Presumptive Republican presidential candidate US Sen. John McCain, Saddelback Church pastor Rick Warren and presumptive Democratic presidential candidate US Sen. Barack Obama have their make-up applied during a Civil Forum at the church in Lake Forest, Calif. on August 16, 2008 in Lake Forest, California. It was the first joint appearance of the candidates. They were asked, seperately, about issues of poverty, HIV/AIDS, climate and human rights. Neither candidate was allowed to hear the responses of the other.
Although the audience in attendance was difficult to read, most national pundits concluded that McCain clearly outshined Obama. McCain's frank, honest answers and poised delivery earned him high marks from a variety of commentators, and although polls this early in a campaign are largely inconsequential, it is no coincidence that McCain's numbers began to grow (and Obama's began to sink) after the Saddleback appearance.
Previous Wordless Wednesdays:
Word 'round the political campfire is that presumptive Republican Nominee John McCain will announce his running-mate on Aug. 29, 2008 -- the good Senator's 72nd birthday and the day after the Democratic National Convention.
Presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama, meanwhile, is expected to announce his vice-presidential choice tomorrow, Aug. 20, 2008.
More news is forthcoming, as information becomes available.
Related:
If it seems like this has place has been rather slow lately, forgive me. I was on "assignment", as it were, and now that I'm back I can tell you about my covert reconnaissance mission to the Florida Keys.
Ever alert for all things conservative, I received a tip that there was an alleged bonefish tournament sponsored by former president George H.W. Bush in a tiny town in the Florida Keys called "Islamorada." I was told that this tournament was a ruse of some sort and that there were really dark forces at work: the former president, I was told, was planning to take over the world in a bloodless conservative coup -- all from a tiny fishing boat less than a mile from the shoreline.
As a writer and professional angler (I was on the team that won $10,000 in the "5th Annual Upper Bay Rockfish Tournament" in Elkton, Md. in 1998), I had no choice but to sniff out the lead. I immediately dispatched myself (along with my wife, lots of suntan oil and two sets of snorkels) to the Cheeca Lodge & Spa, which was accused of co-sponsoring the event.
The key facts are incontrovertable, even if the final results of my thorough and intense investigation were obscured by foul deception, complex trickery and highly addictive distractions.
In the first place, I uncovered that Georgie-Boy had been there -- and often. He did his best to appear busy with heavy issues of international importance in between bouts of fishing, but the facts are clear that he was not only fishing -- he was also having fun. And not only was he having fun, he made a point to donate the proceeds of the fishing tournament to a variety of noble charities -- no doubt, some insidious ploy to deftly cover his tracks with acts of altruism.
While I was there, I had to check out these bonefish for myself. I had to make sure they were real, and that the Bush people weren't just making up some fairytale to tell the world, while the man himself was actually floating around on the water plotting the downfall of liberalism as we know it with his newly-anointed son (at the time) and child-president, Georgie-Boy Jr.
It wound up being a dead end. In fact, there is a small lagoon, just behind the open-air bar and kidney shaped pool adjacent to the main lodge, filled with a rash of greedy thrashing bonefish. Of course, I had to check out the bar and pool before examining the lagoon. I am, after all, a professional.
I am not, however, an ichthyologist, so while it seemed clear to me that the fish were indigenous to the area, I had to be sure.
Read more...
Friday August 15, 2008
As the 2008 presidential campaign wears on, the issue of race is rearing its head in some subtle and not-so-subtle ways. With 94 percent of all African Americans supporting Barack Obama and less than 1 percent supporting John McCain, there is bound to be some debate between people of all ethnicities as the election looms ever closer.
In this week's "Friday's Guest" column, About.com guest writer Jack Kerwick takes a look at the recent allegations and counter-allegations between the Obama and McCain campaigns and how the issue of race will undoubtedly continue to play a prominent role in this year's election campaign.
From the article:
We need to remind the American public at every turn that the self-proclaimed “Trans-Racial” candidate, “The Great Unifier,” is determined to accentuate his melanin, even if subtly, to achieve victory over his competitors. Worst, he is ready to use his race in the most devious of ways.
When Obama tells audiences that his opponents are going to attempt to scare them from voting for him by focusing on his physical dissimilarities from past presidents, he is really putting them on notice that if they vote against him, it will be because this tactic has succeeded. That is, Obama is telling his white audiences that if they do not support him, it is because they are really “racist.”
Previous Kerwick Columns:
