 \| Comments (2)

	Technicality May Keep Tom Delay Out of Jail Almost three years after his indictment on conspiracy and money laundering charges, former House Majority Leader Tom Delay may escape prosecution. Thanks to a technicality in Texas' money laundering statute, the man who once compared himself to Jesus may walk out of court, if not on water. The Austin Statesman reported this morning that the charges against Delay and his two co-conspirators John Colyandro and Jim Ellis "may be dismissed because the 2002 campaign finance case involved checks and not... more Posted on August 25, 2008 \| Comments (0)

	Bush, McCain, Rice and Romney Fail 21st Century History Test No doubt, history will not be kind to George W Bush. And to be sure, Bush is already returning the favor. Apparently stunned by the Russian assault on Georgia, President Bush forgot his invasion of "sovereign" Iraq and declared, "Such an action is unacceptable in the 21st century". As it turns out, John McCain, Condoleezza Rice and Mitt Romney all failed the same test on 21st century history. While unwilling to acknowledge that he had misread Vladimir Putin's soul back... more Posted on August 24, 2008 \| Comments (1)

	Joe Biden, the Original Change Candidate By the time it was revealed late Friday night, Barack Obama's selection of Joe Biden as his running mate came as no surprise. Even more predictable is the response of Ron Fournier, the AP's Washington Bureau Chief, Bush cheerleader and almost McCain aide, that Biden is the "ultimate insider" who represents a rejection of Barack Obama's own campaign of "change." But as it turns out, once upon a time Joe Biden was himself the Democratic candidate of change and a... more Posted on August 23, 2008 \| Comments (1)

	Romney's Riches, Attacks on McCain Doom VP Choice? Timing, as they say, is everything. On the very day that John McCain publicly lost track of how many homes he owns, rumors swirled that Mitt Romney, another multiple mansion owner, would be his running mate choice. That Romney is the embodiment of the country club Republican is bad enough for McCain right now. Making matters worse, Mitt's all-out January 2008 attack on John McCain's incendiary temper gives Democrats a handy road map to follow. Mitt's Mansions. To be sure,... more Posted on August 22, 2008 \| Comments (2)

	McCain's Houses Gaffe Echoes Bush 41's Scanner Episode Sometimes, a single gaffe - real or imagined - comes to symbolize an entire presidential campaign. With Americans struggling as unemployment topped 7% in 1992, President George H.W. Bush saw his reelection prospects dimmed by his reported amazement at a simple grocery store checkout scanner. But while Bush 41's defining out-of-touch moment may be the stuff of political mythology, John McCain's stunning ignorance about how many homes he owns may soon come to define his run for the White House.... more Posted on August 21, 2008 \| Comments (0)

	McCain Defines Rich: Not Knowing How Many Homes You Own John McCain has finally and definitively answered the question, how do you define "rich?" After first joking that "$5 million" marked the line between middle class and rich and then arguing, "I define rich in other ways besides income," John McCain provided the real answer Thursday. A rich man doesn't even know how many houses he owns. That moment of clarity for American voters - if not for McCain himself - came in an interview with the Politico: Sen. John... more Posted on August 21, 2008 \| Comments (1)

	Pentagon Backs Obama Again with More Troops for Afghanistan The announcement today that the United States will deploy up to 15,000 more troops to Afghanistan is just the latest signal of the Pentagon's seeming support for Barack Obama's strategy to fight Al Qaeda in the region. Following by just weeks Obama's latest call to send at least two more brigades of American troops there, the request by U.S. commanders again confirmed Obama's assertion, one denied by John McCain, that Iraq represents a "zero sum game" for scarce American military... more Posted on August 20, 2008 \| Comments (0)

	The Haves, the Have Mores and the McCains Eight years ago, then Governor George W. Bush revealingly joked about his backers at the 2000 Al Smith Dinner. "This is an impressive crowd - the haves and the have-mores," Bush said, adding, "Some people call you the elites; I call you my base." With his own quip Saturday night that "$5 million" is his definition of rich," John McCain made no mistake that he is Bush's natural heir. Now, there is nothing wrong with being happily rich and utterly... more Posted on August 19, 2008 \| Comments (5)

	Media Get It Wrong: Warren Asked Obama and McCain Different Questions Two days after the fact, questions continue to surround John McCain's surprisingly strong performance Saturday at Pastor Rick Warren's Saddleback Church. The mainstream media and blogosphere alike are abuzz with rumors that McCain pierced Warren's so-called "cone of silence" and, more serious still, may have purloined his legendary POW "cross in the dirt" story from the late Alexandr Solzhenitsyn. But on one point, there is no dispute. Despite CNN's assurances to the contrary, Rick Warren simply asked Barack Obama and... more Posted on August 18, 2008 \| Comments (0)

	Warren Gives McCain a Pass on Scripture at Forum In ways large and small, Barack Obama's visit to the Pastor Rick Warren Saddleback Church resembled a Christian taking on the lions. The audience, after all, was overwhelmingly predisposed to the Republican John McCain. To be sure, the questions posed by Warren had a purpose-driven life for the conservative agenda. And making matters even more difficult for Obama, Reverend Warren edited out scriptural references for McCain, a man notoriously uncomfortable speaking about matters of religious faith. In theory, Warren was... more Posted on August 17, 2008 \| Comments (2)

	Abramoff Update: Ney Released, Reed to Hold McCain Fundraiser Senator John McCain may have helped investigate the Jack Abramoff affair, but the stench of the scandal continues to engulf McCain's campaign and his Republican Party. On Friday, convicted friend-of-Jack and former Ohio congressman Bob Ney was released from a Cincinnati halfway house. And on Monday, McCain will attend an Atlanta fundraiser hosted by former Christian Coalition wunderkind Ralph Reed, who partnered with Abramoff in extracting millions of dollars from tribal Indian clients. In Ohio, Bob Ney was released after... more Posted on August 16, 2008 \| Comments (0)

	10 Questions Rick Warren Won't Ask John McCain On Saturday, August 16th, megachurch preacher and Purpose-Driven Life author Rick Warren will host the first joint appearance of campaign '08 by Barack Obama and John McCain. In what CNN is billing as the "Compassionate Leader Forum," Warren will lead separate conversations with Obama and McCain, who will meet on stage at the beginning and/or end of the event at Warren's Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. While the anti-gay Warren and his co-sponsor the multi-denominational group Faith in Public... more Posted on August 16, 2008 \| Comments (1)

	Presumptuous McCain Plays President on Georgia Conflict Back in July, an envious McCain campaign blasted Barack Obama for being "presumptuous" during his tour of European capitals. That charge was not only echoed in the right-wing media, but amplified by the Washington Post's Dana Milbank. But with conflict now raging between Russia and Georgia, it is the presumptuous John McCain who is pretending to be president of the United States. On Friday, the Washington Post highlighted McCain's hypocrisy in aggressively inserting himself into the crisis in the Caucusus... more Posted on August 15, 2008 \| Comments (0)

	Rice Missing Again as "Putin Determined to Strike in Georgia" One of the most enduring moments of the 9/11 Commission hearings came when Condoleezza Rice casually recalled the now infamous August 6, 2001 presidential daily brief (PDB). "I believe," she said, "the title was, 'Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States.'" Now almost exactly seven years later, Secretary of State Rice seems to have missed the warning signs once again. Having sent mixed messages to Tbilisi in July and on vacation as Russian armor poured into the country,... more Posted on August 13, 2008 \| Comments (2)

	CBS Does McCain's Bidding on Russia, Edwards Stories In ways large and small, CBS News continues to offer John McCain's presidential campaign a helping hand. Less than a month after Katie Couric edited out McCain's shocking confusion over the timeline of the surge in Iraq, CBS News on Monday featured Robert Kagan, not identified as McCain foreign policy adviser, as its lone analyst in a segment on the conflict in Georgia. And that came just days after CBS assessed the impact of the John Edwards' affair not on... more Posted on August 12, 2008 \| Comments (0)

	Coming Soon: John McCain's Georgia Miracle The announcement this morning that Russia will halt its military operations in Georgia will almost certainly be followed by another. No doubt, the McCain campaign and its conservative amen corner will claim that John McCain's tough talk is responsible for it. As with the July release of Colombian hostages and the recent dip in oil prices, Team McCain will claim the credit. While it remains far from clear whether President Medvedev's declaration about stopping the Russia offensive in Georgia will... more Posted on August 12, 2008 \| Comments (1)

	Elite Prep School Student McCain Bashes Obama's Education Back in early April, presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain kicked off a week-long "Service to America" tour. Headlining that biography-building swing was a visit to Episcopal High, the ultra-elite DC area prep school McCain attended during the 1950's. But now, with Barack Obama vacationing in Hawaii, the McCain campaign and the Republican National Committee are lampooning the Democrat for having attended a private school there. This is just the latest attempt to portray Obama, and not the multimillionaire owner... more Posted on August 10, 2008 \| Comments (3)

	McCain's Podium Envy If nothing else, John McCain has cajones. On the very day the McCain campaign announced its rhetorically-challenged man would deliver likely the shortest acceptance speech in modern American political history at the upcoming Republican National Convention, McCain took to the airwaves to mock Barack Obama's stirring oratory. As the Washington Post reported Saturday morning, McCain's appearance before assembled GOP faithful in Minnesota may resemble a political drive-by: The speech as written runs roughly 21 minutes, but it could end up... more Posted on August 9, 2008 \| Comments (2)

	Fighting in Georgia Highlights McCain's Confusion Over Russia As the conflict over the breakaway region of South Ossetia threatens to explode into all-out war between Georgia and Russia, Republican presidential nominee John McCain weighed in. "What's most critical now," McCain said, "is to avoid further confrontation between Russian and Georgian military forces." But given his confused and contradictory statements about expelling Russia from the G8, what may be most critical to American voters is whether John McCain understands what he's talking about. According to the AP, McCain this... more Posted on August 8, 2008 \| Comments (6)

	McCain Yanks "True Conservative" Ad from YouTube, Web Site Just one day after the McCain campaign proclaimed its man the "Original Maverick," Barack Obama blasted that assertion both on the stump and in a new ad of his own. "You can't be a maverick when politically it's working for you," Obama said, "and not a maverick when it doesn't work for you." Which may explain why the McCain campaign has apparently tried to purge any traces of its "True Conservative" ad, a February 2008 spot designed to win over... more Posted on August 7, 2008 \| Comments (0)

	McCain's Dueling Ads: "True Conservative" or "Original Maverick?" Yesterday, John McCain unveiled a disingenuous new ad touting himself as the "Original Maverick." Designed to distance himself from President Bush, the spot portrays McCain as a rebel battling the special interests in his own party. Of course, during the Republican primaries McCain was telling a much different story. Then, the original Maverick was a "True Conservative." Desperate to win over the party's hard right base heading into Iowa and New Hampshire, McCain adopted virtually the entire Bush agenda while... more Posted on August 6, 2008 \| Comments (3)

	More McCain Fibs in New "Original Maverick" Ad After two weeks of ads peddling lies about Barack Obama, John McCain is now lying about himself. In a new spot ironically titled "Broken," McCain tries to resurrect his battered maverick image tarnished by his endless flip-flops and gutter politics. But as it turns out, the man the ad describes as "the Original Maverick" is telling tales again. McCain's mendacity starts with the economy. Whereas McCain in April proclaimed the United States had made "great progress economically" over the past... more Posted on August 5, 2008 \| Comments (1)

	Purple Heart Band-Aids and Tire Gauges Here are two incontrovertible statements of fact. John Kerry was a decorated Vietnam war veteran. Barack Obama suggested Americans keep their tires inflated to ensure better gas mileage for their cars. But as with Kerry and the Purple-Heart Band-Aids in 2004, Obama is about to see his basic truth swamped by the tawdry but sadly effective gimmicky of the Republican Party. That's the clear intent of the McCain camp's distribution today of tire pressure gauges reading "Obama Energy Plan." On... more Posted on August 4, 2008 \| Comments (1)

	Eight Years Ago Today: Bush's Broken Promise Eights years ago today, George W. Bush uttered the now broken promise that has come to define his failed presidency. Accepting his party's nomination, Governor Bush promised to restore "honor and dignity" to the White House. But as events continue to show, a more accurate - and ironic - mantra for the lawless Bush White House would be "no controlling legal authority." At the time it was delivered, Bush's acceptance speech at the 2000 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia was... more Posted on August 3, 2008 \| Comments (1)

	Trent Lott in Hot Water in State Farm Case The leading lights of the Republican Party like to endlessly badmouth trial lawyers. Endlessly, that is, until they need one. Former Mississippi Senator Trent Lott is no exception. Back in 2004, Lott ridiculed John Edwards, saying of John Kerry's running mate, "He's a charming guy who was a suing lawyer -- that's S-U-I-N-G lawyer." But when his own house was demolished by Hurricane Katrina three years ago, Lott was only too happy sue State Farm Insurance to pay for it.... more Posted on August 3, 2008 \| Comments (0)

	McCain Suggests Surge to Bring Safe Streets of Iraq to U.S. Cities Hoping to bolster support for the surge in Iraq, John McCain over the past year has frequently touted the safe streets of Baghdad. In April 2007, McCain boasted of neighborhoods "you and I could walk through." By March 2008, he reminded us that "there's problems in America with safe neighborhoods as we well know." And the solution to urban crime in the U.S., John McCain now tells us, is to bring the surge to the streets of America. That, at... more Posted on August 2, 2008 \| Comments (1)

	McCain's Anthrax Pretext for War with Iraq Republican presidential nominee John McCain is fond of claiming, "I know how to win wars." Apparently, he also has ideas about how to start them. In the fall of 2001, McCain suggested the recent anthrax attacks that so terrified Americans might be a perfect pretext for war with Iraq. That revelation comes via ThinkProgress in the wake of this morning's revelations about the suicide of Bruce Ivins, the Fort Detrick biodefense researcher about to be indicted for the 2001 attacks.... more Posted on August 1, 2008 \| Comments (1)

	McCain Launches the "Character War" Recently, John McCain has taken to boasting, "I know how to win wars." But he isn't talking about Iraq. As his gutter politics of the last week show, McCain is talking about the "character war" against Barack Obama. As predicted, McCain is turning to the Republicans' tried and untrue formula for success from 2000 and 2004. That is, because Americans overwhelmingly prefer Democratic positions and priorities across almost the entire spectrum of issues, the GOP has to make the race... more Posted on August 1, 2008 \| Comments (2)