Decision ‘08 » 2008

Archive for August, 2008

Monday, August 18th, 2008

Biden? Biden??!!??

An incredible amount of buzz is surrounding the most unlikely of VP picks for Barack Obama - a pick that may be only hours away:
Going into the final days, Obama was said to be focused mainly on three candidates: Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia and Senator Joseph Biden Jr. of Delaware.
The […]

21 Comments » - Posted in Barack Obama, Joe Biden, John McCain, 2008 News by Mark

Thursday, August 14th, 2008

And So It Goes…

I’ll be taking a blogging hiatus for a few days, and may or may not get in another post after this one. Two things I’ll be watching during my short time away (besides the Olympics - and yes, the Chinese gymnasts were underage - here’s the proof) are the continued flagrant violations of the Georgian […]

11 Comments » - Posted in John Edwards, Barack Obama, Foreign Affairs, John McCain, Election 2008 by Mark

Wednesday, August 13th, 2008

Okay, I’ve Got To Move On…

…Georgia is on my mind, all right, but this IS a political blog, and for several days now, I’ve been dying to draw your attention to the Atlantic’s big story on the Hillary campaign e-mails. No doubt you’ve seen it by now, since I’m so late to the story with my Georgia coverage, but if […]

28 Comments » - Posted in Hillary Clinton, Election 2008 by Mark

Tuesday, August 12th, 2008

An End?

I must be away from the computer until this evening, so I just wanted to put up a quick post saying that it is possible that Russia is ending its Georgian aggression, which would be an undeniably good thing…but there are also reports that the attacks continue. I’m sure the story will continue to unfold…but […]

8 Comments » - Posted in POTUS, Foreign Affairs, NY Times/Media Watch by Mark

Monday, August 11th, 2008

The Georgian Crisis Continues

If I bore some of my long-time readers with my continued focus on this topic, I do not apologize - for there is little else in the world happening now of the import of this. Russia continues to show no signs of letting up, despite assurances it is doing so, and a deepening fear and […]

12 Comments » - Posted in Barack Obama, POTUS, Foreign Affairs, John McCain by Mark

Sunday, August 10th, 2008

There Is No Excuse For What Is Happening In Georgia

I blogged on this just yesterday, but I can’t state strongly enough that what Russia is doing in Georgia is completely unacceptable. Georgia has now withdrawn its troops from South Ossetia and called for a ceasefire, and not only does Russia refuse to recognize it, it is assaulting Georgian cities with ground forces and air […]

34 Comments » - Posted in Foreign Affairs by Mark

Sunday, August 10th, 2008

Breathing Some Rare Air

No, I’m not referring to the Olympic athletes, forced to endure high-pollution Beijing in 95-degree weather, but instead, I’m moving to the lighter side - or is that the darker side? The Dark Knight is now the #3 movie of all-time, as measured by domestic box office, and has a decent chance of overtaking #2 […]

No Comments » - Posted in Celebrities / Pop Culture / Sports by Mark

Saturday, August 9th, 2008

Serious Business

Tensions between Georgia and Russia go back as far as the national identities of both states, but things right now are about as grim as they have ever been. Reports of massive civilian casualties, numbering from 1,500 - 2,000 at present, combined with the movement of armies, navies, and airstrikes, have certainly given the appearance […]

5 Comments » - Posted in Foreign Affairs by Mark

Friday, August 8th, 2008

Absolutely No News At All Today…

…so I’ll bid you all a good weekend…oh, wait. There’s that Olympics thing, of course. Well, good luck to the Chinese, and hey, ease up on those dissidents, will you? Okay, then, that’s that…
Oh, yeah…the Edwards thing. Well, everyone pretty much said it was happening. I found the Enquirer’s written account pretty convincing, but the […]

12 Comments » - Posted in John Edwards by Mark

Thursday, August 7th, 2008

Endgame In Iraq?

Two stories floating around tonight suggesting that an agreement is near on the end of the Iraq War, for all intents and purposes. Both stories agree that the sticking point is legal immunity for American contractors who have worked in Iraq. They disagree on the final withdrawal date of support personnel. The AP says that […]

8 Comments » - Posted in Barack Obama, Iraq, John McCain, Election 2008 by Mark

Wednesday, August 6th, 2008

Evidence, Convincing and Otherwise

Rumors of extra-marital shenanigans have long dogged John Edwards…and it seemed, of late, as if he had finally been caught. There is still a lot of circumstantial evidence suggesting that he is, in fact, romantically involved with Rielle Hunter - but I find the latest wrinkle, a blurry photo by the National Enquirer purporting to […]

11 Comments » - Posted in John Edwards, Domestic Affairs by Mark

Tuesday, August 5th, 2008

I Don’t Like The Campaign John McCain Is Running

I wanted a headline that was not coy or indirect, and I think I succeeded. I’m not wading into the swamp of ‘race card’ politics again - I think both sides need to move on, as I’ve made abundantly clear elsewhere. Nor am I going to talk about specific ads - I think we’ve covered […]

61 Comments » - Posted in Barack Obama, John McCain, Election 2008 by Mark

Tuesday, August 5th, 2008

A Great Man Died This Weekend…

…and though his passing went largely unnoticed by the general public, the chattering class knows better. I KNEW Christopher Hitchens would mark his death, and sure enough, he did:
Every now and then it happens. The state or the system encounters an individual who, bafflingly, maddeningly, absurdly, cannot be broken. Should they manage to survive, such […]

2 Comments » - Posted in Foreign Affairs, In Praise Of by Mark

Sunday, August 3rd, 2008

The Race Card: The Public Speaks

Okay, I’m sick of this topic, but we have gone into it in considerable detail in the comments two posts below, so it’s relevant. Rasmussen did a poll, and while the vast majority of the public thinks McCain’s celebrity ad was NOT racist, a slightly smaller majority thinks Obama’s ‘dollar-bill’ comment WAS:
Sixty-nine percent (69%) […]

65 Comments » - Posted in Barack Obama, Elephants, Donkeys, John McCain, Election 2008 by Mark

Sunday, August 3rd, 2008

If You Live In A City…

…and Austin is a city (#14 in the U.S., population-wise, at about 750,000, and continuing to grow by about 3% annually), and if you further live at least 10 miles from where you work, as I do, the biggest stress in your life is often traffic. Seriously. Oh, sure, we have bigger concerns - money, […]