Since the convention she has Obama/Biden yard signs and is knocking on doors for Obama.

Have worked registering voters in the downtown region in the past, especially after the recent police brutality issues.

In the end, we couldn’t explain the huge difference between the John McCain of Thursday night and the one who ran such an angry and derisive campaign and convention — other than to conclude that he has decided he can have it both ways. He can talk loftily of bipartisanship and allow his team to savage his opponent.

What makes that so vexing — and so cynical — is that this is precisely how Mr. Bush destroyed Mr. McCain’s candidacy in the 2000 primaries, with the help of the Karl Rovian team that now runs Mr. McCain’s campaign.

In my view, that hits the nail on the head.

In 2k election primaries McCain spoke endlessly on corruption in Wa, repeatedly calling it a “cesspool”. I changed registration to Repub in order to vote for him in Ca. primaries. Bush/Rove dirty tricks derailed his campaign after early victories/momentum, and that was last we heard of the corruption and “cesspool.”

Then McCain’s Bush “hug” in ‘04.

I saw McCain as broken by Bush/Repub power brokers, and reconstituted in their image. The “hug”, at the time, left me more than anything w/a sadness… a caricature of the process of assimilation.

There could not have been a starker contrast between Mr. McCain’s night on the stage and the earlier days of the convention, a carnival of partisan rancor. It was not a forum for explaining policies or defining ideals, certainly none ever associated with Mr. McCain.

On Wednesday, the nastiest night of the week, Mr. McCain’s running mate, Sarah Palin, and other speakers offered punch lines, rather than solutions for this country’s many problems — ridiculing the Washington elite (of which most were solid members) and Barack Obama.

“Al Qaeda terrorists still plot to inflict catastrophic harm on America, and he’s worried that someone won’t read them their rights,” Ms. Palin said.

Mr. Obama, in reality, wants to give basic human rights to prisoners in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, only a handful of whom are Qaeda members, and shield them from torture. So, once upon a time, did Mr. McCain, but there was no mention of that in St. Paul, or of the bill he wrote protecting those prisoners.

Indeed.

In the context of this OpED, I’m struck by has another FP NYT’s article up this morning: In Palin’s Life and Politics, Goal to Follow God’s Will. In particular, the contrast between “seeking God’s will” and Palin’s 1st night on the big stage which she used to twist facts (as OpED documents) in a disparaging manner.

Whatever happened to: Thou Shalt not bear false witness.

This article also refers to her stringent belief in prayer.

This has continued through her appearances yesterday, in particular her “surge worked” vs. “Obama was wrong about it” comments. As though, as McCain has done for some time now, the “surge” characterizes the realities in Iraq… ignoring Abu Ghraib, the Baghdad “sweeps” and massive random arrests, the destruction (etc etc)… essentially an Iraq which wants us out of there, embraces Iran, and now it seems will deprive Exxon/Chevron/BP of their oil spoils. And BTW, didn’t our reason for going in there?

I think Ms Palin should re-evaluate whatever she thinks she’s doing when she gets down on her knees.

I also worry about Obama “admitting” point-blank he “was wrong about the surge” & that it’s “been fabulously successful.” Wordsmithing Iraq into a narrow context of “the surge” is McCain’s only (quasi) resonant Iraq meme, and it’s a false one… again, fully ignoring the mess that’s been made on such a grand scale with huge longterm consequences.

That Palin is squawking all this crap… eg. ignorance with an attitude, AFAIK is all Obama/Biden need to address as it’s the very real concerns on the matters of her capabilities/knowledge/experience in the quintessential foriegn policy issues of our day.

(1) I’m 74 years old, so I can tell it like it is. McCain is too old, physically, mentally, and attitudinaly. I saw some videos dated in 2005 and he has aged drastically since then. He seems to become thinner by the day. He has those temper fits and becomes very flushed. (Haven’t we had enough of those temper fits??) Yes, we should be able to demand that his medical records be released to the public. If he is elected I predict he will be dead within 2 years – - do you really want Palin to be our president???

2) When McCain was shot down in 1967 Sarah Palin was 3 years old. She probably considers the Vietnam War as ancient history. Most people who were not at least 10 years old during that war probably have very little understanding of it except what the TV feeds them.

McCain was no hero! Don’t believe me? Google: Songbird McCain
or Google: Col. Earl Hopper or http://www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnmccain.com
He made 32 tapes for radio for the North Vietnamese. In return for medical treatment he told them the flight paths the US bombers took into Hanoi, the altitude, the targets, the number of aircraft on his ships (Forrestal and another). The information he gave caused the NV to move their anti-aircraft guns to be more effective. After his information was utilized by the NV our aircraft losses went up 60% and caused us to stop bombing. That information caused the deaths and imprisonment of a lot of our airmen!

After the prisoners were released from Hanoi and came home there were high-ranking POWs who had been in the Hanoi Hilton at the same time, some longer. Five of them tried to have McCain court-martialed for treason, but the Joint Chiefs had already made a big deal of them ALL being heros so they nixed it.

Other POW officers continued to be promoted as their time in grade was fulfilled even though they were prisoners. but McCain came out the same rank as he was when shot down.

So, my question is: Why is everybody swallowing this phony POW crap? Even Obama and Biden do. Why?? Surely Biden knows better.

Can you folks answer this?

did the majority of voters who call themselves “independents” vote for Bush in the last election?

yes

did it matter, yes

will it matter this time ???

probably not

in 2004 the registration breakdown was almost even; 38% Dems, 35% repugs, 20% indie

in 2008, those numbers dont apply

we’re lookin at a 45% Dems, 30% repugs, 20% Indie breakdown this year

so if Obam can get a quarter of the indies, he’s home

First the time for Track Palen’s deployment was “in Sept”; now after the VP choice it’s 9/11. (Stinks of Rove). Can’t you imagine the razz-a-ma-tazz photo ops that will be made of that!

I googled Track Palin and learned he spent his senior year living with a friend in Minnesota, to play hockey. Then I found on a site in Alaska from a commenter there that the daughter, Bristol, was not living at home either; “it’s rumored she is living with Sarah’s sister.” (that was in July this year). So, sounds like home was’nt exactly as portrayed, huh?

Last week, we learned she is any every woman, a mom, a governor, a reformer, a politician who can deliver a devastating attack on her opponent with a smile on her face, a Christian who believes the war in Iraq is a “task that is from God” and that abortion – even in cases of rape and incest – should be a crime in the United Stated. She is the candidate for the second highest elected office in the land, one heartbeat from the presidency.

With 60 days before the election, what is the McCain campaign saying about VP candidate Sarah Palin by taking her off the campaign trail?

David Gregory: “There has got to be a concern in the McCain camp that her initial appearance, as dazzling as it was, might represent a high water mark. Senator Biden is going to appear on meet the press Sunday with Tom Brokaw but McCain’s campaign manager Rick Davis was on Morning Joe with Joe Scarborough this morning and said there’s no plans yet for her to do any interviews. Listen to this.”

Joe Scarborough: Can we expect Sarah Palin on Meet the Press and other one on one interviews throughout the course of this campaign?

Rick Davis: We’re going to do whatever we think is the best to win. We have 60 days left and if we think it’s a good idea to go out there and do those shows, we’ll do ‘em.

I think McCain’s campaign manager just admitted that it may not be a good idea for McCain’s prospects to have Sarah Palin answer questions in one on one interviews on the usual nationally televised programs.

Joe Scarborough: Can you avoid it? Can you avoid Meet the Press?

Rick Davis: We can afford anything we want to do.

As recently as last night, John McCain promised to set a new standard for transparency and accountability. One would think that would include requiring the VP candidate, an admitted new comer to the national scene, to campaign and to answer questions in one on one interviews as is expected of VP and other holding elected national office. I’m left wonder whether John McCain and Rick Davis expect you and me to buy a pig in a poke.