A Spooky Transition....

The winner of the presidential contest will face a scary Herculean task on November 5.

An "Arduous Transition Awaits Next President" (WaPo) spells out the steep climb facing the incumbent.

Thanks to the Bush administration's radical-ideology agenda buttressed with monstrously failed policies.

McCain promises to "reach across the aisle" and "new blood" in his administration (why not in his campaign tactics and campaign staff now?). The narrow agenda of McCain's campaign is designed to strengthen the GOP's far-right base. It's a matter of record that McSame voted with the Bush far-right corporate-favoring administration 90 percent of the time.

Obama also has promises to keep, and miles to go.... But, Obama already has in place an extensive transition team to enable him to hit the ground running. For all of his big talk, McCain admittedly hasn't been able to strongly focus on the transition as he searches for a winning gimmick.... like his "you betacha" VP choice.... like Joe the Plumber.... and deploys his divisive Ayers-smear Swiftboating tactics in the home stretch.

As Republican Colin Powell, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the first Gulf War and a former Secretary of State for the current administration, said so succinctly this morning on NBC's Meet the Press with his endorsement of Obama... "after watching Sarah Palin for seven weeks I don't think she's ready to be president of the United States, which is the job of the Vice President."

A no-where-close-to-ready Sarah Palin was 72-year-old McCain's first big "presidential" decision. Why should we believe his judgment starting November 5 would be any better?

November 4. Vote. It matters!

Obama's Organizing....

When it comes to harnessing the power of the Internet, the enthusiasm of supporters and rebutting smear tactics, Barack Obama is no swiftboated, flatfooted John Kerry.

Or a forked-tongue John McCain who declared to the Boston Herald yesterday about the expected attack ads against Obama, "I can't be a referee of every spot run on television." (Boston Herald)

What a change from 2004 when McCain strongly condemned attack ads from unaccountable political groups, called 527s.... he seems now to have lost his voice. His Straight Talk compass has gone all wobbly.

In proactive moves, the Obama campaign has launched a site to set the Straight Talk record straight. Was Obama born in America? Does he put his hand over his heart when reciting the Pledge of Allegiance? For the truth about these and other vicious rumors, one can now go, and send rumor-besieged friends, to Fight the Smears.... for the real straight talk.

Putting to good use his three years of experience as a community organizer, Obama's campaign is sending 3,600 volunteers to 17 swing states this weekend, each committed to six consecutive weeks of full-time political work.

This isn't the usual here's-your-teeshirt-and-doughnut effort... to be chosen, volunteers were required to answer essay questions, supply references and go through a telephone interview with campaign staff members in exchange for training in community organizing techniques called "Obama Organizing Fellowships."

While McCain stages, with the help of Fox News, town-hall styled meetings populated with gushing flatterers, Obama's organization is.... organizing.

Since McCain can run, but he can't hide, from his support of Bush's invasion and occupation of Iraq, tax cuts for the wealthy and the floundering economy, he's turning to last century's politics of personality and personal destruction.... while Obama swamps the swiftboats and flexes his "Yes we can" connectivity and involvement skills.

Supporting the smear campaign about to be launched against Obama, conservative political commentator Pat Buchanan arrogantly said on MSNBC last night to two Obama boosters objecting to such tactics.... "you run your little campaign, and we'll run ours."

How out-of-touch of him.