Kick the Anthill

Well, I’m sitting here in my easy chair.  Have a blanket over me, because my wife’s “melting,” so she’s got the air conditioner set at -60 degrees and the ceiling fans are on.  One of the dogs are on my feet, but I wish the other one would join her.  And my laptops on my lap.  I’m ready to go.

(I’ve updated this 9/29/08 with links to other sites with their viewpoints about various items)

Shut up Charlie. You’re a goober, and I’d prefer to never look at your sneering face again.  He introduces Jim. 

Jim, you’re putting me to sleep here buddy.  It’s going to be about foreign policy and national security, which includes the global financial crisis.  Yes, we know, Jim.  You’re a moderator, not a doctor.

We welcome McCain.  Oh, yeah, and that Obama person, too.

Ike–we must achieve both security and solvency.  That includes financial strength.

First question goes to Obama first.  Oh, this should be fun.  It’s about the current financial crisis, and where they stand on it.

Obama:  OK.  He thanks Ol’ Miss.  The current financial crisis affects both Wall Street and Main Street.  It affects everyone.  Duh.  Oh, he’s put together a series of proposals, has he?  He wants oversight, since $700 Billion is “potentially” a lot of money (snort).  Protect the taxpayers so that they can get it back.  None of the money goes to pad CEO bank accounts or golden parachutes.  Have to help homeowners.  It’s a final verdict on 8 years of Bush and McCain’s support.  It’s all the Republican’s fault. waah waah waah.  Lots of finger-pointing.  Prosperity will trickle down if we give to the people who make the most.

McCain:  Kennedy–beloved friend to all of us–is in the hospital, and prayers go out to him.  Thanks Ol’ Miss. McCain doesn’t feel great about the challenges, but he’s feeling better.  Good, he’s saying that both sides are working together (Ding!  He gets a point for saying that everyone’s working together!  Too bad, Obama.  You missed that.)  Yes, the package has to have transparency, etc.  He admitted to meeting with his other Reps who aren’t a part of the package making.  It’s the end of the beginning of the crisis, not the beginning of the end.  EXCELLENT!  Have to make jobs, have to eliminate dependence on foreign oil.

Oh, Jim.  There’s no way we can hammer out an agreement in five minutes.

Obama:  True, we haven’t seen the wording yet.  Oh, great.  How did we get here?  Obamessiah warned us, but we didn’t listen.  Too much abuse.  He wrote to the secretary of the treasury about it.  We have to solve it short-term, and look at how we “shredded so many regulations” and didn’t set up a 21st-century thing, and nip this in the bud.

McCain:  He also warned about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, etc.  Too bad he didn’t bring up that Fannie Mae’s ex-CEO is an Obama advisor.  Brings up Ike about his two letters–one congrats, the other a resignation.  I don’t remember the resignation, but I do remember that he wrote both letters.  I hope that he’s right.  Yes, we need to reward those who succeed, and punish the corrupt, etc.  Holding people accountable.  EXCELLENT!

Obama:  MCCAIN IS RIGHT?!?!?!?  Woah.  “We’ve had years in which the reigning ideology is ‘what’s good for Wall Street, but not what’s good for Main Street.’”  Broken healthcare system.  Energy not working.  Fundamentals aren’t sound, according to McCain 10 days ago.

“You afraid I couldn’t hear him?”  LOL!  Good one, McCain!

Obama disagrees with what’s going on.  Surprise surprise.  We haven’t been paying attention to the little man, if you look at our tax codes.

McCain–we have to fix the system.  No doubt that we have a long way to go.  Consolidation of regulatory committees.  He has a fundamental belief in the goodness and strength of the American worker.  America is greatest producer and exporter.  Our best days are ahead of us, under the right leadership.  Dude, you’re awesome!

Jim?  Where have you been?  Asking if there’s fundamental differences between the two approaches.  Pshaw!

Tom Coburn gets mentioned!   He’s a friend of McCain.  Spending is out of control.  Places some of the blame on the Republicans.  Earmarking is a Gateway Drug, according to Coburn.  Evils of earmarking and pork barrel spending.  $3 million on bear DNA in Montana?  He doesn’t know if it’s a criminal issue or a paternal issue.  $3 million of our taxpayer money.  Too much.  He’s going to veto every spending bill, if it has earmark pork barrell spending.  Obama has asked for $932 Million of earmark spending–nearly a million for every day he’s been in the Senate.  McCain says to go to the Citizens Against Government Waste to see those projects.  Not the way to reign in runaway spending.  That’s a fundamental difference.

Obama:  Earmarks has been abused, so he’s suspended any for his state.  Lobbyists and special interests cause it all, except for him (of course).  But let’s be clear.  Earmarks account for 18 billion in last year’s budget.  (WOAH!)  McCain is proposing 300 billion in tax cuts to some of the wealthiest corporations and individuals.  18 billion is important, 300 billion is really important.  CEOs will get $700,000 in tax cuts.  So he wants a tax cut for 95% of American families.  McCain wants to follow Bush’s tax cuts.

McCain:  Obama suspended the pork barrel projects after he was running for PotUS.  (hehehe!)  He didn’t happen to see that light the first three years he was in the Senate.  $932 million is maybe, to Obama, not a lot of money.  He hears all the time.  “It’s only 18 billion.”  It’s tripled in the last five years (apparently, this is wrong).  Gone completely out of control, to the point where it corrupts people.  People are under indictment for it.  He’s been called the sheriff for fighting against it.  Along with Obama’s 300 billion in tax cuts, he’s proposing another $800 billion in new programs and spending.  That’s a fundamental difference.  McCain wants to cut spending. 

Obama (interrupting) doesn’t know where he’s getting McCain’s figures.  Closing loopholes, dealing with shipments overseas.  Healthcare for everyone (basic coverage).  He’s going to go line-by-line.  Yeah, right.  McCain is neglecting people who are struggling.

McCain gets to respond about his policies on his tax cuts.  Business tax.  American businesses pays second highest in the world–35%.  Ireland pays 11%.  If you can locate anywhere else in the world, you’ll go to Ireland to create jobs, make more investments, etc.  He wants to cut it so that businesses stay here in America to create jobs.  Good point.  Back to pork barrell.  He wants every family to have $5000 in refundable tax credit so that they can go out and get their own health coverage.  Double the dividends to $7000 for every child in America.  Worst thing we can do is raise taxes on everybody.  Senator Obama’s definition of rich is surprising.

Obama:  95% of all American families get a tax cut (he’s said this twice now, but he’s wrong.  Under his plan, it’s only 81%!).  if you make less than $250,000 a year, you will not see one dime’s worth of tax increase. (where’s the tax cut there, buddy?)  Business taxes are high on paper.  There’s too many loopholes, so we see them pay one of the lowest on the planet.  He wants to add additional tax cuts over the loopholes, rather than close the loopholes.  McCain wants to provide a $5000 health credit.  He intends to tax health benefits.  Your employer now has to pay taxes on that health care.  Not a good deal for America.  Less regulation, the better off we’ll be.

McCain:  Walkin’ the walk, and talkin’ the talk.  We had an energy bill before the US Senate, festooned with Christmas tree ornaments (I’m assuming pork, here) for the oil companies.  Billions of dollars worth of brakes.  McCain voted against it, but Obama voted for it.

Obama:  Gloves are off, meathead!  John, you want to give oil companies another $4 million.

McCain:  You’ve got to look at our record.  Who fought against wasteful?  Who has tried to keep spending under control?  Who believes best thing for America is have a tax system that’s fair?  He has proposals.  He has a plan.  Obama has shifted on a number of occasions.  He’s voted to increase taxes on people who have made as low as $42,000 a year.

Obama:  not true.

McCain: It’s a fact.  Look it up.  (after this is over, I may.)  (OK.  McCain was right.  It would have only affected single taxpayers, but he was still right.)

Obama:  Oil companies will get an additional 4 billion under your tax policy.  If we’re giving them to oil companies, we’re not going to give them to the people who need them. 

Another lead question:  Financial Rescue.  As president, as a result of the financial plan, what are you going to give up in terms of priorities as a result of having to pay for this?

Obama:   A range of things will be delayed, but we don’t know what it will be.  We can’t do everything that needs to be done.  But we have to have energy independence.  In 10 years, we’ll be free of foreign oil.  We’ll invest in solar, wind, bio-diesel.  Have to fix health care system–30% increase in deductables on American families.  People are going bankrupt because of healthcare.  We have to make sure that we’re competing in education.  We have to make sure our children are keeping pace with those of the world.  We need to rebuild infrastructure–roads, bridges, etc.  New electricity grid for population centers who are using them.  Eliminate programs that don’t work.

McCain:  Cut spending.  We’ve let gov’t get completely out of control.  It’s hard to reach across the aisle when people like Obama have the most liberal voting record ever.  ”It’s hard to reach across the aisle from that far to the left.”  Obama laughs.  Eliminate ethanol subsidies.  Return in defense spending.  Do away with cost-plus systems.  Costs are too expensive.  Fixed-cost contracts need to be made.  He knows how to do that.  He saved $6.8 billion on a contract between DoD and Boeing.  People ended up in federal prison over that contract.  Eliminate people who aren’t doing their job.  Keep people who are.

Neither one is suggesting major changes.

Obama:  There are going to be things that have to be delayed, but he won’t tell us what those things are.  He’s not willing to give up the need to free us from foreign oil.  We give $15 billion in subsidies to private insurers in MediCare.  Lobbyists are the cause, those evil buttheads!  He’s only wildly liberal, because he’s opposed Bush while he’s been in the Senate.  He’s tried to work with Tom Coburn, one of the most conservative Republicans to set up a Google for Government.  We’ll list every dollar of spending, so that we Americans can see who’s supporting spending, and where it is.

Jim wants them to list things that will stop, due to this financial crisis.

McCain:  Spending freeze on everything but defense, veteran affairs, and entitlement programs.  We need to seriously consider spending freeze on everything but those things.

Obama:  we need a scalpel along with a hatchet.  Education.  Iraq has a $79 billion dollar surplus, while we’re spending $10 billion a month.  (Not true).  We’ve got to stop the war.

McCain:  Sending $700 billion a year overseas to countries who don’t like us.  Some of the money ends up in terrorist hands.  We need to keep that for off-shore drilling, alternative fuels, etc.  We can create 700,000 jobs by constructing 45 new nuclear power plants by 2030.  Nuclear power is important for eliminating our dependence of foreign oil AND climate change–work that he’s done for many, many years with Senator Clinton.

Are you willing to acknowledge that this financial crisis is going to affect how you rule this country?

Obama:  (stammering) there’s no doubt it’s going to affect budgets.  Even if we get all 700 billion back.  Brings up Great Depression.  We may not see it for a while, but we could get it back.  As president, he’ll have to make tough decisions.  We’ll have to know what our priorities are. 

McCain:  We don’t want to hand the health care program over to the feds.  We want families to make medical decisions, not the feds.  We can adjust spending around to take care of the much needed programs, including vets.  Economy will recover with spending restraint and tax cuts.    We owe China 500 billion.  He’s fought against excessive spending his entire time.

Obama:  It’s been Bush who has presided over this “orgy” in spending.  You voted for almost all of his budgets.  You’re going to lead on controlling spending?

McCain:  It’s well known that I have not been elected Miss Congeniality within the Senate or with this administration.  On climate change, on Guantanomo Bay, on Iraq War, etc.  He’s a Maverick of the senate.

What are the lessons of Iraq?

McCain:  You cannot have a failed strategy that will then cause you to nearly lose a conflict.  Our initial military success.  We went to Baghdad, and it was awesome.  Then things went sour.  We need a fundamental change in strategy–McCain fought for it.  Got a new general (Petraeus), and now we’re winning.  We’ll come home with victory and with honor.  Now that we will succeed, and troops will come home in victory, we’ll have a stable ally in the Middle East.  If we had lost, they would be controlled by Iran, more terrorist violence, the list goes on, but I can’t type fast enough.

Obama:  McCain and I have a fundamental difference.  He’s griping about us going there in the first place.  He stood up and opposed the war six years ago.  We hadn’t finished the job in Afghanistan.  He wasn’t wrong.  We’ve lost over 4,000 lives, 30,000 wounded.  Al Qaeda is resurgent, stronger now than ever before, because we took our eye off the ball.   Again with the $79 billion dollar surplus (again, he’s wrong).  We should never hesitate to use military force–and he won’t hesitate to use it, but we have to use it wisely.

McCain:  Next president will have to decide how we leave, when we leave, etc.  Obama said the surge wouldn’t work, increase sectarian violence, doomed to failure, etc.  He was wrong (as the Obamessiah usually is).  He then came back and said it exceeded wildest expectations–even though he would vote against it again.  He never asked for a meeting with Petraeus, and he’s chairperson of a committee that oversights NATO.  Good point, Mav!  Never had a hearing with Petraeus.

Obama:  He’s proud of Biden, who is chairman on issues with Afghanistan, because they don’t go through Obama’s committee.  Violence has gone down, and Petraeus has done a brilliant job (gasp!).  McCain was wrong, because we didn’t find the WMDs, we weren’t greeted as liberators, there was no violence between Suniies and Shiites.  Question is about judgement.  Who is best equipped to make good decisions about how we use our military?  We can take a look at our judgement.

McCain:  Obama doesn’t understand difference between tactic and strategy.  He got to speak to a lot of troops during a ceremony in which a lot of soldiers were re-enlisting so that they didn’t have to send their kids over there.  “Let us win this!”  Obama refuses to acknowledge that we’re winning.

Obama:  not true!

McCain:  A strategy of going in and holding a country, peace and prosperity comes in.  That same strategy will work in Afghanistan.

Obama:  Troop funding issue.  McCain opposed funding for troops in legislation with a timetable.  Obama voted against funding without a timetable.  Question is was this wise?  Afghanistan has deteriorated.  McCain said we’ve been successful there.  It needs to end in Afghanistan.  We need to bolster our efforts there.  We don’t have enough troops in Afghanistan.

They’re talking over each other.

McCain:  Petraeus said that Iraq is central battleground.  Success is fragile, especially if we get out now. 

Afghanistan.  Do you think more US troops should be sent, how many, and when?

Obama:  Yes, as quickly as possible, as many as possible.  Highest fatalities in troops this year since 2002.  Terrorists are feeling emboldened.  2-3 additional brigades to Afghanistan (we have 4 times in Iraq, where they had nothing to do with 9/11).  Al Qaeda is greatest threat against US.  SoD Gates acknowledges that, too.  We have to press Afghan gov’t to make certain that they’re working for their people.  We have to deal with growing poppy trade.  Have to deal with Pakistan, because of Taliban.  We’ve given them 10 billion, but they won’t do what they need to be done.

McCain:  We won’t make the same mistake with Afghanistan that we’ve made before.  SoS Schultz said we need to be prepared to pull the trigger when we aim a gun.  We can’t do that with Pakistan now, like Obama wants to do that.  You don’t say that you want to do that out loud.  We don’t have the people in Pakistan behind us.  We need a new strategy for Afghanistan.  The same one we used in Iraq.  The same one that Obama condemned in Iraq.  Yet Obama now supports it for Afghanistan.  We have to have the allegiance of the people, which will be tough.  We have to get their cooperation, otherwise it won’t work.  The terrorists there don’t want that gov’t cooperating with us.  Now that Petraeus is there, we’ll get something good happening there.  Not just the addition of troops that matters.  McCain knows how to work with them, and he won’t openly state that we’re going to attack Pakistan.

Obama:  “boo-hoo! I didn’t say that!”  If the US has Al Qaeda, Bin Laden, top level lieutenants in our sights, and Pakistan is unwilling or unable to act, we need to take them out.  “That’s the right strategy.  That’s the right policy.”  McCain is right (again! WOAH!) about how difficult this will be.  We lost legitimacy in Pakistan, because we didn’t have a 21st century mindset.

McCain:  Obama doesn’t understand that there was a failed state in Pakistan when their current president came to power.  He admired Reagan, yet he voted against Reagan for sending Marines into Lebanon.  He was afraid that we couldn’t make peace there where several hundred Marines were sent in.  He was right.  He supported the first Gulf War, even when Reps didn’t want it to happen (with Bosnia).  He supported Kosovo and opposed Somalia.  He has a record in all of these issues.  He had a townhall meeting in New Hampshire.  He was given a bracelet with Matthew Stanley’s name on it last August.  He was killed in combat before Christmas last year–he was 22.  He will do whatever it takes to make sure that her son’s death is not in vain.  He knows what it’s like, because he was in Vietnam.

Obama:  He has a bracelet, too.  Sergeant…. Ummm….  Doesn’t remember what his name is.  Oh, wait, yes he does.  He just had to read it.  The mother of Sergeant Ryan David Jopek.  His mother made him promise that no other mother would have to go through what she did.  We took our eye off Afghanistan and the people who caused 9/11, because we went to Iraq.  Points finger at McCain, because you don’t muddle through Afghanistan.  (Update:  Michelle Malkin has a post about this subject.  And so does Ed over at HotAir.)

McCain:  I’ve been to Afghanistan.  I know what our needs are.  We will prevail there, but we need the new strategy in order to succeed.  But we’ll have to succeed in Iraq, but Obama’s plan will cause us to fail.

Jim–y’all are even on time.  All of our little 5-minute things are running over.  New lead question.

What is your reading on the threat from Iran on the security to the US.

McCain:  If Iran gets nukes, they’re a threat to Israel and the region, because everyone else over there will feel the need to aquire nukes.  We can’t have a second Holocaust.  We can’t allow it.  He’s proposed for a long time to form a league of democracies.  Russians are against it.  He wants a group of countries with common values, ideals, etc. who can cause significant, painful sanctions on Iran.  Iranian government is lousy.  Their gov’t is lousy, so their economy is lousy, even though they have significant amounts of oil.  We can affect Iranian behavior.  Iranians continue on path to nukes, and it’s a threat to the world.  They’re putting most lethal weapons and people into Iraq to kill us.  They’re trained in Iran, etc.  Senator Kyle had an amendment to declare them as terrorist sponsors (Bush Doctrine says we would attack and kill them for this), but Obama said that it would be provacative.  (Obama looks chastised).   It’s a serious threat.  We can act with our friends and allies to reduce the threat as soon as possible.

Obama:  Republican Guard is a terrorist group.  McCain wants to broaden the mandate in Iraq to deal with Iran.  Iran’s strengthened due to the Iraq war.  They funded Hamaas.  They’re developing nukes.  Our policy doesn’t work.  We can’t tolerate a nuclear Iran.  Stammered over saying Israel is our stalwart ally.  We need tougher sanctions, but we can’t execute them without help from countries like Russia and China (not democracies).  We’ll have to have tough deplomacy with Iran, because the lack of it doesn’t work.  (I say we just nuke ‘em all, and let God sort ‘em out!) 

McCain:  Obama has stated he wants to meet with Chavez, Ahminajihad, etc. without precondition.  Here is Ahminajihad who is now in NY who is talking about wiping Israel off the map.  We’re going to sit down with him without precondition?  We’re giving him more credence, and telling the world we think he’s right.  No other president has done that.  There HAVE to be preconditions, so that we wouldn’t legitimize a face-to-face meeting with them. 

Obama:  I reserve the right to meet with anyone at any time if I think it’s going to help us.  Kissinger just said we need to meet with Iran (Kissinger is a McCain advisor) without preconditions.  (He’s wrong.)  He was called naive because he said we need to talk to him, and Bush has done the very same thing.  In North Korea, we cut off talks, and they quadrupled their nuclear capacity, and tested a nuke.  They sent secrets potentially to Syria.  McCain appears resistant, and won’t meet with Spain–who is a NATO ally.

McCain:  I’m not going to set the White House visitor schedule before I’m president.  Kissinger did not say he would approve (he’s right) a face-to-face meeting with Ahminajihad.  Secretarial?  Yes.  Presidential?  No.  It’s dangerous to say that we’ll meet with someone who wants to wipe Israel off the map.  We need to go back to what Reagan did.

Obama:  McCain is mis-characterizing.  We won’t have talks before we have lower level talks.  The notion that we’re silent is ridiculous.

McCain:  So let me get this right.  We sit down with this guy who says they’re going to wipe Israel off the face of the earth, and we say ‘no you’re not’? (Obama tries to interject, but McCain keeps on)  Oh, please. (everyone laughs).  By the way, Kissinger would be interested to hear this conversation.  I’ve known him for 35 years.  He wouldn’t say this.  (he’s right!)

Next question:  Your views on Russia.  Enemy?  Friend?

Obama:  We need to re-evaluate our position on them.  Their actions in Georgia are unacceptable.  Unwarranted.  We will follow through on the 6-point cease-fire.  They have to do all this stuff.  You can’t be a 21-century power, but act like a 20th-century dictatorship.  We will support the Pols, (and he lists all the others).  We can’t return to a Cold War.  Nuclear proliferation, and nukes can fall into terrorist hands.  We have to work with them.  You deal with Russia on the terms of what are their affects on us?

McCain:  I was interested in Obama’s statement, because his first statement was that both sides ought to show restraint.  He doesn’t understand that Russia committed serious aggression against Georgia.  KGB runs the government.  He looked into Putin’s eyes and saw three letters:  K, G, and B.  Their behavior is unacceptable.  We won’t go back to Cold War, but we need to bolster our friends and allys.  It wasn’t just about a problem between Georgia and Russia.  It was an energy issue.  It was about a pipeline runs from the Caspain through Georgia through Turkey.  Russia controls other sources of energy that they use from time to time.  Mentions a president that I won’t try to spell his name.  Russians should understand that we’ll support Ukraine and Georgia into NATO.  Russians are in violation of their cease-fire agreement.  We want to work with Russians, but we have every right to expect them to behave like a country that respects boundaries, etc.  He basically kicks Obama’s butt on this issue.  Ukranians need to understand that we’re they’re friends.

Obama:  McCain’s right.  (GASP!)  However, McCain was wrong, because he said that he was the first to say that what they did was illegal, and asked for a billion dollars to send to Georgia for them to have their economy rebuilt so they wouldn’t be taken over by Russia.  He warned the administration back in April about Russian peace keepers in Georgia, which made no sense.  We could have avoided the issue if we had just listened to the Obamessiah.  Putin is feeling powerful, because of Petro dollars.  We need to increase domestic production, but we only have 3% of the world’s oil supplies, but we use 25%.  We need to use clean coal tech, nuclear, wind, etc.  He has a plan!  McCain voted 23 times against these alternative energy resources.  (McCain laughs).

McCain:  Offshore is a bridge, and it will help alleaviate our dependence on foreign at least in the short term.  Obama supports nuclear, but he objects to nuclear waste storing.

Obama:  No I didn’t.

Last lead question:  What do you think the likelihood of another 9/11 on the US?

McCain:  Much less than it was the day after 9/11.  But it’s not out of the realm of possibility.  I’ve worked with people across the aisle.  We were opposed by this administration, but we did get the legislation passed.  We’ve got it written into law most of the bi-partisan reforms that committee asked for.  We still need trained interrogators, we need better intelligence, we need better everything, we need to work with our allies, etc.  US is safer today than it was pre-9/11, but we still have a long way to go.  The men and women in our intelligence are doing an outstanding job, though.  Mentions borders.

Obama:  We are safer in some ways (airports, securing potential targets), but we still have a long way to go.  Chemical sites, transit, ports still have a long way to go.  Our threats are coming from suitcase, not through the skies.  We’re spending billions on missile defense, but he believes that we’re only spending millions on nuclear proliferation, then that’s a mistake.  Mentions Al Qaeda, we’ve got to go to the root cause.  Yadda yadda yadda.

 

Jedi’s grading: 

McCain A- (he could have mopped the floor with Obama many more times than he did)
Obama B+ (he could have been clearer and not interrupt as much, but he didn’t really give straight-forward answers to direct questions.  He evaded with generalities, which, of course, is what he usually does.)

Can’t wait until the VP debate!!!!

UPDATE 1: 

Other sites who have live-blogged this, and their comments include Michelle Malkin, Ed over at HotAir (even though I can’t see all of it, because of ’security issues’ in the system–I’ll blame the Obama-ites who are trying to prevent us good conservatives from seeing everything Ed has to say).  I’ll add more as I find them, but I wanted to get this out asap.

UPDATE 2:

From Ann Coulter

DEBATE GRADES: MCCAIN: A-, OBAMA: C - UNLIKE all other conservative commentators, I am not afraid to forthrightly admit when our side wins. Post debate TV commentary: All right-wingers are all giving McCain an A, but Obama a B+. (Good effort!) Meanwhile, all liberal commentators (which is 90% of commentators) give Obama an A and McCain an F. The truth is McCain A-, Obama C.

UPDATE (Numenorean):

Better late than never.  Well, maybe not.  I consider myself chastened as being the most pathetic blogger on the web since it took me five entire days to get to this.  I don’t have times or questions like Jedijson above, but these are my responses, random as always but in chronological order of the debate.  During the war segments I didn’t have much to say, so there are gaps there.

JM: He starts off with Kennedy?  Kennedy??  If it weren’t for Palin…
JM: Who are the congressional criminals he’s talking about? Name names, please.
JM: “I have a pen.” That’s going to leave a mark. It’s either going to end up the butt of a lot of liberal jokes tomorrow or he’s going to start trying to sell t-shirts with it on there.
BO: “Let’s be clear–” Is he a broken record? Is he chanting a mantra at me to hypnotize me? I will not look into his eyes…I will not look into his eyes…
(Me: Speaking of his eyes, is it me or does he look really scary? My first impression was, after all the preparation he’s put into it and they can’t find make-up or B-12 to help him look less like a vampire. Before B.O. fans go ballistic, if it were Hillary, and she came out in another pantsuit, I’d have something to say about that.)
JM: “Miss Congeniality.” Gee, that remark would have been a lot of fun if only he hadn’t made pals with those earmark pals across that aisle of his.
JM: “932 million.” LOL. Drive it home, John, drive it home. The closest I’ve seen to an actual attack from him.
(Me: Obama finally starts getting ruffled, and I’m hoping with all my might that Lehrer pushes a button and the cage comes down. Cagefight! Cagefight! Cagefight! Aw, man, that would be a much easier way to solve the debate, and be some darn good tv, too.)
BO: Did B.O. just kiss off Japan and South Korea? He did.
BO: College affordable? College isn’t relevant anymore. Try the word “education.” College for everyone? College isn’t for everyone. Arugula all over again. Nothing about public schools for us?
BO: A promise from the Obamessiah: give him 10 years and he will make us completely independent from Middle East oil. Now why didn’t another eco-friendly Democrat think of that 30 years ago when my parents were standing in line at the pump? I won’t hold my breath anyway. Drill, baby, drill.
JM: “It’s hard to reach across the aisle that far to the left.” Now I’d wear that on a t-shirt. Best line of the night? Sweet.
BO: Just called John “Tom.”
BO: No, he di-nt just link himself to Tom Coburn! Oh, Johnny boy — take those gloves off!
JM: Reigning in the budget: spending freeze except on defence, eliminate Middle East oil $$, create jobs with alternative fuel.
BO: Reigning in the budget: “Using a hatchet where you should use a scalpel” — whoa, that solves all our problems. Early childhood education, end the war. Brilliant. I feel like he’s got a good grasp on a solution, don’t you?
Jim Lehrer: “Rule America?” I sure hope that was a typo on the teleprompter. We the people rule America; the Prez gets to help us. Queen Elizabeth rules.
BO: People who weren’t even asking for taxcuts? Who are those people? Who are they? Are you telling me there is someone alive in the U.S. who would not ask for a tax cut? Must be his arugula support group.
JM: “I have…I have…zzzzzz.”
BO: Just called John “Jim.” What is it with this guy?
BO: “Orgy of spending” — nice…from a liberal. He’s going to turn all us conservatives against McCain with that one.
JM: “Long record/Americans know me well.” Nice dig. Two points for McCain.
war discussion…
JM: “Difference between tactic and strategy.” Fun.
JM: “Looking forward rather than back.” I love it. B.O. wants to talk Bush while Rome burns.
BO: “Difference of having a timetable or not.” Is he kidding?
BO: Would Saddam not have funded/supported bin Laden in Afghanistan? Idiot.
BO: Code Pink look out…more troops sent to Afghanistan under B.O. “Change you can believe in.”
BO: Is it bothering anyone else how he says “Tahl-ee-ban?” (Day-o, daaaay-o…)
BO: Al Queda is the biggest threat against the U.S.??? Sorry, I forgot, it’s not the Koran that tells millions of people to kill us, it’s Osama. What was I thinking? Actually, right now I’m thinking B.O. is the biggest threat against the U.S…
BO: We lost legitimacy in Pakistan? Make him stop now. It’s starting to hurt. He obviously doesn’t understand…
BO: I love the look on his face when JM says “I have a record.”
JM: We democracies can affect Iranian behavior? That’s a new one. Let’s get a psychic to call up Ronnie and tell him. B.O. is starting to affect you.
JM: “Reduce” — Giggle. Made me think of Miss Wisabus and her awesome “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” post.
BO: It’s our own fault that Iran wants to blow us off the face of the earth. That’s classy.
BO: Stuttering about Israel.
BO: Russia not considered a democracy.
JM: Don’t worry, McCain — we can’t pronounce Achmednej…whatever, either.
JM: Sic him, Johnny boy. Sitdowns with terrorists aren’t a good idea. He really doesn’t understand.
BO: North Korea quadrupled their nukes because we wouldn’t sit down with them? Now I’m wishing I was in a cagefight with him. Is he forgetting the Bush administration just sat down with them, and they lied, and now they’re back on track? Yeah, it is all because we didn’t have tea.
JM: No seal remark. Priceless.
JM: “The status of the ‘dear leader’s’ health.” Also priceless.
(Me: Why is JM not wiping the floor with B.O. on pre-conditions? This should be his moment.)
BO: Just called McCain “ridiculous.”
BO: Bad Russia, bad.
(Me: Explain it to them, B.O. Explain it to their tanks. Explain it to the people they conquered that you didn’t scream to help.)
BO: “Loose nukes for al Queda” — hot tip for terrorists: if you need some nukes, now you know where to look.
BO: “Sharp” response? Define “sharp” please.
JM: Naivete — I love it!
JM: Sounds knowledgeable.
BO: Why not bailout Georgians, too? (his rebuilding their economy remark)
BO: “Excuse us, Russia — please replace your troops with NATO troops.” That’s definitely going to work. Doesn’t that infringe on the “the world must love America” movement?
BO: “Help Georgia by producing more oil here”…but not allowing us to produce more oil here.
BO: Let’s talk about energy…because I can’t talk about foreign policy?
BO: “I will work for improving world opinion” — because it’s “important for national security??” Have you learned nothing from Israel? Buddy, we’re in this alone — you want us to believe that we have to rely on Switzerland for our national defence? Oh, no, you mean their national defence. I get it now. Really, though, it’s the Dollar that talks. Make the Dollar strong, and no matter what sabotage the press does, we’ll all get along just fine. (More Economics with Nume free of charge.)
BO: After just telling us to be everyone’s best friend, he said, “project power around the world.” He just doesn’t understand.
BO: Our vets need help. (Me: Go there! Go there! I dare you to challenge McCain on vets. But maybe he thought the question was about veterinarians.)
JM: “Some advantages to experience and judgment.” Heh.
B.O.: (lights up when McCain compares him to Bush)
JM: Reform, prosperity, peace. Not sure if that’s a good thing or something he got off Putin’s bumper sticker.
JM: “I don’t need on the job training.” Keep ‘em, coming. It’s more fun because B.O. isn’t cool about it — it would be so easy for him to shrug off, but it clearly bothers him.
BO: “I’m black…father from Kenya.” Is he being racist? This is how he chooses to close his remarks.
Jim Lehrer: “It’s live…”…on Saturday Night! Sorry, couldn’t resist.

Overall:

• McCain looked calm, seemed knowledgeable and was well-presented.  He didn’t actually attack B.O. as much as I thought he should.  I’ll send him a can of Right Guard Sport for next time.
• I did not see anything stellar or intergalactic about B.O.  In fact, even though I’m not McCain’s biggest fan, B.O.’s reactions to McCain felt childish and disrespectful to me.  I realize that B.O. has spent a good deal of time catering to the disrespectful crowd, but if the Obamessiah expects to win the masses, he’s going to have to give a nod to those of us who believe in showing respect to our elders.  Unless he feels it’s some sort of servitude racist Wright white-man thing.  My own opinion is that he could easily ace the age/experience thing with his crowd if he wouldn’t let it bother him so much — trying to come up with “community organizer” answers for it doesn’t work — just let it be what it is, laugh it off, even acknowledge that it’s true.  Denial doesn’t come off good — it makes him look more desperate and less honest.  Being respectful of his “enemy” would show us how respectful he will be to us all, but I don’t think that B.O. has that in him.  But here I am helping the enemy camp again…  Bitter!  That’s the word I’ve been looking for.  He looks bitter.
• The only thing I thought was worthwhile in the annoying commentary after the debate was the statement that this debate did not do anything to change the election — it did not pursuade people who were already decided to change their minds.  That’s probably very true, but I guess we’ll see.
• I was expecting a horrible, sleep-inducing, yawn-making bore tonight, but it was less painful than I had anticipated, and overall I’m glad I watched.  I’m really looking forward to the V.P. debate.  The V.P. may not get to “rule” the world, but their debates are sure going to be fun.