Jay Kersting's Blog

Happy Birthday wishes go out to Senator John Sidney McCain, III,  who turns 72 today.  He was born at the Coco Solo Naval Air Station in the Panama Canal Zone (U.S. Territory at the time).  Father John Sidney McCain, Jr., was a naval officer and mother Roberta lived on base with her husband (obviously).  I remember a story that she told recently about her son's birth involving a bunch officers bringing even more quantities of Scotch for "Johnny"....not for his parents.  Never did hear if he actually got those bottles.

If he has any of them, that is one way to celebrate today.

Instead, he will be in Dayton, Ohio, to introduce us to his Vice Presidential nominee.  (Is Governor Palin there yet??)

I may add to this entry once his pick is made public.  Until then, Happy Birthday Senator!!

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UPDATE:

Fox News confirms that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will be the choice of John McCain for Vice Presidential nominee.

Regular readers of this blog know that I have been pushing her name for months.  Specifically, back to 9 February 2008!!

This will be a VERY interesting race with a relatively unknown person on the ticket who brings a MAJOR upside with her positions on energy and fighting the political machine. 

Being a Washington outsider, and a political executive both help.  Being a working mother of five helps. 

As for me picking her back in February?  The saying goes, even a blind squirrel can find the occasional nut.  I will not brag much about this accurate pick.  If I had that picking success in sports, I'd still be living in Las Vegas. 

Let the games begin.

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How did Barack Obama do last night?  Did he meet expections?

The fact is, there was SOOOOO much hype and hope surrounding this speech that there was NO WAY to EXCEED expectations.  Just not possible.

The GOP tried to make hay over the staging and facade used at Invesco Field at Mile High.  Pretty dumb in my opinion.  

But I do think the term facade is one worth grabbing ahold of.  Facade is defined by Merriam-Webster's Dictionary as FIRST, the front of a building , ALSO, any face of a building given special architectural treatment, and SECOND, a false, superficial or artificial appearance or effect.

Since this was a stage and backdrop, the first definition does not apply.  So, we move on to the second.

False, superficial or artificial appearance or effect.  This pretty much applies to most every political speech.

Well, I didn't watch the speech.  Past my bedtime. 

I popped on a DVD of Triumph des Willens instead.  I'll finish it next week.

No, there wasn't a Hogan's Heroes marathon as I had hoped. 

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I did think that the ad John McCain ran yesterday showed a lot of class.  It was still on the front page of his website this morning.

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Jimmy Carter was a BAD, BAD, HORRIBLE President.  For a while, I thought he was at lease a decent man.

Then I realized he is as much of a HACK in life as he was a incompetent President.  I would have thought that a Nuclear Engineer in the White House could have killed the anti-Nuke fears following Three Mile Island.  But, he was NOT a leader of people, so he couldn't.

Now, he is criticizing John McCain over his use of a key time in his life as a point of discussion.

Does McCain over due it regarding his five and a half years as a prisoner of war?  Maybe.  But my belief is that the time that McCain spent in North Vietnam shaped his life and views more than most of the rest of us could understand.  

Jimmy Carter has no shame.  That is why he will continue to go down in history as one of the five worst Presidents.  

A great loser in history, but not to the level of Mikhail Gorbachev.  OUR Country survived him.

Thank God!!

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OK, football fans. Did you see?  Did you??

YUP, UConn beat Hofstra, 35-3.

OK, OK, how about South Carolina beating NC State 34-0?

Vanderbilt's Commode Doors beat Miami of Ohio, 34-13.

Stanford leads the Pac-10, temporarily, after a 36-28 win over the Beavers of Oregon State.

As for the rest of the weekend, the Orange flag with the White Power T has been flying outside the Kersting house since Monday, in honor of the Volunteers traveling to Pasadena to face the cruddy little bruins of fucla.

I hope your team does well.  Unless your team is fucla, FU, Virginia (playing USC), Florida International (playing Kansas).  

I will be pulling for Appalachain State, as they take on LSU.  I doubt lightning will strike twice for the Mountaineers, but wouldn't that be great?

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Have a great weekend.  Enjoy your day off on Monday, if you get one.