McCain's arrogance highlighted in interview on MSNBC

John McCain, Sarah Palin and the McCain Campaign have gone way overboard with their assault on the media. And it was never more clear than in an interview McCain did with Mike Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough on MSNBC.

Responding to a question from Mika [I'll use her first name since her last name's a pain to spell], McCain called her out as "an Obama supporter." Mika took great exception to McCain's arrogance--and reminded the senator that one of her brothers works on his campaign.

At the end of the discourse--which can only be described as ugly at best--Mika asked the senator one last question--which prompted another absurd McCain remark.

"And senator, as a characterized Barack Obama supporter--I take objection to--take care of my brother working on your campaign," she said.

McCain responded: "Thank you, Mika. Thanks. That was a cheap shot."

You've got to watch the video yourself to believe this.

One last thing from me: God help us if this man gets elected. If this is the kind of nonsense the media's going to have to deal with from McCain, then he has no business in the White House. Unreal.

McCain adviser: Economy is fundamentally sound

This is a great video from "Hardball with Chris Matthews." Here, Chris interviews Nancy Pfotenhauer, a McCain policy adviser, who is trying to say the current economy is fundamentally sound! You have to see for yourself to believe this. [By the way, it's interviews like this that help me to realize why I love Chris Matthews, who was unfairly dealt with by MSNBC--they yanked him off the election-time anchor desk].

An updated look at the Electoral Map from NBC

RFK was prophetic

Fey plays Palin on SNL

Tina Fey played the role of Sarah Palin on the season premiere of "Saturday Night Live," and you'd hardly know--based on looks and accent--that it wasn't really Palin. [I'll admit it: it took me a while to realize it really wasn't Palin]. Here's a look at the two of them. Can you tell which photo is Fey and which is Palin?

Update: Here's YouTube video of the segment. Not sure how long it'll last up on YouTube once NBC realizes it's up--so feel free to let me know if it gets yanked.

Palin's disgraceful performance in interview with Charles Gibson signals doom if she gets elected with McCain

If there's ever been a time to question the absurdity of some Republican pundits--think Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Steve Malzberg, Bill O'Reilly--now's the time. Each of these four buffoons went on the air today and rated Sarah Palin's performance in her interview with Charles Gibson as remarkable.

Their ridiculous assessments--clouded by their already deep hatred for so many people in this country--demonstrate that no matter what a candidate says, no matter what a candidate does, the issues don't matter. Political parties do. And that's a shame.

Now please--don't write to me if you're going to complain about Joe Biden and Barack Obama. Now is not the time for that. This is solely about Palin and her underwhelming performance last night on ABC with Gibson.

There were so many instances where Palin failed abysmally that I won't even get into all of them. You can watch the video after you read this [I'll embed it below]. And after you watch the video, if you can honestly say, with a straight face, that Sarah Palin was successful and worthy in the interview, quite frankly, you should probably never come to this site again.

The vice presidential nominee didn't know what the Bush Doctrine was. She said she has national security experience because of the way she's dealt with the energy crisis in the country. She refused to answer tough questions.

And yet, she'd be one heartbeat away from being the leader of the Free World if she and Sen. John McCain are elected in November. I cannot even begin to fathom this.

Folks, today, Malzberg said he believed her broad experience in Alaska--coupled with her ability to speak well--makes her an ideal VP candidate. He said she's going to tear Joe Biden to shreds when the two debate later this month. Are you kidding me, Steve?

It blows my mind there are people in this country who think her experience governing one of the least-populated states in the union--and leading a town a quarter of the size of Kearny, N.J., has the experience and knowledge to lead this country into better times. It actually embarrasses me there are people in this country who think like this.

There has been talk about Obama being the least-experienced presidential candidate ever. This is a discussion for another day. But if you want to talk about inexperience--if you want to talk about someone who has no business being on a national ticket--you've got your gal in Sarah Palin.

What scares me even more is that she appeared beyond rehearsed in the interview with Gibson. Clearly, when she delivered her speech to the Republican National Convention a few weeks ago, she read from text prepared by people who have at least an understanding of what national government is all about.

Tell me folks--again, be honest here--do you really think Sarah Palin even understood what she was talking about in that speech? Do you honestly think a woman whose foreign travel includes trips to Mexico and Canada [next door]--all around one solitary trip to Kuwait and Iraq--has any clue what it takes to be VP? Do you really think a candidate who admittedly has never met a foreign head of state should be second in command to lead the United States of America?

This is one of the most embarrassing periods in American history. We're not even getting into the fool known as the current president. In November, the American people have a chance to elect a new president--and a new vice president.

And I'll say this with ease and without the fear of repercussions: If McCain and Palin win in November, my hope in this nation will be lost.

But I have faith that the American people are smarter than the likes of O'Reilly, Limbaugh, Hannity and Malzberg.

My goodness I better be right on this one.

Because if I am not, man will my faith in some Americans be completely shattered--forever.

I'll report--you can decide

That's all I'll say about this video other than WOW!

Palin's first blunder

You'd think Sarah Palin might know Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac aren't taxpayer funded.

She didn't know, though, the other day at a rally. And some pundits are all over her gaffe.

Here's the video, below, and click here to read a story about the blunder. Then decide for yourselves. [By the way, check out this still shot of the look on McCain's face when Palin made her remark].

What a difference a few weeks makes for Palin

Just a few weeks before Sarah Palin accepted John McCain's invite to be his vice presidential running mate, Sarah Palin took to CNBC wondering what the heck a VP does. Maybe McCain gave her a crash course--or maybe it was Dick Cheney--in the days following the interview? Not a good sign that a VP nominee doesn't exactly seem to know what a VP does. See for yourself.

McCain's acceptance speech

In case you haven't seen yet, here's a video of Sen. John McCain's acceptance speech last night at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn.

McCain's bad decision with Palin

When John McCain announced today he picked Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his vice-presidential running mate, you could almost hear a collective shout across the country.

What?!? Who?

That's right, folks. McCain picked Alaska's governor, a woman, to be his running mate. McCain chose the governor of Alaska to be one breath away from the presidency. He chose a woman who was mayor of a town in Alaska that had no more than 6,000 residents. He picked a woman whose state, population wise, is one of the smallest in the entire country.

And yet, most of today, I've been left to wonder: Where on earth is the outrage over this?

At the very least, James Danforth Quayle, vice president under Bush 41, had experience in the United States Senate. Palin, meanwhile, has about as much experience in politics as you or I do. And yet, God forbid, if McCain is elected, and if he's unable to serve out his term for whatever reason, Palin becomes the President of the United States of America.

Which leads me to wonder: Is ice fishing now a prerequisite for the vice presidency? Is having a license to carry a gun for hunting a prerequisite for the vice presidency? Is having experience governing fewer than 1 million people a prerequisite for the vice presidency?

Apparently, ask McCain and the answer is yes. And yet, though he wants the American people to believe Palin is an experienced, worldly politician who would, as he said, do well as the president, McCain completely forgot something today when he made this announcement.

The American people — the smart ones, at least — will see right through this national disgrace.

Lately, McCain has found time to call out Barack Obama over his experience. Because he's done this, Palin is now fair game on the same topic.

I don't care if you're a Republican or Democrat, you have to admit side by side, Palin's experience pales in comparison to Obama's. Yes, Obama has served just three-plus years in the Senate. But can you believe this? Are we supposed to believe Palin's selection was anything BUT a ploy to try to get women who would have voted for Hillary Clinton to vote for him? Could it be any clearer McCain's choice of Palin can be directly attributed to the diversity that has made this election season the most intriguing of a generation?

My goodness — the people of America should be outraged by all of this.

Yet conservative pundits say Palin is a good choice because she's pro-life.

Last time I checked, so was Mitt Romney —  and so was Mike Huckabee. So why Palin for any other reason than to win over disgruntled Hillary voters?

"She's exactly who this country needs to help me fight the same old Washington politics of me first and country second," McCain said. "She's got the grit, integrity, good sense and fierce devotion to the common good that is exactly what we need in Washington today."

Does she really? How does McCain know this? Last time I checked, McCain hadn't even been to Alaska to campaign. And Palin—now that's not all too common a name on TV news. Palin?

McCain can spin this however he'd like. But the bottom line remains that McCain clearly picked her for all the wrong reasons.

Now in all seriousness, I ask ... especially to supporters of McCain ... can McCain honestly, now, run a single TV ad critical of Obama's experience?

All he has to do is look around him now when he and Palin hit the campaign tour — and Minnesota next week for the Republican National Convention.

What he'll see is a miscalculated choice for his vice president. And he'll see someone whose credibility and experience can be ripped to shreds — even by Obama.

If that's not reason enough not to vote for John McCain, I don't know what is.

The following video is of McCain and Palin's rally today in Ohio.



Watch CBS Videos Online

Obama delivers speech for the ages

I'll have a column on Barack Obama's speech Friday afternoon. For now, all I'll say is that it was one of his best ever.

Luke Russert's objectivity hardly that of his dad's

Tim Russert, God rest his soul, was perhaps the most objective TV news man in American history. His son, Luke, who is reporting from the convention for MSNBC/NBC News, is hardly as objective. The CNN cameras caught a glimpse of Luke Russert clapping wildly when Sen. Robert Casey, D-Pa., got the crowd pumped up tonight with a "Four More Months" chant [4 more months of the current admin]. Can't say I blame Luke in this instance.

Kennedy almost missed speech Monday night

U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., nearly couldn't make it to the stage to deliver his dramatic speech last night, The Boston Globe is reporting. Click here for more details.

MSNBC offers gavel-to-gavel Web coverage of DNC

MSNBC is offering gavel-to-gavel coverage, on the Web, of the Democratic National Convention. Click here to get to the video player [the only bad feature of our new Wordpress blog is that we cannot, as yet, embed videos in posts that aren't Youtube or Google].

Black AIDS leaders call for national AIDS strategy by next U.S. President

In an historically unprecedented move, more than 30 national HIV/AIDS organizations and leaders representing African-American, Latino, Native American/Alaska Native and Asian & Pacific Islander communities have joined forces in an urgent call for the development and implementation of a comprehensive national AIDS strategy.

The demands to the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees come in response to long-standing concerns about unmet needs for targeted HIV-research, treatment access, medical care and prevention in communities of color. A recently released report from the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on estimates of new HIV infections in the United States amplifies the crises faced in communities of color.

According to the CDC's alarming new estimates, communities of color account for a combined total of 65 percent of the approximately 56,300 new HIV infections occurring in the United States. By the CDC's own admission, this new estimate is 40 percent higher than the CDC's earlier estimate of 40,000 infections per year. The startling new HIV rates are of special concern for people of color who are more likely to die from the disease than HIV-infected whites. AIDS advocates representing communities of color have long expressed dissatisfaction with the current lethargic, fragmented and unaccountable U.S. response to the epidemic, which they point out, is a direct result of the non-existent national plan.

Leading national HIV organizations and leaders representing communities of color convened at the FordFoundation in New York City this month to formulate a national HIV response to the new administration that will take office in January. Pledging to work together to strengthen the HIV/AIDS response-nationally, and in their own communities-these organizations agreed on an urgent seven-point action plan.

The action points stipulate, first and foremost, the urgent need for the next administration to rapidly initiate a National AIDS Strategy that engages the entire federal government in the fight against HIV and holds each department accountable for improved results in communities of color.

Ironically, the U.S. government requires foreign countries receiving American HIV/AIDS assistance to have a national strategy for addressing the epidemic, where there is none in place in our own country. The action plan also demands the federal government improve its inadequate data gathering methods, currently accounting for only 33 out of the 50 states and 5 dependent territories, excluding other states and territories severely impacted by the epidemic.

This flawed process results in the underestimation of HIV rates and impedes efforts to allocate adequate resources to address HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care for all at-risk Americans.

Public health advocates also stress that the socio-economic drivers of the epidemic disproportionately impact communities of color. Such factors include poverty, limited educational opportunities, gender inequities, homophobia, HIV stigma and inadequate health access. The needs of communities of color are further compromised by the current administration's response to the epidemic including a derisory allocation of only 4 percent of HIV-related domestic spending towards HIV prevention efforts and the flat-funding of the Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative for the past six years despite increasing rates of transmission in people of color communities during that time.

The partnering organizations and leaders stand together to demand concrete action from the new president and his administration. The organizations and leaders represent various individuals, including health service providers, policy makers, physicians, medical schools and people living with HIV/AIDS. The representatives come together from across the country including Hawaii. Together, they bring a voice to the needs of people in urban, rural and native reservation communities.

 

Let the fun begin at the convention

The next two weeks are all about why so many people love talking and taking part in politics.

And in just a few hours, the Democrats will kick things off with the start of their convention in Denver. And could the conventions ever be more important than they are this year?

Both Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama are in a statistical dead heat, 47 percent to 47 percent. Of course, the popular vote isn't what matters—but it will still be exciting to see what kind of boost the candidates get from their respective party conventions.

As the week progresses, we'll have plenty over coverage of the DNC, the same next week at the RNC.

Be sure to post your thoughts about the upcoming convention right here. It's never been easier to comment—and you do not have to be registered. [Posts are moderated, however, and will be pulled if anything close to libel is present]. Comment away!

Video: Obama 'introduces' Biden

I just got the e-mail from Obama: It's Biden!

Big news, folks: Obama made his VP selection! I have the name! [Of course, this might have meant something if the text and e-mail came to my inboxes in a timely manner]!

If I had relied on the e-mail from Barack Obama to learn who his new vice-presidential running mate was to be, I would have just learned it was Joe Biden. The e-mail arrived in my inbox just a few minutes ago.

In case you're wondering what the announcement looked like, here it is in its entirety. 

_______________

Kevin --

I have some important news that I want to make official.

I've chosen Joe Biden to be my running mate.

Joe and I will appear for the first time as running mates this afternoon in Springfield, Illinois -- the same place this campaign began more than 19 months ago.

I'm excited about hitting the campaign trail with Joe, but the two of us can't do this alone. We need your help to keep building this movement for change.

Please let Joe know that you're glad he's part of our team. Share your personal welcome note and we'll make sure he gets it:

http://my.barackobama.com/welcomejoe

Thanks for your support,

Barack

P.S. -- Make sure to turn on your TV at 2:00 p.m. Central Time to join us or watch online at  http://www.BarackObama.com.

It's Biden—finally

Barack Obama has chosen Delaware Sen. Joe Biden to be his running mate. Click here for full coverage from CBS News.