Gotta love Political Cartoons

(The above cartoon is a reference to McCain not knowing how many houses he owned...its 7 by the way)

Palin who? McCain chooses Veep.....

Paul Begala is one of my favorite Political Commentators and he said it best when he suggested McCain needed a check-up from the neck up. Senator McCain made a truly political decision today by choosing one of the least qualified VP choices in history...making Dan Quayle comparable to George Washington. After seizing on an opportunity after Obama's veep choice of a white male, the Republicans opted to show that they too can mix it up and provide a possibility to also make history. When I refer to McCain making a truly political decision I am suggesting that this move was made in order to get votes not to choose the most qualified individual who is capable of leading the country in the event of the President's death. As a man who has been inflicted with cancer four times and is at the age of 72, the likelihood of his veep taking over is indeed likely.

Can this woman tell me the difference between a Sunni and Shia, describe to me the intricacies of the Afghan/Pakistan border and the infiltration of the Taliban in the Tribal regions? Is she capable of deciding whether or not we should support Georgia amidst a Russian aggression? What makes her more qualified than a one term mayor of Cincinnati (considering the population of the state)? After all being Governor of a non-contiguous state for less than two years that has more moose than people (and oh yeah and mayor of a tiny village and member of the PTA) means very little, not to mention the highest degree she obtained is a simple B.A. When there are dozens of other men and WOMEN with multitudes more experience than her, why would McCain be so "brave" and attempt such a Hail Mary move? Like i said, its fully political.

He wants to attract females (who he assumes to be ignorant) who will vote for a ticket solely because there are some ovaries around. In addition she is a shining example of everything the Evangelicals (who aren't too happy with McCain) hope to see: Staunchly Pro-life, Lifetime member of the NRA, hunter, Mom. In addition she lives in that nice little state that has lots of oil...and oh yeah what Republican candidate isn't complete without a scandal (she tried to fire her ex-brother and law from a state position)...her views represent everything that makes those value voters comfortable.

Security moms should be somewhat weary however when they realize that this woman's hand is close to being on the red button....being part of the PTA, and 2nd runner up to Miss. Alaska doesn't exactly equate to having the knowledge of whether or not an attack by Iran on Israel is a justifiable reason to enter into a 3rd war.....Oh and don't forget, the woman is a mother of a soldier...how many times did we have to hear that today? We all have respect for every soldier who shows the utmost patriotism and supports his/her country. However, this fact is being used as a political talking point as to why she is qualified...seriously? Joe Bidens son (Attorney General of Delaware) will also be shipped out to Iraq...how many times was this referred to in the Democratic convention?I don't really remember once. But the Mccain team saw this as an advantage..maybe all those women out there will feel like Palin is just like them..not one of them smart Harvard Law educated persons who uses big words.

This is ridiculous and shows that this position is only political to McCain..nothing more...he once said he would rather lose an election than a war...but he is clearly showing in order to win an election he would put an inadequately prepared individual a heartbeat away from leading the most powerful country in the world. Additionally will all those traditional value voters accept the fact that this Mother of 5 is not tending to her newborn son with Downs syndrome...shouldn't she be following the role they view as most suitable, Mother first?

One of the main attack points of the McCain campaign had been Obama's lack of experience...therefore it seems somewhat antithetical to choose such an inexperienced woman... Obama is ridiculed for his inexperience; then when he chooses Biden, a man with massive amounts of experience and vast knowledge of Foreign Policy, he is considered to be opting for more of the same, an insider. In summary... if you lack experience you are unqualified for President but if you have experience you are also unqualified because you offer nothing new to the political scene. You can't make this stuff up!

Barack Obama made a wise choice in Joe Biden, it wasn't a political move (with a possible exception being that Biden may appeal to Penn. swing voters) he complements Obama. Whatever weaknesses Obama may have, Biden compensates. For example, Obama may be lacking in Foreign Policy yet Biden is perhaps the most experienced U.S individual in Foreign Policy. Where Biden is lacking in speech skills and tact, Obama gracefully redeems.

McCain I don't know what you were thinking but I thank you for making this dumb move. Huckabee, Lieberman or Romney would have been excellent choices from a leadership perspective...but you wanted to show how Diverse the GOP can be and presume an ignorant female population will blindly vote for someone with the same genitalia.... This is a losing ticket as long as Americans actually realize that McCain is attempting to manipulate gender and the pro-life movement..

Democratic Convention: Are you convinced yet?

Over the last four days the Democrat's have convened in Denver and we have seen the first African-American nominated to a major political party. This candidate, Barack Obama, is not just a figurehead of some racial equality movement, but a qualified individual who is leading in the polls. Obama accepted the nomination 45 years after Martin Luther King delivered his "I have a Dream Speech". Whether or not this was a symbolic gesture, I am not completely sure; but as you listened to the words of his near 1 hour speech you came to realize you were experiencing a historic moment. For those of us who have seen the devastation brought on by the Bush Administration over the last eight years we finally saw a beacon of light last night. Not only does Barack Obama offer hope for a nation heading in the wrong direction, he represents the fulfillment of a true American Dream; A dream where a mixed raced child raised with no Father and living on Food Stamps attended two of the most prestigious Universities in the world and went on to be editor of the Harvard law review, Professor at the University of Chicago while subsequently representing and assisting the disenfranchised peoples of the South Side of Chicago. In a nation that has historically disadvantaged those outside of the WASP classification, Barack Obama has shown that diligence and audacity mixed with his true vision and intelligence can overcome all barriers.

I enjoyed watching and was inspired by the convention. On Monday night Michelle Obama showed her true colors as a loving mother and wife, with true poise and intelligence. An accomplished Ivy-league graduate and former Associate Dean of the prestigious University of Chicago, Michelle makes McCains "mistress-wife" Cindy appear laughable. All former caricatures of a radical race activist ala Black Panthers was quickly eliminated.

Tuesday night brought forth Hillary Clinton where she addressed a crowd which contained some former supporters still upset over what they viewed as an unfair primary campaign. All of the pundits were watching to see non-verbal cues of Hillary Clintons "true intentions" as she addressed the delegation. Many felt that she did not truly support Obama and is instead preparing for her 2012 run on the hopes of an Obama loss. Despite such presumptions, Clinton pulled off a powerful convincing speech that should have swayed even the most discontent of her supporters. She properly pointed out to her supporters that they did not just vote for her gender but for her ideals...therefore if they followed her true beliefs from the beginning they would now be...as her...supporting Barack Obama. While there were some overshadowing discussions of scorned Clintons and the possibility of them 'stealing' the show, it was none of the sort. The Clintons were gracious and supportive and I saw not one non-verbal clue showing that there was any personal doubt in their words being delivered.

Now to the big speech.....admittedly I originally had doubts over Obama....I was a proud Clinton supporter. However, unlike some vengeful Clinton supporters I immediately threw my support behind Obama when it became clear Clinton would not receive the nomination. Clinton said it best during campaign season when she noted that the differences between her and Obama pale in comparison to the differences between herself and McCain....now to the Obama speech.....so perhaps as a Democrat and Obama supporter I am a smidge bias, nonetheless, Thursday Night's acceptance speech was utterly awe-inspiring. Republicans have continuously pointed out flaws in Obamas rhetoric, saying it's unsubstantiated ideas that have no way of being achieved. He pointed out everything he planned to do, and how it would be accomplished. He catered to nearly every type of Democrat, Independent and even liberal Republicans. He noted the importance of gender equality including equal pay, 2nd amendment rights yet smart gun control, security yet responsible foreign policy. I don't know if I can even put into words how exquisite this speech was. He addressed every weakness he has been accused of and easily refuted those claims (i.e he will raise taxes, has no experience, no foreign policy knowledge) in addition he tactfully reminded us of all the mistakes of the last 8 years and that Mccain will only be a continuation of it. Furthermore, he countered the concept that McCain equates to change...if McCain has voted with Bush 90% of the time do you want someone who only offers a 10% chance of change? Well said Obama....

If Obama doe's not win this election I will be ashamed of America for once again falling for traditional Republican attack tactics. Obama not just showed his oratorical skills last night, he presented perhaps the best political speech since the one 45 years ago to the day by none other than Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.