The World According to Me

From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
Just how big is the proposed Wall Street bailout? Let’s look at how it compares to some other numbers…

– $700 billion: proposed Wall St. bailout
– $648 billion: GDP of Dominica. If the bailout were a country it would be the 210th largest GDP, larger than several island nations. 
– $580 billion: cost of Iraq war (so far)
– $515.4 billion: proposed 2009 Pentagon budget
– $315 billion: McCain’s nuclear energy plan
– $295 billion: amount Pentagon overspent original budgets by.
– $150 billion: Obama’s energy plan
– $50-$65 billion: Obama’s health care plan, per year
– $59.2 billion: proposed 2009 U.S. education budget
– $10 billion: McCain health care proposals, per year
– $38 million: Hank Paulson’s post-2004 salary as Chairman, CEO of Goldman Sachs
– $43,371: Median household income in Ohio (2004)

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Average Americans taking it in the ass, priceless.

Both John McCain and Barack Obama are preparing for this Friday’s debate on Foreign Policy.  Admittedly this is McCain’s perceived strength and Obama’s perceived weakness.  There is some rumor that team Obama is going to employ a strategy of trying to get McCain to blow his cool.  I doubt that is the case.  Obama simply can’t bring himself to sink so low (consider his rather tepid response to the attack ads in his direction), and contrary to indications this past week McCain isn’t quite that stupid enough to take the bait.  Like the recent economic crisis, this is going to be a test of who is going to come out looking more presidential.  The bar is going to be set low for Obama and he’ll probably clear it easily.  My take is this will end in a draw, which will benefit Obama.  If he maintains the calm, thoughtful, presidential air he’s maintained this week, and if the finiancial crisis is still front and center in the news cycle, he should continue to see a bump in the polls.  This is crucial.  As I’ve written elsewhere, he needs at least a 10% lead come election day or he’ll lose, given that most people are giving the politically correct answers to the pollsters rather than the truth.  Looking forward to Friday.