Holy commitment to the cause, Batman! A tattoo shop in Moore, Oklahoma is giving away free tattoos— of Barack Obama's face. The tattoo artist is an Obama supporter and says while he doesn't have money to give to the cause, he can donate his talent to help Obama-maniacs wear the Senators face — forever.
The artist says, "I'm a tattoo artist and a lot of people that are into the tattoo thing like free tattoos." He's done about 100 of those free tattoos, a black and white likeness of the Senator with the words Obama 2008 in red. Is this wildly creative campaigning and a testimony to the fervor the 2008 campaign has inspired? Would you transfer your ballot to your back?
While watching the Republican National Convention last night, disturbing images of September 11 put a pit in my stomach. Around 8:40 p.m. EDT, the RNC aired a video that included slow-motion footage of a plane striking the WTC, the towers' collapses, and images of a burning Pentagon, while a narrator conjured up memories of bodies falling from buildings. Even more, the 9/11 tribute video opened with a reference to Iran. The horrific images undoubtedly upset every American, but it left me wondering if the Republican National Convention was the proper time to evoke those painful memories.
The Boston Globe noted that running 9/11 graphic images in a partisan context "was one of the few surviving campaign-season taboos." Keith Olbermann actually apologized to viewers, saying that it was probably not appropriate for MSNBC to show the video.
Supporters of the video could argue that America needs to get real about threats and get real about which president will keep them safe from the threats. The narrator of the video furthers that point saying, "and for too long we've looked the other way. But the enemy is wrong. This is a war America will win. We'll have a president who knows how."
Phew. I've run into quite a few people over the past few weeks who've seen both conventions top to bottom, and the question came up last night after the last balloon settled: Which convention was the best? In my mind it can be answered on a couple of levels — which convention looked the best, or which was more fun — but when it comes down to it, I think the real question is: Which convention did its job the best?
My mom reported in after McCain's speech saying, "I was worried when McCain started, but was in tears at the end. Your grandpa wanted me to take him to the post office to sign up again." While that's a rousing testimony to be sure, they were solid McCain voters before anyone set foot in St. Paul. So what do you all think? You've seen our coverage of both conventions — which party's did its job with an A++ super-gold star?
This week an ordinary citizen asked Joe Biden if the Obama Administration would "pursue violations that have been made against our Constitution by the present administration." His answer? Yes.
Speaking about the efforts of the congressional Democrats to investigate the Bush Administration, VP nominee Biden said:
What they're doing is the right thing. They're not making false accusations, they're not making unfounded accusations, they're collecting data. They're subpoenaing records. They're building the file. And they're going through it and will go through it with a fine tooth comb. If there has been a basis on which you could pursue someone for a criminal violation, they will be pursued. Not out of vengeance, not out of retribution. Out of the need to preserve the notion that no one, no one, no attorney general, no president, no one is above the law.
Obama has said that he will ask his attorney general to distinguish between "genuine crimes" and "really bad policies." He said in April: "[I]f crimes have been committed, they should be investigated. You're also right that I would not want my first term consumed by what was perceived on the part of Republicans as a partisan witch hunt, because I think we've got too many problems we've got to solve."
While it shouldn't surprise anyone when leaders vow to hold criminals accountable, political allegiances are sure to make this vow unusually controversial.
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Just in time to cool off this heated election, Baskin-Robbins has released two spanking new flavors, one for each of the candidates. Ever wonder what two scoops of McCain tastes like? His flavor, Straight Talk Crunch is:
Caramel ribbon, chocolate pieces, candy red states and crunchy mixed nuts swirled into White Chocolate ice cream.
Think a lick of Barack is more your taste? His flavor, Whirl of Change, is:
Peanut-nougat ice cream whirled with chunks of chocolate-covered peanut brittle and a caramel ribbon.
I think they're willing to look the other way on the whole Obama doesn't like ice cream thing . . . Given the (banana) split of the country, what would election-themed flavors be without a chance to vote for your favorite? You can, in the Flavor Debate '08. From now until Oct. 20, sample the candidates' sweet stuff and vote online or in stores for the winner. I wonder if the ice cream war could be a useful replacement for the old Electoral College? It would be a sweeter contest, to be sure.
Which flavor would you want to try first?
