Summing up

David Corn of Mother Jones:

"Number of sentences in John McCain's acceptance speech about his experience as a POW in Vietnam: 43.

"Number of sentences about his 25 years in the House and Senate: 8.

"The convention ended as it began: a commemoration of McCain's hellish years in a Hanoi prison cell four decades ago. The political equation was a simple one: POW equals patriotic hero equals a fighting president." -- MotherJones.com

Decoding Palin

Wondering about all the sarcasm in Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin's GOP convention speeches about Barack Obama having been a community organizer? Our local 2 Political Junkies thinks Billmon of DailyKos.com nailed it:

"Obama's done lots of stuff -- teaching, state legislature, writing books, etc. -- but "community organizer" seems like an odd one to fixate on. ... Used the way the GOP speakers used the words ... (i.e. with a sneer), community = ghetto, and organizer = activist.

"It essentially was a coded way of pointing out Obama's work in, with and for the black community ... on the South Side of Chicago. Also the fact that his work involved helping low-income people stand up for their legal rights, as opposed to a GOP-sanctioned 'real' job like business owner or career military officer (or moose hunter.) They were trying to put Obama back on the same level as Jesse Jackson -- i.e., the black protest candidate -- and mocking him for it.

"To cut right to the nasty, they were using 'community organizer' as a euphemism for 'poverty pimp.' " -- 2politicaljunkies.blogspot.com

Wooing blue collars

LRoggy at FreeRepublic.com offers these thoughts about "the sleeper factor of the Palin Effect:

"How many blue-collar Reagan Democrat men sitting at home watching [her speech] thought 'She could have married the local medical student or law student, but she picked the blue-collar guy. And she still loves him! That's the woman for me"? -- FreeRepublic.com

Stalling in Alaska

The Anchorage Daily News is accusing Gov. Sarah Palin of stonewalling a legislative investigation of allegations that she fired the state police chief because he wouldn't fire her estranged brother-in-law. The paper thinks she's trying to make sure the investigation cannot be completed until after the November election. -- adn.com/opinion

Paying Pat Ford

This, from PGH IS A CITY:

"Poor bitter Mr Ford [the former head of the Pittsburgh Urban Redevelopment Authority]. He's such a professional, and on top of whatever severance package I'm sure he will procure, he's been paid his $117,875 salary since April without doing any work.

"I do really pity Mr Ford. He's had from April to August to simmer in his well-paid anger, and all he can come up with is an angry bitter unfounded letter of resignation. There surely is corruption and all sorts of under-handed dealing going on in Pittsburgh government (and it doesn't solely revolve around Mr. Ford's antics) but if you refuse to actually name names and state facts, name-calling is just that. We need some sticks and stones, Mr. Ford, instead of your lawyer telling us we have a 'gutless mayor.'

"And Mr. Ravenstahl, please clean up your act. Paid leave for Mr. Ford?? How about we sue Mr. Ford for that extra $60,000 he'll get by the time his official resignation happens in December? That would show some guts." -- pghisacity.blogspot.com/

Warning from Detroit

414 Grant Street thinks Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl should take particular note of the demise of Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick -- who pleaded guilty to felony charges Thursday and announced his resignation:

"Caught in his own web of lies amid a string of investigations into his administration, the young-ish 38-year-old mayor of Detroit finally succumbed to the inevitable ...

"Kilpatrick's fall from grace should be a warning to our own mayor here in Pittsburgh. Here's the message: being mayor isn't about the glamour and trappings of office, the power lunches, the security guards, the travel or the excitement. And if a young, immature person can't see past all of that crap and pay attention to what is important, they can easily slip and fall from power."