Cindy Mccain on The Huffington Post

Presidential Campaign Flashback! Highlights Or Lowlights? (PHOTOS, POLL)

2009-10-22T08:49:08Z

As the one year anniversary of Barack Obama's election approaches, we'll be revisiting some of the most exciting moments of a very exciting presidential campaign.

Here's the first installment...peruse these fun photos and tell us which moments you thought were highlights and which were lowlights. And tell us which photos we forgot in comments below.

Keep an eye out for more flashback fun.

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Cindy McCain Reveals Migraine Suffering, Compares It To Husband's Torture

2009-09-02T10:37:21Z

In a new interview with People magazine, Cindy McCain revealed her secret struggle with migraines. She compared the condition to her husband's torture as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.

She says one of her first challenges was finding the words to describe how painful the headaches can be. When she first told her husband, a former POW during the Vietnam War, she used a word she knew he would understand.

"Torture," she says. "Being tied to a chair for four days. I can't imagine how unbearable that pain must have been, but yeah, I can, because a migraine may come close."

In this 1968 footage from a French documentary, an imprisoned John McCain discusses his ordeal in Vietnam.

Read more from McCain's interview, including her thoughts on Michelle Obama and her struggle with stress on the campaign trail, at People.com.

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Frank Dwyer: Political Haiku: Cash for Clunkers

2009-08-02T19:23:38Z

Please give poor Cindy
McCain the bonus so she
can get a new one.

Stanton Peele: What Cindy McCain and Michael Jackson Have in Common

2009-07-13T08:38:20Z

In family courts around the United States, children are taken from parents addicted to drugs. I observed this first hand in New Jersey, where I defended such parents.

The people I defended were indigent, and thus came under the scrutiny of the Department of Children and Family Services. (An alternative route to such scrutiny is divorce and a custody battle.) The State of New Jersey is implacable in removing young children from homes in which such an addiction is identified, after which parents may or may not get their kids back.

But some parents fare better, despite public discovery or acknowledgment of their addictions. In general, parents inoculated against state action are influential and/or wealthy, like Cindy McCain and Michael Jackson.

Little discussed during the recent presidential campaign was Cindy McCain's admission in 1994 that she had been addicted to prescription painkillers, including obtaining the drugs illegally (which resulted in a investigation by the DEA of her use of fake scripts). And, after all, that episode is long over, so why discus it now?

Because it is illustrative of differences in how such cases are handled, depending on who is addicted. Mrs. McCain was the mother of four small children from 1989 to 1992 -- the period during which she admitted being addicted -- one of whom was adopted in that time. But she tearfully confessed, received treatment, and all was forgiven. And did you really think the Arizona state agency responsible for child protection was going to remove her children?

Americans (at least white Americans) are more likely to be disturbed by the case of Michael Jackson. Reports are circulating that a raid on his home led to discovery of injection paraphernalia and massive quantities of pharmaceuticals. Moreover, his death has been potentially linked to a combination of prescription pain killers, sedatives, and anti-anxiety drugs, along with powerful hospital anesthetics.

Jackson has been described -- most affectingly by his beautiful 11-year-old daughter, Paris -- as a devoted and caring father. But the sheer amount of drugs he was claimed to be using might cause authorities to wonder whether he could devote the kind of attention three children demand of a single parent. (Obviously, Mr. Jackson had oodles of paid help and an involved mother.)

But the recent alleged discovery of a drug cache was the second for Mr. Jackson -- similar claims were made after a raid on Neverland in 2003 when he faced charges of child molestation. Although Jackson was acquitted of these charges in 2005, suspicion of child molesting is a whole other basis for removing children from a home. Yet I am unaware of any investigation by California of Michael Jackson's suitability as a parent

My experience in a New Jersey Superior Court makes it hard for me to imagine someone facing child sexual molestation charges who is strongly suspected of a drug addiction being ignored by a division of family services. But such an investigation would certainly have been fought tooth and nail by Mr. Jackson with high-priced legal assistance. Moreover, Mr. Jackson's popularity with important minority groups and others would make any such an investigation extremely politically sensitive.

So there you have it: parents with financial resources, power, prestige, and political constituencies face a different reality from those without these things.

And I can't TELL you how a New Jersey family court judge would have reacted to David Hasselhoff's teenage daughter's film of the actor and celebrity drunkenly eating a hamburger on the floor if he was instead an unknown, poor divorced parent.

Which Politicos Scream For Ice Cream? (PHOTOS)

2009-07-03T07:55:42Z

Baby, it's hot outside...how are D.C. and the world's finest beating the heat? With ice cream, of course! Whether it's chocolate or vanilla, cones or cups, sprinkles or syrup -- this is one part of politics we can really get behind. Check out who's been snacking on this sweet treat.

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Read more: Silvio Berlusconi Ice Cream, Sasha Obama Ice Cream, Tony Blair, Cindy McCain, George W. Bush, Dessert, Sarah Palin, Madeleine Albright, George W. Bush Ice Cream, Joe Biden Ice Cream, Hillary Clinton Ice Cream, Bob Dole, Madeleine Albright Ice Cream, Malia Obama Ice Cream, Bill Clinton, Slideshow, Michelle Obama, Sarah Palin Ice Cream, Tony Blair Ice Cream, Ice Cream, Sweets, Bob Dole Ice Cream, Joe Biden, Michelle Obama Ice Cream, Sasha Obama, Barack Obama, Malia Obama, Bill Clinton Ice Cream, Silvio Berlusconi, Cindy McCain Ice Cream, Food, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama Ice Cream, Style News

Cindy McCain Sports New Bob At Naval Academy Graduation (PHOTOS)

2009-05-22T15:22:28Z
Cindy McCain, who was famous for her long blond locks, debuted a new bob at the US Naval Academy graduation ceremony on Friday.

The Arizona senator's wife appeared to have cut off approximately 6 inches of hair. As she watched her son John McCain IV graduate, she wore a ruffled pink dress with matching bolero jacket, a string of oversized pearls, and a straw hat to block the sun.

Also in attendance: Roberta, the senator's feisty 97-year-old mother (watch her give a tour of her apartment and talk stilettos here), daughter Bridget, and, of course, Senator John McCain himself.

See photos below.

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Read more: John McCain, Slideshow, Roberta McCain, Cindy McCain Hair, Cindy Mccain Style, Cindy McCain, Naval Academy Graduation, Cindy McCain Haircut, Us Naval Academy, John Mccain, Style News

W. Norton Grubb: More Than Money Needed To Improve Schools

2009-05-20T17:11:57Z
In dire fiscal times like these, with the utter failure of Tuesday's budget propositions, must all school improvement grind to a halt until California finds more revenue?

Since the 19th century, we've been told that money alone will improve school outcomes and that to reform schools, all we need is more money. That's the money myth. And it's just plain wrong.

When I led a team that examined 12 years of national education data, including California's, one big surprise emerged: The numbers showed that the relationship between spending per pupil and student outcomes in California (and elsewhere) is somewhere between weak and nonexistent.

Many initiatives in California on which we've spent billions of dollars have nothing to show for it, from class size reduction and initiatives to improve low-performing schools, to older efforts to restructure schools altogether. That's the bad news.

The good news is that understanding what resources do matter, and which ones are relatively costless (yet priceless), means we could continue to improve schools despite California's abysmally low funding levels, which now put us 45th among the states.

This doesn't mean money doesn't matter. Of course it does. It's impossible to educate students without teachers, books and buildings. And these all cost money -- public money. California's anti-tax groups promised that tax cuts, starting with Proposition 13, would not affect schools. But of course they have, in many obvious and unforeseen ways. The aspiring urban principals I teach are in schools where there's little energy for substantial reforms -- everyone has too many jobs, there are too many district and state regulations, and the pressures to score well on simple-minded tests are too relentless.

But while money is necessary, it is not sufficient. To have any influence on student outcomes, it must be spent well and wisely.

Five key factors show why money and outcomes are only weakly linked. First, all too often, money is wasted. It's spent on ineffective resources, promising reforms that new principals or superintendents reverse, or is spent without any plan.

Second, sometimes schools and districts spend money on expensive, but counterproductive practices such as traditional vocational education, remedial programs, poorly conceived after-school programs or ineffective curricula.

Third, many schools fail to understand the importance of instructional quality. This includes teacher control of the curriculum, support for innovation and teaching with more conceptual approaches.

Fourth, schools and districts often ignore a range of abstract resources, from school climate (the relationships needed to make a school dedicated to academic improvement), to student commitment and trust, to the coherence of the curriculum (i.e., it is developed from a compatible set of assumptions about education) and the stability of the students (students who interrupt their education with frequent moves don't learn as well, often disrupt class and are at risk for dropping out.)

Finally, almost no one pays much attention to diagnosing, and then correcting, the specifically racial and ethnic dimensions of achievement gaps among white, Asian American, African American and Latino students.

For resources to be effective, they must be used with vision, leadership, cooperation from everyone in a school and district support. No store or Web site sells high quality teaching or improved school climate.

Some improvements will require waiting for more revenues, such as more adults to make schools more personalized or better salaries and working conditions to reduce teacher turnover.

Where, then, could we begin to transform California's schools with the current insufficient funds?

By addressing the five key factors I outline above.

Over the long run, California needs to generate new and stable revenue sources for a world-class education system. The current uncertainties -- pink slips every March, schools not knowing their funding until August, program categories that constrain how money is spent -- create their own forms of waste, and drain teachers and principals of energy. The agenda for improvement is large. Fortunately, though, some of it doesn't cost much money, and it therefore need not wait for California to solve its money woes.

W. Norton Grubb, author of "The Money Myth: School Resources, Outcomes and Equity" (Russell Sage Foundation, 2009), is the David Gardner Chair in Higher Education, UC Berkeley, and faculty director of its Principal Leadership Institute.

This article appeared on page A - 15 of the San Francisco Chronicle
Read more: Public Schools, Money-Myth, Education, Russell Sage Foundation, Economic Stimulus Package, California, Stimulus Package, Education Reform, Teachers, W. Norton Grubb, California Budget Crisis, Cindy McCain, Politics News

Steve Schmidt To Call On GOP To Back Gay Marriage

2009-04-17T09:06:44Z
Steve Schmidt, a key architect of John McCain's presidential campaign, is making his first public return to Washington a bold one.

Schmidt will use a speech Friday to Log Cabin Republicans, a gay rights group, to urge conservative Republicans to drop their opposition to same-sex marriage, CNN has learned.
Read more: Meghan McCain, Cindy Mccain Log Cabin Republicans, Meghan Mccain Log Cabin Republicans, John McCain, John Mccain Log Cabin Republicans, Log Cabin Republicans, Cindy McCain, Gay Republicans, John Mccain Gay Republicans, Gays, Steve Schmidt, Politics News

Vanessa Richmond: Kiss Her Fat Ass? No Thanks

2009-03-19T16:31:00Z
I'm with anyone who thinks it's an oversized offense to slight someone based on their girth.

I'm also against the bloated double standard. There are few or no remarks made about a man's shirt, jacket or pants size when he performs a job (save when his job is directly related to his physique, say in...oh, I don't know...powerlifting?) Sure, a few people have commented on Obama's graying hair, but none have remarked on whether he shed those campaign pounds, or finally recovered from the campaign by re-gaining a few. Case in point: I know about Cindy McCain, Michelle Obama and even Canadian provincial politician, Carole James' weight, having read countless articles about them, but don't know anything about Barack Obama, Michael Ignatieff or Stephen Harper's relationship with the scales.

And sure, Al Franken was the toast of all media for his book Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot. But in that case, most people knew that was a figure of speech, and that even if it wasn't, it wouldn't matter because there are no consequences to a man's career or status for being a few pounds up on the scale. Men don't have to talk about loving their curves, or tell anyone to "kiss my fat ass," because it simply doesn't matter.

I'm not saying fatness is an irrelevant issue altogether. Obesity is a major health issue, and food over-consumption is arguably plumping out our footprints faster than SUVs.

So thought I'd rather go on a gruel diet than join Team Meghan, and though I'm loathe to give her any more publicity, it's hard not to weigh in (sorry).

Not just because weight is a red herring, an ad hominem (ad-hermanim?) attack when it comes to evaluating someone's work, and not because I want to protect women from criticism. But because it's just a bit more satisfying to wrestle with the substance of women's words and work, instead of their girth. And irrelevant attacks like these just distract everyone from areas that actually seem to need attention.

In this case, there are more than enough substantive, if not weighty (sorry), criticisms of Meghan McCain's work to fill hundreds of column inches. McCain's Daily Beast articles show her to be a frequently self-obsessed, lightweight writer, who gratuitously and repeatedly mentions her famous dad. A recent column focused on just how hard it is to get a date when you have a famous dad, and like, are right wing and stuff.

"Of all the things people warned would happen post-election, no one ever said anything about how complicated dating would become," she writes. "Especially if your dad loses the election. There are things that have been difficult, but nothing quite as tough as dating. I fear the election has destroyed my ability and desire to date. Now, I cannot say at any point in my life that I have been very good at dating. But I have become something I used to despise: people who let politics dictate his or her attraction to someone."

Even the fact that she has such a prominent publishing platform is a nod to the supposedly extinct age of the aristo-brats, which also deserves attention, and column inches, and rigorous discussion.

But instead, she's been offered countless opportunities to repeat the pseudo-empowering phrase "Kiss my fat ass," which also acts as a shield against legitimate criticism of her work.

Because of this attack, McCain now has the sympathy vote. As Gawker pointed out, "rabid nutcase pundit Laura Ingraham called Meghan McCain fat. Wonderful, now we're stuck with her, Laura.

"She was on TV, and she was inarticulate and boring. But then Laura called her fat! And now Meghan gets to take the high ground in a 'I tried to have a serious debate about the issues and look what happened' piece."

Like many, I have a dream that my sisters will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the size of their jeans, but by the content of their character and the quality of their work...or lack thereof.

This post first appeared in The Tyee.

Read more: Meghan McCain, Fat, Michelle Obama, Weight Loss, Laura Ingraham, Cindy McCain, Daily Beast, Media News

Warren Holstein: Family Values, Schmamily Values: The GOP's Bristol/Levi Hypocrisy

2009-03-19T01:08:38Z
Well it seems that the latter-day Joseph and Mary trophies of the religious right-wing pro-life movement have been tarnished and their lackluster bronze has turned a gangrenous green, which is starting to show through the shoddy, flaking shiny gold paint (applied so gingerly for their RNC debutante debut). It seems poor Tripp (a quite apropos name considering his conception in itself was a stumbling gaffe) will remain a bastard after all (meant in the biblical sense only--I'm sure he's a swell little feller).

A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD. (Deut.23:2)--King James Bible

It appears that John McCain's hearty handshake, the Christian Radical Right's unconditional love for the life of Bristol's illicit gestation and GILF-y Grandma Palin's half-cocked shotgun were not enough to let this hitching go forward without a hitch. After the campaign folded so did Levi's schwag bags full of NHL tickets, signed WWF memorabilia, cold hard cash and whatever else it took to keep his pot-smokin', sh*t-kickin', rabble-rousin', redneck mouth shut. After months of awkwardly stuffing his broad-shouldered hockey bad-boy body into formal designer duds (gratis of the Sarah's heavily abused RNC slush fund) he can finally lose the tie, throw on a Natty-Light-stained hockey jersey, put on his trusty, well worn cup, blast Winger's "She's Only Seventeen" from the speakers of his shiny new red Chevy Silverado pick-up truck (the obvious ride of an unemployed high school dropout) and go raise some hell in the Land of the Midnight Sun.

It's all not really that surprising, actually. Much like the real-life aftermaths to all the really awful reality shows that we hate ourselves for watching and obsessing over (see the Bachelor, Joe Millionaire and Flavor of Love), once the season ends all the principle players go their separate ways (only to be pointed and chuckled at in chance encounters at the local 7-Eleven or Texaco Station).

Meanwhile, Bristol is allegedly "devastated" by the loss of her baby-daddy and would-be hillbilly-heroin-in-law (Sherri Johnston--currently out of the clink). I'm sure it was quite a whirlwind romance that led to tiny Tripp's being conceived in illegitimate, underage sin, most likely to the tune Danity Kane's "Damaged" (after Levi talked our little Juno Lynn Spears into raiding Mommy's old kush stash, being a good Christian and helping him keep warm... really warm... without the use of any of those silly pagan penis protectors). Yup, a good old-fashioned wholesome courtship.

To be honest, I'm still not quite sure how the fundamentalist fringe came to embrace this disgrace in the first place (I'm only passing judgment by their own standards here: Hosea 5:7, Hebrews 12:5-8). Not only did they forgive and forget just because the fetus was spared but paraded these two about in front of the entire RNC like they actually had something to be proud of. This Cult of Life which has taken a stranglehold on the Republican Party also cheered as poor little Trig was being exploited as a token, passed around from person to person for photo ops like a little special-needs hot potato (he was even held by a very reluctant Cindy McCain, who looked a mite perturbed about the possibility of an upchuck incident on her 300,000-dollar ensemble, and eventually soundly licked by his adorable older sister Piper Palin--awwww!).

What about now that the fruit of Bristol's desecrated loins will not to be consecrated in ad hoc holy matrimony? Will they abandon her to the eternal flames of hell or find yet another way to rationalize championing her coerced commitment to carrying a misbegotten child to term in defiance of the Law of their Lord? More importantly, how do they spin this ill-fated turn of events to elect their Goddess-Head Rapture-obsessed lipstick laden Pit Bull soccer-mom idol in 2012? Is this really the party of family values? If so, where is the "family" or the "values"? What is the sound of a party imploding?

Read more: Jamie Lynn Spears, John McCain, Bible, Rnc, The Rapture, Piper Palin, Cindy McCain, Flavor Flav, Christian Right, Pro-Life, Teenage Pregnancy, Redneck, Palin Trigg, Tripp Palin, Pitbull in Lipstick, Bristol Palin Pregnancy, Religion, Politics, The Bachelor, Palin Christian Right, Sarah Palin, Sarah Palin Clothes, Levi Johnston, Religion and Politics, Bristol Palin Levi Johnston, Radical Right, Republican Party, Sherri Johnston, Bristol Palin, Republicans, Comedy News

Jilly Gagnon: Extend that St. Patrick's Day Piety!

2009-03-09T20:30:23Z
Saint Patrick's Day is just around the corner again, boilermaker hangover at the ready, but the whole affair seems a little tired. Sure, you'll go and drink until you puke green, you'll dye your naughty hairs to prove how dedicated you are to the patron saint of Ireland, you'll buy a t-shirt with shamrocks proclaiming that "everyone's a little Irish!" to make up for the fact that a.) you're not and b.) you want to drink heavily despite that, and you'll tell the lady next to you at O'Leary's Pub that she drives the snakes right out of your pants, but really, you've done all that before. You even tried spicing things up a bit by updating your classic preparation of corned beef and cabbage with a peek at the traditional recipes in Swift's Modest Proposal, and holding a Leprechaun movie marathon, pushing all the way through the In Tha' Hood and In Space installments of the franchise, all to no avail.

Sigh. It almost looks like this year you'll just have to resign yourself to another round of consuming...another round.

But hope, faith, chastity, and virtue (all the things that you, of course, are celebrating on this sainted day) are not lost. Turn your attention to some of the lesser known saints this March and you'll be sure to have a revived appreciation for the Catholic faith that makes drinking as a celebration of a life of asceticism somehow appropriate!

Mar. 12 - Saint Theophanes the Chronicler

This pinnacle of 9th-century virtue wasn't going to take his inherited riches and child-bride lying down! Unless, of course, she was married to Christ, and they could both devote their minds, bodies, and spirits to "continual mortification" and self-denial. Known for near-constant bouts of distemper and "the stone," and his practice of sleeping on a rock with a hair-shirt on, Theophanes is best celebrated by plucking one of god's floral creations and getting stoned, enough so that you, too can live through a horrible hairy sensation (on the tongue), no desire for women, and the kind of stomach cramps only six bags of Cool Ranch Doritos can bring on.

Mar. 13 - Saint R[o/u]deric

Beaten up by his brothers, an Atheist and a Muslim, Roderic spent the remainder of his life in prison denying that he planned on switching religions. His steadfastness earned him...a beheading! Celebrate Roderic by slow-cooking a suckling pig on a rotisserie. The open flames recall the inquisition he didn't live through, and the sweet, dripping, falling-off-the-bone meat reminds us of why we adhere to the Catholic faith and not the religion of his Moorish oppressors: it doesn't ban bacon!

Mar. 14 - Saint Mat(h)ilda

Saint Mat(h)ilda was one of those crazy-rich queens who had the luxury of denouncing her husband's ill-gotten gains while simultaneously spending them freely on the things she loved best, like monasteries. Celebrate by reading Matilda and watching a marathon of The Real Housewives of Orange County to relate to this misunderstood woman and all the sacrifices she didn't really have to make.

Mar. 15 - St. Louise de Marillac

After a loveless marriage to an older man and a rehabilitation through faith and her work with the sick, underprivileged and neglected, Louise went on to establish more than 40 houses (of worship) all over 17th century France. Celebrate by reading a biography of Cindy McCain.

Mar. 18 - St. Cyril of Jerusalem

Cyril lived out his vows of asceticism, chastity, and service in the privacy of his own homes, despite a toney address in the middle of the sinful city. Like Cyril, today you may feel like an exile from human life, and you may have vague memories of selling off unnecessary valuables to feed...what did you trade your wife's pearls for last night? Devote yourself to the memory of St. Cyril even more devoutly by staying home, alone, and refraining from sex, drinking, eating, turning on lights, moving, oh JESUS I can't believe green is STILL coming out both ends!

Read more: Saint's Days, March, Humor, St. Patrick's Day, Humor and Satire, Comedy, Satire, Cindy McCain, Comedy News

Cindy McCain Speaks: "We Could Have Had Some Fun"

2009-01-19T17:05:48Z
In a conversation with her daughter (and blogger) Meghan, Cindy McCain opens up about subjects she couldn't discuss before: anger at the New York Times, wardrobe malfunctions, and Obama's inauguration.

While we were on the campaign trail, a lot was said about my mom, Cindy McCain. The media called her a Stepford wife and a Barbie doll. But because my dad was the Republican presidential nominee, she had to be careful about responding to the things being written about her. Today, all that has changed. I blogged during my dad's campaign (sometimes to the consternation of his staff), and witnessed my mom's interactions with the public and press firsthand. Now, as she heads to Washington for the inauguration, she opens up to me about that infamous New York Times profile (and the other media battles), being portrayed as a Stepford wife, and how her skin has thickened since the run in 2000.
Read more: Cindy Mccain New York Times, Cindy McCain Campaign, Cindy McCain, Mccain Cindy Meghan, Mccains, Meghan McCain, Politics News

Cindy McCain "Dancing With The Stars" Appearance Nixed By John

2009-01-16T08:24:36Z
Page Six reports that Cindy McCain nearly became a contestant on "Dancing With The Stars" -- but the idea was nixed by John McCain, which they describe as "an even worse decision" than choosing Sarah Palin for his running mate.

"Our impeccably placed source says, 'Just before Thanksgiving, Cindy McCain started talks with producers to appear as a dancer on the show. She wanted to do it very badly,'" the paper reports. "'But this week, Sen. McCain 'put the kibosh on it.'"

Hillary Clinton was invited to join the "Dancing With The Stars" tour in early 2008. Dan Quayle declined to participate in the show later that year.
Read more: Cindy Mccain Dancing, Mccain Dancing With the Stars, Cindy McCain, John McCain, Hillary Clinton, Cindy Mccain Dancing With the Stars, Cindy Dancing, Politics News

Lea Lane: A Wry Look-Back at the Presidential Campaign

2009-01-08T16:06:07Z
Has it been only two months since the presidential campaign ended? For the twenty-one previous months we obsessed with the spin and the speeches and the debates. And ta-da, Barack Obama is within a few days of becoming our 44th President. Finally. Incredibly. Blessedly.

What sticks in my mind, now that a bit of time has passed? Strange things. Random things, including:

-- The seething of Joe and Mika on Morning Joe, when the other talked about one of the candidates, although Mika hardly got a word in. Joe called her "in the tank" for Obama and she bent over backwards to be nice to Palin.

-- The "He's... an Arab" lady at the McCain rally. There was something so pathetic about the back of her head. She reminded me of Bozo in more ways than one.

-- That voter-response thingy on CNN. I never quite got it, but it was an awfully purty distraction when things started getting wonky.

-- Waking up at 3am and worrying, and then falling peacefully back in the bliss of knowing Obama wasn't nervous.

-- The fall of Rudy ("a noun and a verb and 9/11") Guiliani.

-- The Comedy: The Al Smith Dinner, Letterman badgering McCain for sneaking out. Jon Stewart, SNL. (Governor Palin can now stand-in for Tina Fey on 30 Rock.)

-- The crowds behind the candidates. All ages, shapes -- and in the case of Dems -- colors. Nodding, nodding off, fainting; cheering, waving signs, squinting in the sun, shivering in the cold. The men in baseball caps and beards (or was that the women?).

-- Cindy and Sarah's outfits. They were put together -- at least they looked put together. But at the cost of the GNP of Bulgaria.

-- Michelle Bachmann, and others who stuck their tootsies in their mouths, live, in front of our eyes.

-- Trying to convince my Republican friends to vote for Obama. Finding out that I have some extremely greedy, deluded friends.

-- The debate parties, real and on the Web. Cursing at the TV. Scatological blogging with virtual acquaintances. Downing beer or wine or Cosmos when certain phrases were uttered: woozy on "maverick," plastered on "my friends."

-- The over-the-top ads. Libby Dole's "Godless" worst among them. She's gone; Bill Maher, Mr. Godless, are you cracking up?

-- "Pundant" and "nuke-u-lar." Buh-bye, I hope.

-- CNN's Kings: Larry, seemingly half awake, despite Arianna's eloquence there; John, fast-finger, keeper of the techie blue and red electoral map. I could never figure out which states were which in the middle of the country.

-- The Talking Heads, our eccentric relatives: Cokie Roberts, the annoying know-it-all; Eleanor Clift, with one expression (but ok, she was married to Montgomery Clift's brother); Tom Brokaw, sometimes incomprehensible; George Will, with his seemingly low thyroid level; Pat Buchanan, finding his own comments laughable. The self-proclaimed "Best Team" and the dozens of preening others who coveted their air-time, knowing how lucky they were, and how boring.

-- Elisabeth Hasselbeck sputtering out talking points like a blond hamster on speed-laced kibble.

-- The Republican primary candidates also known as the bar scene in Star Wars or "The Seven Dwarfs."

-- Joe The Plumber. After his book deal tanks and his country-western career balks, he'll have a full time job fixing McCain toilets in all their homes. Oh, wait. He's doing what?

-- Flipping back and forth between CNN and MSNBC 50 times a night.

-- Tucker Bounds. What is it about youngish Republicans named Tucker, and where have they gone?

-- Gerunds without "gs." Missin' 'em already. Kinda.'

-- Katie Couric, Campbell Brown and Rachel Maddow. Job well done.

-- Olbermann's "SIR!" commentaries. Oh the ire. (Never fear, he's still got Billo.)

-- The anticipation of maybe, just maybe, winning this thing. And then winning! And now, Obama about to be elected.

-- "You betcha!"

Read more: Joe the Plumber, Al Smith Dinner, President Obama, Cindy McCain, Morning Joe, Montgomery Clift, Sarah Palin, Barack Obama, Michelle Bachmann, Elinor Clift, Joe Scarborough, Tom Brokaw, George Will, John King, 30 Rock, Jon Stewart, Cokie Roberts, Tucker Bounds, Snl, Pat Buchanen, Arianna Huffington, Mika Brzezinski, Tina Fey, Elizabeth Dole, Bill Maher, David Letterman, Rudy Guiliani, 2008 Presidential Campaign, 2008 Presidential Election, Larry King, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Politics News

Ann Coulter Slams Michelle Obama In New Book

2009-01-03T09:03:43Z
More details of Ann Coulter's next book, Guilty: Liberal "Victims" and Their Assault on America are out revealing how Coulter slams Michelle Obama for her style while applauding that of Cindy McCain.

The Daily News reports:

Coulter wrote, "Her obvious imitation of Jackie O's style - the flipped-under hair, the sleeveless A-line dresses, the short strands of fake pearls - would have been laughable if done by anyone other than a media-designated saint."

Coulter said Cindy McCain, the wife of vanquished GOP nominee John McCain, "dressed well without freakishly imitating famous First Ladies in history."

Coulter facetiously and snidely refers to Michelle Obama as a "saint" and "Mother Teresa" and suggests that her public service career "advanced in lockstep with the political advancement of her husband."

A previous excerpt from November revealed that Coulter refers to President-Elect Obama as "B. Hussein Obama" and mocks the media's love affair for him.

The book goes on sale Tuesday January 6.

No word if her jaw is still wired shut.
Read more: Guilty: Liberal "Victims" and Their Assault on America, Michelle Obama, Books, Ann Coulter, Cindy McCain, Media News

Steve Parker: Ten most significant import cars, 2008 and beyond

2008-12-31T04:10:45Z
Happy New Year!

We've had the pleasure of helping to create and now write and and moderate this automotive blog beginning in June, 2008, and so far it has been an enlightening, exciting and very enjoyable journey. It's made me a better writer and researcher. Can't wait to see what happens next!

No one, least of all me, thought that the auto industry was going to be the #1 or #2 story in the world; we always knew Detroit would someday go through what they're experiencing now, but never expected all of this to happen so soon. It's been, as we used to say, a real trip.

As in our previous post about the most significant Detroit Three cars, this list is in no particular order and rather than naming a "best" or "most fun" or "best-looking," these are choices currently in showrooms or arriving there soon, all of which have some important feature or combination of features which makes them interesting and/or important. And we want to hear from you how we're right or wrong, and also want to know what cars should be on our list - but aren't.

2009 NISSAN ALTIMA HYBRID
On-sale now.

Nissan pays Toyota for borrowing their well-evolved hybrid system for Altima hybrid models, the company's first and still-only hybrid offering. Renault/Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn (pro: "Gone") says the real "next step" in automotive technology are full EVs, using advanced batteries, which Nissan has been developing for the past four (or more) years; the first Nissan EV should be in the US by year 2010. Nissan is selling a hybrid, says Ghosn, only because Americans expect them to offer one. The company's 2010 Maxima is available with a clean diesel engine, so Nissan is giving customers a choice of technologies. Hybrid mileage figures are 35 in-town, 33 highway. Base price is $26,650.

2009 EURO CLEAN DIESELS: AUDI, BMW, MERCEDES-BENZ, VOLKSWAGEN
Various models on-sale now.
(One of the clean diesel-equipped Audi SUVs which participated in a cross-country, NYC to LA trek with several other Audis and achieved more than 38mpg overall).

Once California's Air Resources Board (CARB) approved clean diesel engines for sale in the Golden State, that opened the floodgates for their sale in all 50 states. Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen all have clean diesel models in their US showrooms now; Detroit says clean diesels will be available in 2010, first in their full-size pickups. There are several large-scale projects nationwide to retrofit big rig truck engines with clean diesel technology; that's more than 11 million engines. VW's Jetta TDI starts at $21,990.

2009 HONDA FIT
On-sale now.

Fit is an example of Japan's very popular "kei-cars" (short for: keijidōsha, "light automobile"), which have engines of 660cc's or less and various size restrictions, now translated into an Americanized product. Kei-car buyers in Japan enjoy tax breaks and can avoid having to buy a license to park, a necessity for larger vehicles in Japan's big cities. Fit has a 1.5-liter engine producing a veritably throbbing 117 horsepower; mileage is 28 city, 35 highway with the automatic transmission (better mpg than the stick shift model). Honorable mention: Nissan Versa, Toyota Yaris. Pricing begins at $14,550.

2008 SMART
On-sale now.
(We shot this photo of the Smart ForTwo, the only Smart now on-sale in the US, at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show, when the Smart craze was revving-up in Japan).

Smart is the spawn of Germany's Mercedes-Benz (engineering) and Switzerland's Swatch watch (design and styling). In the US, Smart is only sold at around 75 of Roger Penske's new car dealerships (world's second-largest auto dealership group, with about 250 dealerships nationwide). Two-door coupe and convertible body styles are offered. The sole engine is a 71-hp 1.0-liter 3-cylinder that teams with a 5-speed automated manual transmission. Mileage is 33 in-town; 41 highway. Prices begin at $11,590.

2009/10 HYUNDAI/KIA
On-sale now.

Both companies are controlled by Hyundai, a South Korean "chaebol," a huge conglomerate of companies which is responsible for more than 10% of South Korea's gross national product. Over time, Kia and parent Hyundai (both receiving technical help from Japanese carmakers) improved their products, offered great warranties and are now nearly full-line carmakers. A V8 engine has also been developed; high-mileage "Blue Line" 2010 hybrids are expected in late 2009. Prices start as low as $11,070 (Hyundai's 2009 Accent) and $11,495 (Kia's 2009 Rio).

2010 LOTUS EVORA
On-sale early 2009.

Colin Chapman (sort of a British Carroll Shelby) founded the UK's Lotus in 1953, and since then the company has produced simple, light and nimble cars for the race track and the street. Evora will use the familiar 3.5-liter V6 engine made by Toyota, but in a mid-engine/rear drive configuration with 276-horsepower and mated to a 6-speed stick shift. Lotus, like Ferrari and Porsche, makes a lot of their money doing R&D and engineering work for other carmakers. EV-maker Tesla uses Lotus cars as the basis for their roadster. No mileage figures reported yet; this car is purely for weekend fun. Evora will cost above $75,000.

2010 MAZDA 3
On-sale mid-2009.

Mazda 3 models come in sedan and hatchback flavors, and, through their excellent styling, have almost single-handedly revived the hatchback segment, which had, by the '90s, grown old and cheap-looking to American buyers. Engine choices include a 2.0-liter (148-hp), 2.5-liter (156-hp) and turbocharged 2.3-liter models (263-hp), all four-bangers. Mazda and Honda are Japan's best engineering-oriented carmakers. 3's 2010 iteration will get a cosmetic "freshening" and more horsepower. 2009 models' mileage ranges from 18 city to 32 highway, depending on model; '09 pricing begins at $14,690.

2010 PORSCHE BOXSTER
On-sale mid-2009.
(Porsche's 2010 Boxster, with 2010 Cayman in the background, at their world introductions at the recent Los Angeles Auto Show).

Porsche belongs on any "significant cars" list; they're always up to something new. The 2010 Boxster and Cayman both had their world introductions at November's Los Angeles Auto Show. Porsche's Cayenne SUV is getting a VW-built clean diesel engine in late 2009 (in Europe; US sales not yet announced), and the Panamera, the company's first four-door, will be in the US in 2010 with a 385-horsepower 4.8-liter V8; a turbo version will make 500-horses. Displacing 2.9-liters, the newest Boxster's flat 6-cylinder "boxer" engine develops 255-hp. The 3.4-liter "lump" (what F1 engineers call engines) in the Boxster S with Direct Fuel Injection now delivers 310-hp. No official mpg figures yet; pricing is guessed at a minimum of $52,000 for the base model and $61,000 for the S.

2009 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX STI
On-sale now.
(The Los Angeles Auto Show's Subaru exhibit, with Travis Pastrana in video form from the X-games in front of a Subaru WRX STI race car).

Like Porsche, Subaru uses flat, boxer-style horizontally-opposed engines; so do BMW motorcycles. The newly-styled Impreza WRX STI packs a lot of technology in the company's ultimate street expression of their successful World Rally race cars. Vitals include: a 305-hp 2.5-liter DOHC intercooled, flat-four cylinder turbocharged engine, "Symmetrical All Wheel Drive," Brembo disc brakes and 18-inch alloy wheels. With all that horsepower, the car manages 17 mpg city and 23 highway. They can do better than that, though, and they should. It's a technical tour de force, starting at $34,995.

2010 TOYOTA VENZA
On-sale mid-2009.

This is the first all-new Toyota in some time, and the new-for-2009 4-door, five-passenger wagon slots between the Camry and Highlander in size and price while borrowing parts from both. For 2010, Venza will continue in a single trim level, which keeps prices down by making its actual assembly easier and faster. Venza can be ordered with front- or all-wheel drive. Engines include a 182-hp 2.7-liter 4-cylinder and a 268-hp 3.5-liter V6. A 6-speed automatic transmission is standard. Four-cylinder models can tow up to 2500 pounds, the V6 up to 3500. But where's the hybrid version? Camry and Highlander have them; Venza should, too. Expect mileage figures of 19 city to 29 highway depending on engine; base price is $25,975.

Some photos by www.SteveParker.com.
Read more: Turbochargers, WRX STI, Nissan Maxima, Tesla Motors, Cindy McCain, Kia Rio, Mercedes-Benz, Cars, Toyota Highlander Hybrid, Civil Rights, Clean Diesel, Los Angeles Auto Show, Nissan Versa, Germany, Toyota Yaris, California Air Resources Board, Carroll Shelby, Kei-Cars, Carly Fiorina, Porsche Cayman, Carb, Swatch Watch, Toyota Camry Hybrid, Porsche Cayenne Diesel, Colin Powell, Careers, Cnbc, All-Wheel Drive, Computers, Detroit Three, Kia, Honda Fit, Chaebol, South Korea, Renault/Nissan, Horizontal Opposed Engine, Colin Chapman, China, steve.parker.com, Porsche Boxster, Blue Line Hybrid, Ev, Congo, Subaru Impreza, Front-Wheel Drive, Audi Clean Diesel, Rear-Wheel Drive, Caroline Kennedy, Switzerland, Charlie Crist, Lotus Evora, Hyundai, Electric Cars, Climate Change, Nissan Altima Hybrid, Mid-Engine, Porsche Panamera, F1, Hyundai Accent, Toyota Venza, Afghanistan, Carlos Ghosn, Smart ForTwo, Ferrari, Japanese Carmakers, Smart Car, Direct Fuel Injection, Roger Penske, Bmw, Christianity, Mazda 3, Volkswagen Jetta Diesel, Citigroup, Doch, Brembo, Business News

How Did Sarah Palin Spend $150,000?

2008-11-17T12:10:10Z
Sarah Palin's stylists sure had to work hard to drop $150,000 on dressing the former Republican V.P. candidate. Vanity Fair's fashion department took Sarah's budget and came up with a dream wardrobe that would fit the bill. (They threw in her husband Todd's $40,000 budget, too, just for good measure.) Even if Sarah was outfitted with a Valentino dress, an ostrich weekend bag and a croc handbag, a Patek Philippe watch, and an Hermès silk scarf, there would still be about $100,000 left over. And what about Todd's spending spree? That's equivalent to nearly six Ralph Lauren Purple Label suits. See, no matter how you slice it, it's not all that easy to spend that kind of cash!

Read more: Palin Vp, Cindy Mccain Style, Sarah Palin Vp Pick, Sarah Palin Wardrobe, Cindy McCain, Sarah Palin, Sarah Palin Vice President, Palin, Style News

National Enquirer : Cindy McCain Having Affair

2008-11-12T11:32:14Z
The National Enquirer has published a new political "world exclusive":

The ENQUIRER's exclusive bombshell expose as Sen. John McCain's wife, Cindy, is caught with another man!

Not only that but multiple witnesses have caught the pair lip locking on several other occasions.

"I couldn't believe I was watching Cindy McCain passionately kissing and hugging another man!"

That's the stunned reaction of an eyewitness who says he watched in shock - and snapped photos - as the former presidential candidate's wife romantically kissed a long-haired man who resembles "a washed-up '80s rock musician."

Sources told The ENQUIRER investigative team the pair have been seen at concerts and sporting events acting very lovey-dovey

The wealthy blonde heiress and her secret pal have been spotted together around her hometown of Phoenix, Arizona over the past several years, say sources.

The amazing spy photos were snapped when Cindy and her companion attended the Tempe Music Festival says the person who took them. The photos are somewhat grainy, but the insider says they depict Senator John McCain's wife, who was greeted by pals at the event as "Cindy."

A reader notes that this story is particularly dubious because Cindy McCain was on a trip to Kosovo at the time of the festival where the photos were supposedly taken.

One grainy photo accompanies the online article -- more are promised in the print edition. The National Enquirer was recently vindicated in its coverage of a different campaign scandal when John Edwards confessed to having an affair. During the election they pushed the story that Sarah Palin was having an affair with her husband's business partner. Those allegations have yet to be backed up by other sources, and neither have the tabloid's claims that Edwards had a love child with his mistress.
Read more: McCain Affair, National Enquirer Cindy Mccain, National Enquirer Mccain, National Enquirer John Mccain, Cindy McCain, Cindy Mccain Affair, Cindy Affair, John McCain, National Enquirer, Cindy Mccain's Affair, Cindy Mccain Having an Affair, Cindy Mccain Enquirer, Cindy Mccain National Enquirer, Politics News

Mark Joseph: Did You Hear The One About Barack Obama And.....

2008-11-09T01:21:45Z
I love conspiracy theories because sometimes they turn out to be true. I mean, who could have imagined that John Edwards would be stupid enough to a) make it with his videographer while his wife was battling cancer and b) try to visit her and their child on the eve of the Democratic National Convention when he was being considered as a possible vice presidential nominee? What Hollywood screenwriter could have scripted the scenario that placed Ted Haggard, the President of the National Association of Evangelicals in a hotel room calling a guy for massages and sex?

OK, those aren't exactly conspiracies, but they're implausible rumors that turned out to be true.

So just to be on the safe side, I believe all conspiracy theories until they are proved wrong by legit media. But when it comes to Barack Obama and conspiracy theories, I'm running into a problem because there are so many out there that they conflict with one another and now I don't know which ones to believe.

My personal favorite is the one about Malcolm X Being Barack Obama's true father. There's even a morphing photo series to prove it. No, wait, a guy named Frank Marshall Davis is Barack's true father.

Or how about the one about Obama not having been born in Hawaii, but rather in Kenya?

Or the one about Obama's education having been funded by a mysterious Muslim leader?

Then there's the guy who swears that it was William Ayers who secretly authored Obama's books.

And do you want to know the real reason Obama visited his ailing Grandmother?

Some of 'em are just plain nuts, some are just very, very unlikely and some are, well, plausible. I don't blame the conspiracy theorists for this stuff-that's what they do. But I do blame the "responsible" media, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Time, Newsweek et al. because their lack of critical reporting on Obama and his background and unwillingness to thoroughly investigate him has now produced a cottage industry of self-styled investigative internet journalists who often neither have the tools, resources or training to properly investigate.

We have elected as president a man we don't really know, because responsible outlets left investigative journalism, the kind of rigorous examination of a man in whose hands we place the nuclear codes that could blow up the world, to internet crackpots or people without the background or the temperament to investigate impartially.

Now, after the election, some reporters are stepping forward to admit that voters's interests were not served well by the reporting of this race. I find this exchange between Tom Brokaw and Charlie Rose, wherein they admit that they know little about the president-elect's views on a whole host of issues (as if they had not both had the opportunity to look into them on our behalf during the campaign) simply stunning. Then there's this from the Washington Post, conceding that Post readers were ill-served by the paper's campaign coverage.

That collective failure means that for the next four years we will have a cottage industry of Obama rumormongering that will make Bill Clinton and Vince Foster look like child's play and it could have been avoided if the "responsible" mainstream press had devoted some of the time it spent tracking down John McCain's one night stands from his Navy days or Cindy McCain's prescription drug habit, debunking or confirming rumors about Obama that will plague us for the next four years.

Read more: Frank Marshall Davis, Bill Clinton, Conspiracy Theories, John McCain, Ted Haggard, Charlie Rose, Time Magazine, Tom Brokaw, Cindy McCain, John Edwards, Dreams From My Father, New York Times, Vince Foster, William Ayers, The Washington Post, Barack Obama, Newsweek, Barack Obama Rumors, Barack Obama Conspiracy Theories, Media News

Magda Abu-Fadil: U.S. Election Fever Grips Arab Media

2008-11-04T14:34:09Z
This year's U.S. presidential election has garnered more Arab media attention than most analysts remember given the two main contenders' contrasting promises, backgrounds and races, with audiences' reactions varying from excitement to nonchalance depending on their respective countries.

"America Today Faces Historic Choice: Black or White," headlined Lebanon's key daily An-Nahar with a report on how Americans were to decide if this election merited all the adjectives and superlatives describing the longest and most expensive presidential race on record.

Lebanon's An-Nahar daily (Abu-Fadil)

"America Changes its Color," said Lebanon's Al Akhbar, while the pan-Arab daily Al Hayat's led with "America on the Verge of Historic Change Today."

The latter's Washington correspondent wrote of fears that violence may break out if Sen. Barack Obama loses, as occurred followed the assassination of Martin Luther King and that racism had revived Sen. John McCain's chances in America's rural heartland.

For Kuwait's Al Seyassah, it was "Super Tuesday: The U.S. Chooses and the World Waits."

For months, Obama's racial roots and the prospect of having the first African-American leader of the free world have fascinated Arab media. They've recounted blow-by-blow details of the campaign and uncovered the confusing side of the Electoral College that ultimately decides who becomes commander in chief.

"Elections with a New Color" is a graphic that has appeared on Qatar-based Al Jazeera TV that has reinforced its U.S. bureau with a team of anchors and reporters from headquarters.

Al Jazeera TV anchor in Washington (Abu-Fadil)

Besides the obvious coverage of campaign stops, rallies, interest in Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin's expensive wardrobe, limited general knowledge, purported abuse of power and gullibility for falling for a phone prankster pretending to be French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Al Jazeera has also zeroed in on issues like poverty and thriving bigotry in America.

The satellite channel, like Dubai-based rival Al Arabiya, has also followed the Arab-American community which seems to have veered more toward Obama than Republican rival John McCain despite a tradition of backing GOP candidates.

Both networks aired live reports of Barack and Michelle Obama casting their ballots in Illinois as their daughters hovered around the voting machines.

Al Arabiya airs live coverage of Obama voting (Abu-Fadil)

While pleased at the thought someone whose father was a Muslim may occupy the White House, and that his pronouncements on world affairs have been more conciliatory than his opponent's, Arabs appearing on TV have been equally dismayed by his initial foray into the Middle East's thorniest issue by declaring Jerusalem was Israel's undivided capital, before backing down.

"I don't think McCain, Obama or any other president will make a difference as long as there isn't a united Arab position and as long as Arabs don't manage to create and a run a lobby that is as effective as AIPAC," said Faisal Abbas, media editor of the Saudi-owned pan-Arab daily Asharq Al-Awsat.

Faisal Abbas of Asharq Al-Awsat

His paper has provided extensive coverage of the presidential race, with voluminous copy on the intricacies of battle, colorful graphics describing the voting process, a color-coded map on how each state votes, and a feature on the candidates' wives entitled "Next First Lady: Rich Blonde or Black Lawyer?"

The article focused on how Cindy McCain had raised eyebrows by not making her tax records public while Michele Obama had ruffled the feathers of those who doubted her patriotism.

"Lebanon Has Been Below Radar for U.S. Presidential Rivals," reported that country's English-language paper The Daily Star. It quoted a number of skeptics who doubted any new administration would initiate major changes in the Middle East region, given past U.S. performance.

Maverick Ralph Nader, who is of Lebanese descent and has run as an independent in five U.S. presidential elections to date, told Beirut-based Assafir daily that both Obama and McCain would hurt Lebanon.

He said the Democratic and Republican candidates would be as harmful and dangerous to Lebanon as has been the administration of George W. Bush.

Lebanese citizens interviewed on Lebanon's Future TV News channel were mostly for Obama, while Iraqis were waiting for the election's results to determine their country's fate, according to an FTV report.

Palestinians, meanwhile, did not care one way or the other who won, the report added, as they'd seen little to assuage their fears of having their rights restored since the creation of the state of Israel 60 years ago.

Read more Election Day Liveblogs, Reaction and Analysis from HuffPost Bloggers

Read more: Al Hayat, Gop, John McCain, An-Nahar, Al Arabiya, Al Jazeera, Cindy McCain, Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon, The Daily Star, Barack Obama, Al Seyassah, Kuwait, Asharq Al-Awsat, Future TV News, Israel, Aipac, Al-Akhbar, Ralph Nader, Michelle Obama, HuffPost Election Analysis, 2008 Election, HuffPost Election Reaction, Media News

Dawn Teo: Stealing Arizona: Obama's Last Minute Incursion Into McCain's Home State

2008-11-04T14:11:23Z
PHOENIX -- In Arizona's capital city, traffic news helicopters roved over polling stations reporting both the shortest and the longest lines throughout the morning. Over the weekend, I spoke with voters who planned to get in line Tuesday morning at 5:00 AM - a full hour before the polls were scheduled to open. One voter in the Phoenix area says he was late to work even though he arrived at 5:30 AM. He had to wait in line about an hour and a half after the polls opened, until about 7:30 AM.

Lines are expected to be long throughout Election Day here. Voters reported 2-3 hour waits at early voting locations last week, and if voter turnout reaches as high as the secretary of state is expecting (approximately 85%), then voters could be waiting in line for hours after the polls close Tuesday night. Approximately one third of Arizona's registered voters requested early ballots, and all but 180,000 of those have already been returned.

John McCain, his wife Cindy, and his children emerged from his polling place at 9:15 AM this morning, adding a handful of votes to his tally - but that won't be enough if Democratic turnout outweighs Republican turnout today. The presidential race has become so competitive in John McCain's home state that he rushed back to Prescott to headline a midnight rally Monday night - the eve of Election Day.

Supporters arrived at the Yavapai County Courthouse late in the evening, and festivities were kicked off by Hank Williams Jr. around 11:00 PM. At nearly 1:00 AM, a weary John McCain finally performed a shortened version of his standard routine. John McCain also began and ended all of his Senate campaigns at the same spot in honor of Barry Goldwater, his predecessor, who did the same. The sub-headline of a foreign paper summed it up, Underdog invokes spirit of home state's most famous loser. The author went on to call Prescott the "final resting place" of the McCain-Palin campaign and said that McCain "summoned up the spirit of Arizona's most famous loser, Barry Goldwater."

Howard Dean spent Monday traversing Arizona, energizing volunteers and voters, hoping to boost enthusiasm for Obama enough to put him over the top here in McCain's home state. He told volunteers in Tempe that the race here will be determined by turnout. If Democrats turn out enough voters, he said, Obama could win McCain's home state electoral votes.

Randy Pullen, Chair of the Arizona Republican Party, sent out an email late Monday night bragging that their party had made 20,000 calls over the course of the last week. An email sent to the Obama Arizona Call Team sent out an email touting 450,000 phone calls made by its volunteers. It was unclear if that number included calls made by the coordinated campaign - either way, the disparity between the ground operations of the two major parties in Arizona is astounding.

Democratic offices in Arizona are overflowing. At every office I visited, tables were setup outside to accommodate overcrowding. At the Obama headquarters in Phoenix, they expanded into the house next door and scattered banquet tables across the porches and yards of both houses. Monday night, Arizona Communications Director Dave Cieslak estimated the number of democratic Arizona volunteers to be in the tens of thousands.

The volunteers have been motivated by an unexpected spate of polls showing Barack Obama within the margin of error in Arizona. Last week, five polls came out showing that Obama had overcome a 21 point summer deficit in Arizona to get to within striking distance just days before Election Day.

Despite the extraordinary number of volunteers, Democrats need even more help throughout Election Day -- ironically because of the closeness of the race. Because the tightening was unanticipated, the state party had been focused on specific down ticket races - targeting very specific areas parts of the state. Now, though, every voter in Arizona matters whether the down ticket races in their district or precinct are competitive or not.

Arizona has more than 2.9 million registered voters. That's a tall order in the final days of a campaign. Yet, the numbers already contacted (more than 450,000 phone calls by democrats, more than 20,000 by republicans) are staggering. If Democrats are able to continue recruiting new volunteers throughout the final hours of the race, they may come close to meeting this goal. If Obama wins this state, it undoubtedly will be attributed to the extraordinary ability of the Obama campaign and local democrats to organize and deploy an incredible large number of volunteers in the final days and hours of the race.

Saturday night, dozens of Obama volunteers worked late into the night at Obama's Arizona headquarters and other satellite offices across the Phoenix area. Local Obama volunteers and staff have sent emails in the wee hours every day for the last week. Throughout the weekend, offices across the state were overflowing with volunteers. The Obama headquarters had to extend into the house next door and scattered banquet tables across the front and back lawns of both houses to make room for more volunteers. In the heart of the most conservative district in the state, the GemDems (Greater Eastern Maricopa County Democrats) office was forced to expand onto the sidewalk out front and the loading dock in the back. Phone bankers without personal cell phones waited patiently in queues for access to party-owned cell phones and land lines. In an admirable show of teamwork, some volunteers offered their own personal cell phones to those without a phone.

Meanwhile, Sunday evening the McCain headquarters was locked and empty during prime phone banking hours. This is not an anomaly - not long ago I was forced to take photos of the McCain office through the little glass window beside the door because it was locked and empty - in the middle of a weekday afternoon. The empty office phenomenon has been noted in McCain offices across the country.

The McCain-Palin campaign stepped up efforts in other, more controversial, ways. Last Wednesday the McCain-Palin campaign began robo calling voters in Arizona with one of their controversial attacks on Obama. Latino voters also began reporting robo calls over the weekend. One local voter who wished to remain anonymous says she received a Spanish language robo call warning her to vote against Obama to protect her children from "drug traffickers, child molesters, and assassins." Like other robo calls into Arizona, this call originates 866-520-5769.

Obama Communications Director Dave Cieslak said,

In 2000, John McCain said that he would not "take the low road to the highest office in the land." Eight years later, he is running one of the most dishonest, dishonorable campaigns we have ever seen. He's using automated calls to lie about Barack Obama -- the same tactics that were used against him in 2000. Colin Powell called the automated calls "inappropriate," and four Republican U.S. Senators have called on McCain to stop these calls. That just tells you how poorly they're being received by voters.

While McCain began making automated calls attacking his opponent in the final days of the race, Obama spent money on positive television advertisement - both an indicator of the difference in tone of the two campaigns and the disparity in funding.

To win in Arizona, Obama would need to boost Kerry's 6 point margin in Pima County to nearly 20 points to make up for losses throughout the rest of Arizona - a reasonable goal given that Tucson (the state's second largest city) is a liberal bastion. Obama would also need to almost break even in Maricopa County (where Kerry lost by 15 points) while cutting into McCain's numbers throughout the rural counties, particularly Yavapai County (where Kerry lost by 23 points), the location of McCain's midnight rally Monday night.

The state has already begun counting early ballots received before Election Day, and state elections officials say they expect to finish counting those by the time the polls close Tuesday. On Wednesday, elections officials will begin counting early ballots that arrive on Tuesday. With 180,000 outstanding ballots as of Monday evening, that count could take days. If a large number of voters cast votes using provisional ballots, that could also delay results.

Pima vote count will likely be slow due to a decision by Pima County elections officials to submit results to the central office via vans because of concerns about the security of modem transmissions. Pima County elections officials said they hope to have county results by early Wednesday morning.

As results are reported, the race to watch is Arizona's third Congressional district. It is the hottest race in Arizona, and as its returns come in, it may provide a hint whether Obama will be successful in stealing McCain's home state electoral votes. If Bob Lord (D) wins the third district, which usually goes for Republican candidates, it will be a good sign for democrats watching the presidential election.

Down ticket candidates are fighting it out for control over the state legislature. With up to two dozen Arizona House seats set to be picked up by democrats, the Democratic Party is favored for taking a majority in the House. Democrats also have an outside chance at taking a majority of the state Senate.

Even "America's toughest sheriff" may be affected by Obama's coattails. The Democratic Party has taken a new tact in their battle with the conservative Maricopa County lawman: They intend to rein him in with bureaucracy. In an attempt to control Sheriff Joe Arpaio through his budget, line by line, Arizona democrats are aiming for a 3 person majority on the 5 seat Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.

Besides incumbency advantage, McCain does have one thing going for him in Arizona. Prop 102, an anti-gay referendum, will likely boost conservative turnout. This referendum, if passed, would amend the state constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman. Arizonans voted down a similar measure in 2006, but the ultra conservative Arizona legislature placed it back on the ballot this year. Conservative evangelicals have been passionate about this issue, and turnout for this proposition could boost McCain's numbers.
Read more: McCain Arizona, John McCain, Arizona, Barack Obama, Cindy McCain, Obama Mccain Arizona, On the Groud 2008, Obama West, Obama AZ, Home News

John McCain Votes In Arizona (VIDEO)

2008-11-04T13:35:54Z

John McCain, along with wife Cindy, voted in Arizona earlier today before heading off for some last minute campaign stops in Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona.

Video of Obama voting
Video of the Bidens voting
Video of the Clintons voting
Video of Sarah Palin voting

WATCH MCCAIN VOTE:

Read more: Mccain Election Day, Video, John McCain, 2008 Election, Election Day, Cindy McCain, McCain Voting, Politics News

Maggie Van Ostrand: Prominent Republicans Not Endorsing Obama May Cast Closet Votes for Him

2008-11-03T18:20:27Z
Number One: Cindy McCain. She'll vote for Obama because, if you've seen her eyes narrow every time she looks at Palin, she won't want to continue that relationship any longer than she has to.

It was bad enough, awful in fact, when in 1992, Cindy was called the c word by her misogynistic husband, as well as being publicly humiliated when he offered her up as a candidate in a topless beauty contest at a bikers' rally in August. (Say CrazyCat, I'll show you hers in exchange for your vote.)

Even John McCain's old buddies have said in interviews that if they wanted girls, they just hung around with him. He knew how to get them. Not respect them, just get them.

His disrespect for women, and I'm not going to talk about his disgusting joke about Chelsea Clinton, is evident in his choice and treatment of Sarah Palin. I can't be the only one who noticed Palin visibly pulling away from his enthusiastic embraces since the beginning. He used her to distract from Obama's Democratic Convention acceptance speech and it worked very well. That's politics. Then, perhaps having seen the error of his choice in the damage it's wreaking in non-Evangelical circles, he has disloyally thrown her to the wolves. She served her purpose, now he dumps her, just as he dumped his first wife when she was in a debilitating accident and was no longer the beautiful model he had married. So much for loyalty. I can only attribute Cindy's public affection for him to be either habit or low self-esteem.

John McCain's eye thing, too, may put psychic pressure on Cindy to vote against her husband. Remember the drooping left eyelid of Debate #2? Notice that it was covered up in Debate #3 by rapid blinking? Even today, as he blinks away the droop, he occasionally forgets and there's the droop again. Reminds me of Onassis' droopy lids, a sign of his fatal disease. I'm just sayin'.

Number Two: Arnold Schwarzenegger. He may be a registered Republican now, but he's a strong Democrat at heart. Just ask Warren Beatty. The Governator may do his obligatory last-minute stumping for McCain, a real "girlie man," and he may even win a few votes for him, but he's an actor. Also, as governor of a state with a budget deficit of $16 billion, he needs money from the current administration before Caligula leaves office in January. That giant sucking sound is not from Mexico, it's from California's governor.

There may be more closet Obama supporters out there who'll speak one candidate and vote for the other. We'll find out the day after the day after tomorrow.
Read more: John McCain, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Democrats, Barack Obama, Republicans, Sarah Palin, Cindy McCain, Politics News

Andy Ostroy: 25 Things I Will Not Miss About McCain, Palin and the GOP

2008-11-03T18:01:19Z

With just two days left until the most historic presidential election in our nation's history, it appears from the major national polls and electoral map that Democratic Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Joe Biden are racing towards victory, while the GOP's Sen. John McCain and his running mate Gov. Sarah Palin are fast headed back to Arizona and the igloo-with-the-view (of Russia).

To be sure, as the Straight Talk Express heads West Wednesday morning, I will not be mourning the absence of McNasty and the Wacky Wasilla Wonder from the national stage. In fact, there are many things in particular that I most definitely will not miss (in no particular order):

1. I will not miss McCain and Palin's repeated lies about Obama's tax policies

2. I will not miss the phrase "spreading the wealth"

3. I will not miss McCain constantly saying that Obama is "measuring the drapes"

4. I will not miss McCain incessantly reSURGEitating that we're winning the Iraq war

5. I will not miss being told I live in the "unpatriotic" part of the USA

6. I will not miss hearing that trickle down economics is the way to keep America strong despite the fact that it's nearly destroyed us financially during the past eight years

7. I will not miss Cindy McCain standing behind her man at rallies nodding approvingly like a sedated Stepford Wife

8. I will not miss McCain and Palin's brand of McCarthyism, as they relentlessly refer to Obama as a socialist, elitist, terrorist and any other slur that ends in "ist"

9. I will not miss the reprehensible propaganda that Obama's a Muslim

10. I will not miss McCain and Palin twisting Biden's words about Obama being tested

11. I will not miss McCain and Palin's non-stop nastiness, sarcasm and
condescension

12. I will not miss all the "maverick" talk

13. I will not miss the nonsense about McCain and Palin "cleaning up Washington"

14. I will not miss Sarah Palin. Especially her painfully grating voice

15. I will not miss all the "gosh-darnits" and "you betchas"

16. I will not miss Palin's views on the role of the vice president

17. I will not miss McCain accusing Obama of being a "celebrity," when his choice of Palin was purely a cheap political stunt designed to turn her into a celebrity

18. I sure as hell won't miss Joe the Plumber...the unlicensed, lien-fighting GOP stooge who just hired a talent manager to extend his annoying 15 minutes of fame despite the fact that we're already sick of him

19. I will not miss the curb-like depths that McPalin's campaign has sunk to and which have empowered miscreants like North Carolina's Sen. Elizabeth Dole to create outrageously offensive "Godless" snear ads directed at her opponent Kay Hagen. That's right Kay, sue the friggin' crap out of her, baby!

20. I will not miss McCain saying "My Friends" 800 times during a 10-minute speech

21. I will not miss the phrase "country first"

22. I will not miss the blatant hypocrisy and classic Freudian Projection of McPalin

23. I will not miss The View's Elizabeth Hasselbeck's embarrassing attempt to sound like anything but a brainwashed, Kool-Aid-drunken Republican dunce pathetically trying to defend McPalin

24. I will not miss the so-called "undecideds" who, despite having two candidates who are diabolically opposed on every single major issue, are still "torn"

25. I will not miss the undeniable end to the sleezy Rovian era of GOP politics.

I will, however, greatly miss Tina Fey.
Read more: George Bush, John McCain, The Surge, Cindy McCain, Iraq War, The View, Joe Biden, Straight Talk Express, Elizabeth Dole, Sarah Palin, Barack Obama, Elizabeth Hasselbeck, Politics News

Michelle Obama And Cindy McCain's Changing Necklines

2008-11-03T11:46:00Z
After the popular, and telling, Campaign Transformations Revealed! slideshow, we had a little revelation of our own. The campaign trail creates change for all the candidates but a clear trend has emerged with campaigning wives Michelle Obama and Cindy McCain: traveling necklines. While Cindy has become decidedly more conservative over the last year, Michelle has done just the opposite and followed a more "Hilary Clinton" approach, embracing more form fitting, chest grazing outfits as she emerged into the spotlight. Check out the before-and-afters below:

Read more about Michelle Obama's style.

Read more about Cindy McCain's style.
Read more: Slideshow, Mccain, Michelle Obama, 2008 Campaign, Obama, Fashion, Cindy McCain, Campaign, Cindy Mccain Style, Michelle Obama Style, Style News