Military Votes Not Counted

In this year of the most important election of our time, CNN has just reported that in the past election only 30% of overseas military votes were counted and they are expecting the same this year. This is the worst example of voter fraud in the world. How can George Bush and John McCain justify having our troops overseas fighting for freedom and democracy, and then have their votes not be counted due to circumstances beyond their control? They cite things like improper registration in their hometowns and delays in the mail taking them past deadlines to be counted. If I remember correctly, the first time Bush stole the election, military votes were thrown out because they came in late. It was just explained that once the votes are cast overseas, they have to be sent to the soldier or sailor's home state, then verified that they are registered properly. In my opinion, if you are serving in the military for this country, you are automatically registered, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

The fact that these votes have to be separated and sent to a home state shows the major flaw of the election process. The United States likes to travel all over the world spreading democracy, teaching other countries about holding fair elections, and we have one of the most corrupt systems of voting there is when it comes to electing our leader. What the hell is the electoral college for? In every other election in this country, be it for political office or issues, the majority wins. But for President of The United States of America, we have a "special system" that allows the election to be manipulated state by state. It has been a long time since we had an election where the electoral college had any meaning, until the year 2000, when Al Gore had more votes than George Bush, but Bush was declared the president. Who can forget that election night when the news channels had declared Al Gore the president, and George Bush called them to say, he hasn't won my brother's state of Florida, I'm going to win that one. The rest is tainted history. Then we saw it repeated in 2004 when the head of the Republican Party in Ohio, Ken Blackwell, guaranteed George Bush he would win that state before the voting began. We have since learned this was due to voting machines that were manufactured by an Ohio company named Diebold, could be rigged to change votes and the outcome of the election. These machines were used in several states, and some of those states got rid if those machines and no longer use machines manufactured by Diebold. But guess what, states like Ohio and West Virginia still use them, and we already have had reports of machines changing votes in West Virginia!

In the HBO documentary, they showed how these machines can be fixed to produce any result they want, no matter how you vote. The results can be predetermined before the election takes place, even when you have a paper record showing how you voted. There are many ways to program a computer to produce the results you want, especially when every state or groups of states are using different machines. People think that voting machines can't work for this reason. But every year we hold The Kentucky Derby in May and The Breeders' Cup Championships in October. There are millions of dollars bet on these races WORLDWIDE without a single glitch in the system. Not a penny misplaced. And this system is used everyday at racetracks around the world. Let me relate an experience I had with this system.

One afternoon I placed a bet using a self-service machine, won a substantial amount of money, and instead of going to a teller to collect my winnings, I made another bet using the self-service machine again. Instead of collecting all of my winnings, I got the rest back in what is called a betting voucher. But the voucher did not drop into the slot smoothly, so I actually walked away without my winnings, only the tickets for the next race. That meant the next person that used that machine got a nice bonus when my voucher dropped down. I contacted the track officials and told them what had happened, not knowing if someone had used that machine or not. The official opened the machine and verified that the voucher was gone. He told me that they could run a trace and see if the ticket had been cashed already and if not, they could void that ticket and get my money back. He took the machine number and went upstairs to the computer room and verified the information I had given him as to the amount on the voucher. To my surprise, he came back about 15 minutes later with my money on a new voucher. I asked him how he was able to get my money back. He told me it's all about the bar codes. The machine I placed the bet on produced the voucher with enough information to give them the time, amount, and machine number where it was issued. When the person who found it took it to the teller to cash it, they were able to trace it to that teller. Fortunately for me, it had been such a short period that the teller remembered who cashed it, and that person hadn't left, so they were able to get my money back, despite that person's claim that they had won that money. Even if that person had went to a self-service machine himself, they would have had a record of the ticket being cashed, they just might not have been able to recover my money.

So what I am saying is, if they want the voting machine system to work, it will work. But that just goes to counting votes. Why is it we have a system in place that the candidate with the most votes can lose? I'm sick of hearing that Ohio determines who the president is. If that's the case, why is the rest of the country voting? If it were just whoever has the most votes wins, military personnel overseas would have their votes counted as a whole instead of being separated by state. They wouldn't have to be mailed back to the mainland from various points around the world, they could be counted at their duty station or even aboard ship. Imagine a soldier voting today and losing his life tomorrow not having his vote count because his vote was delayed by the mail, or he is no longer eligible because he gave his life for his country. Their votes should count above and beyond any other U.S. citizen, not last or not at all. After all, they are the ones whose lives depend on who is in charge.

Reaping What You Sow

Recently John McCain and Sarah Palin have been crying foul about the way the media has treated them, claiming they have been unfair. Gee, I wonder why that is? Could it be the fact that they were denied access to Gov. Palin when she first accepted the nomination for Vice President at the Republican convention nearly two months ago? Could it be that she refused to grant interviews to the regular media, picking and choosing who she would talk to over the last month? Could it be that she attacked the media even before she granted her first interview while campaigning for John McCain? Or could it be that the McCain campaign tried to put stipulations on the media when Sarah Palin met with some of the world leaders in New York just prior to her debate, saying they could take pictures but couldn't ask questions? Whatever the reason, the one thing you don't want to do is get on the wrong side of the media.

By refusing to talk to the media, you pretty much put yourself at their mercy, as they control what information is digested to the American public. The main thing Barack Obama has done over the past two years is use the media to help the people learn who he is. Even when the publicity was unfavorable, such as the associations with Tony Resko, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and Bill Ayers, Barack Obama stood up to the media and addressed the allegations. Even John McCain has addressed his associations with Charles Keating and G. Gordon Liddy, which basically the press has given him a free pass on. But Sarah Palin was an unknown when she was tabbed as McCain's running mate, and at the time had high favorability with the American public following her convention speech. Why then would John McCain and the Republican Party shield her from the media? She had just breathed new life into his campaign and had even pulled him ahead of Obama in some polls. This was the time to take advantage of her popularity, not scorn the media by hiding her. Then she went so far as to attack the media because they didn't know who she was.

As the media began to dig into her record in Alaska, things started popping up that looked a little shady. They wanted to question her about comments she had made in her convention speech that just didn't add up. But it seemed like every Republican in the party spoke in her defense while she just kept on smiling and refused to defend herself. Then came the interview with Katie Couric, a somewhat friendly, non-confrontational interview that showed just how unprepared Sarah Palin is to hold the position of Vice President. Recently she has begun to open up more to the media, still picking and choosing though, and even appearing with McCain by her side to deflect any questions he feels she cannot handle. She has recently been criticized by the party for trying to get her own message out, as if she was the one running for president. Hell can you blame her? She outdraws McCain in rallies by ten to one. The Republicans allegedly just gave her $150,000 of campaign funds to spend on her and her family's wardrobe. She denies the claim, but McCain says the clothing will be donated to charity.

So naturally Sarah Palin, as Governor of Alaska, has never faced the media scrutiny she is facing now. It has nothing to do with the fact that she is a woman. It has a lot to do with the fact that Americans know nothing about and have cared very little about what goes on in Alaska, until now. John McCain, Sarah Palin, and the Republican Party have created this atmosphere of disdain from the media by disdaining them when they have needed to know who you are. The American people needed to know who you are. Most of the people that were on the bandwagon just because you were a woman, a maverick, a pit bull with lipstick, have jumped off because most of all, you are still a mystery. Even I was impressed with your personality and charisma at the Republican convention and considered you a serious threat to the Obama campaign. So it's too late in the race to blame the media for your treatment, they were there for you, you were not there for them.

McCain Tested Under Fire

At a recent engagement, Joe Biden made a statement that Barack Obama would be tested in his first six months with a crisis, much the way previous presidents had been when they first took office. John McCain immediately responded saying he had already been tested. He referred to the fact that he sat in a plane on an aircraft carrier during the Cuban missile crisis prepared to drop bombs if called to duty. I respect anyone who risks their life flying combat war planes, that takes great courage and skill. Flying any kind of plane does. Even flying as a passenger takes a certain amount of courage in my eyes, as I personally hate flying. But let's get serious. This was no test of judgment on his part

As a pilot, all he did was follow orders from his superior officer as to whether he would be needed or not. Had he taken off, then he would have had to make some decisions on his own concerning his own fate. Yes, he was in a stressful situation not knowing if he would be called to duty, but it would have been his first mission. This is all according to what he wrote in his book and he admitted he was nervous, if not scared, at the prospect of going to war. He had already crashed one plane while in training in Corpus Christi, Texas. According to McCain, the crash was due to engine failure, but official Navy reports blame him for pilot error, meaning a lack of judgment. He went on to crash at least four more times in his career, including the one linked to his capture during the Viet Nam war. That incident is detailed as him being shot down by a surface-to-air missile during a bombing run. McCain says all of the crashes were due to engine failure. He crashed the first plane in water, as he states he was able to swim to the surface after the crash. In the Viet Nam crash, he states he was able to eject after being hit.

Once again, I do not question his bravery. But I do question the fact that all of those planes had engine trouble. One thing I learned while in the military is that when your daddy is a respected military veteran, or a high ranking government official, they will cover up his son's screw ups. One has to look no further than little George Bush as an example. Even during his capture, the Vietnamese were willing to let John McCain go because of his daddy. But McCain is said to have denied early release before prisoners who had been there before him. This is what can truly be called an act of heroism. But still it has been proven he lied about the first plane crash in which he claimed it was engine trouble, so how can you believe all the planes had engine failure. When an idea hits me, I usually do searches to verify the facts to back up my opinion, so remember, this is my opinion. But check out this clip of someone who has a similar opinion about John McCain's flying record as it goes into a little more detail.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kLde8DBM-I&feature=related

So judging from his record, it was probably a good thing that the man Barack Obama has so often been compared to, John F. Kennedy, was able to stare down Nikita Khruschev and avoid war with Russia for John McCain's sake. I think it's safe to say that if he was still using poor judgment as a pilot in 1967, he may not have fared well on his first mission.

What If

These are not my words, instead they were sent to me in an email, thought I'd share it with you.

Obama/Biden vs. McCain/Palin, what if things were switched around? Think about it. Would the country's collective point of view be different? Could racism be the culprit?

Ponder the following:

What if the Obamas had paraded five children across the stage, including a three-month-old infant and an unwed, pregnant, teenage daughter?

What if John McCain was a former president of the Harvard Law Review?

What if Barack Obama had finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?

What if McCain had only married once and Obama was a divorcee?

What if Obama was the candidate who left his first wife after a severe disfiguring car accident, when she no longer measured up to his standards?

What if Obama had met his second wife in a bar and had a long affair while he was still married?

What if Michelle Obama was the wife who not only became addicted to pain killers, but also acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?

What if Cindy McCain had graduated from Harvard?

What if Barack Obama had been a member of the Keating Five? (The Keating Five were five United States senators accused of corruption in 1989, igniting a major political scandal as part of the larger Savings and Loan crisis of the late 1980's and early 1990's)

What if McCain was a charismatic, eloquent speaker?

What if Obama was the one who couldn't read from a teleprompter?

What if Obama was the one who's military experience included discipline problems and a record of crashing seven planes, including one that led to his capture as a POW?

What if Obama was known to display publicly, on many occasions, a serious anger management problem?

What if Michelle Obama's family had made their fortune from beer distribution?

Tell me this, if John McCain had Barack Obama's credentials, would this election be close?
If Barack Obama had John McCain's integrity. would this election be close?
Do you not think race matters in this election?
Let's look at their educational credentials.

Educational Background:

Barack Obama:
Columbia University-B.A. in Political Science with a Specialization in International Relations.
Harvard-Juris Doctor(J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

Joe Biden:
University of Delaware-B.A. in History, B.A. in Political Science
Syracuse University College of Law-Juris Doctor (J.D.)

VS.

John McCain:
U.S. Naval Academy-Graduated 894 of 899 in his class

Sarah Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University-1 semester
North Idaho College-2 semesters-general study
University of Idaho-2 semesters-journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College-1 semester
University of Idaho-3 semesters-B.A. in Journalism

Ok America, there it is in Black and White. Do John McCain and Sarah Palin have any right to question Barack Obama's integrity? You decide on November 4,2008.

The Debate (Round 3)

After watching this debate which was supposed to be more suited to John McCain's liking, all the polls show that Barack Obama won by a landslide. Once again McCain appeared very impersonal and disdainful toward Obama by refusing to look at him, even when Obama was talking directly to him. There was very little electricity or confrontation, but there were a few telling moments that worked against McCain. One instance occurred when McCain accused Obama of wanting to bomb Pakistan, and Obama hit McCain with the fact that he wanted to bomb Iraq, North Korea, and Baghdad, which left McCain speechless. Another telling moment was when McCain referred to Obama as "that one" when talking about how the two of them had voted differently on an issue. This was very disrespectful, no not racial, but not a term I had ever heard one candidate use before when describing his opponent.

While most pundits were surprised that McCain didn't bring up the relationship between Obama and Bill Ayers, I think he played it smart by avoiding that issue. His association with Charles Keating was much more damning and it was definitely a subject he didn't want to touch when the main topic of the day is bailout. Although Town Hall formats are supposed to be McCain's strength, there was a different feel without the crowd bias he was used to. While he tried to crack jokes, because of the rules where the audience was to remain silent and unbiased, McCain lost his comfort zone, and it showed. The main thing that has made these debates boring is the fact that they have time limits on their responses. At the beginning it seemed like they wanted to go at each other, but moderator Tom Brokaw kept reminding them of the rules they had set up which actually limited their responses. Look, Presidential elections are extremely important. Get rid of these time limits, forget what's coming on TV in the next time slot, and let these candidates talk !!! Hell, programming is pushed back for sporting events, why not these debates? It doesn't make sense.

At the end of the debate, everyone noticed that McCain and his wife left after a short session of thanking people and mingling with the crowd while Obama and his wife stayed a considerable amount of time longer, talking to the crowd. I also noticed the post debate handshakes. At the very end, both candidates stood together for Brokaw's closing comments, but had to split apart so he could read the teleprompter, and they started on opposite ends of the crowd shaking hands. When they came back together, I saw John McCain shake Michelle Obama's hand, I did not see Cindy McCain or Michelle greet each other, and I saw Barack Obama offer his hand to John McCain who directed it to his wife Cindy. She shook his hand, while McCain turned away.

Afterwards, all the polls showed that once again, Obama had won the debate, mostly because he answered more of the questions that were asked. It seems that is what these debates are based on, who answers the most questions, because all four candidates have a way of avoiding certain issues. The two biggest revelations from the debate was first, the announcement by McCain about his plan for buying out mortgages, which most people thought was already included in the $700 billion bailout bill. The second was the announcement by Obama that AIG officials had used $400,000 of their bailout money to go on vacation, and his call for them to be fired and return that money. But the most ironic thing about the evening was that Michelle Obama was wearing red and Cindy McCain was wearing blue!!!

The Pitbull Attacks, Obama Bites Back

After her successful appearance in Thursday's debate, depending on your definition of successful, the"Pitbull With Lipstick" better known as Sarah Palin decided to launch a personal attack on Barack Obama's character. My definition of successful was based on the fact that she was able to digest a huge amount of information in a short period of time, despite the lack of substance and accuracy, and present it in an intelligent matter in a short period of time to millions of people in the television viewing audience, much like George Bush does when he delivers speeches. In fact, the performance reminded me of Bush's appearances in the debates of 2004 with John Kerry, filled with winks, smiles, and lies, used to deceive the American public into thinking that they are just "plain old folk like you and me." She even used some of the same terminology that Bush used in his first debate series with Al Gore, claiming to be a Washington outsider and he was going to change Washington.

While some people think smiling and winking at the camera was cute and a way of connecting with the audience, it came across as an act designed to win your trust for the pile of garbage, to put it nicely, that she was trying to sell you. Each smile was immediately followed by a sharp stab in the back of Barack Obama or Joe Biden. Since the debate it has gotten worse. She just unleashed an attack that criticized Obama for working on the same committee with an American terrorist from the Weatherman named Bill Ayers. The organization that they served in Chicago is called The Woods Foundation and you can decide for yourself what his association with the organization is about.

According to the Washington Post Fact Checker, Bill Ayers who was never convicted in any of the bombings, contributed $200 to Obama's re-election campaign to the Illinois Senate. Meanwhile, the person who brought up Bill Ayers during the primary, Hillary Clinton, was married to the man who commuted the sentences of two Weatherman members before he left office. Also, Bill Ayers was an aide to Chicago mayor Richard M.Daley before he was a member of The Woods Foundation.

But even John McCain can't deny the fact that he took money from what has been called the greatest Savings & Loan scandal of our time. The Keating Five was the derisive name given McCain and four Democratic senators, including then-Sen. John Glenn of Ohio, who were defendants in a congressional ethics investigation of their connections to Charles Keating Jr. McCain is the only one still in the Senate. They were accused of trying to intimidate regulators on behalf of Keating, a real estate developer in Arizona and owner of Lincoln Savings and Loan based in Irvine, Calif. McCain was known for accepting contributions from Charles Keating Jr., flying to the banker's home in the Bahamas on company planes and taking up Keating's cause with U.S. financial regulators as they investigated him. His campaign took $112,000 from Keating.

As I said, today Barack bit back by releasing a video at the website below detailing McCain's involvement with Keating, and this was just a little nip, as harsher videos can be found at other locations on the net. Even though McCain was absolved of any wrongdoing, it shows that anyone can be associated with people that have shady intentions. What's worse is the Keating scandal cost taxpayers a $500 billion bailout, similar to what we just experienced last week.

Finally, let's look at another comment made by The Pitbull during her debate with Joe Biden. She said with a smile, she was obviously a Washington outsider and just not used to the way Washington politics worked by criticizing him for voting for the war and now being against it. "You're one who says as so many politicians do, you were for it and now you are against it. The people just want straight talk." Well Sarah, weren't you the one who was for the "Bridge to Nowhere" and then claimed you told Congress, "Thanks but no thanks?" We know you used taxpayer money to build a road that leads to where that bridge was supposed to be built until Congress denied you the funding for the rest of that project before you had a chance to say "No thanks." But we can't get you to do an interview so we can get the straight talk about why you had that road built if you were against the bridge. Sounds to me by your definition, you have Washington politics down pat!

http://my.barackobama.com/page/invite/keatingvideo

The Debate (Round 2)

Well I just got through watching the VP debate and I must say I was impressed. It is quite clear that Gov. Sarah Palin is no dummy. She was able to digest all of the information she has been fed over the past few weeks and present it in a very intelligent manner. Not once did she stumble on any of the issues that were discussed. She even artfully dodged questions at the beginning of the debate by diverting them to a subject she was more familiar with. Although none of the topics which she had trouble with during the Katie Couric interview came into play, she displayed a lot of poise and composure while answering questions on subjects such as energy and foreign affairs. She seemed to give the impression that she had been cramming for an oral exam over the past few weeks, and tonight she passed the test.

Joe Biden also impressed me. He was also very composed, even when Gov. Palin misstated the facts about his, Barack Obama's, and John McCain's voting records while in the Senate. Yes, she did a lot of this, but as I said, she was only repeating what she had been fed. On the other hand, Biden was speaking from experience and his recollection of facts, because everything that was discussed, in some way he had been a part of it. Despite the many gaffs he had made over the past few weeks himself, he too presented himself as very knowledgeable also, and his knowledge was all first hand. In that respect, I earned new respect for Joe Biden, because frankly, before tonight, I knew less about him than I did Palin.

In my previous blog I listed my expectations. First was the relevance of the questions as to their ability to lead. This question was asked by moderator Gwen Ifill and Joe Biden was more direct and convincing with his answer. At one point Palin referred to the fact that she had only been involved with the campaign for five weeks and she couldn't think of any promises John McCain had made that she would change due to the recent economy crisis. This specifically struck me as an admission that she was not fully aware of everything that McCain had promised. After all, he had just said the economy was fine a week before the big crisis, so there had to be something he would change since he changed his mind about the economy being bad. Second was how did they respond to the pressure. They both did well in this area, and again Biden excelled and appeared more believable. Third was who was more in control and knowledgeable.Well I've alluded to the fact that Biden's knowledge was from experience and Palin's had been learned over the past few weeks.

So my take on the debate is they both showed a higher level of intelligence than I had previously given them credit for based on the way the media had portrayed them. Palin was more gracious and respectful to Biden than McCain had been to Obama, and Biden was just as gracious and respectful to her. But Sen. Biden's knowledge of issues and details stood far above Gov. Palin's. One other telling moment was Palin's repeated referral to the fact that she was your average mom that was just like you and me. Well I didn't know that Joe Biden was a single parent due to the loss of his wife and daughter and had two sons injured in an auto accident. In fact he had a moment where he actually choked up while talking about it. So I don't care to hear any more about how great a mom Sarah Palin is unless you talk about how great a dad Joe Biden is.

The other standout moment was when Ms. Ifill asked if they agreed with Dick Cheney's assessment of Vice Presidential duties, because Palin had previously asked what does the VP do. Biden once again set Palin straight by citing the Constitution's definition of the duty of Vice President, not the made up duties that Cheney had created for himself. It left Gov. Palin without a response because she had just agreed that she would try to be like Cheney, not realizing this was an area for which she had not done her homework. Fortunately for her, time had run out and Ms. Ifill did not pursue the issue. Gov. Palin concluded by saying she liked being able to answer questions and tell the American people what's on her mind. Well, we would like that too, and we hope that happens this weekend on any one of the tough Sunday magazines. because we still got a lot of unanswered questions for you.

The VP Debate Expectations

As I await the Vice Presidential candidates debate, it has been asked among the news agencies, "What do you expect?" To my surprise, the Republicans have spun their position to the point of don't expect Sarah Palin to show much knowledge on issues. They are claiming this is a good thing because it shows she is just like the average American. After her recent interviews with Katie Couric, in which she shows she knows absolutely nothing about what's going on in the world outside of Alaska, her Republican supporters are touting this as refreshing and honest commentary and that the media was asking trap questions to show her lack of knowledge. This is basically the same approach they used for Gov. George Bush eight years ago, saying he was an honest man with no knowledge of Washington politics and he would change the way things were run when he is elected. Boy did he ever change things!

Although Gov. Palin is not running for president, there is that strong possibility that she could assume the position at any moment considering John McCain's health issues. While trying to be funny, she joked about debating Joe Biden, a 65 year old man who's speeches she had listened to since she was a child, forgetting that the man that selected her as a running mate is 72 years old. Now it is obvious that she never listened to any of Joe Biden's speeches as a child, or John McCain's for that matter, and the more she is allowed to talk, the more the American public is learning that she doesn't know. She tried to say she has foreign policy experience because she can see Russia from Alaska. Well the truth is, you can see Russia from Alaska, and you can also see Canada. In fact, the United States and Canada share the longest international border in the world, so you can see Canada from numerous states. You can also see Mexico from several southern U.S. states, mostly from Texas, but that didn't help George Bush.

Now let's not forget about genius Joe Biden, who just this week stated during the financial crisis that President Franklin Roosevelt came on TV during the depression to explain to the American people how he was going to fix the financial crisis of that time. Now let's study this statement, as it has been suggested that Biden was completely off-base. The depression first started in 1929 with the stock market crash on Wall Street, much like we are seeing today, and lasted all the way through the 1930's until the start of World War II in 1939. Roosevelt was elected to his first term in 1932, so he did inherit the depression during his terms as president, and he was the one who helped bring the country out of the depression. Second, about watching him on television. Well Joe Biden was born in 1942, after the depression was over, so I don't think he was talking about he saw Roosevelt on television during the depression. At least Palin was alive when she claimed to hear Biden's speeches. Although television had been invented, it had just been introduced to the American public in the late 1930's, so there couldn't have been too many people that saw him on television during the depression, and I don't think many people were buying TV's. What he was probably referring to was when people would go to the movies and watch the newsreels that would play before the start of the movies. Still, Joe was too young during Roosevelts presidency to remember seeing these clips, or even here him speak on the radio.

So what am I expecting to see tonight during the debate? Well, I'm looking forward to seeing who makes the dumbest statements. The Republicans have already taken a shot at the moderator Gwen Ifill because she has written a book about Black politicians past and present that have had an effect on the American political scene, which naturally includes Barack Obama. They are crying potential bias and that she should be replaced. Even though she suffered an injury in her home earlier this week, Ms. Ifill will be the moderator for this event, as she was the moderator for the same event in 2004 between Dick Cheney and John Edwards. Ms. Ifill also has her own show on PBS, "Washington Week in Review" and also is the senior correspondent on "Newshour with Jim Lehrer." She has appeared often as a regular guest panelist on such Sunday morning news magazines such as "Meet the Press", so she is definitely qualified as moderator.

The debate is still not a test of Palin's ability to be a leader though, as she will still dodges the media's hard questions and toughest interviewers. After the debate there will be many questions about the responses given by both candidates that the people of America will need clarification on. The problem so far has been everyone explains Palin's goofs for her, while the other candidates speak for themselves. No one has faced tougher questions about his past than Barack Obama, especially during the Rev. Wright controversy. But Sarah Palin has been recently linked to some very controversial religious personalities herself, including someone that some people have referred to as a witch doctor! Obama still faces people that refer to him as being Islamic, even after the Rev. Wright issue proved he had been a member of Wright's Christian church for at least twenty years.

The main issue of the debate is supposed to be who is best qualified to lead the country in the event they have to assume the office if something happens to the other candidate, but from what I've been hearing, the debate is going to be more about what their running mates policies are, in other words, attack the opposing presidential candidate. This is not what the American people want to know, the presidential candidates should handle that themselves. So my main focus tonight will be first, the substance and relevance of the questions regarding their ability to lead this country. Second, if asked these questions, how do they respond under pressure. Finally, who is most in control and most knowledgeable. Let's see what happens.