"One of the things we have to change in this country, is the idea that people cannot disagree without challenging people's character or patriotism," Obama told a crowd of Veterans in Orlando, Florida. Obama went on to hit back on McCain's attacks on Obama's patriotism, stating, "I will let no one question my love of this country. I love America."

Tags: Barack Obama veterans patriotism mccain same old politics

Countdown takes a look at who Jerome Corsi really is and reviews past bigotted and offensive remarks by Corsi. Corsi recently published what the Obama camp is calling a "Book of Lies" reminiscent of the Swift Boat attack on John Kerry, penned by Corsi in 2004. Responding quickly, the Obama camp issued a 41 page booklet of facts on accusations made by Corsi: http://my.barackobama.com/page/invite/corsi

Tags: Jerome Corsi smears book of lies barack Obama

Gordon Smith, Oregon Republican Candidate for U.S. Senate, will not attend the GOP Convention and has resigned as State Campaign Chair for John McCain's campaign. Smith has been increasingly distancing himself from McCain throughout this election beginning with running ads where he attempts to associate himself with Democrats. Yet, Gordon Smith has voted with George Bush and McCain 90% of the time and has previously stated he "supports McCain 100%."

Tags: Jeff Merkley Gordon Smith Oregon U.S. Senate Race GOP Republican National Convention John McCain

John McCain casts himself as the movie hero "Rocky" at a rally in Pennsylvania. In perhaps the corniest political stage crafting ever, the theme song from "Rocky" blared over the speakers as the McCain campaign bus drove into the rally auditorium. None other than the Senator Joe Lieberman introduced McCain as "Rocky McCain!"

Tags: rocky mccain pennsylvania celebrity presidential general election 2008 Barack Obama

Obama condemned Russia's invasion of George stating, "There is no possible justification for these attacks." Full statement: "Good morning. The situation in Georgia continues to deteriorate because of the escalation of Russia's use of military force. I have spoken to President Saakashvili, and conveyed my deep regret over the loss of life, and the suffering of the people of Georgia. For many months, I have warned that there needs to be active international engagement to peacefully address the disputes over South Ossetia and Abkhazia, including a high-level and neutral international mediator, and a genuine international peacekeeping force - not simply Russian troops. No matter how this conflict started, Russia has escalated it well beyond the dispute over South Ossetia and invaded another country. Russia has escalated its military campaign through strategic bombing and the movement of its ground forces into the heart of Georgia. There is no possible justification for these attacks. I reiterate my call for Russia to stop its bombing campaign, to stop flights of Russian aircraft in Georgian airspace, and to withdraw its ground forces from Georgia. The Georgian government has proposed a cease-fire and the Russian government should accept it. There is also an urgent need for humanitarian assistance to reach the people of Georgia, and casualties on both sides. The United States, Europe and all other concerned countries must stand united in condemning this aggression, and seeking a peaceful resolution to this crisis. We should continue to push for a United Nations Security Council Resolution calling for an immediate end to the violence. This is a clear violation of the sovereignty and internationally recognized borders of Georgia - the UN must stand up for the sovereignty of its members, and peace in the world. I welcome the visit of the French and Finnish foreign ministers to Georgia as a first step toward mediation. There should also be a United Nations mediator to address this crisis, and the United States should fully support this effort. We should also convene other international forums to condemn this aggression, to call for an immediate halt to the violence, and to review multilateral and bilateral arrangements with Russia - including Russia's interest in joining the World Trade Organization. The violence taking place along the Black Sea is just miles from Sochi, the site for the Winter Olympics in 2014. It only adds to the tragedy and outrage of the current situation that Russia has acted while the world has come together in peace and athletic competition in Beijing. This action is wholly inconsistent with the Olympic ideal. While returning to a pre-August 8 military posture is a necessary first step to resolving this crisis, we cannot tolerate the unacceptable status quo that led to this escalation. That means Russian peacekeeping troops should be replaced by a genuine international peacekeeping force, Georgia should refrain from using force in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and a political settlement must be reached that addresses the status of these disputed regions. Going forward, the United States and Europe must support the people of Georgia. Beyond immediate humanitarian assistance, we must provide economic assistance, and help rebuild what has been destroyed. I have consistently called for deepening relations between Georgia and transatlantic institutions, including a Membership Action Plan for NATO, and we must continue to press for that deeper relationship. The relationship between Russia and the West is long and complicated. There have been many turning points, for good and ill. This is another turning point. Let me be clear: we seek a future of cooperative engagement with the Russian government, and friendship with the Russian people. We want Russia to play its rightful role as a great nation - but with that role comes the responsibility to act as a force for progress in this new century, not regression to the conflicts of the past. That is why the United States and the international community must speak out strongly against this aggression, and for peace and security."

Tags: Barack Obama Russia Georgia United States Europe Nations Council Resolution NATO

John McCain fumbles again mispronouncing the name of the Georgian President, Mikheil Saakashvili, three times. McCain's speech is said to have been plagiarized from Wikipedia: http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/politicalinsider/2008/08/did-mccain-plagarize-his-speec.html

Tags: McCain plagiarism foreign policy confusion russia georgia Barack Obama

Ad to air in Wisconsin Transcript (Motors revving) Announcer: Listen to John McCain speaking to motorcycle enthusiasts in Sturgis, South Dakota, on Tuesday. McCain: Not long ago a couple of hundred thousand Berliners made a lot of noise for my opponent. I'll take the roar of 50,000 Harleys any day... Announcer: But when it comes to his record, American-made motorcycles like Harleys don't matter to John McCain. Back in Washington, McCain opposed the requirement that the government buy American-made motorcycles. And he said all buy-American provisions were quote "disgraceful." Surprised? You shouldn't be. This is the same John McCain who supported billions in tax breaks for companies who ship American jobs overseas. (More motors revving) Announcer: It's time to hear the roar of the strong American economy again -- and stop John McCain from shipping our jobs overseas. Obama: I'm Barack Obama, candidate for president, and I approved this message. Paid for by Obama for America.

Tags: Barack Obama John McCain economy jobs wisconsin

Barack Obama tells supporters in Hawaii that the "Aloha spirit" is one of caring for those in need and that diversity is a strength. "What's on the surface, what people look like, that doesn't determine who they are. And that the power and strength of diversity, the ability of people from everywhere...they're just Americans. All of us can work together and join together to create a better country," Obama said. Obama is taking a few days off from the campaign to spend time in Hawaii with his family, including his grandmother who lives there.

Tags: Barack Obama Honolulu Hawaii diversity energy iraq war economy

Elizabeth Edwards' statement on her husband's 2006 affair is read by Keith Olbermann on Countdown. Elizabeth originally issued her statement on the blog, DailyKos, where it was recieved with a huge outpouring of support, just hours after John Edwards publicly admitted to the affair and apologized. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/8/8/193337/7354/473/564989 Today by elizabethedwards Fri Aug 08, 2008 at 07:40:51 PM EDT "Our family has been through a lot. Some caused by nature, some caused by human weakness, and some -- most recently -- caused by the desire for sensationalism and profit without any regard for the human consequences. None of these has been easy. But we have stood with one another through them all. Although John believes he should stand alone and take the consequences of his action now, when the door closes behind him, he has his family waiting for him. John made a terrible mistake in 2006. The fact that it is a mistake that many others have made before him did not make it any easier for me to hear when he told me what he had done. But he did tell me. And we began a long and painful process in 2006, a process oddly made somewhat easier with my diagnosis in March of 2007. This was our private matter, and I frankly wanted it to be private because as painful as it was I did not want to have to play it out on a public stage as well. Because of a recent string of hurtful and absurd lies in a tabloid publication, because of a picture falsely suggesting that John was spending time with a child it wrongly alleged he had fathered outside our marriage, our private matter could no longer be wholly private. The pain of the long journey since 2006 was about to be renewed. John has spoken in a long on-camera interview I hope you watch. Admitting one's mistakes is a hard thing for anyone to do, and I am proud of the courage John showed by his honesty in the face of shame. The toll on our family of news helicopters over our house and reporters in our driveway is yet unknown. But now the truth is out, and the repair work that began in 2006 will continue. I ask that the public, who expressed concern about the harm John's conduct has done to us, think also about the real harm that the present voyeurism does and give me and my family the privacy we need at this time."

Tags: elizabeth edwards john affair contrition apology dailykos

"Iraq has been getting a windfall because of rising oil prices. They have a 79 billion dollar budget surplus. At a time when we're spending 10 billion dollars a month in Iraq, they've got almost 80 billion dollars that is not being invested in services for suffering Iraqis or recontruction. Some of this money is sitting in American banks in NY on Wall Street collecting interest, while you the taxpayers are paying for reconstruction efforts in Iraq. That's why we've got to bring about fundamental change," Obama told a crowd in Indiana. Via LA Times: "Oil sales are estimated to bring Iraq between $66 billion and $79 billion this year, more than double the total of recent years, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said today. And while the Bush administration projects a record budget deficit for this country in the next year, the GAO says Iraq will have a "budget surplus of between $38.2 billion to $50.3 billion." http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/presidentbush/2008/08/iraq-oil-gas.html

Tags: Barack Obama Energy Policy Oil Iraq windfall McCain same old politics failed policies

Obama for President ad

Tags: Barack Obama ad john McCain taxes oil corporations middle class

John McCain proposes new First Lady Duties: Cindy McCain for Miss Buffalo Chip

Tags: mccain buffalo chip beauty contest sturgis biker rally misogyny exploitation of women

John McCain suggests his wife enter a topless beauty contest at a Biker Rally in Sturgis, SD. "I encouraged Cindy to compete," McCain told the mostly male crowd as they whistled and hollered. "I told her with a little luck she could be the only woman ever to serve as first lady and Miss Buffalo Chip." According to the Crisis Intervention Center for domestic abuse, located in a house across the street from the event site, the Buffalo Chip beauty contest, which is often both topless and bottomless, has a history of domestic violence acts against women. McCain has been criticized for other comments critical of women including telling a joke about rape, joking about Hillary Clinton daughter's looks and calling his own wife a "cunt."

Tags: McCain misogyny exploitation of women domestic violence discrimination

"Senator McCain would not take the steps or achieve the goals that I outlined today. His plan invests very little in renewable sources of energy and he's opposed helping the auto industry re-tool. Like George Bush and Dick Cheney before him, he sees more drilling as the answer to all of our energy problems, and like them, he's found a receptive audience in the very same oil companies that have blocked our progress for so long... So make no mistake - the oil companies have placed their bet on Senator McCain, and if he wins, they will continue to cash in while our families and our economy suffer and our future is put in jeopardy," Obama stated today, in Lansing, Michigan. Gas& Oil executives, their family members and their employees are donating fast and furiously to John McCain's campaign. Greg Sargent of TPM reports: "It turns out that Hess executives aren't the only ones who gave such huge sums to elect McCain -- generosity towards McCain apparently extends down into lower levels of Hess staff. A lower level employee gave the same, too, and so did her husband, even though he works for Amtrak. The FEC filings show that Alice Rocchio, who's identified as a Hess office manager, and her husband, Pasquale Rocchio, who's described as an Amtrak "track foreman," each separately donated $28,500 to the RNC-McCain fund, which is called McCain Victory 2008. They gave the money on June 24th, the same day that eight other Hess execs and family members each shelled out the same amount. So the Rocchios, who live in Flushing, Queens, donated a total of $57,000 to McCain's efforts." http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/08/hess_corporation_office_manage.php

Tags: Obama Energy Policy oil dependence big profits McCain tax cuts

In a speech on Energy Policy in Michigan, Obama states, "Breaking our oil addiction is one of the greatest challenges our generation will ever face." "And yet, while the compromise is a good first step and a good faith effort, I believe that we must go even further, and here's why -- breaking our oil addiction is one of the greatest challenges our generation will ever face. It will take nothing less than a complete transformation of our economy. This transformation will be costly, and given the fiscal disaster we will inherit from the last Administration, it will likely require us to defer some other priorities. It is also a transformation that will require more than just a few government programs. Energy independence will require an all-hands-on-deck effort from America -- effort from our scientists and entrepreneurs; from businesses and from every American citizen. Factories will have to re-tool and re-design. Businesses will need to find ways to emit less carbon dioxide. All of us will need to buy more of the fuel-efficient cars built by this state, and find new ways to improve efficiency and save energy in our own homes and businesses. This will not be easy. And it will not happen overnight. And if anyone tries to tell you otherwise, they are either fooling themselves or trying to fool you." Full transcript: http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/stateupdates/gG5zC4 Obama's Energy Plan: http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/stateupdates/gG5zC4

Tags: Obama Energy Oil Addition alternative energy sustainablity

Obama hits McCain on his decades long, failed record of ending our dependence on oil. Obama stated, "Despite all this, here we are, in another election, still talking about our oil addiction; still more dependent than ever. Why? You won't hear me say this too often, but I couldn't agree more with the explanation that Senator McCain offered a few weeks ago. He said, "Our dangerous dependence on foreign oil has been thirty years in the making, and was caused by the failure of politicians in Washington to think long-term about the future of the country." What Senator McCain neglected to mention was that during those thirty years, he was in Washington for twenty-six of them. And in all that time, he did little to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. He voted against increased fuel efficiency standards and opposed legislation that included tax credits for more efficient cars. He voted against renewable sources of energy. Against clean biofuels. Against solar power. Against wind power. Against an energy bill that -- while far from perfect -- represented the largest investment in renewable sources of energy in the history of this country. So when Senator McCain talks about the failure of politicians in Washington to do anything about our energy crisis, it's important to remember that he's been a part of that failure. Now, after years of inaction, and in the face of public frustration over rising gas prices, the only energy proposal he's really promoting is more offshore drilling -- a position he recently adopted that has become the centerpiece of his plan, and one that will not make a real dent in current gas prices or meet the long-term challenge of energy independence. George Bush's own Energy Department has said that if we opened up new areas to drilling today, we wouldn't see a single drop of oil for seven years. Seven years. And Senator McCain knows that, which is why he admitted that his plan would only provide "psychological" relief to consumers. He also knows that if we opened up and drilled on every single square inch of our land and our shores, we would still find only three percent of the world's oil reserves. Three percent for a country that uses 25% of the world's oil. Even Texas oilman Boone Pickens, who's calling for major new investments in alternative energy, has said, "this is one emergency we can't drill our way out of." Now, increased domestic oil exploration certainly has its place as we make our economy more fuel-efficient and transition to other, renewable, American-made sources of energy. But it is not the solution. It is a political answer of the sort Washington has given us for three decades. There are genuine ways in which we can provide some short-term relief from high gas prices -- relief to the mother who's cutting down on groceries because of gas prices, or the man I met in Pennsylvania who lost his job and can't even afford to drive around and look for a new one. I believe we should immediately give every working family in America a $1,000 energy rebate, and we should pay for it with part of the record profits that the oil companies are making right now." Full transcript: http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/stateupdates/gG5zCW More on Obama's Energy Policy: http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/newenergy

Tags: Barack Obama McCain dependence on foreign oil

At the National Urban League Annual Conference, Barack Obama states that he will not raise taxes on those who earn $250,000 per year. "So we've got a decision to make. We can continue President Bush's economic policies -- the policies that got us here in the first place. That's the course Senator McCain would have us follow. He's said we've made 'great progress economically' under President Bush. Well, I disagree. We face serious issues in this election -- and have real differences. But I'm not going to assault Senator McCain's character. I'm not going to compare him to pop stars. I will, however, compare our two visions for our economic future. Senator McCain wants to keep giving tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas. I want to end them and start giving incentives to companies that create jobs here at home. Because I don't think 463,000 lost jobs this year is economic progress. He wants to give $300 billion worth of tax breaks to big corporations and the wealthiest Americans. Under his plan, more than 100 million middle class families won't see a penny in direct tax relief. I want to put a tax cut of up to $1,000 into the pockets of 95% of working Americans. And if you're a family making less than $250,000 a year, my plan won't raise your taxes one penny -- not your income taxes, not your payroll taxes, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes. Senator McCain is opposed to regular increases in the minimum wage -- I want to index it so that it rises with rising costs. He thinks the Earned Income Tax Credit is fine as it is -- I want to expand it. He has no plans to make childcare more affordable or help people get paid sick leave -- while I do. In the end, Senator McCain's plans, if you're doing spectacularly well now, you'll do even better. Otherwise, you'll likely be stuck running in place -- or fall even further behind." Remarks as prepared for delivery

Tags: Barack Obama National Urban League taxes earned income credit minimum wage day care subsidies

Barack Obama tells reporters in Florida that the McCain camp is not racist but cynical and is diverting from talking about the real issues because McCain doesn't have any new ideas on how to deal with the economy, jobs... "In no way do I think John McCain's campaign was racist. I think they are cynical," Obama said. Via the Swamp: "I'm young, I'm new to the national scene,'' Obama said. "My name is Barack Obama. I was born in Hawaii. I spent time in Indonesia. I do not have the typical biography of a presidential candidate. What that means is, I am unfamiliar, and people are still trying to get a fix on who I am... So... what has been an approach of the McCain campaign is to say, 'He's risky,' to try to divert focus from the fact that they don't have any ideas for dealing with the economy, or dealing with education... "The one thing we know about the team that John McCain has assembled, because it's a carry-over from some of the folks who have worked on the Bush campaigns,'' Obama said at a press conference at Cape Canaveral, Fla. "They are very good at negative campaigns They are not so good at governing. If you think about this week, what they have been good at is distracting... (Jobs are being lost) and what was being talked about was Paris and Britney. They are clever about distracting people from the issues that really matter in peoples' lives. "I want to talk about how we're going to put more money in people's pockets... how we can provide health care for people who don't have it,'' Obama said at the brief press conference, where he confessed that he is "beat'' after a hard week of campaigning and fielded just a few questions. "We have some of the biggest challenges that certainly I've seen in my lifetime. That is what the American people want to hear. What are the solutions to these big problems.'' Obama voiced "confidence'' that the determinant factor in the election will be voters deciding who has the answers. http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/08/obama_mccain_waging_cynical_ca.html

Tags: Obama McCain same old politics rove bush distractions dirty campaigning low road express racism

At a Townhall in St. Pete, FL, Barack Obama turns heckling into a discussion on how he has worked for the African American community pointing out he was a civil rights attorney, fought predatory lending and discrimination within the penal system.

Tags: Obama African Americans civil rights predatory lending police brutality racism katrina jena six

On Countdown, Keith Olberman discusses how John McCain's Energy Plan will benefit big oil corporations but not lower gas prices. In a statement today, Obama pointed out how McCain's energy plan will not benefit working Americans, but big oil corporations, noting how McCain recieved huge donations from big oil corporations after he came out for off shore drilling and proposed big tax cuts for oil corporations. "Perhaps the only thing more outrageous than Exxon Mobil making record profits while Americans are paying record prices at the pump is the fact that Senator McCain has proposed giving them an additional $1.2 billion tax break. While Senator McCain's plan has succeeded in helping his campaign raise over $1 million from oil and gas company executives and employees just last month, it won't lower gas prices or end our dangerous dependence on foreign oil. Instead of an energy policy that reads like an oil-company wish list, it's time to create a new American energy economy by investing in alternative energy, creating millions of new jobs, increasing fuel efficiency standards, and ending the tyranny of oil once and for all." http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0708/Exxons_profits.html?showall

Tags: countdown obama mccain big oil profits tax cuts gas holiday gimmick