The Opinion Blog

What happened to 'Change you can believe in'?

Ripped from the wires ... Another take on the Biden pick from columnist Cal Thomas:

By Cal Thomas

DENVER -- In selecting Sen. Joseph Biden as his running mate, Barack Obama gains some needed foreign policy expertise, but loses some credibility. If Washington is as bad as these two say it is, was Biden a contributor or an enabler during his six Senate terms? If 36 years in the Senate doesn't make you an "insider'' and part of the problem, what does?

I'll see your Joe and raise you a Joe ...

Ripped from the wires ... William Kristol says another Joe is McCain's best VP counter to Obama's Joe Biden running-mate choice:

By WILLIAM KRISTOL

DENVER -- The anguished cries of Hillary supporters pierced the midday calm here on Saturday, as Barack Obama confirmed that his vice presidential choice was not Clinton, who got about 18 million votes this year running against him, but rather Joe Biden, who gained the support of a few thousand caucusgoers in Iowa before dropping out of the race.

Why Biden would be ideal Obama running mate

Ripped from the wires ... Here's a David Brooks piece, written BEFORE Obama's VP pick was announced, on the vice presidential virtues of Sen. Joe Biden:

By DAVID BROOKS

Barack Obama has decided upon a vice-presidential running mate. And while I don't know who it is as I write, for the good of the country, I hope he picked Joe Biden.

Biden's weaknesses are on the surface. He has said a number of idiotic things over the years and, in the days following his selection, those snippets would be aired again and again.

You expect me to keep track of ALL my homes?

From the afternoon e-mail ... Barack Obama's S.C. campaign gigs McCain for a memory lapse earlier this week, illustrating that the Democrats are still the undisputed masters of the politics of resentment:

McCain Can’t Remember How Many Homes He Owns – Can You?

COLUMBIA – This morning (Aug. 21), Barack Obama’s Campaign for Change is asking South Carolinians if they, like John McCain, have so many homes that they just can’t keep track of the number. 

Democrats going after your wallets -- again

Ripped from the wires ... Michelle Malkin picks through a document most of us will never read -- the 2008 platform of the Democratic Party and dislikes what she finds:

BY MICHELLE MALKIN

The Democratic Party platform is like a bag of pork rinds. You never know what high-fat liberal government morsel you're gonna get.

Buried in the 94-page document is a noble-sounding proposal to create a "Social Investment Fund Network.'' The program would provide federal money to "social entrepreneurs and leading nonprofit organizations that are assisting schools, lifting families out of poverty, filling health care gaps, and inspiring others to lead change in their own communities.''

Seize control of the presidential campaign, candidates

Ripped from the wires ... Conservative columnist Cal Thomas proposes a way to dispel the partisan cynicism that thus far has ruined the presidential campaign:

By Cal Thomas

Last Monday at a trade show for people who are part of the Florida tourist industry, I asked the 750 assembled for lunch how many were happy with the tone of modern politics? Not a hand was raised.

`Obama Nation' tops New York Times bestseller list

From the afternoon e-mail ... A book unfavorable to Barack Obama is selling well. Does that necessarily spell trouble for the Democratic presidential candidate?:

THE OBAMA NATION' TOPS 1 ON NEW YORK TIMES LIST

Corsi's blockbuster expose leads charts

Jerome Corsi's blockbuster expose, "The Obama Nation," has been at the top of the best-seller charts since its release last week and now has been reported atop the New York Times best-seller list for Aug. 17, as well as occupying the No. 1 position among all political nonfiction books on Amazon.

Which candidate would be better for your portfolio?

From the morning e-mail ... Brent Brodeski attempts to answer a common question in presidential-campaign years: Are investors better off under Republican or Democratic presidents?

The 2008 U.S. presidential candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain, will be debating many issues in the coming months, from the environment to the economy.

With intense media coverage of the candidates' promises for hope and change, investors are understandably wondering what this means for the stock market and their investments.

What makes voters so wary of Obama?

Ripped from the wires ... David Brooks identifies the Obama quality likely responsible for his lackluster showing in the polls. Hint: It's not his race or youthful age:

By DAVID BROOKS

Why isn't Barack Obama doing better? Why, after all that has happened, does he have only a slim 2- or 3-point lead over John McCain, according to an average of the recent polls? Why is he basically tied with his opponent when his party is so far ahead?

Will Mitt Romney become the U.S. health-care tsar?

Ripped from the wires ... Froma Harrop, my favorite liberal columnist, envisions Mitt Romney as the U.S. health-care tsar, should John McCain name him his running mate:

By FROMA HARROP

We who obsess over universal health coverage may soon confront a startling development: The only candidate on a major-party presidential ticket to have proposed and implemented a universal plan could well be a Republican. I speak of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, now high on the list of John McCain's possible running mates.