the things you believe you're seeing...

10. Proposed bill to change Oklahoma to "Oklobama" 9. Offered Bush 20 bucks for the "Mission Accomplished" banner 8. Asked guy at Staples, "Which chair will work in an oval-shaped office?" 7. The affair with Barbara Walters 6. Having head measured for Mount Rushmore 5. Guy sits around eating soup all day 4. He's voting for Nader 3. Offered McCain a job in the gift shop at the Obama Presidential Library. 2. Announced his running mate will be Andy Dick. 1. Been cruising for chicks with John Edwards.

An interesting idea, the SF Chronicle invited Barack Obama to debate John McCain before the editorial board for their endorsement. For some reason I don't think "The One" will agree to it... Senator Obama, you're invited Sen. John McCain came up with a terrific idea Monday when he was handed an invitation to meet with our editorial board as part of our endorsement process. "Why don't you invite Senator (Barack) Obama to join me?" McCain suggested. {snip} Senator Obama: Consider this an official invitation for a debate with McCain before The Chronicle's editorial board. {snip} What do you say, Senator Obama?

Al-Qaeda chemical weapons expert Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar was believed to have been killed Monday in a suspected US missile strike in Pakistan, security officials told AFP. … The Egyptian, 54, also known as Abu Khabab al-Masri, had a five-million-US-dollar bounty on his head and allegedly ran terrorist training camps in Afghanistan.

There will come a point where the perception will be that Obama is afraid to debate John McCain and its getting close to that now. Here is his latest attempt at explaining why he won't agree to town-hall style debates with John McCain. He already has debated 22 times, against Hillary that is. From Meet The Press; SEN. OBAMA: Well, here's the thing, I mean, listen, I, I, I think— I can say a little something about debates since I had 22 of them in, in the Democratic primary. I don't know how many John had. At a certain point, they become, I think, less of a serious exchange of ideas and rather they have—they become competing talking points or, or press releases. I, I think it's important for us to have some hard-hitting debates. I think it's also important for us to spend time talking to the voters directly, and that's what I intend to do.

The belief that reporters are trying to help Barack Obama win the fall campaign has grown by five percentage points over the past month. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey found that 49% of voters believe most reporters will try to help Obama with their coverage, up from 44% a month ago. Just 14% believe most reporters will try to help John McCain win, little changed from 13% a month ago. Just one voter in four (24%) believes that most reporters will try to offer unbiased coverage. A plurality of Democrats--37%--say most reporters try to offer unbiased coverage of the campaign. Twenty-seven percent (27%) believe most reporters are trying to help Obama and 21% in Obama’s party think reporters are trying to help McCain. Among Republicans, 78% believe reporters are trying to help Obama and 10% see most offering unbiased coverage. As for unaffiliated voters, 50% see a pro-Obama bias and 21% see unbiased coverage. Just 12% of those not affiliated with either major party believe t...

Obama's opinion of his own importance continues to grow larger and larger... Lest there be any illusions about the desired target audience for Obama’s trip, the foreign media, including the BBC, have been left on the Tarmac. Only American reporters are on board “Obama One” as his plane heads from one country to the next. He will have a 45-minute meeting on Saturday morning with Gordon Brown followed by a press conference, which Obama will conduct on his own outside Downing Street in a blatant departure from the usual protocol. There will be no Brown at his side to spoil the No 10 backdrop for American voters, even though it would be unthinkable for a British prime minister to appear in the White House Rose Garden without the president. Brown will say a few words later in the day, once Obama has gone.

John McCain's campaign has produced a devasting video presentation of Barack Obama's ever changing postions on Iraq. He cannot argue with his own words. See it here .

So that SF is forever associated with this juvenile waste of taxpayer money and time... George W. Bush Sewage Plant plan is on ballot Marisa Lagos, Chronicle Staff Writer Friday, July 18, 2008 (07-17) 14:57 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco voters will be asked to decide whether to name a city sewage plant in honor of President Bush, after a satiric measure qualified for the November ballot Thursday. Backers of the measure, who for several months circulated a petition to place the measure on the ballot, turned in more than 12,000 signatures on July 7, said organizer Brian McConnell. The Department of Elections on Thursday informed those supporters, the self-proclaimed Presidential Memorial Commission, that they had enough valid signatures - a minimum of 7,168 registered San Francisco voters - to qualify for the November ballot. McConnell, who came up with the idea over beers with friends, often donned an Uncle ...

Hey Nancy, your Congress' approval rating is LOWER than Bush...whose the bigger failure? US Congress leader Pelosi calls Bush ‘a total failure’ WASHINGTON (AFP) - US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday called President George W. Bush “a total failure” who “has no ideas,” in an interview with CNN. Responding to stinging criticism from Bush on the Democratic leadership in both houses of Congress and the slow pace of the legislative agenda, as Congress prepares for its one-month summer recess in August, Pelosi let loose: “You know, God bless him, bless his heart, the president of the United States, a total failure, losing all credibility with the American people on the economy, on the war, on energy, you name the subject.” Pelosi, 68, said the House and Senate were busy “trying to sweep up after (Bush’s) mess over and over and over again … The president knows it. He needs something to talk about. Because he has no ideas.” …

Maybe this is why it's not exactly a bright idea to engage in direct talks with a regime that cannot be trusted, and does a pretty poor job with Photoshop too! Iran tried to deceive world by 'testing' old missiles, US experts believe By Philip Sherwell in New York and Carolynne Wheeler in Jerusalem Last Updated: 10:47PM BST 12/07/2008 Iran attempted to deceive the world with last week's high-profile weapons test by claiming that a 10-year-old missile was a new, longer-range version capable of striking Israel, US intelligence officials and independent analysts believe. Analysis of Iranian television coverage has also indicated that one of the weapons actually remained on the ground but the video was doctored in an effort to cover up the failure. The tests were the latest escalation in muscle-flexing between Iran and Israel as the threat of war grows over the Islamic regime's nuclear ambitions. Ehud Barak, the Israeli defence m...

Blogger Rachel Lucas pulls no punches... I was going to give the Britain-is-fucked thing a rest for a few days but readers Rick and Wayne sent me another example and this one? This one PISSES ME OFF. On a personal level. These little shitstains are talking about men like my grandfather, who died so that said shitstains could someday be born. And I now completely mean it when I say that I wish he had not bothered. The daughter of a Second World War RAF pilot who reprimanded a teenager who she accused of vandalising a war memorial has been convicted of assault. Julie Lake, 50, believed the 15-year-old was one of a number of youths who had damaged the remembrance garden in her village dedicated to those killed fighting for Britain. But Mrs Lake was arrested after giving a boy, whom she believed to be the ringleader, a talking-to and a 'cuff round the ear'. She tackled him after she saw at least one youth riding a BMX bike through...

The AP offers this in-depth piece on Bush and his push for drilling... Bush pushes Congress to allow oil drilling Jul 11 11:56 AM US/Eastern WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush has prodded Congress to allow oil drilling in offshore waters and in the Alaskan wildlife refuge, citing "tough economic times" for the American people. Bush went to the Energy Department Friday, where he met with his senior economic advisers to discuss soaring prices for gasoline and crude oil. Bush said one answer is to increase supply in this country by tapping "the vast potential" of crude oil reserves on offshore lands and in Alaska as well as oil shale. He said Congress must address this issue before it goes home. I wish I could say read it all but you just did...

Just when I thought I had heard it all, I haven't.... A special meeting about Dallas County traffic tickets turned tense and bizarre this afternoon. County commissioners were discussing problems with the central collections office that is used to process traffic ticket payments and handle other paperwork normally done by the JP Courts. Commissioner Kenneth Mayfield, who is white, said it seemed that central collections “has become a black hole” because paperwork reportedly has become lost in the office. Commissioner John Wiley Price, who is black, interrupted him with a loud “Excuse me!” He then corrected his colleague, saying the office has become a “white hole.” That prompted Judge Thomas Jones, who is black, to demand an apology from Mayfield for his racially insensitive analogy. Mayfield shot back that it was a figure of speech and a science term. {Source: DallasNews.com}

From InstaPundit; ARE HIGHER PRICES PRODUCING gas-pump conservatives ? "The Pew Center's latest survey reveals that it is self-identified liberals who have most changed their attitude about drilling. Indeed, a slightly higher percentage of Democrats than Republicans now say that more energy production is important." Does that mean we can expect an Obama pivot on drilling, too?

Doesn't that image outrage you? No? Well it does to a group of Muslims who say that dogs are unclean. As a result someone in an official position actually apologized over in England for this "offensive" ad. Muslims outraged at police advert featuring cute puppy sitting in policeman’s hat A postcard featuring a cute puppy sitting in a policeman’s hat advertising a Scottish police force’s new telephone number has sparked outrage from Muslims. …The advert has upset Muslims because dogs are considered ritually unclean and has sparked such anger that some shopkeepers in Dundee have refused to display the advert. …A spokesman for Tayside Police said…’We did not seek advice from the force’s diversity adviser prior to publishing and distributing the postcards. That was an oversight and we apologise for any offence caused.’ Well I am offended when Muslims board a bus or enter a pizza parlor and blow themselves up killing innocent men, women and children all in ...

First it was the surge would fail, it didn't. Then it was the political progress was not happening, it has. Last year they said we have to leave because it so bad. Now the say we have to leave because things are good. Those silly Dems, what will they think of next...I guess the AP is helping them out. It's all taking just too damn long. New Iraq report: 15 of 18 benchmarks satisfactory Jul 1 04:23 PM US/Eastern By ANNE FLAHERTY Associated Press Writer 33 Comments WASHINGTON (AP) - No matter who is elected president in November, his foreign policy team will have to deal with one of the most frustrating realities in Iraq: the slow pace with which the government in Baghdad operates. Iraq's political and military success is considered vital to U.S. interests, whether troops stay or go. And while the Iraqi government has made measurable progress in recent months , the pace at which it's done so has been achingly slow. The White House sees the progress in a par...

Webb: McCain Should 'Calm Down' on Using Military Service by Walter Alarkon July 1, 2008 Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) waded into the debate over John McCain's military service Monday to say that the Republican should avoid using military service in politics. Webb, a Barack Obama supporter, was on MSNBC's "Countdown" to talk about his G.I. Bill to increase education benefits for returning veterans which is now law. Webb criticized both McCain and President Bush for not supporting the bill. Then, unprompted, Webb weighed in on the debate over retired Gen. Wesley Clark's remark that "riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down" isn't "a qualification to be president." "I think what we really need to work on over the next four, five months, and it goes back to the speech that Sen. Obama gave [Tuesday] and this little fight that I've been watching and that is, we need to make sure that we take politics out of ...