Your comment "only now decides that Afghanistan needs more attention" is also incorrect. It is Muddle-Thru McCain who ONLY NOW has decided that Afghan needs more troops. McCain has been against more troops until very recently. FALSE!!!

McCain has for some time been trying to garner more UN committment and support for troops in Afghanistan instead of us just going it alone. Security in Iraq needs to be in place before "pulling out" on a timeline. NObama is just playing games to "withdraw" from Iraq but really redeploy to Afghanistan. He is setting up a situation where we will have to revisit Iraq.

I would say that TR is "reliably" a spinmeister that loves to change the subject when cornered.

A spokesman for al-Maliki said his remarks "were misunderstood, mistranslated and not conveyed accurately."

Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said the possibility of troop withdrawal was based on the continuance of security improvements, echoing statements that the White House made Friday after a meeting between al-Maliki and U.S. President Bush.

So Maliki does not agree with NObama on a 16 month timeframe after all. Hmmmm....

I saw how he changed the subject when proving him wrong w/ facts.

Remind you of anyone?

"Obama was, until this year, totally against any troops in the middle east"

Actually, BO was against the Iraq invasion before it started. "I don't oppose all wars. What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war. What I am opposed to is the cynical attempt by Perle & Wolfowitz & other armchair, weekend warriors in this admin to shove their own ideological agendas down our throats."

Your comment "only now decides that Afghanistan needs more attention" is also incorrect. It is Muddle-Thru McCain who ONLY NOW has decided that Afghan needs more troops. McCain has been against more troops until very recently.

Regarding Iran, Sep19,2008 5 former secretaries of state, gathering to give their best advice to the next president, agreed Monday that the US should talk to Iran. Albright, Powell, Christopher, Kissinger & Baker.

You have way too much time on your hands to come up with those kinds of NObama slanted timelines. NObama was, until this year, totally against any troops in the middle east and made it a campaign promise to do nothing but bring ALL troops HOME, period. The story has changed time and time again and only now decides that Afghanistan needs more attention, well duh. So far, democrats including NObama have been railing about Maliki's inablility to run Iraq but now because of Maliki's desire to be more independent, NObama's talks with him are somehow a revelation of NObama's foreign experience? Are we really ready to go down the road of who is extremely immature and naive over "talks" with Iran with no preconditions? Say what you want but NObama is waaaaaay behind the eight ball.

Alaska, but just that she keeps saying she is going to change the atmosphere in Washington with McCain as far as earmarks go. Alaska is the earmark king and she was its queen…that is until she was tapped for VP. Face it, for those who argue against windfall profits tax, Alaska has been doing it for decades and Palin added to it. If she admitted that she approved and supported the earmarks, but now intends to change that policy, Alaska notwithstanding, then she would at least have some credibility. As it is, she lied, continues to lie and is completely shameless and untrustworthy as a person and potential VP. Is the Alaska Permanent Fund income redistribution? You tell me why it isn't. Is the increase under Palin a windfall profits tax? You tell me why it isn't. She is a political hack who fits the agenda of the gays, gods, and guns folks, and is an embarrassment to America.

Was set up differently from the beginning, as a state in '59, and when drilling began. The idea would be to research (and I shall--a friend once explained it to me) the agreements mapped out between the majority Aleut and native population when the drilling began and what they have now. It would probably be just the same as it was when first set up.
Sarah Palin was raised under this system so she did not go there to make a killing at it. It is the system she knows. If there is an issue with someone from a state that seems more "socialized" taking national office, then the place to begin is with legislation to say that anyone born and raised under Alaska's system cannot serve as president or vice president. I really don't think those oil agreements will ever go away, as signed, so the only other option is to not let Alaskans play at national politics. Try that angle, guys. Cheers, MGM

"If so, revenue sharing may very well be something i'd be on board for."

TR, somnething tells me you are already doing some "revenue sharing" w/ my tax dollars.

"Alaskans are fiscal parasites, to put it bluntly. "

Any Alaskans in the room? Tell 'em who the real takers are CB.

IRAQ
====
OBAMA (05-08): 16 month timeline
MALAKI 07/08: agrees with Obama's 16 month timeline
Bush 07/08: after BO/Mal talk, oks "time horizon" after talks w/Malaki
McCain 04-06/08: rails on BO for 'timetable' talk
McCain 07/08: “I think it’s a pretty good timetable”

AFGANISTAN
==========
MCCAIN 03 - "we can muddle through"
OBAMA 04-08 - "more troops needed"
MULLEN 08 - "we need more troops"
MCCAIN 08 - "more troops needed" (catching up)

PAKISTAN
========
OBAMA 08/07: "If we have actionable intel on high-value terrorist targets we will act"
MCCAIN: Obama's position "naive"
BUSH ADMIN: same day.... CIA fires Hellfire missiles at al Qaeda
07/08: US Missile Strike In Pakistan
08/08: US missile strike in Pakistan
09/08: US missile strike in Pakistan

IRAN
====
OBAMA 11/07: engage in aggressive personal diplomacy
04/08: US Amb Crocker Ready to Talk
06/08: Crocker willing to hold more talks
05/08: McCain blasts BO Over Iran Talks

Since the latest data available is for 2005, Alaska is number 3 in return on federal taxes paid. Virginia is number 10 so is Kaine just as bad? New Mexico and Mississippi are numbers 1 and 2. Alaskans pay no state income taxes and we do. I don't know but Alaska seems to be doing pretty good by providing its residents with royalties revenue while financing its government with the same.

... you are comparing ACTUAL egregious pork projects (that McCain himself has described as horrific examples of pork) to NON-EXISTANT royalties from NON-EXISTANT drilling that may or may not come to fruition in 10+ years time. Secondly, what are the state's infrastructure burdens required to accomodate drilling? Are there land access and land leasing costs that VA absorbes, are there pipeline routes issues and maintenance costs, ecology impact, regulatory & monitoring costs, NIMBY refinery concerns, etc? Would royalties dwarf the cost impact on the state? If so, revenue sharing may very well be something i'd be on board for. But that should not preclude anyone from calling pork pork. As McCain has done. Before he didnt. And if one promotes oneself as an anti-pork zealot, but loves the bacon, one should avoid the self-promotion on that front.

surplus. The royalties were raised because of the increase in oil revenue, the windfall profits tax in full bloom. Alaska in 2008 takes in $506 per capita in earmarks to a national average of $50 per capita. Arizona, to McCain's credit, took home $18 per capita. But rather than spend the royalty increase on earmark projects (Palin says if we want a bridge we will pay for ourselves…a major lie they still kept the money, our money), she sent out checks to the Alaskans. Doggone, that sure looks socialistic to me.
Alaskans are fiscal parasites, to put it bluntly. Stevens and Young are the epitome of earmark porkers and Palin is their step daughter. Now it appears that Wasilla is about to embark on a bridge that may hit $1 Billion in federal funds, for a town of a few thousand. Wow, that is a lot of our money.
But, hey, Palin hunts moose, so she must be good for the VP position.

"What I find extrememly amazing is Pelosi and her posse don't want states to share royalties from offshore drilling. Explain that one!!"

Also, are our local bridges supported by federal funding like Alaska's? Is that pork? Guess who takes more funds/ Va or Ak? Pork? Va under a democratic govenor loves pork.

How about the bridge I take home. Is the bridge to Knotts Island pork? We are a small community.

Your an opportunist.

I would completely disagree with your contention that McCain or Bush is coming around to NObamas foriegn policies. I see it quite the opposite with NObama changing his "plan" everytime we get up in the morning. He is only repeating, but trying to claim credit, for contengiencies that are already planned for and implemented as necessary. Sorry but he is waaaaaayyyy behind the eight ball.

... with student loans, you are firmly planted in Shrill Ville. For there are a lot of 'Merca hating socialist promoting college loan recipients among us. If someone is teaching constitutional law for 12 years, they may not be a 'professor', but besides being socialisticly shrill, you're playing word games. BO's proposed foreign policy positions have for years been much more sound that those of disasterous GWB & Cheney & McCain's. Bush has come around of late, and McCain is begrudingly doing so as well.

I would disagree with "Alaska" raising taxes for the sole purpose of passing out checks. I would have to investigate how or why that was introduced and the real intent since there is a state senate, house and governor. I do not disagree with the royalties since oil companies are utilizing alaskan property for their ventures. There is a big difference in utilizing US resources vs buying on the world market to make a profit. What I find extrememly amazing is Pelosi and her posse don't want states to share royalties from offshore drilling. Explain that one!!

He wants to raise taxes even above the levels of the Clinton era, including a huge increase in the payroll tax. Another problem I have is he mentioned three men as his religious guides. One was Rev. Wright. Another was Father Michael Pfleger, the Louis Farrakhan ally whose recent remarks caused Mr. Obama to resign from Trinity, but for whose Chicago church Mr. Obama channeled at least $225,000 in grants as a state senator. It also needs to be said just who received the 2nd most contributions from Freddie Mac and the Lehman corp. which had to be bailed out by the Goverment that right the so called Messiah, This is the Obama Americans don't know. For all of his inspiring rhetoric about bipartisanship, his voting record is among the most partisan in the Senate. His policy agenda is conventionally liberal across the board –more so than that of any Democratic nominee since 1968, And you claim this empty suit is qualified? Handout Joe is no better once again No-bama-No Biden is what this country needs neither of these 2 have a clue to what this economy needs either just look at their latest comments as examples

then Palin wins that contest, hands down. Aside from being a governor of a state that gets 10X the per capita earmarks of the national average, sends only about a third of the money per capita as it receives from the rest of us and taxes oil so it can send a check to its residents each year, she raised that tax last year when oil got pricey (talk about windfall profits tax, eh?) to send additional money to each Alaska resident. Let's just toss in lying about the bridge, and now refusing to cooperate in a probe she welcomed just a short while ago...you have a fine mix of fiscal gluttony and personal corruption. How does that woman sleep a night? Or is it God's will and she cannot help it.

I will give NObama his education but how did he pay for it? Also, he was NO professor, sorry but that is a myth. As far as the rest of the "senate committees or subcommittees", they are right up there with community organizer or president of the neighborhood watch. Not the stellar resume that you wish to portray. Look at the man's voting record and we can easily see socialist all over it. To address the original writers concerns, appointments to the Supreme Court (what of it?), ending the war (ain't gonna happen on NObamas watch either), universal health care (no socialist pig hole please) and recovering our economy (already in the works).

Well, not that Barack is a "good old boy" but his comments that Gov Palin has 5 kids while he and Michelle Obama have two kids and are exhausted--that is a sexist remark that offends me. Why is it that Gov Palin has 5 kids, not Gov and Mr Palin have 5 kids. And some of Gov Palin's children are older..It's not like she has 5 kids under 10 running under her feet. The remarks by the Democrats are offensive to me and lost my previously-undecided vote.

time, when you attempted to assert that Palin was "more qualified" than Hillary (which was a joke):

Oh, that's right, a mayor of a town of under 9,000 and the governor of 20 months of a state of 650,000, and prior to that was a school secretary, science teacher and track coach -- oh I forgot the job that puts her over the top, sports reporter. Did I mention Ms. Congeniality? Palin does have one thing going for her, she can lie with the best of 'em. Selling the jet on Ebay for a profit (when it was sold by a broker for a loss), firing the chef (she reassigned the chef), the teleprompter was broken (when it was not), thanks but no thanks on the bridge to nowhere (problem was, she supported it), I did not hesitate to accept the VP post (when she told Hannity it was a time "to ask the girls"), etc.

Has this presidential election turned into a circus or what? We deserve the kind of government we ask for and elect.

We have an instruction manual. It starts "We the People".
Qualifications are clearly explained in this document. Age, citizenship...hmmm, nothing else!
No mention is made of experience, previous offices held, religious or social background, yada yada yada.
Our main problems: the best people do not contemplate running for these offices which restricts to popularity.
Thinking people don’t subject themselves or their families to the extreme invasions of their personal lives associated with this process.
This occurs amongst all political parties, at all levels of government. The difference is the amount of media coverage one hears, reads, or views.
Did Don Hendly write "Dirty Laundry" for any other reason?

Anyone who is actually intelligent, experienced, ruthless and (therefore) competent to execute the office of Potus or VPotus is certainly sane enough, to not want the job…

What sane person would put themselves, or their family, thru the nonsense?

Having said that – clearly, Sarah Palin is a formidable individual. Three weeks ago, no one outside of Alaska (where she enjoys an 80% approval rating) had ever heard of her, and now, without any effort on her part, terror has been struck into the hearts of the entire Democratic Party.

How else to explain the “trip over each other” haste to point out her deficiencies, whether real or fabricated…

An 18month 'experienced' governor given the VP slot next to what would be the oldest president in US history (and a cancer survivor) is a scary scary thing. JM adopting Bush's positions and voting w/ GWB 95% of the time is not a good calling card in my book. People like to denigrate BO's experience, but there's more than than the detractors admin. Columbia Univ & Harvard Law magna cum laude graduate, Harvard Law Review president, constitutional law professor for 12 years, state legislator for 7 years, Senator for almost 4 years, Veterans' Affairs committee member, Foreign Relations committee member, Environment and Public Works committee member, Health Education Labor & Pensions committee member, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee member, European Affairs Senate subcommittee chairman.

Ira - can you site where BO has "coached people on the public dole on how to receive more govermental services"?

Obama's initial entry into elected office was not by convincing the people he was the best man for the job, but rather by the Chicago political machine's minions nit picking his opponent's ballot signatures until he was removed from the ballot.

His career has been one of machine politics from the beginning, he is nothing new.

"A discussion of Palin's qualifications (or lack thereof) is just as warranted as it is of McCain's, Obama's and Biden's. Quite frankly, touting 18 months of gubernatorial experience as a qualification for vice president is as ludicrous as overlooking the fact that McCain has no executive experience, either."

Let's talk about Obama's. I'll go first. He was elected in Illinois because his base respected the fact he worked within their community. He coached people on the public dole on how to receive more govermental services. He was introduced into goverment backed by the 'want free stuff' electorate. This is a fact.

Your turn.