10.) John McCain is much, much funnier than Barack Obama. But then, almost everyone is.

9.) John McCain is a passionate patriot who has always been, and will always be, guided by what he thinks is best for America. He can trace his ancestry back to an officer on Gen. George Washington's staff and his family has served the nation nobly in war and peace ever since. McCain believes in winning wars.

8.) McCain's intimate familiarity with military matters also makes him less biddable by the armed services. He was able, when most others (most notably his opponent) were not, to see that a change of strategy in Iraq -- not a retreat -- was needed. He brings an informed skepticism to military procurement requests as well.

7.) As he told Rick Warren, McCain believes that there is evil in the world and that it must be confronted. While Mrs. Obama and many others seem to think that our enemies will purr like kittens once we inaugurate a black man with an Islamic middle name, that is dangerous fantasy. When asked for an example of evil, McCain mentioned al-Qaida putting explosive vests on two mentally impaired girls and blowing them up by remote control in an Iraqi marketplace. Obama, whose turn of mind is different, cautioned that the problem is sometimes us: " a lot of evil has been perpetrated based on the claim that we were trying to confront evil."

6.) McCain may not be a Ph.D. economist, but he understands that raising taxes and adopting protectionist trade policies will deepen and prolong this recession. Nor would he permit Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid to push through the "card check" law -- a union-backed measure that would reverse 73 years of labor law in this country by scuttling the secret ballot in union elections. Even George McGovern has denounced this job-killing, freedom-smothering law that Obama supports. Greater unionization will translate into lost productivity, inflationary pressure, and fewer jobs.

5.) John McCain will try to protect the unborn. Barack Obama is the most radical pro-abortion candidate ever to win a presidential nomination. Obama has promised to back the Freedom of Choice Act as his first presidential act, which would invalidate all restrictions on abortion at any stage of gestation -- and even in cases where babies are born alive after an attempted abortion.

4.) McCain will employ diplomacy, not worship it. Obama is deluded about the power of "talks." In 2007, he proposed, regarding Iran's nuclear program: "if we are meeting with them, talking to them, and offering them both carrots and sticks, they are more likely to change their behavior."

3.) John McCain has said that his models for good judicial picks are John Roberts and Samuel Alito. Senator Obama will pick Ralph Nader and Dennis Kucinich (just kidding, but his choices won't be far off).

2.) McCain's health care proposal will improve the world's best health care delivery system. He proposes to reform the most distorting aspect of our current system (the tax break for employers) and give the tax break to individuals instead. It is McCain's proposal, not Obama's, that will give individuals the choice to stay with the plan they have or take the tax credit and shop around (in a market enlarged by permitting interstate insurance). Obama's plan, by contrast, is a key first step to achieving his oft-repeated preference for a single-payer system like Canada's. By forcing employers to provide certain (as yet unspecified) benefits or pay a tax ("play or pay"), Obama's plan will encourage employers to dump more and more people into a government-run health insurance system like Medicare. Word to the wise: In Canada, they are seeking to reduce wait times for care. One province reported waits of 26 weeks for hip replacements, and others are trying to ensure (without success) that cancer patients are treated within 4 weeks of diagnosis.

1.) The financial crisis and looming recession, combined with President Bush's low approval ratings, have set the stage for this election to be a pivot point in American history. If Barack Obama is elected president and Democrats control large majorities in the House and Senate, the Obama/Pelosi/Reid triumvirate will move the country decisively in the direction of dying Europe -- low productivity, high joblessness, low birth rates, high taxes, and limp foreign policies. The triumvirate will do this at a time when a vibrant America is more necessary than ever -- with Iran seeking nuclear weapons, Pakistan teetering, al-Qaida regrouping, China and Russia telegraphing hostility, and Iraq just barely emerging into the sunshine. This election has become about far more than John McCain versus Barack Obama; it has become about whether the United States will remain the champion of freedom -- economic and political -- or whether we will join the queue of formerly great nations now struggling to pay for all the social welfare "benefits" their aging and lazy populations demand.

I'm still undecided, but leaning Obama. Most of my friends are voting for Obama. I have problems with both candidates. Don't know what I'll do.

I could have used this this morning!!!

Uh, ya. That kinda fell off of my list of criteria to look for when shopping for a president. Just what are country needs, someone that can tell a good joke.

Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran...

McCain has said...
McCain's plan..
McCain will...

Please... McCain does not have a clue.
He is dumber than George Bush.

If you don't feel you can vote for Obama, then don't.
But there is no comparison between the two when it comes to the essentials for the job, which should be education, intelligence and an understanding of the issues.

Obama has the skills needed.
McCain does not.

Thanks, MagicCity. I'll consider comparing their skills. I think I should consider first where they stand on issues important to me. Would you agree?

Yes, I agree.
Where they stand on the issues that are important to you is something you should consider.
But neither candidate will probably be able to deliver on all your positions, and how they say they will address those issues is important.

For example, I know the Pro Life issue is top of the list for a lot of people, and they are voting McCain only for that reason.

If McCain gets elected, he is the Pro Life candidate, but we would have to wait for judges to die and new conservatives on the bench to overturn Roe v. Wade and then make abortion illegal.

I believe that the answer to abortion lies with education, and we would get there quicker by having a strong education program and a strong adoption program to allow these mothers to bring the babies to full term and have them adopted.
Making a law does not make it happen.
We have many laws now again murder and other heinous crimes and it does not stop people from committing these crimes.
I believe that the results we seek have to come from education.

I think an emphasis on education is going to come from Obama and he has already promised to establish a better process for adoption.

And don't get me wrong, - McCain means well I am sure, but besides not having some basic education that I think is important, I just don't think he has the skills needed to be President.
He may have crossed the aisle in the past as a senator, but he is hot headed and tends to make decisions without thought and without counsel.
And I am not sure even with the abortion issues how important it is to him. I think he says alot of things just to appease the conservative base.

Boring. Now give me 10 reasons not to vote for McCain. (By the way, I have decided to vote for McCain on Tuesday in case anyone is interested.)

1) gop economic policy
2) unqualified vp candidate
3) judgment related to that pick
4) erratic executive style
5) changing policy philosophy
6) joe the plumber
7) great oz act w/r/t the bailout
8) trickle down economics works!
9) socialist/populist idea to bailout hmeowners
10) beady little eyes

LOL, so you found Ron more annoying than the entire BOLWYWTCCUT?

That one made me chuckle, Ron. Thanks!

I don't find some of Ron's political posts any less annoying than your little club members' posts. But he does have a better sense of humor than most of those in your club.

Actually, if the truth be told, nothing I've read in the BOL 'Cooler had much influence on my decision. You guys just spout back mostly what you hear other people say anyway. There's not a lot of originality in 'Cooler politcal discussions, except for AML Barbarian. I do miss him being around.

You're free to have your own opinion, of course, but (a) AML Barbarian is around, and (b) his lack of originality was what led to the "club" (LOL - you really don't get it, do you?) in the first place, and (c) it was a joke - I don't assume anyone makes decisions about anything based on the [censored] posted in the cooler.

LOL, no I really don't get it. I know AMLB has posted a lot of links to other material, as do many others, including me, but I still think he's able to interpret and extrapolate his own ideas from what he reads. I think 85% of the rest of folks around here just parrot back what they've read or heard someone else say. There is very little originality around here. (BTW, you are not included in that 85%. I miss your input when you're not around too.)

Well, let me explain it to you, tibbaw. Barbie used to get his jollies accusing anyone with a relatively conservative point of view of groupthink and spouting various abbreviations of often obscene descriptions of this supposed "club". People in the "club" - who disagree on a variety of issues, but no need to confuse Barbie with those facts - started calling themselves by their own abbreviation in response. If you want to see a club that enforces ideological consistency, look at the Obamabots here - never a criticism of their god. I don't see any such systemic blindness on the part of conservatives posting here.

No - both "sides" have pretty big motes in their own eyes. But then again, this IS an internet chat board, and such behavior is the norm.

I agree Jman, most of us don't agree on some things just because we are conservatives, everyone knows my feelings on gun control and even Fred and I are split on that. And I think you will notice that most of us are not believers that McCain is going to save this country, we all had different candidates that we thought would do the job better. I am lucky to live in a state where I can feel comfortable writing in the name of the person I believe would be best suited for the job, that way I can look at myself in the mirror the next day knowing I did my part and voiced my true opinion and not that what I am told to do.

So you think the Obamabots do criticize Him? When? Where? Please provide a few examples.

I personally do not know an Obamabot - Is that one of those robot vacuums that will clean the house while you're at work? I was hoping to get one for Christmas.

Every candidate is going to have an intensly loyal following who will find absolutely no fault with their candidate and plenty of fault with the other candidates. There are intense McCain supporters who do the same thing.

None of this is new in the political landscape.

And there is a very loyal following of Palin who seem to be setting her on track for the 2012 election. Although, since the world is scheduled to end on December 21, 2012, it won't matter anyways.

Bonnie, you're trying to weasel out of the question. If you don't know any Obamabots, that's great. But if it's the case, I'd like to see some instances of the Obama supporters here that you're defending offering some fair-minded criticism of their candidate, even though they feel he's ultimately the best choice.

And you're close on the definition of an Obamabot - they're actually a robot vacuum that will suck up everthing they hear on MSNBC and repeat in on internet message forums. Believe me, though - you don't want one for Christmas! Some of them are unemployed grad students - just think of the grocery bill!

No, it's just that your question in nonsensical. This is TYPICAL election behavior that happens each Presidential election especially now that we are this close to Election Day. Trying to find one thing or another in EITHER side is simply an exercise in futility and won't matter one damm bit the day after the election is over.

After three decades in banking, and two decades in Compliance, I have learned not to jump right into futile tasks. I save that energy for HMDA reporting and suspicious activity monitoring.

BTW - Obama should consider joining his local Toastmaster's group so he can conquer those "Ah's" and "Um's" during contemporaneous speech.

Drives me frickin' nuts!

It's not a nonsensical question, Bonnie, but your responses are. Either the Obama supporters here are more blindly devoted to Obama or they aren't - I see no evidence that they aren't. You've been offered the chance to give some examples several times now, but you know you can't.

I'm sure there are some McCain supporters (somewhere) who are as blindly devoted to him as the Obamabots posting here. But that's not the context in which Bugs made his comment.

I have yet to see an Obama supporter on here that is willing to point out that there may be faults in his plans, whereas the conservatives are willing and able to say that not all of what mccain says is what they believe is best for this country, they just think he would be the lessor of two evils. I dont think I have yet to see the love fest for mccain as I do for obama on a daily basis