To the tune of "Sweet Baby James" by James Taylor

There is an old maverick who acts mighty strange
Lobbyists and handlers are his only companions
He puts in a few hours then he sleeps through the weekends
Waiting for someone his cue cards to change.

He knocks back the Ambien so he can retire
Dreaming about winning an election this year
While closing his eyes to a world that's on fire
He makes jokes about how he'll go nuclear
As if that would make us safer.

(chorus)
It's over you rightwing bullies
We know whose gonna bring change
Democrats and blues are the colors we choose
You won't scare us no more with your schemes
'cause Barack will bring the real change.

The fourth of November will be the Big Show
And we're gonna turn out from L.A. to Boston
You see the primaries prepped us on account of the jousting  
We got them behind us, we're ready to roll.

Theres a song that we sing "YES.WE.CAN" win the good fight
A song that we sing "YES.WE.CAN" all breathe free
A song that we sing "YES.WE.CAN" live the dream
Baby if you believe it then you will see
Now stand up and sing it with me

(chorus)

Dear David Broder,

You sir, are a role model.  You are widely known and well-regarded as both "the dean of political journalists" and as a Pulitzer-prize winning author.  I'm sure you agree this status compels you to follow the highest ethical standards of your profession.  

As a member of The Society of Professional Journalists, you also know you are obligated to follow their Code of Ethics.  It is with dismay I note you apparently violated many of these important ethical principles in your recent column, A Way Back to the High Road?  

After reviewing the attached list of particulars, I hope you will promptly correct these mistakes, thereby avoiding permanent damage to your reputation and credibility.

Had I not put my foot down, had I just gone along with and not said regulations were being violated, I'm sure I would still be there.  It's about doing the right thing.
-- Gina Gray, American Hero

Who is Gina Gray and why does she make us all proud?

We can all agree McCain is right to say, "Elections have consequences." He uses that line whenever he talks about the Supreme Court. He knows Supreme Court appointments are the most enduring legacies presidents can leave behind. That is where we part company with him. Given there are 4 conservatives already on the court, this comment from a recent Wall Street Journal article takes on special meaning:

A March poll of 1,200 women in 16 battleground states, commissioned by Planned Parenthood, showed that about half of the women who backed McCain also support abortion rights.

Given McCain's solid anti-choice voting record, it is not suprising the poll found:

Half of the women surveyed in the poll also said they didn't know "enough about McCain's views on abortion to say whether he is in step or out of step with their own outlook."

Time for some consciousness raising...

This is my first YouTube effort.  I developed the piece because sometimes words are not enough.

I understand some of Hillary's most ardent supporters are angry.  A few even talk of venting their anger by voting against Obama and for McCain.  If you know any women like that, I suggest you ask them to take 30 seconds to watch this video.  I doubt any Clinton supporter over 40 could live with herself if she knew that a vote for McCain would consign her, her daughters and her granddaughters to a dark chapter of American history many assume (incorrectly) we never have to worry about revisiting.

On July 22, 1998, McCain filled out the National Right to Life Committee's 1998 Congressional Candidate Questionnaire, including this question:

"Do you support the complete reversal of the Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton decisions, thereby allowing the state legislatures and the Congress to once again protect unborn children?"

McCain responded, "Yes."

 
On August 19, 1999, McCain told the San Francisco Chronicle, "I'd love to see a point where [Roe v. Wade] is irrelevant, and could be repealed because abortion is no longer necessary.  But certainly in the short term, or even the long term, I would not support repeal of Roe vs. Wade"

The NRLC objected to McCain's "pro-Roe" statement. McCain's campaign staff defended his position, claiming it was similar to that of his opponent, Texas Governor George Bush.  NRLC disputed that, noting Bush consistently favored overturning Roe v. Wade

How did McCain respond to this in his next interview on Meet The Press?  Good question....

I've avoided the debates until now because I saw them as little more than exercises in media manipulation.  This time, I wanted to watch the Republican debate just to hear the other candidates respond to Ron Paul.  Unfortunately, I had a scheduling conflict so I asked a kid to take notes for me.  As the debate began, I drew a quick seating chart of the candidates to help the kid keep track of who said what and then ran off.  BTW - this is not snark.  This is a straight rendition from a 9 year old.  The only changes I made were for spelling errors (except the names).

It must have been more difficult thant I thought to keep track of all the new names.  That's the only reason I can think of to explain why this  reporter devised their own naming strategy to keep track of the candidates.  Aside from that, it seems they got all the high points.

Follow me below the fold for the 9-years old rendition of a fight between Sarge, Wrinkles, Bunny Ears, Oily, Beagle Eyes and Carrot Face...  

ACT I.
Scene I:  Baghdad, 1991.

This dark, grim tragedy begins with Three Witches dancing in the streets of Baghdad.

Missiles, explosions, and screams paint a gloomy picture, setting the tone of this play.  As the "fireworks" fade, the witches agree to meet again at the turn of the century.  They straddle cruise missiles that look decidedly phallic and fly off.

Nine years later, the plot thickens...