Mornin’ Elliot. I like what Frank Rich has to say, and Biden presented us with a taste:

R.I.P., “Change We Can Believe In.” The fierce urgency of the 21st century demands Change Before It’s Too Late.

Good morning, Elliott! I’m bringing the following up from downstairs:

The coffee and tea are ready, and I’ve got your choice of croissants, English muffins or toast to serve as the backdrop for eCAHNomics’ homemade elderberry jam.

A while ago someone (Elliott, was it you?) suggested that we plan a huge blow-out brunch to celebrate the end of the W occupation of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. With 150 days to go it might be time to start thinking about it. Do you have any specialty brunch items you’d like to contribute? Let me know at mgpaquin AT aol DOT com and I’ll start putting the menu together. Please be sure to put FDL somewhere in the subject line because I’m brutal about mail from people I don’t know — direct to spam it goes. Have a great day, and I’m looking forward to menu ideas!

McCainStreamMedia

Oh, nice one, Elliott! That may leave a mark!

Left you a note at end of last thread.

Thanks to Biden for getting that “noun, verb, 9-11″ out there………it lends itself so well to a follow-up by everyone else for “noun, verb, POW”.

You folks have it tough exposed to the MccainStreamMedia, ‘fraid someone has to do it for the rest of us who want to remain sane ;-)

You’re right. I had to read it twice too, but it did serve to remind me about why I used to enjoy her column way back in the day. She used to write columns on the issues, and skewered each side pretty equally. Now, not so much. I’m looking forward to the Biden slam in 5…4…3…2…Wednesday.

Nedra Pickler of the AP is, as usual, on top of the vital concerns of this race.
Unquotable attribution
The article takes particular care to point out the correction that it was Biden’s wife, not Biden himself who was undergoing a root canal when the call came. Of course the misinformation came from the Obama campaign, whose inability to stay on message with this critical issue is endemic of Democrats in Disarray.

The “fair and balanced” crap that passes for news these days drives me bonkers. My preference would definitely be for covering one person/group (both the so-called good/bad) in one piece…….then do the same thing to a different person/group in a totally different piece. Don’t know if that makes any sense and wouldn’t always work but at least it gets away from trying to combine the “s/he/they did it too” garbage simultaneously.

The legacy of Krakatoa

http://www.independent.co.uk/n…..07230.html

One hundred and twenty-five years ago this Wednesday occurred the biggest bang the inhabited world has ever known. Indonesia’s Krakatoa volcano erupted. It did so with the force of 13,000 Hiroshima atom bombs, propelled a trillion cubic feet of rock, pumice and ash into the air, and made a noise loud enough to be heard 1,930 miles away in Perth. The explosions, fallout and resulting tidal wave (130 feet high in places) killed 36,417 people in Java and Sumatra, destroyed 165 villages and towns, and two-thirds of the island. Wind streams blew the fine ash as far away as New York; sea levels were raised in the English Channel, and over the following year, global temperatures were reduced by 1.2C.

A bit of history, geography, ecology, and environment as well.

Good Morning Elliot, and my fellow Lakers.

Good morning everyone.

Callers on WJ seems to be reeming out military folks on Iraq.

Change before it’s too late

Perfect! Bumper stickers, anyone? Booyah! G’morning from cooler, lower humidity, but still dry as jerky MN — where we are girding our loins for Republican infestation one week hence.

Wow! Didn’t know the details. Of course, I was very young when this happened. Thanks for this.

ROFL

I recall asking my grandmother if she remembered it. I got no answer. She would have been half my age when it happened, very young indeed. File under REFRESHING THINGS TO KNOW. ;-)

A sad story, M. Thatcher is following R. Reagan’s way.

Margaret Thatcher’s struggle with dementia revealed in daughter’s memoir

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/t…..599199.ece

I thought Thatcher was dead. Guess her dementia is why we haven’t heard about her for so long.

My father was senile for about 4 years before he died. Truly awful way to go.

Good Morning!
Good Morning!

Thanks for the scrumptious layout Marion, and elderberry jam!
hmm, I wonder when eCAHN’s elderberry wine will be ready?

Good Morning Elliot and Firedogs,

Simon Winchester’s book on Krakatoa is an easy and fun read

- was the first event with worldwide coverage, thanks to the newly formed Reuters

- helped establish the concept of Pangea and open up the science of tectonics

etc -
love his books, kinda like a non fiction Kingsolver

Off to today’s tasks.

Tuned into Fox News now, not surprisingly Wallace is dissecting Biden with poisoned probe, not unwelcome — let’s have it out now.

Homemade wine. Hmmmm. My father used to make elderberry wine when I was too young to taste it. (First wine experience was at my brother’s wedding on my 11th birthday. I thought the champagne tasted like vinegar. My, how times have changed.) But I don’t think I’ll go there. Just too easy to call the wine merchant & have it show up at my door a couple of days later. And it’s much better than anything I’d make myself. But thanks for reminding me about the elderberry wine.

“Tuned into Fox News…”

Like stepping into a chicken coop barefooted.

I always thought Margaret Thatcher was demented. Far more so than Reagan. Apparently she’s about to buy the farm — what with all the talk lately of what kind of funeral she should get.

Stuff her in a baggie and put her out by the curb for the trashman to pick up. She’d make great landfill — and thus finally be of genuine use to people.

btw, Marion, that’s BlueStateRedhead the brunch planner. Haven’t seen her around lately, maybe she’ll be around for the convention.

and the Krakatoa book, been wanting to read that. Recommended by me own brother.

Oh Wallace, laways whipping up a Clinton/Obama kerfuffle

I think Dennis Thatcher died of cancer about 2003 IIRC.

It is the loss of the personality that loss of memory occasions that robs those who care of a known icon in their lives.

There was some research recently that found blood pressure (high?) had a significant effect on vascular dementia (hardening of the arteries?), that reducing pressure also reduced the advance of dementia IIRC. If you want, I can look up the links

“Tuned into Fox News…”

Like stepping into a bag of shit.

lmao!

it is indeed

I actually did that once, as a kid. It has always remained my frame of reference for distasteful circumstances.

oh gross!
don’t want to even imagine how that felt

caught Hannity spankin’ it to the Biden says Obama not ready ! meme last night

good luck with that Sean – over on another channel a mainstreamer like McCaskill pointed out there were “bushel baskets of quotes” about Senator McCain’s lack of Executive fitness by other senators

Speaking of residue on the floor of a chicken coop…

caught Hannity spankin’ it to the Biden says Obama not ready ! meme last night

If Obama is not so ready, and McCan’t is such a trailblazing maverick, why is Obama still ahead?

I know logic is out the window anymore, however I didn’t get that memo.

Not about U.S. Politics –

Here’s a great video of Australian diver (and Total Hottie) Matthew Mitcham (with his Mum and his boyfriend) after his big surprise win at the Olympics.

I think that’s a pretty weak attack anyway. Biden’s statement wasn’t anywhere near as harmful as Hillary’s, in that it didn’t say anything about McCain’s, and used qualifiers such as “yet”. I think Biden would gladly say, “I didn’t think so until he whipped my tail in the primaries.”
It really is reminscent of JFK – LBJ.

Funny how Bush’s selection of McCain was never portrayed as part of Bush’s “inferiority complex”. My impression is that ANY VP Obama selected (barring a young mixed race Illinoisan or Hawaiian who is athletic) would have been portrayed as a sign that Obama felt “lacking” in some way.

If he had selected a Southerner…it would have been because he felt that he couldn’t win votes there.
If he had selected a woman it would have been because of a fear of the “Hillary problem”.
If he selected a Governor it would have been because of a fear he had no “Executive experience”.

Blah-blah-blah!

Let’s face reality here. We have a dual role executive…and any smart NON_EGOTISTICAL candidate would select a VP who would have skills and knowledge that would assist them in the campaign and after they were elected.

Somehow Fournier and his cronies…who are supposed to be presenting the NEWS…have introduced their own, quite bizaree, belief that intelligence = insecurity.

Maybe they should hold McCain to the smae standards, then? Anyone that McCain selects, other than a 70+ year old white male tool of the defense industries and corporations is a sign that McCain is vastly insecure…pandering to get the votes of younger or female or Southern or evangelical or some State other than Arizona.

Maybe he should ask Cheney to stay on?

Morning all.

RE; Thatcher,I can’t help seeing something karmic in this.

I agree, that’s another weak attack. It sould seem McCain can’t pick Romney now, to help him with this admitted blank slate on economics.

The McCainStream Media (love it) has taken over our city! We are going to the Cindy Sheehan demo/march and then down to the Big Tent later.

Last night, reading Sept. MPR’s Home magazine, an ad page about a home being built for a wounded soldier, tieing in to the RNC convention and a line said another home was being built in Denver along with the “Demoncratic” convention.

Their paranoia/pranksterism is going to bite ‘em in the ass this time.

Still baskin’ in the Biden moment…despite the McCainstream Media [love that!] tippin’ to the right. They’re making much of Rethugs Hillary quotes ad being released at 3 a.m. Didn’t hear that being noted about the timing of Obama’s text message. Oh, but I guess they’re only on Villager time?

Bite your tongue.

kewl kidz are breathlessly abuzz about McKept tapping Powell (nagonnahappen)

gratuitious ahhh story

that’s just hysterically funny cin
serious LOLZZ here

Don’t see Joe Biden on any Sunday Talking Heads guest list

now how on earth is it possible there are no spots open for the democratic vP?

man, this media is getting more and more brazen with their blatent anti democrat, pro republikkkan party

the bestest thing about biden is he knows how to throw a punch, I canNOT wait for the punishment cheney is about to get

by the way, I believe biden innoculates barack from some kind of assaination attempt, I do not believe they want any piece of biden…he has the right smack down

sheesh
Kristol now says
McCain should put Hillary on the ticket.

Rudy [a noun, a verb, and 9-11] Giuliani on his role as keynote speaker at the Republican National Convention and the democratic VP nominee.

I believe rudy knows he’s out of it for good, I think he will now make fun of himself

he knows the quip from biden and I think he will kick off his speach with the 9/11 thing as a joke

that’s my call, I said it here first

I believe I suggested that a while ago too

Maybe tis myself, as time passes, the frailties of age cast longer and deeper shadows. It is not my place to comment on someone’s karma when they are faced with natural degeneration. I do agree that the damage she caused in her prime will far outlast herself, and her name should be tightly bound with that ill she made, and markers written in stone be erected as an object lesson for future generations. Not many join Richard III admirers groups, to this day.

We’ll have to wait to see what he says when Biden’s in his face.

Let’s face reality here. We have a dual role executive…and any smart NON_EGOTISTICAL candidate would select a VP who would have skills and knowledge that would assist them in the campaign and after they were elected.

only in bizarro land and the republican spin machine do presidential candidates pick someone who will not help the office

jeez, even bush knew he was inept and THOUGHT he was picking someone with some skilz, it turns out cheney is as big a moron as bush, he just has a better command of our language

interesting, if you have a command of our language you’re usually considered competant.

Just zipped by the NYT to pick up the Frank Rich link for my homeblog and saw that their article on Political Bloggers is frontpaged right now.

Still trying to figure out why they put it in the style section.

Absence of Biden on the Sunday shows is probably part of the game plan of the Obama folks…even the McCainstream Media would be falling over themselves for that “get.”

good morning all. i had to catch my breath. when I’m cracking up i forget my manners.
i want to tell you this. i met in person our Obama Fellow this week. a sharp, bright, enthusiastic 20 something young man, hard worker and totally devoted. his first move was to walk into Dem HQ here in our little tiny town and totally po our Dem chairman, a 70 something lady who’s full of fire and knowledge. she backed him up a few, then made up with him and he’s now learning from her. that was funny to watch. but there’s him and another 20 something down here from DenCo using Rovian type stats to canvass and do phoning. I had a conversation with them. it is their opinion, and they learned from Obi’s Fellowship organization, that “the blogs” are somewhat useless. That everyone who blogs are ON the blogs cause their minds are already made up and, i dunno, somehow bloggers don’t really count.
I said “REALLY?!? Have you heard of “money bombs?”" I didn’t get all into that, the young man had already been roughed up a bit by our chairwoman here, but I have to wonder if that’s what Obi’s people are teaching these “kids”. That the netroots movement is without consequence and not worth dealing with, wondering about. I’ll be asking them that very question at some point, as I’m all involved up at our HQ now (cause of Christy, lol).
I certainly hope that’s not the case. I had hoped that Obama would have taken “the bloggers” seriously. I’ll be over there today dropping off a TV for the convention parties. I’ll BE WEARING my FDL shirt! hehe

I am watching This Week’s Roundtable. Mark Halperin is on the panel. He is astoundingly bad. Unbelievably he is more smug than George Will and stupider than Cokie Roberts.
I think he could give Doug Feith a run for his money as the stupidest person on the planet.

Does the posed profile photo of McCain, at the end of his ads, appear absurd to anyone else? They make me think he’s fondly reminiscening about the good old days before Tailhook ended. I see an old man, nostrils slightly dialated, eyes glazed over, and a sort of evil little smirk. It looks worse than the bad picture of Obama they always use.

think progress right now;

Iraqis desperate for water.

I’ll tell you what, fresh drinkable water might be the oil of our grandkids

Stupidity.

SATSQ *g*

FWIW, if anyone has l little time, The Timesonline has a superbly written (4 pages) history of a turning point in English history. This is one way history should be written.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/t…..572704.ece

I hope we can begin to talk about the issues and not what Biden said before McCain moved to the right… http://www.enewsreference.wordpress.com

good point, biden probably wants to create his script, I believe he’s gonna be at the ready from any and all angles

I really hope he gets something on line for the “hannity highjack”

people have stolen hannity’s shtick, they have a soundbite out of context and ask the “guest” what they think, the guest is left haveing to comment on something that sounds bizarre out of context or look like a fool

if you’re prepared for this type of highjack you can smack the interviewer down, if you’re not prepared you look like a fool

let’s see some real handling now, some real preperation, after all;

GAME ON!

Exactly so. Both internationally and also interstates right here at home.

fresh drinkable water might will be the oil of our grandkids

And the way things are goin’, looks like it’s gonna be “kids” before “gkids”. :-(

can’t wait!

IF obama didn’t capitulate on the fisa bill, I would have thought this election is a turning point in the future of our country, I would have thought obama to become the greatest president who ever lived, having turned the damage from this president around, and then begin the road in rescinding the reagan policies which have given middle class assets to the wealthiest people on the planet, the road back to the time when a foreign company tried to import exploiting the labor of slaves and children would face a tariff that would make their product unsellable here in these UNITED states

those “united” states have devided of late, by design I might add, it seems the republican party has been succesfull creating the “us against them” mentality, it feels as though we live in differant parts of the world from our neighboring states at times

Breaking news from the Onion:

BEIJING—Responding to controversy regarding lip-syncing singers and “simulated” fireworks during the Olympic opening ceremonies, Chinese Olympic officials announced Tuesday that the closing ceremonies would feature a full-scale nuclear ICBM launch followed almost immediately by 2 million amphibious troops marching into California.

by the way, I believe biden innoculates barack from some kind of assaination attempt, I do not believe they want any piece of biden…he has the right smack down

I still believe they’ll attempt against McBush. It will be a brown person, most probably hailing from Iran, holding the high powered sniper rifle. Cheney will growl with pleasure.

Only The Onion.

closing ceremonies would feature a full-scale nuclear ICBM launch followed almost immediately by 2 million amphibious troops marching into California

though tongue in cheek, imagine if we were attacked…our national guard is now doing police work in Iraq and afghanistan, the hardware needed to move civilians has been exported as well

none of our industry has tooled to replace any of this hardware, the men and women who might have been called to arms are continents away

even our generals have said we are dangerously ill prepared to mount any kind of defense or counter offensive, thanks to this president’s squandering and abuse fir personal profit wuth the armed forces of these UNITED states.

man, if this were a novel it would considered trash for being too bizarre, that the nation “America” would allow these despots to continue their dismantlieng of our beloved country, along with her law and her sacred constitution

There is some kind of point to this conversation?

I would have thought obama to become the greatest president who ever lived, having turned the damage from this president around, and then begin the road in rescinding the reagan policies

Thought all that stuff was gonna happen in one or two terms, did ya? Must have played hell with your prediction chart.

Uh, if we are attacked by icmb’s bend over and kiss your ass goodbye.

yep

careful, she’s considered a “radical scientist” *g*

inter continental give too big a warning to be effective me thinks, if they land then we will kiss our butts g’by, but they won’t land

errr

strike that, with this president if they are aimed at a blue state they will land, ok, your point is made then

ironic for we in the duck n cover crowd – they never have to fire a shot, simply call in the loans :D

Nancy Pelosi on MTP just said wrt to drilling offshore, “As Speaker, I have to put all things on the table.” Err, yes, right.

Good Morning…. Not only is it pretty much wall to wall Democrats… DO you see how many women are on too… WaHoooooo…. About Damn time …

tru dat

yea, the speaker is just doing great. . .ugh

Sometimes you gotta laugh!

Tom Mestnick, with protest group Re-create ‘68, said he also had a small altercation with police today when he parked illegally on the road near Lincoln Park in order to unload some materials for a protest training this afternoon.

“Ten cops swarmed over there and they asked me to move,” Mestnick said. “The police want so badly to crack some skulls. It’s so obvious.”

Yeah…like they forced him down, spread-eagled while they robo-bombed his car? Sounds like those jack-booted thugs didn’t even issue a ticket;-)

And here’s another group dedicated to the principles of Abby, Jerry and crew.

Anti-abortion protestors outside of a Planned Parenthood on 38th Avenue and Quebec Street carried posters with bloody and graphic photos. They handed out pamphlets and broadcast their views with microphones.One of the anti-abortion group’s trucks was labeled with “Obama Wants You! … to Pay for Abortion” with an illustration of the assumed presidential nominee depicted in an Uncle Sam motif.

Thanks for reminding those Hillary-zealots that the Supreme Court is at stake!

Jesus, I hope Sheehan hands her her ass on a platter. Less DINO’s in Congress, please.

sad but true

I am watching This Week’s Roundtable. Mark Halperin is on the panel. He is astoundingly bad. Unbelievably he is more smug than George Will and stupider than Cokie Roberts.
I think he could give Doug Feith a run for his money as the stupidest person on the planet.

Great description. Having 3 White House talking points spouting conservative hacks is ABCNews riff on “fair and balanced.”

Your description of a turning point is one I would subscribe. I thought it interesting in the history that great issues that caused so many deaths now have something missing in the moment to moment issues now, that missing ingredient is (historical) perspective. Without such perspective, not knowing from where one has been, it will be near impossible to decide just where one needs to go. When the facts of the nations history are propaganda and myth, one does not have a real location from which to start that quest for a wanted goal. A few people are beginning to understand this. Unfortunately, they are the despised elite of the population. These are the horns of a dilemma. The Times article gives a well written perspective I thought.

BTW If the Chinese were gonna attack they would have done it while Bush was attending the Olympics. Do you really think that Cheney would have grabbed the red-button and incinerated George over there?

Well…..do you?

Hi, Pups.

A quick drive-by. Friday is McCain’s 72nd birthday. There must be a good way for us to observe it. I’m still thinking…

Uh, the Onion piece is, like, a joke.

Re-enacted the attempt to levitate the Pentagon.

Think I’ll go out and hit on some 40-something rich sweet thing. How’s this for a pick up line, “Hi, it’s John McCain’s 72nd birthday. Wanna fool around?”

That’s interesting. We’ve been spending some time with the Obama kids here in Denver, both at the main and our local office, and have found them to be very sharp & enthusiastic.

Nancy Pelosi on MTP just said wrt to drilling offshore, “As Speaker, I have to put all things on the table.” Err, yes, right.

Except for impeachment, that is.

BTW I wonder how the dear citizens of her district appreciated that vast oil spill over the SF Bay last year. Californians can expect more of those if the plates that Nancy allows to be set on the table actually get set for consumption.

And she has repeatedly shown just how little power she has once the table is set!

oh my, McKept spokesweebil getting p’wnd by no less than Chris Jansing

fyi – some background on Jill Biden – ooh me likey

The fact is that they don’t have to do this. They’ll just continue to buy us up…what with all that gas and oil from the Central Asian Republics going through pipelines to China…rather than via the planned Georgian pipelines.

The tougher Europe and NATO acts towards Russia the more likely that the oil will head East.

The Russians already played tough with the Ukrainians two years ago.

Morning
Do they have barbeque size nukes?

Hey Pups.

Where’s Jane?

Kobe MVP Gold. Whoot!

Sheeesh. Brokeback Tom askin’ Pelosi what if Obama asked you about life….

Gee, Tom, why don’t we ask you? Why don’t we let you make our body decisions?

Privacy? talk about grabbin’ the Hannity gotcha tactic.

More brains in these four people than in the entire Shrub administration. The Rethugs are so f*cked.

We have backpack sized nukes.

I agree with you. That photo doen’t do him any favors.

I know this is epu-ed, but I gotta add, as someone who lives in the Dakotas and watched Brokeback over the years go from the Today Show to Nightly News, the recent weeks of his Meet the Press fill-in has been a real eye-opener.

What a rightwing hack. Mr. Pompous and Full of Himself shoulda stayed retired.

I know exactly where they are. I pass the Museum of Nature & Science every day. All the satellite trucks are parked by the side of the building, and all the cords and wires are running right across the trail I take through the park. I must admit the thought crossed my mind that it wouldn’t take much to……

But I’m a better person than that.

;->

Seems like it’s gettin’ to the point *anyone* with an ounce of sense is defined as “radical” these days.

they are wonderful. i like these guys a lot. gotta be thrilled to see people that age not only engaged but good at what they’re doing. it’s just exciting. and they’re so YOUNG. of course everyone is younger than me, but these “kids” look about 12. it’s alllll good, and it’s a lot of fun!
PeteCO, i didn’t know you were in DenCo. I was born and raised there and moved to Cortez in 01. It’s killing me watching the prep for the convention and I’M NOT THERE!
:)

jerk

“My wife’s a Doctor” sounds a lot better than “My wife’s a beer magnate”.
In fact, other than the fact that Cindy McCain was involved in some charities (from whom she stole narcotics for an addiction)…Jill Biden sounds 100% better as a candidates spouse.

PW’s upstairs with a tale of Two Books

Heh……some D on FtN just brought up the subject of keys. *GGGG*

How about a debate between both sets of wives?

just thinkin’. don’t rush me. ‘kay?

whut wood mccaint do? would he really wake up at 3am or just throw the phone at the wall?

popcorn please.

Just don’t sit real close to the tube. You’ll have little bits of chewed popcorn all over the screen.