PB, PLEASE stop trying to fight rumor and innuendo with FACT. It's just plain silly.

“In the wake of 9/11, my meetings with Arab and Pakistani Americans, for example, have a more urgent quality, for the stories of detentions and FBI questioning and hard stares from neighbors have shaken their sense of security and belonging. They have been reminded that the history of immigration in this country has a dark underbelly; they need specific reassurances that their citizenship really means something, that America has learned the right lessons from the Japanese internments during World War II, and that I will stand with them should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.” Barack Obama, “The Audacity of Hope”, page 261.


Above is the ENTIRE quote of what Obama said. I'm not an Obama supporter but I hate when quotes are twisted and turned out of context. He is not talking about Muslim Terrorists, all he was saying is that he would defend Arab and Pakistini AMERICAN'S rights if they were not being treated as Americans.

Damn PB beat me to it, at least theres the whole quote on both pages now lol

Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking; to actually empathize with the possibility of upstanding Arab Americans being placed in internment camps, as my great uncle was during WW2.

Yeah, they did that to Italians you know.

It's the thought that counts, Sonny Boy.

Great minds...

You're NOT an Obama supporter? Oh, BoyToy, it's a good thing that you're pretty.

Its the only thing I've ever had going for me, and its a good thing we aren't like those other people who lose their looks as they get older....

I am a closet Obama supporter, I'm just still holding out for the Ron Paul write in votes to win

You haven't started aging yet at 23?

I'm a metrosexual, I take care of myself, I still have my boyish good looks, my charm, my wit, my superior intelligence, and of course the one thing I can't live without, my humility.

Well, you know what they say. Politics makes strange bedfellows.

At this point, as long as they get us the hell out of Iraq I'll vote for anyone.

I always come in very late in the day and go over what you all have gathered on the political front.

First, as far as the clothing for Palin goes, athough I am not surprised and think it is kind of much ado about nothing. Did you read the story about Obama having his shoes resoled while on the campaign trail because they literally were getting holes in them from all the wear and tear? I have to ask then, "Who's the elitiist again?"

Regarding the poll that showed a neck and neck race, I've read more than one source saying it IS unreliable and Saladbar's post about it using "old" numbers is accurate.

Nice catch PB on the Obama quote. I assumed it was out of context, but thanks PB and DMC for supplying it correctly. I didn't read Obama's book, but want to.

I know a lot of people are hung up on Obama's middle name and for some reason like to use it as what a threat????. While, not a name any of us would choose, it is only a name. On one site, (can't remember which one) this middle name thing became a topic. Thus, everyone who posted would sign like this:


ThusseinIS

Plaw always called himself a metrosexual. That just totally cracked me up.

TIS, the only reasons people would make a big deal out of it is that it scares them because it's different and/or they're racist.

He really was though, he really knew how to dress too. All we have is the Don who wears shorts (thats not a whistle like you look GOOD in them JG lol)

This is the problem with Politics today...ask about Palin's clothes, bra size, McCain's houses, Obama's middle name, shoes etc.. and everyone knows.

What's Obama's economic plan? What's McCain's healthcare plan? no one has any idea whatsoever.

McCain wants to give you a $5,000 tax credit for healthcare. See, I do listen occasionally.

Btw, since a healthcare plan for a family of four costs about $18,000 per year, I don't know what he thinks a $5,000 tax credit is going to do.

McCain is constantly mis-stating Obama's tax plan, constantly. His ol' "spread the wealth thing" is really kind of dumb and he his outright lying to the crowds saying everyone will get taxed. I guess he really has nothing else left. Every day though I see more and more what an out of touch candidate he really is.



TIS

I've never heard of her. What has she done that you hate her so?

Muslim and socialist are being used as though they are derogatory terms. Whether or not any of it is true, it is quite ridiculous to think of either labels as negative. Is it such a bad thing even if he really is a muslim?

Of course not, but try telling that to America's "heartland."

Personally, I'd vote for a peace minded Muslim before I'd vote for an Atheist; any person of a true faith. But not another zealot.

A good Muslim would be a good Catholic, a good Catholic would be a good Jew, a good Jew would be a good Muslim, and on and on . . .

Who has been the least religious of the American presidents? Not their personal faiths, but to the extent that their faith was of any concern to the public, either in terms of perception or their policies.

Probably Andrew Johnson.

Ok liberals, it's time for a reality check...

McCain's tax policy is better than Obama's. Raising anyone's taxes during a recession is stupid. "Spreading the wealth around" is absurd in a capitalistic society. "95% of Americans will get tax cuts", but 40% don't pay income taxes. This equates to welfare, where the rich will basically be writing a check to that 40%. Is that right? Is it true that this is "patriotic" as your veep "Joe the six term senator" claims?


Obama has zero foreign policy experience. Honestly, who do you think is more ready to deal with our enemies, Obama or McCain? In Obama's short time in the senate, he has been wrong on every war issue, whether it be the surge or suppling more money for our soliders. If it was up to him, we would've already conceded defeat in Iraq. Obama knows nothing about military strategy and I fear for all of our safety if he is the president.

You all might dismiss his radical associations, but I don't. He sat in the pews of Rev. Wright's church for 20 years. He knew Bill Ayers' past when he sat on committees and gave speeches with him. Both of those men hate America, and yet Obama gets a pass. Either he agreed with them or he was too stupid to realize what they were about, either way Obama showed extremely poor judgment.

What are Obama's creditential's to be president? 100 weeks in the senate? Being the most liberal senator (never crossing party lines)? Being a community organizer? When has he ever made a important decision? When has his character ever been tested? What does anyone really know about him? He is clearly not ready to hold the most powerful position in the world and I do not trust him at all.

An atheist cannot be a good person? Isaac Asimov? Marie Curie? Thomas Edison? Carl Sagan? Jodie Foster? Bruce Lee? Dave Matthews? Juliana Moore? Christopher Reeve? Gene Roddenberry? Susan B Antony? Warren Buffet? Lance Armstrong? Charles Schultz? Bill Gates? Ernest Hemmingway? Pat Tillman (remember he gave up a lucrative contract to SERVE America)? Mark Twain? All not good, or at least, somewhat qualified people (at least over Palin)? Scandinavia is one among the safest, healthiest, most well-educated, prosperous, ethical, and successful societies on earth--and one of the least religious and not full of chaos and immorality.

Judge the person, evil is evil not because of a religion or the absence of one.

Especially in a capitalist society, redistributionto a certain extent is a good thing and even extremely necessary, in order to somehow limit the excesses of the capitalist system. Proper Social Security (i.e. obliged SS for all citizens) is a good example of this necessary redistribution.

First she decided to stop funding the "Public Employees Retirement System" despite the state's obligation to do so. It pays the retirement benefits for past and current state and public employees. Then when her spending when out of control, she decided to just steal the money already in the PERS to pay for her budget. It was illegal, but she got away with it and when she left office the money was never replaced. Then finally she came up with the brainstorm to try and fire thousands of state union employees under contract, and replace them with cheap, non-union labor. Fortunately, a judge put an end to that scheme before she could do it.

If you enjoy sounding ignorant, more power to you.

Obama lead on McCain grows to 12 points
By Andrew Quinn Andrew Quinn
10/23/2008

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democrat Barack Obama's lead over Republican rival John McCain has grown to 12 points in the U.S. presidential race, with crucial independent and women voters increasingly moving to his side, according to a Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll released on Thursday.

With less than two weeks before the November 4 election, Obama leads McCain 52 percent to 40 percent among likely voters in the latest three-day tracking poll, which had a margin of error of 2.9 points.

Obama has made steady gains over the last four days and has tripled his lead on McCain in the past week of polling.

"Obama's expansion is really across the board," pollster John Zogby said. "It seems to be among almost every demographic group."

The Illinois senator saw his lead among women -- who are expected to play a decisive role in this election -- increase to 18 points from 16 points on Wednesday.

And independent voters, who have been the target of intense campaign efforts by both sides, have now swung behind Obama by a 30-point margin, 59 percent to 29 percent.

Zogby said McCain, 72, appeared to have lost the traction he won after the third and final presidential debate last week.

"McCain can still try to turn it around, but he has to find focus," Zogby said, adding that economic issues, which dominated the campaign amid turmoil in the credit, housing and financial markets, still seem to be working in Obama's favor.

"At some point there are some issues that just overwhelm, and McCain has been particularly weak on the economy," Zogby said in a statement.

Other recent national polls have given Obama a narrower lead, but Zogby said he was confident in his sampling methods.

The latest poll showed a continued erosion of McCain's support even among his "base" voters.

While Obama wins the backing of 86 percent of Democrats, only 81 percent of Republicans back the Arizona senator -- down from figures in the low 90s immediately after the Republican national convention in early September.

Obama holds a 6-point lead among men, 48 percent to 42 percent, while white voters -- who had been among McCain's core support groups -- now only back McCain by a 2-point margin.

Independent Ralph Nader and Libertarian Bob Barr held relatively steady at 2 percent and 1 percent respectively. Three percent of voters said they remained undecided, unchanged from Wednesday.

The rolling tracking poll surveyed 1,208 likely voters in the presidential election. In a tracking poll, the most recent day's results are added while the oldest day's results are dropped to monitor changing momentum.

The U.S. president is determined by who wins the Electoral College, which has 538 members apportioned by population in each state and the District of Columbia. Electoral votes are allotted on a winner-take-all basis in all but two states, which divide them by congressional district.

Don't forget, JL, isn't she the one who said that the air around Ground Zero was fine in the days following the attack??

Yes, thanks for bringing that one up too. That was when Bush appointed her Administrator of the EPA. Here's the full story:


Whitman appeared twice in New York City after the September 11 attacks to inform New Yorkers that the toxins released by the attacks posed no threat to their health. On September 18, the EPA released a report in which Whitman said, "Given the scope of the tragedy from last week, I am glad to reassure the people of New York and Washington, D.C. that their air is safe to breathe and their water is safe to drink." She also said, "The concentrations are such that they don't pose a health hazard...We're going to make sure everybody is safe." Later, a 2003 report by the EPA's inspector general determined that such assurances were misleading, because the EPA "did not have sufficient data and analyses" to justify the assertions when they were made. A report in July 2003 from the EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response gave extensive documentation supporting many of the inspector general's conclusions, and carried some of them still further. Further, the report found that the White House had "convinced EPA to add reassuring statements and delete cautionary ones" by having the National Security Council control EPA communications after the September 11 attacks.

In February of 2006, U.S. District Court Judge Deborah A. Batts issued a ruling that rejected Whitman's request for immunity in a 2004 class action lawsuit brought by a group who claimed exposure to hazardous debris from the collapse of the World Trade Center. The judge stated that "No reasonable person would have thought that telling thousands of people that it was safe to return to lower Manhattan, while knowing that such return could pose long-term health risks and other dire consequences, was conduct sanctioned by our laws," and called Whitman's actions "conscience-shocking."

In June 2007, Whitman testified in front of Congress about the Agency's culpability in telling rescue workers that the air was safe. She was repeatedly booed by rescue workers and activists who attended the hearing. She defended herself by saying her statements about the air being safe were to people living or working near the area, not to rescue workers. She also said terrorists, not the EPA, were responsible for the tragedies that befell people after September 11. In December 2007, legal proceedings began in a case on the question of responsibility of government officials in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Whitman is among the defendants in the suit; plaintiffs in the suit allege that Whitman is at fault for saying that the downtown New York air was safe in the aftermath of the attacks.

In April 2008, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit overruled the district court, holding that as EPA head Whitman could not be held liable for saying to World Trade Center area residents that the air was safe for breathing after the buildings collapse. The court said that Whitman had based her information on contradictory information and statements from President Bush. The U.S. Department of Justice had argued that holding the agency liable would establish a risky legal precedent because future public officials would be afraid to make public statements.