Biden hits Rudy, Rudy hits back

Senator Joe Biden took a pretty good shot at Rudy Giuliani during last night's debate. It was in response to Rudy's recent claims that many in the Democratic field lack executive experience, and are therefore unqualified for the presidency.

Biden called Giuliani unqualified, and said that his answers consist of "three things: a noun, a verb and 9/11."

Zing!



The Senator's comments got a strong response from Giuliani communications director, Katie Levinson:

"... Senator Biden certainly falls in to the bucket of those on the stage tonight who have never had executive experience and have never run anything. Wait, I take that back, Senator Biden has never run anything but his mouth. Such a desperate attack from Senator Biden is to be expected considering I – Katie Levinson – have a better chance of becoming President than he does.”

This is fun.

New New Deal on the way, if Edwards gets his way

John Edwards has been in the news recently. It's go time for his campaign. Yesterday, I posted that Obama was gearing up to take on Hillary more directly, well that goes double for Edwards, times 10 (that's 20x overall, for those keeping score). Edwards staked his campaign on winning Iowa, and he's now running third (albeit a close third). So he's gotten serious, outlining bold policy propositions and forcefully criticizing Clinton.

On the policy front, Edwards has proposed a slew of New Deal- esque programs to fight poverty. Edwards would look to raise the minimum wage to $9.50, provide a million new Section 8 housing vouchers for the poor, and also pledged to start a government-funded public higher education program called "College for Everyone."

"It is central to what I want to do as president to do something about economic inequality. I do not believe it is okay for the United States of America to have 37 million people living in poverty. And I think we need, desperately need, a president who will say that to America and call on Americans to show their character."

Edwards said his top three priorities are: Ending the war in Iraq, enacting universal health care, and overhauling our energy policy.

As for the Hill, he ripped her for taking money from federal lobbyists and for her vote calling Iran's Revolutionary Guard a terrorist group. Edwards said the vote could give the president the authority to bomb Iran. Obama missed the vote, but attacked Clinton similarly.

I feel bad for Edwards, he's not winning this thing, and he's damaged goods so the VP slot's not happening. The only thing that could save him may be an endorsement from SAM Online... but we're not there yet.

Speaking of endorsements... NBC reports that after heavy lobbying by the Democratic field, the New Hampshire SIEU, one of the state's largest unions, has endorsed Edwards. The nod could be a big help for him, who is way behind in New Hampshire polls, because it means votes and volunteers.

This is the 12th state SEIU endorsement Edwards has won; the others include Iowa and California.

By the way, SAM is also being lobbied for our endorsement. We're leaning Gravel, but nothing's final just yet.

Quote of the Day 10/30

"I will follow Osama bin Laden to the gates of Hell and then I'll shoot him with your products!"

- Senator John McCain speaking to workers at a gun factory in New Hampshire. McCain later said he was joking.

Picture of the Day 10/29

This has nothing to do with politics, but it's hilarious. It's a t-shirt available here that spells out the name of a pop singer.

Here's a hint: This is ooooouuuur country!

Fox Business or Porno?

I'm really not sure if I should post this, but I will. Radar Magazine puts its readers to the test by asking: Fox Business anchor or porn star?

Find the link here.

I don't know if I should make this public, but I was a perfect 10 for 10 in this quiz. But I swear I had no previous knowledge of any of the ladies featured... like I'd admit to watching Fox, anyway.

Quote of the Day 10/29

“She hasn’t run anything, and the government of the United States is not a place for a president to be an intern. You need to have experience actually leading and running things.”

- Mitt Romney on Senator Hillary Clinton's lack of executive experience. Interesting choice of words seeing as how Sen. Clinton's husband, Bill Clinton, was impeached for lying about oral sex with a White House intern.

Of course, Romney may not have known about that.

Let the campaign begin...

Barack Obama has announced that the gloves are off, and he's going to take on Hillary Clinton directly and forcefully. To that end, the campaign has posted his speech on Social Security reform on its YouTube site. Notice, more specifically, that Obama is introduced by a "regular person"-- an Iowa school teacher who stumbles over his words in a humble and honest way. You can tell he wrote the introduction himself, probably with a pen and notebook. It's a nice touch.



As for the speech itself, I like it. It's very direct and honest. And, he refers to Clinton as "ducking the issue" and following "conventional Washington thinking." He calls for a renewed sense of purpose and "shared responsibility."

//More from Iowa\\

NBC reports that Mitt Romney's lead in Iowa has expanded to a commanding 36.2% to 13.1% over Rudy Giuliani. Mike Huckabee is on Giuliani’s heels at 12.8% and Thompson is fourth with 11.4.%. Romney was at 27.8% in August; Huckabee was at just 1.8%. McCain stands at just 6%. Nearly 15% of Republican voters say they are undecided.

Romney was the only Republican candidate polling better with women than men, he's dominating with females (must be the hair). In fact, most Iowa Republican men are supporting Giuliani or Huckabee, but overall the race doesn't appear to even be close.

A (GA) Dream Deferred

ESPN.com has learned from AP reports of the suspension of Genarlow Wilson's prison sentence by the Georgia Supreme Court. The 4-3 decision ruled that Wilson, now 21, received a "cruel and unusual" sentence following his guilty conviction of aggravated child molestation. The charge stems from a New Year's Eve party in Douglas County, GA, where Wilson, then 17, had oral sex with a 15-year old girl in a hotel room. He was found innocent of rape charges from the same night, but upon a 17-year old girl instead. For his conviction, Wilson received ten years in prison.

No wonder why Black Americans are so cynical towards the criminal justice system. I challenge anyone to go out and find a case as egregious, that occurred in an, at least, upper middle-class neighborhood. And be sure that the defendant is white, so that I know there is at least some attempt at parody regarding dumb laws.

It's the whole crack-powder thing, not that any one should be tolerated. But charging people with crack cocaine as though they committed a more wantonly offense as compared to distributors of powder cocaine is asinine. How many FARC guerrillas earn payments from those crack deals? Hell, you need cocaine just to make crack, and this would be oblivious to anyone reviewing the federal sentencing guidelines regarding the two substances.

This isn't about drugs or the age threshold for oral sex. It's about justice, or the lack thereof. At the time of his conviction, Genarlow Wilson was the homecoming king of his high school and a star football and track athlete, no doubt on his way to college. What he did is every parent's nightmare, but we all know how these circumstances can arise. Too much alcohol, too much weed. Maybe just finding an excuse to be irresponsible, say, New Year's Eve, for instance. Reckless, sure. But nowhere near the ten year sentence he received. What of his lost time, the two years he did with murderers, rapists, and the like? Will the GA Supreme Court give that back to him? What of his record? Will he have to explain this story all over again to a hiring manager? All questions young, Black men are too familiar, as they deal with life in a country that seemingly still prefers not to want them.

How Much More Can You Take?

Forest fires in the west have been increasing steadily over the last 17 years and while these fires are increasing in size and intensity we learned today that money that is supposed to be used for prevention of these fires has been used by the fire fighters who are fighting the current fires that rage. That’s like the guy who uses his Master Card to pay his American Express bill.

Lets put the pieces together.

We don’t have money to prevent the fires in California. We don’t have the money to secure the bridges in Minnesota. We don’t have the money to re-enforce the Levees in Louisiana. We don’t have the money for health insurance for every child in this country. But wait…. what do we have money for is….. Nation building…. The Iraq War is costing us an estimated 2.4 trillion dollars, while at home our nation is crumbling. It's Simple.

If I have to hear George W. Bush talk about fiscal responsibility one more time I’m going to puke.

How much more can you take? Throw your fist up.

Curbing the Enthusiasm

USAToday.com has an article about Senator Hillary Clinton's thoughts on Executive Power, and what she intends to do with it if elected President. Speaking to the British publication, The Guardian, Mrs. Clinton says she "would consider giving up some" power, while acknowledging that the Bush Administration has gone a bit beyond the Constitution's boundaries regarding its use of Executive Power.

Recently, PBS's Frontline produced a compelling piece about this very subject within Mr. Bush's White House called "Cheney's Law". The documentary examines how the current administration, led by Vice President Dick Cheney, was intent on restoring pre-Watergate Executive Authority and doing so irregardless of legal precedents, congressional opposition and judicial objections. From the NSA wiretap operation involving the telecommunications industry to the use of torture tactics in foreign lands, Mr. Cheney was (and may still be) determined to concentrate the President's power in the Oval Office, using the Justice Department as his tool in the process.

Mrs. Clinton's ambiguous comments ought to be taken seriously, and not because she may curb Executive Power, but because she may do the exact opposite. In the interview with The Guardian, she never gives any specifics regarding Mr. Bush's transgressions, nor does she enlighten us as to how she would specifically narrow Executive Power. It's amazing that one of the most lasting impressions of the Bush presidency for generations to come will be his use of Executive Power, yet she chooses to address it lightly, and only when a foreign reporter brings it up.

This is not something that's unique to Mrs. Clinton, but to all of the Presidential candidates. In the Republican field, there seems to be a greater appetite for torture techniques, so you can assume Executive Power will not be trimmed back. Nor do you hear any specifics from the Democratic heavyweights on how they would return to a system of checks and balances, and not one of King George III, ruling the country without any accountability. It makes one pause regarding the reasons they're running. Is it to improve the nation and continue its progress, or is it for the power?

In extraordinary times, it's important to have a President, Congress and Judiciary willing to make the important, tough decisions that will preserve our safety and maintain the democracy. It is always imprudent, however, for citizens to not be more accountable to each other and hold elected officials as such in those extraordinary moments.

Check Out: Funny and Odd Site

The progressive interest group, People for the American way has a parody website called "The Right- Wing Facebook." The slogan: We watch the right so you don't have to. Check it out, it's formatted exactly like the real Facebook, with funny profiles and a newsfeed that covers everthing going on with Republican candidates, along with a decidedly liberal bias.

It's kind of interesting to see... check it out.

Huckabee gets Roundhouse Kick of Approval

In an effort to secure the "aging B-list bearded action star/ home gym enthusiast/ internet punchline" demographic, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has picked up a key endorsement.

None other than Chuck Norris himself has come out in favor of the "compassionate conservative." He even compared the candidate to a Biblical King, NBC reports.

"Given Huckabee’s underdog status, Norris 'recalled another leader in ancient times that didn't match up in the line up: King David. Seven men were poised and paraded for the position of king, but David was left in the field shepherding because he wasn't ‘a front-runner in the polls.’ They overlooked the best because they were too busy judging by outward appearance. But God appointed David king.'

Norris also writes that Huckabee’s 'not afraid to stand up for a Creator and against secularist beliefs.'”

That makes sense, as Walker Texas Ranger was never afraid to take on drug smugglers, assassins and science teachers who taught evolution.

It's still unclear how this huge endorsement will impact the race, but I predict we'll soon see Governor Huckabee climbing the national polls and fundraising race. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go work my abs on my Total Gym, while watching my new Delta Force Collector's Editon DVD, and growing out my manly, red and grey flecked beard.

An Incorrigible Truth

College football is in its mid season form, once again, and it began last week with the inaugural Bowl Championship Series rankings. As opposed to previous seasons when, say, eight of the top ten teams were the usual suspects fans were accustomed to seeing at the top (from Miami to Oklahoma to Southern California), this year's rankings are a bit different. As of Monday, October 22nd, Boston College is number two behind Ohio State, this being the Jesuit school's first crack into the top five of the BCS rankings. Just last week, South Florida (USF) was sitting pretty at number two before committing the most unforgivable sin an up-and-coming, no-name program can commit in college football: they lost at Rutgers, currently ranked twenty-five in the AP poll.

You see, that's what college football is about. Polls and perfection. You can't get enough of the former, and only the prestige, on a good year, attain the latter. Of course USF was due a loss this year, and no less to Rutgers, whose Ray Rice is like an Acela train that will soon be playing Sunday football in autumn. Some polls have USF out of the top ten, and others graciously allowed them to remain, while further narrowing their margin of error. Will USF play for a BCS title? Probably not, and, in the words of Run DMC, that's just the way it is.

College football is a money-maker and wants to be entertaining as hell, and it is. If you watched Auburn at LSU last Saturday night, you know you watched a classic, comparable to Colorado at Michigan over a decade ago. Still, NCAA's appetite for the dollar, and the schools' presidents collective appetite for such, often trumps what's just. In a just world, USF would have a shot at the BCS title, not hope for the stars to realign themselves again. In other words, we'd have a playoff system.

How un-American is it that if Boston College loses in Blacksburg to Virginia Tech, currently number eight in the BCS poll, they are absolutely out of the running? This is so because a flurry of teams will jump them just based on simple mathematics, let alone the punishment the writers, coaches and computers will dole out for BC committing that ungodly sin. Not that losing should be awarded, but if Florida can be forgiven for losing to Auburn, in Auburn, last year, and given a second chance, why not BC? There is no logical answer to that question, because there is no logical explanation for the BCS.

NCAA basketball has a simple 64-team, one game elimination tournament. Often times, debate may rage over who got in and who was stiffed, but at the end of three weeks of high caliber basketball, we all agree on the champion.

Exactly what does the winner of the Gator bowl tell us? Outside of the generous windfall, what are we to make of the Pac-10/Big-10 team that wins the Rose Bowl (loser also receives generous windfall)? Okay, so BCS #1 versus BCS #2 will give us the national championship. But what if BCS #4 beats BCS #3 by 30-plus? Is that supposed to be like that third place game they always have in international soccer tournaments?

In a season where a top four team has lost for four consecutive weeks now, it's getting awefully difficult to sort out the shoulds and shouldn'ts. Florida has two losses, yet no one can argue that there is no light at the end of their tunnel. Michigan, a truly sad story next to Notre Dame, can possibly win every Big-10 game, and still go to the Rose Bowl. Exactly how may "quality" wins would they have compared to USF, or Kentucky, assuming they win the remainder of their games. Changes ought to be made to create a system in which the players and coaches select the champion, i.e., by playing it out. No lobbying for poll position, no random drops or surges in polls, and no exclusion.

Then again, if you're the Ohio States of the world, why stop a good thing?

Gone 'til November...

Notre Dame is heading for fall break, and I made the questionable call of skipping the USC game (my old school) to head home early. What does this mean for SAM? I'll be posting whever I can... but probably not as much for the next 2 weeks. I'll be traveling in New York and to Washington, so I won't have net access too much.



That means that I'm pleading with my fellow SAMs to please please keep posting, maybe even post more than usual. I'm looking in your direction Goose, John Kennedy, CPColeta, AEP, ptb, Douglas Flynn, stevekrik, and anyone else who wants to write for this site. Do me this solid and be active posters for the next couple of weeks.

I actually won't be back to ND until November 1st... so try to help me out.






As Wyclef once said:

Evertime I make a run
Girl you turn around and cry
I ask myself: Why oh why?
You see you must understand
I can't work a 9-5
So I'll be gone
'til November

The Maine Idea

Last Wednesday night, the local school board of Portland, Maine approved a measure allowing for middle school students to receive birth control devices from the school's nurse(s). The story is best captured in this msnbc.com article, which details the measure, vote and subsequent outcry. The issue, in and of itself a political dynamite, was further ensconced in controversy because the middle school students can request anything from birth control pills to condoms without their parents' permission. This last bit is what has the whole country talking about the measure, and the likes of Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh up in arms.

Still, the question ultimately comes down to teaching kids about sex. It's important for parents to speak honestly and frankly about sex with their kids, no matter how uncomfortable or awkward it may seem to both parties. However, whatever a parent says (or doesn't) has serious competition from a few factors: friends and interests. If a child loves rap music and has sexually active friends, how likely is it that the child is not going to engage in any sexual activity before the end of high school? I don't know the answer to that, but experience tells us all to put our money on the under. Schools may want to inform parents about what the child will learn in the classroom, after all, whether tuition or taxes, the parents are paying for the lesson. Schools should not shy away from teaching kids about their bodies and how to protect it and prevent dangerous circumstances.

Kids are having puberty at younger ages than before, and no one knows the actual causes of this. With everything that's on television, from Britney Spears wearing no underwear to A&F selling thongs to adolescents, sexual messages are pervasive as ever. The only thing to guide young people toward making good decisions is information, and all of it. Teach young people about the changes going on in their bodies. Enlighten them about sexual activities, the risks involved and preventative measures. Give them birth rate statistics, involving babies born to h.s. dropouts, in single-parent households, out-of-wedlock marriages, et cetera. If this strategy works for investors who want to maximize their Q3 earnings, why shouldn't it work for a teen couple contemplating whether or not to use a condom? Totally different worlds, I understand, but it's information that serves as the x-factor.

I received some illuminating statistics recently regarding teen birth rates by state. The first stat is from 2000 (a bit old, I know), and gives percentages, by state, of teen births. It's bare-bones stats that ultimately has one conclusion: progressive policies help reduce teen births. The second tells the same story, but shows a pattern from the seventies through 2005, and gives the teen birth rate per one thousand births in each state. A similar conclusion to the first, one must immediately begin to accept the idea that the Maine folks are on to something.

Of course, all of this would be simple academics if parents chose to speak to their kids, as opposed to leaving it to that Korean woman on MTV. So someone has to do the tough job of preparing our kids to help prepare themselves. Next objective: Teaching geography.

Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) and Controversy on the House Floor

One of the most liberal members of Congress, Nothern California's Pete Stark made some very controversial remarks today on the floor of the US House.

The remarks centered around the President's veto of a Child's Health Insurance Bill, and a failed attempt to override the veto.

In case you can't or don't want to watch the video, here's an exerpt:

"I'm just amazed that they can't figure out -- the Republicans are worried that they can't pay for insuring an additional 10 million children. They sure don't care about finding $200 billion to fight the illegal war in Iraq."

"Where are you going to get that money? Are you going to tell us lies like you're telling us today? Is that how you're going to fund the war? You don't have money to fund the war or children. But you're going to spend it to blow up innocent people if we can get enough kids to grow old enough for you to send to Iraq to get their heads blown off for the president's amusement.

John Ridley's HuffPo Blog

I don't know how lame this may be, but I feel compelled to direct the good people who visit this site's attention to a blog on Huffington Post by John Ridley. Ridley, my kind of clear thinking individual who looks for practical results as true solutions to problems, has hit the hammer on the proverbial nail regarding Illegal Immigration (Yeah, I said it). He exposes a damaging flaw in the standard liberal position regarding the matter, because in the end, liberals who stand for illegal immigrants' "rights" are actually standing for the employers' "rights" to exploit them. He is right in pointing the unlikely (?) marriage between "'civil rights'" groups who fight for illegal immigrants to stay and Wall Street. They're marriage has been sustained because the likes of President Bush and Senator Kennedy legitimize the union.

Steps do need to be taken to solve this issue, starting with acknowledging what it is. "Undocumented workers" is a misnomer. A student I once knew used to be an "undoc. worker" when (s)he "interned" for a law firm, and at week's end, had $300 cash in the pocket. No W-2's. No Social Security numbers. Illegal Immigration is what upwards of twenty million people go through by sneaking into the country or staying beyond the alotted time on their visas. And I'm not trying to vilify folks for it. If I had the choice between Mexico City or Jackson City, it's no question.

Still, we must understand that even if people come to this country to be exploited, it's still not right. Just because there are migrants, who came and remain here illegally, willing to work for two dollars an hour with no ability to unionize, that doesn't make it right. The Guest-Worker Program smells of what Ridley calls indentured servitude. It's an accurate way to describe exactly what the business community wants, and what liberals fight for.

Enough is Enough

So there is yet again another uproar over a picture depicting the prophet Mohammed. This time a Swedish artist drew the head of Mohammed on the body of a dog. Conservative Muslims (is there a such thing as liberal Muslims? And if so, could they please become more vocal?) believe that dogs are unclean animals and Islam forbids any depiction of the prophet. When the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published cartoons of Mohammed back in September of 2005, the Muslim world reacted with hysterical furor. Death threats were issued and protests were chock-full of signs which portrayed not only the irony of the situation of the very real intolerance and obedience expected from many Muslims across the globe. The rest of the world reacted cowardly and shamefully and refused to stand up for the artists' and the newspaper's freedom of speech, a right that we supposedly hold very dear here in the U.S. of A. While this Swedish artist was being purposely provocative, the reaction from the Muslim community, which has become increasingly typical, is nonetheless unacceptable. Enough is enough. It's all well and good if Islam teaches that it is a sin to depict the prophet, but not everybody is Muslim! Believe any of the crazy things that you want to but leave the rest of us out of it. While we keep hearing over and over again that "Islam is a religion of peace that has been hijacked by extremists," it is simply not the case. From the Salman Rushdie incident to Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the reaction from the Muslim world has been the same. Enough is enough. The rest of the world needs to stop acquiescing every time there is Muslim outrage. We hold our rights to freedom of speech and press as dearly as they hold their religious beliefs. Don't make the same cowardly mistake we made during the Danish cartoon incident. Stand up for this man's right to free speech. No one deserves death threats for drawing a picture, certainly not from a "religion of peace."

Presidential Field Grows Tighter

As part of Colbert Nation, I was very excited to see Stephen Colbert make this dramatic announcement on Tuesday night's show.

Cheney and Obama Are Distant Cousins

Here is an interesting find from the AP:


WASHINGTON (Oct. 16) - Though they may spar across the political aisle, Vice President Dick Cheney is close enough to Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama to call him "cousin."

Eighth cousin, that is.

Lynne Cheney, the vice president's wife, revealed this tantalizing bit of political trivia during a television interview Tuesday.

She said she uncovered the long-ago ties between the two while researching her ancestry for her latest book, "Blue Skies, No Fences," a memoir about growing up in Wyoming.

"This is such an amazing American story that one ancestor ... could be responsible down the family lines for lives that have taken such different and varied paths as Dick's and Barack Obama," Lynne Cheney told MSNBC.

According to her spokeswoman, Sen. Obama, D-Ill., is a descendent of Mareen Duvall. This French Huguenot's son married the granddaughter of a Richard Cheney, who arrived in Maryland in the late 1650's from England, said Ginny Justice, a spokeswoman for Lynne Cheney.

The vice president's full name is Richard B. Cheney.

A spokesman for Obama, who wants to be the first black U.S. president, offered a tongue-in-cheek response. "Every family has a black sheep," said spokesman Bill Burton.

Lynne Cheney did not reference the ancestral ties between her husband and Obama in the book.


I love the black sheep comment, priceless.