Retribution

On February 25, 2003, General Eric Ken Shinsecki testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee regarding the invasion of Iraq. When asked about the size of force required, he responded

I would say that what's been mobilized to this point -- something on the order of several hundred thousand soldiers are probably, you know, a figure that would be required. We're talking about post hostilities control over a piece of geography that's fairly significant, with the kinds of ethnic tensions that could lead to other problems. And so it takes a significant ground-force presence.

Shortly afterward, then SecDef Donald Rumsfeld and Deputy Sec Paul Wolfowitz called Shinsecki's estimate "far off the mark" and "wildly off the mark" repsectively. Wolfowitz went on to say that it was "hard to believe" that more troops, than the 150,000 that he and Rumsfeld recommended, would be required to stabilize Iraq.

Five years later....Rumsfeld was asked to resign after the 2006 elections, Wolfowitz resigned in disgrace as President of the World Bank, and General Eric Ken Shinsecki is President Elect Barack Obama's pick to be Secretary of Veteran's Affairs.

It just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?

This Just In: Hell Frozen Over

Earlier this week, my staunch conservative and evangelical friend at the gym walked over to me and said the following:

"I'm happy to be wrong."

For a moment I thought I was in a parallel universe in which men flew, cars ran on garbage, and commenters on Kevin Baker's blog were rational. I asked him what he meant and what exactly he was wrong about. He went on to tell me how happy he was that President Elect Barack Obama picked James Jones to be National Security Adviser. He repeated how wrong he was about Obama being "soft" on military issues and even went as far to say that it was a better pick than Condeleeza Rice. Wow!

It does my heart proud to see this type of reflection coming from someone who I thought incapable of looking inward. It gives me...hope:)

Send in the Marines...Finally!

As I have told many of my conservative friends over the last few months, President Elect Obama is no softie when it comes to the security of this nation. In fact, I think there are going to be many ways in which he will be tougher (and clearly smarter) than President Bush when it comes to taking out Al Qaeda.

I realize this goes against all of the right wing propaganda out there about Barack Obama, surely eliciting the usual EEP! BLURP! QUARK! from some brainwashed minds, but with the nomination of former Marine Commandant James Jones (to the right of President Elect Obama and Senator Clinton in the photo) to be National Security Advisor, it is now a fact that our next president is determined to take out those who would use terror as a weapon.

In addition to being a 40 year Marine veteran, Jones has served as Supreme Allied Commander of NATO and as Special Envoy to the Middle East. He also acted as key advisor to President Bush early in his first administration. Jones is a Republican and has been described by many as a "warrior-diplomat." That is exactly what we need right now...someone who has the intellect to defeat the enemy in addition to being a blunt instrument, which is what ALL marines are.

This pick sends a message to Al Qaeda in Pakistan: Your days are numbered. With the head of the marines (and PE Obama) calling for months for a troop redeployment to Afghanistan, I think we can safely predict a major strategy shift in that part of the world. Factor in the recent attacks in India and there is no doubt in my mind that our future president is going to be pretty darned hawkish in the region.

With his plate full of economic woes, the pick of Jones, the continuance of Gates tenure as SecDef, and the choice of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, President Elect Obama has a team in place rife with experience and knowledge. He can spend more of his time trying to get our financial difficulties straightened out and rest easy knowing that the marines are on the job.

It's about fucking time.

A Quitter?

Of all of the things I have written about President George W. Bush, I never thought I would write the following line: He is a quitter.

I could always rely on W to be the "decider guy" out there making all the bonehead moves he has made over the years. But to give up? Nah, say it ain't so.

Well, it is. With two months left in his presidency and in the middle of the worst economic crisis this nation has seen since The Great Depression, George Bush has basically handed the keys to Barack Obama. Never mind the fact that, by law, he has to serve us until January 20th.

As we have seen for the last eight years, Bush has no clue what the fuck is going on. His incompetence in handling this crisis is monumental and so, rather than trot out his usual propaganda of "everything is fine, don't believe your eyes," he has elected to head on down the road to pasture.

Because he knows that everything is not fine and it is probably going to get worse. And, by and large, it is his fault for mainly doing nothing (due to the fact that he knows nothing) and partially thinking, erroneously, that the free market would take care of itself.

So, I guess his complete and utter failure is now complete....well, except for the 24 percent of the country (see the real "victim culture" on the right) who think it is all someone else's fault. I guess it's time for someone who is actually competent to clean up the mess. The cynic in me wonders if he can.

That Darned Commie!

Well, President Elect Obama has really done it this time. He went and nominated Timothy Gethiner to be the new Treasury Secretary. Gethiner is currently the President of the New York Federal Reserve. He is also the Vice Chariman of the Federal Open Market Committee. He started his career working for Henry Kissinger’s consulting firm, then moved on to work under George Bush Sr. in the treasury department. Geithner then moved on to work for the Council on Foreign Relations, a conservative foreign policy think tank.

Add all this up and what do you get? Our future president is looking for someone more pragmatic to run the Treasury. Someone who, perhaps, doesn't believe the government should fund business. Someone who will probably do a good job.

Sadly, though...

Add all this up in looney land and what do you get? Communist! Pinko! Stealer of my money! I want my money! Wah!!!

Well, at least those are just a few of the comments I have heard thus far since the announcement of Gethiner's appointment. Ah well, as long as they continue to make sense:)

A Great Reason To Own An Arsenal

Recently, in comments, a debate sprang up on why anyone would "need" an assault rifle. After reading this article in the Monitor, I think the reason why I would want one makes itself quite clear.

Heck the photo of the D bag alone is reason enough.

Oh, So Sad...

This is bloody priceless.

I have a friend who was an election judge on November 4th. When they opened up the absentee ballots from military bases around the world, including Iraq, the Republican representatives went berserk. Apparently, President Elect Obama (something I try to say at least 10 times a day these days) received many more votes than Senator McCain. And the Republicans couldn't take it.

EEP! BLURP! QUARK! Military loves all Republicans. EEP! SPLAT! All soldiers love only conservatives. EEP! BLURP! SMACK! Poison gas...can't breathe...EEP! ZAP!

Something tells me there's going to be a lot more cognitive dissonance in the next few months. Imagine what will happen if (Gasp!) President Elect Obama actually succeeds at something.

EEP! BLURP! He actually failed. EEP! BLURP! He is evil. Don't believe your eyes. EEP! BLURP! Muslim terrorist EEP! BLURP!

Why Is She Still Around?

Sarah Palin seems to be everywhere. I realize she is the flavor of the month but the election is over and her side lost. Yet, she acts as if it is Dec 2011 and the Iowa caucuses are one month off. She has been giving interview after interview on all the major news networks. President Elect Obama hasn't even taken office yet!!!

Andy, over at Electoral-Vote.com, has a good take on this.

In an interview with Fox's Greta Van Susteren, Sarah Palin has said she is open to running for President in 2012 if God shows her the way. This remark demonstrates her inexperience. The protocol for running for President dictates that you do not express any interest in the job before the midterms. The correct answer (which she didn't give) was: "Greta, now that the election is over I am going back to Alaska and will be entirely focused on being the best possible governor that I can be for the great and wonderful people of Alaska. My term expires in 2010, and with God's help, I will make a decision about my future in 2010." The problem with announcing now is that her opponents (and she has plenty of them) will have ample time to carefully plot their strategy for making her look bad before the primaries even start.

Palin's exact quote, regarding God, was this.

I'm like, OK, God, if there is an open door for me somewhere, this is what I always pray, I'm like, don't let me miss the open door. And if there is an open door in '12 or four years later, and if it is something that is going to be good for my family, for my state, for my nation, an opportunity for me, then I'll plow through that door.

I'm like, OK...wondering why seemingly, like, intelligent people on the right, like, still think she is, like qualified and junk.

Whither The Republicans...

Tim Pawlenty, governor of my home state of Minnesota, delivered a speech yesterday at the Governor's Convention in Florida, in which he raised several key points regarding the future of the Republican Party. The essential jist of what he said was that Republicans must change or face irrelevancy. I couldn't agree with him more.

Unfortunately, when it comes to change, Republicans have an incredibly hard time. Their party's ideology has essentially become so set in deep granite that any kind of movement seems impossible. In fact, the center piece of their platform is to be as immovable as possible.

So, I would like to know, as does Governor Pawlenty, how exactly are the Republicans going to be far sighted on issues like energy, health care, and education? How, specifically, are they going to broaden their appeal to working class families and small business owners as Mr. Pawlenty suggested is vital?

When one looks at all of these issues, as I have said many times over the last few years, the Republicans completely and utterly lack any kind of forward thinking. In energy, it's "Drill Baby Drill" which is akin to a person, in 1988, saying "We must expand the use of the typewriter." With health care, it's "Fuck you, get your own damn health care" and "Let's make all of my pals in the industry more wealthy by ripping people off." With education, it's "let's censor all that commie pinko bullshit and tell the story of the 'real America.'"

The worst, by far, is their "appeal" to working class families. Essentially the only thing working class families have gotten from the GOP is a giant sucking sound of all their money going to pad the linings of the oil industry, the defense industry, pharmaceuticals, the insurance industry, and HMOs. The cost of living has gone up and wages haven't risen to meet the demand of these new prices. The largest transfer of wealth in the history of the world has occurred under the direction of the Republican Party. Why on earth would the middle class want to support them? More to the point, the Republican's raison d'etre is fuck the little guy over and make damn sure that they have all the toys.

I applaud Governor Pawlenty for at least taking a step towards admitting things must change for the elephants but I think he is incredibly naive to think that it is even possible.

When the only tool in your tool kit is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

Really? Fox News?

Is Fox News jumping on the Obama bandwagon? Or are they center right like all of my conservative friends say they are?

I do know that Rush Limbaugh has called Karl Cameron a traitor now that this story has come out. So...a traitor is someone who calls out Sarah Palin for being ignorant?

Given this new information, I want to go on record here at Notes From the Front and say that I think that Sarah Palin should be the Republican nominee in 2012.

In fact, I am praying for it.

Cheese Slowly Slipping Off Cracker

My ol' buddy Matt used to have a phrase for people that were loony. He would say that "their cheese has slipped off their cracker." Well, folks, I think conservatives' cheese has slowly been slipping off their cracker after Barack Obama's victory last week. I have selected a few choice quotes from various emails and conversations over the course of the last week for your reading pleasure.

"Our country is now going to descend into communism."

This one was from my uncle. He is completely and utterly serious. He thinks that this is actually going to happen. He has also convinced his wife, my mom's younger sister, that this is true and she has been physically ill for the last week...unable to eat or sleep. She has also had a non stop headache. Both of them believe that Obama is going to destroy our country by installing a communist regime with himself as supreme leader.

"There go all of my guns. "
"I am going to buy as many guns as I can before HE is sworn in."
"I just bought ten guns and I am going to hide them so Barack Obama can't find them."

These were three emails I received on Wednesday morning after the election. While President Elect Obama has called to ban certain types of assault rifles, I have yet to see him express an interest in any bans on shotguns, rifles, hand guns, and many other weapons let alone going house to house and confiscating guns.

"He is going to hand the keys of the country to terrorists."

Beginning to sense a theme here? I had at least five emails with similar themes. Hmm...let's see....worst terrorist attack occurs on Bush's watch....bin Laden and Zawahari at large....Al Qaeda stronger than ever....Bush beholden to Saudi oil men which churns out terrorists like play doh...and they think Obama is going to be worse? Their paranoia knows no bounds.

"More babies are going to die."

Yes, that's right. Barack Obama kills babies. Really? Seriously think about fucking stupid that sounds. Talk about hyper overreaction and, in no way, anything close to reality as Obama has done more to bring down the abortion rate through his support of sex education programs.

"There goes all of my money."

As opposed to all of the money you have now as a result of the stellar management of the economy by the Bush Administration. Let me see if I can be clear on this one...THEY TOOK ALL OF YOUR MONEY YOU FUCKING MORON! WHY DO YOU CONTINUE TO VOTE FOR THEM?!?

Perhaps the me of a few years ago would've gloated and enjoyed watching these people descend into madness. Instead, I find it to be extremely frustrating, and somewhat sickening, that they are so bloody brainwashed that they can't think clearly. Even sadder is that there is no reasoning with them. They don't want to calm down. They want to remain in a constant state of fear and pants soiling. They are beyond reasoning.

So, what do we do?

From the Notes From The Front Middle East Bureau....

Our Girl Friday posted this in comments. I wanted to bring it out front.

May God Bless America, and you Mr new President . . who are the peoples' choice and with your new team, their hope for a reality, truth & humanity based, better future.

Amen, soul sister.

The Dream Realized

I don't think there are many words to say today.

It's still sinking in. I can't believe it.

It took 45 years and much pain and heartache but Dr. King's dream has been fulfilled.

In the 41 years I have lived on this planet, I have never been more proud of our country.

Predictions and Prognostications

What is going to happen tomorrow? I'm sure all of you are waiting with bated breath as to who I think is going to win.

Baring any Republican election tomfoolery, I think Barack Obama is going to win the US Presidential Election tomorrow. I predict he will win 311 electoral votes to McCain's 191. He will win all the states Kerry won in 2004 and take Virginia, Ohio, Iowa, Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada-all states that Bush won in 2004. McCain will eke out Florida, North Carolina, Missouri, Indiana, Montana, North Dakota but not by much. Many of those states will have Democratic victories in the Senate and the House as a result of the turnout for him.

In the Senate, I predict the Dems will have 59 and the Repubs will have 41. The 59 includes Liebermann. So, which state put the Dems to 59? Minnesota or Georgia. I have to admit I am torn. I would love to see Saxby Chambliss, last seen accusing Max Clelland (wheel chair bound Vietnam vet) of being best buds with Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, kicked out on his fat fucking ass. But I do live in Minnesota and have had just about enough of Norm "swing with the wind" Coleman. Both races are too tight for me to call but I do predict that one of them will go Dem.

The House will get to 250 for the Dems. I predict that El Tinklenberg is going to beat Michelle Bachmann (thank God!) in the Sixth. The race in the Third is just too damn close for me to call for my guy, Aswhin Madia. If you want him to win, get out and vote. The turnout for Obama may help him over the top.

Remember, people died for your right to vote. Regardless of who you vote for, to not vote at all because you are a lazy douche bag is completely unacceptable.

Go Vote!

Sunday Reflection

At church today, I scanned the news and notes section of the program and found something interesting. Every week, our pastor writes a column called "Pastor's Pen." This week, he brought up the election and some things to consider as we all went out and voted on Tuesday. Here was his first item.

Helping the poor and disenfranchised. With over 2000 specific passages in the Bible that address our responsibility to care for and empower those on the margins of society, we must put this at the top of the list. It's pretty clear Jesus did.

I find this statement to be quite interesting considering the latest attack on Obama, from the right, regarding how he wants to spread the wealth. I thought the conservative base followed the teachings of Christ? Based on their comments regarding Senator Obama, I guess they don't.

I realize that their stock answer is that they don't want the government to be the entity to re-distribute wealth. Alright, who then? Who has the power to help people as much as the US government? President Bush, for all of this many faults and bullshit, has made a difference in Africa with his AIDS and malaria program. On some small level, he understands what Christ really meant by caring for and empowering those in need.

To be honest, I don't even hear conservatives wanting to help anyone at all...even through private organizations. They lament helping anyone at all as if doing so somehow continues to degrade our culture. I find many of the things that have been said to me and to Senator Obama over the last few weeks to be insulting and morally reprehensible.

How could they miss over 2000 references to what all of us need to do to improve our country and the world? More to the point, what the fuck is the matter with them?

Really?

A couple of weeks back, some conservative commenters directed me to a story about Ashwin Madia campaign workers taking down Erik Pauslen yard signs. It seems there was a dispute over whether the property was public or private so it may or may not have been out of line.

There's also been a lot of talk recently in comments about how Democrats are just as bad as Republicans when it comes to playing dirty. That may have been true at one time in our country's history...in fact, I would say that Democrats were dirtier on a multitude of levels for a much longer period of time...but it is not true today. The Republicans, in their current form, are complete scumbags.

Take a look at this story from KARE 11. A recent attack ad (see: Willie Horton) against Aswhin Madia show that his skin was purposefully darkened to make him look....what?....more evil? Because people with darker skin are more evil?

Aswhin Madia does have darker skin, being the son of immigrants from India, but what does it say about a party that wants to exaggerate that?

Of course, I could call it racist but the right has been very successful at being able to deflect accusations of racism combining "Who? Me?" faux innocence with their usual fervent vitriol.

Whatever you want to call it, that's a pretty far cry from lawn sign tom foolery.

Time For The Smelling Salts

Each day as the election draws nearer, the wing nuts on the right become more and more rabid. Like the madmen being quietly lead into the asylum, frothing at the mouth and screaming about socialism, their time to be put out to pasture is near. I think someone needs to stick some smelling salts underneath their collective noses in the hopes that they will come back to some level of sanity.

A recent column by Michael Malone perfectly illustrates this. It was brought to my attention in comments so I checked it out. The "golden" tidbit that has arisen from his column is a story about a video that the LA Times refuses to release showing Barack Obama having "dinner" with and praising PLO supporter and "radical" Rashid Khalidi, who happens to be one of them Marxist professors at Columbia University (aka Communist University). The blog sphere of loonies is screaming about the liberal media, communism, and every single mom's apple pie being shit on by a bunch of dirty Arabs.

The LA Times won't release it due to confidentiality of a source. Well, I say the LA Times should release the video. People need to see exactly what happened at these dinners...with all these smart people and stuff...talking about smart things...and trying to make the world...smarter. Yeah, let's see some of that shit.

And while they're at it, why don't they talk about the International Republican Institute of which John McCain still chairs? You know the one I am talking about. The organization that gave Center for Palistinian Studies, WHICH RASHID KHALIDI FOUNDED, about a half a million dollars in 1998. Yeah, let's talk about that as well.

But, hey, let's not stop there. Why don't we take a little trip in the way back machine and revisit this oldie but goodie.
I wonder...what would happen if a picture of Barack Obama holding hands with the Saudi Crown Prince came out? Hmm....just think about that one for a little bit.

All done? I know...I know...some right wingers reading this are probably having the EEP-ZAP--QUARK--BLURP going on right now in their brains. It can't be...Obama terrorist....McCain gave money....no...Bush holding hands...ZIP--QUARK-BLURP-ZAP--EEP

You get the picture. Pretty pathetic at this point, isn't it?

So, if you folks on the right want to talk about associations with people and organizations that you find objectionable, please let's talk about them.

C'mon, I fucking dare you!

There Goes The Fear

I wasn't quite sure what to write about this week...been feeling under the weather the last couple of days. But then I got this email, from a conservative fan, which perfectly illustrates the meltdown of the conservative hard drive.

How can you vote for this???? This goes against everything you have ever told me about your want for the strength of this country???

Just curious. I have probably opened up a can of worms but I am at a loss.

---

Subject: Fw: This Will Scare You

PLEASE READ COMPLETELY!!!

This doesn't scare me - It horrifies, terrifies and pisses me Off!!!!!!!! As I have told many of my friends, how can we elect a president who doesn't LIKE the USA!!!!

No wonder he's got the endorsement of Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran & the Nation of Islam!

Subject: This Will Scare You

Perhaps there are SOME out there who are beginning to get 'the picture'. The following is a narrative taken from Sunday Morning's televised 'Meet The Press'. and the author is employed by none other than the Washington Post!! Yeah......the Washington Post of New York and Los Angeles Times fame!! Must say that I'm dually impressed.................. From Sunday's Televised 'Meet the Press' Senator Obama was asked about his stance on the American Flag. Obama Explains National Anthem Stance Sun, 07 Sept. 2008 11:48:04 EST, General Bill Ginn' USAF (ret.) asked Obama to explain why he doesn't follow protocol when the National Anthem is played. The General also stated to the Senator that according to the United States Code, Title 36, Chapter 10, Sec. 171... During rendition of the national anthem when the flag is displayed, all present except those in uniform are expected to stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. At the very least, 'Stand and Face It' Senator Obama Live on Sunday states, 'As I've said about the flag pin, I don't want to be perceived as taking sides, Obama said. 'There are a lot of people in the world to whom the American flag is a symbol of oppression. And the anthem itself conveys a war-like message. You know, the bombs bursting in air and all. It should be swapped for something less parochial and less bellicose. I like the song 'I'd Like To Teach the World To Sing.' If that were our anthem, then I might salute it.'We should consider to reinvent our National Anthem as well as to redesign our Flag to better offer our enemies hope and love. It's my intention, if elected, to disarm America to the level of acceptance to our Middle East Brethren. If we as a Nation of warring people, should conduct ourselves as the nations of Islam, whereas peace prevails. Perhaps a state or period of mutual concord between our governments. When I become President, I will seek a pact or agreement to end hostilities between those who have been at war or in a state of enmity, and a freedom from disquieting oppressive thoughts. We as a Nation have placed upon the nations of Islam an unfair injustice. My wife disrespects the Flag for many personal reasons. Together she and I have attended several flag burning ceremonies in the past, many years ago. She has her views and I have mine'. Of course now, I have found myself about to become the President of the United States and I have put aside my hatred. I will use my power to bring CHANGE to this Nation, and offer the people a new path of hope. My wife and I look forward to becoming our Country's First Family. Indeed, CHANGE is about to overwhelm the United States of America. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, you heard it right. This could possibly be our next President. I, for one, am speechless. Dale Lindsborg, Washington Post _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Here was my email back... The email you have sent me is a lie. It is yet another example of the right wing hate and propaganda machine spreading falsehoods about Senator Obama. In fact, that is all the current form of the Republican Party seems to be about these days, which I find to be very sad. They are playing to your fear, ...a fear that is completely unfounded in reality. Here is an explanation of the lie. http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/stance.asp I think you need to take a very critical look at the people you have supported over your life and question them. For whatever reason, you believe their lies continually and adhere to an outdated and ignorant belief system that is not grounded on ability or intellect but fervent ideology....an ideology that has very nearly destroyed our country. You told me in 2000 and 2004 that Bush would make things better and keep us safe. Take a look at where we are now. As I have predicted, we are hated more than ever in the world, the people responsible for 9-11 are still alive and flourishing, our infrastructure is crumbling, we have health care system that is awful, education system that leaves everyone behind, and an economy that is doing about as well as all the companies that Bush ran before he became president....poor. They really haven't helped you out. In fact, they have hurt your life personally. You should pass this on to your co-workers. One of the main reasons why the housing market and financial services industry are so screwed up right now is because many Republican Senators, including John McCain, overturned the Glass Steagall Act of 1933 with the passage of Graham Leach Bliley in 1999. President Clinton signed this bill so he is also to blame. The one item that has been kept alive from Glass Steagall is FDIC. Bottom line, if it weren't for the spirit of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, you may not be able to get money out of your bank right now. Think about that when you vote for John McCain and Sarah Palin next Tuesday, a man who had a hand in personally causing you financial distress and a woman who is the most under qualified person ever to be nominated as vice president let alone president. Think about the fact that a man, FDR, who acted much further towards socialism than Senator Obama ever will, had the foresight, knowledge, and business savvy to keep all of our money protected. Mark _________________________________________________________________________ I am reminded of a robot, from a 1950s Sci Fi film, that is malfunctioning. EEP! Blurp! Obama-terrorist- EEp-Endorsed by Hamas-EEP-quark-Wants to burn us all in the pits of hell-eep-blurp--ignore unpleasant factsies--eeep--spit---your eyes deceive you--eep--obama will destroy us all--eep---Obama will destroy---urp--Obama will--eerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Thank God, someone is about to shut that fucking thing off so we can actually start solving problems in this country as opposed to placating a fervent ideology that actually adds to them

Jimmy...:)

Normally I'm not a big fan of James Carville but this line is freakin' Hi-larious!

The reason the Republicans found Joe the Plumber was to find someone hanging around a toilet other than Larry Craig.

Mega.

This Is SOOOOOO True

I just got this email from a reader. Hilarious:)

Don't you have to give McCain credit? For a man who graduated at the bottom of his class he married a woman worth 100 million and has been a US Senator for years. Wouldn't you have to say that he has done remarkably well?

Obama/Biden vs McCain/Palin, what if things were switched around?.....think about it. Would the country's collective point of view be different? More importantly, how do you think the "liberal media" would paint this picture?

Ponder the following:

• What if the Obamas had paraded five children across the stage, including a three month old infant and an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter?
• What if John McCain was a former president of the Harvard Law Review?
• What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?
• What if McCain had only married once, and Obama was a divorcee?
• What if Obama was the candidate who left his first wife after a severe disfiguring car accident, when she no longer measured up to his standards?
• What if Obama had met his second wife in a bar and had a long affair while he was still married?
• What if Michelle Obama was the wife who not only became addicted to pain killers but also acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?
• What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?
• What if Obama had been a member of the Keating Five?
• What if Obama was the one who had military experience that included discipline problems and a record of crashing seven planes?
• What if Obama was the one who was known to display publicly, on many occasions, a serious anger management problem?
• What if Michelle Obama's family had made their money from beer distribution?
• What if the Obamas had adopted a white child?

Educational Background:

Barack Obama:
Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in
International Relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

Joseph Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

John McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899

Sarah Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism