John McStake

The last thing my friend who is supporting John McCain yelled to me on Sunday afternoon as I hopped into the car and headed for the airport was, “Did you hear he’s in Iraq?” The twinkle in his eye emphasized the implication in his words – John McCain has the foreign policy experience to be president and he’s not afraid to show it.

I can’t help but wonder what my friend thinks now after hearing of McCain’s monumental foreign policy blunder.

Speaking to reporters in Amman, the Jordanian capital, McCain said he and two Senate colleagues traveling with him continue to be concerned about Iranian operatives “taking al-Qaeda into Iran, training them and sending them back.”

Pressed to elaborate, McCain said it was “common knowledge and has been reported in the media that al-Qaeda is going back into Iran and receiving training and are coming back into Iraq from Iran, that’s well known. And it’s unfortunate.” A few moments later, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, standing just behind McCain, stepped forward and whispered in the presidential candidate’s ear. McCain then said: “I’m sorry, the Iranians are training extremists, not al-Qaeda.”

Iran is ruled by Shites and Al Qaeda is a Sunni Muslim extremist group. Shites and Sunnis don’t like each other very much. Haven’t for years.

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Liberadio(!) Podcast: March 03, 2008 Episode

Summary: Guests include anti-racist activist and author of White Like Me Tim Wise and Councilman Erik Cole of the Fightin’ 7th. Plus, Elbert Ventura and the Media Matters for American Smackdown.

  • Part 1 – It’s a pre-Super Twosday recap and we talk to Caspar, our FOL* from Denmark, who gives us the view of our presidential election from abroad (the audio is a bit low for the first minute or so of the phone call). Plus, President Bush has some choice words to describe the economy in the Onion’s WeeklyRadioAddress.com.
  • Part 2 – Interview with anti-racist activist and author Tim Wise, who breaks down the presidential race for us from a different angle – has the country transcended race now that an African-American is running for president? Which is worse the misogyny against Senator Clinton or the racism against Senator Obama? What’s up with Bill Hobbs of the TN GOP? What’s up with Gloria Steinem? How is white privilege affecting the race? What’s the danger of having a white guy play Barack Obama on the TV? And what is Oprah getting away with?
  • Part 3 – We continue our discussion of race with our callers who update us on the noose and epithet incident – now incidents – at Poplar Grove Middle School in Franklin.
  • Part 4 – Interview with Councilman Erik Cole of the Fightin’ 7th! Councilman Cole is chairing the Budget and Finance Committee in what he describes as a “tight fiscal year,” so we discuss the budget process with him – including some of the stickier points like metro general hospital, storm water, water services, and public schools. We also get to the bottom of the controversy surrounding his middle name. We think he’s not from around here…
  • Part 5 – Speaking of middle names, it’s the Media Matters for America Smackdown with Elbert Ventura! How’s the mainstream media handling the email smear campaign aimed at one particular presidential candidate? By repeating the assertions with no questions asked and inviting Republican’s to spew the same smears on national television, of course!

*Friend of Liberadio(!)

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Everyone has their tipping point – commonly referred to as “Tipping Point Syndrome” or “TPS.” TPS is the moment in time when, like Larry David, a person goes from feeling sorry for Hillary Clinton and thinking, “Oh Christ, let her win already…Who cares…It’s not worth it. There’s not that much difference between them. She can have it,” to realizing she WILL do anything to win and she IS killing the party. For him, it was the Red Phone ad. For me, it was her decision to laud John McCain’s national security cred over Barack Obama’s:

I think it’s imperative that each of us be able to demonstrate we can cross the commander-in-chief threshold, and I believe that I’ve done that. Certainly, Sen. McCain has done that, and you’ll have to ask Sen. Obama with respect to his candidacy.

Yesterday I used “Senator Clinton” “Fear-mongering” and “Bitch” in the same sentence. I’m ashamed. Almost tearfully so. But I’m also pissed. And if you’re a Democrat, you should be too.

Besides being offensive, it’s a strategic short-sighted blunder. If she does win the nomination, all her pro-McCain rhetoric will come back and bite her in the butt. Would a Republican candidate do anything similar? Has John McCain? No and No.

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Jonathan Alter of Newsweek has an illuminating piece up about the thing that will matter more at the Democratic National Convention than media cycles or momentum: delegates–specifically pledged delegates. Alter’s conclusion, based on very generous delegate math (including Michigan and Florida), leaves Hillary as little better than a Huckabee with the benefit of proportional representation. Think not? He encourages you to do the math with Slate’s Delegate Calculator.

To me, this strengthens yet another aspect of my ticket prediction for the Democrats.

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Based on the media cycle, which has pummeled Obama like he hasn’t seen yet in this campaign, I think Hillary goes 3-1 tonight, taking Texas, Ohio, and Rhode Island. Obama wins Vermont fairly handily. Obama might win the caucus in Texas, but that won’t allow him to spin it as a win considering how much he outspent Hillary competing in these contents. She will be bestowed with new momentum by the media.

She’ll probably go on to win Pennsylvania, and the superdelegates will tear the Democratic Party in two, no matter what happens.

Update: I almost forgot, there is one way to avoid chaos

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Liberadio(!) Podcast: February 25, 2008 Episode

Summary: Dean Masullo and David Wood of Vanderbilt’s Iraq War: 5 Years and Counting – a series of films, lectures and panel discussions. Plus Elbert Ventura and the Media Matters for American Smackdown.

  • Part 1 – Oscar recap and the year of the underdog continues. Plus, the WeeklyRadioAddress.com celebrates cheap mattresses.
  • Part 2 – Interview with Dean Masullo and David Wood of Vanderbilt’s Iraq War: 5 Years and Counting – a series of films, lectures and panel discussions.
  • Part 3 – Anti-education Republicans right here in Tennessee!
  • Part 4 – Media Matters for America Smackdown with Elbert Ventura – an Oscar Recap and we all agree – the New York Times totally missed the bus on the McCain story.

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