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Cartoon: August 14, 2008
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Jack Ohman / Tribune Media Services / The Oregonian
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Obama Salute Alternatives and a How-To
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Our recent Whispers on the California creative agency pushing its pro-Obama salute has not only caught fire—much of it negative—but also spawned several offshoots. Among them is this video on how to perform the Big-O. It's poking fun at the idea, but the gang promoting the salute sent it to us anyway. Also, our stories have prompted some to draw copycat salutes of the original from Loyalty Inc. Check a couple out here.
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Obama's Veep Choice Early Next Week?
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Image courtesy of Cafepress.com
Indications from the Obama and McCain camps are that the vice presidential picks are right around the corner. Top Democratic sources tell Whispers that Sen. Barack Obama could announce this week, after returning home from vacation Friday. What's unclear is if he will do it this weekend or next week. But, says the source, picking his running mate in the next week "gives him a couple of days to fly around with whoever it is and into the Democratic convention" in Denver starting August 25.
Many party insiders expect Obama to pick Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, a popular former governor.
On the Republican front, the picture isn't as clear because the GOP convention is still two weeks away, giving Sen. John McCain more time to work on his choice. But party insiders believe that he will name his nominee as early as the Friday, August 29, following the Democratic convention. That would give McCain the headline going into the weekend and into his convention in Minnesota.
Who he will pick is less clear, in part because party officials believe he is considering several candidates, including some women. Democratic officials, however, tell Whispers that they believe he is leaning to South Dakota Sen. John Thune, a darling of conservatives for beating former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle. GOP party insiders, however, see McCain picking somebody from a key battleground state.
Democrats also fret that if he picks a woman, such as former eBay boss Meg Whitman or Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, that moderate supporters of Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton will jump ship to vote for the ticket propelled by their desire to put a woman in the White House.
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Petraeus Outranks Physical Training Uniform
Tweet Share on Facebook August 13, 2008 Comment (1)More complaints on the military fashion front. This time, it's the gym, or physical training, uniform Air Force troops must wear in Afghanistan and Iraq when out of their official uniform. Seems the PT uniforms have a lining that's too tight, something an ongoing redesign might fix. So, the airmen and women wear shorts a couple of sizes bigger to give them the baggy feel. The result isn't a good one: When troops are running, the larger suits chafe their inner thighs to the point of bleeding, troops tell Whispers. And now it has become a rank thing that's irking the troops. While they can get busted for being out of uniform, it turns out that war boss Gen. David Petraeus, a dedicated runner, wears comfy civvies for his workouts. But we can cut him some slack—at least he wears logo-embossed T-shirts of various units under him. "The focus should be on getting a good workout," says spokesman Col. Steven Boylan.
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Memo From Bush to Staffers: Leave Already
Tweet Share on Facebook August 13, 2008 Comment (1)Loyalty to President Bush by most White House insiders is legendary, but now the boss wants it to end. Worried that too many aides will stay to the end of his eight years and miss out on outside job opportunities because of their loyalty, the prez is putting out word that he wants his folks to leave sooner rather than later. The ruling applies mostly to low- and midlevel aides who will have to compete for outside positions, not top aides who should have no trouble finding work. They are expected to return to the firms they came from or get gobbled up by Washington PR, legal, or lobbying shops.
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Hillary Clinton or Cindy McCain? Whatever—It's Still Funny
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What's a female political impersonator and comedian supposed to do when her bread and butter—Sen. Hillary Clinton—drops out of the presidential race? Rosemary Watson moved to the next logical political star: Cindy McCain. "It wasn't easy at all," Watson says. "To go from a size 10 to a zero took hours of training a day. Fortunately, though, as Cindy Hensley McCain, I have more money and more time than Hillary, so it was achievable," she jokes to our Suzi Parker. Impersonating McCain is different from impersonating Clinton, says Watson, because Cindy is more of a mystery woman. "Eight out of the 10 comments I get about Cindy start off with, 'Well, I don't really know her that well and don't know what she sounds like. . . .' So right there my job is made easier. Obviously, I want the impersonation to be a true as possible, but at least at this point in the game, it doesn't have to be as spot-on to work." But then there's the wardrobe, and materials like leather. "As a longtime vegetarian, I don't really love wearing leather, but . . . with Cindy, I am probably going to have to put my morals aside and buy some cow at some point," she says. "She's got a lot of leather coats, but that's OK. There is room in my closet right next to my blue pantsuit and matching beads."
Watson says that she misses having the chance to be "President Hillary" but finds that her Hillary is still in demand. And she expects to play a side role at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Check out Watson's latest videos.
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McCain's Poll Stability Boosts GOP Morale
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The apparent stability of Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign, the candidate's ability to stay close to foe Sen. Barack Obama in the polls, and better than expected fundraising have all combined to boost Republican Party morale. "We feel a lot better than before," a key party aide tells Whispers. "Our morale is much better and I think we're getting our fighting game back on." Party officials agree that morale was in the dumps after McCain for a second time shook up his campaign and also as the press was fawning over Obama. But insiders credit Steve Schmidt and his aggressive "celebrity" ad campaign with breathing new life back into the GOP. Also, party officials tell us, the Republican National Committee and the McCain campaign will be announcing better-than-expected fundraising numbers soon, something they call proof that the party faithful are also back in the game.
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Maybe a Cheap Lunch is Okay for Congress
Tweet Share on Facebook August 12, 2008 Comment (2)Democrats and Republicans think that Congress might have gone too far in barring lobbyists from opening their wallets at the local McDonald's or Quiznos. We hear that both sides are starting talks about allowing lobbyists to buy staff aides or members a cheap sandwich or drink, reversing course from the total ban recently enacted. Under consideration: letting lawmakers and aides receive a snack worth $10. A $50 annual cap would be placed on spending per lawmaker or top aide by a lobbyist. Why? Lawmakers actually rely on info from lobbyists, but the new rules have K Street afraid of getting too close to policymakers. While it would be a major compromise of the 2007 gift and meal ban, the limit is still a far cry from the previous $50-per-meal cap.
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Obama Salute Creator Hits Back at Critics
Tweet Share on Facebook August 12, 2008 Comment (234)At first, Rick Husong was stunned by the overwhelming wave of negative and sometimes crude reactions to his bid revealed in Whispers last week to build a pro-Sen. Barack Obama movement around a hand salute dubbed the Big-O. Among the hundreds of comments posted on the Whispers site were those comparing it to a gang gesture, a Nazi salute, or worse. "This is how Sieg Heil got started. And, no I'm not saying Obama is Hitler. I just think people should be careful about slipping into a personality cult for a charismatic leader," wrote Jake of Tennessee. Husong tells me that he was pretty depressed by the reaction to his idea and free design offered on the website of Loyalty Inc., his California creative company. That is until he heard of a fan walking on Venice Beach wearing a T-shirt displaying the artwork. In fact, despite the tsunami of criticism, the artwork has been downloaded 7,700 times and his site has been hit 214,000 times since the first Whisper went live. "I would call that a raving success," he says, adding that he plans to make his Big-O the "peace sign of our generation."
He also E-mailed me last night to say that the hits on the artwork have inspired him to push even harder to build a movement around the hand signal. Here's what he wrote: "Our symbol 'O' is about much more than Barack Obama. It's a symbol of unity, hope, solidarity, and an end to the divisiveness that has plagued this country for too long. It is the peace sign of our generation; a sign for those who are tired of the fear, the hatred, the greed, and the ignorance. There will be resistance, democracy requires it, but we believe that the good in the American people will persevere.
"Barack Obama is a very exciting catalyst. At first we were bothered by the negative and vulgar comments made. When someone attacks something you hold dear, it hurts, but as we continued to read all the comments, we realized just how silly and frankly unimaginative most of them were. Many didn't even take the time to read the article. People came out against the peace emblem in the sixties, making accusations that it was an anti-Christian symbol, an inverted crucifix, a satanic symbol, and a Communist sign. But like our 'O,' the goodness inherent in the peace symbol persevered, and today it is the international symbol for peace. The hand sign for peace was first a British form of giving someone the bird, then it became a war cry for victory. Today it is a symbol of peace & love. Once again goodness persevered. We too will persevere. Bring your hands together over your head to make a large 'O' and join us in our fight to take America back. Vote for Barack Obama."
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Nader Still Thinks He Can Win
Tweet Share on Facebook August 11, 2008 Comment (15)When you know you're in a losing battle, it's best to find a larger meaning of "victory," and that's what independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader has done. "I define winning in many ways," he says. "One is that you keep the agendas alive." Next, "you bring a lot of young people in. A lot of not-so-young people get a little morale boost, and maybe they'll go to the city council meeting." Third, hope that what you say "would pull or push the other two major candidates." And, "on the traditional definition, allow me a slight tinge of immodesty: Put me on all three debates, and we'll have a three-way race."
