Watching and comprehending the management style of a future executive team gives clarity about their ability to represent the nation they pretend to want to serve.

Top McCain-Palin official Carly Fiorina is facing criticism from some within the campaign for a day of what they call 'very Biden-like' comments," CNN reports, "after the former Hewlett-Packard CEO told two separate interviewers that neither member of the Republican ticket would be capable of running a company."

Indeed, the daggers seemed out for Fiorina among the McCain aides that spoke to CNN.

A top McCain official contacted by CNN said, on condition on anonymity, "No big deal, but not how you get on the surrogate all-star team. Very Biden-like."

"This campaign source said Fiorina would be discouraged from additional media interviews.

Another top campaign adviser was far less diplomatic.

"Carly will now disappear," this source said. "Senator McCain was furious." Asked to define "disappear," this source said, adding that she would be off TV for a while - but remain at the Republican National Committee and keep her role as head of the party's joint fundraising committee with the McCain campaign.

Fiorina was booked for several TV interviews over the next few days, including one on CNN. Those interviews have been canceled.

This reveals the nature of the McCain-Palin campaign to minutely manage their message to avoid insight about their incompetence.

McCain doesn’t know what his own committee does.

With Wall Street’s financial institutions in turmoil, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) argued in a series of interviews today that his experience on the Senate Commerce Committee meant he knew “how to fix this economy.” “I understand the economy. I was chairman of the Commerce Committee that oversights every part of our economy,” McCain told CNBC’s Squawk Box.

But, as the Washington Post points out, the Commerce Committee doesn’t oversee “every part of our economy,” let alone “the very areas now in crisis“:

In fact, it is the Senate Banking Committee that has oversight of “banks, banking and financial institutions; control of prices of commodities, rents and services; federal monetary policy, including the Federal Reserve System; financial aid to commerce and industry and money and credit, including currency and coinage.”

According to its Web site, the Commerce Committee oversees 13 areas, beginning with the Coast Guard, and continuing through “regulation of consumer products and services … except for credit, financial services, and housing” — the very areas now in crisis.

It’s not that surprising that McCain is confused about the Commerce Committee’s economic responsibilities, considering that he freely admits, “The issue of economics is not something I’ve understood as well as I should.”

Obama Picks Up $9 Million at Glitzy Hollywood Fundraiser
by Associated Press
Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Is this the guy you want to elect? Out of touch at $28,500 for dinner. Here's a noble gesture....Donate it to charity!!!

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Barack Obama partied with Hollywood celebrities Tuesday night and with the help of Oscar-winning singer and actress Barbra Streisand raised an eye-popping $9 million for his presidential campaign and the Democratic Party.

The night was split into two glitzy events, a reception and dinner costing $28,500 each at the Greystone Mansion, followed by entertainment by Streisand at the nearby Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel. About 250-300 people were expected at the dinner and about 800 at the entertainment, which cost $2,500 a ticket.

Dinner guests seen by reporters, or noted by waiters, included Will Ferrell, Jodie Foster, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Lee Curtis and DreamWorks founders Steven Spielberg, David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenbach.

Obama spent more than an hour before dinner getting his picture taken with guests. He said later that people had encouraged him to be tougher and had questioned why he was so calm in a close race against Republican John McCain.

“I’m skinny but I’m tough,” he said. “I’m from Chicago and we don’t play. Just keep steady.”

“If we can cut through the nonsense and the lipstick and the pigs and the silliness, then I’m absolutely convinced that we are going to win,” Obama said, referring to some of the offbeat charges raised against him.

“The reason I’m calm … is I’ve got confidence in the American people,” he said. “I really think they want to see us do better.” Standing in the courtyard of the palatial estate, he said his campaign was dedicated to people who need jobs and health care and worry about their pensions and sending children to college.

“It’s about those who will never see the inside of a building like this,” Obama said.

He said the economic turmoil in recent days had been sobering for America. “It’s reminded people that this is not a game. This is not a reality show, no offense to any of you,” Obama said to laughter. “This is not a sitcom.”

It was a day of contrasts for Obama. Earlier in the day, the Democratic presidential candidate spoke about the public’s deepening economic anxieties and portrayed Republican challenger John McCain as out of touch with the needs of hardworking people.

Then he flew to California for a night of hobnobbing with Hollywood notables.

McCain groused about Obama mixing it up with celebrities. He told a rally in Vienna, Ohio on Tuesday that Obama “talks about siding with the people, siding with the people just before he flies off to Hollywood for a fundraiser with Barbra Streisand and his celebrity friends. Let me tell you my friends, there’s no place I’d rather be than here with the working men and women of Ohio.”

A night earlier, McCain was with deep-pocketed donors in Florida and raised $5 million, a fact noted by Obama’s campaign.

“I don’t know who showed up down in Florida where he raised $5 million but my guess is that it wasn’t a lot of nurses, firefighters and police officers,” Obama’s senior strategist, David Axelrod, told reporters. “The whole corporate lobbying community is rallying to his side. We’re going to have to struggle to keep pace. You can’t challenge that group and not expect them to have a lot of money.”

While the final total was not determined, Obama’s campaign did not dispute estimates that the twin events would bring in $9 million for Obama and the Democratic Party. That would be his second-biggest, fundraising day. Obama received $10 million from online donors the day after McCain’s running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, delivered her speech at the Republican convention.

On another big fundraising night in California, Obama raised $7 million in August in San Francisco.

Obama is financing his presidential race with private contributions after abandoning a pledge to take public financing capped at $84 million. His campaign announced Sunday it had collected $66 million in August, a fundraising record for any presidential candidate in a monthlong period.

By comparison, McCain raised $47 million in August, a personal best for his campaign as well. After claiming the GOP nomination, McCain accepted the $84 million in taxpayer funds allotted by the public financing system for the race.

Top Clinton fundraiser and member of Democratic platform committee backing McCain over Obama

Associated Press

Last update: September 17, 2008 - 7:08 AM

This has go to hurt;

WASHINGTON - John McCain's campaign says the Republican is picking up the support of a top Hillary Clinton fundraiser and member of the Democratic National Committee's Platform Committee.

Lynn Forester de Rothschild has said she thinks Democratic nominee Barack Obama is arrogant and has a problem connecting with average Americans.

Rothschild is a member of the DNC's Democrats Abroad chapter and splits her time living in London and New York. She was one of Clinton's top fundraisers, bringing in more than $100,000 for her presidential campaign. She built a multimillion-dollar telecommunications company before marrying international banker Sir Evelyn de Rothschild.

Rothschild plans to announce her support for McCain on Wednesday in Washington.

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Baracks campaign is falling apart...

He spends much of his time in Hollywood at 28500 per plate dinners with celebrities while John McCain eats at small diners in Ohio. He … read more cannot connect with the average people because he now needs a teleprompter to get through a campaign rally. I would vote for him if he were on American Idol or Dancing with the Stars.
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