Because I believe that its very hard to stay sane in the time we live without watching some of The Daily Show... I try to post a few diary entries about last night's episodes when I get the chance. I hope you enjoy the video recap and feel free to weigh in with comments.

Last night's show dealt with Robert Novak's accident as well as Obama's continued trip overseas, part of the ongoing "Obama Quest" series. But wait, Jon says, there is another Presidential candidate on a quest (you jerks!) - it's John McCain's quest for attention, touring backwater towns in Pennsylvania.

Also, the continuous Osama/Obama brain farts are montaged and Jon does a run down for how you can tell the difference between Osama bin Laden and Barack Obama.

Yes, I am not kidding.  A few days ago McCain dropped a whopper: "I know how to win wars"  Well, it's about to get topped.   Remember a few days ago when it was reported that the NY Times rejected McCain's Iraq editorial in essence because it consisted of little more than attacks on Obama and very little about McCain's OWN vision for Iraq?

That really gets to the essence of McCain's problem in a nutshell: his entire campaign is based on slamming Obama, with a few minor policy ideas, and essentially no vision for what a McCain presidency would look like.

Case in point, take last night's interview on ABC News.  Watch his response to a question about the Israeli/Palestinian issue and how he would resolve it:

Last week there was a bit of an uproar over the AP's announcement that they would be permitting a more personal style of writing in their news reporting.  It's a bit of a shock because the AP is kind of old school when it comes to the who-what-when-where-why of news.  Even though it was some time ago that the AP started disseminating stories with multiple ledes -- straight and more featurized -- this was new.

I don't have the same problem with it some do.  Like Orwell, I think that personal, subjective writing might be the best way to preserve "the moral atmosphere of a particular moment in time," an argument that he makes in a wonderful essay called "Looking Back on the Spanish War."

Nevertheless, I think that the weird hybrid between news and personal writing that we're seeing now is just peculiar, and is evident in a recent NY Times story about Obama abroad.

My favorite answer to any of the press' questions of Obama in the past few days is, (and I'm paraphrasing) "My job is to look past Iraq.  Of course, General Patreus will tell me what he thinks of conditions on the ground, his need for more or fewer resources, etc.  That's his job.  He's the Commander in Iraq.  But my job is to take his opinions into account and look at our strategy in the region, and look beyond Iraq."  

What a tremendous, smart statement.

If only McBush would take their blinders off and start looking at the whole of the Middle East and a comprehensive foreign policy...  Of course, they're not going to do that.  They want permanent US bases in Iraq and they want to tinker with the oil revenue at all costs because since they ousted Hussein and had elections, our presense there has never been about security and surges.  It's been about oil revenue and control.  

Senator Obama is holding a live Press conference in the town of Sderot Israel now.

He is being hosted by the Mayor of Sderot. The town is at the center of the fighting, and has received over 2600 missle attacks so far this year (that's whats behind Obama; spent missle shells).

But, further below (in the body), are the latest McCain Shenanigans. McCain, has altered his Surge story again. Today, in a speech, he blurred the lines between the Surge, and the Sunni Awakening, with out every calling it by name, but prasing General Petraeus's "new strategy" as a hero

Now to Obama: Dressed in a white open collar shirt, with no suit jacket.

He looks, and sounds so Presidential.

Obama is not picking the questions. That's being done by an Israeli (and so far most of the questions are being asked by Israeli media).

But these guys, are trying to really ask tough questions, or put Obama in a pickle. He's truly walking a minefield before he leaves for Europe. The haters (like A. Mitchell) are gonna really look for gaffes here.

This is being broadcast on MSNBC and CNN right now.

Here's the webstream, for those with no TV ascess. http://www.cnn.com/...

Obama has been catching some dimissive flak from certain pundits regarding his upcoming trip to Europe.

Granted, Sen. Obama is merely a candidate and not yet the leader of the Free World (although that may be a foregone conclusion) but it's interesting to compare the press musings before Pres. Kennedy's European trip in 1963, equally dismissive and patronizing--and ultimately so wrong.

From an article in Wednesday's Guardian, columnist Jonathan Freedland offers a different perspective on Obama and the Middle East, beginning with this nice opening metaphor:

It's lucky Barack Obama has people to carry his bags these days, because when he arrived in Israel last night he brought with him a whole lot of baggage.

Jump the fold with me to read more.

Last night on The Daily Show Obama's overseas journey to Iraq was covered in hilarious fashion as Jon waits eagerly for his first gaffe which never comes. They do however, play McCain's geography gaffe.

Colbert also covers Obama's trip thus far and gives some satirical commentary on the charges of media bias being leveled by people like FOX News' Chris Wallace and Steve Doocy.

The Colbert report also had one of the funniest interviews I've seen in months when he sat down with someone from the Sierra Club group of environmental lobbyists. While I consider myself an environmentalist, this interview was hysterical - especially the part with the polar bear (you gotta see it to understand).

Earlier today on Good Morning America, Senator John McCain made an incredibly confusing gaffe about the Middle East. When he was asked whether the situation in Afghanistan was urgent he said it was not, but that we had a "lot of work to do" given the "Situation along the Iraq-Pakistan border".

To anyone vaguely familiar with Middle Eastern geography this would be incredibly perplexing, given the fact that Iraq and Pakistan are separated by over a thousand miles and the land mass of Iran. Perhaps McCain meant to say "Iran-Pakistan" border...? But that wouldn't make much sense. Maybe he really isn't that savvy about foreign affairs.

Here is the clip and the full interview -

That is what Iraqi spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh (yes the same Ali Al-Dabbagh, that Centcom alledgedly quoted on the weekend) said above, when speaking to reporters.

"Holy Switch-a-roo Batman! The Iraqi's still want us out!" Is what Cheney must of tod GW this morning.

This was just broadcast on MSNBC at 10am. I saw Al-Dabbagh, say it with my own ears and eyes. After Obama met with Al-Maliki today, he responded to reporters by saying:

"We want the US troops out by 2010". Not on a timetable not by US election standards. But by our standards".

Now this follows up an earlier MSNBC report, saying that the Iraqi's want us out "in 2010". But Now there saying "by 2010".  Wow!

The video is below. This story is going to spread like wild-flower today guys. The Iraqi's say they want us out, repeatedly!

Ya think Obama slipped Al-Maliki a Micky in their meeting?

Update: Now McCain is forced to say (according to MSNBC) "We support the US Troop removal which ignores the facts on the ground". Say What?

As you all probably know, Al Gore challenged the United States two days ago to end our dependence on foreign oil within a decade. Whether or not we reach Gore's target, the Middle East's days as the energy breadbasket of the planet are numbered-in two or three decades, the US will probably be getting the majority of its energy from domestic renewable sources such as solar and wind. How this will happen, and its impact on US and western society, has been discussed ad nauseum both here and on other internet forums. What recieves much less attention is the impact this will have on the Middle East itself.
**Disclamer** I'm a second-year college student. Though I'm specializing in Middle Eastern history and hope to eventually be an expert in the subject, I'm not now. The material for this diary comes from what I've gathered through news sources and outside reading.**

Did you know. According to Mike Allen of Politico online:

Barack Obama left Afghanistan on Sunday and made a second unannounced stop in Kuwait, Arab media reported.

Obama was honored at a banquet at the residence of Kuwait’s emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, according to the government news agency.

Obama and the other members of his delegation — Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) — also attended a meeting with the ermir and a dozen other state and royal officials of the Gulf state, the government

Also: John Rentoul, of the British Independent wrote this about Obama's impact in England:

The Democratic presidential candidate is Bill Clinton and Nelson Mandela rolled into one when it comes to sprinkling stardust. And now that he has ditched his left-wing baggage, Brown and Cameron are hoping that some of the magic will rub off on them.

Well you know I didn't agree with that "left wing baggage part". More on Mr. Rentoul later.

I am getting old (57) and I have seen better times.  Not in terms of my own finances, because truthfully I am about as prosperous as I've ever been, which is comfortably middle-class.  I have been poor and this is better.  Or in terms of my own mental health; I have been terminally depressed, and this is better.  But in terms of the rest of the world, our own nation, I have seen things slide down hill.  Of course, the global economy, not just our own, is in sorry shape, the dollar is depreciating, oil prices are going to the moon, inflation is rampant, there is turmoil in the Middle East.  Still, having lived through the seventies, I feel like this is deja-vu all over again.  We can survive this.

Other things are not so easy to fix.  And I don't mean that flippantly.

Net-roots, American's celebrate. We have a real Presidential candidate on Foreign Policy.

Today,when Obama gave a Major Foreign Policy Speech on Iraq, Iran, Afghan, and Pakistan. He spoke about a range of realistic concerns & solutions.

After 8 years of George Bush lies and cover ups. I can honestly say Obama touched some truths, that you would ever hear from a major American politician.

It's Ironic that one of the top diaries today are from Brandon's rehashed 911/Taliban/$$, terrorism link.

Obama boldly stated(paraphrases):

Iraq is not the center of the war on terror and it never was".

He also said we have to understand that we have to get serious about Pakistan, and stop sending a blank check to a Dictator, that doesn't have our best interest.

He also said that:

"George Bush and McCain don't want to win in Iraq, but they want to stay in Iraq. He says, "They want to stay when violence is up, or when violence is down". Wow! I've been saying that for months.

"Obama, also stated, We have to move beyond just a military alliance, where the people don't like us, just to facilicate ourselves, that creates more violence.  He even defined what victory in Iraq would be

A sensible foreign policy indeed.

If you haven't seen T. Boone Pickens' initial commercial about how we import nearly 70% of our oil and how he has a plan to get the US out of that level of dependency, click here to watch.

Known primarily for his career as an oil man, T. Boone Pickens has a current net worth of about $3Billion. He ranks as the 117th richest person in the US and 369th richest in the World. You can read more about him on many sites; just Google his name. The above tidbits were garnered from Wikipedia.

The reason I write this blog entry is NOT to push anything for Mr. Pickens. I do not have a position on him, whatsoever. I am writing this blog to clear up a few facts versus implications.

(facts over the fold)

So what can one learn from a trip like this? What exactly did Global Exchange want me to find out  and did I actually do it? Who's fault is the current conflict with Iran anyway?, and will we ever get our embassy back.
some final words below the fold...

It's best to begin this installment with the end. I was in the airport waiting for the plane to board, and I decided to get myself a Coke®, so I did. The lady at the counter said "two hundred" so, I took on of the few two thousand ryal notes I had left out of my pocket, and gave it to her. "No," she said patiently, "Two hundred Thum. That's 20,000 Ryals." What the heck is a thum, and why hadn't I heard of this thing before?

Recently the Iranians tested a missile. They even faked a picture to make the missiles look more successful than they were. What does this mean?

Well, we’ve managed to scare them, that’s what. And that’s not a very good idea.

The U.S. and Israel have been threatening Iran for several months now. From McCain’s silly attempts at musical humor to Obama’s statements about how big of a threat the country is.

Because when one or both sides in a conflict lives in fear, bad things happen.