The injustice happened tonight during the second part of NBC's Inside the Obama White House when Williams, saying goodbye to Obama at the end of an interview session, had the audacity to lower his head ever so slightly in a blatant act of deference to our Dear Leader. So Meghan McCain did what Meghan McCain does when she sees a gross injustice—-She tweets her rage, then quickly deletes it all once she realizes that she's acting like a ridiculous, bratty child, but that won't stop us from finding them buried deep inside Twitter's search engine, which doesn't delete anything!

Yes Meghan, we're convinced also that there's NO WAY Brian Williams or any journalist ever lowered their head to a Republican president, or your father for that matter, because it's, you know, an act of simple courtesy that human beings do for each other all the time.

And here's the scandalous video of Williams' gay liberal bow to the commie Obama, who just a few weeks ago bowed to the Saudi king, so clearly there's a pattern here that demonstrates that all of this is part of some left-wing plot to have Allah take over as supreme ruler of the country. Let us all now take off our shoes, turn in the direction of Mecca and bow as practice for what is sure to be a regular national ritual in the future.


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When the comedic challenge of a President Obama presidency was put before him, Trey Parker did as only he could do: voice the character in a slightly different lilt than every other resident of South Park he does on the show. In "About Last Night...", Obama and McCain have forged an unholy alliance to get one of them in the White House... purely as a pretext for the greatest heist ever pulled. Flanked by the Soderbergh crew and the British accent we all knew Sarah Palin had, they pulled off the most complex con in history, one that involved John McCain dressed in a football uniform and Barack's grandmother faking her own death.

The show stuck to portraying Obama as the cool, empathetic hero he is. In the South Park appraisal, Obama is more movie star than politician. With Obama in the slick George Clooney role and McCain his Brad Pitt counterpart, the humor comes out of having him scale underground tunnels and be referred to as 'B'. No matter what he does, he's worshiped. The show even lets the world coo over his announcement of the family dog's new name:

The biggest barbs were saved for the residents of South Park, who descended into total drunken bliss and complete depression depending on which ticket they supported. Despite being written before last night's wild celebrations, the aftermath was carbon copy of Obamania, and the end result was also painfully close to real life. The morning after, Obama supporter Randy Marsh wakes up hungover with no job, and no TV. In three words Robert Frost summed up everything he learned about life: it goes on.

Rupert Murdoch has always been canny about getting in good with those in power, even if they're from the party he opposes. He made nice with Tony Blair in the UK. And the Post did in fact endorse Obama over Hillary Clinton, once it was clear Obama would win. Besides that, Murdoch's pet paper the Sun in the UK pretty much deified Obama. And even Fox News managed to work out an Obama interview with Bill O'Reilly, when they weren't calling him "Osama" and such.

So why didn't Rupert just get the Post to go ahead and endorse Obama in the general election? Two reason. One of those reasons is named "Sarah Palin." Murdoch flirted with her coyly, and ended up tentatively supporting her convoluted policy proposals in public. It may be that he fell in love with her personality (the same mistake McCain made), or just came to the conclusion that, dumb as she is, at least she wasn't likely to push for any more regulation of his business if she came into office when McCain keeled over.

The second reason is more basic: a Post endorsement of Obama just wasn't practical. It would defeat the paper's very reason for existence, which is to be a rabid conservative voice in the midst of the liberal NYC media. So Rupert Murdoch just allowed them to endorse McCain, then set about sending every possible signal that he's willing to be friendly with Obama after he wins. Not that dumb after all.

• What will it mean for political media? We're looking at you, Politico! I mean, who the fuck outside the Beltway will want to read Politico after this campaign is over, seriously? No offense guys. They have plenty of good reporters, but Jesus. Huge readership decline, is what I'm saying here. John Koblin at the Observer has Politico's memo to staff today laying out what the editors see as the paper's future. Basically they say, yes, readership will decline, but their business model is to reach "influentials," which they already do well, so they should be cool:
  

  This business model, we believe, insulates us to a large measure against the adverse trends in both the media business and the economy more broadly.

  I'd predict layoffs at the Politico within a year. But we'll see!

• What will it mean for television networks? The big networks are counting on Americans giving up on this political shit and getting back to what we do well: Watching horrible TV shows. Just consider this lead from a THR story today on this very topic:
  

  Could the big winner on Election Day be "Knight Rider"?

  Christ, that implies so many scary things. But the likelihood is that cable news rating will drop post-election and those viewers will go back to mindless network dramas and bad comedies, where they were before. Thank god Obama has done his part for Knight Rider.

• What will it mean for comedy? Oh this is the most interesting of all, be honest. Will everybody forget about Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert? More broadly, will all these political comedians who teed off on Bush and the Republicans for the last eight years be able to do the same on the Democrats. And most importantly of all: Will white comedians figure out how to make fun of Barack Obama?
  Early indications are bad. I mean, have you seen SNL do Obama? It's disgracefully unfunny. Maybe start by getting... a black guy to play him? Too hard?
  Here's the problem: everyone is worried about what Obama's election will do to the comedians who are already established. Fuck that. This will be a golden age for black comedians! It's about fucking time! This is what nerdy white comedians are worried about:

  "In front of white liberal audiences — which is what most comedy clubs are, even in red states, it's always that blue-state element — if I try doing race jokes about Obama you can hear the sphincters tighten up faster than lug nuts on a '57 Ford. Until I can say 'President Homey' and get away with it, it's going to be a little tougher."

  Hey fool, you know why you can't "get away with it?" Because "President Homey" is not funny. Not "racist"—rather, "not funny." I expect black comedians to be one of the few demographics to see their salaries rise over the next year. Woo ha.

• What will it mean for the Huffington Post? They will have fewer readers. But most of the ones who leave will be wingnuts.

7 p.m.
The first polls will close in Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia. Raw numbers will trickle in slowly, and the networks, burned in 2000 by their too-early Florida call, will resist the urge to tell viewers what they know.

But watch those Indiana numbers. If Indiana — which, like Virginia, hasn't voted Democratic for president since 1964 — looks like it's going Obama's way, the suspense is over and I'll be ready to call it then. Results will start to come in at 7, but the networks will certainly hold off until 8pm, though, because the northeastern section of the state, near Gary, is close to Chicago and a certain Obama stronghold - turnout size being the key factor.

By now, McCain's lead in Indiana is a narrow 1.4 point; two recent polls have it tied. Virginia looks strong for Obama — he's at 50 in three of four fresh polls, and Vermont is solid blue; the other 7pm states should be solid red. The count when those states come in: McCain 42 electoral votes, Obama 16. Not to worry.

7:30 p.m.
Polls close in Ohio, North Carolina and West Virginia. WV should be red; Obama holds a slight lead in Ohio and trails very slightly in North Carolina, but these are states it's almost impossible for a Republican to win without. If these results follow expectations, the count is now McCain 62, Obama 36. Don't panic — it's not shaping up to be a good night for McCain.

8 p.m.
Another 15 states plus DC close their polls. Of greatest interest will be Florida, Missouri, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania. PA is a blue state by most lights. McCain has been targeting it, mainly to make up for his expected trouble in Virginia and North Carolina, but it's a Hail Mary pass: Obama has a healthy lead and is over 50 percent. McCain's better hope is Florida, where Obama leads but is below 50. Once these states are called, with Missouri going red and New Hampshire blue as polls now show, Obama has caught up, 136-133. Time for a reality check — we know how most of the others are going to come in. Big states like New York, California, the upper Midwest (MI, WI and MN) are blue; Texas, the remaining southern states and the inland west are red. If you add the 8pm states to the known slam-dunks, and the numbers come in as I've suggested, Obama now has 285 electoral votes and will be the next president.

9 p.m.
Still in doubt: only Iowa (likely Obama), Colorado (ditto), New Mexico and Nevada (true toss-ups). If Obama has underperformed these predictions (by losing New Hampshire, Ohio or Pennsylvania), he'll likely need all of them. CO and NM polls close at 9pm eastern; when Iowa and Nevada close at 10, all swing states will be closed. The networks probably won't call it until the polls have closed in states giving Obama the full 270 he needs. When will that come?

At 8:30, Arkansas will come in for McCain, and at 9 another 14 states (including New York, Texas, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin) close their polls. Only two of those, New Mexico and Colorado, will be in doubt, and the count will show a slight lead for Obama — 208 to 206 — if the predictions here hold. This will be an anxious hour if the election is close: only four more states come in at 10, two solid McCain (Montana and Utah) and two that may be slow to call (Iowa and Nevada). McCain pulls ahead, 214-208.

11 p.m.
So the nets will probably hold off till 11. At that hour, every state but Alaska will be in, including the solid blue West Coast. Even if the last four swing states — Colorado, New Mexico, Iowa and Nevada — are still in doubt (and Alaska likely for McCain), Obama has hit his magic number in states the networks will probably call very quickly, leading McCain 285-224. Expect speeches, hoopla, and (shortly thereafter) transformative change to the body politic.

Nick Kalm, founder and president, Reputation Partners - I'm going to buck conventional wisdom and predict that McCain will win — but as narrowly as Bush did in 2000. If McCain does win, it will be because he and his proxies were successful enough at painting a picture of Obama as a "risky liberal" that they were able to overcome the huge advantage in money, new and passionate voters that Obama was able to generate. The proxies (talk radio hosts, Fox News, 529 groups) are key because McCain's campaign and that of the RNC have been "erratic" (to borrow Obama's phrase).

Regardless of who wins, however, the level of partisan rancor will be so high, it will make people long for the "good old days" of Bush's second term.

Now that's a man to whom I would pay thousands of dollars for advice. [PRWeek, my old employer, via PRNewser]

"I'm not getting paid for things. It's starting to get hard to eat," the now-famous Joe the Plumber tells INSIDE EDITION's Deborah Norville.

What is this, Russia?

On the eve of election day, Joe, a single dad, told INSIDE EDITION he's getting by with help from friends and family, along with donations from well-wishers.

"It's hard being on the receiving end, a little bit of pride gets in there sometimes," admits Joe.

"So you just go to the mailbox and there's an envelope with a check in it, written to your name?" marvels Norville.

"Yes ma'am," Joe says.

With the help of these unidentified checks from shadowy sources, Joe has been able to do some pro bono plumbing for his friend—an Obama supporter. Of course, if McCain won, Joe would probably be set for life. But he won't, so Joe better get back to plumbin'. He has the potential to dominate the Holland, Ohio drain cleaning market, if he acts now.
[Inside Edition]

You have to remember that for a lot of reporters, today is the last gasp of glory. By the end of this week the campaign will be over, and there will be far fewer opportunities to go on TV and be "experts." There may also be far fewer opportunities to be, you know, reporters; some percentage of these people are bound to be laid off in the coming year. We already know that the LA Times will be laying off the bulk of its Washington bureau. And most ofl those plucky young embedded reporters from TV networks are preparing to be fired when this thing wraps up.

Everybody wants to make sure that you know that they were on the inside. Just because you, the consumer, didn't get all the colorful anecdotes in your morning paper doesn't mean that they didn't happen. Reporters have all types of fun memories from the campaign that they would like to share with you now that the campaign is over! Most of these fall into two categories: the "God these candidates are more morally bankrupt than I could ever say outright in the pages of my tepid publication," and the (more popular) "I made friends with important people!" Some key examples of each:

God these candidates are more morally bankrupt than I could ever say outright in the pages of my tepid publication

Michael Scherer from Time went to some Republican retreat in Michigan where politicians "came there to speak to state party activists, serving up stump pomp while waiters in white-tie tuxedos served drunk diners with pecan-coated ice cream balls." Then he finds a regular lady who says everyone in town is not like that. He rejoices.

HuffPo's Sam Stein was set upon by a gang of disgruntled Hillary supporters in a Washington bar. "And soon the denizens were letting me have a piece of their mind. 'HuffPost sucks! HuffPost sucks!' they chanted, as I bit into my now-arrived Reuben. 'Fox News, fair and balanced! Fox News, fair and balanced!'" Although he does not say so, he hates them.

Marc Ambinder from the Atlantic recalls watching Obama's little daughter Sasha talking to her daddy on stage at the Democratic convention; it "was very cute, but it also revealed how staged even Obama’s campaign had become." The thought of a little girl talking to her dad now makes him want to absolutely vomit. Politics has ruined him.

I made friends with important people!

Wacky old Dana Milbank from the Washington Post remembers Mike Huckabee "taking reporters hunting, taking them jogging, taking them to the barber for a face massage and shave." Dana Milbank would not object to being asked to appear on Mike Huckabee's teevee show, if Mike Huckabee so chose.

Ana Marie Cox from Time had fun singing karaoke with McCain campaign hacks Mark Salter and Steve Schmidt. Salter even sung Dylan tunes! Later they went back to figuring out how to oppress black people.

Adam Nagourney from the Times liked nothing better than sharing his Christmas dinner with failed Hillary flack Howard Wolfson: "We were quick to discover that there aren't a lot of restaurants open in Des Moines on Christmas night (or bars, but that's another story). But what was open was sure to warm the heart of two displaced Jews from New York: A Chinese restaurant." Aw! Then they made passionate love.

You see, just about everyone on the campaign trail goes a little crazy. It's classic Stockholm syndrome; trapped on buses and planes for months on end, reporters come to regard their captors as friends. Just to get a fact-free look back at the election season to fill a hole in its Week in Review section yesterday, the NYT had to turn to Frank Bruni, who's spent the entire campaign eating brains at Manhattan's finest restaurant. But they needed an outsider who could say about this godforsaken campaign, presumably with a straight face, "that we have, if anything, undervalued and even lost sight of its significance at times." Had they put Adam Nagourney on that story, the editors would have had to spend hours rewriting his knowing asides about Howard Wolfson's bewitching cologne.

For the media, the campaign means life. It means purpose, and employment, and attention, and a sense of self-importance. It's an unparalleled opportunity to cast oneself as an expert with no qualifications whatsoever, and to profess to speak for millions of "real Americans" without any factual basis. In reality, campaign reporters have a far less objective view of the Presidential race than a fat, laid-off auto worker sitting on his ass playing XBox in the ugly part of Toledo.

It takes a rare breed to remain sane during the ordeal. And we should salute those who do. So Joshua Green of the Atlantic, we salute you; you alone have found a moment that appropriately embodies American democracy:

My most memorable moment on the trail was getting offered weed by a Ron Paul supporter during the Republican primary in Ames, Iowa. He had urgently wanted to discuss the gold standard and I wasn't having any part of that, so I guess the weed was intended as an enticement.

USA.

[Pic: HST]

[via Guanabee]

Joe the Plumber

Who?: Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, an Ohio plumber who was caught on film asking Obama the tough questions about his tax plan, and was mentioned 74976 times in the subsequent debate by John McCain, who tried to use Joe as a symbol of everyday Americans. Turned out to be not quite the all-American guy he seemed.

The Next Step: He's already signed with a publicist and a manager and is pursuing a book contract and a country music career. Both are bound to tank, because Joe fails to realize the fleeting nature of his fame. A better plan: become the best darned plumber that Toledo has ever seen. Your brand is already established! Now go forth and plumb.

William Ayers

Who?: Former member of the 60s far leftist group The Weathermen, now a professor of education and run-of-the-mill activist in Chicago. He is the "terrorist" that Obama "palled around with," according to credible source Sarah Palin.

The Next Step: Ayers has been keeping his mouth shut, doubtless at the request of the Obama campaign. He's probably just waiting for the election to end so he can go back to his normal liberal activism. Way to blow an opportunity, dude! You want to reform education? Why not start the Bill Ayers School Of Political Activism? Train peppy young liberal ideologues to infiltrate our nation's school boards. It worked for Christian fundamentalists!

Jeremiah Wright

Who?: Obama's pastor at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. He made some remarks about perhaps not being in love with white America for all it has done for African-Americans, and was made into a prime symbol of Obama's sympathy for the radical black agenda of hating white people! According to the McCain campaign. He initially tried to talk in his fiery way to rebut the smear campaign, but the Obama campaign managed to make him be quiet, like Ayers.

The Next Step: Open an Obama-themed gift shop and mail order business, just to "support the church." Slowly expand. Roll out your own line of hot sauce. Wake up one day four years from now and realize that you have become George Foreman. Later, sign commentator contract with Fox News. Slowly become friends with Pat Buchanan.

Bernard Kerik

Who?: Remember way back when Rudy Giuliani was considered a serious candidate? Ha, yes that was a while ago. Kerik was Giuliani's Police Commissioner in NYC during 9/11, and became a de facto "hero" just like his boss. Rudy had big plans for Kerik in his cabinet, until Bernie was indicted for fraud and conspiracy and then everybody realized he was basically just a big incompetent lug who hung out with gangsters and did nothing in his ill-fated position in Iraq and generally had nothing going for him except for the fact that he was friends with Rudy Giuliani, who turned out to be a loser.

The Next Step: Even hard-line Republicans and hapless corporate dupes have come to understand that Kerik has no political future, or good ideas about anything. He should go ahead and go to prison, make friends with mobsters on the inside, and come out as a full-fledged mafioso. That would be cool. One day they could make a movie about it.

Obama Girl

Who?: Pretty girl who made an insanely popular YouTube video about being a pretty girl who has a crush on Obama.

The Next Step: Cheerleader for the Washington Redskins. Playboy centerfold. Have a fling with a Congressman. Make friends with Julia Allison.

Bristol Palin

Who?: Sarah Palin's poor pregnant daughter.

The Next Step: Once your mom loses the election and you turn 18, move as far away from Alaska as you possibly can. Do not get married. Go to college and get a regular job, like a teacher. Try to live a normal life. Jesus, we feel sorry for you, Bristol.

A guy allegedly actually named Aston Grimaldi II, of Dune Capital, is offering $150,000 for a copy of the tape. So why doesn't the LA Times just sell theirs to him? They're a Tribune paper. The company's strongest asset is a parking lot, for god's sake, and that's up for sale. They need every last penny they can get.

Plus you would bring a smile to the twisted visage of John McCain, American hero! The only losers would be Hussein Obama and the paper's secret "source," a terrorist. U no U want 2 sell it LAT, LOL!

• Madonna has her own Kabbalah counselor on staff to help her deal with her anger at soon-to-be-ex husband Guy Ritchie, who is just a terrible gold digger or something. A gold-digging famous movie director who hangs out with Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr. It's sad, really.
• Peaches Geldof was seen getting "friendly" and "especially chatty" with a rocker-not-her-husband. I can't tell if this item is supposed to be implying cocaine abuse, infidelity or both. [P6]
• Page Six calls the woman who did Sarah Palin's media training, a "top... presentation coach." In what regard, Postie? [P6]
• Rachel Ray on John McCain making ribs: "He was so passionate about the cooking process that he was militant. He has specific rules about everything!" In defense of John McCain, these fascist cooking rules might just be basic sanitation and safety and so forth. It is Rachel Ray. [R&M]
• Tom Cruise may show up at Matt Lauer's roast and be glib. [OK!]
• Miley Cyrus' dad Billy Ray told her not to get distracted from he career by her relationship with that male model Justin Gaston. She told her dad she needs her own apartment for, uh, "movies and,,, popcorn" with friends. Definitely not for premarital sex, which is a sin.
• Angelina Jolie is talking about finally marrying Brad Pitt. Her six hundred kids are talking about her finally marrying Brad Pitt. The only person not talking about her marrying Brad Pitt is Brad Pitt.
• Screw up an Ugly Betty cameo and you will never work in Hollywood again. Just ask Lindsay Lohan. [Scoop]

But aging radicals and old scandals don't tap today's fears, which may be why they haven't resonated. "Arguing about personal associations pales in comparison" to the current grim economic news, says Dr. West.

To sum up the actual data for you: large majorities of voters say McCain is the more negative candidate, and that the negative ads aren't working, and the polls back them up. But it's still cost-effective to run crazy negative ads once, and let the media do the rest of the work by writing hundreds of free stories about your accusations. It's only the fact that everyone is worried about their bank accounts now that makes this election any different. And besides :

Even though voters say they don't like them, negative ads may not be a bad thing, political scientists say. Attack ads are more likely to be about issues than are positive ads. They're likely to contain more information, back up their claims with evidence and delve into details.

This ad uses at least one very specific sentence.

[image via Current.com]

Another reason many say it's unlikely the misspelling was just an honest mistake: the letters S and B are nowehere near each other on the keyboard.

And even if it was, former Board of Elections commissioner Thomas Wade says he had implemented a system that includes six people to look over those ballots before they go to print to prevent mistakes like this.

The BOE's current Democratic Commissioner Edward McDonough told CBS 6 Tuesday evening his office will begin mailing out new ballots Tuesday — 302 of them. He said if any of the "Osama" ballots return with marks next to Obama's misspelled name, they will count as a vote for Obama. He said if voters send in both ballots, the board of elections will destroy one of them.

McDonough said the worker who typed the "s" instead of the "b" submitted her resignation today but he refused to let her go. Although McDonough and GOP Election Commissioner Larry Bugbee put out a joint statement saying the matter involves a "typographical" error, McDonough told CBS 6 News it is possible it was not a typo but rather a mental error, where the typist mistakenly wrote one name where it should have been another.

[CBS6]

Starts at about 2:01.