IT'S HIGH NOON FOR OBAMA AND THE HEALTH CARE SHOWDOWN

First off, great quote by Press sec Robert Gibbs regarding the reaction to the School children sppech BEFORE it took place by many angry parents.

"It's a sad state of affairs that many in this country politically would rather start an 'Animal House' food fight rather than inspire kids to stay in school, to work hard, to engage parents to stay involved and to ensure that the millions of teachers that are making great sacrifices continue to be the best in the world,"

Former first lady Laura Bush defended the President's idea when she told CNN:

"I think that there is a place for the President of the United States to talk to school children and encourage school children, and I think there are a lot of people that should do the same,

Enough said on the school kid speech nonsense.

As for High Noon on Health care, the Prez will speak to the country tonight in a televised speech to a joint session of  Congress that HAS to change the game. Has to. The question is not whether Obama will give a repeat performance of his Labor Day tough talk approach when he asked emphatically to his detractors "what are your ideas!" Rising costs of health care are the number one problem that needs to be solved so Obama has to get clear and detailed as to how he'll attack this. Now. The main question will be how he will frame the biggest issue regarding the Health care debate: The public option. With the option ,come shouts of "government take over" and "Socialism." Obama needs to hold firm on the option and explain why the option is needed and is not Socialism. Finally, Obama has to decide whether to announce publicly that either way, he will try and let a bill get rammed through. Holding firm on the Public option and getting a bill passed no matter what will cost some political capital. The return on the risk will be if and  when the whole country is insured and the rising cost of care goes down.

TJ AND THE TUX BOOK CLUB: EYEWITNESS TO POWER

In a book published back in 2000, perhaps televisions only non paritsan analyst David Gergen, who has worked for both Republican and Democratic presidents,  gives a first hand account of the personalities  and qualities of the President's that he's worked for from 1972 through the Clinton years. The anecdotes are fun and his opinions are well rounded as always, making you wonder what he thinks about Obama's work so far. check it out

WITH VAN JONES GONE, SHOULD GLENN BECK FOLLOW WITH HIS " OBAMA HATES WHITE PEOPLE" COMMENT?

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Van Jones, reknown environmental advocate for the Obama team has resigned amidst controversy over an old comment he made that the Bush team knew about 9-11 before it happened. Did the vetting process again bite Obama in the ass or is vetting impossible these days with the advent of Social media? The answer is, it's too easy to screw up these days. Anything you say is hard copy now. E mail. Facebook. Twitter. Forget it. Impossible. Everyone on Earth, if vetted, would lack a clean slate. That said, claiming on you tube that Biush knew, as Jones did, albeit 8 years ago, should've been Jones' responsibility to share with Obama. The administration's handling of Jones situation now is correct. Let him fall on his own sword, the health care issue, still THE hot topic issue this month, is more important. 

As for Conservative talk show host Glenn Beck, who brought the Jones story to light, nice work Glenn. While many including respected CNN analyst David Gergen have taken time out now to speak highly of Jones' achievements and resume,  it was the potential distraction over the claim that forced Jones into quitting. Maybe after Van cleans out his locker Glenn, you could do a story on yourself and YOUR claim that Obama doesn't like White people. People at Fox news  haven't felt enough of a ratings boost this comment could truly have. Stir it up, see where it takes you. You're on a roll Glenn, why not? Strike while the iron is hot.

Obama's Labor day response to the "complain" strategy of the GOP during his speech Monday was emphatic. It was a sight for sore eyes for those sore at Obama's "50,000 foot approach" of watching events replacing a down and dirty approach on the ground to fight for what he believes in. To the GOP complainists he said, "What are YOU gonna do, " whats YOUR answer whats YOUR solution?" Great start. Now get tougher with the Senate Barry, and get clear with the people as to what the plan really is. Take that risk and you'll get the reward. The first reward will be respect. The second reward will be that your cigarette after dinner will be so much more enjoyable.

Which brings us to the Obama schoolchildren speech. Stay in school. Work hard. Be resilient. No excuses, I come from a broken home too. What in those messages has anything to do with 2012, health care or brainwashing? The children who missed the speech out of their parents partisan nonsense, missed it out of fear that rivaled the overrreaction of those who jumped out of windows during the HG Wells "War of the Worlds " radio broadcast, a sci fi tale in which Martians were landing on Earth Oct 30 1938. People actually died jumping? The answer is yes. The moral of the story to many haters is that anger has less effect the more you use it. Oh and it's too late to show off your Paul Krugman-like economist skills don't ya think? I mean you've all had since 2000 a great opportunity to tell us what you know. Maybe those houses you all bought and couldn't afford got your tongue. Maybe the 900 Billion dollar bill you agreed with by saying yes to the War in Iraq, that "Mission Accomplished" war that's now going on 7 years did too.

 People, shut up and sit down unless you wanna back track to include the whole story. Meaning your roles in it. Seriously, any trigger like opposition by the GOP and it's followers to the school speech, and every issue that comes up, confuses and dilutes any concerns about Obama care and Obama's vision for the country that DO have merit. Crying Wolf has a shelf life ya know.

The Dying Soldier Photo: The AP went ahead against the wishes of many including the family of a dying soldier whose leg inuries became insurmountable only hours after a photo was taken of his Mortar Shell injuries. Robert Gates was appalled. So is Sarah Palin, who will always be there to stick up for military families (her son is in Iraq right now) . The AP feels that it is necessary to show all sides of War. Wow, this one's tough to comment on. Vietnam was a different war because people saw it the battlefield for the 1st time on TV. The notion of whether to broadcast coffins is always a delicate subject as well. War is hell. Let's leave it at that. Any depiction of it as glorious in movies and in photos or military recruitment commercials is obviously not taking the whole picture into account. The picture of a 21 year old kid bleeding to death one virtually one leg, just to presumably pay his way through college. Sad.

above: Van Jones

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TJ AND THE TUX MOVIE CLUB: AKA CASSIUS CLAY

What a great documentary. Great footage of the fights, and the controversial turbulent 60's  culture. Clay, who became a  Muslim, a member of Nation of Islam and Malcom X, changed his name to Muhammad Ali in 1965. The loudmouth self promoting flamboyant icon, who refused to go to Vietnam was and still is, bigger than life. His contribution to society has trumped his triumphs in the ring. This was released in 1970. Find it. Check it out. You'll love it. 

OBAMA TEXT TO SCHOOL CHILDREN

Don't think you can just be a rapper, a basketball player or a reality tv star. Success means hard work and resiliency. I've come from a broekn home too. I know what it's like." I'm papraphrasing Obama's speech to kids that he'll give tomorrow. It's a far cry from the partisan pro health care vote for me in 2012 crap that GOP leaning parents were fearing. Gee that's shocking. read the text

LEVI CHECKS SARAH INTO THE BOARDS: SHOULD WE BELIEVE A GUY WITH A HOCKEY HAIRCUT?

Levi Johnson apparently  has alot to say about Sarah Palin in some upcoming article in Vanity Fair. He claims she watched soaps often on her couch, said she was overwhelmed in the role of Governor,  and hinted that Palin's marriage to Todd was perhaps on the rocks. The confusing part is while it's hard to trust anyone with a hockey haircut, the allegations he's allegedly made in the piece seem possible.

Barack Obama talks to the school kids Tuesday. Think he'll borrow and read them "My Pet Goat " the book that George W was reading school kids when an advisor whispered that the 1st tower was hit on 9-11?

Fake Afghan poll sites posted by those loyal to the incumbent Hamid Karzai gave the incumbent hundreds of fake votes in his favor. The fake sites , as many as 800, made up close to 15 percent of the polling sites on election day. Wow, now that's a model of functioning Democracy huh? Just like Tehran was two months back. Maybe we should send Hillary Clinton out to Afghanistan to provide some comfort and understanding. She could repeat her words in Nigeria earlier this month empathizing with Nigerian election corruption by stating  that  "our Democracy is still evolving" Her words in reference to the Bush Gore election of 2000 and the controversial results in  Florida that gave W the White house. Hey, a little empathy goes a long way.

What is it about September that gives a person mixed feelings? It's such a great time of year , especially in NYC. The problem is that Winter follows and then you get mad at yourself for wishing the Summer away so quickly. What bums me out the most is how many friends of mine plan Labor day barbeques and rooftop parties as if they are Lollapalooza. If these same people treated the rest of their hopes and dreams with the same care, the other 364 days of the year, maybe they wouldn't be looking for the same parties with the same people going nowhere this time next year.

W COULD'VE TOLD OBAMA THAT WASHINGTON IS LIKE ONE BIG SUCKER PUNCH

It's Labor Day. Leave the city and your stuck in traffic for days. We stayed, no not because we're broke and could only have a "Stay-Cation," but to celebrate the end of the Summer of Whining. We also stayed home just to ponder the following:

THOUSANDS PROTEST CHAVEZ:

BOGOTA – Thousands of opponents of Hugo Chavez marched against the Venezuelan president across Latin America on Friday, accusing him of everything from authoritarianism to international meddling.

The protests, coordinated through Twitter and Facebook, drew more than 5,000 people in Bogota, and thousands more in the capitals of Venezuela and Honduras. Smaller demonstrations were held in other Latin American capitals, as well as New York and Madrid.The Honduras march was led by Roberto Micheletti, who became president when Chavez ally Manuel Zelaya was ousted in a June coup.

"Any politician who tries to stay in power by hitching up with a dictator like Hugo Chavez, he won't achieve it," Micheletti said. "We'll stop him."

Stop him? With thousands? We doubt it. There were more people outside of the Bowery Electric hoping to catch the secret Wolfmother show than on the streets of Bogota. You can't take down a ruthless dictator with a crowd that couldn't even sell out the Hammerstein Ballroom. 

Colorado once a Republican leaning state  turned Democrat thanks to the Obama ground campaign, is now wondering where Obama has gone. The Washington Post reports: 

"Today, the energy that powered Obama to victory has begun to dissipate. Some of his supporters remain on the sidelines; others are, if not disillusioned, questioning what has happened to his presidency."

We'll tell you what happened. The GOP found a strategy. Complaining and Disrupting. Whether that translates into winning elections then being effective in office is another story.

The AP reports:

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama's adviser Van Jones has resigned amid controversy over past inflammatory statements, the White House said early Sunday.Jones, an administration official specializing in environmentally friendly "green jobs" with the White House Council on Environmental Quality was linked to efforts suggesting a government role in the 2001 terror attacks and to derogatory comments about Republicans.

Jones also said White people shoot up suburban schools, not black people. Add Jones to Bill Ayers and Reverend Wright as the wrong guys for Obama to share the Doritos bowl with at football house parties. Do these types of links hurt a President's credibility? Sure, but only for a brief monent in time. These shmucks are all just temporary sideshows. For the record, it was controversial Fox news host Glenn Beck who helped lead the charge to ruin Jones as of late. Today the pressure that came with the connection to Jones and his volatile opinions became unecessary for the White House to endure any further. 

Somewhere George Bush Jr is laughing at Obama's struggles. W came to Washington with the same "reach across the aisle" intent in early 2001. Those hopes lasted 8 months, ending on Sept 11 when W was interrupted from reading his favorite picture book, "My Pet Goat" to schoolkids. Then the "with us or against us" approach became the nation's foundation. Bush Jr could've and probably DID tell Obama that Washington politics is like a sucker punch in the face.  while Obama was running on a campaign designed to show voters that he was the Anti -Bush. Honest, clear, transparent, intelligent, and able to get all sides to agree on matters. Ha ha. We're chuckling.

 Forget Jones though. The REAL story this Fall will begin if and when Obama changes his tone. With the media, the people, and DC politicians who are trying to bog him down and bring him down. Time to start throwing sucker punches of your own Barry. Or punches at suckers who deserve it.

above :W lets an opponent have it,  as a member of the Yale rugby team, circa 1968.