Denise Williams

From Betty Cracker and People For The American Way comes this side-splitter: The conservative Christian American Family Association website One News Now people choose to replace word 'gay' with 'homosexual' in the content it receives from The Associated Press.

I'm not sure if they're trying to be doubly anti-gay or English language purists here, but it seems to work out well for them. Except when someone's name is 'Gay'. Take the feed from the AP about track and field Olympics contender Tyson Gay "Gay eases in 100 final at Olympic trials", and you get this:

Alas, one of their web gurus must have been goofing off and reading progressive blogs and saw this massive screw-up. The Search feature for One News Now is a dead link.

Let's remember what the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth did in 2004 against John Kerry:

Today we've had a few posts here on PM about Wesley Clark's statement about McCain, McCain's reaction and Obama's reaction to McCain and Clark. In the comments, from CNN's Rick Sanchez and various newsie readers on MSNBC I'm seeing SWIFTBOATING!!! all over the place.

Please do note that I do NOT agree with with what Wes Clark said or the John Avarosis comments on his AmericaBlog mentioned by Politico's Ben Smith today. Obama was correct in distancing himself from Clark even though the former General is being called a surrogate or campaign representative despite being a stalwart Clinton supporter just weeks ago.

I'm going to try very hard to avoid using "swiftboat" to describe any and all attacks from one campaign or the other just like I have tried very hard to avoid using Nazi and Facist. What Clark and Avarosis said are not swiftboating. They are just ill-considered remarks that don't do the candidate any favors. We tend to quickly forget the forcefulness some words had just a short time ago...

New proposed amendment to the constitution:

S. J. RES. 43

110th CONGRESS 2d Session

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to marriage.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JUNE 25, 2008

Mr. WICKER (for himself, Mr. VITTER, Mr. CRAIG, Mr. ROBERTS, Mr. INHOFE, Mr. BROWNBACK, Mr. ALLARD, Mr. THUNE, and Mr. SHELBY) introduced the following joint resolution; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

JOINT RESOLUTION

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to marriage.

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled (two-thirds of each House concurring therein), That the following article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years after the date of its submission by the Congress:

"ARTICLE"

Section 1. This article may be cited as the Marriage Protection Amendment.

Section 2. Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any State, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman.

Owing property taxes is a way of life for homeowners. Sometimes we even get a little behind. Sometimes we default. Sometimes our accountants and trustees eff-up paying our bills for our multiple foundation/trust held properties across these great United States. Stuff happens....

When you're poor, it can be hard to pay the bills. When you're rich, it's hard to keep track of all the bills that need paying. It's a lesson Cindy McCain learned the hard way when NEWSWEEK raised questions about an overdue property-tax bill on a La Jolla, Calif., property owned by a trust that she oversees. Mrs. McCain is a beer heiress with an estimated $100 million fortune and, along with her husband, she owns at least seven properties, including condos in California and Arizona. [...]

Shortly after NEWSWEEK inquired about the matter, the McCain aide e-mailed a receipt dated Friday, June 27, confirming payment by the trust to San Diego County in the amount of $6,744.42. County officials say the trust still owes an additional $1,742 for this year, an amount that is overdue and will go into default July 1. Told of the outstanding $1,742, the aide said: "The trust has paid all bills shown owing as of today and will pay all other bills due."

Now, the thing I don't get is that the overdue tax bill was for 4 years worth of property taxes. The Newsweek article I linked to doesn't indicate whether these are partial tax bills due or what. I can only hope so....I suppose it could be a net difference in the old tax rate vs. a new rate that the accountants had not taken into consideration or had not been made aware of. I would be truly incensed if the McCain's annual property tax bill for beachfront in La Jolla, CA was $1500 less than our modest townhome in south Jersey.

Or he was against it before he was for it. Or something.

JohnnyMac, speaking at a town hall meeting touts the new educational benefits in the new GI Bill championed by Senator Jim Webb (D-VA). The bill passed the Senate in May by a vote of 75-22. Senator McCain skipped that vote (ostensibly because his own counter bill went nowhere), but not before slamming those who supported it:

Republican John McCain said Thursday that Democrat Barack Obama had no right to criticize McCain's position on military scholarships because the Illinois senator did not serve in uniform.

"And I will not accept from Senator Obama, who did not feel it was his responsibility to serve our country in uniform, any lectures on my regard for those who did," the Arizona senator said in a harshly worded statement issued Thursday.

And they call Obama an elitist...

On a recent White House visit with Phillipine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, US President George W. Bush tried this funny on for size:

PRESIDENT BUSH: Madam President, it is a pleasure to welcome you back to the Oval Office. We have just had a very constructive dialogue. First, I want to tell you how proud I am to be the President of a nation that -- in which there's a lot of Philippine-Americans. They love America and they love their heritage. And I reminded the President that I am reminded of the great talent of the -- of our Philippine-Americans when I eat dinner at the White House. (Laughter.)

PRESIDENT ARROYO: Yes.

PRESIDENT BUSH: And the chef is a great person and a really good cook, by the way, Madam President.

PRESIDENT ARROYO: Thank you.

Yeah, George. And I get get all misty-eyed about Mexico whenever I see Jorge and Jesus mowing my lawn...

In a symbolic move that is meant to carry on the "people-powered" movement that has fueled millions of donations to Barack Obama's presidential campaign and helped down-ticket Dems via ActBlue and other fund-raisers, MoveOn.org's 527 group, MoveOn Voter Fund, will be shut down.

While the MoveOn.org PAC is an FEC registered political action group, such groups as these are limited to $5000 per year cap on individual contributions and cannot take corporate donations. The Voter Fund by contrast could take unregulated corporate donatons. While still active on paper, this 527 has actually been inactive for a couple of years.

From the letter sent to MoveOn members on Friday:

For almost ten years, we've worked together to change American politics. Millions of us have collaborated to build a new progressive moment, catalyzed by the Internet and motivated by our belief that the country we love deserves better.

Now, in Barack Obama, we have a Presidential candidate who has based his campaign on precisely that kind of new politics-a people-driven politics focused on the outside-of-the-beltway consensus around Iraq, climate change, and health care, not the gridlock in Washington.

(hat tip to Crooks and Liars)

Conservative radio talk show host Lars Larson had the unfortunate chance to go one-on-one with a cranky Newsweek columnist Jonathan Alter on MSNBC's The Verdict with Dan Abrams the other night. The topic of conversation was the difference between Michelle Obama's "For the first time in my life I'm proud of my country" and John McCain's "I didn't love America until I was deprived of her company."

Alter gets really cranky about 1:47 in...

And it fits like a glove...

Says Davis (via WaPo):

Fox has always treated me with respect and given me a chance to express my point of view. Does Fox have a conservative slant on some of their programs? Yes. They're giving me a chance to provide a counterpoint, and that's all I can ask.

Clinton über-supporter Lanny Davis will join Karl Rove, Brit Hume, Chris Wallace, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, Newt Gingrich and that god-awful After Hours thing. I suppose he'll be pushed as further proof of Fair and Balanced - a liberal! Or maybe not...

Video from TPM

Al finally gets off the pot...

Just when I thought it was going to be a slow campaign news day, I just heard a report on MSNBC that Al Gore will be endorsing Obama tonight, in person, at a rally in Detroit. The report also states that Gore will request contributors to his Web site, algore.com, so pitch in money as well as time to the Obama campaign.

Obviously, this endorsement would have been better months back, but it can never hurt to have it. I'm not a believer that any single endorsement from any one person can make a difference, but this sort of ties up some loose ends in the march toward party unity.

I'm sure you PUMA's will disagree.