Yes, I think this is weird, but a lot of other things in organized religions seem odd to me.  What makes one kooky ritual different from another?  But, can you imagine what kind of firestorm this would be if this were Barack Obama in the video instead of Sarah Palin?
 

From WashingtonPost.com: McCain Wins Debate

Although the fate of tonight’s presidential debate in Mississippi remains very much up in the air, John McCain has apparently already won it — if you believe an Internet ad an astute reader spotted next to this piece in the online edition of the Wall Street Journal this morning.

Here’s the ad from the screenshot in the article.

I guess we can file this with “Mission Accomplished!”

You know, I was just thinking what other things McCain might have done already that we don’t know about…

From USNews.com: Sarah Palin: Out of Control Talking Point Machine or Political Magnetic Poetry?

Palin: That’s why I say I, like every American I’m speaking with, we’re ill about this position that we have been put in where it is the taxpayers looking to bail out. But ultimately what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the healthcare reform that is needed to help shore up our economy. Helping the–it’s got to be all about job creation too, shoring up our economy and putting it back on the right track. So health care reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions and tax relief for Americans and trade–we’ve got to see trade as opportunity, not as competitive, scary thing, but one in five jobs being created in the trade sector today–we’ve got to look at that as more opportunity.

It’s like a talking points machine gone out of control. Or magnetic poetry that you have on your fridge–in fact, you can try it at home. String together key words and phrases like “shore up the economy,” “reduce tax rates,” “healthcare reform,” and “trade” and see what kind of Palinisms you can create.

I think Palin needs something even simpler.  Maybe the McCain campaign can give her a custom Magic 8-ball that she can shake and read during her interviews.

From AskMen.com: Top 10: Outrageous Dubai Construction Projects

In science fiction movies, you often see what a city of the future might look like.  Well, don’t bother looking the United States.  Dubai is where all the action is at,

I was at my parents’ house yesterday and saw this old Cincinnati Enquirer covering the 2000 election.

For all of you who just “like” Palin and will vote McCain/Palin just because of her, just remember what these last 8 years have been like when we’ve voted for someone “likable”.  I would rather not have to say “I told you so” eight years from now.  Again.

From NYTimes.com: Fate of Bailout Plan Remains Uncertain

In the Roosevelt Room after the session, the Treasury secretary, Henry M. Paulson Jr. literally bent down on one knee as he pleaded with Nancy Pelosi, the House Speaker, not to “blow it up” by withdrawing her party’s support for the package over what Ms. Pelosi derided as a Republican betrayal.

“I didn’t know you were Catholic,” Ms. Pelosi said, a wry reference to Mr. Paulson’s kneeling, according to someone who observed the exchange. She went on: “It’s not me blowing this up, it’s the Republicans.”

Mr. Paulson sighed. “I know. I know.”

It’s sad how the Republicans are playing politics with this whole situation.  There were possibly other options besides a bailout, but those things would have to have been done months ago.  Now, we’re left with pretty few options, none of them pleasant.  If the Republicans hadn’t been claiming all the time that the “fundamentals of the economy were strong”, we might have developed a plan to help prevent foreclosures and the subsequent collapse of the real estate market.

We’re going to see some form of bailout whether we like it or not.  It’s either going to be a comprehensive plan or the government is going to end up propping up banks as the fail, one by one, like Washington Mutual yesterday.

“It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.”  —  Mark Twain

From Boingboing.net:Failin’ Palin. (UPDATED: As Putin rears his head.)

From YouTube via Daring Fireball

Amazing YouTube page of Wario Land: Shake It for the Wii.  This is such a great use of the web technology for advertising.

Palin-bot was interviewed by Katie Couric yesterday in this clip.  After a few minutes of the clip, I half expected her to start spewing smoke and start saying “error, error”, “does not compute”, or “I am not programmed to answer that question”. 

It’s painful to watch her as she strings together sentences that barely make sense and don’t remotely answer the question being asked.

“I’ll try to find you some, and I’ll bring them to ya”

To make Sarah Palin, the Palin-bot more understandable, I’ve drawn a simple logic tree that explains how she answers questions.

Here’s Palin-Bot 1.0(beta)