will be a monumental improvement over the current administration. I haven’t decided which one to vote for yet, but I’ll be walking out of the voting booth with a smile either way. The Bush years have been an unrelenting disaster on nearly every issue, large and small.

… when you where at the bottom of the tank shark.

typical sharky post… no logic, only goes with the stories that back his OPINION, and is completely contrived out of typical “i only see the facts i like” conservatives.

Finally I feel like Obama is not very bright

now i ask, WTF? Seriously?…

didn’t hurt Bush’s election attempts, and Obama is head and shoulders smarter than that nitwit ever was.

like i read/heard somewhere yesterday…give the guy two weeks and he is guaranteed to make a dumb comment

Mr. Biden is equally skeptical—albeit in a slightly more backhanded way—about Mr. Obama. "I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy," he said. "I mean, that’s a storybook, man."

But—and the "but" was clearly inevitable—he doubts whether American voters are going to elect "a one-term, a guy who has served for four years in the Senate," and added: "I don’t recall hearing a word from Barack about a plan or a tactic."

great site by nate silver (of baseball prospectus fame)

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/08/do-voters-like-joe-biden.html

As speculation grows around who John McCain will select as his vice presidential running mate next week, Republican National Committee officials said Tuesday that McCain is no longer considering former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge.

Several sources at the RNC told FOX News that in the last 36 hours, senior McCain advisers and aides have told RNC officials that McCain "got the message" last week that choosing a running mate who supports abortion rights would not be helpful.

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/08/19/rnc-mccain-wont-choose-abortion-supporting-running-mate/

fwiw – from RNC not from mccain

also in article:

(National Review Editor Rich) Lowry said he thinks the safest choice for McCain is Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, whom he described as "kind of dull" but a reliable choice to satisfy the Republican base.

so basically i think its down to
-romney (problem is that hes a mormon – and like something i read on national review regarding a pro-choice running mate, it just comes down to how much conservatives can stomach mccain/whoever his choice is…or how much they wont vote for obama. interesting choice because he is a businessman, has huge fundraising potential and knows economics, something mccain self-professes to know know much about)
-lowry (dont know a lot about him…)
-huckabee (darkhorse – would be interesting b/c it locks up evangelical voters imo + huckabee is fairly well liked by the base IIRC. read in the last few days where someone said the VP part of the ticket should be for evening things out – well huckabee and the others would probably meet this requirement. this is the most interesting of the 3 choices imo just from my perspective – the effect he could have on voting at least…)

Sharky, you check the site electoral-vote.com as an extra resource. They take the polls from the past week and show the electoral map. They currently have Obama 264, McCain 261, and Virginia too close to call. The blogger has some liberal leanings but he tries to keep the front page objective.

Real Clear Politics General Election:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/us/general_election_mccain_vs_obama-225.html
8/04 to 8/19:
obama: 44.9
mccain: 43.7

obama: +1.2%

real clear politics electoral college:
electoral count: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/maps/obama_vs_mccain/?map=5
obama: 228 (solid: 183) – 45 leaning
mccain: 178 (solid: 139) – 39 leaning
toss up: 132

electoral count (no toss up states): http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/maps/obama_vs_mccain/?map=10
mccain: 274
obama: 264

Pollster.com averages: http://www.pollster.com/polls/us/08-us-pres-ge-mvo.php
obama: 45.7
mccain: 43.2

Well, now we definitely know Obama’s going to win.

Because Sharky came on here several times last year, and said at various times that Romney, Huckabee, and Fred Thompson would all win the Republican nomination, but none of them did.

It’s pretty clear to me that his predictive powers are lacking, to say the least.

On McCain:
 Biden, on a post-debate appearance on MSNBC, October 30, 2007: "The only guy on the other side who’s qualified is John McCain."

 Biden appearing on The Daily Show, August 2, 2005: "John McCain is a personal friend, a great friend, and I would be honored to run with or against John McCain, because I think the country would be better off, be well off no matter who…"

 On Meet the Press, November 27, 2005: "I’ve been calling for more troops for over two years, along with John McCain and others subsequent to my saying that."

On Obama:
 Reacting to an Obama speech on counterterrorism, August 1, 2007: "‘Look, the truth is the four major things he called for, well, hell that’s what I called for,’ Biden said today on MSNBC’s Hardball, echoing comments he made earlier in the day at an event promoting his book at the National Press Club. Biden added, ‘I’m glad he’s talking about these things.’"

 Also that day, the Biden campaign issued a release that began, "The Biden for President Campaign today congratulated Sen. Barack Obama for arriving at a number of Sen. Biden’s long-held views on combating al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan." That release mocked Obama for asking about the "stunning level of mercury in fish" and asked about a proposal for the U.S. adopt a ban on mercury sales abroad at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing.

 Assessing Obama’s Iraq plan on September 13, 2007: "My impression is [Obama] thinks that if we leave, somehow the Iraqis are going to have an epiphany" of peaceful coexistence among warring sects. "I’ve seen zero evidence of that."

 Speaking to the New York Observer: Biden was equally skeptical — albeit in a slightly more backhanded way — about Mr. Obama. "I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy," he said. "I mean, that’s a storybook, man."

 Also from that Observer interview: "But — and the ‘but’ was clearly inevitable — he doubts whether American voters are going to elect ‘a one-term, a guy who has served for four years in the Senate,’ and added: ‘I don’t recall hearing a word from Barack about a plan or a tactic.’"

 Around that time, Biden in an interview with the Huffington Post, he assessed Obama and Hillary Clinton: "The more people learn about them (Obama and Hillary) and how they handle the pressure, the more their support will evaporate."

 December 11, 2007: "If Iowans believe campaign funds and celebrity will fix the debacle in Iraq, put the economy on track, and provide health care and education for America’s children, they should support another candidate," said Biden for President Campaign Manager Luis Navarro. "But I’m confident that Iowans know what I know: our problems will require experience and leadership from Day One. Empty slogans will be no match for proven action on caucus night."

 Also that night, Biden said in a campaign ad, "When this campaign is over, political slogans like ‘experience’ and ‘change’ will mean absolutely nothing. The next president has to act."

 September 26, 2007: Biden for President Campaign Manager Luis Navarro said, "Sen. Obama said he would do everything possible to end the war in Iraq and emphasized the need for a political solution yet he failed to show up to vote for Sen. Biden’s critical amendment to provide a political solution in Iraq.

 December 26, 2006: "Frankly, I think I’m more qualified than other candidates, and the issues facing the American public are all in my wheelbarrow."

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NGRhNzJlMWY5NjdiNzhjMTRkYjMzNjYwOGJmYzNjMTY=

Finally I feel like Obama is not very bright

Of course, he’s a Liberal.

is if he selects Hilary as his VP. But I don’t think he wants to do that too much ego on one ticket.

Are why I’m interested in the procedure, not the results. Results gets you 200 goofy opinions that could all be shortened to “Your side sucks :P”

the current odds at
51% chance Obama wins
49% chance McCain wins.

You know I, like many other conservatives, was skeptical about McCain until that Saddleback Forum the other night. He sounded great, like a leader.