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I think it says a lot about a man when he can't handle the thought of a strong woman.

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I agree that this is a very important, perhaps even the most important election of our time.

The issues you point out are also very important, indeed. But a couple of things need to be corrected.

First, the economy is not in shambles by any measure. We are not in a recession and have not been in one since shortly after Bush took office. Words mean things and there are specific definitions. A recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of NEGATIVE economic growth. We have not had such. Growth has slowed but has not gone negative for any two consecutive quarters. Unemployment has spiked slightly in recent months but remains near historic lows. Inflation remains under control despite the rapid increase in oil price and interest rates are also near historic lows. The panic concerning the economy is the most overstated issue in the current political discussion.

Secondly, veterans are suffering and really do need more attention. I whole heartedly agree. But please recall that this year a new G.I Bill was passed and signed into law by President Bush which is the largest increase in veteran's benefits in history. Much more needs to be done to ensure the medical treatment of wounded veterans but at least the issue of veterans benefits has been improved this year.

Obama has stated that this election will be decided on the economy. He, and the Democrats, are counting on all the propaganda they have been pushing which is really, as you put it, smoke and mirrors.

I believe the real issue is national security and that is where there are stark differences between Obama and McCain. Within this national security issue is border security, energy security, international terrorism, and the current wars in Iraq and Afganistan.

The bashing that is going on is expected. Both sides expect it so don't let your heart be troubled. Each side states their side while doing their best to misrepresent the other side through parsing words and taking quotes out of context. The thing we need to do is discern the best we can what each candidate is saying and disregard (as much as possible) what one candidate says the other is saying. It seems to me that considering the stark difference between the two candidates this is not too hard to do.

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ORIGINAL: letusreason

Palin's Teleprompter Broke during her speech!! Love this contrast too. So much for speaking as one of OBs great talents lol.

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Unfazed, Governor Palin continued, from memory, to deliver her speech without the teleprompter cued to the appropriate point in her speech.

Contrast this to Barack Obama who, when last his teleprompter malfunctioned, was left stuttering before a crowd unable to advance his speech until the problem was resolved.

http://www.redstate.com/diaries/redstate/2008/sep/04/breaking-sarah-palin-winged-her-speech-bec/

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ORIGINAL: tafkam

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I think it says a lot about a man when he can't handle the thought of a strong woman.

Well, the Democrats don't mind a strong woman, just so long as it's Hillary....

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ORIGINAL: todd_t

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Obama's acceptance speech was filled with political grandstanding (which I don't object to in an acceptance speech to his party) in which he made several promises which began "I will...".

Obama's speech defined 29 different policy positions he would seek to implement if elected.

What specifics did Palin's speech define, other than a constant mantra of "McCain good, Obama bad"?

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ORIGINAL: Dubya

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ORIGINAL: deliveredarling
This is the most important presidential election of all time.

A third WW is a mistake away. Our economics are in shambles. Our veterans are suffering, the illegal aliens are receiving more rights to this country than it's own citizens.

These are important issues that will affect everyone of us.

I agree that this is a very important, perhaps even the most important election of our time.

The issues you point out are also very important, indeed. But a couple of things need to be corrected.

First, the economy is not in shambles by any measure. We are not in a recession and have not been in one since shortly after Bush took office. Words mean things and there are specific definitions. A recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of NEGATIVE economic growth. We have not had such. Growth has slowed but has not gone negative for any two consecutive quarters. Unemployment has spiked slightly in recent months but remains near historic lows. Inflation remains under control despite the rapid increase in oil price and interest rates are also near historic lows. The panic concerning the economy is the most overstated issue in the current political discussion.

Secondly, veterans are suffering and really do need more attention. I whole heartedly agree. But please recall that this year a new G.I Bill was passed and signed into law by President Bush which is the largest increase in veteran's benefits in history. Much more needs to be done to ensure the medical treatment of wounded veterans but at least the issue of veterans benefits has been improved this year.

Obama has stated that this election will be decided on the economy. He, and the Democrats, are counting on all the propaganda they have been pushing which is really, as you put it, smoke and mirrors.

I believe the real issue is national security and that is where there are stark differences between Obama and McCain. Within this national security issue is border security, energy security, international terrorism, and the current wars in Iraq and Afganistan.

The bashing that is going on is expected. Both sides expect it so don't let your heart be troubled. Each side states their side while doing their best to misrepresent the other side through parsing words and taking quotes out of context. The thing we need to do is discern the best we can what each candidate is saying and disregard (as much as possible) what one candidate says the other is saying. It seems to me that considering the stark difference between the two candidates this is not too hard to do.

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ORIGINAL: StephK

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ORIGINAL: tafkam

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I think it says a lot about a man when he can't handle the thought of a strong woman.

Well, the Democrats don't mind a strong woman, just so long as it's Hillary....

Evidently not when you think about it.

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ORIGINAL: deliveredarling

I'm quite aware of what a hypocrit is. I make no bones about my distaste for Bush.

I'm not bashing him, his record stands for itself.

I could see it if I supported him in one area and then did a 360. However, this just is not the case.

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And some would say that Sen Obama's stances and experience stand for itself, and it is not bashing to point them out.

Then of course you are obviously to biased to see that.

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McCain is a warmonger.

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Thank you. Didn't he say that we'd stay in Iraq for 100 yrs. if we had to?

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ORIGINAL: todd_t

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First off, Palin wasn't raped or molested, so comparing her to someone who was is absurd.

No, it's not. It speaks to a larger issue of a woman's personal liberties.

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Secondly, even if we included these rare extreme cases and assumed that states would pass laws with no exceptions, a person in such a case still has the choice to keep the child or put it up for adoption.

But of course, not to end the pregnancy entirely. That's the one "choice" that's excluded for the woman in question.

This is the fundamental flaw of the pro-life position: it assumes that how a woman gets pregnant (and how that pregnancy progresses, be it normal or severely abnormal) is a black and white, open and shut set of circumstances.

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ORIGINAL: stampinlady

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McCain is a warmonger.

Thank you. Didn't he say that we'd stay in Iraq for 100 yrs. if we had to?

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Do you think we should close all our military bases around the world and bring all those troops home?

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lets not forget Billy Graham is a 'product of a rape'. what if his mother would have used her 'choice'? We would have lost a great evangelist. Again ALL life is precious, even if it came about by terrible circumstances. Thank G-d Mrs. Graham believes that

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Yes I do.

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How long have we had a military presence in Germany/Europe? Japan? Korea? Do you think we should close all our military bases around the world and bring all those troops home?

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Are you the least bit worried about the consequences of this?

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Nope, not at all. We are not the World Police.

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Does that not concern ya'll at all?

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No. What other countries do is none of our business. We shouldn't be interfering. Just because we want to be responsible and control other countries doesn't make us responsible and especially to the point that we are funding them and neglecting our own country. We have enough problems that need our time and energy, so much so, that we shouldn't have enough time to worry about what another country is doing or not doing.

I assure you this is probably a topic for another thread.