Saturday, August 30, 2008

30 Aug 2008 10:12 pm

McCain Unplugged

Does he even hear himself?

"She's not from these parts and she's not from Washington. But when you get to know her, you're going to be as impressed as I am."

When you get to know her. He met her once before he interviewed her last week.

30 Aug 2008 10:10 pm

Alaskans Are In Disbelief

From the Republican State Senate President Lyda Green:

"She's not prepared to be governor. How can she be prepared to be vice president or president?" said Green, a Republican from Palin's hometown of Wasilla. "Look at what she's done to this state. What would she do to the nation?"

I repeat: the Republican State Senate President. From Palin's hometown. I mean, the ads just write themselves. And the Democrats:

Anchorage Democratic state Sen. Hollis French said it's a huge mistake by McCain and "reflects very, very badly on his judgment." French said Palin's experience running the state for less than two years hasn't prepared her for this.

Continue reading "Alaskans Are In Disbelief" »

30 Aug 2008 10:06 pm

Kristol On Palin

Pavlov would be proud. A few days ago, he cautioned against the Alaskan gamble: "Palin has been governor for less than two years." Now - surprise! - that's a virtue. There is not a single mention in his latest piece of her lack of record of even any opinions on foreign policy in the past decade. From the magazine that said we couldn't even risk voting Democrat in 2006 because the peril was so great.

Continue reading "Kristol On Palin" »

30 Aug 2008 10:00 pm

Another Dubious Firing

The Palin Troopergate scandal as governor - which at its core is about her use of her public office to pursue a private vendetta by firing a public safety commissioner - is not the only time Sarah Palin fired a public employee for reasons apparently unrelated to job performance. Hat Thief has the details. From the Anchorage Daily News December 1997:

A recall of Mayor Sarah Palin is off the table, at least for now, according to a group calling itself Concerned Citizens for Wasilla. The group of about 60 residents was formed Friday in response to Palin's controversial firing of Police Chief Irl Stambaugh. Members say they're concerned about the direction taken by Palin since her election last fall, and discussed a recall.

What happened?

Continue reading "Another Dubious Firing" »

30 Aug 2008 09:58 pm

Face Of The Day

Qazi Hussain Ahmad, chief of the Pakistani fundamentalist party Jamaat-e-Islami, addresses lawyers in Karachi on August 30, 2008. The former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has withdrawn his party's support from the coalition over the issue of the reinstatement of sacked judges, saying the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) was dragging its feet. Since Sharif's party quit Pakistan's four-party coalition the government has reappointed 12 judges sacked by former President Pervez Musharraf but lawyers' groups have dismissed the gesture as a political stunt. By Asif Hassan/AFP/Getty.

30 Aug 2008 09:30 pm

A Little Too Cynical, Guys

Sarah Palin is booed at a Republican rally for praising Hillary Clinton.

30 Aug 2008 08:35 pm

2008 = 1980?

Packer:

I’ve begun to believe that the best analogy for 2008 is 1980. The country desperately wants to get rid of a failed Presidency and the failed policies of the party in power; but a lot of people still don’t trust the new guy. If true, then the debates will decide this election. After Reagan appeared with Carter on October 28, 1980, and more than held his own, a close race turned into a landslide.

30 Aug 2008 08:34 pm

Undecideds Don't Like The Palin Pick

The headlines are about the broad polling reaction to Palin. But the most fascinating part of the first Rasmussen poll on the matter is how those who are currently undecided in the election feel. They, after all, are the votes both campaigns are trying to win over with their veep picks. The key data is in the cross-tabs, which have been missed in some of the coverage so far.

On the critical question, "With Palin As Vice-Presidential Nominee, Are You More Or Less Likely To Vote For McCain," there's a striking result. Among those already for McCain, 68 percent say it makes them more likely to vote for him; only 6 percent say less; and 23 percent said no impact. Among those already for Obama, Palin made only 9 percent of them more likely to switch to McCain, 59 percent less likely, and 30 percent said it would make no difference.

But among the critical undecideds, the Palin pick made only 6 percent more likely to vote for McCain; and it made 31 percent less likely to vote for him. 49 percent said it would have no impact, and 15 percent remained unsure. More to the point: among undecideds, 59 percent said Palin was unready to be president. Only 6 percent said she was. If the first criterion for any job is whether you're ready for it, this is a pretty major indictment of the first act of McCain's presidential leadership.

One other striking finding. If McCain thought he could present Palin as a moderate, he was wrong. A whopping 69 percent view her as conservative (37 percent as very conservative), and only 13 percent see her as moderate.

From this first snap-shot (and unsettled) impression, Palin has helped McCain among Republicans, left Democrats unfazed, but moved the undecideds against him quite sharply. I totally understand why.

30 Aug 2008 07:59 pm

Read All About It

Featured stories at The Weekly Standard:

"The Thin Man: Obama's Slender Record," by Bill Kristol.
"Biden's Exaggerations: Inflating Obama's Records Will Not Resolve Doubts," by Karl Rove.
"Would You Hire Barack Obama: The Resume of a Chronic Underachiever" by Dean Barnett.

30 Aug 2008 07:56 pm

"We'd Be Honored To Have You, Guys"

Sarah Palin, giggling on local right-wing talk radio.

30 Aug 2008 07:43 pm

Who's Rich?

Daniel Gross is a brave man:

I await the tidal wave of e-mails and blog posts from self-made, hardworking, accomplished people who earn $250,000 but who don't feel financially secure and who don't consider themselves rich, especially compared to the venture capitalist next door. Having spent my entire adult life in and around Washington, Boston, and New York, I feel you. I'm eager to listen and empathize. Tell me all about how home prices in areas with good public schools are insanely expensive. Tell me about how many other seemingly undeserving people make so much more. Tell me about your proposals to devise an income tax system that accounts for geographically divergent costs of living (the Alternative Yuppie Tax?). Just don't tell me you're not rich.

30 Aug 2008 07:30 pm

Sarah Palin As Lara Croft

A reader writes:

It would be a big mistake to dismiss Palin's pop-cultural appeal. It's clear she was chosen solely to game the system, and the Republicans OWN that play. I'm sure they expect her to be a lure for the female (not feminist) vote, and they already have a lock on the over 60 white males.

In addition, I predict a bonus unintended consequence for McCain among middle class/educated/post-college/pre-adult white males. A demographic label that follows many into their late 30s and currently trends for Obama. Basically the gamers/Gen-Xers/Seth Rogen/Will Farrell crowd. The GOP has already rolled out video of Palin in snugly tailored fatigues, combat boots and tight t-shirt brandishing a weapon at a meet-n-greet with the Alaska National Guard in Kuwait. I'm sure they're scrambling to find more. "Sarah Palin as Lara Croft" will leave these guys drooling like zombies.

Continue reading "Sarah Palin As Lara Croft" »

30 Aug 2008 07:27 pm

The Cynic

A reader writes:

This nomination involves the deepest cynicism of our time, the cynicism of identity politics.

Again, the first George Bush is the leader, with his nomination of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court. Unlike Quayle and Miers, I'm not ready to say that Thomas is lacking in what it takes to do his job -- though at his best I think his record on the court will be undistinguished. But his record never had a thing to do with his appointment, which was a finger in the eye of the identity politics of race. Is it really so important to you that a black man be appointed to the Supreme Court? Any black man? Even one who doesn't agree with your Democratic political philosophy? Well, then, let me introduce you to Clarence Thomas.

Palin's nomination is probably even more cynical than that, given the context of Hillary discontent. While the press frequently seems to imply that Hillary voters are somehow "moderate" (a laughable assumption, but it's one that has real force), in fact they're the furthest left in the party. The very idea is only a response to the right's need to cast Obama as further left than Hillary. Again, I think that's risible. And now McCain has decided to test the thesis. Are Hillary voters so deeply angry at their party that they would vote for a ticket with a woman -- literally, any woman -- on it? Even a Republican, anti-choice ticket?

Continue reading "The Cynic" »

30 Aug 2008 06:18 pm

Who Vetted Her?

It's beginning to sound a little like Arkansas. Check out the details of the Troopergate scandal, and the "soap-opera-style" details of the firing of a police chief, who is now venting to the press. No one looks good in all this, and Palin was caught in a lie she had to concede, and her husband comes off as a bit of a bully, and no one seems to doubt she used her public office to pursue a personal issue. It's pretty trivial stuff, but it's messy. And the legislative inquiry, headed by a Democrat, is scheduled to report on October 31. I'd love to know if McCain knew all this. Or was this as impulsive and as rashly decided as it seems?

30 Aug 2008 05:50 pm

The Reality TV Campaign

Alan Jacobs:

You could make the argument that this is the first election fully to bear the marks of a reality TV world, of Oprah and Survivor and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. And also the Olympics, at least as presented by NBC. We’re perhaps more accustomed than we ever have been to hearing Fascinating and Dramatic Life Stories, stories filled with Conflict and Tension and Obstacles Overcome, preferably in exotic settings — like, you know, Hawaii, or Alaska, or Vietnam, or Scranton. Biden has the bankrupted father, the upbringing in poverty, the stutter, the horrific accident that killed his wife and daughter; McCain has the . . . well, you know all about that; Obama has the — well, you totally know all about that; and now here comes Sarah Palin, just your typical snowmobile-racing, moose-hunting, basketball-playing, beauty-contest-entering-and-almost-winning member of the NRA and Feminists for Life with five kids, one of whom has Down’s syndrome. Other forms of reality TV will never catch up. Looks like the political is the personal — maybe from here on out.

30 Aug 2008 05:42 pm

Feminism And Palin

Some patent piffle from Ross. He's trying to argue that because I haven't swooned over the chance of a female vice-president who didn't get there by marriage, like Clinton, I'm somehow being inconsistent. Please. I do admire someone who's risen the way Palin has, and I've said lots of nice things about her. But let's be honest: Palin is now where she is - not as Alaska governor but as vice-presidential nominee - because an old white guy decided to play some identity politics, and felt he had to shake up his campaign, not because she has fought her way to the top of the national greasy pole. It's great that by a combination of a decrepit and degenerate political establishment in Alaska, and her own personality and tenacity, she has just become governor of Alaska. But McCain's choice of her - as is impossible to miss - is a cynical ploy to exploit Democratic divisions over gender. I mean: how many Republican vice-presidential picks have lauded Hillary Clinton and Geraldine Ferraro in their acceptance speech? It wasn't even subtle. I find this kind of attitude to be about condescension, not feminism, about tokenism, not post-gender meritocracy.

And, please, there is nothing sexist in being amused by the names of someone's kids; I found the Romney gaggle hilarious. She was a beauty queen, for Pete's sake. She has been presented to the nation like a trophy candidate. And some women do indeed find her running for vice-president with a four-month-old disabled child somewhat incongruous. These are the big leagues. These issues are worth airing.

My sense is that this pick is insulting to voters, especially women voters, and terribly condescending to Palin. It's as much about countering sexism as picking Clarence Thomas was about countering racism.

Continue reading "Feminism And Palin" »

30 Aug 2008 05:06 pm

Dissent Of The Day II

A reader writes:

It occurs to me that you are confusing political skills with governing skills. 

There is no question that Obama is a very skilled politician.  In that sense, he is probably better than anyone the Dems have produced (other than Bill Clinton) in the last 20 years.  Or for that matter, anyone the GOP has produced, at least anyone with a national profile.  But that doesn't mean Obama has any governing skills.  What has he done in the Senate to convince you that he has the ability to forge compromise, to break through the partisanship or to take on entrenched interests — including in his own party? 

Continue reading "Dissent Of The Day II" »

30 Aug 2008 04:19 pm

Uncharted Territory

Nate Silver puts it well:

Palin is the most manifestly ordinary person ever to be nominated for a major party ticket. In this year of bittergate and Britney-gate and McCain-has-seven-houses-gate, that could conceivably be a virtue; it's certainly less tone-deaf than a selection like Mitt Romney would have been.

But Palin isn't merely playing at being ordinary, the way that Bill Clinton (Rhodes Scholar) or George W. Bush (son of a president) or Hillary Clinton (wife of a president) might. She really, really comes across that way -- like someone who had won a sweepstakes or an essay contest. Her authenticity factor is off-the-charts good; her biography sings. But do Americans really want their next-door-neighbor running for Vice President, or rather someone who seems like one?

30 Aug 2008 04:15 pm

Unavoidable Gaffes

Fallows makes a prediction about Palin.

30 Aug 2008 03:55 pm

Trekkies' Private Lives

Steve Shofield explores fan culture:

The artist explains:

My practice is concerned with exploring the fascination that the British public has with American popular culture and the sub-cultural world of fandom. In the images, I have shown people in their own homes and environments wearing costumes that they would be dressed in to attend events with other like-minded individuals. It seeks to offer a glimpse into seemingly ordinary lives of my subjects and allows the private to become public.

30 Aug 2008 03:47 pm

Von Hoffmann Award Nominee

"I think McCain's decision to announce the VP pick tomorrow may be too clever by half. I mean, it will certainly draw some attention. But it's not like the press will completely ignore Obama's speech tomorrow or over the weekend. In this sense, announcing tomorrow will prevent McCain from getting maximum coverage of his VP selection," - Publius, August 29, 2008.

30 Aug 2008 03:34 pm

The View From Your Window

Denver, Colorado, 7.47 pm.

30 Aug 2008 03:33 pm

H.W. McCain?

Reihan is having an argument with himself about McCain's foreign policy vision. He wrote this for the Spectator:

Whereas Democratic partisans accuse McCain of being a warmonger, the truth is that he believes that force should be used sparingly. And he believes that when force is used, it must be used effectively and with a clear goal in mind, a belief that was at the centre of his dispute with Donald Rumsfeld. Barack Obama and the Democrats made great hay out of McCain’s assertion that it would be fine for US troops to remain in Iraq for 100 years provided there were no casualties. What they don’t mention is that in 2004 McCain explicitly opposed the creation of permanent US bases in Iraq. Whereas Obama’s foreign policy ideology led him to oppose the surge, McCain’s foreign policy pragmatism will make him a more effective commander-in-chief. That is a message McCain needs to get across.

He adds later:

Sparingly? Hasn’t McCain backed force whenever the option was even remotely plausible? I actually don’t think he has. To be sure, he’s not a devotee of the Powell-Weinberger doctrine. But when you look at Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq, I think you had three compelling cases for the use of force, certainly from the vantage point of when those decisions were made. What was distinctive about McCain is that in each case he believed that we should deploy a decisive force. Will he be similarly inclined to deploy force to settle disputes in Georgia, Burma, the Nigerian delta, etc., etc.? I doubt it.

30 Aug 2008 02:32 pm

Dissent Of The Day

A reader writes:

I'm a Senator McCain supporter because I'm a conservative who can't bring myself to vote for a liberal who will increase the size of government, raise taxes during a down economy, and give the Democrats complete control of Washington. My second tier reason is the huge gap in experience between John McCain and Senator Obama. This makes the Governor Palin pick bittersweet for me. I think she is a potential conservative star of the future, but at the current time she is not ready to be president.

Continue reading "Dissent Of The Day" »

30 Aug 2008 01:49 pm

Women And Palin

Not as gullible as McCain seems to think they are:

These numbers pretty much speak for themselves, but men have a favorable imperssion of Palin by a 35-point margin, whereas women have a favorable impression of her by an 18-point margin. Conversely, by a 23-point margin, women do not think Palin is ready to be President, whereas Palin lost this question among men by a considerably smaller 6-point magrin.

30 Aug 2008 01:46 pm

Yglesias Award Nominee

"The choice also says a lot about McCain.  First, that he is a bit desperate.  McCain likely thought it would be difficult to make a splash with a conventional Republican sidekick. Changing the subject from Thursday's Obama-thon would be difficult with Mit Romney or Kay Bailey Hutchinson (who would have been an awful choice anyway) by his side.  The choice of Palin certainly gives us all something new to talk about. And she is fresh, smart (as far as I can tell from a brief time studying her), enthusiastic and energetic. But it is a bit of a political Hail Mary pass.

Second, that he is one arrogant SOB. McCain is essentially telling the world that he doesn't really need a Vice President.

Continue reading "Yglesias Award Nominee" »

30 Aug 2008 01:22 pm

A Civil Rights Breakthrough

Or how a black man became an elitist:

30 Aug 2008 01:14 pm

Putting Country Last?

Schwenkler makes the counter-argument:

Okay, work with me here. Suppose you’re John McCain. If what you say is to be believed - and why shouldn’t it? - you got into politics because you care about your country, and you think that Barack Obama is a hapless, inexperienced naif whose elevation to the Presidency would put the United States - nay, the entire civilized world and the cause of freedom in it - in grave danger. You think, in other words, that it is only if you are elected that this danger can be averted, the terrorists destroyed or dispersed, and the cause of democracy preserved.

Got that? You’re John McCain, and that’s what you think. Now why in the world, in an election as close as this one, would you select anyone as your Vice Presidential candidate other than the person who gives you the best chance to win?

Continue reading "Putting Country Last?" »

30 Aug 2008 12:54 pm

Quote For The Day

"She’s going to learn national security at the foot of the master for the next four years, and most doctors think that he’ll be around at least that long," - Charlie Black, big McCain buddy.

At McCain's feet? Memo to Sarah: that good old boys' club you said you were never a part of? It just acquired you.

30 Aug 2008 12:36 pm

A President For Wartime

"I've been so focused on state government, I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq. I heard on the news about the new deployments, and while I support our president, Condoleezza Rice and the administration, I want to know that we have an exit plan in place; I want assurances that we are doing all we can to keep our troops safe," - Sarah Palin, December 2006.

(In case it isn't obvious, this is a parody, although Palin has done a photo-shoot for Vogue.)

30 Aug 2008 12:32 pm

The Palin Trajectory

A reader writes:

After reading through this morning's NYT with its detailed report on Palin's background I feel much more troubled about this than yesterday. The most worrisome element is certainly her "troopergate" incident.  One of the big problems with the Bush Administration has been an attitude that the institutions of government, the perks of power, are there to be exploited for partisan purposes, which frequently enough get confused with personal advantage.  McCain has promised to sweep away that sort of Republicanism with the old version that puts the notion of Honor at the core of government service. 

To be fair, Palin's record is not entirely dark--there is something very encouraging about her trajectory, from PTA to city council, to mayor to governor. But it's got a distinctly dark side, too, which suggests emotions bubbling under the surface and a willingness to abuse power against an enemy.  The next two weeks will be decisive, but I think there's more than a small chance that this woman could go the way of Harriet Miers and Tom Eagleton.

Matt Continetti provides what is, I presume, the good faith argument for the pick. McCain is forging a reform Republicanism, and Palin, in the political sewer of Alaska, was good at taking on some of the worst offenders. I'm afraid Pawlenty would have made the argument much more effectively, and has some record of interest in domestic and foreign policy outside the small boundaries of state politics.

Continue reading "The Palin Trajectory" »

30 Aug 2008 12:20 pm

Before Blogging

Part of Vannevar Bush's 1945 article on thinking and science:

When data of any sort are placed in storage, they are filed alphabetically or numerically, and information is found (when it is) by tracing it down from subclass to subclass. It can be in only one place, unless duplicates are used; one has to have rules as to which path will locate it, and the rules are cumbersome. Having found one item, moreover, one has to emerge from the system and re-enter on a new path.

The human mind does not work that way.

Continue reading "Before Blogging" »

30 Aug 2008 12:10 pm

American Conservatism's Assisted Suicide

A reader writes:

I had been reluctant to acknowledge how flawed and dead the conservative movement has become; that's over now. No more excuses, no more clinging to old visions of rational discourse and principled debate. I really have witnessed the death of conservatism and its replacement by a kind of toxic babbitry which would be merely laughable or cringeworthy if it were not also so extraordinarily dangerous.

This election year has been a series of revelations and disillusionments--the crudely ugly tactics of Limbaugh and Hannity (and--worse--their embrace by Buckley's heirs at National Review), the thinly-veiled racism and nativism of the campaign against Obama, the transparently cruel and God-hating ideology of movement Christians; but--even though dismayed by McCain's bizarre campaign--I had retained some illusions as recently as this morning. I believed McCain to be at least a patriot, sincerely concerned with issues of national security.

His nomination of Sarah Palin ended that illusion, too.

Continue reading "American Conservatism's Assisted Suicide" »

30 Aug 2008 09:51 am

Hunting Gay Republicans

Kirchick is upset by the ousting of McCain supporter and Manhunt founder Jonathan Crutchley:

In the minds of too many on the left, gay people (like women and ethnic minorities) have to be liberal and support Democratic candidates. To do otherwise -- that is, to have opinions on issues (even issues utterly unrelated to gay rights) that don't follow the left-wing line -- is to be a traitor to the gay "community."

(Hat tip: Chris Crain)

30 Aug 2008 09:31 am

Ending Torture

A strong paragraph from the Democratic platform:

We will not ship away prisoners in the dead of night to be tortured in far off countries, or detain without trial or charge prisoners who can and should be brought to justice for their crimes, or maintain a network of secret prisons to jail people beyond the reach of the law. We will respect the time-honored principle of habeas corpus, the seven century-old right of individuals to challenge the terms of their own detention that was recently reaffirmed by our Supreme Court. We will close the detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, the location of so many of the worst constitutional abuses in recent years. With these necessary changes, the attention of the world will be directed where it belongs: on what terrorists have done to us, not on how we treat suspects.

30 Aug 2008 09:08 am

Palin As Thomas

Fallows proposes:

The image to have in mind is not Dan Quayle: a person with quite a bit of grounding in national issues who was added to the ticket in an attempt to jazz it up. Always and only the comparison should be with Clarence Thomas -- with this one interesting difference. Thomas was a shrewd choice not simply because his race made it more complicated for Democrats to oppose him but also because, once confirmed, all evidence suggested to conservatives that he'd be the kind of Justice they were looking for. In Palin's case, this seems to be a choice that looks forward to Election Day, and not one day beyond that.

30 Aug 2008 07:04 am

She Should Promise Not To Be President?

Palin enthusiast Noah Millman makes an argument:

I realize, of course, that she’s totally unqualified to be President at this point in time. If McCain were to die in February 2009, I hope Palin would have the good sense to appoint someone who is more ready to be President to be her Vice President, on the understanding that she would then resign and be appointed Vice President by her successor. (Lest anyone say that this is an absurd, unconstitutional or undemocratic scenario, recognize that this is pretty much what would happen in a Parliamentary system where, if the head of government dies, a successor is chosen by the party.)...

Continue reading "She Should Promise Not To Be President?" »

Friday, August 29, 2008

29 Aug 2008 10:59 pm

David Frum Gets It

Not every Republican is in denial about what happened today. A must-read. (Ponnuru too.)

29 Aug 2008 10:43 pm

Three Words

Think about what the Palin pick really says about how McCain views this campaign and how he views his potential responsibilities in national security.

Think about what it says about the sincerity of McCain's own central criticism of Obama these past two months in foreign affairs.

Think about how he picked a woman to be a heartbeat away from a war presidency who hadn't even thought much, by her own admission, about the Iraq war as late as 2007.

Think about how he made this decision barely knowing the woman.

Think about the fact that the most McCain could say about his potential war-time vice-president in foreign affairs and national security when selecting her is that she commanded Alaska's National Guard as governor and has a son in the military.

Think about the men and women serving this country who have every right to trust that their potential commander-in-chief, whatever their party, would have some record of even interest in foreign policy before assuming office.

Think about how the key factor in this decision was not who could defend this country were something dreadful happen to McCain in office but how to tread as much on Obama's convention bounce and use women's equality as a wedge issue among Democrats because it might secure a few points here or there. Oh, and everyone would be surprised. And even Rove would be annoyed.

This is his sense of honor and judgment. This is his sense of responsibility and service.

Here's the real slogan the McCain campaign should now adopt:

Putting. Country. Last.

29 Aug 2008 10:17 pm

Palin's Troopergate

Josh Marshall has details here. I didn't realize that she later admitted she had heard of the sexual harrassment charges against her appointee (who lasted two weeks in office) before she appointed him.

29 Aug 2008 10:17 pm

Face of The Day

Joey Wolfe and his father Scott Wolfe fill and load sandbags for their home that is in the path of Tropical Storm Gustav August, 29, 2008 in Luling, Louisiana. The New Orleans area is bracing for a storm that forecasters are saying will make landfall west of New Orleans. By Stephen Morton/Getty Images.

29 Aug 2008 10:05 pm

Did He Just Blow It?

A reader writes:

It is SO over for McCain.

He just jumped the shark so badly I'm surprised he didn't choose Tom Cruise instead.

Once the Republican talk-radio/chattering classes are finished acting happy, reality will sink in.

Continue reading "Did He Just Blow It?" »

29 Aug 2008 09:58 pm

Palin and The Gays

More detail that takes the shine off her apparent embrace of gay friends:

Continue reading "Palin and The Gays" »

29 Aug 2008 09:32 pm

Buchanan: "Palin Was My Brigader"

Ben Smith considers the impact, if any.

29 Aug 2008 09:27 pm

He Got That Right

"I think this is the biggest political gamble, just about, in all of American history," - Pat Buchanan.

29 Aug 2008 08:19 pm

Misreading American Women?

I've had a few emails on these lines today:

No sooner did my best friend hear about the Sarah Palin pick than I received an e-mail from her. It said simply: "Sarah Palin is a Bad Mother!"

I was at work but could not resist giving her a call to follow up.  She told me that she was watching CNN and heard that Ms. Palin had 5 children and that one was only 4 months old and born with Down Syndrome.  "How in the name of GOD, can she even think about leaving her child or taking her child on the campaign trail for 70 days?"  She was indignant.

Let me tell you why My best friend Liz matters.  She is 37 years old and Catholic.

Continue reading "Misreading American Women?" »

29 Aug 2008 08:05 pm

Palin On Iraq

A reader has found some evidence that she has thought about foreign policy at some point in her 44 years. Drum roll, please:

Alaska Business Monthly: We've lost a lot of Alaska's military members to the war in Iraq. How do you feel about sending more troops into battle, as President Bush is suggesting?

Palin: I've been so focused on state government, I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq. I heard on the news about the new deployments, and while I support our president, Condoleezza Rice and the administration, I want to know that we have an exit plan in place; I want assurances that we are doing all we can to keep our troops safe. Every life lost is such a tragedy. I am very, very proud of the troops we have in Alaska, those fighting overseas for our freedoms, and the families here who are making so many sacrifices.

She heard about the surge, McCain's campaign centerpiece, on the news. Does she still favor an exit plan?

29 Aug 2008 08:04 pm

The Gambler

"In picking an unknown, untested, half-a-term woman governor from Alaska to be his running mate, John McCain is following in a long line of reckless men who have rolled the dice for a beauty queen. Except in this case, McCain is taking one of the biggest, boldest gambles in modern American political history," - Dan Gerstein, a former adviser to Sen. Joe Lieberman.

29 Aug 2008 08:01 pm

Palin vs Polar Bears

Sarah Palin and Hugh Hewitt are both enraged at the decision to list polar bears as an endangered species. I've followed Hewitt's bizarre Colbertian horror at protecting polar bears the way I usually follow him, with morbid amusement and fascination. Here's a classic column from May. Palin's opposition to protecting the species brought her into conflict with the Bush administration's Interior secretary:

Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne last week made the listing decision and said it was based on three findings. "First, sea ice is vital to polar bear survival. Second, the polar bear's sea-ice habitat has dramatically melted in recent decades. Third, computer models suggest sea ice is likely to further recede in the future," he said...    

Polar bear researchers fear recent effects of the loss of sea ice on Alaska polar bear populations. A 2006 study by the U.S. Geological Survey concluded that far fewer polar bear cubs in the Beaufort Sea were surviving and that adult males weighed less and had smaller skulls than those captured and measured two decades previously -- trends similar to observations in Canada's western Hudson Bay before a population drop.

Continue reading "Palin vs Polar Bears" »

29 Aug 2008 07:49 pm

Obama And Conservative Dems

The convention helped.