Debates, Bailouts & False Profits

In the past several days the US has been fixated by two national level debates and two federal bailout bills. Two cases, the Palin/Biden debate and the first bailout bill, were complete failures. As the stock market continues to plummet, it is an open question on how much the second-passed bailout bill has had on the financial crisis. There are, however, meaningful conclusions from the second McCain/Obama debate.

Palin/Biden debate was an opéra bouffe. Ms. Palin demonstrated a subjective shallowness during the debate. To compensate for her ineptitude, she brazenly avoided answering a majority of questions, instead robotically pumped Republican campaign talking points. Her screeching voice was probably recorded by VEEP Cheney to torture prisoners at Guantanamo. Her Voice is like a screwdriver in your ear. One columnist characterized the expectations for Palin so low that even a grasshopper could not slip under if a limbo bar.

As as far as Senator Biden's performance at the VEEP debate, he should be awarded a medal for forbearance for having seriously endured a vapid nincompoop like Palin without crushing her like a bug.

For the record, my opinion of Biden was never high. Like Palin, he hopelessly is enamored with Israel. During the debate, Palin even mentioned their mutual love for Israel. He is an interventionist; he foolishly is very proud of his record of establishing permanent US garrisons in the Balkans.

During this debate he advocated a US no-fly zone over Darfur. Perhaps he forgot what it costs to maintain such a regime and that it does not inhibit slaughter; and, it invites military counter moves. His farcical conduct of the judicial hearings on Judge Bork and Judge Thomas goes down in history as ideological pandering and cheap partisanship.

Despite my reservations, compared to Palin as a choice as a possible president, Biden is an overwhelmingly qualified.

The Wall Street Bailout is one more of GW Bush's miscalculations; another MISSION ACCOMPLISHED that is not accomplished. Since GWB signed the bill, the stock market has tumbled – has not mitigated credit crises. Demands for credit are mushrooming. No relief for the mortgage market. The Bailout Bill is clearly welfare for Wall Street with earmarks.

No one appears to know or admit how the $800 billion plus price tag is to be paid. A Democratic congressman from California put the process along these lines: the administration created panic, foreclosed all other solutions and demanded their plan in the main be accepted. Creepy congressmen's knees buckled.

Bomb Bomb McCain voted for the bill packed with earmarks that undercut one of his main campaign promises.

The second presidential debate was won by Obama based on nearly all methods of evaluation, i.e: hope over despair, youth over age, brains over rage, health over infirmity, grace over rudeness, peace over war, diplomacy over intervention, negotiation over threats and smiles over frowns. Stick a fork in Bomb Bomb McCain. He is cooked. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret

* Etching of Ship of Fools by German artist Narrenschiff (1549)