*sigh*

"You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig."

That one's so old that it was old when Barack Obama was born. And refers to trying to make a bad thing look good. You know, like when women are talking to each other and they are gossiping about someone's loser boyfriend. Or when a government project costs way over the projected cost. Or when product gets new packaging.

But from the flapping and complaining the McCain-Palin supporters are going, you'd think that it was an original, brilliant barb aimed directly at the Republican's vice presidential candidate. Who compared a hockey mom to a pit bull. (Although that's not really fair to the pit bull.)

Really? REALLY?

So, this is what I have figured out so far: It was okay for the Republicans to revile the First Lady, Hillary Clinton, in the halls of Congress. And it's perfectly all right for Sarah Palin to mock and ridicule Barack Obama. But it is NOT okay for anyone to say anything negative about someone running to be first in line to the presidency. And anything critical or challenging that is said, any information sharing about her political and professional life up to this point, is sexist.

In other words, the Republicans can say what they want, but the Democrats had better not criticize a lady.

Geez, how sexist.

Grow a tougher hide, Republicans! (Oh, wait, no, they can't...that's evolution.)

Grow up! This is politics. Anyone who expects to be preside-- er, vice president, needs to be able to take commentary, criticism, and scrutiny from all comers. You can't put a candidate up for election and expect the people, and the other candidates, to tiptoe around your candidate.

It's like divine right or something -- McCain and Palin have been annointed by the "right" party and any criticism of the party is wrong. So other than that sounding like communisim, the United States is not a monarchy, nor a parliamentarian government. The new leader of the country is not selected by birth, or the party in power, or the current leader. The people, however indirectly, select the pressident and vice president by voting. It is just not fair to ask the American people to not hear the good, the bad, and the ugly about the candidates.

Even if one of them is a woman.

Obama for President

I just finished watching Barack Obama deliver his stirring acceptance speech for the nomination as the Democrats' candidate for president in the fall election.

I am a firm and steadfast Hillary Clinton supporter. I think she would be beyond outstanding as president. But there is no doubt in my mind that Barack Obama is just as outstanding.

Not only is he smart, well-grounded, and confident, he has the ability to renew the hope in people, and inspire them to go out and work to make this country fulfill its potential. In 1992 Bill Clinton had that vision, and he almost succeeded, in spite of the constant barrage of attacks from a divisive Republican Congress.

Perhaps after generations of career politicians as president, it is time to have someone fresh, less steeped in the political game, to be president. Someone who is more like the "career politicians" were when they started out and were more idealistic and dedicated to public service, before the game wore them down and became the center instead of the country.

It is a shame that George Bush undid what was accomplished in the '90s under Bill Clinton. But if there was any lingering nostalgia for the '80s and the Reagan policies, the Bush Administration with a Republican majority in Congress proved that those policies are not good for the country, but just for certain people.

That is not the promise of America.

Barack Obama said tonight that this campaign has never been about him, but about the people and the desire for change for the better. His vision is big, ambitious, and far-reaching. But why not? Our Founding Fathers envisioned a radical new nation, and didn't even know if it would succeed when they started. But they didn't let doubt stop them, and we are still here, 232 years later.

I cannot be prouder tonight to be a Democrat.