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A BUZZFLASH GUEST CONTRIBUTION
By George Lakoff

Throughout the nomination campaign I was struck by how well the Obama campaign was being run, especially how sophisticated the framing was. I was heartened that my five books on the subject might have had a real effect. But recently I have begun to wonder. It looks like, in certain respects, the Obama campaign is making some of the same mistakes of the Hillary campaign and the Kerry and Gore campaigns.

The Dayton speech on education had fine policy, but was the first really deadly dull Obama speech I've heard. It started out with lots of numbers. True, but dull. And he is promising more of the same policy wonk speeches. He's right that we are facing serious realities, and he's right to say what he intends to do, but the old inspiring Obama just isn't there. And the surrogates - Biden and Hillary - are policy-wonking it, too.

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A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS
by Meg White

When reports first came out of people describing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as "manipulative" and "conniving," it was just words. But the more we learn about her short history in leadership positions, the more believable these allegations become.

Technorati Tags: Analysis palin wolves hunting population control moose alaska anti-science environment governor wildlife conservation

Reporters' paralysis
To do real analysis
Is where the malice is.

VERSE CASE SCENARIO

Tony Peyser provides daily poems and weekly cartoons for BuzzFlash and also writes the BuzzFlash column, "Blue State Jukebox." He was a daily cartoonist for the L.A. Times from 1994 to 1997. You can e-mail Tony at tonypeyser@yahoo.com.

 

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Some Sarah Palin photos flying around the Internet
Were planted by the Republicans hoping they'll get

A chance to say, "They're fake!" and further squeal
To make it harder for us to figure which ones are real.

VERSE CASE SCENARIO

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A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION

Those of us who are professionals in the medical community, specifically in obstetrics, have been having a field day with the issue of Sarah Palin being in the initial stages of labor and choosing to (1) deliver an insignificant speech, (2) bypass excellent medical facilities and drive to an airport in a large American city, (3) run the obstacle course and wait time of security and check-in for a commercial flight, (4) fly for hours to another large American city with excellent medical facilities, (5) board yet another plane for a four-hour flight, (6) bypass excellent medical facilities in Alaska's largest city, (7) get in a car and drive one more additional hour (!) to deliver a PREMATURE baby in a small hospital in a small community where if there had been serious complications - always a possibility with near-term babies - the baby would have had to have been transported back to the Alaska city in which she landed just prior to her 40+ mile drive.

Technorati Tags: Reader Contribution Palin Baby Endanger Judgment Reproductive Health Choice

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS
by Chad Rubel 

"they're reminders to all Americans that they need to watch what they say, watch what they do" -- Ari Flesicher, September 26, 2001

This won't be another take on what 9/11 means to me. There will be hundreds of them today, and this won't be one of them.

But this is a country that has always been proud of freedom, the freedom to say the truth and not suffer repercussions from government. Freedom is a word we heard during the St. Paul convention. "Freedom fries" was part of the vernacular in the early part of this century.

Keith Olbermann, in reminding us of the true cost of 9/11, spoke the truth last night and last week. For his remarks last week, he did pay a price. While technically it came not as the result of government, it did come from the people who are trying to run our government.

Technorati Tags: Analysis Chad Rubel freedom of speech Bill Maher Ari Fleischer 9/11 September 11

BARBARA'S DAILY BUZZFLASH MINUTE

As I bow my head this morning in meditation thinking of the victims and their families of 9-11, I can’t help but remember, it’s been 7 long years since that horrific day, and Osama bin Laden is still at large!

* * *

Do we really need another “cheerleader” for president before we learn our lesson?  Don’t you think the last 8 years have been embarrassing enough?  When a pathetic old codger stands on a stage orchestrating a “Sa-rah, Sa-rah, Sa-rah” serenade it goes beyond embarrassment, especially after that old fool had, some time ago, done a more horrific than pathetic imitation of the Beach Boys with a “bomb, bomb, bomb Iran” tune! Wouldn’t you think standing on a stage in front of a room full of people blowing his nose before singing that tune would be embarrassing enough!  Did anyone actually find humor in a tasteless sleazy comment from this same old man about a young woman, just because her father happened to be the President??? If this is what it takes for Americans to vote for a president, then we as a people are in more trouble than not!

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Let's try an experiment: an analysis piece on the presidential election that doesn't mention these words (outside of this paragraph): lipstick, pig, Palin, kindergartners, sex education, and Bridge to Nowhere.

Instead, let's talk about taxes.

On Sunday, Barack Obama says he would delay rescinding Bush's tax cuts on wealthy Americans, that we would "have to take a look and see where the economy is."

But Obama does want to push through with his tax cuts to the middle class, and wants us to stop digging ourselves further into a hole.

"Even if we're still in a recession, I'm going to go through with my tax cuts," Obama said. "That's my priority."

What about increasing taxes on the wealthy?

"I think we've got to take a look and see where the economy is. I mean, the economy is weak right now," Obama said on "This Week" on ABC. "The news with Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, I think, along with the unemployment numbers, indicates that we're fragile."

What's confusing is that the group that has fared quite well in the last 8 years, a group that is suffering less in this economy than most other groups, has to keep the unneeded tax cuts? And that fixing those unneeded tax cuts helps get the money not only to reduce the huge ballooning deficit but also to pay for the tax cuts he wants for the middle class, tax cuts he absolutely says we will get.

Technorati Tags: Be-Elected Chad Rubel 2008 race Barack Obama John McCain Bush tax cuts

You are the Governor of Alaska, but you someday want a higher post. Hey, you're 44 years old; Nothing wrong with dreaming big.

Now if you want to be at a higher plane than Governor of Alaska sooner rather than later -- again nothing wrong with that -- wouldn't you take a bit more interest in your country and the world around you?

It's one thing to be the vice presidential nominee and not know a lot, but it's another to not be that curious about finding out more. Technorati Tags: Be-Elected Chad Rubel Sarah Palin Charlie Gibson Alaska curiosity knowledge Joe Biden

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Subject: The Vietnam War and Our Heroes

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