McCain and the Wall Street Meltdown

"I don’t think anyone who wants to increase the burden of government regulation and higher taxes has any real understanding of economics and the economy and what is needed in order to ensure the future of this country.” -John McCain, 4.23.08

John McCain has supported deregulation since the beginning of his time in the Senate. On the campaign trail before the financial markets crashed, McCain has said numerous times, "the fundamentals of our economy our strong", echoing President Bush. McCain and the Republican Party our proud to be de-regulators. Ask the experts, the reason for this financial market crisis is due to lack of oversight and regulation. Senator Obama has been out front on this issue for years now, calling for stricter regulations when the housing market started plummeting due to predatory loans and balloon interest rates. Senator Obama, unlike Senator McCain, actually read Sectretary Paulson's bailout plan. Senator McCain didn't read Paulson's bailout plan until September 23.Video of that admission here: http://beltwayblips.com/video/john_mccain_i_haven_t_read_the_paulson_plan/

If that's not shocking enough, then how would you feel if you knew John McCain's Campaign Advisor, Rick Davis, was a lobbyist for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac hired to lobby against strict regulations. Davis earned $30,000 a month for 5 years up until August. McCain claims that was the 'past' and he hasn't been associated with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for a while now. Now, because of the deregulation we the taxpayers are bailing out Fannie/Freddie and Wall Street because of flawed economic policies dominated by special interests, people like Rick Davis. Sounds crooked to me. Then again, thanks to public records, McCain has 177 lobbyists working on his campaign. 83 of them have worked in the finanacial industry.

Make no mistake, John McCain has a past with the finanacial industry. During George H.W's term, 5 U.S Senators were sent to interrupt investigation into the Savings and Loan Crisis. The Savings and Loans market was deregulated in the mid 1980s allowing for risky investments and an eventual 3 billion dollar government bailout. John McCain was one of those 5 Senators that caused the halt of the investigation, thus leading to further damage of the market. Those 5 Senators were paid a total of 1.3 billion dollars to do so. The Senate Ethics Committee called McCain's actions "poor judgment" and McCain said in 2002 it was "the worst mistake in my life".
3 out of the 5 Senators were convicted. McCain walked away, but clearly thought it was okay to put his illegal practices in front of the American people.

"Let’s Reduce Regulation.” -John McCain, 3.12.08

Country First?

The Palin Agenda

The American public elected George W Bush for two terms knowing that he was a "born-again Christian". As religion is a sometimes personal issue, Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin isn't shy about it.

Sarah Palin was said this in her Church to ministry students:

"Our national leaders are sending them out on a task that is from God," she said. "That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that plan is God's plan."

A few things both wrong and scary with her words. Since when did she start speaking for God? I don't think the authorization of the Iraq war was in the Bible. I'm not sure, but I don't know that a loving God would approve of nearly 100,000 Iraqi's dead and +4,000 U.S troops dead based on a war waged with false intelligence. Many former aides to Bush confess that Bush planned to invade Iraq at the beginning of 2001, without no intel at all. The White House tried to paint Saddam as a terrorist-loving dictator. When in fact, Saddam hated terrorists and held no connection to 9/11.
Secondly, she uses 'God's Plan' to justify the war. Didn't the First Crusade start like that? Pope Urban II decided one day to launch a preemptive religious war. Dont the islamic extremists justify killing through Allah?

In American culture, if it's radical to kill American citizens through 'Allah's' will. How is that different than launching a 3 trillion dollar, 5+ year, preemptive invasion into a sovereign nation and justifying that through 'God's Will', like Palin does?

You can't have it both ways. They're both wrong. I don't feel comfortable knowing that we have another extremist running with a candidate for President. When asked if she'd support war with Russia, she said:
"Perhaps so. I mean, that is the agreement when you are a NATO ally, is if another country is attacked, you're going to be expected to be called upon and help."

It not only scares me that Palin justifys war through religion and God, but she seems almost to be flexing her muscle and carelessness, the same failing cowboy diplomacy we've witnessed the past 8 years.

Sarah Palin is a heartbeat away from the Presidency. McCain is 72 years old, and with his past health problems and stress he'll be dealing with, I sure as hell don't want her in charge.

Bush/Cheney, fans of Water Boarding

It must be a Republican thing. Even now, John McCain opposes any kind of LIMIT on interrogation methods. John McCain was a POW for 5 years and before 2008, he supported putting a limit on water boarding and extreme uses of interrogation methods.


The White House and the Republicans need to do a little research.


In 2005, the U.S State Department declared "submerging a head into water" torture and a clear violation of human rights. ((Water boarding is the process of pouring water onto the victims face, making the victim feel like their drowning)).

In 2006, the U.S Dept of Defense revised the Army Field Manual and prohibited the use of water boarding by the U.S military.

It least 3 Al Qaeda members were water boarded with the order/supervision of the CIA, approved by the Bush administration in 2006.

The United Nations (which we're a member of), describes torture as
'any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession...'

So, if our own State Dept and Dept of Defense is declaring water boarding as torture, then the Bush administration has clearly violated United Nation agreements, military law, and Geneva Convention law.

Why did the Bush administration clearly and knowingly violate the agreements against water boarding and torture?

George Bush, Dick Cheney, and those in charge of the CIA should be charged with war crimes for knowingly allowing these methods occur. They need to serve life in prison or capital punishment. I guarantee, if these were any other national leaders, they'd be held accountable and punished.

Instead, we have an administration that has surpassed their Executive Powers and waged policies at their own judgment, ignoring law.

McCain Similar to Bush

We hear all this talk from Senator Obama and the Democratic Party claiming, 'McCain supports the failed Bush White House policies; McCain is a third term for Bush.' etc, etc.
So, does McCain really support Bush's policies?

Has McCain, the self proclaimed 'straight-talk express' really brought straight-talk?

President Bush pledged to fight global warming and climate change, but he surprisingly turned his back on an international treaty, Kyoto Protocol, and refused to sign on to it with the rest of the world. This would of been an international agreement to cap green house gases and reduce CO2 emissions.
John McCain also pledges to fight global warming, but remember who's funding his campaign and filling his wallet, the 'we don't believe in scientific proof' Republicans. Is that why Bush hasn't held his pledge?

Along with the war hawks in the White House, McCain also supports the controversial War in Iraq. John McCain said we'd be in Iraq for 100 years, but recently he's said we'd win the War in Iraq by 2013. President Bush has threatened to veto any kind of date for withdrawal and McCain opposes such measure.

Here's where things get interesting. McCain has flip-flopped on a lot of issues lately. I'm just going to focus on offshore drilling, taxes, and torture. McCain has actually moved toward the Bush White House with his positions.

On offshore drilling, McCain opposed U.S offshore drilling in 1999 , however in 2008 he changed his position and now supports it. In recent news, Bush has said that he also supports it and is blaming the democrats for gas prices. Glad to see President Bush has finally developed a plan for high gas prices--wait 8 years for gas to hit $4/gallon, blame the democrats, and side with John McCain, or vice versa.

John McCain voted against the Bush tax cuts in 2001, but in 2008 says he would continue the Bush tax cuts. He has dramatically changed his position right in line with President Bush.

On torture, John McCain opposed using water boarding and extreme methods because of his previous POW experience. In 2008, McCain voted no on banning water boarding and sided with President Bush.

Not only is John McCain siding with President Bush's policies, he's sounding more and more like a flip flopper.
Wait, didn't the Republicans accuse John Kerry of being a flip flopper in 2004?

The 'straight-talk express' has displayed everything except straight-talk.