How McCain can avoid the epic fail in november

Gov. Palin drops out of the ticket due to "complications" with son's down syndrome problem. it's the only "honorable" way.

Obama says McCain agrees with Bush 90% of the time?

But Barack Obama's been with Rev. Jeremiah Wright's church for 20 years until he conveniently threw him under the bus? Heck, Obama named his book after one of Wright's sermons.

And except for the terrorism bombings part, i bet obama agrees with his radical friend Bill Ayers more on the issues than your average ordinary law-abiding American.

Devastating Dem ad vs McCain in the future

If the septuagenarian McCain is unable to finish his term, will the trailer-park, former beauty queen governor be ready as Commander-in-Chief? Does she belong in the White House?

Game over.

Sure, sure the crazies at Religious Right loved this pick, like James Dobson, but these religious conservatives will not be able to help retain much less win new seats for the Republicans in the Senate or the House in a heavily democratic year. This is the year the Dems might get 60 seats in the Senate, fer cryin out loud.

It's a reckless pick by McCain, no doubt about it. It shows lack of judgment. Country First? No Way. Baka Identity politics at political opportunism.

So now that McCain has blundered into selecting Palin, what's next? Can he still win?

1) yes, if Obama performs disastrously in the debates.

2) maybe, by going more negative.

Maybe Gov. Palin can all do us a favor and do an Eagleton, fake a nervous breakdown, and quit the race, so that mccain can replace him with somebody more qualified.

UPDATE: Sarah, sarah, sarah... you are out of your league in this arena. And you know it. You and your trailer park husband should have said NO to the McCain.

This pick will destroy the McCain brand. and it will destroy you. it will not help the republicans from avoiding the complete wipeout they deserve in November. I hope this anticipated debacle will push the Crazy Religious Right to the fringes.

Congrats Obama. 8 years.

Charles Krauthammer calls McCain's Palin pick "near suicidal."


(source of photo)

I think Sarah Palin is an awful choice

The first thing you are looking for in a vice president is: Is she ready to be commander in chief from day one if the 72-yr old GOP nominee is incapacitated or croaks?

Well, is she? She was mayor of a small town in Alaska for 6 years, and just became governor of Alaska last year. Alaska while big geographically, has only 680,000 in population.

An unknown pol from a small state? are you kidding me? the palin pick ironically makes the obama-biden choice the safer one in November.

UPDATE: McCain only met Palin once before the VP offer. Hah, like a blind date. It is becoming more and more like a crude attempt to attract Hillary women voters to the ticket.

Sarah Palin vs Joe Biden?

Can you imagine her going up against a tough debater like Sen. Biden? She might lapse into an Admiral Stockdale moment.

McCain's Scathing Letter to Obama in 2006

Background. Charles Krauthammer wrote today on the washington post re Obama's lack of accomplishments and bipartisan credentials:

Thought experiment. Assume John McCain had retired from politics. Would he have testified to Obama's political courage in reaching across the aisle to work with him on ethics reform, a collaboration Obama boasted about in the Saddleback debate? "In fact," reports the Annenberg Political Fact Check, "the two worked together for barely a week, after which McCain accused Obama of 'partisan posturing' " -- and launched a volcanic missive charging him with double-cross.

This is the McCain letter Krauthammer's referring to:

Dear Senator Obama:

I would like to apologize to you for assuming that your private assurances to me regarding your desire to cooperate in our efforts to negotiate bipartisan lobbying reform legislation were sincere. When you approached me and insisted that despite your leadership’s preference to use the issue to gain a political advantage in the 2006 elections, you were personally committed to achieving a result that would reflect credit on the entire Senate and offer the country a better example of political leadership, I concluded your professed concern for the institution and the public interest was genuine and admirable. Thank you for disabusing me of such notions with your letter to me dated February 2, 2006, which explained your decision to withdraw from our bipartisan discussions. I’m embarrassed to admit that after all these years in politics I failed to interpret your previous assurances as typical rhetorical gloss routinely used in politics to make self-interested partisan posturing appear more noble. Again, sorry for the confusion, but please be assured I won’t make the same mistake again.

As you know, the Majority Leader has asked Chairman Collins to hold hearings and mark up a bill for floor consideration in early March. I fully support such timely action and I am confident that, together with Senator Lieberman, the Committee on Governmental Affairs will report out a meaningful, bipartisan bill.

You commented in your letter about my “interest in creating a task force to further study” this issue, as if to suggest I support delaying the consideration of much-needed reforms rather than allowing the committees of jurisdiction to hold hearings on the matter. Nothing could be further from the truth. The timely findings of a bipartisan working group could be very helpful to the committee in formulating legislation that will be reported to the full Senate. Since you are new to the Senate, you may not be aware of the fact that I have always supported fully the regular committee and legislative process in the Senate, and routinely urge Committee Chairmen to hold hearings on important issues. In fact, I urged Senator Collins to schedule a hearing upon the Senate’s return in January.

Furthermore, I have consistently maintained that any lobbying reform proposal be bipartisan. The bill Senators Joe Lieberman and Bill Nelson and I have introduced is evidence of that commitment as is my insistence that members of both parties be included in meetings to develop the legislation that will ultimately be considered on the Senate floor. As I explained in a recent letter to Senator Reid, and have publicly said many times, the American people do not see this as just a Republican problem or just a Democratic problem. They see it as yet another run-of-the-mill Washington scandal, and they expect it will generate just another round of partisan gamesmanship and posturing. Senator Lieberman and I, and many other members of this body, hope to exceed the public’s low expectations. We view this as an opportunity to bring transparency and accountability to the Congress, and, most importantly, to show the public that both parties will work together to address our failings.

As I noted, I initially believed you shared that goal. But I understand how important the opportunity to lead your party’s effort to exploit this issue must seem to a freshman Senator, and I hold no hard feelings over your earlier disingenuousness. Again, I have been around long enough to appreciate that in politics the public interest isn’t always a priority for every one of us. Good luck to you, Senator.

Sincerely,

John McCain
United States Senate

DVD vendors at GoodEarth relocated

to the Odeon Terminal Mall, 2nd floor. the place is in recto corner avenida, sta. cruz.

Putin: US helped create Georgian crisis to help McCain

The old soviet style propaganda from Pooty Poots. From the International herald Tribune:

As Russia struggled to rally international support for its military action in Georgia, Vladimir Putin, the country's paramount leader, lashed out at the United States on Thursday, contending that the White House may have orchestrated the conflict to benefit one of the candidates in the American presidential election.

Putin's comments in a television interview, his most extensive to date on Russia's decision to send troops into Georgia earlier this month, sought to present the military operation as a response to brazen, cold war-style provocations by the United States. In tones that seemed alternately angry and mischievous, he suggested that the Bush administration may have tried to create a crisis that would influence American voters in the choice of a successor to President George W. Bush.

"The suspicion would arise that someone in the United States created this conflict on purpose to stir up the situation and to create an advantage for one of the candidates in the competitive race for the presidency in the United States," Putin said in an interview with CNN.

He added, "They needed a small victorious war."

Yeah, this Kremlin campaign to push this conspiracy theory has been going on for some time now.

Previous:

Times of London - Kremlin: Conflict in Georgia a plot by Dick Cheney to stop Obama from being elected US President.

Hillary, Biden, Dodd vs Obama

"I think Keith has gone too far. I think Chris has gone too far."

Tom Brokaw, on the MSNBC anchors.

Expectations high on Barack Obama's Invesco speech

that's got some dems worried. and it's the reason why andrew sullivan is lowering expectations.

Michelle Malkin attacked (video)

"Kill Michelle Malkin" raw. outside the Dem Convention (at the 2:38 mark):

Arroyo Supreme Court wants to regulate media

I don't think enough people are paying attention to this story.

Giuliani may be darkhorse to become McCain VP

So it's either Condi, Mitt Romney, Rudy.

Obama VP text message sent at 3:00 am in the morning

remember those Hillary 3:00 call ads?

McCain-Rice 08

Now it is McCain's turn to pick his VP.

I hope McCain gently twists Condi's arms to get her to say yes to being his vice president. Tell her the party's nomination for the presidency will be hers in 2012 if they win this year.

If Condoleezza Rice joins the ticket, it is game over.

Obama-Biden 2008

That's the ticket.

UPDATE: any moment now...

UPDATE: Done deal!



thoughts on Joe Biden from David Brooks.

Is Obama the Anti-Christ?

Or is CNN crazy?

Right Blogs debunk Obama Smears, Left Blog debunk McCain Smears

Here's the Right helping barack obama Fight the Smears. Here's the Left doing the same for John McCain.

When Gore and Bush picked their Vice Presidents

Bush picked first and he selected Dick Cheney on July 25, 2000. The Republican National convention was held on July 31 - Aug. 3.

Gore picked his running mate Joe Lieberman on Aug. 8 2000. the 2000 Democratic National convention was held on Aug 14-17.

More: In 2004, the Democratic Convention (July 26-29) was held one month earlier than the Republican convention (Aug 30-Sept 2)

John Kerry selected John Edwards to be his running mate on July 6, 2004. (maaga...)

This year's Dem Convention at Denver will be on (Aug. 25-28.) As of now, wala pa ring vice president pick si Barack Obama.

The GOP Convention will be at Minneapolis on Sept 1-4. John McCain's campaign said he will reveal his running mate on Aug. 29, 2008.

Manila International Book Fair 2008 (Sept 12-16)

From 10:00am to 8:00pm daily, at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City.

Will Lebron, Wade, Carmelo and Kobe still play for the US team after the Olympics?

or will this be their last year as National Team Members? Will we still see them in the 2010 FIBA World Championships?

My gut tells me Lebron James and Kobe Bryant will skip 2010. Dwayne Wade and Carmelo Anthony are 50/50 in rejoining the National team.

Chinese Olympic Opening Ceremonies - Amezing and Creepy

From the FOX All Star Panel talking about the recent Olympic Opening show in Beijing.

JEFF BIRNBAUM: Some people were saying that the Chinese are creating an image by-- artificially through these games. I think that we're actually getting a fairly well-rounded view. It is both amazing--the precision of masses of people, especially at that opening ceremony was incredible. But it's also scary, creepy in a lot of ways, that--

FRED BARNES: The synchronized drums?

BIRNBAUM: It was all amazing. It was breathtaking and frightening and remarkable and eye-opening about how important and how far--how important this country is and how far it really has to go to become a fully-developed nation, where individuals are able to do things.

They are obviously not. I mean, the story about the little girl who wasn't beautiful enough to be put out front, the singer. The little flaws we're seeing are telling us as much as the perfection of these mass demonstrations.

And I think it's important for the world to view China, because it is so large and important, and we're getting a window into bolt kinds of China through these remarkable Olympics, in my view.

BRET BAIER: Charles?

CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: Like Jeff and Fred, I'm enjoying the sports. I like seeing Phelps, half man, half fish. I mean, the most amazing athlete I have ever seen.

But like Jeff, I'm still recovering from the opening ceremonies. I got that chill up my spine. It was "Triumph of the Will" Chinese-style. I mean it had all of these sweet elements. It had the fireworks, had the smiley face, had 2,000 drums, people acting in unison like computer graphics or automatons.

And then it had the little girls carrying the flag, handing it over to goose stepping soldiers in a chilling reminder of an earlier Olympics and an earlier time in a galaxy far away. It was really like a Nuremberg rally in modern garb.

My son had the best take. He said it was a cross between a North Korean mass rally and Cirque de Soleil. And it was quite chilling. It is the China that is controlled by this authoritarian regime. The trains are run on time, but a little scarily clean and neat and perfect.

The Village in May

This scared Ann Althouse

(via Althouse)

A Czar is Born

Ralph Peters: Bad Vlad wins war, dupes the west, and proves he's a genius.

THE Russians are alcohol-sodden bar barians, but now and then they vomit up a genius.

Prime Minister - and now generalissimo - Vladimir Putin is Mother Russia's latest world-class wonder.

Let's be honest: Putin's the most effective leader in the world today.

That doesn't mean he's good news for anybody - not even for the Russians, in the long run. His ruthless ambition and gambler's audacity may end terribly.

But, for now, give the devil his due: After a long string of successes, from his personal mastery of Russia's government and media to his coldblooded energy brinkmanship, Putin has capped his performance with a stunning success in Georgia.

Not a single free-world leader currently in office can measure up to Czar Vladimir the Great.

Following his turnaround of Russia from bankrupt kleptocracy to flush-with-cash autocracy, he's now openly determined to restore Moscow's old empire.

And he's getting away with it.

they're good at propaganda too.

Equally as remarkable was the Kremlin's ability to lead the global media by the nose. (Oblivious to the irony, a BBC broadcast yesterday portrayed tiny, poorhouse Georgia as a propaganda powerhouse and Russia as an information victim - an illustration of the Russian propaganda machine's effectiveness.)

Related (from Times of London): Kremlin: Conflict in Georgia a plot by Dick Cheney to stop Obama from being elected US President.

Ricky Rubio the next Magic Johnson?!?!?

Sabi raw ni Lang Whitaker. Hyperbole Hyperbole Hyperbole!

Ito ang assessment ko kay Rubio when I saw him in the ULEB cup finals this April.

i saw ricky rubio three times in ULEB. nothing spectacular about his game. i was expecting him to wow me by outplaying the older players. no luck.

but he did do okay against people who were twice his age. i guess i was expecting too much since he’d be dominating the game if he played against his 17 year old peers.

but no, i did not see anything special other than to say that HE BELONGED in that team. he did not look out of place against his elders.

here’s my scouting report on rubio: he can’t shoot the outside shot, but he plays terrific defense. good instincts. a decent passer. but in the finals against girona, it was rudy fernandez (playing alongside rubio) who usually handled the ball and played the point because he was a threat in the perimeter. rubio played off the ball. hmmm… i guess the joventut coach wanted to win and he wanted an experienced hand to control the offense.

I agree with M. Haubs though that Rubio is the defensive version of Steve Nash.

BTV Schedule for Men's Olympic Basketball (Philippines)

BTV Olympic schedule

8/22: 8:00 pm Semifinal - Game 1: Spain vs Lithuania
8/22: 10:15 pm Semifinal - Game 2: Argentina vs United States

UPDATE: Official BTV Schedule.

Obama must "Fight the Smears"

and "the Swift-boaters"

How to Stop Putin

Krauthammer:

What is to be done? Let's be real. There's nothing to be done militarily. What we can do is alter Putin's cost-benefit calculations.

We are not without resources. There are a range of measures to be deployed if Russia does not live up to its cease-fire commitments:

1. Suspend the NATO-Russia Council established in 2002 to help bring Russia closer to the West. Make clear that dissolution will follow suspension. The council gives Russia a seat at the NATO table. Message: Invading neighboring democracies forfeits the seat.

2. Bar Russian entry to the World Trade Organization.

3. Dissolve the G-8. Putin's dictatorship long made Russia's presence in this group of industrial democracies a farce, but no one wanted to upset the bear by expelling it. No need to. The seven democracies simply withdraw. (And if Italy's Silvio Berlusconi, who has been sympathetic to Putin's Georgia adventure, wants to stay, he can have an annual G-2 dinner with Putin.) Then immediately announce the reconstitution of the original G-7.

4. Announce a U.S.-European boycott of the 2014 Winter Olympics at Sochi. To do otherwise would be obscene. Sochi is 15 miles from Abkhazia, the other Georgian province just invaded by Russia. The Games will become a riveting contest between the Russian, Belarusan and Jamaican bobsled teams.

All of these steps (except dissolution of the G-8, which should be irreversible) would be subject to reconsideration depending upon Russian action -- most importantly and minimally, its withdrawal of troops from Georgia proper to South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

The most crucial and unconditional measure, however, is this: Reaffirm support for the Saakashvili government and declare that its removal by the Russians would lead to recognition of a government-in-exile. This would instantly be understood as providing us the legal basis for supplying and supporting a Georgian resistance to any Russian-installed regime.

There's more in that article. Read the whole thing.

"Like the Berlin speech, which has in the end become a liability for Obama, the mass rally will turn off more people than it will inspire."

from noted Obama supporter Andrew Sullivan.

Camille Paglia: When will those blasted presidential debates come?

the obama supporter is whining about the lack of issues-oriented debates during the hiatus that has allowed the repubs to "distort" obama's image:

Aug. 13, 2008 | When in tarnation will those blasted presidential debates arrive? This excruciatingly long hiatus between the end of the primary season and the national conventions feels like running in mud. The electorate desperately needs to see and compare the two major candidates operating together in an issues-oriented forum. Both Barack Obama and John McCain are being diminished by their helter-skelter jumping around like grasshoppers. And campaign ads on both sides have seemed rote, slick or silly.

As a supporter of Barack Obama, I've been alarmed by the steady tightening of the polls. And as a longtime listener of talk radio who witnessed the ruthless whittling down of John Kerry in the 2004 campaign, I have an increasing sense of foreboding. Obama is twisting slowly, slowly in the wind like a tempting piñata for right-wing cudgels. Given how new he is as a national figure (despite his bestselling books), this protracted summer delay is allowing opponents to fill the gap with a grotesquely distorted caricature of him.

And whose fault is it that we don't have enough debates this early for the voters to make an informed decision? McCain challenged Obama to 10 townhall debates (One a week) after the dem primaries were concluded, but Obama rejected it outright, in an effort to play it safe from now till denver.

The Explainer: The Perils of Partition (Video)

it's MLQ3's August 12, 3008 show. with DJB as guest.

Youtube video 1


Youtube video 2
Youtube video 3
Youtube video 4
Youtube video 5

The "All of the Above" Approach to Energy Independence

that's John McCain's new policy on Energy Independence. The "All of the Above" approach includes:

domestic drilling, nukes, concentrated solar, deep geothermal, clean coal, and whatever else Silicon Valley and heroic capitalists everywhere can dream up as we conduct a market-driven transition to a post-hydrocarbon economy.

Is it too late to replace Obama with Hillary?

after seeing the how the recent events in Georgia was unfolded, are the dems comfortable with Chicago Community Organizer as their nominee?

Is that the best the dems can do? Jimmy Carter redux?

Spengler: Putin for US President

Sabi nya:

If Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin were president of the United States, would Iran try to build a nuclear bomb? Would Pakistan provide covert aid to al-Qaeda? Would Hugo Chavez train terrorists in Venezuela? Would leftover nationalities with delusions of grandeur provoke the great powers? Just ask Georgia's President Mikheil Saakashvili, who now wishes he never tried to put his 4 million countrymen into strategic play.

Hmmmm....

If America wants to recover from its humiliation in the Caucasus, it might, for example, conduct an air raid against Iran's nuclear facilities, and justify it with the same sort of reasoning that Russia invoked in Georgia. Contrary to surface impressions, Moscow wouldn't mind a bit.

Hmmmm....

Obama camp finally responds to McCain's "Celeb" ad

only two weeks late.

It's like somebody made fun of you, but you didn't say a word to respond at that moment. Tameme ka. But you figured out a "snappy comeback" 2 hours after the guy had already left the building.

Either Obama's campaign didn't quite know how to respond or didn't initially think it necessary to push back against McCain's "Celebrity" rap.

But now, two weeks later, they're going on the air seeking to turn the attack around on the Republican, calling McCain "Washington's biggest celebrity."

And not even original. He responds to the mccain ad labeling him a Celebrity by calling mccain a celebrity too!

John McCain's new slogan.

Country First. aka "Bayan Muna".

London Times: "Secret deal kept British Army out of battle for Basra"

A secret deal between Britain and the notorious al-Mahdi militia prevented British Forces from coming to the aid of their US and Iraqi allies for nearly a week during the battle for Basra this year, The Times has learnt.

Four thousand British troops – including elements of the SAS and an entire mechanised brigade – watched from the sidelines for six days because of an “accommodation” with the Iranian-backed group, according to American and Iraqi officers who took part in the assault...

Under its terms, no British soldier could enter Basra without the permission of Des Browne, the Defence Secretary. By the time he gave his approval, most of the fighting was over and the damage to Britain’s reputation had already been done.

Senior British defence sources told The Times that Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi Prime Minister, who ordered the assault, and high-ranking US military officers had become disillusioned with the British as a result of their failure to act. Another confirmed that the deal, negotiated by British Intelligence, had been a costly mistake.

You think?

How the British blew it in Basra: "You can accuse the Americans of many things, such as hamfistedness, but you can’t accuse them of not addressing a situation when it arises. While we had a strategy of evasion, the Americans just went in and addressed the problem."

As Greyhawk comments: "From the get go, they tried very hard to not be American. They succeeded." And they got great press on how much smarter than Americans they were, until things were obviously in the toilet, at which point the problem became America's fault!

'Find Out Where His Kids Go to School'

haha, this is sopranos style intimidation.

Why So Serious, Mara Reyes?

of Project Runway Philippines. What's Buggin' Ya?

I Love this House Bunny movie poster

I love Anna Faris' look.



kinda reminds me of the 40 Yr Old Virgin poster ni Steve Carell, only funnier.

Paris Hilton upset at McCain campaign for Obama comparisons

and she responds with her own video.

Six stages of grief for Arroyo-Garci defenders

ginamit ni mickey kaus sa john edwards-rielle hunter lovechild story, pero applicable rin sa mga defenders ng arroyo-garci caper.

1) Too horrible and shocking; it can't possibly be true;
2) It's not true;
3) You can't prove it's true;
4) Why are you trying to prove it's true?
5) It's disgusting that you've proved it's true;
6) What's the big deal anyway?

My add: 7) Who's the alternative?

Now it's Terry McAuliffe who's emailing me

Dear John,

If you haven't already entered the contest to have dinner with Hillary, there is still time left. This is a great chance for you and a guest to have dinner one-on-one with Hillary.

Have dinner with Hillary. Contribute today.

I would never skip a chance to sit down and chat with Hillary, and neither should you. Best of luck!

-Terry

Nobody wants to have dinner with Hillary? To retire her pesky debt?

I'm looking for Whit Stillman's film Barcelona (1994)

UPDATE: Torrent link.

i searched the torrent sites pero wala. napanood ko na ito dati, pero gusto kong panoorin ulit. It's a comedy about anti-americanism in spain at the end of the cold war. a young mira sorvino plays one of the spanish chicks.

Cuil, the new search engine

created by ex-google employees, to challenge Google. Cuil is pronounced "cool". (via)

Give it a try.

Michael Jordan tried to steer away from politics

to protect his brand and image, but you can tell he is a Democrat. His statement that "Republicans buy shoes too" back in the mid-90s was an indirect admission.

Obama as Moses aka The One

I couldn't stop laughing at this (via)



yesterday he was compared to britney spears and paris hilton. now, moses.

Funny Shit from Uniffors

(source)

Lacson accuser Blanquita Pelaez recants

and says Malacanang made her do their dirty work.

This is just a reminder of how evil this administration was back then. But you wouldn't know judging from the way some of the Bishops and the likes of Bong Austero throw themselves defending Arroyo.

at the same time, this doesn't absolve ms pelaez from the lies she and this adminstration concocted to smear lacson. If I were lacson, I would sue her and start impeachment proceedings on this corrupt admin.

And what is the deal with Christine Herrera? She's the former Inquirer reporter who "broke" the story of Lacson's "secret" "billion dollar" bank accounts using Pelaez as source. The story looked fishy from the very beginning (especially if read in paragraph 13 of that same article.)

Anyway, nung lumipat si Herrera sa Manila Standard Today, the bitch was again involved with Blanquita Pelaez in another "scoop", this time about Estrada and Joelle Pelaez and money laundering. I wonder if this story is bogus too. hmmm.... let me think.

but even before the pelaez mea culpa, ricky carandang was able to dissect the pelaez story and correctly determined the charges against erap were bogus. her admission only confirms what we knew all along.

An Obama presidency would spare us this idiocy

(via) Where is the Bush administration getting these ideas? from the CBCP?

The Bush Administration has ignited a furor with a proposed definition of pregnancy that has the effect of classifying some of the most widely used methods of contraception as abortion. A draft regulation, still being revised and debated, treats most birth-control pills and intrauterine devices as abortion because they can work by preventing fertilized eggs from implanting in the uterus. The regulation considers that destroying "the life of a human being."

If it's Condi, then VP announcement should be at Convention

that place is gonna rock at Minnesota. She's a special lady and John McCain needs a special stage to announce her selection. and you get to stomp on obama's bounce after the stadium speech.

She is "high risk." But she is also high reward.

If it's Pawlenty, Palin or Romney, then it won't matter if sen. mccain announces it now or later. they're all bah choices. especially tim pawlenty who is a "no risk, no reward" selection.

If it's any of them, then i think it is better to announce now so they can immediately start campaigining for him all across the state.

In other news, TIME magazine reports that Obama is keeping in touch with Condi.

The article opens: "A few days before he left on his eight-country world tour, Barack Obama wanted to discuss the trip with an old contact in Washington: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Obama's phone call was in part courtesy, but over three years of occasional phone conversations, the two have quietly discussed everything from foreign aid to the Middle East and nuclear proliferation.

"The little-known Rice-Obama link is just the latest surprise in a summer of unexpected shifts in American foreign policy."

Calabresi reports that Rice is trying to "clean up" the Bush mess and that the latest diplomatic moves orchestrated by her "signal the latest triumph of realism over ideology -- and a victory for Rice and her diplomatic team over the neoconservatives led by Vice President Cheney. The moves amount to an unmistakable effort to clean up Bush's foreign policy legacy before he exits the stage."

Ken Duberstein, the former Reagan aide, tells TIME, "This is bold strategic diplomacy with an eye to the history books."

And that's why she is polling higher than most Bush admin officials.

As for Barack, sorry but you can't have her for VP. ;)

Previous: Why Mccain Condi?

UPDATE: I'm okay with all this Pawlenty or Romney VP talk supposedly from the mccain camp, IF it's meant at misdirection. Heck, the obama camp is already doing it with Tim Kaine, since they're probably eyeing bill richardson-- who has foreign policy and executive experience, plus he can draw the hispanics to obama's camp.

Do you want to have dinner with Hillary?

Here's an email i received from the Clinton campaign:

Dear John,

During the campaign, Hillary and I didn't have the chance to eat together much because we were usually on the trail in different states. Now that the campaign's over, I'm glad we can share more meals again.

Of all the people I've had the privilege to break bread with, the person I most enjoy is still Hillary.

Now you have a chance to have dinner with her. And if you contribute today to help Hillary retire that pesky campaign debt, you and a guest might be sitting down to dinner with her soon. I think you should go for it and enter today.

Join Hillary for dinner. Make a contribution today.

Trust me on this one. If you're the lucky winner, it will be a night you'll really enjoy and one to remember.

All my best,
Bill Clinton

Visitor Q: A Pointless Crass Movie

Why did i even bother?