McCain’s response

From spokesman Brian Rogers, the truce of McCain’s television ad apparently over 5 min after the speech was given:

“Tonight, Americans witnessed a misleading speech that was so fundamentally at odds with the meager record of Barack Obama. When the temple comes down, the fireworks end, and the words are over, the facts remain: Senator Obama still has no record of bipartisanship, still opposes offshore drilling, still voted to raise taxes on those making just $42,000 per year, and still voted against funds for American troops in harm’s way. The fact remains: Barack Obama is still not ready to be president”

McCain’s response

The Mile High Stadium was packed with Democratic Frenzy. The dawning of a new day in Denver, Colorado according to Sen. Dick Durbin, Introducing now Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama. Barracks acceptance speech… with profound Humility and great gratitude I accept your nomination

Before more than 70000 people in Denver
Excerpts of Barack Obama’s speech, as prepared for delivery:
Barack Obama’s acceptance speech: ‘We meet at one of those defining moments’

“Four years ago, I stood before you and told you my story — of the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren’t well-off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America, their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to.
“It is that promise that has always set this country apart — that through hard work and sacrifice, each of us can pursue our individual dreams but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams as well.

“It is why I stand here tonight. Because for 232 years, at each moment when that promise was in jeopardy, ordinary men and women — students and soldiers, farmers and teachers, nurses and janitors — found the courage to keep it alive.

“We meet at one of those defining moments — a moment when our nation is at war, our economy is in turmoil, and the American promise has been threatened once more.
Four people are being questioned about a suspected racist sniper plot to assassinate US presidential candidate Barack Obama.

“Tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder for less. More of you have lost your homes and more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can’t afford to drive, credit card bills you can’t afford to pay and tuition that is beyond your reach.

“These challenges are not all of government’s making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the failed presidency of George W. Bush.

“America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this.”

“This moment — this election — is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive. Because next week, in Minnesota, the same party that brought you two terms of George Bush and Dick Cheney will ask this country for a third. And we are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look just like the last eight. On Nov. 4, we must stand up and say: “Eight is enough.”

“Now let there be no doubt. The Republican nominee, John McCain, has worn the uniform of our country with bravery and distinction, and for that we owe him our gratitude and respect. And next week, we’ll also hear about those occasions when he’s broken with his party as evidence that he can deliver the change that we need.

“But the record’s clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush 90% of the time. Sen. McCain likes to talk about judgment, but really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush was right more than 90% of the time? I don’t know about you, but I’m not ready to take a 10% chance on change.”

“You see, we Democrats have a very different measure of what constitutes progress in this country.

“We measure progress by how many people can find a job that pays the mortgage; whether you can put away a little extra money at the end of each month so that you can someday watch your child receive her diploma. We measure progress in the 23 million new jobs that were created when Bill Clinton was president — when the average American family saw its income go up $7,500 instead of down $2,000 like it has under George Bush.

“We measure the strength of our economy not by the number of billionaires we have or the profits of the Fortune 500, but by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a business, or whether the waitress who lives on tips can take a day off to look after a sick kid without losing her job — an economy that honors the dignity of work.

“The fundamentals we use to measure economic strength are whether we are living up to that fundamental promise that has made this country great — a promise that is the only reason I am standing here tonight.”

“That’s the promise we need to keep. That’s the change we need right now. So let me spell out exactly what that change would mean if I am president. . . .

“Change means a tax code that doesn’t reward the lobbyists who wrote it, but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it.

“Unlike John McCain, I will stop giving tax breaks to corporations that ship our jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America.

“I will eliminate capital gains taxes for the small businesses and the start-ups that will create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow.

“I will cut taxes — cut taxes — for 95% of all working families. Because in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle class.

“And for the sake of our economy, our security, and the future of our planet, I will set a clear goal as president: In 10 years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East.

“Washington has been talking about our oil addiction for the last 30 years, and John McCain has been there for 26 of them. In that time, he’s said no to higher fuel-efficiency standards for cars, no to investments in renewable energy, no to renewable fuels. And today, we import triple the amount of oil as the day that Sen. McCain took office.

“Now is the time to end this addiction, and to understand that drilling is a stop-gap measure, not a long-term solution. Not even close.

“As president, I will tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power. I’ll help our auto companies retool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America. I’ll make it easier for the American people to afford these new cars. And I’ll invest $150 billion over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy — wind power and solar power and the next generation of biofuels; an investment that will lead to new industries and 5 million new jobs that pay well and can’t ever be outsourced.”

“We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. So don’t tell me that Democrats won’t defend this country. Don’t tell me that Democrats won’t keep us safe. The Bush-McCain foreign policy has squandered the legacy that generations of Americans — Democrats and Republicans — have built, and we are to restore that legacy.

“As commander in chief, I will never hesitate to defend this nation, but I will only send our troops into harm’s way with a clear mission and a sacred commitment to give them the equipment they need in battle and the care and benefits they deserve when they come home.

“I will end this war in Iraq responsibly, and finish the fight against Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts. But I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. I will build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century: terrorism and nuclear proliferation; poverty and genocide; climate change and disease. And I will restore our moral standing so that America is once more the last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future.”

Newly-nominated Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden on Wednesday counted on his long resume of foreign policy experience to slam the Bush administration and link Republican presidential candidate John McCain to an entrenched Iraq war policy and threatens Russia in a War Hawk position.

“Our country is less secure and more isolated than at any time in recent history,” Biden said. “The Bush-McCain foreign policy has dug us into a very deep hole, with very few friends to help us climb out.”

The Delaware senator took the stage after accepting his party’s nomination by acclamation. He drew sharp contrasts between his new boss, Barack Obama, whom he will start campaigning with on Friday, and his old friend McCain.

“The choice in this election is clear. These times require more than a good soldier,” he said, referring to McCain’s military service that includes his legendary five and half years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. “They require a wise leader who can deliver change. The change everybody knows we need. Barack Obama will deliver that change.”

Biden cast doubt on McCain’s judgment for saying there can be no time lines to withdraw troops from Iraq and praised Obama for advocating a time line and shift in responsibility to the Iraqis.

“Now, after six long years, the Bush administration and the Iraqi government are on the verge of setting a date to bring our troops home,” he said. “John McCain was wrong. Barack Obama was right.”

Biden’s acceptance speech marks a high point in his 30-plus year political career that includes two failed bids for the White House. Biden’s career appeared to be heading back into obscurity after he dropped out of this year’s race

Biden’s son, Beau Biden, who is scheduled to go to Iraq Oct. 3 for a year-long deployment, introduced his father. Beau Biden, 39, is Delaware’s state attorney general and apparent heir to his father’s Senate seat if Democrats win the White House in November.

In his remarks, Beau Biden alluded to his imminent military service when he said because of other duties he won’t be able to stand by his father in the fall the way his father has for his family.

“So I have something to ask of you,” he said. “Be there for my dad like he was for me. Be there for Barack Obama because our country needs him. … Be there because Barack and Obama and Joe Biden will deliver America the change we so desperately need.”

In Biden, Obama chose a foreign policy heavyweight who has a biography as compelling as his own.

Elected to the Senate at the age of 29 in 1972, Biden confronted a personal tragedy before he could take office. His wife and their 13-month-old daughter, Naomi, were killed when a tractor-trailer broad-sided her station wagon. His two sons survived the crash, and Biden took his oath of office for his first term at the hospital bedside his sons.

A Catholic with blue-collar roots, Biden, 65, is expected to appeal to working-class white voters that Obama struggled to pick up in the primaries.

Bill Clinton Still Has Swagger… greeted by an extended round of applause as he walked on stage to deliver his speech that lasted nearly three minutes. Watch as Clinton tries to calm down the enthusiastic crowd.

I am honored to be here tonight to support Barack Obama. And to warm up the crowd for Joe Biden, though as you’ll soon see, he doesn’t need any help from me. I love Joe Biden, and America will too.

What a year we Democrats have had. The primary began with an all-star line up and came down to two remarkable Americans locked in a hard fought contest to the very end. The campaign generated so much heat it increased global warming.

In the end, my candidate didn’t win. But I’m very proud of the campaign she ran: she never quit on the people she stood up for, on the changes she pushed for, on the future she wants for all our children. And I’m grateful for the chance Chelsea and I
I am honored to be here tonight to support Barack Obama. And to warm up the crowd for Joe Biden, though as you’ll soon see, he doesn’t need any help from me. I love Joe Biden, and America will too.

What a year we Democrats have had. The primary began with an all-star line up and came down to two remarkable Americans locked in a hard fought contest to the very end. The campaign generated so much heat it increased global warming.

In the end, my candidate didn’t win. But I’m very proud of the campaign she ran: she never quit on the people she stood up for, on the changes she pushed for, on the future she wants for all our children. And I’m grateful for the chance Chelsea and I had to tell Americans about the person we know and love.

I’m not so grateful for the chance to speak in the wake of her magnificent address last night. But I’ll do my best.
had to tell Americans about the person we know and love.

I’m not so grateful for the chance to speak in the wake of her magnificent address last night. But I’ll do my best.

Hillary told us in no uncertain terms that she’ll do everything she can to elect Barack Obama.

That makes two of us.

Actually that makes 18 million of us – because, like Hillary, I want all of you who supported her to vote for Barack Obama in November.

Here’s why.

Our nation is in trouble on two fronts: The American Dream is under siege at home, and America’s leadership in the world has been weakened.

Middle class and low-income Americans are hurting, with incomes declining; job losses, poverty and inequality rising; mortgage foreclosures and credit card debt increasing; health care coverage disappearing; and a big spike in the cost of food, utilities, and gasoline.

Our position in the world has been weakened by too much unilateralism and too little cooperation; a perilous dependence on imported oil; a refusal to lead on global warming; a growing indebtedness and a dependence on foreign lenders; a severely burdened military; a backsliding on global non-proliferation and arms control agreements; and a failure to consistently use the power of diplomacy, from the Middle East to Africa to Latin America to Central and Eastern Europe.

Clearly, the job of the next President is to rebuild the American Dream and restore America’s standing in the world.

Everything I learned in my eight years as President and in the work I’ve done since, in America and across the globe, has convinced me that Barack Obama is the man for this job.

He has a remarkable ability to inspire people, to raise our hopes and rally us to high purpose. He has the intelligence and curiosity every successful President needs. His policies on the economy, taxes, health care and energy are far superior to the Republican alternatives. He has shown a clear grasp of our foreign policy and national security challenges, and a firm commitment to repair our badly strained military. His family heritage and life experiences have given him a unique capacity to lead our increasingly diverse nation and to restore our leadership in an ever more interdependent world. The long, hard primary tested and strengthened him. And in his first presidential decision, the selection of a running mate, he hit it out of the park.

With Joe Biden’s experience and wisdom, supporting Barack Obama’s proven understanding, insight, and good instincts, America will have the national security leadership we need.

Barack Obama is ready to lead America and restore American leadership in the world. Ready to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. Barack Obama is ready to be President of the United States.

Thats the change we need.

Denver Convention

North Dakota State University could hit 13,000 students for the first time this fall.

The university reported 12,871 students on the first full day of classes Tuesday. That’s 654 more students from this time last year, or a 5 percent increase.

The enrollment growth is driven by a record 2,648 freshmen, 473 more than last year.

NDSU’s headcount is expected to fluctuate before it becomes final on the 20th day of classes. Last fall’s official tally was 12,527.

First-day enrollments from other area colleges:

- North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton reported 2,418 students, compared to last year’s first-day headcount of 2,411.

- Valley City (N.D.) State University reported 915 students, up from the headcount of 909 students last year.

- Mayville (N.D.) State University did not release a headcount.

Lets Face it Hillary Hit it out of the Ball Park.

DENVER — Looking like presidential Timber, Hillary Rodham Clinton summoned the millions of voters who supported her in the primaries to send Barack Obama to the White House Tuesday night, and drew thunderous applause at the Democratic National Convention when she declared her one-time rival is “my candidate and he must be our president.”

“We don’t have a moment to lose or a vote to spare,” said the former first lady, writing the final chapter in a quest for the White House every bit as pioneering as Obama’s own.

The packed convention floor became a sea of white “Hillary” signs as the New York senator _ Obama’s fiercest rival across 56 primaries and caucuses _ strode to the podium for her prime-time speech. The signs were soon replaced others that read simply, “Unity.”

While her remarks included a full-throated endorsement of Obama, Clinton did not say whether she would have her name placed in nomination or seek a formal roll call of the states when the party’s top prize is awarded by delegates on Wednesday night.

Clinton had been the prohibitive favorite for the nomination she launched her campaign last year, seeking to become the first female president. But she fell behind Obama after the leadoff Iowa caucuses in January, and he now is poised to become the first black nominee of a major party.

Obama turned the featured speaking slot of the convention’s second night over to Clinton, hoping she could nudge her disenchanted supporters toward his candidacy.

He called her after her speech to express his appreciation, aides said.

She followed others to the podium who ripped into Republican McCain as indifferent to the working class and cozy with big oil.

Clinton Steps Aside:
Obama Nominated

The best line of hillary’s Speech. That or the traveling pantsuit.

More details about the suspected plot to assassinate Obama come trickling in as the police arrest a fourth person in connection with the possible plan. The LA Times has the story.

We knew then that authorities in suburban Aurora had stopped a pickup truck for swerving between lanes early Sunday morning in what they thought was a routine drunk driving incident.

But in the rented vehicle of Tharin Gartrell, a 28-year-old convicted felon, they found two high-powered scoped rifles, ammunition, sighting scopes, radios, a cellphone, a bulletproof vest, wigs, drugs and fake IDs.

According to Brian Masss of Denver’s KCNC Channel 4, under questioning Gartrell implicated two other men — Nathan Johnson, who is 32, and Shawn Adolph, who is 33 — and Johnson’s girlfriend, Natasha Gromack. Johnson also reportedly confirmed the plot to FBI and Secret Service interrogators.

One of the men, Adolph, reportedly wore a ring with the Nazi swastika. He was injured when he jumped out of a hotel window fleeing Secret Service agents. All are now in custody on drug and weapons charges

***Update*** Attempted Assassination On Obama

Three men and a woman have been arrested and FBI and secret service agents are investigating claims that there were plans to use a high-powered rifle with a telescopic sight to shoot Mr Obama at the Democratic Party’s four-day convention in Denver.

US law enforcement sources said one of the suspects had admitted travelling to Denver to kill the first African-American to be nominated for president.

The shooting was allegedly planned for Thursday, when the White House hopeful will be in the city to formally accept his party’s nomination for the November elections.

His speech is due to be made at the 75,000-seat Invesco stadium and the shooting would have been from a distance of at least 750 yards in front of almost 100,000 people.

The alleged plot was thwarted by local traffic police on a routine patrol.

It came to light on Sunday when the officers stopped a pick-up truck driving erratically in Aurora, less than 20 miles from the Democrats’ convention venue.

Two high- powered rif les with telescopic sights were found when pol ice searched the rented Dodge truck, which was being driven by 28-year-old Tharin Gartrell.

They also found camouf lage clothing, walkie-talkies, a bulletproof vest, licences in the names of other people and the drug methamphetamine. One of the rifles was listed as stolen from Kansas.

Police then went to Gartrell’s room at the Cherry Creek Hotel in Aurora to arrest a second man. As officers closed in, the man – said to be 33-year-old Shawn Robert Adolf – jumped from a sixth-floor window, landing on an awning before falling off and breaking his ankle.

Police said he was wearing a ring with a Nazi swastika and had links to Aryan Nation – a white supremacist group classified as a terrorist threat by the FBI.

The men may also have ties to outlawed biker group Sons of Silence.

A third man arrested at another hotel in Denver told police there was a plan to kill Mr Obama when he made his acceptance speech. He has been identified as Nathan Johnson, 32. Adolf and Johnson were today being held on drugs charges.

Newspaper reports in Denver said Johnson’s girlfriend Natasha Gromack was also arrested in connection with the alleged plot.

Gartrell has been charged with being a felon in possession of a weapon and methamphetamine. He was being held at the Arapahoe county jail on £27,000 bail and is due in court on Thursday.

Detective Marcus Dudley, of Aurora Police, would not say what tied the men together but said more arrests were possible.

He said federal officials had been alerted because of heightened security surrounding the Democratic convention.

“Clearly we found there are federal implications – otherwise we would not have notified them,” he said. ” The weapons clearly would cause great concern.”

A US government official familiar with the investigation said: “It could also turn out that these were nothing but a bunch of knuckleheads, meth-heads.”

Last month a man was arrested in Miami after making threats to assassinate Mr Obama.

Raymond Geisel had reportedly told others at a bail bondsman’s class that he wanted to kill the Illinois senator.

• Denver authorities were today processing about 100 people who were ar rested when police officers and protesters clashed about a mile from the site of the Democrats’ convention.

The confrontation erupted overnight as police in riot gear tried to disperse a crowd of about 300 people that was disrupting traffic near the Denver City and County Building.

Police said they were forced to use pepper spray when members of the crowd, some carrying rocks, rushed a police safety line.

But one protester said officers charged the group without warning.

Home of The FargoPhantom.com

More Presidential Attempted Assassination

The Chicago Tribune

reports on a brutal baseball game between the US and China that featured five American batters getting hit by Chinese pitches:

Our relations with China were nearly broken at the plate.

A near-brawl with our Olympic hosts in a baseball game won 9-1 by the U.S. team Monday night resulted in an unexpected outbreak of tension for the international pastime.

Three members of China’s team were ejected from the game.

Two collisions at home plate led to an injury to a Chinese catcher and a confrontation with another.

An American player was then hit in the head with a pitch. He was rushed to a hospital, where he was diagnosed with a concussion.

“That was the last straw,” said U.S. center fielder Nate Schierholtz, another of the principals.

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Inflation Takes Steam Out of Rise in Spending

Fargo ND, Consumers spent more in June, but only because the things they bought cost more.

Driven primarily by energy and food prices, inflation grew 0.8 percent over May, the biggest monthly increase since September 2005, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported on Monday. Spending, by comparison, grew just 0.6 percent in June.

“Inflation is intensifying, and that is the main source of weakness in consumer spending,” said Dean Maki, chief United States economist at Barclays.

High food and energy prices continue to drive overall prices. Without food and energy, core inflation grew at a more modest 0.3 percent over May. The prices of nondurable goods — the most current measure of food and energy prices kept by the bureau, adding in items like clothing — recorded the biggest year-over-year increase since July 1981.

Democrats in Congress have proposed a second round of stimulus payments, a move the administration has resisted. Now that Congress is in recess, another round of tax rebates seems unlikely to materialize until at least after the election.

The Federal Open Market Committee will discuss how to address inflation concerns and the economic downturn at its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday. The Fed policy makers are widely expected to leave interest rates unchanged because credit tightening could further crush employment, the housing market and other areas of the ailing economy.

“The Fed is being pulled in a number of different directions,” said Nigel Gault, chief United States economist at Global Insight. “If everything else in the economy were going fine, they’d be absolutely raising interest rates. But it’s not.”

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Busted!

FARGO – Former assistant U.S. attorney and local defense attorney Dennis Fisher has been arrested on suspicion of stealing a hunting knife from Sportsman’s Warehouse just before noon Friday.

A loss prevention officer spotted a man take a knife and confronted him outside the store, located at 4901 13th Ave. S., about 11:50 a.m. Friday, Fargo police Sgt. Jeff Skuza said.

The man, later identified as Fisher, refused to go back inside and pushed the employee to try to get away. A struggle ensued, spilling into neighboring Lowe’s Home Improvement, Skuza said.

The prevention officer was able to get one handcuff on Fisher, but an off-duty Barnes County sheriff’s deputy had to assist in getting the second handcuff on Fisher, who had to be physically restrained, Skuza said.

Fisher refused to identify himself on scene, but responding officers recognized the attorney, Skuza said. Fisher was arrested on suspicion of shoplifting and disorderly conducted and booked into the Cass County Jail, Skuza said.

The highly regarded attorney is best known for helping prosecute four people in connection with the February 1983 shooting deaths of two federal marshals who were attempting to serve a warrant on tax protester Gordon Kahl. Fisher also was a prosecutor on the murder case of Eddie Peltier, a former Devils Lake, N.D., police officer who was found dead on North Dakota’s Fort Totten Indian Reservation in 1983.

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Lets Drill Baby.

Fargo, ND. — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Friday he would be willing to support limited additional offshore oil drilling if that’s what it takes to enact a comprehensive policy to foster fuel-efficient autos and develop alternate energy sources.

Shifting from his previous opposition to expanded offshore drilling, the Illinois senator told a Florida newspaper he could get behind a compromise with Republicans and oil companies to prevent gridlock over energy.

Republican rival John McCain, who earlier dropped his opposition to offshore drilling, has been criticizing Obama on the stump and in broadcast ads for clinging to his opposition as gasoline prices topped $4 a gallon. Polls indicate these attacks have helped McCain gain ground on Obama.

“My interest is in making sure we’ve got the kind of comprehensive energy policy that can bring down gas prices,” Obama said in an interview with The Palm Beach Post.

“If, in order to get that passed, we have to compromise in terms of a careful, well thought-out drilling strategy that was carefully circumscribed to avoid significant environmental damage _ I don’t want to be so rigid that we can’t get something done.”

Asked about Obama’s comment, McCain said, “We need oil drilling and we need it now offshore. He has consistently opposed it. He has opposed nuclear power. He has opposed reprocessing. He has opposed storage.” The GOP candidate said Obama doesn’t have a plan equal to the nation’s energy challenges.

In Congress, both parties have fought bitterly over energy policy for weeks, with Republicans pressing for more domestic oil drilling and Democrats railing about oil company profits. Despite hundreds of hours of House and Senate floor debate, lawmakers will leave Washington for their five-week summer hiatus this week with an empty tank.

“The Republicans and the oil companies have been really beating the drums on drilling,” Obama said in the Post interview. “And so we don’t want gridlock. We want to get something done.”

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