John McCain has an uphill battle to convince voters that he and his party — who have been governing for the last eight years — aren’t responsible for the current financial crisis. But he also has a case to make, in the form of his own calls to reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and of Obama’s ties to the Wall Street Democratic establishment.

With that in mind the McCain/Palin campaign released yet another ad linking an Obama ally to the Fannie Mae debacle. It is a follow up to the ad featuring Franklin Raines. Here is the latest ad starring Jim Johnson:

Of course we all remember Jim Johnson. This from the following Los Angeles Times article, Barack Obama advisor Jim Johnson quits under fire:

Jim Johnson, the former chairman of Fannie Mae who was one of three advisors tapped by Democrat Barack Obama to vet vice presidential candidates, resigned today after questions were raised about favoritism he may have received from Countrywide Financial Corp.

Insisting he had done nothing wrong, Johnson issued a statement saying that he did not want the flap over his mortgage to distract attention from Obama’s run for the presidency.

And now we stand reminded that the he was a former chairman of the housing giant, Fannie Mae, recently taken over by the feds.

The ad does however remind us that McCain warned us two year ago that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were in dire trouble.

The Wichita Eagle decided to share Sebelius’ comments with us this week. (Now that is a surprise, because they have been pretty Obama friendly since the caucuses in February!) Here are Sebelius’s thoughts:

On Wednesday, while visiting the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson, Sebelius said no company CEO would ever choose a top lieutenant and potential successor the way that McCain picked Palin, the Alaska governor, as his running mate.

Sebelius told the Hutchinson News that the choice is “a little frightening,” because of what it says about how McCain makes decisions. Sebelius said her vetting process as a possible running mate for Barack Obama was extensive.

Sebelius noted that McCain wrapped up his primary contest early and had six months to decide on a running mate. She cited news accounts that McCain met the Alaska governor only once before he announced her as his choice for vice president.

(Nancy A here: What news accounts? This one: “McCain explains Palin“. McCain chose well! And there is no doubt: look at the McCain/Palin poll numbers at Real Clear Politics today! And just the other day at NoQuarter, SusanUnPC wrote an article entitled “The Latest Polls Go McCain/Palin’s Way”, a frank discussion on their poll numbers. Oh Yes! Here are today’s Gallup polls: McCain/Palin 47%, Obama/Biden 45%)

The governor said McCain seemed to be “desperate (Nancy A here: not desperate, smart, but the Democrats don’t know about that this year) to infuse new life into the GOP party.”

Palin has infused “new life into the GOP and energized their base”. Kathleen just cannot notice.

A Kansas GOP official accused Sebelius of whining. Of course she’s whining, she thought she was headed to the White House as Obama’s Vice Presidential pick. Sorry you lost the Veepstakes! The GOP wasn’t finished with Sebelius. This from the GOP State Director:

“Kathleen Sebelius should talk about things she knows about,” said Christian Morgan, the Kansas GOP’s executive director.

Now let’s get back to Sebelius’ glass houses. It seems she doesn’t “vet” politicians too well either. Sebelius was so inept with her own vetting that she had a “major conflagration” in her own administration. And of course Sebelius was so short sighted during her whine fest she forgot all about the “fire” she had to put out.

More on Sebelius poor “vetting skills” ( Yeah! I think McCain knows how to vet politicians; Sebelius, not so much!):

As for vetting, Morgan noted that Sebelius helped recruit Paul Morrison to switch to the Democratic Party to run for attorney general in 2006. Morrison won but was forced to resign in January because of a sex scandal.

“If we want to talk about poor vetting and poor decision-making, we don’t have to look any further than the (Kansas) governor’s office,” Morgan said.

Governor Sebelius, I have news for you: “people in glass houses shouldn’t throw rocks.” “I also hope that foot tastes good”. The “hoof and mouth disease” in the Democratic Party is reaching “epidemic proportions”. And while you are at it, ugh!, come home to Kansas and quit kissing Obama’s butt. Clean up the mess in your own backyard!

Oh Yeah! I’m not done yet. I have a few comments of my own to make. First step away from the punch bowl, stop sucking the koolaid and let’s have a little heart-to-heart: Sebelius, you were quoted in the Special Republican Convention Issue of Newsweek, dated August 29th, 2008, saying this:

“That Hillary supporters “would honor her by voting for John McCain seems to me to be totally insane.”

Well I am here to tell you I am not insane, and neither are the many other former Hillary supporters in your state. We are voting McCain, and please stop whining about Palin ’cause she is sealing the deal!’ And she may even finish shattering that “glass ceiling”.

And one other comment: you looked kind of stupid saying, “It was tricky in the primary (ahem, caucus in Kansas, or don’t you remember that, the cheating and all reported on the Kansas Democratic Party website!) to use a lot of women and not appear to be women against Hillary.” Well, your silence on the sexism spoke scads. Remember this!

“You were women against Hillary!” And now you are women against Palin.

Two major elements of the developing meme that John McCain did not sufficiently vet presumptive vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin are highly suspect. Each contention is not provable, and there is strong reason to believe that each is almost completely, if not totally, untrue.

The first assertion is that McCain’s people did little if any vetting of Palin until a few days ago. The second is that McCain’s team has never looked at years of archived articles at Palin’s hometown paper.

Wizbang Blog reported on May 29 that a McCain advance man named Arthur Culvahouse was in Juneau, Alaska. Even three months ago, Wizbang Blog’s Kevin
already sensed the power of Palin being on McCain’s ticket:

Governor Palin would (in my estimation) make an excellent VP candidate for McCain. Thomas Cheplick at The American Spectator makes the case that she’s probably the only VP candidate who can balance the ticket against Obama. She’s also a potential magnet for disaffected Hillary Clinton voters, many of whom are just looking for a reason not to vote for Obama.

If conservative blogs were weighing the benefits of Palin months ago, one can be fairly certain that McCain’s lieutenants were vetting Alaska’s governor and conducting focus groups and polls on every conceivable angle of her selection.

On the Democratic side, however, any criticism of Obama was quickly shut down by the media. For example, David Sirota defended Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s racial sermons and implied that Hillary was engaged in racial politics by bringing up Wright. Sirota wrote during the primaries: “Does the very reaction to Wright show he’s right about racism? Clinton seems to think so,” sniffed an indignant Sirota on the notion that Hillary would use Wright against Obama.

The hysterical reaction during the primaries to any criticism of Obama with accusations of racism has created a situation where an unvetted Obama faces the Republican Blitzkreig.

Below is a limited list of areas where the media has failed to investigate Obama. This list does not include Obama’s many policy reversals or outright fabrications, like the statement that the Kennedy family facilitated his father coming to the United States. It does not include Obama’s habit of voting ‘present’ as a member of the Illinois State Senate nor his strange maneuverings regarding a born alive bill. Instead, the list below concerns Obama’s associates and business dealings. It is a sordid group, comprised of the America-hating, anti-Israel, and explicitly racial Left. There is big money involved, as with the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, and bizarre organizations to which money was funneled. Obama’s milieu is the intersection of Chicago politics and the fringe Left; there is much to be explored and explained about Obama. Below is a partial list where Obama remains unvetted:

1. Trinity United Church of Christ. Obama’s 20-year membership in an explicitly racist church, a church with rhetoric too hot for Oprah.
2. Rezko. Obama’s ties to Tony Rezko and the 2005 purchase of the Obamas’ home. Obama funnelling money to Rezko’s sleazy businesses.
3. Ayers. Obama’s extensive ties to unrepentant terroist Bill Ayers.
4. Chicago Annenberg Challenge (CAC). Obama and Ayers together dispensing tens of millions of dollars supposedly for educational organizations. Although now just being investigated, it’s known that money was funnelled to Ayers’ friend, radical Mike Klonsky, a founding member of the Maoist Party of the United States.
5. Minister Louis Farrakhan. Obama is surrounded by people like Rev. Willie Barrow, a friend and admirer of the anti-white, anti-Semitic Farrakhan.

If the media doesn’t do their job, we can rest assured that the Republicans will happily do it for them.

If I were he, knowing that 18,000,000 Americans cast their votes for her in the primaries, I would have gone out of my way to make her feel an important part of the veepstake process. Even if I had no intention of selecting her, I would do it as a simple courtesy and a heartfelt acknowledgement of her stature in the party and all of those who voted for her. (Let’s hope that the Politico source was wrong.)

Chet Edwards is the latest name being added to the buzz about possible V.P. picks for Barack Obama.

Chet. Now there’s a manly name. For those of us old enough to remember, his name evokes the legendary newsman Chet Huntley. But, frankly, most of us have never heard of Chet Edwards before, along with 90% of all Americans. Lest anyone get too excited, here’s what the Campaign Spot blog at the National Review has to say about him:

There's praise for Edwards in the Corner, but from a straight-up political view, I think Obama picking Chet Edwards would be disastrous. A nine-term House vet on the Appropriations Committee doesn't scream hope and change. He voted for the Iraq War — which Obama touted as the most important decision since the end of the Cold War — and disagrees with Obama on ANWR, offshore drilling, amnesty for illegal immigrants, CAFE standards, staunchly opposes gay marriage, … There's balance on the ticket, and then there's a successor a heartbeat away who would reverse all of your policy initiatives.

Sure, he's very pro-choice, rated F by the NRA, and manages to hang on to a central Texas House district. And Pelosi recommended him. But the debate would consist almost entirely of the GOP vice-presidential candidate saying, "I agree with Chet's old position, the one he had before he put his manhood in a blind trust and flip-flopped to agree with Obama's liberal position." Edwards would constantly be in the awkward position of defending positions he doesn't agree with.

I suspect his name popped up today just to give the starving journalists something to chew on for another day.

Besides, how would he really help Obama? It’s not as if Obama has a prayer of carrying the state of Texas.

Well, at least Chet Edwards is getting his 15 minutes of fame. Fox News has announced that reporter have his home in Texas staked out now. He’d might as well enjoy the attention while it lasts!

Obama must select a running mate who gives a lift to his campaign and can also hammer home a message in the convention and in the vice presidential debate this fall. He definitely needs a fighter by his side. (For my money, Hillary Clinton looks better and better; if not her, Joe Biden is probably the best fighter — perhaps Evan Bayh, or a surprise choice.)

It is also critical for Obama’s people to realize that Hillary Clinton is FIVE YEARS YOUNGER than Joe Biden.

Joe Biden would be 73 before he could run for president, provided by some miracle Barack Obama gets elected twice.

What I fear for both Clinton and Biden is that they would be shut out by Obama’s staff. Their expertise would gather dust.

And that is solely because Barack Obama does not have the WISDOM to SEEK their advice, I fear.

Or two, or three - kinda hard to keep up with Obama and all of the people he throws under the bus on a daily basis. Whew! The latest one is the Mayor of Detroit, Kwame Kilpatrick, the one who is having some legal trouble in Detroit (a little perjury here, a little assault there…).

He’s a big buddy of Obama’s, and was worried he could not make the Democratic National Convention because of his pesky little ankle bracelet keeping him around home. Oh, but WAIT! He got a judge to “modify” his bond to allow him to go! Yippee for him!!

No doubt, he was very happy about that (the prosecution not so much - they planned to fight it). Now he gets to go see his good buddy, the Presumptuous Nominee, speak before his adoring Kool Aide drinking throngs!! Lucky guy!

Until…Obama decided he does not WANT his good buddy there! Sorry, Kwame! The Obama Camp is afraid Kilpatrick might be a “distraction” at the Convention. Move over Grandma, Wright, Rezko, Ayers - oh, crap - I do not have time to write everyone’s name out - here comes Kilpatrick, the man once considered a potential VP candidate! Yet another exampe of Obama’s GREAT judgment!!! Might as well go put that pretty little bracelet back on - you’re not going ANYWHERE!!

Kilpatrick is not the ONLY one to go under the bus. Nope, you can add Rep. Charlie Rangel under there, too. Now, I know that Rangel was a big Hillary supporter - she is a senator from New York, after all. But, hey, he quickly threw HER under the bus, demanding that she concede, so that should get him some points with His Majesty, right? Oh, and he is the a big muckety muck in the House of Representatives, so you would think that would give him some importance to the Obama Camp, right? A distinguished representative who has served for many years surely should have a voice in the Democratic National Convention! Um, no. No, he won’t. One of Rangel’s aides said:

“It’s crazy. … This man [Rangel] controls tax policy in the United States [Rangel is Chairman of Ways and Means]. He’s a lot bigger than just a regular member of Congress. He deserves more respect than this,” said a Rangel confidant. “Basically they have told us they can’t help us, that there are too many Obama supporters ahead of Charlie on the line.”

The Obamites are mighty pissy that he chose the qualified candidate, and not Obama, so they are making him pay and pay and pay. I admit, there is just just dessert the way he spoke about Hillary Clinton when he wanted her to concede, so yeah - kinda serves him right. BUT - this level of vindictiveness the Obam camp has demonstrated time and time again makes Bush look like a freakin’ BOY SCOUT!!! For someone who brings so little to the table to be so vengeful and vindictive paints a clear picture of Obama, and to what we will have to look forward should he actually maneuver his way into the White House. (And we have already seen this behavior from him before - just ask the New Yorker!!)

So, that asphalt under the bus is filling up! I wonder who’s next?? Time will tell, I reckon. I would bet good money that there WILL be more before the Convention is done (okay, okay - the Clintons don’t count - that would be too easy, like taking candy from a baby for that money). Any guesses?

Senator Obama’s campaign announced yesterday that it will text-messaging, yes, text-messaging his choice of v.p. candidate to those who sign up for the message. I am not the only one who regards this as absurd. (Here’s commentary from somebody who writes a blog on a tech site.)

[B]y using this hip new form of making a major political announcement, Senator Obama avoids holding a press conference, thereby avoiding any chance he might be asked any question he does not want to answer.

This is consistent with Senator Obama’s approach to openness. He rents a football stadium but will not call for a genuine roll call vote with Senator Clinton’s name in nomination. He will text message anybody with a cell phone but he will not make himself available to reporters.

These are not democratic methods. They more closely resemble the techniques historically used by fascists determined to control and manipulate public opinion while at the same time ralllying public support or insisting on shows of them. …

Thanks for the tip, Suz.

Look, beyond the undemocratic nature of this — not allowing any questions from reporters — it is also indicative of the man’s laziness.

If he can’t be bothered to hold a proper press conference, what would he do if somehow he becomes president? Hide in the Oval and send his minions out to answer all questions? Phone in his speeches? Text-message his State of the Union speech?

It is also unseemly.

It dishonors both the vice presidential candidate, and the history of the critical selection of a vice presidential candidate.

What is the VP candidate supposed to do? Hold his own press conference? Open the front door of his home and greet the horde of reporters sure to be outside?

Talk about being left to fend for one’s self. My god.

The current major leak (but really you are all supposed to know about it - shhhhh!) has Tim Kaine, Governor of VA, as a likely candidate. Never heard of him? Yeah, well, we lived in VA when Mark Warner was governor, and he was GREAT.

Kaine was his Lt. Governor, so when Warner’s terms was up (VA permits ONE six year term - that’s it), Kaine rode in on his coattails. He hasn’t done a whole lot since then, at least not a lot of positive changes for which he is receiving any accolades. BUT - Obama stumped for him in VA, and Kaine has been stumping for Obama around the world, uh, I mean, COUNTRY, and now they are BFFs! Woohoo!!!! Kaine has now moved to the short list for VP!! Gosh - he must be really experienced, and his constituents must really love him, right?? Uh, no.

Like Obama (wow - I almost typed “Bush” then - I am not kidding, and it isn’t just because I’m tired!), Kaine isn’t all that experienced, certainly not in important matters like foreign affairs. Which would help since Obama has no experience, even with his NINE DAY trip!!!! A whole nine days - that is enough, right??? No. No, Obama, it is not even anywhere in the same ballpark as REAL experience, like Clinton’s. But you know that already. You’re just trying to appease your cultists, um, ah, I mean FOLLOWERS. Oh, that isn’t right, either - SUPPORTERS! Yes, that is what politicians are supposed to have - supporters Okay. Got it. Anywho…

Ahem. Since you may know NOTHING about Gov. Kaine, he is personally opposed to the death penalty as a practicing Catholic, but when he campaigned as a gubernatorial candidate, he assured people he would not impose him personal beliefs on the state. In other words, he would not prohibit death penalty executions. Wow - what a stand up guy. He was not going to allow his personal faith to supersede the Commonwealth of Virginia’s laws (and I hasten to say that I am completely opposed to the death penalty - always have been). Well, okay then.

Oh, but wait - there is more. While Governor Kaine wouldn’t impose his religious beliefs on the death penalty, he had/has NO problem imposing them on the issue of - wait - for - it, yes, ABORTION!! So, a woman better not kill a zygote, but it’s A-OKAY to kill a full-grown adult. Yes, indeedy! That makes sense, right?? Oh, yeah, NO. Governor Kaine, before he was governor, said he had a “faith-based opposition” to abortion, and vowed to promote ABSTINENCE focused education - you know, the one that doesn’t WORK. And to ban so-called partial-birth abortions. This was a more popular position in VA than his opposition to the death penalty. In other words, his faith-based opposition takes a backseat to political aspiration. One was not politically expedient - the death penalty issue. The other one was - abortion. Regardless, now that Obama has secured the endorsements of NARAL, and even more importantly, for the second time ever in presidential politics, Planned Parenthood’s, it makes PERFECT sense that he would target an anti-choice candidate to run as Vice President. It highlights that some of the very few times Obama exposed his true colors was his exceedingly patronizing comments to/about women and when they can/not choose to have an abortion.

What’s that I hear? Oh, it is Planned Parenthood being thrown under the bus. And NARAL. Couldn’t happen to two more deserving organizations supporting OBAMA over CLINTON after all of the work she has done on behalf of women, and the sexist, patronizing, arrogant way in which Obama has treated women, especially on choice!

So, all of you Obamabots trying to hold Roe v. Wade over our heads, what say you NOW, huh??? Really think he is not going to turn back the clock on women’s rights like you claim McCain will do, and Obama won’t? Because I think you are dead wrong. He doesn’t give a damn about women and our health. He has made that abundantly clear. In the same way he proved he doesn’t give a crap about the Constitution voting for FISA and telecom immunity (AT&T welcomes you to the Denver Democratic National Convention - I kid you not!), oh, and PLEASE stop calling him a “Constitutional Scholar” - he was a lecturer at the same law school he had just attended. It’s like being a TA, for crying out loud. And he has made it clear as day - HE DOES NOT CARE ABOUT THE CONSTITUTION! He cares about getting money, and getting elected. Your lives will be SO much smoother once you accept that! He will say and do whatever he has to do to accomplish those two tasks. So, quit with the whole Roe v. Wade scare tactic, because Obama DOES NOT CARE ABOUT WOMEN and our health. He does not. Too bad Planned Parenthood and NARAL apparently cared more about publicity (and money?? Does anyone know if Obama’s “Hope PAC” gave them money?) than they did about supporting the candidate who would work the hardest for the issues about which they claim to care. Thanks a whole lot for the capitulation there, PP and NARAL. How do you people sleep at night?

So, Tim thinks we should care what he thinks about abortion, like so many other men. And he wants to impose HIS “faith-based opposition” on VA, and presumably, the country, should the world got to hell in a handbasket and Obama gets into the White House with him. Holy Cow.

These men, and obviously, Tim Kaine in particular, reminds me of when I was in seminary in NYC, and got to go see Whoopi Goldberg’s one woman show on Broadway. One of her characters, a drug addict with a PhD in English Literature from Columbia University (”what else are you going to do with a PhD in English Literature?”) said when confronted by some Operation Rescue-like people, something along the lines of, if you men are so opposed to abortion, “why don’t you take that tired ol’ piece of meat down to the ASPCA and get it gassed??” In other words, Tim, if you are against abortions, don’t have one. Stop trying to impose your “faith-based opposition” on us. Same goes for you, Mr. “Feeling Blue” “Mental-distress-isn’t-physically-threatening” Obama. Just spare us the patronizing pandering already.

And once again, SuperDelegates, pay attention!! The best candidate on this issue is: HILLARY CLINTON. Get with the program already.

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Just when we thought there was no one left to say “no”, Former Senator Bill Bradley (D-NJ), Monday, in a conference call with Fox News said “he would not accept accept a vice presidential offer from Obama.

The running total of of those who violate the old maxim now totals 6, yes, 6 politicians who will not serve this country as Obama’s second in the White House. This would be amusing except he is running out of politicians to vet for VP. Imagine that the VP is being vetted, how ironic, since Obama himself has never been vetted, no, just selected by the inept DNC and Howard Dean’s groupies.

And I certainly would like the mainstream media to ask all six politicians the following questions. Why is everyone saying “no” to Obama? What are their objections to moving up to the White House? What is it we don’t know? I am not holding my breath for the answers from the mainstream media!