Thanks to the artifice of 'Fractional Reserve Banking' debt has become money, hence a commodity, which value is then speculated upon as it is bundled, bought and sold by wall-street casinos. The bankers wealth, is the borrowers debt; whose burden is multiplied by usury. Cycles of inflation-deflation (adding/subtracting value; saturation-de-saturation of fiat paper) exponentially exacerbates that burden upon the borrower, until the borrower's entire material being is that as a harness, for he has become as a mule in that harness and a debt-slave to the magicians of wealth creation.
On a globalised, electronic scale, in which "money" (value added digits) is traded as a commodity is a very different story in which the conglomerates as well as the individual are harnessed by a system of perpetual debt money to the private banking sector; in other words, one half of the community lives off the toil of the other half simply for the privilege of creating, supplying and handling its "money".
When McCain utilizes the term 'Spread the Wealth Around' in conjunction with the term 'Socialist', its intent is that of a psychological barb; tipped with a dark-poison coloration, stigmatized of a bygone era in which McCain, obviously, still lives. The hope is of rousing sentiment within like minds of a gullible flock. McCain's rhetoric is only a psychological projection of his own crime onto the victim; whose cronies, having gutted the life savings and retirement accounts of the worker bees, certainly do not wish to share the proceeds of their loot. In other words, when McCain accuses Barack of spreading the wealth around, McThief is only deflecting attention away from the reality of his own egregious crime, who has already divvied up the looted booty at the top, while deceptively 'Spreading the Debt Around' at the bottom, with the added blessing from the Grand Plunderer, 'you're on your own', trust me, 'it's the American Way'.
Through exotic, algorithmic, scamming mechanisms such as Enron - Keating S&L - Wall Street Casino Bailout; McRobin-Hood has consistently looted the public trust and is not about to dethrone His Friends in DC - the good old boy network - which he just can't wait to introduce, Plain-Clothes, Palin to.
I guess this would qualify McCain/Palin as Socialist Financial Criminals with psychotic Anti-Social tendencies.
If you continue to beat your head against a brick wall; it's bleeding, and it starts to hurt; don't you think that its time to stop beating your head against the wall!? (Barack Obama)
Peace, Best Wishes and Hope
When is a Surge not a Surge? When an Invasion/Occupation is NOT a War!
The common definition of maverick in the U.S. and Canada is “an unbranded range animal, especially a calf that has become separated from its mother, traditionally considered the property of the first person who brands it.” If indeed this definition is what Senator McCain and Governor Palin refer to in their use of the term, then we should most absolutely fear McCain. Although he astonishingly asserts the untrue notion that Senator Obama got his political start in the living room of a terrorist, we can say that McCain was branded early in his own career by none other than the American financial terrorist, Charles Keating. Unfortunately, I believe his inability to focus on current problems with our economy and the world economy as a whole is substantially due to two points: McCain has little to no conceptualization of economic forecasting or implementation, and I sadly guess that somewhere on his hide is branded CK, not meaning Calvin Klein.
Obama does not look to Ayers for advice. His advisors and supporters include Nobel Prize winners (62 scientists in a recent public letter); investors and business people, such as Warren Buffett; former SEC chairs; two-thirds of professional economists recently polled; admirals; generals; and the overwhelming majority of soldiers in Iraq who have made political donations.
The McCain/Palin campaign wants to 'turn the page' away from the issues that matter to people's lives. The guilt by association charge on Obama is without merit. Let's consider the associations of John McCain that are relevant to the current financial crisis and to character and honor. McCain was reprimanded by the Senate for poor judgment in asking government regulators to withdraw from examination of his friend and supporter Charles Keating, who went to jail for fraud in the savings and loan crisis. McCain did not associate with Keating 30 years after Keating's crimes; he was part of the crimes.
McCain is indifferent to the impropriety of having paid lobbyists on his campaign staff, including his campaign manager, who received money from a company hired by Fannie Mae until a few weeks ago. McCain has been silent on the decision by the Alaskan legislature that Sarah Palin abused her power. During the last debate, McCain repudiated the “fringe” calling Obama a terrorist. But he allows robo-calls to carry this same message. These charges against McCain are true and important. Voters, pay attention to what matters.
When we found out you weren't registered to vote, we were a bit disappointed.When we further discovered that "rich" as you claimed to be, you hadn't paid your taxes, we were a bit MORE disappointed in you... but, okay. You're not a tax expert. You're a plumber.It was a little tough for me to take that someone making $250,000 a year in profit wouldn't be willing to pay $900 extra on his taxes so I and 95% of your neighbors could have a break, pay for gas, keep a little more of our income when we need it so much. My family struggles for groceries... but okay. What are we to you, after all? (Some of us are you five or ten years ago, but forget that... and especially forget that some of us could be you a few years in the future.)
Then we found out you weren't even a plumber. Wait, what?Lastly, we discover that you, Joe the Plumber, are possibly even related to Charles Keating, one of McCain's cronies from the Keating Five scandal. No wonder you're calling Senator Obama a socialist and suggesting he's "tap dancing like Sammy Davis, Jr." Hm. We suspect in others, as the saying goes.At least you won't be voting for McCain, seeing as how you didn't bother to register. All my Ohio friends are voting Obama, by the way.
As the 2008 campaign enters the final sprint toward the November 4th finish line, both campaigns are framing their final arguments to voters. As McCain's poll numbers in key states across the country continue to erode, we've seen his campaign tactics change. They have gone into 100 percent negative attack mode - literally 100 percent as far as I can tell - as that is currently the percentage of their ads that are negative. They are aimed at tearing down Obama personally and betting on the fact that they can raise doubts in enough swing voters minds' in key states like Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, Wisconsin, New Hampshire and Colorado that they can tip the electorate over the next couple weeks. They are doing this through "guilt by association" politics. They don't want this final phase of the campaign to be about the economy or the other issues, that much is clear from their own strategists quotes in the press. They want it to be about Obama's relationships with people like William Ayers and Jeremiah Wright.
First, let me say that this is nothing new in politics. For as long as Presidential campaigns have been waged, both sides of always tried to accused their opponents of "sleeping with the enemy" or having connections to people who are not upstanding folks. As I'm sure many of you remember, we spent a lot of time defending Clinton against these types of attacks during the 1992 race. However, John McCain and Sarah Palin are going far further, and far nastier, with this tactic than any campaign in memory.
Our side should not let the McCain campaign drive this debate without pointing out their hypocrisy, and we should hold the traditional media accountable when they cover McCain's wild accusations without exploring any of the associations in McCain and Palin's careers. So I decided to put together a list of people with frightening beliefs and/or criminal backgrounds that McCain and Palin are tied to. My criterion is that I looked for people that are or were in fact closer to McCain or Palin than Ayers. I think we should all push to make the traditional media really dig into these relationships.
12. Pastor John Hagee. You all remember when the Pastor Hagee scandal broke a couple months ago. Since then, McCain has distanced himself from the Pastor, but it's still important to remember this relationship and to note that while Obama has also distanced himself from Rev. Wright, the McCain campaign, along with GOP operatives continue to tie the two to each other and it's expected that Wright's name will make a return to the debate during next week's debate in New York.
In February of 2008, Hagee endorsed McCain's candidacy, calling him a, "man of principle, [who] does not stand boldly on both sides of any issue." For his part, McCain said that he was "very honored by Pastor John Hagee's endorsement." Unfortunately, Hagee has a litany of statements in the public record that are not only troubling, they are downright offensive and radical. ThinkProgress has more on Hagee's past comments. For starters, Hagee once referred to Catholicism as "The Great Whore," and in talking about U.S. foreign policy he said, "The United States must join Israel in a pre-emptive military strike against Iran to fulfill God's plan for both Israel and the West... a biblically prophesied end-time confrontation with Iran, which will lead to the Rapture, Tribulation, and Second Coming of Christ."
McCain has denounced some of these more radical statements, but the mere fact that he actively sought Hagee's endorsement for a year means that he should be held to account for Hagee's radical views - if Wright remains on the political table, Hagee should be there right next to him.
11. Thomas Muthee. Sarah and Todd Palin have another Pastor problem. His name is Thomas Muthee and he is an evangelist and witchdoctor, who Sarah Palin has credited with helping her to win her governorship in 2006. Hannah Strange from the Times Online has more on the Muthee-Palin relationship.
At a speech at the Wasilla Assembly of God on June 8 this year, Mrs Palin described how Thomas Muthee had laid his hands on her when he visited the church as a guest preacher in late 2005, prior to her successful gubernatorial bid. In video footage of the speech, she is seen saying: "As I was mayor and Pastor Muthee was here and he was praying over me, and you know how he speaks and he's so bold. And he was praying "Lord make a way, Lord make a way.""And I'm thinking, this guy's really bold, he doesn't even know what I'm going to do, he doesn't know what my plans are. And he's praying not "oh Lord if it be your will may she become governor," no, he just prayed for it. He said "Lord make a way and let her do this next step. And that's exactly what happened."
In video footage of the speech, she is seen saying: "As I was mayor and Pastor Muthee was here and he was praying over me, and you know how he speaks and he's so bold. And he was praying "Lord make a way, Lord make a way."
"And I'm thinking, this guy's really bold, he doesn't even know what I'm going to do, he doesn't know what my plans are. And he's praying not "oh Lord if it be your will may she become governor," no, he just prayed for it. He said "Lord make a way and let her do this next step. And that's exactly what happened."
Just like the Wright sermons, there are tons of YouTube clips that highlight this guy's sermons. The Palins' association with this guy really brings into question some serious issues - for example -does she believe that Muthee's spiritual hand helped seal her election in Alaska? Had this guy preached in front of Obama or his congregation, can you imagine what the outrage from the Right would be? Moreover, Muthee has made anti Catholic statements. He was once quoted as saying, "Brazil is occupied by Catholics... but people are being saved anyway!"
10. Mustafa Abu Naba'a. A while back, McCain also had another fundraising scandal involving one of his big bundlers from Florida, who also has close ties to Gov. Charlie Crist. This man is Mustafa Abu Naba'a, who is a dual citizen of Jordan and the Dominican Republic. He was tasked with collecting checks for McCain bundler Harry Sargeant III. His contribution to McCain was returned because the donations were solicited by a foreign national and may have been collected in violation of federal election laws. Matthew Mosk of the Washington Post has more on this fundraising scandal and it's implications - needless to say, this bundler wasn't doing things above-board and the fallout should be scrutinized - this is not the kind of person a presidential campaign or a potential President of the United States wants to have hanging around.
9. Ali Jawad. As the McCain campaign and RNC research team comb through the Obama campaigns donation history looking for ties to foreign donors and those presumably with Arab sounding names trying to draw some connection, it's important to remember that John McCain has had some issues in the recent past receiving donations from shady people that he later had to return.
One of those people was Ali Jawad, a member of McCain's Michigan Finance Committee. Jawad is president of Armada Oil & Gas Company and founder of the Lebanese American Heritage Club. According to Jake Tapper at ABC News:
In this 2002 story, Jawad is quoted saying he "rejects talk that Hezbollah is a terrorist organization that should be shunned by the United States and other governments. 'Killing innocent people -- we reject that,' he said. 'Hezbollah does not fit this category. It has protected its people."
The article goes on to say:
In 1997 he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor insurance fraud. Prosecutors accused him of submitting names of non-employees to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan to receive health insurance benefits and claims. He received two years of probation and he paid approximately $6,000 in fines and restitution.
8. Oliver North, John Singlaub and U.S. Council for World Freedom. A couple days ago, the Associated Press detailed the relationship between John McCain and The U.S. Council for World Freedom. AP:
The U.S. Council for World Freedom aided rebels trying to overthrow the leftist government of Nicaragua. That landed the group in the middle of the Iran-Contra affair and in legal trouble with the Internal Revenue Service, which revoked the charitable organization's tax exemption. The council created by retired Army Maj. Gen. John Singlaub was the U.S. chapter of the World Anti-Communist League, an international organization linked to former Nazi collaborators and ultra-right-wing death squads in Central America. After setting up the U.S. council, Singlaub served as the international league's chairman.
The council created by retired Army Maj. Gen. John Singlaub was the U.S. chapter of the World Anti-Communist League, an international organization linked to former Nazi collaborators and ultra-right-wing death squads in Central America. After setting up the U.S. council, Singlaub served as the international league's chairman.
What's more?
In two interviews with The Associated Press in August and September, Singlaub said McCain became associated with the organization in the early 1980s as McCain launched his political career. McCain was elected to the U.S. House in 1982.
Launched his political career? Sound familiar?
The Council was notorious for its affiliation with white supremacists, etc. Also, remember that Oliver North played a large role during the Iran-Contra and was convicted in 1989 of shredding documents, accepting an illegal gratuity, and aiding and abetting in the obstruction of Congress. On February 12, 2008, the McCain campaign circulated a column that North wrote in the Washington Times touting, "extolling the senator's virtues, under the heading "In Case You Missed It: Oliver North on John McCain."
Sam Stein at the Huffington Post has a great piece about McCain's connections with the U.S. Council for World Freedom. You can read it here.
7. Charles Keating. For many younger voters, the name Charles Keating might not have meant anything until early this week. However, for those of us who have been around for a while and have been deeply involved in politics, the Keating Five Scandal is still very much in our memories. This week, the Obama campaign hit McCain hard on the Keating issue - producing a 13-minute documentary on the scandal and tying McCain's actions back then to the crisis we face today in our economy. They hit him on judgment and they want to re-introduce Charles Keating to the American people, and rightly so. Keating was a close friend of the McCain's. McCain and his family vacationed with Keating, on Keating's buck and the favors that McCain helped to curry for Keating during the 1980's helped to bring about the fall of the Savings and Loan industry, one of the largest economic calamities of the 20th century. Just this past week, ThinkProgress dug up a letter correspondence between McCain and Keating - which punctuates their friendship and loyalty.
The Washington Times reports that in 1986, John McCain wrote a note on House stationery to Charles Keating, chairman of a failed savings and loan association who went to prison in the late 1980s. In the letter, McCain apologized for listing Keating as part of his Senate campaign finance committee. Keating wrote in response: "You can call me anything, write anything or do anything. I'm yours till death do us part."
If public service is about watching who you keep as company, then Charles Keating is still very much on the table. For years since the scandal, McCain has written and talked about how the Keating Five Scandal changed his life and how he would be forever transformed by the incident. However, in a conference call with reporters last week, John Dowd, the lawyer who represented McCain during the Senate Ethics Committee investigation spoke of the investigation as a "classic political smear job" and professed that "John had not done anything wrong." This alone re-opens the entire incident and the press should now be asking John McCain if he too believes the investigation was a "smear job" and that he had "done nothing wrong." Keating is a classic example of the company you keep coming back to haunt you.
6. G. Gordon Liddy. Liddy has been a name in national politics for many years. However, many piece of his biography have been forgotten. If a candidate for President of the United States is presumed guilty for the company that he keeps, then McCain's relationship, both financial and personal, with G. Gordon Liddy is very troublesome. Oliver Willis has more in a recent Media Matters report that lays out this relationship:
As Media Matters for America has noted, Liddy served four and a half years in prison in connection with his conviction for his role in the Watergate break-in and the break-in at the office of the psychiatrist of Daniel Ellsberg, the military analyst who leaked the Pentagon Papers. Liddy has acknowledged preparing to kill someone during the Ellsberg break-in "if necessary"; plotting to murder journalist Jack Anderson; plotting with a "gangland figure" to murder Howard Hunt to stop him from cooperating with investigators; plotting to firebomb the Brookings Institution; and plotting to kidnap "leftist guerillas" at the 1972 Republican National Convention -- a plan he outlined to the Nixon administration using terminology borrowed from the Nazis. (The murder, firebombing, and kidnapping plots were never carried out; the break-ins were.) During the 1990s, Liddy reportedly instructed his radio audience on multiple occasions on how to shoot Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms agents and also reportedly said he had named his shooting targets after Bill and Hillary Clinton. Liddy has donated $5,000 to McCain's campaigns since 1998, including $1,000 in February 2008. In addition, McCain has appeared on Liddy's radio show during the presidential campaign, including as recently as May. An online video labeled "John McCain On The G. Gordon Liddy Show 11/8/07? includes a discussion between Liddy and McCain, whom Liddy described as an "old friend." During the segment, McCain praised Liddy's "adherence to the principles and philosophies that keep our nation great," said he was "proud" of Liddy, and said that "it's always a pleasure for me to come on your program."
Liddy has donated $5,000 to McCain's campaigns since 1998, including $1,000 in February 2008. In addition, McCain has appeared on Liddy's radio show during the presidential campaign, including as recently as May. An online video labeled "John McCain On The G. Gordon Liddy Show 11/8/07? includes a discussion between Liddy and McCain, whom Liddy described as an "old friend." During the segment, McCain praised Liddy's "adherence to the principles and philosophies that keep our nation great," said he was "proud" of Liddy, and said that "it's always a pleasure for me to come on your program."
5. Kemper Marley. Kemper Marley was a wealthy liquor distributor and Arizona rancher who had close ties to the Hensley family, namely Cindy McCain's father. He was long suspected of being involved in the bombing and murder of Don Bolles, an investigative reporter for The Arizona Republic who specialized in crime reporting. According to Marley's 1990 obituary in the New York Times, "John Harvey Adamson, the only person whose conviction in the slaying has been upheld, said in court documents that he had been hired by Max Dunlap, a wealthy contractor who had been reared by Mr. Marley, to kill Mr. Bolles for writing articles damaging to Mr. Marley."
A Phoenix-area newspaper did a story during McCain's 2000 Presidential bid about the Hensley family history and their associations with shady characters. According to the Phoenix News Times, "The Hensley saga, meanwhile, swirls with bygone accounts of illicit booze, gambling, horse racing, deceit and crime. James Hensley embarked on his road to riches as a bootlegger."Kemper's money, along with the Hensley family, helped John McCain get where he is today. It's important that questions are asked about McCain's knowledge of Kemper Marley and what involvement and impact he had on McCain's early political career.
4. Don Diamond. Then, there is Don Diamond. In April, 2008, the New York Times did a detailed story on Diamond's relationship with McCain and the favors that McCain curried for Diamond, who wanted to develop land in California on the site of a closed Army base.. In their lede, they write, "For Mr. McCain, the Arizona Republican who has staked two presidential campaigns on pledges to avoid even the appearance of dispensing an official favor for a donor, Mr. Diamond is the kind of friend who can pose a test."
Here's more from the Times:
Donald R. Diamond, a wealthy Arizona real estate developer, was racing to snap up a stretch of virgin California coast freed by the closing of an Army base a decade ago when he turned to an old friend, Senator John McCain. When Mr. Diamond wanted to buy land at the base, Fort Ord, Mr. McCain assigned an aide who set up a meeting at the Pentagon and later stepped in again to help speed up the sale, according to people involved and a deposition Mr. Diamond gave for a related lawsuit. When he appealed to a nearby city for the right to develop other property at the former base, Mr. Diamond submitted Mr. McCain's endorsement as "a close personal friend." Writing to officials in the city, Seaside, Calif., the senator said, "You will find him as honorable and committed as I have." Courting local officials and potential partners, Mr. Diamond's team promised that he could "help get through some of the red tape in dealing with the Department of the Army" because Mr. Diamond "has been very active with Senator McCain," a partner said in a deposition.A longtime political patron, Mr. Diamond is one of the elite fund-raisers Mr. McCain's current presidential campaign calls Innovators, having raised more than $250,000 so far. At home, Mr. Diamond is sometimes referred to as "The Donald," Arizona's answer to Donald Trump -- an outsized personality who invites public officials aboard his flotilla of yachts (the Ace, King, Jack and Queen of Diamonds), specializes in deals with the government, and unabashedly solicits support for his business interests from the recipients of his campaign contributions.
When Mr. Diamond wanted to buy land at the base, Fort Ord, Mr. McCain assigned an aide who set up a meeting at the Pentagon and later stepped in again to help speed up the sale, according to people involved and a deposition Mr. Diamond gave for a related lawsuit. When he appealed to a nearby city for the right to develop other property at the former base, Mr. Diamond submitted Mr. McCain's endorsement as "a close personal friend."
Writing to officials in the city, Seaside, Calif., the senator said, "You will find him as honorable and committed as I have."
Courting local officials and potential partners, Mr. Diamond's team promised that he could "help get through some of the red tape in dealing with the Department of the Army" because Mr. Diamond "has been very active with Senator McCain," a partner said in a deposition.
A longtime political patron, Mr. Diamond is one of the elite fund-raisers Mr. McCain's current presidential campaign calls Innovators, having raised more than $250,000 so far. At home, Mr. Diamond is sometimes referred to as "The Donald," Arizona's answer to Donald Trump -- an outsized personality who invites public officials aboard his flotilla of yachts (the Ace, King, Jack and Queen of Diamonds), specializes in deals with the government, and unabashedly solicits support for his business interests from the recipients of his campaign contributions.
3. Marylin Shannon. Over the past couple days you've heard the line about Obama "palling around with terrorists" come out of Sarah Palin's mouth on numerous occasions and with relative ease. Well, it's important to note that John McCain's friend, Marilyn Shannon, a Republican official from Oregon, once praised a woman who was convicted of attempted murder in the shooting of an abortion clinic doctor. According to Raw Story:
McCain and Shannon appeared together at a fundraiser for the Oregon Citizens Alliance in 1993, a gathering of Christian right extremists that even fellow Republicans advised McCain not to attend because the group was so far outside the mainstream. Speaking before McCain, Shannon offered some kind words for Shelley Shannon, who was accused and later convicted of shooting an abortion doctor: "I'm not related to Shelly Shannon, but I think she's a fine lady," the vice chairwoman of the state Republican Party said. McCain apparently said nothing to contradict that judgment, and less than three months later he voted against a bill that would make abortion clinic bombings a federal crime.Author and journalist Frederick Clarkson has written extensively about the Army of God, the radical Christian organization that trained Shelley Shannon and others like her to bomb abortion clinics and attack abortion providers. He provides some more details on Shannon. She was eventually convicted of the attempted murder of a Wichita, Kan., doctor and of committing a spree of abortion clinic arsons across the west.
Speaking before McCain, Shannon offered some kind words for Shelley Shannon, who was accused and later convicted of shooting an abortion doctor: "I'm not related to Shelly Shannon, but I think she's a fine lady," the vice chairwoman of the state Republican Party said. McCain apparently said nothing to contradict that judgment, and less than three months later he voted against a bill that would make abortion clinic bombings a federal crime.
Author and journalist Frederick Clarkson has written extensively about the Army of God, the radical Christian organization that trained Shelley Shannon and others like her to bomb abortion clinics and attack abortion providers. He provides some more details on Shannon. She was eventually convicted of the attempted murder of a Wichita, Kan., doctor and of committing a spree of abortion clinic arsons across the west.
Keep in mind that Shannon was a delegate for McCain to this year's Republican National Convention in Saint Paul. The McCain campaign showed no oversight in allowing her to attend. Moreover, as ThinkProgress points out - when asked by the CBS Early Show to respond to an article where accusations were made that McCain had palled around with someone who held these radical and dangerous views, McCain-Palin campaign spokesperson Nancy Pfotenhauer said, "The article also concluded is that if Senator McCain had hung out with somebody who had bombed abortion clinics, no one would consider [raising the issue] illegitimate.
So, what Pfotenhauer is saying is that this issue is legitimate and that McCain should have to respond. Let's see if he does.
2. Alaska Independence Party - Joe Vogler, Mark Chryson and Steve Stoll. As the GOP continues to parse and amplify the words of Jeremiah Wright, mind you, not his words on peace and spiritual matters, but rather the passages where he was critical of America on racial and foreign policy issues, it's important that we make sure Americans know about Joe Vogler, the founder of AIP. In some cases, his words are nearly identical to Rev. Wright's, and in many cases they are worse. Vogler has been quoted as saying, "the fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government" and "I won't be buried under their damn flag..."I'll be buried in Dawson. And when Alaska is an independent nation they can bring my bones home." Vogler even went so far as to renounce his allegiance to the United States, which is far more extreme than anything that came out of Rev. Wright's mouth. In the course of denouncing Federal regulation over land, he said, "And then you get mad. And you say, the hell with them. And you renounce allegiance, and you pledge your efforts, your effects, your honor, your life to Alaska." TPM has a great piece with all of these quotes, along with audio of Vogler's interview.
There's also Mark Chryson and Steve Stoll, both AIP members and close political associates of Sarah Palin. Here's Salon's write-up on these two and their association with Palin's run for Mayor of Wasilla.
Though Chryson belongs to a fringe political party, one that advocates the secession of Alaska from the Union, and that organizes with other like-minded secessionist movements from Canada to the Deep South, he is not without peculiar influence in state politics, especially the rise of Sarah Palin. An obscure figure outside of Alaska, Chryson has been a political fixture in the hometown of the Republican vice-presidential nominee for over a decade. During the 1990s, when Chryson directed the AIP, he and another radical right-winger, Steve Stoll, played a quiet but pivotal role in electing Palin as mayor of Wasilla and shaping her political agenda afterward. Both Stoll and Chryson not only contributed to Palin's campaign financially, they played major behind-the-scenes roles in the Palin camp before, during and after her victory. Palin backed Chryson as he successfully advanced a host of anti-tax, pro-gun initiatives, including one that altered the state Constitution's language to better facilitate the formation of anti-government militias. She joined in their vendetta against several local officials they disliked, and listened to their advice about hiring.
The Salon piece that I quote from above has some really ripe, detailed information on the AIP, as well as its more shady members. Palin has not renounced these men or to the best of my knowledge, even addressed their associations with them.
1. Todd Palin. The "first dude" has gotten pretty much a free ride from the traditional press over the past six weeks. He's done a couple softball interviews on FOX News and has pretty much sat in the background as his wife has been introduced on the national stage. Not much attention has been paid to the fact that Todd Palin was a member, for eight years, of the Alaska Independence Party, a radical group that advocates for Alaskan secession from the United States of America and is linked with radical secessionist groups, militias, and white supremacists groups from all over the country. We don't know the full extent of Todd Palin's beliefs when it comes to AIP and their radical views, but the problem is - no one is really asking. As Ambinder puts it in a post he did on October 4:
Todd Palin, a former member of the Alaska Independence Party, might well have seen America unlike his wife did -- that is, an America that one can secede from. He was comfortable belonging to and being associated with a political party whose founder seemed to delight in denouncing the principles that hold our union together.
If there is even a remote chance that this guy is going to be living in the Vice President's house or White House for the next 4 or 8 years, we deserve to know the truth about his radical views of America, especially given how much Gov. Palin has clearly relied on him for policy-making help while Governor of Alaska.
Over John McCain's long political career, he has made many "friends." It's evident in the short time that the country has known Sarah and Todd Palin that they also had a bunch of friends - all who should be causing trouble for them in the closing weeks of this campaign. If the McCain-Palin ticket wants to constantly remind voters about Obama's "friends," it's imperative that we do the same.
I offer this list to reporters, bloggers and muckrakers of all kinds. To be fair in this campaign, if we're going to be hearing a lot about Bill Ayers and Jeremiah Wright, we should be hearing about all of these people as well. In fact, all of them are far closer to McCain or Palin than Ayers ever was to Obama. And while Obama has denounced the actions of Ayers and the words or Wright, most of the people on this list have never been denounced by John McCain or Sarah Palin. As McCain and company go more and more negative and trumpet Obama's past associations, it's important that we push these stories and make sure the American people know that this "guilt by associations" politics cuts both ways.
An ad from the McCain campaign suggests that Barack Obama is a pal of Bill Ayers, and therefore is a bomb-throwing radical. Sarah Palin points out that she read this in the New York Times, perhaps to refute the perception that she doesn't read newspapers. However, she did not read the article carefully, since it demonstrates that Akers and Obama only 'crossed paths' while working to bring money to Chicago schools and as neighbors in Hyde Park. Barack Obama does not look to Bill Ayers for advice. His advisors and supporters include Nobel Prize winners (62 scientists in a recent public letter), investors and business people such as Warren Buffett, former SEC chairs, two-thirds of professional economists recently polled, admirals, generals and the over-whelming majority of soldiers in Iraq who have made political donations. About 4 million Americans have contributed financially to his presidential campaign.
The McCain/Palin campaign wants to 'turn the page' away from the issues that matter to people's lives. The guilt by association charge on Obama is without merit. Let's consider the associations of John McCain that are relevant to banking, character, and honor. John McCain was reprimanded by the Senate for poor judgment in asking government regulators to withdraw from examination of his friend and supporter Charles Keating, who went to jail for fraud in the savings and loan crisis that also cost the taxpayer billions. John McCain said that Phil Gramm is the person he looks to on the economy, Phil Gramm who calls Americans whiners and wrote the deregulation laws that put the country on the path to the present crisis. John McCain is indifferent to the propriety of having paid lobbyists on his campaign staff, including his campaign manager, who received money from a company hired by Fannie Mae until the government took it over a few weeks ago. This charge of guilt by association is true and important. Voters: pay attention to what matters.
Sen. Obama's television surrogates need to strike back harder and on point. I just spent 2 hours flipping thorugh the FOX, CNN and MSNBC shows. Everybody is talking about Sen. Obama's past associates. It is getting wide disucssion. NOT ONCE, not one, did anybody bring up Charles Keating.
We need to counter hard about Mr. Keating, a financial terrorist who bilked BILLIONS from innocent taxpayers. He wasn't just McCain's associate either. John McCain and his wife Cindy went on exotic vacations with the Keatings, traveled on their yacht. Cocktails and fine dining over and over and over. THey were best buds. This "my friends" is no comparison to serving on a board and also being in a room for a fundraiser once.
BILKED BILLIONS. If we are to be judged by the company we keep - this needs to be called into talk shows, TV shows, email FOX,CNN and MSNBC. Bombard about the BILIONAIRE BILKER, Criminal and financial terrorists. Don't just circulate a 13 minute video ( which was terrific) - call and email the media outlets to be fair.
You know, Sen. Obama was 8 years old when Mr. Ayres was up to his antics. His association was tangential and shared that association with other respectable people.
John McCain admitted poor judgement in his MANY, years long association with Charles Keating. He apologized for it and for the most part, we accepted his explanation. So now, McCain expects the electorate to move on where the Keating Five are concerned. Okay...
But wait, you don't want to give Sen. OBama the same benefit of the doubt that you got Sen. McCain? We should MOVE ON with your past associates, like Rev Hagee and felon G.GOrdon Liddy, but we are NOT SUPPOSED TO MOVE ON for any thin associations Sen. OBama had? C'MON!!!!!
Folks, the Sean Hannity driven outrage over Mr. Ayres will have a negative backlash I think - but it is also now dominating all the mainstream media outlets. We aren't getting people speaking up loudly enough for Sen. Obama's behalf. I just watched Paul Begalia mention McCain ought not to go there...but he never gave any examples. The viewers need to be reminded of the significant counter-balance arguement.
I became an Obama supporter during the primaries. It wasn't that he had extensive experience--though I was impressed by the people from whom he had sought advice--or that he had a crackerjack plan to offer. It was that he ran a clean, dignified campaign in spite of the provocation to do otherwise.
He focused on his vision, what he wanted to accomplish, and if he was light on details, at least the details he offered weren't designed to discredit his opponents through side issues. And while it won him my admiration, it cost him. The pundits said that he needed to "get tougher," that he could not win without resorting to dirty tricks. I hoped they were wrong.
Learn more about the amendments included on our 2008 Election Ballot:
Item one: To encourage the preservation of Georgia's forests through conservation use property tax reduction program.
Item Two: To authorize local school districts to use tax funds for community redevelopment purposes.
Item Three: To authorize the creation of special Infrastructure Development Districts providing infrastructure to underserved areas.
Note: Don’t let the wording fool you, especially on Item three. Very clever wording to take A lot of money from Home buyers.
Item Two seems foolish after telling the teachers that we can not give them the pledged 3 percent raises.
Source: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=146x5856
or_
References:http://www.times-herald.com/Local/Proposed-amendment-wo... http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Georgia_2008_ball... http://news.mywebpal.com/partners/680/public/news915307
GA news ~
ON September 30, 2008
Chambliss leads Martin only 37% to 34% in DSCC pollGeorgia Democratic Senate candidate Jim Martin is within three points of Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss and holds Chambliss to just 37% of the vote, according to a new poll taken for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Chambliss leads Martin 37% to 34% in the poll, which also found that only 27% of Georgia likely voters say that Chambliss is doing an excellent or good job as Senator – a ten point drop from a poll taken for the DSCC in early August.“Georgians continue to show that they are unhappy with the job Saxby Chambliss has done in Washington and are ready for a change,” DSCC spokesman Matthew Miller said. “With thirty-five days to go until the election, Jim Martin is in a strong position against an unpopular incumbent.”The poll of 600 likely voters was taken September 24 to 28 by the Mellman Group and has a 4% margin of error.
Now! Jim Says:
From 3 to 2 to 1: New Independent Poll Shows Us Within 1 Point of Chambliss!Today brings the third in a series of new polls that pegs our race at a dead heat! Last week, we told you about a new Mellman Group poll that had us within 3 points of Saxby Chambliss - and then a new SurveyUSA poll that had us down by only 2.And now, this morning, a new Research 2000 poll shows that we are trailing Chambliss by only 1 point, 45% to 44%!There can be no doubt that we have the momentum on our side. Over the weekend, while I was meeting with folks in LaGrange, Columbus, and Fayetteville, the papers were full of doom-and-gloom stories for Saxby Chambliss, calling him "beatable in conservative Georgia." The Washington Post described Chambliss as "suddenly teetering." Another outlet lauded us for running a "smart, aggressive operation" in going after Chambliss.
Source: http://www.martinforsenate.com/blog/
Reason for the big jump in the polls is directly related to our hard work registering new voters. Great Job Folks!!!
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WARNING!
Do not watch on C-span the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee hearings about the $700Billion Rescue unless you have a strong stomache. The Greed of LB & AIG executives are unbelievable.
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McCain revisiting Keating 5 banking scandal again after his campaign goes Nasty! It's about time, I think.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081007/ap_on_el_pr/mccain_keating
If we learned nothing from the swiftboating in 2000 & 2004, defend yourself and fast. It's sad but true.
Oh about that Bear DNA POrk Spending McCain Mocked about - He voted for it! Did you Vet your Candidates Sir?
Guess what The Palins were associated with a " Domestic Terrorist" THe Leader wanted to Alaska to Succeed from the US.
Revealed: $Arah Palin Cut $1.1 Million in Funding for Teen Moms
Did He not hear of these issues associated with her?
Vote Early!!!! Obama '08
Wright was wrong, and now we have the Ayers (who was a terrorist when Obama was eight years old!) non-issue.
On the other hand, McCain's history of association with unsavory individuals and organizations has often been, at best, ill-chosen.
And sometimes it isn’t, i.e. McCain’s membership on the “US Council for World Freedom”
If you liked this message, then please have a look at the rest of my blog, http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/blog/henrymu and please consider donating to the campaign: http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/PListe4Obama
I worked for Alan Cranston as his senior foreign policy and defense advisor for the last three years he served as Senate Majority Whip.He was the best boss I ever had and one of the most ethical people I have ever met in Washington. I loved the man.(BTW, my own ethical standing was proved--I think--when I was the pioneer whistleblower against what the Department of Justice Inspector General called "egregious misconduct," "willful disregard for national security" and corruption on the part of senior aides to Attorney General Janet Reno several years later. But that is a different story.)Cranston did receive the largest amount of money from Keating, but what the story (below) doesn't say is that he used it for voter registration in California. He didn't take a dime for himself.As the story correctly points out, "McCain, had family vacations at Keating's home in the Bahamas in 1984, 1985 and 1986 when he was in the House, which the Senate committee said was beyond its jurisdiction."Alan was old and sick with cancer and Washington needed a whipping boy. How Republican Robert Bennett, as committee counsel, could savage Cranston and get away with it, while protecting McCain speaks volumes about how the ol' boys worked in the nation's capital.McCain, who profited personally from his relationship with Keating, spent his time whining about how innocent he was.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-keating-2,0,3810427.story
Chicago Tribune
Originally published Feb. 28, 1991
WASHINGTON
There is "substantial credible evidence" that Sen. Alan Cranston violated Senate rules by intervening with federal savings and loan regulators for campaign contributor Charles Keating, the Senate ethics committee decided Wednesday.In the largest group disciplinary action ever taken in the Senate, the committee also publicly scolded four other senators, who along with Cranston have become known as the Keating Five.The case of Cranston (D-Calif.) will proceed into a final stage that probably will conclude with full Senate action, which could mean expulsion but will more likely be censure or reprimand. No further action will be taken against the four others.The ruling could have an impact on the conduct of U.S. senators for years to come as they evaluate whether their service on behalf of constituents and campaign contributors oversteps Senate rules. The ethics committee said it hoped the rulings would lead to campaign finance reform.The four who escaped full Senate review of their cases -- Sens. Dennis DeConcini (D-Ariz.), Donald Riegle (D-Mich.), John McCain (R-Ariz.) and John Glenn (D- Ohio) -- nevertheless "exercised poor judgment" in intervening on behalf of Keating, a savings and loan owner, the committee said. The committee was particularly critical of Riegle and DeConcini, saying their conduct "gave the appearance of being improper," though they violated no rule.In a unanimous opinion, the six-member bipartisan committee said there is "substantial credible evidence" that "Cranston engaged in an impermissible pattern of conduct in which fundraising and official activities were substantially linked."Cranston, who got $900,000 of the $1.3 million Keating contributed to the senators and their causes, has a right to respond to the allegation and ask for an investigative hearing before the committee recommends his punishment.He declined to disclose his plans but issued a terse statement. "It's clear that I have been unfairly singled out despite the evidence in all five cases," he said.The Keating cases have consumed the Senate for nearly 1 1/2 years, including three months of preliminary hearings that ran until Jan. 16.The committee's vice chairman, Sen. Warren Rudman (R-N.H.), said the proceedings already have forced senators to impose new behavior standards on themselves.The committee, chaired by Sen. Howell Heflin (D-Ala.), called on the Senate leadership to write formal standards on how senators can intervene with federal agencies and also to propose campaign finance reforms.Cranston, 76, who resigned as the Senate majority whip while under treatment for prostate cancer, has announced he will not run for re-election in 1992.The critical language used to rebuke the other senators provides powerful ammunition to potential opponents in any re-election bids.Nevertheless, in a news conference, the two senators who received the lightest treatment, McCain and Glenn, acted as if the committee had found they did nothing wrong. McCain expressed relief that he had been "exonerated," and Glenn claimed he had been "vindicated."DeConcini said he was "relieved" and said he would continue to be "aggressive" in dealing with federal regulators on behalf of his constituents.Such claims led Fred Wertheimer, chairman of Common Cause, the self-styled citizens lobby that brought the cases to the ethics committee on Oct. 13, 1989, to call for further action by the full Senate on at least some of the cases besides Cranston's."Today's action by the Senate ethics committee is a cop-out and a damning indictment of the committee," Wertheimer said. "It represents a triumph for the club at the expense of the Senate and its integrity." Riegle, the only member who sounded contrite, said, "I certainly regret and accept responsibility" for actions that he conceded "did lend themselves to an appearance of a conflict of interest."If the full Senate decides that Cranston should be censured, he would be the eighth senator in the 20th Century to be so condemned. The last was Sen. Dave Durenberger (D-Minn.), whom the Senate denounced last year for improper financial dealings.The Ethics Committee spent days deliberating over the disposition of the cases and the wording of the statements.The committee members also were said to be concerned about their own reputations, and some did not want to let the senators off lightly. However, they were constrained by Senate rules, which do not specifically outlaw the actions taken by four of the five.The ruling by the committee essentially backed up committee counsel Robert Bennett's assertion that Cranston was the most culpable.Cranston's defense essentially was that all senators collect money from contributors and go to bat for them with federal regulators. Keating's Lincoln Savings and Loan is based in Irvine, Calif., where he faces state fraud charges.Lincoln's parent corporation, American Continential Corp., is based in Arizona, which provided the first links between Keating and DeConcini, 53, and McCain, 54.DeConcini's primary role was to take the lead at two meetings in April 1989 urging banking regulators to rethink their position that Lincoln was a bad thrift and required remedial action.By the end of that month the federal government had seized Lincoln, and in September 1989 the government sued Keating and American Continental, alleging that some of Lincoln's money had been siphoned into campaign contributions. DeConcini then returned $48,100 raised by Keating for his 1988 campaign.DeConcini's Arizona colleague, McCain, had family vacations at Keating's home in the Bahamas in 1984, 1985 and 1986 when he was in the House, which the Senate committee said was beyond its jurisdiction.
Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune
http://my.barackobama.com/page/invite/keatingvideo
The Barack Obama campaign has unveiled a new website, KeatingEconomics.com, including a new 13-minute documentary video on John McCain's role in the Keating savings & loan scandal of the 1980s and its links to the current financial crisis. As a desperate McCain/Palin campaign resorts to increasingly negative attacks on Obama, relying heavily on fear-mongering and flimsy personal associations, the Obama campaign is hitting back with the undeniable facts of McCain's own corrupt actions and their consequences for the US economy.
McCain and four other Senators - known collectively as the "Keating Five" - were accused in 1989 of improperly aiding Arizona banker Charles Keating in efforts to hamper regulatory intrusions on the industry's risky investment practices. McCain, who had received over $100,000 in campaign contributions from Keating, was officially rebuked only for "poor judgment," though his true culpability in the matter may run much deeper than the official charge suggests. At the very least, McCain's history in this matter casts doubt on his claims to be a "maverick reformer," though it is a card that Democrats including Barack Obama have thus far been shy about bringing into play.
The Obama campaign broke its silence on the matter late last month in response to whining from the McCain campaign that the news media has been biased in favor of Obama. Obama spokesman Bill Burton invoked the Keating affair while hitting back at the McCain campaign for suggesting that Obama had received a pass from the press, saying that McCain had seen little scrutiny of his association to Keating despite being "centrally involved" in America's "last major financial regulatory crisis, resulting in a huge bailout." Senior Obama strategist Robert Gibbs, meanwhile, had the following to say to reporters asking if the Obama campaign planned to make Keating an issue: "If we're going to talk about what's fair game in terms of people in a relationship, I don't see how... that wouldn't be important" (Huffington Post, Politico).
Back in May, Obama himself said that the Keating scandal was not off limits, but has since said little or nothing directly about it. Speaking recently on the sad state of the US economy, Obama briefly referred to the savings and loan crisis of the 1980s, but without directly referring to McCain or Keating. These more direct comments from the Obama campaign followed statements from Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio strongly suggesting that the Keating affair is indeed on the table:
"It is not so much [McCain's] economic proposals but his economic record.... His main adviser is Phil Gramm -- he was his mentor in the Senate -- and you just tie it all together. Of course John McCain supported the oil industry, he has oil lobbyists working for him. Of course John McCain supported these trade agreements, he has got Wall Street people working for him... It is all wrapped up together. John McCain is a creature of these interest groups in Washington. He is no maverick and, from the Keating Five on, his ethics have been questionable. He's not a maverick and Barack has got to just keep hammering on that."
In a clip from their recent documentary video, THIRD TERM, media group Progressive Accountability also ties John McCain's actions in the savings and loan scandal of the 1980s to his current response to the US financial crisis. More from THIRD TERM can be seen at the Progressive Accountability website.
Spread it around. McCain deserves it.
I've gathered some information that should help us fight back the smears and the lies. I agree that Obama needs to stay above the fray and keep the message on the economy. It's surrogates and supporters like us who have to fight back. We have come to far and worked to hard canvassing, phone calling, registering voters, convincing and informing undecideds, etc. for it to all go the way side like Kerry in 2004. We cannot afford another 4 years of the last eight. time is drawing close and we need this win. Fight back with truth. mccain and palin have allot of political skeletons that need to be forced out of the MSM closet. I've gathered some info, if you have more please share.
CNN truth report On Obama and Ayers:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMRON2GPXUA
Obama gives the go ahead to surrogates, to bring up Keating five and other associations:http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/10/5/19317/4480/333/621072
The Obama campaign already has an ad related to it - make it viral
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHW-RO1_WN0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsI_0bV2CZo
Also bring Up Mccains lobbyist:http://www.mccainslobbyist.com
Donald Diamond:
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/04/23/it-goes-well-beyond-the-keating-five/
Richard Quinn:
http://politicalconsultantmisconduct.blogspot.com/2008/01/richard-quinn-associates-employee-of.html George Gordon Liddy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6F3biK1Mb0&feature=related
Mccain Voted to protect Domestic Terrorist
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/10/06/mccain-abotion-bombers/
Lets also include the GOP's newest talent, Palin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xmt0rLtgmK0
Hi everyone-
It is pretty obvious that the McCain campaign wants to get down and dirty this last month of the election after the "terrorist" namecalling and "elitist" smears. I think the Keating Five scandal needs to be dragged out front and center again, especially in light of the financial crisis that has been brought about by a lack of ethical banking practices.
I own the domain, www.Keating5.com, I bought it last winter when I was volunteering for Ron Paul. Right now I don't have anything up on it. I'll be honest, I am not very talented in terms of getting a website up and running. However if anyone wants to collaborate on a site outlining the Keating Five scandal and/or get the attention of the official Obama campaign to run with it I'd be happy to get some anti-McCain material up.
Send me a message if you are interested!
So, the pundits were on Fox News sunday debating McCain's new strategy to go negative on Obama. Should McCain bring up Ayres, Wright and Rezko they all asked. In doing so rhetorically, they bring up the issue and remind viewers about those big 3 names. Not once, did any surrogate or anyone on the panel say, well Chris, if McCain did that, they open themselves up to McCain's past associations with the Keating Five. After Americans had to painfully swallow a trillion dollar bailout, I don't think they want to be reminded that not so terribly long ago, McCain's associates bilked investors in the Keating Five Savings and Loan scandal. McCain was one of those five. Now, he didn't get exonorated, nor was he as guilty as the other four, but noone can dare say he wasn't fully associated with that mess.
So in all this punditry and surrogacy, listeners get to be reminded of the big 3 for Obama while no mention is made of McCain's less than pure past.
Let's be fair and balanced here...even in analysis. IF we point out the pros, we must also point out the cons and remind people there are always two sides.
McCain Repeats Keating Era Mistakes...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/01/mccain-repeating-keating_n_130612.html#postComment
Seath Colter Walls
As the stock market recovers from its biggest single-day drop since the crash of 1987, a former federal regulator who had a front-row view of John McCain's role in the Savings and Loan scandal says he is repeating some of the same mistakes.
William Black -- a deputy director of the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation during the "Keating Five" scandal that nearly ended McCain's political career -- says the Arizona Republican's chief errors at the time were underestimating the importance of regulation and relying too heavily on slanted advice from captains of industry.
"In the S&L crisis, he took his advice from the worst [kind of] criminal. Charles Keating is the person he went to for his policy advice," Black said. "Now, he certainly is getting advice from Phil Gramm, Carly Fiorina, Rick Davis -- the whole group of economic and top political advisers are lobbyist types. He just doesn't seem to get it, ever, that the advice is going to favor their clients. Even if they just stop being lobbyists, you can't just turn that off instantly. It's their mind state that develops. ... The biggest lesson is that, when you deregulate and de-supervise, you create an environment where control fraud emerges. You hyper-inflate bubbles; you get criminalization."
Though McCain's latest TV ads tout the senator's sporadic calls for more government regulation, Black notes with interest that McCain bragged recently that he was "fundamentally a deregulator." Black, who is now an associate professor of law and economics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, also said that the deregulation that McCain was until recently proud to have championed effectively took corporate cops off the beat. "Nobody calls the Houston police department and says 'I think there a problem at Enron,'" he remarked.
Black, who has long been critical of McCain's role in the Keating affair, also viewed McCain's Tuesday announcement of his support for increased FDIC insurance rates as something of a sham, calling it "just one of his many contradictions" on economic matters.
In 1991, McCain railed against raising the FDIC insurance limit from $40,000 to its current $100,000 level. "The perversity of Federal deposit insurance is exemplified by the taxpayer bailout of the savings and loan industry," McCain said, while omitting his own role in the scandal that actually precipitated the S&L crisis.
"I think it is generally acknowledged that the failure of the savings and loan industry, to a large degree, can be directly attributed to the unwarranted expansion of deposit insurance," McCain continued. "Basic coverage was increased from $40,000 to $100,000. No longer was deposit insurance for the small depositor. It became the safety blanket for large, sophisticated depositors and freewheeling bankers."
Now, as McCain echoes Barack Obama's call to raise the FDIC insurance level from $100,000 to $250,000, Black believes the idea that FDIC insurance rates ever caused the S&L crisis can finally be put to rest as being "complete bunk."
Yet, despite being a withering McCain critic, Black isn't completely sold on Obama, either. While he notes with some satisfaction that the Illinois Democrat "did at least try to do some stuff on the regulation of subprime [mortgages] a couple of years ago, he wasn't on key committees." Overall, on financial regulatory matters, Black says Obama is "really somewhat untested. I'm not sure exactly what he would do." But Black notes that the "experienced" candidate is the one most likely to be tagged with responsibility for the current mess. "McCain purports to be on the committee that dealt with everything. [Meanwhile], he did nothing on subprime mortgages for years."
