Let's see what history has to tell us about the importance of experience for predicting a successful presidency.

...you have five million a year IN INCOME.

This diary is going to revisit the Saddleback remarks by John McCain, because I strongly suspect that this audience of Kossacks--being Democrats and progressives--probably don't understand what it's like to have a hundred million bucks in your wife's back pocket. So you probably don't understand the importance of that particular turn of phrase:

As you recall: at Saddleback, Pastor Rick Warren asked each presidential candidate to was asked to define "rich."

Obama didn't hesitate. "I would argue that if you are making more than $250,000, then you are in the top 3, 4 percent of this country," he said. "You are doing well."

McCain took a far more discursive approach to answering the question but ultimately settled on a dramatically higher figure: "I think if you're just talking about income, how about $5 million?"

The key phrase in the McCain definition is: *"if you are talking about INCOME..."* (continued)

The following parody news story appeared seven years ago today. It was published and distributed by Yossarian Universal News Service (YU), the world’s first satiric news syndicate founded in 1980.

YU News Dispatch 038
Yossarian Universal News Service 082701
6:06:54:01 PM PST
START

DISCOVERY OF PARALLEL WORLD OFFERS NEW HOPE FOR BUSH PRESIDENCY
Other Presidential Pretender Appears To Be Exactly The Same As Ours Except For Cross-Dressing

Mountain View, Calif. (YU) -- In what is being hailed as the most important discovery of the new century, a tear in the space/time continuum has revealed the existence of a parallel world similar to our own, where another George W. Bush serves as its Presidential Pretender and where the future reveals his accidental death, a failed attempt to convince the public that he is still alive, and the subsequent power struggle by a number of presidential successors hoping to gain control of the country.

The Bush administration's department of Health and Human Services recently proposed a new regulation to allow health care workers who oppose abortion to deny legal services that conflict with their beliefs.

Let's imagine that reframed, just a bit...

If you’re a restaurant worker opposed to meat-eating, you soon likely will be able to refuse diners who ask for such food.

The Bush administration announced a controversial proposed regulation designed to protect wait staff, cooks and others who work at places receiving government money from being forced to deliver services that violate their personal beliefs. It’s an effort to protect vegetarians from workplace discrimination.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said the proposed regulation would boost compliance of three separate laws protecting federally funded food-service providers’ "right of conscience."

My Friends,

Obviously, the presidential election is our focus right now. But there are other races going on too. Races that deserve our attention. I am, of course, referring to the current battle for the heart and soul of McDonaldland.

Oh wow!  Brian Unger of NPR's "The Unger Report" has a witty and snark-o-licious radio ad for treating Real Estate Amnesia.  I heard this as I was driving between schools for my traveling science teacher job. Almost had to pull over! I would have been ROF(floorboard)L! This was the perfect antidote to the Cokie Roberts bile I had to listen to earlier in the day.  Follow me into the lab for the link.

As the Democratic Convention kicks off in Denver, the Republicans are finalizing the details for their convention next week in Minneapolis-St. Paul.  

When the RNC kicks off next Monday, it will be a celebration for many reasons.  Not the least being, that next Monday is Labor Day.  To help build excitement, the Republicans released this promotional video.  Take a look.

More than a new fragrance. It's a temper tantrum in a bottle. Catharsis.

Gee, I hope nobody's diaried this already:

Italian priest organizes beauty contest for nuns

Sun Aug 24, 2:58 PM ET

ROME - An Italian priest and theologian said Sunday he is organizing an online beauty pageant for nuns to give them more visibility within the Catholic Church and to fight the stereotype that they are all old and dour.

The "Miss Sister 2008" contest will start in September on a blog run by the Rev. Antonio Rungi and will give nuns from around the world a chance to showcase their work and their image. (continued)

1: Let not your heart be troubled; as you believe in George, believe also in me.

2: My spouse has many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. 3: My people will get back to you.

4: I go to prepare a place for you. It is called Iran. I will come again, during my second term, and receive their surrender, and nuke Syria as well. If it is not so, I will blame the CIA and the Liberals. 5: And whither I go ye know, on the Straight Talk Express.

ANNOUNCER: Now entering the studio are today's contestants. Chris Matthews, a loud person from California. Next we have Cindy McCain's other half-brother, Wolf Blitzer, and, finally, our returning champion John McCain, a United States Senator, possibly from Arizona, whose two-day cash winnings total negative $16,000.00.

Chairman of the Bluth Company is arrested for defrauding investors.

Isn't it time that we showed our support for the McBush campaign and four more years of the same policies that have so wonderfully enhanced life for all here in the US ?   Isn't it time that we shouted our thanks from the rooftops ?

Isn't it time we showed our love and appreciation for the McBush team by displaying our loyalty and pride as publicly as possible ?  Are you with me ?

As you will know, the end of the Olympics in Beijing will be when London becomes the Host City and presents an eight minute show to give a flavor of the celebrations in 2012.

Unfortunately, this will not be shown by American television. Despite having lingered long on close-ups of the competitors in the women's beach volleyball competition, the costumes of the dancers in the London show have been declared too liable to "malfunctions" for the US audience. The producers have already changed and cut words in the Led Zeppelin song "Whole lotta love". These were "too racy" and were liable to cause offense.

Some details of the planned presentation have already been leaked. I can now reveal some more of the last minute changes and what you will miss of this mixture of traditional and modern.

(MASTER SHOT. Crane shot of endless line of junky old cars stretching off to the horizon on a desert road, lined up at the Arizona border. Everyone in the line of cars, all drivers and passengers, are white. No black people, no Latinos, just white people angrily waving little sheets of paper with the legend: "MCCAIN TO PAY WHITE PEOPLE FIFTY DOLLARS AN HOUR TO PICK LETTUCE IN ARIZONA!")
(MEDIUM SHOT. Arizona border guards with 'statie' hats, sunglasses and truncheons are stopping the first car in line, checking papers, turning back white Republicans who want fifty bucks an hour to pick lettuce. Then they come to a car full of real Beverly Hillbillies types in the first junk car--it's the Joad family again, with every piece of down-market crap they own tied to the car, and Grandpa strapped to the roof.)
(continued)

Sources tell The Garlic that the announcement of Barack Obama's vice president has been delayed, indefinitely, as chaos consumes Obama Headquarters in Chicago, searching for the piece of paper Obama "jotted" the name on.

McCain spokesman Brian Rogers has justified McCain's ownership of 4 (or 7, or 10, or whatever) houses by saying "This is a guy who lived in one house for five and a half years -- in prison," .

This on the heels of the McCain campaign saying former POW status innoculates him from insinuations of cheating at Saddleback.

Which happened right around the time Sean Hannity -- backpedling from his observation that John Edwards was unfit to be President as a result of his affair -- justified McCain's failed first marriage by referencing his time as a POW.

Hmmmmm...methinks I am starting to see a pattern!  

So, I started wondering what you might hear if you spent a day eavesdropping on a guy like Brian Rogers...

Nine, seven, four.  What matter, anyway.  Such a boring line of questioning.  Did I mention, perhaps that I was a resident in the Hanoi Hilton?  Five years.  Oh, I did?  What were you asking again?  Houses.  Well, they’re not mine anyway.  Belong to wifey.  The airplanes, too.  By the way, Obama.  What an elitist.