And the debate goes to...

Arizona Senator John Sidney McCain.
Illinois Senator Barack Hussein Obama, who was purported to be a great orator, quite frankly stumbled. Obama totally dropped the ball on foreign policy, and showed exactly why he is nowhere close to being prepared for the job of Commander-in-Chief. His take on the conflict in Georgia was wrong from the very beginning, as McCain deftly pointed out, and even last night he showed great naïveté in spouting utter nonsense about "exchanging" so-called Russian "peace-keeping" forces in the Georgian provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Senator McCain did not exactly hit it out of the park, missing a few golden opportunities to knock Senator Obama on his arse, but he excelled in the foreign policy portion of the debate. Both candidates gave a shout-out to the Baltic States (Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvija), pledging continued support for allies in New Europe and support for accepting Ukraine and Georgia into the NATO alliance, but McCain had a far better grasp of the support and unity that the Baltics and Poland have provided for the people of Georgia. Much to the chagrin of the lefty loonies that comprise his base, Obama moved rightwards, pledging support for state of Israel and showing antipathy towards Venezuela. Barack Obama's positions often seemed to mirror those of John McCain's, but it was very clear that McCain was about three jumps ahead of the junior Illinois Senator. McCain savaged Obama's misguided concept holding talks without precondition with Ahmadinejad, the leader of the Islamic "Republic" of Iran. Obama attempted to rough up the senior Senator from Arizona, by invoking Henry Kissinger for the proposition that the United States ought to speak to everyone. McCain rightly hammered him:

"Senator Obama twice said in debates he would sit down with Ahmadinejad, Chavez and Raul Castro without precondition. Without precondition. Here is Ahmadinenene [mispronunciation], Ahmadinejad, who is, Ahmadinejad, who is now in New York, talking about the extermination of the State of Israel, of wiping Israel off the map, and we’re going to sit down, without precondition, across the table, to legitimize and give a propaganda platform to a person that is espousing the extermination of the state of Israel, and therefore then giving them more credence in the world arena and therefore saying, they’ve probably been doing the right thing, because you will sit down across the table from them and that will legitimize their illegal behavior. The point is that throughout history, whether it be Ronald Reagan, who wouldn’t sit down with Brezhnev, Andropov or Chernenko until Gorbachev was ready with glasnost and perestroika. Or whether it be Nixon’s trip to China, which was preceded by Henry Kissinger, many times before he went. Look, I’ll sit down with anybody, but there’s got to be pre-conditions. Those pre-conditions would apply that we wouldn’t legitimize with a face to face meeting, a person like Ahmadinejad. Now, Senator Obama said, without preconditions."

After the debate, Henry Kissinger himself added: “Senator McCain is right. I would not recommend the next President of the United States engage in talks with Iran at the Presidential level. My views on this issue are entirely compatible with the views of my friend Senator John McCain. We do not agree on everything, but we do agree that any negotiations with Iran must be geared to reality.”

McCain continued to pummel Obama: “What Senator Obama doesn’t seem to understand that if without precondition you sit down across the table from someone who has called Israel a “stinking corpse,” and wants to destroy that country and wipe it off the map, you legitimize those comments.” McCain then delivered a knock-out punch:

So let me get this right. We sit down with Ahmadinejad, and he says, “We’re going to wipe Israel off the face of the Earth,” and we say, “No, you’re not”? Oh, please.

Going in to the debates, McCain's "soft underbelly" was perceived to be his handle on economic matters. His gambit of suspending his campaign in order to roll up the sleeves and get to work in Washington got a lot of mixed reviews. In the "economy" portion of the debate, McCain did a pretty credible job of explaining what he is doing, and what he intends to do if elected President. He effectively countered Obama's comparisons of him to W. Obama was supposed to "own" this part, but again he stumbled. Most telling, where McCain was advocating tax and spending cuts, Obama could only respond with stuff that he would increase spending on. McCain missed a lot of great opportunities to tie Obama's economic advisers to the current Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae crisis, but he seemingly took the high road ahead.

Overall, McCain seemed to hit a lot of the points he needed to. He was expected to have the better foreign policy, and he effectively presented that. He was no slouch on the domestic policy. Obama, as I indicated, dropped the ball on foreign policy, which should sound alarm bells for anyone concerned with national security. Obama clearly didn't hit his marks on domestic, and failed to land any decent punches on McCain. Instead, the McCain campaign has released this advertisement highlighting the many times Obama conceded that "John is right." It seems that without a teleprompter and finely crafted material, Obama tends to stammer and appear indecisive. His attempts to get under McCain's skin and provoke the purported temper of John McCain utterly failed.

The conclusion is that Barack Hussein Obama has shown that he is not the man to lead this country. While I am not exactly thrilled by the prospect of a John Sidney McCain presidency, he is the better choice of the two. I am still likely to vote along my libertarian/conservative beliefs, but should New York and New Jersey come into play this November, I would consider pulling the lever for the Arizona Senator. I am still "undecided," but last night's debate tilts me towards McCain.

Update:

This fellow catches the part where Jim Lehrer asks Obama "No matter which rescue plan prevails, what are you going to have to give up (in spending)" By the time Obama finished, he'd spent another 20 billion dollars!

What goes around...

U.S. Rep. Johnny "ABSCAM" Murtha is about to get his comeuppance, served to him courtesy of one of the fine citizens he purports to represent. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, former Marine Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt, 24, of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania is filing a civil lawsuit against Murtha (D-Johnstown). Murtha is the congressman most famous for smearing the United States Marines involved in an incident in Haditha, Iraq some three years ago, where some civilians were caught in the crossfire of a firefight between a squad form the Third Battalion, First Marines, and a number of al-Qaeda insurgents. Before the facts were in, Murtha repeatedly denounced and defamed the 8 men involved, calling them (among other things) cold-blooded killers. Murtha's comments served to stoke anti-American sentiment abroad.

As the Article 32 investigation carried out by N.C.I.S. bore out, allegations of a "massacre" were wildly inaccurate, and charges against seven of the eight accused men were dropped. Only one of the Marines, squad leader Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, remains charged with involuntary manslaughter. To date, Murtha has neither retracted nor apologized for his comments. Lance Corporal Sharratt and his family tried on numerous occasions to get an audience with Murtha, and when they finally did, Murtha did not acknowledge Lance Corporal Sharratt's exhonoration, and "kept skirting the issue."

Noah Geary, a Washington County lawyer representing Sharratt, said his client will file suit today in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh accusing Murtha of violating his constitutional rights as well as slander for statements about the Haditha incident. It looks like one of the great weasels of American politics is about to get what is coming to him.

New York rally versus Evil

The uproar over the dis-invitation of Alaska governor Sarah Palin to speak at the anti- Ahmadinejad rally yesterday outside the United Nations New York Headquarters by the event organizers appears to have created a huge anti-Obama backlash.

WCBS-TV Channel 2 news is reporting that protesters at the rally opposing the visit to the U.N. of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the leader of The Islamic Republic of Iran, were angered by the cowardly antics of the event organizers, and turned their ire against the Democrat Party. It is widely believed that the organizers succumbed to pressures from the Democrat Party to dis-invite the G.O.P. vice-Presidential candidate from making a speech at the event. Although the event was originally intended to be non-partisan, the Democrat Party lost face after Hillary Clinton dropped out after learning that Governor Palin was invited. Noted author Roger L. Simon called the move a "virtual Night of the Long Knives played out between the Democratic Party and various Jewish organizations surrounding the Iran demonstration, including allegations that party operatives were threatening the loss of tax exempt status over Sarah Palin’s appearance, with more unpleasant revelations undoubtedly to come, is obviously causing people to reconsider this allegiance to the Democratic Party that approaches fealty."

Anger at the Democrat Party was evident by many hand-made signs bearing slogans, such as: "We Want Sarah. Shame On The Rally Organizer." Many others carried printed posters displaying sentiments as "Jews Against Obama & Ahmadinejad." Barak Hussein Obama's recent comments seemingly in support of Israel appear to many as pandering. A good deal of people in New York's Jewish community have reason to doubt the Democrat Party presidential candidate's sincerity, especially considering the fact that chief among his foreign policy advisers is Jimmy Carter's National Security adviser, Zbigniew Brzezinski.

Given the recent surge by G.O.P. candidate John Sidney McCain, New York has recently come into play and is no longer considered a "safe bet" to remain a Blue State in the upcoming election. Angering the Jewish population of New York City is as unwise a move as the Democrat Party political establishment could possibly make.

Saying Farewell to an Old Friend

Yankee Stadium -- The Cathedral of Baseball -- hosted its final game last night, a 7-3 thumping of the hapless Orioles. I can't help but feel a little sad -- O.K., a LOT sad. It is as though I have seen an old friend for the last time. The Stadium was given a rousing send-off by the Yankee organization. Many of the legendary players were honored, their feats and heroics displayed on the giant video screen. Those still living were invited out onto the field, the honored dead in quite a few cases were represented by family members who came out in their stead.

No image, in my mind, is quite as touching as that of Yogi Berra standing solemnly, as if at attention, the faithful Old Guard hailing the Regent in a final sign of respect. The Yankee organization got it right, for the most part. I cannot help feel, though, that some were snubbed. It is no secret that the management has had acrimonious relationships with the field Managers, the men who led the team to great success over the years, and who have been fairly or unfairly born the brunt of the blame when Championships are not delivered every autumn, like clockwork. George Steinbrenner, the Principal Owner of The Franchise was notorious for finding the best and brightest baseball minds, second-guessing them and casting them away. But George also had a streak of humility that made him see the error of past transgressions and to make amends. It was sad that Joe Torre did not get due appreciation at this great event, though one suspects that this may be more the doing of Hal and Hank, the Sons of George, who have assumed the mantle of "The Boss." To be fair, not even the greatest of the Yankee skippers, namely Casey "The Ol' Perfesser" Stengel, got as much "face-time" as was his due.

It was thrilling to see Bernie Williams make a return to centerfield, if only as a guest. Ditto the return of his compatriots, such as Paul O'Neill, Scott Brosius, and Constantino Martinez who provided so many thrilling moments in the Championship runs of the late 1990s. Even moreso were the return of the legends of my childhood, Graig Nettles, Chris Chambliss, Reggie Jackson, Bucky Dent, Willie Randolph, "Goose" Gossage, and "The Gator" Ron Guidry. As each was introduced, I felt the same chills and thrills as I did when I was 13, and my boys were coming back from 14 and a half out to storm back and reclaim the World Championship.

Yankee Stadium was a place where magic happened. I recall the nights at summer camp in the Catskills, when we surreptitiously listened to the games on A.M. radios smuggled in -- living in an ecstatic combination of fear of getting "busted" by the counsellors for having such contraband and elation of being in touch with those great, great men playing a boy's game, and carrying the banner of my "home" city in a quest to become the Champions of the World.

To be truthful, I didn't start life out as a Yankee fan. In fact, I was practically born in the shadow of Shea Stadium in Queens. My mom, for whatever reason, was in her 9th month of pregnancy and decided to take the family to the 1965 World's Fair at Flushing Meadows. It was then that I decided to come into this world, and through an unusual set of circumstances I came into this world in the backseat of Uncle Jerry's '53 Mercury, as he was speeding down the Long Island Expressway enroute to the family doctor who was awaiting us at a hospital in Smithtown. I could just as easily have been born in Booth Memorial in Queens, save for my mom's stubborn insistence to make it back to Suffolk County. My elder siblings were not great baseball fans, but they were swayed by the New York Metropolitan Baseball Club -- most especially because of the 1969 "Miracle Mets." From them, I received the hand-me-down Mets shirts and memorabilia and slowly began to comprehend the nature of the game. We moved from the Island (what island? -- Long Island) to New Jersey. Fortunately, my family were not great baseball fans, and the sport (and the Mets) were sort of an abstract. I vaguely recall the "Ya Gotta Believe" from 1973, but my next real "contact" with Major League baseball would come from our trips to The Bronx.

For an immigrant family, contact with other Latvian nationals was very important. Although we lived in the sticks in Jersey, I recall that we would make several trips each week trips to the Bronx, where the Latvian community had a church and social hall. We attended services and went to Scouts. We weren't exactly well-off, and often took the Major Deegan Expressway to save the little bit of money the luxury of the Henry Hudson Parkway toll bridge exacted. Staring in 1975, we began encountering lots of traffic near the interchange with I-95. This traffic, we found out, coincided with when and how the Yankees were playing. So, we got into the habit of using Mr. Marconi's invention and tuning in to WINS 1010 to hear what the Yankees were doing on Sunday afternoons or Tuesday (and later Thursday and Friday) evenings. We found out that the charming and enigmatic Yogi Berra fellow had been unceremoniously dumped by the Mets, and was now with these Yankees. I remember the bewilderment I experienced when I discovered that Yogi was a long-time Yankee before his days with the Mets! And what a history lesson I learned listening to The Scooter, Phil Rizzuto, as he filled in quite a lot of the blanks. Alas, 1976 was The Turning Point -- armed with the knowledge and appreciation of the game, and the joy of listening to the exploits of the Bronx Bombers on the radio. It was then that I truly became a Yankee Fan. The Yankees and Yankee Stadium were no longer the nuisance that caused depressing traffic jams on the way home, but rather the source of interesting and suspenseful adventures. I know fondly recall the nights when we "raced" down the Deegan expressway, keeping tabs of the innings and score, desperately hoping to beat the crowds to the I-95 before the end of the game. They seem so majestic now, that were "blessed" to see the magnificent glow of the stadium lights in the autumn skies as we ascended the looping road up towards the Alexander Hamilton bridge that brought us across the Harlem River.

That was the Yankee Stadium of my childhood -- a bright shining place, abuzz with excitement, where these mythical men with nifty nicknames like "Catfish" and "Sparky" and "The Goose" performed astounding feats. "Holy Cow" and "You Huckleberry" became part of my jargon. I knew one day that I must go see this place for myself, to witness the wonder and to be a part of the great game. I was about 15 or so when my elders finally entrusted me to be able to take Mass Transit by myself from Jersey to the Bronx and back again, to participate in church and scout-oriented activity. Money was not easy to come by, but I got a paper route, delivering the Newark Star-Ledger, and saved and often was "gifted" tickets. So after Saturday folk dances, I was able to catch a few baseball games. I never had much money, but managed to get into the bleachers. I remember very much wanting to get out and about and to see the grand old ball-park, but us "bleacher-creatures" were a different class of citizen, we weren't allowed into the other areas of the ballpark. I remember one time my Grandmother sprung for good seats, and I relished just walking the concourse, stopping from section to section to see what the view was like from each, before being chased away by the ushers. These were the 1980s, some lean years for the club, but each visit was precious.

During my High School years, I had an opportunity to be part of the NBS radio network, a "proving ground" for beginners who wanted to break into broadcasting. We basically had studios in Manhattan where we recorded 30-minute weekly shows that would be re-broadcast to other parts of the country. Using my credentials, I was able to secure a press pass for Yankee Stadium for one day. Navigating the labyrinthine hallways, I was a cross between a kid in a candy store and a deer in headlights. I remember meeting a kindly old gent named Pete Sheehy, who took the time to show me the clubhouse. At the time, I was not aware of his deep connection to Yankee history, and only later did I realize what a great privilege I had been afforded. Pete Sheehy was the equipment manager for the New York Yankees from 1927 until his death in 1985. He shined Babe Ruth's shoes, when Lou Gehrig realized his career was over, he flipped his glove to Sheehy, who said "I'm done, Pete." Sheehy was the man who issued Mickey Mantle #7 after Mantle was recalled from Kansas City so he could get a new start rather than being pressed with number 6. Pete Sheehy gifted me with Yankee catcher Butch Wynegar's baseball jersey, it had this big stain on it that would not wash out. I remember wearing that #27 with pride for the longest time. My mom threw it out when I was away in college, not realizing its significance. After his death, the Yankee clubhouse was named in his honor. I will never forget the kindness and generosity of this gentleman who so embodied the Yankee spirit. I wonder if his "ghost" will follow the Yankees across the street.

I was proud to be able to afford "real" seats during the glory years in the 1990s, but for some reason it always seemed that going to a game was always destined to take a sizable chunk of change from my wallet, no matter how much I was earning. I have to admit I haven't been to a game at the Stadium in a long while now. Tickets of late have been scarce and super-expensive, this being the last season and all. I almost feel like I've let the Stadium down, like knowing a friend is in the hospital, and even though you've called, you should have made a visit nonetheless. Now the opportunity is gone. Yeah, I know that there will still be another send-off event, but it wouldn't feel right if there wasn't a game going on.

I am sure I will be taking in a game at the new stadium that nears completion on the other side of the street. I just don't know if the "tingle" will be there, if the hairs on the back of my neck will stand at attention, or if there will be the same feeling of awe. The Yankee Stadium that captivated me, the place that I fell in love with will soon be no more. The new place, I am sure, will be nice. I just don't know if the Old Ghosts will be there to haunt it. It will be a goodly piece of property; but next spring, will it strike fear into the heart of some Cleveland Indians rookie who plays there for the first time? Will opposing veterans still take the time after batting practice to walk the new monument park and reflect on the old legends? It is, I suppose, up to the likes of Derek Jeter, and A-Rod, and Mariano to make a bold statement in the crisp pages of the brand new journal that will now record the travails, tribulations and triumphs of the New York Yankees. I dearly hope that they do so with pride and glory, and do justice to the namesake of the great franchise that is the New York Yankees, and pay due respect to the dignity of the place that will now carry the name of Yankee Stadium.

As for the old place... you will be missed, old friend.