Blog @ MoreWhat.com

Working the rope line in Maumee, Ohio, the Senator was asked by an environmentalist why he and Mr. Obama support “clean coal.” “We’re not supporting clean coal,” Mr. Biden responded. Then, riffing on China’s breakneck construction of new coal plants, he continued, “No coal plants here in America. Build them, if they’re going to build them, over there.”

Coal happens to be the indispensable workhorse of the U.S. power system, providing about 50% of the country’s electricity.

The piece goes on to say that the cost of the green revolution ‘won’t be paid by well-heeled coastal liberals‘ as is the case for most of what the likes of Al Gore, Barack Obama and Joe Biden pontificate. As for ‘clean coal,’ the Obama campaign actually supports it. Someone should tell Joe Biden since he is working for Barack America, or was that just another Biden gaffe?

This week, Biden told Katie Couric: “When the stock market crashed, Franklin Roosevelt got on the television and didn’t just talk about the princes of greed. He said, ‘Look, here’s what happened’.”

The stock market crashed in 1929. Roosevelt became president four years later. The first commercial TV broadcast was on July 1, 1941.

Biden majored in history and political science at the University of Delaware.

Another case against the state of education in this country. But that’s another story. You might think the above ‘gaffe’ is no big deal. C’mon, screw ups like these if nothing else demonstrate incompetence and ,if allowed, lend themselves to just making stuff up as Barack so eloquently accused his opponents of doing. Maybe that is Barry’s plan. Each time Obama/Biden get in trouble Barry can have Joe make something up to explain it all away. Ya, that’s the ticket. That’ll work.

Then there was Biden’s appearance before an Indian-American organization in Delaware, at which he said: “You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin’ Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent.”

Apparently, Biden’s knowledge of Indian-Americans is limited to watching “The Simpsons.”

The gaffe above ranks right up there with his primary season description of his new boss as ‘clean and articulate’ or shouting to Chuck Graham that he should ’stand up.’

In a recent speech, he said, “If you want to know where Al Qaeda lives, you want to know where Bin Laden is, come back to Afghanistan with me. . . .

“Come back to the area where my helicopter was forced down, with a three-star general and three senators at 10,500 feet in the middle of those mountains. I can tell you where they are.”

ABC News reported the emergency landing was due to a snowstorm

Maybe plagiarizing Joe Biden stole one from Hillary as she was shot at by a sniper in Bosnia, NOT.

If you want a good read that chronicles the continuous mistake that is Joe Biden, check out the link from the following excerpt:

Inside Today’s Bulletin
Biased Mainstream Media Reports Only Opposite The Truth
By Herb Denenberg, The Bulletin
09/24/2008

If Gov. Sarah Palin had ever looked at her first grade teacher cross-eyed, that would be a front-page story in the newspapers of the dishonest, fraudulent and biased mainstream media. Papers like that include The New York Times, Los Angeles Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer. However, if you’re running on the Democratic side of the ticket, you can have a long record suggesting you’re stupid, arrogant and dishonest and that will be ignored by the mainstream media.

Take the case of Sen. Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee for vice president.

It starts out like any other report expressing dissatisfaction with the MSM but there is a whole lot more there and worth reading. It even gets around to Barry’s problems that are like Joe’s. And then there is…..

Barack Obama and Joe Biden stepped out of sync again Tuesday, as the Democratic presidential nominee criticized his running mate for voicing opposition to the government bailout of American International Group early last week.

It was the second off-message moment for the Democratic team in two days. Biden had to ratchet back his own rhetoric Monday after an interview aired in which he called one of his own campaign ads “terrible.”

It could be that the worst part about Biden-gaffe demonstrates the two members of the Democratic party ticket are worlds apart on policy or simply do not agree on the issues. How would that work in the White House? The fact is it would not. A history of bad choices when it comes to associations like William Ayers, Rev Wright and Tony Rezko. A slick photo-op marketing scheme including a world tour sprinkled with plagiarism, gaffes, mixed messages, and a stream of errors only the far left kook fringe can appreciate. The MSM support for Obama and an overflowing campaign war chest are all that Obama/Biden bring to the table with their audacity of hope they can continue to perpetrate the biggest fraud in history all the way to the White House.

The current upside is that in a year when most thought the DNC would have an easy time invading the White House the polls remain quite close. This would seem to indicate reports suggesting voters would not really pay attention until election day was close were accurate. There is reason to believe the sham that is the candidacy of Barack Obama will be exposed as election day arrives. And the most effective agent of that exposure may well be Senator Joe Biden. For all his faults, Joe Biden could go down in history as saving the country from the worst choice for President in many years, Barack Obama.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Thanks to at least two people for this video, which is extremely well done, WATCH IT

Maggie at Maggie’s Notebook and midpointman or mouthpeace found at the video source

Here’s the original post at Maggie’s from which this post was inspired…. Burning Down the House……

As stated elsewhere, including [ Poll ] Burning Down The House: What Caused Our Economic Crisis? , post this video, link to it, email it and be respectful as bad behavior is a turn off. If those in the battleground states view this video and further investigate the story they may well see as even Bill Clinton put it, ‘the Obama Fairy Tale’ and come to understand what is needed on November 4, 2008. Well, it’s needed now but the election is scheduled then. Point is folks, if you don’t view the video and do your homework another case of those responsible will go unresolved and more of the same will be perpetrated in the future. Things are not always what they seem and you must take the initiative by doing your part to fix it. So start with the video and the next steps will be clear to you after that.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Trackposted to Rosemary’s Thoughts, A Blog For All, Right Truth, DragonLady’s World, Shadowscope, Leaning Straight Up, Cao’s Blog, Democrat=Socialist, Conservative Cat, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, , third world county, Allie is Wired, Woman Honor Thyself, The World According to Carl, Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker, Dumb Ox Daily News, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Kill the bailout: More ACORN funding?! (Michelle Malkin)

President George W. Bush speaks during a meeting with Bicameral and Bipartisan members of Congress Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008, in the Cabinet Room of the White House. Included in the meeting with the President are, from left: Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.; Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. White House photo by David Bohrer

(all of the above courtesy of www.whitehouse.gov)

Does it get any better than this? Thanks to the White House website this blog has the opportunity to present a wonderful photograph and caption that captures the spirit of American politics. At least when the word ‘bipartisan’ comes up and both parties call something of a truce in order to protect all their asses. Seriously, check the seven in the picture and say it ain’t so. Funny that from the perspective, visually speaking, Obama is on the right and McCain on the left. Tell me that wasn’t arranged by the behind the scenes political advisors. Then you have the House and Senate majority leaders flanking the Republican President with the minority leaders flanking them matching the houses of Congress. Everyone in the picture has to be absolutely screaming inside their heads. Running around like their hair is on fire.

GeeDubya has to be thinking why couldn’t this have waited a lousy six months when I would have been back in Crawford enjoying the good life? Obama has to worried the Fannie, Freddie story connection to those in his party will grow legs and he wants that debate beforehand. McCain as everyone probably suspects is hoping his second provocative campaign strategy move is as successful as the first. Whether it is an honest leadership response to a national issue or not, being in the middle of a campaign makes it a campaign strategy whether anyone likes it or not. The two items cannot be divorced with authority.

Reid and Pelosi are quietly wondering if they can use this photo op to create more villains and victims but have probably been told by President Bush that he will launch whatever political weapons he has left to crush their careers if they do. And McConnell and Boehner are trying to determine their next move to keep conservatives happy, win seats in November or at least minimize the potential losses without shooting themselves in the foot during this financial dilemma they find themselves in currently.

Yes, this blog leans conservative. Yes, the liberals give this blog plenty of reason to hang with the GOP. But party politics is only supported here when the need to save our country dictates. Which has been near constantly for the past few years. But this dual party angst over what to do about the economy in an election year now and for some time claiming it as the number one issue has got to make you grin even if you have every other reason not to.

This is reminiscent of a common refrains from the much younger folks among us when they view someone in trouble. Sucks to be you. See ya, wouldn’t wanna be ya. Ya think? Duh. How dumb is that? You get the idea. If the current situation on the planet or in this country has got you down, take a little pleasure from seeing top profile elected officials trying not to get their undies in a knot. The laughter won’t stop here for at least another hour or so. And the situation is viewed as extreme. But sometimes you just have to laugh.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com
Trackposted to Allie is Wired, third world county, Right Truth, The Pink Flamingo, Cao’s Blog, Leaning Straight Up, Conservative Cat, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Kill the bailout: Capitol Hill to pull an all-nighter (Michelle Malkin)

Barack Obama’s stated policy on trade offers a classic piece of campaign rhetoric in its first bullet point. It is a common practice used by all campaigners to avoid the obvious problem of guaranteeing accomplishment of any proposed plan offered in exchange for your vote. Obama will fight for fair trade. Obama and Biden will fight for fair trade. They claim they will fight for fair trade policy but this of course promises little. It also is rather vague on what that means. They also claim the CAFTA does not live up to labor and environmental standards but no where detail how the agreement fails or what exactly the standards they support are.

The same follows in their second bullet point on NAFTA. If it was oversold to the American people was that not a job done by Democratic President William Jefferson Clinton? And if it is not an acceptable agreement for American workers and Senators Obama and Biden claim they will make it so, where are the details of what is wrong with it and what they will fix? They will work with leaders of Canada and Mexico to make it work? How do they know that whatever they will propose will be accepted by Canada and Mexico? As with the first bullet point, the second offers no answers, specifics or any sort of detail. Only a vague proposal to do something or fix something without explaining what is wrong..

In the final proposal of bullet point two, Obama and Biden at least use another word in place of ‘fight’. They will ‘pressure’ the WTO to right the wrongs on trade agreement enforcement and barriers to US exports. Obama and Biden pressure will cause the WTO and signatory countries to ‘cave’ to the American will. How’s that working for us so far? You can rest assured that if Obama and Biden were given the opportunity to be President and VP they would state they pressured the WTO and fought for fair trade after a miserable failure at both. Thus honoring their campaign pledge to ‘fight’ and ‘pressure.’ But no solution to their proposal would be forthcoming nor would we really know what it was, specifically.

The third bullet point is quite easy to believe coming from the most liberal Senator in Washington and his most experienced liberal colleague. For a man who claims he will punish companies who move jobs overseas he is willing to up the ante to the American taxpayer to fund additional programs for ‘displaced’ workers when his ‘American jobs’ policy fails miserably. Right afterwards in bullet point four Obama/Biden think you have fallen asleep and did not notice this is where they say they will punish those who move jobs overseas. If that would really work they would have little reason for the additional displaced worker funding.

The last bullet point in this series is more of the same. Claim you will reward employers for doing what many of them already do. While it is true that many pension and other benefit arrangements at American companies are on the decline or taken over by government guarantees, many companies offer matching funds to 401k plans and a typical insurance coverage based on what is available today. Whatever Obama and Biden would offer would still not likely help the small business owner who is the life blood of the American worker. The large corporations like GM have been met with hard times most likely do to their bets placed on market decisions but have taken an additional toll by caving to organized labor over many years for unreasonable costs for employee compensation and benefits. It was easier to cave than fight the expensive fight and we are now all paying for it. Obama/Biden want to increase the cost to the taxpayer by funding failures of the past and continue them into the future.

On the one hand the American workforce has seen real wages degrade over time. On the other hand emerging nations like China have placed enormous pressure on business to seek cheaper labor abroad. Making villains out of business and creating victims out of workers may be standard procedure for the Democratic party but it provides little in the way of solutions. Perhaps Obama and Biden should focus a little more on what governments do and how they influence the lives of their citizens with the politics, legislation and policies they so casually initiate while sparring with the political opposition. The rest of us have to deal with the results.

The only promise made here beyond ‘fight’ or ‘pressure’ is ‘extending’ a worker assistance program which is Washington-speak for spending more taxpayer dollars. Something that is not hard to believe from the Dems. While they complain about outrageous spending from the GOP in recent years they have no plans to stop it if they are elected. The small omission by both parties when pledging anything in a campaign is that most of it, especially money, requires agreement with Congress to be accomplished. That is not always a deal breaker but the point is there are limitations on what the President and VP can do without the legislative branch although those limits have been tested during the current Administration as well as in others before this one.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

from the Obama campaign website:

Trade

Obama and Biden believe that trade with foreign nations should strengthen the American economy and create more American jobs. He will stand firm against agreements that undermine our economic security.

* Fight for Fair Trade: Obama and Biden will fight for a trade policy that opens up foreign markets to support good American jobs. They will use trade agreements to spread good labor and environmental standards around the world and stand firm against agreements like the Central American Free Trade Agreement that fail to live up to those important benchmarks. Obama and Biden will also pressure the World Trade Organization to enforce trade agreements and stop countries from continuing unfair government subsidies to foreign exporters and nontariff barriers on U.S. exports.

* Amend the North American Free Trade Agreement: Obama and Biden believe that NAFTA and its potential were oversold to the American people. They will work with the leaders of Canada and Mexico to fix NAFTA so that it works for American workers.

* Improve Transition Assistance: To help all workers adapt to a rapidly changing economy, Obama and Biden will update the existing system of Trade Adjustment Assistance by extending it to service industries, creating flexible education accounts to help workers retrain, and providing retraining assistance for workers in sectors of the economy vulnerable to dislocation before they lose their jobs.

* End Tax Breaks for Companies that Send Jobs Overseas: Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe that companies should not get billions of dollars in tax deductions for moving their operations overseas. Obama and Biden will also fight to ensure that public contracts are awarded to companies that are committed to American workers.

* Reward Companies that Support American Workers: Barack Obama introduced the Patriot Employer Act of 2007 with Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) to reward companies that create good jobs with good benefits for American workers. The legislation would provide a tax credit to companies that maintain or increase the number of full-time workers in America relative to those outside the US; maintain their corporate headquarters in America if it has ever been in America; pay decent wages; prepare workers for retirement; provide health insurance; and support employees who serve in the military.

This is perfect. From simply copying and pasting the press release summaries from Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s website it can be used as a record of what she proclaimed and what happens since she is always so quick to blame someone else for Washington failures. You’ll notice the excerpt from the first listed press release again blames the ‘current financial crisis’ on the Bush Administration. Pelosi defines it as the ‘current’ crisis. Does that mean she does not blame President Bush for the Crash of ‘29′? And there she goes again portraying the ‘middle class’ as a victim. Everyone knows the liberals bread and butter is creating villains and victims so they can have a cause behind which to shield their agenda. We must all know by now with the many times she has reminded us that the Speaker herself is not responsible for anything that goes wrong. That fact is borne out by the approval rating of the Democratic party controlled Congress which is lower than that of President Bush and the D party’s New Direction for America for being the dismal failure that it was. The past tense is used here in reference to the New Direction since nothing has happened since it was announced in 2006.

So Nancy Pelosi is proud of a Credit Cardholders Bill of Rights in the middle of what she calls the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression. Has Nancy stopped to think that the public’s part in this crisis is not saving and spending future income by the use of credit cards? Hey Nancy, what does your touted CC Bill of Rights do for interest rates on credit cards? Are the rates still competitive with loan sharks from organized crime? So what have you accomplished to address the so-called ‘current financial crisis’?

Oh, in the third press release summary it says you past a Mental Health Parity Bill. Is that to be used for those who have lost their minds during the financial crisis?

And in another press release summary you claim the party is over for CEO’s taking golden parachutes after raiding corporate treasuries. Have you like so many other Dems including Barack Obama, Chris Dodd and Barney Frank taken campaign contributions from employees of Fannie and Freddie? Sounds like there was a lot of quid pro quo going on between the GSE’s and the Democratic party. Probably with the GOP too so let’s not be so moral high ground about everything and accept your share of the responsibility. You are not accustomed to it so it may require some practice before you get good at it.

Your quick solutions with bipartisan cooperation will quickly fold as the markets already today have balked at a quick fix to the so-called crisis. The markets have been up and down for a week with the changing mood of Washington of which you are a part. Let’s just wait and see how bad you look in another day or two. But you’ll rise to the occasion and find new villains and victims for your blame deflection game. Nothing but politics as usual for Nancy Pelosi.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

* Pelosi Response to Letter from Rep. Spencer Bachus “The current crisis is the result of eight years of the Bush Administration’s anything goes, failed economic policies that have damaged our economy and undermined the financial future of America’s middle class.” 09/23/2008

* Pelosi Statement on House Passage of Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights Legislation “The Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights will provide working families with the fair lending laws they need, while ensuring that credit card companies can continue to make the loans on which many Americans rely.” 09/23/2008

* Pelosi: Passage of Mental Health Parity Bill Gives Hope and Help to Millions of American Families “This long-overdue legislation has brought mental illness and addiction out of the shadows and to the forefront of our work here in Congress.” 09/23/2008

* Pelosi: ‘The Party is Over for CEOs Who Take Golden Parachutes as They Drive Their Companies Into the Ground’ “The party is over for financial institutions taking risks, but at the same time privatizing any gain they may have while they nationalize the risk, asking the taxpayer to pick up the tab.” 09/23/2008

* Pelosi Statement on Continued Negotiations on Legislation to Address Crisis in Financial Markets “We’ve all been engaged in bipartisan conversations, conversations between the Legislative Branch and the Executive Branch, to move in a direction that will give confidence to the markets that this legislation will pass and it will pass soon.” 09/22/2008

* Pelosi Statement on Legislation to Address Crisis in Financial Markets “As we proceed to deal with this crisis, this is clear recognition that the party is over for the Bush Administration’s anything goes, failed economic policies that have damaged our economy, undermined the middle class and further pointed out the need for a New Direction.” 09/21/2008

* Pelosi Statement on Bush Administration Proposal To Address Financial Crisis “Democrats will work with the Administration to ensure that our response to events in the financial markets is swift, but we must insulate Main Street from Wall Street and keep people in their homes by reducing mortgage foreclosures.” 09/20/2008

* Pelosi on Financial Crisis: We Are Committed to Quick, Bipartisan Action “Congress stands ready beyond the targeted adjournment date next week to consider legislative solutions and conduct necessary investigations to address this historic crisis.” 09/19/2008

* Pelosi Comments on Bipartisan Congressional Leaders’ Meeting with Paulson, Bernanke, and Cox “We just had what I believe was a very productive meeting where we heard from the Administration and from the chairman of the Fed, an initiative to help resolve the financial crisis in our country.” 09/18/2008

* Pelosi to Bush: We Need Comprehensive Response to Financial Crisis and Another Economic Recovery Effort “The worsening crisis in our financial markets demands strong solutions and decisive leadership.” 09/18/2008

This picture of Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni could work for a caption contest. Lookin’ a little saggy there Nick, is the better half giving you the ‘what for’ starting on your wedding day? Wuz up, Nick, is she suggesting a beach diet? Gotta have some fun with a country’s leader when they marry a high profile celeb, current creds subject to debate, and then lectures the world on finance, Africa and who should or shouldn’t be subjected to the humiliating experience of membership in the UN.

But you have to give Sarkozy some credit. He’s done more to raise France’s reputation in the world since being elected than, uh, since, uh, I dunno, Napolean? Suggesting Marie Antoinette might be tasteless, but she was given a bad rap by the MSM or something.

Can’t be helped. On this blog any opportunity to exploit Carla Bruni at France’s expense is just too hard to resist.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

France Calls for Global Summit on Financial Crisis
By VOA News
23 September 2008
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has called for an emergency summit of world leaders to address what he calls the most serious financial crisis the world has experienced since the 1930s.

In a speech at the U.N. General Assembly Tuesday, Mr. Sarkozy said the international community has a political and moral responsibility to deal with the effects of such crises. He said world leaders should act now to create globalized institutions that will regulate financial activity and rebuild a system of capitalism where rules of caution apply to all.

Mr. Sarkozy, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, also called for solidarity between Europe and Russia. He said Europe wants a partnership with Russia, but he warned that Moscow must not compromise respect for international law or territorial sovereignty.

Mr. Sarkozy mediated a truce ending last month’s conflict between Russia and Georgia for control of Georgia’s breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

On Iran, the French leader said Europe respects Tehran’s right to peaceful nuclear activity. But he said it cannot accept a nuclear-armed Iran that would endanger the peace and stability of the entire region.

Turning to Africa, Mr. Sarkozy said the world cannot wait to achieve peace and end the “tragedy” in Sudan’s western Darfur region. He said Europe also is committed to helping Somalia combat piracy off its coasts.

Mr. Sarkozy said Europe is working to ensure Africa has a place among the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, and in what is currently the Group of Eight (G8) industrialized nations.

The French president called for enlarging the U.N. Security Council and the G8 in an effort to make the institutions more representative. He said the world can wait no longer to bring India, South Africa, Mexico and Brazil into the fold of international institutions.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.

Several posts back this blog started a review of Barack Obama and Joe Biden’s economic plan as published on the campaign site. This is the second in a series of these reviews that will last until the stupidity of presenting these lame ideas from the liberal Democrats ( ya, that’s redundant) becomes unbearable. The highlighted text below is linked to the source of the information.

First an observation on the initial bullet point below is worth mentioning. The liberal politicians continuously complain that the GOP has failed America and among other things the liberals plan to increase jobs that the GOP lost. A 2006 analysis of taxation in America referenced in the first post in this series stated 135 million individual tax returns. Assuming that includes joint returns, where does the Obama campaign come up with 150 million workers? Does that include illegal immigrants or is there some typical error involved with the estimates? Or could it be that since 2006, 15 million more jobs were ‘created’? Okay, enough was written about that.

Even if the first bullet point is accurate, Mr Obama, your tax cut equals somewhere between 75 and 150 billion dollars. How is that paid for? What are the offsets? How much good does about a buck and a half per day for individuals and less than three bucks a day for a family really provide? There are already over 40 million who do not pay income taxes so what is the point of adding another 10 million? It would be nice if no one had to pay taxes but without it how will YOUR government programs get funded? Your first bullet point is nonsense and amounts to simply pandering to the public for votes. It solves nothing and places more strain on an already burdened budget, deficit and national debt. And you criticize McCain and Palin on the economy? Who’s out of touch here?

Your second bullet point is as useless as your first and for the same reasons. Have you checked with seniors to understand their finances? Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security are under tremendous strain with more baby boomers retiring everyday. No one should need to tell you the history on these matters and what should be done. Okay, the $1400 will keep seniors from eating cat food for meals maybe but does nothing about paying for prescriptions or other medical expenses or other services required in one’s later years like assisted living. If you believe your plan will genuinely assist seniors earning less than fifty grand a year you really are an idiot or think seniors are.

You saved the best for last on your third bullet point. Are you aware that there is a better than 50/50 chance any answer to a question you ask the IRS will be wrong? And you will have all that data floating around in more places to attract identity theft or breaches in security as have already happened at the VA, etc., all in the name of making tax preparation a five minute ordeal? Are you telling the American people they are too stupid to use the EZ form of the 1040? Could it be any simpler or shorter than that? What, you never heard of Turbo Tax? You are not aware that there are numerous sources for free tax preparation? You don’t know that H&R Block offers tax solutions?

Yo, Barry, the problem isn’t the tax form or preparation. IT’S THE TAX CODE !!! And you claim you are ready to be President. If you really believe that it proves you are not ready. If you know you are not ready and just trying to fool the public you should never be President ready or not.

It is difficult not to get angry when dealing with the audacity of politics especially Obama style. The audacity to present this dribble to the public in hopes of winning an election is beyond depraved indifference. Guess watching Law and Order paid off after all these years. Found a use for the phrase depraved indifference. A little lame humor serves the purpose of calming the agitation one can feel from the effects of being insulted by a politician.

This post raises the number of stupid bullet points from the Obama/Biden economic plan as advertised on their website to 5/5. That means five items have been presented and reviewed and all five are lame and not worth anyone’s vote.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Provide Middle Class Americans Tax Relief

Obama and Biden will cut income taxes by $1,000 for working families to offset the payroll tax they pay.

* Provide a Tax Cut for Working Families: Obama and Biden will restore fairness to the tax code and provide 150 million workers the tax relief they need. Obama and Biden will create a new “Making Work Pay” tax credit of up to $500 per person, or $1,000 per working family. The “Making Work Pay” tax credit will completely eliminate income taxes for 10 million Americans.

* Eliminate Income Taxes for Seniors Making Less than $50,000: Barack Obama will eliminate all income taxation of seniors making less than $50,000 per year. This proposal will eliminate income taxes for 7 million seniors and provide these seniors with an average savings of $1,400 each year. Under the Obama-Biden plan, 27 million American seniors will also not need to file an income tax return.

* Simplify Tax Filings for Middle Class Americans: Obama and Biden will dramatically simplify tax filings so that millions of Americans will be able to do their taxes in less than five minutes. Obama and Biden will ensure that the IRS uses the information it already gets from banks and employers to give taxpayers the option of pre-filled tax forms to verify, sign and return. Experts estimate that the Obama-Biden proposal will save Americans up to 200 million total hours of work and aggravation and up to $2 billion in tax preparer fees.

Is this an extension of the useless acts of terrorism or suicide bombers or simply a case of random insanity that certainly suggests a trend based on all the cases reported over the years. About the only thing this report suggests is school violence is not exclusively an American phenomenon. That provides no satisfaction but does point to the need for resolution of the problem. It seems that this sad state of affairs cannot simply be blamed on poor parenting or similar oversight. But it does seem that something is lacking in terms of recognizing the risk and attending to a practice capable of preventing the behavior.

Another problem of modern living that does not lend itself to a simple solution. If we learn anything in the 21st century it should be how to solve the tough problems even when the easier ones get missed on a regular basis.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Nine Dead in Finland School Shooting
By VOA News
23 September 2008

At least nine students were killed and several others wounded on Tuesday when a gunman opened fire at a vocational school in Finland.

The shooting took place in the western town of Kauhajoki, about 300 kilometers northwest of the capital, Helsinki. Police say the gunman was a student at the school and that he had been taken to a hospital after turning the gun on himself.

Authorities say they spoke to the gunman on Monday after seeing a video he had posted on the Internet Web site YouTube showing himself dressed in dark clothing, firing at a shooting range with a handgun.

Tuesday’s shooting comes nearly a year after a male student named Pekka-Eric Auvinen killed eight people at a school in southern Finland before taking his own life.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

It is not necessarily ideal but it is what we have. Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama are of course the two candidates for President this fall. The obvious fact that seems to be overlooked lately is that certainly one of them will be President and sworn in next January. It may be fair to say that not that many people regardless of what side of politics they are from can honestly muster excitement about these prospects. The typical campaign ads and whistle stops or speeches delivered in recent days mark this election cycle as no more interesting than the Super Bowl when your favorite team will not be involved. So what do we do when circumstances conspire to offer less than optimum choices for the future of this country?

That is simple. Just like choices made on a daily basis for life in general and the routine matters of any individual we do the best we can with what we have. In terms of the Presidential election in the US you can vote or not vote. While both candidates try to attract various demographics for their vote, Obama has been credited for drawing younger voters which James Carville is credited for asking the question ‘ what do you call a candidate who courts young voters? The answer is loser. A recent story from VOA included this statement from a young Republican, ‘While people may really believe that Obama or McCain is the right guy they may not make it to the polls on that day,’ Gallagher said. ‘I think it is the classic problem of the 18-25-year-olds. They have an opinion but they have trouble getting to the polls.’

Another young person was quoted in the article with this statement, “I know plenty of people my age and younger who are not interested, who are apathetic, who do not turn out to vote,” he said. But that statement could apply to a large segment of the voting age public based on voter turnout in general. There are 50 million people between 18 and 30 in this country. Obama leads McCain 55% to 32% in this category. But McCain’s draw of older Americans may prove more reliable come November 4th. In 2000 18 million of the 50 voted and in 2004 that number improved to 20 million. Who knows what will happen in 2008?

Outside the young vote of the 18 to 30 year olds and discounting those who do not honor their civic duty the vote is becoming more polarized. A report indicates that the state of Texas is overwhelmingly Republican except in the capitol of Austin. The same holds true for the author of this blog’s home state of Wisconsin. Some refer to the state capitol as ‘The People’s Republic of Madison.’ The thing that makes Wisconsin lean blue is the urban concentration of Milwaukee and Madison and the associated demographics. A similar situation is given in the Texas example and elsewhere that urban areas (larger populations) are predominantly Democrat while the suburban and rural areas are Republican. As for the state capitols and large urban centers it gives credence to the idea that liberals hover around the halls of government they crave. Let the government rule the people rather than the other way around as it was intended.

With their failed choice of Al Gore, John Kerry and the recent failures of John ‘philanderer’ Edwards and scandal-ridden Hillary Clinton liberals are left with the most liberal Senator in Washington, Barack Obama. That is coupled with one of the most experienced liberals in Washington, Joe Biden. Does it get any more liberal than that? Yes it does. Barack Obama’s far left liberal associate, William Ayers and his Hyde Park cronies propped up Obama in Illinois politics. And the liberal leaning MSM helped Obama ignore Ayers’ Weather Underground and domestic terrorist background. They also give little attention to Obama’s 20 year history with ‘damn America’ liberal Rev Wright who together with Obama’s wife Michelle have little to be proud of when it comes to America. And convicted felon Tony Rezko not only helped Obama buy into a shady real estate deal but both he and Biden have campaign finance deals courtesy of Rezko and his associates.

Along with the aforementioned usual suspects the left side of American politics is directed by the likes of MoveOn Dot Org, the Daily Kos and other kook fringe far left radical groups who do not have the best interest of ordinary citizens at heart. These problems are exacerbated by the ruling elite of the DNC such as Ted Kennedy and his lieutenants, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid who will accept any Democratic party candidate they believe can win even if they are bad for the country.

That leaves us with the only other choice in this Presidential election, Senator John McCain. The most provocative or certainly notable action during the McCain campaign was his selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. The campaign slogan of ‘country first’ in many ways may define more of the McCain/Palin ticket than any other. John McCain’s family and personal history of service to country coupled with the genuine admiration of his service from his VP nominee as well as her rapid rise in politics and impressive list of accomplishments to date provide a compelling case for the American voter. While not perfect or flawless by any measure it is easy to believe this pair has the country’s best interest in mind especially when compared to the only other choice.

One contrast that stands out between the candidates for President is the ability to admit mistakes and the courage to stand on principle against overwhelming opposition. Senator John McCain almost destroyed his chances for victory early in his campaign for President with the McCain/Kennedy ‘amnesty’ measure. The immense outrage over allowing the rule of law to once again be abandoned in favor of illegal immigration met the challenge to defeat the measure in the summer of 2007. John McCain admitted it was a mistake and while still favoring the ludicrous ‘path to citizenship’ for illegals understood the majority of Americans were opposed to the so-called bipartisan legislation he, Kennedy and the White House proposed.

On the other hand, for Barack Obama, one time Messiah for the far left kook fringe antiwar movement that is the largest constituency of the DNC was and is incapable of admitting he was wrong on the troop surge that was a complete success in Iraq and vindication of General David Petraeus and every service member in uniform. While he claims to support the troops his only policy on the matter is withdrawal, surrender and defeat. Not a quality one looks for in a Commander-in-Chief.

McCain on the other hand supported the troop surge from the beginning in the face of overwhelming public opposition as well as political suicide. In his own words he would rather win a war and lose an election and at the same time he was correct in his analysis that Barack Obama was willing to use the war as a political tool to win an election. Again, Barack Obama’s choice is not a quality you look for in a President.

A post on this blog that starts a series of looks at the economic policies of Barack Obama and Joe Biden displays their support for the redistribution of wealth to cater to their base of liberals that favor socialist doctrine. Together with the items mentioned here you should have enough incentive to reject the Obama/Biden ticket or at least continue to view the vast array policy initiatives they endorse. None of which are favorable for the future of the United States.

So in an election cycle that is less than ideal, one candidate, John McCain and his running mate, Sarah Palin, may be ideal when compared to the alternative of Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Posted by Jake

Our weekly vlog/podcast on illegal immigration and border security. In this weeks edition…

You do the math: Lake County Illinois cuts murder rate in half utilizing 287(g) protocol.

Uncounted Beans: Kansas politicians on the other hand are quite happy to have illegal aliens killing their citizens.

100% Preventable! Americans continue to pay the bloody price for open borders, when will the madness end?

Download for your Ipod here.

click on the image

If you’d like to sponsor a show contact us here.

This has been the Blogs For Borders Video Blogburst. The Blogs For Borders Blogroll is dedicated to American sovereignty, border security and a sane immigration policy. If you????????d like to join find out how right here.

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1. Conservative Cat Says:
   September 18th, 2008 at 6:34 am eEMAIL Wars: the Terrible Truth About Joe Biden…Fair is fair, and given the depth to which Sarah Palin’s privacy has been invaded, I thought I would take a look at the Democratic V.P. candidate’s emails to see what kind of person will be a heartbeat away from……
2. Peace Thugs Says:
   September 18th, 2008 at 8:15 am eObama caught asking Iraq to delay troop pull out…Cross posted from Leaning Straight Up
   OK, I admit that I am no fan of Obama, but that is a matter of policy and ideology.
   Now I have cause to dislike him personally, and I may official upgrade him to scumbag.
   Via Hot Air:Amir Taheri accuses Barack …
3. Leaning Straight Up Says:
   September 18th, 2008 at 8:16 am eObama caught asking Iraq to delay troop pull out…OK, I admit that I am no fan of Obama, but that is a matter of policy and ideology.
   Now I have cause to dislike him personally, and I may official upgrade him to scumbag.
   Via Hot Air:1
   Amir Taheri accuses Barack Obama of interfering in the attempt to n…
4. Acorn, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Barack Obama’s Finance Chair-Penny Pritzker, All Tied To The Sub-Prime Meltdown | Right Voices Says:
   September 18th, 2008 at 1:33 pm e[…] Trackposted to Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Mark My Words, Rosemary’s Thoughts, Right Truth, Shadowscope, DragonLady’s World, Leaning Straight Up, Cao’s Blog, Democrat=Socialist, Conservative Cat, , third world county, The World According to Carl, Walls of the City, The Pink Flamingo, , Wolf Pangloss, and WingLeSS, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe. […]
5. Right Truth Says:
   September 18th, 2008 at 8:00 pm eA Better Country: Why America Was Right To Confront Iraq - a review…The book A Better Country - Why America Was Right to Confront Iraq, is a must read and I highly recommend it to all my friends. A Better Country is the Right Truth Book Club selection for September. I couldn’t……
6. Rosemary’s Thoughts Says:
   September 18th, 2008 at 8:11 pm eMarines turn command outpost into youth center…A virtue of a good guest is to leave things better than you found them. Coalition forces have been working hard since the demilitarization of Command Outpost Ocataw in Anah to refurbish the building back into a building that could be used by the comm…..
7. Rosemary Says:
   September 18th, 2008 at 8:16 pm eWhere are you that we are 7 hours apart? London? Oh well. I guess illegal aliens are a problem all over the world. Have a nice day.
8. Is Yemen Our Friend - Questions after Embassy Bombing | Wingless Says:
   September 18th, 2008 at 10:45 pm e[…] Trackposted to Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Rosemary’s Thoughts, third world county, Walls of the City, The World According to Carl, , The Pink Flamingo, Cao’s Blog, Leaning Straight Up, Wolf Pangloss, Democrat=Socialist, Conservative Cat, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe. […]
9. Stanford Matthews Says:
   September 19th, 2008 at 2:55 am eRosemary, you are the first person to comment on the time setting for this site. Yes, it is set to London or UTC or GMT. It has nothing to do with my location or that of the site’s server, etc.
10. How do you solve a problem like Maria? « Beagle Scout Says:
    September 19th, 2008 at 3:59 am e[…] Trackposted to Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, Rosemary’s Thoughts, third world county, Woman Honor Thyself, The World According to Carl, The Pink Flamingo, Cao’s Blog, Leaning Straight Up, Wolf Pangloss, WingLeSS, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe. […]
11. Take Our Country Back Says:
    September 19th, 2008 at 7:54 am eAmerican Politics and The Whiners On the Left Part…Snooper - It just isn’t fair, dammit! The Democrats were supposed to be winning and here comes along that old white haired dude that is too old to even know what a computer is and that chick from Alaska that no one knows about or has even heard from ….
12. Friday Reading « nn&v Says:
    September 19th, 2008 at 4:43 pm e[…] Trackposted to Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Rosemary’s Thoughts, Right Truth, DragonLady’s World, Cao’s Blog, Leaning Straight Up, Democrat=Socialist, Conservative Cat, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, , third world county, Woman Honor Thyself, The World According to Carl, Walls of the City, The Pink Flamingo, , WingLeSS, Wolf Pangloss, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe. […]
13. Mark My Words Says:
    September 19th, 2008 at 10:53 pm eHoly Gibson…Informative video, to say the least. ……
14. Democrat=Socialist Says:
    September 20th, 2008 at 4:29 pm ePlease Talk To Them Hopechange Man!…Please Hopechange Man, we need you.ISLAMABAD, Sept 20 (Reuters) - A suspected car bomb caused a huge explosion outside the Marriott Hotel in the Pakistani capital on Saturday and the Dawn television station said at least 17 people had been killed.
    A …
15. The World According To Carl Says:
    September 20th, 2008 at 7:54 pm e[…] Trackposted to Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Rosemary’s Thoughts, Right Truth, Leaning Straight Up, Cao’s Blog, Democrat=Socialist, NN&V, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, Take Our Country Back, third world county, Woman Honor Thyself, The Pink Flamingo, WingLeSS, CORSARI D’ITALIA, Stageleft, and Right Voices. Also, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe. […]
16. a day at the range with Rush Limbaugh | D=S VIDEO DUMP Says:
    September 20th, 2008 at 9:31 pm e[…] Trackposted to Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Rosemary’s Thoughts, Right Truth, DragonLady’s World, Shadowscope, Leaning Straight Up, Cao’s Blog, NN&V, Democrat=Socialist, Conservative Cat, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, , third world county, Woman Honor Thyself, Walls of the City, The World According to Carl, , The Pink Flamingo, Wolf Pangloss, WingLeSS, CORSARI D’ITALIA, Stageleft, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe. […]
17. Woman Honor Thyself Says:
    September 21st, 2008 at 5:16 am ePoor, Lazy People…There’s only only one hitch though. (Don’t tell the Dems but….) the people that are too lazy to work are also too lazy to vote. Ha.
    ……

From Barack Obama and Joe Biden comes the list of ‘plans’ they offer if you elect them as President and Vice-President in November 2008. Since the economy has become the dominant issue of this election ( when hasn’t it been) based on MSM reports and polling data as well as everyone else’s guess and the recent ‘meltdown’ stories, Obama/Biden’s plan for the economy is what will be covered in this post.

After some rhetorical campaign dribble opening the OB plan for the economy the first item mentioned is a ‘windfall profits tax’ that will redistribute wealth from energy companies to selected members of the public at large. OB suggests the money would go to ‘middle class’ families permanently at $1000/year tax relief. One assessment of the breakdown in population size that dissects the US in terms of upper, middle and lower income groups is from the Pew Foundation and generally breaks it down in thirds..One third each for the three income groups is the breakdown in this country based on income. So OB will give $1000/yr forever to one out of three households in the US from a windfall profits tax wealth redistribution.

Number of Americans Paying Zero Federal Income Tax Grows to 43.4 Million

Who Are the Non-Payers?
Using IRS data, we are able to create a profile of these individuals who are outside the federal income tax system. As Table 1 shows, those who file as single or head-of-household are much more likely to be non-payers. One-third of single filers pay nothing in federal income taxes, and almost two-thirds of those who file as head of household pay nothing. In contrast, just 22 percent of married filers are non-payers.

Why do many single filers face zero tax liability? One reason is that single filers tend to be younger and earn lower incomes than married filers—especially single parents who file as head-of-household. As a result, married taxpayers pay roughly 75 percent of all federal income taxes, despite filing only 40 percent of returns.

Let’s say one third of tax filers are low income which could be the non-payers listed in the reference above. Then there is the one third middle-income and one third upper-income. Let’s further say, we still have one third each of the 135 million individual tax returns filed as either lower, middle or upper-income groups. So OB will pay about 45 million tax filers $1000/yr permanently from a windfall profits tax. That’s 1000 x 40,000,000 or 40 Billion dollars. Is he seriously suggesting taxing energy companies an additional 40 billion per year on windfall profits? Number one, what’s to say that even if you believe energy companies are experiencing windfall profits that they will continue to do so every year for eternity?

You should be able to raise your own questions about this Obama/Biden (OB) plan with the scant data provided here and anything you find for yourself. The point is there is no clear justification for either punishing energy companies or giving handouts to millions of Americans no matter how noble the intent or fact that just about anyone could use another grand a year. The socialist or communist idea of redistribution of wealth alleged by many of Obama’s opponents seems to be borne out by his proposal presented at the Obama campaign website.

The second item from the ‘jump start the economy’ portion of OB’s economic plan suggests using $50 billion to ‘prevent one million Americans from losing their jobs.’ OB would use 25 billion to subsidize ‘ health, education, housing, and heating assistance or counterproductive increases in property taxes, tolls or fees‘ for American families which is somewhat vague. The other 25 Billion would be used for public sector expenditures on infrastructure construction and maintenance as a method of giving people jobs at taxpayers expense. Probably the tax revenue paid by one group and given to another group who pays no taxes. Another form of redistribution of wealth and the Obama/Biden socialist doctrine. The private sector they want to tax into the stone age is the appropriate venue for job creation, not the government.

So there are the first two economic policies published on Obama’s campaign website under the title of jump starting the economy. Both items support the criticism that Obama and the DNC are nothing more than socialists and in their own words.

There is a lot more to chew on at Barack Obama Dot Com but one post cannot cover it all. Stay tuned for the next installment of the Obama Manifesto or visit the candidate’s website on your own for some amusing yet scary policy proposals.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Trackposted to Take Our Country Back, The Pink Flamingo, and Shadowscope, Cao’s Blog, third world county, and DragonLady’s World, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe

An assignment for Obama’s new “truth squad” (Michelle Malkin) 

Barack Obama’s involvement with ACORN and the subsequent allegations and investigations of voter fraud as a result of their voter ‘registration’ efforts has caused quite a stir in the blogosphere as well as some MSM outlets. You can find plenty of sources for information on this story around the net. Whether you believe the allegations or not, voter fraud is not just a concern this year and some other aspects of voting trends may suggest opportunities for those who would like to stack the deck in an election.

A trend showing increases in absentee as well as early voting. Changes in law and technology that befuddle election officials. Inability of those officials to verify voter identities as is happening in the state of Wisconsin where the AG is pressuring officials to get it done correctly before the election. Has to make you wonder if there is truth to the suspicion of attempts at voter fraud.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Absentee voting expected to increase in Wisconsin

By RYAN J. FOLEY | Associated Press Writer
11:49 AM CDT, September 21, 2008

MADISON, Wis. - From Madison to the suburbs of Milwaukee, Wisconsin elections officials are reporting strong interest in absentee voting for this year’s presidential race.

In Madison, the city clerk’s office is prepared for up to 40,000 voters to cast their ballots through the mail or in-person at clerk’s offices instead of on Election Day. A record 25,000 did so in 2004 in the state capital.

New Laws, Technology Challenge Elections Officials

Presidential Race Raises Voting Fears in Toss-Up States
SEPTEMBER 19, 2008
By JUNE KRONHOLZ

Elections officials worry about malfunctioning equipment, new voter-identification requirements and errors in registration lists come Election Day.
[Photo] Associated Press

Ohio, where residents are seen voting last March, is sorting out new rules.

The biggest worry, though, is that those three problems are most acute in the half-dozen swing states that could decide the election.

A third of electorate could vote before Nov. 4

By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER and JULIE PACE – 6 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — Election Day will be something of an afterthought for tens of millions of Americans — they’ll be voting well ahead of time.

In fact, six weeks out from Election Day, some voters in Kentucky, South Carolina and Virginia already are done.

Nationwide, about a third of the electorate is expected to vote early this year, thanks to expanded early voting provisions and fewer restrictions on absentee voting, researchers project. In all, more than 30 states allow any registered voter to cast an early ballot, some in person and others by mail.

Voter fraud alert: Watch Ohio (Michelle Malkin) 

The approach of the general election featuring the selection of a new President in the United States has seen an incredible amount of turmoil surrounding the current political season. The war on terror while producing success such as the troop surge in Iraq has fallen on the deaf ears and blind eyes of the Democratic party as they criticize the party occupying the White House in the form of President Bush and also offer no congratulations that the US has suffered no further attacks on American soil during his watch. Struggles in the financial sector are also blamed solely on the President and his party by the members of the political opposition.

These situations are not an entirely American ordeal of course as the leaders of Russia in the form of Vladamir Putin and Dmitri Medvedev are experiencing similar controversy. The report below may suggest a change in tone from the Kremlin although recent events are more reminiscent of the Cold War than not. Two Russian Tu-160 bombers left Venezuela this week after conducting air patrol flights in the region. They may return in November for a joint exercise that hasn’t been seen since the Cold War that Putin claims he doesn’t want to be ‘dragged into with the West.’

Just like in the old days of the Cold War, Russia flexed its muscle in a small way with the Tupolev jets but in a more symbolic but provocative way with its nearly simultaneous testing of a new ICBM. The Bulava carries six warheads and can travel 10,000 km. Not surprisingly the Russian media expressed the missiles ability to penetrate any future missile shield. A statement likely directed against the US plans to install missile shields in Poland or elsewhere to protect allies from the likes of Iran or other ‘rogue’ nations bent on expanding their influence through terrorist actions.

The apparent change in tone from Mr Putin was not likely in response to European Union members limp challenge to Russia’s thumping of nearby Georgia. After ruling out sanctions, the EU held a meeting and then condemned Russia for the move. Do you suppose they are somewhat timid due to Russia’s control over so much of their oil supply?

Almost mirroring US financial sector woes Russian President Medvedev blamed the move on Georgia as risking the orderly flow of business in the financial markets of Russia. More turmoil and upheaval in Russia may be faced by the ‘privileged class‘ with ties to the West, international finance centers and of all things NATO complicating their agenda. It may be difficult to tell if the Georgian conflict and repercussions from it were responsible for the need to prop up their markets with this week’s 20 billion cash infusion or if Russia was simply experiencing the same problems the rest of the world was.

Perhaps after some time to digest current events and take the world’s temperature, Putin took a different approach to public affairs in the report below. Just like the financial woes in the US and elsewhere, politicians may be making too much of it too soon. If in six months we’re hearing no more of it the proof that most of the talk was purely political will be obvious. Just as obvious as the players doing nothing to prevent future problems and that they were just being politicians.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Putin Rejects Cold War, Backs Economic Integration

By VOA News
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says his nation is seeking full integration into the world economy and will not be dragged into another Cold War era with the West.

Mr. Putin was speaking to Russian officials and business leaders in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Russia is becoming “increasingly authoritarian” and “aggressive.” At an event hosted by the German Marshall fund, Rice delivered her strongest comments to date about Russia’s invasion of Georgia and other recent actions.

She said the U.S. goal is to make clear to Russia’s leaders that their choices are putting Russia, in her words, “on a one-way path to self-imposed isolation and international irrelevance.”

She said that for Russia to reach its full potential, it must be fully integrated into the international political and economic order. She said Russia is in the “precarious position of being half in and half out.”

In Moscow, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev said Thursday that relations with the United States remain a priority for Russia. He said it would be politically short-sighted to squander the achievements and potential in relations by reviving stereotypes of the past.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.