midomi

Free at the iTunes App Store.

I'm almost as old as McCain, and I love my iPhone too. There's no excuse for him being so illiterate. Except being stuck in the past, rewinding the Vietnam defeat over and over.

Posted at August 29, 2008 8:30 AM in response to Obama's Historic Speech: The Full Text

I sure do hope it's Schweitzer rather than the usual media suspects (Biden et alii).

No national politician knows the oil issue specifically and the energy problem in general better than Schweitzer. Some polls have gasoline the number 2 issue just behind the economy. Obama's plan to grow the economy involves energy infrastructure.

Obama has foreign relations judgment sewed up: No war to start with, a goal to get out, importance of Afghanistan, summary attacks against key Al-Qaeda personnel, etc.

A good fit.

Posted at August 22, 2008 3:48 PM in response to The Schedule Suggests it Brian Schweitzer

On a practical matter, Obama and his surrogates and attack dogs can go as negative on McCain as they want, so long as Obama provides the inoculation by praising McCain's service.

Those negative attacks will be far more credible -- negative on bad war judgment, unschooled in the economy, rich and pampered, a real wind-follower on the environment (whichever way it blows), uncaring in health care, beholden to big business -- with the constant contrast to war records (of thirty to forty years ago).

One place where Obama won't go negative is on McCain's military career even though (a) McCain got into Annapolis on his father's pull with a mediocre high school record, (b) McCain did not take Annapolis seriously, finishing in the bottom one percent, (c) McCain got the most-wanted post as aviator based on his father's pull, (d) McCain was a terribly reckless aviator, crashing three times before getting into combat, (e) McCain got shot down in Vietnam after only twenty hours of combat (one of my helicopter buddies told me he did twenty combat hours in one day), (f) McCain gave in when tortured and signed damning documents, (g) McCain (surprisingly) got better treatment than his fellow POWs because of his father's pull, (g) all several hundred POWs at the Hanoi Hilton refused early release unless all were released, and (h) McCain as a POW had no clue what was happening on the field -- when others like Hagel, Powell, Kerry, and Clark learned to see how bad Vietnam was.

Too bad everyone thinks McCain was a war hero. The Dems need some swiftboaters here. It would be awful if McCain destroyed the Able candidate.

Posted at August 21, 2008 9:09 AM in response to Please, Barack, Stop Telling Us What a Great War Hero is John McCain

One of Costas's heroes in sports announcing is Keith Olbermann. Maybe Bob will also make the transition.

Posted at August 11, 2008 11:44 PM in response to Costas Asks Real Questions

I liked Bob back when he was dating Linda Ronstadt. Now he's just out of date.

Posted at August 11, 2008 11:28 PM in response to Bob Kerrey: McCain "Can Deal With Crisis"

Perez, you have no clue do you? Flip-flopping should be an occupational requirement for politicians. What do good politicians do?

They try to gain some sort of consensus to govern. They try to satisfy a large number of people. They have to give here, grab there, lay down these markers, pick up those -- in other words, be flexible enough to get something done in an irrational world full of the hugest variety of conflicting ideas.

Flip-flopping, or "refining," or "accommodating" is a necessary part of the job and is fine, as long as a politician doesn't completely go against whatever principles have survived this evolutionary process. A little offshore drilling to gain larger goals, like moving this country away from oil, is a sloppy but valid desire. The principle here is: I oppose off-shore drilling unless it can lead to something better without too much harm. Get it?

Posted at August 6, 2008 3:55 PM in response to Obama's recent move on drilling called a "full flop" by independent website

What if ...

Suppose ...

OMG, if ...

Maybe ...

Oh, no ...

Yes, yes, yes ...

Lather, rinse, repeat. Or just wait until October, meanwhile cooling excited brain neurons.

Posted at August 6, 2008 12:39 PM in response to Good news for the Canadian housing market

If you actually read the letter

Add to your list of accomplishments: failed mind reader.

Of course I read the letter. Let's suppose that Obama follows its advice: "Stand firm on the principles you have so compellingly articulated, and you may succeed in bringing this country the change you've encouraged us to believe is possible."

§ Withdrawal from Iraq on a fixed timetable.

That's never been Obama's position so how can he stand on it? Withdrawal is conditioned by affairs on the ground. The word "fixed" is just waiting to be attacked, and rightly so. The goal is withdrawal of all but a residual force in sixteen months.

§ A response to the current economic crisis that reduces the gap between the rich and the rest of us through a more progressive financial and welfare system; public investment to create jobs and repair the country's collapsing infrastructure; fair trade policies; restoration of the freedom to organize unions; and meaningful government enforcement of labor laws and regulation of industry.

Unions are losing ground, and are totally unpopular in many of the new swing areas like Virginia and the mountain west. If Obama starts calling for "meaningful government enforcement of labor laws" he will lose support in those states. Now, let's play real for a moment: of course Obama is for enforcement, but why should he even mention it during the campaign? Don't you trust him? Has he backtracked somewhere on that principle? Some of the other items are ones he supports -- but not in green-or-yellow terms -- for no "principle" is completely iron-clad in all its complexity. For example, Obama doesn't totally support abortions in all cases. Would anyone agree to aborting a nine-month fetus, for example, if the mother decided that she didn't want another boy and claimed mental duress? (Extreme case.)

§ Reform of the drug laws that incarcerate hundreds of thousands who need help, not jail.

Can you hear McCain here saying, Obama wants to release all those criminals who corrupt our children with drugs in our inner cities (the race card)? This reform for adult users has to be coupled with a safer environment for our children -- including safety from random killings. This letter doesn't seem to realize that rights -- to medical treatment of drug abuse, to citizenship, etc. -- must be conjoined with responsibilities.

If Obama wants to backtrack on some of these absolute positions in order to win, I and most sensible supporters could weigh his decision and the specter of McCain quite easily and shut up about it.

My concern about 1968 is that self-righteousness, sometimes called principle, about politicians is juvenile. Recall the Kos backlash over FISA. Or the media horror over rejecting federal campaign financing.

Posted at August 6, 2008 12:00 PM in response to Sign letter urging Obama not to waffle!

The truth is that high prices are good for us (collectively), better for our children, and best if even higher.

Tax rebates to those affected is an honest response.

Too bad being honest and being elected are such polar opposites.

To say that drilling solves nothing for ten years is both true and unconvincing. Americans can think about future "good" and hence support drilling now. Face it, this is a good Republican issue. Best to co-opt it as Obama has already begun to do with his limited modified drilling refinement.

Posted at August 6, 2008 10:46 AM in response to How to Convert the "Drill Here, Drill Now" Average Joes

Well, crap, he is an Oreo, sometimes.

And sometimes a chocolate-filled twinkie.

And sometimes a moon pie, and sometimes a coconut custard. And sometimes a nutty power bar.

But he's always delicious.

Posted at August 6, 2008 10:35 AM in response to Toby Keith calls Barack Obama an Oreo.