New Video of John McCain With Felon Fundraiser

NEVER-BEFORE RELEASED VIDEO (BELOW) OF McCAIN AND CONVICTED FELON FUNDRAISER DISCOVERED: "McCain - Do You Recognize Rothstein Now?" Posted on YouTube by JDforSenate (J.D. Hayworth) on July 1, 2010. Hayworth is running against McCain in Arizona's Republican primary election for U.S. Senate. The Tucson Citizen writes: Sen. John McCain is caught on tape at two Florida fundraisers hosted by a convicted felon – who will spend the rest of his life in prison for a Ponzi scheme that helped finance McCain’s 2008 Presidential campaign – who raised more money for McCain than anyone else – and who McCain now says he “can’t pick out of a lineup.” The Hayworth campaign wrote this on their YouTube site: Scott Rothstein was Sen. John McCain's #1 Fundraiser for his presidential campaign who used campaign finance loopholes to bundle more than $1.1 million dollars. As it turns out, most, if not all of that money, came from investors who Rothstein swindled out of billions of dollars in an elaborate Ponzi scheme, much like Bernie Madoff. Despite his close ties to Rothstein, Senator John McCain's spokesman said that McCain "couldn't pick [Rothstein] out of a line up." These never before seen home tapes tell a different story.

OBAMA WINS, MCCAIN CONCEDES

McCAIN CONCEDES, CONGRATULATES PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA (10:20 PM CST) GOD HELP US ALL.

MCCAIN GAINS ON OBAMA: ZOGBY

ZOGBY POLL SHOWS MCCAIN LEADS BY 48-47 Zogby also says, "Almost two days worth of the polling -- or about half of the current sample in the three-day rolling poll of likely voters nationwide, was conducted after Obama's 30-minute commercial aired Wednesday evening. There is no evidence it helped him, as he has dropped 1.1 points in the last two days, while McCain has gained 0.8 points during the same period." Hat tip to Drudge

Police Group Endorses McCain-Palin

The Fraternal Order of Police has given it's approval to the candidacy of John McCain and Sarah Palin. According to the FOP's web site, for "a candidate to receive the endorsement of the Fraternal Order of Police, he must receive a two-third majority of the National Board, which is made up of one Trustee from each of the organization's State Lodges." FOP's National President Chuck Canterbury said, "Senator John McCain is a proven leader with a clear record of support for the men and women who put their lives on the line—just as he did—to defend our communities and our nation," Canterbury said. "I am proud to offer the Senator our endorsement today and I look forward to working with the McCain Administration over the next four years." Watch the Video of FOP'S Endorsement Press Conference with John McCain Hat tip to Second City Sarge.

Video: Obama's Fannie Favors

The video's title: "Obama Ranks Second In Freddie/Fannie Contributions." The stink at the Obama Campaign just gets worse by the day. We're getting a whole new appreciation for the Culture of Corruption this year. John at Marathon Pundit served this up yesterday, and it's worth a repeat. John wrote: Barack Obama has been waving his righteous finger at John McCain and the Republican Party about the current economic mess--which can be traced to overzealous housing lenders.Here's the transcript from John Gibson's report this afternoon on the Fox News Channel:

McCain Popular in Vietnam

Bygones can be bygones, by golly. Senator John McCain, as you may have heard, was held as a POW in Vietnam for years at the infamous "Hanoi Hilton." He was tortured and to this day suffers the effects of that ordeal. He cannot, for example, raise his hands above his head and it is painful for him to attempt to type on a keyboard. Now, his former captors love him and would like to see him become the next president of the United States. "If I had a vote in the U.S., I would choose McCain," beams retired Col. Tran Trong Duyet, the camp's former commander. "I want him in the White House."

Wow. From former mortal enemies - either man would have killed the other in a field of combat in Vietnam - to political allies. This unlikely sentiment is widely shared in this fast-growing country of 85 million. "The majority of the people in Vietnam know Sen. McCain and feel comfortable about him," says Duong Trung Quoc, a member of Vietnam's National Assembly and secretary-general of the Association of Vietnamese Historians. "Nobody here knows about Obama." FULL STORY... RELATED: John McCain, Prisoner of War: A First-Person Account

Party Pooper: End of Partisan Politics?

Professor Alan Brinkley describes the decline of partisan politics and the rise of the independent voter. Brinkley presents both anecdotal and history evidence of millions of American voters abandoning the Republican and Democrat parties, and what he calls "the birth of a post-partisan world." Brinkley, writing in the Wall Street Journal, is the Allan Nevins professor of history and the provost at Columbia University, and after reading his Sept. 6th article you'll probably wish you could have had him as a professor. I offer that with a caveat, however, which I will explain at the end of this post. (Hint: Brinkley is an academic...) "Rarely has this post-partisan world," writes Brinkley, "been more visible than in the campaign of 2008. Sen. Obama has few ties to any party leaders or organizations and nevertheless edged out one of the most famous, well-connected and well-funded candidates of recent decades. For a time, at least, many supporters of Hillary Clinton appeared likely to vote for Sen. McCain." Actually, a significant number of Hillary supporters may still vote for McCain-Palin, a Sept. 9 poll shows the McCain ticket surging ahead of of Obama's with white female voters. "An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll..." writes Deborah Charles at Reuters, "showed ... [that] Before the Democratic National Convention in late August, Obama held an 8-point lead among white women voters, 50 percent to 42 percent, according to the Washington Post/ABC News poll. After the Republican convention in early September, McCain was ahead by 12 points among white women, 53 percent to 41 percent, that survey found. "In the Republican race," continues Brinkley, "the nominee is a man who has spent much of his career as a self-proclaimed maverick, crossing party lines on many issues. In 2004, he was so faintly identified with the Republican party that he was even considered as a possible Democratic vice presidential candidate; and in 2008 primaries, he nearly lost the race for the Republican nomination because conservatives in his own party did not trust him. Since clinching the nomination, he has been repudiating some of the Bush administration's policies and embracing ideas that were once taboo in the current Republican party. Not surprisingly, some of the most ardent Republican supporters of George W. Bush have claimed they will not vote for McCain in the same way that some Clinton voters say they will not vote for Obama -- although the selection of the extremely conservative Gov. Palin as McCain's running mate might change this dynamic." THE CAVEAT... This is all very interesting. However, polls are polls and they have been shown to be wrong often enough in the past that we should take them with a grain of salt. Even so, taking inaccuracies into account, well conducted polls can show us the general direction that a campaign is headed in, just as an inaccurate map can still get you to the correct city, even the right block, but misdirect you the exact address. Close enough for general purposes. Brinkley misses a number of points, some of which I will touch on. He claims that we are now in a post partisan world, where party politics matter less. He cites the near-abandonment of John McCain by his own Republican Party as evidence of this, but Brinkley does not understand that this came from a groundswell of Republican -and conservative GOP sympathizers - who did not favor McCain precisely because they viewed him as incompatible with the party's foundations and platforms. How Brinkley misses this simple and obvious fact is mysterious. Republicans in 2004 rejected McCain because they felt he would not serve the party well. In 2008, many Republicans rejected McCain for the same reason, but rallied to him recently because of his choice of Governor Sarah Palin. Palin is seen as good for the party, another glaring fact that Brinkley seems to see but not comprehend. Finally, one must wonder how accurate Brinkley is. He is, after all, living in the world of academia, where it is fashionable to proclaim oneself to be independent. I live in Rogers Park, Chicago, which has a population of about 60,000 within a two-square mile area. Here, there are 20,000 registered Democrats and a mere 250 registered Republicans. There is a high percentage of the local Democrats who can accurately be described as "very liberal," and this leads to many amusing reactions when one reveals himself to be conservative. They have trouble believing it initially. Surely you must be joking, their widened eyes silently scream. Rogers Park, like academia, is politically insulated and in no way representative of the norm of American society. Sure, there are many Democrats everywhere, but very few who are as liberal as those in Rogers Park. Here, liberal Democrats and "progressives" have marinated in their own delusion of being representative of the average American for so long that they have trouble believing that there are people "out there" who actually disagree with their world view. To return to Brinkley, then, his own marinade of academia has flavored his outlook. I say this with certainty. Although his WSJ article is excellent, he seems out of touch with mainstream America. He refers to Sarah Palin as "extremely conservative." She is certainly conservative, moreso, arguably, than Senator McCain. But "extremely?" (Would Brinkley call Barack Obama "extremely liberal?" How about Ted Kennedy or Hillary Clinton?) The use of the adjective "extremely" is a disturbing signal that Brinkley does not understand what conservatism is, let alone what is would take to be "extremely" so. In fact, Brinkley mentions Palin only twice in his WSJ piece. The other reference is to her "slashing, sarcastic acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention," which gives us one more signal of Brinkley's academia-tainted vision. What Brinkley misses is the fact that Palin is playing the heart strings not only of "extremely conservative" Republicans, but of mainstream and moderate Republicans as well - including John McCain. Brinkley notes that in 2004, McCain "was so faintly identified with the Republican party that he was even considered as a possible Democratic vice presidential candidate; and in 2008 primaries, he nearly lost the race for the Republican nomination because conservatives in his own party did not trust him." Okay, but this is the same John McCain who chose, as Brinkley describes her, "the extremely conservative" Sarah Palin as his running mate in 2008. There seems to be a disconnect inside of Brinkley's head. He sees the trees, examines them closely, but does not see the forest. If McCain and his advisers thought that Palin was truly an "extreme" conservative, they probably would not have chosen her. Rather, they recognized that Palin is more closely an orthodox conservative than is McCain. To be orthodox anything is not extremist. The choice of the phrase "extremely conservative," then, exposes Brinkley's otherwise informative article as having a bias, although it is probably unintentional. For him to describe Palin that way is as accurate as describing Brinkley as "extremely isolated." No, he's probably not "extremely" isolated, just isolated in an orthodox kinda way.

Palin Panic - and - Blago Defends Palin

Far be it for me to quote Illinois Gov. Blagojevich, but he makes a good point about McCain's VP running mate Sarah Palin. Blago says the Democrats make a mistake in dismissing Palin's experience as a governor. From today's Chicago Defender: CHICAGO - Gov. Rod Blagojevich backs Illinois' Barack Obama, but he said Thursday that it is a mistake for fellow Democrats to discount GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's experience as Alaska governor.The executive job of governor is like the presidency because the officeholder has to make decisions, Blagojevich said. Lawmakers do different things like "debate and...pass their bills back and forth," he said. MORE... Meanwhile, the Democrats' panic and confusion over how to deal with the Palin phenomenon has them distracted. "What this has done is to make the word 'change' as a campaign slogan meaningless," the New York Times columnist writes. "Mr. Obama will need to find another way to connect his ideas – clearly, crisply and passionately." DALLAS NEWS... RELATED: Dick Morris: Prepare for Sarah Palin versus Hillary Clinton in 2012 Palin charms American heartland CNN Commentary: The Sarah Palin smear-fest CNN Balance of Opinion: Now it's Palin Panic

Running Scared: Dems Freaked by Palin

I engaged in a guilty pleasure over the weekend. I listened to Air America, where the talk show hosts are generally childish and seem to believe that vapid mockery constitutes serious, informed fact-oriented discussion. This past weekend, they were even more vapid than usual. Rather than discuss the accomplishments of VP candidate Sarah Palin, mockery of her Alaskan accent and speculation about her pregnant daughter were the topics du jour. There was something more, however, a palpable feeling that oozed out of the radio: Fear. Fear and panic. Right now, the Democrats have nothing to fear but panic itself. Palin, love her or hate her, is undeniably a sensation with momentum. The Dems know this, and they are frightened because they know this: GOP activists report with relief that socially conservative voters who might have stayed home on Election Day say they will turn out now, while others say they will campaign more actively for the ticket. Among those coming out of the woodwork, activists say, are some who have not been active before, such as parents of special-needs children who feel a bond with Palin. The reaction was slower for less-religious Republicans, including ones with military backgrounds who wondered about Palin's qualifications, but after her tough convention speech, many of them are also energized. [Source] The polls bear this out, too. The Los Angeles Times writes today about McCain's lead over Obama, thanks to the "Sarah Bounce." The poll, based on interviews done Friday through Sunday and conducted in conjunction with USA Today, finds that among all registered voters, the McCain ticket now leads Obama's, 50% to 46%. That's an 8-percentage-point turnabout in a matter of a few weeks; in a comparable survey taken Aug. 21 through Aug. 23, Obama led among registered voters, 47% to 43%. [Source] They are scared. They're soiling their pants, just as Adam McKay is in his post "We're Gonna Frickin' Lose this Thing" on the Huffington Post today. Poll after poll after poll shows McCain leading Obama. From the Phoenix Business Journal today: A Zogby International poll gives McCain a 50 percent to 46 percent edge over Obama. The poll, taken Sept. 5 and 6, interviewed more than 2,000 adults. A Gallup tracking poll of 2,700 voters now gives McCain a 48 percent to 45 percent lead. That poll was taken over the weekend. A USA Today poll done in conjunction with Gallup also gives McCain the lead with 54 percent of the vote compared with 44 percent for Obama. That poll surveyed 1,000 likely voters this weekend. [Source] The reaction in polling must have spurred a few frantic conference calls between Democratic strategists within the past 72 hours. They undoubtedly discussed how Obama's VP pick Joe Biden can be prepped for the inevitable showdown between him and Palin. They probably also wondered why so many people dislike Biden. Overall, 36% of voters now rate McCain's selection of Palin as "excellent,” which is higher than was measured in reaction to Obama's selection of Joe Biden. Conversely, the percent of voters who rated McCain's selection of Palin as "poor" was 24% and according to Gallup that is also a high number. [Source] Of course, polls are not infallible and are often proven to be an inaccurate measure of how voters around the country really feel. Even a poll that gets it right today may be obsolete next week, as voters change their minds based on conversations with friends and family, news events, and other factors. Gawker.com, for example, tells us that we should "Stop Obsessing Over Polls." There is some validity to that argument. Nevertheless, polls are the best measure available to us, imperfect or not, and polls drive the tactics of the strategists. Ultimately, the only poll that really matters will be taken on Election Day in November. RELATED: Gallup Poll: McCain 50%, Obama 46% MSNBC Ousts Olbermann, Matthews as Anchors of Political Events

McCain Son Worked for Failed Nevada Bank

Yipes! Andrew McCain is involved in a bank failure. He is the adopted son of presidential candidate Senator John McCain (R-AZ), and he resigned from the board of directors of Henderson, Nevada-based Silver State Bank, which has just gone belly up. (Will this bring back memories of the Keating Five?) So far, I've seen no reports linking Andrew McCain to any wrongdoing. That remains an open question, just as it's still to early to determine the guilt of "a son and a brother of Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.) [who] are accused in two lawsuits of defrauding a former business partner and an investor of millions of dollars in a hedge fund deal that went sour, court records show." (More on Huner Biden below.) Andrew McCain....joined Silver State's board in February but resigned for unspecified personal reasons in late July.... State and federal bank regulators late Friday announced the seizure and sale of Henderson-based Silver State Bank, which bet its future on Las Vegas real estate values and lost. The bank had $1.7 billion in deposits. Nevada State Bank is taking over the deposits insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., leaving only $20 million in uninsured deposits, which may not be wholly recovered. FULL STORY... RELATED: Joe Biden's Son, Brother Involved In Hedge-Fund Scandal Biden’s son consulted for credit company Biden defended in Senate Business dealings of Biden family could be problematic for him Obama Aides Defend Bank’s Pay to Biden Son Obama, Biden's Son Linked by Earmarks Hunter Biden's Baby?

Sarah Palin's Daughter Is Preggers

Hey, now! How the heck did THAT happen? Bristol Palin, 17 year old daughter of John McCain's running mate Sarah Palin, has revealed that her daughter is in a family way. Now, mind you, it is unlikely that Gov. Palin had anything to do with the conception. Very doubtful. So, really, this is not a skeleton in a closet because it's an open secret. Wait, wait, it's not a secret. See? It will be fun to see all the Murphy Brown types belittle a young woman for getting pregnant out of wedlock, and for two reasons. First, because it would be hypocritical for that crowd to criticize a pregnancy made out of wedlock. This, of course, will delight the critics. (BTW, it is not hypocritical for me to defend Bristol. See, I don't mean to brag, but.... I, too, have had sex out of wedlock. Whew, there, it's out in the open. I feel better.) Second, because the Palins say that daughter Bristol plans to marry the "young man" who is the father of her child. That negates the Murphy Brown angle. This, of course, will confuse the critics, many of whom see marriage as a bad institution that should be destroyed but know that they can't yet openly attack it. (Say, wouldn't a Rose Garden wedding be lovely?) I mean, it's not like the pregnant Palin daugher committed a crime. You know, it's not like Joe Biden's Son, Brother Involved In Hedge-Fund Scandal or like Al Gore's Son Arrested Again on Drug Charges. It's not even like Ted Kennedy's son crashes in police chase, you know? This should make Democrats very happy. ("But, Tom, why will that make them happy?" you ask.) Because they know that Gov. Palin will soon become a grandmother. That's a beautiful thing. Democrats, with their professed recently-raised standards of "family values," will welcome another baby into the world. They will see this as a beautiful addition to a beautiful family. It's beautiful. I'm getting misty eyed. There are other reasons, of course. Traditionally, Democrats have been against abstinence-only sex education. So, it should please many Democrats to know that Gov. Palin's daughter, uhm, did not abstain, just as hundreds of millions of other young women have not, since the beginning of time. The fact that Bristol Palin plans to have the baby - and not pay a doctor to murder it - will engrage some on the Left. But then, those folks enjoy being enraged. So really, everybody wins.

McCain Buggin' Da F%^k Outa Diddy

Diddy Blog #16 - "John McCain Is Buggin The F%^k Out'"! WARNING: Foul rapperese. (I can't decide if this supposed to help Obama or McCain.)

SARAH! SARAH! SARAH!

McCain's VP pick: Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska. I defer to colleague Anne Leary at Backyard Conservative (who would also be a fine Vice President). SEE "IT'S SARAH!

MCCAIN PICKS WOMAN FOR VP

10:50 am, CDT - Republican John McCain will officially announce this momentarily.

MCCAIN PICKS WOMAN FOR VP - Marathon Pundit's got it.

(Darn it John, that's my headline!)

Biden on Obama's Experience

What does Obama's running mate Joe Biden think of Obama's experience and his readiness to become our Commander in Chief? How does Biden feel about McCain?

UPDATED: MCCAIN HAS A RUNNING MATE....

UPDATE FROM POLITICO: MCCAIN HAS DECIDED ON HIS RUNNING MATE; 11 AM FRIDAY...PERSON WILL BE NOTIFIED TOMORROW [THURSDAY]...

OBAMA: NO BOUNCE, NO GAIN

They MUST be FREAKING OUT over this. The LATEST GALLUP POLL (AUG. 26) shows that Obama has gotten ZERO BOUNCE from the Biden selection for VP running mate. In a release from Gallup TODAY, they tell us "McCain creeps ahead, 46% to 44%." PRINCETON, NJ -- It's official: Barack Obama has received no bounce in voter support out of his selection of Sen. Joe Biden to be his vice presidential running mate. Gallup Poll Daily tracking from Aug. 23-25, the first three-day period falling entirely after Obama's Saturday morning vice presidential announcement, shows 46% of national registered voters backing John McCain and 44% supporting Obama, not appreciably different from the previous week's standing for both candidates. This is the first time since Obama clinched the nomination in early June, though, that McCain has held any kind of advantage over Obama in Gallup Poll Daily tracking. FULL STORY at GALLUP DAILY...

Oh Brothers: Hillary and Obama

Two items: Writer and friend Carol Felsenthal uncovers juice about Hillary Clinton brothers. Also, the latest on Obama's shack-dwelling brother. Hillary's late father has Scranton roots and the Rodhams vacationed there when the children were growing up. During her battle for the nomination, Hillary kept her controversial, disaster-prone brothers, Tony and Hugh, under the thickest of covers. FULL STORY at Huffington Post... Speaking of Hillary's brothers, you gotta read Hillary Clinton brother 'in meeting to support John McCain' from Telegraph.co.uk. As Barack Obama prepares to announce his choice of Vice President and running-mate, Vanity Fair says it has found Obama's half-brother in a Kenyan shantytown. MORE at Streem... Meanwhile, Kim Priestap writes: With Obama's "hate John McCain because he's rich" ad, he's insinuating that owning a number of houses - in realty, the McCains own a variety of investment properties, which accounts for John McCain's not being able to give precise number - is somehow a character flaw. I couldn't disagree more. I would argue this is a character flaw: allowing your brother to whither away in a hut in Nairobi, Kenya, while you're living the good life in America. FULL POST at Wizbang...

George Will: Russia Could Help McCain

Washington Post columnist George Will suggests that John McCain play up the recent Russian brutality in Georgia - and the implied threat of more to come - as a means of winning the election. John McCain's hope to pull ahead of Barack Obama rests on his ability to recast this election, focusing it on who should lead America in a world suddenly darkened by Russia's war of European conquest. FULL POST... McCain should be careful how he takes Will's advice, however. Remember, Barack Obama doesn't look anything like Vladimir Putin, or anybody else on the Russian currency, so McCain's references to Putin should be vague so as not to appear racist. George Will refered to "a world suddenly darkened," and that could be offensive as well. I agree that McCain should play up the threat posed by the Russian phoenix, but McCain's advisors should be aware that such a strategy would only invite charges of racism by the hyper-sensitive Team Obama. Another thing: That part about "Russia's war of European conquest" is soooo Euro-centric. That could be seen as racist, too. "Conquest?" That would offend the Hispanic voters, no?

Felsenthal: Clinton Update, McCain Veep Choice

Who will McCain's VP choice be, and where is Bill Clinton? Acclaimed author/journalist Carol Felsenthal gives us a hint. She also updates us on the Clintons, and expertly packs a lot more into a compact post on the Huffington Post: ON JOHN MCCAIN: ....John McCain is reportedly looking seriously at Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska, and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina... ON BILL CLINTON: Bill Clinton is in Africa working on his HIV/AIDS initiatives. ON HILLARY CLINTON: Hillary's delegates could embarrass Obama by ignoring what she says and voting for Hillary. Also: Perhaps most revealing of how little Hillary, in the end, reaped form the brutal campaign which cost her and Bill $12 million -- more than Bill made in speeches last year. If you're not reading Carol Felsenthal's posts, you're not getting a balanced daily diet of information. She's good. Book mark her. Carol Felsenthal lives in Chicago. She writes in-depth magazine articles about political and media figures and has also written several biographies, including books on Katharine Graham and Alice Roosevelt Longworth. Her recent book about Bill Clinton’s post presidency, Clinton in Exile: A President Out of the White House, was published by William Morrow/HarperCollins in May 2008.