John McCain has resorted to doing “nyah-nyah” name-calling attacks on Barack Obama, likening him in a new campaign commercial to Britney Spears – classy stuff. Here’s the best response – a funny Slate voice-over parody of a teen’s anguished defense of Britney (remember this one?). Leave Barack alooooone!
Meanwhile, Obama is having to denounce and distance himself from a Ludacris song that, among other offensive lyrics, calls Hillary Clinton the B-word.
Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., and others in Congress are uncomfortable enough with the seven felony counts against Sen. Ted Stevens (in photo), R-Alaska, to return political contributions they got from Stevens. But columnist Margaret Carlson notes how differently Congress reacted to Stevens’ scandal and that of Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho: “A full ranking of congressional sins would put gay sex at the top (Craig and former Florida Rep. Mark Foley, both quickly abandoned); heterosexual sex next (bad but not fatal, with Republican Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana surviving his extensive dealings with the ‘D.C. Madam’); and way, way down, corruption. You can practically be caught with a bag of cash, as Rep. William Jefferson was (in his freezer) and continue serving.”
The Eagle editorial board met Wednesday with oil man T. Boone Pickens (there’s a video excerpt on kansas.com). He went over his plan for reducing the $700 billion the U.S. spends importing oil. He wants to use wind turbines to replace much of the electricity being produced by natural gas. He then wants to use natural gas to fuel trucks, thereby reducing our need for imported oil.
Pickens said that there is no personal business motive behind his effort. Rather, he believes that America has a huge energy problem that will only get worse unless we take bold action.
Many people are still mad at Pickens for helping finance the Swift Boat ads against John Kerry. And there are plenty of doubts about his plan, particularly using natural gas for trucks. But give him credit for drawing attention to the need for a national energy strategy and to drastically reduce our dependency on foreign oil.
John McCain has claimed in recent days that Barack Obama “would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign” and has run advertisements accusing Obama of being responsible for high gas prices. But in going negative so soon, McCain risks putting off the independent voters he needs to win. Still, Dan Schnur, who worked on McCain’s 2000 campaign, told the New York Times that the McCain camp seems to be responding to the primary fight between Obama and Hillary Clinton. “Obama is at his best when he talks from the mountaintop, and Clinton showed that the best hope for an opponent is to pull him back down to earth,” Schnur said. “McCain’s campaign quickly decided not to wait as long as she did.”
Topeka Capital-Journal columnist Ric Anderson is going to miss our own state Sen. Phil Journey, R-Haysville — calling him “an individual in a place with a lot of suits. He worked hard, was conscientious and became a go-to guy for reporters looking for a tasty quote. A gun-rights advocate, he stocked his apartment with handguns, a rifle and a shotgun when he stayed here during sessions. He delighted in saying he rubbed elbows with Charlton Heston and Ted Nugent during NRA events.” Journey is running to become a Sedgwick County District Court judge, a job that would position him far less well to serve reporters with quotes, tasty or otherwise.
Wonder how many Kansans know most or all of U.S. News & World Report’s “10 Things You Didn’t Know About Kathleen Sebelius.” Here’s one: “Kathleen attended all-girls schools all the way through college. She thrived in that environment, where, she has said, she ‘was never told, overtly or covertly, girls couldn’t do everything.’”
John McCain has resorted to doing “nyah-nyah” name-calling attacks on Barack Obama, likening him in a new campaign commercial to Britney Spears – classy stuff. Here’s the best response – a funny Slate voice-over parody of a teen’s anguished defense of Britney (remember this one?). Leave Barack alooooone!
