Cindy McCain speaks: Liveblog

By GottaLaff

Cindy Lou is asking us to take off our Republican hats again, and put on our American ones. Soooo... Republicans aren't American? They're mutually exclusive. Oh, and I never got one of those Republican hats. I must remember to put that on a Things Not to Request list of some kind.

She's asking for relief for the victims of the hurricane. I can't fault that. In fact, I commend it. Now Pickles is doing the same. Good. I hope they raise a record amount.

That's it? Short and sweet.

Oh, and in case you missed it, this is now The Party of Mavericks. Someone tell James Garner.

Barack Obama's e-mail campaign for hurricane victims begins

By GottaLaff

Barack Obama e-mailed me today:

Today, the thoughts and prayers of all Americans are with those in the path of Hurricane Gustav -- and many of you are asking what you can do to help.

We do not yet know what the impact of Hurricane Gustav will be, and we hope with all our hearts that the damage will not be as great as it was three years ago.

But we know there will be damage, and there is something you can do right now.

Your financial support will strengthen organizations like the American Red Cross that are evacuating Gulf Coast residents and planning to help communities get back on their feet.

Make a donation to support the American Red Cross today.

At times like this, it is our compassion and resilience that define who we are as a nation.

Please give whatever you can afford, even $10, to make sure the American Red Cross has the resources to help those in the path of this storm:

https://donate.barackobama.com/redcross

Thank you for your generosity, and I hope you will join Michelle and me in praying for the safety of those in the path of the storm and the first responders who are doing all they can to ensure the safety of their communities.

Barack

Somehow this seems more effective than what John Sidney McCain is doing.

Yes, John and Sarah, let's keep drilling-- Feds: hurricane sparks shut-in of 96% of Gulf oil output

By GottaLaff

First, consider more offshore drilling just one more way to increase the number of rigs we'd have to shut down or repair every time a hurricane came along. Next, consider that there wouldn't be any additional oil production for years with new drilling anyway. Then consider what a colossally stupid, shortsighted, environmentally disastrous and wasteful idea new drilling is in the first place. Then consider who's pushing hardest for it this election season:

More than 90% of of oil production in the Gulf of Mexico has been shut-in due to Hurricane Gustav, the U.S. Minerals Management Service said Sunday in an afternoon update. Approximately 96.26% of the oil production in the Gulf had been shut-in, according to operator reports as of 12:30 p.m. Eastern, reported the MMS, a bureau in the U.S. Department of the Interior. The Gulf produces about 1.3 million barrels of oil per day, according to the agency. About 82.3% of natural-gas production is shut-in, the federal bureau said.

I can't think of a wiser approach to our energy crisis than to add to it. McCain/Palin sure do know how to exemplify how experience counts. They inspire more and more confidence every time we turn around, don't they now?

Dodd links McCain to delayed Katrina response

There's a reason so many of us backed Dodd to begin with. He gets right to the point.

“It was the failure of the Bush administration’s actions three years ago that are creating all of this conversation, including the discussion of canceling or modifying the convention,” said Dodd on CNN’s Late Edition.

(snip)

“There’s a concern that the Bush administration, one whose policies (McCain) has endorsed, will handle this appropriately,” Dodd said. “If there was a lot of confidence that those in authority today would respond as they should have, then frankly I think the convention would go on. There would be concern about it, there would be talk about it, but they wouldn’t be talking about canceling a convention.”

John Sidney McCain's Very Important Announcements: The Videos

By GottaLaff

Announcement #1:


Announcement #2:

John Sidney McCain takes his party hat off

By GottaLaff

Live press conference:

He looks and sounds as if he's Ambien-dazed and confused.

He's stumbling over his words.

He's happy to tell us something: The coordination re: Gustav is good, but there is room for more. First responder communications aren't up to snuff. But the cooperation between state/local governments is excellent.

He expects that we won't see the Katrina mistakes. In fact, he's optimistic! See how well Republicans do things?

Pray for the best, prepare for the worst, he says.

We have to act as Americans... as opposed to....? Republicans?

They're suspending their activities tomorrow (convention). It's time to open our hearts and wallets.

He honestly looks comatose.

We'll ACT, he says, and we'll comfort. He's still rambling.

So, ahead of time, he's thanking all his fellow Republicans as they take off their Republican hats and put on their American hats. How about his asshat? Sorry. That just slipped out.

He thanks us and can "hardly wait to get up there." Normal operations (meaning Republican convention) are in the hands of god, he says.

Obama to mobilize volunteers for Gustav

Hmmm, staged photo op or hands on help for those devastated? Hard choice. Maybe Mc could send Lindsay and Joe.

Sen. Obama gathered the pool outside after services at St. Luke's Lutheran Church. He told us that his camapaign plans to mobilize its huge e-mail list of supporters to volunteer or send money once the impact of Gustav becomes apparent and authorities know better what kind of help is needed. He said his campaign is coordinating with local authorities.

"We can activate an e-mail list of a couple million people who want to give back," he said. "I think we can get tons of volunteers to travel down there if it becomes necessary."

Your pooler asked him if McCain's visit now is appropriate.

His response: "A big storm like this raises bipartisan concerns and I think for John to want to find out what's going on is fine."

"The thing that I always am concerned about in the middle of a storm is whether we're drawing resources away from folks on the ground because the Secret Service and various security requirements, sometimes it pulls police, fire and other departments away from concentrating on the job."