There is talk about pulling out. There have been numerous stories recently about discussions we've been having with the Iraqi government.

I should have been more clear, and I apologize for the saying you don't like Palin. I honestly meant her policies. I don't beleive I have said anything demeaning about you or your posts, nor am I trying to trivialize.

What should he have said? I don't know. Her management of a state, which is her current job, she has been doing longer than he has been running his campaign and it is indeed larger in scope than a campaign. He chose, I believe deliberately - which is fine - to focus on being a mayor of a small town rather than her being a governor of a state, designed specifically to belittle her. I have no problem with that. Of course one needs to present a case in as positive a light as you can for yourself.

I feel like I have a no win situation in political threads recently. If I post what I think and ask questions, I have recently been accused of baiting and other things. So now I temper my responses, being as inoffensive as I could possibly be and avoiding discussions of things that have been gone over before to avoid the appearance of baiting, and that is wrong as well. CP, I have never been one to avoid debate, which I think is obvious.

If you want to spin it that way, let's go there...
The country is divided by race. The dividing I was talking about has to do with Republicans and Democrats. There was no talk of unity in her speech. It's once again all about how we're safer as a country with a Republican at the helm. Uh, yeah. She's touting how McCain's experience is going to be an asset to the country. Four years ago, the experience of a war veteran was used against him by Republicans. It's the same double-standard that the Republicans use over and over again. And the same stupid people that voted for Bush Jr are going to vote for McCain, they'll fall for that overused rhetoric again. It's sad, really. Obama's not perfect and I'm not sure if I like Biden, but Obama is the lesser of two "evils" here. Palin demonstrated last night that with their ticket, we'll continue the Bush way of thinking. I'm not up for four more years of that.

This is off topic, but it involves discussion of race:

http://firedoglake.com/2008/09/03/fb...intee-said-no/

And here's some reality checks for what Palin has said and what McCain has said about Palin.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/0..._n_123771.html

(posted on Huffington, but it's an AP story).

Not sure if anyone has posted this yet: an AP article that fact checks some of Palin's (and others') lines in speeches at the Republican National Convention.

I would expect no less out of the Republicans...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080904/...cvn_fact_check

Edit: Grrr.... GD beat me on posting this article by 4 minutes! :D

Jinx.

Okay, so the Iraq is, like, Bristol Palin, and we're like Levi. And the Iraq is like, you should pull out, and we're, like, I know, but just a little longer. And the Iraq is, like, I want you to pull out. And we're, like, no you don't. And the Iraq is, like, no I don't, but you should. And we're, like, the surge is working, say it. And the Iraq is, like, the surge is working, pull out. And we're like, tell me you're ready to govern yourself. And the Iraq, like, doesn't say anything. And we're, like, I can't pull out 'til you say you can govern yourself. And then the Iraq, like, fakes it and says, yes, baby, I can govern myself, oh yes. Now pull out. And we're like, you think I can't tell you're faking. And then . . .

And I have to then point out that 8 members of a purported anarchist group calling themselves the RNC Welcoming Committee were charged today in Minneapolis with Conspiracy to Riot in Furtherance of Terrorism.

They were not any of the people who actually tried to block traffic or commit other acts of civil disobediance and/or riot, but rather were the ones who allegedly did the planning.

They are the first persons charged with this Minnesota law, which - like the Patriot Act it is modeled after - equates civil disobedience of poliltical protest with terrorism.

I don't see anything racist here. Just that people conspiring to disrupt the travel routes for delegates to the Republican Convention are being charged with terrorist crimes that carry a penalty of 7+ years, while people conspiring to ASSASSINATE the presidential candidate at the Democrat Convention are let off.

Um, nothing. What?

There have been a boatload of unprovoked raids and arrests, lots of police in gas masks and riot gear, with pepper spray and tear gas. Twitter huffpost, or just look at the Huffington Post website.

There are accusations of undercover infiltrators breaking windows and such, then giving the cops just cause to start cracking heads. Cheneyesque tactics of "intimidate now, don't bother asking questions later."