The Epic Saga Continues!

9:41am: Strange flavor pancakes
So I usually make pancake batter with yogurt instead of (or in addition to milk). Makes for thicker and more robust pancakes.

This morning we had some leftover Egyptian-style tsatsiki that Sagasorceress made a few days ago that I didn't want to go bad, so I used that in the pancake mix. That and some fresh chopped strawberries.

From the smell alone as it all fried on the grill, Sagasorceress declined participation and made herself some toast with melted cheese. I nevertheless boldly went ahead and ate.

She awaited my response.

It was, "Festive."

Kind of like sweet and sour bread with dill and syrup.

To borrow a standby from notsweeney's first girlfriend, "Shan't try that again."

- SW

9:56am: I just do not get it
I just do not get it. The major polls keep showing McCain ahead, albeit not by much.

Everyone agrees the country's in the toilet right now. For 6 of the last 8 years, the Republican party controlled EVERYTHING. The White House, Congress, and the Courts. No one stopped them from doing ANYTHING. Even the last two years of a Democratic congress didn't really slow them down. They got whatever they wanted:

- wars with unlimited budgets
- No Child Left Behind
- huge cuts to medicare and welfare
- a huge tax cut for the wealthy
- unregulated markets for energy and housing
- North Dakota's abortion ban that pro-choicers can't challenge because the Supreme Court will use it as an excuse to overturn Roe v. Wade, paving the way for other states to do the
same
- limitless domestic spying
- complete free reign to dispense with the constitution and human rights laws when it comes to terrorism
- anti gay marriage amendments to dozens of state constitutions

They only lost on two initiatives: privatizing social security and drilling in ANWAR, and it looks like the drilling thing is going to go in their favor soon any day now.

So in short, the Republican Party has been doing whatever it wanted with the country, unopposed, for 8 years. We are living entirely in the country of their making.

But everyone agrees the country's in the toilet right now.

Yet the polls still favor McCain.

Somehow, Obama being perceived as an "elitist" (even though McCain is just as wealthy and privileged) and out of touch with the "working man" (even though McCain owns 5 homes) is enough to make people want to sign up for 4-8 more years of what brought us this mess...?

Or is it a fear that Obama is going to raise taxes? McCain wants to not only continue our two current wars but possibly involve us in Iran and who knows, maybe Georgia, too. And he's going to pay for this WITHOUT raising taxes?

Is it the idea that McCain is a "maverick", even though he voted with Bush 90-95% of the time, and Bush is the guy who, once again, got everything he wanted and yet we're still in this mess?

I just do not get it.

Not that I'd would throw in the towel just yet. The political analysts have been so consistently wrong throughout this whole election that I don't trust either their numbers OR their ability to make inaccurate numbers into a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Remember last year this time, when the media was *certain* that this would be a Hillary/Giuliani or Hillary/Romney race? Remember the huge wave behind the idea that Fred Thompson was going to be the Republican man on horseback? Remember how Hillary was going to wipe Obama off the face of the political map after Super Tuesday?

All is not lost. But it's going to be a really tough battle for Obama, and I still don't understand why.

-SW