The Watercooler for 09/07/08 1:00 AM

"...something I connected to, which was larger than myself."  - B Obama

And, for me

to bed.

Be well.

5 miles from my sister's still pretty much all white neighborhood.  It was Obama that cleaned it up!  I remember when that took place.  Nice to know he was behind it.  It was a VAST improvement for the folks that lived there.  New grocery store opened, parks for the kids. 

Nice going Barack.  I'll have to visit there next time I'm back home.

In aerial wolf hunting they harass the wolf from the air till the wolf is exhausted, then shoot it.  Fine sportsmanship, huh...maybe she'll reinstate cockfighting, dogfighting, and what the hell bullfighting.

I was interested in hearing Obama's reminder in Terra Haute yesterday that "Words mean something!" when speaking about Palin's reputation as a crusader against earmarks. "You can’t just make stuff up," he said.

It reminded me of what McCain said about the president's selection of Supreme Court Justices, that "Elections have consequences."

Palin has lit a fire under this campaign because Republican voters realized that words have meaning. Their candidate was a mendacious sycophant of the right, getting smoked by the celebrity of Obama, leaving them without a scintilla of hope unless Obama was smeared as an inexperienced rock star.

Since they have come upon an experienced rock star they can call their own, however, words are meaningless. They can package and market the product without regard for the the meaning of the words coming from her, McCain, or the party. Witness this litany of deception, drawn by FactCheck.org from McCain's acceptance speech:

"McCain claimed that Obama’s health care plan would 'force small businesses to cut jobs' and would put 'a bureaucrat ... between you and your doctor.' In fact, the plan exempts small businesses, and those who have insurance now could keep the coverage they have.

"McCain attacked Obama for voting for 'corporate welfare' for oil companies. In fact, the bill Obama voted for raised taxes on oil companies by $300 million over 11 years while providing $5.8 billion in subsidies for renewable energy, energy efficiency and alternative fuels.

"McCain said oil imports send '$700 billion a year to countries that don't like us very much.' But the U.S. is on track to import a total of only $536 billion worth of oil at current prices, and close to a third of that comes from Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom.

"He promised to increase use of 'wind, tide [and] solar' energy, though his actual energy plan contains no new money for renewable energy. He has said elsewhere that renewable sources won’t produce as much as people think.

"He called for 'reducing government spending and getting rid of failed programs,' but as in the past failed to cite a single program that he would eliminate or reduce.

"He said Obama would 'close' markets to trade. In fact, Obama, though he once said he wanted to 'renegotiate' the North American Free Trade Agreement, now says he simply wants to try to strengthen environmental and labor provisions in it."

So, like elections, words have consequences. Republicans don't really subscribe to truth, anymore, if they ever did, but voters should use the truth behind the candidates' words as a litmus test for their vote this year. It's our challenge to get it out.

yes we can is getting a lot of attention...

The Inspiration of Barack: "Yes We Can" Film Series

clip... As a filmmaker, I wanted to do something to support this man that I truly admired.

.... Mike says, "Qasim, we need to do something to support Obama." That call sparked the flame in me to stay up that night and draft up some ideas for a short film series. This series would capture the quality that I most appreciated about Barack Obama, The Inspiration of Barack: "Yes We Can" Film Series.

... Each week I'm going to post one of the videos. I'll also discuss why I did it, its significance and why it's relevant to what's happening today. They will also be displayed at different screenings around the country. I'll keep you informed as to when and where these screenings will occur and how to get tickets.

Here's Frank Rich on the same subject of callous lying:

She didn't say “no thanks” to the “Bridge to Nowhere” until after Congress had already abandoned it but given Alaska a blank check for $223 million in taxpayers’ money anyway. Far from rejecting federal pork, she hired lobbyists to secure her town a disproportionate share of earmarks ($1,000 per resident in 2002, 20 times the per capita average in other states). Though McCain claimed “she has had national security as one of her primary responsibilities,” she has never issued a single command as head of the Alaska National Guard. As for her “executive experience” as mayor, she told her hometown paper in Wasilla, Alaska, in 1996, the year of her election: “It’s not rocket science. It’s $6 million and 53 employees.” Her much-advertised crusade against officials abusing their office is now compromised by a bipartisan ethics investigation into charges that she did the same.

Also interesting from Rich's column is his analysis of McCain's feeble judgment and ineffective leadership within his own party as a Senator.  Is it a safe bet we will be hearing from him and that other military savant, Gov. Palin, that Obama didn't have the judgment to realize the need for the surge?  Rich notes that:

[McCain] was similarly rash in his reading of the supposed evidence of Saddam’s W.M.D. and in his estimate of the number of troops needed to occupy Iraq. (McCain told MSNBC in late 2001 that we could do with fewer than 100,000.) It wasn’t until months after “Mission Accomplished” that he called for more American forces to be tossed into the bloodbath. The whole fiasco might have been prevented had he listened to those like Gen. Eric Shinseki who faulted the Rumsfeld war plan from the start.