Did Sarah Palin wrongfully push to have her ex-brother-in law fired? Was she really against the "Bridge to Nowhere?" Did she really sell Alaska's plane on eBay, or just list it on eBay? Did she actually have any substantial duties commanding the Alaska National Guard?
The correct answer to all these questions is: who cares? Which isn't to say these aren't valid questions, or that Palin and the McCain camp aren't playing it fast, loose, and coy with each of them. The point is that Palin, and the circus she's brought to town, are simply a bountiful collection of small lies deliberately designed to distract the country from one big truth: the havoc that George Bush and the Republican Party have wrought, and that John McCain is committed to continuing.
Every second of this campaign not spent talking about the Republican Party's record, and John McCain's role in that record, is a victory for John McCain.
Her critics like to say that Palin hasn't accomplished anything. I disagree: in the space of ten days she's succeeded in distracting the entire country from the horrific Bush record -- and McCain's complicity in it. My friends, that's accomplishment we can believe in.
Just look at the problem John McCain faced. George Bush has a disastrous record, and the country knows it. John McCain -- the current one, not the one who vanished eight years ago -- has no major disagreements with George Bush (and I'm sorry, wanting to fire Donald Rumsfeld a bit sooner doesn't qualify) and wants to continue his incredibly unpopular policies for another four years. The solution? Enter Sarah Palin, a Trojan Moose carrying four more years of disaster.
And the plan has worked beautifully. Just look at what's being discussed just 57 days before the election. Is it the highest unemployment rate in five years? The bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? The suicide bombing yesterday in Iraq that killed six people and wounded 54 -- in the same market where last month a bomb killed 28 people and wounded 72? That the political reconciliation that was supposedly the point of "the surge" is nowhere near happening? That Iraq's Shiite government is now rounding up the American-backed Sunni leaders of the Awakening? That the reason 8,000 soldiers may be leaving Iraq soon is so more can be deployed to Afghanistan where the Taliban is steadily retaking the country?
No. We're talking about whether Sarah Palin was or was not a good mayor, whether she was or was not a good mother, whether her skirts are too short and her zingers too sarcastic.
Contrary to what we're hearing 24/7 in the media, the next few weeks are not a test of Sarah Palin. The next few weeks are a test of Barack Obama.
He needs to dramatically redirect this election back to a discussion over the issues that really matter -- the issues that will impact the future of this country. A presidential campaign is a battle and this is the time for Obama to show some commander-in-chief skills. I'm not talking about calling Palin out for lying about his record and demeaning community organizing. I'm talking about grabbing the political debate by the throat. The country is already angry about what's happened over the last seven-plus years -- he shouldn't be afraid to give voice to that anger. Obama has spent years adopting a non-threatening persona; but he can't let his fear that appearing like an "angry Black man" (a stereotype not-too-subtly fueled by Fox News) will turn off swing voters keep him from channeling the disgust and outrage felt by so many voters --swing and otherwise.
McCain's team, in an effort to distract, is going to keep doing what they're doing -- diverting voters and the media with a tantalizing combination of personal trivia and small lies. It doesn't matter if they're caught in them -- in fact, all the better. Because they know there is no way in hell they can win if this election is about the big truth of the Bush years.
McCain's real running mate is George Bush and the failed policies of the Republican Party. Even if they are dressed up in a skirt, lipstick, and Tina Fey glasses.
Follow Arianna Huffington on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ariannahuff
Joe Biden's speechs yesterday were "right on the mark" But, please, let's not take McCain's one statement about the "fundamentally sound structure of the economy" and base every speech around that. Please address the current events and specific plans the Obama administration would take to address them. WE DO NOT want to hear anymore about Palin, McCain not being able to send and email, or his dirty, lobbyist, campaign staffers --- "bread and butter" "Kitchen table" issues PLEASE.
"Her critics like to say that Palin hasn't accomplished anything. I disagree: in the space of ten days she's succeeded in distracting the entire country from the horrific Bush record -- and McCain's complicity in it. My friends, that's accomplishment we can believe in."
Arianna, I just wish the Democrat's Speaker of the House felt the urgency about the Neo-Cons' disastrous record (and insatiable appetite for new disasters) that you do. She has been a horrific, major disappointment.... not only acting as the Republican's defacto Whitewash/cover-up Queen, but also as their paymaster, pretending not to notice the billions of dollars Cheneny, Addington, Rove, and the Wall St. robber barons shove out the door at taxpayer expense. (sigh)
Heck, the Democrats can't even keep a running LIST of all the massive, billion-dollar bailouts Bush-CheneyCo hand out to the Wall Street's losing execs.
http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/article/7483/Fed-Heads-Back-to-the-Well-Will-It-Run-Dry
Left unsaid in all the commentaries, is that the Congress aproval rating is BELOW Dick Cheney's!
- and that isn't exactly a great help to the Democratic presidential campaign.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/opinion/14rich.htm
Tell everybody.
Chastize Hollywood for selling sex to their kids, and turn around pick a woman to lure in the Young College Conservatives (strong hetrosexual move), not to mention a the pubesent boys they party will attract in years to come with the "pretty lady".
This is far easier to do than causing long lines and modifying voting machines.
Remember that hackers have cracked military systems so cracking a few critical state systems can easily sway the election.
Each one probably ages her six months so by the time the election roles around she will be 73.
There goes the male vote that seems to be supporting her!
SNL has an improved version!
Palin Says She Has Broad Authority to Look At Private State Files
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is maneuvering to stop an investigation into an alleged abuse of power, in part, by claiming that she has an unlimited right to pry into the personnel records of all state employees, including the state trooper who divorced her sister.
Palin’s new position was summed up in a Sept. 9 letter from Alaska Attorney General Talis Colberg to the state legislature, which has authorized an independent counsel probe into whether Palin and her staff illegally accessed confidential personnel records of her ex-brother-in-law, state trooper Mike Wooten.
The probe also focuses on Palin’s firing of state Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan in July after he refused to fire Wooten.
Colberg’s argument is that Palin can access confidential files of any state employee she chooses and thus the allegation that she got unauthorized access to Wooten’s personnel records – by whatever means – is moot.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/opinion/14friedman.html?_r=1&scp=5&sq=friedman%20stupid&st=cse&oref=slogin
Friedman is right, in particular when he talks about McCain's energy policy and his focus on oil as on 'drill, baby, drill'. On solving our energy crisis Mc Cain was asked 'what qualifies Governor Palin on National Security' his answer was: her energy policy ... the 40 billion pipeline as in 'focus on fuel, baby'. Maybe that explain McCain's choice? It wouldn't be hard to imagine Ms. Palin on Cheney's chair, gathered with the oil industry heads designing American's energy strategy. It could turn to be a thousand times worst for the Country as the famous Cheney's meetings with Enron???
Maybe Barack can bring these issues out. He can use his communication skills to bring the point across on a simple way to his wide audience. However, we can amplify the message and bring out the facts and ... the higher the speed the better! The important issues for our Country is all we should be talking about!
Lipstick
Pride.
Pride in our country, pride in our government, our families, our jobs and cities, our kids, our flag...everyone who innocently loves Palin is desperate to hear this from any candidate. Coming from Obama it will mean victory. You cannot hug death back to life or change its mind. You simply must bring life in the things you say.
http://www.alternet.org/story/15935/
She is the best thing to happen to Sen. Obama since Hillary's motion in Denver to nominate him.