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Sunday, Oct. 5, 2008 | 2:02 a.m.
After all the post-debate chatter about Sarah Palin’s resurrection (I bet a lot of folks were saying “Jesus” during her performance) and about her potential 2012 presidential candidacy (paging Mitt Romney & Co.), the real story of last week’s encounter was that the true elitists were revealed.
The McCain campaign has affixed that label to Barack Obama for months, and he has helped the cause with his inartful San Francisco comments (now who’s bitter?) and his support from traditional elitist constituencies, especially those Hollywood do-gooders. But on Thursday evening, as Palin gosh-darned and doggoned her way to an alternately vacuous and evasive performance, it became clear that the Republicans’ last, desperate hope this cycle is that the American people are morons.
Let me expound: The thesis of Palin’s act Thursday was that if she smiled, called Joe Biden by his first name and stuck to talking about the only two winning issues left for the GOP (taxes and energy) no matter what the question was, an increasingly skeptical public would buy it.
Victory in St. Louis was measured in one simple metric by the GOP: If Palin doesn’t kill us with her ignorance, we will live on, still on life-support but at least breathing. She could have ended the campaign Thursday; she did not. (One of the reasons for her nondestructive performance was the restrictive format — no wonder the McCain campaign fought so hard for it — that did not allow for real debate and reduced moderator Gwen Ifill to a handcuffed interlocutor.)
The McCain folks counted on middle America, supposedly enthralled with Palin’s explosion on the scene in St. Paul, Minn. (“I’ve only been at this five weeks,” she exclaimed with revealing pride Thursday), to reconnect with the poor, battered victim of the media elites if she would only smile and seem, well, so real. Gosh, it sure made sense at the time.
But with post-debate polls showing that most people, including undecided voters, thought Biden cleaned her clock, the miscalculation is clear. I think voters in Peoria or Wasilla or Ely love seeing a politician who seems like someone who lives down the street. But do they really want their neighbor sitting the proverbial heartbeat away, poised to take over the most important job in the world? I hope not.
Sometimes first impressions don’t last; they change with experience. The more you get to know Sarah Palin, the more the mythology evaporates — as quickly as her support for the Bridge to Nowhere did in this campaign.
Palin proved Thursday she is a cross between an Ira Levin character — no, not “Rosemary’s Baby” or one of the “Boys from Brazil,” although some might make those cases — and a Coen Brothers creation. Sarah Palin is a true Stepford candidate, a cyborg that will say whatever the men in McCain’s campaign want her to say. And she is almost like Margie in “Fargo,” her accent belying not a piercing mind of Holmes-like prowess but a skillful actress of Frances McDormand quality.
It is a measure of the continued dumbing-down of politics that Biden was criticized in some quarters for having too many facts or being too abstruse (Who is Dick Lugar anyhow?) and Palin was lauded for flawlessly disgorging her programming with a smile, plainspeak and even a wink. Governor, we are in on the joke; the wink was unnecessary.
And it is laughable: No principled conservative or McCain supporter would seriously argue that Palin is qualified for the job the GOP nominee picked her to apply for with the electorate.
And that’s the overarching point, whether you are an Obamaite, a McCainiac or undecided. Even if you believe McCain is at heart a true maverick who loves his country, Sarah Palin’s being on that St. Louis stage is about the Arizona senator’s judgment — a man running a “Country First” campaign who so clearly, so incontrovertibly put politics first in choosing a person he hardly knew to be a potential president of the United States. As Palin might ask him, “Doggone it, Senator, what were you thinking?”
Despite all of the anticipation and dissection, the debate did not fundamentally alter the dynamic or the electoral map, which has been moving steadily toward Obama. So that means McCain has little choice in the next two debates and in his campaign but to try to change the subject back to Obama from the economy. He must portray the Illinois senator as a callow man with a murky past — Muslim? Terrorist? Or worse, taxer and spender?
With Palin now a nonissue (presumably) and only the most benighted Americans left to condescend to, it’s all the GOP elitists have.
SARAH SIXPACK AS PRESIDENT
I do not want a Vice President or President that winks and says GOLLY.
During the debate Sarah Palin did not stumble. She memorized her material well.
But". What about dealing with the economy, war or the security of our country?
With NO TALKING POINT FLASH CARDS to help her? What then?
Given McCains age and health history Ms. Palin could in deed become Commander in Chief.
The Thought Of
SARAH PALIN PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
Chills me to the BONE!
McCain + Desperate = NASTY and DIRTY
Brace yourself AMERICA It is going to get UGLY!
No principled American would seriously argue that Obama is qualified to be President.
Do we really want a 3 year part-time US Senator and a 7 year state senator as President?
Jon's description of Sarah sounds just like Barak Obama when Barak started his "National" campaign a short time ago.
After more than 30 debates Barak Obama has got the drill down pat and can give the correct media tested response.
Like that "I will meeting with anyone with out pre-conditions" gaff. Now his standard answer is he will only meet after preparation.
Given 30 or so debates and several months on the trail like Barak Obama, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will learn to suck up and give the National Media politically correct answers.
For now we are left with the fact that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is smart with solid core values and principles.
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has shown she can quickly assimilate facts and reach decisions based on core values and principles.
The reason that Barak Obama has such high negatives is that for a significant portion of the country we still do not get what core values and principles, Barak Obama uses to make decisions.
Obama knows that raising the tax rate on capital gain will reduce capital formation, yet he must do it to penalize the rich and redistribute the wealth.
Barak Obama rejects lobbyists, yet lobbied to put in the first draft of the bailout bill a $20 billion slush fund for ACORN.
Barak Obama rejects lobbyists, yet lobbied to get $100 million for Chicago Hyde Park neighbor Bill Ayers, for the Woods Fund. They both served together on the board of the Woods Fund, a Chicago-based charity that develops community groups.
"Republicans' last, desperate hope this cycle is that the American people are morons."
Our election will speak volumes to the world about our nation.
I don't think people get that -and it is a key statement in your article.
Sarah Palin is an opportunist who will say whatever she is told.
She is in over her head and either doesn't know it(which is part of your truth about morons) or she is willing to do and say whatever it takes to get elected without having a shred of concern for our country.
Either way it smells of Rove's genius in understanding the lowest and basest forms of competing- lie until it becomes seen as the truth.
He really does believe Americans will buy anything-I am starting to believe he is right.
What about the other 3 empty suits???????? Take those 3 and you wouldn't come close to leadership qualities. To Ralston -------engage brain before committing to pen and paper. Plus look up the definition of journalism.
jfnance32, I will take a once state senator and now U.S. Senator before I will a ethically challenged governor with a poulation the size of the strip on slow day.I think this person should know the Bush Doctrine,Supreme Court decisions(just one please)be able to answer one question with a coherent answer about anything by gosh by golly joe six pack and a wink like she is giving someone the come on. I would like her to explain her husbands membership to a group that wanted Alaska to secede from the United States and how that compares Obamas twice meeting someone who was a supposed terrorist while Obama was a child.By the way the last governor you Repulicans gave America was a doozy.America may never recover.
Palin can wink and nod and use all corny references a pageant contestant can muster but many of us can see past it for what it is. She doesn't even understand the basis for the reference she used during the debate saying "Say it isn't so Joe". She's a hot mess and many American morons are dim witted enough to fall for her cornball act. However,the election is already over for McCain and Palin. Just wait for the new ads that will be out from now until election day-they will reek of desperation.
Futur2012, You must have had your head in a hole last week when Republicans were insisting Palin bow out.Palin is not smart and memorizes scripted facts which inhibits her ability to answer one question coherently. Her core values and principles are yet to be determined. Now that a judge has said the ethics investigation will proceed, subpoena's and all we will have a good idea how Sarah Cheney ruled Alaska.
Let's talk about Mccain and his chief economic advisor,Phil Gram and how they deregulated the banking industry that put America where it is. For someone who dislikes earmarks Palin has taken her share and McCain has taken real good care of people earning 1 million ay ear or more, big oil,banking,drug companies and insurance companies. Of course he has no concideration for people who work and pay the taxes so his rich pals get a free skate, he left his crippled wife and married huge money consequently he has no idea how many homes they have and thinks the middle class is anyone who makes under 5 million a year.You need to sit down and take a time out.
Obama had the biggest crook in South Chicago as his core fundraiser for years.
The crook even help Obama buy a house.
Obama has never seen a crook in South Chicago.
jfnance 32: Yes. And you'll realize that on Nov. 4.
Barak Obama South Chicago politics:
Barak Obama rejects lobbyists, yet lobbied to put in the first draft of the bailout bill a $20 billion slush fund for ACORN.
Barak Obama rejects lobbyists, yet lobbied to get $100 million for Chicago Hyde Park neighbor Bill Ayers, for the Woods Fund. They both served together on the board of the Woods Fund, a Chicago-based charity that develops community groups.
Another good column Jon!
I find it stunning that the Republicans would go so far to select such an unqualified candidate for Vice-President of the United States!
Even giving Palin credit for her accomplishments on the PTA, and everything she has done well up to now - Palin is no where near qualified to be VP!
This is not just a question of McCain's questionable health, either physical or psychological, and the next VP ascending to the Presidency due to death in office!
People need to ask themselves one question: Do we really want Palin making major decisions in the crisis situation room, the next time the President is fyling in circles in Air Force One and not available, or able to communicate to the Joint Chiefs of Staff?
NO! NO WAY! I ABSOLUTELY DO NOT!
America is led by the President as the Commander-In-Chief, NOT our military Joint Chiefs of Staff! When the President is not available the full duty of leadership falls (at least temporarily) on the Vice-President, again, NOT the military - and I'm emphasizing this important, fundamental point as a former military professional!
On 911 it was VP Cheney making many of the critical decisions that day - and I do NOT want Palin anywhere in the White House!
The choice is clear, even if you consider it the standard "lesser of two evils" we should vote for Obama/Biden in '08!
We always can invoke the argument that Abraham Lincoln spent eight years in the legislature and two years in the House, so he had little experience. What he had were knowledge and judgment.
Granting that I do have a partisan view of this, I am not saying that Sarah Palin is incapable of amassing knowledge and judgment. But I can say this. When Barack Obama got up to start his presidential campaign, he knew more about the issues than Sarah Palin did when she started her vice-presidential campaign, and her performance in that debate demonstrated, as Ralston correctly says, that she is excellent at memorizing superficial talking points and repeating them. She showed no depth of understanding of the issues she discussed. Whatever I think of John McCain, I do think he could at least answer a follow-up question and could do so from the moment he started running for president, and Joe Biden could do the same in his campaign. Palin could not. She showed an absence of knowledge and judgment--and, for that matter, empathy, when Biden pointed out his family's background and Palin headed off onto being mavericky or whatever other term she took from Tina Fey. And that is scary.
I think the morons are the American media. The American people understood the bailout was highway robbery, the American media thought it was necessary and just took Wall Street and the government for their word.
Thanks 4th estate. Who cares who wins the election now.
With Obama as our next President, may I be the first to welcome you to "The United Socialist States of America". "Back in the USSA." could replace our unsingable National Anthem. Having a Beatles song would still keep the English connection to our National Anthem.
Brilliant article that nailed Palin right on.
Reading the comments fighting on her behalf turns one's stomach on how 'uneducated' these people are inasmuch as no research. They pick up on an opposing party's accusation and then profess to be so knowledgeable on what they are spreading. A clear bet these same people voted for George Bush and destroyed our country with the worst president in American history.
Obama knows the "uneducated". He called them bitter folk who cling to guns and religion to deal with there problems.
Those were Democratic voters who did not vote for him in primary.
JERUSALEM -- The board of a nonprofit organization on which Sen. Barack Obama served as a paid director alongside a confessed domestic terrorist granted funding to a controversial Arab group that mourns the establishment of Israel as a "catastrophe" and supports intense immigration reform, including providing drivers licenses and education to illegal aliens.
The co-founder of the Arab group in question, Columbia University professor Rashid Khalidi, also has held a fundraiser for Obama. Khalidi is a harsh critic of Israel, has made statements supportive of Palestinian terror and reportedly has worked on behalf of the Palestine Liberation Organization while it was involved in anti-Western terrorism and was labeled by the State Department as a terror group.
In 2001, the Woods Fund, a Chicago-based nonprofit that describes itself as a group helping the disadvantaged, provided a $40,000 grant to the Arab American Action Network, or AAAN, for which Khalidi's wife, Mona, serves as president. The Fund provided a second grant to the AAAN for $35,000 in 2002.
Obama was a director of the Woods Fund board from 1999 to Dec. 11, 2002, according to the Fund's website. According to tax filings, Obama received compensation of $6,000 per year for his service in 1999 and 2000.
Obama served on the Wood's Fund board alongside William C. Ayers, a member of the Weathermen terrorist group which sought to overthrow of the U.S. government and took responsibility for bombing the U.S. Capitol in 1971.
Ayers, who still serves on the Woods Fund board, contributed $200 to Obama's senatorial campaign fund and has served on panels with Obama at numerous public speaking engagements. Ayers admitted to involvement in the bombings of U.S. governmental buildings in the 1970s. He is a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
OBAMA LIES ABOUT HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH TERRORISTS
VERY DISTURBING NEWS
AMERICANS ARE SHOCKED
In spite of Sen. Barack Obama's claims to the contrary, the Democratic presidential nominee had a close working relationship with former Weathermen terrorist leader William Ayers when the two served alongside each other on a hundred-million-dollar education foundation, according to the group's own archived records.
The records also show Obama's and Ayers' foundation granted money to radical leftist activist causes.
News reports, archived records, interviews and Ayers' own curriculum vitae document that Ayers was the founder of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, or CAC, which bills itself as a school reform organization. Ayers also served as co-chairman of the Chicago School Reform Collaborative, one of the two operational arms of the CAC, from its formation in 1995 until 2000.
In 1995, Obama was appointed as the CAC's first chairman.
In response to a query by National Review Online writer Stanley Kurtz, the Obama campaign issued a statement claiming Ayers was not involved with Obama's "recruitment" to the CAC board. The statement said Deborah Leff and Patricia Albjerg Graham, who served as presidents of other foundations, recruited Obama.
Last April, Obama dismissed Ayers as just "a guy who lives in my neighborhood," and "not somebody who I exchange ideas with on a regular basis."
But Kurtz reviewed the CAC archives at the Richard J. Daley Library at the University of Illinois at Chicago, which houses CAC board meeting minutes and other documentation from the education foundation. He found that along with Leff and Graham, Ayers was one of a working group of five who assembled the initial board of the CAC, which hired Obama.
How many more threads, tokaloshe? Any chance for a link to the source? Or do you think (as do the rest of the right wing wackos) that if you repeat something enough times it becomes the truth? (Example: See any and all of Jim Nance's posts both here & at the R-J.)
KDR81, the media is PART and PARCEL of the corporate whores/crooks. What did you expect them to say?
It's fun to see the right wingers here scramble around in desperation, m=now that McShame and Mooseburger are tanking in the polls - Really. McShame pulling out of Michigan?? Will Ohio be next, now that they can't steal the vote there?
I love how these jokers are just lobbing anything they can think of, in the hope that they can gain ground, when all they are doing is falling in the polls.
Even Conservative republicans have called for Mooseburger to leave the campaign-even AFTER her "hold her own" (HA) performance in the debate.
Now, more thann ever, I am expecting a last minute "Disaster" to postpone the election, or for the GOP to just go and steal the election in plain view.
Oh, you did hit the proverbial nail with Palin. Let's face it for most of us the McCain campaign is using terrorist and fear tactics every time we see Palin speak. It is Palin. Even the most conservative have to be aware of a bone chilling shudder of fear when they step back and look at Palin and what she represents.
I want to know why when she was mayor of Wasilla she made rape victims/their insurance pay for their rape kits. It was so bad the Alaskan legislature banned that practice.
Well, as of today, we only have 30 days left until the November elections will be finally over - and about a month from now we will be holding our breath watching the numbers roll in!
I am thankful that little ole' Nevada has only 5 electoral votes and it may not matter much which way Nevada goes - just as long as McCain is going back to Arizona and Palin is going back to Alaska!
But, taking in all the news, my gut tells me we are about to bear witness to the meanest, rudest and ugliest political campaign ever in American history - it will establish record breaking lows for all of us!
"Obama had the biggest crook in South Chicago as his core fundraiser for years." -jfnance32
Any guilt by association aurguments are going to hurt McCain much worse than Obama. Try searching Google for Charles Keating or Keating 5.
Your guy is a compulsive gambler, adulterer, liar, fake Baptist, ultra-rich lifetime politician, who willfully put an attractive but unqualified woman on his ticket just to try and win. His lameness is evident to all who are REALLY willing to look.
"OBAMA LIES ABOUT HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH TERRORISTS
VERY DISTURBING NEWS AMERICANS ARE SHOCKED" -tokaloshe
I'm only shocked that this is the best the GOP can do for dirt. Unlike McCain and Charles Keating, there is simply nothing to the Ayers and Obama link. The implication that Obama is a terrorist because Bill Ayers did something terroristic 40 years ago is just stupid.
Check your facts...
"The New York Times article cited by Palin concluded that "the two men do not appear to have been close. Nor has Mr. Obama ever expressed sympathy for the radical views and actions of Mr. Ayers." Other publications, including the Washington Post, Time magazine, the Chicago Sun-Times, The New Yorker and The New Republic, have said that their reporting doesn't support the idea that Obama and Ayers had a close relationship."
My, my, wake up, people! Obama was trained to become a great orator (when he decided he wanted in the political field), but flip-flops on issues when to his advantage. Not only does he have a shady background w/ties to terrorists, he IS going to raise taxes because of all the spending programs he wants as president. And who has almost a billion $ in earmarks, over $1,000,000 per DAY for every day in the Senate? That's your tax dollar, friends, not HIS. And why won't Obama release records at Harvard- something to hide? PatriciaLV & redferret need to look up facts instead of listening to stations like CNN, NBC, etc. who are definitely biased. Facts are black & white; look them up & then throw your comments around........to the truth about OBAMA.
Really, considering the post above "Sparkie" said otherwise, I'll still support Obama. Btw, you STILL haven't told me why Palin made Wasilla resident pay for their rape kits. One commentator asked do we have burglary victims pay for fingerprinting and photographs. The Alaskan legislature was so repulsed by the practice that they banned it.
Also isn't McCain the Third the only sittin member of the Senate who's been censored?
No principled conservative could vote for Obama, ever??? MCCain would not have been my choice for the ticket but over Obama, no contest.
Obama, calm leadership under pressure? What pressure? Takes no guts to avoid taking a position either completely by voting 'present" umpteen times, failing to answer tough questions by saying "that's above my pay grade" or by waiting until everyone else is on board before jumping on the majority side. He claimed leadership against the Iraq war but he was NOT even in the Senate at the time so who knows what his position would have been, maybe present? I have not seen a single example of leadership where Obama has accomplished anything but get elected and request nearly $1 million dollars of pork for EVERY SINGLE day he has been in the US Senate.
McCain has shown leadership that has enraged me at times such as Campaign Finance reform and the Gang of 14 but he has tons of visible, VERIFIABLE accomplishments. Oh and BTW, his total requests for Pork projects for ALL the years he has been in Washington representing Arizona: ZERO!
Who do you think will outspend or outlead the other?
Answer: Obama spends, McCain leads. Which do you prefer? I want a leader!
I also do not understand why we don't know anything about Obama's college years, associations, clubs etc. Why will he not release his college transcripts? We know more about John McCain's running mate Sarah Palin's High School days and her kids than we know about Barrack Obama's college days. Given the people he has associated with since then this is a HUGE question in my mind. Transcripts were made available previously for other PRESIDENTIAL candidates which leads me to fear that he must have something to hide. Couldn't be his grades because he would not have been accepted to Harvard Law, right? Why won't he release them???? Could he have more radical associations from those days? Who were his friends then? I have seen no interviews with Obama's close friends, who are they? We have seen tons of Palin's friends and associates interviewed.
Again, who do we know more about? We know more about Palin #2 on the ticket than we do Obama on the top of the Dem ticket. Principle: Who do I trust? McCain over Obama. Easy. End of Rant.
I think all the posters here are more qualified to be VP than Palin. She reminds me of a wind-up doll that starts talking when you pull the string.
What a joke on the American people.
"Principled conservative" is the ultimate oxymoron.
Thanks, Jon, for writing such a funny column.
At noon Eastern on Monday, October 6th, Obama's camp will releasing a 13-minute documentary about the scandal called "Keating Economics: John McCain and the Making of a Financial Crisis" -- it will be available at KeatingEconomics.com, along with background information that every voter should know.
Don't forget to check your Cable/Satellite channel line-up for the "Obama" Channel
Obama/Biden 08
I also liked how sparkie says CNN, NBC, etc are biased. And where pray tell do you think I should get my news, from Faux news?
Keep on acting scared conservatives. In less than a month it'll all be over, and you can settle into 4 years of Obama/Biden.
Hey the dems survived 8 years of Bush/Cheney, so I think you can take at least 1 term of Obama/Biden.
Is there no relevant nexus between Reverend Wright spiritual guidance and Obama's character (or lack thereof)? Although I stumbled upon this article, I believe it reflects why the Leftwing print and broadcast media are dying.
Obama went to a church that is anti-Israel and had Hamas anti-Jewish literature in its lobby.
Obama spiritual mentor for 20 years says "God Dam America" and thinks the USA government gave AIDS and drugs to blacks.
Obama admires anti-jewish hating leaders.
Obama is friends with a terrorist that wish he bombed more US police stations.
Obama has many friends that crooks, like ex-CEO's of Fannie Mae and who worked for campaign or gave advice to his campaign.
Obama's core fundraiser was the biggest crook in South Chicago and who is now in jail. That crook helped Obama buy him a house.
One party made political history by nominating a non qualified African American presidential candidate, Barack Hussein Obama - with zero accomplishments, votes present 40 % of the time, has NO executive experience and has voted 100% of the time along party lines. Bought a house from a convicted money launderer, has a racist preacher as his spiritual adviser, associates with an unrepentant 60's radical who admits to bombings of government buildings. His wife, until recently was not proud of America. This so called agent of change picked his VP, a man who has been in the US Senate since Nixon was President.
Democrats failure to pass S190 back in 2005 caused this mess. Now we have a Junior Senator B.H.O. saying that he will forgive all these people who can not afford or will not pay their debts at the direct expense of hard working Americans. Obama, wants America to become a socialized form of government, where people, corporations who get themselves into trouble do not have to take any responsibility for their actions, but rather have the hard working American people bail out these useless corporations and individuals that got themselves into their own mess.
Obama new War. Is the American public ready to endorse the position offered by Obama which calls for the increasing of USA troops in Afghanistan? He said " we do not have the resources to finish the war in Iraq ". Do we have the infinite resources to jump into a new prolonged war of 15, 30 or 50 years in Afghanistan?
Ask the Junior Senator and his fellow Democrats, what is their time frame and exit strategy for getting American troops out of Afghanistan?
Wow, lots of spin there.
First Ayers was around in the 60s... when Obama was a kid.
Next, Obama didn't vote 100% down party lines; more like 90s%. However, that is no different from McSame whoe voted with Bush 90% of the time.
So the Democrats failed to pass a measure in 2005...hmmmmm....hmmmm...weren't the republicans in charge of both houses then. Wouldn't that technically be their fault? Yeah I think so.
Oh the part about the bailout. Nice one here. The President (R) proposed it and was heavily pushing for it. So to call that socialist is to say that the highest republican in the land is socialist.
As for the Afghanistan war. Well we would've had enough supplies to successfully pacify and win Afghanistan if it weren't relligated to the back burner thanks to the Iraq War. The Iraq War was of dubious value to the war on terror, and has worsened our security situation overall. If we hadn't opened that second, fraudulent front on the war on terror, we would still be concentrating on Afghanistan and probably wrapping it up. As it stands we took our eye off the ball. Which country harbored bin Laden?
As for Biden's age, what about McSame's. He was born in the 30s, I believe 36. And he's the one trying to offer change?
Wow that post had more spin than a washing machine.
ferret: You, Harry Reid, and NOBama must have studied military history at the same pre-school. The war in Iraq has been won; however, as the British Army learned more than a century ago, Afghanistan can never be completely pacified. The situations, peoples, and scenarios are totally different. Why has the so-called mainstream media given NOBama a "pass" on the true story of his life, including where he really was born? NOBAMA "religiously" attended anti-American and anti-Semetic sermons for 20 years and only distanced himself from his beloved pastor for reasons of political expediency. If McCain had once, even inadvertently, attended a segregationist church, he would have been villified. NOBAMA is as fraudulent as the media which created him.
I see you lack basic reading comprehension. Did I say Iraq was lost, no. I said it was a waste of time, big difference.
ferret: which junior high do you attend?
Two actually, College Heights Christian School and Temple Christian School. 4.0 at each. Which middle school did you go to? Did you graduate high school? Did you graduate college? By the way could you fax me a copy of your curriculumn vitae while you are at it?
When McCain chose Palin he wanted to get the disgruntled Hillary supporters. That shows what he thinks about women. He met Palin only once. One would wonder why would she accept such an offer knowing she was not qualified or was that a way of her getting her name out there. During the VP debate it did seem as though she was tossing in her name for the 2012 President. When he chose Palin it only affirms what he thinks of women. Women are smarter than that. It's time for McCain to recognize.
ferret: Yes, I graduated FROM middle school, FROM high school, FROM college, and FROM law school. My curriculuM vitae is irrelevant as I am self-employed.
That's nice, so quit asking others about theirs. I'm basically same as you but a masters in progress in history.
Acting like you're smarter than another person makes you sound like an elitist, especially when your charges are groundless.
I got quite a chuckle reading this as Jon Ralston is the quintessential elitist who perpetually talks down to what few readers he has.
I also spent 20 plus years in the Marine Corps, which probably means that my cognitive levels are lower than average. Nevertheless, I've seen it all and this guy Obama is the classic empty suit. Learn you history well and you'll come to know that no foreign power (including Alexander the Great) has ever or will ever completely subjugate the Afghans.
That's nice, then why did we go in there? They were the ones who shielded Osama bin Laden. I think we have a job to do there to rid the Taliban and stabilize the region so they don't come back. I do remember several world powers have attempted with varying degrees of failure to hold onto Afghanistan. We got rid of the Taliban, still need to find Osama bin Laden, create a viable government there, and hopefully switch the farmers from growing heroin poppies to something else. Hell pot would be better than that.
In any case we put that war on a back burner and are now paying for it. We should have focused efforts there, not tried to do wars on the cheap, and go for victory. We shouldn't just do the minimum for cost efficiency reasons.
Also I think we need to pursue a more diversified strategy. Use the military, but not rely on them to fix things entirely. While a hammer can be useful in fixing items, it is not the only tool to use.
Jon,
Agreed! George Will, Kathleen Parker and a slew of other conservative columnists have stated the case that Palin shouldn't be on the ticket. This isn't a partisan issue, this is a reasonable person's perspective about Sarah Palin and her experience. I think what is even scarier than her is that McCain, which I had a lot of respect for before the selection of Palin, completely abandoned himself in selecting her for political reasons and it shows that his judgment and temperament (as George Will said) is suspect and not fitting a President.
"It is arguable that, because of his inexperience, Obama is not ready for the presidency. It is arguable that McCain, because of his boiling moralism and bottomless reservoir of certitudes, is not suited to the presidency. Unreadiness can be corrected, although perhaps at great cost, by experience. Can a dismaying temperament be fixed?" George Will - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...
I'm wondering why Future2012 thinks anyone here should listen to a word he says--he can't even spell Barack Obama's name correctly, so why should we think he's bothered to fact-check any of the other nonsense he's spewing?
This country would not exist if it weren't for people who were infinitely more radical than Bill Ayers.
Yet, no one seems to have a problem exercising the right to free speech for which these radicals fought.
Ironic, no? Radicals gave us free speech, now we turn it on them.
So you're preaching to conservatives, Jon?? As other posters have noted, you give a pass to Obama, who has less experience than the good Gov. Palin. Maybe if you were somewhat objective you'd have a point, but everyone knows and with every column you show you are just like all the rest of the media. Flaming lefty libs!
"...The war in Iraq has been won...." as Mikegeno posted above. If that is true, the the war is won, why are we still there?
Holy moly dave202, Obama has less experience than the good Gov Palin??? Why, because he can't see Russia from Chicago?
For the same reasons we are still in Japan and Germany silly boy.
For the same reasons we are still in Japan and Germany silly boy.
The economy is in trouble, even Las Vegas which was thought to be immune is having problems. The loss of jobs, hard to get credit, loss of manufacturing jobs, a 6 year war with no end in sight, a huge federal deficit... all are problems that have been ignored for too long.
The pep talks and we can not raise tax's spend what we like, was snake oil that if called that you were branded as un american or worse someone who wants to raise your tax's.
Calling people names or spreading gossip about people to win an election or score points is not the kind of behavior to be proud of.
I live in Alaska where the McCain Campaign intervened into our state investigation AND told the Alaskan people that Obama is the one playing partisan politics with Alaska. All questions for Palin are refered to the McCain Campaign Headquarters where we get press releases from the "Palin Truth Squad" which conisists of a New York lawyer hired by McCain and a McCain spokesperson.
Do you like coverups?? Do you like strong arm politics and lies?? Do you like BS, control and manipulation?? Do you like the federal level taking over your state government?? THAT is McCain/Palin.
It is offensive to truth, justice, state rights and all things the Republicans are supposed to stand for.
What true conservative would vote for McCain??
Not this one.
"What true conservative would vote for McCain??
Not this one."
LOL...I seem you other postings.
It is very obvious you are a very strong Obama supporter.
I seriously doubt that you are a conservative.
LOL, AKPatriot, on your last posting! Have you not heard about ACORN, and if not, you should read up!! Talk about justice? Obama taught these people the radical ways to make banks & other institutions make loans to poor people, thus partly to blame for this financial crisis we are in. Political cover-up? Yeah, Obama giving $800,000 to this group that goes out in force, taking even the homeless to register & vote (if they vote for Obama). Lies? Obama puts out an ad on the Keating 5, knowing full well that McCain was CLEARED of any & all charges. Taking over the government? What do you think Obama is doing in the healthcare plan he intends to pass? Socialism!! Governor Palin has experience, and IS honest, but people don't want the truth; they would prefer listening to media who support Obama/Biden. Too, look at the Democratic record when it comes to WHO stopped looking at Fannie & Freddie when there was trouble sighted down the road. It's too easy for some people to spread "junk gossip" instead of looking at the facts. You may be working on a masters degree, redferret, but that doesn't mean a thing if one doesn't have common sense to go with it. Sounds to me like you haven't really studied history as hard as you should, especially when it comes to Obama......
Sounds to me like you don't really know what you are talking about. John McCain was not completely cleared. The Senate found him to have exercised very poor judgement, and as a result, he was censured. In fact he's the only sitting member of the Senate to be censured. Nice. So that's not an Obama lie. McCain was caught and lightly punished, but punished all the same.
As for Obama's health care, you have misread it completely. The only part he would mandate so far is for uninsured children. I think we can all agree that children should have access to healthcare even if their parents don't. As for the charge of socialism, I find that quite glib. Considering the bailout package that was pushed through congress at the President's insistence, I think the republicans are leaning a lot more socialist than the democrats.
Lastly sparkie, you have still not stood up to me and told me why Palin made rape victims in Wasilla pay for the police to do rape kits on them. Why is that? Do forensics charge families of murder victims for taking pictures or blood spatter analysis?
Also, why should we force rape/incest victims to have to carry those babies to term? Seems like a pretty radical argument that would only foster a black market for back alley abortions. While were on this subject, why is it that republicans want to outlaw abortion, and yet they do nothing to stop unwanted pregnancies except by putting their heads in the sand (abstinence only education)?
Also if you are blaming only the consumer for the sub-prime mess, then you have issues. It takes two to tango. The banks knew how shaky these loans were. They knew that people with a limited income couldn't make payments on an ARM after it readjusts. These banks just got greedy. While democrats might be responsible for this mess, republicans are equally to blame as the dems.
And any time you wish to debate history, and not just partisan history of Obama, I'm down.
I've always contended that politicians should use their campaign funds to extoll their own virtues and value to the American voters......obviously candidates don't have enough 'good' to say about themselves so they spend their money dogging their opponent. What a sad situation that is. And it's not just these 2 goons - it's every politician who's ever ran for office........ sad sad sad