Pundit Kitchen

Cosmoprof North America - the only all-encompassing business-to-business beauty trade show event in North America! Organized by product categories, there are four pavilions that cover the entire spectrum of the beauty industry. Visit the Cosmetics Personal Care Pavilion, Packaging, Contract Manufacturing & Private Label, Spa & Wellness and Professional Hair, Nails & Tools to see trends and newness from within all segments of the beauty industry. Strong international participation solidified by the presence of country pavilions give you the global perspective on emerging trends.     

8am-10am  PBA Annual Business Forum (Keynote speakers, James Carville and Mary Matalin)

To be honest, we went to hear the keynote speakers and didn't know anything about the PBA.  The Professional Beauty Association or PBA is made up of salons, spas, distributors and manufacturers dedicated to improving their individual businesses and the industry as a whole. 

James and Mary were fabulous, witty, and offered keen observations on how this Presidential election is unprecedented and will be referred to historically for generations to come.  The two of them made several cracks at their odd ball relationship.  Mary quoted Dennis Miller when he called her husband, "a snake oil salesman who actually looks like a snake."

This early morning meeting was the highlight of our entire trip!

10am- 4pm  Cosmoprof

We entered the Mandalay Bay Convention Center to pick up our badges and walked into the white- carpeted immense pavilion with 100's of booths promoting every type of hair care, nail care, skin care, spa equipment, and salon tools imaginable! 

The exhibitor's objectives are to get buyers interested in purchasing their product.  Being a beauty blogger and a bit of a beauty product junkie, I was curious about anything that stood out as original and innovative.  Each company wants to stand out with the next big breakthrough product which can differentiate their product from what is already out there.   I observed and admired the hard work that all these exhibitors had put into this show.   And oh-ho baby, this Cosmoprof show did not disappoint!

Here is a list of some of the people I met with and will be reviewing their products in the next few weeks. 

Curly Q and Curls Hair care - visit with Mahisha, who developed a naturally curly hair care line for children and adults.  I cannot wait to try their "Milkshake" leave-in conditioner.

"Pencil Me In" Healthy Eyeliner - Linda created a beautiful palette of glide-on eye liners that have a built in pencil sharpener.  Brilliant idea and offers them at a great price ($6 a piece).  I am sending Mo one to review and cannot wait to hear what she has to say about it!

Mommy Makeup with the CEO Debra and Jeremy (many thanks for the VIP pass to Cosmoprof).  Debra developed a goof-proof cosmetic line to assist busy women who want to look their best.  Many of her products are "multi-taskers" and serve more than one purpose to keep our daily beauty routine to a minimum.

Brazilian Keratin Treatment - the founder and beautiful Marcia created an alternative way to smooth and straighten hair temporarily, and claim that this product is safe on all types of chemically treated hair. 

LillyPilly Australia - Simon demonstrated and explained that the antioxidants from the Australian native LillyPilly fruit make this skincare lotion unique.

Cyclic Nano - A collagen based cleanser uses Nano Silver Technology, and claims anti-aging and skin clearing qualities.  I really enjoyed my visit with Edwin and Edward.

Napoleon Perdis - with the gifted Gloria, who is the "Official Makeup Artist" for Napoleon Perdis and gave me a fabulous cosmetic makeover!   She announced that Napoleon Perdis is launching a new television reality show this fall, "Get Your Face On With Napoleon Perdis."  This show will be searching for a new cosmetic Protégé for the company in the US.   NP has also created a new, more affordable NP "Set" cosmetic line that will soon be sold at Target stores.

Miss Oops! - Makers of Miss Oops ® JAKs ^TM , the Miss Oops ® Boob Tube ^TM, and Miss Oops ® Pucker Protector ^TM.  My 14 year old daughter Amanda put the Boob Tube to work while wearing a sundress yesterday and this product helped cover-up some of her cleavage, and made me feel so much more at ease.

GINGI - their skincare philosophy is that quality and simplicity is the root of success and uses only the purest water and the finest highest quality natural ingredients available.

Cures Skincare by Avance - Denise discussed with me how CURES primary focus is on skin conditions and not on skin types. CURES has created services and treatments that claim to treat the root cause of the condition, offering long-term results.

SK1N Probiotic Systems - a skincare line that is the first to incorporate the use of probiotics to combat acne.

Smart Beauty- Funky and creative temporary and semi-permanent hair color sprays, including a bikini color kit!  I accidentally introduced myself to the women working there as a "beauty booger" instead of a "beauty blogger," and they didn't let me live that one down.  Oops!  They gave me some deep russet highlights and made me feel like a million bucks.  They had the coolest buttons at their booth like, "I am a natural blond, and I can prove it!" and "Hell yeah I color my hair!" ;)

Viktoria De'Ann Cosmeceuticals - Viktoria hired a team of chemists that worked for several years to develop a new way to deliver peptides into the skin.  She uses all natural ingredients and has kept her products at reasonable prices.

Goldfaden Skincare -a high end skincare line that incorporates Red Tea.

I had such a wonderful time meeting and learning about what these companies had to offer.  In the next few weeks, Mo and I will be using and reviewing these products and let you know what we think about them!

Analysis: Mark Twain said the only two sure things in life were death and taxes.  So it's no surprise that the two presidential campaigns are focusing on healthcare and the economy, since people are universally affected in personal ways.  Forget taxes for today, I'm interested in technology's role in healthcare, which is growing, and there's no more potentially game-changing facet of that than the role of data. 

That Los Angeles Times story has a number of examples where the data just pop out at you, bonking you on the head.  And there's prescriptive (no pun) value when you find and understand good data; an example in the story is "A 1996 study in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that the incidence of disease in the workplace is reduced when workers have paid sick days."  That's evidence for a policy change with demonstrable ROI.

By the way, I wonder if James Carville gets residual credit for the newcomer cliche based loosely on his famous line from 1992.  The phrase, "It's the data, stupid," including the quotation marks for precision, now gets 1,900 hits on Google, and more than 4,400 on Live Search.  (Hey, notice that disparity?)

Data has to be aggregated and maintained as records, and I intend to write more about the subject of health records in future.  One area I'm particularly interested in is personal health records (often abbreviated as PHRs).  There's a good story today on TMCnet ("Work Remains in Creating Access to Online Health Records") giving a quick overview of two major partnering efforts - one by Kaiser Permanente using Microsoft's HealthVault, the other by the Massachusetts state Blue Cross Blue Shield using Google Health. 

Most insurers can't offer portable records to members unless they partner with a Microsoft or a Google," according to Carlton Doty, a senior analyst with Forrester Research, quoted in TMCnet story.

I've been listening to an interesting podcast series by Perot Systems on "Healthcare Tech and the World," and the most recent is a good interview with Dr. William Stead, Associate Vice Chancellor for Strategy/Transformation and the Chief Information Officer at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.  He makes some incontrovertible points:

• "First, we're actually going to shift from expert-based care to system-supported practice."
• "Second, we're going to shift from medicine that is appropriate for mass delivery...we're going to really shift to individualized medicine."
• "The third component is... that we... will embed support for health into a person's living environment."

We've got Microsoft efforts (some using current technologies, some in the R&D labs) which are addressing all three areas.  One of the most exciting new things we have going is called Amalga, as in amalgamating data streams from multiple mutually-incoherent sources into coherency.  We call it "a unified approach to healthcare intelligence," and long before I joined Microsoft my group at DIA looked at the precursor prototype system (then known as Azyxxi, before Microsoft acquired the company) for use in the intelligence community.  That hasn't happened yet, but the technology is impressively flexible and I think it could be used in almost any domain. 

And a final point back on the data front: a British National Health Service (NHS) doctor writes today in The Guardian defending the practice of data-mining in the healthcare arena ("All Patients Can Benefit from Our Collecting of Statistics").  I recommend that article, as his point is valid across any measurable discipline:

You can measure outcomes in all branches of medicine, using various methodologies depending on the patient and the condition being treated. In surgery you might monitor how quickly a patient walks again after a hip replacement, or the number of avoidable errors a particular surgical team makes. In psychiatry you can measure the extreme and distressing outcomes like self-harm and suicide.  But you can also measure the number of patients who successfully return to work, or the number of addicted patients who live free of their dependency for a defined period or time. In recording and analysing those outcomes you can look for the commonalities that point to either success or failure and use this information to improve the quality and safety of the care you provide."

It's an exciting time if you like data, data-mining, and the unpredictable insights and value they bring to medicine and improved healthcare.  And, since I'm getting older like the rest of us, I'll be paying more attention to healthcare anyway :-)

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Let me just say that if this weren't a library book, I'd be highlighting the hell out of it. Instead, I'm reduced to tearing post-it after post-it to mark all the points of interest. And I haven't started Chapter 2. My consumption of this work is a result of research I'm conducting for my own respective book, but Hofstadter's observations have already shocked me into open-mouth disbelief as his descriptions of the anti-intellectualism of the 1950's readily apply to today's culture clash between the learned and the petrified. The author does assert that anti-intellectualism suffers cyclical fluctuations and will never fully abate to the netherworlds of silly history, with other theories such as "the sun revolves around the Earth" and "the 2008 election will be between Giuliani and Hillary" (yeah, that was my own Nostradamus endeavors into electoral predictions).

So, please forgive the length of this blog as I indulge myself by providing a few (a bunch?) unusually relevant excerpts from Chapter 1, with my intensely insightful commentary to follow.

...the launching of Sputnik by the Soviets precipitated one of those periodic surges of self-conscious national reappraisal to which the American public is prone. The Sputnik was more than a shock to American national vanity: it brought an immense amount of attention to bear on the consequences of anti-intellectualism in the school sysytem and in American life at large. Suddenly, the national distaste for intellect appeared to be not just a disgrace but a hazard to survival. Pg 4-5.

Perhaps I'm overreaching in my cocoon of progressive political theory, but I view global warming and the rise in fuel prices as the space race of our day. Before you emit a Moe-esqe, "Whaaaa?", allow me to explain. While there are untold quantities of hydrocarbon beneath the surface of the Earth in not only the U.S., but also Iran, Russia, the South China Sea and other areas, global energy demands - especially of India and China - are helping fuel the rise petrol prices and will continue to do so.

The U.S. must focus on a transcendent energy policy today in the same manner we did with the space race in the '60's. Scientific ambitions aiming at a forward-thinking fuel-efficiency and alternative-energy development will help the U.S. maintain a technological and, thus, economic advantage in global markets. If we can me be a maverick in this area, we just might hold on to our hegemony a bit longer - though that need not be the main goal. We need to ride the wave of motivation high gas prices are providing toward cleaner energy and end our reign as Pollution Bastards of the World (especially as China will pick up the slack and more).

The labels of Intellectuals and Anti-Intellectuals were thrown around in the 1950's in much the same way Liberal and Conservative are today. They were used as bad words by those who hurled them against their opponents and worn as badges of honor by those they described. Obviously, Hofstadter was an intellectual and the examples of anti-intellectual rhetoric he presents are laughable in this day and age - hopefully in the same manner Creationism and Intelligent Design will be laughable in another half century. If you haven't chuckled today, allow me to send some historical fodder from Anti-Intellectualim your way that will surely entertain:

Novelist "of the right-wing persuasion," Louis Broomfield, pg 9:

Egghead (euphemism for intellectual): A person of spurious intellectual pretensions...Fundamentally superficial. Over emotional and feminine in reactions to any problem. Supercilious and surfeited with conceit and contempt for the experience of more sound and able men. Essentially confused in thought and immersed in mixture of sentimentality and violent evangelism...

President Eisenhower's definition of an intellectual, pg. 10:

...a man who takes more words than are necessary to tell more than he knows.

The disdain for intellectualism opened education and the education system itself up for the attacks from the more conservative commentators of the day as well.

Billy Graham, pg 15:

You can stick a public school and a university in the middle of every block of every city in America and you will never keep America from rotting morally by mere intellectual education.

[In place of the Bible] we substituted reason, rationalism, mind culture, science worship, the working power of government, Freudianism, humanism, behaviorism, positivism, materialism, and idealism. [This work of ] so-called intellectuals. Thousands of these 'intellectuals' have publicly stated that morality is relative--that there is no norm or absolute standard...

Arthur Bestor, junior-high school principal in Illinois, pg. 17:

When we come to the realization that not every child has to read, figure, write and spell . . . that many of them either cannot or will not master these chores . . . then we shall be on the road to improving the junior high curriculum.

(This is the best part) Between this day and that a lot of selling must take place. But it's coming. We shall some day accept the thought that it is just as illogical to assume that every boy must be able to read as it is that each one must be able to perform on a violin, that it is no more reasonable to require that each girl shall spell well than it is that each one shall bake a good cherry pie.

I've never made a cherry pie, but I can make a mean cherry cobbler. Does that count?

Jack Schwartzman, of the Freeman, pg. 13:

Our universities are the training grounds for the barbarians of the future, those who, in the guise of learning , shall come forth loaded with pitchforks of ignorance and cynicism, and stab and destroy the remnants of human civilization...

If you send your son to the college of today, you will create the Executioner of tomorrow. The rebirth of idealism must come from the scattered monasteries of non-collegiate thought.

Does it get any better than that?! This quotation thoroughly tickles my funny bone because I have a close family member, who recently turned 70, who continually blames my political viewpoints on the fact that I attended "one of those liberal universities." I had no idea the University of Texas was a cesspool of left-wing larva ready infiltrate governmental policy-making (don't tell the frat boys!). In fact, he repeats that these "liberal colleges" are why young people tack liberal and why this world is going to hell in a handbag. I continually try to remind him that I retained nothing from college classes. Especially French.

And perhaps to close, this final quotation from Hofstadter himself that proves yet another proverb: the more things change, the more they stay the same. Pg 12 - and keep in mind, he wrote this in 1962:

Far more acute and sweeping was the hostility to intellectuals expressed on the far-right wing, a categorical folkish dislike of the educated classes and of anything respectable, established, pedigreed, or cultivated. The right-wing crusade of the 1950's was full of heated rhetoric about 'Harvard professors, twisted-thinking intellectuals . . . in the State Department.'

Am I the only one who feels like they're in the Twilight Zone? George Bush thinks the jury is still out on global warming AND evolution. Hillary Clinton somehow warped into the working man's candidate (talk about shape-shifting) and decried "experts" who opposed her gas tax holiday. Schools across the country are peppered with teachers who want to assert Intelligent Design as a scientific principle when it's the absolute antithesis to the definition of science itself.

When will these perverted objectors realize that science, math, literature - EDUCATION - is what provided them their military weaponry, their computers, their energy capabilities, every day conveniences, "free market" dreams, and overall U.S. success and domination. It is a shame that people have to suffer when factories close and the jobs that require less education go overseas. As it is natural for species to go extinct in biological evolution and so is the case with jobs during economic evolution. Would the laid-off factor worker rather keep his job, yet amputate the very tools with which the U.S. retains its global position and military domination? Well, that would be unpatriotic.

Anti-Intellectualism is an embarrassment that has enjoyed many a decade hindering the development of humanity. For some inexplicable reason, Americans tend to wallow in more than their fair share. I suppose fear of change and development is at the heart of the matter, though it is hard for me to reconcile the "Great American Dream" with this entrenched detestation of progress and reason.

I do, however, think we've come a long way since Hofstadter penned his academic opinions. College education is ever more the norm and I'm sure 50 years from now we'll laugh at the crazy old people who didn't want the gays to marry and thought someone having a college education was a clear indication of an elitist in their midst. And I appreciated a sentiment by James Carville (who has stoked some of my ire during the current primary season) who said on AC 360 the other evening, "Competence is patriotic." Well, halle-freaking-lujah.

I can tell I'm really going to enjoy the rest of this book. In the meantime, let's get-to on those alternative energy sources!!

I mean the real political season - not the earlier-than-early onset, the "my state's better than yours 'cuz we're among the first" Presidential primary struggles of the '08 campaign cycle. Across the country, from contests for dogcatcher to those races for the highest offices in the land, campaign moguls and their minions will be scrapping for financial and vote commitments no matter what they have to do to get them.

Whether Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent or anything in between - all that doesn't matter.  As campaigns slide toward the early November goal line, the messaging tactics used by the vast majority will no doubt remind us they've forgotten the virtues of the US democratic (please note: small "d" and the "-ic" ending, see below for clarification of common misuse of the word) process. Attempts to acquire that all mighty additional tenth percent in polling results typically mean exaggerated rhetoric, hyperactive use of spinmeistered-out-of-this-world opposition research and tainted tactics unbecoming what we are supposed to be as a country.

(NOTE: The name of the political party referred to as "the liberal side of the aisle" is the Democrat Party. It is NOT the DemocratIC Party. Our system of goverment is democratic, as in "...based in democracy..."; citizens are democratic participants).

Can you imagine?  

Cue a rousing John Sousa march from a loudspeaker perched high above the streets of Everytown, Middle America.  

Strong, Basso Profundo Male Voice Talent:

This is an important Public Service Announcement from the Alliance for Accuracy in Verbalocity:

Take back our language! Eliminate the spin! Contact your local, state and national politcal representatives of the liberal persuasion. Let them know WE'RE ALL DEMOCRATIC. 

. . .and won't that make their day!  :-)  

PR is interesting in the politcal arena...that is, if "interesting" is defined as "wear your hip boots 'cuz the flood of hyperbole is a'comin'".  Of course, you remember James Carville's definition of politics.. his is one of the funniest plays-on-words I think I've ever heard. He said something to the effect of, "When you break down the word "politics" ... "poli" means "many" - "tics" means "blood-sucking insects."  OK. So his definition is sarcastic and filled with negative connotation. But sometimes I ponder the accuracy of his comment. . .

In politics, good PR digs hard and deep to find dirt about the opposing candidate(s). Campaigns frame the opponent through means of belittling, demonizing, smearing, the use of innuendo, spinmeistering, manipulating, and sometimes use of the fine art of fictional accounting. Often times a candidate is defined by his or her opposition before the opponent's campaign spends a dime's worth of effort on creating their own candidate's messages.

Why? To win? Yes. The unrelenting rabidity of needing to win at any cost. 

But I ask, what is the point of the struggle towards victory when campaigns are, in essence, saying to hell with facts and the value found in a good contest filled with honest debate; to hell with the idea of a campaign that offers voters a strong, comprehensive platform and strategic plans the details of which the candidate knows so profoundly well that he or she can debate for hours with confidence; to hell with being, not acting, but really being, a warrior (male or female) who owns characteristics of integrity, compassion, virtue, honesty, loyalty, strength of character and more.

I'm a forever believer in, and defender of, the U.S. Constitution and in the U.S. system of democracy. Of the game called contemporary politics, I can't say the same. I'm waiting for a candidate who refuses to use the tired, blue-smoke-and-mirrors shellgame of "PR-as-usual" in his or her campaign. Only then will my faith in politics begin to be restored. 

Till next time! ~Cyndie

As the calendar moves into the dog days of summer, it’s a good time to consider who will be manning an underground bunker for the next 4 years as Vice-President. Believe it or not, it was on July 6^th, 2004 that John Kerry announced that John Edwards would be his running mate; Obama’s decision may not be far off. So let me peer into the thought processes of the vaunted “Vice-Presidential Vetters” and hope that nobody investigates my shady loan history in the meantime.

First off, what are the criteria? Generally, common political wisdom holds that a Democratic Presidential candidate should consider the following:

1. Can the VP bring a swing state into the fold? This hasn’t actually occurred since Lyndon Johnson helped win Texas for JFK, but you can always hope, right?

2. Does the VP appeal to a different but vital demographic? This is another way of saying, “Our candidate is seen as an arugula-eating, latte-drinking, doesn’t-know-how-to-bowl windsurfer and we need someone who appeals to the ‘working folk.’”

3. Does the VP bolster the candidate’s weakness in a specific policy area? With Obama, like President Bush before him, his largest concern will be to reinforce his foreign policy/national security credentials, the one area where John McCain has a clear advantage according to polling.

4. Does the VP pass that all-important “commander-in-chief” threshold? In other words, if the President is out of commission for a few hours during his colonoscopy, would we trust this candidate with that nuclear suitcase should the Russkies attack?

If those are the common criteria, there are also a few categories specific to Obama and to this election:

4. Does the VP have an acceptable history of opposition to the Iraq War? The best-case scenario would be someone who opposed the war from the very beginning, followed closely by someone who wasn’t in office/never publicly went on record as opposing or supporting the war.  Otherwise, you should have a strong argument for how and why you changed your mind, or else the liberal Netroots might have an aneurysm (which I'm all for, by the way).

5. Does the VP have a record of reaching across the aisle? Despite little to no evidence to back up the notion that he has ever effectively been a facilitator of bipartisanship, Obama has run as a new-fangled “post-partisan” candidate so you had better be able to point out how you’ve “bridged gaps” and “overcome divisions” between Democrats and Republicans (someone will have to explain to me what “post-partisan” actually means, but I gather it has something to do with listening to a diversity of opinions before you unilaterally do what you were going to do anyway). Basically, can you produce evidence that Republicans have voted for you?

6. Is the VP seen as a Washington D.C. Insider? God forbid you actually have a record of accomplishment and achievement in government.

I am personally of the opinion that the most successful VPs are the ones the mirror the Presidential candidate’s image most completely. Forget complementing, that only dilutes your message.  What did Bill Clinton do when he choose Al Gore? He choose another young, intelligent Southerner from a neighboring state and ended up as the first two term Democratic President since President Roosevelt was rolling around the oval office. Therefore, in my mind, as you’ll see below, the best candidate for Barack Obama would be  - to use Obama’s own words from his book Audacity of Hope – someone who serves “as a blank screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views.” The more we learn about Obama’s past associations with the Tony Rezkos, Jeremiah Wrights, and Williams Ayers, and the more that Obama actually chooses sides on an issue such as NAFTA, FISA, Gun Control, the Death Penalty, the final status of Jerusalem -- and then reverses course, no less – the more the luster comes off “Obama the change agent.” Obama needs to recapture some of that “I don’t where he stands on the issues or how he’ll actually produce some of the change he’s proposing – or even what’s he proposing to change at all – but it makes me feel oh so good and tingly when he speaks” magic. I think the best way to accomplish that goal at this point would be to choose a VP with relatively minimal experience who hasn’t taken many stands on any of the pressing issues facing this country, someone who presents another untarnished palette for people to paint a new picture of all their hopes and dreams. You just know that no matter whom Obama chooses – with the possible exception of Hillary Clinton – his supporters and the media (who are really one and the same) will rush to praise his perspicacity, gush over his inimitable post-partisan posture, and shower him with encomiums for his boldness and daring. Why not provide said media with the blankest slate possible and let them do all the work? Why let irritating distractions like “where the VP actually stands on the issues” get in the way?

Okay, onto the actual candidates. This is hardly an exhaustive list, but I'd bet the VP comes from one of this lot:

Jim Webb: First-term Senator from Virginia, elected to office in 2006.

Upside: Decorated Vietnam veteran; Secretary of the Navy under President Reagan; former Republican; has written a book about his family history entitled Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America; has a son in the Marines who has served tours in Iraq but also wrote an op-ed piece in 2004 that described the Iraq War as the “greatest strategic blunder in modern memory.”

Webb got a recent boost by shepherding a GI Benefits Bill through the Senate that received bipartisan support. So, he’s a pro-gun Southerner from a swing state who has national-security and military credentials and has been opposed to the Iraq War from the very beginning. Sounds perfect, right?

Downside: Well, there’s a few rubs with Senator Webb. Always, the rub. For one, he has a remarkably poor record on women’s rights issues. In 1979 he published an article that argued that women shouldn’t be admitted to the military academies and were biologically unfit for combat. And after the 1991 Tailhook convention where nearly 100 female naval aviators were sexually harassed and assaulted, ol’ Jim defended the accused and called the investigation a “witch hunt.”

He's also been described as "brazen" and "a loose cannon," just like Mel Gibson's Sergeant Martin Riggs character in Lethal Weapon. Admittedly, that's pretty much the kind of person I would be looking for as my Vice-President, but there's always a good chance that that loose-cannon might turn into a drunk-driving, anti-Semitic lunatic. A big risk.

Plus you know the Obama campaign is already thinking about Obama’s Presidential legacy, likely imagining his VP riding Obama’s unprecedented approval ratings into his own 8 year term that will further solidify the historical standing of an Obamanian dynasty. So now you know they have to be wondering whether Jim Webb can be trusted with that sacred endeavor; or, would he dare strike out in his own direction more reflective of his Republican roots?

Odds: 5:1

Hillary Clinton: Former First Lady, two term Senator from New York, and Democratic candidate for President.

Upside: Uh, 18 million plus votes in the Democratic Primary is what might be considered an upside. Her core constituencies of older women, Latinos, Jews, and the working class are the precise demographic groups that Obama is seen to be underperforming in.

Downside: I’m not sure that I can encapsulate all of the animus between the two campaigns without writing a novel so let’s just concede that relations have been strained. Not to mention that apparently Bill Clinton has been on the warpath (God bless him) for what he perceives as the Obama campaign’s portrayal of him as a racist and its continued denigration of his Presidency. A 20 minute phone call between Obama and Bill won’t be enough to mend all of the bridges.

Another big issue is whether the Hillary and Bill show will overshadow Obama and cause more trouble than they’re worth. Also, since Obama supporters have pretty much been brainwashed into believing that Hillary Clinton is the devil incarnate, her as VP might be a tough, tough pill to swallow for a large part of his constituency.

Odds: 6:1

Kathleen Sebelius: Was re-elected to her second term as Governor of Kansas in 2006.

Upside: A popular governor from a very red state, she eliminated a huge budget deficit she was saddled with when she took office, has a good record on blue-collar issues, and convinced a Republican to change parties and run as her Lieutenant Governor. She was also an early Obama supporter.

Downside: Choosing a female candidate other than Hillary Clinton is problematic at best. Any male VP cnadidate will be subjected to an intense comparison with Hillary Clinton, but with another woman, the comparison will grow so acute that we can expect a dissection of who has the bigger bust size. Vice-Presidents are like children, they’re meant to be seen, not heard. Sebelius would ignite a firestorm of controversy among Clinton supporters who would see in her nomination the passing over of a more qualified female candidate for one who would likely be more submissive and cow-tailed. Plus the pairing of an African-American and female on the same ticket might be a little too revolutionary for a certain portion of the electorate.

Odds: 10:1

Wesley Clark: Retired U.S. Army General, Rhodes Scholar, Supreme Allied Commander of NATO from 1997-2000 during the Kosovo War, and 2004 candidate for the Democratic Presidential nomination. Also, a Presidential Medal of Freedom, a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and a Purple Heart.

Upside: A smart, decorated military general might be the perfect counterweight to John McCain’s military experience.

Downside: Can anyone say mock turtleneck? He’s also done a lot of damage to his chances with his recent comments about how John McCain’s military experiences didn’t prepare him for the White House, which led to the Obama campaign releasing a statement “rejecting” his remarks. He might have just killed his chances for the VP slot, although the Obama campaign probably put him up to the remarks in the first place. Standard operating procedure for the “new politics” of Barack Obama: have a surrogate do your dirty work, then condemn the remarks; Obama stays clean and looks like a good guy for the condemnation, but the dirt is still injected into the public debate. Brilliant.

Odds: 12:1

Joe Biden: Six term Senator from Delaware, Candidate for the 2008 Democratic nomination for President.

Upside: Has served on the Senate Judiciary and Foreign Relations Committees and has likely forgotten more about foreign policy than the combined foreign policy knowledge of Obama and McCain.

Downside: Needless to say, the ultimate Washington insider might not exactly be on message for the “hope and change” candidate. However, Obama seems to steering his campaign into a more conventional, centrist direction (a mistake in my estimation, but that’s neither here nor there), in which case Biden might be seen as a solid ballast against charges of inexperience and foreign policy naiveté.

Odds: 20:1 

Brian Schweitzer: First-term Governor of Montana since 2005.

Upside: Despite serving in a perpetually conservative state, he has one of the highest Governor’s approval ratings in the nation (a Survey USA poll from May: 58% approve, 27% disapprove, and 15% unsure). As a former irrigation developer, he has traveled the world and lived in the Middle East for long enough to actually learn to speak Arabic! (why the CIA hasn’t recruited him, we’ll never know). He has a great pro-gun record and a kind of folksy charm. It doesn’t hurt that his dog, a Border Collie named Jag, accompanies him to work.

Downside: He hasn’t been vetted on the national stage. Are there any heretofore unknown associations he may have had in the past, possibly during his travels abroad, that have yet to see the light of day? I doubt there’s much of anything, but until the spotlight is fully drawn on a politician, you never know. But there still is the real question of how he’ll perform under the intense scrutiny of the national media. He’s also, to be kind, not the most aesthetically pleasing individual, and apparently he never got the memo that nobody will take you seriously if you’re wearing a bolo tie.

Odds: 25:1

Bill Richardson: The current Governor of New Mexico, was previously a U..S Representative, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and the U.S. Secretary of Energy during the Clinton administration.

Upside: He’s Hispanic, he hails from the swing state of New Mexico, and he’s got foreign policy credibility. Plus he endorsed Obama at a time that he needed a bit of a boost during the primary campaign.

Downside: This is the man famously dubbed “Judas” by James Carville for his perfidious endorsement of Barack Obama. In other words, this pick would infuriate Clinton supporters unlike any other. Additionally, his Presidential debate performances were tedious, bordering on soporific, and he loses points for that foul-smelling, splotchy goatee/beard thing he’s been growing. Who’s interested in Bill Richardson, homeless Vice-President?

Odds: 25:1

John Edwards: Former Senator from North Carolina, 2004 Democratic VP nominee with John Kerry

Upside: The hair. That wonderful, flaxen hair. Additionally, he’s already been through the ringer of the Bush-Rove attack machine and come relatively unscathed. And while he has now failed at not one but two Presidential campaigns, he maintains a sizable swath of support across the country and it would hardly take any work to reintroduce him to the electorate. Voters more or less have a fixed conception of him in their consciousness and it’s generally a positive one. He’s stated that he’s not interested in the position but would he really turn it down?

Downside: Well, it’s hard to get past the fact that he’s already been a VP candidate and lost, and he’s shown that he can’t produce a victory in his home state of North Carolina. Let’s face it, it’s hard work to wash the stench of ‘loser’ out of that silky smooth hair.

Odds: 30:1

The Field:

Janet Napalitano, Arizona Governor – 3^rd string female candidate from McCain’s home state.

Chuck Hagel, Republican Senator who voted with Democrats for an Iraq withdrawal plan but is still a Republican on most issues such as abortion.

Tom Daschle, former South Dakota Senator, big Obama supporter but managed to lose his Senate seat while he was Senate majority leader.

Sam Nunn, former Georgia Senator has been out of game for 10 years now.

Mike Bloomberg, the Independent Mayor of New York City with a good economic record, but billionaires aren’t exactly change agents. 

Odds: 20:1

Conclusions:

Best Pick: Brian Schweitzer. I think he’s just what Obama needs but I doubt that his campaign will have the chutzpah to choose someone so relatively inexperienced in national security matters. The campaign has been running scared for a while now, hewing to the center/right on issues of gun control, the death penalty, FISA, you name it. But the reality is that there’s nothing that Obama can do to convince people that he’s the more qualified and experienced choice on national security and foreign policy issues than John McCain. I’d stick with “hope and change” because hey, it’s gotten him this far.

Runner-up: Hillary Clinton. Between Hillary’s excellent “unity” speech last week in New Hampshire and reports of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama having a “terrific conversation” to work through their issues, it appears that the stage might be being set for Clinton as VP. As a Clinton supporter, I am generally opposed to this pairing, but who knows, maybe I’ll come around? Doubtful, but you never know.

Obama’s Likely Pick: Jim Webb. The Obama campaign seems to be actively antagonizing former Clinton supporters so why not up the ante?

If you believe in G-d as I do, then there is no way that this was not part of G-d's plan for Tim. Perhaps no one in public life better represented the value of family, the magic of fatherhood, love of country and the importance of faith in everday life. It's a chance for all of us to reflect on an inspirational American tale of working class achievement through hard work and perseverance. I truly believe that if more people in this world were as decent as Tim, then the world would be a much better place.

That being said, Tim wasn't 100% objective. But then no journalist is -- it's simply not possible. A lot of the coverage from this week focused on how he called it straight down the middle between Republicans and Democrats. That's not entirely true in my estimation.

From what I've gathered over the last few days, Tim came from a family that idolized the Kennedys, he worked for Democrats on the hill (Moynihan, Cuomo etc.) and was a big fan of Bruce Springsteen, a huge liberal is his own right. He also caught Washington Nationals games with Democratic spinmeister James Carville, and perhaps most egregious of all, on Tim's watch we saw the rise of Keith Olbermann -- with his elevation to the status of "go-to" MSNBC newsman for primary coverage.

Let's not forget about Tim's excitement over this Presidential campaign. I guarantee you that he wasn't hugely inspired by the McCain vs. Romney vs. Huckabee race, but rather the improbable rise of Barack Obama and the downfall of the inevitable candidate, HIllary Clinton. Obama was annointed by the remaining Kennedys as the heir to the Kennedy throne and their beliefs. So while Tim never said it, I think he had a soft spot for Obama.

Why do I bring this up now? Well, during the heart of the primary season, I tuned in one Sunday morning to 'Meet the Press' and watched Tim interview Mike Huckabee and Obama. It struck a nerve with me because of the way Tim handled each candidate differently on their religious beliefs. I wrote a blog posting soon after but never published it anywhere. After Tim's passing, I came across it once again on my hard drive. I thought I would share it -- in some way to help mourn the loss of Tim's passing, while at the same time, pointing out the difficulty in anyone journalist being truly objective -- even though Tim came pretty darn close.

So I turned on Tim Russert on "Meet the Press" to see him interviewing Republican candidate Mike Huckabee. Russert pressed him repeatedly about his stances on gay marriage, homosexuality and abortion. Huckabee handled the questions deftly and as best he could, but this much was clear to me: Russert had potentially succeeded on scaring off any Democrats and many independents for voting for Huckabee. Russert's line of questioning in itself was not biased, unitl you contrasted it with his next guest Barrack Obama.

Russert asked him a few tough questions on his experience but mainly just tossed him a bunch of softball questions. And in contrast to Huckabee, Russert steered clear of any questions of religion, gay marriage, homosexuality or abortion when speaking with Obama. These are some of the tough morality issues that help voters make decisions, not detainees and interrogation. Instead, Obama was given the opportunity to talk in sweeping generalities of how he would change Washington and its culture.

Obama, unlike Huckabee, was not put on the spot by Russert about abortion, gay marriage and views on homosexuality. These are stances on issues that could impact Obama -- or Clinton -- in a general election. Why doesn't Russert think it's important to explore Obama's religious background and current church affiliation? Why is only Huckabee's past as a Baptist minister relevant to voters?

This is just an example of the MSM scare tactics when dealing with Republican candidates and religion. And what’s clear to me is that the MSM – knowing that religion can be a weakness for Democrats – is steering clear of this discussion.

RIP TIM RUSSERT - Like Tim, I only am seeking to ask the tough questions, while at the same time showing the utmost respect and affection for him. G-d Bless.

As we all know author, political commentator, and moderator of NBC's popular Meet the Press, Tim Russert, died on Friday from a heart attack while at work, recording voice-overs for today's wow.

This morning NBC honored him by having today's Meet the Press be about him, beginning the show with Russert's chair, empty.  Then, Tom Brokaw moderated a cast of those who were there to remember him: historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, the political odd-couple of Mary Matalin and James Carville, Gwen Ifill, Mike Barnicle, Maria Shriver and others, along with numerous highlights of past shows.

I liked Tim Russert.  I always thought he tried to be objective.  He definitely had favorites and his political roundtables were always loaded with Libs.  But, he had class, tried to get politicians a little uncomfortable by using their own words against them, and wrote two books Big Russ and Me and Wisdom of Our Fathers, about his respect and admiration for his father.  Poignant, that today is Father's Day as Tim leaves behind a son, Luke who recently graduated from Boston College, and a wife of 25 years, Maureen.

NBC photo.

Tim Russert was a man from Buffalo, New York.  He was Irish Catholic and his dad drove a trash truck.

Tim was a "regular guy."  No arrogance.  No "I'm better than you."  No sense of self importance or greatness.  That's why, it seems, everyone loved Tim Russert.

When he went to work for Daniel Patrick Moynahan, the Senator from New York.

Tim said he felt intimidated.  All those he met, it seemed, were geniuses or acted like men of immense intellect and stature.

"They were are from harvard and yale," Tim said.  "And I was from Buffalo."

Senator Moynahan knew the truth and he told Tim the truth: "What they know, you can learn.  What you know, they can never learn."

We miss you, Tim.
 
"Meet the Press" moderator and NBC News Senior Vice President and Washington Bureau Chief Tim Russert on the set his show. Russert, a leading U.S. political correspondent and host of the NBC television network's long-running "Meet the Press" talk show, died on June 13, 2008 of a heart attack, the network said. He was 58.
****************************

NEW YORK - Tim Russert's chair was empty on "Meet the Press" on Sunday, two days after his unexpected death.
But Russert was very much present on the full-hour tribute to this giant of political journalism who hosted NBC's public-affairs program for more than 16 years.

"His voice has been stilled," began Tom Brokaw, who led the conversation, "and our issue this sad Sunday morning is remembering and honoring our colleague and our friend ...."

Brokaw and a half-dozen others were seated in front of the "Meet the Press" set and its angular table, left vacant, where Russert had presided as recently as last week.

Brokaw noted that Russert had a large wooden sign in his office that read: "Thou shalt not weep or cry." That was the watchword for Sunday's program, Brokaw declared: "This is a time for celebration."

But a bit later he choked up, recalling Russert's words of awe at how far a working-class kid from Buffalo like himself could rise: "What a country!" he would marvel.

Among those gathered were presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin and political pundit Mary Matalin, with Maria Shriver — the former NBC News correspondent and currently California's first lady — on a remote hookup.

All agreed that Russert was tough but fair in his interviewing, and that he, as a former political operative himself, loved politics and politicians.

What he didn't like, said consultant-pundit James Carville, was an elected official or anybody else who wasn't prepared to face him.

"The biggest insult to him was someone who came on and ... didn't take the show seriously," Carville said.

It was a mistake they quickly regretted, because Russert took his stewardship of "Meet the Press" as a sacred trust.

"He would spend all week preparing," said executive producer Betsy Fischer.

PBS' Gwen Ifill, a former NBC correspondent, called the program "The Church of Tim."

"I would actually get a pass from my own pastor to not be in church on Sunday if I was gonna be on `Meet the Press,'" she said with a smile.

MSNBC commentator Mike Barnicle added that Russert's son, Luke, had told him the day before that the program was "Tim's second son."

However fitting Sunday's tribute, it was a cruel irony that Russert had become the big story, particularly in the midst of a like-no-other presidential race that he was covering with his customary gusto. Guests he had planned to grill Sunday were senior officials from both campaigns.

All that changed with Russert's death from a heart attack Friday. He was stricken while preparing for the broadcast at his network's Washington bureau.

NBC aired a prime-time tribute Friday night, then devoted Saturday's "Today" show to his life and career. His passing dominated rival cable-news networks and news-talk shows.

Russert was the face of political news for NBC as well as cable sibling MSNBC, serving as chief political analyst, a frequent correspondent and an election-night fixture, besides his off-camera duties as NBC News' Washington bureau chief.

He had become almost synonymous with the top-rated "Meet the Press," the TV institution he reinvented while becoming an institution himself. He had been its host since 1991 when the show, the longest-running on television, already was in its 45th year.

Several tape montages on Sunday's tribute displayed Russert in action, pressing subjects from Ross Perot to Louis Farrakhan. Politicos including John Kerry and Hillary Rodham Clinton were seen telling Russert they had no interest in running for the White House.

The abrupt void Russert leaves is unprecedented in network TV news. Even the tragic death of ABC News anchor Peter Jennings in 2005 followed his much-publicized battle with lung cancer and his four-month absence from the airwaves.

There was no immediate word on who would host "Meet the Press" next week, or in the weeks after that.

Drawing the program to a close, Brokaw observed "this would not have been just another Sunday for Tim: This is Father's Day." Any regular viewer of "Meet the Press" knew Russert was a devoted son (of "Big Russ," about whom he wrote in a best-selling memoir) and father (to Luke).

But the final moments — eerily yet aptly — were of Russert signing off from his host's chair, proud and cheery, with Father's Day greetings to all. For an instant, viewers might have wondered: Who will Russert be grilling next week?

Related:
Tim Russert: Magnificent Human Being and Journalist
 

Wait what's going on? We're attacking Pakistan?  Cool. 

Hogan's former wife a 48 year old is dating a teen.  Poor kid.

Carville recommends Obama chose Gore as VP.  How much fun would that be?

ALF vs O'Reilly

Really odd pictures of Alienesque being born from a cow.

Anybody else notice the striking resemblance between Carville and Cassell?

In the good news file suicide recruits down in Iraq.

Cloud making machine.  Looks like foam.

World's most dangerous destinations. 

15 futuristic architectural designs

I don't know if anybody notice but the mid west is getting tore up.  Tornado's, floods, etc.

Crappy children's art work

Speaking of here's some cool tornado footage.

NBA not doing much to convince the public that Donaghy is lying.  Stern needs to say more then this is a rouge official that acted on his own and is now trying to save his butt.

Illegal drag racing.

Bush Senior knows the "pound"

The Media is already manipulating the tone and language of McCain's quotes.  Saying he doesn't think it's important when the troops come home.  When in fact what he was comparing his stance on Iraq to that of Obama's who would like to immediately implement a troop with drawl.

Apparently it's a big deal that McCain can't use a computer.  It's not so much a big deal as he doesn't need to use one to be President that's what his staff is there for but what's interesting is how the media is trying to play up a difference in cultures a clash between young and old.  They push this too far it will bite them in the ass.

Obama should know his staff better.  Mistakes happen and you aren't going to know everything about everybody but if something like this pops up again after Rezko then this starts to look less and less like "Hope" and "Change and more like Washington politics.

Book your getaway now before the Ocean evaporates.

It must have been make up sex.

Fun tormenting a telemarketer.

The argument that Gore's varied experience qualifies him as the best choice for Obama would be correct, if the general election was already an expected landslide in Obama's favor. Al Gore served respectably as Clinton's Vice President, but he will not attract many new voters in the way that some other potential running mates could. Obviously the "dream ticket" of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama would be a way of capturing that potential loss; but I prefer another strong female candidate like Kathleen Sebelius or Janet Napolitano. But the Huffington Post reports that he may not have to worry too much over bitter Clinton supporters, as many are getting behind the Democratic candidate.

The real problem with adding Gore is that it would be a redundant move. Gore's global warming documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, harnessed strong support from liberal Democrats as well as youth voters. Gore would only solidify Obama's strength among voters that he already does well with. I suppose if Carville really wants to stretch it, Gore would counter the one credential that McCain has been praised for by liberals. Al Gore is synonymous with energy and global awareness, and McCain has made it a point to show that he is different than stereotypical Republicans in this matter.

Another problem is that Al Gore is not likely to consider the subordinate role, especially for a second time.

Overall, Obama is better off finding a strategic running mate that can help him secure the presidency, and then building a strong cabinet.

LAST WEEK ON PCW EXTREME POLITICAL TV:

-#1 Contender Match for PCW Women’s Title: Kathryn Randall Collins aka KRC (Progressive Alliance) vs. ‘PCW Extreme Pizza Delivery Girl’ Tessa Martin of the 3 Amigas w/Tequila Sheila and Daisy Cutter-Bomb (Independent)

Tessa looks ready. The bell rings and they lock up. KRC tries a couple power moves but Tessa reverses both into arm drag takedowns. KRC powers up. Tessa sweeps her leg and slaps on a fuji bar. “Empress Queen of All Media” and PCW Women’s champion Opal Winfree arrives ringside with her flock- New Age Sensitive Guy and Soccer Mom. Suave: “I wonder what she’s doing out here?” Winfree watches with interest as KRC and Tessa exchange chops. Tessa tries to fight off KRC but Collins hits a flapjack. KRC covers but Opal Winfree distracts the referee. By the time he starts to count, Tessa easily kicks out.

After looking to the back for help from Hillary Clinton or the Progressive Alliance, KRC hits a snap mare to the PCW Extreme Pizza Delivery Girl. Dropkick right back at KRC. Both throw rights and lefts. Tessa works the knee strikes. Then off the ropes into a high cross body take down. Tessa covers and again, the PCW Women’s champion has the referee looking the other way. Suave: “What the hell is going on? It’s almost as if Opal doesn’t want this match to end quickly, that she wants this match to drag out and…OHHHHHHH!” KRC reversal into a full nelson on Tessa. KRC flings Tessa down and lays the boots to her. Octopus hold by KRC, Tessa bites her hand and escapes. Tessa runs into a boot to the face. She gets Irish whipped to the ropes and ducks KRC’s charge. Tessa up top and a huge cross body to KRC. This time, the ref gets to 2 but then Opal has Soccer Mom and New Age Sensitive Guy drag the referee out of the ring. Outside, the other two members of the 3 Amigas immediately attack. Tequila Sheila trips up Soccer Mom and throws her into the ring steps. Daisy Cutter-Bomb takes out New Age Sensitive Guy with a Singapore caneshot and then heaves him over the guardrail.

KRC again looks for help from Hillary or the Progressive Alliance. It’s not coming. Tessa hits the ropes, and slams KRC’s knee off of the apron. She works the knee bar and then drops elbows to the knee. Slingshot into the ring ropes and KRC is in trouble. She manages to get to her feet but Tessa small packages her. Again, the ref gets to 2 before Opal herself pulls him out of the ring to break the count. Daisy Cutter-Bomb hits the ring. Opal bails. Tequila Sheila slides the pizza box in. KRC tries to take her down. Tessa hits her with the oversized pizza box with the road sign inside and nearly knocks KRC out. She then nails her finisher- the Pizza Cutter, for the final coupe de grace. Tessa covers. Opal tries to get back in the ring but Daisy holds her leg. 1…2…3.

WINNER AND THE NEW #1 CONTENDER FOR THE PCW WOMEN’S TITLE: ‘PCW Extreme Pizza Delivery Girl’ TESSA MARTIN (Independent)

A bitterly disappointed KRC limps to the back, wondering why help never came.

Suave: “A HUGE WIN FOR THE PCW EXTREME PIZZA DELIVERY GIRL! THE QUESTION NOW IS- DID OPAL’S INTERFERENCE TAKE TOO MUCH OUT OF HER……HOLD ON. THERE’S A DISTURBANCE IN THE BACK.”.

BACKSTAGE
Big Oil, Kirk Walstreit, Texas Tex, and Rough Justice stand over an unconscious Indianola Jones. Suave: “HOLY CRAP! Big Oil and Rough Justice have taken out the PCW Television champion!” Big Oil: “Tonight is a night of retribution. For Indianola Jones, retribution for sticking his nose in my business. For Average Joe and the American Trucker, it’s retribution for taking something that doesn’t belong to you. For you schmucks out there, it’s retribution for cheering these low lifes on as they took my money. That’s right, watch out for gas prices going to $4.50 per gallon. Suck on that a while. You people need to know your place because, like it or not, there are those who have, like me, and there are those who haven’t, and that’s all of you. Face it, some people are just better than others…just ask Indianola Jones here.

VIDEO RECAP OF BIG OIL/AVERAGE JOE/AMERICAN TRUCKER FEUD:
It all started at 5/6- PCW Extreme Political TV- Kirk Walstreit tells Big Oil that even though Exxon Mobil had record profits that it wasn’t good enough for Wall Street. Big Oil agrees and suggests that gas prices should go even higher. He then gets jumped by both American Trucker and Average Joe.

Basement dropkick by Average Joe, and Big Oil tags out to Walstreit. He and Big Oil conference first. Walstreit starts with a springboard leg drop. Walstreit throws Average Joe to the floor. Big Oil ambushes him with rights to him. Texas Tex tries to get a cheap shot in with the golden money belt, but American Trucker comes to his rescue. The commotion allows Walstreit to get a sweet tornado DDT off of the apron and through the ring table. Suave: “HOLY CRAP!” Big Oil throws Average Joe back in the ring. Walstreit slams him into the corner. Then he goes to his corner and brings out the autographed picture of ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit (whom he has a huge man crush on) poses, and then eats a side kick from American Trucker. A spin kick drops Walstreit. Big Oil distracts the ref to allow Walstreit to sneak in a cheap shot. Irish whip and a sunset flip by Walstreit for 2. Average Joe tossed to the floor again. Slingshot cross body by Walstreit connects on the floor. D.B. Ruff of Rough Justice gets a couple kicks in for good measure and then he and his partner, Connor Justice, toss Average Joe back into the ring.

Average Joe needs to tag badly. American Trucker yells to him. Walstreit lays the boots to Average Joe. Back breaker into a neck breaker. Walstreit covers for 2 and then tags in Big Oil. He goes for a suplex, gets it and transitions right into a camel clutch. American Trucker jumps in and breaks the hold. Walstreit in and we’re off to the races. Average Joe fights to his feet. American Trucker goes after Big Oil. Walstreit continues to punish Average Joe. Walstreit off the ropes into a Lou Thiesz press. Big Oil and American Trucker battle on the apron. Big Oil goes for the power bomb but AT holds on to his arm and pulls the big guy down with him. Both men are down. Flinging himself off the ropes, Walstreit hits a flying forearm. Alabama slam. Walstreit whips Average Joe to the corner. Average Joe avoids Walstreit and gets the sunset flip for a very close 2. Rough Justice hits the ring. Ruff and Justice both taser Average Joe and hand him to Walstreit. Stock Market Plunge. Walstreit covers and gets the pin.

WINNER: BIG OIL and KIRK WALSTREIT (American Patriots)

The crowd boos and throws debris into the ring. Big Oil gives the American Trucker an Oklahoma Driller just for spit. He takes the mic and gloats. He holds up four fingers to signify ‘$4 per gallon of gas’ and tells both Average Joe and American Trucker that you ‘don’t @#$# with people with money and power.’ Big Oil: “We can do anything we want to and there’s nothing you can do or say to stop us.” More boos and debris. Big Oil holds his hand out and demands that American Trucker turn over the title to his semi-truck and Average Joe the title to his house.

The Extreme Attorneys- Felcher and Felcher, walk out to the ring. R Felcher goes to Big Oil and hands him a sheet of paper. Big Oil: “What the @#$# is this?” R Felcher: “This is an injunction.” The PCW fans stand and cheer. Big Oil looks stunned. B Felcher: “This injunction prohibits you, or anyone else, from taking ipossession the American Trucker’s truck or Average Joe’s house.” R Felcher: “This means, both items in question will stay in the possession of the American Trucker and Average Joe. Suave: “I don’t believe it! The crowd is actually cheering the Extreme Attorneys.”

Big Oil throws a major in ring fit and leaves. On the way out, he shouts if Average Joe’s house and American Trucker’s rig isn’t returned to him, he’ll push for $5 per gallon gas prices. The crowd continues to jeer Big Oil all the way to the back. Suave can’t believe that the Extreme Attorneys have come to the rescue of Average Joe and the American Trucker. Suave: “It’s almost like that scene from Philadelphia where Denzel Washington refuses to take Tom Hanks’s case. Then Hanks goes to the library to research AIDS discrimination cases. Denzel sees the way he’s treated and it totally changes his attitude.” B Felcher: “Naah. They just gave us part of the money in the wheelbarrow as a retainer.”

Suave: “Figures.”

SCHETT BROTHERS PROMO
Jack Schett and Bull Schett announce that this is A-Bomb and H-Bomb’s last chance. Jack says that ever since the Schett’s won the PCW Tag Team belts, the Bomb Brothers have been a step behind. Jack: “…and that’s no Schett.” Suave: “Nice…more stupid potty references.” Bull says that the Schetts have one thing that the Bombs don’t have…well, besides the belts that is. Bull: “We have the ultimate insurance policy…the ultimate security blanket. Because if you try to take our PCW Tag Team belts, you’ll have to get past the Extreme Schnauzer- Hans Gruber. Suave: “The dog named after the guy who wrote ‘Silent Night.’ Bull: “NINE! I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU @#4#ING SAID THAT! THAT’S A BUNCH OF BULL-SCHETT! Hans Gruber is only the…GREATEST MOVIE VILLIAN OF ALL TIME! DIDN’T YOU SEE DIE HARD? SCHELL!”

Suave: “So sensitive.”

BACKSTAGE:
Dr. Bill is pumping up FUBAR for his big match tonight. Dr. Bill: “If you’re tired of being a jobber, then be a star! If you hate losing, then win!” Suave: “Again, this guy went to college to spout out contrarian psychobabble wrapped up in kitschy one liners?”

MATCH #3- THREE WAY DANCE FOR THE PCW TELEVISION TITLE: INDIANOLA JONES © (Independent) vs. FUBAR w/his Life Coach, Dr. Bill (Jobber) vs. ‘No Frills’ CHRIS ESCONDIDO (Independent)
Suave: “Last week, after taking some advice from Escondido about getting a life coach, FUBAR took the PCW Television champion to the limit with help from Dr. Bill. We’ll see just how he…HOLY CRAP…INDIANOLA JONES IS SOMEHOW STUMBLING TO THE RING.” Still feeling the after effects of the savage beatdown from Big Oil and Rough Justice, a bloody 65 year old Jones crawls into the ring and collapses. Suave: “HE CAN’T WRESTLE! THERE’S JUST NO WAY!” Escondido agrees. He checks on Jones. Dr. Bill wanders over and pushes Escondido out of the ring. FUBAR’s not sure what’s happening. The bell hasn’t rung yet. Dr. Bill implores the ref to ring the bell. Bell rings and FUBAR quickly pins Jones.

INDIANOLA JONES ELIMINATED

An angry Escondido climbs back into the ring and starts chasing Dr. Bill around the ring. Dr. Bill drops his clipboard at FUBAR’s foot. FUBAR picks up the clipboard and potatoes Escondido in the kisser with it. Cover. 1…2…3?

WINNER AND NEW PCW TELEVISION CHAMPION: FUBAR (Independent)

Suave: “I don’t believe it. This just didn’t happen, did it?” FUBAR stands in the ring and looks bit a lost as the referee puts the TV belt around his waist. Dr. Bill raises his hand up. Suave admits that you can’t argue with the results.

BACKSTAGE:
Barack Obama arrives in the back and sees Independent Joe Lieberman standing nearby. He beelines right for Lieberman and proceeds to have an animated conversation with him. Suave: “I wonder what’s going on there? I’m guessing the fact Joe Lieberman supports John McCain for PCW CEO isn’t sitting very well for the Progressive Alliance nominee.”

‘Sports Entertainment Guy’ MR. McMANN and VINCE ROUSSEAU MEET IN THE RING
Mr. McMann offers George W the sum of ONE MILLION DOLLARS to allow him to improve PCW by adding his genius at sports entertainment. Mr. McMann: “Again, *I* know what the audience wants more than what the audience thinks it wants.”

Rousseau counters with a brand new idea for a gimmick match- a War Games Twister Match. The first wrestler to climb a ladder and grab the spinner off a pole gets to spin it and everyone has to do what the spinner says.

Mr. McMann calls out PCW CEO George W. and demands that he choose between him and his ‘genius’ or the convoluted trainwreck, overbooked matches that Rousseau specializes in. The horribly off-key mariachi band comes out playing ‘Hail to the Chief.’ Suave: “I guess we’re going to find out-” The mariachi band suddenly shifts songs and starts playing an equally hideous, really bad, off-key version of Def Leppard’s ‘Rock, Rock, Til You Drop!” Suave: “Wait a minute! That’s not PCW CEO George W coming out. That’s the EXTREME EQUALIZER- WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT!”

Mr. McMann: “Now wait a second…wait!…HEY! NOOOOOOO!” Kick. Chokeslam. Goodnight, Mr. McMann. Rousseau tries to exit the ring but Whiskey Tango Foxtrot catches him. Kick. Chokeslam. Goodnight, Mr. Rousseau. For good measure, WTF takes out the horribly off-key mariachi band too.

The crowd gives him a standing ovation as he leaves.

A. BOMB and H-BOMB PROMO
A-Bomb comes out and makes an admission. They’ve hit a lull. A down period. After winning the tag team belts, the Bomb Brothers have lost their way. A-Bomb: “Tonight, that all changes.” H-Bomb promises to bring out the political extreme tonight and the Schetts had better be ready for a war. H-Bomb: “Tonight, we’re bringing the family back together…and adding some new blood.”

A-Bomb and H-Bomb come to the ring led by their long-lost cousin, Sign Dude, who proudly displays a sign that says “Eat Schett and Die!” Suave: “Wow! Haven’t seen Sign Dude for awhile.” ‘Silent But Deadly” Newt Tron Bomb is next. N-Bomb announces that that the Bombs needed a little female protection so they’ve brought in a new enforcer. Suave: “Gee, I wonder what her name could be? Olivia Neutron Bomb? Nope. It’s the owner of the most lethal pair of high heel shoes this side of the Mississippi- a six foot demolition machine in a short skirt. Suave: “HOLY CRAP! IT’S DAWN McGILL!” Crowd: “WELCOME BACK! (clap, clap, clap-clap-clap) WELCOME BACK!” A-Bomb introduces the other new member of the Bomb family- ‘The Mastermind’ Karl Rove. Rove comes out pointing to his temple as usual to make sure everyone knows just what a freakin’ genius he is.

MATCH #4- PCW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: JACK SCHETT and BULL SCHETT © w/Horst Schett and the Extreme Schnauzer Hans Gruber (Progressive Alliance) vs. A. TOM BOMB and HY DROGEN BOMB w/Newt Tron Bomb, Dawn McGill, and ‘The Mastermind’ Karl Rove (American Patriots)
Forget the bell. A-Bomb and H-Bomb wade in and meet Jack and Bull Schett in their corner. Rove again points to his temple to show he’s a genius. Horst Schett tries to get a couple cheapies in causing N-Bomb to suddenly blurt out, “that’s a pile of horse @#$#!” Suave: “Sigh…” The Schetts grab their title belts and start whipping A-Bomb and H-Bomb. H-Bomb looks ready to go off but Bull chokes him with the title belt. N-Bomb to the top. He tries a flying elbow but Bull’s gone and H-Bomb is the recipient. A-Bomb tosses Bull out to the floor. Dawn McGill and A-Bomb toss Bull face first into the barricade. Then A-Bomb dives over the barricade and wipes out Bull. Back in, Jack Schett facewashes H-Bomb who’s nearly ready to explode. Jack tries to crack open H-Bomb’s skull. Horst throws in a barbed-wire 2x4. H-Bomb goes low and Horst drops the 2 x 4. H-Bomb hits a Russian Leg Sweep with the 2x4 and then smashes it into Jack's crotch. Suave: “Ow…ow, ow…ow.” Barbed wire 2x4 across Jack’s forehead. Suave: “OW…OW, OW, OW, OW OWWWW!” McGill throws in a table. H-Bomb sets it up and then McGill introduces a barbed-wire panel. Suave: “Oh…no….” H-Bomb lifts Jack up and Hydrogen Power Bombs him through the table- barbed wire and all. Suave: “HOLY FREAKIN’ CRAP!”

*YEEEEEE-AHHHHH!*

H-Bomb covers. Barack Obama and ‘The American Screamer’ Howard Dean runs out with the Clinton Political Pitbulls (James Carville and Terry McAuliffe) to break the count. N-Bomb and Dawn jump in the ring. Dawn goes low on both Carville and McAuliffe and sets up the barbed-wire board in the corner. N-Bomb sticks his butt in Carville’s face. Suave: “HOLD ON TO YOUR NOSES. HE’S GOING FOR THE SILENT BUT DEADLY!” McAuliffe grabs the barbed wire board and whacks N-Bomb in the ass with it. N-Bomb jumps around and accidently sets off his Silent But Deadly right in front of Dawn. She’s out. Horst Schett in with a chair and clobbers N-Bomb. Horst tosses him out. Horst takes out H-Bomb with the chair and throws him from the ring as well.

A-Bomb and Bull battle through the main floor of Hack’s. A-Bomb is bleeding from a glass pitcher shot. Bull has a cut eye from going face first into the barricade. Horst to the floor. He stretches a ladder across the barricade and apron and tosses H-Bomb on. A-Bomb off the barricade and drives Horst into the ladder, knocking H-Bomb off. McAuliffe and Carville double team A-Bomb and put him on the ladder. Bull to the top. Suave: “This could do it…HERE COMES TRIPLE R!” ‘The Angry Highway Warrior’ runs down and pushes Bull off the top. Then he attacks McAuliffe and Carville. Dean tries to pull him off. H-Bomb up on the ladder. He crushes all four to the floor. Horst lets loose the Extreme Schnauzer Han Gruber. The dog sinks his teeth in H-Bomb’s leg. A-Bomb tries to pulls the dog off and gets waffled by a chairshot from Jack Schett. Jack rolls A-Bomb back into the ring. ‘The Mastermind’ Karl Rove actually sets foot in the ring with a chair. Jack sees him and backs the Mastermind into a corner. He swipes the chair and then takes Rove out with it.

Horst sets a table up in the ring. Bull sets A-Bomb on top of it. Jack climbs the turnbuckle, turns his back, and places a brick in the back of his tights. He then Schett Bricks A-Bomb through the table! One…two…three.

WINNER AND STILL PCW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: JACK AND BULL SCHETT (Progressive Alliance)

Suave: “That was a war…an absolute war. But the Obama/Clinton factions of the Progressive Alliance unite to keep the Tag Team belts in their group.”

Obama tells Dean that there’s no place in his Progressive Alliance for a loose cannon like Triple R. Dean then kicks Triple R out of the Progressive Alliance. McAuliffe and Carville unceremoniously toss Triple R off the stage onto the main floor. Obama, Dean, and the Political Pitbulls return to the back with the tag team champions.

WOMEN’S LOCKER ROOM
Kathryn Randall Collins…aka KRC finds an envelope in her locker. She opens it up and reads a note.

MATCH #5- PCW WOMEN’S TITLE MATCH: ‘Empress Queen of All Media’ OPAL WINFREE © w/Opal’s Flock- New Age Sensitive Guy and Soccer Mom (Progressive Alliance) vs. ‘PCW Extreme Pizza Delivery Girl’ TESSA MARTIN of the 3 Amigas w/Tequila Sheila and Daisy Cutter-Bomb (Independent)
Suave: “Two years ago, Tessa Martin made her first appearance right here at Loose Cannons 2. Tonight, she goes for the PCW Women’s title. Could this be the night for the PCW Extreme Pizza Delivery Girl? Or will Opal continue her reign as champion.”

Tessa starts fast and they brawl. Lots of punches back and forth. Opal in control. Big boot to Tessa. Opal clotheslines her to the floor. Soccer Mom pulls Tessa up, yell’s “IT’S FOR THE CHILDREN!” and slams the PCW Extreme Pizza Delivery Girl into the railing. Opal then throws her on the steps. Daisy Cutter-Bomb joins the fray and slams Opal into the railing now. Tequila Sheila hits a blender shot on Soccer Mom. Tequila Sheila slammed to the ring steps by Opal. New Age Sensitive Guy apologizes to Daisy while holding her down for Soccer Mom to hit some rights on her. Tessa climbs back in the ring. Opal’s not paying attention on the floor so Tessa leaps through the ropes and hits a high cross body. Crowd: “PCW…PCW!” Soccer Mom again attacks Tessa. She escapes but eats a big boot from Opal. Splash by Opal against the edge of the ring. Back elbows by Tessa. Head butt by Opal and then the chokeslam connects.

Tessa lies on the floor as Soccer Mom and Opal kick away. Daisy whips around the ring with an oversized pizza box. Daisy sets and plasters Soccer Mom with the pizza box. Opal superkicks the pizza box into Daisy’s face. Tree slam by Opal on Daisy through a table! Opal grabs Tessa by the hair- tree slam through another table. She covers for 2 but Tequila Sheila makes the save with her blender once again. Opal sets, charges and runs right into a tilt-a-whirl slam. Tessa locks in the STO- but Opal powers out of it. Finally back in the ring. Missile drop kicks to Opal. Clothesline puts her down. Tessa on the top rope. Suddenly, Barack Obama runs out. He distracts Tessa long enough to allow Opal to face plant her from the top rope. Suave: “HOLY CRAP! THAT WAS WICKED.”

Tessa’s unconscious. Easy cover for Opal.

WINNER AND STILL PCW WOMEN’S CHAMPION: ‘Empress Queen of All Media’ OPAL WINFREE

BARACK OBAMA PROMO
Obama states now that he’s the nominee of the Progressive Alliance, it’s time to look forward to November and PCW Extreme Election Night 2008. Obama will campaign to become the next PCW CEO to enact change and work for more fairness within PCW. Obama claims John McCain would continue the poor and haphazard leadership of current PCW CEO George W. He states PCW can do better. Tonight, his wrestler, O’Beck Bahama, has a chance to do something very few rookie wrestlers ever get to accomplish- become the new PCW title. Obama claims his leadership will win Bahama the title.

JOHN McCAIN PROMO
McCain retorts that Obama would take us back to the days of Jimmy Carter…if Jimmy Carter was ever PCW CEO. McCain returns to his theme of Obama ‘talking about change’ while he actually works for change. McCain heralds his ability to work with members of the Progressive Alliance to the betterment of PCW. He then talks up the PCW champion, Starz N. Stripes. McCain explains that Starz has been around PCW since 2005. Starz worked his way up and now all of his hard work has paid off- he is the PCW champion. McCain: “It’s the American dream in action.”

McCain and Obama shake hands in the ring.

MEN’S LOCKER ROOM
Triple R slams open his locker and finds an envelope very similar to the one KRC found in her locker. He reads it and looks very intrigued.

MATCH #6- PCW TITLE MATCH: ‘The Original Rookie Sensation’ STARZ N. STRIPES © w/John McCain (American Patriots) vs. ‘The New Rookie Sensation’ O’BECK BAHAMA w/Barack Obama (Progressive Alliance)
Suave: “This is it. O’Beck Bahama has come a long way in his very short time here PCW. Does he have enough experience behind him to pull off the win over Starz N. Stripes tonight? Or is Starz still a couple steps ahead of him.” Charlene Ann Beckworth does the full ring introductions for both wrestlers. Bahama and Starz also shake hands in the ring. The bell rings.

A little staredown and then O’Beck shoves Starz right out of the box. Starz smiles and they circle around each other before locking up. Starz hits a bodyslam and Bahama retreats to the corner to slow things up. Both men stare each other down again. Another lockup, this time O’Beck pushes Starz into the corner and uncorks a wild right hand that the PCW champion easily ducks. Starz with a side headlock. Bahama shoots him into the ropes but Starz hangs onto them. Bahama aggressively chases down Starz and attempts to cut him off. Starz slides out of the ring and takes a walk.Starz back in and they lock up yet again. Bahama pushes Starz into the corner and delivers the boots to the gut. Out of nowhere, Starz stiffs him with a jarring right hand that sends O’Beck flying across the ring and out to the floor. Starz slingshots himself out of the ring and crushes Bahama against the steel barricade. Irish whip into the barricade on the other side. Starz throws Bahama back in the ring. Irish whip from Starz. Starz ducks for a backdrop but Bahama turns it into a neckbreaker. Bahama starts laying in right hands and sends Starz out this time through the ropes. Starz back up on the apron. Bahama charges into him and sends the PCW champion flying off the apron and onto a table. O’Beck wastes no time in climbing the top rope and putting Starz through the table. Crowd: “PCW…PCW!” Starz crawls out of the wreckage but Bahama follows up with a suplex. Suave: “The New Rookie Sensation is on his A game tonight. Starz could be in big trouble.” Suave also notes that both Obama and McCain have stayed clear of interfering in the match.

Bahama puts Starz in the abdominal stretch. Starz powers out of it into a hip toss. Bahama presses the attack, grabbing a nearby steel folding chair and waffling the champion in the face with it. Starz thrown in the ring. Bahama goes for the win. Suave: “1...2…NO! STARZ SOMEHOW KICKS OUT!!” Bahama can’t believe it and goes for another cover. Starz kicks out again. Bahama goes for a piledriver. Starz gets his feet back down and flips the New Rookie Sensation behind him. Running power bomb takes the air out of Bahama. Starz covers. Suave: “1...2...OBAMA PUT HIS FOOT ON THE ROPES!!” McCain shouts something over to Obama. Starz hits another running power bomb. This time, Obama gets up on the apron and distracts the referee just as Starz rolls him up. Suave counts to at least a five-count, but the referee is talking with Obama. Bahama hits another neckbreaker out of nowhere. The referee counts to two before the champion gets a shoulder up in time. Suave: “WHAT A MATCH! THIS IS THE BEST BAHAMA HAS LOOKED YET!”

Bahama climbs to the top rope but Starz crotches him on the top turnbuckle. Bahama tied in the tree of woe. McCain throws Starz a chair. Baseball slide and Bahama is potatoed with the chair. Roll up. Obama again pulls the referee’s attention away. McCain slams his hands on the canvas in frustration. Starz releases the hold. Suave: “Barack Obama again saves O’Beck Bahama from…WAIT A MINUTE! HERE COMES JOE LIEBERMAN!” Lieberman and Obama continue their debate from earlier in the night. Bahama gets up and sees Obama arguing with Lieberman. He turns his back on Starz and leans across the ropes. Starz slaps on the American Stars Double Fuji Bar submission hold and drives Bahama to the canvas. The referee is right there. Obama can’t get past Lieberman. O’Beck taps out.

WINNER AND STILL PCW CHAMPION: ‘The Original Rookie Sensation’ STARZ N. STRIPES (American Patriots)

Suave: “Starz N. Stripes holds on to the title. But O’Beck Bahama turned in an impressive performance. Only one title changes tonight, the PCW Television Title won by FUBAR…what?...

HACK’S RUSTY NAIL SALOON PARKING LOT
A stretch limousine pulls up to Triple R and KRC. The darkened window goes down and ‘Sports Entertainment Genius’ Mr. McMann sticks his head out the window. Mr. McMann: “So. Are you in or are you out?” Triple R and KRC look at each other. Then they get into the limo.

WHEN PCW-POLITICAL CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING RETURNS IN MID-AUGUST:
-The road to PCW Extreme Election Night 2008 begins in earnest. The PCW CEO contest and political shenanigans heat up as John McCain of the American Patriots, Barack Obama of the Progressive Alliance, Darth (Ralph) Nader from the Green World Order, and Libertarian Bob Barr vying to replace George W.

The always colorful former Clinton aide James Carville said on CNN today that he thinks Barack Obama should choose former vice president Al Gore as his VP. He argued that Gore would be the right candidate for combating the biggest problem facing the nation: oil consumption.

Watch the video: Click Here

Greatest economic problem +
Greatest national security issue +
Greatest environmental issue=

Dependence on oil and the things
we've done to secure it

Could Al Gore play a pivotal role in the next four years as VP? Is this a great opportunity for America?

• New WSJ/NBC Poll shows change remains the dominant theme among voters as Obama's lead over McCain widens to 47-41%.  Poll suggests room for more growth for Obama given that it shows some reluctance among white suburban women to support Obama, but the poll was taken just as Hillary was conceding.  In addition, in the generic question of which party should win the White House, the Democrats win by 16%.  All in all, a positive poll for Obama.
• The New Republic:  Is the McCain campaign deluded by its improbable, low budget primary win, while the Obama campaign is a battle-tested machine running aggressively following its much harder fought 50-state contest?
• Obama makes surprise visit to 8th grade graduating ceremony at Young Women's Charter School of Chicago.  Class chants "Change!" "Change!" in response.
• James Carville says Obama should pick Al Gore as VP and energy czar.  It feels so odd to agree with James Carville, but I do.
• Halperin:  Why Obama is different (i.e., better) than Democrats of the past.  For someone who wants to change the game, Obama can play it well until he does.
• McCain says on the Today Show show "It's not too important" when our troops return from Iraq because we've had troops in Germany and South Korea for over 50 years and that's been fine.  This seems to be a confirmation of his earlier controversial statement that he's okay with our troops staying in Iraq for 100 years or more.  His campaign had tried to walk that one back.  Oops.

UPDATE:  McCain campaign changes position on what McCain meant, in an admission they're taking on water.  Now the campaign is trotting out this tortured construction:  when he said "it's not too important" he was referring to whether he had an estimate of when the troops would be coming home, not when they'd be coming home.  This contradicts the campaign's own initial reaction to the fuss over McCain's statement, in which they acknowledged McCain's point was the duration of our occupation isn't important so long as our casualties are tolerable.

• New Poll shows former Clinton supporters moving to Obama.  Hillary's most loyal base, women over 50, now support Obama over McCain by 6 points, 47-41%.
• Chuck Todd crunches numbers to forecast the 2008 election.  He takes 2004's results and overlays the new voters added to the rolls and the higher turnout we saw in the primaries and sees four states flipping from red to blue (significantly more than necessary for Obama to win because one of the four is Ohio, which flips the election outcome by itself).
• WaPo Fact Checker slams McCain's false and misleading attacks on Obama's tax policies.
• Obama starts off general election in a strong position to carry Iowa.
• Proof of Peggy Noonan's earlier observation that America dodged a bullet when Hillary lost: her strongest supporters keep an enemies list as if they were still in power and capable of exacting revenge. Another reason why the Clintons can't return to the White House.
• Buzz grows around Romney as McCain's Veep pick.
• Obama to campaign with Governor Strickland in Ohio with Michelle on Friday.
• Time profiles the leading Veep candidates of both McCain and Obama.
• Paglia on Obama's Veep choice and Hillary's concession speech.  She likes Sebelius and detests Hillary.
• NY Times discusses the Obama Veep possibilities.
• ABC News: McCain caught once again contradicted by prior statements, this time on Social Security taxes.