More political hardball from the Straight Talk Express:

Elephant_Time_McCaino Clarification on Social Security: Last Sunday - when asked about payroll-tax increases on ABC: "There is nothing that's off the table. ... I don't want tax increases. But that doesn't mean that anything is off the table."

o Clarification #2 on Social Security: Tuesday, in Nevada - "I think the worst thing that could happen to America in these very tough economic times is to raise someone's taxes, I won't do it."

o Move Over Iron Man, Batman: In October, a San Diego publisher will be releasing comic books illustrating the life stories of John McCain and Barack Obama - for the politically-impaired? Can hardly wait for the movie!

o More Negatives on Affirmative Action: McCain says he’s reversed his position on Affirmative Action because he’s against quotas. Affirmative Action regulations specifically state that quotas are illegal. Plus, the Supreme Court has upheld that provision! Ergo, if McCain were really against quotas, he’d _______________________ (Fill in the blank)

o Coattails Department, subtitled, Everyone Wants A Piece: When the SF Chronicle invited McCain to meet with its editorial board as a prelude to giving McCain its endorsement, McCain responded by asking, “Why not invite Obama, too?”

The newspaper has issued the invitation, chortling, “Senator McCain gets extra points for proposing a unglossed, unscripted, groundbreaking version of the presidential debate in the bluest of states and at a newspaper that last endorsed a Republican for president in 1992.”

o Digging in a little deeper: Britney + Paris = Obama

ANNOUNCER: He's the biggest celebrity in the world.
But, is he ready to lead?
With gas prices soaring, Barack Obama says no to offshore drilling.
And says he'll raise taxes on electricity.
Higher taxes, more foreign oil, that's the real Obama.
JOHN MCCAIN: I'm John McCain and I approved this message.

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