My opinion – Senator Obama 6 to 1 Senator McCain

After years of hearing that if you don't support President Bush military policy, you don't support our troops, I have to wonder is another phony baloney statement from the White House. Today, a study by the Center for the Center Responsive Politics reported that members of the military are giving more donations to Senator Obama than Senator McCain, and when you just examine those troops who are deployed, Obama attracts more donations by a 6 to 1 factor. Our troops, of course, aren't much different than most Americans, who overwhelmingly oppose the Bush military policy that Senator McCain would continue; in fact the latest AP-Ipsos poll had 62 percent disapproving of the Bush policy. It's just that American troops have a lot more personal experience on this particular issue. We know that those who served believe Iraq is over-stretched, and for years that those who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan are against the current policy. Personally I don't think this has as much to do with Senators Obama and McCain as it does with continuing the current Bush course, or changing it. And our troops, who don't have a whole lot of money to give, are voting right now with their wallets. Mr. Chuckchuck

My opinion – Can General Wesley help Senator Obama?

Luckily, Senator Obama has General Wesley K. Clark, former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO and the military leader during the Kosovo conflict, as an unwavering supporter whose experience and leadership in Eastern Europe is familiar by European leaders and by the American people. General Clark should be actively engaged in devising the detailed policy recommendations that the Obama campaign must make now and continue to make in the future as the explosive situation on the ground in Georgia evolves. It is clear that the United States should not threaten the use of force in this conflict. In its place as Senator Obama has suggested, independent observers should be dispatched to ascertain the conditions on the ground in Georgia and the dissident regions and to seek a resolution of the conflict. General Clark identifies that in a 21st century Europe made transnational in pursuit of trade and commerce, the 19th century solutions to which Russia is prone have no place. Russia should, and can, enter the mainstream of a Europe held together more by economics than national identities. It is to that goal that American policy should be directed and not to the in your face attitudes and statements of the Bush administration and its supporters. Mr. Chuckchuck

In The News - US and Poland Reach Agreement on Anti-Missile Defense Deal

WARSAW, Poland — Poland and the United States struck a deal Thursday that will strengthen military ties and put an American missile interceptor base in Poland, a plan th Washington says the planned system, which is not yet operational, is needed to protect the U.S. and Europe from possible attacks by missile-armed "rogue states" like Iran. The Kremlin, however, feels it is aimed at Russia's missile force and warns it will worsen tensions. This deal has infuriated Moscow and sparked fears in Europe of a new arms race. U.S. officials also said the timing of the deal was not meant to antagonize Russian leaders at a time when relations already are strained over the recent fighting between Russia and Georgia over the South Ossetia region.

In The News - Union Launches Attack on Senator McCain’s Wealth

In a move that signals a major new effort to woo elderly voters to Senator Obama, the AFL-CIO is dropping a scorching new mailer in battleground states hammering John McCain on Social Security and directly referencing McCain's wealth, his corporate jet, and his expensive Italian shoes.

In The News - Senator McCain Alarms Base with Comment

Top social conservative leaders in key battleground states are urging Senator McCain not to pick a running mate who supports abortion rights, warning of dire consequences from a Republican base already unenthused about their nominee. McCain's comments Wednesday to the Weekly Standard's Stephen Hayes that former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge's pro-abortion rights views wouldn't necessarily rule him out quickly found their way into the in-boxes of Christian conservatives. For those who have been anxiously awaiting McCain's pick as a signal of his ideological intentions, there as deep concern that their worst fears about the Arizona senator may be realized.

In The News - Pelosi indicates openness to offshore drilling vote

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday night dropped her staunch opposition to a vote on offshore oil drilling in the House. Republicans, reacting to high gas prices, have demanded a vote on additional oil exploration in the Outer Continental Shelf, where drilling is currently blocked by a moratorium. Until now, Pelosi has resisted the idea as a “hoax.” But in an interview on CNN’s Larry King Live, she indicated that she was open to a vote.

And the best of all: In The News - Venezuela blames US for Georgia-Russia conflict

CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is accusing the United States of masterminding the current conflict between Georgia and Russia. A statement from Chavez's government alleges the conflict was "planned, prepared and ordered" by Washington in an "incitement of violence." It gives no evidence to support those claims. Venezuela is a close ally of Russia, which it says has acted to protect local residents from "unacceptable acts of violence" perpetrated by Georgian troops. Venezuela's statement Thursday saluted steps toward peace in South Ossetia, saying Russia's stance has been in line with international accords.

When it comes to politicians and sex, our expectations are not all that great. Certain men assume that power confers sexual privilege. And in American politics, there is an eternal disconnection between character and achievement. Sinners do good things, saints do bad things. John Edwards’s confession was a little bit breathtaking. He has an affair with Rielle Hunter, while he’s honing his speech on the imperative to “live in a moral, honest, just America.” A married former aide says he’s the father when she gets pregnant, even though she’s telling people Edwards is the dad. And one of his campaign donors pays off Hunter to get her resettled with the baby out of North Carolina. When The National Enquirer ran a story that Hunter was pregnant and named Edwards as the father, he denied that there had been any relationship. One of his campaign workers stepped up and took responsibility for the baby. But when the little girl was born, Hunter did not list any father on the birth certificate. Still, it’s odd the way some politicians spend millions getting their faces plastered everywhere and then think they can do something in secret. “Yeah, I didn’t think anyone would ever know about it, I didn’t,” Edwards said. In his statement, he bleats: “You cannot beat me up more than I have already beaten up myself. I have been stripped bare.” Isn’t stripping bare how the former senator got into this mess? Mr. Edwards your political career is toast. Mr. Chuckchuck

As I watch the events unfold in Georgia it reminds me so much watching the expired USSR tanks roll into Hungry, destroying buildings, and people fleeing for their lives.  While militarily a success, Russia’s invasion into Georgia to reassert its sphere of influence is political foolishness. There is no imaginable excuse for Russia’s assault on Georgia. After pounding both civilian and military targets with strategic bombers and missiles, Russian armored vehicles rolled into Georgia on Monday, raising fears of an all-out assault on the capital and Mr. Saakashvili’s democratically elected government. The Russian-Georgian conflict will probably pushed Georgia out of the Commonwealth of Independent States. The Baltic States, Poland and Ukraine, whose leaders have traveled to Georgia to their express solidarity will distance themselves further from a heavy-handed, oil-resurgent Russia. There can be no business as usual until Russian troops are out of Georgia, fighting has ended and all sides have agreed on a plan for calming the tensions in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. At a minimum, that means international mediation, more autonomy for both regions and the stationing of truly neutral international peacekeepers not Russian troops. Mr. Chuckchuck

In the News - In a Generation, Minorities May Be the U.S. Majority

Ethnic and racial minorities will comprise a majority of the nation’s population in a little more than a generation, according to new Census Bureau projections, a transformation that is occurring faster than anticipated just a few years ago. The census calculates that by 2042, Americans who identify themselves as Hispanic, black, Asian, American Indian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander will together outnumber non-Hispanic whites. Four years ago, officials had projected the shift would come in 2050.

In the News - G.O.P. in House at Risk in Northeast

WASHINGTON — Across the increasingly Democratic Northeast, Republicans are in danger of losing half a dozen or more Congressional seats in November, as even districts once considered safe have become vulnerable to well-financed Democrats, according to political analysts and members of both parties.

IN THE nEWS - Georgia crisis helps McCain for now

The crisis in the former Soviet republic of Georgia seems made to order for John McCain. It has allowed the likely Republican presidential nominee to show his foreign-policy chops and talk tough. Since last Friday, when Russia invaded its Caucasian neighbor, Senator McCain has spoken to his old friend "Misha" Saakashvili several times, pointedly referring to the Georgian president by his nickname. His Democratic opponent, Barack Obama, reacted initially by calling for restraint on both sides (echoing the White House) and then toughened his rhetoric in subsequent days. At this point, the dueling senators' positions on the matter are nearly identical: continue condemning the Russian aggression in no uncertain terms and question the future of Russian involvement in multilateral organizations such as the G-8 economic group and the World Trade Organization, which Russia aspires to join. For now, it's a winning issue for McCain. The Russian-Georgian conflict's impact on the presidential race could depend on whether it is a one-week story or a three-month story.

The Chinese women's gymnastics team won its first-ever Olympic gold medal on Wednesday. The United States claimed the silver, ahead of Romania.

I have no problem with Mr. Obama spending time with family, it just happens to be in Hawaii. Hawaii to one person may seem like paradise or some exotic destination but for another, it’s simply home. My $64 question is: Senator McCain is reported to own six houses. And Senator Obama goes to Europe – that makes him a elitist. Why would anyone think Senator Obama to be an elitist is mystery to me especially when compared to Senator McCain? Mr. Chuckchuck

If anyone examines the dynamics of Congressional work over the past one and a half years, they will not fail to note that nothing could be accomplished because the Republicans and Democrats were both intent on filibustering each
other. In November the nation must decide whether to hand over the reins of Congress to the Democrats or to the Republicans with veto-proof and filibuster-proof majorities. This way, we will know at the end of the day whether the party that controls Congress is doing its job or not. The current arrangement where neither party has enough majority to enact its pet legislation. As a young man I watched and heard JFK give a speech were he asked, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." If the Republicans or the Democrats win enough congressional and Senate seats in the upcoming elections, just maybe the country will have easier time for next few years. Mr. Chuckchuck