Obama at O'Keefe's, Belleview Biltmore

Sen. Barack Obama, with some of the O'Keefe's staff, had a burger with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and spicy mustard. [JOSEPH GARNETT JR. | Times]

From the airport at midday, Barack Obama headed to O'Keefe's, one of Clearwater's oldest, most popular restaurants, to press the flesh and drum up some easy coverage. Buzz is he's staying at the Belleview Biltmore, the historic resort built in Belleair. He's just about to start a news conference there.

His traveling press corps will be ensconced at the Sandpearl Resort in Clearwater Beach.

Obama is here to prepare for Friday's presidential debate in Oxford, Miss. Why do debate prep in the Tampa Bay area? "Look at the weather, man. It's great," Obama said.

-- Adam C. Smith

Comments

"Why do debate prep in the Tampa Bay area?"

Ohhhhh, if you only knew the half of it!

dude... don't eat their fish!

Where is Obama's right hand and why is the blond on his right smiling so much?

What's the half of it?

[REPUBLICAN BAILOUT TO STEAL FROM HEALTHCARE & SOCIAL SECURITY]

Bailing out irresponsible CEOs who have pocketed billions in bonuses over the last eight years, is going to mean making do without the things that the nation needs.

Barack Obama said Tuesday the deepening American financial crisis and prospect of a massive government bailout meant he likely would have to delay expansive programs outlined during his campaign for the White House. In an interview with NBC television, Obama said he would have to study what happens to the United States' tax revenues before making decisions on budgeting for his promised initiatives on national health care, education, energy and other concerns.

Expanded health care? Sorry, that's going to help Goldman Sachs. Education improvements? Call Bank of America. Getting out of our problems with oil? We'll get back to you on that when Morgan Stanley says they have what they need.

Why doesn't he just stay at the Ft. Harrison Hotel?

He can probably garner a few thousand votes and some cash from the scientologists, no?

There goes the neighborhood!

[Ron Paul says No to bailout]

As Ron Paul said...

"I am afraid that policymakers today have not learned the lesson that prices must adjust to economic reality. The bailout of Fannie and Freddie, the purchase of AIG, and the latest multi-hundred billion dollar Treasury scheme all have one thing in common: They seek to prevent the liquidation of bad debt and worthless assets at market prices, and instead try to prop up those markets and keep those assets trading at prices far in excess of what any intelligent buyer would be willing to pay."

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/23/paul.bailout/index.html

Should be no problem staying at the Sand Pearl. It 75% empty.

[Fuber]

Strange picture in that Obama and the blond are the only two looking at the right camera. Don't you want a candidate that knows the right camera to look at?

Its good to hear an opinion from Obama about the bailout. I guess the 300 financial advisors have finally come up with his talking points.

"US President George W. Bush said Tuesday he was reassuring world leaders at the UN General Assembly that he was "confident" the US Congress would act quickly to rescue battered financial institutions."

from rawstory.com, 9.23.08
-------

seems to me this walking, drunken ostemybag has been o, so confident about far too many things the past few years:

confident about saddam and 9/11
confident about wmd's in vietraq
confident about "mission accomplished"
confident about brownie and new orleans
confident about catching osamabeenforgotten
confident about privatizing Social Security
confident about......

well, i dont have the time to enumerate all the stuff this pathetic waste of walkingtalkingfecal matter has been "confident" aboout

you can continue to fill in the "confients".....

Whats with all the pauses when he speaks? He....sounds......like....Jim....Roam

[John]

There's less distractions in Tampa Bay, that's why he's staying there. Nothing goes on there.

He should have went to El Cap

The only people that hate Bush more than the leftists?

Radical Islam

Obama/Biden offers a new direction and hope for our future.

McCain/Palin offers a senile, old warmongering adulterer who p's himself… and an un-qualified, adulteress milfwannabe – both of which think the Constitution is their morning turtle hatching!

… nuff said

The only people that love Bush more than the right-wing nutjobs?

Osma Been Forgotten, and the folks that help Dubya protect and hide him.

3:14
guess u have your head so far up bush butt to not see THIS....

and according to FAUX NEWS 64% DISSAPPROVE OF YOUR BUSHIE

Let's be clear about why we're facing a crisis that could pull down the global financial system. The irresponsibility of individuals who bought houses they couldn't quite afford pales in comparison with the irresponsibility of the financial wizards who built on those shaky mortgages a towering edifice of irrational faith. Someone in the government should have looked at all those trillions of dollars' worth of mortgage-backed securities and collateralized debt obligations and credit default swaps and demanded that Wall Street prove that all, or even most, of this purported money was real. But we're in the eighth year of the Bush administration; adult supervision left the building long ago.

3:14 the only people that like Bush more than Al-Quida...

(Best recruiting tool they ever had.)

A precipitous drop in Sarah Palin’s approval may be helping to fuel Obama’s gains. Immediately after the convention 41% of Colorado voters said that her selection made them more likely to vote for John McCain, compared to 38% who said it made them less likely to do so. Since then there’s been a 12 point drop in her net favorability. Now just 38% say that she makes them more likely to vote for the Republican, with 47% saying they’re less likely to do so.

“Barack Obama has greatly increased his lead with independents since we last polled Colorado,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “It seems like the more voters have learned about Sarah Palin the less they’ve liked her, and that’s allowed Obama to open up the largest lead he’s shown in a PPP poll of Colorado.”

[brenda]

Must read for Jewish people everywhere!!http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0908/glick092308.php3

anyone know who holds the record for most vacation days for a president??

take a wild guess???

anyone remember what Bushie was doing THE ENTIRE MONTH of AGUST bfore 9-11??

when the memo
"Bin Ladden determined to attack U.S.

was sent to Condi

G.W.B.

worst president...

EVER

I thought “Al-Quida” was that new burrito special at Taco Bell!

[Brenda]

MUST READ for Jewish people everywhere!!http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0908/glick092308.php3

[Chuck whos sick of Moron voters]

Let me ask you since when was intelligence such a bad quality in a leader? He freakin' put himself through Harvard and then went to work for the people of his old neighborhood instead of some high paying law firm. He's sharp and all you racists who cant imagine voting for a black guy are idiots who fall for the slick Republican propaganda..look at what Bush gave us and most of you MORONS voted for him and Cheney. People, how is a black man who was raised on food stamps and put himself through Harvard without affirmative action an "elitist"? Im sorry but all those clones who believe every ad scare me even more than the moron Palin. What a classic example of Mccains poor Judgement. She is a puppet with half a brain who is under investigation for ethics violations! Are you kidding me? That the polls are even close is scarey. Lets pick the intelligent guy for once, this election, who eats a burger from Okeefes:)

Brenda,

What about the Jews who don't have internet?

hey Brenda

ya think Jews (myself included)
would listen to a Jew for Jesus Kook like Sarah Palin???

NOT!!!

stop trying to rile people up

SARAH PALIN SUKS!!!!

When you have seven homes, that's a lot of garages to fill. After the fuss over the number of residences owned by the two presidential nominees, NEWSWEEK looked into the candidates' cars. And based on public vehicle-registration records, here's the score. John and Cindy McCain: 13. Barack and Michelle Obama: one.

One vehicle in the McCain fleet has caused a small flap. United Auto Workers president Ron Gettelfinger, an Obama backer, accused McCain this month of "flip-flopping" on who bought daughter Meghan's foreign-made Toyota Prius. McCain said last year that he bought it, but then told a Detroit TV station on Sept. 7 that Meghan "bought it, I believe, herself." (The McCain campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment.)

hey Chuck

nice post
BTW
Obama - 1 car
McCain - 13

but Obama is the elitist
go figure

Yea .. yea.. yeah He's still a ...

3:32 is right, palin does SUK... just ask her husband's business partner.

[Elliot]

3:00...thanks for the article about Ron Paul's thoughts...Very interesting

[Lets get this one right Florida]

Neither one of these candidates is perfect. But one is just pushing buttons on the sound bite machine, hellbent on getting elected, running comercials saying Obama pushed extensive sex ed for kids and calling him an elitist? What???(That ad was dismissed by independant fact checkers as just republican smoke and mirrors) The second really has done it all right. Self made, 1 car, 1 wife, cares about the little guy and you must admit he is charasmatic. I am more energized than ever in a candidate and know many others that feel the same way. We need that kind of leader because it will take a ton of sacrifice to fix this mess, and if he asks I will do it! We need that because Washington is broke, our country is hurting economically and our troops are strained. Lets get this one right and elect the smart guy. If Palin becomes Prez when McCain croaks I'm moving to Russia (WHich Palin can see from her from yard:)

[BRN]

He should have ordered the Hot Brown

A poll released yesterday said that 30% of democrats will not vote for Obama because he is black.

Comments anyone?

He's not black, hes an Arab. Come on, its not like his name is Omali.

How is it possible that 30% of the enlightened party is so racist?

I thought the only racists were white GOP.

I thought the dem ticket was:

Obama n Biden?

[Bob H]

Obama went to Okeefes and didn't have Irish food? Did he at least have a Guiness?

No the dem ticket is Obama bin Biden

GulpityGulpity, gulpgulpgulp… What’s my opinion today Mr. Hannity… GulpityGulpity, gulpgulpgulp… What’s my opinion today Mr. Limbaugh… GulpityGulpity, gulpgulpgulp… mmmm, this kool aid sure is scrumptious… GulpityGulpity, gulpgulpgulp…

… you repugnants be some desperate lemmings…

Obama/Biden offers a new direction and hope for our future.

McCain/Palin offers a senile, old warmongering adulterer who p's himself… and an un-qualified, adulteress milfwannabe – both of which think the Constitution is their morning turtle hatching!

… nuff said

Apparently everyone on this blog are just a bunch of partisan hacks.

You are not changing anyone's mind.

Lefties go to msnbc.com or georgesoros.com.

Righties go to foxnews.com or rushlimbaugh.com

To the independents and undecided: Care to discuss the issues in an intelligent manner?

A poll released yesterday said that 30% of democrats will not vote for Obama because he is black.

Comments anyone?

did you democrats know you had so many racists amongst you?

Oh yeah thats right, your candidate is a racist.

I’m John McCain and I approved this… ummm… what was I saying again?… hey; is that a duck over there?… where’s my fishsticks!; who took my pet toaster?!… MOMMY; the mailbox flipped me the finger again!

4:42 I'm an independent and I can not stand the partisan rancor.

Who is really responsible for the financial crisis?

[Mary]

To 3:28: Anyone know the person with the LEAST number of years - um, make that DAYS, in public office. Take a wild guess...

[Chuck sick of Moron voters]

Ok independants,here is the issue. Intelligence. Obama is clearly the smarter guy. Harvard with honors or the Navel Academy the bottom of his class. Hmmmmmmm. Can we please give them both an IQ test?

See where the "experienced" guy you would like to have a beer with but not so bright fellow got us? No more Republicans. Lets get some real change. COme on independants you have to see a real difference here. Dont you?