Why let facts get in the way of a good story?

DC you think he can count that high?

And with the money left over he bought Jesus' bones.

Yeah, after runs out of fingers and toes he's in trouble.

That debate got so ugly last night, I thought it was Republican.

Last week my daughter (she knows I am into politics these days) sent that exact e-mail to me that she received from a friend of hers. She asked if I thought it was true. Yes, people are so gullible. If anyone saw the debates (not yesterday's but the last one), Obama was asked all those questions by the moderator. He debunked all of them.

He good naturedly answered that he took the oath on a Bible, and that he often "leads" in the Pledge of Allegiance in the Senate. He explained he was Christian and had attended the same church for the last 20 years.

The religion bit makes me think of 1960 when JFK was running for President as the first Catholic. I was about 12 and I remember riding my bike down the street and a couple neighborhood kids, knowing we were Italian/Catholic family, yelled out, "if Kennedy is President, the Pope is gonna move in the White House, and he'll make everyone turn Catholic." I found that quite shocking and really, even at that time couldn't believe people believed that. Although I don't remember exactly what he said he more or less was forced to comment on it and did so in his usual eloquent manner.

As far as the debates last night. Holy canoli!!!!!

TIS

While Kennedy's election took place before I was born, his religion was a big issue, and a significant segment of the voting public feared that a Kennedy presidency would be strongly influenced by the Vatican.

The religion issue came to a head in primary in West Virginia, the state with the highest percentage of Protestants. Kennedy needed a victory there to solidify the nomination and avoid throwing the nomination into the hands of the party bosses. A few weeks before the primary, Humphrey took a 20 point lead, and it was determined that Kennedy's drop in popularity stemmed from the growing realization he was Roman Catholic. He took the issue head on, and invested a lot of time and money explaining his politics and religion. He said something to the effect of "I refuse to believe that I was disqualified from ever being president on the day I was baptized. He won over 60% of the WV vote and, of course, won the primary.

It seems odd to think of the ordeal over the religion issue. Since then, other Catholics have run for office with little, if anything, paid to their beliefs. Catholic candidates have included liberals like Jerry Brown and John Kerry and conservatives like Pat Buchanan and Rudy Giuliani.

Perhaps, so too we are fast approaching the day where gender and race will be of little importance.

I almost fell off my couch last night watching the GOP debate. A republican, Ron Paul, actually had the stones to say something that constantly gets glossed over by war apologists and the so-called war on terror.

I wish I could find the exact wording, but no luck yet. I'm sure it will be on the web later today. In essence, Paul stated that al Qaeda was never in Iraq before we invaded and started the Iraq War. For the past 3.5 years, it's become accepted that al Qaeda has been filtering in due to our horrible ability to stablize the country after the successful and short military victory. Further "blasphemy" from Paul's lips was that there has never been a proven connection between Iraq & 9/11.

I know he has no chance in hell to win, but he is the first republican that I have any respect for in a long, long time. I'm sure he's reviled by the radical right-wing whack jobs like Coulter, Hannity & Limbaugh, and the entire Fox News channel. But I commend Ron Paul for not being afraid to speak the truth even though it goes against everything his party stands for and against what is politically convenient for him to do.

Sounds like someone who has the courage of his convictions. What is he doing in politics???

The media has informed us he is not a "viable candidate," therefore he has no chance.

Given that he says all that, don't you find it interesting that Ron Paul has received more military campaign contributions than any other Republican candidate? Perhaps because most of the troops who have served over there know its a losing battle, Paul is the only Republican who is admitting it.

I did not know that Saladbar, but admittedly have not been following the campaign as much as I did in 2004. Both sides have really turned me off.

My wife is convinced that the Republicans don't care who their nominee is so long as they have Hillary to lash out against. She feels that Hillary will stir up so much hatred from not only conservatives, but from independents and liberals too.

It will be somewhat interesting and definitely another ugly process before it is all said and done.

Your wife is correct. No other candidate can rally the Republican base and right-leaning independents as effectively as Hillary Clinton.

She polarizes the electorate, is hindering the spread of progressive ideas, and believes she needs to fight dirty to win. I will not vote for her in my primary.

I forgot to watch it last night. When is the next debate?

You didn't miss much. It was pretty much a snoozer.

Every time Guiliani is not answering a question but the camera is on him, his facial expressions contort to make him look like a weasel. Nevertheless appropriate...

I can't believe McCain is leading at this point. He let Bush bitch-slap him by branding him a crazy Vietnam POW in 2000, kissed Bush's ass in 2004, and now is running with the premise that he will keep us in Iraq until he deems the war to be over. While I admire McCain's military service, especially compared to the cowards in the administration running the war, I have no respect for McCain for being so spineless when he was attacked by Bush in 2000.

In the end, all of these candidates from both sides are, to me, the lesser of "who cares?"

As a Democrat I think the best and most Electable GOP candidate is McCain. I don't quite understand what Giulini was thinking by ignoring the early states, Romney gives me the creeps (is he human?), and Huckabee is simply not qualified. Paul is amusing but has no chance.

I think Bill and Hillary's tactics are apalling (and that's quite an indictment coming from a lawyer) and divisive. Like
Mike Barnacle said, Hillary looks lke your first wife standing in the docket at the divorce trial. For the Dems, I think its Obama or no one.

McCain is a uniter, and if they run Hillary against him he'd have a great chance to win despite the past 8 years.

McCain has his positive moments, but I think he’s still fighting the Vietnam War. He wants people to believe his argument for success in Iraq, and remains blind to the obvious lack of success to actually be seen in Iraq. He doesn’t even make many arguments for viable situations anymore. His solution is to just keep pouring billions onto the dung heap -- all which dooms us to basically following Bush's disastrous policies for 4 more years (possible 8 more if he lives that long AND thwarts dementia ala Reagan, McCain is OLD).


I'm afraid in November I'll be choosing between a giant douche and a shit sandwich.

And that would be different how???

Great points. I had not considered the Vietnam angle for McCain you mentioned. The last thing we need is someone who may be senile, like you say, following 8 years of a total moron.

In 2004 I had the choice between a bland block of tofu and a double shit sandwich with maggot dressing.

I'd take the tofu...unless there was a special on the sandwich.

I'll take a giant douche or a shit sandwich any day compared to the DICKHEAD we have now.

Sorry, couldn't resist.



TIS

Obama projected winner in South Carolina

Good for him!! He's turning this whole race on its ear. I'm not saying that I would vote for him. I honestly don't know enough about him or what he believes in.

Six months ago, I would have predicted that this would have come down to Clinton and Giuliani. Right now, that's the furthest thing from the truth, isn't it?? I still think that Senator Clinton will give him a run for his money, but I can't see Giuliani coming back.

Will the former Mayor drop out?

We shall see.

I think he'll drop out today.

That's what I heard yesterday. They also said that he was going to announce his support for McCain today. (Maybe he already did, I don't know, cause I just turned on the tv this morning)

TIS

The word on the radio this morning is that he's flying out to CA and will announce that he's dropping out and endorsing McCain at 6 pm.

John Edwards is to announce he's quitting too.

I was wondering about this. His campaign never took off.