Gobble, gobble, gobble, gkkkkk...

Nothing says "serious politician" like interviewing in front of turkey slaughter. Interesting move. She's done better. It's no wonder she makes such good comedy fodder, and she's not taken seriously.

More bailouts

Whether it's Obama's "costly" plan, the Fed's concept, or the auto industry looking to recover from it's poor hybrid-free planning, it looks like everyone want's another bailout. Do these people not realize we still don't like this? Sure, Obama knows how to spend money, but this is getting crazy. Doesn't anyone have any common sense?

The 25 percent found

It seems no matter how bad things get, 25% of the population tenaciously backs disastrous policies, even if they don't support that group's particular ideology. It may be that someone has found the 25% here:

Heresy bad; Hearsay good?

I have got to get an updated Bible. Evidently my daily reading suffers because my Bible is evidently defective. Apparently God condones Heresay and innuendo. My bad. I thought he preferred for us to live our lives on sound doctrine and not based on gossip. Perhaps we should listen to Colbert who sees a lot more in Obama than meets the eye.

Begging in style

What do you do when you go to congress to ask for a bailout? If you're the from the auto industry, you fly there in a private jet.

"There is a delicious irony in seeing private luxury jets flying into Washington, D.C., and people coming off of them with tin cups in their hand, saying that they're going to be trimming down and streamlining their businesses," Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-New York, told the chief executive officers of Ford, Chrysler and General Motors at a hearing of the House Financial Services Committee.

Poor guys. You would think the drop in oil would spur their business. They should do the kind of job Congress does.

Happy Birthday Ted Stevens

It hasn't been but a few weeks since Ted Stevens was found guilty of seven felony counts. Today is his birthday. Who knows if he'll spend it watching TV, soliciting help from other countries, or dreaming about government work, but you can spending it remembering him in this Colbert Report segment.

Should the government stop throwing money in a hole?

Leave it to The Onion to uncover this government spending gone awry. Today's media seems content to complain; The Onion gets the job done.

Are Republicans still Republicans?

Ron Paul offered a commentary on CNN about why the Republican party is failing. Over the years he has offered a lot of sound thinking on various topics including the recent federal bailout. I think this quote sums it up:

The Republican Congress never once stood up against the Bush/Rove machine that demanded support for unconstitutional wars, attacks on civil liberties here at home, and an economic policy based on more spending, more debt, and more inflation -- while constantly preaching the flawed doctrine that deficits don't matter as long as taxes aren't raised.

The sad thing is that many I know think I am against Republicans, but I am actually more for traditional Republicans than traditional Democrats. Unfortunately the Republicans of today have strayed. Every one seems in lock step with a proposed agenda no matter how outlandish it is.




2000: Record Surplus. 2008: Record Deficit. How is that a republican ideal? What happened to the balanced budget brought to us by the 104th Congress in 1994 that presented the Republican Contract with America? It's gone - long gone. What happened to Bush's own rant against nation building?

Maybe I'm missing something here. I mean, we're going to have kind of a nation building core from America? Absolutely not. Our military is meant to fight and win war. That's what it's meant to do. And when it gets overextended, morale drops.

And yet we spend $200 million a day in Iraq and some estimates say we will spend between $1 trillion and $3 trillion total there.

So, just to be frank: I'm not anti-Republican. I believe Bush and this administration are anti-Republican. I'm ready to move on and hope that someone will listen to those out there, like Ron Paul, who know what needs to be done and have a plan:

My rhetorical answer at the time was simple: Why should one be excluded from the Republican Party for believing and always voting for:

• Limited government power
• A balanced budget
• Personal liberty
• Strict adherence to the Constitution
• Sound money
• A strong defense while avoiding all undeclared wars
• No nation-building and no policing the world

When did this cease being a list of Republican ideals and if it didn't, then why don't the Republicans in today's government measure up to these ideals?

"I don't know what the hell I'm doing!"

Evidently, the government's bailout on which the government worked so hard and no one wanted isn't going to work like previously stated. It will now include non-bank financial institutions, and the government won't buy troubled mortgage assets.

Perhaps for $700 billion they shouldn't just be winging it.

Sarah Palin in 2012?

Apparently Gov. Sarah Palin might still be interested in running for higher office in 2012. Perhaps Tina Fey wasn't far off in her "Going Rogue" segment Saturday.



Well, it's not like Palin hasn't had her share of hurdles, and it's not like her running won't have its perks. I guess time will show if she's ready in 2012. And hopefully then we will enjoy it just as much.

Two more banks go bust

It appears Franklin Bank and Security Pacific Bank of California have brought the number of failed banks to 19. Thank God for the bailout. It's a great thing congress was doing its job.

It's no wonder no one wanted this bailout anyway.

Ann Coulter: Godless

Thanks for the confession, Ann, but we already knew. At least you're not alone. I wonder if it makes it easy to make friends.

I can't wait for the follow-up: soulless.

Change! What now?

Monumental. Historic. Game-changing.



Whatever your political view, one thing is true: the presidential election was an election to go into the history books. It is a testament to our country that we looked past race and choose a person on merit alone. It also breaks so many barriers in the lives and minds of so many in our country.

Colin Powell himself was moved to tears at the site that means so many positive things to so many, transcending just the election of a president. Although some would use this as fodder for charges of racial endorsement, it seems clear Powell is too measured to give anything but an earned endorsement.



And yet even President-Elect Obama sees the discord in the country:

To those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your president too.

I have a hard time fathoming those voices that think this election will end the world or the U.S. as we know it. I'm shocked and appalled that we have so many narrow-minded people that don't see the election as a struggle between differing ideals but as a near cataclysmic fight between good and evil.

To those even-minded people who see this either as a strengthening of your position, or as a detraction from a yours and not the end of the world, I have to ask "What's next?" President-Elect Obama may have the toughest job of any president in history, at least if he wants to be well-remembered. Forever the history books will have him as the first African-American president. If he wants to truly be the iconic person people are expecting him to be, his presidency must be so memorable as to make that fact a footnote.

That is a tall order, but those that voted for Obama believe he is up to it. Only history will say for sure.