good thing you're not a pig!

In an unusual twist, Factcheck.org has concluded that the McCain campaign is lying about Factcheck.org.

Now, if that Obama ad doesn't write itself, and get on the air by tomorrow morning, all hope is lost. That's as easy as it gets.

From factcheck.org:

The Wall Street Journal opinion article did not say that the Obama team was there to "dig dirt." It said they were there do "dig into her record and background." Maybe the McCain-Palin campaign knows something we don't about what's in Palin's record and background.

Ouch.

It's just one example, but a reader of Mark Ambinder's blog wrote in to say he thinks he received an anti-Obama push-poll.

The questions can be read here.

If it were a little colder, I'd say they talked you into sticking your lips on the metal schoolhouse again, Steve. Even I only fell for that one once. Good job actually. I called friends who have endured my praise of your work for years to make sure they watched.

"For the record, I wasn't wearing, nor have I ever worn, lipstick."

Alas, I shan't offer to you my compliment concerning the delightfully playful and flattering raspberry-orange shade you obviously didn't use that night ...

Steve Benen wrote: "The DNC isn't digging up dirt on Palin in Alaska, despite what the latest dishonest McCain ad claims."

Why aren't they? They don't even need to dig. There is plenty of dirt on Palin that they can just pick up off the ground.

Steve Benen wrote: "Good news, the Large Hadron Collider has not destroyed the universe. Just FYI."

Not that I'm worrying about it, but the proton-smashing experiment that some folks fear might create a dangerous micro-black hole hasn't been run yet.

Good news, the Large Hadron Collider has not destroyed the universe.

That depends...have the dead started rising yet?

For the record, I wasn't wearing, nor have I ever worn, lipstick.)

Notice, there is no denial about the blue eye liner. :)

John McCain.. the wanna-be who cried wolf.

John McCain.. the wanna-be who cried wolf.

LHC may not have destroyed the universe, but take a look in the mirror, the image is no longer reversed.

Good news, the Large Hadron Collider has not destroyed the universe.

Well, yeah, but all they've done so far is run some protons around in a big circle really fast. They havent collided them with anything yet. Besides, are you sure Halperin and other MSM figures finding journalistic ethics isn't a sign that their anti-matter counterparts are among us and that the end is near?

I couldn't tell who was the man and who was the woman!

That depends...have the dead started rising yet? not only have they started rising, one of them is running for President ... oh, no, sorry, that's just Fred Thompson again.

For the record, I wasn't wearing, nor have I ever worn, lipstick.

Sure. We all know about that goth phase you went through in college. :) I'm sure Ms. CB has photo proof!

I've looked at the Palin travelgate thing and basically I don't think there is much there. I base that mostly on my own experience. Looking at Palin's expense vouchers, she claimed per diem for meals and incidentals, but nothing for lodging when she was at home. That is perfectly legitimate.

In my case I have a vacation home in a location where I travel on temporary work details. When I bought the vacation home I asked the ethics officer if I could stay there and collect the per diem and he told me straight out, no on lodging but OK for M&I. I choose not to stay in the vacation home when I am working at that particular location because once when I did stay there I lost out on a vacation rental, so by not staying in my own home I can stay in a nicer place with the government picking up the tab and collect $50 - 60/day rental on my home.

So, the way I figure it, if Palin was in Wasilla for business related reasons the M&I she put in for was legitimate. What I want to know though is, what the hell is she doing in her own home for 300 days out of 570 days in office? Why are the people of Alaska footing the bill for a residence in Jueau? It seems to me it would be cheaper to pay her per diem for the days she actually works at her office rather than the days she is working away from the office. And I thought Bush took a lot of vacations.

WTF!!! Biden just said Hillary would probably have been a better pick than him. MSNBC

So happy to see Little Dan Lipinski make CREW's list of most corrupt congressmen. The man is quite simply a pig, no matter what his lip ornamentation choices.

Didn't Sara make a video entitled 'I am fucking Matt Daemon'?

That what you give in return Matt?

My new favorite pastime:

Googling the phrase "McCain camp says".

I'm for *reasonable* term limits, having someone in office for 30 years is a bad idea. The cases of corruption vs good politicians is far to high. 8-12 years sounds reasonable to me.

What's up with Biden?

Since this is an OT: We were overdue for another government sex scandal.

Please click on the link to the story, not my name or I'll be blogwhoring.

Ouch: S.C. Dem chair: Palin primary qualification is she hasn't had an abortion.

I know one Democratic Chair who will be quickly removed, methinks...

1. Speculators were responsible for the spike in gas prices. Obama should refer to this when McCain/Palin say drill drill drill to reduce oil prices:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080910/ap_on_go_co/oil_speculation;_ylt=AoH36cq4zLUx7qGm3nv4wfqs0NUE

2. Sitting down? Good. Dept. of Interior employees were much more than cozy with energy companies:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080910/ap_on_go_ot/interior_oil_trysts

From Michelle Obama's CoS

Where was John McCain when somebody called Hillary a bitch?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Euu_DMhsXQo

and also on Americablog.com, the best pig in lipstick you've seen this week

http://www.americablog.com/2008/09/embrace-pig.html

Please click on the link to the story, not my name or I'll be blogwhoring.

May the universe bless you for havin' that sensibility. This place is a bloggers' cathouse, complete with Harry Truman on the piano, most days. Sadly, most are advertising wares they can't deliver.

Damn....

how do I make a link?

sorry guys

“�WTF!!! Biden just said Hillary would probably have been a better pick than him. MSNBC
Posted by: Michael7843853 on September 10, 2008 at 6:05 PM | PERMALINK��

Here, Biden is opening the door for Obama to change his mind. Talk about putting the media shorts in a twist. Here comes the eighteen million voters and the republicans best trash talk if Obama did make the move with Biden's resignation as Vice presidential candidate. Don't think it wont happen.

This has been one of the best Republican socially engineered elections of any time. Be very sure the Mainstream Media via, CNN, FOX, and MSNBC tooled around, played around, screwed around, lambasted, smeared, diminished, insulted, and encouraged Hillary Clinton to quit the primary election just after the IOWA loaded results.

Here, also in a time frame that establishes the Obama team and Hillary team described as divisive, polarizing. Very angered at each other to the point the Republican driven media likely biased Obama into selecting Biden as a running mate. Which is what the Republicans wanted Obama to do because Obama did have the most powerful political ticket the Democrats could ever have?

Then along comes Palin, likely long ago selected in the background to plug in a women candidate to encourage Democrats to vote Republican. Hillary probably looks pretty good as a running mate now. More over, Obama had the most powerful political weapon right in his hand by choosing Hillary. By not choosing Hillary leave the gates wide open for McCain to continue the mantra about it and disenfranchise a load of Democratic voters. This whole strategy is for the most part a core way Republicans legislate and govern, it is horrible sick and the basics of how America got to were we are now all with help of Mainstream Media.

Please, I am watching Dick Gregory and his Pit Bull political analyst; they are disgusting, divisive, and dam confusing to the electorate. For me this scenario is designed to influence rather than report. Even Olbermann and his “Punch and Judy “report every day on worst persons of the world are nothing more than media placeboes that exchange punches and show America a wall of shame that shamefully goes nowhere.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if one, just one of these cable television networks exercised legal action in or about the horrible stuff they claim is going on in America today? No, NADA, Zip, not anything of substance but a graphic that goes plastered against the screen with big heads and small bodies or smiley faces. Or that Lou Dobbs fat master of Sheesh doesn’t America disserve better government. Answer; yes. But do these people with all the money time and assets do what the American people really need? No.

The latest Palin story (and, btw, even though it seems like she's been in the headlines for months, remember that all of these stories have come out in the less than two weeks since she was chosen by McCain).

(Btw, this one is backed up by an article from 2000 by the Wasilla newspaper, The Fronteirsman.)

Until Tony Knowles and the legislature banned the practice, the Wasilla police chief was making rape victims pay the cost of the rape kits that were necessary to convict rapists. (Supposedly the rapists, when convicted, could be required to 'make restitution,' but that was only if they were convicted. The initial cost was born by the victim.)

And we are talking $300-1200 per kit here. Think about it. You've been raped -- and, btw, males can be raped -- you are still suffering that trauma when the cops come, and you find out that you need to pay for collecting the evidence to convict the rapist.

And when the legislature banned the practice. it was the Wasilla Chief of Police -- which had been following it -- who protested.

Here's the quote from the Frontiersman:

We would never bill the victim of a burglary for fingerprinting and photographing the crime scene, or for the cost of gathering other evidence, [Alaska Gov.]Knowles said. Nor should we bill rape victims just because the crime scene happens to be their bodies.

While the Alaska State Troopers and most municipal police agencies have covered the cost of exams, which cost between $300 to $1,200 apiece, the Wasilla police department does charge the victims of sexual assault for the tests.

Wasilla Police Chief Charlie Fannon does not agree with the new legislation, saying the law will require the city and communities to come up with more funds to cover the costs of the forensic exams.

"In the past we've charged the cost of exams to the victims insurance company when possible. I just dont want to see any more burden put on the taxpayer," Fannon said.

According to Fannon, the new law will cost the Wasilla Police Department approximately $5,000 to $14,000 a year to collect evidence for sexual assault cases.

(quotation marks and emphasis added)

http://www.frontiersman.com/articles/2000/05/23/news.txt

....and because I'm completely crap at making links...

this is an article on the 'Alaskan Women Reject Palin' which is a new bipartisan group whose purpose it is to make it known that Palin does not have the support of all Alaskan women, and that this election is a matter of issues, not gender, or personality.

bet it doesn't get on Fox, huh?

Newsweek is moving the ball forward on Palin's "troopergate" scandal.

Well, they need to stop then. This is a losing proposition for the Dems. It will be impossible to defend a trooper that tasers a 10 year old kid, no matter what the circumstances. That's what will come out from the Repub side if the MSM doesn't hit on it first.

It's going to be the police union that takes the heat on this and Palin will come out of it a notch stronger in the general public's mind.

The LHC hasn't destroyed the universe yet.

But, now that I think of it, if McCain wins the election, I'll be rooting for CERN to push the button on that experiment as soon as humanly possible. Better sucked into a black hole than live through 4 years of McCain/Palin, right?

When that rape kit story came out a couple of days ago I assumed the media would be all over it. Just kidding; they're the media. But good god, that one is tailor-made for prurient, simple message-addicted America.

Here is anotherMcCain Flip Flop.

He was for it in 2006 and now McCain attacks Obama for holding the same position that he used to hold.

I think this gets the 'Stating the Obvious' award for the day...

Study Blames Speculation For Oil Price Hike
Report Released By Senate, House Sponsors Of Oil Market Bills
http://www.wyff4.com/money/17439339/detail.html#-

I could be wrong....

The LHC was turned on but not at full power. We have to wait to see if the very fabric of our Universe is turned topsy-turvy when the proton beams are fully energized months from now.

Speaking of fabric.... the word fabrication comes to mind.

The lipstick stink was a fabrication of the McCainites.

The "I killed the Bridge to Nowhere" is a fabrication by a mendacious gal who is not quite sure just what a VP does.

Obama puts sex before education is a fabrication of a testy white male who is trying to get billions of folks to believe he saw a cross drawn in the dust by a fellow christian leaning soul many years ago.

Finally an UNfabricated story of oil for sex, giving new meaning to "greasing" the wheels of royalty payments.

Matt Damon has just said that if Sarah Palin was elected in it would be not unlike a bad Disney movie...

Go Matt Damon!

It's about time folks who(for better or worse) others pay attention to start speaking out.

Newsweek is moving the ball forward on Palin's "troopergate" scandal.

Well, they need to stop then. This is a losing proposition for the Dems. -- pencarrow, @19:06

Last time I looked, Dems weren't pushing the troopergate story, or even the ethics inquiry story. They must be following your concerned advice.

And, last time I looked, Newsweek wasn't a DNC (or other Dem organisation) internal "organ". It's an independent weekly. Operating according to free market rules -- ie, they'll print what they think would sell, not what would help one party or anther. I'd think an injunction from a judge to stop and desist, including the "or else" (I'll think again about child custody rights), is definitely of interest to the public. Sell-able.

If you happened to miss my interview on the "Rachel Maddow Show" on Monday night, my friend Bill posted the clip.

Kudo's Steve! I think I can confidentally speak for all of the gang from over at The Carpetbagger Report, when I say that you continue to make us proud.

Regarding the Biden statement about Clinton, this item at politico clarifies what happened:
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0908/Biden_bows_to_Clinton_.html

The important point in the politico item linked above is this: "UPDATE: Politico's Victoria McGrane points out that his remark came in response to a question from a man saying he was glad Obama had chosen Biden over Clinton; Biden was rising to her defense."

So, chill.

I can tell you who the opponents of term-limits are, at least in NYC: It's the members of the city council who are about to be "term-limited" out. I mean, what other legislative body would create a law issuing fines for stores that leave their doors open on hot days, providing much needed cool relief for sweaty pedestrians. And probably Bloomie, who sure would like another term to sell out more of the city to real estate developers. NYC voters have twice (1993 & 1996) approved term-limits, which of course is of no relevance to these self-aggrandizing politicians.

So... Biden = Eagleton? :)

Just kidding... but, I do think it was classy of him to say. I think there *will* be a call in some quarters (HuffPo, DK) for Biden to be removed (or "removed") and for Hill to be replaced. If Obama actually takes that advice, then he deserves to lose... period. :/

If the media are the pwns (spelled right!) of the McCain/Republican machine, it will be hard for real stories to break through the lipshtick.

Go BO-Joe, defeat McBushlin!

i've never quite understood the push among voters for "term limits" - it is essentially voters saying "save us from ourselves! stop me before i vote again!"

look, we have term limits. For Reps they are 2 years, Senators 6 years and most governors 4 years. then the term ends. it is up to us whether to re-elect or not.

in bodies larger than counties - statehouses and Congress - term limits would simply give more power to lobbyists as brand new legislators with no background and no experience on complex issues would be almost entirely at the mercy of spin doctors for information on issues. and those folks are not elected and they really have no term limits.

find ways to decrease the advantage of incumbency to make re-elections more contested and competitive, but term limits are a far from ideal way to address the problem. don't like an incumbent? vote against him or her and bring your friends along!

Never been a big fan of term limits myself. You want to force bad politicians from office we need instant-runoff voting and real campaign finance reform.

"Good news, the Large Hadron Collider has not destroyed the universe. Just FYI."

Another campaign lie. factchdeck.org just showed that the universe was destroyed this morning.

It's not blogwhoring, if it's not my own blog (I don't have one), right? I can be excused for *sharing*, no?

Please go to womenforjohnmccain and read this particular entry:
http://www.womenforjohnmccain.com/?p=855
The standard GOP talking points contained within are *priceless*. Our little trolls -- both the "concerned" ones as well as the outright hostile ones -- might find them useful, too.

And, if you happen to read the other entry for today (about the "Presidential Seal" -- same tidbit that Hilzoy has caught above), please make sure you click on the photo of the McCain hat; I almost didn't...

Top 10 Conservative Idiots RNC 2008

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMP-4YRxBZo

*VERY* funny! :)

To those who think voting people out is preferable to term limits, that's a really simplistic way of looking at an issue. In most cases, it's really hard for a challenger to beat back an incumbent with a large re-election war chest. Term limits are a way to counter this. If, say, you're a U.S. Senator and you can't accomplish anything in 12 years (2 terms), you probably shouldn't have been elected. But without term limits, we end up with people like Ted "Tubes" Stevens.

Great job on the show Steve. Relaxed, focused and competent during the interview. Very impressive for basically a first timer.

I am shocked someone I have read for the last 2 years actually has a voice on TV!!!!.

Great job...look forward to more of the same

It's not blogwhoring, if it's not my own blog (I don't have one), right?

Right, baby.

Let's finish the "Lipstick on a Pig" ordeal:
Y'all are too adult about this crap, go waaay back and remember:
Those who smelt it, dealt it!

If the Republicans think that Palin is a pig, who are we to argue? However, since John McCain used this same phrase about Hillary's work with the healthcare issue, we all now expect an apology from him.

Mr. Benen,

Your characterizing the term limits article as backlash left one with teh impression that someone other than the elected officials threatened by them was objecting to them.

Elected officials have never supported them to any great degree except self-serving lip service.

I looked in vain for anything resembling a popular demand for their withdrawal. Nope.

Peopel LOVE term limits.

We agree that they SHOULDN'T... but it was cruel of you to raise my hopes that way./

Americans are not getting smarter.

Thus... term limits and lipstick media.

("Lipstick media" is a copyrighted term @2008 toowearyforoutrage. No rights reserved.)

Does someone want to tell me why William Jefferson is STILL in office?

It's embarassing having 6 out of 20 CREW list miscreants with a D next to their name.

If that number could be whittled down to 1 or 2 (perfection may be a lot to ask of Washington) perhaps the "Everyone does it!" nonsense could be more credibly refuted.