I think it’s time to applaud the amazing summer for the magnificent Campaign Obama. David Axelrod, David Plouffe and company have succeeded in bringing home their central campaign theme, campaigning fiercely and boldly so that America knows exactly what Obama stands for:

“I am not a terrorist sympathizer.”

“I am not a closet Muslim, a black nationalist radical.”

“I am not single-handedly responsible for the rise in gas prices.”

“I’m against drilling for oil, but not so much that I would stop it.”

“I am not going to let people question my patriotism.”

“I am not going to let people say I’m going to raise taxes on Americans making $42,000 a year.”

“I don’t disrespect our wounded veterans overseas.”

“I am not an empty-headed celebrity like Britney Spears or Paris Hilton.”

“My supporters are not foolish, Kool Aid drinking, Dungeons and Dragons playing imbeciles.”

“Taking a stand on the beginning of life is above my pay grade.”

Notwithstanding Obama’s consistent, often-repeated message about John McCain…

“John McCain, let’s face it, he’s got a compelling biography.”

“John McCain is a man who is a genuine American hero and has served his country with distinction.”

All of which is succinctly summed up in the campaign’s new tag-line:

“I am not the Messiah.”

And last week’s winning theme:

“I may be a multimillionaire, but I’m not as rich and successful as John McCain.”

With such a strong and unmistakable message, it’s positively dumbfounding how Obama could possibly be lagging in the polls. It must be that many Americans are just too bitter to appreciate his message.

(cross-posted at TPMCafe)

Technorati Tags: Obama, politics

For far too long I have been neglecting my weight. Oh, I’ve had some good excuses some of the time (last year, I was frequently too sick to go to the gym; this year, I injured my back and took several months before I returned to a more-or-less normal amount of mobility). But the fact remains that I’ve let my body shape go, and I’ve finally got motivated enough to get (back) in shape.

It helps that I’ll have some great support for at least the first leg of this journey. Last Sunday, a friend and I decided to set the goal of losing 10 pounds in 5 weeks–a very difficult but not unattainable weight-loss goal. We took the dreaded “before” pictures. And NO, I’m not sharing mine! We took all the basic body part measurements. We weighed in. Then we entered into a “contest” with the winner and loser receiving various rewards and punishments…

I’ll wait until the end of the process before revealing my full details, but I will say that my BMI was 27.3. Here’s how the NHI evaluates the BMI numbers:

Underweight = <18.5
Normal weight = 18.5-24.9
Overweight = 25-29.9
Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater

What a wake up call! In the past two years of paying very sporadic attention to my weight, I gained about 20 pounds… What a mess I found myself in, and what a wake-up call. The BMI tells me that I’m in the mid-point of the Overweight range, half way from “normal” and going on “obese”! I probably put half that weight-gain on in April and May after my back injury, when “comfort foods” supplemented my daily dose of multiple pain killers to help me get through the pain.

The goals I set with my friend are still in progress, and I’m determined to lose all the weight that I can do quickly yet in a healthy way. The first week went well: I did cardiovascular exercise at the gym six days per week and improved my diet significantly, resulting in a weight loss of 1.1 pounds.

Unfortunately, my goal was 2.0 pounds, so I have had to crunch the numbers to see where I could improve … and quickly (only 4 weeks left). It seems that I had been eating relatively healthy foods, mostly natural and minimally processed. But I was eating too much. I crunched the numbers on my daily calorie count and realized that I was going to have to eliminate snacking almost entirely and adhere to a strict 1,500 calorie per day limit.

And I also gave into temptation last Wednesday and had a cheeseburger and three light beers. I also realized that as wonderful as it had been to get in 45 minutes on the exercise bike, if I wanted to succeed at my goal of 2.0 pounds per week, then I would have to boost my daily cardio to at least an hour.

My agenda for the next several weeks is simple: create a daily calorie deficit of roughly 1,000 calories per day by limiting my caloric intake to 1,500 while simultaneously doing about 1 hour of cardio (and some light work with weights, too). According to the math, I should create a calorie deficit of 7,000 calories per week, resulting in weekly fat loss of 2.0 pounds. By September 21, I should have a BMI of 25.8. Let’s see how the math holds up in the real world!

I know there are many ways to skin a cat, and I’m sure there are folks who have many great ideas that have worked for them, so I’m not saying my approach to weight-loss is the best or only approach. But it’s the approach that makes the most sense to me in light of my current goals.

I hadn’t planned to blog about my weight-loss goals, but I don’t see what harm it could do. I suppose the worst thing that could happen is I fail and everyone knows. But I don’t think I’m going to fail, and blogging might make the journey more fun. So I’m going to keep an online journal of my progress not merely over the next month, but over the next 12 weeks.

Why 12 weeks? Sadly, because I’ve gotten heavy enough that even if I adhere to an aggressive diet and daily exercise, I can’t expect to erase the pounds in only four weeks. It will realistically take at least another 12 to return to my ideal healthy weight, at a “normal” BMI (around 23.0 to 24.5). And even this goal is aggressive (however, I feel that an aggressive approach is the best for me).

12 weeks seems like forever at the moment, but it’s really not so long. Look for updates along the way!

Technorati Tags: health

Five questions reporters might ask Joe Biden … and the answers you’ll never hear from his press secretary.

5. Mr. Biden, what’s up with the hairplugs?

Have you ever considered that because the Senator’s first wife was tragically killed in a car accident, he may have wanted to look good for his second wife?

4. Mr. Biden, have you had a change of heart about saying that Obama may not be ready for the presidency?

It is truly beyond the pale of civility when you question the Senator’s integrity by suggesting that he, a survivor of a brain aneurysm, might now be inconsistent in his positions.

3. Mr. Biden, have you ever been guilty of being racially insensitive?

When Senator Biden was being sworn into the Senate at the hospital bedside of his critically ill sons, nobody questioned his sensitivity towards others.

2. Mr. Biden, what does it say about you that you plagarised some speeches 20 years ago?

Senator Biden has given many speeches from the heart, such as his eulogies for his deceased wife and infant daughter.

1. Mr. Biden, were you wrong to support the Iraq war?

Nearly 40 years ago, the Senator endured terrible, gut-wrenching hardships that have almost led him to drop out of the Senate. But the Senator proved he would always put his country ahead of narrow self-interest and has since become a True American Hero. Therefore, Americans must always give the Senator every benefit of the doubt and trust that he always does what he thinks is the best thing for America. How dare you ask such impertinent questions!

Cross-posted at TPMCafe.

Technorati Tags: Biden, McCain