Remember, without McCain it would have been the Keating 4

He learned absolutely nothing.

Gotta Agree With TBogg on this one

via TBogg comes this bit of brilliance from Hugh Hewitt's interview with Gov Palin.

It’s time that normal Joe six-pack American is finally represented in the position of vice presidency

Sorry but I want the President and VP each to be

1. One of the smartest people in the room. This immediately disqualifies both Palin and McCain, Obama and Biden both pass this test. Biden has issues with not having much of an editor between his brain and his mouth sometimes and thus saying silly things but that doesn't mean he is stupid. Obama is clearly a very bright man.
   
2. Not someone that I want to have a Guinness with but someone that it would be interesting to talk to. McCain actually passes this test for me. I am sure he has some interesting stories because he has lived a long and eventful life but quite frankly Palin would only be interesting in a "holy shit does she really believe that" kind of way. Obama has had a fascinating life and I would love to talk to Biden about how he balances work and family because it is something that I struggle with myself.
   
3. Someone that knows the difference between right and wrong,  actually cares about the difference and in general acts in a principled manner similarly to what I would hope I would do in a similar situation. I think McCain knows the difference between right and wrong, but he doesnt give a shit if it will get him elected (see just about any of his changes in stance since about 2002). I think that Palin shows no evidence of knowing the difference (see troopergate, charging victims for rape kits, pondering the banning of books in the public library, firing the police chief). Biden and Obama both clearly know the difference and while they dont always do the right thing (see FISA and Bankruptcy bill fiascos respectively) it seems to me that generally don't go out of their way to fuck people over just because it would be good for them or their buddies or because they want to get back at someone.
   

There are surely other things that are actually more important  but if we have to pick character traits or something else other than a candidate's stance on particular issues these are the top 3 things that I am interested in.

Anyone that has anything to add can feel free to chime in.

McCain, Healthcare and the Financial Industry

Via DDay at Digby's place, Josh Marshall at TPM, kos at his place and last, but not least Krugman at the NYT comes this brilliant statement from John McCain that should make any sane person decide that he really isn't competent to be President.

Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less burdened by the worst excesses of state-based regulation.

Now, I know that this was written before the events of the last couple weeks but anyone with a fucking clue has known that the financial system has been on the verge of melting down for some time now.

I can't wait to see how they walk this one back.

John McCain ... Not Ready To Lead

Carly Fucks Up By Telling The Truth

On CNN via Huffington Post comes this bit of comedy gold.

Asked by a St. Louis radio station whether she thought Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin could run a company like Hewlett-Packard, Fiorina responded: "No, I don't.

“But that's not what she's running for. Running a corporation is a different set of things."

Asked about that remark on MSNBC, she made the same unprompted assessment of the GOP presidential nominee. "I don't think John McCain could run a major corporation."

--SNIP--

"Carly will now disappear," this source said. "Senator McCain was furious." Asked to define "disappear," this source said, adding that she would be off TV for a while – but remain at the Republican National Committee and keep her role as head of the party’s joint fundraising committee with the McCain campaign.

Fiorina was booked for several TV interviews over the next few days, including one on CNN. Those interviews have been canceled.

Of course this is the same Carly Fiorina that cratered HP's share price and got her ass fired. And of course this means that she would end up as Secretary of Commerce in a McCain administration.

McCain for Prime Minister

It occurred to me while reading a post over at Angry Bear that perhaps John McCain has just become confused as to which election he is running in.

Canada is having an election as well and since he thinks that Crocs and the Blackberry are the kinds of things that make this country great, maybe he is talking about Canada.

As a Canadian living in the US I am not sure that I would wish him on my native country but I sure as hell know that I am not very interested in having someone as out of touch with reality as he seems to be running my adopted one.

WTF

From fivethirtyeight.com
How the flying fuck does this make sense in a world where people can actually tie their fucking shoes without assistance.

John McCain is old, cranky, stupid and out of touch.
Sarah Palin is completely unqualified, loves pork, a lying twit and completely fucking clueless about anything outside the border of alaska.

If the election was held today they would win ...

I fear for this country.

John McCain - Pedophile Enabler?

Just thinking out loud

John McCain cannot keep a fucking secret

Shouldn't this, if true, pretty much require that McCain admit that he is no longer capable of holding his security clearance because he cannot keep his fucking mouth shut?

Republican presidential candidate John McCain said Friday that his Democratic opponent, Barack Obama, is likely to be in Iraq over the weekend.

The Obama campaign has tried to cloak the Illinois senator's trip in some measure of secrecy for security reasons. The White House, State Department and Pentagon do not announce senior officials' visits to Iraq in advance.

"I believe that either today or tomorrow -- and I'm not privy to his schedule -- Sen. Obama will be landing in Iraq with some other senators" who make up a congressional delegation, McCain told a campaign fund-raising luncheon.

"I am sure that Sen. Obama is going to arrive in Baghdad in a much, much safer and secure environment than the one that he would've encountered before we started the surge," McCain said.

What a fucking douchebag. (Sorry GC .. there is no other word that adequately describes my displeasure)

Two Views ...

Which is your view?

Cindy McCain's taxes-IOKIYAR again or is John McCain just a kept man?

OK, I am confused ...

Barack and Michelle Obama released their taxes.

Hillary and Bill Clinton released their taxes.

John McCain released his taxes ... but Cindy McCain didnt.

Why the fuck isnt this a big story on the bobblehead circuit?

Does anyone seriously think that if Hillary had released just her financials and said that what Bill made really didnt matter because her money was hers and his was his they would have bought it? Does anyone think that John McCain can donate 26% of his income to charity because they live frugally and he is just a damned fine fellow? And how does he pay the mortgages on those houses on such a small salary because surely he didn't have the money to put down to buy them outright.

So .. let me see .. who does McCain remind me of .... Oh .. yes ... This fellow

Now, am I implying that just maybe McCain isnt the principal breadwinner in his family and perhaps that is a bad thing? Yes and no. If I could find an heiress to keep me in the style to which I would like to become accustomed I would snap her up in a second too... but I wouldn't pretend that it didnt matter how much money she had...

McCain: Constitution Establishes A "Christian Nation"

A: I would probably have to say yes, that the Constitution established the United States of America as a Christian nation. But I say that in the broadest sense. The lady that holds her lamp beside the golden door doesn't say, "I only welcome Christians." We welcome the poor, the tired, the huddled masses. But when they come here they know that they are in a nation founded on Christian principles.

Um .. no .. it doesn't

Go see georgia10's post over at Daily Kos for the details.