Lipstick Jungle

In a campaign speech in Lebanon, VA, today, Mr. Hope-n-Change took quite a swipe at the Republican VP nominee, Sara Palin.

“You can put lipstick on a pig, it’s still a pig.”

I know this saying is a common slang phrase, and is used to describe what happens when you take something negative (a pig) and try to dress it up (add lipstick). According to the Urban Dictionary:

slang for when someone tries to dress something up, but is still that something. usually used on ugly broads, when they put on a skirt and some lipstick and well, they still look like the same disgusting pig.

WOW. Did he really just do what I think he did?? Perhaps. Where was the last time we heard the term "lipstick" during this 2008 campaign? Ah. I remember. It was the punchline to a joke Sarah Palin made about herself at the RNC last week.

What’s the difference between a hockey mom and a pitbull? Lipstick.

Hmmm...did Barack really just imply that Ms. Palin as a "pig"??? Naaaaah. I'll give the guy a break. That is a phrase that has been used by countless politicians in the past, so I'm sure the Obama campaign didn't use the "lipstck" comment as a direct referral to Ms. Palin. Or did they?

The Democratic Congressman from Missuori, Russ Carnahan, also used the term "lipstick" in a direct swipe at Sarah Palin.

“For all his tough talk [McCain] buckled to the right wing of his party in his choice. Picked someone with zero experience in national government, zero experience in foreign affairs. There’s no way you can dress up that record, even with a lot of lipstick."

So, within 24 hours, we have the Democratic nominee for president "possibly" refer to Sarah Palin as a pig with lipstick, and another Democratic Congressman, when introducing Senator Joe Biden at a campaign stop, also play the "lipstick" card.

Way to go, Mr. Hope-n-Change. You are worried about losing a large share of female voters, and you and your campaign pull the gender-card. And if that wasn't bad enough, you yourself use a slang phrase that brings her physical looks into play. In what alternate-reality do you live in where a woman enjoys being called a pig? That's almost as bad as invoking the c-word.

I guess you feel you haven't alienated enough of the female voters, huh?

The best defense is a great offense

When praise comes from the San Francisco Gate, you know it has been earned... especially when that praise is levied on the "right" side of the aisle... According to Willie Brown from the SF Gate:

The Democrats are in trouble. Sarah Palin has totally changed the dynamics of this campaign.

Period.

Palin's speech to the GOP National Convention on Wednesday has set it up so that the Republicans are now on offense and Democrats are on defense. And we don't do well on defense.

Just ask John "Swiftboat" Kerry...

Suddenly, Palin and John McCain are the mavericks and Barack Obama and Joe Biden are the status quo, in a year when you don't want to be seen as defending the status quo.

From taxes to oil drilling, Democrats are now going to have to start explaining their positions.

You mean the Dems might now actually have to explain some of their positions? I'd love to hear some of the actual substance behind their mantra of change. How does a ticket with 2 of the 3 most liberal senators signify change? Senator Biden has even been in Congress longer than Senator McCain.

Her timing was exquisite. She didn't linger with applause, but instead launched into line after line of attack, slipping the knives in with every smile and joke.

And she delivered it like she was just BS-ing on the street with the meter maid.

She didn't have to prove she was "of the people." She really is the people.

She is certainly "of the people", while Obama is certainly "above the people."

Above his pay-grade, indeed

No wonder he wants to keep debate forums scripted, predictable, and teleprompted. When forced to have a meaningful debate with John McCain, Barack Obama's inexperience and shallowness comes through loud and clear. In May, Obama told McCain he would be glad to debate him "anywhere, anytime," but has so far rejected McCain's challenge of 10 one-on-one town hall debates. While John McCain excels in open, candid, town hall-style debates, Obama prefers to hide behind his teleprompter.

The two candidates had a protodebate last week in the Saddleback Civic Forum. The pastor of the Saddleback Church, Rick Warren, was the moderator. I'm not sure I like the idea of a presidential debate taking place in a religious setting like this, but both candidates did agree to it.

Here's just a few highlights:

Question: Does evil exist and if so, should we ignore it, negotiate with it, contain it or defeat it?

Obama:Evil does exist.
I mean, we see evil all the time. We see evil in Darfur. We see evil sadly on the streets of our cities. We see evil in parents who have viciously abused their children and I think it has to be confronted. It has to be confronted squarely and one of the things that I strongly believe is that, you know, we are not going to, as individuals, be able to erase evil from the world. That is God's task. And I think one thing that's very important is having some humility in recognizing that, you know, just because we think our intentions are good doesn't always mean that we're going to be doing good.

Obama's reply made no reference to Iraq, Iran, al Qeda, or terrorism. Rather than confront the evil we face, he'd rather humbly blame America first.

McCain: Defeat it. Couple points - one, if I’m President of the United States , my friends, if I have to follow him to the gates of hell, I will get Osama bin laden and bring him to justice. I will do that and I know how to do that. I will get that done. No one should be allowed to take thousands of American -- innocent American lives. Of course evil must be defeated. My friends, we are facing the transcendent challenge of the 21-century, radical Islamic extremists. Not long ago in Baghdad, al-Qaeda took two young women who were mentally disabled and put suicide vests on them, sent them into a marketplace and by remote control, detonated those suicide vests. If that isn't evil, you have to tell me what is.

There you have it. McCain vowed to chase bin Laden to the gates of hell. He recognizes the evil and vows to defeat it, rather then coddle it and blame America first.

Question:At what point is a baby entitled to human rights?

McCain: At the moment of conception. I have a 25-year pro-life record in the congress, in the senate. And as President of the United States , I will be a pro-life President and this presidency will have pro-life policies. That's my commitment; that's my commitment to you.

No ifs, ands, or buts. Agree with his belief or not, at least he told us exactly where he stands.

Obama:Well, I think that whether you are looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity, you know, is above my pay grade.

Above your pay-grade? You've got to be kidding us, right? You actually imply that there are decisions that you don't get paid enough to make, and yet we're supposed to believe you are ready to be president and leader of the Free World? Will dealing with a nuclear Iran be above your pay grade too? How about dealing with the reemergence of the Russian bear...will that be too hard for you, too? Way to take a stand there, Wonder Boy.

Is it 3am already?

Remember the Hillary campaign commercial implying that Obama isn't ready to answer that 3am call?



Well, 3am came on August 8 when Russian tanks and soldiers invaded Georgia, the sovereign, pro-Western, staunch ally of the US and nearly a member of NATO. How did our two presidential candidates respond?

Obama's response:

"I strongly condemn the outbreak of violence in Georgia, and urge an immediate end to armed conflict. Now is the time for Georgia and Russia to show restraint, and to avoid an escalation to full scale war. Georgia’s territorial integrity must be respected. All sides should enter into direct talks on behalf of stability in Georgia, and the United States, the United Nations Security Council, and the international community should fully support a peaceful resolution to this crisis."

Really? Obama wants to report the matter to the UN Security Council and have them resolve the issue? In case you didn't know, Mr. Obama, Russia holds one of the 5 permanent seats on the UN Security Council, which pretty much ensures that UN will do nothing...something they excel in anyway. And urging both sides to show restraint is like criticizing the perpetrator and the victim of a rape.

McCain's response:

“Russia should immediately and unconditionally cease its military operations and withdraw all forces from sovereign Georgian territory. What is most critical now is to avoid further confrontation between Russian and Georgian military forces. The consequences of Euro-Atlantic stability and security are grave. The government of Georgia has called for a cease fire and for a resumption of direct talks on South Ossetia with international mediators. The U.S. should immediately convene an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council to call on Russia to reverse course. The U.S. should immediately work with the E.U. and the OSCE to put diplomatic pressure on Russia to reverse this perilous course that it has chosen.”

McCain also called for an immediate NATO meeting to review measures the alliance can take to stabilize the situation.

Now, I ask you. Who do you want answering the next 3am phone call? Someone who would rather sit down and talk and sing kumbaya, or someone who has no problem identifying and calling a spade a spade?

Remember when the newly elected President Bush returned from meeting Vladmir Putin for the first time? Bush claimed to have looked into the eyes of Putin and saw his soul. In response, John McCain also claims to have looked into Putin's eyes....and saw the letters K, G and B.

He wasn't that far off, was he?

...with a little help from my friends

According to a recent Rasmussen poll, 49% of voters believe the media is trying to help Obama win.

Monday, July 21, 2008

The idea that reporters are trying to help Obama win in November has grown by five percentage points over the past month. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey, taken just before the new controversy involving the New York Times erupted, found that 49% of voters believe most reporters will try to help the Democrat with their coverage, up from 44% a month ago.

What is this new controversy? In case you've been out of town lately, the New York Times Op-Ed page published an editorial on July 14 by Barak Obama entitled "My Plan for Iraq". It's a good read. Senator Obama explains his position on Iraq and what he plans to about the war. We'll leave out the fact that at the time he wrote this piece, he hadn't even been to Iraq in nearly 3 years.

Anyway, just one week after this piece was published, the NYT Op-Ed refused to publish a rebuttal from Senator John McCain, claiming his piece didn't offer any "new" information like Obama's piece did.

Know what? They are right. I guess when you're a junior U.S. senator, elected only two years ago, of which you have spent the last year and a half running for president, much of what you say IS actually "new". And I guess when you've been a U.S. senator for 26 years, much of what you say ISN'T "new."

However, publishing Obama's piece on Iraq while refusing to publish McCain's piece certainly does nothing to promote fair journalism. It's no wonder almost 50% of polled voters think that the media is favoring Obama over McCain.

Oh, and this shouldn't surprise you too much. The NYT Op-Ed editor, David Shipley, used to be the Special Assistant to the President and Senior Speechwriter in the Clinton Administration. Think he has a bit of a bias?

Here's a snippet of McCain's rebuttal that speaks volumes.

I am also dismayed that he never talks about winning the war—only of ending it. But if we don’t win the war, our enemies will. A triumph for the terrorists would be a disaster for us. That is something I will not allow to happen as president.

If you'd like to read John McCain's rebuttal that the NYT refused to publish, here it is in its entirety, courtesy of the Drudge Report.

Read them both, Obama's and McCain's.

You decide.