Is McCain Wound Too Tight To Be President? You Better Believe It

Republican presidential hopeful John McCain's temper is legendary. He's well-known in Washington for throwing temper tantrums, flying off the handle, blowing his top, accusing others of lying and of mistreating POW/MIA family members.

In one of the most egregious examples of McCain's temper, he made Delores Alfond, the Chairwoman of the National Alliance of POW/MIA Families, cry. Alfond, representing POW/MIA families across the country, went to congress (wearing a photo of her missing relative on her lapel) to plead with senators not to shut down the committee looking into the issue.

After listening to a seething lecture from McCain, Alfond fought back tears to remind the, eh-hmm, senator that the families involved had been waiting years for the country that sent their loved ones to war to come to a final accounting of what happened to them. She wanted to know what method the families were going to use to resolve the issue now that the senators were bowing out. McCain interrupted Alfond a few times before finally storming out. It's the picture of a real, true bully at work.

Republican Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi, who has known John McCain for more than three decades, endorsed Mitt Romney for president. Cochran told The Boston Globe that his choice was prompted partly by his fear of how McCain might behave in the Oval Office. "The thought of his being in the Oval office sends a cold chill down my spine. He is erratic. He is a hothead. He loses his temper and he worries me."

Fellow Republican Rick Santorum, a former senator, said he also witnessed problems with McCain's temperament. "I don't know anybody in the Senate who hasn't," Santorum told the press. "Everybody has their McCain story."

And McCain's body language backs that up. That man is wrapped tighter than a Tiajuana tortilla the day before payday. Even when things are going well, he moves like a pent up timebomb ready to explode. And the Oval Office is no place for explosions.

In fact, the legendary temper of Grandpa "Straight talk" made a cameo appearance today when a reporter asked him why he lied to the press in May 2004 about meeting with John Kerry. McCain's temper flared. He repeatedly interrupted the reporter, refusing to answer the question and finally bullying her into submission (but not before she asked him why he'd gotten so angry). Keith Olbermann has the video and adds a fascinating interview:



It's no wonder nashevillenancy wrote a song about Angry John McCain:



Great! So Now McCain is scaring the bejeezez out of country girls who walk to work.

Ya know, when a dog starts behaving this way, folks just put it down. I'm not suggesting that treatment for McCain, but he's certainly got no business in the White House.

Merkley's Lie; Will He Apologize? Day 1

Well, it's been 24 hours since Jeff Merkley insulted KPOJ's listeners by delivering a bald-faced lie about his opponent in Oregon's U.S. Senate Democratic primary, yet there's no sign of an apology to those listeners or the rest of Oregon's voters.

That's sure not the change Merkley is promising. It's more of the same old selfish political games that have left this country unable to deal with its problems. If the man can't win on the truth, then he doesn't deserve to win. That's pretty simple.

I'll keep you posted.

Merkley's Lie; Will He Apologize?

Now that Jeff Merkley's lie about Steve Novick has been exposed. Will he be decent enough to apologize to Novick and the KPOJ listeners he lied to?

Let's call it the decency test. He failed round one by telling the lie. Will he continue to disappoint?

Merkley's Lie Fails Truthiness Test

When Oregon U.S. Senate Democratic primary candidate Jeff Merkley promises to bring change to Washington, D.C., it's pretty clear he doesn't mean he wants to change the way political hacks play fast and loose with reality in order to obscure the truth or smear their opponents. On that point, Jeff Merkley's murky tactics mirror those of every other old-guard establishment politician who puts personal victory ahead of the truth.

The fact that Merkley does it rather incompetently makes it even worse.

Merkley used his appearance on Portland progressive talk radio station KPOJ today to disingenuously accuse his primary opponent, Steve Novick, of supporting or favoring Ralph Nader over Al Gore in 2000, John Kerry in 2004 and even Hillary or Obama this year.

The fact that Novick vocally and actively supported Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004, and will support the eventual Democratic nominee this year, didn't seem to matter to Merkley.

(You can listen to the KPOJ "POJ" cast HERE. The Merkley interview begins just over halfway through the stream).

Here's the relevant text:

MERKLEY: "There was a difference of opinion we had come up recently, in which Steve was saying how much he liked Nader and how disappointed he was in Barack Obama and in Clinton. And I just have exactly the opposite point of view.

When Nader put himself forward saying that Democrats and Republicans are exactly the same, that Gore is exactly the same as Bush, that Clinton is exactly the same as Dole, to me that was just completely erroneous, completely about Nader, not about the truth, not about the facts because of vast differences on trade issues on health care issues on education issues. Huge differences. And so I have the reverse. I was very disappointed in Nader, and I'm very excited about our presidential candidates."

Wow! The bald-faced lie (always a sign of weakness) of that statement is mind boggling. The Merkley campaign, or its Washington, D.C., consultants, must have paid for a Lexis Nexis search to dig up a 10-year-old letter Steve Novick wrote to Willamette Week boasting that Portland was cooler than Seattle because it netted more votes for Nader in 1996. Bill Clinton routed Bob Dole that year.

Jeff Merkley wants to conflate Steve Novick's support for Ralph Nader in 1996 -- an election that everybody but Bob Dole knew Clinton was going to dominate -- as support for Nader 12 years and three elections later. Merkley knows that's not true.

It's shameless. Moreover, Merkley's little hack attack was handled so incompetently you can only wonder what other kinds of keystone cops advice he's getting from his high-priced consultants.

Is it really a good idea to go on liberal talk radio and bash Nader backers? How many of those listeners actually DID vote for Nader in 2000? Is it a good idea to lie about a candidate who most of the station's listeners support? The counter-productive setting in which Merkley tried to land his low blow is just another example of how politically tone deaf his campaign really is.

Republican incumbent Gordon Smith would pack Merkley away faster than a frozen pea at his dad's Pendleton plant.

Fortunately for Oregon, there's a candidate who's a little different and offers a real chance for change in the Beltway.

Hillary's Inner Tracy Flick

Brought to you by the good folks at Slate.

Local TV Waking Up To Senate Race

With the high-drama of the February sweeps' hyped-up special reports out of the way, at least one local television news crew is beginning to pay attention to Oregon's primary, just two months away. Portland's KATU Channel 2 actually covered former Gov. John Kitzhaber's endorsement of U.S. Senate candidate Steve Novick. Reporter Melica Johnson does a good job of laying it out. Watch below:

PSU Kicks Butt; Time For A New Arena $$?

With this state's Pac-10 men's basketball contingent ranging from inept to mediocre, local college basketball fans may want to turn their attention north away from Corvallis and Eugene. If you haven't noticed, the Portland State Vikings men's basketball team is kicking butt and taking names in the Big Sky Conference, heading into the league tournament as regular-season champions.

The Vikings have posted a 20-9 mark and set a new school record for wins at the Division I level.

Unfortunately, the Vikings' latest victim was my hometown (Missoula) Montana Grizzlies. PSU didn't just beat the Grizzlies, they crushed and embarrassed them 108-56 in front of a Montana home crowd that included my father. The Vikings led the game 57-25 at halftime and could have won the game without scoring a single point in the second half. (Of course, they weren't that merciful). From The Missoulian:

The runaway locomotive that is the Portland State men's basketball team flattened the Montana Grizzlies on Saturday night.

The Big Sky champion Vikings put up the highest point total by a visiting team in Dahlberg Arena in nearly 40 years in humbling the Griz 108-56 in front of 5,013 fans on senior night.

Portland State beat the Griz in every way imaginable. The Vikings shot 62.5 percent from the floor, made 14 of 25 3-pointers, outrebounded the Griz 45-23 and swatted away eight shots. In short, the Griz ran into a buzzsaw.

The 52-point margin of victory is the largest over a Division I opponent in Portland State history and it came fresh on the heels of another whipping, this time against Montana State (coached by my former Little League teammate Brad Huse), whom they beat 96-68 two nights before in Bozeman. In fact, the 28-point win over the Bobcats was the previous biggest win by PSU in a Big Sky game in its 12 seasons as a member. That mark lasted just two days.

Surprising but true, Oregon's best shot for representation in the March Madness NCAA Tournament could be the little known team from Portland's Park Blocks. Get used to it!

Maybe the Vikings could benefit from a $200 million arena?

Novick Nets More National TV Time

He's not quite reached the levels of Obamania, but Steve Novick, the fighter with the hard left hook, is building momentum. Good press has been coming in from all across the country. On Friday, Novick made his second appearance on Fox News. Enjoy!



What does more than four minutes of national cable television advertising cost these days, anyway?

Nothing Subliminal Here! No, Really!

Memo to campaign staff: DO NOT let the candidate be photographed with a picture of the devil over her shoulder. (See John McCain/John Hagee photo in previous post)

Grandpa 'Straight Talk' Appears With Lunatic Fringe, Collects Armageddon Endorsement

Straight Talk Express conductor John McCain embraced the rapturous hug of lunatic fringe pastor John Hagee Wednesday, just before turning around and throwing him under the "Straight Talk" bus:

"Yesterday, Pastor John Hagee endorsed my candidacy for president in San Antonio, Texas. However, in no way did I intend for his endorsement to suggest that I in turn agree with all of Pastor Hagee's views, which I obviously do not.

And what are some of the views that Grandpa "Straight Talk" so desperately wants to distance himself from (while at the same time basking in the warm glow of Hagee's evangelically Rapturous Armageddon-yearning hug)? Let's take a look. From Sarah Posner's article in The American Prospect:

Hagee, who serves as head pastor of the 18,000-member Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, hosts his own television program that is seen twice a day on TBN. He argues that the United States must join Israel in a pre-emptive military strike against Iran to fulfill God's plan for both Israel and the West.

He speaks simultaneously to two audiences about Iran's nuclear capabilities: one that fears a terrorist attack by Iran and another that embraces a biblically mandated apocalypse.

...When addressing audiences receptive to Scriptural prophecy, Hagee welcomes the coming confrontation. He argues that a strike against Iran will cause Arab nations to unite under Russia's leadership, as outlined in chapters 38 and 39 of the Book of Ezekiel, leading to an "inferno [that] will explode across the Middle East, plunging the world toward Armageddon."

...In Hagee's telling, Israel has no choice but to strike at Iran's nuclear facilities, with or without America's help. The strike will provoke Russia -- which wants Persian Gulf oil -- to lead an army of Arab nations against Israel. Then God will wipe out all but one-sixth of the Russian-led army, as the world watches "with shock and awe," he says, lending either a divine quality to the Bush administration phrase or a Bush-like quality to God's wrath.

But Hagee doesn't stop there. He adds that Ezekiel predicts fire upon those who "live in security in the coastlands." From this sentence he concludes that there will be judgment upon all who stood by while the Russian-led force invaded Israel, and issues a stark warning to the United States to intervene: "Could it be that America, who refuses to defend Israel from the Russian invasion, will experience nuclear warfare on our east and west coasts?" He says yes, citing Genesis 12:3, in which God said to Israel: "I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you."

To fill the power vacuum left by God's decimation of the Russian army, the Antichrist -- identified by Hagee as the head of the European Union -- will rule "a one-world government, a one-world currency and a one-world religion" for three and a half years. (He adds that "one need only be a casual observer of current events to see that all three of these things are coming into reality.") The "demonic world leader" will then be confronted by a false prophet, identified by Hagee as China, at Armageddon, the Mount of Megiddo in Israel. As they prepare for the final battle, Jesus will return on a white horse and cast both villains -- and presumably any nonbelievers -- into a "lake of fire burning with brimstone," thus marking the beginning of his millennial reign.

Now that's entertainment.

But lest you think Hagee is in it simply to guide into the Rapture as many of the flock as he can, he also uses his, eh-hmm, ministry to take pretty good care of himself right here on earth.

Hagee the businessman -- along with friends like Hinn, Meyer, Parsley, and other TBN televangelists, including the network's top executives, Paul and Jan Crouch -- has come under fire for excessive compensation derived from his nonprofit ministries. According to his organization's tax returns, Hagee has earned more than $1 million annually since 1999 in salary and deferred compensation from his nonprofit Global Evangelism Television and Cornerstone Church. In 2004, the San Antonio News Express reported that he was the highest-paid nonprofit executive in that city; his pay was nearly twice that of the next best-paid executive.

So yes, Grandpa Straight Talk, lap up as much of that Apocalypse-seekers endorsement as you can, but be sure to tell everyone the very next day that you don't necessarily "agree with all of Pastor Hagee's views." How sweet! But that's not exactly a rejection or a refutation, is it? I'm sure Tim Russert will hop right on this one.

Brand New Obama Music Video: We Are The Ones

Fresh on the heels of the will.i.am video "Yes We Can," a viral sensation that has garnered more than 5 million hits on YouTube.com alone, the Black-Eyed Peas front man today released another star-studded video in support of Barack Obama:

The Oregon Coast Really Blows

We've all read the stories and seen news reports about the early December 2007 windstorm that devastated Oregon's North Coast and claimed Oregon's largest living thing, the Klootchy Creek Giant, one of the largest Sitka Spruce in the World.

But, much like the "Devastation Zone" on Mount St. Helens, it's pretty difficult to appreciate the extent of the damage and the awe-inspiring force of nature required to wreak such havoc if you haven't seen it for yourself. I recommend a trip down Highway 26 and up the coast. Here are a couple quick snapshots that represent less than a speck of the entire damage done.

This is a broken stand of timber across the Highway and up the road from the Klootchy Creek Giant. The stand of relatively young trees had recently been exposed to the wind by a clearcut.





But don't get the wrong idea here; although the debris and evidence of damage are still visible, the coast is cleaned up and ready for business. And given the recent unseasonably spectacular weather, a trip right now is "awesome" all the way around.

Fox News Scoop: Bankers Closing In On Jacko's Shacko

Count on the top-notch journalists at Fox News to be on top of this (heart)breaking news. From Reuters:

Michael Jackson's famed Neverland Valley Ranch in California will be foreclosed and sold on March 19 unless the pop star pays a balance of nearly $25 million, property records showed on Tuesday.

FoxNews.com celebrity columnist Roger Friedman reported on the Web site (www.foxnews.com) that Michael Jackson has been formally apprised of the foreclosure and that legal documents have also been filed with the Santa Barbara County Recorder's office.

The onetime "King of Pop" has owned the 2,800-acre (1,133-ha) ranch in the rolling foothills above the California coast since 1988, naming it after the whimsical island where children never grow up in J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan stories.

Jackson, 49, famously outfitted the property with a private zoo and amusement park and festooned it with statues of Peter Pan characters.

I'll bet Bill O'Reilly will have a lot to say about this.

Greg Oden; Endorsement Rookie Of The Year

Former Ohio State basketball star and current Blazers No. 1 draft-pick Greg Oden may be out for the season recovering from knee surgery, but he gets my vote for rookie of the year when it comes political endorsements.

From Oden's blog:

Today I got a phone call from Senator Barack Obama. ...The conversation was quick - like two minutes but I got to talk to him like a real person. What I got from talking to him is that he is a real sports fan and he knew about the Blazers. He said that when I come back Brandon, LaMarcus and I will be a force next year. He also asked me about my knee, and he said he wasn't feeling my mohawk - lol. I laughed and explained to him that it's just a haircut to me and he told me he liked how I handle myself as a young man - "Thanks Mom." I did not talk politics with him. He talks about that stuff all the time and I'm going to keep learning more about the issues.

He is a very nice man and I am a big fan. I got the chance to go to his website (www.barackobama.com) and read up on some of his beliefs and there are things he is doing that I really support like his plan with education, civil rights, and health care. That's why Senator Obama is getting my vote.

...If the person I vote for wins it's gonna be because of my one little vote, at least that's what I'm gonna think. I think everyone should think that way. This will be my first presidential election to participate in as a voter and I hope that you younger voters will get involved. I think that our votes can really influence the outcome so go out, register and vote for who you think is the best candidate to be the best leader for this country and make sure you and your family will feel good about the new president that is elected in November.

By contrast, I wonder if former Jail Blazer Zach Randolph even knows this is an election year?

WMD Stockpiles: Red Rover, Red Rover ...

(November 10, 2004)