You mean he's done running from one meeting to another whilst "listening?"

Yeah.. it was a political ploy, nothing more.

Now if only I could find a good Presidential Debate Bingo site... PlanetSocks is still on 2004, and the Arizona Republic tried but theirs doesn't measure up.

McCain didn't fix anything. He derailed any chance of an agreement because he thought he could make himself look like he saved the day. From what CNN said, Obama was the one taking charge in the meeting and seemed more Presidential. McCain just listened. Hey, at least we get to see both candidates tonight. I wonder if he decided to debate after Obama said he would take the whole 90 minutes and do a town meeting or a long interview. 

McCain didn't fix anything. He derailed any chance of an agreement because he thought he could make himself look like he saved the day.

Oddly enough, that might have been the best thing he could've done.  Assuming his actions don't cause a meltdown.  Maybe now we can direct federal assistance to the bottom of the pyramid instead of the top.

If he'd only derailed the AUMF in the same way, we likely wouldn't be *IN* this mess as bad.

You wonder why McBush is bothering to show up tonight, since he's already won.

His lobbyist campaign manager says so in an ad this morning for his suspended campaign:

http://www.washingtonpost.c...

Sounds like his and Shrub's Iraq strategy.  Declare victory and then spend another three thousand lives pointlessly.

 McCain didn't fix anything. He derailed any chance of an agreement because he thought he could make himself look like he saved the day. From what CNN said, Obama was the one taking charge in the meeting and seemed more Presidential. McCain just listened. Hey, at least we get to see both candidates tonight. I wonder if he decided to debate after Obama said he would take the whole 90 minutes and do a town meeting or a long interview. 

This is hillarious.  So, what you're saying is that McCain "derailed any chance of an agreement," simply by listening?  I've heard that listening can be powerful, but that really blows me away.   LOL. 

so I guess it would have been better had he not shown any  concern as Nobama appeared prior to the conference..with Yo's piss poor attitude of call me if you need me??? If Bush hadn't requested his attendance he wouldn't have even gotten on the plane..GIMMIE A BREAK...hes been taking presidential debating classes and cant wait to showoff..he has no substance..hes just a bag of hot air..that if elected will blow up in your faces..well unfortunately all our faces

BLT, you've been posting here longer than I have. Does anything really surprise you?

It's going to be difficult to enjoy any victories Obama makes in the debates tonight.  This whole energy meltdown of McCain's is actually getting kinda sad.  It's gonna be like the young, vigorous dog attacking the kindly old whiskered dog (that's what happened to my Grandma's lab.)  Yeah, McCain is reminding me more and more of good old Ned.  My Grandpa finally had to put old Ned down because he was so arthrytic he wouldn't even go outside anymore.  All he wanted to do was sleep in front of the wood-burning stove.  My Grandma said Ned was heart-broken because his little dog friend, Lucy, had died the previous spring.

Ugh.  Now I'm on a total bummer.  Please, please let Obama be nice to McCain tonight, and please let McCain get a couple of good jabs in.  

I think I may have to skip the debates tonight.  

 BLT, you've been posting here longer than I have. Does anything really surprise you?

Not a thing.

And, BTW, well stated, souixcityranch. 

Another flip-flop by McSame, what's new?  Two days ago he says "no bailout deal, no debate"--and now, with no deal apparent, he WILL debate.  He knew how bad it would look to let Obama have 90 minutes of free tv time by himself, but that might have been better than McSame walking into a buzzsaw like he's going to do tonight.  He's not prepared, he looks depressed and exhausted (even a $5500 makeup job can't fix that), and he's going to embarrass himself. 

I'm so excited I can't stand it!

lol CB. I think Obama needs to put poor McNed out of his misery, and it starts tonight. I can't wait. I hope Obama really lays into him for supporting the war in Iraq. A small fortune and 300,000 dead for what? Oh yeah WMDs. Nuclear arms programs. Saddam was gonna blow up the moon. That bastard.

Sorry, Tridge.  I was being totally serious.  I really am sad about McCain.  Just because I'm voting for Obama doesn't mean I don't have sympathy for McCain.  And he really does remind me of my Grandma's dog.

I realize that my previous post was kinda funny.  In fact, this post is funny, too.  Lord, even when I'm sincere I seem insincere and even when I'm not trying to be funny my posts come out funny.  It must be the inherent smart-a** in me.

But..but...but...McBush already *WON* the debate!  He's running ads that say so.  His lobbyist campaign manager wouldn't lie, would he?

 He knew how bad it would look to let Obama have 90 minutes of free tv time by himself, but that might have been better than McSame walking into a buzzsaw like he's going to do tonight.  He's not prepared, he looks depressed and exhausted (even a $5500 makeup job can't fix that), and he's going to embarrass himself. 

I'm so excited I can't stand it!

I'm astonished at how busy all the liberal bloggers are today at reading minds and lowering expectations for McCain at the debate. 

I hope you realize that when you contribute in any way to a significant lowering the public's expectation on a debate, and the candidate does just okay, its translated into a TKO.  But, hey, who am I to stand in the way of your excitement?  Bring it on!

"I hope you realize that when you contribute in any way to a significant lowering the public's expectation on a debate, and the candidate does just okay, its translated into a TKO.  But, hey, who am I to stand in the way of your excitement?  Bring it on!"

I'm sure the media will translate it into a TKO if McSame can just keep it together enough to not a) fall asleep, or b) fly into an apoplectic rage.   As for the public's expectations, I think they're already pretty low--the GOP hasn't exactly impressed this week now, has it?

mostlyrussky, have you seen McCain fall asleep?  How bout ...have YOU seen him fly into an apoplectic rage?  Or are you just repeating what you hear like a good little parrot?

If I say McCain will win the debate tonight am I lying?  If I say he will win the election and he doesn't, does that mean I'm lying?

Video of McSame sleeping during Bush's State of the Union address: 

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

And FoxNews video of a story about McCain's temperament after a profane rant he directed at another Republican senator:

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

There's lots more, but this stuff should get you started.  Use the Google for more.

I liked what David Letterman did to him on his show....that man was MAD to say the least...and it was one of David's BEST shows....I'm waiting to see if someone comes out with a John McCain bobble head doll that says 'Look at me-Look at me-I'm a Mavrick--I can fix anything...' What's his next trick--walking on water??

Yea Russky, cancer medication will do that to you, Why the people have not demanded to have his medical history examined just shows the sheeple they have become, This is one sick man and ready to kick the bucket anyday, we should be outraged by the coverup of his records and also at the GOP for using him as their sacrificial lamb so they can regroup in 8 years,when he`s not around anymore

Ling~ did you see dave last night? The kicker is the Senator canceled his apperance( on the show he used to anounce his run for the Presidency),wait for it.......and stayed in New york till the next morning. I feel used myself.

McCain didn't flip flop.  His strategy didn't work so it's back to plan B.  I believe he was sincere in wanting to be a part of the process as it would help his record he was hardly going to sit back while Obama went to the debate alone.  Obama is an [edit.] and really showed it this time.  His conern over the debate and nothing else is proof positive of that.

I think it's safe to say that Dave won't be having Senator McCain on his show anytime soon....lied to and got caught via satelite...man, that was just too much...haven't laughed like that in a long time....

Yup, those Republicans got lying down to a science....

Maggie, please stop making idiotic remarks about cancer medication.  If McCain was taking chemo it would be well known and not just a subject for wannabee blog shock jockeys like you.  If he's about to kick the bucket from Melanoma then he looks a heck of a lot better than any of the people I've known who were stricken with cancer and were at their end times.

Don't you think it's time to start posting facts instead of the same old tired mumbo jumbo.  That is of course uless you have no real facts of your own to produce.  You could go find something to paste here, that's more your speed.

Personal attack?  you betcha, but only when deserved.

Says a lot about  Sen.McCains character.

I'd have slept through those boring speeches too and as far as the profanity and temper...you've GOT to be joking there.  He said those things in a CLOSED senate meeting and NOT in public.  C'mon, tell me none of you have ever used language like that.....c'mon...tell me.

Apoplectic?  Profane?  At the debate?  you KNOW better, it's just more mud slinging.

I hate to keep bringing up JFK but he was really colorful and more down to earth than some of the prissy pants politicians you guys are so fond of.  And even HE told aides that Johnson was a S.O.B.  You guys who love to talk about McCains temper and profanity need to read up on some of our nations presidents and our heros.

McCain Won't Release Medical Records

Along with his signature bright white hair, the most striking aspects of Senator John McCain's physical appearance are his puffy left cheek and the scar that runs down the back of his neck.

The marks are cosmetic reminders of the melanoma surgery he underwent in August 2000. Mr. McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, sometimes tells audiences that he has "more scars than Frankenstein."...

...In 1999, during Mr. McCain's first race for president, he gave the public an extraordinary look at his medical history -- 1,500 pages of medical and psychiatric records that were amassed as part of a United States Navy project to gauge the health of former prisoners of war. This reporter, who is a physician, interviewed the senator's doctors in 1999 with his permission.

But this time around, Mr. McCain has yet to make his full medical records or his physicians available to reporters. At least three times since March 2007, campaign officials have told The New York Times that they would provide the detailed information about his current state of health, but they have not done so. The campaign now says it expects to release the information in April.

Read more here.

http://www.huffingtonpost.c...

And so he did as told, copied and pasted like a good little follower.  And from the Huffington post no less.  I thought it was funny the Huffington was the link I used yesterday to show that McCains headquarters stayed open.

And Maggie, his skin cancer is not news.  Nor is it unusual.  I had one that required 17 stitches....guess you'll need my medical records to prove I'm fit to blog.

Doctors Call For McCain's Medical Records

Brave New Films, the organization that produced the Phillip Butler POW ad, held a conference call with 3 physicians representing more than 2,000 physicians calling on McCain for "full, public disclosure of all his medical records."

The Guardian reported on the call:

Three physicians today said that voters need more detail about John McCain's 2000 bout with skin cancer, saying that specific information about the nature of the tumour could help determine whether McCain is likely to suffer a recurrence during the next four years.

The doctors spoke on a conference call organised by Robert Greenwald, a filmmaker who has produced Internet videos critical of the Republican candidate. The doctors declined to declare their political leanings, saying they were speaking out as American citizens rather than out of partisan motives. They were three out of 2,279 physicians who have signed a letter asking McCain for "full, public disclosure of all his medical records". More than 47,000 people have signed the petition.

A quick search at OpenSecrets.org reveals that at least two of the physicians, despite their refusal to declare their political leanings, have donated to Democrats in the past. Noah Craft donated $250 to John Kerry and Michael Fratkin donated $200 to Barack Obama. Should this matter?

Of course. Doctors giving their professional opinions on a patient they have not examined is, to the say the least, a bit problematic. (Who can forget when Bill Frist "examined" Terri Schiavo from a TV monitor?) Their concerns might be legitimate -- I am not a doctor -- but refusing to declare your political position (especially when that position is easily available online) when you engage in politics sours whatever professional opinion you're trying to bring.

In any event, Brave New Films spokesman Axel Woolfork responds:

Dr. Craft and Dr. Fratkin wanted to speak first and foremost as medical professionals giving a medical opinion and an assessment of what they know about the medical issues in question. In fact, during the conference call they rarely spoke about Sen. McCain directly but rather gave their expertise on the subject of advanced age health issues and melanoma detection and treatment. Moreover, they are two of more than 2,000 MDs that have signed onto the open letter and have come from all political backgrounds. They also stated, that the other candidates should equally disclose their medical records and pointed to the case of a Democratic Senator who passed away early in office due to similar complications.

http://time-blog.com/real_c...

But even McCain's own party asked him to stay away from the talks....but when Bush asked them BOTH to be in Washington---of course their going---it doesn't mean that you HAVE to suspend your campaign...noble gesture...and back fired....

Subject: McCain's Medical Records

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

John McCain is a 72 year old man with recurrent melanoma, hyperlipidemia, degenerative joint disease, and recurrent difficulty with certain efforts at recall.

These are the limited facts the American people have had access to. Over 1000 pages of medical records were shown to selected journalists for 3 hours with less than 48 hours of notice. The only medically trained journalist was Sanjey Gupta, MD from CNN.

This is the extent to which the American people have been informed. While I am certainly sensitive to the confidential nature of medical records, given the anxiety expressed by many of my patients regarding the risk of lost coverage or lost jobs in this current health economic climate, there are certain exceptions for disclosure regarding public safety.

As John McCain knows, a pilots records are comprehensively available for review by a certifying agency (the FAA, I believe) to insure the fitness of the pilot and the safety of passengers and the public at-large. In the election of the President of the United States of America, that certifying body is the American electorate.

A recurrence of metastatic malignant melanoma would essentially destroy John McCain's capacity as the Chief Executive and the American People have yet to receive a full accounting of the facts regarding his actuarial risk.

If he has had regional metastasis, his risk could be 30% or greater for distant metastasis to the brain, bone, and lung.

As you all know, melanoma is one of the most insidious, pernicious, and aggressive malignancies our patients must deal with and that we attempt somewhat pathetically to control with interferon, interleukins, and dismally active and terribly toxic chemotherapeutic regimens.

In addition, we lack the simple data to sensibly evaluate his cardiovascular risk as we would any septuagenerian in our exam rooms.

John McCain should [MUST] be held accountable by the American people and its agents, the free press, to release without restriction the entirety of his medical records.

Any hesitation to do so would clearly imply that there are significant medical concerns about his ability to fulfill the duties of the President.

Sincerely,

Michael D. Fratkin, MD
Internal Medicine
Hospice and Palliative Medicine
Eureka, California

RE maggies post...blah..blah..blah. 

Covering Candidates’ Medical Records

Three weeks ago, John McCain, who would be the oldest president in history if elected, released 1,173 pages of his medical records to the press. He did so only after a series of delays, however, and then granted a pool of about a dozen news outlets access to them for three hours, with no photocopying allowed. One reporter whose employer was not invited to view the documents was The New York Times’s Lawrence K. Altman. His exclusion was a bit ironic, given that he is an M.D. and was part of the group that viewed the last batch of McCain’s medical records, which the senator released in 1999 during his first bid for the Oval Office. Those earlier records covered McCain’s well-being prior to 2000, including his experience as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War and his treatment for melanoma, among other things. Lost month’s disclosure covered his life since and showed that the cancer has not recurred and that, despite a few effects of age, he is mostly healthy. There was quite a bit of media attention to the release of the records, but it hasn’t always been that way. Altman talked with CJR’s Curtis Brainard about how the press has come to be so interested in candidates’ health and protocols for covering their ailments.

http://www.cjr.org/the_obse...

The facts are Senators Obama and McCain agreed to make a joint statement and then Sen. McCain spoke first, he made an agreement and then broke his word~ not so noble. But then this is politics we are talking about,noble does not get votes. Lies and rhetoric do~ we need to wake up as a people and ask better questions.

McCain delays releasing medical records again, raising suspicion

Declined to provide files three times to New York Times

A little noticed remark in the press is generating heat for McCain's presidential campaign.

On Wednesday, McCain's campaign told CNN that the Arizona senator's medical file would be produced May 15. Trouble is, they previously said they'd be released April 15, and they've refused to turn the records over to the New York Times on at least three occasions.

This has led some on the left to question, "What's he hiding?" -- as is the banner headline on the politics section of liberal blog, The Huffington Post.

"Mr. McCain has yet to make his full medical records or his physicians available to reporters," the Times veteran medical correspondent Dr. Lawrence Altman penned in March. "At least three times since March 2007, campaign officials have told The New York Times that they would provide the detailed information about his current state of health, but they have not done so. The campaign now says it expects to release the information in April."

John McCain is a 72 year old man with recurrent melanoma, hyperlipidemia, degenerative joint disease, and recurrent difficulty with certain efforts at recall.

Maggiepoo has a good point. They should have never let FDR be president because he had polio. Polio is a very serious disease and he could have died at any second.

Oh wait, he lived for 12 more years didn't he? Hypocrites. You might die before John McCain does. No one knows how long their time might be. Why do you want to make the campaign about physical health instead of the issues? Hypocrites.

I am going back to my synical self. This is all a popularity contest. Argue away bloggers...no one cares! The middle is not reading your blog posts. They are trying to decide which movie they are going to go out and watch tonight and then vote on November 4th for the candidates most like them. Issues mean jack.

Elrojo14, are you in the middle?

The Times report "was the standard line in early March. McCain sat down for an interview with Scott Pelley on 60 Minutes, and was asked about his health. McCain said it's 'excellent' (three times), and said his campaign would be 'doing the medical records thing' soon," Carpetbagger's Steve Bennen wrote. "Pelley followed up, "There has been some criticism that you have not released your medical records. You're saying in this interview that you're about to do that. McCain replied, 'Oh, yeah, we'll do it in the next month or so, yeah.'"

"For a candidate who has nothing to hide, he's acting like he has something to hide," he continued later. "And given that McCain is running to be the oldest president ever elected, and he has a history of medical problems including melanoma, this is a little unsettling.

"If McCain had a history of secrecy," he added, "it'd be easier to just chalk this up to a character flaw. But his previous disclosures actually make the problem worse. He was an open book during his first campaign, and now he can't even explain the delays in releasing his records.

"As I said," he concluded. "There's probably nothing to this. But the campaign's conduct on the issue raises questions, doesn't it?"

Elrojo, they have to muddy the water with swirling rumors, falsehoods, and  manipulation of words because they know that their candidate has no substance or experience.  It's just the old low self confidence game that makes them believe if they scream loudly enough about what they perceive as McCains faults, no one will notice what an empty candidate Obama really is. 

The more I think about it, I don't see them talkin Obama up.  I don't see any real campaigning by the left on the blog  Gee guys, are you trying to win this election by default rather then a fair fight?  Is THAT your strategy?

Yeah right~ noticed you did not post on Audrey's shut up or put up post. Have you really been reading any posts here for the past 6 months ,maybe longer?No disrespect intended Nancy but that smells of Desperation.

Well, Nancy, I've tried to discuss basic issues, and no one wants to blog about them.   Here is one. The United States foreign debt (the amount american corporations and governments owe foreign creditors) is about 13 TRILLION DOLLARS.  It is growing at about 60 billion dollars a month due to the balance of payments deficit.  This deficit is being financed by more borrowing from foreign lenders.  What happens to the US if foreign lenders stop lending us money for finance the consumer toys we so dearly love?    

Gotta love those Chinese for holding up the American economy..oh wait,, they just said they were going to stop buying our worthless portfolios...oh my...

The bailout will only prolong the inevitable while we hope to find the elixir. The elixir is in letting it fall. We wont be able to buy many more toys but that hurts the entire world since we extract the raw materials from a foreign country to make the toys and then a foreign country builds the toys in which we eventually buy. The effects are exponential but it has to be that way. The current system is not sustainable.

Financial experts in the real estate blogs predicted the crash of the Empire in the 2Q 2010 when most the commercial alt-a go through the process and emerge on into the market, no bailout for them in sight and they will just walk away in huge numbers because they have no sentimental value attached only business..it`s going to be brutal and inevitable

McCain's medical records are nobody's business except his and his doctor's (and his immediate family's).  If you go after McCain's medical records, why not go after Obama's?  Ageism?   My impression was that liberals were big on privacy. 

I`m sure Obama`s are there for the asking..nothing to coverup the ...get real

It is the end of the "American Empire".   The era of Wall Street dollar dominance is over.  In the near future there will be no "world" financial center, instead there will be a number of regional financial centers of more or less equal importance.  Oh, and by the way, has anyone noticed that we simply can not afford the war in Iraq anymore?

BNR~ really??? Back in the day,reference FDR,that was done,had to be done, because most of America believed a "cripple" had diminished mental capacities and should be stuffed in the attic.

We are over that now,and both candidates should release medical summaries.They will have to as President.