I so do hope it’s not McCain Palin the coming 4 years……

Her evangelical beliefs worry me some, but she appears not to have injected those into her work as governor of Alaska, and I doubt she’d have the ability to do that as VP or President if it came to that.

I must confess that I do like the fact that she is precisely what she appears – a nobody from nowhere, but a capable and intelligent one, like most people of above-average intelligence who work for a living. She has a few things in common with the ‘elite’ of Washington, such as the drive to win and the belief in herself that she is worthy of winning, which many of ‘us’ don’t have in us. But otherwise, she is what she appears to be – a normal person. Those who have cast her as “Mrs. Palin goes to Washington” have a good sense of it, I think, although she was chosen by McCain, she did not rise up in indignation at the ‘way things are’ and grab at the brass ring herself (at least, not yet, who knows what she would have done after a few terms as governor of Alaska on her own).

Of course she has no foreign policy experience, and I frankly would not expect her to have any. Her job has not required it, and frankly, flying around and meeting foreign leaders would be a catch-as-catch-can sort of thing, leading trade missions and the like, as governors do from time to time. Not on policy, but on trade missions. Sorry she hasn’t done even that much, but given time, I’m sure she would have.

I like the fact that she is, even now, surrounded by handlers and message-shapers, still her own person. Her personality comes through loud and clear, and her intelligence. Obviously she has to suppress her own beliefs to the extent that they conflict with McCain’s – she is running for the number 2 position, after all, like Biden.

In short, I like her. The more she freaks people out and makes them react with obscenities and declarations of her stupidity and our impending doom, the more I find to like (well, I put that down to the humor I find in people acting like the sky is falling and general mass hysteria).

If McCain wins, I hope he uses her in a significant way, such as making her a ‘super ambassador’ to the world at large, giving her those foreign policy chops she’ll need when she runs for President in 2012 or 2016. I look forward to that.

I watched the video with my teeth clenched, fearing the worst. She really did fine, I don’t see the problem. I understood her clearly.

I need to stop posting comments at 5:57 AM…

But most importantly, she draws attention away from Obama, which is the one thing McCain cant do. It doesnt matter if she polls with high favorables or whatever, the important thing is that people talk about her, thats what the polls dont show. Your reference to the govenator is absolutely right, plenty of people will vote for someone with almost no real experience because the are so fed up with the political process, or just dont give a shit or whatever reason, they see inexperience as a feature, not a bug.

“The Vice President is one heartbeat away from the presidency.”

One heartbeat. Sarah Palin is one John McCain heartbeat from being the president of this country.

This keeps me awake at night.

well, what can i tell ya, i find your arguments WAY less than convincing.

I think everyone should think for themselves and make up their own minds. I’m just sharing information, not trying to convince anyone.

hopefully , your mortgage and your employment is good and solid.

Mortgage, yes. I didn’t overbuy, and I used my VA benefits to get a 30-year fixed at a low interest rate some years ago. Employment? Who knows.

if your boy mccain is elected, the next four years will make the last four years look like ‘the salad days.’ as much as it pains me to vote democratic, i fear that this time i must do it or our country will lose everything i love about it.

I don’t agree, but that’s ok. I could be wrong, you could be wrong, both of us could be wrong.

one more thing, were you aware that mcain and his friend phil gramm wrote the bill that repealed the federal oversite that was put into place to prevent this from happening again?

Please stop treating me like I’m a gentle but misguided idiot. I said I do my own research, and I do.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodity_Futures_Modernization_Act_of_2000

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gramm-Leach-Bliley_Act

Gramm wrote the bill, but not in cooperation with John McCain. McCain voted for it. Biden voted against it. Obama wasn’t a US Senator at the time. President Clinton signed it into law.

Like I said, I do my own research. The facts are out there, mostly.

it took over 15 years and a world war to get us out of the last depression, i wonder what it’s gonna take this time.

I don’t know if there will be a depression or not. I do know that if there is, things will be bad, but for some, there will be opportunity. And things will get better. They always do.

that is all.

Why is Stupid good, if you are Republican candidate? And it took you 6 years and 5 colleges to (finally) get your undergraduate degree.

Why is Unqualified good, if you are Republican candidate? And you only have 18 months as governor of a state that has the population of Topeka.

Why is Inexperienced good, if you are Republican candidate? And your principle experience is governing a town of 6,000?

Why is Having a Pregnant, Confused, Irresponsible Child with a Loutish, Co-Confused Boyfriend good, if you are a Republican candidate? Taibbi was dead-on imagining the racist feeding-frenzy that should blossom if Obama’s child was pregnant.

Why is Intolerance, Partisanism, and Rigidity good, if you are a Republican candidate? And book-banning are ideas that seem reasonable?

Obama is goes to Harvard, but I forgot, thats “bad”– makes him elitist.

Obama spends many years as community organizer, but I forgot, that’s bad, service to one’s country is only good if it’s spent in a POW camp or as despotic mayor of a town smaller than a city block.

Obama has an educated, intelligent wife, 2 well-adjusted non-childbearing daughters. I guess thats bad too.

Obama actually THINKS, actually ANALYZES, actually SYNTHESIZES policy based on data he acquires on the issues he faces. It’s amazing that his competence actually endangers his candidacy.

I know one thing: Taibbi will be absolved of all prior sins and go to heaven for the article he has written.

Instead, she has let the media bully her around. She should have been able to deflect it by steering the conversation towards some real aspect of her foreign policy experience, but it’s painfully obvious that she doesn’t have any.

As these clips trickle out you see the logic of that decision.

That photo is fucking brilliant, I’ve just sent it to about 40 people. Thanks for the laugh.

Check this vid out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkcFZzNNcKI

Honestly, I wish the Republicans fielded someone with half of a braincell between their ears. I am cynical enough to almost be indifferent as to who wins. With a democratic congress that basically has a big old veto, McCain doesn’t scare me too badly… but damn… why can’t the Republicans pick someone with a little gray matter? There are smart Republicans out there. I don’t agree with them a lot of the time, but I trust them to be intelligent enough to do the right thing in most crisis. I trust them not to screw up too badly. Palin though… my god. It is like they decided that GW worked out okay, and so they found a female version twice as good looking and half as smart.

Hell, I would take Cheney over Palin. At least Cheney, for all of his faults was a very smart man who was an excellent speaker when he wasn’t hiding under a mountain with his fingers steeped in an evil posture. Palin though… I am pretty sure I could make a better VP. At least I know enough to know that I shouldn’t be running for office. Oh yeah, and I once visited Europe and I kind of live near Canada. If the Earth wasn’t curved, I could see England and France.

It is hard to speak
when you hadn’t had sleep

Give Palin a break
No need to go ape

She elaborated more then a little
Hey Alaska is in the middle!

Few state have to negotiate
like the state that got its star real late!

“I’m Canadian, so fair warning: If she ends up as VP, we WILL be mocking you people. Alot.”

Yeah, like we’re not already doing it…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhTZ_tgMUdo

Neither are the ‘Stralians…:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJuNgBkloFE&feature=related
“How many sides to a Triangle?
- Four?”

But, being Canadian, we did apologize, eh:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uApZuZ6RPy4&feature=related