Does anyone else think it odd that Barack Obama (a) has pushed for a bailout of the Big Three but (b) decided to hang up the skates on his Senatorial career just before a vote on such a package? 

Do remember that the Senate is still was 49 Democrats, 49 Republicans, one independent and one wanker. Presumably, there will be no vote from Ted Kennedy. And God only knows who else would decline to show up. Unless Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D-Blithering Idiot) appoints Barry’s replacement right quick, we are looking at an operative Republican majority on this here vote. Hell, it may even be down to Bunker Boy to split a tie (voting “Evil” as is his wont).

And so: a bailout may be necessary to stave off disaster, at least a little while, but Barry has calculated that, for whatever benefits may come, voting for a bailout would not be Change We Can Believe In. Sneaky.

Well, it’s gonna be a Chicagocentric few months, isn’t it?  Rahm Emanuel’s elevation to Chief of Staff will see to that — for all of the good tidings that the President of the United States, Barack Obama (damn, that sounds soooo good) will bring to D.C., Rahm will bring some Daley-style muscle to the equation. 

But what of the Defense Department? There’s some good news, obviously.  Missile defense contractors?  Thanks for playing, but we have some lovely parting gifts for you.  A handful of obsolete weapons systems (not enough, of course — this is the DoD, after all) will go by the boards too, as would Camp Delta in lovely downtown Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.  All to the good. 

But it seems that they are beginning to dial back the whole withdrawal from Iraq thing, bit by bit.  Yes, by God, there will be a timetable — but it will be less than satisfactory to us on the Angry Left, I fear.  And Afghanistan may not go as well as planned. Plus, those favoring a de-Bushification cannot be at all pleased with the whispers about Robert Gates staying on.

All of this commentary comes, of course, from somebody who understands the Defense Department only at the most superficial level. But: it seems that, if the whole national security thing is going to be prioritized, we will have some answers this week — and not all of them good answers. Dream, meet reality.

Last night, I was at the Blackhawks game. The pre-game festivities are sappy, as they are in any sports arena — music and imagery designed to pump up the crowd seems awfully contrived. But, of course, the National Anthem is different here. Usually, people stand silently until the last few bars. Here, the crowd loudly applauds and cheers, drowning out the song. Last night, I got a little emotional during the Anthem, thinking about what is to come.

Due to spotty internet connections and other responsibilities — working for Barry up in Madison, primarily — I will not be posting again, probably, until it is all over. Hopefully, we will take down the enormous forces that have been built and refined over the last eight years. May I just say, however, that you guys have helped me laugh through these years, and that I am grateful? (I may say that? Gee! Thanks, you guys!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3E3bEH1Ov8

Now then — let’s go win this thing.

Barry’s infomercial comes on Wednesday.  GDP data for the third quarter comes out on Thursday. The official declaration of recession will dominate papers just before the last big push.  (Papers, it seems, which are almost unified in their conclusion on the readiness of Tailbunny: zero… point… zero.  But that’s the media elite for you.)

I’ve been wavering the last few weeks. Joy? Dread? Mind-numbing fear?  But the bottom line is this: events as they fall favor Barry.  And Geezer has nothing left to fling at him.  Rezko, Ayers, clinging to guns and religion. Three strikeouts.  Joe the Plumber is the new POW POW POW. (Update: Geezer refered to Plugz as “Joe the Biden” on Meet the Press. Lovely.) Even Rev. Wright might not work.  See what happened in Michigan — 527s tried to tie Obama to NAH NAH NAH and Kwame Kilpatrick.  Result: impending blowout for Black Eagle. The only new club he’s swung was given to him by Plugz (silly Biden: tests are for kids — gasbag), and even that seems to be falling flat. (Maybe it reasonates this week. We’ll see.)

And Meet the Press today? Brokaw, oddly enough, unleashed some moderate amount of whuppin’ — apart from the sucking-up part. Basically called him out on the whole socialist thing. Made him look like a fool on Palin; Geezer said that “she is a role model.” And McCain’s listing of all five secretaries of state — minus one who he could not remember? Oy.

Look: if there was to be an airstrike against Iran — the October Surprise some dirty liberals had basically counted on — it would have happened by now. The al-Qaeda tape (in the form of a blog post) is out, and it doesn’t matter. A quarter of the votes have already been cast, reportedly coming in big for the Inadquate Black Male. (Speaking of which: PUMAs are largely a non-factor.)

Barring electoral shenanigans: if there is to be an anti-Hope surprise, it has to be cataclysmic. Otherwise? Well… Let’s us say that it is NOT OVER. But, we can see over from our house.

Sorry for the lack of a Sunday Night post.  (I’m sure y’all were just crestfallen.)  But, as I was working for Hope all weekend and watching the Red Sox finally implode, I was exhausted.

But here’s something for everyone to ponder: Where the hell is Al Gore? Seriously, now.  The DRILL BABY DRILL caucus has been bleating for three or four months now, and I haven’t seen him since the convention.  Did Bill Clinton get to him?  All signs point to yes.

[P.S.: we have to get an OBL-video pool going.  This will happen, of course, and it will be spun against Black Eagle.  Barry or Joe or some high-level surrogate could point out that Bush has failed to catch this guy, after seven years, and that this TRUE FACT could actually, you know, stick.  But, as I have said, my Hope reserves are running a bit low.]

So, Geezer said that he is going to “whip [Black Eagle’s] you-know-what in this debate” coming up on Wednesday. Those clowns can’t even play the expectations game right.

On the evidence, unless Bob Schieffer totally decides to suckerpunch Hopey — literally, come up from behind the desk and whomp him — Obama/Biden is looking at a four-for-four sweep. In which case, absent the effect of the inevitable bin Laden mix tape and the “Obama was a coke-snorter” ad, we might be down to — well, allow me to suggest the one awesome West Wing clip that RomeGirl missed, to be re-enacted by Claire McCaskill after the debate…

[Of course, I will now go outside, turn around three times and spit, in order to appease the wrath of the whatever from high atop the thing.]

So, basic opinions about Tailbunny are locked in.  Her debate was a loss — notwithstanding the expectations game.  The only way opinions on her become unlocked is if she does an actual, honest-to-God interview with somebody who is not a raving talk-show loon.

And as we have seen, Black Eagle is pwning Geezer on the whole economic meltdown thing.  The unemployment numbers are locked in, as is the fact that Dubya has seen the economy go down, hard.  Thus, the third debate with DJ Bob “Where You At, Fort Worth?” Schieffer is probably not going to do Geezer much good.

And thus: Tuesday night may just be for all the marbles.  It’ll be in Nashville, with “undecided” voters asking questions.  This being the South, you’d have to think that the MAVERICK will have a home-court advantage.  But, after the jump, I have a thought on what Barry can do — particularly because McCain has announced that the last month will be all about the 60s radical, the slumlord, and Rev. NAH NAH NAH. In short: jump that bastard — take the last club out of his hand and (rhetorically) beat him with it. Barry — BOOMAYE.

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