President Bush launches a Message of Freedom
-Headline of the day-
"Bush vows to take 'message of freedom' to Beijing."
"President Bush met with five Chinese freedom activists to discuss his concerns about human rights in China," White House spokesmodel Dana Perino said in a statement. "The president assured them that he will carry the message of freedom as he travels to Beijing for the games, just as he has regularly made this a priority in all of his meetings with Chinese officials."
If Iraq's any model here, I think this means we're invading China. (AFP)
-The only gear on the Straight Talk Express is reverse-
John McCain is reportedly enraging the anti-tax crowd by reversing on a previous anti-tax position. According to the report, "Republican presidential candidate John McCain drew a sharp rebuke Monday from conservatives after he signaled an openness to a higher payroll tax for Social Security, contrary to previous vows not to raise taxes of any kind." He made his remarks on George Stephanopoolos' Sunday morning yack program.
What was McCain's previous position? "Sen. Obama will raise your taxes," McCain told a Denver audience July 7. "I won't." Except now, just three weeks later, he will.
Supporters are instructed to send all future donations to the McCain campaign "c/o Waffle House, 180 U-Turn Blvd. Flip-Flop City, Reversistan. 96969." (AP)
-Another 180-
About that payroll tax reversal -- it's been reversed. McCain campaigner Tucker Bounds cleared it all up today by explaining that McCain didn't know what the hell he was talking about.
Asked about the payroll tax on FOX, Bounds told FOX newsmodel Megyn Kelly, "No Megyn, there is no imaginable circumstance where John McCain would raise payroll taxes. It’s absolutely out of the question."
There you go then. John McCain doesn't speak for John McCain. So take what he says about his own positions with a grain of salt -- he has no idea what the hell they are.
Which, if you think about it, makes him no different than the rest of us. Like us, he has no idea what he stands for. (Wonk Room)
