Obama Speaks on New GI Bill Aug. 3

This was the bill that John McCain opposed during the campaign. He argued it was incentive to get out of the service. I'd say it's incentive to go into the military and a deserved payment. After all, there aren't many jobs you sign up for knowing that you could be killed. Sen. Jim Webb wrote the bill. Obama said 8 million people were educated under the original G.I. bill:

The maximum benefit under the law rolled out Saturday will allow every eligible veteran, serviceman and woman, Reservist and National Guard member to attend a public college or university for free for four years. They are also eligible for a monthly housing stipend and up to $1,000 a year for books.

Those who attend a private institution or graduate school can receive financial assistance up to the cost of a public college in the state. About 1,100 schools are offering additional scholarships matched by the VA. MSNBC

Details of the GI bill.

McCain's Convention Bounce Gone

Now the race is dead even.

Who's the Celebrity Now?

Isn't it ironic that just a few weeks ago, the McCain camp was making commercials about how Obama was a "celebrity?" 

That was the basis for McCain's entire campaign. Plenty of people bought it. 

Now it turns out, McCain was just jealous. 

The republicans needed a charisma injection, as McCain put it on Face the Nation. Now it's the Palin-McCain ticket. 

I don't think we'll be seeing any commercials about Obama's celebrity status. 

McCain Opposed Funding for Pregnant Teens

Teen pregnancy happens and then something worse: marriage. Levi apparently didn't want kids or marriage (how many teen boys do?). It doesn't look like Sarah Palin's daughter has a choice.

Here's what else happens with teen pregnancy, the financial burden of raising a child is placed on the mother. Often, the father bows out leaving the mother alone to fend for herself. But if you're a teen who belongs to a loving wealthy family, the challenge isn't as great. The family will financially support the teen, and care for the child, and in Sarah Palin's case, have the daughter marry.

Republican blogs are selling this as "an American story."

If they'd stop with the glorifying, bloggers wouldn't feel so compelled to blog. Palin has introduced a good reason to talk about how to reduce teen pregnancy so that it works for everyone, not just the wealthy. 

CBS: Republican John McCain, whose running mate disclosed that her unmarried 17-year-old daughter is pregnant, has opposed proposals to spend federal money on teen-pregnancy prevention programs and voted to require poor teen mothers to stay in school or lose their benefits.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's announcement Monday about her daughter, Bristol, was aimed at rebutting Internet rumors that Palin's youngest son, born in April, was actually her daughter's. Palin said her daughter intends to raise her child and marry the baby's father, who was identified only by his first name, Levi. The baby is due in late December.

McCain's record on issues surrounding teen pregnancy and contraceptives during his more than two decades in the Senate indicates that he and Palin have similar views. Until Monday, when the subject surfaced in a deeply personal manner, teen pregnancy and sex education were not issues in the national political campaign.

Palin herself said she opposes funding sexual-education programs in Alaska.
....
In Senate votes, McCain has opposed some proposals to pay for teen-pregnancy prevention programs. In 2006, McCain joined fellow Republicans in voting against a Senate Democratic proposal to send $100 million to communities for teen-pregnancy prevention programs that would have included sex education about contraceptives.

In 2005, McCain opposed a Senate Democratic proposal that would have spent tens of millions of dollars to pay for pregnancy prevention programs other than abstinence-only education, including education on emergency contraception such as the morning-after pill. The bill also would have required insurance companies that cover Viagra to also pay for prescription contraception.

McCain voted for the Family Support Act in 1988, which passed overwhelmingly in the Senate and required teen mothers who receive public assistance to remain in high school and, in some cases, to live with their parents.

RCP: The 2008 Republican Party platform acknowledges that "each year, more than 3 million American teenagers contract sexually transmitted diseases, causing emotional harm and serious health consequences, even death." It expresses support for "efforts to educate teens and parents about the health risks associated with early sexual activity and provide the tools needed to help teens make healthy choices."

Then it adds, "Abstinence from sexual activity is the only protection that is 100 percent effective against out-of-wedlock pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases."

Yes, but talking about abstinence turns out to be easier than abstaining. More than 60 percent of high-school seniors report having had sex at least once. The message that every family should take from Bristol Palin's pregnancy is: It can happen here.

Wasilla

McCain Billboard and a Congrats

McCain congratulates Obama in this new ad. ? Sarcasm ? Heard the crowd tonight was going to sing Happy Birthday to McCain, who is 72 Friday. 

Billboard in the Twin Cities, where the twins will meet, hug, next week at their convention. 

Media Tweets Begin Silly Season

I borrowed "tweets" from a Salon story, which wrote about how the media is following Karl Rove's cue. Rove called Obama arrogant and then all the press calls Obama arrogant. 

Tweet.

Now "journalists" like ABC's Jake Tapper, are saying Obama played the race card. The Wall Street Journal has an editorial on it today titled "Obama's bad turn."

Tweet. 
Sadly, the Wall Street Journal has been a mouthpiece for Rove.

The funny thing is, Obama has been saying those lines -- about how he doesn't look like presidents of the past and how republicans try to make him seem like an Other  --for a very long time. 

He has his schtick, so to speak. Sometimes he'll mention his big ears. I've been following his campaign for some time now and no one seemed to care until McCain launched his silly ads, the official launch of Silly Season. 

Now is when the media -- biased for and against Obama -- kick it into high gear. 

Also interesting is that not a single media outlet covered the fact that McCain, yet again, couldn't answer the Viagra-birth control question at his Wisconsin town hall yesterday. He gets away with some stupid stuff. 

They did cover how proud McCain was of his ad. 

Today, McCain says he's proud of the race card charge.