[Allan from Fallbrook]

TG: Showtime is picking up “Inside the NFL”. Link to story follows: http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d808a52f2&template=without-video&confirm=true

I was furious when I heard HBO had axed the program. I used to watch it with my dad religiously.

Yes, year-round football is a Godsend. I don’t know if you are an 8 man football fan (Arena Football is based on 8 man football), but it is a blast to watch and to coach. Very fast, with a lot of passing and misdirection (reverses and counters). With a short break for wrestling season (yes, it is a little alarming to watch one’s son cavorting around in tights), we have year round football. I’m actually running a preseason camp three days a week right now in advance of our season which starts in a month.

I forgot to mention that the Raiders, in their infinite wisdom, decided to pick up DeAngelo Hall. Yeah, that was fricking genius. Complete head case with anger management issues. Good fit for the Raiders, though.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

TG: Showtime is picking up “Inside the NFL”. Link to story follows: http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d808a52f2&template=without-video&confirm=true

I was furious when I heard HBO had axed the program. I used to watch it with my dad religiously.

Yes, year-round football is a Godsend. I don’t know if you are an 8 man football fan (Arena Football is based on 8 man football), but it is a blast to watch and to coach. Very fast, with a lot of passing and misdirection (reverses and counters). With a short break for wrestling season (yes, it is a little alarming to watch one’s son cavorting around in tights), we have year round football. I’m actually running a preseason camp three days a week right now in advance of our season which starts in a month.

I forgot to mention that the Raiders, in their infinite wisdom, decided to pick up DeAngelo Hall. Yeah, that was fricking genius. Complete head case with anger management issues. Good fit for the Raiders, though.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

TG: Showtime is picking up “Inside the NFL”. Link to story follows: http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d808a52f2&template=without-video&confirm=true

I was furious when I heard HBO had axed the program. I used to watch it with my dad religiously.

Yes, year-round football is a Godsend. I don’t know if you are an 8 man football fan (Arena Football is based on 8 man football), but it is a blast to watch and to coach. Very fast, with a lot of passing and misdirection (reverses and counters). With a short break for wrestling season (yes, it is a little alarming to watch one’s son cavorting around in tights), we have year round football. I’m actually running a preseason camp three days a week right now in advance of our season which starts in a month.

I forgot to mention that the Raiders, in their infinite wisdom, decided to pick up DeAngelo Hall. Yeah, that was fricking genius. Complete head case with anger management issues. Good fit for the Raiders, though.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

TG: Showtime is picking up “Inside the NFL”. Link to story follows: http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d808a52f2&template=without-video&confirm=true

I was furious when I heard HBO had axed the program. I used to watch it with my dad religiously.

Yes, year-round football is a Godsend. I don’t know if you are an 8 man football fan (Arena Football is based on 8 man football), but it is a blast to watch and to coach. Very fast, with a lot of passing and misdirection (reverses and counters). With a short break for wrestling season (yes, it is a little alarming to watch one’s son cavorting around in tights), we have year round football. I’m actually running a preseason camp three days a week right now in advance of our season which starts in a month.

I forgot to mention that the Raiders, in their infinite wisdom, decided to pick up DeAngelo Hall. Yeah, that was fricking genius. Complete head case with anger management issues. Good fit for the Raiders, though.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

gandalf: Thanks for the kind words. This thread has been a lot of fun to participate in, and I appreciate both your candor and the opportunity to respond. I also want to say that I am not advancing McCain’s fortunes at the expense of Obama. In other words, this isn’t an exercise in partisanship for me. I won’t be voting for either of them come November, so I don’t have a horse in this particular race, so to speak.

All that being said, I would welcome Obama if he turns out to be what you believe he is. I don’t think that is the case, sadly, but, please understand, that is just my opinion. My comment regarding Pakistan and Obama’s not understanding that it was a sovereign nation was not me poking fun at him. He did make that comment regarding al Qaeda and, to me, it did illustrate less than a comprehensive grasp of geopolitical affairs. Likewise his comment that we have somehow pushed Iran into the present state of affairs (regarding their attempts to join the Nuclear Club).

I realize that I am taking your points somewhat out of order, so I’ll finish the foreign policy point and then move on. I would very much enjoy seeing someone like Biden in the VP position. As I mentioned before, I don’t agree with his politics, but he is a very solid policy wonk and an exceptionally well-traveled (in terms of committees on the Hill) operator. I won’t pretend to know the inner workings of the Democratic Party, but I do know that Biden had some pretty caustic comments about Obama that he was forced to apologize for. As far as San Nunn goes, another solid choice (and, again, this said even whilst I oppose his views ideologically) for VP. I would ask what you’ve heard, if anything, regarding potential VP/running mate choices. Given his relative inexperience in foreign affairs, he would do well to choose someone like Biden or Nunn, but I also believe the powers that be at DNC will make the final call here.

Which brings me to politics. Obama has raised a staggering amount of money during this campaign. He swamped Hillary’s effort by a wide margin, and the Clinton money machine was legendary, to say the least. When do those chips come due? I say this because it does illustrate a hard truth in American politics, and that is that we have the best politicians money can buy. Do you feel that he is not beholden? He is a product of the Chicago political machine, and someone there obviously saw his potential or he would still be an Alderman on the North Side. This, coupled with his sense of expediency (I’ll use his jettisoning the good Reverend Wright here), shows that he is a capable politician and very adept at sniffing the wind. His handling of Hillary was similarly deft and that simultaneously speaks to his adroitness as a pol, but also something a little deeper and darker (in terms of willingness to dispose of enemies and baggage).

I do agree with the “breath of fresh air” idea. I think a core strength of Obama’s has been to rally people of all political stripes around the notion that both the Clinton Dems and Far Right Repubs are simply retreads of the same tired mantra. The question becomes: Is Obama like JFK in the respect that he is transcending party politics and offering a new vision? If this is the case, shouldn’t his voting record and policy stance reflect that? Since they don’t, what do you ascribe this new vision approach to? Is it possible he is just being a politician in that he will do what is necessary to get elected?

I don’t know enough about his energy policy to comment intelligently. I did like McCain’s idea about building new nuke power plants. If Obama is truly committed to revitalizing America’s energy policies (and, let’s face facts: We haven’t heard anything truly new here since the 1970s), then he should enjoy the country’s full support. I am all for 1930s style WPA-type infrastructure projects. Yup, that makes me something of a neo-Socialist, but so be it. We need to do something to bring this country back around and if rebuilding every damn road, bridge and water/wastewater/sewage system is it, then let’s do it.

I apologize for the meandering tone of my reply. It’s after 1:00a and I did want to put something down while it was bouncing around in my melon.

I am a cynic by nature and being a history buff has made me skeptical of promises, especially with the sort of money this Presidential campaign has chewed through.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

gandalf: Thanks for the kind words. This thread has been a lot of fun to participate in, and I appreciate both your candor and the opportunity to respond. I also want to say that I am not advancing McCain’s fortunes at the expense of Obama. In other words, this isn’t an exercise in partisanship for me. I won’t be voting for either of them come November, so I don’t have a horse in this particular race, so to speak.

All that being said, I would welcome Obama if he turns out to be what you believe he is. I don’t think that is the case, sadly, but, please understand, that is just my opinion. My comment regarding Pakistan and Obama’s not understanding that it was a sovereign nation was not me poking fun at him. He did make that comment regarding al Qaeda and, to me, it did illustrate less than a comprehensive grasp of geopolitical affairs. Likewise his comment that we have somehow pushed Iran into the present state of affairs (regarding their attempts to join the Nuclear Club).

I realize that I am taking your points somewhat out of order, so I’ll finish the foreign policy point and then move on. I would very much enjoy seeing someone like Biden in the VP position. As I mentioned before, I don’t agree with his politics, but he is a very solid policy wonk and an exceptionally well-traveled (in terms of committees on the Hill) operator. I won’t pretend to know the inner workings of the Democratic Party, but I do know that Biden had some pretty caustic comments about Obama that he was forced to apologize for. As far as San Nunn goes, another solid choice (and, again, this said even whilst I oppose his views ideologically) for VP. I would ask what you’ve heard, if anything, regarding potential VP/running mate choices. Given his relative inexperience in foreign affairs, he would do well to choose someone like Biden or Nunn, but I also believe the powers that be at DNC will make the final call here.

Which brings me to politics. Obama has raised a staggering amount of money during this campaign. He swamped Hillary’s effort by a wide margin, and the Clinton money machine was legendary, to say the least. When do those chips come due? I say this because it does illustrate a hard truth in American politics, and that is that we have the best politicians money can buy. Do you feel that he is not beholden? He is a product of the Chicago political machine, and someone there obviously saw his potential or he would still be an Alderman on the North Side. This, coupled with his sense of expediency (I’ll use his jettisoning the good Reverend Wright here), shows that he is a capable politician and very adept at sniffing the wind. His handling of Hillary was similarly deft and that simultaneously speaks to his adroitness as a pol, but also something a little deeper and darker (in terms of willingness to dispose of enemies and baggage).

I do agree with the “breath of fresh air” idea. I think a core strength of Obama’s has been to rally people of all political stripes around the notion that both the Clinton Dems and Far Right Repubs are simply retreads of the same tired mantra. The question becomes: Is Obama like JFK in the respect that he is transcending party politics and offering a new vision? If this is the case, shouldn’t his voting record and policy stance reflect that? Since they don’t, what do you ascribe this new vision approach to? Is it possible he is just being a politician in that he will do what is necessary to get elected?

I don’t know enough about his energy policy to comment intelligently. I did like McCain’s idea about building new nuke power plants. If Obama is truly committed to revitalizing America’s energy policies (and, let’s face facts: We haven’t heard anything truly new here since the 1970s), then he should enjoy the country’s full support. I am all for 1930s style WPA-type infrastructure projects. Yup, that makes me something of a neo-Socialist, but so be it. We need to do something to bring this country back around and if rebuilding every damn road, bridge and water/wastewater/sewage system is it, then let’s do it.

I apologize for the meandering tone of my reply. It’s after 1:00a and I did want to put something down while it was bouncing around in my melon.

I am a cynic by nature and being a history buff has made me skeptical of promises, especially with the sort of money this Presidential campaign has chewed through.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

gandalf: Thanks for the kind words. This thread has been a lot of fun to participate in, and I appreciate both your candor and the opportunity to respond. I also want to say that I am not advancing McCain’s fortunes at the expense of Obama. In other words, this isn’t an exercise in partisanship for me. I won’t be voting for either of them come November, so I don’t have a horse in this particular race, so to speak.

All that being said, I would welcome Obama if he turns out to be what you believe he is. I don’t think that is the case, sadly, but, please understand, that is just my opinion. My comment regarding Pakistan and Obama’s not understanding that it was a sovereign nation was not me poking fun at him. He did make that comment regarding al Qaeda and, to me, it did illustrate less than a comprehensive grasp of geopolitical affairs. Likewise his comment that we have somehow pushed Iran into the present state of affairs (regarding their attempts to join the Nuclear Club).

I realize that I am taking your points somewhat out of order, so I’ll finish the foreign policy point and then move on. I would very much enjoy seeing someone like Biden in the VP position. As I mentioned before, I don’t agree with his politics, but he is a very solid policy wonk and an exceptionally well-traveled (in terms of committees on the Hill) operator. I won’t pretend to know the inner workings of the Democratic Party, but I do know that Biden had some pretty caustic comments about Obama that he was forced to apologize for. As far as San Nunn goes, another solid choice (and, again, this said even whilst I oppose his views ideologically) for VP. I would ask what you’ve heard, if anything, regarding potential VP/running mate choices. Given his relative inexperience in foreign affairs, he would do well to choose someone like Biden or Nunn, but I also believe the powers that be at DNC will make the final call here.

Which brings me to politics. Obama has raised a staggering amount of money during this campaign. He swamped Hillary’s effort by a wide margin, and the Clinton money machine was legendary, to say the least. When do those chips come due? I say this because it does illustrate a hard truth in American politics, and that is that we have the best politicians money can buy. Do you feel that he is not beholden? He is a product of the Chicago political machine, and someone there obviously saw his potential or he would still be an Alderman on the North Side. This, coupled with his sense of expediency (I’ll use his jettisoning the good Reverend Wright here), shows that he is a capable politician and very adept at sniffing the wind. His handling of Hillary was similarly deft and that simultaneously speaks to his adroitness as a pol, but also something a little deeper and darker (in terms of willingness to dispose of enemies and baggage).

I do agree with the “breath of fresh air” idea. I think a core strength of Obama’s has been to rally people of all political stripes around the notion that both the Clinton Dems and Far Right Repubs are simply retreads of the same tired mantra. The question becomes: Is Obama like JFK in the respect that he is transcending party politics and offering a new vision? If this is the case, shouldn’t his voting record and policy stance reflect that? Since they don’t, what do you ascribe this new vision approach to? Is it possible he is just being a politician in that he will do what is necessary to get elected?

I don’t know enough about his energy policy to comment intelligently. I did like McCain’s idea about building new nuke power plants. If Obama is truly committed to revitalizing America’s energy policies (and, let’s face facts: We haven’t heard anything truly new here since the 1970s), then he should enjoy the country’s full support. I am all for 1930s style WPA-type infrastructure projects. Yup, that makes me something of a neo-Socialist, but so be it. We need to do something to bring this country back around and if rebuilding every damn road, bridge and water/wastewater/sewage system is it, then let’s do it.

I apologize for the meandering tone of my reply. It’s after 1:00a and I did want to put something down while it was bouncing around in my melon.

I am a cynic by nature and being a history buff has made me skeptical of promises, especially with the sort of money this Presidential campaign has chewed through.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

gandalf: Thanks for the kind words. This thread has been a lot of fun to participate in, and I appreciate both your candor and the opportunity to respond. I also want to say that I am not advancing McCain’s fortunes at the expense of Obama. In other words, this isn’t an exercise in partisanship for me. I won’t be voting for either of them come November, so I don’t have a horse in this particular race, so to speak.

All that being said, I would welcome Obama if he turns out to be what you believe he is. I don’t think that is the case, sadly, but, please understand, that is just my opinion. My comment regarding Pakistan and Obama’s not understanding that it was a sovereign nation was not me poking fun at him. He did make that comment regarding al Qaeda and, to me, it did illustrate less than a comprehensive grasp of geopolitical affairs. Likewise his comment that we have somehow pushed Iran into the present state of affairs (regarding their attempts to join the Nuclear Club).

I realize that I am taking your points somewhat out of order, so I’ll finish the foreign policy point and then move on. I would very much enjoy seeing someone like Biden in the VP position. As I mentioned before, I don’t agree with his politics, but he is a very solid policy wonk and an exceptionally well-traveled (in terms of committees on the Hill) operator. I won’t pretend to know the inner workings of the Democratic Party, but I do know that Biden had some pretty caustic comments about Obama that he was forced to apologize for. As far as San Nunn goes, another solid choice (and, again, this said even whilst I oppose his views ideologically) for VP. I would ask what you’ve heard, if anything, regarding potential VP/running mate choices. Given his relative inexperience in foreign affairs, he would do well to choose someone like Biden or Nunn, but I also believe the powers that be at DNC will make the final call here.

Which brings me to politics. Obama has raised a staggering amount of money during this campaign. He swamped Hillary’s effort by a wide margin, and the Clinton money machine was legendary, to say the least. When do those chips come due? I say this because it does illustrate a hard truth in American politics, and that is that we have the best politicians money can buy. Do you feel that he is not beholden? He is a product of the Chicago political machine, and someone there obviously saw his potential or he would still be an Alderman on the North Side. This, coupled with his sense of expediency (I’ll use his jettisoning the good Reverend Wright here), shows that he is a capable politician and very adept at sniffing the wind. His handling of Hillary was similarly deft and that simultaneously speaks to his adroitness as a pol, but also something a little deeper and darker (in terms of willingness to dispose of enemies and baggage).

I do agree with the “breath of fresh air” idea. I think a core strength of Obama’s has been to rally people of all political stripes around the notion that both the Clinton Dems and Far Right Repubs are simply retreads of the same tired mantra. The question becomes: Is Obama like JFK in the respect that he is transcending party politics and offering a new vision? If this is the case, shouldn’t his voting record and policy stance reflect that? Since they don’t, what do you ascribe this new vision approach to? Is it possible he is just being a politician in that he will do what is necessary to get elected?

I don’t know enough about his energy policy to comment intelligently. I did like McCain’s idea about building new nuke power plants. If Obama is truly committed to revitalizing America’s energy policies (and, let’s face facts: We haven’t heard anything truly new here since the 1970s), then he should enjoy the country’s full support. I am all for 1930s style WPA-type infrastructure projects. Yup, that makes me something of a neo-Socialist, but so be it. We need to do something to bring this country back around and if rebuilding every damn road, bridge and water/wastewater/sewage system is it, then let’s do it.

I apologize for the meandering tone of my reply. It’s after 1:00a and I did want to put something down while it was bouncing around in my melon.

I am a cynic by nature and being a history buff has made me skeptical of promises, especially with the sort of money this Presidential campaign has chewed through.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

gandalf: Thanks for the kind words. This thread has been a lot of fun to participate in, and I appreciate both your candor and the opportunity to respond. I also want to say that I am not advancing McCain’s fortunes at the expense of Obama. In other words, this isn’t an exercise in partisanship for me. I won’t be voting for either of them come November, so I don’t have a horse in this particular race, so to speak.

All that being said, I would welcome Obama if he turns out to be what you believe he is. I don’t think that is the case, sadly, but, please understand, that is just my opinion. My comment regarding Pakistan and Obama’s not understanding that it was a sovereign nation was not me poking fun at him. He did make that comment regarding al Qaeda and, to me, it did illustrate less than a comprehensive grasp of geopolitical affairs. Likewise his comment that we have somehow pushed Iran into the present state of affairs (regarding their attempts to join the Nuclear Club).

I realize that I am taking your points somewhat out of order, so I’ll finish the foreign policy point and then move on. I would very much enjoy seeing someone like Biden in the VP position. As I mentioned before, I don’t agree with his politics, but he is a very solid policy wonk and an exceptionally well-traveled (in terms of committees on the Hill) operator. I won’t pretend to know the inner workings of the Democratic Party, but I do know that Biden had some pretty caustic comments about Obama that he was forced to apologize for. As far as San Nunn goes, another solid choice (and, again, this said even whilst I oppose his views ideologically) for VP. I would ask what you’ve heard, if anything, regarding potential VP/running mate choices. Given his relative inexperience in foreign affairs, he would do well to choose someone like Biden or Nunn, but I also believe the powers that be at DNC will make the final call here.

Which brings me to politics. Obama has raised a staggering amount of money during this campaign. He swamped Hillary’s effort by a wide margin, and the Clinton money machine was legendary, to say the least. When do those chips come due? I say this because it does illustrate a hard truth in American politics, and that is that we have the best politicians money can buy. Do you feel that he is not beholden? He is a product of the Chicago political machine, and someone there obviously saw his potential or he would still be an Alderman on the North Side. This, coupled with his sense of expediency (I’ll use his jettisoning the good Reverend Wright here), shows that he is a capable politician and very adept at sniffing the wind. His handling of Hillary was similarly deft and that simultaneously speaks to his adroitness as a pol, but also something a little deeper and darker (in terms of willingness to dispose of enemies and baggage).

I do agree with the “breath of fresh air” idea. I think a core strength of Obama’s has been to rally people of all political stripes around the notion that both the Clinton Dems and Far Right Repubs are simply retreads of the same tired mantra. The question becomes: Is Obama like JFK in the respect that he is transcending party politics and offering a new vision? If this is the case, shouldn’t his voting record and policy stance reflect that? Since they don’t, what do you ascribe this new vision approach to? Is it possible he is just being a politician in that he will do what is necessary to get elected?

I don’t know enough about his energy policy to comment intelligently. I did like McCain’s idea about building new nuke power plants. If Obama is truly committed to revitalizing America’s energy policies (and, let’s face facts: We haven’t heard anything truly new here since the 1970s), then he should enjoy the country’s full support. I am all for 1930s style WPA-type infrastructure projects. Yup, that makes me something of a neo-Socialist, but so be it. We need to do something to bring this country back around and if rebuilding every damn road, bridge and water/wastewater/sewage system is it, then let’s do it.

I apologize for the meandering tone of my reply. It’s after 1:00a and I did want to put something down while it was bouncing around in my melon.

I am a cynic by nature and being a history buff has made me skeptical of promises, especially with the sort of money this Presidential campaign has chewed through.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

TG: I’ll jump right in with you, and merrily hijack the thread in the name of football. We’ve added Spring 8 man football to our youth league, so I now have YEAR ROUND FOOTBALL. Yes, life is good.

Speaking of the Raiders, I give Davis about two seasons to thoroughly ruin McFadden. He’ll run him up the middle about 25x per game, until some big Mike linebacker from either Denver or KC puts him out of commission. Javon Walker apparently can’t fight his way out of a wet paper bag, and sources within the Raider organization report that Jamarcus can’t seem to master the offense (which, if I recall, wasn’t exactly overly complex).

That a pretty jacking, TG?

[Allan from Fallbrook]

TG: I’ll jump right in with you, and merrily hijack the thread in the name of football. We’ve added Spring 8 man football to our youth league, so I now have YEAR ROUND FOOTBALL. Yes, life is good.

Speaking of the Raiders, I give Davis about two seasons to thoroughly ruin McFadden. He’ll run him up the middle about 25x per game, until some big Mike linebacker from either Denver or KC puts him out of commission. Javon Walker apparently can’t fight his way out of a wet paper bag, and sources within the Raider organization report that Jamarcus can’t seem to master the offense (which, if I recall, wasn’t exactly overly complex).

That a pretty jacking, TG?

[Allan from Fallbrook]

TG: I’ll jump right in with you, and merrily hijack the thread in the name of football. We’ve added Spring 8 man football to our youth league, so I now have YEAR ROUND FOOTBALL. Yes, life is good.

Speaking of the Raiders, I give Davis about two seasons to thoroughly ruin McFadden. He’ll run him up the middle about 25x per game, until some big Mike linebacker from either Denver or KC puts him out of commission. Javon Walker apparently can’t fight his way out of a wet paper bag, and sources within the Raider organization report that Jamarcus can’t seem to master the offense (which, if I recall, wasn’t exactly overly complex).

That a pretty jacking, TG?

[Allan from Fallbrook]

TG: I’ll jump right in with you, and merrily hijack the thread in the name of football. We’ve added Spring 8 man football to our youth league, so I now have YEAR ROUND FOOTBALL. Yes, life is good.

Speaking of the Raiders, I give Davis about two seasons to thoroughly ruin McFadden. He’ll run him up the middle about 25x per game, until some big Mike linebacker from either Denver or KC puts him out of commission. Javon Walker apparently can’t fight his way out of a wet paper bag, and sources within the Raider organization report that Jamarcus can’t seem to master the offense (which, if I recall, wasn’t exactly overly complex).

That a pretty jacking, TG?

[Allan from Fallbrook]

TG: I’ll jump right in with you, and merrily hijack the thread in the name of football. We’ve added Spring 8 man football to our youth league, so I now have YEAR ROUND FOOTBALL. Yes, life is good.

Speaking of the Raiders, I give Davis about two seasons to thoroughly ruin McFadden. He’ll run him up the middle about 25x per game, until some big Mike linebacker from either Denver or KC puts him out of commission. Javon Walker apparently can’t fight his way out of a wet paper bag, and sources within the Raider organization report that Jamarcus can’t seem to master the offense (which, if I recall, wasn’t exactly overly complex).

That a pretty jacking, TG?

[Allan from Fallbrook]

gandalf: In one of my earlier posts, I suggested looking at Obama’s voting record and his stance on various issues. Combined with his inexperience on the world stage and with foreign policy matters, what evidence do you have that he will govern from the center and cross the aisle?

He is among the more left leaning politicians we have (not saying this as a pejorative, but based on his voting record), and he votes party line nearly without fail.

His suggested policy of engagement includes “peer to peer” discussions with rogue states like Syria, as well as muscular interventionism into sovereign nations like Pakistan (although, in fairness, this particular idea was probably motivated by the fact that he was unaware that Pakistan was a sovereign nation).

I am saying all of this because it does fly in the face of the hope that Obama will prove a centrist, capable on the world stage, and a realist when it comes to recognition that many of the players we are confronting at present are anything but reasonable, rational, and willing to allow diplomacy to work.

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