Either Relevant or True » The Sieve of Semi-Silence

Monday’s tie: Orange

Segue music: The Coasters - Wake Me, Shake Me. (They couldn’t get clearance to any version of Satisfaction?)

Worst Person in the World: When he’s not writing books smearing Barack Obama, Jerome Corsi can also be found accusing John McCain of being funded by the mob and being supported by al Qaeda (scroll down, because I am not linking to WND). Dude, make up your mind!

5. Speaking before the VFW convention today, John McCain accused Barack Obama of “shifting positions” on the war in Iraq and insinuated that Obama has taken a defeatist position. He also hammered away at his opponent for his opposition to The Surge. The Obama camp responded: Don’t be a dick, man. Rachel Maddow says that McCain is fudging the time line he’s using to declare victory by equating “The Surge” with “The Whole Entire War.” Also, McCain is being really sneaky by calling Obama’s patriotism into question in a backhanded way: he won’t call him unpatriotic, but he also keeps insisting that Obama wants us to lose the war. (Incidentally, McCain is still in favor of winning, he just won’t define victory.) Also, McCain still doesn’t seem to understand that the US can exert power in the world without using military force (See: Georgia/Russia conflict, McCain response to).

Since Keith didn’t see fit to provide any context, here’s what the whole Saddleback thing was about. Over the weekend, both Obama and McCain spoke at a “Civil Forum on the Presidency” hosted by Pastor Rick Warren of the Saddleback Church. Anyway, they spoke separately, (Obama first then McCain) and neither were supposed to know what the questions were beforehand. Most people think McCain probably won (although it’s not too surprising since the membership of the Saddleback Church is somewhat representative of the evangelical base of the Republican Party). Everything was great until Andrea Mitchell went on Meet The Press and appeared to indicate that McCain may not have been completely in the dark about what he was going to be asked. And then the McCain camp got pissed off and wrote a letter to Steve Capus. Keith and Howard Fineman can’t believe the McCain camp is seriously serious about all this. First of all, they were getting good reviews about the forum; secondly, McCain used to have a good relationship with the media; and third, it’s not like Andrea straight up called McCain a cheater, she just implied that someone may have had the TV on or a staffer at the debate passed along some info on their Blackberry or , I don’t know, they used carrier pigeons to advance some info. More of Keith’s thoughts later.

4. OMGBREAKINGNEWSELEVENTY!!11!!!!!! According to the New York Times, Obama may announce his running mate as soon as Wednesday (which might explain why I got yet another Facebook message today reminding me to sign up to be among the first elevety bajillion people to get an email or text when he announces). Front runners include Evan Bayh, Tim Kaine and Joe Biden. Politico is also reporting that McCain may make his announcement on August 29 (which is not only his birthday, it’s also the day after the Democratic convention wraps up). Suspects include Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Joe Lieberman and Tom Ridge. Chris Cillizza thinks Obama has made up his mind, but he probably hasn’t called the lucky guy yet and he might want to… um… get on that and stuff, considering the convention starts a week from today. He and Keith also discuss the wisdom of announcing during the Olympics, but Chris ruminates that since all the “important sports stories” (like Michael Phelps and gymnastics) are basically done, maybe people aren’t paying so much attention any more. And Keith points out that if they make the announcement sooner rather than later, the campaign will still have time to release a campaign ad that will get a lot of eyeballs. Joe Biden’s recent trip to Georgia (as well as his reticence on the subject) might indicate that he’s got a good chance of getting the nod. As for McCain, Chris thinks that since it looks like he’s announcing on his birthday, he’ll pick someone younger than him (not difficult, one would think) and he’ll also pick someone he actually likes (on a personal level), which might give an advantage to someone like Pawlenty or Ridge.

Oddball: With all the to-do over Michael Phelps, Keith begs you to spare a thought for Jim Thorpe (because Phelps probably can’t cha-cha). And please be careful not to run into power lines with your plane or walls with your body.

Best Persons: Identity theft is not a joke, silly sea turtles and doctors get Satisfaction from reviving coma patient.

3. Bushed: An Army hospital at Fort Sill is infested with mold, the Pentagon is coming up with new ways to spy on you and the Justice Department is coming up with new ways to spy on you.

2. Bill-o sends out his producer flunkies to stalk a reporter over this article and Bill Kristol gets a do-over.

1. Keith’s Special Comment, wherein he says it’s a little rich for McCain to accuse Obama of shifting positions on the war, declares that it’s a bit of a straw man argument for McCain to deride Obama’s ambition (because…. unambitious people should run for president?), reminds McCain that’s it’s not a good idea to be cocky around vets, especially when you’ve screwed around with their benefits, blasts McCain for continuing to make political hay out of the Russia/Georgia conflict and then says that the McCain campaign has no right to jump up NBC’s ass if they are going to continue to run ads on the networks of NBC Universal. And finally, he tells McCain to pull his thumb out of his mouth, put on his big boy britches and SACK UP, HO. Video and transcript at Crooks and Liars and the Countdown site.

That was quite an ass-kicking he gave in the Special Comment, wasn’t it?

KO continues to speak for sanity. I am so tired of our presidential politics falling into the lowest common denominator. I listened to parts of the Forum and I thought that Obama had the most intelligent and well-thought out answers. What he lacked was the contact with the audience which could have been because (1) he took it as a conversation between he and Warren and (2) he didn’t pander to the audience by calling them “friends.”

I cannot stand McCain calling me “friend.” I am not nor have I ever been his friend! I think that is sanctimonious BS. Once again our election comes down to the choice of whom we’d rather have a beer with. We do not like presidents who have depth, thought and intellect. Especially one who is black (i.e. “elite.” e.g. “uppity.”). We don’t want to think of the big issues, just the quick fixes. We have become the “American Idol” electorate. And that is scary.

As I (that is “bodhiness”) mentioned in a comment on KO’s DK diary, our political process is in deep doo-doo when presidential election controversies involve a bit from a Get Smart sitcom — the “cone of silence.” Give me a break. My issue is whether the media should have given that Forum as much coverage as it did — including selling commercial time during it. I don’t care whether McCain was hiding in a cone or a sieve, he was in an audience of those who supported him from the get go. Obama basically got “polite” applause.

KO has been one of the few journalists to call McCain on his campaign and his own flip flops. He kept Hillary honest and now is doing it with McCain. And, I hope, if ever Obama compromises his positions, KO will be at him as well.

And NBC needs not respond to the Republican complaints of “bias.” Just turn KO on ‘em!!

Me again!

A note to Countdown and MSNBC folks heading for Denver –

Stop by the Tattered Cover Book Store, my favorite book store in the entire world. You’ll probably be closest to the one in LoDo (Lower Downtown district).

The Tattered Cover is an independent book store that people who believe in the 1st Amendment should love. They have constantly fought against neo-cons who wanted to ban books, or prevent speakers (political, gay, etc) from speaking at the store, etc.

In 2002, Tattered Cover stood up to the Bush Administration by refusing to provide its customer mailing list to law enforcement officials. They won!

The LoDo store is wonderful — multi-story, an old feel with books readers cannot find any place else. They deserve our patronage — at it is a pilgrimage for me to go there when I visit relatives in Denver.

Hey, MSNBC, might be an interesting story to interview its owner Joyce Meskis during the convention!!

Great wrap-up, Erin.

So many great lines last night, and you picked one of them.

I am still a bit hung up on Keith knowing about the Harmonic Convergence let alone using the term for McCain’s opportunity for the confluence of his birthday being the day after the Democratic Convention and also the day for him to announce his running mate.

I had thought much the same as you, “What, was the fee to play a snip of Satisfaction so high that they went with Wake Me?”

But, watching the second airing (Hey, a Special Comment, I watched the show twice), Keith started that bit by asking why they had not played Wake Me for the coma guy.

Loved the Jim Thorpe story. Years ago, when I was incredibly young, I was doing a basically unpaid internship at a publishing company, and I met one of Thorpe’s daughters who was working on a book about her family’s successful efforts to get her dad’s medals restored. Part of my assignment was to sit and talk with her while she waited for meetings. Fascinating people.

I also discovered during Chris Cillizza’s segment, that the more obnoxious part of having been a proof reader was still with me as Chris knew enough to say “from whom” but still used “between” instead of “among” when speaking of choosing among several vice presidential possibilities.

As I called out the correction at the tv, I realized what an unendearing trait that is and not at all the way to win friends let alone influence people.

I love the brouhaha going on about McCain and the Cone of Silence. I admit turning back to the Olympics half way through McCain’s Saddleback appearance as I found his answers so pat and boring, but having heard many of his recent off the cuff pronouncements, he certainly sounded previously prepared to me. I just assumed that the minister had given him a head’s up before hand.

What an amazing coincidence that Alexander Solzhenitsyn had had the exact cross-drawn-in-the-dirt-by the-guard thing happen to him! Do you suppose that the Siberian guard passed the story on to the North Vietnamese guard, them both being communists and all?

And, again, what are supposed to be stories of McCain’s heroism creep me out about him becoming the President/Commander in Chief.

That he did not take the early release offered due to the code that captives went home in order of capture is again just an example of his lack of critical thinking and lack of any questioning of the wisdom of his actions and choices.

It shows that he may be a good soldier, but that does not only not show leadership, but contraindicates it.

BREAKING NEWS!

Rachel Maddow gets own show following Countdown beginning Sept. 8

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/8/19/161133/955/1005/570567

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