Cindy McCain Is a Ditz
I do hope it’s not too terribly sexist of me to say that; I can’t help myself. She thinks that Sarah Palin is experienced in national security and foreign policy because she lives in Alaska, and Alaska is close to Russia (emphasis in original):
STEPHANOPOULOS: But she has no national security experience.
McCAIN: You know, the experience that she comes from is what she’s done in government, and remember, Alaska is the closest part of our continent to Russia. It’s not as if she doesn’t understand what’s at stake here.
Think Progress has the video. Don’t miss it.
They Like Us! Hey, Mikey!
From the Los Angeles Times:
At the “make-or-break” stage of talks with the U.S. on the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq, Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has swept aside his negotiating team and replaced it with three of his closest aides, a reshuffle that some Iraqi officials warn risks sabotaging the agreement.
The decision on the team negotiating the pact, which the Americans have described as the basis of a long-term strategic alliance between the United States and Iraq, remains so sensitive that it has not been announced. In disclosing the switch to the Los Angeles Times this weekend, a senior Iraqi official close to Maliki also suggested that the two sides remained deadlocked on key issues.
The shake-up comes just four months before the expiration of the United Nations mandate that authorizes the U.S. troop presence in Iraq. When Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited the country recently, expectations rose that an agreement was imminent. But Iraq and the United States remain far apart on the matter of immunity for U.S. forces in Iraqi courts, the official said.
“People gave the impression we were close when Rice was here, but it’s not over. We would have a serious problem if we took it to the parliament right now,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to discuss the issue.
The official insisted that if U.S. troops remained exempt from Iraqi rule of law, the pact would never get passed by the lawmakers.
The sides also are still negotiating a withdrawal date, the official said.
The latest version of the agreement, which was read to The Times by the Maliki confidant, says all U.S. forces will leave Iraq by the end of 2011, unless Iraq requests otherwise. It also says the Americans will withdraw from cities in June 2009, unless the Iraqis ask them to stay.
The new wording is a departure from the White House’s insistence on a conditions-based timeline for a pullout. Under the new language, Iraq, not the U.S. military, decides when the troops will leave. U.S. officials have gone back to Washington to consult on the language, the Maliki confidant said.
For those born after 1972, go here.
McCain Wanted Lieberman
So it seems that McCain really wanted to pick Joe Lieberman as his running mate, but could not stand up to the Christianists’ wrath:
Is Palin running for veep or tin horn dictator?
Even from from days as mayor of Wasilla, she has a history of firing officials on a whim. In this case, the Wasilla police chief supported her election opponent in 1996, so she fired him for “not fully supporting her efforts to govern”. Is that even legal? Palin even managed to fired Wasilla’s library director for the same reason, because we all know that running a library is so important to town government! Egads.
The more I read about Palin the more I think she has a power trip complex. Eight years of a presidency where good people are canned because they aren’t loyal enough to der leader is enough, we don’t need another Bush-type politician sitting a heartbeat away from the presidency. Simply put, Palin isn’t mature enough for the job.
[h/t: TPM]
The Storm of the Century
It’s unbelievable that New Orleans might have to go through worse than Hurricane Katrina, when the city still is in a state of devastation from that nightmare three years ago (thanks to the Bush administration):
The mayor, C. Ray Nagin, said Hurricane Gustav was larger and more dangerous than Hurricane Katrina, and he pleaded with residents to get out or face flooding and life-threatening winds.
“This is the mother of all storms, and I’m not sure we’ve seen anything like it,” Mr. Nagin said at an evening news briefing. “This is the real deal. This is not a test. For everyone thinking they can ride this storm out, I have news for you: that will be one of the biggest mistakes you can make in your life.”
The mayor’s warnings were considerably more dramatic than the forecasts issued by the National Hurricane Center, and he may have been exaggerating in order to shock jaded residents into taking prudent steps. But he said storm surges, particularly on the city’s West Bank, could be twice as high as the neighborhood’s 10-foot levees, and said those people choosing to remain in their homes should have an ax to chop through their roofs when the floodwaters rise.
Meanwhile, Pres. Bush wants to “make up” for not being ready in 2005 — two months before a new president is elected:
Bush administration officials took pains not to be caught as flatfooted as they were in Hurricane Katrina, announcing that President Bush had called governors in the region to assure them of assistance and that top federal emergency officials were in the region to guide the response.
The last paragraph of the article just tore at my heart:
Michelle Barnes, a French Quarter resident, was nearly in tears, worried that she would not be allowed on the bus with her little dog, Jack, who was resting in a black canvas bag. Evacuees had been instructed to keep their pets in a carrying case, but Ms. Barnes did not have one. “I just hope,” Ms. Barnes said, “because otherwise I won’t leave.”
I wouldn’t, either.
Palin’s Lack of Experience Doesn’t Matter; Her Accomplishments Do
Isn’t this exactly the same point Republicans dismissed when made about Obama? (Emphasis mine.)
DK Diarist Points To More Signs That Sarah Palin Is Not Trig Palin’s Mother
Reader Sam Fisher linked this Daily Kos article from the Comments section. It’s pretty devastating as to who Trig Paxon Van Palin’s mother is — and is not. The article is very long and quite well-sourced. The links are to solid, reliable sources such as newspapers and well-regarded, credible professional sites. ARCXIX, the DK diarist who wrote the piece, also has included extensive pictorial evidence (photographs and videos) both of Sarah Palin’s appearance during the period she says she was pregnant, and of her daughter Bristol’s appearance during the same period of time. One photograph in particular is an extreme enlargement/close-up of the Palin family. Bristol’s “baby bump” is unmistakeable.
Who is the Mother of Trig Paxon Van Palin?
See Update below.
If it’s Sarah Palin, why is she distinctly not pregnant in a photograph which was apparently taken on Super Tuesday, which is in February, when, as Jazz Shaw points out, Palin would have been about six months along in her pregnancy?
The Closing Argument on Sarah Palin
While the right is out celebrating the selection of Sarah Palin as McCain’s running mate, ostensibly because Palin is so conservative and the move to select a woman so smart, the fact of her selection speaks to a far more significant issue of whether or not she is ready to be a heartbeat away from the role of Commander in Chief.
It calls into question the very nature of John McCain’s decision making process, and virtually proves he is simply unfit to lead.
She’s a little corrupt, hmm?
Ladies and gentlemen, in a TV report from a couple weeks ago, here’s who McCain wants to be our next veep:
If Gov. Palin uses her office to settle petty family scores, how would she use the Vice Presidency?
[Hat tip: markg8]
Have You Heard Sarah Palin’s Acceptance Speech?
Is it a requirement for far right Republican politicians now that they be unable to pronounce the word “nuclear”?
This is a moment when great causes can be won, and great threats overcome depending on the judgment of our next president. In a dangerous world, it is John McCain who will lead America’s friends and allies in preventing Iran from acquiring nucular weapons.
And she knew it, too. Look at her face, the moment the word left her mouth.
Standing on the Corner
At least one inhabitant of wingnuttia has a thin wire still connected to reality:
Both the pros and the cons are pretty obvious. I’m going to focus on the cons, mostly because conservatives right now seem to be paying them less attention. …
The cons:
Inexperience. Palin has been governor for about two minutes. Thanks to McCain’s decision, Palin could be commander-in-chief next year. That may strike people as a reckless choice; it strikes me that way. And McCain’s age raised the stakes on this issue.
As a political matter, it undercuts the case against Obama. Conservatives are pointing out that it is tricky for the Obama campaign to raise the issue of her inexperience given his own, and note that the presidency matters more than the vice-presidency. But that gets things backward. To the extent the experience, qualifications, and national-security arguments are taken off the table, Obama wins.
And it’s not just foreign policy. Palin has no experience dealing with national domestic issues, either. …
Tokenism. Can anyone say with a straight face that Palin would have gotten picked if she were a man?
Compatibility. It doesn’t seem as though McCain knows Palin well. Do we have much reason to think they would work well together?
Debates. Maybe, as Jonah said the other day, Biden will look like a bully going up against her—and maybe she’ll shine. But I can think of a lot of other picks who would have been lower-risk.
Mark Levin and David Freddoso, by contrast, are wireless.
But hey, that’s fine by me. I’m just as thrilled with McCain’s choice as they are.
Like a Good Neighbor
Warning, this is not (intended) parody.
Fox News’ Steve Doocey’s endorsement of Sarah Palin’s foreign policy bona fides stems from the fact that she’s the governor of Alaska, which, you know, is right next to Russia. Seriously, the last five hours or so has been like watching a train wreck in slo-mo.
On the other hand it makes sense. If Palin gets full credit for being neighbors with Russia, that might explain why the right believes John McCain has all these foreign policy credentials; they have very… very… low standards.
Alright, that’s enough. I have to call it a day or I’m going to get addicted. Personally, I don’t think McCain could have picked a better vice presidential candidate–for us.
Just Take a Moment…
Just a little bit ago, tas delivered his marching orders. These are solid, and if you specifically have a thing for research, cold calling, and knocking down doors, you need to go read and follow through with them.
Further, they aren’t very far off from my marching orders.
The AP Puts Their GOP Drunk Goggles To Use
For anyone that watched Obama’s acceptance speech last night there was little question that this was one of the most policy laden speeches Obama’s ever given.
- Tax cuts for the bottom 95% of working Americans.
- 10 year Apollo-style timetable to eliminate our imports of Middle Eastern oil.
- Closing corporate tax loopholes and rewarding only those corporations that employ Americans rather than ship their jobs overseas.
- Offering any student willing to enter a community-service program a college education similar to what the GI bill did for WW2 veterans.
And really, those are just the rough ideas I remembered to write down, there were too many to keep count. If you’re like most of the American public though you get your news through one source: the locally-republished AP news feed. So what was AP writer Charles analysis? “Obama spares details, keeps up attacks“.
[...] instead of dwelling on specifics, he laced the crowning speech of his long campaign with the type of rhetorical flourishes that Republicans mock and the attacks on John McCain that Democrats cheer. The country saw a candidate confident in his existing campaign formula: tie McCain tightly to President Bush, and remind voters why they are unhappy with the incumbent.
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