The Last Ephor

Hanging On to Biden’s Every Word . I've heard for 8 years now that Chimpy Bu$hitler can't put two words together. He even has Puppetmaster Karl Rove feeding him lines he's so dumb. Any man who speaks that poorly is unfit for president. Unless, apparently, he's a Democrat. "A day on the campaign trail without a cringe-inducing gaffe is a rare blessing. He has not been too blessed lately. Just this week, Mr. Biden mused that the Democrats’ nominee for president, Senator Barack Obama, might have been better off with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton as his running mate. (Ed: Obama is probably thinking the same thing) “Hillary Clinton is as qualified or more qualified than I am to be vice president of the United States of America,” Mr. Biden said Wednesday in Nashua, N.H. “Quite frankly, it might have been a better pick than me.” In Columbia, Mo., this week, Mr. Biden urged a paraplegic state official to stand up to be recognized. “Chuck, stand up, let the people see...

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Invest in Democrats Which explains why they've been mum on this one. This is the perfect issue for them to make hay about the economy and the working Joe being hit hard. Obama's position as Bronze medalist in this one makes that impossible. Twenty three of the top twenty five are Democrats. I find that amazing. I thought Republicans would outnumber Democrats.

Our new Bishop uses that old Catholic judo of "gentile persuasion". Catholic Diocese of Wilmington - News Listing - : "It is my intention to build a supportive and trusting friendship with Senator Biden and as many public officials as I can. I will do my best, with your prayers, to assist him and all public officials as well as all citizens in our Diocese and beyond to understand how crucial the sanctity of human life is to a just society in the State of Delaware, the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and our entire nation. Most Reverend W. Francis Malooly, D.D. Bishop of Wilmington" Since he's newly installed it's very unlikely he's going to issue anything stronger than that especially with an election looming. It is interesting that he's reaffirming the USCCB statement rather than issuing his own.

The 20 questions we would ask Sarah Palin Since the governor isn't here I'll step in: 1. In a broad and long-term sense, would you have responded differently to the attacks of 9/11? Surge in Afghanistan earlier and stay longer. Ask Rumsfeld to resign earlier. He was overly focused on Transformation. 2. Is Iraq a democracy? Not yet. 3. What’s the difference between a Sunni and a Shiite? They believe in different successors to the prophet. 4. What is your preferred plan for peace between Israel and Palestine? A two state solution? What about Jerusalem? Palestine gets a state when they get their house in order. We'll help them to that end once they stop sending suicide bombers over the border and calling for the destruction of the US and Israel. Jerusalem goes to Israel. 5. How do you feel about French President Nicolas Sarkozy's recent visit to Syria? Do you believe the United States should negotiate with leaders like President Bashar al-Assad? Franc...

Saw most of the interview last night. I found to be a "gotcha" interview. Gibson did his level best to be cold, detached and nearly hostile. He got the first bite at the apple and was determined to be the one to score the first point on her. The Left is having a field day because they believe she didn't know what the Bush Doctrine is. She asked him to clarify exactly which part of the doctrine he was referring to. Asking vague questions he was hoping she would falter. Gibson tried this on Obama earlier and Media Matters had a fit: Media Matters - During NH debate, ABC's Gibson characterized Obama's Pakistan position as "essentially the Bush doctrine," ignoring Bush contradictions : "Gibson was claiming that there is in fact a clear Bush doctrine on the question of whether the U.S. would strike Al Qaeda in Pakistan regardless of the sovereignty of Pakistan. Bush and administration officials have in fact made inconsistent statements on this is...

Today's the day. Seven years gone and the rest of our lives to go. This blog honors Sean Thomas Lugano I knew Sean casually. We went to college together and were on the rugby team together. He was much better than I was. He was very fast and much stronger than he looked. Sean was one of those guys who was reserved but very funny. He wasn't one of those guys who garnered attention by being outrageous or demonstrative. He was just there, always with a smile and quick with a laugh or a joke. He took a lot of flack in college because of his modeling career. He used to model to make money for college and the idea of a rugby player being a model seemed absurd. The only commercial I ever saw him in was for The Gap and ironically, he was playing rugby in the commercial. That seemed to redeem him somewhat in the eyes of his teammates and we didn't rib him much after that. I didn't know Sean well enough to keep in touch with him after college. Occasionally, I'd see him in the...

Op-Ed Columnist - From the Gut - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com : "If John McCain can win this election race with a 50-pound ball called “George W. Bush” wrapped around one ankle and a 50-pound ball called “The U.S. Economy” wrapped around the other, then he deserves to represent America in the next Olympics in any race he wants — swimming, cycling or track — I don’t care how old he is. He would be the Michael Phelps of politics."

All 'Eyes' on the NFL Score: 75% (9 out of 12) Have fun

Randi Rhodes says John McCain was treated well in Vietnam. : " Of course he became very friendly with the Vietnamese. They called him the Prince. He was well treated actually. And he was well treated because he traded these propaganda interviews for good treatment. So look, it’s a horrible story anyway you cut it, anyway you look at it, any way you you you deal with it. But, it’s not the story Fred Thompson told. Nor is it the story Rudy Giuliani told. Nor is it the story Sarah Palin told. Nor is it the story anybody. Cindy McCain knew to limit herself to ‘I think what my husband did in Vietnam was heroic’ because she knows the truth too." They've hit bottom with the Trig Palin story and started digging furiously. This is beyond sick, it's evil. That there has not been one peep by anyone at all on the left to denounce this woman is staggering. Keep going guys. See how much credibility you have by election day.

Obama: Secret Service is handy when you have girls : "One reason I have to win here is so that I've got Secret Service around my girls at all times. They carry guns.'" Yes he was joking. That joke shows something very important. Guns are useful tools, valuable even. They are not, however, for you. They are only for people who work the the government. They are only for the individual protection of people who "really need it". You don't need it. You can call 911. Mr. Obama has crazy people stalking him. Tell that to the woman who just wrote a book about being stalked for 10 years by some lunatic.

"There is no easy way to tell you this, Joe Biden, but the surest way for Joe Biden to lose a debate against Sarah Palin is by being Joe Biden. If you are windy, pompous, unctuous, or pushy, you will come across as patronizing and condescending—the guy who puts the 'boy' into 'old boys' network.'" This was my impression since before he was the VP nominee. I see him as a liability, Democrats see him as the gravitas that Obama needs. The skillful DC denizen to be guardian and attack dog. I believe Palin was a brilliant pick. Democrats think she's Eagleton. One of us is completely wrong. In about 60 days we'll know which one.

"She's 718, acts like she's 212...but really, she's so 516!"

ABC News: In Foreclosure? Buy a Second Home : "Eble owes $334,000 on his first house, which is now worth only $219,000 and is still dropping in value. He has an adjustable rate mortgage that has doubled to more than $4,000 a month, more than Eble can afford to pay." So what to do? "So before the bank forecloses on his first house he is taking advantage of falling real estate prices to buy a new home for $285,000, with a fixed rate mortgage he can afford. Once inside the new home, he can either sell the first property for a huge loss to the bank or walk away completely and let it slip into foreclosure." Wonderful, just great. Things are so screwed up people are buying a second house a the current market value and then walking away from the first one. They're taking the foreclosure hit on their credit to avoid paying the difference. It doesn't say how long he's owned the first home but let's assume he's owned it for about 5 years and further as...

McCain Now Winning Majority of Independents It's still early but this is way more than I thought he'd have at any point in this race. This one is shaping up to be another squeaker.

Where is the Anger? asks Becky and rightly so. My answer: The anger is currently being expended on The Election. There is an anger and attention deficit. The press and the public cannot focus on more than one thing. That neither candidate has even saw fit to mention this is simultaneously appalling and baffling. I figured Joe Biden would say something, anything about it. This is, to my knowledge the first issue Joe has not pontificated on publicly. Ask him about Mongolian mining policy? He has a position. Ask him about pre-Colombian art? He has an opinion. Fanniewhatnow? Never heard of it. Becky explains that nobody wanted to get rid of this mess because they all had their hands in it and everyone was getting something. I've said it before and I'll repeat myself. Political power + Time = corruption. This never should have happened. It never should have been allowed to continue. I've called for applying the same accounting regulations to government that th...

My Catholic Faith Pushes Me To Obama . This is the best article I've seen for conflating Catholic social teaching and voting for The One. I dissent however. (Ed: Big surprise there Duffy!) Quiet you! Anyway, the horns of the dilemma is this: If (and that's a mighty big if) you can put aside the issue of abortion, the race tightens significantly in terms of adherence to the issues. I can see no way around the Big If so it seems plainly evident that if one is to use Church teachings to tally a score and vote accordingly that one is a showstopper. I don't really think Catholic values align very closely with either party. If you agree with the church on everything you end up being viewed as a grand contradiction in the manichean world of Left v. Right, Dem vs. GOP, etc. My point, and I do have one, is that there is room for reasonable people to disagree without all the cynicism and bile and vitriol. Quite frankly, the MSM has taken up the mantle of the 527's on the...

A Mighty Wind blows through Republican convention Seriously? I thought this was parody or satire at first but the vitriol drips from every sentence. Not for the faint of heart. This race is nasty enough without any help from Canadians.

"Victoria Beckham went to the Marc Jacobs fashion last night with a new ridiculously short haircut, and I think I speak for every guy on earth when I say, knock it off. You bitches knock it off. Short hair sucks, every single time. Is long hair inconvenient and lots of trouble? Yes. Do I care? Not in the least."

North Korea's Kim unseen at anniversary parade This is curious. Yesterday I was going to post on this item but it seemed too absurd to mention. If Jong-Il is dead as the article supposes, who is running the state? His dopplegangers? Not. Very. Likely. The KPA? Too vague. I have about zero doubt he uses doubles. They've been used by Saddam, Montgomery and many others since forever. It creates confusion in your enemies and makes them suspect their sources. What, though, are the odds that he would miss the 60th anniversary of the communist monarch country? Approximately zero. Jong-il loves few things more than military parades and mass spectacles. Also given that he has a penchant for saber rattling close to US elections makes this really, really unlikely. Two different articles indicate that his health is very bad and perhaps even failing. US officials suspect a stroke but won't say why. A rundown of possible successors to the throne is here . The infor...

Lance to return for Tour de France . Lance? Stop it. Seriously, enough already. You're the best ever, we get it. You win. Find something else to do.

"This race is not a personality contest." : He's right. I suppose this race should be about experience then. “You know, this whole résumé contest is not what the American people are looking for" OK, so personality is out. Experience is out. That leaves us with...um..Barry? Help me out here.

Trig Palin is 143 days old today. That's the same number of days Obama was in the Senate. That is all.

"Bull Conner was a community organizer and George Wallace was a governor."

Obama: Recession could delay rescinding tax cuts . If he's talking about this now it means the internal polls the Democrats are taking are showing that he's seen as a Tax And Spend liberal. Those are the most unelectable kind. War, abortion, foreign policy or whatever, take a back seat to taxes for your average voter. The old adage of "people vote with their wallets" is dead right. Democrats promise bread and circuses to the middle class and say they'll soak the rich. Republicans promise bread and circuses for everyone and claim they'll cut spending. Neither is realistic and everybody knows it. Even the candidates. We're now at the point where its Message Massage Mania. That is, how do we most precisely calibrate our message to get enough votes to win? Sixty odd days left in silly season.