Midday Open Thread * Outrage

Last week, although you never heard a word about it anywhere, over 300 flag officers endorsed McCain/Palin. Today, over 100 retired ambassadors just endorsed McCain/Palin (and I’ll post that info below).

I just heard V.P Joe Biden — who cannot tamp down his arrogance although god knows a hell of a lot of people have tried to get him to shut up before he blows it like he always does — say this at a rally, typing as I heard him:

Last week I had a debate with Sarah Palin. At least I think it was a debate.

[Much audience laughter. Biden pauses.]

Last night, Barack Obama had a debate with John McCain.

Now, I realized that I’m slightly prejudiced about our ticket, but if this were the best of five series, it would be over.

Ladies and gentlemen … [two sentences] … ladies and gentlemen … [one sentence] … ladies and gentlemen … Is “Ladies and gentlemen” a nervous vocal tic?

That’s Joe Biden in his typical big-chested, boastin’ Joe manner.

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Here’s some of the statement about the endorsement by the ambassadors:

Prominent former U.S. ambassadors endorsing the McCain-Palin ticket include former Ambassador to Japan, Senate Majority Leader and White House Chief of Staff Howard Baker; President George H. W. Bush, former Ambassador to the United Nations; former Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton; former Secretary of Defense and former Ambassador to Portugal, Frank Carlucci III; former Ambassador to the Vatican and Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson; and Ambassadors Richard Burt (Germany), Bruce Gelb (Belgium), Margaret Heckler (Ireland), John L. Loeb (Denmark), Ed Ney (Canada) and Julia Chang Bloch (Nepal), the first U.S. ambassador of Asian descent.

Democrat Mark W. Erwin, a former Hillary Clinton supporter and an ambassador during the Clinton administration, is co-chair of the group. “I will vote for John McCain because the differences between the two candidates are so vast and profound,” he said.

“Senator Obama does not have sufficient leadership experience, nor has he been tested in difficult times,” Erwin said in his endorsement.

Other co-chairmen of the group called “Former U.S. Ambassadors for McCain/Palin” are former U.S. Ambassador to Sweden Gregory J. Newell and former Ambassador Gilbert A. Robinson, both of whom served in the Reagan administration. Newell also served as an assistant to President Gerald Ford and as Assistant Secretary of State. Robinson was special adviser to Secretary of State George Shultz, Director of the Office of Public Diplomacy and Deputy Director of the United States Information Agency.

“Nobody could ask for a greater show of confidence,” Sen. McCain commented. “These former ambassadors are outstanding men and women who have served their country in foreign lands with great distinction and devotion to the values we all hold dear. They have a deep knowledge of the challenges facing this country abroad as well as at home. I am honored by their endorsement.”

Ambassador Robinson added, “The endorsements from this country’s most experienced foreign affairs experts are still pouring in. This demonstrates the overwhelming admiration and respect they have for John McCain’s leadership and the confidence they have in the historic McCain-Palin ticket.”

FORMER U.S. AMBASSADORS FOR MCCAIN-PALIN

Weston Adams, Malawi — Columbia, S.C.
Lenore Annenberg, Chief of Protocol — Radnor, Penn.
Cresencio Arcos, Jr., Honduras; FP/NS — Coral Gables, Fla.
George Argyros, Spain and Andorra — Costa Mesa, Calif.
Catherine Todd Bailey, Latvia — Louisville, Ky.
Howard H. Baker, Jr., Senator (R-TN); Senate Majority Leader; Amb. Japan — Huntsville, Tenn.
Douglas H. Barclay, El Salvador — Pulaski, N.Y.
Stuart A. Bernstein, Denmark — Washington, D.C.
Everett E. Bierman, Papua New Guinea — Oakton, Va.
Julia Chang Bloch, Nepal — Washington, D.C.
John Bolton, United Nations
Stephen F. Brauer, Belgium — Bridgeton, Mo.
Keith Lapham Brown, Lesotho; Denmark — San Antonio, Texas
Donald Burnham, Ensenat, Brunei; Chief of Protocol — New Orleans, La .
Richard R. Burt, Germany — Washington, D.C.
President George H.W. Bush, United Nations — Houston, Texas
William J. Cabaniss, Jr., Czech Republic — Birmingham, Ala.
Richard G. Capen Jr., Spain — Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
Richard W. Carlson, Seychelles — Weems, Va.
Frank Carlucci III, Portugal
Bruce Chapman, IAEA; Vienna — Seattle, Wash.
Sue McCourt Cobb, Jamaica — Coral Gables, Fla.
Charles E. Cobb, Jr., Iceland — Coral Gables, Fla.
Walter J.P. Curley, Ireland; France — New York, N.Y.
Peter H. Dailey, Ireland; Special Envoy to NATO Countries — Pasadena, Calif.
Mark L. Edelman, Cameroon — Washington, D.C.
Mark Erwin, Mauritius, Seychelles and Comoros — Charlotte, N.C.
Richard M. Fairbanks III, Ambassador-at-Large — Washington, D.C.
William S. Farish III, United Kingdom — Versailles, Ky.
Edward R. Finch, Jr., Panama — New York, N.Y.
John R. Gavin, Mexico — Los Angeles, Calif.
Bruce S. Gelb, USIA; Belgium — N ew York, N.Y.
Joseph B. Gildenhorn, Switzerland — Washington, D.C.
Anthony H. Gioia, Malta — Buffalo, N.Y.
Luis Guinot, Jr., Costa Rica — Falls Church, Va.
Margaret M. Heckler, Ireland — Arlington, Va.
Charles A. Heimbold, Jr., Sweden — Riverside, Conn.
Hans H. Hertell, Dominican Republic — Washington, D.C.
Alfred Hoffman, Jr., Portugal — Fort Meyers, Fla.
Richard Holwill, Ecuador
G. Philip Hughes, Barbados, Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenadines — Falls Church, Va.
Jon M. Huntsman, Jr., Singapore — Salt Lake City, Utah
Robert S. Ingersoll, Japan — Evanston, Ill.
James C. Kenny, Ireland — Glenview, Ill.
Alfred H. Kingon, European Union — Bronxville, N.Y.
Lester B. Korn, UN Economic and Social Council — Beverly Hills, Calif.
Mary E. Kramer, Barbados and Eastern Caribbean — Clive, IA
Paul C. Lambert, Ecuador — New York, N.Y.
Mark Langdale, Costa Rica — Dallas, Texas
Howard Leach, France — Salinas, Calif.
Melvyn Levinsky, Bulgaria and Brazil — Ann Arbor, Mich.
John L. Loeb, Jr., Denmark — New York, N.Y.
Earle I. Mack, Finland — Fort Lee, N.J.
Susan Rasinski McCaw, Austria — Kirkland, Wash.
Robert C. McFarlane, Special Envoy for the President
Thomas Patrick Melady, Burundi, Uganda, Holy See — Washington, D.C.
J. William Middendorf II, Netherlands, OAS, European Union — Little Compton, R.I.
Steve Minikes, CSCE — Washington, D.C.
George Cranwell Montgomery, Sultanate of Oman
Thomas A. Nassif, Morocco — La Jolla, Calif.
Gregory J. Newell, Sweden — Provo, Utah
Edward N. Ney, Canada — New York, N.Y.
Jim Nicholson, Holy See — McLean, Va.
Herman W. Nickle, South Africa — Tucson, Ariz.
Julian M. Niemczyk, Czechoslovakia — Annandale, Va.
Keith Foote Nyborg, Finland — Sugar City, Idaho
John D. Ong, Norway — Hudson, Ohio
Penne Korth Peacock, Mauritius — Washington, D.C.
Joseph Carlton Petrone, United Nations European Office — Dublin, N.H.
Charles J. Pilliod, Jr., Mexico — Akron, Ohio
John Price Mauritius, Seychelles and Comoros — Salt Lake City, Utah
Charles H. Price, II, Belgium, United Kingdom — Kansas City, Mo.
James W. Rawlings, Zimbabwe — Southbury, Conn.
Otto J. Reich, Venezuela — Washington, D.C.
Mercer Reynolds, Switzerland and Liechtenstein — Indian Hill, Ohio
Gilbert A. Robinson, Special Advisor to the Secretary of State — McLean, Va.
Joe M. Rodgers, France — Nashville, Tenn.
Sig Rogich, Iceland — Las Vegas, Nev.
John Rood, Bahamas — Jacksonville, Fla.
Francis L. Rooney III, Holy See — Naples, Fla.
Frank Ruddy, Equatorial Guinea
Bob Royall, Tanzania — South Carolina
Rockwell A. Schnabel, Finland, European Union — Los Angeles, Calif.
Peter F. Secchia, Italy — Grand Rapids, Mich.
Martin J. Silverstein, Uruguay — New York, N.Y.
Ronald J. Sorini, Chief Textile Negotiator, U.S. Trade Representative — Hinsda le, Ill.
Michael G. Sotirhos, Jamaica, Greece — Lauderdale by the Sea, Fla.
Robert D. Stuart, Jr., Norway — Lake Forest, Ill.
Charles J. Swindells, New Zealand, Samoa — Portland, Ore.
Peter Terpeluk, Jr., Luxembourg — Washington, D.C.
Timothy L. Towell, Paraguay — Washington, D.C.
Rodolphe M. Vallee, Slovakia — Shelburne, Vt.
Leon J. Weil, Nepal — New York, N.Y.
John G. Weinmann, Finland, Chief of Protocol — New Orleans, La.
Ronald N. Weiser, Slovakia — Ann Arbor, Mich.
Pamela P. Willeford, Switzerland and Liechtenstein — Austin, Texas
Richard Williamson, Asst. Secy; Amb. IAEA — Chicago, Ill.
Curtin Winsor, Jr., Costa Rica — McLean, Va.
Dr. Aldona Z. Wos, Estonia — Greensboro, N.C.
Joseph Zappala, Spain — Aventura, Fla.

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