I'll get excited when Obama stands up to the M-I-C. After all you need war to reduce stockpiles and keep folks working.

For those of us suffering from withdrawal:

Campaign Addicts Now Confront the Morning After

http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/106105/Campaign-Addicts-Now-Confront-the-Morning-After

"A Big Defeat For GOP Militarism And Jingoism"

From your computer keyboard to God's monitor.

Shame on Joe Scarborough for attempting to defend, and redefine, the reasoning of those that voted for McCain.

Scarborough this morning attempted to bolster the gop faithful by playing the victim card. He is trying to revise reality by now saying that those that voted for McCain did so out of enthusiasm.

Wake up Joe we know its an early call on the set.

McCain spent his entire campaign, up to the convention, trying to energize his party. He was not a candidate his own party was truly drawn to. As a matter of fact McCains own party disliked him; they voted for him with reservations.

The Obama voters clearly voted for the two things that his campaign ran on, change and hope. Obama supporters were energized at a level that might not have ever been seen in American politics.

Joe, your wrong the choice was hope versus fear. Thats how the republicans win modern elections through use of the primal common denominator of fear. This time hope was too great, and fear was exposed. This time our better angels helped us make the right choice.

Absolutely true - militarism and jingoism took quite a hit in this election. Because the economy wiped everything else off the map, it's hard to remember that McCain's early campaign leitmotif was to totally disregard the absolute wrongness of the decision to go to war in Iraq and jump instead to the middle of things: "The Surge has saved us, my friends, the Surge!" "The Surge!" "We're winning in Iraq!" "I know how to win a war!" (Really?) "Our troops will come home with honor!" "Obama not like Surge. Obama bad."

But despite McCain's best efforts to impugn his opponent’s commitment to the true interests of the United States, bumper sticker patriotism couldn't carry the day. Obama's studied approach to the issues struck a chord in a majority of Americans. Perhaps even more that his skill with words, Barack Obama's calm manner has finally allowed us to be comfortable with analyzing and discussing alternatives to the exercise of military power and has put to rest the Rambo school of decision making.

I think Obama is pragmatic, yes. But I also think that he insists on speaking like an adult. He doesn't simplify things to the point of inanity, as Bush, Cheney, and now McCain do. Think about McCain's policy for Iraq: we'll stay until we win. And no one in the Republican leadership has ever defined what it means to "win" in Iraq. And that kind of jingoism has been our leadership's approach to the military.

I don't know that Obama is going to fundamentally alter the military hero worship that pervades American society. I think probably not. But at least we now have a president-elect who refuses to treat the American people like children.

This election may have been a rejection of jingoism, but one meme that has been hinted at repeatedly in the MSM is that it's also a rejection of race as an issue. Unfortunately, I disagree.
http://thinmansblog.blogspot.com/

And for "frugal" Sarah...

NEWSWEEK reports that the widely reported spending on clothes for the VP was greater than first revealed. The actual money spent was "tens of thousands" more, and 20,000 to 40,000 was spent on clothes for the "first dude" Todd Palin. Also mentioned was the fact that some of the clothes have been "lost".

A McCain aide described the shopping spree as "Wasilla Hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast". The VP was "shocked" when she received a bill for some of the purchases. To avoid further bills Palin directed low level staffers to charge her clothing on their credit cards.

Palin had asked if she could speak last night at the McCain "victory" party, McCain refused the request.

Yes, I served in the military and proud of it. However, I don't believe in wars; never was a jingoist so to speak...In my era many served without choice, yet did so at great sacrifice. We need to work together to make it a better place.
But demonizing those that serve doesn't help.
We need to re-instill the reason for a military.
It is for protection, not agression.
We need to get behind service for America, the Peace Corps, VISTA, Job Corps and other NGO's we can believe in.
In times of crisis, the National Guard, Coast Guard and Air Force are needed.
I believe that Obama can bring back the balance we need in service to America.

By the way the fishing tournament was a success!

Here comes the biggest joke of Palin: She did not know Africa was a continent, and didn't know which countries NAFTA consisted of (Courtesy: Carl Cameron, Faux anchor).

Totally OT, but for those of you that are interested, the 106 yr old that Obama spoke of last night, Ann Nixon Cooper, is from here in Atlanta. They did a nice story on her today in the AJC:

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2008/11/05/106_year_old_obama_speech.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab

Did we rly win?

Hey all. Great Day :) Yes.. the running dogs of the Right Wing Echo Chamber are already trying to spin. But its still a good day.

http://www.d-n-i.net/dni/2008/10/29/americas-defense-meltdown/

Toobin on CNN pointed out that the candidates with military background have lost all the recent elections.

Bush Sr, Gore, Kerry & McCain.

Chimp's national guard duty doesn't count because it was a myth as well as a sham.

Well, with all of the new, young perceptive voters coming on, I certainly hope the Repugs continue to run campaigns based on xenophobia, jingoism, militarism, etc., because they'll just continue to lose. They sure did a nice job of nailing down their base, all of the people that shoot morning doves, watch sunday afternoon car crashes, and cage wrestling, but they lost almost everyone else including the elites they so much disdain.

Seen many happy faces here in southeast Afghanistan this morning. Has truly been great last few days. To echo Eugene Robinson's words I too love my country but now it seems everything has more resonnance. I hear folks from NATO nations remarking how impressed they are we could elect Obama. It is unreal how much damage was repaired overnight. I genuinely feel Obama has set in motion a better foreign policy just be the sheer weight of the enthusiasm he has carried throughout this campaign. Uk, french, dutch, belgiums, canadians, danes, estonians, romanians, czechs, spaniards and italians all were transfixed to the televisions showing Obama's speech in the dining facilities. All looked engaged, enthused and most of all echoed the word Obama has engrained into us all: hope.

I have tried to follow the
Faith Based Initiative money.

This is a story worth following.

I will volunteer my time to a central TPM reporting zone to report what these millions of taxpayer dollars have been spent on.

Enormous buildings

Acres of blacktop parking lots

Teen bootcamps of terror, torture and even death

Sexual identify healing centers - (A child I worked with, who desperately identified as a boy, was sent to Texas. I am haunted by this.)

Well paid addiction prayer group leaders

Well paid

Well paid

I invite TPM to follow the money.

If the crackerjack "analysis" of Obama's win could go out the window with yesterday's vernacular, it would be a better world. Oh well, can't have everything.
I'm already saying President Obama and skipping the "elect." We KNOW this man was elected as opposed to W., who never was. I've never called Dub President - usurper, village idiot, lots of other things... President, no.