RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) -- John McCain emphasized his independent streak and reformer credentials in a new TV commercial Tuesday as he sought to counter Democratic charges that he's the same as President Bush.

"Washington's broken. John McCain knows it. We're worse off than we were four years ago," says the ad. "He's the original maverick."

WBEN 930 | Breaking AP News

So, why exactly is he using Karl Rove cronies to work his campaign if he's so different from the Rove, er um, Bush Administration?

__________________
A panda walks into a cafe. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air.

"Why?" asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes toward the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.

"I'm a panda," he says at the door. "Look it up."

The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explanation.

"Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves."

Good question. McCain is the original maverick like George W. Bush has been the great uniter.

__________________


"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny. When the government fears the people, there is liberty." Thomas Jefferson

Walter Mondale: "George Bush doesn't have the manhood to apologize." George Bush: "Well, on the manhood thing, I'll put mine up against his any time."

It seems he has found himself a campaign paradox. piss off his base or loose the election.

__________________

I would have risked pissing off the Republican base and worked toward establishing a new base - that base often maligned by the media and, in particular, people like Limbaugh and Hannity - the ever-moveable middle, the so-called "moderates" and "independents" where most Americans tend to be.

__________________
A panda walks into a cafe. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air.

"Why?" asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes toward the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.

"I'm a panda," he says at the door. "Look it up."

The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explanation.

"Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves."

Looks like the AP is getting sloppy.

Or maybe it's naive for Obama to want to reveal to the American people the secret expansion of nuclear power use...NOT!

__________________
A panda walks into a cafe. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air.

"Why?" asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes toward the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.

"I'm a panda," he says at the door. "Look it up."

The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explanation.

"Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves."

I always figured him for a spy.

Lumara: But George Bush has been a great uniter! How many Americans now hate him.

__________________
National Debt =