The Rebeller

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Chris Matthews on the Bachmann, Palin Controversies: Transcript (10-21-08)

Read the complete transcript of the Chris Matthews show ('Hardball') in where Pat Buchanan tries to defend Sarah Palin's absurd statement on the role of the Vice President vis a vis the Senate. They also discuss the repercussions of Bachman's controversial statement questioning the patriotism of Barack Obama.

MATTHEWS: Pat, you`re laughing. And, if it was anybody else, you would be jumping on them like a vulture.

PAT BUCHANAN, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: Come on. She`s talking to second- and third-graders.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: She`s talking like a second-grader.

(LAUGHTER)

BUCHANAN: Chris...

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: What did -- what did -- what did she mean? What did she mean?

BUCHANAN: What is this hostility to this woman?

MATTHEWS: No, what did she mean? Don`t get into the personal stuff here, Pat.

BUCHANAN: Well, I`m not.

(LAUGHTER)

MATTHEWS: What did she mean? She`s up for the vice president of the United States.

BUCHANAN: She probably -- my guess is, she meant that she`s going to work with the Republican caucus to try to change policy, kids, and make the country better. Clearly, Reid is going to run the Senate. He may have 60 votes. She ain`t going to be able to do it.

MATTHEWS: No, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait a minute.

BUCHANAN: She made a mistake.

MATTHEWS: The vice president of the United States is the legislative leader of the Senate?

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: Don`t you have to be a senator?

BUCHANAN: Look, she`s the president of the Senate.

MATTHEWS: No, but she`s not a senator.

BUCHANAN: No, she`s the president of the Senate.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: If you`re not a senator, you`re not a member of the Senate.

BUCHANAN: You`re the president of the Senate.

MATTHEWS: What`s her role? What`s her role?

BUCHANAN: The president of the Senate.

MATTHEWS: Presides.

BUCHANAN: You haven`t read the Constitution.

MATTHEWS: Presides over the Constitution -- over the Senate.

BUCHANAN: Right.

MATTHEWS: That`s the only role, has no role, except to break ties.

BUCHANAN: Well, no, look, she`s the president of the Senate of the United States.

MATTHEWS: We`re not getting anywhere, Pat.

BUCHANAN: Well, you know, I`m saying...

MATTHEWS: You`re saying she has a legislative role?

BUCHANAN: I`m saying she`s the president of the Senate.

MATTHEWS: Does she have any legislative role?

(LAUGHTER)

BUCHANAN: Not unless she can get the Republicans and Democrats to work with her.

MATTHEWS: When in history has a vice president been given a legislative authority over the majority or the minority or any senator in the United States Senate?

BUCHANAN: Chris, she`s talking to second-graders.

MATTHEWS: OK.

Let me tell you why this is a serious question here. Because, when she was talking to Katie Couric and answering questions, she talked in a language I have never heard about some flexibility within the Constitution, Mark, about some new authority for the vice president, which has never been understood before.

Now, maybe this derives from the sense that the people around Dick Cheney have about the role of the vice president, but I have never heard anybody say the vice president has legislative authority of any kind or any consequence. It`s extraordinary for her to teach people -- she`s got a teaching role. She`s telling those kids something that`s wrong. She`s not talking down to them. She`s giving them wrong information.

The vice president of the United States has two roles, to succeed the president, if that`s a necessity, and to preside over the Senate and break ties. And that`s it, under the Constitution.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: To argue that it has a legislative authority within the grasps of the vice president is unconstitutional. Am I right or wrong?

Olbermann: Palin not Smarter than a Third Grader (Transcript, 10-21-08)

Keith Olbermann, on 'Countdown,' gives a 'special comment' blasting Sarah Palin's incredible assertion that the Vice President is in charge of the Senate. Read the show's complete transcript.

Good point. So tonight, as promised, a Campaign Comment on the continuing adventures of Governor Sarah Palin in the big leagues or "Are You Smarter Than A Third Grader.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Finally governor, we`ve been trying to engage some local grade schoolers for the last few elections. We do a feature called `questions from the third grade.` Brandon Garcia wants to know, "What does the Vice President do?"

PALIN: That`s something that Piper would ask me, as a second grader, also. That`s a great question, Brandon, and a Vice President has a really great job, because not only are they there to support the President agenda, they`re like a team member, the teammate to that President. But also, they`re in charge of the United States Senate. So if they want to, they can really get in there with the Senators and make a lot of good policy changes that will make life better for Brandon and his family and his classroom. And it`s a great job and I look forward to having that job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OLBERMANN: Oh! I`m so sorry, Governor. The correct answer can be found in the Constitution of the United States.

Article One, Section Three: "The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no vote, unless they be equally divided." So, the Vice President is not in charge of Jack, Governor, let alone in charge of the Senate. And you are not smarter than a third-grader.

On the one level, it is hilarious and entertaining that the Republican nominee cannot correctly answer the question "What Does The Vice President Do?" I mean, that first reference to the Vice President comes not 600 words into the Constitution. And the other meaty references are pretty simple to remember.

Article Two, Section One: "In case of the removal of the President from Office, or of his death, resignation, or inability to discharge the powers and duties of the said Office, the same shall devolve on the Vice President."

There`s also the 20th Amendment: you`re done on January 20th, and the 25th Amendment: if the President`s incapacitated, you`re the acting Pres.

It`s so simple, really, one could memorize those four points pretty easily. It wouldn`t take long.

Brandon Garcia could do it in the third grade, probably. So, on the one level, this is pretty damn silly. The Sarah Palin material, as Tina Fey might be able to say, just writes itself. As it does, it makes stupid mistakes, but it still writes itself.

Except there are two very serious aspects to this. Governor, do you really think you`d be "in charge of the United States Senate?" Do you really want to suggest that you think if you "want to" you "can really get in there with the Senators and make a lot of good policy changes?"

We`re just wrapping up eight years of a Vice President who had no clue what his damned job consisted of, couldn`t even correctly find his governmental branch with both hands. The last thing anybody in this country wants, Republican or Democrat, is another buccaneer in there, making it up as they go along, and, in your case, presuming you can stride in to the Senate and change policy if you want to!

Besides which, Governor, exactly how on Earth could you not have the correct answer by now? It`s not like this is the first time you`ve been asked about the Vice Presidency and gone all Miss South Carolina on us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY KUDLOW, CNBC ANCHOR: Is this police-flap state investigation going to disqualify you from becoming Senator McCain`s vice presidential candidate?

PALIN: As for that VP talk all the time, I`ll tell you, I still can`t answer that question until somebody answers for me what is it exactly that the VP does every day? I`m used to being very productive and working real hard in an administration. We want to make sure that that VP slot would be a fruitful type of position, especially for Alaskans and for the things that we`re trying to accomplish up here for the rest of the U.S., before I can even start addressing that question.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OLBERMANN: That was on the 31st of July on cNBC, Governor. Even giving you the biggest benefit of the doubt, that your later claim that that was just a lame attempt at a joke, you couldn`t come up with the correct job description on the second try? What am I saying? The third try!

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GWEN IFILL, PBS ANCHOR: Governor, you said in July that someone would have to explain to you exactly what it is the vice president does every day.

PALIN: In my comment there, it was a lame attempt at a joke and yours was a lame attempt at a joke, too, I guess, because nobody got it. Of course we know what a vice president does. And that`s not only to preside over the Senate, and will take that position very seriously also. I`m thankful that the Constitution would allow a bit more authority given to the vice president, also, if that vice president so chose to exert it in working with the Senate, and making sure that we are supportive of the president`s policies, and making sure too that our president understands what our strengths are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OLBERMANN: No! No, Governor, the Constitution does not allow "a bit more authority" "if the vice president so chose to exert it in working with the Senate." You would not be some kind of Senatorial hall monitor. You would not be a Veto, or a Censor, or a Balance.

And even if you think you would somehow obtain those powers from somebody, don`t pretend the Constitution will give them to you!

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PALIN: Thankfully, our founders were wise enough to say, we have this position and it`s Constitutional. Vice presidents will be able to be -- not only the position flexible, but it`s going to be sort of those other duties as assigned by the president. It`s a simple thing. I don`t think that was a gaff at all in stating what the truth is. And that is we`ve got flexibility in the position. The president will be directing in a lot of respects what the vice president does. The vice president, of course, is not a member -- or a part of the Legislative Branch, except to oversee the Senate. That alone provides a tremendous amount of flexibility and authority if that vice president so chose to use it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OLBERMANN: You`re wrong! The word flexibility appears nowhere near the Constitution. You`ve memorized everything else, Governor. You couldn`t memorize the job description in three months? Four tries? I mean, I`d like my President and Vice President to have memorized the Constitution, and to abide by it. Or at least, I`d like them to know more about the Constitution than I do, or than Brandon Garcia does in the third grade. Maybe I`m raising the bar too high, but at least wait until you achieve office before trying to seize power extra-Constitutionally!

"The founders," governor, were not George Bush and Dick Cheney! Give me something to work with here, Governor, or go home! And please don`t forget to take your lovely parting gifts with you, including the home version of the vice president game.

That`s COUNTDOWN for this the 2,001st day since the declaration of independence -- declaration of mission accomplished -- might as well have been the declaration of independence in Iraq. I`m Keith Olbermann, good night and good luck.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Palin Interviewed on CNN: Transcript (10-21-08)

Read the complete transcript.

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: What is your role going to be as vice president?

PALIN: Well, we have talked a lot about that, John McCain and I have, about the missions that I will get to embark on if we are so blessed to be hired by the American people to work for them.

It's going to be government reform, because that is what I have been able to do as a mayor and as a governor. You take on the special interests and the self-dealings. Yes, you ruffle feathers and you have the scars to prove it afterwards, but you have to take that on to give the American people that faith back in their own government. This is their government, and we have got to put it back on their side.

So government reform and energy independence, can't wait to work on that. That's been my forte as the governor of an energy-producing state and as a former chair of the energy regulator entity up there in Alaska. So, look forward to that. And that's a matter of national security and -- and our economic prosperity opportunities.

That, though, too, the other mission that John and I are anxious for me to lead on is helping our families who have children with special needs, ushering in that spirit to Washington, D.C., where we say, we're going to give every child a chance, and -- and a good educational opportunity will be provided. That's going to be a matter, too, of prioritizing the federal dollars that are already there, and making sure that every child is given opportunity.

GRIFFIN: Governor, you have been mocked in the press. The press has been pretty hard on you. The Democrats have been pretty hard on you, but also some conservatives have been pretty hard on you as well.

"The National Review" had a story saying that, you know, "I can't tell if Sarah Palin is incompetent, stupid, unqualified, corrupt, or all of the above."

PALIN: Who wrote that one?

GRIFFIN: That -- that was in "The National Review." I don't have the author.

PALIN: Who wrote it? I would like to talk to that person.

(CROSSTALK)

GRIFFIN: But they were talking about the fact that your experience as governor is not getting out. Do you feel trapped in this campaign, that your message is not getting out? And, if so, who do you blame?

PALIN: No, I am getting my message right now out, through you, with you, Drew, to the American people who are watching CNN. And I appreciate this opportunity.

No, you know that I am, obviously, an outsider of the Washington elite and of the conventional, I think, media targets or media characters that have been a part of this for years. And I think that is final -- that it's good for the American electorate to understand, they have a choice here in our ticket of having the experience and the reputation that comes with John McCain as being the patriot and the maverick in the Senate. You have that. And you combine it with a team member who is new and fresh, with new ideas, new vision, new energy that needs to be infused into Washington, D.C., with that commitment to clean it up in D.C., put government on the side of the people, and fight hard for Americans.

You have that, that combination. And I think that some in the media, maybe in "The National Review," they don't know what to make of that. They are like, geez, she is -- you know, where did she come from? Surely, you know, it should be our job, I think they assume, is to pick and be negative and find things to mock.

And that is just, I guess, part of the political game, I guess. But we are very, very committed and focused and moving forward between now and November 4, getting that message out to the American people that our plan to get this economy back on the right track and to win the wars, put government on the side of the people, it is the right thing to do.

And I think we have the right message, despite a mocking that comes our way.

GRIFFIN: Governor, our time is very short. And I must ask you just two questions. One is on the Trooper Wooten. If there is one thing that has followed you negatively...

PALIN: Tasergate, right, right.

GRIFFIN: You call it Tasergate.

PALIN: We sure do.

GRIFFIN: Troopergate, whatever. The Branchflower report said you were perfectly in your right to fire Monegan...

PALIN: Right. Right.

GRIFFIN: ... but also found out that you violated the ethics.

Was it a mistake to allow your husband to use your office to try to pressure the Troopers to fire Mr. Wooten?

PALIN: Not at all, because, A, the -- the trooper who had Tasered his kid and had made death threats against my family and said he was going to bring the governor down and all that, my husband did exactly, I think, what any sensible, reasonable father, husband would do who was concerned about their family's safety. He...

GRIFFIN: But was it a mistake to allow him to use the governor's office to that extent?

PALIN: Not when you look at other governor's track records when they have their spouse, as, for instance, Governor Murkowski had his spouse as his top adviser. And she was in meetings. She was in the office -- so, kind of a double standard here.

But what Todd did was what any reasonable husband and father would do. He followed the instruction of the Department of Public Safety's own personal security detail, that is our personal protection. They asked, Todd, you have a problem with this state trooper. He is a threat. You need to take that to the commissioner of the Department of Public Safety.

Todd did exactly that. And then, of course, he got clobbered for it now in the media, because there's a misunderstanding of what he has done. Our Department of Law in Alaska has right there on its Web site -- it says, if you have a problem with an Alaska State Trooper, the paragraph says, you go to the commissioner of Department of Public Safety and you share that concern with him.

That is what Todd did. So, no, I don't think that it was an abuse of power of my office at all. And I was very thankful that that report cleared me of any illegal dealings or anything else. I replaced the commissioner because he was not doing the job that I expect of my cabinet members -- that is, you serve the Alaskan population up there -- and, of course, he's a cabinet member who was assigned to do that -- to the best of the team's ability.

And you have a lot of energy. You fulfill the vision that we have laid out for you. And he was not doing that. And that is why he was replaced.

Obama Tampa Speech Transcript (10-20-08)

Read the complete transcript.

Because one thing we know is that change never comes without a fight. In the final days of campaigns, the say-anything, do-anything politics too often takes over. We've seen it before. And we're seeing it again today. The ugly phone calls. The misleading mail and TV ads. The careless, outrageous comments. All aimed at keeping us from working together, all aimed at stopping change.

It's getting so bad that even Senator McCain's running mate denounced his tactics last night. As you know, you really have to work hard to violate Governor Palin's standards on negative campaigning.

But we're not going to be distracted. We're not going to be diverted. Not this time. Not this year. Our challenges are too great for a politics that's so small.

Now, more than ever, this campaign has to be about the problems facing the American people - because this is a moment of great uncertainty for America. The economic crisis we face is the worst since the Great Depression. Businesses large and small are finding it impossible to get loans, which means they can't buy new equipment, or hire new workers, or even make payroll for the workers they have.

115,000 workers lost their jobs in Florida this year, more than any other state in this country. Wages are lower than they've been in a decade, at a time when the cost of health care and college have never been higher. It's getting harder and harder to make the mortgage, or fill up your gas tank, or even keep the electricity on at the end of the month. At this rate, the question isn't just "are you better off than you were four years ago?", it's "are you better off than you were four weeks ago?"

So I know these are difficult times. I know folks are worried. But I believe that we can steer ourselves out of this crisis because I believe in this country. Because I believe in you. I believe in the American people.

We are the United States of America. We are a nation that's faced down war and depression; great challenges and great threats. And at each and every moment, we have risen to meet these challenges - not as Democrats, not as Republicans, but as Americans. With resolve. With confidence. With that fundamental belief that here in America, our destiny is not written for us, but by us. That's who we are, and that's the country we need to be right now.

But Florida, I know this. It will take a new direction. It will take new leadership in Washington. It will take a real change in the policies and politics of the last eight years. And that's what this election is all about.

Now, my opponent has made his choice. Senator McCain's campaign actually said a couple of weeks ago that they were going to launch a series of attacks on my character because, they said, "if we keep talking about the economy, we're going to lose." And that's a promise John McCain has kept. He's been on the attack. That's what you do when you are out of ideas, out of touch, and running out of time. Well, I can take a few more weeks of John McCain's attacks, but the American people can't take four more years of the same failed policies and the same failed politics. That's why I'm running for President of the United States.

We have tried it John McCain's way. We have tried it George Bush's way. It hasn't worked. It's time for something new. It is time to turn the page on eight years of economic policies that put Wall Street before Main Street but ended up hurting both. We need policies that grow our economy from the bottom-up, so that every American, everywhere, has the chance to get ahead. Not just the person who owns the factory, but the men and women who work on its floor. Because if we've learned anything from this economic crisis, it's that we're all connected; we're all in this together; and we will rise or fall as one nation - as one people.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Colin Powell Endorses Obama on Meet The Press: Transcript (10-19-08)

Read the complete transcript.

MR. BROKAW: General Powell, actually you gave a campaign contribution to Senator McCain. You have met twice at least with Barack Obama. Are you prepared to make a public declaration of which of these two candidates that you're prepared to support?

GEN. POWELL: Yes, but let me lead into it this way. I know both of these individuals very well now. I've known John for 25 years as your setup said. And I've gotten to know Mr. Obama quite well over the past two years. Both of them are distinguished Americans who are patriotic, who are dedicated to the welfare of our country. Either one of them, I think, would be a good president. I have said to Mr. McCain that I admire all he has done. I have some concerns about the direction that the party has taken in recent years. It has moved more to the right than I would like to see it, but that's a choice the party makes. And I've said to Mr. Obama, "You have to pass a test of do you have enough experience, and do you bring the judgment to the table that would give us confidence that you would be a good president."

And I've watched him over the past two years, frankly, and I've had this conversation with him. I have especially watched over the last six of seven weeks as both of them have really taken a final exam with respect to this economic crisis that we are in and coming out of the conventions. And I must say that I've gotten a good measure of both. In the case of Mr. McCain, I found that he was a little unsure as to deal with the economic problems that we were having and almost every day there was a different approach to the problem. And that concerned me, sensing that he didn't have a complete grasp of the economic problems that we had. And I was also concerned at the selection of Governor Palin. She's a very distinguished woman, and she's to be admired; but at the same time, now that we have had a chance to watch her for some seven weeks, I don't believe she's ready to be president of the United States, which is the job of the vice president. And so that raised some question in my mind as to the judgment that Senator McCain made.

On the Obama side, I watched Mr. Obama and I watched him during this seven-week period. And he displayed a steadiness, an intellectual curiosity, a depth of knowledge and an approach to looking at problems like this and picking a vice president that, I think, is ready to be president on day one. And also, in not just jumping in and changing every day, but showing intellectual vigor. I think that he has a, a definitive way of doing business that would serve us well. I also believe that on the Republican side over the last seven weeks, the approach of the Republican Party and Mr. McCain has become narrower and narrower. Mr. Obama, at the same time, has given us a more inclusive, broader reach into the needs and aspirations of our people. He's crossing lines--ethnic lines, racial lines, generational lines. He's thinking about all villages have values, all towns have values, not just small towns have values.

And I've also been disappointed, frankly, by some of the approaches that Senator McCain has taken recently, or his campaign ads, on issues that are not really central to the problems that the American people are worried about. This Bill Ayers situation that's been going on for weeks became something of a central point of the campaign. But Mr. McCain says that he's a washed-out terrorist. Well, then, why do we keep talking about him? And why do we have these robocalls going on around the country trying to suggest that, because of this very, very limited relationship that Senator Obama has had with Mr. Ayers, somehow, Mr. Obama is tainted. What they're trying to connect him to is some kind of terrorist feelings. And I think that's inappropriate.

Now, I understand what politics is all about. I know how you can go after one another, and that's good. But I think this goes too far. And I think it has made the McCain campaign look a little narrow. It's not what the American people are looking for. And I look at these kinds of approaches to the campaign and they trouble me. And the party has moved even further to the right, and Governor Palin has indicated a further rightward shift. I would have difficulty with two more conservative appointments to the Supreme Court, but that's what we'd be looking at in a McCain administration. I'm also troubled by, not what Senator McCain says, but what members of the party say. And it is permitted to be said such things as, "Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim." Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he's a Christian. He's always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America. Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president? Yet, I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, "He's a Muslim and he might be associated terrorists." This is not the way we should be doing it in America.

McCain Interviewed on 'FOX News Sunday': Transcript (10-19-08)

Read the complete transcript of John McCain's interview with Chris Wallace.

WALLACE: Let's start with where this race stands now, 16 days before the election. According to the latest RealClearPolitics average of national polls, you trail Obama by seven points, 50-43.

And take a look at the latest electoral map from Karl Rove based on public state polls. He has Obama leading in states with 313 electoral votes, 43 more than he needs to win the presidency. You lead in states with 171 electoral votes.

Senator McCain, aren't you in a world of trouble?

MCCAIN: All right, look. First of all, there are polls this morning — reliable — Zogby, Rasmussen, Gallup — all those that show us in the margin of error or somewhat behind. Are we behind? Sure. I'm the underdog.

I've always — I've been the underdog in a number of races, and we're very happy with the way the campaign is going. I'm very happy with the debate — went there the other night.

And look, I've been on enough campaigns, my friend, to sense enthusiasm and momentum, and we've got it, and I — again, I don't have to look at polls, but the polling numbers have closed dramatically in the last few days.

We're going to be in a tight race and we're going to be up late on election night. That's just — I'm confident of that. I've been in too many campaigns, my friend, not to — not to sense that things are headed our way.

It's going to be tough. Sure, it's tough. I mean, Senator Obama raised $150 million in — I understand, during the month of September, completely breaking whatever idea we had after Watergate to keep the costs and spending on campaigns under control — first time, first time since the Watergate scandal.

And I can tell you this, that has unleashed now in presidential campaigns a new flood of spending that will then cause a scandal, and then we will fix it again.

But Senator Obama has broken it, and he broke his word to me and the American people when he signed a piece of paper when he was a longshot candidate that he would take public financing if I would. He signed a piece of paper.

Then, twice on national television he looked into the camera with Senator Clinton sitting there and said, "I'll sit down and talk to John McCain before I make a decision on public financing or not." He didn't tell the truth.

And finally, there's $200 million of those campaign contributions — there's no record. They're not reported. You can report online now — $200 million that — that we don't know where the money came from — a lot of strange things going on in this campaign.

The American people should know where every penny came from. They know where every penny of my campaign contributions came from.

WALLACE: Well, let me ask you about the money, because, as...

MCCAIN: Sure.

WALLACE: ... as you alluded to it — I was going to ask you about it. Obama today announced that he raised $150 million in September. By way of comparison, accepting public financing, you're getting $84 million for the entire campaign.

He's outspending you on advertising 4-1. In the key state of Virginia, for instance, he has three times as many field offices. Is he buying this election?

MCCAIN: Well, I think you could make that argument, but we're not going to let him. We're not going to let that happen.

But what I worry about is future elections, too, not only mine. I worry about — most about mine at the moment, but what's going to happen the next time around, four years from now?

What's going to happen, particularly if you've got an incumbent president, and we no longer stick to the finance — the public financing, which was a result of the Watergate scandal?

So what's going to happen? The dam is broken. We're now going to see huge amounts of money coming into political campaigns, and we know history tells us that always leads to scandal.

Palin Appears on SNL: Transcript, Video (10-18-08)

Sarah Palin appeared on Saturday Night Live last night. Read the complete transcript. See videos below.

Palin Raps

Partial transcript below:

JASON SUDEIKIS - "Good evening, I'm Tim Lydecker Sarah Palin's spokesman and we're very excited to be holding the Governor's first official press conference. Now tonight, nothing is off-limits while at the same time, I urge you guys to 'be cool.' Seriously guys just be cool. And one last thing: no recording devices and don't write anything down."

(Gathered "reporters" react)

SUDEIKIS - "Worth a shot. Can't blame me for trying. Without further ado, I present Governor Sarah Palin."

(TINA FEY enters as GOVERNOR SARAH PALIN)

FEY AS GOV. PALIN - "First off, I just want to say how excited I am to be in front of both the liberal elite media as well as the liberal regular media. I am lookin' forward to a portion of your questions, so let's get started. Yes, you?"

FRED ARMISEN (as reporter):
"What were your thoughts on Senator McCain's debate performance Wednesday?"

FEY AS GOV. PALIN --
You know, I just thought he was great. Because the American people are angry. And John McCain is angry too. And you can tell he's angry by the way he sighs and
grits his teeth and he's always goin' like (MAKES FACE AND GROWLING NOISE). And that Barack Obama? Well if he's angry, I certainly can't tell. His voice is smooth and when he's talkin' it's like an angel whispering in your ear. He makes John McCain sound like a garbage truck unloading trash at a landfill. So to answer your question, yes, I think John McCain did great. You guy?

WILL FORTE (as reporter) - "At a rally in North Carolina this week you said that you like to visit the quote pro-America parts of the country. Are there parts of the country that you consider un-American?

FEY AS GOV. PALIN - Y'know , that was just my lame attempt at a joke. But um, yes - New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Delaware and California (SHE GIVES A THUMBS DOWN). But then also too you have states like Ohio and Pennsylvania and Florida which could be real real anti-American or real real pro-American. It's up to them. (SHE winks) And now I'd like to entertain
everybody with some fancy pageant walkin.'

(CUT TO: "SNL" Executive Producer LORNE MICHAELS and the real GOVERNOR SARAH
PALIN standing next to a monitor watching the scene)

MICHAELS - "I really wish that that had been you."

GOV. PALIN - "Well, Lorne, you know, I just didn't think it was a realistic
depiction of how one of my press conferences woulda gone."

MICHAELS - "Yes, but it's obviously it's a heightened reality."

GOV. PALIN - "Why couldn't we do the '30 Rock' sketch I wrote?"

MICHAELS - "Honestly, not enough people know that show."

(MARK WAHLBERG ENTERS)

WAHLBERG - "Hey, Lorne?"

MICHAELS - "Mark!"

WAHLBERG -I'm looking for Andy Samberg. Where is he?"

MICHAELS - "Mark, that was all in good fun."

WAHLBERG -- "Are you gonna make me bust your head open too? Because I will.
Where is he?"

MICHAELS - "Third dressing room on the left."

MW - Thank you

(WAHLBERG storms off)

MICHAELS -- He didn't like the impression we did of him on the show.

GOV. PALIN - "Tell me about it."

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Desperate Republicans Makeup Ayers, Barack Obama Friendship

Senator Obama maybe showed poor judgment in going to the home of a unrepentant terrorist. But he was brought to the home of Ayers by Obama's State Senate predecessor, Alice Palmer. That is not the same as saying that they were pals. Obama was there to promote his candidacy not because he admired Ayers. And there hasn't been any evidence shown that there was much contact between the two individuals since then, 13 years later. When Ayers made those detestable remarks in 2001 ("I don't regret setting bombs. I don't think we did enough.") was Obama "associating" himself with Ayers? Does Obama even know about those remarks? If they were pals where are the pictures? Did Ayers ever visit the home of Mr.Obama, as you would expect from friends? Has Obama ever had dinner with Ayers --who lives nearby? Doesn't sound like much of a friendship.

And why hasn't anyone at the University where Ayers teaches objected to his presence there? And did anyone object to the fact that Ayers worked for Mayor Richard M. Daley? Despite his past, Ayers is a respected member of his community. He lives openly and freely without anyone objecting to his presence in their community. Why weren't Republicans objecting in 1995? And if the Obama association with Ayers is so bad why do pro-Republican news outlets like FOX make false claims that Ayers was a "mentor" to Obama?

Now even McCain supporters, like Republican Maine Senator, Susan Collins, are telling him to drop this line of attack:

The Obama campaign, meanwhile, is fighting a conservative group called the American Issues Project over a TV commercial that links Obama to Ayers. The campaign argues that the nonprofit group is violating federal laws regulating political ads by nonprofits.

The group filed a document with the Federal Election Commission last week identifying Texas billionaire Harold Simmons as the lone financier of the ad, contributing nearly $2.9 million to produce and air it. Simmons is a fundraiser for John McCain and was one of the major contributors to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which aired ads in 2004 against John Kerry.

This behavior on the part of the McCain campaign might explain why Obama is being endorsed by unlikely supporters:

Democrat Barack Obama won endorsements from two unlikely newspapers — the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times.

While the Tribune is the largest daily in Obama's hometown, the publication hasn't backed a Democrat in its 161-year history. And the Times hasn't endorsed a presidential candidate since 1972, when it backed President Richard M. Nixon's re-election.

In an editorial posted on its Web site, the Tribune said the country needs a president who can lead it through a "perilous time" and restore "a common sense of national purpose." Obama is the best candidate to do that, the editorial board said.

"We have tremendous confidence in his intellectual rigor, his moral compass and his ability to make sound, thoughtful, careful decisions," the Tribune said. "He is ready."

Palin Interview with Indiana Reporter: Transcript (10-17-08)

"WTHR political reporter Kevin Rader had a sit-down interview with Gov. Sarah Palin after she arrived in Indiana for a rally in Noblesville Friday. The following is a transcript of his interview." Partial below:

WTHR: The last time Indiana did not go Republican in a presidential election was 1964. Do you think in these economic times, you're still gonna be able to hold this state?

Gov. Palin: I think that we will hold this state and I certainly hope so. Indiana has been a red state my entire life, since 1964 as a matter of fact, and we wanna keep it that way because the agenda that John McCain and I have for America I believe is the right agenda for our great nation at this time - to reduce taxes, to reign in government growth, get our nation firmly on a path towards energy independence, win the war, those things all packaged together, is the right agenda. It's where we should be headed right now. Our ticket represents that. We have that commitment - that commitment to reform government to allow all this to happen and I believe that Indiana voters will see that and at the end of the day November 4th it will be good.

WTHR: Your opponent's been here 46 times, partly because of the contested primary. But still, that's a lot.

Palin: Well, neither ticket will take anything for granted. Speaking for our own ticket, we will not take anything for granted. That, too, is why I am here. Wanting to speak with Indiana voters, letting them know that they count, they matter. We want to hear from them. Not just hear me speaking or hear a spokesperson for John McCain at a rally or anything else, but to hear from Indiana, what the concerns are, what the challenges are here, so we can do something about them.

WTHR: 79 percent in a recent poll that our station and The Indianapolis Star conducted said the nation is headed in the wrong direction. Change is the key issue in this debate. How do you, when your opponent has tried to paint you guys with the Bush brush, separate from that and tell us what you really want to do?

Palin: That strategy is wearing thin though, because American voters, they're smarter than that. They know John McCain is his own man and he has been the maverick of having to take on his own party and the Bush administration when need be, certainly taking shots from the other party too, and as he'll tell you, he's got the scars to prove it. He has been the maverick, never one just to go along to get along as opposed to Barack Obama - 96 percent of the time voting with his party leadership. That's not bucking the system in any way. So it's tough to know you can trust someone to change the system if they've never been willing to take on the system. McCain has.

SNL Spoofs the 3rd Presidential Debate: Transcript, Video (10-16-08)

Saturday Night Live (Thursday edition) spoofs the 3rd and final presidential debate.

Read the transcript below:

CHRIS PARNELL AS BOB SCHIEFFER: "Good evening, I'm Bob Schieffer of CBS News and
welcome to the third and final Presidential debate of the 2008 election. I'll
be your moderator tonight, for what we hope will be a lively and substantive
discussion between the candidates, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois and Senator
John McCain of Arizona. Gentlemen, let's begin. Obviously, with another
700-point plunge in the DOW today, this economy is in trouble. Each of you have
plans to address the problem, but tell us, why yours is better than your
opponent's. We'll start with Senator McCain."

DARRELL HAMMOND AS SEN. JOHN McCAIN: "Bob, let me begin by saying, a few days
ago, Senator Obama was out in Ohio, and he had an encounter with a man named
Joe, who is a plumber. We'll call him 'Joe the Plumber.' Now Joe wants to buy
the business where he's worked for many years. And he looked at Senator Obama's
tax plan, and saw that he was going to pay much higher taxes. Which would leave
him unable to employ people, and achieve the American dream. So my question is,
why would you want to do that to Joe the Plumber? What did Joe the Plumber ever
do to you, that you want to raise his taxes? Of all the people to go after in
this way, why single out Joe the Plumber?"

FRED ARMISEN AS SEN. BARACK OBAMA: "First of all, look, I don't recall meeting
the individual you're referring to. But let me say this, nearly all small
businesses earn less than $250,000 a year. And if Joe's business falls into
that category, he should know that under my plan, his taxes will not go up. Not
one cent."

HAMMOND AS SEN. McCAIN: "Senator, I don't think most people believe that. And I
know Joe the Plumber doesn't. Because he's told me so. And frankly, I trust
Joe the Plumber a lot more than I trust your plan. Because Joe the Plumber is a
straight shooter, and one of the finest people I've ever known. And I'll tell
you something else: He's got a lot of good ideas on how to fix this economy.
And, as President, I'll be relying on his advice and expertise."

PARNELL AS SCHIEFFER: "Let's turn to a related topic. Over the last several
years, we've seen budget deficits increase dramatically, with some experts
saying this year's could reach nearly a trillion dollars. What will either of
you do to bring government spending under control? Senator Obama?"

ARMISEN AS SEN. OBAMA: "Look, obviously, Bob, all government programs need to be
examined to see if they're necessary, or if they're working, or if they could do
the job more efficiently. But we've got to cut these programs carefully, with a
scalpel, not a hatchet."

HAMMOND AS SEN. McCAIN: "The fact is, Senator, only one of us has a record of
fighting wasteful government spending, and it's me. As President, I would go
after the bloated budgets with a giant hatchet, and then use a scalpel. Or I
might take the advice of my friend, Joe the Plumber, and use a plunger."

ARMISEN AS SEN. OBAMA: "A plunger? I don't understand."

HAMMOND AS SEN. McCAIN: "Obviously, Senator. It's not an ordinary plunger.
It's a magical plunger."

ARMISEN AS SEN. OBAMA: "So, your friend 'Joe the Plumber' has a 'magical
plunger?'"

HAMMOND AS SEN. McCAIN: "That's correct."

ARMISEN AS SEN. OBAMA: "Would your friend Joe, be, by any chance an 'imaginary
friend?'"

HAMMOND AS SEN. McCAIN: "Senator, Joe the Plumber lives in a cigar box, under my
bed, with our friend Simon."

PARNELL AS SCHIEFFER: "So, Joe the Plumber would be very tiny then."

HAMMOND AS SEN. McCAIN: "Joe stands about 3 and a half inches tall. Except when
he's upset. Then he can become as big as a house! He's my best friend."

PARNELL AS SCHIEFFER: (AFTER AN AWKWARD SILENCE) "Alright, let's turn to a new
topic..."

HAMMOND AS SEN. McCAIN: "Bob, could I just add, that Simon is invisible?"

PARNELL AS SCHIEFFER: "Of course. Gentlemen, over the last few weeks, the tone
of this campaign has become increasingly nasty. Senator Obama, in describing
your opponent, your campaign has used words like 'erratic,' 'out of touch,'
'lying,' 'losing his bearings,' 'senile,' 'dementia,' 'nursing home,'
'decrepit,' and 'at death's door.' Senator McCain, your ads have featured terms
such as 'disrespectful,' 'dangerous,' 'foreign,' 'sleeper agent,' and
'uncircumcised.' Are you both comfortable with this level of discourse?"

ARMISEN AS SEN. OBAMA: "Look Bob, obviously, in any campaign, harsh things are
going to be said. And certainly, both of our campaigns have now and then
crossed the line. But, I have to say; I am troubled by some of the things said
about me at my opponent's rallies. Things like 'traitor,' 'kill him,' and 'off
with his head.' And unfortunately, Senator McCain has yet to condemn these
comments."

HAMMOND AS SEN. McCAIN: "Bob, as to the 'off with his head' comment, that was
shouted at a rally we held at a Renaissance Fair. The gentleman had too much
mead and he was removed by security. "

ARMISEN AS SEN. OBAMA: "At that same event, I was also denounced as a
'sorcerer.'"

HAMMOND AS SEN. McCAIN: "At any rally of nearly 75 people, you're going to get a
couple of crackers. We all know that. But just a few moments ago, my opponent
slandered my very best friend in the world, Joe the Plumber, as "imaginary."
Would the Senator like to apologize to Joe for that remark?"

ARMISEN AS SEN. OBAMA: (LOOKING INTO CAMERA) "Joe, when attempting to confirm
your existence..."

HAMMOND AS SEN. McCAIN: "Senator, why don't you say it to his face? He's right
here." (POINTS TO TOP OF DESK)

(ARMISEN AS SEN. OBAMA plays along, and)

ARMISEN AS SEN. OBAMA (LOOKING DOWN AT IMAGINARY PERSON STANDING ON DESK): "Joe,
if I in any way implied that you do not exist, I sincerely apologize."

HAMMOND AS SEN. McCAIN: "Joe the Plumber tells me he accepts your apology...Wait
a second, what's that? No, don't worry, my tiny friend, I won't let him raise
your taxes."

PARNELL AS SCHIEFFER: "Alright. We have time for one more question. Let's talk
about the people each of you would bring into government. Specifically, your
running mates. Senator Obama?"

ARMISEN AS SEN. OBAMA: "For nearly 35 years, Joe Biden has established a
reputation for honesty, compassion, and a mastery of the issues affecting this
nation. I can't think of anyone more qualified to assume the Presidency, should
anything happen to me."

PARNELL AS SCHIEFFER: "Senator McCain."

HAMMOND AS SEN. McCAIN: "Bob, I've known Senator Biden for nearly 25 years. And
I think he's a good man. But let me say something here. He has never been
particularly nice to Joe the Plumber. I think Joe the Plumber resents that. In
fact, I know he does. But as to my own running mate, Governor Palin, I couldn't
be more proud of her. Now, on the question of people I'd bring into government,
let me say here tonight, that, as President, I will be the first to add a
cabinet-level Department of Plumbing. And you know how I'm going to tap for
that post?"

PARNELL AS SCHIEFFER: "Joe the Plumber?"

HAMMOND AS SEN. McCAIN: "Bingo. Joe the Plumber. You're damn straight."

ARMISEN AS SEN. OBAMA: "What about your mutual friend Simon, who also lives in
the cigar box under your box?"

HAMMOND AS SEN. McCAIN: "Senator, Simon cannot serve in the Cabinet, because
Simon is a unicorn. And I think you know that."

PARNELL AS SCHIEFFER: "And that concludes tonight's third and final Presidential
debate. From all of us here at Hofstra University, goodnight and Live from New
York, it's Saturday Night!!!"

Report says Arctic Temperatures at Record Highs

World markets mixed after Wall Street rebound

Report says Arctic temperatures at record highs

Experts question benefit of school time-out rooms

Red Sox rally from 7-0 deficit; stay alive in ALCS

LAPD: False arrests over fingerprint errors

Bond Insurers to Seek U.S. Backing: Report

Man Arrested Over 'Airport Bomb'

Sarkozy To Sue Former Spy Chief

Police Fight Police In Sao Paulo

New Press Clampdown By China?

White House Fails to Fill Key Anti-Terror Job

Suicide Spurs Web Regulation in South Korea

McCain Apologizes to David Letterman: Transcript, Video (10-16-08)

Read the complete transcript. See the video.

David Letterman: Our first guest is currently serving his fourth senatorial term and is the Republican nominee for the President of the United States. Please welcome, your senator from the great state of Arizona, John McCain. Senator.

Nice to see you John. Thanks so much for being here.

John McCain: Thank you for the bus tour. And that little trip down memory lane there.

DL: Can you stay?

JM: Depends on how bad it gets. I have a son in the Marine Corps and I asked him to Fed Ex me his helmet and flack jacket. But it didn't get here in time.

DL: I think you'll be alright. Now what exactly happened? I thought I was doing my part to save the economy…and then later I got to think, well maybe I'm just not important enough.

JM: Can I give you an answer?

DL: Please.

JM: I screwed up. But look at all the conversation I gave you.

DL: Yes, it really was fun.

JM: Including having a Mr. Olbermann on.

DL: You know, John, you called me –

JM: I haven't had so much fun since my last interrogation.

DL: You called me an hour and a half and said, “We've gotta get right back to Washington.” But you didn't go right back to Washington.

JM: I screwed up. What can I say? What can I say? It's been reviewed pretty well, what happened.

DL: You had a meeting – you probably had a meeting and everyone said, “It's just Dave.” We don't care.

JM: Yeah, “It's only Dave. There's only a few million who'll be watching. What the hell? Who cares?”

DL: Well, I'm willing to put this behind us.

JM: Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you.

DL: And thank you for coming back. And if you are elected and you become the President of the United States, I wanna be –

JM: I'll be back. Secret Service and all.

DL: Oh good. But I'm not done. I want your friend Sarah Palin here. I'd like to have her here. And if you're in the White House, I want to be the guy who sits in the outer office reading magazines. “What? Yeah, go on in!”

JM: Is this a shakedown or a ransom?

DL: How about that debate last night? How do you think that went?

JM: I thought it went well and I think you were mentioning, the first time we were behind podiums, as I recall. Second time we were a town hall meeting. Third time sit-down. The next one we'd be lying down, I guess. That was the only…sort of a Roman kind of thing. I thought it was very good. Look, I admire and respect Senator Obama. I have said that on many, many occasions. And he's inspired America. We have stark differences. It's been a tough campaign and I'm sure the next 19 days will be even tougher. But think of all the material it gives you for the next 19 days. There's gonna be kind of a sad feeling around here when the election finally takes place.

DL: We're going off the air, John. Tell us about Joe the Plumber. You invoked Joe the Plumber, the guy from Ohio. What's the deal there?

JM: Well, I saw him on a clip on television and he said that he had a business -- he was a plumber, worked all his life. He wanted to buy the business and he didn't want to have his taxes increased if he did so. So I kind of related to him and…Joe the Plumber – Joe, if you're watching, I'm sorry. But from what I've read, and I have not talked to him, but from what I've read, he's taken it pretty well. He says everybody gets their fifteen minutes… But on a serious note for a moment, Americans are hurting right now. Americans are hurting right now. We know that. They can't stay in their homes. They've lost their jobs. The whole economic collapse – which is not their fault. They've been the victims of a drive-by shooting from Washington and Wall Street.

DL: In the case of Joe the Plumber, most small business – and I assume Joe the Plumber is in that category – they don't gross $250,000 a year. Is that about right?

JM: A lot of them do – small businesses who make more than $250,000 a year, provide employment to 16 million people. Half of all small business income, make over $250,000 and they would be taxed. Look, now is not the time to raise anybody's taxes except yours. And I guarantee you that when I'm president, I'll do it! My first executive order. Share the wealth. Share the wealth. Distribute the wealth. Let's do it. You don't work too hard.

Obama, McCain at the Annual Al Smith Dinner: Video (10-16-08)

Thursday, October 16, 2008

McCain Promised to 'Appoint pro-life Judges' in 2000

Banks borrow record $437.5 billion per day from Fed

In 2000, McCain ‘assured’ Gary Bauer that he would ‘appoint pro-life judges.’

Lobbyist speaks out, denies affair with McCain

Permit for McCain Cell Tower Still Active

McCain tells CBS' Letterman Sarah Palin's going on NBC's SNL

From Old Vials, New Hints on Origin of Life

Hamas infiltrator in U.S.-backed forces

Ga. woman with 5 dead spouses leaves jail

Amber Alert: 6-year-old boy kidnapped by men pretending to be police officers

Afghan Officials Say Airstrike Killed Civilians

FBI Probing Mahoney Mistress Allegations

Bush presses for Colombia trade deal Obama opposes

Anti-Chavez TV channel could face fines

Obama Beats McCain in 3rd Straight Presidential Debate

Worries over economy spread; global markets sink

Citigroup posts $2.82 bln loss

Consumer prices flat in September

Social Security benefits expected to jump in 2009

CNN Poll: Debate watchers say Obama wins

CBS Poll: Obama Has Edge In Final Debate

Gergen: McCain's Performance "An Exercise In Anger Management" (VIDEO)

Ruling May Impede Thousands of Ohio Voters

Alleged top mobster arrested from bunker in Italy

TV station censors candidate's bank failure gaffe

Bon Jovi Mad About Sarah Palin Using His Song

Sen. Clinton: Mayor Bloomberg 3rd Term attempt "disturbing"

Melamine found in Malaysian biscuits, traced to China ingredient+

Pennsylvania law tries to cut electricity usage

US infant mortality ranks lower

Credit card defaults up 54% and growing

Why the Bailout Won't Do Anything for the Root of the Problem

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

3rd Presidential Debate: Transcript (10-15-08)

The third presidential debate between Barack Obama and John McCain was held at Hofstra University in Hempstead,NY. Read the complete transcript.

McCain: No. I would like to mention that a couple days ago Sen. Obama was out in Ohio and he had an encounter with a guy who's a plumber, his name is Joe Wurzelbacher.

Joe wants to buy the business that he has been in for all of these years, worked 10, 12 hours a day. And he wanted to buy the business but he looked at your tax plan and he saw that he was going to pay much higher taxes.

You were going to put him in a higher tax bracket which was going to increase his taxes, which was going to cause him not to be able to employ people, which Joe was trying to realize the American dream.

Now Sen. Obama talks about the very, very rich. Joe, I want to tell you, I'll not only help you buy that business that you worked your whole life for and be able -- and I'll keep your taxes low and I'll provide available and affordable health care for you and your employees.

And I will not have -- I will not stand for a tax increase on small business income. Fifty percent of small business income taxes are paid by small businesses. That's 16 million jobs in America. And what you want to do to Joe the plumber and millions more like him is have their taxes increased and not be able to realize the American dream of owning their own business.

Schieffer: Is that what you want to do?

McCain: That's what Joe believes.

Obama: He has been watching ads of Sen. McCain's. Let me tell you what I'm actually going to do. I think tax policy is a major difference between Sen. McCain and myself. And we both want to cut taxes, the difference is who we want to cut taxes for.

Now, Sen. McCain, the centerpiece of his economic proposal is to provide $200 billion in additional tax breaks to some of the wealthiest corporations in America. Exxon Mobil, and other oil companies, for example, would get an additional $4 billion in tax breaks.

What I've said is I want to provide a tax cut for 95 percent of working Americans, 95 percent. If you make more -- if you make less than a quarter million dollars a year, then you will not see your income tax go up, your capital gains tax go up, your payroll tax. Not one dime.

And 95 percent of working families, 95 percent of you out there, will get a tax cut. In fact, independent studies have looked at our respective plans and have concluded that I provide three times the amount of tax relief to middle-class families than Sen. McCain does.

Now, the conversation I had with Joe the plumber, what I essentially said to him was, "Five years ago, when you were in a position to buy your business, you needed a tax cut then."

And what I want to do is to make sure that the plumber, the nurse, the firefighter, the teacher, the young entrepreneur who doesn't yet have money, I want to give them a tax break now. And that requires us to make some important choices.

The last point I'll make about small businesses. Not only do 98 percent of small businesses make less than $250,000, but I also want to give them additional tax breaks, because they are the drivers of the economy. They produce the most jobs.

McCain: You know, when Sen. Obama ended up his conversation with Joe the plumber -- we need to spread the wealth around. In other words, we're going to take Joe's money, give it to Sen. Obama, and let him spread the wealth around.

I want Joe the plumber to spread that wealth around. You told him you wanted to spread the wealth around.

The whole premise behind Sen. Obama's plans are class warfare, let's spread the wealth around. I want small businesses -- and by the way, the small businesses that we're talking about would receive an increase in their taxes right now.

Who -- why would you want to increase anybody's taxes right now? Why would you want to do that, anyone, anyone in America, when we have such a tough time, when these small business people, like Joe the plumber, are going to create jobs, unless you take that money from him and spread the wealth around.

I'm not going to...

Obama: OK. Can I...

McCain: We're not going to do that in my administration.

Obama: If I can answer the question. Number one, I want to cut taxes for 95 percent of Americans. Now, it is true that my friend and supporter, Warren Buffett, for example, could afford to pay a little more in taxes in order...

McCain: We're talking about Joe the plumber.

Obama: ... in order to give -- in order to give additional tax cuts to Joe the plumber before he was at the point where he could make $250,000.

Then Exxon Mobil, which made $12 billion, record profits, over the last several quarters, they can afford to pay a little more so that ordinary families who are hurting out there -- they're trying to figure out how they're going to afford food, how they're going to save for their kids' college education, they need a break.

So, look, nobody likes taxes. I would prefer that none of us had to pay taxes, including myself. But ultimately, we've got to pay for the core investments that make this economy strong and somebody's got to do it.

McCain: Nobody likes taxes. Let's not raise anybody's taxes. OK?

Obama: Well, I don't mind paying a little more.

McCain: The fact is that businesses in America today are paying the second highest tax rate of anywhere in the world. Our tax rate for business in America is 35 percent. Ireland, it's 11 percent.

Where are companies going to go where they can create jobs and where they can do best in business?

We need to cut the business tax rate in America. We need to encourage business.

Now, of all times in America, we need to cut people's taxes. We need to encourage business, create jobs, not spread the wealth around.

Stocks Plunging Again. Where will it End?

Stocks Plunge 733 points On Recession Fears

Government signals flexibility in banking bailout terms

U.S. economy weakened broadly in Sept.: Fed+

Bernanke says credit crisis menacing U.S. economy

Prediction markets now betting big on Obama

America's wealthy feel bite of financial crisis

Senator says White House withheld CIA interrogation information

Cheney Treated For Abnormal Heart Rhythm

NY State Parole Board Commissioner had sex with 9-and 12-year-old girls

Berlusconi says he wants Russia to join the EU

Lawyer: 2nd teenager may be linked to MySpace hoax

Americans are too afraid to visit bloody Juarez

Vigilance is key to weight loss

McCain Speech on Economics: Transcript (10-14-08)

Read the complete transcript of John McCain's speech given in Pennsylvania. In the speech he makes some proposals to help the economy.

If I am elected president, I will help to create jobs for Americans in the most effective way a president can do this - with tax cuts that are directed specifically to create jobs, and protect your life savings. I will stand up to the corrupt ways of Washington, the wasteful spending and the abuses of power and I will end these abuses, whatever it takes. I will lead reforms to help families keep their homes, and retirees to keep their savings, and college students to pay their tuition, and every citizen to afford health care, and America to reclaim its energy independence. These will be my priorities. We cannot spend the next four years as we have spent much of the last eight: waiting for our luck to change. The hour is late and our troubles are getting worse. We have to act immediately. We have to change direction now. We have to fight.

That is what I will do in my term as president, and when I leave office I can promise you that this nation will not be on the same path it is today. I will not play along with the same Washington games and gimmicks that got us into this terrible mess in the first place. I am going to Washington to fight for you.

I will begin by making certain that the 700 billion dollars already committed to economic recovery is not used to further enrich the very people and institutions that invited these troubles with their own reckless conduct. Instead of just propping up institutions deemed "too big to fail" in this crisis, we will use more of this public money to help businesses and homeowners that may be too small to survive.

This financial crisis started with our housing crisis, and we cannot fix our markets and the economy until we fix the housing crisis. My plan will protect the value of your home and get it rising again by buying up bad mortgages and refinancing them so if your neighbor defaults he doesn't bring down the value of your house with him. I will direct the government to refinance troubled mortgages for homeowners and replace them with mortgages they can afford. This is what we did during the Great Depression and we can do it again. Helping families who face default, foreclosure, and possible bankruptcy helps all homeowners, and will begin the process of recovery from this crisis. With so much on the line, the moment requires that government act - and as president I intend to act, quickly and decisively.

When the government does provide funds to shore up companies, the terms will be demanding, there will be complete transparency and the safety net for our financial system will not become a golden parachute for failed executives. Moreover, we will not merely inject billions of dollars into companies and walk away hoping for the best. We will require that those companies be reformed and restructured until they are sound assets again, and can be sold at no loss - or perhaps even a profit - to the taxpayers of America.

And when that is accomplished, in each instance, government will relinquish its interest in these private companies. We're going to get government out of the business of bailouts and equity stakes, and back in the business of responsible regulation. We will learn from this crisis to prevent the next one, with much stricter oversight. No more wild overleveraging, no more liabilities concealed from the public and from shareholders, no more bundling of assets to maximize profit by assuming insane risks. Those days are over on Wall Street. With new rules of public disclosure and accounting, my reforms will make certain these betrayals of shareholders and the public trust are never repeated.

We must restore trust to our financial system. On my orders, the Department of the Treasury will guarantee one hundred percent of all savings accounts for a period of six months. This will calm the understandable fears of widespread bank failure, while also restoring rational judgment to the choices of the market.