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10.0 - "Dear Chairman Bernanke and Secretary Paulson"October 6

I posted this rather prescient letter from Obama to Bernanke and Paulson last March. The letter itself is dated March 22, 2007. As with Obama's warnings about the possible consequences of occupying Iraq, I think this letter is worth considering as we face the consequences of the financial mortgage-rooted meltdown in the credit markets and consider the two candidates. Money quote:

We cannot sit on the sidelines while increasing numbers of American families face the risk of losing their homes.

And while neither the government nor the private sector acting alone is capable of quickly balancing the important interests in widespread access to credit and responsible lending, both must act and act quickly...

[A] consortium of industry-related service providers and public interest advocates may be able to bring quick and efficient relief to millions of at-risk homeowners and neighborhoods, even before Congress has had an opportunity to act. There is an opportunity here to bring different interests together in the best interests of American homeowners and the American economy. Please don't let this opportunity pass us by.

Remember: from March 2007. Wouldn't it be great to have a president who actually anticipated problems rather than grappled with them after the fact? Read the full letter here:

 

5.7 - Let Twitter Build Your Social Media ProjectOctober 6

Out of the blue, I asked Twitter what it would do if Oreo came knocking looking for a social media project. In about 20 minutes, I had some interesting ideas (shared below). I’m not sure what motivated me to ask the question, but it came out of thinking that went something like this: We’ve all got decent ideas. We’re all passionate about seeing how social media might help businesses and people. We probably could do something reasonably creative, if motivated.

The answers turned out fun. I’m happy that I asked the question, and thrilled with who responded. So, with all that said, why not pour a glass a milk and see what people had to say?

What Twitter Would Do for Oreos

audreychernoff – How about just creating a new Oreo, with fiber, less sugar, etc? Something that tastes great but appeals to dieters.
lfamous – something like JibJab where you can put your kids in an Oreo commercial (& an oreo ringtone & download for music player) Yum!
carlweaver – I love your questions like this but never know what to say. I’d do an Oreo build

6.7 - The Bush-Palin WorldviewOctober 6

Ron Suskind captures it best in this vignette from 2001 as one of Bush's top economic advisers actually said in a meeting in the president's presence that Bush's fiscal insouciance was bad policy:

According to senior administration officials who learned of the encounter soon after it happened, President Bush looked at the man. "I don't ever want to hear you use those words in my presence again," he said.

"What words, Mr. President?"

"Bad policy," President Bush said. "If I decide to do it, by definition it's good policy. I thought you got that."

The advisor was dismissed. The meeting was over.

Eight years later, we have a woman on the ticket whose record in Alaska is identical: utterly fixed, utterly immune to criticism, and, much of the time, utterly wrong.

10.0 - If You Have A DogOctober 6

This video is worth watching:

Sarah Palin is an enthusiastic supporter of killing defenseless animals from the air, and offered helicopter and airplane shooters of wolves $150 each for a severed front leg of a wild wolf. But most are shot defenselessly from the air, often not killed outright and left to die on the ground. Palin enthusiastically defends this cruelty. You can find out more here. It is no accident that the Humane Society Legislative Fund has decided to endorse Obama for president this year. They have never endorsed a president before.

8.0 - Puzzled by McCainOctober 6

By the time a presidential campaign season is over, the journalists who have been covering it will be awash in credentials -– meaning the plastic tags of various sizes that hang on lanyards around their necks.

Credentials allow entry to debates and rallies, onto campaign planes, buses and fundraisers. Conventions have their own special, and ridiculously numerous, credentials. They are larger than normal, and separate ones are handed out for every day of the four-day events.

Rarely are credentials fun to look at. But last week, at the vice presidential debate at Washington University in St. Louis, the national reporters traveling with Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin got a credential with a twist: The front was a crossword puzzle; the back was a list of clues. All were related to the evening’s event.

Among the clues: A four-letter word for “First Dude”? A three-letter word for “SNL lookalike Tina”?  An eight-letter word for “the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull”? A 16-letter phrase that is the title of a book by John McCain? A six-letter word meaning “to engage in a discussion involving opposing points”? A five-letter word meaning “name of terrorist Barack Obama pals around with”? Just kidding about that last one!

(Answers are: Todd, Fey, lipstick, “Faith of My Fathers” and debate.)

--Robin Abcarian