Obama/Biden vs. McCain/Palin

[GatewaySnayke]

I'm watching the replay of McCain right now. Not sure how far in I am, but how in the world can people say that McCain did well? Does it get better? Because right now he has brought up Reagan, 9/11 and is now stumping for off-shore drilling. This is ridiculous.

[Radbird]

McCain's "Cross in the Dirt" story stolen from Solzhenitsyn

It just sounded so fake and so contrived, so I did a little research about it. Someone on here said it sounded like a scene from Ben-Hur, so I did a google search about Ben-Hur and cross in the sand and such. No dice. But I searched around a little bit more and here is what I found. A story about Alexander Solzhenitsyn from his times in the Soviet Gulags.

....

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/8/17 ... 239/569299

Downright [expletive] disgusting.

Maverick PWNED.

[clevername]

I'm watching the replay of McCain right now. Not sure how far in I am, but how in the world can people say that McCain did well? Does it get better? Because right now he has brought up Reagan, 9/11 and is now stumping for off-shore drilling. This is ridiculous.

he "won" because the evangelical crowd cheered for him. Shocking, I know.

I haven't seen Obama's parts but did watch about half of McCain's. I wasn't impressed with McCain's responses since it was just blatant pandering (to be expected in that environment). I've read Obama gave more thoughtful, complete answers but isn't getting more play for some strange reason I couldn't possibly fathom because I'm an elitist.

[ghostrunner]

McCain's "Cross in the Dirt" story stolen from Solzhenitsyn

It just sounded so fake and so contrived, so I did a little research about it. Someone on here said it sounded like a scene from Ben-Hur, so I did a google search about Ben-Hur and cross in the sand and such. No dice. But I searched around a little bit more and here is what I found. A story about Alexander Solzhenitsyn from his times in the Soviet Gulags.

....

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/8/17 ... 239/569299

Downright [expletive] disgusting.

He also spoke about this incident in 2000, and just because it happened in a movie or elsewhere doesn't mean it didn't happen to him. It's also quite possible the guard knew the scene in Ben Hur and thought to do the same thing.

EDIT - Actually, I don't know how it could have been in Ben Hur, because the cross wasn't a symbol when that took place. Anyway, it looks like he also wrote about this back in 2005 in one of his books. So he's told the story a few times. Doesn't mean it's true, but he's mentioned it before for what it's worth.

And, reading some more, it looks like McCain has written about Solzhenitsyn before and the particular book the story is taken from. So I'm inclined to think he either is deliberately stealing it or conflating it with his own experience in some way. Either way, that's not reassuring. I still think he's put in a solid career and has taken a number of stands against his own party, which is to his credit.

[Arthur Dent]

He also spoke about this incident in 2000, and just because it happened in a movie or elsewhere doesn't mean it didn't happen to him. It's also quite possible the guard knew the scene in Ben Hur and thought to do the same thing. If Solzhenitsyn said it happened, did he steal it from Ben Hur?

Just because it's the theme song don't make it not true!

[/youtube]

[AdmiralKird]

I remember when I was seven, we were playing kickball out in the field, and I unintentially kicked the ball into the pitcher's face. The kid with the bloody nose said I did it on purpose, and the teachers put me in timeout for the rest of recess. Strangely, an older 4th grader from the big kid playground came over and drew a cross in the dirt with a stick. We began to pray, and at that moment I realized that life would go on, and I would get to play kickball another period... (which was in about one hour).

[ghostrunner]

I remember when I was seven, we were playing kickball out in the field, and I unintentially kicked the ball into the pitcher's face. The kid with the bloody nose said I did it on purpose, and the teachers put me in timeout for the rest of recess. Strangely, an older 4th grader from the big kid playground came over and drew a cross in the dirt with a stick. We began to pray, and at that moment I realized that life would go on, and I would get to play kickball another period... (which was in about one hour).

LOL

[GatewaySnayke]

I'm watching a replay of MTP right now. Maverick and his campaign thugs have no shame.

[GatewaySnayke]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/18/us/po ... ref=slogin

ORLANDO, Fla. — Senator John McCain was not in a “cone of silence” on Saturday night while his rival, Senator Barack Obama, was being interviewed at the Saddleback Church in California.

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Monica Almeida/The New York Times
Senator John McCain of Arizona at a forum on Saturday with the host, the Rev. Rick Warren of the Saddleback Church in California.

Related
In Forum at Church, Rivals Meet Briefly and Part Sharply on Social Issues (August 17, 2008)
The Caucus: McCain and Obama Address Faith Forum (August 16, 2008)

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Members of the McCain campaign staff, who flew here Sunday from California, said Mr. McCain was in his motorcade on the way to the church as Mr. Obama was being interviewed by the Rev. Rick Warren, the author of the best-selling book “The Purpose Driven Life.”

The matter is of interest because Mr. McCain, who followed Mr. Obama’s hourlong appearance in the forum, was asked virtually the same questions as Mr. Obama. Mr. McCain’s performance was well received, raising speculation among some viewers, especially supporters of Mr. Obama, that he was not as isolated during the Obama interview as Mr. Warren implied.

Nicolle Wallace, a spokeswoman for Mr. McCain, said on Sunday night that Mr. McCain had not heard the broadcast of the event while in his motorcade and heard none of the questions.

“The insinuation from the Obama campaign that John McCain, a former prisoner of war, cheated is outrageous,” Ms. Wallace said.

Before an audience of more than 2,000 people at the church, the candidates answered questions about policy and social issues.

Mr. Warren, the pastor of Saddleback, had assured the audience while he was interviewing Mr. Obama that “we have safely placed Senator McCain in a cone of silence” and that he could not hear the questions.

After Mr. Obama’s interview, he was joined briefly by Mr. McCain, and the candidates shook hands and embraced.

Mr. Warren started by asking Mr. McCain, “Now, my first question: Was the cone of silence comfortable that you were in just now?”

Mr. McCain deadpanned, “I was trying to hear through the wall.”

Interviewed Sunday on CNN, Mr. Warren seemed surprised to learn that Mr. McCain was not in the building during the Obama interview.

The McCain campaign is objecting to a statement by NBC's Andrea Mitchell on "Meet the Press" questioning whether McCain might have gotten a heads-up on some of the questions that were asked of Sen. Barack Obama, who was the first candidate to be interviewed Saturday night by Pastor Rick Warren at a presidential forum on faith.

..Mitchell made the comment in the context of saying McCain did better.

Warren referred AGAIN to "the cone of silence" when McCain came onstage, and the McCain joked: "I was trying to hear through the wall."

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/12594.html

[PujolJunkie]

Rumors say Biden will be VP.

[/youtube]

I like it.