The Candidates' Speeches at the Alfred E. Smith Dinner

The two presidential candidates last night made speeches at a charity dinner, where historically, they are supposed to be funny. Here they are. I personally liked Obama's more than McCain's, and not just because I'm clearly biased towards Obama! But Obama made fun of himself, whereas McCain made fun of Bill Clinton! Doesn't make any sense!



I give it a 6 out of 10



I give it an 8.5 out of 10

McCain: Shameless. Palin: Classless

This is beyond belief.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.mccain10oct10,0,7557571.story

Apparently, at a McCain rally in New Mexico, someone from the crowd shouted, referring to Obama, "he's a terrorist," and McCain didn't flinch. On the same day, at a Palin rally in Florida, someone shouted from the crowd, again referring to Obama, "kill him." Again, Palin didn't flinch. The whole McCain campaign didn't flinch. Then again, the whole Republican Party didn't flinch.

It is despicable. Not only that McCain and Palin supporters actually do think those thoughts and are not ashamed to share them out loud, but those thoughts were aided by the McCain/Palin campaign and their personal, nonsensical attacks on Obama. Who else, other than McCain and Palin in their speeches referred to Obama as "palling around with terrorists" and as "not one of us?"

And nobody apologized. Nobody, from the candidates themselves to campaign aides and PR folks, admonished those ralliers who yelled those vile and hate-filled shouts. Why would they? They stoked that fervor. They flamed those fires.

What happened to McCain promising to run a clean campaign based on issues and not character? I guess that's one more "mavericky" thing that McCain did not follow up on. How many people are disenchanted with McCain? Forget Palin. She's a nutjob, who I would hope would crawl back into Alaska after they lose the elections in November, never to be heard from again (unless after getting arrested because some scandal or something like that). But McCain?

I have to admit that I liked that guy. Liked. I was literally on the fence before the VP announcements. I leaned more towards Obama after the Biden pick, which was brilliant. He gave Obama the kind of boost of reassurance I was looking for. And then McCain picked Palin, and when I read all the things about her and heard her speak at the RNC and the later interviews, I lost all faith in McCain. He sold his soul to the devil (aka Rove) to get to the White House.

What a shame. How the heroes have fallen.

McCain and the economy

Just a quick thought, for now, but isn't McCain saying that he needs to suspend his campaign so that he can run back to DC to fix the economy, the same as a janitor shutting down his bucket or a parking lot attendant suspending the entrance gates at a nuclear power plant because they must run to the control room to fix the meltdown?

McCain, a serial liar

A very good article about McCain and his lies about Obama. I think that he repeated them too many times, that he now actually believes them.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/379185_teepenonline16.html

Also, a very nice article from Thomas L. Friedman, with whom I don't always see eye to eye!

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2008182445_friedman16.html