Suspect in McCann Disappearance Wins Libel Case

Here is another example of the press rushing to judgement and besmirching the character of an innocent man. Unfortunately, this case won't stop the press from negligent reporting when it involves a high profile case. The profits are too great. The media/press could care less about whether they are right or wrong as long as they get the scoop. They are entitled to their opinion ( I personally think the McCann's accidentally killed their child and then tried to cover it up) but not their own unsubstantiated facts. In a free society we should debate the role of the press and their ethical responsibilities. The problem is that there is no debate. The press don't and wouldn't cover such a debate. There are very few stories about how the press gets it wrong. They always get the last word, after all.

A British suspect in the disappearance of 3-year-old Madeleine McCann in Portugal last year won 600,000 pounds ($1.2 million) in libel damages on Thursday for "the utter destruction" of his life.

The 10 British newspapers involved in the case had accused Robert Murat, who lived in the resort where McCann vanished last May, of being involved in the girl's disappearance.

Portuguese police questioned Murat soon after the British girl went missing from her parents' holiday apartment in the southern resort of Praia da Luz and later declared him a formal suspect, but he was never charged and denied any involvement.

"The newspapers in this case brought about the total and utter destruction of mine and my family's life and caused immense distress," Murat said outside London's High Court.

"I am pleased that the publications concerned admitted the falsity of their allegations and I can now start to rebuild my life."

John McCain: I Graduated fifth from the Bottom of my Class

This video is hysterical and scary. What are chances? McCain is just as much a knucklehead as the guy he wants to replace.

Another Big Bank in Trouble: JPMorgan Income Falls 53%

JPMorgan is the latest big bank that could be in trouble. This is very serious and dangerous.

JPMorgan Chase said Thursday that its second-quarter income dropped 53 percent, pulled down by markdowns in its investment bank and spiraling credit card and home loan losses.

So far, JPMorgan has weathered the tight credit market better than most of its peers, though its shares have been battered along with the rest of the financial sector. But as confidence rebounded on Wednesday, JP Morgan shares jumped 15.86 percent as nearly all bank stocks rallied. Its shares were also higher in premarket trading.

Still, the rising number of defaults in mortgages, home equity loans and credit cards suggested that the worst is not over. Chase, the bank’s big consumer arm, set aside $3.8 billion in reserves, about twice the amount from the previous year, to cushion its expected losses. Yet it caters to some of the industry’s most creditworthy borrowers.

Bush Claims Executive Privilege on CIA Leak

You think he has something to hide? The Bush gang knows that all they have to do is run out the clock. And if the controversy arising from the stonewalls harms the Republicans in November, so be it. This President doesn't give a damn. But there is a principal involved here. No one is above the law. Congress should pursue investigations of this White House so that the American people know what crooks these people are. And the idea that investigating the President is harmful to the party doing the investigations is obviously not consistent with the facts. The Republicans maintained control of Congress and won the Presidency in 2000.

President Bush invoked executive privilege to keep Congress from seeing the FBI report of an interview with Vice President Dick Cheney and other records related to the administration's leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity in 2003.

The president's decision drew a sharp protest Wednesday from Rep. Henry Waxman, chairman of House Oversight Committee, which had subpoenaed Attorney General Michael Mukasey to turn over the documents.

"This unfounded assertion of executive privilege does not protect a principle; it protects a person," the California Democrat said. "If the vice president did nothing wrong, what is there to hide?"

Waxman left little doubt he would soon move for a committee vote to hold Mukasey in contempt of Congress.

[...]Bush's assertion of privilege prevented Mukasey from complying with the House subpoena for records bearing on the unmasking of Plame at a time that the administration was trying to rebut criticism from her husband, former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson, of Bush's rationale for going to war in Iraq.

Cheney's chief of staff in 2003, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, was later convicted of perjury, obstruction and lying to the FBI about his role in leaking Plame's name and CIA affiliation to a reporter. Last July, Bush commuted Libby's 2{-year sentence, sparing him from serving prison time.

In grand jury testimony played at his trial, Libby acknowledged he told the FBI early in the Plame probe that "it's possible" he spoke to Cheney about whether to share information with reporters about Wilson's wife.

In addition, Congress should resist every effort by this White House to acquire powers never given to a previous President. No administration in American history has so disregarded the Constitution. It is up to Congress to defend our country from this renegade administration.

The House on Wednesday passed legislation governing next year's intelligence budget that demands lawmakers be given greater access to the nation's most closely held secrets.

The bill is the latest attempt by Democrats, struggling to challenge President Bush on major national security issues, to step up their role in overseeing an intelligence program they say has gone astray. Lawmakers complain that the Bush administration left most of them out of the loop on highly classified — and controversial — matters, including creation and destruction of CIA interrogation tapes and Bush's warrantless wiretapping program.

The bill, which passed on a voice vote, would block two-thirds of the federal covert operations budget until each member of the congressional intelligence committees is briefed on all secret operations underway. Panel members also would be granted access to any other details necessary to assess the value of intelligence operations.

Failure by Congress to stand up to George Bush explains, in part, why their job approval has plunged to new record lows.

Congressional job approval ratings have sunk to their lowest point in three decades, according to the latest Gallup Poll.

A survey of 1,016 adults taken July 10-13 found that 14% approve of the job Congress is doing. That's half President Bush's record low 28% job approval number, and the lowest congressional rating since Gallup first began asking the question in 1974.

Hillary Clinton already Running for 2012

I guess this means she knows she won't be picked as Obama's running mate. And she probably thinks that Barack will either lose in November or fail as President and be an easy target for potential adversary in the primaries. It's hard to believe this is done in preparation for a Senate re-election effort, in where she will face little opposition.

Just six weeks after reluctantly surrendering to Barack Obama in the brutal 2008 Democratic primary race, Sen. Hillary Clinton has begun raising money for what she says is her 2012 New York Senate re-election campaign.

Clinton still faces some $20 million in debts from her unsuccessful presidential effort this year. As part of a so-called "unity drive," Obama has appealed to his supporters in recent weeks to give to Clinton to cover the costs she incurred while raking him over the coals in a bareknuckled bid to return to the White House. Some Obama backers have balked.

Clinton has also asked her donors to contribute to the massive general election fundraising effort of Obama, who changed his mind and has rejected federal funding. Some Clinton backers have balked.

Now, the New York Observer is reporting early this morning that the former first lady has sent out a special message to supporters who donated up to $2,300 to her anticipated 2008 general election campaign. Since there won't be one, she must return that money to the donors by Aug. 28, unless she gets their permission not to.

Inflation: The Worst in 26 Years

We are being hit from all fronts. The economy is a basket case with no sign it will improve. This is worse than a recession. No sector of the economy seems to be doing well. We are in a crisis.

Consumer prices shot up in June at the fastest pace in 26 years with two-thirds of the surge blamed on soaring energy prices.

The Labor Department reported Wednesday that consumer prices jumped 1.1 percent last month, much worse than had been expected. Energy prices rocketed upward by 6.6 percent, reflecting big gains for gasoline, home heating oil and natural gas.

The big rise in prices cut deeply into consumers' earning power with average weekly wages, after adjusting for inflation, dropping by 0.9 percent in June, the biggest monthly decline since 1984.

You need more proof. Listen to what the Fed chief has to say.

Caught between risky cross currents of plodding growth and rising inflation, Fed policymakers are facing "significant challenges" as they try to find a way to right the economy, Bernanke told the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday.

The Fed can't afford to lower rates again to shore things up because it will aggravate inflation. On the other hand, boosting rates to fend off higher prices would deal a setback to the fragile economy and the already crippled housing market.

Against that background, most economists predict Bernanke and his colleagues will leave rates alone when it meets next on Aug. 5.

It's difficult to chart a course when uncertainty abounds, Bernanke said.

Over the rest of this year, the economy will grow "appreciably below its trend rate" mostly because of continued weakness in housing markets, high energy prices and tight credit conditions.

At the same time, inflation has remained high and "seems likely to move temporarily higher in the near term," Bernanke warned lawmakers.

Consumer prices are expected to climb higher in June, while industrial production probably will be flat — fresh signs of the twin problems plaguing the country. Those economic reports will be released on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the Labor Department reported wholesale prices, driven by skyrocketing gas and food costs, rose 9.2 percent in the 12 months ending June — the fastest in a quarter-century.

"The economy continues to face numerous difficulties, including ongoing strains in financial markets, declining housing prices, a softening labor market and rising prices of oil, food and other commodities," Bernanke said Tuesday.

Obama's Lead in Polls Remains Constant

Despite all the negative news, Obama's lead remains constant or is growing despite plenty of negative reporting and his flipflops. Additionally, John McCain had a bad last week. The trend continues to grow in favor of the Illinois Senator with no sign of turning around.

Released last night, a new CBS News/NY Times poll shows Obama leading McCain by six points. That's the same size lead Obama had in the last CBS/NYT poll taken at the end of May, though both candidates have ticked down ever so slightly while undecideds are up.

Reuters:

Democrat Barack Obama has a 7-point lead on Republican John McCain in the U.S. presidential race, and holds a small edge on the crucial question of who would best manage the economy, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday.

More than a month after kicking off the general election campaign, Obama leads McCain by 47 percent to 40 percent. That is slightly better than his 5-point cushion in mid-June, shortly after he clinched the Democratic nomination fight against New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.

But Obama's 22-point advantage in June among independents, a critical voting bloc that could swing either way in the November election, shrunk to 3 points during a month in which the candidates battled on the economy and Obama was accused of shifting to the center on several issues.

Obama had a 44 percent to 40 percent edge nationally over McCain on who would be best at managing the economy, virtually unchanged from last month. Among independents, the two were tied on the economy.

Washington Post/NBC:

[...]the Democrat has a lead of 50 percent to 42 percent over Republican Sen. John McCain among registered voters nationwide, lifted by a big edge among women, and he has also regained an edge among political independents. But it is Obama's 19-point lead on the economy that has become a particularly steep challenge for McCain.

Economic concerns continue to eclipse other issues, with half the country saying the economy will be "extremely important" to their vote. Gasoline and energy prices, which voters rarely mentioned at the start of the year, come in just behind. The Iraq war, which was again the subject of direct engagement between Obama and McCain yesterday, ranks third. A cluster of domestic issues, including education, health care and Social Security, ranked behind the war, as did the issue of terrorism.

Bush Press Conference Transcript (7-15-08)

It's official: Bush is totally delusional. The read the full transcript:
The economy is "sound."

Q And banking -- do you think the system is in trouble?

THE PRESIDENT: I think the system basically is sound, I truly do. And I understand there's a lot of nervousness. And -- but the economy is growing, productivity is high, trade is up, people are working. It's not as good as we'd like, but -- and to the extent that we find weakness, we'll move. That's one thing about this administration, we're not afraid of making tough decisions. And I thought the decision that Secretary Paulson recommended on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac was the right decision.

No nobody is talking about raising taxes. You don't get it, Mr.Bush:

Q Mr. President, just to follow up with Terry's question a little bit. You talked about the mortgage markets and banks. Are there other entities in the economy that are so crucial to the stability and confidence in the economy -- I'm thinking particularly of General Motors, which today is cutting jobs, announcing they're going into the credit market to raise billions of dollars -- are there other entities that are so crucial to stability that require government action to show support for them?

THE PRESIDENT: Government action -- if you're talking about bailing out -- if your question is, should the government bail out private enterprise, the answer is, no, it shouldn't. And by the way, the decisions on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- I hear some say "bailout" -- I don't think it's a bailout. The shareholders still own the company. That's why I said we want this to continue to be a shareholder-owned company.

In this case, there is a feeling that the government will stand behind mortgages through these two entities. And therefore, we felt a special need to step up and say that we are going to provide, if needed, temporary assistance through either debt or capital.

In terms of private enterprises, no, I don't think the government ought to be involved with bailing out companies. I think the government ought to create the conditions so that companies can survive. And I've listed four. And one of the things I'm deeply troubled about is people who feel like it's okay to raise taxes during these times. And it would be a huge mistake to raise taxes right now.

You're not an economist but you are the President of the United States:

THE PRESIDENT: When will the economy turn around?

Q Yes.

THE PRESIDENT: I'm not an economist, but I do believe that we're growing. And I can remember this press conference here where people yelling "recession this, recession that" -- as if you're economists. And I'm an optimist. I believe there's a lot of positive things for our economy. But I will tell you it's not growing the way it should and I'm sorry people are paying as high gasoline prices as they are. And all I know is good policy will help expedite a -- will strengthen our economy.

Q Do you think it will change before you leave office?

THE PRESIDENT: I certainly hope it changes tomorrow. But it's -- I'm also realistic to know things don't change on a dime. But nevertheless, the economy is growing. There's obviously financial uncertainty. We've talked about the decisions on the GSEs here. People need to know that if they've got a deposit in a commercial bank the government will make good up to $100,000 worth of their deposit. There's no question it's a time of uncertainty. There's a lot of events taking place at the same time. But we can pass some good law to help expedite the recovery.

One such law is a good piece of housing legislation. The Congress needs to get moving on it. Another such law is to send a signal that we're willing to explore for oil here at home. I fully understand that this is a transition period away from hydrocarbon, but we ought to be wise about how we use our own resources. I think it would be a powerful signal if we announce that we're going to really get after it when it comes to oil shale. There's enormous reserves in the western states. And I think if the world saw that we're willing to put a focused, concerted effort on using new technologies to bring those reserves to bear, which would then relieve some pressure on gasoline prices, it would have an impact.

The other thing is, is that -- I'm sure you know this, April, but we haven't built a refinery, a new refinery in the United States since the early '70s. It makes no sense. And yet you try to get one permitted, it is unbelievably difficult to do. People aren't willing to risk capital if they're deeply concerned about how their capital is going to be tied up in lawsuits or regulations. And we import a lot of gasoline, refined product from overseas.

So there's some things we can do to send signals that it's important that we can get the economy -- take advantage of the positive aspects and get it moving stronger again.

The other thing is trade. It is -- I don't understand the decision on the Colombia free trade market -- free trade agreement. The Congress has given preferential treatment to goods coming out of Colombia through the Andean Trade Preference Act. In other words, Colombia businesses can sell into our country relatively duty free. And yet we don't have the same -- we don't get the same treatment. Now, why does that make sense? It doesn't.

Trade, our trade or exports have helped keep the economy growing, April, as paltry as it may be. Doesn't it make sense for us to continue to open up further opportunities to sell goods? I think it does. I do not understand why it's okay for Colombia to be able to sell into our country close to duty free, and we don't have the same advantage. And secondly, turning our back on somebody like Uribe makes no sense at all. He is a courageous fighter against terrorists. And yet our Congress won't even bring up a free trade agreement with Colombia.

Anyway, it's -- politics is just choking good sense. And the other thing is, is that once we get moving on Colombia, we need to get moving on Panama and South Korea. It's in our country's interest we do that.

Transcript: Obama's Speech on the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars (7-15-08)

Read the full transcript:

Today’s dangers are different, though no less grave. The power to destroy life on a catastrophic scale now risks falling into the hands of terrorists. The future of our security – and our planet – is held hostage to our dependence on foreign oil and gas. From the cave-spotted mountains of northwest Pakistan, to the centrifuges spinning beneath Iranian soil, we know that the American people cannot be protected by oceans or the sheer might of our military alone.

The attacks of September 11 brought this new reality into a terrible and ominous focus. On that bright and beautiful day, the world of peace and prosperity that was the legacy of our Cold War victory seemed to suddenly vanish under rubble, and twisted steel, and clouds of smoke.

But the depth of this tragedy also drew out the decency and determination of our nation. At blood banks and vigils; in schools and in the United States Congress, Americans were united – more united, even, than we were at the dawn of the Cold War. The world, too, was united against the perpetrators of this evil act, as old allies, new friends, and even long-time adversaries stood by our side. It was time – once again – for America’s might and moral suasion to be harnessed; it was time to once again shape a new security strategy for an ever-changing world.

Imagine, for a moment, what we could have done in those days, and months, and years after 9/11.

We could have deployed the full force of American power to hunt down and destroy Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda, the Taliban, and all of the terrorists responsible for 9/11, while supporting real security in Afghanistan.

We could have secured loose nuclear materials around the world, and updated a 20th century non-proliferation framework to meet the challenges of the 21st.

We could have invested hundreds of billions of dollars in alternative sources of energy to grow our economy, save our planet, and end the tyranny of oil.

We could have strengthened old alliances, formed new partnerships, and renewed international institutions to advance peace and prosperity.

We could have called on a new generation to step into the strong currents of history, and to serve their country as troops and teachers, Peace Corps volunteers and police officers.

We could have secured our homeland—investing in sophisticated new protection for our ports, our trains and our power plants.

We could have rebuilt our roads and bridges, laid down new rail and broadband and electricity systems, and made college affordable for every American to strengthen our ability to compete.

We could have done that.

John McCain Refers to Czechoslovakia - Which No Longer Exists

Is this guy getting senile or is he just ignorant? How do you not know that Czechoslovakia no longer exists? Either way it is pretty frightening that this man could get elected President. He is sounding a lot like Bush. The current occupant of the White House also displayed similar ignorance during the presidential campaign in 2000. And we see the consequences. Let's not make the same mistake again.

Video: Robber Gets Knocked Out by Pizza Restaurant Employee

This is really funny. There is also a twist. The robber is the father of the girl seen separating him and the employee who knocks him out.

Obama NAACP Speech Transcript: We Must be More Responsible

Read the entire transcript:

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was but a 26-year -old pastor when he led a bus boycott in Montgomery that mobilized a movement. John Lewis was but a 25-year-old activist when he faced down Billyclubs on the bridge in Selma and helped arouse the conscience of our nation. Diane Nash was even younger when she helped found SNCC and led Freedom Rides down south. And your chairman Julian Bond was but a 25-year old state legislator when he put his own shoulder to the wheel of history.

It is because of them; and all those whose names never made it into the history books – those men and women, young and old, black, brown and white, clear-eyed and straight-backed, who refused to settle for the world as it is; who had the courage to remake the world as it should be – that I stand before you tonight as the Democratic nominee for President of the United States of America.

And if I have the privilege of serving as your next President, I will stand up for you the same way that earlier generations of Americans stood up for me – by fighting to ensure that every single one of us has the chance to make it if we try. That means removing the barriers of prejudice and misunderstanding that still exist in America. It means fighting to eliminate discrimination from every corner of our country. It means changing hearts, and changing minds, and making sure that every American is treated equally under the law.

[...]That is what I’ve been fighting to do throughout my over 20 years in public service. That’s why I’ve fought in the Senate to end tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas and give those tax breaks to companies that create good jobs here in America. That’s why I brought Democrats and Republicans together in Illinois to put $100 million in tax cuts into the pockets of hardworking families, to expand health care to 150,000 children and parents, and to end the outrage of black women making just 62 cents for every dollar that many of their male coworkers make.

[...]When CEOs are making more in ten minutes than the average worker earns in a year, and millions of families lose their homes due to unscrupulous lending, checked neither by a sense of corporate ethics or a vigilant government; when the dream of entering the middle class and staying there is fading for young people in our community, we have more work to do.

[...]It’s about the responsibilities that corporate America has – responsibilities that start with ending a culture on Wall Street that says what’s good for me is good enough; that puts their bottom line ahead of what’s right for America. Because what we’ve learned in such a dramatic way in recent months is that pain in our economy trickles up; that Wall Street can’t thrive so long as Main Street is struggling; and that America is better off when the well-being of American business and the American people are aligned. Our CEOs have to recognize that they have a responsibility not just to grow their profit margins, but to be fair to their workers, and honest to their shareholders and to help strengthen our economy as a whole. That’s how we’ll ensure that economic justice is being served. And that’s what this election is about.

[...]That’s why I’ve introduced a comprehensive strategy to recruit an army of new quality teachers to our communities – and to pay them more and give them more support. And we’ll invest in early childhood education programs so that our kids don’t begin the race of life behind the starting line and offer a $4,000 tax credit to make college affordable for anyone who wants to go. Because as the NAACP knows better than anyone, the fight for social justice and economic justice begins in the classroom.

But it doesn’t end there. We have to fight for all those young men standing on street corners with little hope for the future besides ending up in jail. We have to break the cycle of poverty and violence that’s gripping too many neighborhoods in this country.

That’s why I’ll expand the Earned Income Tax Credit – because it’s one of the most successful anti-poverty measures we have. That’s why I’ll end the Bush policy of taking cops off the streets at the moment they’re needed most – because we need to give local law enforcement the support they need. That’s why we’ll provide job training for ex-offenders – because we need to make sure they don’t return to a life of crime. And that’s why I’ll build on the success of the Harlem Children’s Zone in New York and launch an all-hands-on-deck effort to end poverty in this country – because that’s how we’ll put the dream that Dr. King and Roy Wilkins fought for within reach for the next generation of children.

Video: Talk Show Host John McLaughlin Calls Obama ‘Oreo’

I've been critical of Obama's flip-flops lately. But then he turns around and gives a speech on the lack of responsibility of young black males whom are missing fathers. It takes courage to do that on the part of the Senator. He is doing a great service to not young black males but to all males who have sex without regard for the consequences. It is why the practitioner of the politics-of-blame-others-for-our-problems, Jesse Jackson, hates Obama. As for McLaughlin, he thinks he is being politically correct and cool by calling Obama an 'Oreo.'

Is Your Bank the Next to Collapse?

This a question that needs to be asked. How safe is our banking system? We know they are insured for the first $100,000. But can we really trust the banks and the government? They've been lying and cheating us for so long how can we trust them. On the hand a panic would be the worst thing that could happen. If the government and big business don't come together to solve the crisis panic will eventually set in.

Even as the Bush administration moved to rescue the nation’s two largest mortgage finance companies, confidence in the banking sector spiraled downward Monday.

In Southern California, lines snaked around branches of IndyMac Bancorp, the large lender that was seized by federal regulators on Friday, as customers hurried to withdraw their money. As the anxiety spread through the financial markets, two other big banks, one in Ohio and another in Washington State, were compelled to assert that they were sound.

Rumors lead to panic. The greatest rumor mongers are the speculators. And its the speculator that have gotten us into this mess:

Bank stocks swooned again Monday as rumors flew around trading desks about which bank would be the next to be taken out.

But wait a minute Weren't we reassured on Sunday that the Securities and Exchange Commission was going to try to put a stop to rumormongering on Wall Street?

Turn up the laugh track, please.

Rumors are as much a part of trading culture as spitting is a part of Major League Baseball. And like insider trading, intent is difficult to prove. One trader's rumor is another trader's conventional wisdom, and it doesn't take long for sentiment to grab hold, particularly when the slightest inkling of news is picked up and repeated ad nauseum on cable television.


Even as federal regulators issued assurances that depositors’ savings were safe, Wall Street analysts circulated lists of lenders that might be vulnerable. Shares of regional banks plunged in one of the sharpest declines since the 1980s.

[...]Regulators and investors are bracing for a small number of banks to fail over the next 12 to 18 months. Analysts predict that 50 to 150 banks might stumble. In the first quarter this year, the F.D.I.C. listed 90 banks as troubled, which is far lower than the levels during the savings and loan crisis of the 1980s. Still, Ms. Bair said that number would increase. IndyMac, for example, was not on that first quarter list at the F.D.I.C. but was still seized by regulators.

And it is the speculators that helping to drive up food prices:

The massive inflow of speculative funds into commodity markets is playing a big part in driving prices of oil and food higher, harming the world's economic growth and the lives of the most vulnerable, an annual government report said Tuesday.

This is the first time that the industry ministry's white paper on international economy and trade has provided a detailed analysis of soaring oil and food prices, officials said.

[...] "Therefore, it is believed that the inflow of speculative money, comprising pension funds and hedge funds, is also having a big influence," it said.

In the wake of the U.S. subprime lending crisis, the report said global investors seeking safer returns are pouring money heavily into commodities as a hedge against flagging stocks and the U.S. dollar.

The paper said that the futures price of corn in Chicago was $6 per bushel as of May this year, only about half of which was explainable by the supply and demand balance.

New Yorker Magazine Cover Shows Obama and Wife as al Qaeda Terrorists

This sort of thing is expected of a right-wing publication [see picture]. The New Yorker is a leftist magazine. They claim it is an attempt to satirize the anti-Obama elements out there. The problem is that there is no article accompanying the cover to give it context. It could easily be seen as an attack. The main purpose of this outrage is to get publicity for a magazine that is seeing it's profits collapsing.

The New Yorker says it's satire. It certainly will be candy for cable news.

At a press availability Sunday afternoon in San Diego, Senator Obama was asked, according to the diligent Maria Gavrilovic of CBS News: "The upcoming issue of the New Yorker, the July 21st issue, has a picture of you, depicting you and your wife on the cover. Have you seen it? If not, I can show it to you on my computer. It shows your wife Michelle with an Afro and an AK 47 and the two of you doing the fist bump with you in a sort of turban-type thing on top. I wondered if you've seen it or if you want to see it or if you have a response to it?"

Obama (shrugs incredulously): "I have no response to that."

Afghanistan: The New Pre-Surge Iraq

It is was predictable. Afghanistan had been ignored for years. Now the situation has worsened dramatically. A two front war could not be sustained. That was the mistake we made in Vietnam/Laos/Cambodia. It didn't work then it won't work now. This is mess that will eventually mean troops in Pakistan. The Bush administration is inattentive. They busy trying to start a war with Iran.

Taliban insurgents carried out a bold assault on a remote base near the border with Pakistan on Sunday, NATO reported, and a senior American military official said nine American soldiers were killed.

The attack, the worst against Americans in Afghanistan in three years, illustrated the growing threat of Taliban militants and their associates, who in recent months have made Afghanistan a far deadlier war zone for American-led forces than Iraq.

[...] The militants have since regained strength in the tribal areas of Pakistan, which they have often used as a base for raids into Afghanistan, an increasingly sore point for the American and Afghan governments.

The new American commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan emphasized that issue on Sunday in an interview that took place before details of the Kunar attack were disclosed, asserting that the militants were not only entering Afghan territory but also firing at targets from the Pakistan side.

“It all goes back to the problem set that there are sanctuaries in the tribal areas that militant insurgent groups are able to operate from with impunity,” said the commander, Gen. David D. McKiernan, who took over the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in June.

The quagmire will extend into the next administration. Mr.Obama will get us into the mess deeper because he needs to prove something and keep his promises made during the campaign. He lacks the expertise to get us out. He needs some advisers or running mate who really understands what is going on and won't play political games.

Senator Barack Obama is proposing that the United States deploy about 10,000 more troops to battle resurgent forces in Afghanistan, a plan intended to shift the American military focus from the Iraq war to the marked rise in violence from the Taliban.

“As president, I would pursue a new strategy, and begin by providing at least two additional combat brigades to support our effort in Afghanistan,” Mr. Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee, wrote in an Op-Ed article published on Monday in The New York Times. “We need more troops, more helicopters, better intelligence-gathering and more nonmilitary assistance to accomplish the mission there.”

Mr. Obama, who is among those who maintain that Afghanistan has been neglected because of the administration’s Iraq policy, has not previously offered such a specific plan for how to strengthen troop levels in Afghanistan. His proposal comes as he prepares to visit American commanders to assess progress in Iraq and needs in Afghanistan.

You need further proof that Obama is attempting to establish his foreign policy bona fide:

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama will be visiting the Palestinian Authority president in the West Bank next week, a Palestinian government official said Monday.

Obama will be meeting with President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on July 23, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said.

Obama is expected to visit Israel, but officials could not yet confirm what his plans are there. Erakat was in Paris, France, where Abbas had been attending a summit.

This visit would be a dangerous and unnecessary stunt. It gives an opportunity for the extremists to assassinate him.

Video: FOXNews Anchor Makes Dangerous Assertion About Measles Vaccine

This FOX "reporter" makes an irresponsible claim in the process of questioning a medical professional on the issue of the measles vaccine. There is a current surge in the cases of measles in the U.S. (the highest in 10 yeats). She asserts what is little more than a urban legend. The doctor being questioned testily refutes the unproven notion vaccines cause autism. The consequences of spreading such a myth are dangerous. It was a stupid line of questioning on the part of the anchorwoman.

Nader Hails Pickens Energy Plan in Letter to McCain / Obama

Dear Senators McCain and Obama:In the July 9, 2008 edition of the Wall Street Journal, the versatile, legendary, outspoken oilman, T. Boone Pickens, offered a practical plan to replace oil with natural gas for vehicular transportation.

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Transcript: Obama Dayton Speech on Energy

Read the entire transcript:

• "...we are nearing a point of no return when it comes to our global climate crisis. And with each passing day, it is clear that our addiction to fossil fuels is one of the most serious threats to our national security in the 21st century."
• "For the last eight years, this Administration has narrowly defined security as fighting an open-ended war in Iraq."
• "If Iran decided to shut down the petroleum-rich Strait of Hormuz tomorrow, they believe oil would skyrocket to $300-a-barrel in minutes, a price that one speculator predicted would result in $12-a-gallon gas. $12 a gallon."
• " The nearly $700 million a day we send to unstable or hostile nations also funds both sides of the war on terror..."
• "We are not a country that places our fate in the hands of dictators and tyrants - we are a nation that controls our own destiny....And it's why we must end the tyranny of oil in our time."
• "We've heard talk about curbing our use of fossil fuels in nearly every State of the Union address since the oil embargo 1973. Back then we imported about a third of our oil. Today we import over half."
• "So when he talks about the failure of politicians in Washington to do anything about our energy crisis, understand that Senator McCain has been a part of that failure."
• "When it comes to offshore drilling, even Senator McCain has acknowledged that it won't provide short-term relief. In fact, if we started drilling today, we wouldn't see a drop of oil for seven years, and even then it would have little if any impact on prices."
• "Second, we'll launch a Venture Capital Fund that will provide $50 billion over five years to get the most promising clean energy technologies out of the lab and into the marketplace."
• " Third, to create a market for alternative sources of energy like solar, wind..."
• "Fourth, we'll use our clean energy fund to invest over $1 billion a year to re-tool and modernize our factories and build the advanced technology cars, trucks and SUVs of the future..."

Iraq Government Thwarts Bush Plan for Permanent Occupation

The goal all along for the Bush/neocons to occupy Iraq indefinitely. They wanted to make the country safe for the western oil drillers and Israel. It seems that plan has gone out the window. This is the Bush's ultimate defeat in Iraq.

U.S. and Iraqi negotiators have abandoned efforts to conclude a comprehensive agreement governing the long-term status of U.S troops in Iraq before the end of the Bush presidency, according to senior U.S. officials, effectively leaving talks over an extended U.S. military presence there to the next administration.

[...]The failure of months of negotiations over the more detailed accord -- blamed on both the Iraqi refusal to accept U.S. terms and the complexity of the task -- deals a blow to the Bush administration's plans to leave in place a formal military architecture in Iraq that could last for years.

And now Bush will be forced to remove troops from Iraq to send to the other quagmire, Afghanistan. It's all unraveling for the incompetent President in American history.

The Bush administration is considering the withdrawal of additional combat forces from Iraq beginning in September, according to administration and military officials, raising the prospect of a far more ambitious plan than expected only months ago.

[...]One factor in the consideration is the pressing need for additional American troops in Afghanistan, where the Taliban and other fighters have intensified their insurgency and inflicted a growing number of casualties on Afghans and American-led forces there.

More American and allied troops died in Afghanistan than in Iraq in May and June, a trend that has continued this month.

Although no decision has been made, by the time President Bush leaves office on Jan. 20, at least one and as many as 3 of the 15 combat brigades now in Iraq could be withdrawn or at least scheduled for withdrawal, the officials said.

The desire to move more quickly reflects the view of many in the Pentagon who want to ease the strain on the military but also to free more troops for Afghanistan and potentially other missions.