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From The Cafferty File Nov. 17, 2008. David Sirota has more at Daily KOS.

Republican Senator Jim Inhofe from Oklahoma wants to put a “freeze” on the remaining cash in the big government bailout of the financial industry. In this week’s lame duck session, Inhofe plans to push for legislation that will require Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson’s plan for the remaining $350 billion in the bailout package to be voted on in Congress.

Despite promises from Congressional leaders that there would be both, there is absolutely no transparency or congressional oversight on where the first $290 billion has gone. Senator Inhofe suggests Paulson “may have given the money to his friends.”

Inhofe, who voted against the bailout package when it was originally passed, said in a letter to fellow lawmakers this weekend, “It is Congress’s duty to have a say in what happens with the remaining authorized amount of $350 billion. It is clear that it was a mistake to sign a blank check to one man for such a tremendous amount of money.”

Here’s my question to you: Should Congress freeze the remaining bailout money?

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From The Cafferty File:

The prescription for tomorrow is comfortable shoes and patience. It’s going to be awesome.

Never in recent memory has there been so much interest in a presidential election. More than one-third of Americans are expected to have already voted by the time the polls open tomorrow, a 50 percent increase from 2004. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be a lot of people in front of you in front of you in line when you get to the polls.

Young people have signed up in unprecedented numbers. New voter registrations have broken records in almost every state. Turnout in many of the primaries was staggering. So be prepared.

Be aware also that tomorrow is a chance for all of us to strike a blow for democracy, and God knows she could use a shot in the arm. We’re at our best as a nation when we’re all involved. But that involvement tomorrow will come with a price. You’re probably going to have to wait. Maybe for a long time.

While you’re standing there grumbling that the line isn’t moving, or the machine is broken, remember what it was that got you into that line in the first place. This may well be the most important election we’ve ever had.

Here’s my question to you: How long are you willing to wait in line to vote?

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Jack is back after surgery. From the Cafferty File:

Senator John McCain says when it comes to foreign policy he’s light years ahead of Barack Obama. Over and over again, McCain has insisted Obama lacks the necessary experience to conduct business with foreign countries on behalf of the United States.

So how do you explain this?

Citizens of dozens of foreign countries prefer Barack Obama over John McCain as our next president by a margin of almost 4 to 1, according to a massive poll conducted by the Gallup Organization. About 30 percent of those surveyed prefer Obama, while just 8 percent favor McCain.

This was no daily tracking poll either. Gallup polled people in 70 countries in Africa, Europe, Asia and North and South America, representing nearly half the world’s population, between May and September of this year.

Citizens of the Philippines and Georgia were the only ones who preferred McCain to Obama. Not exactly the super-powers we’re looking to mend fences with.

Here’s my question to you: Why do citizens in 70 foreign countries prefer Barack Obama to John McCain by a margin of nearly 4-1?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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Jack has been, umm, less than charitable towards Sarah Palin, and Tuesday night was no exception.

Last Friday, we ran a piece of tape from an interview Governor Sarah Palin did with “CBS Evening News” anchor Katie Couric. She was asked about the bailout package. Palin rambled on incoherently for nearly a minute about trade, jobs, health care… Everything but the bailout package.  [...]

How can anyone, including John McCain, take this woman seriously?

I can't decide what's better: Cafferty or some of the comments. We report, you decide.

(h/t Heather)

Jack is just as confused as I am as to why John McCain would rather hole himself up in Washington rather than make the case for his economic policy before millions of American voters. Well, when you have no substantive economic policy, it might not be a bad idea to run and hide.

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Barack Obama says the debate should go on as scheduled. It might be helpful, particularly to voters who remain undecided, to hear the two men who want to lead the country for the next four years discuss their ideas for solving what is arguably the worst financial crisis to hit the United States since the Great Depression.

Jack Cafferty is the only person I've seen on TV so far to make this incredibly important point: If George Bush and John McCain had their way with privatizing Social Security, millions of seniors would be totally screwed right now.

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"Luckily we have the safety net of Social Security to fall back on…for now.

You may remember just four years ago President Bush made a big push to partially privatize Social Security… You know so we could individually invest our future with the great minds on Wall Street. It failed back then, but that concept could still become a reality. See John McCain also supports supplementing Social Security with private investment accounts. His opponent Barack Obama does not."

HuffPo's John Neffinger writes:

This is something Americans understand: social security is secure, and the stock market is anything but. There are few more personal or dramatic ways to illustrate McCain's terrible judgment than to imagine the nightmare scenario so many Americans would face if McCain and Bush had gotten their way on this -- or if McCain were to get his way as President.

When Wall Street's woes are the top story, this should be our top talking point.

Dead on. Not only is Social Security a winning issue with seniors, it illustrates perfectly how John McCain is walking in lock-step with George Bush. Every sentence spoken this week about Lehman and AIG should be capped off with the line "your SS would be as worthless as they are right now if John McCain had his way."

(h/t Heather)

Sad news to report, as Jack Cafferty's wife of 35 years, Carol, passed away unexpectedly. CNN has a touching tribute to Carol, but the team here at Crooks and Liars just want Jack to know that our thoughts and prayers are with him. We wish him the very best.

John McCain actually had the nerve to say that we're all supposed to respect the sovereignty and independence of nations. Except of course if they're in the middle east or vital to our national security. (That will always be the out for war hawks.) I think he forgot that part. I know, you're all waiting for McCain's Media to bring up Iraq, right? I mean McCain said it's a terrible thing to not respect other nations independence. Am I missing something? Will the press pool that covers McCain vociferously question McCain on these statements?

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From the Cafferty File:

"In the 21st century, nations don't invade other nations."

So says John McCain, as part of his tough talk about Russia's attacks on Georgia. In calling for Russia to get out, McCain says he doesn't think we'll reignite the Cold War, but that you can't justify the "extent and degree" of Russia's intervention in Georgia. The presumptive Republican nominee insists that we need to make sure that in the 21st century, we all have respect for the sovereignty and independence of nations.

Say what? The United States invaded the sovereign nation of Iraq more than 5 years ago. And you, Senator McCain, were all for the idea. You voted for the war, remember? At the time, McCain insisted that the U.S. needed to act before Saddam Hussein could develop more advanced weapons. And since then, McCain has remained steadfast in his support of arguably the biggest foreign policy blunder in the history of this country. At one point, McCain said U-S troops could remain in Iraq, a sovereign nation, for 100 years.

A cold war is exactly what the neocons want. This whole Georgia/Russia situation seemed to be finely manipulated for McCain's benefit. These types of situations are perfect for Stepford Republicans. They don't bother trying to look at the facts or determine how this situation actually began. It's easy. Russia is bad, Mkay? Has the press adequately reported the chain of events that resulted in Russian tanks busing around Georgia? There are dips of information coming in.

Jack Cafferty injects some much needed sanity into the conversation as Gloria Borger and Michael Gerson seem to still be living in the 20th century, when John McCain used to be somewhat independent from the rest of the bottom-feeders in the Republican Party. 

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CAFFERTY: John McCain was opposed to the Bush tax cuts until he decided he was for them. John McCain was opposed to offshore drilling before he decided he was for it. John McCain, in his years in the Senate, has voted with the Bush administration between 90 and 95 percent of the time. So this...this maverick stuff is a lot of hooey. And for him to claim that he's some sort of Washington outsider who has -- who's divorced from the Bush administration is the ultimate hypocrisy. 

[...] If any Republican can overcome the wretched stain of eight years of George Bush and win the White House, we deserve whatever bad things will happen to us.

After his flip flop on the Bush tax cuts, offshore drilling, campaign finance, immigration reform, the religious right, negative campaigning, torture, etc., etc., I don't see how it's possible for anyone to go on television and say with a straight face that McCain is still the "maverick" of the 2000 election. Perhaps his adoring fans in the media are just having a tough time coming to grips with the fact that their old buddy is no longer recognizable.

Transcript below the fold:

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Jack Cafferty's 4 o'clock question Wednesday dealt with the interesting position John McCain finds himself in while he tries to play both sides of the fence on literally every issue in an attempt to secure the support of the dwindling GOP base, while at the same time trying to maintain his moderate, maverick image.

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"If John McCain doesn't stop changing his position on the issues, he threatens to make John Kerry look like an amateur. [..]

"So here's the question. How clear is it where John McCain stands on the issues?"

I've said this before and I'll say it again: When the history of the 2008 election is written, the main theme will be the tragic fall of John "Maverick" McCain who sacrificed every honorable principle he ever had at the altar of rabid and unappreciative Republican base,alienating everyone outside of that shrinking group in the process. Oh yea, that and America electing it's first African-American President.

Full transcript below the fold:

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Well, to be fair, it's only because the Republicans polled split between Clinton and Obama.  Jack Cafferty on The Situation Room Thursday brought up a Gallup poll that asked people who they least wanted in the White House.   Grandpa McSame topped the list, for most of the reasons we bring up constantly:  his position on Iraq, his emulating Bush and moreover, because he's a Republican.   Republicans, by a near 2 to 1 margin, preferred Obama to Clinton, their critiques of her much more personal in nature (40% either don't trust or like her).

Transcripts below the fold:

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Like most Americans who resent living in under a dictator, Jack Cafferty is more than a little upset that Dick Cheney--absent any public approval or congressional sanction--has pressured the various factions of the Iraqi government to commit to reconciliation and furthering the relationship between Iraq and the US, the deal to take effect after Bush leaves office. Now while the administration is officially saying that the new deal does not commit to a long term presence or tie the hands of the next president, we all know how trustworthy this administration can be. Don't miss Jack's exacerbated sigh at 29%er Brian from California rah rah cheerleading for Bush.

And in keeping with the arrogant, unilateral way it has conducted business for more than seven years, the administration says it probably will not get Senate approval for this plan. Why should the American people have anything to say about it?

The administration says that’s because it’s not a treaty that provides Iraq with specific security guarantees. Democrats in Congress aren’t happy. Some lawmakers have proposed legislation that would make the administration’s agreement null and void without Senate approval. Given the Democrats’ overwhelming lack of success in stopping President Bush from doing anything, I wouldn’t hold my breath.

Full transcripts below the fold.

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Following the shocking revelation that New York Governor, Eliot Spitzer, had been caught in a prostitution sting, Jack Cafferty put the question to his viewers -- Should Eliot Spitzer resign? Jack felt that CNN had devoted too much time to the scandal, goes over the laundry list of recent political sex scandals then has fun with a few e-mails. Spitzer has apologized, but is that enough? Should he fight it out, or should he resign?

Because the media has gotta have a horse race. Now that John McCain has locked up the Republican nomination, the focus moves to who he will choose as his running mate. Will he choose someone who offsets his age, his lack of appeal to the Religious Right faction of the party (what, Hagee isn't good enough for you people?), his perceived lesser conservatism (because wanting to be in Iraq for a 100 years doesn't quite cut it, you have to want to fence the US off from Mexico too, apparently) or perhaps a minority or woman to counteract the Democratic ticket? McCain has set up a committee to look into different methodologies of picking that running mate. But Jack Cafferty asks his viewers what they think, and bless their little hearts, it looks like some snarky liberals got in some good zingers:

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Sky says: "Maybe he should look over at Shady Pines. There should be plenty of his contemporaries there. He might even find one who agrees with his brilliant suggestion to keep our GIs in Iraq for 100 years."

Ed in Houston: "McCain ought to let Rush Limbaugh help him pick the vice presidential candidate as soon as possible. It sounds by his comments today regarding a Clinton/Obama dream ticket that he will be re-entering rehab again soon."[..]

Dan in Gulfport, Florida: "Unfortunately, a lot of potential candidates are in jail or soon will be. McCain might be better off if he placed an ad in the jobs available section of The Times. The nice thing is that after Dick Cheney, the bar for vice president is so low that it won't be difficult for anyone to hop over it. My personal recommendation would be Senator Larry Craig. He'd lock up the public restroom vote and there might not be many other places Republicans will be able to find votes this year."

Oh snap!

Transcripts below the fold:

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As usual, Jack Cafferty sure didn't mince words when he succinctly summed up where we stand so far with the NYT's revelation of McCain's unusually close ties to telecom lobbyist Vicki Iseman, and asked his viewers to weigh in on whether it will hurt his chances come November:

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Cafferty: Someone is lying. The New York Times dropped a bombshell on John McCain this morning with a front page story that could cost him the White House. It's great reading: an improper relationship with a lobbyist, a woman named Vicki Iseman, his inner-circle convinced they were having an affair, all happening while he was Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee and she was representing telecom companies who had business before McCain's committee. The two of them together at fundraisers, in his office, aboard private corporate jets ... It got so bad that his closest friends and advisers finally stepped in to save McCain from himself.

This is all according to the New York Times. The problem with the story is it's a little on the skinny side. Most of it's based on unnamed sources and that detracts from its credibility. On the other hand the Times byline contains the names of four reporters who were not likely to go their editor and say 'look what we've got' if they didn't have it, and reportedly as far back as December McCain was pleading with the editors at the Times not to run this story.

McCain's explanation for all of this comes up short. "It's not true" aint going to cut it. For one thing McCain has been here before. Remember the Keating 5 and the Savings and Loan scandal? And it's highly unlikely that the Times information from McCain's inner circle of advisers is all false. You don't publish a story of this magnitude unless you are on pretty solid ground. So stay tuned, because there is a lot more to come. ...

That sounds about right. So what do you think? Is this a mess that's just going to snowball and bury the McCain campaign or could the scandal actually wind up helping him? So far, McCain seems to think so, as his campaign has now begun exploiting the controversy for a quick buck. How do you see this all playing out?