by Ripley





"We're going to get a little tougher," a senior Republican operative said, indicating that a fresh batch of television ads is coming. "We've got to question this guy's associations. Very soon. There's no question that we have to change the subject here," said the operative, who was not authorized to discuss strategy and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

And so, Princess Palin is dispatched on the Winkers and Wankers Tour, to spread the message across the country: "Barack Obama associates with unsavory people - colored folks, negroes, and even black men! What? Oh.. Well, he used to, anyway!" Yes, my friends, she's all Lips and Quips, and she's coming to your town, newspaper, radio or what have you, to spread a message so powerful you'll wonder how the Almighty could suffer such a blasphemy upon his own creation.

Meanwhile, Reality will have none of it. 11:25AM, EDT:



* CNN : "Stocks tumbled today, with the Dow falling below 10,000 for the first time in nearly four years. The Dow dropped more than 500 points before recovering. The sell-off came despite Friday's signing of a historic $700 billion bailout bill for U.S. financial institutions. European governments also are rushing to prop up failing financial firms, underscoring the global reach of the credit crunch, CNNMoney reports."



* Yahoo News : "Wall Street tumbled again Monday, joining a sell-off around the world as fears grew that the financial crisis will cascade through economies globally despite bailout efforts by the U.S. and other governments. The Dow Jones industrials skidded nearly 500 points and fell below 10,000 for the first time in four years, while the credit markets remained under strain."



* AOL News : "The financial crisis spreads across the globe, despite government bailouts in both the U.S. and aboard. The Dow falls below 10,000 for the first time in four years, joining markets around the world that have also reported sharp drops."



* MSNBC : "Stocks fall to mark not seen since October, 2004, as investors come to believe that $700 billion rescue plan won’t work quickly enough to end credit squeeze."



* FOX "News" : "URGENT: Dow falls more than 400 points, sinks below 10,000 for first time in four years as Asian, Euro markets plunge on fears U.S. financial crisis will spread, slow global growth."



So, the question becomes this: Will John McCain and the Cue Card Cutie acknowledge that there are far more important things happening in the nation and the world, TODAY, than pointing fingers and making specious claims about Obama's patriotism? Or does Gov. Palin need another three day retreat at the Talking Points Day Spa to wash that black man's past out of her hair, so she can talk about something else in complete sentences?



But, hey - as long as we're talking about relationships, past and present, why not turn the national conversation to John McCain? We could talk about his relationship with Charles Keating and the resulting $3,000,000,000 Savings and Loan bailout that was paid for by the taxpayers. Or we could talk about his relationship with former Senator and current economic adviser, Phill Gramm, who authored the deregulating legislation that led to the current economic crisis we're witnessing. Maybe we could talk about the 72 lobbyists who work for the McCain Campaign. Also. Whadda ya say, Sarah?



I suppose we shouldn't be surprised that a mental lightweight like Sarah Palin is sent out on a traveling Slumber Party to give us updated Cooties Reports on Barack Obama. It's not like she has the first fucking clue about anything that actually affects people or any interest in what Joe Six Pack is really concerned about. It's just too bad that her Jr. High squeaks and giggles are being drowned out by the sound of real Americans grinding their teeth and the death rattle of our Economy.



Way to go, Team Maverick! It's that kind of out-of-the-box thinking that will, uh... yeah, way to go!

[Update] - Unbelievable.

Reporters weren't permitted to wander around inside Coachman Park in Clearwater to talk to Palin's audience, the St. Petersburg Times reported. When reporters tried to leave the designated press area and head to where the crowd was seated, an escort would dart out, confront him or her and say, "Can I help you?" and turn the person around, Times staff writer Eileen Schulte wrote on the paper's Web site. When one reporter asked an escort, who would not give her name, why the press wasn't allowed to mingle, she said that in the past, negative things had been written, Schulte reported.

No need to talk to Joe Six Pack when the McCain campaign can just tell you what he thinks, right? Mavericky!

Rip -