Ari

Yesterday Matt Yglesias wrote:

I don’t blame candidate for doing what they think will win the election.

He couldn’t be more wrong.

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America released their report card today. Guess which Presidential candidate supports the troops — and get which one doesn’t.

First a description:

Based on the legislative priorities outlined in IAVA’s Legislative Agenda, IAVA Action has selected 22 key votes on veterans’ issues in the 110th Congress (9 votes in the Senate and 13 votes in the House).

To paraphrase a quote from my favorite modern philosopher Forest Gump, George Bush and Sarah Palin go together like peas and carrots. In fact she seems to be the mirror image of George Bush, when he ran for President in 2000. For example:

On September 5th during a rally in Michigan, Sarah Palin said, “We put the government of our state back on the side of the people.”

Well on November 3, 2000, during a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, George Bush said his campaign “stands squarely on the side of the people.”

No, I am not kidding. In his new book, A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity (No I’m not kidding about that title either.) Bill writes:

Next time you meet an atheist, tell him or her that you know a bold, fresh guy, a barbarian who was raised in a working-class home and retains the lessons he learned there.

Maureen Dowd was John McCain’s friend, a part of his “base.” Then a few weeks ago he kicked her off the campaign plane, abandoning her in Pittsburgh.

How close were they? In 2004, she was invited to celebrate his birthday with other members of the media elite.

Yesterday we wrote about Kurtz aside on Maureen Dowd getting banned from the McCain plane. Now the full story emerges:

It all started when Maureen covered an Aug. 30 McCain-Palin rally in Washington, Pa., then wasn’t let on the McCain plane afterward, forcing her to overnight at a Pittsburgh airport hotel while the traveling press went on without her.

If members voted against the bailout because they believed it’s wrong to hand a gift to Wall Street, that’s fine. Many progressive Democrats did just that.

But if, like some House Republicans, you believe the bailout is necessary, and voted against it because someone was not nice, you belong in kindergarten, not Congress.

Howard Kurtz drops this tidbit into his column:

The company may have been more pleasant than that of McCain aides, who have barred Dowd from the candidate’s plane.

If the Obama campaign banned a FoxNews Reporter from the plane, I’m sure it would be the greatest crime against the first amendment ever committed.

Welcome to the Oxdown Gazette.

I’m very relieved that Paul is able to join us today. McCain asked him to cancel this book salon so everyone could focus on the economy, but thankfully Paul decided he would still come.

Unfortunately this caused McCain to rip his shirt open, scream “McCain angry,” and put out a press release saying that by doing this book salon, Paul is letting the terrorists win.