Scanner : nancy pelosi

McCain Sabotages His Own Attempt To Save The Nation

Brian Fairbanks — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:44:00 GMT

It's time someone called "nuts!" on this McCain campaign suspension, fake attempt to save the economy, and the sabotaging of that fake attempt once it appeared Obama had the upper hand on the issue again...

Here's what we've heard. It's possible, of course, that Politico, Politics1, RCP, and all the other sources are wrong, but let's assume otherwise for the moment:

1) McCain told David Letterman he couldn't do anymore interviews because he was rushing back to DC to work on legislation. This was proven, on air, to be a lie, as McCain ran over to do an interview with Katie Couric instead. Fine, whatever. But why then did McCain wait until the morning to fly to DC? Didn't he know that would be a big red flag for people?

2) McCain said he was going to suspend campaigning. But we've heard from several sources that his ads are still running, his workers are still working, and McCain is still "campaigning" in every sense of the term except for actual stump speeches. See more about what his campaign has been up to since the suspension here.

3) Politico and Politics1 report on how the deal fell apart, thanks to McCain and Bush and their political maneuvering. You have to read this whole thing to appreciate it:

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson['s] $700 billion bailout... fell apart in bitter arguing during the meeting at the White House called by President Bush... [which was held] at the urging of John McCain. [The Dems] jointly deferred to Barack Obama, who set forth the[ir] concerns. One Republican at the meeting told Politico that Obama's leading role -- versus McCain's nearly silent role at the meeting -- was "an ambush" and the Democrats "did a very good job" of surprising Bush and McCain.
Obama immediately raised concerns that House Republicans had spent the day secretly plotting with McCain to sabotage the Bush/Paulson plan. Obama said the Democrats would not be party to advancing any bailout plan if McCain and the Congressional Republicans were not solidly behind the plan. Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI) -- one of the fiscal hawks who had been crafting the conservative alternative plan -- confirmed that the House Republicans had met with McCain during the day as they worked on the rival plan. ..."This is such a crisis I'm not going to draw some line in the sand. We can't leave without doing something, but we don't think the votes are here for Paulson," said Ryan. As the White House meeting degenerated into bickering, the Democrats walked out to caucus...

Here's the short version of the rest: Paulson apparently (literally!) got down on his hands and knees in front of Pelosi and begged them not to quit the talks. According to Politico, his worst fears about what Bush and McCain would try to do-- that is, play politics with the legislation and try to give most of the gargantuan payoff to those who didn't need it, like CEOs-- were confirmed and the talks stalled. The Democrats and Republicans sectioned themselves off and continued into the evening with the discussions, leaving some to wonder...

4)... is John McCain going to show up for the debate? As we've said before, if he doesn't, he could get trashed like no Republican has been since Bob Dole's bumbling 1996 campaign. Obama would be able to mop the floor with him in a town hall-style discussion and emerge the almost unbeatable frontrunner. John McCain: are you getting any of this?!

More via Politics1.

Related:

BREAKING: John McCain Suspends His Campaign

Gay Community Attacks McCain By Outing His Chief Of Staff

Which Candidate Spends More on Make-Up Than We Do On Shoes?

McCain Was "Tasty" and "Good Kissing" According to His Brazilian Lover

God Bless You, Mr. Russert

Brian Fairbanks — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:01:00 GMT

If Rush Limbaugh and Barack Obama both sincerely admired you, you probably live one helluva life.

We always thought you should've attacked Republicans harder, embarrassed Democratic whimps like Joe Lieberman and Nancy Pelosi more on Iraq, but now that you're gone, how many broadcasters are left that will even have the guts to attack any of them, in any manner? It'll be all kid gloves from here, since the only person like you on TV is Keith Olbermann... and John McCain and Harry Reid are too crafty to agree to that suicide of an interview.

It'll be up to independent media outlets and the blogosphere to call out the bullshit artists in politics and expose the truth that Fox News, NBC, and the rest of the phony press bury. You sought the truth and settled for nothing short of total honesty. You did your goddamndest for a guy who had a simple Sunday morning show that should have bored us back to sleep yet never did. You were 58 but seemed younger. Why not somebody with way less good karma? Why you and not someone more dispensible, harsh as that is to say?

We'll never know but, like you, Mr. Russert, we'll keep looking for the answers and make sure to ask the tough questions to get them. Thanks for all your hard work.

For more on Tim Russert, click here.

[Photo via Star Magazine]

Obama VP List Down To Top 20

Brian Fairbanks — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:43:00 GMT

Rogue Iraqi Presidential candidate Barack Hussein Obama has whittled his list down to a whopping twenty infidels, just to throw us off the track.

Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota told CNN that some of those on the list are “top officials now,” others are “former lawmakers” and others are “former top military leaders.”

Let's see... Wesley Clark? Kathleen Sebelius? John Edwards? Those are our guesses. Speaking of Edwards, he is polling strong as a VP choice... and more importantly, helping the Obama brand:

Obama/Edwards [have] double-digit leads in states like New York, Missouri, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin, Iowa, Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, and California. That could mean a landslide for Democrats in November, especially considering the competitive nature of national contests in Pennsylvania and Ohio in recent years. But what's more interesting is that it also predicts considerable victories elsewhere, like [Republican Gov. Tim] Pawlenty's home state of Minnesota, where Obama/Edwards leads by 7 points. And typically red states like Nebraska would also go to the Democrats in a squeaker. [Eyes on Obama]

Meanwhile, Obama's team will meet with the top female politician in the country. Wrong-- it's Nancy Pelosi. Sorry, Hillary, but don't fret-- you must be on that list, somewhere around #18 and #19...

Via CNN.

Some Things Congressman Sam Graves Knows About "San Francisco Values"

Nicole Pasulka — Fri, 23 May 2008 17:32:00 GMT

Thank you to Rep. Sam Graves for showing us, in no uncertain terms, what the people of Missouri imagine are San Francisco values. They are as follows:

1. San Franciscans value mixed drinks and dancing that looks like there's no music playing.

2. Nancy Pelosi. And if she supports you, you probably live in the Tenderloin and own AT LEAST ONE arab strap.

3. The color pink.

Wanna take a ride on the street car of illicit desire?

Gays On A Plane!

Katie Halper — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 21:24:00 GMT

The Pentagon barred Congresswoman/lesbian Tammy Baldwin from traveling with her domestic partner of 10 years. Because nothing threatens our national security and military intelligence more than Indigo Girls medleys, patchouli and shouts of "Labels are for jars."

Queerty has the story

The United States government’s queer discrimination runs deeper than we thought. Politico reports this morning that the Pentagon attempted to block Tammy Baldwin from traveling with her long time lover, Lauren Azar, with whom she exchanged domestic partner vows in 1998.

While Defense Secretary Robert Gates and his cronies claim Azar doesn’t count as a “spouse,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi came out in full force for Baldwin.

In appealing to Gates, Pelosi aides said their boss was simply asking the defense secretary to follow a precedent established by her predecessor, former Republican Rep. Dennis Hastert of Illinois. Pelosi told Gates that Hastert had allowed Baldwin to take Azar on a previous trip abroad.
Gates, who was apparently unaware of any earlier trips, told the speaker that she was responsible for the House travel rules and had the authority to make an exception, according to officials on and off the Hill. His only requirement was that Pelosi send him a letter authorizing the trip. Pelosi sent such a letter moments after the phone call ended, and Azar was allowed on the plane.

The Department of Defense makes clear to Politico that their decision simply reflects a deal with Pelosi and should not be taken as a precedent. Aren’t they charming?

This wouldn’t be the first time the government treated its gay employees’ differently. Former Romanian Ambassador Michael Guest resigned in protest last year after trying unsuccessfully to amend State Department policy on same-sex couples. While straight partners are granted access to security and language training, their queer counterparts must fend for themselves.

Openly gay Representative Barney Frank blames the Baldwin situation on the current administration, “I think the military was following orders. I think the administration disapproves of same-sex marriage.” It seems to us that the issue goes much deeper than just this administration, but indicates severe flaws in our nation’s political landscape - one that’s clearly skewed toward straight citizens.

If the government wants to shine the light of liberal democracy in places like Iraq, we suggest they do the same here in the States. It’s pretty disheartening that the Department of Defense refuses to include same-sex partners under their spousal guidelines. But, you know, that’s just our homo opinion.