She's never actually used the word Shiite in a sentence before. She's never had to. She's never given any thought whatsoever to nuclear proliferation. She's never had to. She's never thought about Israel, Russia, Korea, or Iran. She's never even thought about Mexico. So, what HAS she thought about? I mean, what has she thought about that's going to directly affect you and me if (yes, God forbid) she has to slip into the role of the most powerful leader on the face of the planet? Well, we know she's given a lot of thought to your uterus. Hell, I think about your uterus all the time and nobody should ever elect me to any office.
I was reading my friend Dan Senor's piece in the Wall Street Journal today, in which he takes Biden to task for his once staunch position on the splitting up of Iraq. It's a smart argument Dan makes -- and I'm not his audience, believe me. I'm so lefty I'd consider going gay if I could date Obama (oh, you bet I drank the Koolaid and I've been all fuzzy ever since).
So I'm reading Dan's excellent article and I'm hating its well reasoned argument - how Biden was wrong about Iraq and why he's mysteriously dropped that position, etc - and I'm realizing something that put a smile on my face. There is not a fireball's chance in Alaska that Sarah Palin could make that argument in a debate with Joe Biden. She lacks the gravitas, she lacks the knowledge, she lacks the experience. If she were a news anchor we'd say she reeks of local.
But most importantly, what does that say about John McCain? He has now destroyed his two favorite arguments against Obama. Experience was a pretty good argument. Yesterday. But the more offensive and controversial argument is the one that inspired the McCain campaign's clumsy, communist-era slogan - "Country First." Aside from sounding like the name of a midwestern savings-and-loan, the phrase is an obvious reference to McCain's mantra that Obama "would rather win an election than win a war. " He has repeatedly challenged Obama's motives, his character, his judgment and his patriotism. Sarah Palin is the glass house inside of which McCain will now have to throw those stones. Because, what does it say about a man who chooses someone so grossly unqualified as his running mate for the highest office in the land simply because she might - might - get the Hillary vote? What does it say for his opinion of those very women he hopes to enlist?
Does John McCain think about actually governing? Or is he merely focused on winning? Because a man of 72 years old with a history of health problems has to consider the possibility that his Vice President might actually have to govern. No, he's not thinking about that. He's not thinking about you or me. John McCain is thinking about John McCain. And his running mate is thinking about next year's salmon run. And your uterus.
If you're going to complain about Sarah Palin's lack of experience, why not complain about Obama's? Sarah Palin was holding public office before Obama was in the Illinois legislature. Apparently inexperience is ONLY okay if the person in question has the right political ideology. Please, let's drop the hypocrisy.
Obama got his bachelor's from Yale in *International Relations*, has lived and traveled abroad, has shown an ongoing and intense intellectual curiosity about international affairs and has written about the subject a great deal in his books, and rigorously studies the subject on an ongoing basis, e.g., see http://papercuts.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/21/what ... Additionally, he has chaired one and sat on another Senate committee concerning foreign affairs, and has crafted legislation on the matter.
In contrast, Palin is a complete noob in international affairs - honestly, even I am much more experienced in it than her. She stated six months ago that she has not concerned herself with the Iraq situation except on a very basic level. "Palin is a neophyte in comparison" to Obama, said the Daily News-Miner. And the Anchorage Daily News stated, "She's a total beginner on national and international issues." Moreover, the McCain campaign has even admitted this but spun that Palin "would learn from the master of foreign policy", McCain, which besides being debatable on its face fails to account that McCain is 72 and a five-time cancer survivor.
Palin is not a veep pick. She is somewhere between a surrogate first lady because Cindy offers even less and a low level adviser who gets to sit in and listen with the big boys. She is a pander-pick aimed at low-information undereducated one-issue voters.
unexperienced & black >> experienced & female
But then maybe the inability to call the Democratic party by it's right name (and the use of a Republican talking point instead) gives more insight to your opinion. Hoping to sow discontent in the ranks of the opposing party, eh?
I'm sure that Sen. Cli nton will play a major role in the future of this party and administration. No one is denying she's a powerhouse. No one was "tossed aside". McCane's pick was an insult to all women, Hillry, her supporters and Republican female leaders included.
Lex
She spoke like such a dingbat yesterday on TV. I do believe people in the Democratic
Party respect women who have intelligence (like Hillary Clinton, Ann Richards, Barbara Boxer,
etc.) where the Republicans are choosing her for her looks and what...experience? The
list of experience is laughable (soccer mom, PTA, major, and 2 years as Governor of
the 47th state in size)! Their goal is to unite Christian conservatives, but I am sure Hillary
supporters will not back her due to her abortion stance.
God forbid McCain wins as she will be just one step from the Presidency. If McCain had
good judgment and cared about the American people and the United States, he would not
put such an inexperienced person as his VP choice.
He would gamble with our lives, our security, for personal political gain. Disappointing, even scary, to know how lightly he takes our national security--and the fact we are AT WAR.
Some time after the election, she will resign, citing the need to raise her children, particularly her new infant. The repubs will then move someone into the slot who could potentially function if McCain kicks the bucket. Four years later, they would have already groomed the next guy (Jeb Bush, Ridge, Pawlenty, etc.)
Palin is simply a willing tool to be used, and the conservative media will do their best to cover her obvious flaws and say thiswas a great choice by McCain. They already are in full support mode, even though Palin is a worse choice than Meirs was for the Supreme Court.
He did that once, and got a million hits by Demorats who were told how the word was spelled by some people.
I have a letter in my file from the Left Angeles Times, one of your favorite sources of nonsense, that says they have a million of examples where people spelled the word potatoe, but they would not even print one example. Typical Demorat.
In 1976, Quayle was elected to the U.S. Congress from Indiana's Fourth Congressional District, defeating eight-term incumbent Democrat J. Edward Roush. He won reelection in 1978 by the greatest percentage margin ever achieved to that date in the northeast Indiana district.
In 1980, at age 33, Quayle became the youngest person ever elected to the U.S. Senate from the state of Indiana, defeating three-term incumbent Democrat Birch Bayh. Making Indiana political history again, Quayle was reelected to the Senate in 1986 with the largest margin ever achieved to that date by a candidate in a statewide Indiana race.