Mostly Harmless

That is, Caroline Kennedy should wait until 2010 or 2012 and run for office the old fashioned way.

Hillary Clinton came to New York and campaigned for that senate seat.  She did not walk in and just say “Clinton!”, like she did in the presidential primaries. She worked the counties and listened to her future constituents and she earned being elected both times.

Aside from her family history, what qualifies Caroline Kennedy for office?  Or put it a different way: if she was not a Kennedy would anyone take this seriously?

I hope that Governor Paterson ignores the Camelot theme music and appoints someone who will do a great job for the state of New York.  Personally I would love to see Carolyn McCarthy for the job as I think she has the right experience and get up and go.

I don’t think this Iraqi journalist is going to be invited to the United States anytime soon.

The President dodges well. It’s a fitting ending to President Bush’s last visit to Iraq.

Governor Rod Blagojevich arrested for trying sell a Senate seat! That is so old fashioned.

This cheers me up: Judge Declares Five Detainees Held Illegally. I am sure the Bush Administration will fight this till the end. But even with bad guys, we need to follow the law instead of making excuses.

Massive irony alert.

I think the Republican ticket represented too much of the status quo, too much of what had gone on in these last eight years, that Americans were kind of shaking their heads like going, wait a minute, how did we run up a $10 trillion debt in a Republican administration?
via Palin: GOP ticket was too ‘status quo’ - Andy Barr - Politico.com

Governor Palin’s 20/20 hindsight is working pretty well; she noticed the 10 trillion debt so that shows some growth. I don’t think she’ll have a prayer in 2012 but hey, you never know.

It’s too bad their campaign also spent all that time disparaging Senator Obama’s associations and “socialist” leanings.  She should have included that in her reasons for not getting elected.

This is going to put Your Mama Is So Dumb jokes in perspective.

“If [the media] convince enough voters that that is negative campaigning, for me to call Barack Obama out on his associations,” Palin told host Chris Plante, “then I don’t know what the future of our country would be in terms of First Amendment rights and our ability to ask questions without fear of attacks by the mainstream media.”

Sarah Palin on a WMAL-AM interview

There seems to be some idea that after November 4th (assuming John McCain loses) that the litmus test for “Real” GOP membership will be how you reacted to Sarah Palin.  Which is a funny idea because she did not have to go through the Republican primaries. Mitt Romney and Tom Ridge competing with her should be fun to watch.

Oh, and to all those people who want to know about Barack Obama’s associations? Keith Olbermann tears that down.

I don’t normally watch Olbermann as I find him to be a little too righteous and long winded, but that is a funny video.

Holy mackerel.

Mr. Stevens’s defense was largely built on the notion that many of the goods and services he received were unasked for, and were things for which he had no use.

Alaska Senator Is Convicted of Violating Ethics Rules - NYTimes.com.

I’m reading it but I don’t believe it.  Wonder if he’ll resign? 8 days left in his race.  It would not be the first time a convicted criminal was elected into office and it’s a good bet he’ll appeal.

But if he has to serve some prison time how will he serve as senator? I wonder if he’ll do the right thing and resign?

Those 17 not-enemy-combatants that Pakistan handed to the U.S.? An emergency motion blocking their release was granted to the administration.

That’s not surprising; I expected that the administration would not have bothered with a court order.  I mean, they could have just refused to comply.

This whole situation is ridiculous.  If this is really an immigration issue, why not transfer them to an immigration detention center?  Isn’t that where immigrants who are being processed for deportation go? That way it really does become an immigration status problem.

The Bush administration has already released over 400 prisoners to other countries. While the 17 do not have a place to go, keeping them in the U.S. gulag can’t be the right thing to do.

It would be amazing if these Chinese Muslims actually get released.  The U.S. has admitted that they are not enemy combatants so I don’t understand what the risk really is.

With the House Republicans apparently (it is a closed door negotiation) walking out of the talks, it makes me wonder who exactly wants to do the $700 B bailout?  The White House does, but are the Senate and the House acting only because they don’t want to appear ineffective and out of touch?

That alone would be a lousy reason to make a deal.  If it’s to stop a massive recession, great. If it’s for politics as usual… that would be one expensive photo op.

Last night JP Morgan Chase made out well picking at WaMu’s bones.  It’s Friday and no deal is being publicly touted and the financial companies are still here for now.  Even if a bailout does occur in some form, the NYC area is going to lose jobs and feel the impact, so it’s hard for me to take Washington seriously.

Maybe tonight’s debate town hall election event will be enlightening.