For McCain, one issue covers immigration:

A group of Hispanic lawmakers Friday accused GOP presidential candidate John McCain of “flip-flopping” on immigration.

And for Obama, it surrounds Iraq:

…it’s yet another a full-fledged, full-throated flip-flop, accompanied by a fundamentally flawed reading of the Bush Administration’s current policy…

It seems ridiculous to not expect educated people running the United States to NOT change their minds. Given new information, new viewpoints, and added experience, it’s not only natural but should be expected that our leaders change their minds and tactics. Like a general on a battlefield who has to change tactics and ideas when new information is presented, McCain and Obama ahould be applauded for having the guts to change their minds. In fact, “flip-flopping” is a total non-issue and always appears to be a juvenile, schoolyard cry from politicos who have little else to cry about.

Ridding emotion from the case, this is a win for all Americans. Americans 100 years from now will look back on this as a victory for them and future generations. Bush and his minions have paraded the U.S. government into a bad mentality. If Bush wants Americans to live this way, he should pack his bags and move to Iran, because that is the type of regime he is building and where he will find his comrades.

From episodes in Nazi Germany through to present day, international sporting events have often been the arena for both subtle and obvious displays of political and social grievances. And thank goodness.

Why do we live in a country where there is still a fight for non-discrimination of people? This is ridiculous, and America is starting to look more like Iran, China, and North Korea in the way it approaches civil liberties.

The likely temporary replacement for Gonzales is Solicitor General Paul Clement, who would take over until a permanent replacement is found, according to a senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

As soon as the Democrats took over Congress, it felt like old times: Pelosi bickered with her subordinates about top leadership, Rangel proposed instituting the draft, and the grey cloiuds that had parted with the Republicans departure started hovering on the skyline again.

The Democrats need to at least show some sort of togetherness. They need to keep their infighting in the same closet where they keep their bongs, kickbacks, and sexual mongering. The American Public can very easily swing back to the Republicans within the next 2 years, giving us another 4 years of broken government.

Following is the text of the speech made between the two leaders:

PRESIDENT HU: (As translated.) It’s a great pleasure to see you again, Mr. President. I remember, in the course of this year we have already met each other three times, we had four telephone conversations, and we also maintained frequent exchange of letters. So it is fair to say that we are keeping very close touch and this has vigorously promoted China-U.S. relations.

I’m pleased to see new progress in China-U.S. relations since our meeting in St. Petersburg in July this year. Our two countries have maintained a frequent exchange of visits at the top level and at different levels. And actually, our trade has also been expanding very rapidly, and I do have a piece of good news to share with you. According to U.S. statistics, in the first seven months of this year, U.S. exports to China jumped 35 percent.

Nationally, our mechanism for having strategic economic dialogue has also been launched, and the first inaugural dialogue will be held in Beijing around the middle of next month. And Chinese naval ships have again paid a visit to the continental America for the first time in six years. And even as we speak our naval ships of the two countries are conducting joint search and rescue maneuvers in Chinese waters.

So, all in all, we feel very happy about the healthy and stable expansion of China-U.S. relations. I think we would not have achieved such a state of our bilateral relations had it not been for your outstanding leadership.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Well, thank you.

PRESIDENT HU: So, with this, I would like to turn it over to you.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you, Mr. President. You’re right, you and I have had a lot of meetings. And the reason why is because we recognize that working together we can accomplish a lot for the security of the world and for the prosperity of our people. China is a very important nation, and the United States believes strongly that by working together, we can help solve problems, such as North Korea and Iran.

Our bilateral relations are very good, and we — you and I are committed to keeping them that way. Obviously, with as much commerce between our countries as there is, there’s going to be trade difficulties, but nevertheless, we both adopt a spirit of mutual respect and the desire to work through our problems for the common good of our peoples.

I strongly support your vision, Mr. President, of encouraging your country to become a nation of consumers and not savers, which will inure to the benefit of our manufacturers, both large and small, and our farmers, as well.

I always enjoy our frank and friendly discussions, and I’m looking forward to this one, as well. And I thank you for your hospitality.

Thank you, sir.

When Kwan accepted the appointment from Sec. Rice, she said:

Thank you, Secretary Rice. It’s a real honor to accept this appointment. You know, as an athlete, I’ve always been very proud to represent the United States. And now to do it in this position is really, really special to me.

I started competing around the world and representing the United States at age 12, and I can say that the last 14 years I was in training for this position and this job today. I’ve always wanted to somehow serve our country to contribute and to make a difference. And I feel that in this position I can do just that.

I look forward to sharing my experience, my story and the lessons that I’ve learned in competition, things like dedication, setting goals and how to go about achieving them, the importance of teamwork, and the reality of life that it’s not always smooth sailing and sometimes you have to pick yourself up and keep on going. I believe these are universal concepts and I hope that people can learn from my experiences and apply it to their lives.

In this position, I look forward to interacting with people, young people, and share the positive things that America, its culture, its people and the great things America stands for. And I hope by in some small way I can bring people and maybe even countries closer together.

I’d like to thank Secretary Rice for appointing me to this position and I look forward to working with the Under Secretary. And I will try my very, very best to live up to the faith that you’ve placed in me. Thank you.

In what position?!

How will history showcase Rumsfeld. Well, he is no idiot, but he will be shown to have too much focus on “winning” the war at the detriment to America’s fighting force and citizens at home. As a self-absorbed obsessive compulsive individual, Rumsfeld felt it necessary to finish the job he began, and botched. For this reason, he should be admired.

But he screwed things up. He got America mired in a war whose wounds will take a couple generations to, hopefully, heal. He also takes down the Bush presidency and will be a large sore mark on 6 years of America’s history.

Here’s Rumsfeld’s biography, from the DOD website:

Donald H. Rumsfeld was sworn in as the 21st Secretary of Defense on January 20, 2001. Before assuming his present post, the former Navy pilot had also served as the 13th Secretary of Defense, White House Chief of Staff, U.S. Ambassador to NATO, U.S. Congressman and chief executive officer of two Fortune 500 companies.

Secretary Rumsfeld is responsible for directing the actions of the Defense Department in response to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The war is being waged against a backdrop of major change within the Department of Defense. The department has developed a new defense strategy and replaced the old model for sizing forces with a newer approach more relevant to the 21st century. Secretary Rumsfeld proposed and the President approved a significant reorganization of the worldwide command structure, known as the Unified Command Plan, that resulted in the establishment of the U.S. Northern Command and the U.S. Strategic Command, the latter charged with the responsibilities formerly held by the Strategic and Space Commands which were disestablished.

The Department also has refocused its space capabilities and fashioned a new concept of strategic deterrence that increases security while reducing strategic nuclear weapons. To help strengthen the deterrent, the missile defense research and testing program has been reorganized and revitalized, free of the restraints of the ABM treaty.

Mr. Rumsfeld attended Princeton University on academic and NROTC scholarships (A.B., 1954) and served in the U.S. Navy (1954-57) as an aviator and flight instructor. In 1957, he transferred to the Ready Reserve and continued his Naval service in flying and administrative assignments as a drilling reservist until 1975. He transferred to the Standby Reserve when he became Secretary of Defense in 1975 and to the Retired Reserve with the rank of Captain in 1989.

In 1957, he came to Washington, DC to serve as Administrative Assistant to a Congressman. After a stint with an investment banking firm, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois in 1962, at the age of 30, and was re-elected in 1964, 1966, and 1968.

Mr. Rumsfeld resigned from Congress in 1969 during his fourth term to join the President’s Cabinet. From 1969 to 1970, he served as Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity and Assistant to the President. From 1971 to 1972, he was Counsellor to the President and Director of the Economic Stabilization Program. In 1973, he left Washington, DC, to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Brussels, Belgium (1973-1974).

In August 1974, he was called back to Washington, DC, to serve as Chairman of the transition to the Presidency of Gerald R. Ford. He then became Chief of Staff of the White House and a member of the President’s Cabinet (1974-1975). He served as the 13th U.S. Secretary of Defense, the youngest in the country’s history (1975-1977).

From 1977 to 1985 he served as Chief Executive Officer, President, and then Chairman of G.D. Searle & Co., a worldwide pharmaceutical company. The successful turnaround there earned him awards as the Outstanding Chief Executive Officer in the Pharmaceutical Industry from the Wall Street Transcript (1980) and Financial World (1981). From 1985 to 1990 he was in private business.

Mr. Rumsfeld served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of General Instrument Corporation from 1990 to 1993. General Instrument Corporation was a leader in broadband transmission, distribution, and access control technologies. Until being sworn in as the 21st Secretary of Defense, Mr. Rumsfeld served as Chairman of the Board of Gilead Sciences, Inc., a pharmaceutical company.

Before returning for his second tour as Secretary of Defense, Mr. Rumsfeld chaired the bipartisan U.S. Ballistic Missile Threat Commission, in 1998, and the U.S. Commission to Assess National Security Space Management and Organization, in 2000.

During his business career, Mr. Rumsfeld continued his public service in a variety of Federal posts, including:

• Member of the President’s General Advisory Committee on Arms Control (1982 – 1986);
• Special Presidential Envoy on the Law of the Sea Treaty (1982 – 1983);
• Senior Advisor to the President’s Panel on Strategic Systems (1983 – 1984);
• Member of the U.S. Joint Advisory Commission on U.S./Japan Relations (1983 – 1984);
• Special Presidential Envoy to the Middle East (1983 – 1984);
• Member of the National Commission on Public Service (1987 – 1990);
• Member of the National Economic Commission (1988 – 1989);
• Member of the Board of Visitors of the National Defense University (1988 – 1992);
• Member of the Commission on U.S./Japan Relations (1989 – 1991); and
• Member of the U.S. Trade Deficit Review Commission (1999 – 2000).

While in the private sector, Mr. Rumsfeld’s civic activities included service as a member of the National Academy of Public Administration and a member of the boards of trustees of the Gerald R. Ford Foundation, the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and the National Park Foundation, and as Chairman of the Eisenhower Exchange Fellowships, Inc.

In 1977, Mr. Rumsfeld was awarded the nation’s highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Our president has led us headlong into a violent struggle that will last for at least another two generations. How wonderful after the Cold War we thought that now we were at peace in the world. Nothing like a bunch of holier-than-thou politicos to change that arrangement.

Our nation is filled with hatred towards groups of people who want to come to these fields for the same reason all of our descendants (sans Africans and Natives) desired to come here. Nothing like a horrible educational system to instill in all of us a lack of history and loss of moral authority.

Our vision has been dimmed that past few years. First through fear, then anger, and then idiocy. Never let an argument simmer overnight, and never go into a fight with emotion or we end up in the debacle we find our selves in today.

The caffeine-fueled MTV video reality contests that pepper our lives full of physical fights on talk shows that descend into childish fracas show us one thing: we are products of our own culture. And now the culture is swinging back the other way. Hopefully this is a good thing.

So now the Democrats are in charge. Amen. Give Heir Busch a fight and hold no punches. History will be written by the victors and this president has yet to win a fair fight.