Political Rant: the Daily Digest

So here's the Convention update:
George Bush was quarantined well away from the people who are trying to actually, as it were, win this election. But he got to talk--for les than ten minutes....I love the Big Brother look of this. How does the old song go...." From a distance you look like my friend, even though we are at war..."

Then to Fred Thompson. You know, I'm really thinking we should thank John McCain. He's created a HIGHLY entertaining situation in which Republican after Republican must now line up and defend this obvious disaster of a candidate. Here's what Fred came up with: "She has run a municipality and she has run a state. And I think I can say without fear of contradiction she is the only nominee in the history of either party who knows how to properly field-dress a moose." Um... yeah. I'm sure her country will be calling on her for that. Unless we can get to Polarica in China Basin or Bud's Custom Meat in Penngrove. In which case WE DON'T NEED HER.

On to old Joltin' Joe Lieberman, who likes to jump from party to party looking for the best Champagne. Here is a video-transcript of Joe Lieberman's speech at the NY Times. The advantage of taking it in this way is that the Times allow you to move around between the sections and skip it when you feel your vomit reflex curdling up. Do seek out this special line: "The Washington bureaucrats and power brokers can't build a pen strong enough to hold these two mavericks." My stomach gurgles as I type.

Obama campaign's Robert Gibbs responds that it's "a different Joe Lieberman from the one that called Barack Obama in 2006 and asked him desperately to come to Connecticut and campaign for him." Ya think?

And since Joe brought Michael Moore into this--seriously, he brought him up first!-- Michael, if you please?

More gaffe-awes: we all got a nice chuckle when RNC Co-Chair Jo Ann Davidson, extolling the virtues of our next vice president, called her Sarah...Pawlenty. (Does she know something we don't?)

Speaking of Governor Palin (say it, PAY-lin. PA-a-a-a-ay Lin) Apparently the McCain Camp's latest strategy is to fall back on -- what i that I hear? the "same old" --strategy of blaming the media for all the ills of the world. When in doubt, roll out the sputtering indignation. Apparently, says Campaign Strategist Steve Schmidt, the Big Bad Media is "on a mission to destroy" Sarah Palin. No, Steve, they're um... just doing what YOU should have done-- ask questions.

And speaking of asking questions, how's this for familiar ground: McCain' camp is so upset at Campbell Brown's brazen display of journalistic chops in asking Tucker Bounds, "Can you just tell me one decision that she made as commander and chief of the Alaskan National Guard, just one?" that McCain canceled his Larry King interview (WSJ) in retaliation.

Today, in a staunch show of "Don't Talk About The Kids," the RNC flew the poor kid who supposedly fathered Bristol Palin's child to St. Paul, and staged a photo-op with those Disgusting Media Types at the airport. But don't talk about them. But take a picture of the family. But don't talk about them. And Levi, goshdarnit, YOU WILL HOLD HER HAND!!

Okay, we need an Unintentional Humor break

McCain Campaign manager Steve Doocy: "But the other thing about [Sarah Palin], she does know about international relations because she is right up there in Alaska right next door to Russia."

Cindy McCain: "You know, the experience that she comes from is what she's done in government, and remember, Alaska is the closest part of our continent to Russia."

Really? This is where you want to go with this? Ooooookay..... From Daily Kos, a reader speculates on what the Palin-Lives-Near-Russia-So-She's-A-Foreign-Policy-Expert theory of Proximity/Absorption Intelligence Design might mean:

• Maine borders Canada, so I'm a foreign policy expert.
• The Atlantic Ocean laps at the Maine coast, so I'm now a marine biologist and a Coast Guard Admiral.
• I live next to a Burger King, so I'm a Chef de Cuisine.
• I live next to the Dollar Store, so I'm qualified to chair the Federal Reserve.
• An old lady lives next door, so I'm president of the AARP.
• I live "next to" the moon, so I'm a NASA rocket scientist and an astronaut.
• I live close to a church, so I'm the Pope. (Okay, a Pope)
• There's a parking lot across the street, so I'm in line to be the next Secretary of Transportation.
• I am a high-priced prostitute and there are...um...actually, there are no high-priced prostitutes anywhere near me.

Meanwhile... somewhere in America...
Obama is scheduled to be on Fox's O'Reilly Factor Thursday night, but for the most part the Obama Biden campaign has been awfully quiet, you say. Or...maybe...not.... While the national news media trips over themselves to cover Hurricane Sarah (And please, please, go ahead, COVER IT) Obama and Biden are quietly at work on key swing states. Apparently someone still remembers how the last two elections were "won."

I'm happy to see Obama at 50% in the national polls, but some of us remember that you can win the popular vote and still um.. wind up not being president...? Instead, I offer you Electoral maps, both left leaning and right leaning, that show Obama ahead in the electoral vote count and edging upwards toward that magical "270" number in swing states. Notice that many of them don't even give 2000-2004 problem-states Ohio and Florida to Obama. But enjoy Obama and Biden... at work out of the spotlight...

The man is a strategist, as the London Times points out. He's looking to the long haul, and things like national media attention, scrutiny of Sarah Palin, outrage over Joe Lieberman and the ramblings of Fred Thompson, while entertaining (Oh, my Lawsy, SO entertaining) don't make a difference.