Senator John McCain loves to present himself as a fighter against waste and pork-barrel spending. … But his jabs at a study of grizzly bears in Montana are way off the mark.

To hear Mr. McCain tell it in his presidential stump speech and campaign ads, the government has squandered $3 million (actually more like $5 million) to study the DNA of bears in Montana. “I don’t know if it was a paternity issue or criminal,” he jokes, “but it was a waste of money.”

A report by Joel Achenbach in The Washington Post makes clear, however, that this was not really a study of bear DNA but a study that used bear DNA to determine whether the grizzly bear was still a threatened species or had rebounded. Mr. McCain and his staff either failed to realize that or chose to distort the facts for political effect. Either choice is not encouraging.

The intent of the study, whose results have not yet been published, is to estimate the size and makeup of the grizzly bear population in a vast region, encompassing Glacier National Park, five wilderness areas, parts of five national forests and other public and private lands in a largely roadless, mountainous terrain. Scientists collected hairs snagged by strategically placed barbed wire to extract DNA that could identify how many bears had passed by, their gender and unique identity. Statistical models could then predict the total population.

That is hardly frivolous. It is a prerequisite for sensible administration of the Endangered Species Act.

The presumed Republican presidential nominee also fails to mention that the project was sponsored by Conrad Burns, a former Republican senator from Montana who chairs the McCain campaign in that state. Mr. McCain never explains why, if it was such a waste, he didn’t try to curtail it on the Senate floor.

It is a longstanding practice on Capitol Hill for legislators to lampoon research projects that can be made to sound foolish. Some may well be. If Mr. McCain wants to make serious critiques of research spending — and keep his reputation as a credible opponent of government waste — he and his staff need to be more careful and a lot more science-literate.

McCain Misfires at Grizzlies – New York Times

I think Clinton is trying to draw undecideds with the Dream Ticket idea. No Sale. peace, mjh

“I don’t know how somebody who is in second place is offering the vice presidency to the person who is first place,” Obama said, drawing cheers and a long standing ovation from about 1,700 people.
Saying he wanted to be “absolutely clear,” he added: “I don’t want anybody here thinking that somehow, ‘Well, you know, maybe I can get both.’ Don’t think that way. You have to make a choice in this election.”

“I am not running for vice president,” Obama said. “I am running for president of the United States of America.”

Obama aides said Clinton’s recent hints that she might welcome him as her vice presidential candidate appeared meant to diminish him and to attract undecided voters in the remaining primary states by suggesting they can have a “dream ticket.”

Obama had never suggested he might accept a second spot on the ticket. But until Monday he had not ridiculed the notion so directly, even if he did not completely rule it out in Shermanesque terms.
He told the audience that it made no sense for Clinton to suggest he is not ready to be president and then hint that she might hand him the job that could make him president at a moment’s notice.

“If I’m not ready, how is it that you think I should be such a great vice president?” he said, as the crowd laughed and cheered loudly.

AP: Obama denies ‘dream ticket’ – News

The Page – by Mark Halperin – TIME

I’m Barack Obama and I approve this message.

For years, we’ve watched politicians divide us, seen lobbyists put their interests ahead of ours, and heard our leaders tell us what we want to hear, instead of what we need to hear.

The question you have to ask yourself is this:

Who can take can take us in a fundamentally new direction? I’m running to finally solve problems we talk about year after year after year.

To end the division, the obscene influence of lobbyists and the politics that value scoring points over making progress. We can’t afford more of that — not this year, not now.

I’ve spent my life working for change that’s made a real difference in the lives of real people. That’s why I passed up a job on Wall Street — to fight joblessness and poverty on the streets of Chicago when the local steel plant closed.

That’s why I turned down the corporate law firms to work as a civil right lawyer — to fight for those who have been denied opportunity. That’s why I fought for tough new ethics law in Illinois and Washington — to cut the power of lobbyists — and I won.

That’s why I brought Democrats and Republicans together to provide health care and tax relief to working families. And that’s why I opposed this war in Iraq from the start. It wasn’t popular, but it was right.

This country is ready for a leader who will bring us together. That’s the only way we’re going to win this election. And that’s actually how we’ll fix health care and make college affordable, become energy independent and end this war.

I’m reminded every day that I’m not a perfect man. And I won’t be a perfect President. But I can promise you this: I will always tell you where I stand and what I think. I will listen to you when we disagree. I will carry your voices to the White House and I will fight for you every day I’m there.

On Tuesday, help change Washington; let’s bring Democrats, Republicans and Independents together, not just to win an election, but to transform a nation.

The Page – by Mark Halperin – TIME

Recent News:

Republicans for Obama in the Los Angeles Times: They’re Republican red, and true blue to Obama by Mark Barabak | Give to the Obama campaign…or, buy some R.F.O. gear and we’ll give the proceeds to the campaign!

Republicans for Obama was founded in late 2006 as part of the nationwide effort to encourage Senator Obama to run for the Presidency.  Since that time, our volunteer-run, grassroots organization has grown to include over 1000 members from across the country.  Find out more

Throughout the Presidential campaign, RepublicansforObama.org will continue to serve as an online forum for the growing number of Republican Obama supporters to discuss the election, and to encourage other Republicans to embrace Obama’s message of unity and competency and support his candidacy.

Republicans for Obama

By LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN, M.D.

Along with his signature bright white hair, the most striking aspects of Senator John McCain’s physical appearance are his puffy left cheek and the scar that runs down the back of his neck.

The marks are cosmetic reminders of the melanoma surgery he underwent in August 2000. …

Mr. McCain has had four melanomas. …

The most serious melanoma was spotted on his temple in 2000 by the attending physician at the United States Capitol after it had escaped the eye of Mr. McCain’s personal physician at Mayo Clinic Scottsdale. (The Capitol physician also spotted another melanoma that was in situ.) …

In Mr. McCain’s case, the Mayo Clinic team of surgeons reconstructed the skin and soft tissue overlying the left temple, face and neck by pulling up skin to close the wound. …

Mr. McCain is occasionally asked on the campaign trail about his age. But he is almost never asked about his health.

On the Campaign Trail, Few Mentions of McCain’s Bout With Melanoma – New York Times

A red phone is ringing in the middle of the night as a voice-over intones “who do you want to answer the call in the middle of the night?” As a woman’s hand reaches for the phone, a man’s hand reaches it sooner. Bill Clinton says, “Let me get this, Honey; you need your rest.”

I know — it’s pretty insulting to both of them. I toss this idea into the Cloud. Let me know if it turns up on YouTube.

More seriously, whatever Hillary does to put down Obama is *nothing* compared to what the Republicans will do. This is a useful exercise, though it will be galling to see the same ad run by McCain in the fall. peace, mjh