It's getting to the point where the only songs the McCain campaign will be able to use at rallies are the ones written specifically for them, like John Rich's pseudo-country trifle "Raisin' McCain."  A couple of days ago, the Foo Fighters issued a statement telling McCain to stop using their song, "My Hero."

The band said in a statement:

"The saddest thing about this is that `My Hero' was written as a celebration of the common man and his extraordinary potential.  To have it appropriated without our knowledge and used in a manner that perverts the original sentiment of the lyric just tarnishes the song."

The Foo Fighters join a slew of artists who have complained of McCain's copyright infringement.  Others who have told McCain to quit usurping their music for political gains include Van Halen, John Mellencamp, Heart (sorry Sarah "Barracuda"), Frankie Valli, the owners of the theme song from "Rocky," and Jackson Browne, who even filed a suit against the campaign.

Clearly, fewer and fewer artists want to be associated in any way with McCain.  But what's particularly ironic in the case of the Foo Fighters is that McCain couldn't be further from the ordinary hero mentioned in the song.  He continues to put himself before the country, which we saw most recently with his closing remarks at the second debate (as compared to Barack Obama's) and his theatrics with the economic crisis.  He's desperate to prove himself as the common man who rises to the occasion, but the reality is that he has NEVER been the common man and he has RARELY IF EVER risen to the occasion.  

If you want to know what I mean, read Tim Dickinson's scathing Rolling Stone piece on McCain, "Make-Believe Maverick."  Use that evidence, race it around.  There goes my hero, he's ordinary.

Interview with Naomi Wolf author of Give Me Liberty: A Handbook for American Revolutionaries given October 4, 2008 on Mind Over Matters, KEXP 90.3 FM Seattle.

Watch the talk by Naomi Wolf on "The End of America" at www.youtube.com

David Gergen says with the stock market where it is, voters don't want to hear about Bill Ayers or Charles Keating.

You don't want to miss this film. Please grab a friend and come see the best political documentary you will see this year. Boogie Man is the entertaining story of Lee Atwater, the blues-playing rogue whose rambunctious rise from the South to Chairman of the GOP made him a political rock star. This film is a must-see for anyone seeking to understand the battle between McCain and Obama. A hero to Republicans for his unrepentant vision of politics as war, Atwater is reviled by Democrats as the godfather of modern negative campaigning. Will his strategy work again in 2008?

"Riveting" (NY Times), "Compelling" (LA Times), "Hilariously shocking" (IndieWire), "Fascinating" (The Village Voice), NY Times Critic's Pick, "Will pop your jaw open" (Washington Post), #1 Can't Miss Pick!

For more info go to: www.boogiemanfilm.com

Join the Facebook group: www.facebook.com

We suggest that it is NOT enough: fast-forward one year into the nightmare future, as Sarah Palin meets with the Joint Chiefs after the untimely passing of President McCain.

Quick, somebody get this clip to McCain campaign adviser Carly Fiorina, who just last month claimed that John "How do we beat the bitch?" McCain and his conservative cronies never subjected Hillary Clinton to sexism.

As you can see, the Fox and Friends crew is more than happy to air controversial Reuters photos of Sarah Palin's legs, while debating whether or not the images are inappropriate.  (News flash: FOX's Michelle Malkin says they're more "cliched" than inappropriate  -- big surprise, given FOX's low low low standards of decency.)   But then, FOX stooge Greg Gutfeld uses this opportunity to attack Hillary Clinton: "Now if this was Hillary Clinton, you wouldn’t be able to see the guy’s face...I couldn’t resist it!” 

Gutfeld puts the "ass" back in "classy."

(h/t Think Progress)

Experts advise that anyone venturing outdoors should be on the lookout for extremely crunchy leaves and winds as high as 12 mph.

McCain's negative ad strategy is not working on Independent voters.

http://www.airamerica.com

On October 12, Michael Moore, in partnership with Brave New Films, will be calling in to house parties across the country to talk about his recently released film, Slacker Uprising. People can dial at 6 PM EST and 9 PM EST to hear Michael discuss the film, the state of the nation and the 2008 election.

If you would like to participate in the call-in, log on to http://slackeruprising.com/screenings.php to RSVP and submit a question for Michael.

Joe Scarborough gives reasons why John McCain won't win this election.

Danny Schechter: McCain to spend billions on project that the banks are already considering voluntarily.

More at therealnews.com

Well, hello there! As many of you know, my name is Sarah Palin, and just so excited to be here in Washington City t’day, because it’s all about job-creation and health care and stuff and also, as you know, and so many good things. Just real good, real American things.

But the real reason I’m here t’day, as the American people know, is that something wonderful happened last night -- now hold on there, you guys, just wait a minute, I’m gettin’ to it, I’m getting’ to it, hold yer little horses. Something wonderful happened last night that was God’s will and that’s why it’s wonderful and yes I know it’s kinda sad at the same time so don’t you start believin’ what those liberals are sayin’ when they say I’m, oh I don’t know what they’re sayin’, whatever it is, that I’m not compassionate because also you know what, America? There are feelings here. I am.

When President McCain passed away because of that thing in his jaw, you know that goiter kinda thing that made him look like a hamster storin’ food for the winter? Well, as you know his doctors said it popped inside his head like a big inside pimple, and it was sad for all of us who loved the little rascal even if he was kinda liberal about some stuff but we don’t have to talk about that now, but you know what? God works in mysterious ways, my friends. (Laughs.)

Oh, it’s the craziest thing, but I just like to tease him. Or I did, before he and I, you know I was meanin’ to tell you guys, me and John we talked for a while right before he died and he was just standin’ there eatin’ the homemade Tollhouse cookies I made for ‘im, and I was sittin’ in the President’s chair because that’s what he said, he said “Sarah,” -- and you know I always wanted him to call me that -- “Sarah,” he said, “God came to me in a dream and he said Sarah she’d look real good in that chair, Johnny.” Let’s all take a moment of silence for John because even though he was real short he was a really good man who believed in God and God rewarded him for it by tellin’ him I’d look really awesome in the round office over there in that chair.

Celebrated Actor and filmmaker John Cusack will be our special guest this Friday to discuss an issue neither presidential candidate is talking about: war profiteering.  War, Inc., Cusack's latest film which he starred in and co-wrote with Jeremy Pikser and Mark Leyner, satirized the outsourcing of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Cusack will discuss  his thoughts on the war and his influences for the film, including the works of Naomi Klein and Jeremy Scahill.  

Joining Cusack will be bloggers Marcy Wheeler (Empty Wheel) and Liliana Segura (AlterNet), and this week, we have a special announcement.  Since Meet the Bloggers will be pre-taped, these bloggers will take part in the live blog discussion.  

So check out some of the material below, and join us for a live conversation with bloggers Wheeler and Segura Friday at 1pm ET/10 am PT on Meet the Bloggers.

• Why We Write - Jeremy Pikser, Mark Leyner & John Cusack, Brave New Films
  
• John Cusack: Outsourced Warfare Represents a "Radical, Dangerous, Disgusting Ideology" - Joshua Holland, AlterNet
• John Cusack's $3 Trillion Shopping Spree - John Cusack, Brave New Films
• The War in Iraq Is Pure Murder - Chris Hedges, Tomdispatch.com
• Blackwater's Not Going Anywhere - Jeremy Scahill, The Nation
• John Cusack Interviews Naomi Klein - Huffington Post
• Afghanistan: Iraq All Over Again - Liliana Segura, AlterNet
• Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers

Health care.  Mental health benefits.  Adequate body armor and armored vehicles.  A college education.  These are just some of the necessities all of our service members deserve.  But clearly, Senator John Cornyn doesn't think so.

Cornyn's rhetoric belies his appalling record in the Senate.  The fact that Cornyn has stood with President Bush 95 percent of the time and has opposed our service members on more than 20 key issues proves he doesn't support our troops or veterans.  It's a fact every Texan needs to know, now.

Every Texan must see this video.  Send this to ten friends and get them to pass it along to ten more.  Post this video on your blogs and spread it on sites like Digg -- some of the most effective ways to reach those outside the choir.

Let's make sure everyone knows John Cornyn is not giving our veterans and troops the respect they deserve.

People in the film:

• Lawrence Romo  (Vietnam War Vet) - Lieutenant (Ret), US Air Force
• Jason Cisneroz (War in Afghanistan Vet) - Staff Sergeant, US Army Reserve
• Ruben Dominguez (Vietnam War Vet) - Sergeant 1st Class (Ret), US Army
• Benito Guerrero  (Vietnam War Vet) - Sergeant Major (Ret), US Army
  
  

No matter how you frame him, he supported Bush 95% of the time. He's still McSame.

About 30 minutes into the second presidential debate, I realized that the McCain/Palin campaign had made a fatal error in their desperate decision to try to portray Barack Obama as a dangerous, stupid, reckless, naïve, elitist, treasonous, socialist Muslim black supremacist terrorist in the final weeks of the election.

By claiming that Obama should not be president because he is a dangerous terrorist, McCain/Palin have set the bar so low that Obama just needs to show up without wearing an explosive vest to deflate what is now their primary attack against him. By not being the scary caricature McCain/Palin say he is, Obama easily surpasses the artificially low threshold they have set for him while simultaneously revealing McCain/Palin as desperate, fearmongering liars. "McCain/Palin: Desperate Fearmongering Liars" — probably not what their campaign would want on their bumperstickers.

Also, you'd think McCain would have realized that his open contempt for Obama during the first debate, where he refused to even make eye contact with Obama for the entire 90 minutes, went over like a shit balloon and provided further proof that McCain does not have the temperament to be president. So you'd think McCain would be on better behavior this time and show voters that he can be respectful, gracious and classy. You'd think that — but you'd be wrong. Apparently McCain is incapable of being respectful, gracious or classy — he wouldn't even shake Obama's hand at the end of the night. How can you claim to be someone who reaches across the aisle when you won’t even reach out your hand?

The Governator giveth, the Governator taketh away?  Possibly, if Californians vote no on Proposition 8, a ballot initiative that would "eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry." 

I've been impressed with California's progressive leadership on issues like same-sex marriage.  It would be a major step in the wrong direction if Prop 8 passes, which is why Rick Jacobs and the Courage Campaign have put together this satirical piece, "Gender Auditors."

Take action on this issue at the Courage Campaign's site. 

Can a film change the world?

Robert Greenwald, founder of Brave New Films and director of Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism, Iraq for Sale, Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price, and short video series such as The Real McCain and Fox Attacks, will discuss 21st century documentary filmmaking and activism. Greenwald will share innovative ways filmmakers can create web content and build online communities to impact public opinion.

Date: Thursday, October 9^th  
Time: 7:30 pm
Location: Occidental College, Thorne Hall
Address: 1600 Campus Road, Los Angeles, CA 90041
Campus Map: http://www.oxy.edu/x6062.xml
RSVP: Seating will be first-come, first-serve.
Cost: This event is free.

This event is sponsored by the Remsen Bird Fund with the generous support of Dean of Students Barbara Avery and the departments of art history and the visual arts, urban and environmental policy, history, English and comparative literature, sociology and American studies.

Stephen and his audience rap with no biased media filter between them.

This is the kind of mental mixup that really makes you wonder what is truly going on inside of John McCain's mind. Here he is, campaigning in Pennsylvania, accidentally calling Americans "my fellow prisoners."

McCain was talking about his domestic policies, and clearly meant to say "Americans" or "countrymen" or somesuch.

HuffPo's Sam Stein has more.