Verdict With Dan Abrams: Did Gen. Clark Swiftboat McCain?

I forgot to post this one yesterday - more footage of Gen. Wesley Clark defending his comments from Sunday's Face the Nation. This is probably Clark's best interview since the pseudo-scandal "erupted" in the right-wing press following Sunday's show.

Hmmm, just wondering - can we get back to the real issues of the campaign now? I know, I know - fat chance. Republicans and right-wingnut pundits will keep this one alive as long as possible, because when they are discussing this, they aren't discussing how 75 percent of the country blames Bush for the miserable state of our economy, according to a recent Los Angeles Times-Bloomberg poll taken last week.

The would-be first ladies take center stage

This morning, Cindy McCain appeared on ABC's Good Morning America for an interview while she's in Vietnam. It was a pretty interesting interview for several reasons, but first, I must give her heartfelt and much-deserved praise for her work with Operation Smile. I mean that in all sincerity, and good for her and Senator McCain for putting their money where their mouths are by adopting a baby from Bangladesh, Bridget, in 1991.

I don't know too much about either Cindy McCain or Michelle Obama, but it certainly seems like the media is keeping the whole pseudo-controversy alive about Michelle Obama "not being proud of her country." It probably wasn't a very smart thing to say, but so what? I have to be honest with you, I haven't been proud of my country in recent memory in many (but not all) ways - Bush's ill-advised War in Iraq has cost us hundreds of billions, and resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths. What's to be proud of there? Or Hurricane Katrina? Or Abu Ghraib? Or Haditha? Guantánamo Bay? Torturing terrorists? Valerie Plame? Bush, in a thinly veiled threat that cheapened the presidency (he's beyond cheapening at this point) calling Barack Obama an appeaser in front of the Knesset? The Bush presidency, aside from the immediate aftermath of 9-11, has given me very little to be proud about. Does that make me (or Michelle Obama) any less of a patriot? Please.

Tonight, Dan Abrams unearthed a pretty interesting piece of John McCain footage from March of this year...

I really didn't love America until I was deprived of her company.

I'm not a veteran of the military, and God willing, unless tragedy strikes, I won't be in this lifetime, but I've read enough about the military to appreciate what McCain is saying here. I don't really see anything wrong with what he said, and Dan Abrams is right on - McCain's comments are eloquent.

But, at the very least, this ought to blunt the stupid criticism that the media is keeping alive about Michelle Obama (like the interview at top).

Will Abrams' footage end this stupid distraction? Fat chance.

Oh, and Lars Larson? Another Rush Limbaugh wannabe that we can add to a growing roster of right wing jackasses polluting our airwaves.

It's America, and Larson has the right to say what he wants, but it irks me to no end that a company will give him any sort of job to spew his hateful comments. It's totally amazing to me that the left has Air America Radio and little else, and right-wing talk radio has dominated the airwaves for decades now. Hmm - I wonder if the corporate media has anything to do with that? You don't need an MBA to make that connection.

Ventura spanks Buchanan on gay marriage

Speaking of gay marriage, this is a pretty sweet piece of footage - former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura taking Pat Buchanan behind the woodshed during a joint appearance on MSNBC's Verdict with Dan Abrams. My favorite line in the exchange:

VENTURA: "Well, first of all, I made a statement when I was governor and stand by it today. Love is bigger than government. Who the hell are we as a government to tell people who you can fall in love with? I think it's absurd that fact it's even being debated."

That's about as poignant and spot-on statement as I've heard about this issue, ever. I haven't always agreed with Ventura in the past about certain issues, but I find myself agreeing with him and more and more. I wish this guy would run for national office and really shake things up.

Better yet, I wish Ventura would really get behind creating a viable third party in our political system. He has the right combination of moxie and determination to do just that.

h/t Crooks & Liars for the video