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The Texas Blue
Advancing Progressive Ideas

The VP Landscape: Hurry Up And Wait

So what do you do as a presidential contender if your opponent is capturing the media cycle with overseas trips and you don't actually have anything substantive to compete with for the press' attention? Well, if you're John McCain, you leak that you might be choosing a running mate really, really soon now.

Chris Cillizza at The Fix does his routine bit of insightful analysis and notes that, though Bob Novak really thought that the announcement would come this week — really! — it seems likely that we'd see the announcement made pretty early in August.

The question then becomes, of course, when does Obama announce? Wouldn't he also want to avoid the post-August 8th news cycles that will be dominated by the Beijing Olympics, as Cillizza notes would be McCain's reason to hurry? It would seem like the window after Obama's trip but before the Olympics is the only plausible time period in the next month for the candidates to announce.

Of course, the second candidate to announce in that period would seem like he's simply reacting to the other, a position nobody wants to be seen in, so that would be a compelling reason to wait until after the Olympics — or to make a surprise announcement prior to when the other candidate is expected to. As Obama basically has control of the news cycle, and as Cillizza mentions, McCain should likely put a little space between Obama's trip and his announcement so he, again, doesn't look like he's simply reacting, Obama has a window of time where he could beat McCain to the punch as far as a VP decision goes. Will that happen? I don't know — but it sure would make for good television, wouldn't it?

TORTURE OF POWs IS NEVER ACCEPTABLE

Tens of thousands of POWs -- some held in secret American prisons all over the globe -- have been -- and are being tortured mentally and physically, even as I write this short note.

Why the American people -- people I have long regarded as decent and religious -- continue to tolerate this despicable practice is beyond my comprehension.

TORTURE is morally wrong.

TORTURE is criminal.

TORTURE aids and abets the enemy: Photos and videos and testimonials of victims circulate throughout the middle east in a powerful propaganda campaign against America.

TORTURE is unncessary: powerful techniques exist to extract information.

TORTURE confessions are unreliable: victims will tell their abusers whatever they believe is wanted to stop the abuse.

TORTURE acquired evidence is not admissible in civilian courts.

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NO DOUBT EXISTS THAT "W" authorized torture.

How any moral and patriotic American can look at this man or listen to his voice without getting physically ill is beyond my comprehension.

TORTURE is un-American.

TORTURE is un-patriotic.

TORTURE is criminal.

Torture our Constitution

Jack Ames

By continuing to run for President Obama continues to ignore the Constitution of the U.S.A.

HE IS NOT A U.S. CITIZEN; HE IS NOT A NATURALIZED CITIZEN; NOR IS HE "NATURAL BORN. "THESE ARE THE THE MOST FLAGRANT ACTS POSSIBLE....AND HE HAS TAKEN CONSTITUTIOAL LAW. HE IS A CITIZEN OF KENYA TO PUT THE FROSTING ON THE CAKE.

THE FOLLOWING FROM HAWAII'S ATTORNRY GENERAL IS MOST SPECIFIC,,,,

"In the federal system, the states are given duties. Holding elections is one of the duties they are given, including federal elections, including president. They have to see that all laws are enforced in those elections, including what is specified in the U.S. Constitution. Because Hawaii has the b.c. of Barack Obama according to Obama’s web site, it falls to Hawaii to check the b.c.
This is an obligation it has under the U.S. Constitution as an election administrator, and under federal supremacy, and under the Constitution directly to see that Obama meets the requirements written in the U.S. Constitution. When state officials take an oath to the Constitution of the United States, they take on that obligation to make sure that anyone running for president of the United States meets all qualifications in the U.S. Constitution.
Because Hawaii is the alleged holder of the Obama b.c., it has the obligation to check its original. It has that obligation since its own officials have determined that Obama has posted a b.c. on his web page lacking the seal and signature. Hawaii has that duty as a direct duty under the U.S. Constitution. That preempts state law on b.c. privacy.
Others have standing to sue in federal court to get Hawaii to disclose the b.c. based on all the above if Hawaii doesn’t spontaneously investigate this itself. Hawaii should do so. It has the right to and the duty to. That comes directly from the U.S. Constitution. That preempts state law.
Obama by posting a fake b.c. may have engaged in some form of electoral fraud. This accrues as more information is posted. This accrues as his campaign knows the state of Hawaii has stated that the b.c. on the Obama web page lacks the seal and signature. The Obama campaign now has notice that the b.c. on the Obama web page lacks the seal and signature and that the state of Hawaii has said that.
That is additional evidence for the state of Hawaii to act. Its additional evidence for state and federal courts to act. Other state courts have jurisdiction to require Obama to give them a valid Hawaii b.c. So do other state electoral officials. Any state electoral official, local or state, has standing now to challenge Obama on the ballot because the state of Hawaii has said the b.c. on the Obama web page lacks the seal and signature.
Each state of the United States has an obligation to remove Obama from its ballot. This is an obligation under the U.S. Constitution on each state.
Moreover, Obama is not entitled to his delegates at the Democratic National Convention because he is using a b.c. on his web page that the state of Hawaii says lacks the seal and signature. Delegates pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States and most have sworn allegiance to the U.S. Constitution. They have an obligation to deny Obama the nomination while he is using a b.c. determined by the state of Hawaii to lack the seal and signature on his web page.
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In fighting fraud, it obviously makes no sense to say only the person engaging in possible fraud can request an investigation of the possible fraud. If a state has any information from any source that indicates possible error, fraud, or harm to 3rd parties, that gives it standing to investigate.
A law designed to prevent fraud can not be used to perpetuate a fraud. The law against giving b.c.’s to others is to prevent their using it for fraud. But here the issue is that Obama’s web page may be harming others by error or fraud.
There need not be fraud. The same arguments apply to error. Innocent parties that may be harmed by error have standing to seek correction or confirmation. That is a right they have in state and federal court. The state of Hawaii has a direct obligation under the U.S. Constitution to avoid error or fraud in this case.
The state of Hawaii, other states, and federal courts and agencies have an obligation to weight the costs and harms. The harm of allowing a b.c. that the state of Hawaii has said lacks the signature and seal to be accepted when posted on a candidate’s web page is huge. That undermines the public trust in all b.c.’s everywhere for all purposes. It undermines the rule of law in elections. It perpetuates that candidates are not accountable to the laws before, while and after elected.
Obama has an obligation himself as an elected official and candidate to see that the laws are upheld by his campaign. Using a b.c. that the state of Hawaii has said lacks the seal and signature on his web page is a failure by him. It disqualifies him from being president on a moral level."

OBAMA SHOULD GRACEFULLY BOW OUT OF HIS RUNING FOR OFFICE AND PERHAPS RUN FOR HIS LIFE.

TORTURE COURT CONSTITUTION

Obviously a neo-fascist such as vileslug has a "right" to express views.

Obama was born to an American citizen, a resident of Hawai'i, one of the fifty states . .

Does one need any more evidence of his "qualifications" to serve as President of the United States?

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McCain was not born in the United States, a fact well known to anyone who as bothered to look at the circumstances of his birth.

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Why does vileslug choose to attack Obama but ignore the much larger problem of McCain?

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By the way, my position is: Both McCain and Obama are entitled to be on the ballot this November: both are "natural born citizens" of the United States.

CAN AMERICA AFFORD A GLOBAL MILITARY EMPIRE?

The United States now has military bases, camps, ports, airfields, "facilities," in more than one hundred forty of the 190 countries of the world.

CAN THE US TAXPAYER REALLY AFFORD THIS?

Why is this global empire not a major point of debate in the Presidential campaign or the Congressional races?

Did you know the US has one or more military bases in:

Peru?

Paraguay?

Columnbia?

Greenland?

Canada?

Cuba?

Virgin Islands?

Aruba?

El Salavador?

Guatemala?

Iceland?

Turkmenistan?

Kazakhstan?

Kyrgyzstan?

Uzbekistan?

Tajikistan?

Afghanistan?

Pakistan?

Poland?

Czech Republic?

Bosnia?

Uganda?

Greece?

Spain?

Italy?

Great Britain?

Germany?

The Azores?

Turkey?

Iraq?

Kuwait?

Qatar?

Korea?

Hong Kong?

Japan?

Okinawa?

Australia?

AND ON AND ON AND ON . . .

Why is there a "Base closing commission" for bases here in the US and not one for bases outside the US????

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At some pointin the past this global system of military outposts was afforable: when America was a super-power.

AMERICA IS NOT AN ECONOMIC SUPER-POWER ANY LONGER.

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