CliffyWorld

As Hurricane Ike lashed the Texas coast back on Friday night September 12th, Senator Barack Obama announced he would not appear on the season premiere of “Saturday Night Live.” The Obama campaign released the following statement: In light of the unfolding crisis in Texas, Senator Obama has decided it is no longer appropriate to appear on “Saturday Night Live” tomorrow evening.

Lorne Michaels, creator and executive producer for “Saturday Night Live” had issued a statement that Friday September 12th about the tone of SNL, saying “If it’s [the hurricane] serious, it will change everything for us. The tone of the show will shift, and it would be inappropriate for the senator to do if it looks in any way like it’s going to be a tragedy.” Michaels and the SNL players didn't have a meltdown or hissy fit. The show went on the air as scheduled featuring the extremely funny Tina Fey as Sarah Palin and Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton skit. Ratings were high and the show was very successful.

Saturday September 13th the day the SNL appearance was to be, Obama was in New Hampshire. In front of his many supporters he said “I spoke on the phone with the head of FEMA and the Mayor of Houston and others as they were trying to grapple with Hurricane Ike. They don't know what the damages will be but 100,000 homes will be lost, 4,000,000 people are without power and search and rescue teams are arriving in Galveston to assist the people who didn't evacuate”. Then concluded by saying “it will be a very difficult time for people living in the Gulf”.

As Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal(R), Texas Gov. Rick Perry(R), Florida Gov. Charlie Crist(R), Alabama Gov. Bob Riley(R) and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour(R) coordinated their resources and efforts to provide Hurricane assistance, Senator Obama was in New Hampshire just talking as he does that very well. Obama could have appeared on SNL but 4,000,000 people couldn't watch him. Lorne Michaels of SNL was stiffed but never complained.

As the US economy continues to fail due to the irresponsible CEO management of AIG, Merrill Lynch, Freddy Mac, Fannie Mae and by the unqualified Chair of the House Financial Services Committee, Mass. Senator Barney Frank (D) and SEC Chairman Christopher Cox, Senator John McCain decided to suspend his campaign and appearance on the David Letterman show to “deal with this problem before the House and Senate”. To be fair, Obama, McCain and Clinton have not worked for over a year while on the campaign trail casting zero votes in the Senate. The country being on the verge of a depression should require much more serious attention rather than passing legislation on the naming Post Offices don't you think? McCain decided to go back to work which called for cancelling his first debate with Obama. (This could change if legislation is pasted by Friday)

Unlike Lorne Michaels and the SNL cast who graciously moved on with their show, David Letterman blew a gasket when McCain canceled his appearance. In a very distorted way he praised McCain on his military service only to insult him afterwards while still in the same sentence and insinuating that an appearance on his show holds a higher value than legislative duties. Making fun of McCain's age Letterman goes on and on displaying bitterness and disgust only to be interrupted by his side-kick Paul Shaffer who called Sarah Palin “a good looking babe”. As Dan Rather would put it “the situation in the Letterman studio would give aspirin to a headache” a situation only to get worse with the appearance of MSNBC commentator Keith Olbermann. In a full court press they team screw McCain. Need I remind my readers, MSNBC is officially called the Obama network. No need to prove that statement as Olbermann and buddy Chris Mathews were demoted by MSNBC for being political advocates for Obama rather than anchors.

Tossing bowling balls off of roofs, running things over with a steam roller, elevator races in skyscrapers was the Letterman of old, funny and innovative. He has become a very bitter man with a political ax to grind. Johnny Carson, Letterman's predecessor would always invite politicians to his show and never once treated them with disrespect. His famous monologues satirized many political figures but never insulted them. Carson will always be considered the “king” of late night TV. CBS should consider replacing Letterman with an entertainer.

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Heather Mallick, a so called columnist for the Canadian Broadcasting Company wrote several columns maligning Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin with personal attacks on her and family as well as attacking her constituents and supporters.

Calling Palin a hillbilly because of her small town background Mallick fails to remember her history as she says: “I was born in a northern Canadian settlement so small it was accessible most of the year only by a Bombardier, a sort of huge military tank built for passengers. It was like a transport plane, a big iron bulb with caterpillar tracks. I swear we had a paddle-steamer for supplies in the summer. Take that, Sarah Palin. The place was six times smaller than Wasilla” said Mallick. I guess it takes one hillbilly to know another. The CBC had no problem hiring a hillbilly that most Canadians disagree with but the Alaskans had no problem giving Palin an 85% performance approval rating as governor.

As for Republican males, Mallick said: “It's possible that Republican men, sexual inadequates that they are, really believe that women will vote for a woman just because she's a woman. They're unfamiliar with our true natures. Do they think vaginas call out to each other in the jungle night? I mean, I know men have their secret meetings at which they pledge to do manly things, like being irresponsible with their semen and postponing household repairs with glue and used matches. Guys will be guys, obviously.” Mallick may be a product of Immaculate Conception and fails to remember scandals of her own Canadian government proving that misbehavior is not just limited to U.S. Republican males. Here are just a few Canadian male inadequacies to refresh her memory:

-Progressive Conservative Defence Minister Robert Coates was caught up in a scandal exposed by a 1985 story in the Ottawa Citizen. The report focused on a stop Coates and two aides made at a strip club in West Germany while on a NATO tour. It raised questions about the security implications of the minister's actions.

-In 1995, former Nova Scotia premier Gerald Regan was accused of a number of sexual offences dating back to the mid-1950s.
Regan eventually went to trial and was acquitted of eight charges, including rape, attempted rape and forcible confinement. However, the scandal did not end there, and in 1999, more charges were filed. The charges alleged Regan had forced kisses and physical contact on young women between 1968 and 1978. Those charges were eventually stayed as well.

-In 1999 Conservative Senator Wilbert Keon stepped down from his position as the head of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. Keon was caught in an undercover prostitution sweep in December 1999 when he pulled over his car and began talking to a woman at the side of the road. The woman turned out to be an undercover police officer.

Continuing with her nonsense, Mallick offends all of Palin’s constituents and supporters stating: “She added nothing to the ticket that the Republicans didn't already have sewn up, the white trash vote, the demographic that sullies America's name inside and outside its borders yet has such a curious appeal for the right.” Mallick must approve of “Nippertipping” and probably looses sleep knowing that Quebec is part of Canada.

Mallick circles as one liking to hear herself talk: “Palin has a toned-down version of the porn actress look favored by this decade's woman, the over treated hair, puffy lips and permanently alarmed expression.” Then goes on to agree with herself, “But do they not know that women have been trained to resent other women and that they only learn to suppress this by constantly berating themselves and reading columns like this one? I'm a feminist who understands that women can nurse terrible and delicate woman hatred.”

Another dirty blow from Mallick comes when she insults Palin’s family stating: “Husband Todd looks like a roughneck; Track, heading off to Iraq, appears terrified. They claim to be family obsessed while being studiously terrible at parenting”. Mallick is no raving beauty. Based on her condescending views of woman, Todd Palin would probably look better in a skirt. Insulting Track as he deploys to Iraq is unquestionably the most deplorable thing she spews. Forgetting that our military is completely voluntary, Track is putting his life in jeopardy to defend what he feels is the right thing to do, a feeling shared by many Canadian soldiers who are also deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Canadian’s should feel disgusted and embarrassed that their tax dollars support the Canadian Broadcasting Company who pays a salary to Heather Mallick.

Heather Mallick is a pig.

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If you’re a politician running for office it could be advisable to consult God for approval on what you say before debating or making political speeches. Don’t depend on Carl Rove, James Carville, Mark Penn, David Axelrod, Dick Morris and others to provide divine guidance and motivation.

Those who are God-fearing, deeply religious and devout toward their faith and those who do not believe are continuously at odds interpreting 1st amendment rights and the constitutionality of separation of church and state. Then there are the liberal political pundants, commentators and columnists who believe or disbelieve only when it suits their political agendas. They interpret the use of God in political presentations to sway voters towards their objectives without care of insulting others. Mentioning God in any political forum these days will definitely lead to heated debates and controversy instigated by the liberal media.

Why do politicians use the reference of God in many of their speeches? Obviously they wouldn't want to offend potential supporters who might not authorize their expression of faith. The answer lies within the candidate’s own morality and support of faith and not to appease voters as left wing commentators will lead you to believe. Most of us concur that liberal media displays no morality when expressing their views and will distort just about anything to sway opinion. Fortunately we are much smarter then what they make us out to be.

On September 11th 2008, ABC news was able to boost their dismal ratings by landing the first interview with Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Charlie Gibson, the talking head and all around “nice guy” of ABC World News was the interrogator who displayed his lack of knowledge on NATO treaties along with pressing Governor Palin on a so called “Bush Doctrine” a made up list of four different policies created, pieced together and named by the media and which have never been statements of official government policy. Of course Palin was confused as to which set of policies Gibson was asking about. The old “gotcha” technique clearly failed so Gibson then started his ludicrous questioning about Palin’s support of what he characterized a U.S. holy war in Iraq. His misinterpretation of a speech given at her church started a liberal media smear-fest. The actual words spoken by Governor Palin are as follows:

"Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending them out on a task that is from God. That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan."

Palin is clearly praying that we're doing the right thing in Iraq but Palin’s response was not good enough for Gibson and continued pressing her reference to God seemingly emulating Detective Robert Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) of Law and Order Criminal Intent with side winding head movements and convulsive body movements.

Charlie Gibson is no expert on God nor did he study theology but does hold a graduate degree from Princeton University. At one time Princeton had close ties to the Presbyterian Church but that was way before his attendance. So what gives him the authority to question Sarah Palin’s belief that God controls not only her actions but our countries actions? I surely can't find any credentials.

Mr. Gibson should review the following political excerpts from the Presidential inaugural addresses below and tell us all why having faith in God overseeing and supporting our personal and nation's actions disturbs him so much.

“The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe—the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God”.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Inaugural address, Jan 20, 1945

“The American people stand firm in the faith which has inspired this Nation from the beginning. We believe that all men have a right to equal justice under law and equal opportunity to share in the common good. We believe that all men have a right to freedom of thought and expression. We believe that all men are created equal because they are created in the image of God”.
Harry S. Truman inaugural address, January 20, 1949

“The American belief under this covenant of justice, liberty, and union we have become a nation, prosperous, great, and mighty. And we have kept our freedom. But we have no promise from God that our greatness will endure. We have been allowed by him to seek greatness with the sweat of our hands and the strength of our spirit”.
Lyndon B. Johnson inaugural address, January 20, 1965

“We have the chance today to do more than ever before in our history to make life better in America--to ensure better education, better health, better housing, better transportation, a cleaner environment-to restore respect for law, to make our communities more livable--and to ensure the God-given right of every American to full and equal opportunity”.
Richard Nixon inaugural address January 20, 1973

“I'm told that tens of thousands of prayer meetings are being held on this day, and for that I'm deeply grateful. We are a nation under God, and I believe God intended for us to be free. It would be fitting and good, I think, if on each Inaugural Day in future years it should be declared a day of prayer”.
Ronald Reagan inaugural address January 20, 1981

“There's no story more heartening in our history than the progress that we've made toward the brotherhood of man that God intended for us”.
Ronald Reagan inaugural address January 21, 1985

“We have heard the trumpets. We have changed the guard. And now, each in our own way and with God's help, we must answer the call”.
William J. Clinton inaugural address January 20, 1993

“We go forward with complete confidence in the eventual triumph of freedom, not because history runs on the wheels of inevitability - it is human choices that move events; not because we consider ourselves a chosen nation - God moves and chooses as He wills”. George W. Bush January 20, 2005

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As we get closer to November 4th, 2008 Americans will eventually sort out the rhetoric spewing from the media and lock in on a candidate that best suits the qualifications to hold the highest position in the country. Of course there are many people that will not research any candidate at all and just vote for one who shares the same religion, color or race. Additionally they will make a decision based upon the looks, hairstyle, dress or sound of the candidate’s articulation.

What is the Role of the US president? (according to Wikipedia)

The President is at the head of the executive branch of the federal government; his role is to enforce national law as given in the Constitution and written by Congress. Article Two of the Constitution establishes the President as commander-in-chief of the armed forces and enumerates powers specifically granted to the President, including the power to sign into law or veto bills passed by both houses of Congress. The President also has the power to create a cabinet of advisers and to grant pardons or reprieves. Finally, with the "advice and consent" of the Senate, the President is empowered to make treaties and appoint federal officers, ambassadors, and federal judges, including Justices of the Supreme Court. As with officials in the other branches of the United States government, the Constitution restrains the President with a set of checks and balances designed to prevent any individual or group from taking absolute power.

How can we really choose between the two current candidates?

Let's put ourselves in the role of a human resources manager interviewing a person for a management position within a huge company that handles national and international products and services. It requires the candidate to hire a staff of qualified managers to run various departments within the organization and have them report and advise on their operations within a timely schedule. Eventually decisions would have to be made to adjust operations for the corporate good. Knowledge of law is required as all doings of the company must abide by constitutional practices with it's staff members, competing companies, their workers and the consumers that support all. International law is a plus as the company conducts business abroad in many aligned and non-friendly countries. Finally, military experience with a commanding position such as General, Commander or Lieutenant is required as the company may take part in several hostile takeovers with other national and international companies.

Our record on choosing a past president if it were based on the imaginary human resource interview.

Out of 43 presidents, 25 have been lawyers, 31 have had military experience (all with a lieutenant or higher rank) and only 2 studied business but 1 graduated with a business degree. (George W Bush). Additionally, 6 never attended college at all. Most presidents of the past would not meet the qualifications for the position in the company but were still hired and most proved their good.

Abraham Lincoln never attended college but led a divided nation through a civil war.
Franklin Roosevelt was never in the military but defeated Nazi and Japanese aggression.
Harry Truman never graduated with a business degree but formed the “Truman Committee” which investigated the scandal of military wastefulness by exposing fraud and mismanagement saving over 15 billion dollars.

The closest match our imaginary human resource interview obtained was with Ronald Reagan who graduated Eureka College with a degree in Economics and was a Captain in the United States Army Reserve and United States Army Air Corps. Some considered Reagan one of the the greatest presidents in US history.

Don't depend entirely on the media for help choosing a president as they are mostly liberal and one sided.

Reports vs Commentators

Reporters as examples were Walter Cronkite or Edward R. Murrow. They reported the news as it was and as it happened. Commentators are people who bloviate such as Keith Olbermann of the MSNBC cable channel. Andrea Mitchell another so called commentator considers herself queen-like recently stating “that only stupid Hillary supporters will vote for Sarah Palin.” John Roberts of CBS news making with his sexist comment about Sarah Palin's motherly qualifications stating that she would be better off staying home raising her children including her downs syndrome one. Jack Cafferty of CNN makes it very clear his hate for the Republican Party and John McCain. Jack as well as many will be very happy if his democratic party wins and passes the “Fairness Doctrine” giving the conservatives equal or more time to rebut him right after he spews. Commentators have an agenda and will only provide personal or network views with little or no facts. Sadly to say there are no true reporters anymore.

How do I educate myself to choose the most qualified candidate for president?

Take time and study the true facts. Read both conservative and liberal newspapers. Listen to AM talk radio and watch MSNBC, CNN and Fox and analyze the commentators views for truth and clarity. Ask questions to others and debate issues. Use the Internet to obtain facts from confirmed and established sites. Listen to plans, details and facts stated by the candidates and filter the rhetoric.

In the end you will make the right choice. Whether he wins or looses, is black or white, old or young, speaks funny or is more groomed, you will have made an educated choice.

Your comments on this article are always appreciated.