Friday, October 17, 2008

The McCain I know and Love

There have been numerous ugly moments during this campaign, many moments that have caused people to believe that McCain is an old racist fart, a man of few scruples. But every once in a while the real McCain has appeared. One of his greatest assets, outside all the partisan politicking, is his respect for those he serves with, he is a honorable individual. He has always shown a willingness to listen to others and work with them. His words (in the speech below) about Sen. Obama's achievements and the change this nation has undergone through its history are a clear mark of this. He can also be quite funny and self-deprecating.

Part I



Part II



He may lose the election, but one thing I know, is that he will be there in the senate, working with Obama. Once all the dust settles, these two titans will get back to working for the American people (as they have in the past), and I'll not be surprised if McCain (if he loses), turns out to be one of Obama's greatest allies in the senate.

Friday, October 03, 2008

Bill O'reilly vs. Barney Frank

O'reilly: "You're a coward....you're not man enough to admit"
Frank: "This why your stupidity gets in the way of rational discussion" (ouch)
"Maybe you're listening and to damn to understand"

Always heard that Barney Frank was one of the best debaters in the House of reps, and I think he shows it here. He tries to stick to the issues, but throws in a few jabs of his own.

O'reill does have a point about Frank not taking some responsibility for the Freddie Mac/Freddie Mae debacle, but by focusing on the shouting match and ad-hominem attacks on Frank's manhood, he comes of as the world class gas bag he is.

In the end, what was an opportunity to shed some light on the role of congress in the Fanni/Freddie issue, degenerates into a cock fight.

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Subprime Mess explained

A friend emailed me this lay persons guide to the credit crisis. Nothing like innocent stick figures to put things into perspective. As my friend sagely said, "best story ever told."

This mess, though, does put pain to John Kennedy's: "Success has a hundred fathers and defeat is an orphan." quote, this defeat/failure has a lot of fathers, as is repeated by the stick figures, everyone F****d up.