In the early 1990s,

I was a child. I was sneaking MTV and reading Seventeen magazine. John McCain was in the House making bad decisions.

How can you claim to be a maverick when you've been in the process almost as long as I've been alive? I cannot name one single thing you've done except for take a whole lot of junkets (no wonder you haven't been around in the Senate!).

Foreign policy is your favorite subject - I get that. I wish more time had been spent on the current crisis. More time spent on explanations from McCain about his inability as Chairman of the Commerce Committee to even catch a whiff of where we are today. Claiming responsibility for the creation of the Blackberry is not enough.

Turn up your hearing aid, John. Get in the program.

Great point...

We can't assume to solve the problem without talking first.
The fading administration has made diplomacy a dirty word. We learn in preschool to talk things out before hitting. The kids that hit first usually have to sit in time out.

I'm home alone tonight. Kramps is keeping safe 400 miles away.

10 blade please.

Man, sums up the whole shebang - "scalpel v. hatchet"

*flips through passport* 10:03

So, yeah - McCain has been to a lot of countries. Sounds like he'd make a great Secretary of State (maybe if he'd won Miss Congeniality - shucks!).

However, I don't think GW traveled to all those places, nor did George H or Clinton or Reagan. And they've been able to muddle through. I'm sorry, but your travel does not make up for your vp's lack thereof.

It's not about being able to send the postcard John, it's about what you do with the information. And, I'm sorry - I just don't trust you.

What are the lessons of the Iraq War?

Why is John McCain talking all soft? Is he telling me a war bedtime story?

If Iraqis are so excited and love us so much -- why don't they start paying us back?

The Gland?

Anyone think John got some sort of botox on that creepy right swollen gland?

Soooo CUTE!

First of all, I love Google Reader. Thank you jcristg for introducing me -- because let me tell you, my life is so much easier with this handy, dandy little gift from google. For instance, early this morning, I found out that Whoorl was lauding La Plates.

They are sooooo cute! Monogrammed melamine plates. Seriously. (The only thing that comes close are monogrammed flip flops with the palmetto middle from elizab.com) And y'all - the palm tree plate featured here is actually a real palmetto tree. I was just reading yesterday about turning a tailgate "green" by ending the disposable habit and bringing real stuff - not throwaway stuff. I'm not exactly sure I'd want to, as both saving dishes after a game and cleaning them out of the cooler the next day usually do not make the top of my to do list.

Whoorl is actually doing some sort of giveaway if you leave a comment cooing about the plates (which of course I did). Go - you'll like her.

CK2

Example of our debate watching party.
Courtesy of The State.

Fired Up.

McCain needs a weekend off apparently. Ugh, it just disgusts me -
1) Panders to us with his Dan-Quayle-in-a-dress veep choice.
2) Panders to us with his message of reform.
3) Offers his only example of regulation while CHAIR of the Commerce Committee a warning to Freddie & Fannie two years ago.

GIVE ME A BREAK.
In the meantime, I am just giddy at how this will play to undecided voters. Part of me is a little afraid that some will find this move an example of the maverick he claims to be. But, I really believe that voters everywhere will be scratching their heads.

-- What, you can't handle two things at once John McCain? Maybe we can get you a Jitterbug that does email. And a life coach to help you multi-task.
-- You haven't voted since April John McCain, but now you realize the crisis that has been building and boiling needs your attention?
-- I'm sorry, but aren't you the candidate that couldn't remember how many houses you own? So I guess now you're starting to worry about the mortgage crisis x 13, huh?
-- Buying more time for your veep to prepare, huh? So totally junior high.

Instead, my candidate of choice wants to move forward - show the American people what most pundits would claim to be his greatest weakness, a live debate. Barack Obama is giving his ideas to the American people, not taking a weekend off. Barack Obama knows how many folks are struggling - and we're not even talking about dire need of choosing between medication and groceries. He knows the current financial crisis is hitting Main Street and Monroe Street and Huger Street. He's not taking a weekend off to go work with the president that helped to get us into this mess.

This is going to get harder before it gets easier. To quote another great American President, "We've got serious problems, and we need serious people, and if you want to talk about honor, John, you'd better come at me with more than a lapel pin and a turban. If you want to talk about character and American values, fine. Just tell me where and when, and I'll show up. This is a time for serious people, John, and your fifteen minutes are up. You're obviously taking the weekend off."*

*So I obviously changed up the words.

Forget JMK or CGK -

I'm embarrassed to admit that I spent far too long planning the names of my future babies.
You should play too : Sarah Palin name generator.

Apparently, if I was born to Sarah Palin, not only would I know how to manage a foreign policy crisis with Russia, I would also be named Muzzle Mammoth Palin.

Enjoy!

Oxford! Oxford! Oxford!

I'm appreciative of my friends for offering a text of "GAME!" so that I could echo "COCKS!" before a Carolina game. It's about as close as I've come to a game in two seasons and my fervor to yell COCKS overcomes the bittersweet feeling of being far from home. And by home, I mean a proper SEC match-up.

So, since I owe the most fabulous girl in the world an egg plate, a Carolina flag and a visit... I'm driving to Oxford next weekend! I was originally going to fly, but apparently "Tom" at Expedia didn't quite catch the whole booking part. I hate him. I wish I knew his real name, it was NOT Tom.

Anyhoo -- now I get to trek up there and bring stuff - including a cooler of tailgate goodies. So, now I not only get to pick out some things to make... But, I also have got to get on the ball about what I am going to wear! The pseudo-skirt from Lands End will not cut it. This is cute girl territory and my garnet and black needs to be appropriate, lovely and cute.

Ahhhh, I love it! I went to school in Oxford for a little while and I swear - those girls knew how to pull it out. (Once, at an afternoon game - I saw a girl in sequins. They do not play around). I often joke that the shopping on the square beats out Tally shopping any day of the week. I want to go to City Grocery and eat cheese grits at Ajax and buy a book at Square Books. Of course, time might be a little tight since I'm only there for a weekend -- but I am so stoked.

Further emphasis

I just so love the below post (Maureen Dowd) -- I wanted to offer a little more for emphasis:

You were raised by a single mother on food stamps — where does a guy with eight houses who was legacied into Annapolis get off calling you an elitist? And by the way, if you do nothing else, take that word back. Elite is a good word, it means well above average. I’d ask them what their problem is with excellence.

Emphasis added, duh. I'm so sick of Republicans owning the things I hold dear: hard work, religion, self-sacrifice, honor and family. Yesterday at our tailgate I was asked why I bothered working - earning money only to give it away. The brilliant young men who sit in travel chairs, swigging their coors light or drinking from a solo cup have this idea that being a Democrat means that I'm some bleeding heart. I don't plan to die from a pulmonary edema and I'm not living with one either.

This election - like every election in my mind - is important for a slew of women's issues I hold dear. But, it's also crucial to right the whole Reagan experiment of trickle down bullshit. I need more than a trickle. And so do my neighbors - and the people on the south side of town - and the people in the northeast. And the good, hard working Americans that live in every state - east and west, north and south.

Good God. Give me a break. I watch Army Wives. And I want to get past a candidate who claims foreign policy experience because of her distance from Russia. (Still surprised Charlie Crist didn't try that one with Cuba). And I want to get past a man who can only define honor by something he did thirty years ago. I want quality health care so that I feel confident bringing children into this world. I want food that's safe. I want police, firefighters and other workers who ensure my well being to be compensated fairly. I want teachers to be valued as the pillars of a community. I want to travel without threat. I want the America I believe in. I want parents to be able to work one job to support their families. I want milk to be affordable. I believe the bigger question is, what about that do you not agree with?

I hear it in my sleep.

It's no hidden secret that I am a HUGE fan of the West Wing. I love it. The theme song used to be my cell phone ring tone (no I'm not embarrassed). I cried when Leo died both in real life and on election night. Monday nights were sacred because I could watch three episodes back-to-back on Bravo. I imagined myself running away Josh Lyman. I have on more than one occasion wished I could be Claudia Jane pre-Chief of Staff.

So, on Friday - when I saw that there was an eight hour marathon on Bravo - I totally played hookie. I don't think K. knew how much I loved it, and upon finding out mocked me as a "political whore." What ev. I love government and by that I mean the sacrifice, the time, the diligence. Smart people making decisions that echo on Main Street. It is amazing. It's tough work. I am thankful.

And, I won't lie, I think and talk fast and appreciate one-hour dramas with good dialogue. Gilmore Girls no, West Wing yes.

So, this offering from Maureen Dowd is fantastic (link here). What would President Bartlett say to Senator Obama? She shuts it down. (Yes, I also love Rachel Zoe - deal).

BARTLET Because the idea of American exceptionalism doesn’t extend to Americans being exceptional. If you excelled academically and are able to casually use 690 SAT words then you might as well have the press shoot video of you giving the finger to the Statue of Liberty while the Dixie Chicks sing the University of the Taliban fight song. The people who want English to be the official language of the United States are uncomfortable with their leaders being fluent in it.

...

BARTLET Well ... let me think. ...We went to war against the wrong country, Osama bin Laden just celebrated his seventh anniversary of not being caught either dead or alive, my family’s less safe than it was eight years ago, we’ve lost trillions of dollars, millions of jobs, thousands of lives and we lost an entire city due to bad weather. So, you know ... I’m a little angry.

OBAMA What would you do?

BARTLET GET ANGRIER! Call them liars, because that’s what they are. Sarah Palin didn’t say “thanks but no thanks” to the Bridge to Nowhere. She just said “Thanks.” You were raised by a single mother on food stamps — where does a guy with eight houses who was legacied into Annapolis get off calling you an elitist? And by the way, if you do nothing else, take that word back. Elite is a good word, it means well above average. I’d ask them what their problem is with excellence. While you’re at it, I want the word “patriot” back. McCain can say that the transcendent issue of our time is the spread of Islamic fanaticism or he can choose a running mate who doesn’t know the Bush doctrine from the Monroe Doctrine, but he can’t do both at the same time and call it patriotic. They have to lie — the truth isn’t their friend right now. Get angry. Mock them mercilessly; they’ve earned it. McCain decried agents of intolerance, then chose a running mate who had to ask if she was allowed to ban books from a public library. It’s not bad enough she thinks the planet Earth was created in six days 6,000 years ago complete with a man, a woman and a talking snake, she wants schools to teach the rest of our kids to deny geology, anthropology, archaeology and common sense too? It’s not bad enough she’s forcing her own daughter into a loveless marriage to a teenage hood, she wants the rest of us to guide our daughters in that direction too? It’s not enough that a woman shouldn’t have the right to choose, it should be the law of the land that she has to carry and deliver her rapist’s baby too? I don’t know whether or not Governor Palin has the tenacity of a pit bull, but I know for sure she’s got the qualifications of one. And you’re worried about seeming angry? You could eat their lunch, make them cry and tell their mamas about it and God himself would call it restrained. There are times when you are simply required to be impolite. There are times when condescension is called for!

...

BARTLET No. You’re elite, you can do both. Four weeks ago you had the best week of your campaign, followed — granted, inexplicably — by the worst week of your campaign. And you’re still in a statistical dead heat. You’re a 47-year-old black man with a foreign-sounding name who went to Harvard and thinks devotion to your country and lapel pins aren’t the same thing and you’re in a statistical tie with a war hero and a Cinemax heroine. To these aged eyes, Senator, that’s what progress looks like. You guys got four debates. Get out of my house and go back to work.

OBAMA Wait, what is it you always used to say? When you hit a bump on the show and your people were down and frustrated? You’d give them a pep talk and then you’d always end it with something. What was it ...?

BARTLET “Break’s over.”

Cue music.

Hurricanes.

I'm home tonight - not doing much but thinking about football, what I'm planning on wearing tomorrow and if I can put boiled peanuts in a plastic baggie when they're still hot.

Flipping through channels I see early reports about Hurricane Ike. Beyond the whole gas crisis that silly motorists have gotten themselves in, Ike looks bad. It looks really bad. I was thinking about hurricanes. Before 2004, the only big storms I remember were Hugo and the would-be hurricane Floyd. I don't really remember the impact that nature's worst wreaked. Andrew in Homestead, Florida? Sure, maybe. There was a year in college we had a hurricane/big storm in December. I sort of remember that.

But until 2004, when Hurricane Charley hit my grandmother's home in Punta Gorda, Florida - I didn't know what they could do. After seeing the damage and destruction, I get it. Now, living closer to the coast than I ever have, I have a mini-hurricane preparedness kit. Tunafish, a couple of jugs of water, extra batteries. I watch storm paths; I study wind forecasts. I get worried.

I wonder if politics is like that. I'm really invested in this election. I'm watching to see if it's going to hit my town. If the sketchy economy, energy crisis or foreign policy debacle isn't arriving squarely on my front door, it's hitting my family, friends and neighbors. And, truth be told - it not only arrived on my front door, it's sleeping in my guest room.

The issues facing my family might not be the exact same as my neighbor (considering he has a tricked out porsche, probably not). But we're all looking for a better America, we're all looking for someone who's going to prepare us for the storm and have a plan of action to rebuild. And I want my president to know what email is - to be able and willing to READ email, even if he can't type.

Comfort.

It's Thursday night in my lovely, pre-war home. It's September 11th in my lovely, pre-war home. And this morning, I made sure to watch the beginning of the memorial service. I saw the blue covered benches at the Pentagon. I paused, remembered where I was seven years ago. And then I went about my day.

Watching a recount on the History Channel tonight, I realized how uncomfortable I am watching the footage from that day. I remember that day - remember going to Dr. Edgar's history class, sitting in front of the Humanities building, curling on the chair in my apartment. I remember the weeks after. As a nation we searched for understanding, comprehension. And then I've lived the last seven years as a President tried his level best to understand the rules to a world that had changed on his watch.

The world has changed. I will be eighty years old and still feel uncomfortable watching and hearing the stories of that day. The families, the first responders, the city. I will be [insert emotion here*] when I watch the dust, the rubble, the posters of lost family members. *Numb, scared, grateful.

I do not want my children to ever see anything like this. Let that be our prayer and refrain.

Lemongrass.

Do y'all have any lemongrass cocktail recipes? I'm working on Tailgate for this weekend... I'm making barbecue (easy peasy!) and maybe something else. But I'm working on the cocktail too.

Here's the catch - the cocktail needs to have an alcoholic and non-alcoholic option. I was thinking of mixing pomagranate juice and something fizzy, voila a refreshing beverage. Add a little something stronger and it becomes a cocktail.

Any ideas? Oh, ps... I'm totally starting a tailgate blog: pigcandy and pearls. Let me know what you think.

On a more positive note.

K. asked me why I was a Democrat. And I realized the reasons I call myself a Democrat have nothing to do with Sarah Palin's inexperience or John McCain's undefinable honor. I feel like a kid who's had too much Halloween candy...

I want a better America and I believe the way to get it has to do with ending poverty. Yes, the poor will always be with us, but that doesn't mean I give up without trying. Have you seen the mission of the Matthew 25 Network? It's a group of folks who believe that there's something missing in today's rhetoric... Action.

I'm a Democrat because I believe that achievement should be experienced by many, not a select few. I think men should earn as much as women, and vice versa. I believe that my health choices should be my own. I believe that my taxes pay for essential services for me and my community.

If the media is talking about a meltdown, we need to show them the resilience and strength in every man and woman that make up the Democratic Party - that make up America. We don't cower because we made a mistake; we move forward. There's waaaaay too much on the line here people. Man up. Woman up. Democrat up.

Danger Will Robinson! Danger!

From Judy Blume:

"I don't know about you, but I'm making my decisions based on the issues. There are no "do overs" here. We have to choose a leader whose judgment we respect. One who doesn't make important decisions based on gut feelings. That's why I want the calm, thoughtful, intelligent, knowledgeable candidate who will surround himself with the best and the brightest. That's why I'm supporting Barack Obama.

 What I don't need is some sarcastic hockey mom who describes herself as a pit bull, who flaunts her pregnant teenager and her new special needs infant, a heartbeat away from the presidency."

Loved that. (Thanks Laurin!). What's that deal - NoMoBlo? whatever? Essentially, bloggers are asked to blog/post content everyday. I believe it's only for a certain month. Whatever. It's 59 days till the election. I'm going to do my own version. I bet bloggers (and those smart people who read them) have a higher voter turnout.

Let's do it!

Wrapping my head around it.

Dear Mr. McCain:

Congratulations! I know you were having a tough time motivating your base. Ha! Just writing that seems silly considering the attention you've been getting with your VP choice. Good job! Now Republican women can feel empowered and your base has a gun-totin', all-but-fetish heels wearing, supermom. Yeah!

The only problem, John, is that she's not ready for the position. I didn't think it was the smartest thing to talk about how the veep would be a heartbeat away from the presidency, y'know - considering the whole skin cancer x 4 history. But you brought it up - fair game in my book.

You look horrified that we (and I by that I mean anyone other than those that support you) have dared to ask some questions about her background. Or her opinions. Now, as a woman I take that sort of personally... 1) Is Ms. Palin not allowed to have opinions? 2) Am I not allowed to ask questions?

Thanks for sending her to Charles Gibson - man, that is some hard hitting news. I can't wait. Now, is she going to sit down with all the rest? C'mon John... America just wants to know. We want to know about an education in Idaho, about the Bridge to Nowhere and why the city of Wasilla has a lot more furniture now.

You probably know I wasn't going to vote for you - Palin or no Palin. But John, you and your campaign have got to stop the whole indignation act. We're asking questions; we're not going to stop. It has nothing to do with the fact that your veep is a woman, a mom or an Alaskan. Except that it DOES. We want to know all of those things and how it makes her who she is. Duh! In the age of Facebook and Google - we know about everyone in our circle (and usually keep up with them - constantly).

Oh, and to everyone who tries to make this candidate all about moose stew and hockey... I could care less whether she makes her own oatmeal cookies or wears peep toe stacked heels (as much as I like to critique it). I want to know where she stands on the ERA, social security and Iran. I want to know what she means by energy independence. I don't want buzzwords - I want positions. And gosh, John, I want the mainstream media to write about that too. Duh, I'm a modern, American woman: I want it all.

Between you and me, I know that this was spectacle. Smart political showmanship. But give the American people a break. Let her go - let the barracuda loose. You're strong enough, right?

Surrounded by Republicans

Okay, okay - I know I'm poking fun at Ms. Palin. It's just so easy.
If Andy Cohen from BravoTV can do it (link here)...

Why did McCain pass over Lynn Spears for Vice President?!?!?

She is the proud mother of an adorable teenage baby mama, an author, she knows as much about the job description of VP as most Moms in Alaska, and she has frosty tips!

I am rankled when someone like Lynn Spears clearly meets Senator McCain's qualifications and is summarily passed over. I just don't get it.

Actually I think both belong more in the Big Brother House than the White House. And I am sorry to blast about politics; I know that no one gives a crap what I think about actual news, but I am so bemused and confused about what's going on that I am more obsessed with this than anything else. And I'm pissed that Bush and Cheney are skipping the convention.

I'm jealous. I wish I could skip out on this joke of a rally. They're all white. Have you watched this? They're all white. Or pale - I guess I should say pale.

Ha!

You can't talk of the dangers of snake poisoning,

and not mention snakes. - C. Everett Koop

Point positive that abstinence-only education doesn't work: Bristol Palin.

Three good articles from this morning:
Salon.com: Obama's handling of the situation
Philly Daily News: Bristol ain't lucky
Baltimore Sun: She's not Hillary

*The legacy of Geraldine Ferraro was supposed to be that no one would ever go on a blind date with history again. - Maureen Dowd, 8/31/08