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McCain actually uses Joe in an ad...Another typical right wing trick late in the game. Joe would actually benefit mightily if Obama wins, but that doesn't matter to "Joe."

The MSM is finally doing a little research on another mistake by Rick Davis. Bloomberg writes a very detailed article and says:

Analysts said Wurzelbacher's circumstances have muddled McCain's effort to profit politically from the tax issue, making it unlikely ``Joe the plumber'' will have any more long-term benefit for his campaign than did the selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate.

snip

Before living in Ohio, Wurzelbacher was a resident of Mesa, Arizona, in McCain's home state, according to property records.

McCain gave Wurzelbacher an apology yesterday for throwing him into the spotlight.

Since the media does read our blogs they are slowly reporting that Joe ain't all that he was cracked up to be by McCain. They do have the resources to dig very deep. And he doesn't even have a Plumber's license.

Joe the Plumber's story sprang a few leaks Thursday. Turns out that the man who was held up by John McCain as the typical, hard-working American taxpayer isn't really a licensed plumber. And court documents show he owes nearly $1,200 in back taxes.

"Joe," whose name is Samuel J. Wurzelbacher, was cited repeatedly in Wednesday night's final presidential debate by McCain for questioning Barack Obama's tax policy.

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Ever since John McCain apparently ran out of 'get out of gaffe free' cards and was actually held to account for having more homes than he could keep track of, it has this blogger wondering if the traditional media might finally be ready to fairly report the facts and not the myths about our candidates. If so, CNN's dual "Revealed" episodes on both candidates the other night was a fair start in that direction. Besides actually asking McCain about his role in the Keating 5 scandal, they also confronted him about his multiple extramarital affairs. Watch it:

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John Cole ties the affair, McCain's housing crisis, and what has been the media's Orwellian framing of elitism in this campaign all together and sums it up neatly:

Just so we are clear- visiting your grandmother while vacationing in Hawaii, the state where you were you were born- elitist.

Meeting the millionaire heiress daughter (who you will soon begin an affair with and divorce your first wife and then go on and buy a ton of houses) in Hawaii and then going on and honeymooning in Hawaii – not elitist.

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Media Matters has a new video and petition going on about McCain's Media.

Following a week of coverage focused on unfounded complaints of media bias by Sen. John McCain and his surrogates, Media Matters Action Network today launched an ad campaign highlighting the media's long-held affection for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee and seeking public support to hold the media accountable.The ad follows on the heels of a new study from the conservative Center for Media and Public Affairs, which reportedly found that during the initial phase of the general election, network evening news coverage has been more favorable toward John McCain than Barack Obama. Though Obama has received a greater volume of coverage at times, the tone of his coverage has been more negative, according to CMPA.

CMPA reportedly examined all statements by anchors and reporters on the network evening news broadcasts between June 8, the day after Hillary Clinton dropped out of the Democratic race, and July 21. Though most of the comments were neutral in tone, CMPA reportedly found that when there was an opinion offered, it was more likely negative against Obama. Only 28% of the opinions offered about Obama were positive, while 72% were negative. McCain's numbers were clearly better: 43% positive opinions versus 57% negative.

We've heard so much about delegates, delegates, and more delegates---declared and undeclared Super delegates for the Democratic party ad nauseam, but I wish the Village Elders of the teevee punditry class would also make a declaration if they have made a choice for the nomination and the general election. Day after day, we hear the same pundits pontificate on the ins and outs of the campaign season in such a way that you can close your eyes and know who they are supporting. I think it hurts their credibility if they are going to constantly slant their perspective to the American public. They aren't the reporters covering the stories and campaigns, but the opinionators that take the information and run with it. There's nothing wrong at all if they have a candidate they prefer, but it would be nice if they came right out and said it. Here's some quick observations:

Cafferty=Obama

McLaughlin=Hillary

KO=Obama

Dobbs=Hillary

Hume=McCain

O'Reilly=McCain (OK, these two were jokes because FNC is solidly for McCain across the board)

And have you seen the way Russert interviews McCain compared to any major Democratic politician? There are many more and I expect a big shift once the general election officially starts. In other words---some will switch and we'll see a solid McCain base permeate the airwaves. They sure love their doughnuts.

Begala and Carville were forced to say they are Hillary supporters every time they go on CNN which was the right move to make, so why shouldn't that same label apply to all that are trying to shape the narrative?

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I'd assume that he got a tremendous amount of pressure from McCain's camp and under the non-stop posts from the liberal blogs---Pastor Hagee recanted his anti-Catholic hatred.

John Hagee, an influential Texas televangelist who endorsed John McCain, apologized to Catholics Tuesday for his stinging criticism of the Roman Catholic Church and for having "emphasized the darkest chapters in the history of Catholic and Protestant relations with the Jews."

Hagee's support for McCain has drawn cries of outrage from some Catholic leaders who have called on McCain to reject Hagee's endorsement. The likely Republican nominee has said he does not agree with some of Hagee's past comments, but did not reject his support.

Like clockwork, Bill Donohue said all is forgiven. What a political tool this man is. Hey, what's a few decades of anti-Catholic hatred compared with a politically motivated apology that means absolutely nothing. Donohue just sold out Catholics everywhere.

Donohue, one of Hagee's sharpest critics, said he accepted the apology and planned to meet with Hagee Thursday in New York. "I got what I wanted," Donohue said in an interview. "He's seen the light, as they like to say. So for me it's over."

The Catholic League's loud mouth had this to say about Hagee previously:

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Donohue: This thing is out of bounds and this is why McCain has to look at thi—this–it’s the totality of what the man stands for. He’s been bashing Catholicism for decades and making a mountain of money over it.

There was a virtual black out of Bill Donohue from the world of TV media when McCain sought and received Hagee's endorsement, but I believe we'll see him all over the airwaves now in the next few days. How fast will Matthews have him on?

Bruce Wilson has followed Hagee a bit and writes:

McCain Endorser Pastor John Hagee: God Curse and Doom America.

"As a nation, America is under the curse of God, even now." That ominous slam at America came from Pastor John Hagee, whose endorsement Republican presidential candidate John McCain he is "glad to have." Hagee claims God's "curse" and "doom" is upon America because of two key issues: reproductive freedom and broad support for the teaching of the theory of evolution.

Hitler and the Nazis were God's agents.

Hagee claimed the Roman Catholic Church conspired with Hitler to kill Jews in the Holocaust but also, in the same book, blamed the Holocaust on Jews themselves (for worshiping idols) and wrote that Hitler and the Nazis were actually working for God, divine agents sent to chase Jews, through the rather inefficient and brutal mechanism of killing them in massive numbers, towards Palestine, "the only home God ever intended for the Jews to have."

Good Donohue.

And what about Hagee's Iran/Armageddon theories?

But 62 days after he declared himself "very proud" and "honored" to the have the endorsement of the End Times Pastor John Hagee, Republican John McCain still has not answered - or even been asked - the question that should concern all Americans:

Does John McCain agree with Pastor John Hagee that war with Iran is the fulfillment of the biblical prophecy of Armageddon?...read on

If there's nothing to see then show me the money. This is Day 1 of C&L's Cindy McCain Tax Return watch. The media howled for Clinton and Obama to release their information, but McCain's media remains silent on this one.

Media Matters calls on the Washington Post and WSJ to ask about it. Will they listen? Hahahaha

Dear Mr. Hiatt,

On May 4, 2004, The Washington Post printed an editorial headlined "Teresa Heinz Kerry's Taxes." In this editorial, the Post called for Sen. John Kerry and his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, to "make her tax returns public" in the interest of transparency. From the beginning of this year to the date of this letter, the Post editorial board has not made the same request for the release of Cindy McCain's tax returns or even noted that Sen. John McCain's campaign has refused to release such documents. The Post's silence on this issue is notable, since Cindy McCain's personal fortune has reportedly played a role in her husband's political career and current campaign for president...read on