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WASHINGTON — It takes a lot to make a state change color in a presidential election. For all the money spent and speeches made, only three states (Iowa, New Hampshire and New Mexico) shifted from one column to the other in 2004. But in a year when change is the major theme, the 2008 Electoral College map could be headed for a significant makeover as Democratic Sen. Barack Obama and Republican Sen. John McCain enter the final two months of this year's presidential campaign. More states could be in play than in recent presidential elections. And voters in those swing...

I was on Oprah in 2000 when she had Bush running against Gore. She allowed both to come on and let her viewers decide who they would vote for. At that time Gore was ahead by, I believe, 10 pts. After her show Bush went up 8 pts. SHE knows that by having Palin on everyone will love her and the election could very well turn the tide. Her man Obama on 2 times this year and none for McCain or Palin speaks volumes. Maye Oprah used to be fair and unbiased but she has forgotten or doesn't care about...

I wonder if we're not all looking at the Annenberg trees (Ayers) and missing the forest. Obama controls a huge amount of grant cash in corrupt Chicago. Subsequently strange things happen to his opponents, starting with the incumbent state Senator in his district, ending with Jack Ryan. This would be the Chicago Way.

OLYMPIA -- State senators have approved a bill that would deliver the state's electoral votes to the U.S. presidential candidate who wins the national popular vote. The bill, which passed 30-18 Monday, now heads to the House. The bill would change Washington's current system of typically giving all of the state's electoral votes to the candidate who wins the statewide election to awarding all of the state's delegates to the national popular vote winner. Almost every state has considered a similar bill. Maryland and New Jersey have passed such a measure. The proposal would take effect only if enough states...

Hello, FRemales. This is a purely informal and non-scientific question for the sole purpose of gaining some insight into your perspective of the current election to-do. Since Barack Obama has chosen to dispatch a group of Democrat women to counter the nomination of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, I have become highly curious about how women might respond. My "research" questions are as follows: (1) With whom do you identify more: Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Janet Napolitano, other Democrat women sent out to respond to the Palin nomination (name your pick), or Gov. Sarah Palin? (2) Why do you identify with...

Iranian Delegate Touts McCain's Tough Stance September 02, 2008 National Journal Gregg Sangillo John McCain has been a staunch critic of Iran for its sponsorship of sectarian violence in Iraq, its reported nuclear weapons program, and the radical ideology of its controversial president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Although critics accuse McCain of saber-rattling, plenty of Republican delegates applaud his hard line -- and none more enthusiastically than Hossein Khorram, a native of Iran who is a delegate from Washington state. Khorram grew up in Tehran. After the overthrow of the shah in 1979, his father's property was confiscated and the family fled...

Media to Republicans: We're Sorry ST. PAUL, Minn. — On behalf of the media, I would like to say we are sorry. On behalf of the elite media, I would like to say we are very sorry. We have asked questions this week that we should never have asked. We have asked pathetic questions like: Who is Sarah Palin? What is her record? Where does she stand on the issues? And is she is qualified to be a heartbeat away from the presidency? We have asked mean questions like: How well did John McCain know her before he selected her?...

I found myself groaning when Ridge and Graham took the RNC stage. I sought the remote when Biden talked. I saw Trent Lott and looked for moth balls. I hadn't seen him since Katrina. Then an even odder thing happened. I saw Kay Bailey Hutchison and Nancy Pelosi and found myself rebuking them both and wishing to God that we could just take a broom and start sweeping out Washington D.C. I discovered it's not a “women in politics” thing for me. I found I just relish new blood in both parties.

I found myself groaning when Ridge and Graham took the RNC stage. I sought the remote when Biden talked. I saw Trent Lott and looked for moth balls. I hadn't seen him since Katrina. Then an even odder thing happened. I saw Kay Bailey Hutchison and Nancy Pelosi and found myself rebuking them both and wishing to God that we could just take a broom and start sweeping out Washington D.C. I discovered it's not a “women in politics” thing for me. I found I just relish new blood in both parties.

These are the words spoken and vocalized by one Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Sen Reid was speaking about his conversation with a reporter about his conversation with Sen Joe Lieberman. Here is how it went: “He has a close personal relationship with John McCain. I don’t fully understand why he does,” said Reid, who said Lieberman called Tuesday from the Republic of Georgia to alert him to the move. “I told him last night, ‘You know, Joe, I can’t stand John McCain.’ He said, ‘I know you feel that way,’ ” Reid said. Amazing. As I listened to Vice-President...

OUTTA SIGHT! [PART TWO] The Winnowing of the Candidates By John W. Cassell Where have all the candidates gone…short time passing? This is my attempt at an answer to the question "where has the spontaneity gone" asked earlier. This is where it gets tricky, folks. This is the part we never see. They don't cast any blinking, blinding bright lights on THIS process…no music and special effects psychologically calculated to bring a human being to the point of joyful tears, no matter WHAT is going on at the podium. This is where both the spontaneity went and the real power...

"Palin hit one out of the ballpark," "The governor passed the test with flying colors," "Sarah came, Sarah saw, Sarah conquered." Whatever accolade reporters used for Sarah Palin's superlative performance last night (made all the more remarkable by the fact her teleprompter went down), two conclusions can now be drawn. The obvious one is that Sarah provided the GOP's army with an instantaneous surge of energy and pride. The second is that she came up with a new (and shallow) metaphor for Obama that I hope will follow him for the rest of the election.

Activists say "Tropic Thunder" portrays a handicapped man in a denigrating light. But on that basis, shouldn't they also protest "Countdown with Keith Olbermann"?

Transcript of Michael Steele RNC speech Good evening. As we gather at this moment, many of our friends, families and neighbors have felt the devastating effects of Hurricane Gustav. Our hearts and prayers are with them at this hour. Times such as this remind us that we are each called to respond to a cause greater than our own self-interest. They speak to a truth about America: that when things are tough and the skies are filled with stormy clouds, we turn to each other for comfort, support and leadership. As mothers and fathers, families and communities begin the difficult...

Obama might pursue criminal charges against Bush· Biden says criminal violations will be pursued · Democrats have issued subpoenas to Bush aides · 3 staffers have been held in contempt of CongressElana Schor in Washington guardian.co.uk, Wednesday September 03 2008 19:32 BST Article historyDemocratic vice-presidential nominee Joe Biden said yesterday that he and running mate Barack Obama could pursue criminal charges against the Bush administration if they are elected in November. Biden's comments, first reported by ABC news, attracted little notice on a day dominated by the drama surrounding his Republican counterpart, Alaska governor Sarah Palin. But his statements represent...

It's certainly true that either the next president or next vice president will not be a white male. But does that mean de facto that the country will be run any differently? There is, however, one area where we might have seen real change. The Democrats could have not nominated another lawyer. This may partly explain why former military officer John McCain and working-mom Sarah Palin are polling near even with Obama and his running mate, Joe Biden, in a year that otherwise favors the Democrats. A snowmobiling, fishing and hunting mom of five who was trained as a journalist...

QUICKIE QUIZ: NAME THAT FEMALE POLITICIAN! She’s a female politician with 5 children, one of whom is a 17 year old girl in her senior year of high school. Her hubby is supportive of her ambitions. She’s in her mid forties and her political duties consume much of her time. She is determined, forceful, and confident. Name that politician! For the correct answer scroll down…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… The answer: Mrs. Nancy Pelosi, less than affectionately known in some quarters as Bela Pelosi, now Democratic Speaker of the House. She entered Congress when she was 47 when her youngest daughter was 17 in...

She strode on to the stage to the theme music of RUDY, an underdog understudy if ever there was one. And while at first she seemed a strange choice that only a maverick named McCain could make, Sarah Palin quickly became the running mate that every conservative could love—especially when the truths the Democratic critics tried to destroy her with only made her stronger.

Three memories have shaped my approach to this year’s general election. Here’s the first. In the late 1970s, during a two-year break from teaching to raise our second son, an adopted child, I found myself at a Los Angeles dinner party filled with DINKs, the “double income, no kids” crowd who were just emerging as a self-aware and upwardly mobile social group. I fell to talking—or more accurately, listening—to a chatty young female attorney who said she was putting in eighty hours a week as a junior associate on a variety of important cases. After twenty minutes or so, she...

When MSNBC's Chris Matthews suggested in Denver that Barack Obama earned his present elevation in American politics, unlike "showcase appointments" like Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, he reminded the world of the peculiarity of liberalism. John McCain's selection of Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate underlined it. Liberals find no joy when Republicans select women or minorities for top positions. They are all fraudulent traitors to their own apparent group interests. Conservative blacks aren't really black. Conservative Latinos aren't really Latino. Now, conservative women are somehow not really women. Newsweek's Eleanor Clift spoke for her colleagues on the Palin...

St. Paul — The Republican party has canceled most of Monday’s program due to Hurricane Gustav, but party delegates still plan to meet for a few hours to hold some pro forma votes. One of these will concern the adoption of a new party platform. The Republican Platform Committee hammered out the details during a series of meetings in Minneapolis last week. Conservatives should be pleased with the results. snip... McCain now says that border security must come first... snip... The first draft of the 2008 platform leaned more towards McCain’s view. It attributed warming to human activity and called...

Electoral College Map could lead to a tie.

The attacks on John McCain's bold veep pick have begun. But if the critics think Sarah Palin is an easy target, they'd better think again. She can fire back. Working moms of the world, unite. "There's a gigantic difference between John McCain and Barack Obama and between me and I suspect my vice-presidential opponent," Joe Biden said while campaigning in Toledo Sunday. "She's good-looking." It's a dismissive put-down we would expect from Biden, one a Republican couldn't get away with. Obama spokesman Bill Burton was more direct, saying that McCain had irresponsibly put "the former mayor of a town of...

Keith Fimian, the Republican candidate for Virginia’s 11th Congressional District, has been targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) in a series of mailings and video clips. He is accused of “rolling back women’s rights.” The basis of the accusation is Fimian’s membership in a Catholic organization, Legatus. Speaking to this issue today is Catholic League president Bill Donohue: “Keith Fimian, whom I have never spoken to, is accused by the DCCC of being anti-women because he belongs to Legatus. Legatus is an organization of Catholic CEOs and other leading businessmen and women dedicated to bringing their faith-based values...

OUTTA SIGHT! [PART ONE] The Winnowing of the Candidates By John W. Cassell Where have all the candidates gone…short time passing? This is my attempt at an answer to the question “where has the spontaneity gone” asked earlier. This is where it gets tricky, folks. This is the part we never see. They don’t cast any blinking, blinding bright lights on THIS process…no music and special effects psychologically calculated to bring a human being to the point of joyful tears, no matter WHAT is going on at the podium. This is where both the spontaneity went and the real power...

OUTTA SIGHT! [PART ONE] The Winnowing of the Candidates By John W. Cassell Where have all the candidates gone…short time passing? This is my attempt at an answer to the question “where has the spontaneity gone” asked earlier. This is where it gets tricky, folks. This is the part we never see. They don’t cast any blinking, blinding bright lights on THIS process…no music and special effects psychologically calculated to bring a human being to the point of joyful tears, no matter WHAT is going on at the podium. This is where both the spontaneity went and the real power...

THE SMARMY WORLD OF DEMOCRATIC POLITICS As Gustav calms down and Hanna takes aim, as kids head off to school and their parents return the aspirin bottle to the medicine cabinet, the campaigns for the highest office in the land will be heating up. The “experts” tell us that people don’t pay attention to politics until after Labor Day, as if we’re all dolts oblivious of a presidential race until September. I don’t buy that, especially in this momentous year when we are faced with four candidates, McCain, Palin, Obama, and Biden, who are diametrically opposed on so many social...

WHERE IS THE SPONTANEITY TODAY? What is taking its place…and why? by John W. Cassell How long has it been? I mean the last time a political convention really did its job…chose who was to be the party’s nominee for president and vice-president? Maybe some of you can correct me, but the last I remember anxiously keeping score as the individual state delegations cast their ballots was the Democrat Convention in 1960, where Kennedy beat Johnson. From the history books come much more intense struggles. The 1948 Republican Convention was a hog fight between Governor Dewey and Senator Taft. If...

GUESS THAT's THE END of the DEM BOUNCE!! CNN Poll: Obama 49, McCain 48 Posted: 08:00 PM ET From CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) — On the eve of the Republican convention, a new national poll suggests the race for the White House remains dead even. A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Sunday night shows the Obama-Biden ticket leading the McCain-Palin ticket by one point, 49 percent to 48 percent, a statistical dead heat. The survey was conducted Friday through Sunday, after both the conclusion of the Democratic convention and McCain’s selection of Alaska Governor...

Interesting look at him on many interviews on his book tours.

Sarah Palin used to wrestle kodiak bears in Alaskan bare knuckles fight clubs. Sarah Palin once bagged a caribou by staring it down until it died. Sarah Palin turned down a job as skipper of a Deadliest Catch boat because it wasn't challenging enough Sarah Palin fishes salmon by convincing them it's in their interest to jump into the boat. Sarah Palin once guided Santa's sleigh through an Alaskan blizzard with the light from her smile. Chuck Norris wishes he was Sarah Palin trapped in a man's body. Sarah Palin paid her way through school by hunting for yeti pelts...

Veterans in Politics Talk Show Introduces Linda Young, A Debate for Clark County Commission District A Brian Scroggins, and Steve Sisolak LIVE on www.AllTalkRadio.net September 6: Linda E. Young candidate for Clark County School Trustee, District C: A Debate for Clark County Commission District A Brian Scroggins (Republican) and Steve Sisolak (Democrat) candidates for Clark County Commissioner, District A: "Veterans In Politics" is a weekly radio show produced by the Veterans In Politics International and hosted by Steve Sanson. The "Veterans In Politics" show is live every Saturday 2:05 PM Pacific Time you can call in and speak to the...

Integrity in Politics by Dr. Jeff Mirus, August 29, 2008   The selection of Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, as John McCain’s running mate has people thinking about integrity again. Palin is a pro-life mother of four who makes no bones about fighting corruption and standing up for the vulnerable. She opposes abortion not only in speech but in personal practice, having resisted suggestions to abort her own Downs-syndrome child. She swept into office in Alaska by exposing and campaigning against serious ethics violations, and she has the highest approval rating of any significant public figure in any state in...

Palin Makes Good First Impression: Is Viewed More Favorably than Biden August 30, 2008 Sarah Palin has made a good first impression. Before being named as John McCain’s running mate, 67% of voters didn’t know enough about the Alaska governor to have an opinion. After her debut in Dayton and a rush of media coverage, a new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds that 53% now have a favorable opinion of Palin while just 26% offer a less flattering assessment. Palin earns positive reviews from 78% of Republicans, 26% of Democrats and 63% of unaffiliated voters. Obviously, these numbers will be...

Don't you just love politics? If there ever was an exercise which demonstrated how phony human beings could be towards one another, the world of politics is the perfect forum. The other day, I was listening to a Republican critique Barack Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic Party's National Convention in Denver. The Republican analyst was a social conservative. I know the man cares deeply about the pro-life cause and he has strong views about why our nation finds itself in a crisis regarding the coarsening of its culture. One of the first things this Republican said while evaluating Obama's...

These two word-clouds give us a view of the contrasts between the acceptance speeches of Obama and Palin. Created using Wordle, I tried to match them, in terms of layout, as closely as I could. It is interesting to note that there are many personal words in Palin's speech. I look forward to the comments.

WOW!!! Sarah Palin's pick to be McCain's VP has given me an overwhelming feeling of hope for the USA. I never thought a single person could make this much difference. The typical considerations (in the media) of Romney/Lieberman/etc, made me think of more of the same. I've voted in every election since I've been 18 and certainly remember how "bad" it was during the Carter reign with 21% interest at the banks. So looking at the democrats and expecting a throw back to the Carter demolition of the US was very depressing, and what was going to make a difference...

"We'll have to wait and see how this all pans out. For now, it's a stunning, exciting choice on the part of ol' John McCain. In a way, it is a perfect choice, from all angles. The ol' soldier is still full of surprises. This is one of the more pleasant ones."

The mantra of the free market has gained such a hold on Americans that Sen. John McCain recently aired an ad exclaiming, as if it's a given: "Higher taxes, more government spending, so fewer jobs." A similar obvious "truth" for many Americans these days, in the words of Rush Limbaugh, is that "the government can't create wealth; it can only destroy it or confiscate and redistribute it." If it is true that higher government taxation depresses job creation and that the government can't create wealth (only the free market can), it becomes rational for struggling workers to vote Republican on...

In her inaugural speech as Alaska’s 11th Governor, Sarah Palin said: “More government is not the answer. . . Government can’t make you happy, it can’t make you healthy, it can’t make you a productive member of society. Government’s role is to provide the tools.” With those words she defined herself as a conservative. Whether she is in the mold of Reagan or Goldwater or Buckley doesn’t matter, for Sarah Heath Palin seems to be headed for her own destiny and unique mark upon the American political landscape. During the recent primaries, whenever Mrs. Clinton started to stumble, bumble or...

Independent American Party Candidate denied the opportunity to participate in Nevada Congressional District 3 debate!! Floyd Fitzgibbons was advised today by organizers of Monday night’s Congressional District 3 debate that he cannot participate. There was no reason given. Fitzgibbons calls it “an act of prejudice.” “Not inviting certain candidates is something you might expect in a country that doesn’t pride itself on fairness and freedom of political speech – but here in America?” Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time candidates outside the major parties have been ignored or shunned. “Sometimes I wonder if the debates are rigged so that the...

RE: Nevada State Democratic Party Discriminates Against Party Members! Letter from Jonathan MacArthur to the State Democratic Party Good Evening Mr. Disney, I need to register a complaint, and I wasn't sure where to do it. Your name was one of the few I recognized in a list of email addresses that I received from a supporter. I apologize if this isn’t issue your bag. But, I'd appreciate it greatly if you could steer me in the right direction. Last Saturday, I became aware that the State Democratic Party maintains an online list of the Democratic candidates in this year's...

Biden's Exaggerations - Inflating Obama's record will not resolve doubts. 08/28/2008 THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION exposed the central defect of Senator Barack Obama's candidacy: the absence of compelling evidence he is up to the job of president. The exposé comes courtesy of a bad habit of his running mate, Senator Joe Biden. When in doubt, Mr. Biden exaggerates. And in the past week, he did a lot. Voters expect candidates to embellish, but only so much. Go beyond acceptable stretching and a candidate may squander his most precious political possession: credibility. Mr. Obama may be on this perilous path. Last...

It's official, Batboy has cleared his schedule and is being escorted around town by Black SUVs. His press office had no comment. This comes as a surprise to some who remember that Batboy offered his coveted endorsement to Al Gore in 2000.

This is interesting. McCain’s latest ad, timed perfectly for Obama’s big speech, draws the bipartisan card...

Some interesting happenings on the search for truth front. The indispensable National Review columnist Stanley Kurtz has been doing some much needed digging on the extent of the relationship between Barack Obama and Weather Underground terrorist William Ayers. Well yesterday, Kurtz went on WGN Radio in Chicago to discuss his findings and what sort of trouble he’s run in to, and the Obama campaign let out this incredibly dishonest email...

In 1972 Sen. Joseph Biden, the Democrat nominee for vice President, lost his wife and young daughter in a car accident. Losing your family in a auto accident is a gut wrenching tragedy, to be sure. No one underestimates that and no ever blamed Mrs. Biden for the accident. Right up there with despicable things one human can do to another, is falsely accusing the innocent of a crime. “Bearing false witness” is even in the 10 commandments, but Mr. Biden’s feigned Catholicism doesn’t let that stop him. Last night CBS Inside Addition reports, “In a striking moment in December...

“Cindy McCain looks like someone has twisted her ponytail into a knot and tried to give her a face-lift,” said Project Runway’s harshest judge Tim Gunn. He told NY Magazine that Michelle has Cindy beat style-wise, hands down.

July and August ought to see speculation about John McCain's vice presidential choice reach a fever pitch -- and it is not just a political game. Instead, vice presidential selections can be among the most consequential decisions in American history. Running mates are so often chosen with only short-term, purely political considerations in mind, so that even the presidential contender making the selection rarely realizes just how much he might be shaping long-term history. Consider how little Dwight Eisenhower knew about the ramifications of choosing for his veep a man who had been in public office for fewer than six...