But it was Clint Eastwood that stole the show.  Rather, Invisible Obama stole the show....

WaPo has the transcript

Our friends at Think Progress live blogged the inaccuracies the entire evening.

Are Republicans scared to admit that the fact-checkers were right and that Paul Ryan was wrong?

A facebook friend said that Paul Ryan did not lie about Obama getting the blame for the Wisconsin factory shutting down.

I'm sorry but the facts are facts.  Paul Ryan did lie.

Senator Russ Feingold said in a statement on Facebook:

Unfortunately, Paul Ryan has turned a bipartisan effort to save the GM plant in Janesville into a dishonest, partisan attack on President Obama. Representative Ryan knows the same facts I do: despite the work of Wisconsin’s Congressional delegation, GM announced the plant closure during the Bush administration.

Don't blame President Barack Obama for something that his predecessor, George W. Bush, should get the blame for.  Paul Ryan did so anyway.  A plant closed in Wisconsin while Bush was in office and yet, Obama got the blame anyway.

It doesn't make sense.  It's makes zero sense to me.  This is the probably many of us have with the political system.  Politicians give speeches with lies and distort reality.  They have got to stop doing that.

It's why I have zero trust in Paul Ryan and would not trust him as the second guy in command.

What got me was that a writer for Fox News even called him out!  I didn't think that they were allowed to do that.  I thought it went against their by-laws.

On the other hand, to anyone paying the slightest bit of attention to facts, Ryan’s speech was an apparent attempt to set the world record for the greatest number of blatant lies and misrepresentations slipped into a single political speech. On this measure, while it was  Romney who ran the Olympics, Ryan earned the gold.

It should be noted that the writer is a contributor to Fox News.  She calls out Ryan for using his speech to distract people from the record.

The fact-checkers at Think Progress were very busy on Wednesday night.  Who knew that this RNC could lead to the hiring of fact checkers this week?!?

I just remembered why I stopped doing commentary with regards to politics.  The amount of stupidity that comes out of the mouths of politicians as we get closer to the election.

It's not only the politicians but also the people that attend the conventions as we saw last night in Tampa.

A camera operator with CNN was attacked by two Republican delegates because the camera operator was an African-American.  It's comments like these that not only make me sick in my stomach but also afraid for our country.

What happened to the golden rule of treating others how you wish to be treated?  Where is the respect?  What happened to civility?

Retiring congressmen and senators have gone on record to an extent saying that they no longer like the divisiveness in Washington.  Even John McCain's chief of staff (or was it legislative director) told Meghan McCain and Michael Ian Black that if he could do it all again, he would stay as far away from Washington, DC.

But we have reached a point where even the moderate Republicans are too moderate for the Republican Party.  The extreme right wing has hijacked the party and I feel that we will be seeing the creation of a strong third party to take over the center wing of the spectrum.

A third party would woo not only the Independents but centrist Democrats and Republicans.  A new home for them if you will.  Maybe Michael Bloomberg will be their candidate in 2016?  I don't know.  I always thought Bloomberg would have been a presidential candidate by now.  He's one of the few with the balls to stand up to the NRA and trust me, after all the shootings this year, somebody has to do it!  Why not him?!?

I'm a loyal Democrat, don't get me wrong, but there are days when I wonder what would happen if we had a strong third party.

I tweet a lot.  I share links on Facebook a lot.  Sometimes, you just cannot believe the stupidity that happens.  I'm trying my best not to share a gazillion links a day but when I see it shared a few times already, I don't really have a choice but to share it.

MSNBC's Chris Matthews tore RNC Chairman Reince Priebus a new one this morning on Morning Joe.

Thanks to the folks at The Second City Network, we bring you a Completely Honest Political Debate:

With Hurricane Isaac veering north towards New Orleans on the 7th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, both political parties should cancel their respective conventions.

Why?  It's not fair for media coverage to have most of your news staff in Tampa Bay or Charlotte while cities like New Orleans will need that weather coverage on the air.  It would not be fair for those of us wanting to watch coverage of Isaac having to deal with politicians or their spouses delivering a speech in primetime.

The National Journal is reporting that the RNC could be cut down to maybe even one day.  One of the worst-case scenarios includes a quick roll call and truncated speech.  We shall see what happens.  All eyes, for the time being, should be on the Gulf Coast rather than Tampa Bay.

If C-SPAN wants to offer 24/7 convention coverage, fine by me.  However, the cable news networks should be devoting their attention to the hurricane.  It's the right thing to do.  Politico has already reported that CNN is sending Anderson Cooper and Soledad O'Brien to New Orleans.  I hope the other networks follow in their path shortly.  They are not the only ones as Politico reported.

NBC's plan:

Brian (Williams) is staying in Tampa for now. Lester Holt, who is already in New Orleans after traveling after Nightly last night, will lead our coverage there -- which includes Gabe Gutierrez and Tamron Hall, and the full resources of The Weather Channel, including Jim Cantore who is also already in NOLA.

ABC's plan:

We are closely monitoring the storm's path. Diane Sawyer will anchor "World News" from Tampa Bay tonight with the latest reporting on Isaac from our extreme weather team inside the storm zone. ABC News weather editor Sam Champion will report from NOLA. ABC News meteorologist Ginger Zee will report from the Mississippi Gulf coast. Matt Gutman is reporting from Key West. Cecilia Vega is also reporting from Tampa. 

There is no word at the moment as to what CBS News will do but I am sure that they will send somebody to the Gulf Coast.

The Boston Globe's Glen Johnson speaks the truth at heart:

Consider for a moment the juxtaposition of President Obama marshaling his administration’s forces and personally visiting New Orleans or Mobile, Ala., in the aftermath of the storm’s landfall, all while the convention hall is filled with delegates dressed in funny hats listening to partisan speeches.

Consider, too, the practical reality of the public and news media being forced to choose between watching a staged political event or coping with the aftermath of a natural disaster.

As for the Democratic Party's plans next week in Charlotte, I don't think the mood will be as festive.

Congressman Paul Ryan's budget plan aside, he is a very scary person.  Just read what he said when he was asked his thoughts on conception when asked by WJHL reporter Josh Smith.

JOSH SMITH: ...Specifically where you stand when it comes to rape, and when it comes to the issue of should it be legal for a woman to be able to get an abortion if she's raped.

PAUL RYAN: I'm very proud of my pro-life record, and I've always adopted the idea that, the position that the method of conception doesn't change the definition of life. But let's remember, I'm joining the Romney-Ryan ticket. And the president makes policy. And the president, in this case the future President Mitt Romney, has exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother, which is a vast improvement of where we are right now.

These are his words, not mine.  The way I interpret what he said is that he and Romney have a difference of opinion when it comes to abortion rights.  Going into this past week, I thought it was reasonable that most people, even Republicans, only supported the women's right to choose when it came to the exceptions of rape, incest, and when the mother's life is in danger.  Oy, was I wrong.

The interview with WJHL was not the first time that Ryan has said such comments.  He had said it before with Joe Delano of KDKA in Pittsburgh as Maddowblog notes.

G-d forbid that Mitt Romney gets elected and something happens with him.  I'm not advocating that you do something to him.  That's just now how the system works.  But G-d forbid he dies in a car crash or plane crash.  After all, you should see how Political Animals ended last week.  Just saying.

I don't know about you but a Paul Ryan presidency would scare me to death.  It seriously would.

I'm writing this here, rather than at Wildcat Blue Nation, because I don't wish to speak for anyone else but rather speak for myself and my own views on the matter.  I don't say this as someone who considers myself as a sportswriter.  I don't say this as a Kentucky fan.  I say this as someone who has taken a class in news writing.

I had just finished reading a brilliant article by John Clay of the Herald Leader on the latest around of CBS Sports anonymous polling.  It's just disgusting to me.

When these coaches say things on the record and actually turn people in, let me know. Until then, CBS Sports has fallen so low with this series that it's ruined the good name of sports journalism. Since when did CBS Sports disgrace the good name of sports reporting and become the National Enquirer?!?  Was it this summer or did they somehow get replaced with writers from a parallel universe?

I had a friend attack me for complaining about this CBS Sports series and they asked me if I was "so shocked that other coaches flat out hate your hero Calipari?"

 I had to respond to that comment.  This is not about John Calipari and the University of Kentucky Wildcats.  It's about the good name of sports journalism and what that stands for.  I've never met a single sportswriter that wanted to be a sportswriter so they could poll coaches anonymously and not even quote them on the record.

With idiots like Missouri Congressman Todd Akin and Iowa Congressman Steve King, how can any women call themselves a Republican anymore?

The Republican Party has declared war on women.  Sad as it may be, it's actually true.  All you have to do is look at the platform for the Republican National Convention.  It really does hurt all women.  Don't just sit there.  Take action!  Stand up for your body?

The Washington Post reports:

As Republican officials continue their attempts to persuade Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri to end his bid for the Senate over his comments about rape and abortion, GOP leaders adopted a party platform on Tuesday that calls for a constitutional amendment protecting “human life” but does not say whether exceptions should be allowed in cases of rape and incest.


According to a plank adopted by a 112-member Republican committee meeting here, an “unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life that cannot be infringed.” The platform also calls for legislation recognizing the rights of unborn children under the 14th Amendment.

So while every Republican official is calling on Todd Akin not only to withdraw from the U.S. Senate race in Missouri and calling on him to skip the convention, they are acting as hypocrites.  When push comes to shove, the platform agrees with Akin.  It's just in there quietly and not as public as the fucking asshole was on KTVI this weekend.

If Republicans want to put their money where their mouths are, they would update their platform immediately and stop their war against women.  There's no exceptions for victims of rape, incest, and yes, this also includes victims of sexual abuse.  What if the mother's life is in danger?  What happens then?  Would the GOP rather she die giving birth?

Why is it that the GOP cares so much what women do with their body?  Why are they not banning tattoo parlors?  Those go against the Bible!  It says so in Leviticus 19:28.

You shall not make cuts in your flesh for a person [who died]. You shall not etch a tattoo on yourselves.

Yet there are so many athletes with tattoos that used #blessed on Twitter as a hashtag.  How can you be religious and have a tattoo?  It's not just wrong but immoral!

Everybody loves watching American football.  Guess what?  Football is an unclean sport and it says so right in Leviticus 11:8.

You shall not eat of their flesh, and you shall not touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.

Yet somehow football is becoming the national pastime over baseball.

These are strange times that we live in.

Congressman Todd Akin, a Republican from Missouri's 2nd district, is running for the United States Senate against Sen. Claire McCaskill.

Akin appeared on KTVI this morning and went on to make a full of himself.  The following excerpt comes from Talking Points Memo.  It's not pretty at all.  In fact, if you don't want to read what he said this morning, I would avert my eyes now.

In pandering to the conservative right-wing of the Republican Party, Republican Party presidential nominee and flip-flopper Mitt Romney selected Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin.

Ryan, the chairman of the House Budget Committee, is one of the most conservative members of Congress.

The Obama Truth team shared a photo on Facebook on Saturday saying the following 5 things about what voters should know about Paul Ryan.

1.  He believes in the same top-down economic policies that crashed our economy.
2.  He'd hike taxes on middle-class families to pay for tax cuts for millionaires
3.  He'd cut Pell Grants, clean energy, and innovation funding even as he gives more tax breaks to the wealthy.
4.  He would end Medicare as we know it.
5.  He co-sponsored a bill that would ban many forms of birth control.

That's not all.  Paul Ryan is a scary candidate for vice president.  Sure, Sarah Palin was just an airhead but Paul Ryan is as scary of a Vice Presidential candidate that I could ever remember.  Think Progress has an introduction of the guy.  He's one that is backed by the Koch brothers.  That alone is scary.

Paul Ryan denies the existence of climate change.  He would rather side with the Big Oil companies than with "scientific fact and the future of human civilization."

I'm scared.  You should be scared.  We all should be scared.

In essence, if President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden do not get re-elected, we are all fucked.  With the tea party preventing anything from happening in Washington, things in Congress are at an all-time low when it comes to anything happening.

To steal a line from The Campaign, we need some brooms in Washington because it's a mess!

10 AM: Canoeing
10:45 AM: Women's Volleyball (Bronze Medal)
12:45 PM: Cycling
1 PM: Rhythmic Gymnastics
2 PM: Cycling
2:15 PM: Wrestling
2:45 PM: Cycling
3 PM: Documentary - Their Finest Hour
4 PM: Women's Basketball (Gold Medal)
Primetime: Track and Field, Diving, Women's Volleyball (Gold Medal)

10 AM: Synchronized swimming
11 AM: Canoe/Kayak
11:30 AM: Open Water swimming
11:45 AM: Canoe/Kayak
12:30 PM: Open Water swimming
12:45 PM: Rhythmic Gymnastics
1:15 PM: Open Water swimming
1:30 PM: Rhythmic Gymnastics
2:15 PM: Wrestling
3 PM: Track and Field
3:30 PM Wrestling
Primetime: Track and Field, BMX cycling, Diving

NBCSN has the USA-Argentina semifinal at 4 PM

Every 4 years in the summer, we are glued to our televisions for two whole weeks, plus a few days.  No, I'm not talking about the political conventions.  Rather, I'm talking about the Summer Olympics.  Sadly, they are coming to an end this weekend.

For some people, it's the last time you pay attention to them until the next games.  Others will keep following the different sports through the seasons.

It doesn't mean that these athletes should only take our attention for one month in a 4 year period.  These people compete annually.  World Championships, in some cases, happen every 2 years.  For other events, it's an annual thing except the Olympics take place in lieu of the usual World Championship.

The World Championships might be where someone gets their big break but unless you read the sports pages or magazines, chances are you won't know about them.

Look at swimming.  Going into the Olympic Trials, I had no idea who Missy Franklin was.  Now?  You can't find anyone that doesn't know who she is.  She's the new face of USA Swimming.  She'll be that face for a while.  The question remains is: will you remember that name come time for Rio in 2016?  She plans to swim in college so she won't be plastered in magazine or television advertisements.

There are those sports, like gymnastics, where the only names that sound familiar years later are the gymnasts that brought back the gold.  It's only around the time of the games that some of them are household names.  There are names that people will never forget: Mary Lou Retton, Carly Patterson, Nastia Liuikin, and now Gabby Douglas.

With women's gymnastics, they tend to retire before they turn 20 years old.  In other cases, a few years after that.  That does not meet we should only remember their names one month every four years.

It does not have to be that way and it should not be that way.

NBC Thursday features a lot of action but chances are you will be watching NBC Sports Network at 2:30 PM Eastern to watch USA take on Japan in the rematch of the 2011 FIFA World Cup championship game.

10 AM: Synchronized swimming
10:45 AM: Canoe/Kayak
11:15 AM: Open Water swimming
11:30 AM: Rhythmic Gymnastics
12:15 PM: Track and Field
1 PM: Open Water swimming
1:15 PM: Rhythmic Gymnastics
1:40 PM: Women's Water Polo (Bronze)
3 PM: Women's Water Polo (Gold)
4 PM: Men's Beach Volleyball (Gold)
Primetime: Track and Field, Women's Volleyball semifinal, BMX cycling, Diving

10 AM: Equestrian
10:45 AM: Track and Field
11 AM: Men's Volleyball
12:45 PM: Canoe/Kayak
1:15 PM: Track and Field
2 PM: Men's Beach Volleyball
3 PM: Water Polo
4 PM: Cycling
4:30 PM: Track and Field
Primetime: Beach Volleyball USA-USA Gold Medal match, Track and Field, Platform Diving

Hardcover: 323 pages
Publisher: Random House (May 29, 2012)

Kevin Bleyer, a writer for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, has done the impossible.  He has rewritten the Constitution of the United States of America.  Bleyer also did a large amount of research in the process, including meeting with Supreme Court Associate Justices Stephen Breyer and Antonin Scalia.

This book, in large part, is not what you would call a laughfest.  It's not written that way.  It's a far cry from that, to be honest, but it's still very well written.

In reading Me the People, one can see the passion that comes from Kevin Bleyer in his quest.  He didn't get the crazy idea to steal the Constitution like Benjamin Gates did in National Treasure, although the fictional Disney film is invoked quite a few times early on.

Thomas Jefferson's idea was for the document to "naturally expire at the end of 19 years."  That did not happen.  If it did, the country would be in a never-ending state of strife and unable to get things done.  Just look at what happens in Washington every time they try and pass a law!

In reading this book, I learned that the author flew to Greece, traveled to Philadelphia, met with Supreme Court justices, and even met someone named John Hancock.  Unlike many politicians, Bleyer has read the document from start to finish.

If you call yourself a politico, you'll enjoy this book.  But do make sure to come pre-armed with a sense of humor.

I highly recommend Kevin Bleyer's selfless quest to rewrite the Constitution.

Here's a rundown of what to expect on Tuesday on NBC.

10 AM: Track and Field
10:30 AM: Women's Water Polo
11:30 AM: Cycling
11:45 AM: Track and Field
12 PM: Cycling
12:30 PM: Track and Field
1 PM: Cycling
1:15 PM: Diving (Rare is it that diving is shown during the day!)
2 PM: Women's Volleyball
4 PM: Men's Beach Volleyball
Primetime: Women's Beach Volleyball semifinal, Gymnastics event finals, Track and Field, and more.

Monday's NBC Coverage:
10 AM: Track and Field
10:30 AM: Men's Water Polo
11:45 AM: Canoeing
12:15 PM: Track and Field
12:45 PM: Sychronized Swimming
1:30 PM: Track and Field
1:50 PM: Canoeing
2:10 PM: Cycling
2:30 PM: Equestrian
3 PM: Men's Volleyball
4:15 PM: Track and Field
4:30 PM: Equestrian
Primetime: Gymnastics event finals, men's springboard diving, beach volleyball quarterfiinal, track and field, cycling

9 AM: Tennis - Men's Gold Medal match (Federer vs. Murray)
11:30 AM: Women's Basketball
1:30 PM Equestrian
2 PM: Women's Water Polo
3 PM: Women's Volleyball
4:30 PM: Cycling
5 PM: Women's Beach Volleyball quarterfinal
Primetime (7 PM-Midnight): Track and Field, Gymnastic event finals (including the women's vault), Beach Volleyball quarterfinal, women's springboard diving final.

Saturday's coverage on NBC is literally going to last all day.

9 AM: Tennis
11 AM: Women's Trampoline
11:15 AM: Track and Field
11:45 AM: Men's Volleyball (USA vs. Russia)
1:30 PM: Track and Field
2 PM: Cycling
2:40 PM: Men's Water Polo
3:45 PM: Rowing
4:15 PM: Track and Field
5 PM: Beach Volleyball

Primetime: Swimming finals, Women's Diving, Track and Field, Beach Volleyball, and more.

The men's basketball game against Lithuania will tip off on NBCSN at 9:30 AM.  Check your local provider for listings.

It's a title that gets crowned once every four years and now, only 4 women have joined the elusive group of being named the Women's Gymnastics Olympic All-Around Champion.  Thanks to The Today Show on NBC this morning, all four of them posed for a photo together.
Mary Lou Retton (1984), Gabby Douglas (2012), Carly Patterson (2004), and Nastia Liukin (2008)

This is the third consecutive Olympic games in which an American has taken home gold in the All-Around.

Today's daytime coverage on NBC:
10 AM: Track and Field
10:30 AM: Rowing
10:45 AM: Swimming
11:30 AM: Track and Field
12 PM: Beach Volleyball (Kessy/Ross followed up by Rogers/Dalhausser)
2 PM: swimming
2:30 PM: Women's Water Polo
3:45 PM: Rowing
4 PM: Cycling
4:15 PM: Track and Field
Primetime: Swimming, Women's Volleyball, Diving, Track and Field, and men's Trampoline

Aly Raisman handled her composure last night with class.  She did so again this morning during The Today Show on NBC.

From the USA Gymnastics:

Aly Raisman of Needham, Mass./Brestyan's American Gymnastics, finished in a tie for third with Mustafina with a 59.566, but due to the tie-breaking procedures, finished fourth in the all-around. With the tied score, FIG rules dictate that each competitor's three highest scores count, with Mustafina edging the 2012 U.S. balance beam and floor exercise champion.

"I'm really happy for Gabby," said Raisman. "She's been working really hard so I'm really excited for her, but it's definitely really frustrating because we (Mustafina) tied for third place. I was so close. But being fourth in the world is definitely something to be proud of."

No matter what the FIG rules dictate, Aly Raisman is a Bronze Medalist in our hearts.

This is the same FIG that had changed the rules after the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney so that only 2 gymnasts from the same country were allowed to compete instead of 3 gymnasts.  Had this still been the case, Jordyn Wieber would have qualified for yesterday's all-around.

Between the 2008 games in Beijing and the 2012 games in London, the FIG amended the rules so that instead of 6 gymnasts, only 5 would represent their country.

I imagine that the FIG once more will amend their rules to take out the tie-breaker.  These tie-breakers only hurt the people that work the hardest to get to this point in their life.  If they finished tied for third place, why rob one of them of a medal?

It makes no sense to me to deny Aly Raisman of a medal because of a stupid tiebreaking rule.  She deserves the Bronze Medal, even if it's only in our hearts.

"I don't need a medal to prove that I did well and I'm still at the Olympic Games."
--Aly Raisman during The Today Show on NBC, August 3, 2012

10 AM: Swimming
10:15 AM: Kayaking
10:40 AM: Swimming
11:30 AM: Women's Beach Volleyball (USA vs. Spain, featuring Jen Kessy and April Ross)
12:30 PM: Swimming
12:45 PM: Cycling
1:20 PM: Men's Water Polo (USA vs. Great Britain)
2:30 PM Rowing
3:15 PM Kayaking
4 PM: Men's Beach Volleyball (USA vs Czech Republic, featuring Rogers/Dalhausser)

Primetime coverage: Swimming, Women's Gymnastics all-around, men's volleyball, and more

At 5:15 PM, you can watch Team USA take on Nigeria in men's basketball only on the NBC Sports Network.