U.S. Election Polltracker. Great site to track U.S. polling data from Gallup, Rasmussen, Washington Post, Ipsos.

Please read Frank Rich’s excellent editorial piece about the dangers of hate.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/opinion/12rich.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Now more than at any point in our history, America needs the best, brightest and most inspirational figures to lead us out of the dark. Thus, it is a sad state of affairs when half of American’s claim victory for Sarah Palin’s debate performance based primarily on the fact that she did not flop.

Apparently all it takes to be leader of the free world is to be a fresh face and a Washington outsider (though you must be willing to blindly embrace its dysfunctional party agendas). Ya also need to be a damn good winker (I think she looked right at me). Oh, and it helps to acknowledge a few wartime “blunders” to distance yourself from your party’s least popular President in American history. It’s also good to be folksy with a few glittery “Joe Sixpack-you betcha-Soccer Mom” mentions – and most important of all, the defining credentials to be leader of the free world are… that you simply not make a fool of yourself.

It would seem, at least for the Red half of America, “not screwing up” is a clear definition of “success”.

Heck, what do intelligent answers or informed opinion really have to do with debates? America’s not a bunch of brainiacs, right? Darn right, that’s just all too intellectual and east coast-like. And ya know, right after we broaden the constitutional powers of the VP, re-cast the supreme court and drill our way out of the energy crisis, we might wanna just pass a special type a law so that no matter who is President of this great U.S.A. Americans will always have a some kinda “folksy” plain-talkin’ Governor toolin round the White House. Gosh, that really would be swell.

Obama’s restraint Friday night was a missed opportunity to more fully address the failings of the Iraq war.

The following question was lobbed into the sweet spot: “What do you see as the lessons in Iraq?” Without the needed emotion, Obama noted only a wispy handful of “lessons”. 

If any reasonable list had been succinctly shared with the debate audience it would have resulted in the largest projectile group-vomit in history. So why won’t Barack concisely define the management of the war based on its entire sad five years?

McCain continues to corner him by insisting that Obama admit he was wrong on The Surge. The Straight Talker relentlessly defines the entire conflict based on this single 2007-launched (costly and potentially unsustainable) “success” while omitting discussion of the events of a war that began four years prior in early 2003.

Obama must stop defending his protest of The Surge (an overdue play that is improving things but lacks the longevity to define the game) by turning the tables on McCain and insisting that the Maverick admit his own mistake for supporting the war and its countless debacles in the first place.

And just for fun, here’s a a couple of America’s war inspired greatest hits that could have been mentioned:

WMD’s

Abu Ghraib

Patriot act

Saddam = 911

Iran’s new influence

Al Qaeda’s growth

Bin Laden at large

4 x increase in a barrel of oil

Greeted as liberators

Loss of U.S. influence in the world.

Guantanamo

Data mining Americans

Disbanding Iraqi army

Hiding coffins

Rumsfeld

Inadequate armor

Neglected VA hospitals

Ignored U.S. casualties (current 4,173 +)

Ignored U.S. wounded count (current 30,000 +)

Ignored Iraqi civilian casualties (est. 95,000 +)

Lowball the cost of the war (est. at $50b-$60b per Mitch Daniels c2003) vs. the current $557b spent or the est. $2-$3 trillion projected)

True numbers of  U.S. govt. paid military and support personnel currently in Iraq = 336,000 (146,000 U.S. troops + 190,000 + private contractors).