The awful sacrifices Barack Obama must make to become president
The sacrifices these presidential candidates are willing to make to occupy a white house is truly amazing.
Word today from our Swamp blogging colleague John McCormick, on the campaign plane of Democrat Barack Obama, is that he didn't get to watch his favorite Chicago White Sox get dumped from the baseball playoffs.
Probably the n
ation's highest-profile ChiSox fan, Obama was apparently too busy with political business to watch his team get knocked out last night.
Does the country really want that kind of lack of devotion in the Oval Office?
According to chief campaign strategist David Axelrod, "The senator was actually working during the game, but was dismayed to hear the news."
Axelrod spoke on a flight from Asheville, N.C., where Obama has been campaigning and in debate preparations since Saturday evening, to Nashville for tonight's townhall debate-style presidential forum.
On the other hand, with Illinois' electoral votes presumably already up on his scoreboard, maybe Obama really did watch and root for Chicago but just doesn't want to offend one single Devil Rays fan/voter from the crucial state of Florida.
Did Obama see any of the Sox playoff games?
"He saw very little," said Axelrod, also a Chicagoan. "You know, running for president is a demanding thing, man. You gotta make sacrifices.'' As a long-suffering Cubs fan, Axelrod should know.
Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, on the other hand, didn't have to worry about such athletic distractions.
His D'backs were, well, already out on the golf course.
-- Andrew Malcolm
See, you can even find out about the baseball playoffs on The Ticket. Sign up now for instant free alerts flashed directly to your cell. Just register here at Twitter.
Photo credit: Associated Press
Andrew Malcolm's immigrant parents repeatedly stressed the importance of active participation in a democracy. Early lessons included learning the alphabetical list of states by watching televised roll calls of national political conventions. That childhood exposure led to a lifelong fascination with politics, including 40-plus years of covering them and a brief stint practicing them as press secretary to Laura Bush in 1999-2000. A veteran foreign and national correspondent, Malcolm served on the Times Editorial Board and was a Pulitzer finalist in 2004. He is the author of 10 nonfiction books and father of four.
Johanna Neuman is a veteran Washington correspondent for both The Los Angeles Times and USA Today, having covered presidents and politics as far back as Ronald Reagan. A former president of the White House Correspondents Assn., she authored a book on media and foreign policy, “Lights, Camera, Wars.” Most recently she was co-author of the 
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Palins' Un-American Activities
Imagine if the Obamas had hooked up with a violently anti-American group in league with the government of IRAN!. By David Talbot
Oct. 7, 2008 | "My government is my worst enemy. I'm going to fight them with any means at hand." This was former revolutionary terrorist Bill Ayers back in his old Weather Underground days, right? Imagine what Sarah Palin is going to do with this incendiary quote as she tears into Barack Obama this week. ONLY ONE PROBLEM. The quote is from Joe Vogler, the raging anti-American who founded the Alaska Independence Party. Inconveniently for Palin, that's the very same secessionist party that her husband, Todd, belonged to for seven years and that she sent a shout-out to as Alaska governor earlier this year. ("Keep up the good work," Palin told AIP members. "And God bless you.")
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/10/07/palins_unamerican/index.html
McCain Camp cannot talk about the economy because their Economics is for the Rich, the well-off and the well connected!
Posted by: Angellight | October 07, 2008 at 02:27 PM
Mr. Malcolm's relentless, pitiful sarcasm has become so very tiresome, as has his attacks on Sen. Obama. I doubt that his pro-Hillary/anti-Obama blogs have anything to do with his pro-McCain/anti-Obama blogs other than he is not in favor of the black guy.
Posted by: On Closer Look | October 07, 2008 at 03:14 PM
Palin's a tax cheat in Alaska. She collects state per diem to cover food and lodging while she stays at home 80 percent of the year. Then no pay the taxes on the money. Hmmmm? Country first? Sounds more like "me" first.
Go Sarah. Oh, that Witch Doctor thing is a hoot. I love the speaking in tongues deal. Too bad no more debates to here that.
Posted by: Socrates Six-Pack | October 07, 2008 at 05:18 PM