The problem with mainstream reporting and presidential elections, according to Paul Krugman, op-ed columnist at the New York Times, is reporters can't call a liar a liar.

Why do the McCain people think they can get away with [all their lies]? Well, they’re probably counting on the common practice in the news media of being “balanced” at all costs. You know how it goes: If a politician says that black is white, the news report doesn’t say that he’s wrong, it reports that “some Democrats say” that he’s wrong. Or a grotesque lie from one side is paired with a trivial misstatement from the other, conveying the impression that both sides are equally dirty.

They’re probably also counting on the prevalence of horse-race reporting, so that instead of the story being “McCain campaign lies,” it becomes “Obama on defensive in face of attacks.”

For candidates who are losing the battle on issues, lying is a perfectly effective way to change the debate, and the reporting, away from the issues, moving it to the mud, where an issueless candidate has a better chance to win.

That's presidential elections in the 21st Century, and you better get used to it, and candidates better have the capabilities to fight back the lies, with sharp elbows.

Just talking about Sarah Palin is sexist, according to Jon Stewart of The Daily Show.

September 7, 2008
Bush comments on Sept 11 attacks, terror fight
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 8:58 a.m. ET

Comments by President Bush on the Sept. 11 attacks and the fight against terrorism:

"A great people has been moved to defend a great nation. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America." Sept. 11, 2001, address from the Oval Office.

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"This battle will take time and resolve. But make no mistake about it: we will win." Sept. 12, 2001, after meeting with national security advisers.

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"I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon." Sept. 14, 2001, standing in the rubble of the World Trade Center with police, firemen and rescue workers.

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"I want justice. There's an old poster out west, as I recall, that said, ''Wanted: Dead or Alive." Sept. 17, 2001, asked about Osama bin Laden while Bush visited the Pentagon.

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"We'll smoke him out of his cave, and we'll get him eventually." Oct. 11, 2001, referring to bin Laden, at a news conference.

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"You are either with us or you are against us in the fight against terror." Nov. 6, 2001, at the White House.

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"States like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world. By seeking weapons of mass destruction, these regimes pose a grave and growing danger.'' Jan. 29, 2002, speaking in his State of the Union address about North Korea, Iran and Iraq.

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"He's a person who's now been marginalized. His network, his host government has been destroyed. He's the ultimate parasite who found weakness, exploited it, and met his match. ... So I don't know where he is. You know, I just don't spend that much time on him ... to be honest with you." March 13, 2002, when asked about bin Laden at a White House news conference.

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"America must not ignore the threat gathering against us. Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof -- the smoking gun -- that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud." Oct. 7, 2002, speaking about Iraq before the U.S.-led invasion five months later.

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"Now that conflict has come, the only way to limit its duration is to apply decisive force. And I assure you, this will not be a campaign of half measures, and we will accept no outcome but victory." March 19, 2003, address from the Oval Office announcing the beginning of the Iraq war.

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"Absolutely we're winning." Oct. 25, 2006, speaking about Iraq at a White House news conference.

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"The situation in Iraq is unacceptable to the American people and it is unacceptable to me. Our troops in Iraq have fought bravely. They have done everything we have asked them to do. Where mistakes have been made, the responsibility rests with me." Jan. 10, 2007, announcing an increase in U.S. combat troops in Iraq to quell mounting violence.

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"The surge is working. I know some don't want to admit that, and I understand. But the terrorists understand the surge is working." Jan. 31, 2008, in a speech in Las Vegas.

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"When it comes to the war on terror, our Democratic leaders should pay more attention to the warnings of terrorists like Osama bin Laden and spend less time heeding the demands of MoveOn.org and Code Pink." June 25, 2008 at a Republican dinner in Livonia, Mich.

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"Obviously it's still a tough fight there." July 15, 2008, speaking about Afghanistan at a White House news conference.

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"Oh, I don't know. I'll be dead when they finally figure it out." July 31, 2008, asked in an interview what his legacy would be.

One of my favorite places to go relax and read was the Main Train Station, or Hauptbahnhof, in Frankfurt.

The trains run on electricity, which doesn't seem to pollute the air.

The roof contains transparent materials to allow natural light into the station.

There are plenty of kiosks for coffee and food, too.

In the video, I'm coming up from the subway, into the main building. Notice the large, airy expanse. It was very cool to be inside a gigantic, larger-than-life, man-made structure in which many people from around the region and world congregate. I enjoyed the positive energy inside there; good for reading and relaxing.