Digging Up Dirt

Another annual fall task is to turn over the LipsYard Garden. As always, we added the compost we had made of last years yard and garden waste.

Oops! While the McCain campaign was busy trying to dig up dirt on Barack Obama's contributors, they were asking the Russian envoy for money!

In the letter, signed by McCain, the Republican Presidential candidate urged Russia's U.N. Ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, to contribute anywhere from $35 to $5,000 to help ensure McCain's victory over Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama, currently ahead in voter preference polls.

"If I have the honour of continuing to serve you, I make you this promise: We will always put America -- her strength, her ideals, her future -- before every other consideration," McCain assured Churkin.

Moscow's mission to the United Nations issued a terse statement on the Republican presidential candidate's letter, saying that the Russian government and its officials "do not finance political activity in foreign countries." (Perhaps a personal visit by Sarah Palin to her "backyard neighbors" would have yeilded a contribution?)

A spokesman for McCain, a long-time critic of Russia, pointed the finger of blame at an error in their mailing list. Wonder how many other "mistakes" got sent to U.N. headquarters?

Earlier this month, both McCain and Obama harshly criticized Russia for invading Georgia two months ago, but neither was willing to say yes when asked if Russia under Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was the "evil empire."

It is illegal for U.S. presidential candidates to accept funds from foreign sources. The McCain campaign accused Obama earlier this month of not doing enough to screen for illegal contributors and asked U.S. election officials to investigate.