The embedded player below says the video is "unavailable." And a quick search of YouTube (Obama ad still, Obama McCain still) doesn't turn it up.

Gloves are off, huh?

Nope! Still available here.

Also here on YouTube.

Okay, obvious question:

What the hell is it still doing up?

Does Obama want to invite the question posed by Goldberg (scan about 3/4ths down)?

Thanks to Lorien1973.

Posted by: Ace at 04:35 PM | Comments (52)
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And That. Is. That.

Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama Leads Republican Opponent John McCain by 7 Percentage Points in New Jersey: With 15 electoral votes up for grabs in New Jersey, 47% of registered voters in the state say they support Senator Barack Obama for president while 40% say they back Senator John McCain.

ThatÂ’s the same margin in New Jersey with which former Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry beat President George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election. However, ObamaÂ’s lead shrinks when looking at likely voters, including those who are leaning toward a specific candidate. 48% of likely voters support Obama while 45% are behind McCain.

Shrinkage: Poll round-up and a snapshot of Obama's ever-shrinking "57 State Strategy."

At current trajectory, Obama will have to fight like the dickens to snag the three electoral votes of the Bayonne, NJ Ikea.

(NOTE: The three electoral votes are, respectively, the SVENGDMOR, the MULFGROVSK, and the ULLNSKOEN models. Note that Ikea's electoral votes do not come with the required bed-slats, which must be purchased separately.)

Giggle: Well, Obama's still up in the "Kos Research 2000 Daily Tracking Poll" of, ahem, likely voters.

I'm not kidding. Kos has a tracking poll. Who knew?

Posted by: Ace at 04:00 PM | Comments (71)
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Prepared to lead.

Not apparently prepared to research an ad, however.

"McCain's severe war injuries prevent him from combing his hair, typing on a keyboard, or tying his shoes."

McCain also can't play basketball very well, Obama. How 'bout you challenge him to a game of one-on-one, too?

This is important:

What you are now seeing is Obama's performance in a crisis challenging situation.

Are you reassured? Are you looking forward to the cool judgment and steady wisdom of President Barack Obama in a true crisis?

Thanks to Brad and others.

Seniors and Disabled Veterans for Barack Obama

You can stand at the back of the photo-op pictures, where no one can see you. And please -- no whining. We get it, you're old. Can you at least pretend to be fabulous for five minutes?

Another Easily Discoverable Article: Forbes. Online.

It actually says the charge isn't even true. Except the part about it being too painful for McCain to type. Due to those funny, funny broken fingers inflicted by the NVA.

In certain ways, McCain was a natural Web candidate. Chairman of the Senate Telecommunications Subcommittee and regarded as the U.S. Senate's savviest technologist, McCain is an inveterate devotee of email. His nightly ritual is to read his email together with his wife, Cindy. The injuries he incurred as a Vietnam POW make it painful for McCain to type. Instead, he dictates responses that his wife types on a laptop. "She's a whiz on the keyboard, and I'm so laborious," McCain admits.

I sorta want to see Obama's grades again.

Thanks to Suitably Flip. more...

Posted by: Ace at 03:26 PM | Comments (162)
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Heh.

Posted by: Ace at 02:20 PM | Comments (60)
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Gaffe out loud.

Note: Some are reacting as if this were new. It's not. It's very old. Made long ago in the primaries.

I am posting it, however, to note that this is the sort of thing Obama says when he's working off a script and has had days to compose his thoughts.

Just for comparison's sake. Did Palin say anything off-the-cuff one tenth as ludicrous as Obama's prepared talking points?

Posted by: Ace at 02:02 PM | Comments (57)
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Heh.

Like any number of Democratic candidates before him -- Mike Dukakis, Al Gore, John Kerry -- Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., is once again declaring that he is going to take off the gloves and fight back against attacks from the Republican Party.

..

But just so you know -- this is, by my count, the 4th time Obama's campaign has officially or unofficially made such a declaration that Obama will "take off the gloves" and fight back.

It's also his foreign policy. Heed my stern, and yet pleading, warning, or I shall sternly plead with you again.

I'm serious, man. I'm just crazy enough to do it.

Oh, This'll Work: "Which country is McCain putting first?"

No, it's not a reference to Israel-- though one might suspect he wouldn't be upset if that inference were made.

Posted by: Ace at 01:56 PM | Comments (43)
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Pretty canned on the bridge to nowhere questions.

One of the biggest draws about Palin is her authenticity. I realize she's primarily interested in avoiding the big Gotcha Gaffe, and so is nervous and self-conscious. But she really does need to start opening up and letting people hear the real her.

Also: While her job is to boost McCain, maybe a little too much of that. She has to stand as her own person, in her own right, of her own authority, and not just as McCain's most prominent supporter.

She'll get better and more comfortable. (Presumably.) Best news: She didn't break a leg coming out of gate. But she's also not at a winning pace yet, either.

A better strategy would have been to start her out on Hannity, Limbaugh, etc. Friendly audiences, to be sure, but very useful for getting her comfort level up and diagnosing her performance before meeting the extremely hostile liberal press.

True, but... someone writes--

Dude, he's interrogating her. How "authentic" is anyone going to be under this sort of talking point barrage?

Yes, but dealing with a hostile liberal press is a major part of the job. It will always be like this.

Posted by: Ace at 01:07 PM | Comments (77)
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And old and busted John McCain? Pays women more than his male employees, $1.04 to $1.00.

I'm actually pretty angry about this anti-male sexism, but, the hell with it, I'll pretend I'm happy about it.

Posted by: Ace at 12:46 PM | Comments (39)
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Do I believe it? No. Not even remotely. Not even a teensy-tiny little bit.

RBT says the source is "plugged in," but PUMAs are not above a little trouble-making, are they?

But if the left can parrot ridiculous claims about Palin thinking "Satan Lizard" dinosaurs lived 4000 years ago, why can't I publish a not-so-ludicrous claim?

This just in from the PUMA's:

We have received information from sources high in the Democratic Party that , in a total desperation move, Hillary Rodham Clinton will replace the hapless Joe Biden as V-P candidate on the Obama ticket. I will send out more information on this in several minutes. Hillary Clinton has said that Barack Obama is not qualified to be Commander-in-Chief. He hasn't grown any more qualified presumably in the past few weeks. As the saying goes, "It took a Republican to have the Obama Dems name a woman to the ticket."

I have to say: This would be a disastrous move which might work but is so likely to simply end the Obama candidacy I can't believe he'd do this after a few weeks of bad polling.

This is the sort of Hail Mary you only attempt when the clock is winding down and you literally have no other choice. He isn't even waiting to see if Palin wilts and public opinion turns? Extremely doubtful.

However: Lizards of Satan. So I'm posting it.

Note to Howard Kurtz: I'm no more irresponsible than you are. "Exact words," asshole.

If there's anything here, there may be a post about it here. But there isn't yet. So maybe there isn't.

Note: The tone's wrong, too. If you had a real scoop, you would just put it out quickly, unadorned.

This "scoop" seems to be making an argument that this should happen-- which is entirely unnecessary if it actually already has happened.

Still. I'll toss out the rumor and let Obama deny it and try to disprove it.

That's how the MSM does it, and that's good enough for me.

Posted by: Ace at 12:13 PM | Comments (119)
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It's good because it's new. It's fresh baby.

Well, if anybody knows something about losing in Ohio...

He says Obama's losing Ohio because of unreliable polling (Bradley effect), no organization in southern Ohio, and he doesn't have a good attack message.

Here are his suggestions for that message. Keep in mind it's a simple one that he points out can be refined by professionals.

"Sarah Palin? Can't keep her solemn oath of devotion to her husband and had sex with his employee. Sarah Palin? Accidentally got pregnant at age 43 and the tax payers of Alaska have to pay for the care of her disabled child. Sarah Palin? Unable to teach her 16 year old daughter right from wrong and now another teenager is pregnant. Sarah Palin? Can you trust Sarah Palin and her values with America's future? John McCain? Divorced from his first wife one month and marries a billionaire influence peddler and convicted felon. John McCain, a record of rash and impulsive decisions. That’s not change that’s more of the same.”

I do not sense thoughtful, self-examination on the part of Mr. Hackett. Nor much awareness of recent shifting in the political landscape, or as wiserbud puts it "At least a 10 point shift nationally in favor or McCain/Palin and this idiot wants to continue the strategy that has had a major hand in those polling numbers being where they are".

Yep. Double-down on stupid. That's a strategy.

I don't know why I'm acting like this. I don't do this for a living.

(tipped by JeffB in the Kurtz thread)

Posted by: Dave in Texas at 12:09 PM | Comments (41)
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