Fareed ...

Zakaria gets it right about Palin and McCain:

...

Can we now admit the obvious? Sarah Palin is utterly unqualified to be vice president. She is a feisty, charismatic politician who has done some good things in Alaska. But she has never spent a day thinking about any important national or international issue, and this is a hell of a time to start. The next administration is going to face a set of challenges unlike any in recent memory. There is an ongoing military operation in Iraq that still costs $10 billion a month, a war against the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan that is not going well and is not easily fixed. Iran, Russia and Venezuela present tough strategic challenges.

...

Obviously these are very serious challenges and constraints. In these times, for John McCain to have chosen this person to be his running mate is fundamentally irresponsible. McCain says that he always puts country first. In this important case, it is simply not true.

She's a moron and he's insane for picking her as his running mate. They're both unqualified.

Great thanks to Mr. Aravosis for the link.

Like I said ...

Nothing to see here. Move along please ...

At a Harvard panel discussion yesterday, economics professor Ken Rogoff made an interesting point: The liquidity crisis isn't real. Or, to restate it: Any liquidity crisis is caused by the promise of a government bailout. Ken said that his many friends in investment banking said that there is plenty of money to invest in financial services, but right now it is "sitting on the sidelines." Why? Because the financial services industry does not want to pay the terms demanded. As he put it, why do business with Warren Buffett who will negotiate a tough deal, if you believe that the government will ride in soon with cheaper cash?

...

The only thing our legislators should be doing is tightening up the rules for these mofos.

Obama Receives Kiss of Death!

We Now Know Who the Next President Will Be - Bob Shrum

If Shrum ever tells me I'm lookin' good, I'll just walk down to the marble orchard and turn myself in.

The most spine chilling McCain video you will ever see.

Saturday Emmylou Blogging

Sometimes ya has ta make a choice. Sometimes ya dasn't. Sometimes ya can't. I narrowed it down to these two after an agonizing (yeah, right!) hour watching videos posted this week. I think maybe I ain't the only person happily obssessed with this young lady.

Emmylou Harris & Dave Matthews - My Antonia

Emmylou with Albert Lee and Tammy Rogers - When I Was Yours

Thank you to GainControlAgain whom you should go see.

Debate prep ...

The Rude way:

Lehrer to Obama:

"How do you answer your critics who say you lack the experience necessary to be President?"

Obama's response:

...

"Now lemme say somethin' here directly to Johnny Maverick. Your America failed. Your version of this country, where we go and fight bullshit wars and where rich people are gonna be all generous with their money and where businesses will take care of themselves, that shit failed. It's done, Johnny Maverick. And this fuckin' wreckage is owned by the Republican president and the Republican Congress, and that includes you, motherfucker. You still stink of this shit, and no matter how hard you try to run, those gimpy little legs can't get you far enough away so that you don't smell like Uncle Sam just took a dump on you. You own this. You think you can just put it aside like some out-of-wedlock baby and wait for the DNA test to make you pay child support? No, motherfucker. You broke it, you bought it, you gotta carry it around with you. Every time you got down on those broken knees in front of George W. Bush and was first in line to take his dick in your mouth, you owned another piece of it, and now that he's come, you wanna spit? Fuck you. Swallow that shit, bitch.

...

That would be entertaining as a motherfucker. Unfortunately, Ol' Barry won't say that so I'm going to bed and catch the lowlights on the news at 0400.

Another one...

Not shown are the quart of French Vanilla ice cream and the bottle of Caramel Syrup.

Cake is from the Treat Box, owned by Lee who learned to bake in the Navy. Luckily he got over it.

Maverick

Good News, Bad News

Mark Morford. Links at site.

The good news: Proposition 8, the November initiative that would permanently congeal the state's lingering residue of homophobia and prohibit gays from ever getting married lest plagues of designer locusts and rainbow-colored frogs and sweet-natured gay math teachers who wink menacingly at your innocent virgin boy-child in algebra class rain down upon the land, appears to be failing.

Support now hovers somewhere around 38 percent of the state's sexually terrified and confused and old, most of whom live in Orange County and the farm belt and who, perhaps tellingly, say that they also support less reading in schools, an increase in half-off sales on week-old salami logs at Pepperidge Farm at the Northtown mall, and more shooting of those damn teenagers in the kneecaps for playing that gul-dang hippity-hop music so loud that it shakes the baby Jesus figurines right off the TV.

The bad news: Upon losing the election, John McCain himself will quickly retreat from the national spotlight, but there's a chance Palin will cause nightmares for years and decades to come (perhaps replacing hateful Ted Stevens as Alaska state senator), given how she's just young and intolerant enough to convince the hard right that they've finally found a "real" woman they can actually support, despite how she's basically Dick Cheney with a hair bun, and is about as friendly to the feminine cause as a reef shark to a menstruating mermaid.

The good news: The countdown of Bush's final 100 days in office begins October 11.

The bad news: The count-up of the years of savage economic, environmental, ethical and spiritual repercussions we are to suffer as a direct result of his administration's historic ineptitude is only just beginning. But hey, at least you have that new purple vibrator. Yes?

No. My new vibrator is red & chrome and says 'Royal Enfield' on the gas tank.

Much more. Enjoy.

Why Congress Is Failing America

Slate. Links at site.

The financial catastrophe and the WaMu collapse reveal that Washington bureaucrats can handle an emergency but politicians can't.

Last night, the troubled financial system had to absorb two fresh blows: the failure of Washington Mutual and the failure of the White House and Congress to reach a consensus on a proposed bailout package for banks like Washington Mutual. The big irony? The failure of a bank with $307 billion in assets, the largest bank failure ever by far, is causing the tiniest of ripples, while the failure of business as usual—who could have imagined that the Bush administration would be unable to bring along its allies in the House and Senate?—is inducing rage and panic among CNBC talking heads.

It is a tale of two systems. One system, the one used to process failed and faltering banks, works really well. It's been in place and evolving for 75 years, since the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was founded (over the opposition of bankers, it must be added). Since then, not a penny of depositors' money has been lost, and the banks continue to insure themselves against their own incompetence. The FDIC insurance fund contains about $45 billion, and analysts had feared that the failure of a bank the size of WaMu (it had $188 billion in deposits) would swamp the fund. But the FDIC has a professional staff, run by a highly competent and intelligent manager, Sheila Bair. Having already handled a baker's dozen of failures this year, the FDIC has the drill down. There are also, thankfully, a few competent bankers left in the world. Many of them work at J.P. Morgan Chase, which has agreed to acquire WaMu's business. WaMu's failure will cause real dislocation—stockholders and many bold-holders are likely to be wiped out. But WaMu's depositors will be made whole. The FDIC won't have to dip into the insurance fund. J.P. Morgan Chase is assuming WaMu's troubled mortgage business. It will take a charge for those bad debts and raise new capital from the private sector to deal. It's a big headline and a big story, but in the scheme of things, a blip. A large boat slipping silently below the sea while all the passengers escape with their lives. This system is a force for order.

The other system—the process by which Congress and the White House make legislation—is an OK system in the best of times and a completely FUBAR one at the worst. It has many competent and well-meaning professionals in it. But it also has a bunch of incompetent malefactors. For the past week, this system has been lurching toward a proposal to bail out banks by raising taxpayer funds to purchase bad assets. The plan, released last Friday, was the brainchild of Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and was instantly endorsed by President Bush and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. Last weekend, Congress got involved. And throughout the week, all parties involved gave the outward impression that they were moving toward an agreement. On Wednesday, a senior official involved in the talks assured a group of journalists that the grownups were in charge. Only they weren't. Democrats, who control Congress, were unwilling to pass what amounts to a massive tax increase on their own. Senate Republicans signaled their willingness to go along, but House Republicans said they wouldn't provide any votes. Nonetheless, Wednesday night President Bush addressed the nation, warning of dire consequences unless the bailout plan was passed. He proclaimed an era of good feeling—"there is a spirit of cooperation between Democrats and Republicans and between Congress and this administration"—but didn't seem to expend much effort whipping House Republicans in line. John McCain suspended his campaign and parachuted into Washington, forcing Obama to attend a staged meeting at the White House. Throughout Thursday, word was leaked that the contours of a deal had been agreed upon. The markets rallied. Last night, the word came that there was to be no deal. The evening ended with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson begging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to save the economy but conceding that the real problem was his fellow Republicans. This morning, the markets were emitting a primal scream. This system is a force for chaos.

The difference is simple: the bureaucrats just do their jobs. The pols are pandering all over the place to get re-elected.

What McNext?

Slate predicts McCain's next 10 Hail Mary stunts.

1. Returns to Vietnam and jails himself.
2. Offers the post of "vice vice president" to Warren Buffett.
3. Challenges Obama to suspend campaign so they both can go and personally drill for oil offshore.
4. Learns to use computer.
5. Does bombing run over Taliban-controlled tribal areas of Pakistan.
6. Offers to forgo salary, sell one house.
7. Sex-change operation.
8. Suspends campaign until Nov. 4, offers to start being president right now.
9. Sells Alaska to Russia for $700 billion.
10. Pledges to serve only one term. OK, half a term.

Do you have an idea for McCain's next campaign stunt? Send it to us at NextMcCainStunt@gmail.com, and we will publish the best ideas. E-mails may be quoted by name unless you indicate otherwise.

OK, how about declaring himself the winner of tonight's debate before even announcing he will attend?

Yeesh. McMeltdown, and I'm positively enjoyin' the shit out of it.

Where Are the Grown-Ups?

This whole financial 'crisis' confuses the crap out of me. First, it's not a crisis if you see it coming as many did, it's the predicted end result of a failed Repuglican philosophy of unfettered greed. Do I want our treasury sacked to reward rapacious capitalists for poor judgment and utter mismanagement? No. Do I give a shit about the big financial firms that did this and their lackeys in Congress who let them? I wish they'd all die. Do I want to see Great Depression 2.0? No. Do I want to see the dirt shoveled in on top of the Repugs in the hole they've dug? Yes. Do I like being in the hole with them? I'd rather do the shoveling. Do I like the Bush/Paulson bailout plan? Of course not. Do I like the modified Dem plan? Not much. Do I like the House Repug 'more of the same' plan? Good grief, NO! Do I think something needs to be done? Yes, but what? Do I think politics is being played at our expense? Damn right I do and it sucks, but that's tough shit, that's the way it is. The cards have been dealt from a stacked deck. As usual.

Has this directly affected me? Yes. Mrs. G has a money market account for $55,000 that is locked down for the moment to prevent a run on the investment firm. Luckily, we don't need the money right now, but I know there are folks who do need their money who are unable to access it at present, so this is hurting people.

What to do, what to do? If it was up to me, I'd call in multiple air strikes on Wall St., K St., the Capitol, and the White House, and raise a new political/financial system out of the rubble. And hey, as long as the planes are in the air I'd direct the disposal of unexpended ordnance by dropping it on Dick Cheney just fer shits'n giggles. Sigh.

Until I figure this shit out and fix it, I'll just go with Paul Krugman.

Many people on both the right and the left are outraged at the idea of using taxpayer money to bail out America’s financial system. They’re right to be outraged, but doing nothing isn’t a serious option. Right now, players throughout the system are refusing to lend and hoarding cash — and this collapse of credit reminds many economists of the run on the banks that brought on the Great Depression.

It’s true that we don’t know for sure that the parallel is a fair one. Maybe we can let Wall Street implode and Main Street would escape largely unscathed. But that’s not a chance we want to take.

So the grown-up thing is to do something to rescue the financial system. The big question is, are there any grown-ups around — and will they be able to take charge?

It’s true that we don’t know for sure that the parallel is a fair one. Maybe we can let Wall Street implode and Main Street would escape largely unscathed. But that’s not a chance we want to take.

The bottom line, then, is that there do seem to be some adults in Congress, ready to do something to help us get through this crisis. But the adults are not yet in charge.

And not likely to be any time soon if at all, and probably not in time. Please read the rest of Krugman's piece.

Basically, I think we're just plain screwed. The question is, how deep and how dry?

Update:

Sometimes ya speak of the devil and up he jumps with good news. About the time I hit 'publish', Mrs. G informed me her account is no longer frozen and that we are going today to the healthy French bank she just retired from and get it the fuck out of where it is and put it there.

Quote of the Day

From a post by Steve Young entitled "Palin Suspends Vice Presidential Campaign: Rushes Back to Alaska to Keep an Eye on Russia":

In other suspended campaign news, while attempting to chew a piece of Doublemint gum, Republican Presidential candidate, John McCain stumbled and fell off the curb.

The real crisis ...

Is what the Rethugs are trying to do to the Dems:

...

Blinded by Wall Street contributions to [the Dems'] campaigns, they publicly declared that 'something must be done' and followed the lead of the most despised president ever like sheep.

They attached a bit of window dressing to the Paulson plan but left out any real issue progressives should care about like the mortgage modifications in bankruptcy courts.

Yesterday evening the Republicans pulled the rug and the deal is off.

These Republicans and McCain will now be able to tell their constituency that it was them who protected the taxpayer and that the Dems and Obama were indeed the people who wanted to throw money at Wall Street.

...

Now that is the best explanation I've heard yet. Nothing but the usual, run-of-the-mill Rethug ratfucking.

...

Karl Rove must be laughing his ass off.

Move along. Nothing to see here ...

Heh ...

Pic stolen from our pal UL. Click to embiggen.

Your letter has been filed ...

It's nice to have a representative in Washington who's anxious for your input.

So McCain's lyin' about that too?

Cafferty: Don't cancel the debate

My curmudgeonly role model Jack Cafferty on the upcoming (maybe) debate and Bush's Chicken Little 2.0 speech on his hoped-for upcoming (maybe) Treasury heist:

Cafferty asked: "Is he going to warn us about all the dire consequences if they don't do this the way he warned us about all the dire consequences if we didn't invade Iraq?

"With all due respect to the President, he couldn't sell snow in South Africa in the middle of July, I don't think. If this is another, you know, 'give us $700 billion to do with what we want because you should be very afraid that if you don't do it your world will come to an end,' I don't know how well that's going to play. He's done this before--he's done it for eight years. They've used fear to pressure and leverage the Congress and the public into getting whatever they wanted on a whole raft of issues."

"[McCain] hasn't cast a vote in Congress since April," Cafferty balked. "He's not going to be working on the legislation. The debate is scheduled between the two men who want the job of running the country. I don't understand the logic of saying 'let's cancel the debate.' I want to hear what these guys have to say about what they're going to do about the problem that the country has."

"The public wants to know which one of these men is capable of leading the country," he added. "They'll learn more about that by listening to them have a debate about the issues."

That's exactly one of the reasons McCain wants to cancel the 'debate': the American electorate is liable to start paying attention and it'll take 'em about ten seconds to see he's got bupkis.

The other reason is that he would like to postpone this event until it can be scheduled in place of the veep 'debate'. McBimbo's got even less bupkis.

I'm sorry. I couldn't resist...

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. - A man has been charged with battery on a police officer for allegedly passing gas and fanning it toward a patrolman.

If I'da done that, the cop wouldn'ta been in any shape to charge me with anything.

Lipstick on a pig is as nothing compared to...

Raw Story

It's not cheap to get John McCain's 72-year-old face ready for prime-time.

John McCain, whose ads skewer Barack Obama for his "celebrity" status, has his own close ties to show business, the new issue of Us Weekly reports exclusively.

The 72-year-old was recently made TV-ready by makeup artist Tifanie White who's worked on So You Think You Can Dance and American Idol.

McCain paid the 2002 beauty-school grad $5,583.43 for her services, according to the Federal Election Commission.

I can dig the need for some touch-up. McCain's normal coloring is roughly the same as a spark plug reading indicating near-stoichiometry. That color is known to mechanics as 'Mortician Gray'. I think most of the money paid to that young lady went for Bondo. My own sanity rests* in not dwelling on what parts of him are rusted out...

*I was gonna say 'Depends', but that's another subject. See 'rusted out'.

Note to Johnny-boy: Save yourself some money. Go get a pre-paid funeral and get the guy to throw in some pre-need cosmetological service. Who knows, maybe you can go directly from the debate, if you show up, to the grave without any more makeup.