I LOVE SPAIN!!! I am a PROUD AMERICAN!

I wonder how many Americans hold a passport? With stamps other than Cancun or Puerto Vallarta?
Pre 9-11 only 5% held a passport!
YIKES! Looks like Palin was one of them that did not!



Bizarre McCain Remarks Appear To Reject Spain As Ally

stein@huffingtonpost.com | HuffPost Reporting From DC


Late Wednesday night, news made its way from the other side of the Atlantic that John McCain, in an interview with a Spanish outlet, had made a series of bizarre responses to a question regarding that country's prime minister.

"Would you be willing to meet with the head of our government, Mr. Zapatero?" the questioner asked, in an exchange now being reported by several Spanish outlets.

McCain proceeded to launch into what appeared to be a boilerplate declaration about Mexico and Latin America -- but not Spain -- pressing the need to stand up to world leaders who want to harm America.

"I will meet with those leaders who are our friends and who want to work with us cooperatively," according to one translation. The reporter repeated the question two more times, apparently trying to clarify, but McCain referred again to Latin America.

Finally, the questioner said, "Okay, but I'm talking about Europe - the president of Spain, would you meet with him?" The Senator offered only a slight variance to his initial comment. "I will reunite with any leader that has the same principles and philosophy that we do: human rights, democracy, and liberty. And I will confront those that don't [have them]."

The implication seemed fairly clear: McCain was refusing to commit to meet with Zapatero, the "socialist" party leader, whose country is a member of NATO and intricately involved in many of America's global financial and national security objectives.

Already, several explanations are being offered to explain McCain's statements. As Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo opined: "The great majority [of those who have weighed in] appear to think the McCain was simply confused and didn't know who Zapatero was -- something you might bone up on if you were about to do an interview with the Spanish press. The assumption seems to be that since he'd already been asked about Castro and Chavez that McCain assumed Zapatero must be some other Latin American bad guy. A small minority though think that McCain is simply committed to an anti-Spanish foreign policy since he's still angry about Spain pulling it's troops out of Iraq."

If, in fact, that latter group is correct and McCain was just putting voice to an adversarial stance, it could be as quizzical as if he didn't know Zapatero's name in the first place. Indeed, such a take on U.S.-Spain relations puts McCain in a far more hard-lined position than even the Bush administration, which has warmed to the Spanish leader after a rocky initial period. Indeed, the State Department's website touts the Zapatero government, which came to power in April 2004, for supporting "coalition efforts in Afghanistan" as well as "reconstruction efforts in Haiti" and counterterrorism tasks across the globe.

That Zapatero immediately withdrew Spanish forces from Iraq upon entering office, it seems, is being chalked up for what it is: an electoral promise the prime minister made good on. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice touched on this during press briefing in June 2007.

"The United States and Spain are allies," she said. "We're in NATO together; we are serving together in Afghanistan. A lot of our conversation today was about that, working together on any number of issues. We've had our differences... [but] I feel that the relationship is warm. We had a good discussion today... We're allies. But when we have differences, we will express them. I think there's no secret that out of the Iraq war, we had a particular difference in the timing of the withdrawal. But that's behind us now, and we need to look forward and look to areas on which we can cooperate and work together."

Only days earlier, Daniel Fried, assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, made much the same case in an interview with El Pais.

"I think that we got off to a bad start with President Zapatero's government," he declared. "There were various issues that got in the way. But the fact is, and the reason for this trip, is that the United States and Spain need to work together on a common agenda. Spain is one of the most successful European states of the last generation in terms of where Spain was in 1965 and where Spain is today. You weren't in 1965 the ninth or tenth largest economy in the world. You weren't a country that was fabulously productive, affluent and a leader in Europe. In 1965 you were some place else. Look at Spain now."

The truth is, even McCain has been willing to extend an olive branch to the Zapatero government in the past. John Aravosis of AmericaBlog - a fluent Spanish speaker - noted that McCain gave an interview to El Pais back in April in which he said that the differences between the U.S. and Spain should be swept under the rug.

And thus, the Senator finds himself in what appears to be an embarrassing if not potentially damaging proposition: either admit to confusing the name of the Spanish prime minister, a tough pill to swallow even with the built in perception that he is the candidate with foreign policy know-how, or explain away a position on U.S.-Spain relations that appears far outside the mainstream.

VICE PRESIDENT DICK......

Cheney travels to Georgia, Ukraine next week

Aug 25 09:01 AM US/Eastern

US Vice President Dick Cheney will visit war-torn Georgia as well as Ukraine and Azerbaijan next week and meet with the three countries' presidents, the White House said Monday.
"President Bush has asked the vice president to travel to Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine and Italy for discussions with these key partners on issues of mutual interest," the White House said in a statement.

Cheney will be the most senior US official to visit the region since Russian troops invaded Georgia two weeks ago amid a dispute over the breakaway Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.


Copyright AFP 2008, AFP stories and photos shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium

NO COMPUTER? BIN LADEN HAS A COMPUTER!!!

The Republican Party and their electorate overlooked GW Bush’s lack of knowledge on most everything for EIGHT YEARS!

I am appalled at the fact that any party in this country’s government would even allow a contender for President to the most powerful country in the World with ABSOLUTELY NO KNOWLEDGE to use a computer. This just amazing to me!

The fact that the American people would even consider voting for someone that does not know how to use a computer is embarrassing as an American. Osaama Bin Laden knows how to use a computer! Are we that ignorant to elect what is supposed to be our leader?

According to Webster, Leadership is:
Capacity or ability to lead


I do believe that Senator Obama will do, as most great CEO’s have done; hire the BEST people to surround him to make the best decisions to move our country forward into the 21st Millennium.

I was aware of Barack in Illinois, as one of my Senators but was really moved by his speech at the 2004 Convention. I was speaking to my girlfriend in California and expressed my regret that she missed it. (She is from Chicago also) She mentioned she had Time Warner and could replay it. I asked her to tape it for me and I have it in my possession today.

The decision to ask Joe Biden, to be his Vice President, quite capable of being President should something tragic should happen while in office, displays his judgments and ability to make the tough decisions. The fact that pre September 11, 2001 it was not more than 10% or the American People that held passports. We will be led by the best teacher moving forward to EDUCATE the AMERICAN people transitioning to a
GLOBALWORLD is very reassuring as a world traveler myself.

Comments to LOU DOBBS @ CNN

8-23-08
Isn't this interesting....
Oh and by the way, your concern for the EFFORTS in Iraq is REALLY, REALLY, about casualties...ARE YOU KIDDING?
Where in the hell were you when DEAD SOLDIERS, that we cannot view draped in the PROUD AMERICAN FLAG coming home to their final resting place, were receiving $6 000.00 Death Benefit. It was Don Imus, yes, DON IMUS, embarrassed you, (while promoting one of your books) , John Mc Cain , Rick Santorum and all the rest of you PHONIES! You only put up the FALLEN HEROES SITE on your CNN website to SHOW YOU CARE about the CASUALTIES in IRAQ! YOU PHONY!
It was DON IMUS, yes, DON IMUS that PUSHED the LEGISLATION to be CHANGED? And it was CHUCK HAGEL that would not accept the $12, 500.00
WHERE WERE YOU?
Another WHERE WERE YOU?
When the ROIBBERY the Fraudulent Financial institutes in this country that you are suppose to be the GURU.... ECONOMICS.... you LIAR!
Funny, troops MIGHT be out by 2011 but we won’t know until NOVEMBER, after the election, if this is agreeable!
Now, we attack PAKISTAN! WOW... PHONY! EDUCATE THE AMERICAN MIDDLE CLASS,, HOW YOU RPRESIDENT, I NEVER would have voted for such an IDIOT,, is playing POLITICS!! SPIN ON THIS LIAR! HELP YOURSELF!

The Surge and all the IDIOTS on the so-called "NEWS'" Channels ...

Including the Racist Pig Lou Dobbs .

They should have consulted Joe Biden prior to mouthing off for a week on who would admit the 'SURGE' worked or as Dobbs Mouths it, "SUCCESS, GREAT SUCCESS"....



Refocus on Afghanistan
Despite surge, political progress and economic development lag in Iraq.


By Joe Biden

USA Today, 7/24/08

Recent events have demonstrated clearly that Barack Obama's judgment on Iraq is right. Now, it's time to heed that judgment so that we can successfully end the war while refocusing on the fight in Afghanistan.

Sen. Obama has said repeatedly that there have been significant gains in lowering the levels of violence in Iraq. These gains have come from the heroic sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, as well as the success of the Sunni tribes in fighting al-Qaeda, and the cease-fire that has been respected by Shiite militias.

But the stated purpose of the surge was to help bring about the political progress and economic development necessary for long-term stability in Iraq. That progress still lags.

That is why we must welcome the growing consensus in both the USA and Iraq for a timeline that will allow the responsible redeployment of our combat brigades out of Iraq. I agree with Sen. Obama and the prime minister of Iraq that we can safely redeploy all our combat brigades out of Iraq in 2010, with a residual force to fight terrorists, train Iraqis and protect our personnel.

This redeployment is absolutely necessary if we hope to restore our military strength and finish the fight against al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan's tribal areas. This is the central front in the war on terror. This is where the 9/11 attacks were planned and where terrorists could be plotting against America today.

With the Taliban and al-Qaeda on the rise and violence more severe than at any time since the beginning of the war, we must free up more resources in order to succeed. As Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, acknowledges, we can do so only if we redeploy our forces from Iraq.

Success in Iraq must not be defined by staying in Iraq indefinitely; success is leaving Iraq to an Iraqi government that is reconciling its differences and taking responsibility for its future.

It's time to encourage the Iraqi government to stand up on its own while we refocus on the war in Afghanistan and the broad range of national security challenges we face. Barack Obama is profoundly right that the next president must be more than commander in chief for Iraq — he must meet challenges to America's security around the world.

Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He wrote on behalf of the Obama campaign.