This from a smart analysis in The Manila Mail:

September 5, 2008 

In regards to the issue of American-Philippine relations, the Philippines might as well not be on Senator McCain’s map. Currently many Filipino Americans are being told that support for John McCain (R-AZ) represents an “independent spirit” and that supporters of Hillary Clinton (D-NY) would be best served by supporting Sarah Palin (R-AK) as Vice President. But there are very clear and distinct reasons why the Filipino American community would be best served to oppose the proposed policies of the Republican Party ticket... [Read all in new window]

A rebuttal on AsianAmericansforMcCain summons minute details as a smoke screen, arguing against the Mail's very BIG, well-formulated point with trivia attempting to show that the Palin/McCain ticket is friendly to Filipinos, such as observing that "as governor, Palin honored the first Filipino woman elected to a state legislative body in the United States by declaring Nov. 10 Thelma Buchholdt Day. You can read the resolution commemorating Bucholdt here."  It is taking nothing away from the worthiness of Thelma Buchholdt or Palin's gesture to say that this grasping-at-straws does not negate Bondoc's point in the Mail:

"The McCain-Palin ticket has ignored our heritage and contributions to this country, despite the 4 million Filipino-Americans who live across the United States. They have forgotten the Philippines when considering a foreign policy, and have turned a blind eye to the needs of the Filipino American people with regard to immigration and health care reform."

And, incidentally, it seems that a(n earlier) resolution to commemorate Thelma Buchholdt Day had been introduced by the Anchorage Municipal Assembly and Progressive Democratic Mayor Mark Begich (running against corrupt GOP Senator Ted Stevens) to: 

"recogniz[e] July 5, 2008 as Thelma Buchholdt Day in celebration of Thelma’s lifetime commitment to public service that upholds social justice and the great values of cultural diversity and respect for all peoples."

I suppose it is a hard and thankless task to work on the crew at AsianAmericansforMcCain, and I feel for them. They have to smile and pretend to be happy trying to "represent" on behalf of a candidate that tries to win brownie points with a hateful base by spouting the slur "gook" in public and defending its use as "straight talk," whose convention was absent of Asians or many brown people at all for that matter, and whose idea of "minority outreach" is an an Ethnic Unity Rally featuring none other than George "Macaca" Allen (!).

Oh brother.