While we're on the topic of politicians saying something MONUMENTALLY STUPID, Oklahoma legislator's anti-gay comments stir hostile reaction.

Republican state Representative Sally Kern says she's been getting death threats since telling a political group that - quote - "the homosexual agenda is just destroying this nation."

There's more and there's a youtube video. I'll let you look for yourself as Youtube is so clogged with responses I couldn't find the original (in the 30 seconds that my limited attention span let me have). I realize that politicians are only people, but if I said something like that, THREE TIMES, not only would I lose my job I wouldn't be given the opportunity (which she refuses) to make ammends.

Then she has the gall to bring God into this. Now I know the Christian stance on homosexuality and I don't disagree with it, but the notion that having a stance that you are a better person than someone else because of your sexuality, is not Christian. And even if it were she has no business spouting that kind of garbage all over the airwaves as part of her platform. She can say what she likes as a private citizen of course and I hope that soon that will be the only opportunity she has.

Oh and for the record Ma'am, saying that you were talking about a group's agenda and not individuals, makes it worse not better.

It's interesting that Hannity asked McCain about Rev. Wright/Obama and not about McCain's relationship with John Hagee. I recognize that Hagee isn't McCain's pastor, but I have yet to see McCain disavow the kooky right wing pastor's support. Just to be clear, I don't care about either religious man. It's about what McCain/Obama say not about what these "men of God" say. Just like to be "fair and balanced" is all.

Addition by Patrick:

Following along the lines here, I'm concerned about the lack of investigation into McCain's relationship with the "ubercon" Rev. Rod Parsley, whose rantings are well-documented in Mother Jones' article mentioned by Olbermann on last night's broadcast (click further for the embed).

Parsley, the wild-eyed militiaman for Christianity's radical extremist sect, has stated on more than one occasion just how much he hates Islam, thinks it THE false religion, and advocates an all out, preemptive war with the Muslim world.

He also likes the money:

“Parsley is upfront with his congregation about the church’s need for money. ‘I just love to talk about money,’ he told them. ‘I just love to talk about your money. Let me be very clear — I want your money. I deserve it. This church deserves it.’”

- Jim Bebbington, “An Empire of Souls,” Columbus Monthly, May 1993, pg. 32.

This quote from an interview with John McCain's campaign manager regarding Reverend Wright and his "God Damn America" remarks in his 2003 sermon:

From MSNBC's Morning Joe:

Charlie Black: What Sen. McCain has said repeatedly, is that these candidates cannot be held accountable for all the views of people who endorse them, or people who befriend them. And fortunately, I heard you report earlier that Sen. Obama has repudiated these very unusual views. But what John McCain believes is that Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton should be held accountable for their public policy views. The things we've described before. Big government vs. small government...

Joe Scarborough: So this isn't an issue for John McCain.

Charlie Black: I don't think Sen. McCain wants to get in the middle of a discussion about Sen. Obama's former pastor, or his faith. He believes that people who endorse you, people who befriend you, are entitled to their own views, but you are not personally held accountable. That when someone endorses you or befriends you, they are embracing your views - the candidate's views - not the other way around.

Now, this has been said on a few other, more visible blogs out there, so I won't say a lot on this other than I agree. This sounds very reasonable and is a very safe stance for the McCain camp to take on the matter.

Considering the recent discussion here about McCain's (shady?) dealings with the religious extreme, they're probably hedging their bets that a stronger take on this would come back and bite them in the ass.

It's a little off-putting, probably because it's smart...something I don't think we're used to seeing from Republicans.

From the Boston Globe:

Republican voters have cast an awful lot of ballots lately for Senator Hillary Clinton: About 100,000 GOP loyalists voted for her in Ohio, 119,000 in Texas, and about 38,000 in Mississippi, exit polls show.

"It's as simple as, I don't think McCain can beat Obama if Obama is the Democratic choice," said Kyle Britt, 49, a Republican-leaning independent from Huntsville, Texas, who voted for Clinton in the March 4 primary. "I do believe Hillary can mobilize enough [anti-Clinton] people to keep her out of office." Britt, who works in financial services, said he is certain he will vote for McCain in November.

Walter Wilkerson, who has chaired the Republican Party in Montgomery County, Texas, since 1964, said many local conservatives chose to vote for Clinton for strategic reasons.

"These people felt that Clinton would be maybe the easier opponent in the fall," he said. "That remains to be seen."

Wilkerson added, "We have not experienced any crossover of this magnitude since I can remember."

So much for the party that touts its ability to spread democracy and freedom across the globe. This is anything but democratic, and these false-Americans should be ashamed of themselves. It's not enough to wipe out nearly 90,000 civilian lives and coming up on 4000 American soldiers in their unnecessary war, but now they have to subvert the democratic process that is meant to make our country something special...something different.

This "great experiment" is an utter failure thanks to these extremists and their handlers.

A sad reminder:

Alberto "I don't recall my middle name" Gonzales seems to be having some difficulty finding a new job. NYT:

Alberto R. Gonzales, like many others recently unemployed, has discovered how difficult it can be to find a new job. Mr. Gonzales, the former attorney general, who was forced to resign last year, has been unable to interest law firms in adding his name to their roster, Washington lawyers and his associates said in recent interviews…

“Maybe the passage of time will provide some opportunity for him,” said one Washington lawyer who was aware of an inquiry to his firm from a Gonzales associate. “I wouldn’t say ‘rebuffed,’ ” said the lawyer, who asked his name not be used because the situation being described was uncomfortable for Mr. Gonzales. “I would say ‘not taken up.’ ”

via Whatever.

Warning: Possible side effect include...

But this commercial put out by the RNC is still pretty painful to watch.

ht: Marc Ambinder

sometimes the Constitution is just one big inconvenient headache.

Sorry guys.

Olbermann really puts McCain's comment into context. Good stuff.

This might be the only time you see me quote from a Robert Novak article, but here goes...

His tenuous 13-year relationship with the Republican Party, following his retirement from the Army, has ended. The national security adviser for Ronald Reagan left the present administration bitter about being ushered out of the State Department a year earlier than he wanted. As an African American, friends say, Powell is sensitive to racial attacks on Obama and especially on Obama's wife, Michelle. While McCain strategists shrug off defections from Bruce Bartlett and Larry Hunter, they wince in anticipating headlines generated by Powell's expected endorsement of Obama.

Without commenting on the substance of the current Palin scandals, isn't this a bad way for her to start off a campaign? In her first weekend as the GOP VP nominee, the only thing that anyone is talking about is Troopergate and her daughter's pregnancy. To be clear, I agree with Obama about her daughter. It's off-limits.

But all of this does seem to hint that she wasn't fully vetted before the announcement. Word also has it that she is now being further vetted by GOP lawyers.

Depending on how the campaign handles this, I wouldn't be surprised to see her leave the campaign before the general election. (The later, the better, from a Democrat's point of view, methinks.)

This shouldn't be what we're talking about. We should be talking about her ignorant statement about the Pledge, or her position on creationism, or her bad record on the environment. But once there is a scandal, it's hard to ignore.

Country First indeed.

From KTUU Alaska (emphasis mine):

Investigator Stephen Branchflower led the bipartisan panel that investigated the matter and found [Sarah] Palin in violation of a state ethics law, KTUU reported.

"I find that Governor Sarah Palin abused her power by violating Alaska statute 39.52.110(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch ethics act," Branchflower said in the 263-page report.

"Alaska statute 39.52.110(a) provides 'the legislature reaffirms that each public officer holds office as a public trust and any effort to benefit a personal or financial interest through official action is a violation of that trust,'" Branchflower continued.

The entire 263 page report can be read here. (PDF)

This wild-eyed fringe-lunatic from Minnesota has finally come unleashed. Friday afternoon on Hardball with Chris Matthews, Rep. Michele Bachmann stated that the "media" needs to begin investigations into members of Congress for evidence of Anti-Americanism, starting with the Democrats. This comes right out of the McCarthy playbook. I've even heard other GOP whackjobs out there calling Obama a Socialist and possibly a COMMUNIST!

How can these people actually look themselves in the mirror in the morning without firmly planting a self-inflicted bullet into their brain?

From The Bellingham Herald:

Bush votes early for McCain

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush, who has been rarely seen on the campaign trail, cast his ballot for GOP presidential nominee John McCain.

In past elections, the president and first lady Laura Bush have traveled to Texas to vote, but the White House said Friday they cast their ballots in the early voting process. Their votes are being sent back to Texas.

The White House also said the president and Laura Bush plan to be at the White House on election night.

After that devastatingly sharp SNL performance on Thursday night, this could actually be pretty damaging to the already troubled McCain/Palin campaign.

Sen. Ted Stevens Found Guilty in Corruption Case

...and I wouldn't want to pile on here, but she's really not helping her case.

From Reuters (emphasis mine):

A Fox News report cited unidentified campaign sources who said Palin did not know Africa was a continent and could not name the three countries in NAFTA -- the United States, Canada and Mexico.

"I think if there are allegations based on questions or comments that I made in debate prep about NAFTA or about the continent versus the country when we talk about Africa there, then those were taken out of context, and that is cruel and mean-spirited, it's immature, it's unprofessional, and those guys are jerks," Palin said.

It's not fair and it's not right," she said.

I didn't know Africa was a continent AND a country...

Political quotation of the day: "What do you think stimulus is? It's spending -- that's the whole point! Seriously." -President Obama

Also, check out this video:

Moved from my Facebook Wall:

Tom Tancredo actually suggested that Obama release anti-Iranian mercenaries into Iran to depose the Mullahs. Do the neoCONS actually think Iraq is a success story? What about the Reagan-backed mujahideen jihad in Afghanistan? Did that work out well?

To sum up: SOME Republicans are suggesting releasing ACTUAL TERRORISTS into a sovereign country to add to an even bloodier rebellion in hopes that it'll overturn their government, creating yet another oasis of peace, freedom and democracy in the region. I guess, because it worked so perfectly for us with Al-Queda...

Sarah Palin, arguably the third most corrupt sitting governor in the nation, is resigning her office. Of course, the rumors are flying that there's yet another major scandal to hit her in the coming weeks...I personally can't wait to find out. With the emails leaking this week between her and the McCain '08 senior staff, the time is ripe for a total breakdown, hopefully taking the equally-corrupt GOP with it.

Let the good times roll.

Pray that she's doing it in advance of running for office in 2010 or 2012. That would be the lynch--pin in the demise of the party.