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Sarah's "Witness Protection" Program Expands
John McCain exhibited his executive judgment in picking Sarah Palin and telling America she is qualified to be VP and step in as President if need be and far more experienced than Obama or Biden due to her "executive experience". How did he do?
Well, for a woman who introduced herself to us so feistily all as a "pitbull with lipstick" the cone of silence is like a federal witness protection program and special rules she needs to be the first Republican female VP are getting silly, but are nonetheless quite disturbing.
First we got the "Human Kid Shield" after she throws her daughter under the bus for her pregnancy at the convention and then procedes to trot the kids, including her Downs Syndrome baby around St.Paul. If she and McCain had simply been honest about this in the first place no one would have cared.
Second she couldn't give interviews or answer either media or voter questions except now we have:
- We got Charlie Gibson's interview where she can see Russia and embarassed herself or spouted catchwords and catchphrases.
- Then Hannity's absurd palavering and drooling all over her and more lies coming out and the same 6 or 8 words repeated dozens of times with no information coming out just platitudes and lies like the Bridge etc
Third she goes home to get her life ready to go on the road and send her son off to Iraq and she is all by herself on home turf and what happens?
- In her speech sending him off she invokes the old Cheney
belief that we are fighting the people in Iraq who attacked the US on
9/11 and that the war is "God's will" for the US. The Pentagon had warned her in advance to not politicize the event.
Fourth McCain discovers from 2 & 3 that she can't really be out on her own AND without her no one come to see him alone and what happens?
- Finally on the stump with McCain as training wheels she answered, or tried to, a couple of voter questions in controlled situations with McCain and we got "Stump the candidate" avoidance line and an answer on energy and "fungible" resources (from the foremost expert in the US on energy) that was unintelligible.
Fifth after not fully vetting Palin and making a rash last minute call on her McCain's team quickly realized that they had a number of serious issues to deal with, the biggest of which is Troopergate. What do they do?
- Parachute in a legal SWAT team headed by a "Rambo" - the former counter terror chief from the US Attorney's office in NY. The team now runs all aspects of this probe that was created in July by the Republican AK legislature.
- All the witensses who were called have refused to testify including her husband and McCain's team have essentially usurped Palin's responsibilities as Governor to try and hide the apparently damning facts about Palin's abuse of power and her husband's shadow role in the state until after the election.
- All inquiries related to Palin on AK issues run thru the McCain SWAT team. The McCain campaign is essentially running a large part of the business of AK. Is this America??
Sixth we now see that the McCain campaign is concerned that Palin is not ready to debate and negotiates a set of rules to protect her. Hmmm, I wonder how world leaders would feel meeting her with "rules" in their talks with her? is this reverse sex discrimination that Caribou Barbie isn't ready to go toe to toe in public with her Democratic counterpart.
- "McCain advisers said they had been concerned that a loose format could leave Ms. Palin, a relatively inexperienced debater, at a disadvantage and largely on the defensive."
- In fact in her 2006 gubernatorial debates she tried to have a stand in appear for her
Everyone is trying to be polite to this national newcomer but enough of this bullsh*t!
Special rules for a "woman"?? The big bad world she wants to "reform" doesn't work that way.
The problem is that McCain has no clue as to women, women's issues or respect for them. He just hastily chose this poorly vetted and clueless, incompetent small town mayor and poorly educated Governor to try and win an election.
Now in order to try and shatter the glass ceiling he has to put her first on training wheels, then in a bubble and then add special rules to protect her to try and limp to the election.
This entire selection and nonsense is an insult to every person in
America, Alaska and particularly to qualified women like Hillary whose
supporters McCain was trying to peel off. Even Peggy Noonan called it - "It's Over".
Let's call this what it is - lipstick on pitbullsh*t!
Comments (35)
Highly rec'd!!!
September 21, 2008 2:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
This should be up on the rec list - if only the software were working correctly!
September 21, 2008 4:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yay! You made it!
September 21, 2008 5:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
John Nail, you nailed it. ;D
But seriously, you did. What more is there to say? Palin is an embarrassment. The fact that McCain is allowed to get away with this shit is ludicrous and insulting to every American. Frankly, I'm sick of it, and I think Obama should have called bullshit on the VP debate. McCain and Palin say she's ready to be VP, which essentially means she's ready to ascend to the Presidency if need be. Yet she's not ready for one frakking debate? It outrages me, to be honest. Completely and utterly unacceptable.
September 21, 2008 5:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
The only up side is that the two of them seem to have scared George Will!
September 21, 2008 5:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Guys - I think the debate concession is a trap. She is going to sound stupid either way, Gwen Ifill will do a good job and it limits the ability for her to get pummeled and then have people cry foul on Joe.
There is so much negative on her that the dripping is doing most of the work.
I think Barack wanted more time to "debate" McCain because it will let him pin his ears back and also make him look old less expert than he is thought to be.
Hammer him on poor judgemnt on IRaq and his day after 9/11 support for it and then loop back on the economy as more bad judgment, old time insider, old boys network....etc
Barack will take him apart in a lawyerly fashion hammering all the points we have been hearing this week as the attacks got more direct and sharp.
September 21, 2008 5:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
You're right, to an extent. But the fact remains that McCain, once again, gets away with bending the rules. And I don't think we can just swipe the issue away by saying, "Palin will fail horribly either way" -- that's not the point, and the fact that she's given more room to do BETTER than she would have makes it easier for her to come out of the debate in a better position.
The debate hasn't happened yet, so we don't know how she'll do. But she's going in there with a personal advantage. Most people won't even realize the rules have been altered, and so if she comes off really good BECAUSE of the format, no one will cry foul, because the issue hasn't been raised before hand. You have to make people aware of the conditions before it takes place, ESPECIALLY in this case, since the rules have been changed for a specific reason. People should be well aware of the change, and that it came from McCain.
Though perhaps I was hasty in saying Obama should make people aware. You're right that he needs to focus his energy elsewhere. But if we had journalists who did their jobs, I probably never would have expected such a thing from the Obama campaign.
September 21, 2008 5:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
On the other hand the MSM is picking this up and will talk it to death and tie it into other things furthering the meme she is not ready and McCain's judgment is poor.
Watch the ABC clip from today. They ravaged McCain
http://www.politicalbase.com/profile/jnail/blog/&blogId=4122blog/&blogId=4122
George Will, Stephanopoulos, Cokie just beat on McCain
You know Barack did it for some reason. Rahm Emanuel was his rep to the debates and he is far from a pushover....
I can't wait to hear Olberman and Maddow et al on this one...
September 21, 2008 5:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
How about Saturday Night Live?
September 21, 2008 6:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Link for skit:
http://www.politicalbase.com/profile/jnail/blog/&blogId=4116
September 21, 2008 10:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
The McCain campaign is just being sexist.
September 21, 2008 6:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
I saw that, and I enjoyed it a lot. I hope the narrative continues. Perhaps I'm overreacting to this (which is uncharacteristic of me), but it's frustrating as hell. Thanks for the rationality injection.
September 21, 2008 6:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Tina Fey will be on SNL starting next weekend thru the election and Bill Clinton is supposed to be on soon as well.
Chrono did you get reloed??
September 21, 2008 10:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, I'm in Washington now. Seattle. I need to figure things out. Gonna be staying with my mom for a while until things settle down. But the trip was pretty nice, especially Montana. It's so rural, but so beautiful.
September 22, 2008 1:28 AM | Reply | Permalink
Welcome! BTW there is a rally planned for this Wednesday, the 24th, 4 - 7pm, at Westlake Center downtown to protest the McCain/Palin lies. Here is some info:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gs5x7q
and
http://www.aphrodaia.com/2008/09/honesty-is-best-policy-rally.html
September 22, 2008 2:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
Oh wow! I wonder if I can make it! That's awesome. I'd love more info on the Seattle scene. You can find my email through Cineviews, my film blog. http://cineviews.wordpress.com -- I'm new to the area, so I'd love to get more involved in local politics and the goings-on here.
September 22, 2008 3:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
What do you do? I know some folks out there in the insurance and technology spaces..
September 22, 2008 10:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm a student... I'm taking the semester off because I need more money.
September 22, 2008 1:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
I just watched 60 minutes with both McCain and Obama. McCain was asked about Palin being (or rather NOT being) made available to the press and all McCain could say was that she will be more and more. He couldn't say anything else and he sounded weak.
September 21, 2008 9:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree. It's utterly ridiculous that we're about 40 days out and Palin is largely unknown - she's given one interview and one infomercial(ht to the Jed Report), and is only rolled out in uber-controlled settings (which she still performs badly in)
I think the reason why she canceled all of those appearances and fundraisers on the West coast is because she needs all the time she has to cram for the debate. They're hoping she can do well enough in the debate that they can then lock her away for the remaining month while they keep creating their false image of her.
They've gamed the debate in her favor as it is, and nobody can be that bad in a debate, meaning she'll very likely hold her own, and given the expectations are so low for her, she'll win the night and gain in the polls if she doesn't completely embarrass herself.
It is utterly ridiculous how protected she is - one interview almost three weeks since she has been named. For a person so unknown as she was, named so late in the process you'd think she'd be doing interviews nightly to get people comfortable with her. It's all smoke and mirrors with the McCain campaign. She's not a candidate but an image they are trying to sell.
A woman that is one heartbeat away from the Presidency and nobody is allowed to really question her, to take her measure? And the MSM is partially to blame because they give her so much fluff coverage that it tricks folks into believing that they know about her "Heck he's on the news all the time, everything must be known about her by now and there is nothing I've heard to disqualify her".
September 21, 2008 5:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
And as much as they have kept her sequestered, it does not seem to be working. Her negatives are now much higher than her positives. Only the base is somehow able to stomach her - and their stomachs are obviously dysfunction at this point!
September 21, 2008 5:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
The only thing we need to hear about Palin is she has gone home to spend more time with her family. This is serious, if Mc Cain pulls this off & there is a chance, a real chance it could be President Palin. What is wrong with this country?
More thinking republicans should be speaking out like Chuck Hagel did. Do you think ANYONE could possibly think she is qualified. There has been One interview, she has not answered one reporter question & we have been exposed to her for less than a month!
Does anyone doubt this is the most important job in the world, I truly cannot believe it is not being discussed everywhere.
September 21, 2008 7:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think the answer to your question is .... President Bu$h. If he could get elected twice, there's nothing stopping a brazen, golddigging, wannabe from clawing her way to the top of the trashpile. And the repugs are responsible for making her dream come true at the expense of the nation and the rest of us.
September 22, 2008 11:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
One family, having had 2 Obama signs stolen is out to catch a thief:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/obama-sign-cctv-1
Streaming video of their Obama sign!
September 21, 2008 7:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
TheraP - saw that on Mudflats Blog. Anyone on this a highly rec'd to see what they are saying in AK
http://mudflats.wordpress.com/
September 21, 2008 10:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, I've seen you there with your "new name" via the Palin generator. But I recognize the avatar. I love it!
September 22, 2008 9:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
How many job interviews did you have to go through to get your job? I'm thinking at LEAST three.
September 21, 2008 7:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
With a full background check these days in lots of companies, web vetting on Facebook et al and a drug test..
September 21, 2008 10:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
From:
Head of State
http://headofstate.blogspot.com/2008/09/sarah-palin-meets-with-afghani.html
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Sarah Palin Meets with Afghan President Karzai (Transcript)
TRANSCRIPT:
Palin: Oh, Mr. President, it is such a pleasure to meet you, you're the first head of state that I have had the opportunity to meet--which is more than many Vice Presidents--and I'm so glad that my first one is an Afghani.
You know, in Trig's class there was a little Afghani? He was the child of one of the oil executives, and he was so cute, with his little turban runnin' around, everyone just loved him, and felt for him...
Karzai: Yes.
Palin: And everyone knew that we just had to defend him and keep him free and that's why I think that with a Palin/McCain...
Palin Aide: (looking up from clipboard) McCain/Palin.
Palin: ...McCain/Palin ticket, we can make sure of that, if we have to attack Russia, even, I mean, to keep people free at home, just like we want to keep our people free. We have so much in common! I know you have the problem with the poppies, and I understand so well, Mr. Karzai, because we have the same problem with the crystal meth in Wasilla? And I said "Look, we've got to shake this up!" and then that's just what I said, I said 'Look, let's just see what we have in common with these guys!" And that's just what you could do with the Taliban, Mr. Karzai. They've already so moral, and they want people to live by the straight and narrow, and they've got the newspapers sayin' and the schools doin' lots of the right things. They just need to get some of the right ideas, and pray to the right Lord. And, if they don't understand, we still have the weapons left over from Iraq, and then we can't blink, we can't blink, can we, Mr. Karzai?
Karzai: (Looks at Palin silently without moving his head. Pauses.). Blink?
Palin: Right. The thing is, we just have to hit the ground runnin', Mr. Karzai. That's what I do. A few weeks ago I didn't even know what a Vice President doesclock so you know just how much time you have left until you finish it. I tell you, Mr. Karzai, it's such a motivating influence on my staff, the good ones, anyway, they know what they're supposed to finish and when, they hear me sayin' "Look at the clock, people, look at the clock, and know what you have left to finish..."
Karzai: Yes.
Palin: And so I said to my husband, Todd--I call him the "First Dude"--Do you have that word 'Dude' here in Afghanistan?--maybe it's like "Khan" or "Emir" or somethin'?--I said to him, 'Todd, we have to take a look at what's happenin' in Afghanistan--before McCain called or any other thing happened--' cause I saw that Russia was right across from us, and then right next to that you have all the 'Stans--(counts cross fingers) Kyrgyzstan, oh, what's the others?--well, you are aware of them, of course, Mr. Karzai (laughs)...
Karzai: (Nods)
Palin: And if we don't let other people know of what I'm aware of then the world won't change, Mr. Karzai. I know we have the same goals even if we don't have the same God yet...(aide touches Palin on shoulder, whispers). 'Even', not 'yet', I meant 'same God even, Mr. Karzai, and my point is, we can't let others stop our choice, which is freedom for those who deserve it, and that's why I know a Palin/McCain...
Palin Aide: (reaching over to touch shoulder)
Palin: Stop! (brushing aide's hand off)...McCain/Palin ticket will do just what you want, Mr. Karzai...
Second Palin Aide Approaches: It's time for your next appointment, Gov. Palin.
Palin: It was so good meeting you, President Karzai, and all of your other people, it was so good meeting you too! Shalom! (waves, exits).
Karzai: (to his aide, in Pashto): She makes the last one look like the Grand Mufti.
Cite:
Head of State
http://headofstate.blogspot.com/2008/09/sarah-palin-meets-with-afghani.html
September 22, 2008 4:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
These things are true but here in Florida they love her anyways.Some say she is "real" and "genuine".
It reminds me of a scene from Erik The Viking.
The island is sinking fast.The king's daughter is begging him to get in the boat and he is calmly proclaiming "Not happening", "Not happening" until the water is over his head and he is gone.
Now if I can just figure out if it is the Republicans who are drowning in denial or me drowning in this sea of red.
September 22, 2008 6:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
We once watched a flood happen that way. The mayor was on the radio late the night before: "It will not flood in Elmira!" We've used that line many times as a way of doubting the word of an authority figure. (Soon the man was replaced! By a woman with a degree in the area of city management.)
September 22, 2008 9:12 AM | Reply | Permalink
Let's just call it like it is: millions of poorly educated (talking about civics, not reading, writing, and arithmetic) white bigots would rather endanger the country by looking past McCain's treasonous VP pick than to vote for a black man. There it is, plain and simple. I am disgusted.
September 22, 2008 10:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
Obviously race will play a factor, perhaps decisive, among independents and some Democrats, and probably the Republicans who are disgusted and might otherwise vote for a white, centrist Democrat.
But, and I'm learning more and more how true this seems to be, a whole lot of people are just really incapable of admitting they're wrong. Ideological differences have become partisan divisions, entrenched and amplified by the culture war dancing around on top.
We've been fighting a sociopolitical civil war for the nation's soul since the 60s. And a lot of folks are committed foot soldiers on either side.
So, I do think racism is certainly a factor. But ironically, it will be racism in "our" ranks and those of independents that will tilt the scales, if racism proves to be decisive.
Racism will dissuade some Republicans from crossing over. It might motivate some to turn out who were otherwise unmotivated. But those should never have been decisive numbers in the first place, given the demographics of the electorate.
September 22, 2008 1:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Comprehensive summary with references. I like it. Shame the MSM doesn't know how or does not want to do this kind of stuff. I call it journalism. Opinionated or not, it is well sourced.
Thanks.
September 22, 2008 12:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks,appreciate the comment...
Full blog here:
http://www.politicalbase.com/profile/jnail/blog/
September 22, 2008 1:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
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