John McCain blows a metaphorical kiss to Barack Obama in the McCain acceptance speech

"...to Senator Obama and his supporters. We’ll go at it over the next two months. That’s the nature of these contests, and there are big differences between us. But you have my respect and admiration. Despite our differences, much more unites us than divides us. We are fellow Americans, an association that means more to me than any other. We’re dedicated to the proposition that all people are created equal and endowed by our Creator with inalienable rights. No country ever had a greater cause than that. And I wouldn’t be an American worthy of the name if I didn’t honor Senator Obama and his supporters for their achievement. "

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Kisses at the GOP Convention

The Republicans have become the party of the air kiss.

Last night, Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin fired a couple at the attractive crowd of Republicans.

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Sarah Palin blows an air kiss and Joe Biden catches it!

...Click to enlarge image...

If you look at the current (as of 3 PM PDT) Drudge Report page, you'll see Governor Palin blowing an air kiss. If you look at a photo of Senator "Smilin" Joe Biden on the same page, you'll see that it appears he caught the kiss. . .and loves it.
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Sarah Palin Hits A Triple::::::The Outsider::::::::The Velvet Hammer::::::And she did it from memory, due to a broken Teleprompter

By Pablo Fanque

All This Is That National Affairs Editor

St. Paul, Minnesota 9-4-2008

Greeted by a tidal wave of applause (not quite at the Triumph of the Will level), Alaska Governor Sarah Palin stood in front of the Republican National Convention last night, and, lord knows how many millions of Americans at home (will they beat Obama's 35 million TV audience?), as a small-town outsider ready to join John McCain in "a tough fight in this election against confident opponents at a crucial hour for our country." She was met with thunderous applause.

Palin appeared immediately after Rudy "9/11" Giuliani softened up the crowd with a full throated and systematic condemnation of Obama and a warm (maybe even heartfelt), embrace of Governor Palin.

She appeared nervous at first, her voice maintaining a nervous edge for the first few minutes. And then, she took off. There were awkward moments in the speech, but almost all of them were immediately followed by crowd-pleasing zingers that brought the convention to its feet again and again.

Amazingly enough, her teleprompter quit working in the middle of the speech. She continued, from memory, to deliver her speech without the teleprompter. Republican websites have already compared this performance to one of Barack Obama's who, when his teleprompter malfunctioned during a recent speech, "was left stuttering before a crowd unable to advance his speech until the problem was resolved."

Palin tore into Obama and Biden, and she did it well. She did everything she needed to do and more. This all adds up to one gnarly dogfight between now and November 4th. I don't think there was a blunder, misstatement, or mistake Obama has made in the last two years that she didn't bring up, and mock. She proved she is no shrinking violet and went into the traditional Republican VP attack dog mode with ease and vigor.

"The American presidency is not supposed to be a journey of 'personal discovery.' This world of threats and dangers is not just a community, and it doesn't just need an organizer," Palin said.

Of course, this speech is one of the critical, but easiest, steps she must take in the next two months. She has the base hooked, now it's time to go after that other pesky 50% of the voters.

There is still that albatross hanging around their necks...The President. I may be wrong, but I don't believe she expended any oxygen talking about President George W. Bush, other than obliquely, to say they would go and clean up Washington.

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Photos: Republican Convention opens in Minnesota

click to enlarge

click to enlarge the opening cermonies

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Pat Buchanan calls Palin "the biggest gamble in presidential history," and it's "paying off big time"

According to Pat Buchanan, who's usually worth hearing, even when he's wrong (which is frequently), "McCain's choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his co-pilot was the biggest gamble in presidential history. As of now, it is paying off, big-time."

"The sensational selection in Dayton, Ohio, stepped all over the big story from Denver – Barack Obama's powerful address to 85,000 cheering folks in Mile High Stadium, and 35 million nationally, a speech that vaulted him from a 2-point deficit early in the week to an 8-point margin. Barack had never before reached 49 percent against McCain."

"As the Democrats were being rudely stepped on, however, Palin ignited an explosion of enthusiasm among conservatives, evangelicals, traditional Catholics, gun owners and right to lifers not seen in decades."

This is spooky. Read Pat Buchanan's op ed piece here, at World Net Daily.
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Band of Horses videos: The Funeral and Is There A Ghost?

We saw Seattle's Band of Horses yesterday at the Bumbershoot Festival (along with two great art exhibitions, the usual collection of amusing buskers, Neko Case, Lucinda Williams and a few other folks). Here is a video from their first national appearance, on David Letterman...




And another video of the song Is There A Ghost?, from a more hirsute, later appearance on Letterman:



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Hollywood Newsroom's Sarah Palin Naked Photoshop Contest

The Hollywood Newsroom has just announced their SARAH PALIN NAKED PHOTOSHOP CONTEST. Thanks to Dean Ericksen, fellow blogger and proprietor of Almost There In No Time for this tip. Environmentalist, ethicist, and all-round excellent homo sapien Ericksen comes up with this stuff from Gawker and Defamer so we don't have to. I believe his gym is on the same block as his work. . .which plays out OK. Whenever I read Gawker or Defamer, I almost always feel like I could use a shower. . .
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Offended by "uppity" Obama, Cindy McCain suggests he "doesn't know his place"

By Pablo Fanque

All This Is That National Affairs Editor

Cindy McCain told George Stephanopoulos in an interview that Barack Obama has deeply offended her. Democrats' attacks on her family's wealth "are unfair and offensive," Cindy McCain said today in an interview airing tomorrow on This Week with George Stephanopoulos.

As you know, the Democrats have relentlessly pummeled Sen. John McCain, (R-Ariz.) for saying he doesn't know how many houses he owns, calling the Republican presidential candidate out of touch with The People. In his acceptance speech at the Democratic convention on Thursday, Democratic nominee Barack Obama cranked up the heat on McCain, saying he "doesn't know" about the lives of middle-class Americans.

"I'm offended by Barack Obama saying that about my husband," said McCain's wife Cindy. When asked if Obama went too far in his criticism of McCain, Cindy responded, "I do. I do. I really do."

In a follow up telephone interview with All This Is That's National Affairs Editor Pablo Fanque, Cindy McCain went even further, calling Barack Obama "uppity," and wondering aloud if perhaps he "doesn't know his place?"

Pablo Fanque asked "his place? What does that mean" to which Cindy McCain responded

"I question whether someone like Barack Obama has the right to challenge anything an American hero like John McCain says or does. Anything. John McCain spent five years in an enemy prison camp. And Obama is kicking dirt in the face of a man who suffered so families like his could be free. How dare he question anything an American Hero like John McCain says or does," she continued, "He doesn't seem to realize how lucky he is," she said, "or what a magnificent gift he has been given." "But this gift he has been so lucky to receive," McCain said, "doesn't mean he can kick sand in the face of the person who gave so much in to assure his freedom. There are limits to the first amendment. And Barack Obama has crossed them."

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Is it just the lefties, or is something fishy with the Sarah Palin maternity news?

One of our readers emailed me yesterday (I hesitate to use his/her name because it wasn't clear if it was OK), saying that "It's a backdated story intended to clear the air. In a few weeks Bristol will 'miscarry.'

Well, yeah. The original story, whether it offended you or not, had some salient points. The story about the flight back to Alaska after the Governor's water broke, the birth at a small town hospital, and the photographic evidence of a very unpregnant looking Sarah Palin not long before the birth, and some of the other facts and factoids, give one pause. I don't really want this story, or the rumors and innuendo, to be true. I'd rather have a fair dogfight. But the original story, and the sudden press release about Bristol's pregnancy. . .it just doesn't quite fit. There are a couple of pieces of the jigsaw puzzle missing. Even my wife, who is probably one of All This Is That's most skeptical readers (and whose IQ bests JFK's) says these stories just don't make sense....something is wrong, something is being left out. I don't know what it is. Yet.

I'd much prefer this story died and that we got on to the serious business of political Hardball. But something is nagging at me, and I don't feel like we have this story wrapped up with a bow quite yet. Maybe the story dies out tomorrow, once the Republican convention gets into full swing (now that their plans to heroically jet down to New Orleans have fizzled). Or maybe tomorrow we get hit with the next shock wave. In the end, I am sure the story will not be as nefarious as some of the hyper-left blogs and websites are hoping it may be. But I don't think we have the full picture yet. I am so befuddled by this whole imbroglio that I am turning it over to our National Affairs Editor Pablo Fanque to follow up. Along with the whole next 65 days of this political season. I prefer more solid ground like poetry, art, music, Alien Lore, pranks, and conspiracy theories!

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Sarah Palin announces her daughter is pregnant, and will marry the father

The Palins

After the blog explosion over the weekend (including All This Is That) over the maternity of her son Trig, Sarah Palin put the wild speculation and rumors to rest by announcing that her daughter Bristol is five months pregnant, and will marry the father. The crux of the speculation is that Palin faked her own pregnancy to cover up for her child's out of wedlock son.

"We have been blessed with five wonderful children who we love with all our heart and mean everything to us," the Palins' statement said. "Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support."

John McCain knew about the pregnancy when he chose Palin last week as his running mate, and decided that it was not a deal-breaker.

Campaign officials said the news of Bristol's pregnancy has been released to squelch the "mud-slinging and lies" circulating on liberal blog sites.


John McCain and Sarah Palin, from the mid-calf down
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Triggate: daughter Bristol, not Sarah Palin is the mother of her newborn "son"?

Sarah Palin 7 months pregnant in 1989


Sarah Palin "7 months pregnant" in 2007

Is Sarah Palin not the mother of her newborn "son"? If this has even a whiff of truth to it--and it looks like it does--the Presidential race just got even more interesting. Daily Kos is claiming, along with other blogs and websites, that Sarah Palin claimed to be the mother of her recently born child, when in fact it was her 17 year old daughter's son.

More possible evidence?



If this is true, the next question is, how did they cover this up through the vetting process? Or were McCain's team so eager to get her on board, they didn't think it would be that big a deal? Is McCain himself part of a cover-up?


Check out the Daily Kos for more potential pictorial and video evidence...

When not even Matt Drudge has picked up the story, you have to wonder about its veracity...but on the other hand, the story on Kos is pretty convincing, and damning.


It may be time to call in Joe Lieberman!!!

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