conventional wisdom - frostback style...

so much has happened since we spoke last...and yet so much remains the same...

a friend pointed out a story that has developed into a new man-crush for me...vladimir putin. while our wannabe cowboys are prancing around for the cameras looking tough, the man who made the boy king look like an inept fool (granted, not exactly a difficult task), reminded us what a real "real" man looks like. while hanging out with a film crew and some wildlife experts tracking siberian tigers in the wild, putin came to the rescue when a tiger escaped and charged the film crew. while our "manly" leaders no doubt would have shrunk in horror, putin calmly pulled a tranq gun and put the kitty to sleep. the man may be an evil genius, but seriously, that's just plain hot...

while the republican party was busy pounding their chests and cheering soldiers, the entire night was about john mccain. not what he would do, not what he has done, just john mccain. and I couldn't help but wonder which candidate is supposed to be the narcissistic "celebrity" when the republican platform is apparently "john mccain, he was tortured."

which brings me to another point...why in god's name am I yet to hear one journalist, pundit or otherwise talking head ask the simple and obvious question - does someone that spent 5 years being beaten and tortured, and now has a known history of bizzare blow-ups and crying apologies, really have the mental stability to be president of the united states?

nevermind that not enough is being made of his oldness. seriously, my parents are 70-something...they can't think hard for more than an hour without needing a nap. and he is going to need to go 18 hours a day or more...

I'm still trying to figure out the palin pick...I mean, I get it, she's attractive and much younger (mccain kind of has a history of that) and has a vagina. but if I'm a woman, I am kind of pissed...he seriously couldn't find a woman out there to avoid the all of the "only on the ticket because she has a vagina" talk. legitimate or not, that is the conversation now...and it is a shame...

then again, as mrs. mccain pointed out - alaska is really close to russia. so there you go. I live in albuquerque, which is really close to mexico...so I've got this whole immigration thing nailed.

but seriously, picking a republican leader from alaska would be like obama snaring an old-school daley politician from chicago. you just have to know some shit is going to come out.

I feel really bad for palin's daughter and am disgusted at media for making her the focus of the news this week...

although it raises another interesting question...if you have a special needs infant to raise, and your teenage daughter is 5 months pregnant...and you are the "family values" candidate - wouldn't it make more sense to turn down the nod and take care of more important things?

watching joe lieberman speak I could not help but wonder how a ticket with him on it ever was even close to the white house...seriously, utterly emotionless. sorry joe, but your counterpart (leach at the democratic convention) blew you out of the water...

he just went on...and on...and on. and all he said throughout the (what seemed like) hours he was on stage was basically this "john mccain is my friend."

you know the republican party is in a boatload of trouble when their convention gives the appearance that this is their platform: (1) yay for guys with guns...especially dead ones - and (2) don't kill fetuses. ouch.

watching laura bush speak made me very glad that regardless of what happens, the right-hand woman will be a step up come january.

I'm going to catch some shit for this...but that is my job I suppose. fred thompson tried to tell america that throughout history people have turned to military figures as their great leaders. and I thought to myself...well, that may be somewhat true, but typically they turn to successful military leaders. for the life of me I cannot think of a single big-time leader that got caught for 5 years by the other side in war beforehand.

another thing that thompson bragged about for mccain - was his record number of demerits at the naval academy. yay...another american president proud of being a poor student.

in all seriousness...watching both conventions leads to a few obvious conclusions. there are a lot of fat white people in the republican party. (notice the hispanic guy and the jewish guy that talked called themselves democrats). and the democratic party thinks a lot more of the american people.

ron paul is courting a lot of disenchanted republicans...lawsuits to limit access to the ballot anyone?

not that the democrats won't match those anti-democratic efforts with lawsuits to keep nader off...

as the far right is being pushed back into crazyland...let's just hope it isn't too late...

the bill of rights disintegrates because freedom just gets in the way...