You know... I think the Media has it wrong. Everybody's said it before. "Can't make a pig into a lady with lipstick".

Barack Obama was not trying to demean Governor Palin with his Lipstick comment.

I think what Barack Obama was trying to do was diminish the significant of Lipstick and put it back into a context that he could feel more comfortable with.

A couple of weeks ago a single word changed the dynamics of the election. The word was "Lipstick."

A lady who was relatively unknown entered the national arena and defined herself as one of two things... a Hockey Mom or a Pit Bull. The difference between the two being "Lipstick".

I personally would not want to take a whole lot of issue with what a Hockey Mom has to say... especially from a place where Hockey is a childhood sport. Nor would I want to take issue with a Pit Bull in a place where where dogs have bigger roles in people's lives than mere house pets.

The two choices were the ones that Sarah Palin laid out for the people... Lipstick or not.

What I would never ever want to do is put the Lipstick on a pig and call that the McCain Team's plan for "Change" when Sarah Palin has already taken her stance.

As Barack Obama will come to find out... three bad things will come from doing that.

1. The Hockey Mom will have her say... for free.
2. The Pit Bull will also have her say... for free.
3. The Pig will be offended and change sides.

And Barack Obama will be left holding the lipstick.

So?

Lip(stick) Synch?

Anybody?

Hello?

Mikie

Let's say that a black guy with a Muslim background who is seventy-two years old... who gave 5-1/2 of his years of his life as a prisoner of war fighting for the United States of America in Vietnam survived the ordeal. Then he got out of Hanoi Hilton and came back to serve as a Senator in the Congress for 26 years. Let's say he married a girl who had had a bunch of money and they bought a bunch of houses. And let's say... he decided to run for President.

Then he said that a life is worth protecting at conception. And then he said bad teachers should find another line of work. He said the worst Supreme Court Justices are the ones who support Roe v. Wade.

Let us also say that a younger white guy came along and said... "We are Change! We are the Change we have been waiting for. We are Change We Can Believe In! Don't vote for the black guy. I am the Change you have been waiting for."

What would you do with your Vote?

Would it change if the white guy said, "I don't my daughter who made a silly mistake saddled with a baby?"

I mean... this white guy does not want his daughter to have to live with her choice of what she decided to do? So kill her baby. Legally?

But that is what the white guy said.  She should not have to be penalized by that ill-considered decision.

What would you do with your Vote now?

And then the white guy says... the people I don't want are the people who say my daughter should have to live with her choices. She should be given the right to kill the mistake she made.

Fortunately for me... my white mom did not choose what the white guy said.

She chose what the black guy said instead.

For me it is very simple.

I'd vote for the black guy.

Mikie

You would think a guy with a Harvard education, an elementary education in Hawaii, who had a dad with a Harvard education and has a wife who has a nice education would be smart enough not to go where John Kerry went.

But no. We have one Presidential candidate with the "cajones" to not only go there... but swim around in it and make it an "issue".

I don't recall a single reference in the SwiftBoater's critique of John Kerry that mentioned Barack Obama. This is not only because I don't remember it but actually it is because there was none. I guess this must have perturbed the Obama Campaign in some way because now Obama and the Campaign is referring to SwiftBoating as something that has actually happened to him.

Gosh. Barack? Don't you remember who John Kerry was? He was the target of the SwiftBoaters. You don't want to go there.

You don't need to go there either. You didn't drive a boat. You didn't help out in Vietnam. You weren't wounded and given a bunch of Purple Hearts to throw over the fence. You didn't marry a ketchup mogel. And you didn't criticize the meaning of your own service while you criticized the service of others once you got out. I mean... you weren't there, man. You said so.

You were doing drugs and alcohol as I recall... I read your book about that.

So you are now characterizing things you don't like as "SwiftBoating" the Obama?

Man, that comes off like "Kerrying" the Queen which John Kerry never did. He would never "Kerry" the Queen. He would have "Kerried" Theresa... which he of course did... but not the Queen.

I think the desire to connect yourself with the SwiftBoater's disgust with John Kerry is gratuitous at best. And stupid at the worst.

Not that I think you are stupid. You're not. You are educated.

You are just "inexperienced" which is your Party's word for stupid and the other Party's word for the same thing... but they don't say it. They just point out your weaknesses... and they never mention the "Kerrying" of Theresa. Or even "Baiting" the Obama. You do.

But you call it "SwiftBoating" you and your whatever. Heck they were doing this to someone else who had no idea what you were up to.

Do you remember "Rope a Dope"? Well I do. I guess you don't.

How many pictures of yourself do you have in your house?

How many pictures of Rezko do you have in your house?

How many of them are in the Pantry?

Well.. it is okay with me if you can't remember. I'll just "Imagine!" It is my new Hope for America that we can "Imagine!"

But if you do remember (and get these right... off the cuff)?

I'll freak out and start doing what you did in high school.

I'll stop reading and start drinking... but I won't do heroin.

I'll write your acceptance speech for you.

Mikie

For a couple of months now I have been hearing Barack Obama refer to George W. Bush's diplomacy as "cowboy diplomacy". You know the kind of diplomacy that pisses the Democrats off not to mention Saddam Hussein.

Even Hillary made reference to the same kind of thing. I think they were referring to the Iraq war and how it is that cowboys have a habit of seeking out dictators who defy the World and and those who use their WMDs on women and children... and their husbands and then go find that son-of-a-birch  and... well hang him.Yeah... they are Cowboys.

I have been so busy with living that I don't remember if this kind of diplomacy has been happening a lot. I remember hearing that Mussolini got noosed... but aside from Saddam Hussein I can't remember anybody else that George W. Bush has actually seen strung up (well foreigners I mean). As I recall it wasn't any one in the Bush family that noosed Mussolini. It was his own people. Red-neck Italians. The best.

Maybe my readers can tell me.

What? I have no readers? Well that is beside the point and seems a little bit like a cheap smear. I might need my second grade teacher to help me out here but then... she died and since then I have learned to defend myself... and "do good on your tests, Mikie". This by the way was before she had anything to gain by Mikie "doing good" on his tests.

So Barack Obama's characterization of George W. Bush's efforts at diplomacy has gotten me to thinking about what Obama's efforts at diplomacy would be.

At first I didn't see a darn thing. It was invisible... what Obama would do. Obama has criticized Bush's diplomacy as being "cowboy diplomacy". Hillary kind of agreed with him. But Obama doesn't seem to want her for Vice President so the Change he is advocating must be something he alone has devised.

Yeah. That could be it. Change you can Believe in Once he figures it out. Yeah. That must be it.

But then Russia... well not Russia... but rather Putin decided Russia needs to have a Georgia, too. But rather than woo the Georgia he chose with his own "Change you Can Believe In" message, Putin went in there with his old Russian tanks and took her... I mean it... well the whole damn country. Nice guy.

And it was probably not the Russian Vodka. I have tried that stuff myself and I never thought I could take over Georgia with my tanks on that stuff. No... the Vodka made me think I could take her over with my wit.

It didn't work... the Vodka I mean. Georgia said it was nice to know me... and then she married Jerry.

So then I saw where Barack Obama said let the UN figure it out... negotiate a deal. But later he thought better of that stupid idea and decided to do some diplomacy of his own.

"Hi. I'm the Candidate for Change in America... and I'd like to introduce you to the Change I want  er.. us to make. We used to use "cowboy diplomacy" here... uhh... when George W. Bush was President... uhh... but me and my pards... uuhh... friends... we decided we  could  uuhh... change that.

"Uhh... Howdie Doody Mr Putin. You have as much right to your position in this matter as I have to my position."

What's your position, Howdie?

"Uhhh... well, it appears that I am sitting on someone's...  uuhh... lap and they seem to be doing some of the talking for me... but... ahh... that is just the result of The... Uhhh... Change I uhh.. proposed. I would er.. uh.. speak for myself if I could get a word in uh... edgewise."

Well who is speaking for you? And I don't care whose lap your sitting on... we don't have that sort of open discussion in Russia. We outlawed that kind of thing mainly to protect our previous leaders. But go on.

"The American People are speaking for me... and uuuhh...  for me. They plan to speak up... uhh... in the uhhh...pcoming election and they will choose me to be their... uhh, well I was going to say uhh... leader... but that goddamn cowboy said "dummie". Don't listen to... uuuh.. him."

So what do you think about us taking Georgia?

"Oh that's okay. I never...  uuuhhh... expect to win there anyway... too many uuuhh... cowboys... not to mention friking rednecks.

"But Mr Putin... er... ahhh... uhh... before I go would you... uuuhhh... consider being a little bit nicer to the.... uuhh.... neighbors? I mean it would... uuuh... help me... uuuhhh... out?"

Sure, if it will get you elected. Tell the American People we DON'T want Virginia. Tell them we DON'T want Arkansas, either. And we sure as hell DON'T WANT TEXAS... not here in Russia. Those goddamn cowboys would be all over us trying to get their "gals" back. We don't need that kind of diplomacy here.

"Thanks for your support... uhh....  Mr Putin. I knew we could work this out.

"Hey, I just saved America!"

Yeah... Howdie Doody you tried. And you tried it with your... uuhh... Howdie Doody diplomacy.

I'd rather have a cowboy.

Mikie

When I was little there came a time to honor Abraham Lincoln. Not that I knew it... but Dad did. He grew his Abraham Lincoln beard and then went to sing with barbershop quartet.

What they sang about seemed to be steeped in tradition... Sweet Adeline in four male voices.

The honor to Abraham Lincoln... I believe they believed they gave it in the best voices they had.

To me... Abraham Lincoln was a log splitter. A guy who could make a very nice fence. But I wasn't all that old then, or experienced enough, when I first learned about this by listening to them singing.

Later... as I grew old enough to read for myself... I found out that Abraham Lincoln was:  One Hell of a Speaker. And he was a Hell of a Good Log Splitter too. That's why the barbershop quartets in Wonder got together and sang (at least that is the way it was in the '50's.. in Wonder... guys actually sang for other guys and showed off their beards but they weren't Gay. They were just celebrating... Lincoln's ability to speak what he would do).

Weird by Today's standards. If this were to happen in Wonder today the Russians would nuke it and the people down the road in  Kerbyville would deny it exists.

But it did happen. Like in the 1959's. They grew beards... and celebrated Lincoln... in front of their kids. For the Centennial of the end of Slavery.

These bearded guys wore pins. They even placed their hand on their Heart and then they sang songs together for a President of the United States... a dead one. No one had their hat on or their hands folded in front of them. There was no doubt.

I don't think that this happened because of Abraham Lincoln the speaker. I think it happened because of what he said he would do... and what he did.

He gave his life believing in it. It happened without him being here to push it.

A hundred years later my dad grew a Lincoln beard and sang.

I don't really know if Dad would grow a beard for anyone running for President today. Surely he would not grow a beard for Hillary.

But his kid knew why he grew the beard and sang the songs.

Lincoln said what he would do. And he did it... even though he died.

Lincoln never said something PC like... check your horse for loyalty to my song.

Lincoln never even asked my Dad to sing for him... but  Dad did.

So now I am asked by Barack Obama to accept him as he is... a JFK reincarnate with a desire for Change in me to be delivered to him.

All I can say is "No".

Nobody is going to sing for you.

Barack! You sing for yourself. You don't need the other singers.

But you will need the guys with beards who sang about Lincoln.

They are not all dead yet... and neither are their kids.

Mikie

Today I saw, and listened to, the second half of Fox News' reports on Senator Obama  and Senator McCain. I didn't say anything yesterday about the Obama report because I didn't want to be accused of "devious listening" by anyone's campaign.

Okay... let's weigh the reporting. Senator McCain got involved with Keating. Senator Obama... with Rezko. Both of them should have learned something. And frankly... it is the same thing. If it seems to be too good to good to be true then it probably is too good to be true. Both Senators were faced with people who asked not what they could give to their Country, but what can you give to me and I'll pay for it with contributions, not to charity, but directly to your campaign... though not quite in those words.

I know who did not come out the winners here. Keating and Rezko. They got jail time (not that it bothers them that much.. or me either).

But what did the other two get?

Senator McCain got off the ground with a run for Senate. Senator Obama got pretty much the same thing (if we ignore the part about his house).

Senator McCain got tarred by the incident with Keating (actually he got called to defend himself in Congessional "hearings" which is the place where tarrings are officially allowed in America).

Senator Obama got the same kind of sticky stuff on himself (but no Congressional "hearings" have been held to decide if it was real sticky or just sort of sticky... or even answer the basic questions, "Did any of that Rezko tarry stuff stick?" Or did you feel any of the tarry stuff that we could have stuck on you if we had held Congressional "hearings" about your dealings with Rezko? Senator Obama apparently said no... it is a bunch of lies).

On this one I would say Senator Obama came out ahead.

But ahead of what?

Senator McCain went through the Congressional"hearings"... told his side and got reprimanded for being... well short-sighted.

Senator Obama went through no Congressional "hearings" about the Rezko thing and when it came to the "house" part of it said he had made a dumbshit mistake by not paying attention to what dumbshit mistakes might mean later on in one's political career.

So now I am asking myself, "Are these two Patriotic Americans equal again?"

Senator Obama has to go through the Congessional "hearings" in order to get equal. When are they?

Now I have heard that Senator Obama is pushing his bill... the Global Poverty Act. All we have to do is promise to give 0.07% of America to poor people in other countries. Gosh! That is impressive of you Senator Obama.

$870 million goes to other countries' poor for this? $700 million goes to other countries from the oil we buy? And a billion dollars goes to the war in Iraq every so often? The war you said we can not win?

If we can't win the war in Iraq for a billion dollars every so often... what makes you think you can win the war for energy independence by spending nothing on it? Drilling won't work because it takes too long? That does not fly? That sucks.

What makes you think that you can solve the poverty in the world by spending $870 million more of American money?

What makes me think we can solve some of the problems in this World is John and Cindy McCain. They adopted a child from Bangladesh. She's their daughter.

I don't know what it cost them in money... but it cost the rest of us nothing nd the cost to them didn't seem to matter. It was their success. It showed leadership. It showed compassion and caring. They never asked America to pay for it.

Should we solve the problem of poverty in the world by sending them $870 million dollars... like Senator Obama's bill? Or should we do what the McCains did?

Mikie

Good Grief. It hasn't been two days yet and someone accused someone of "listening".

McCain has been accused of "listening" to Obama's remarks (the answers to his conversation with his saddle back) and now he accuses John McCain through what's her name on TV... of "listening" to him.

Not merely "listening"... but devious listening beforehand.

Did you hear that? Were you listening too?

I must ask Obama "What is wrong with listening?" But I won't get a straight answer. What I'll get is a Campaign Reply that I should believe McCain "listened deviously. Don't trust him or what he says."

All I can say is that if McCain actually heard your answers before your own, Obama, it didn't have much of an effect on his answers afterwards. He said what he believes in.

I actually think that if McCain had answered with anything he heard you say before his turn... McCain would have had both your legs and would have disemboweled you with your own words.

But he didn't attack you. He just answered the question he was asked and moved on. And  then disembowled you with his words.

Today Obama, you or your Camp, tried to smear McCain on the answer that you gave to one of the questions. You know which one?

Well if you don't... then you weren't listening to your own answers. This does not give me confidence in you.

I was listening to you though. And I heard what you listen to.

In my post here yesterday I forgot to mention what you said about the stuff Paris commented on. You have continuously said that what you said is not what Paris said that stuff was. Even though you have no problem forking it out against another man.

Were you listening? To Paris or me?

I doubt it.

What she called it was "cowshit". It's a McCain term... short and sweet.

But since you are spreading it on the people of America why not take a second and see why some people don't buy it?

Well... that requires the "devious listening" which you seem to have a problem with. It also requires "regular listening" which you seem to have a problem with... which causes me to have a problem with you.

Mikie

 

Did I miss something? I think I did... but it took me a month or so to see what it was.

There was a time when Britney Spears was more than just a raw "publicity machine". It was in her youth. She was a budding star and made music (and I suppose... dance) that became very popular. She herself had not yet become the "superstar" she became and so she was giving her best to make what America was willing to pay for. More good stuff.

And there was a time, before the dates with the Judge, when Paris Hilton was a budding TV star... not with me so much, but definitely with people who had never seen cow poop or had never milked a cow. I have done both, more than once, and I know it can seem gross. Paris did a fine job of portraying the substance and Yuk Factor of cows to America.

But then something happened to both these young ladies. In order to stay "on top" they had to go over the top. Well that is not exactly right because both of them became "baser" in order to remain in the limelight. Rather than achieve a higher ground they both went purient... Britney with no underpants and Paris with a porno tape (not to mention "messing" with the Judge and so forth which is more stupid than purient).

While I do not in any way, shape or form suggest that Barack Obama has not worn, or never regularly changed his underpants, and he sure as heck did not make a porno film or tell any Judges to go to hell (except for Clarence Thomas, maybe) he seems to have gone from someone truly earning his credentials to somone "owed" his credentials... or else he'll go "baser" too.

He made a damn good speech at the Democratic Convention. People noticed... and not just Democrats but other people like me who like damn good speeches and who are not necessarily in the Democratic Party camp but are not opposed to it merely because it is the Democratic Party.

From there he seemed to me to go downhill. He became less reliant on our admiration for his skills and more demanding of our admiration for his prior best act to the point of calling any opposition to the rest of his acts... lies.

Granted that is not as bad as Britney's approach, as a girl, to staying in the limelight... but it is just as bad as her approach for a guy that says he believes we should believe he should be our next President.

I think there are at least two other ladies in the mix here. Hillary Clinton pointed out that Obama made a good speech and that was about it. No wonder she has a first class set of supporters.

The other lady is Nancy Pelosi. She promised that within a hundred days we would be dazzled by the progress made by her leadership and her Party's control of Congress. Now we have approaching a thousand days of her Party's control of Congress and there is next to nothing to show for it. Will Speaker Pelosi go "baser" and blame everyone else. Of course. She's already done that.

This cannot help Obama very much... talk is cheap and costs less than air (which in America has been free up to now).

But what may hurt Obama more is the fact that once... some time ago... Britney and Paris actually did some things to earn their fame beyond giving a speech. So to me they have a bit more substance to fall back upon.

When Barack Obama falls back upon his own substance as he wrote it himself and what people write about what he wrote... he attacks it as lies.

Why Obama didn't refute the lies with more fact or more information is something he will have to ask himself.

It did dawn on me that "celebrity" aspect of the Britney, Paris and Obama kind in the McCain ad does indeed have behind it more, or less, substance.

And I think Paris said something like "this is cowshit?"

Mikie

Now that I have myself sufficiently worried about Obama's Campaign and my inability to get a grip on what it is really about I find myself wondering which of Obama's Ghosts I should be concerned about:  The Ghost of Obama's past, the Ghost of Obama's present, or the Ghost of Obama's future.

The Ghost of Obama's past is kind of scary. But then that Ghost was there long before Obama became any kind of national figure. It wasn't even scary to me until sometime after the end of the last Century.

The present Ghost is a little bit more frightening. I see it riding on top of a gigantic Freight Train that is going about 500 miles an hour which is worrisome enough. But the real concern I have is that I don't see any train tracks, where the tracks are headed or that they are in good working order.  I see the White House is the apparent destination and that the great big Flying Choo-choo Train is headed straight for it. It looks like a wreck of some magnitude might be possible in the not to distant future... and I am not even wearing my xray vision goggles.

The freakiest Ghost for me though is the Ghost of Obama's future which I now believe could have an enormous impact on my own life and potentially everyone elses. I have to admit that to me... it is one very frightening Ghost.

That Ghost won't be at all like the one that used to hide under my bed at night when I was little. Nope. This Ghost is going to be in my bedroom, in my living room, in my electricity, in the car I drive and the gas I put in it, in the air I breathe, in the schools, in the Military that protects me, in my wallet, in my rights and most of all... in my face.

This isn't going to happen only to me. It is going to happen to my wife, my friends, my family, my grandkids, my business and my country.

That is going to be "change" for me, for sure. And I am beginning to think it IS... "change I can believe in.

Like most Ghosts, including the ghost that used to be under my bed, the empowering substance of the Ghost of Obama's future is its own unknownness and capricious comings and goings.

People, such as ourselves, and people who totally support Obama are all discussing the various aspects of this half-visible thing all the time... its pros and cons.

What makes this particular Obama Ghost the most scary though is its audacity to believe that we the American People can, and must, accept it... no questions asked.

I think I better do what I did the first time... look under the bed and make sure its really under there and deal with it. If I don't, then this thing is going to be around awhile and that is truly frightening.

Mikie

Yesterday I was worried about defaming rodents who eat ACORNS. And I was worried about why Obama should just not be taken in his own words.

Today I am no longer worried about that.

I am worried about the fact that when it comes to defeating those words Obama gave us... his own... why do we react the way we do?

I don't believe calling Obama names will accomplish much. I don't believe that talking about him in TownHall will do much either. He doesn't read this stuff (for good reason on his part).

We read it. And that is all that happens.

What we should be doing is going to Obama... the heart of his campaign... and asking him, "Did you say this?"

Don't ask, "... or not." Because that gives him the opportunity to beg your question.

But the question, "Did you say this?" will give him something to think about.

What he will think about is a way to play it.

What you will think about is why does he do that?  To become President?

Yes. That is why he does it.

Now. I ask you. Is that better or worse than what George W Bush or his dad did?

Mikie

 Awhile ago Rowly was called on his insult to rodents on the Acorn story. He didn't mean to offend rodents. He meant to insult Obama by calling him a name.

I doubt Senator Obama will be phased by being called a name.

What I do think he might be phased by is a reaction to his "personal" record of the facts (which he has shown a tendency to flip-flop over).

You actually have to give Obama some credit for his masterful deviousness. He must know his cleverness will cause some good people to call him a name in their own defense.

But then Obama knows he can portray that as meaningless name-calling and then rise to a "higher level" by ignoring it.

So who was it that said people would call Obama black... make fun of his name... say he didn't look like the engravings on one- and five-dollar bills?

It wasn't Rowly... it was Obama himself.

If I give myself a little room to think I can see where Obama has predicted his own future, or at the very least has shown he feels he has the arrogance to believe he can predict the future for himself and everybody else.

But all the rest of us have to do is rise to the higher level Obama would and let the future he predicts be his.

While maybe it would seem prudent to take action to refute his predictions about what he believes will happen to himself I think it would make far more sense to encourage him to follow his own "lead" and make some more pronouncements (just so we can get to know him a bit better).

That way when Obama says he will be called black and be called names... look funnier than a one dollar bill and not even resemble a "fin" we can merely say, "You told us so, Barack."

And you were right, Barack. We don't want our next president to know how stupid he knows he is going to look to the rest of us or the World for that matter. You are right about what people will say about you.

Thank you, Barack Obama... for your insight into yourself.

Personally, I don't like to be labeled as something I am not by someone I don't know who believes he knows everything.

But I am perfectly happy to let him explain what he believes about himself knowing he can't label me anything but "someone who listened".

Mikie