Memo to Palin

Could someone address why Sarah Palin was so smug and condescending?

But, the "family" is to nail down the trailer park vote.

Good point. Bristol's pregancy is a 'private family matter,' but Palin wants to make it illegal for women to choose even in cases of rape. And then, she blatantly uses her family for political hay. Cheap GOP tactics, which, unfortunately, will still fool many.

Kinsley, what's your point... oh, you have none... move on.

She came across so angry. I am a Republican and I'll admit it turned me off.

God, she has a whiny voice.

(by the way, I served as a Sergeant in the Army, and she can jump off a short pier)

The gloves should come off here. Be prepared to hear the phrase Baby-Daddy.

Sorry, Kinsley, families being off limits is the OBAMA rule.

Kinsley, what's your point... oh, you have none... move on.

Posted by: yar | September 4, 2008 12:10 AM

Go read him again.
BTW, what was Bristol and Levi doing at the airport. Did they get married yet?
Maybe by Huckleby?

I can't believe there are people so naive out there to believe in all the hypocritic talk from the GOP. It fools none but their base. I hope the Dems don't go soft after the RNC convention and be the usual timid selves while their counterparts rip them up. The GOP plays God with country, family and God as though it is their sole birthright and we need to call them on it forcefully and repeatedly.

Kinsley, THAT'S all you've got??? LOL!!! Need some sugar for those grapes??

Richard in Chicago wrote: The gloves should come off here.
*****
Maybe. Not sure that will be necessary.

There they go again..waving flags,using the fear factor and "family values." We fell for that twice before and look where it got us!!!

Republican rule over the last 8 years has left this country terribly divided. Sarah Palin’s “pitbull” speech made it crystal clear that she and her party have no interest in uniting this country in the next 4 years either.

What are the anchors on CNN and MSNBC hearing?! This clearly a "bitter republican speech." All I heard was a rather bitter speech filled with personal attacks. If you want to address the media or Obama, have a press conference. It would be nice to hear about the issues. If the democrats missed it, Palin, was even further from truly addressing anything INDEPENDENTS care about.

There they go again..waving flags,using the fear factor and "family values." We fell for that twice before and look where it got us!!!

Palin kicked some butt,

Now every demo-rat, seems to think she was smug and condescending.

That being said, you bastards rake her over the coals, now she pushes back and you don't like it.

Well get use to scumbags.

And as far as smug goes, no one beats Obambi in that area.

ITS ON!!!!!!!!

Obama will loose. As long as he does not go after mkain and palin, he's gonna loose bad.

Forget being nice. She has shown she can throw mud. Its time to throw it back at her.

Really? Probably the meanest most partisan speech I've heard in a long time. So when is she going to answer some real questions and sit down for an interview from some real reporters (NOT FOX!)

She spent six days locked in a hotel room with Republican spinmeisters and image consultants and that's the best speech they could come up with? Devoid of content, all about her family (offlimits to everyone else) and nasty attacks on Obama?

It's sad that the Republicans are all cheering so lustily for an empty dress. She has no national or international experience, and as far as I can tell, hasn't thought too hard about the issues.

Maybe they spent the week trying to modulate her shrill speaking voice.

Palin/Tired '08

Palin must be seen as a national security risk. If she became President because of McCain ill health then the USA will be in danger of extreme right wingers running foreign, domestic and economic policy. Wages and services tied to church attendance, more wars, an obliterated economy as only extreme organisations get funding, destruction of science and technology in the US and so forth. How does the USA keep coming up with these dangerous people.

Well the rednecks are all up in arms now...Get your guns and marry your cousins. Palins moving to Washington.

Agsoba83 - Christ! The word is lose not loose! And he won't lose.

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but wouldn't it be a good idea for McCain/Palin to at least TRY to appeal to independents?

Hey, Tina, this redneck loves Obama.

It's easy to get the cheering section going if you are a woman who has supposedly been "done wrong" by the big bad media, and in a minor way, she has been. The media should know better than to take the word of irresponsible bloggers. The media should try doing some journalistic WORK, instead.
Why hasn't the media focused and reported on the candidates lack of comprehensive plans for the economy, the debt, the withdrawl of our troops, Russia, the economy, international trade, crooked politicians, the economy, infrastructure renewal, BIG OIL, lobbyists, the economy, crooked politicians, crooked lobbyists, the loss of civil rights, domestic surveillance, crooked politicians and just for kicks, the economy.

If Sarah Palin doesn't want her family in the light, she shouldn't have put them in the light. Due to her unmitigated ambition, her teenage daughter will be on the cover of every tabloid magazine from now to the birth. Who would do that to their own kid?

When she accepted the offer, she brought her kids into it. And if she didn't foresee that the tabloid media was going to have a camera in her daughter's face, then she doesn't have business in a critical job for this country. When has a celebrity teen pregnancy ever been ignored?

For a newcomer in her 'coming out' party, I saw absolutely no humility or graciousness in Mrs. Palin's speech. What I saw, sadly, was George Bush in a skirt, with perhaps a modicum more intelligence. She was smug, combative, condescending, arrogant and entitlement. Not a candidate I can find in the least appealing or attractive. I am a female and consider myself to be completely actualized and independent, yet I am in a loving and supportive relationship and value my family above all else. There was nothing in this woman's speech for me - there she was calling the 'good ole boys' down - well, they were filling the room, and she doesn't even get they've plucked her and put her there as a puppet. Perhaps my greatest objection, however, is that she is exploiting her children - not because she's a new mother, but because she would brazenly parade her pregnant teen daughter on the world stage, along with a terrified-looking teenage boy who knocked her up - because of her on political ambition. Those kids looked damn uncomfortable to me, and if their unfortunate situation isn't challenging enough, and should be a private matter, there's Mom parading them in front of the world. This is NOT family values - it's Republican opportunism and the grosest hyprocracy I have ever seen. If people in this country don't wake up and see it's time for a change, I fear I'll have to move out for some place I can still believe in.

I hope the Democrats use the "Drill, Baby, Drill" propaganda against McCain/Palin at some point. maybe juxtapose Exxon-Valdez, homeless arctic fauna, nuclear meltdowns rendering entire cities useless and contaminated for years to come. Palin must think very lowly of American intellect to believe that people won't figure out she supported the earmark of the Gravina Island Bridge, "the bridge to nowhere, " before she opposed it, and still kept the money.

Did this speech have any new material in it? I didn't hear any. Sounded like the same old, same old to me. Full of smears, oil and war.

How can we turn back time and get the rabid right to leave Chelsea Clinton alone? Do time machines run on rank hypocrisy yet?

Does anyone find it suspicious that we haven't seen Sarah Palin and Dick Cheney in the same room at the same time? No true human could get to that level of out-and-out lying and snarky nastiness in just two days. If she just whips off those glasses (and wig) it's bound to reveal Dick Cheney. Hey GOP - we're not fooled!

What I want to know is...

If John McCain wanted Joe Lieberman or Tim Kaine to be Veep...

Who the hell decided that Palin should be on the ticket.

She is apparently a neocon lapdog.. Maybe Rove picked her?

The editorial cartoonists are going to have a field day with Miss Wasilla and her poofy hair. And that's about all that is interesting about her.

Was there NO ONE else in the GOP willing to serve as McCain's VP?

I used to think it was going to be hard to pull the Democrat lever for President the first time ever in my life, but John McCain just made my switch very easy.

I suppose the Michelle Obama turn was unauthorised?

Did you all see the absolute delight and surprise on the faces of the women who attended this convention? Palin turned them on. Too bad the Democrats were such namby-pambys about Hillary because women are really champing at the bit for their place in the sun.

To me that means that all Democrats must move carefully and swiftly to diffuse this rally. There is a great need to send all the Republicans back to where they live and keep them out of Washington. They have done too much damage already which may never be undone in our lifetime. As for mavericks - here today, gone tomorrow, depending on whiich way the wind is blowing and McCain has shown already how well he can do this.

Stop bashing children, enough is enough.
When can I hear more about Obama's shady connections with Rezko, Ayers and many other questionable figures.

MEMO Democrat Party Communists must be ready at all times to stand up for the truth, because truth is in the interests of the people; Communists must be ready at all times to correct their mistakes, because mistakes are against the interest of the people.

Only if you're not proud of them, right Kinsley?

It's the Jerry Springer vice-presidency! Which side of the White House will they park the trailer on?

Palin is the freak that even the FREAKS call a freak!

Palin's speech was not informative nor persuasive but it was very ENTERTAINING. She should be on Madtv or SNL.

Dems are voting for MCCAIN/PALIN 2008.

OBAMA should have gotten Hillary as VP.

Shrill voice. Give her a speech and she'll read it (she was a TV broadcaster, you know--a MEDIA type.) But she didn't give any sense that she knows anything about the world outside of Alaska and homilies to small towns.

So, it's culture wars and fear-mongering. Will they ever let her stand up in a press conference? Ever?

Palin's speech was not informative nor persuasive but it was very ENTERTAINING. She should be on Madtv or SNL.

Bush and McCain mislead us to into the Iraq war and continue to mislead still and now Sara Palin is misleading the nation so she can get into the white house.

Palin makes sense....of course I am not amazed by the idiocy of the comments read here....and all Obama's "playbook coach " on Larry King Live could talk about, was how we have not heard any details on how McCain will stimulate the economy...like Obama has a freekin plan ...Obama couldn't plan a one man parade...Dems are scared feces-less because they cant fight the overwhelmong truth Palin spoke about the Political Joke that IS Barrack Obama...all Hat , and NO CATTLE

Ultimate exploitation.... forcing the daughter who has already had her privacy breached to show up on stage with the guy that got her preggers... why? Are they gonna take a bow?

One of the blogs that is not at all careful what gets posted there claims she is not his first pregnant gf...

Is this vicious lie, truth? Why can't his mother simply tell folks that he's dropped out of HS? He didn't graudate, he's not on the team, and he's not attending classes? Is that a HS dropout?

So if family is off limits, if McCain is so upsot that press is asking questions... why are they trotting these kids around lilke trophys?

Ew. Make her go away now.

Forced onstage??? Trophies.??...name a political candidate that has NOT had their kids with them onstage......morons......so I guess the point is, if her child is pregnant, she should not be "claimed " as her child anymore??? It is so hilarious to see all these Democratis Liberals panic...

There is no way that Obama/Biden are losing to a McCain/Palin ticket especially after her performace tonight -- that would be as likely as Al Gore or John Kerry losing to George W. Bush.

Isn't Biden's son about to go off to Iraq. But he didn't exploit it in that fashion.

Does she have any ideas?

This just reminded me so much of the past. ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK

But what are you going to do for us? I thought, finally, a woman, she will talk about bread and butter issues. But she didn't do any of that. So strange.

To paraphrase A. Lincoln, people who like women like Sarah Palin will find her to be exactly the kind of woman they like. The small town I grew up in always had women like her--they were generally detested, but through sheer will managed to run things.

The speech was well read--I am surprised she didn't make it as a news/sports head in some local tv market.

Someone should really do a point by point fact check on that speech.

Jackie: yes it was Obama who said he would not tolerate any attacks on Palin's family. what's your point? that Palin can take advantage of her family because she didn't ask anyone not to attack it? everyone else did that for her.

just more hypocrisy

she's being peddled as a

Washington outsider - she isn't, look at her campaign money (today's Post)

anti waste - she isn't - she was for the bridge to nowhere and kept the money (did not say no thanks)

anti earmarks - she isn't, she's the queen of earmarks for her town

anti corruption - has a little abuse of power and candor problem there

anti good old boy - nope, she mastered the game to get the earmarks

bottom line - she's just a fraud.

dems can just let the family and experience issues play out and stay above them and just attack her as a fraud. no risk, can't make her a victim on those subjects or look bad attacking her

Kinsley!!!!!! You little pu$$y!! How DARE YOU blame the Palin's downs syndrom baby on inadequate prenatal care you effing little coward!!!! You are so typical of the media! I hope that Sarah marches on Washington and personally kicks your a$$.... You pathetic little man.

Off limits for *attacks*, you predictable cherrypicking moron.

To everyone who is acting shocked and disgusted at the fearmongering at the RNC Wednesday night--where have you been? Put it this way: even Karl Rove, the Architect himself, said a few days ago that McCain's pick of Palin was a campaign decision, not a political/good-for-the-country decision.

And if you believe that there's no way Americans will vote for this ticket ("we can't be that stupid" and so on), again I ask, have you been asleep for the last eight years? Most of you believe that this convention just clinched it for Obama/Biden. I've just jumped from McCain to Obama because of the past week alone, and I bet it won't matter. The anger and self-righteousness will pay off. McCain is going to win. I'm praying I'm wrong.

If families are off limits why did Romney attack Obama's wife. He's a real tough guy beating up on a woman who isn't running for anything.

The Republicans played the night really smart - they went aggressively after the media throughout the evening. The media's natural reaction is to recoil and to then praise the GOP in order to defuse the criticism. It's a bullying tactic the Republicans have been using for decades now, and the result tonight was all sorts of praise from commentators and news anchors tonight for a malicious, sarcastic speech by Palin that symbolized the divisive, cynical political strategy of the Republican party.

She is simply Dick Cheney in a skirt - except meaner.

"

Sorry, Kinsley, families being off limits is the OBAMA rule.

Posted by: Jackie | September 4, 2008 12:14 AM "

You mean we get to kick the knocked-up seventeen-year-old fundie tart and her "sex on skates" boyfriend around the block? Thanks, Jackie!

The funny thing is -- every single argument that you Obammunists claim against Palin can be turned against YOUR candidate. The only difference is that Palin's the VP candidate, not the prez.

Democrats need to get some self-confidence. Obama ain't Kerry. Gay marriage amendments aren't on the ballot in swing states. The W Rainmakers aren't making the same kind of rain they did in '04.

It all seemed so desperate: below the belt cheapshots from someone whose only interview was with "People?!?"

GMAFB.

So they lock up the Buchanan vote..big deal!

Incidentally, how can someone question Michelle Obama's patriotism when she (at least in 1994) and her husband (up until 2002,) belonged to a party that wanted their state to *secede* from the nation?!?!

A possible Obama comeback: tie experience to Lincoln (2 years in congress, Illinois, all that jazz) and how he fought a war over the preservation of the Union against those states that wanted to secede. Kill two birds.

Well, at least the Republicans have introduced a new idea: teenage pregnancy is good for America. Third world here we come.

"Did you all see the absolute delight and surprise on the faces of the women who attended this convention?"

Somehow, I don't think that 5,000 votes will be enough to win this election.

Kinsley, what was that warm n glowy family interview with US weekly/People/NE that the Obamas did, which had people like you cooing that Malia and Sasha shud be in the White House for their cuteness???
Hey, even Hillary pimped out Chelsea.

And she claims that now families with special needs kids will have a friend in the White House. Does that mean she favors stem cell research? She's exploiting her kids and refusing to support the things that might really help special needs kids.

Well, she used to be unqualified but cute. Now she's unqualified and mean. Good strategy Republicans.

Michael -- you are being dishonest and you know it -- you've been around politics too long not too. It is well understood that it is fine to use family as props. You talk about what a great family you have, they stand behind you and wave, etc. But that doesn't make them fair game for political attack. Obama had his children on stage at the convention, but that didn't make them fair game for attack. Chelsea was used as a prop, that didn't make her fair game. Don't suddenly act like you're ignorant of that practice.

So those who see what's going on know what they need to do. It's pretty simple.

WOW....I GUESS YOU MISSED THE POINT. ALL THE LEFTWING ATTACK MEDIA ATTEMPTS WERE PUT IN PERSPECTIVE BY THE ENTIRE FAMILY BEING THERE WITH THEIR MOM.

ONE THING THAT DRIVES THE LEFT OVER THE EDGE..... A BIG, HAPPY REPUBLICAN FAMILY!!!

Forced onstage??? Trophies.??...name a political candidate that has NOT had their kids with them onstage......morons......so I guess the point is, if her child is pregnant, she should not be "claimed " as her child anymore??? It is so hilarious to see all these Democratis Liberals panic...
Posted by: Gary | September 4, 2008 1:05 AM
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Panicked? Noooo... Try thoroughly disgusted, utterly sickened. Palin is a total disaster for the Republicans and a great joy to the Democrats, trust me. She just delivered the White House to Obama with her vicious and tacky little speech. She lied about her accomplishments and then attacked, as though she is something special. What an arrogant b***o she is. I don't think you realize how insulted we ladies are to see a trashy woman like her being willing to be used by the likes O McCain. But you will see, oh yes, you will. If she wants a fight, she's got one.

The difference between the Republican and Democratic conventions is stark. The Democrats talked about their plans for lifting the country out of its current mess and forcefully articulated the differences between their approach and that of Bush/McCain. But their differences were on issues. They had no need to resort to disrespectful demonization and ridicule. The Republicans, by contrast, have nothing else but the tired old Bush-league politics of sneers, smears and spin. Obama/Biden will win this election, but the country will emerge as divided as ever and the Republicans will spend the next four years engaged in political guerrilla warfare and sabotage, blaming any problems they cause on the administration's failure of leadership. How sad that we have been dragged into this seemingly endless political civil war.

After the speech she gave tonight...

Bob Barr in 08!

Perhaps, she is defending her family in light of all the hateful attacks. She's setting the record straight and protecting her cubs.

Sorry, Kinsley, families being off limits is the OBAMA rule.

Posted by: Jackie | September 4, 2008 12:14 AM "

You mean we get to kick the knocked-up seventeen-year-old fundie tart and her "sex on skates" boyfriend around the block? Thanks, Jackie!
Posted by: tom | September 4, 2008 1:23 AM
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Shame on you... for making me spill my coffee onto my desk as I choked with laughter. Seriously, though, you really shouldn't talk that way. It shows poor taste. However, after what I observed tonight (Palin's speech)I have to admit you've got quite a good wit.

How is Palin supposed to 'change' Washington? Her smug attitude and nasty partisan attacks will fit right in.

I am a two-term council member, and former mayor of a Northern California city. California is the sixth largest economy in the world, and we, too, are a *western* state.

My city is larger than Wasilla, and we did not get $29M in Federal earmarks for local projects, nor did we ask for them.

Clearly small rural, western cities like Wasilla that don't have tax bases, live and die on Federal re-distributions from taxpayers in urban areas like mine that do.

Yet Palin maintains a macho image of rural, independence, and contempt for those whose handouts she gladly took without gratitude or acknowledgment. Handouts that she pretends she will eliminate, but knows she cannot.

Palin bites the hand that feeds her.

By saying parents of children with "special needs" will have a friend in Washington, she could have said, honestly, I will redirect taxpayer monies from taxpayers who do not have children with special needs to those, like me, who do.

But that is the kind of big government program that Sarah pretends to oppose.

Frankly, I'm happy to help Sarah, but I've been treated better for doing so.

Nothing Sarah Palin said inspires me to participate in a government she would run.

I hope thats' not the point.

why have they not talked about McCain crashing two military air craft into the the Caribbean Sea, and Mediterranean Sea?
Why have they not talked about McCain flying a military air craft so low in Spain that he managed to cut power lines and deprive part of the country of electricity for a time?
When will they look the real past of John McCain, not just that he was a war hero, McCain buck the system every chance he got in the military and that is a fact. check out Wikipedia.org or Answers.com the facts are there.
and just one more they McCain said the other side had no experience, can he explain what kind of experience Palin has to lead this country versus say Mit Romney, Jim Kane and other GOP leaders that he passed over for her.

What a gift to Obama/Biden. An angry woman who flaunts being a mother of five (not that she's home to take care of them -- especially a 4-month old with special needs), and big proof of how "abstinence only" works. Right. To me this VP candidacy is the worst of patronizing. NO WAY will she get Hillary voters -- they are intelligent, and this female wants to take women back 200 years in terms of equality and rights. What a desperate, sad move. One thing is parallel: she can tote the gun Cheney will cede to her. Yea team!

Palin had a very good recitation show which exciting the convention. After convention, voters will judge her as what she really is.

She is a mother of five with baby son needs special care, and expecting grand child in next few months. She has too many baggages. In addition, she lack of knowledge of nationl and foreign affairs. She will be unable do good jobs in both family and V.P. duties.

I think, Sen. McCain made a wrong selection.

The GOP is a "divided and philosophically exhausted party".

When a Republican makes a rule you always have to add the phrase ".... unless you are a Republican" at the end.

Examples:

Talking about families is off limits ... unless you are a Republican.

Teen pregnancy is bad ... unless you are a Republican.

Having an affair disqualifies you from public office .... unless you are a Republican.

Gay sex in the bathroom is bad ... unless you are a Republican.

Consorting with prostitutes is evil ... unless you are a Republican like David Vitter.

Get the picture?

Suddenly all the Republicans are giving the same tale of woe about the unfairness of the news media. Since they have no confidence in their game, they've decided to "work the refs." To do it properly, they need to give McCain a red sweater and a chair to throw.

Wow, all I could see was hate spilling out of her every pore. Good message Republics, "we hate everyone who doesn't vote our way," -- the moderates can't wait to start voting for you. And Jesus called, he's so proud!

Gotta lead with what you got. It's a lot easier for the republicans to talk about families than anything they've accomplished in the last 8 years.

To me, the Palin story is not about her family at all. It's that McCain barely knew her when he picked her as his running mate. Doesn't that say everything we need to know about his judgment?

Since the Obama MSM surrogates have been villlifying Palin and members of her family, I thought Palin showed great restraint tonight.

That's more than the classless MSM deserve.

Kinsley, your comment was condescending and smug.

But, then again, what would I expect from the Obama MSM surrogates such as yourself.

Obama's MSM surrogates have been trying to force-feed Obama on the voters for 18 months. I think there's finally going to be a voter backlash.

And as an Independent, I like to make my own decisions.

She was great. End of story.

Minus 1 Obama
Gain 1 McCain

Isn't it illegal to reveal when and where American troops are or will be?

Are you kidding me?
Did you all miss the Dems convention? It was one big McCain bash. Now you are whining because Sarah Palin stood up to all the Dems and media snobs, and out of touch liberals? I have never seen such sexism in my life??? I was actually under the impression that the US had moved past this? How shocking that sexism is alive and well and being perpetrated by the "enlightened media" and embraced by the women of the media.

As for crying about Sarah's speech and her not being nice..... here's a litte advice
my father gave me when I was eight years old: "If you're going to dish it out, you better learn to take it!!"

I guess you good old boys in the media just got beat up by a girl!!!!!

Palin was preaching to the choir - the GOP loyal, the ones who drink the Republican Kool-Aid and wear the Republican-issued rose colored glasses so they can't taste their self loathing or see the mess they've made of our country. So of course they loved her and she is the greatest thing since sliced bread. The problem with the Republicans is that they really believe they are the only people who live in this country. They forget that about three-quarters of this country is not in that choir and not drinking the Kool-Aid. And that three-quarters of the country is not stuck with that impossible woman. They forget that the majority of Americans are going to see straight through that woman's facade just as they have McCains. McCain/Palin = Bush/Cheney. And they keep thinking that if they just SAY he/she is the best, Obama is the worst - everyone will surely HAVE to believe them. Surely if they say it long enough it will come true. The latest polls are telling a different story. In the midst of all this Republican delusion and religious ectasy over their new Messiah, Obama has taken the lead in two more states, pushing his current estimated electoral votes to within 40 votes of winning the election if it were held today. I really can't imagine having a loose cannon with a constantly unraveling past out on the campaign trail with an old man who is now using index cards with his talking points on them because he can't be trusted to speak off the cuff anymore is going to improve the Republican prospects. And think of all the young Obama supporters who only have cell phones, so they are not being captured in the polling that uses only land lines. And every day, the public vetting of her turns up more and more bad news. Today, her emails in the TrooperGate scandal were shown to a national newspaper. Ooops - by her own words in the emails - not exactly the way Palin has "spun" this problem. And then of course, today the primary witness in that case suddenly is refusing to testify. Just a few days after the McCain folks arrived in Alaska to finish the vetting of Palin. AND - The National Enquirer is now saying Palin had an affair with her husband's business partner. Hmmm - Enquirer - think John Edwards. Just keep going nuts on the blogs with your delusions, you Republicans. We get quite a chuckle out of reading them. Doesn't do a thing to improve your polls - but sure is good comedy.

a lot of angry histrionics from the republicans (and a soon-to-be ex-dem) at this convention. angry at the press, too, for attempting journalism.

what was that obama line again? oh, that's it. it's like they pride themselves on being ignorant.

I'd bang her and change my number

I thought I would like her. But she was just MEAN and arrogant. And my gosh, that voice! Did I mention she was mean? I'm tired of having a mean VP. They need to remember they're talking to the NATION, not just their little minions in the room. Rudy was basking in the applause of his witless drivel to the point of being giddy, occasionally having to stop and laugh before he could continue. If they represent the mature, God-fearing, real Americans, why do they seem to get such exhilaration out of being MEAN? You can debate/argue/criticize without being such a smug, arrogant jerk about it. When McCain said he'd rather lose an election than lose a war, I think the Republicans thought "Oh, he doesn't mind losing an election; let's pick him."

i look forward to having a look at what the factcheck sites have to say about palin's speech.

oh, but all those sites count as 'liberal media', right? oh well, better just believe everything the republicans say then. that always seems to work out for the best.

I am an Independent mother of four and have been on the fence during this process. After hearing Plain's speech, it is clear that the Obama-Biden ticket is the change our nation needs. Palin only reinforced the same partisian vicious talk that we heard over and over from Bush. And really, in a time when the US is hated by so many nations, we don't need another repeat of the Bush-Cheney tatics. It's a clear choice, Obama-Biden 08.

Same old republicans--peeing on voters' heads and telling them it's raining. Sarah P has an annoying voice. They should limit her public speaking. She also has the audacity to sling mud already. She's trailer trash and a disgrace to professional women.

Oops, forgot this. Tonight the highly experienced military commander Governor Palin violated military operations regulations by announcing the unit and date of deployment for her son Track. I would think that one of the requirements to be commander in chief would be to at least know and obey the military regulations designed to protect the security of our troops being deployed to an overseas war. And for those interested in the truth about her military experience with the Alaskan National Guard - check the AK Guard's website to find out who really has the only authorization to commmand the troops. And while claiming to have all that experience commanding the AK Guard, Governor Palin obviously doesn't know the restrictions placed on a governor's authority over a state guard as detailed in The Montgomery Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act of 1987 and The John Warner Defense Authorization Act of 2007. Check those to learn the facts about how a governor has virtually no command authority over a State Guard. The Republicans think we will just accept whatever they say is the truth. But I am just one of those patriotic American voters who feel it is my duty to track down the facts on my own. More voters should.

ONE MORE TIME: Nobody is bashing the KIDS. The MOTHER who is using her special-needs child and her pregnant daughter to make political hay deserves everything she comes in for. Heartless, un-loving, and un-Christian is what I call it. Sarah Palin is a cockroach.

She was...great?
Days of speechwriting and coaching...and this is the result?
She came off as the insufferable prom queen that you hated in high school..
She USED her family in the most disgusting way ( and this from a woman who CUT funding for unwed mothers and handicapped children!! Go look it up!)
And the two "great reformers" want you to vote for...all of SAME stuff that has crippled our wonderful country?
Good thinking.

McCain's a man of family. As a conservative, McCain should consider the old tradition of keeping it in the family by adopting Levi Johnston as his son before he marries Bristow Palin.

That way, Americans could celebrate the family by electing a first family!

What Palin failed to convince me is that she's prepared to assume the presidency if McCain's health fails.

I hate to say it, but since they keep talking about MCCains captivity - don't we have to factor in - that because of this captivity John McCain attempted to commit suicide twice. Also if I am not mistaken Skin cancer is quite serious and aggressive and he has had 3 fights with it, so vetting Palin is more than valid and quite important.

As a second issue, there is nothing wrong with a woman VP or president I atually think it would bring something unique to this country. With that said, I wouldn't get a new job with a 3 month old child with Down Syndrome. Let alone the second most important job in the world. That child deserves all my attention. After a couple of years sure go for it. Every expert I have always talked to has said that a mother is the most important thing in those first couple of months.

Most of the responders here are up in arms. I conclude that Palin's speech was good. Whether your Dem or Rep, give her and McCain's advisors credit: they accomplished a lot with this speech of Palin, with her family standing behind her, including the "sinners" and the DS baby. This isn't free choice, but it did project a capacity of all-inclusion and tolerance to alleviate the "must": the teenage girl who gets pregnant, the boyfriend who will marry her to correct the mistake; the DS baby, the husband who takes care of the children so the wife can pursue her career. A president at 72; a VP who is 44 without an advanced degree. Complete diversity, not perfection, but intense humanness. That is a rather strong image. And because she worked her way up from soccer mom and has that family, she lived the steps while staying in touch with all levels of the ladder. She doesn't just talk. I think the Reps succeeded in showing that their side is foundated on genuine, lived experience, not just intellect. That is rather powerful. Whether it is enough to justify the Republican agenda, is another matter, but it certainly made it believable that McCain is different from Bush and that Palin will shake up the U.S. government with a breath of fresh air. It was a good beginning and the Dems will have to make an extra effort to show what they will do for the working classes and that without economic stability, there is no tolerance. That is the Dem's strength.

"Hello, world! I'm Sarah Palin! You don't know me, and I don't know you. That's why I'm going to stand here screeching about how great I am and how stupid you all are! Did I tell you I have a family?! Now go to hell for asking about them! All of you, go to hell! Ain't I great?!"

I like your post B Meier!!! Accurate assessment. I had to laugh at the "sinners" comment lol!! I do wonder why they felt the need to have Bristol's Baby Daddy there

What a nasty woman and speech. Repubs should be ashamed of themselves. All I saw what hate being spewed about Obama and Dems tonight. Nasty.

Um, has anyone else on these boards noticed how certain people keep writing about how Obama is going to "loose?" Seriously, surf around.

Am I the only one that finds that funny?

Great speech by a Christian conservative? I doubt it. Seasoned politician? I doubt it? Great mom? I doubt it. A people will always get the leadership they deserves. How long will America be on the offensive. George Bush has called for more 'fight the enemy abroad before he gets to our homes'. After McCain and his Pal first term America's status in the world will surely plunge.

The funny thing is -- every single argument that you Obammunists claim against Palin can be turned against YOUR candidate. The only difference is that Palin's the VP candidate, not the prez.

Posted by: StopDeludingYourself | September 4, 2008 1:27 AM
----------------------
If the Republicans want to argue that Palin has executive experience and so she is more qualified than Obama then McCain isn't qualified either, is he? So Palin should be in the top spot, i guess is there point???

Finally an attractive intelligent woman with great legs compared to Hilarys covered fence posts.

Sarah was sensational. She never said that families were off limits. It was your silly candidate.

The only thing I can think of is stuffing Palin's mouth..... Her voice is irritating. Anyone else think of Fargo?

Gosh, Kinsley. Are you really that stupid? But to spell it out for you, there is a big difference in introducing your family, and having the media trash them.

I'm guessing you knew that ... so what's the point of your article?

Oh, a little upset over the knockout Palin performance?

...there is one point, of which I seriously believe we are missing...Palin is NOT the best selection for the Republican VP spot...Palin is NOT the best/qualified FEMALE in the Republican party for this VP position...But unfortunately she is the one that accepted.

The most shameless part of Palin's push-button speech was her linchpin assertion that, despite Obama/Biden saying they will fight for America, McCain is the only candidate who "has fought". The clear intention, to single out military service as a prerequisite for the presidency, is ludicrous. Or maybe not. By her standard, John Kerry would be in office now instead of Bush, who spent Vietnam on Bourbon Street and then cut cake with McCain while Naw'lins washed away. Palin's remark comes exactly four years after the Swift Boat ads were hatched, and reeks of the same shamelessness, which has become par for the course among Republicans, who will say anything, out of both sides of their mouths, to retain the same power they have abused all decade.

I can see why so many people are shaking in their boots. In Palin, I sense a female Ronald Reagan; a visionary with deep conviction and an ability to realign the political landscape. That may scare the establishment but I am absolutely delighted to see someone who is capable of reigniting and expanding the republican party. Go Palin! You are the real agent for change!

Obama uses his kids to some degree too.

Check any of this out on the Wikipedia
McCain-Naval Academy graduate 894 out 899
Known as partier and had problems with authority. Got into flight training because grandaddy and dad were admirials.
Came back from Nam and offered rear-adrimial. Lot of medals-for what?
Nope, I's going into politics. Tossed first wife for Cindy (Ron and Nancy cut him off) Cindy had back problem started taking Vicadin and Percs. Really got heavy into them when couldn't find receipts during Keating investgation which she and her father were involved.She was part of a charity orginization and had doctor write illegal scripts for her. Whistle blower turned into DEA which John side stepped by throwing her out on TV morning show saying she was all better. The gloves are off here in MI. Party Dude and Caribou Barbie will be here Friday.

John and Sarah stop using Trig as your "Tropy Baby" This is not a Lifetime Movie starring John Mccain and Sara Palin. Stop making Levi out to be some knight in shining armor. He is being forced into marrying Bristol and he probably will be driving around in several new vehicles in Alaska by the end of the week. He really cleaned up his act for opening night. She just proved a major point that she has “ZERO” experienced in National and Foreign Policy. She mentioned when her son was being deployed. It is illegal for people to announce the date when and where the United States will be deploying troops. She just jeopardized the lives of many people in the military.

ToddHK wrote:

"...a visionary with deep conviction..."

Yeah, that's exactly what I thought when I saw that picture of her showing off her tas in that 'I May Be Broke But I'm Not Flat Busted' t-shirt. I believe I've seen that shirt before on the Ocean City Boardwalk...and on not-so-visionary, not-so-fashion-forward young ladies of not-so-much conviction. Must've been laundry day I guess.

"I hope the Democrats use the "Drill, Baby, Drill" propaganda against McCain/Palin at some point. maybe juxtapose Exxon-Valdez, homeless arctic fauna, nuclear meltdowns rendering entire cities useless and contaminated for years to come."

Nuclear meltdowns destroying our cities? Talk about scare tactics to persuade voters! Honestly, what is the worst nuclear energy accident in US history? Three-Mile Island? How many people died? Now go look up the statistic for how many people died last year working in coal mines, add to that the number of people dying from asthma complications, etc., and I think you will realize that nuclear energy is one of the safest forms of energy that we have.

Stop trying to scare people into voting for your side. You blame Republicans of doing this, and yet here you are doing the same.

FINALLY!!! Someone mentions Keating! Where has the 'lefty media' been on this? Thank you Facts.

Of course all the conservative shills claimed she was the natural successor to Churchill. It was Republican boiler plate read competently enough but I wonder if the Repubs had listened to this woman's voice. It's like a saw hitting a nail.

Well Governor Palin certainly brought out the lieberal hate mail after her speach last night.

At least one thing is very clear to me - shes works for the people's benefit - not the lobbyists, insiders or special interest groups. This is the most important thing to remember.

From the woman perspective my wife has already stated she will vote for her because she has values and has lived those values.

Think of Palin as just one more fighter plane that McCain is going to crash. Really, I am appalled at his total irresponsibility, to the point where I think he has some very serious mental problems. The Repubs who showed up in St. Paul were self-programmed to turn their experience into something positive, to make lemonade out of these two lemons.

She certainly delivers a good speech; definitely an improvement on Dan Quayle.

If she were to become (vice)president, everyone would finally have to face up to the fact that America does not have the "resources" to continue our current lifestyle, no matter how cutely she asserts that we do.

There's the liberal in me; thinking about the good of the country, when I should be focused on winning this election.

She failed to mention that Republicans have been in charge the last 8 years.
All the problems we face, the mess we have, are products of Gov. Palin's own party.

Let's get one thing straight from the start.
We can disagree on the weight of Palin's experience, or how to measure her education against Obama/Biden.
We also need to admit that being a woman is a tough and confusing hurdle in American politics.

But there would be no more corrupt administration than a Palin administration.
Not in the past, present or future.
She stands ready to turn every environmental and church/state protection on its head.

And she wouldn't even know she's doing it half the time.

Good Grief, the point was to introduce herself to the Republican Party and the world. The liberals have not been caught with their pants down like this since Bill Clinton was in office (pun intended). You guys are running scared and showing more who you really are everyday, please keep whining!!

Well, I won't comment on whether families are off limits or whether democrats or republicans whine more - they both whine too much. On content her speech was amazingly ill-informed. Her comments on energy were just silly. Energy independence through fossils fuels is probably only possible for a few countries (think Saudi Arabia, Iraq, maybe Iran) in the world and the US isn't one of them. How she gets away unchallenged with using the rhetoric of energy independence is beyond me.

I don't know how much of her speech was by her own hand and how much was by the campaign. Either way, her energy independence line was, as I said silly. This is very much too bad because we'll all pay the price for shortsighted thinking.

Good luck America, you'll need it.

OBAMA-SEQUINED-CHAMELEON’S KISS

-~America is great~-
-~We can change it~-
www.barackobama.comeleon

By selecting Joe Biden, Obama implicitly acknowledges that, in fact, the “Hopeful Barack Obama” (himself with his background Family - as Family always dwells IN INTIMATE LIMITS of the Imago of every individual -) is singularly deprived of the complex, full capacity, and capability of leading the USA (and I would add, far more than Governor Palin who, at least, has an experience of governing, while Obama has only experiences of complacent rhetorics.)

And yet, the President is THE President of the USA, and the vice-president is only a vice-president…
(This prospective of Obama Presidency male dominance was amusingly highlighted by the macho kiss of Obama on Biden’s wife’s mouth, in front of a “surprised” Biden, and an “electrified” or mesmerized folkloric crowd. By the way, Biden did not even “think” of kissing Obama’s wife on her mouth : Hierarchy commands Hierarchy !)

More seriously, Obama, despite his undulating phraseology, has finally revealed himself totally ignorant of IDEOLOGY WAR.
Obama could send as many soldiers to be killed, and spend as many billions of dollars, in Afghanistan instead of Iraq (what an innovative revolution ! ) : that would not change one iota, on the long term, in the War against Islam Terrorism.

The real and only target on the long term is the Madrasas, Islamic Schools & Centres, etc. who teach tirelessly the murderous hatred of all non-Muslims : (Jews, Christians, Hindouists, Buddhists, Shintoists, Animists, Shamanists, Marxists, etc.)

A perfect example of this IDEOLOGY WAR is given, TODAY on an impressive scale, by the Genocide of Darfour :
And who rushed first to the aid of the President of Sudan (and his acolytes who masterminded this Genocide) ???
- An angry Assembly of Arab Ministers ! (although the Moslem Population of Sudan are not Arabs but Africans enslaved and converted by force to Islam in the 9th century…)

And, here again, Obama (by himself and with his background family) appears completely disarmed, glued and vulnerable in the interlocked Fundamentals of the Islam Terrorism Ideology.
At least, John Mc Cain offers an efficient guaranty of the valuable experience of collective discipline, which is one of the minimum conditions of waging war against any Terrorism.

Should, one predictable day, the Pakistani (or Iranian) atomic Weapon fall in the hands of Al-Qaida, Talibans, and other similar Syndicates, their automated brains, fully loaded with petrodollars but rather humiliated, thirsting for revenge, and wanting to set to Occident a spectacular and unforgettable example of MUHAMMADAN JIHAD , would not hesitate, one minute, to use the Atomic Weapon, to wipe off Israel, to set ablaze the Middle East Oil reserves (of the “civilized World”) and to strike the powerful USA…
And then, the 11-9 surprise of the twin towers of New-York would be nothing compared to the Hell Disaster to come.

On the necessary way of waging War efficiently, on the long term, against Islamic Terrorism, without endlessly sacrificing soldiers and wasting billions of Dollars :
SEE : http://jerusalem-4thtemple-natan.blogspot.com
Post : “ROBOMARTYRS”

P.S. Quizz : (-the first who finds the right answer wins 1 US Dollar paid by Natan-) :
Why the running-Mate of Barack Obama is not Hillary Clinton ?

Less than two minutes in I turned it off. Not only was she boring, whiney and nasty, but intimidating with the fists and fingers in the face (camera) and with the gruesome, scrunched up mean face.
The latter reminded me of a terrifying Kabuki war mask.

Yep - Pit Bull Palin wants to have it both ways.

On Monday she appeals for the media to respect her daughter and family privacy - and 48 hours later she's parading the daughter and boyfriend as poster children for the Conservative right - does the poor daughter need this type of media exposure right now?

Mind you given the way that Palin flip-flops on political issues back in Alaska I guess we shouldn't be surprised.

Pit Bull Palin is ruthless and will do anything if she thinks it gives her a political advantage - even throw her 17 year old to the media pack .......

What I would find funny, if it weren't so scary, is the number of people who still believe the lies and fear mongering of the Republican machine. I do hope that most of the McCain/Palin supporting comments here are written by the same batch of die-hard neocons. I'd hate to think that many people are that incapable of reasoned and independent thought. Palin appealed to people who were going to vote Republican come hell or high water anyway. I don't believe her candidacy will bring in any new or undecided voters. In fact, it appears that her place on the ticket is moving many undecideds into the D column.

How ANYONE could vote for and support the McCain/Palin ticket is beyond any reasonable understanding. They are both hypocrites of the highest order. How dare she cut funding to single mothers while her daughter is paraded as some sort of poster child for teenage pregnancy (and obviously against her own will). How dare she spout about too much government spending and then bring in millions in government pork for her small town while 67% of that town's population live below the poverty line. The Republicans slammed Hillary for her attitude and yet praise Palin for an incredibly self-important and arrogant demeanor. Business as usual for the GOP.

Getting down and dirty is NOT what an election is or should be about. It is about the issues facing us today and how we are going to fix the things that need to be fixed (a list that appears to be limitless given the damage done by Bush and company)and improve on the things that are working. It is about being inclusive - not about hating and mud-slinging. And it not about tearing down the other guy to lift yourself up. I thought we all learned these lessons as children. Obviously, some people didn't get the message.

The comments about Palin being the successor to Churchill demands comment.

Churchill switched parties twice in the UK, conservative to liberal then back again.

Churchill intentionally left Australia and New Zealand on their own during WWII.

Churchill was the author of one of the greatest military blunders of the 20th century (Gallipoli).

Churchill managed to get tossed out of power immediately after WWII. The British were so tired of him and his conservative government that they elected a Labour government with a strong socialist agenda.

So by saying that Palin is Churchillian are pundits saying that she is likely to be untrustworthy? incompetent? Or are pundits merely commenting that like Churchill Palin will not likely sleep with Lady Astor?

Palin is a rare venturer into our national political world. Her family isn't off limits in our political discourse, it's frankly the reason why voters will see in her the strains of ordinary America that Democrats deride as 'embittered,' and 'clinging to guns and religion' in times of crisis.

Let's face it: Palin had one opportunity to reintroduce her family to a country pummeled with salacious reports about a pregnant 17 year old daughter and a small Peyton Place erupting underneath her role as a small town mayor and 20-month governor incumbent of a remote rural (frontier?) state. Why not exalt the virtues of family sacrifice in caring for a baby affected by trisomy, or the equally virtuous choice to stand by a pregnant teen with support and help?

Depend on this: Obama (whom I support) will have a tough time overcoming the critique of his candidacy delivered by Palin and Guiliani last night. Yes their speeches were partisan and sarcastic, but in many ways they were factual and reminiscent of what Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, both Democrats, alleged of Mr. Obama in the Spring primaries.

I believe Mr. Obama and Mrs. Palin are the same age. Don't we have room in our national political life for young families (like the Obamas and the Palins) who bring some ordinary life rythms into our focus?

If Osama bin Laden raped and impregnated Bristol Palin's younger sister, would Sarah Palin force her daughter to give birth to that child or allow her daughter to have an abortion if she wanted one?

Kinsley - What, she should NOT have introduced her family? What is wrong with you, man? Have you no sense of right and wrong? There is a huge difference between introducing her family last night and the allegations that her new-born was really her daughter's.

You are unbelievable, Kinsley.

Why so upset that Gov Palin talks about her life and her family?
And hasn't Sen Obama's life and family story been told by Dem's over and over?
Joe Biden and the tragedy of his first wife and devotion to his kids after that?

EAT YOUR HEART OUT LIBERALS. THERE IS A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN, AND SHE'S A LADY.
....BE AFRAID....VERY AFRAID

For all you morons that think Alaska is a "small" rural state, you had better go there first before you make such unqualified statements. It's definetly less rural in everyway than Delaware and I've lived in both states.

Slick, hostile, on the attack, malicious zeal, sarcasm, crude, scoffing, illogical, blatantly ridiculous, poor abused victims of media aggression (from Tom Shales' article).

Qualities very much like some of the far-right internet comments and blogs. That's who she reminds me of. Apparently, these qualities are very exciting to the Republican base. But they are not the qualities Americans will choose to put in the White House. Period.

Now the Democrats must be asking themselves - "what went wrong in our vetting process, was our vetting process too hasty?" Hah - Dems are stuck with empty shirt Obama who got his butt kicked by Sarah Palin.

American voters watch out. Obama will probably be shot by the redneck republicans thristy for arms, wars, invasions and oil before he reaches the presidency. If McCain wins, Palin will rule and continue with the hypocritical and opportunist government

sonnysideup34 wrote:
THERE IS A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN, AND SHE'S A LADY.
....BE AFRAID....VERY AFRAID

---------------------------------------
We are.

Obama in his own words: "Pot had helped, and booze; maybe a little blow when you could afford it. Not smack, though," he says. Citation - Washington Post, 03 Jan 2007.

So my questions are 1) How much cocaine did Obama snort? 2) How much money did he pay for the cocaine? 3) Did he snort all the cocaine himself, or did he sell the rest? 4) Who did he buy the cocaine from?

Difference between Palin and Dick Cheney:
lipstick

Dude, maybe you got the memo but didn't read it - it's the OTHER "guys" family that's "off limits..."

Complaints about Pallin's family comments, but not a word on Obama's 10 minute introductory short film about himself and his roots...

I really dislike her. She seems snotty, mean and full of herself. She's sort of like a female version of Ann Coulter.

LOL. Yes, I mention my family, so it is justified for the national media to slander my family.

Nice logic Kinsley. Thanks for showing us liberal logic at its most disgusting.

Let's see how you like it.

Kinsley has been married since 2002 and has no children. Maybe it is because he is gay and their marriage is a fraud.

See look. I can be liberal too.

What you're seeing now is the difference between a party that feigns tolerance and fair treatment (Dems) and the one that actually practices it (Repubs).

The left, infuriated at the very real possibility of seeing the first woman VP come from the other party, has been hammering her and her family ever since her selection. How dare she run without first appearing on, "Meet the Press"!

She comes out swinging, introduces and defends her family, then hammers the empty suit that is Barack Obama. She exposes the agenda of the mainstream press while morons like Kinsley continue to reinforce her point.

Poor poor Kinsley!
Poor poor Obadroids!
Poor poor Hussein!
After spending three days spreading their lies and slander about Palin they get hauled on the carpet and they can't stand it!
How dare Palin take them on!
They want to pretend the previous three days of ObaKosKid trash never happened.
And how double dare anyone point out what all the world knows:
The DemoFrauds have nominated a completely unqualified affirmative action crack head surrender monkey who has never done nothing. NOTHING! ZIP! NADA!
Even Joe Biden says so!
Ha ha ha!

Oh yeah, he took a summer vacation in Europe where because he couldn't bring the photographers along he dissed the troops.
I sure wish I had the franchise for ObaBot knee pads... all that kissing his backside!

She told it like it is, and all the lefty's can't take it.

Cry me a river!!!!!!!!!!

Joe Bidden isn't smug????????

Could someone address why Sarah Palin was so smug and condescending?

Posted by: Mary | September 4, 2008 12:07 AM

WOW, Gov Palin is quite a woman! She must never sleep! As a working mom, I struggle everyday w/ guilt, guilt when I leave a pile of work on my desk to go home and cook dinner for the kids, guilt when I cannot make back to school night because of work, guilt because I'm so exhausted I cannot do the laundry before going to bed and the kids have to scrounge around for clean clothes in the morning. HOW DOES SHE DO IT? I have 3 kids, none of them w/ special needs, she has 5.

Oh yeah, I forgot, SHE IS NOT A WORKING MOM. She has a stay-at-home dad to take care of the kids. I, unfortunately, do not have that luxury. She is no hero to the working mom, she is a career woman. Good for her but a false front.

The Republicans use her as their badge of woman's rights. Oops, forgot, they are against woman's issues. Bristol Palen made the difficult decision to keep her baby, decision or choice, sounds the same. Her mom would not allow the rest of us to make that "decision" even in cases of rape and incest. Her mom wants to teach abstinence only in the schools and is against contraception...it did not work so well for Bristol. Her mom does not believe in Universal Health Care, not a problem for Bristol but a problem for many working class poor. On and On.

I understand her appeal and she is certainly fired up. But to push her in our faces, us "soccer, football, hockey, karate, swim, wrestling, lacrosse....moms who happens to come from a family of BOTH parents working, it's insulting.

As Rudy said last night, how dare we question her? How dare we not? I want to know, how does she do it? No, we do not ask male politicians because they have a wife who stays home. But if they (The Republicans) are going to push her in front of us as a hero to the working mom, then I want to know how she does it all. That is a legitimate question...especially if she becomes Vice President.

John McCain did not stand by his first wife and family, he forged ahead with Cindy and money by his side, so all the American values stuff is smoke and mirrors brainwashing. American citizens are not supposed to be ruled by alternate Taliban regimes where fundamentalists dictate what their beliefs will be. There are many who are going to have abortions who are just as honorable as those who don't. Real life for most isn't standing on a platform getting accolades for having babies under any and all circumstances. Real life for many is trying to pay medical costs, school costs, pay bills generally and keep kids out of gangs and trouble while keeping one's head out of a bottle of alcohol due to stress, unpaid child support, exhaustion, etc. It isn't always about babies. It is about kids who aren't quite as cute and who need support, help, discipline, love. Wealthy dogmatic pro lifers - get off your high horses and go and do some laundry for a single parent who kept a child. Go and get your hands dirty and deal with real life. I can't believe the kind of b.s. that so many Americans fall into in order to convince themselves someone/anyone can lead a country. Employers! Throw out your resume requirements and hire those who can con the best. If these individuals can lead a country without experience, surely to God degrees and experience aren't required to manage most anything.

I read on DailyKos that Kinsley is an infamous bath house queen,
the guy who introduced Craig to the Minneapolis men's rooms,
and that his spastic condition is a symptom of his AIDS.
Now prove it isn't true Kinsley.

Just an empty skirt. Played out already. How can she complain about Washington insiders when McBush has been in Washington forever and what has he accomplished ? He rolled over and played dead with Bush's signing statements.

Forget "Bush in a dress." She's Ted Nugent in drag.

I can just imagine the nasty Republican comments if HILLARY had brought Chelsea to the convention wearing the baby bump!

I can hear it now...."The apple doesn't fall far from the tree"....

I wonder how many other baby surprises there are in the Palin family! Do we know exactly how long the Palins were married before their son Track arrived?

We have a lot yet to learn about that "pit bull with lipstick"! She IS fair game, and so are her kids, thanks to her! I like the way the GOP had her daughter carrying baby Trig in a draping blanket the night Sarah Palin was first introduced by McCain in order to cover her bulging pregnancy!

Just like Obama said in his speech: Republicans are good at running elections and horrible at running the country. She gave a good speech that energized all of the people in that hall last night (who by the way were all white, showing how homogenous the Republican party is).

I hope that people dont look at only her interesting life story and ignore who she is and what she stands for. You know, all of that evangelical, home schooling, intelligent design, pro-death penalty, anti-choice, anti-environment, pro-oil drilling stuff.

Thats whats really important. Not the fact that she was on the PTA. Maybe someone should ask her what she prepared for the bake sale fundraisers

How would a parent really react on the news of that their 17 year old daughter is pregnant, and the kid who knocked her up is a highschool drop out who use to play hockey?

In my experience conservatives esp dads don't take this news well. They are conservatives after all, no pre-marital sex and all that. Do they then magnify the situation by broadcasting it on the biggest stage imagininable? Stand up in the town square and announce it to one and all?

Seriously looking at Palins dealing with this situation, I think she's just a bleeding heart liberal, who thinks yeh I wanna be VP, I mean who doesn't, so I'll act like a strict, no nonsense conservative.

Now we have Cotton-Top and Bunny-Hop on the ballot, it's time to remember...

Bunny-Hop’s speech was G-R-R-E-A-T! No need to wonder if this lady is a faster learner than Oliver North, semi-retired neocon militarist, in preparing for her all-networks debut. She only apparently had a few days to master the noble art of television deception, though she's had prior experience in front of the cameras. And by accounts of those who know her, no trouble lying with a twinkle in her pretty eyes. I wonder if she'll be wired for prompting by her handlers, like other Red performers of late... What was that bump on Bush's back? Were Reagan's "hearing aids" really from Beltone?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/02/AR2008090202527_Comments.html#

It took that "heroic" ape North something like 6 months with Republican handlers before they thought he was ready for prime time to "testify" like a Baptist preacher before Congressional committees investigating an earlier neocon geopolitical jerkery that came to be known as Irangate, or Iran-Contra, take your pick. "I don't recall," and "I was defending the nation as best I could," he said, yadayadayada. These folks are real pros at slowly hacking away at what remains of the Constitution. Ollie hid behind that word "honor," too -- and it got him a job at FOX! Oh well, at least he didn't escape military service by going AWOL or "having other priorities" or, my favorite in the case of Rush Limbaugh, having a painful pilonidal cyst. (He seems to have miraculously recovered long since, unless there's a donut pillow that we can't see, on that chair that has to bear the groaning weight of his body and his ego.)

And, said North, of the day he finalized the delivery of antiaircraft missiles to the Ayatollah's Iran in exchange for a variety of considerations (like the release of hostages),

"Everything was absolutely ideal on the day I gave the Iranian fundamentalists weapons that could shoot down US and Israeli aircraft, and a bunch of other stuff that I have been talking about more freely now that I have a pardon and the statute of limitations on treason has run.

"The sky was blue. The birds were singing. And the bastards were finally going to get what was coming to them. I mean the Commie Pinko Leftists bastards who dared to be democratically elected as the government of Nicaragua, via the weapons I purchased with money I got from Noriega and Columbian drug dealers and also maybe out of the Pentagon's Black Budget, I ain't saying."

These people are getting good at this -- and they all somehow remember to say "I can't remember" and "I have no present recollection" to investigators after the fact, when they're called on the carpet for blatant kleptocracy.

Funny how it's okay to use family to your benefit in politics and then cry foul if a critic should discuss a family issue. If politicians want their families to be off limits, then they should keep them off the stage and out of their speeches. That goes for all politicians.

Judy Dench was a very convincing Queen Elizabeth in one of her latest movies. She acted the part superbly and followed the script without morphing into the actual royalty.
Sarah Palin followed, read and delivered her scripted and prepared text with zest and conviction, without morphing into an experienced, thoughtful politician.
Any ideas how many 'consultants' and writers were involved in this little piece of oratory, demonstrating Aristotle's first rule of Rhetoric: Know thy audience?
If you objected to the speech, blame her handlers, image makers and speechwriters. They are the one who push the buttons and pull the strings.

Another bit of advice, Ms. Palin: If you want to be Commander in Chief-in-training, you need to learn about OPSEC (Operational Security), which you just violated, thereby endangering a whole lot of American troops, including your son.

As with most of the Republicans, "support the troops" for her is pretty much limited to a couple bucks for a car magnet.

Could someone address why Sarah Palin was so smug and condescending?
********

have been in a cave the last 4 days?

obama was the one who said that "mccain wont even follow bid laden to the cave he lives in."

first off, it is not clear what this even means.

second, obama is pretty smug about his seeming willingness to pursue bin laden to his cave over a guy who actually went to to war and was a POW for 6 years.

now THATS a smug, condescending cheap shot

wosr of all, it a load of complete bull

What's with the cowboy hats??? Did I wake up in the Wild West? Sorry, this is NOT mainstream America. Total turnoff. Also, it was surreal to see Mrs. Palin talk. I thought I was watching a movie. Can she take over as President if (God forbid) something happen to McCain???? God forbid!
She DOES have a future in politics, just not now.

Do you actually get paid for this drivel?

I've never been prouder as an American, watching the GOP womenfolk passing around the poor challenged baby for the cameras and the daughter's baby daddy there with her to bask in their praise as such upstanding and responsible future GOP parents.

I hope this trend of GOP candidates and their children continues. No group has suffered more of a social stigma than pregnant teenagers and their baby daddies.

It's time we tell our children not to "go out and sin no more", but simply "Go out and sin some more!".

Did someone forget to tell Sarah Palin that families are off-limits?
*******

wait a second kinsley. are you crazy or just partisan?

are you saying that the media should scrutinize and attack obama's two daugters simply because they were introduced on stage at the DNC?

paulc at 1:54 am.

What you said certainly bears repeating:

I am a two-term council member, and former mayor of a Northern California city. California is the sixth largest economy in the world, and we, too, are a *western* state.

My city is larger than Wasilla, and we did not get $29M in Federal earmarks for local projects, nor did we ask for them.

Clearly small rural, western cities like Wasilla that don't have tax bases, live and die on Federal re-distributions from taxpayers in urban areas like mine that do.

Yet Palin maintains a macho image of rural, independence, and contempt for those whose handouts she gladly took without gratitude or acknowledgment. Handouts that she pretends she will eliminate, but knows she cannot.

Palin bites the hand that feeds her.

By saying parents of children with "special needs" will have a friend in Washington, she could have said, honestly, I will redirect taxpayer monies from taxpayers who do not have children with special needs to those, like me, who do.

But that is the kind of big government program that Sarah pretends to oppose.

Frankly, I'm happy to help Sarah, but I've been treated better for doing so.

Nothing Sarah Palin said inspires me to participate in a government she would run.

I hope thats' not the point.

I am observing all this from Australia. What image does this project for the USA overseas. Having a "hockey (read trailer) mom" for VP. Very sophisticated!
Further the republicans are full of double standards. Imagine how they would scream if Obama's had a 17 year old daughter who was pregnant. Its OK for Palin to point to members of her family when its suits, but mention the daughter and she is being treated unfairly. Shouldn't someone who is a heartbeat away from the presidency be held to a higher standard?

Jesus was a community organizer. Guess that these folks don't read the bibles they are so fond of quoting from.

I don't care who is running in the Republican Party. I wouldn't vote for any of them. The Republican Party gave us 8 years of hell. They are absolutely crazy, if they think they are getting my vote. By the way, Polin is like the Taco Bell dog compared to Hillary.

Wow - the Quick Takes fear is palpable. It looks like Sarah Palin will not just curl up and take the vitriolic writings of the Washington Post (e.g., Sally Quinn in the RELIGION section)without comment. No, she is going to speak back to the entrenched Washington press. I think the biased writings in the Post will be fodder for journalism classes for years to come, i.e., what NOT to do.

If the GOP believes that their party represents a crossection of America, all you have to do is look at the crowd that was there at the RNC compared to the DNC. I thought I saw 10,000 Rush Limbaugh's in the audience last night.
Sickening!

Gee, I didn't know Kinsley was still employed someplace.

She said nothing to ease the worry that she can cover for McCain if necessary.
Obama all the way!!

I don't understand why some people idolize Reagan. To me he is the idiot responsible for thousands of deaths in Central America. By the way, don't give me that Cold War hero crap. I am sure Reagan is answering his sins to God right at this minute.

They ridiculed Obama for using a tele prompter. Wasn't Palin using the same?

This wasn't a speech, it was a stand-up comedy routine. Palin has to attack, because the moment she discusses policy issues people will find out how incredibly right she is.

Also, why is her family off limits? To be honest, I'm concerned about the level of intelligence or willingness to change someone can possess who's young daughter just became pregnant out of wedlock, yet STILL supports abstinence only education.

With all the quaified Republican women we get CHENEY IN A DRESS!

I've been listening to Republicans talking about Palin, and I've realized McCain has ZERO executive experience. Why did McCain even run for President? Palin should have run with all her executive experience. Right?
;-)

Poor poor Kinsley!
Poor poor Obadroids!
Poor poor Hussein!
After spending three days spreading their lies and slander about Palin they get hauled on the carpet and they can't stand it!
How dare Palin take them on!
They want to pretend the previous three days of ObaKosKid trash never happened.
And how double dare anyone point out what all the world knows:
The DemoFrauds have nominated a completely unqualified affirmative action crack head surrender monkey who has never done nothing. NOTHING! ZIP! NADA!
Even Joe Biden says so!
Ha ha ha!

Oh yeah, he took a summer vacation in Europe where because he couldn't bring the photographers along he dissed the troops.
I sure wish I had the franchise for ObaBot knee pads... all that kissing his backside!

Posted by: JamesT | September 4, 2008 7:03 AM

It is okay to tell your own biography you idiot.

Palin has effectively challenged the media. Not very savvy for a prospective VP. The media should now declare open season on her.

Poor poor Kinsley!
Poor poor Obadroids!
Poor poor Hussein!
After spending three days spreading their lies and slander about Palin they get hauled on the carpet and they can't stand it!
How dare Palin take them on!
They want to pretend the previous three days of ObaKosKid trash never happened.
And how double dare anyone point out what all the world knows:
The DemoFrauds have nominated a completely unqualified affirmative action crack head surrender monkey who has never done nothing. NOTHING! ZIP! NADA!
Even Joe Biden says so!
Ha ha ha!

Oh yeah, he took a summer vacation in Europe where because he couldn't bring the photographers along he dissed the troops.
I sure wish I had the franchise for ObaBot knee pads... all that kissing his backside!

Posted by: JamesT | September 4, 2008 7:03 AM
IGNORANCE, DECEPTION, DISTORTION AND LIES CAN HARDLY SUPPRESS THE TRUTH. AND ANGER MAKES THE SITUATION WORSE. THE SOONER THE WRITER AND THE REPUBS LEARN THAT THE BETTER FOR THEM AND THE COUNTRY. IT'S NOW OVER FOR THEM, I'M AFRAID...

Sadly, I think McCain/Palin could win.
The majority of the voting public has repeatedly demonstrated their stupidity in the last 2 elections. The issues won't matter. It's just "aw shucks" appeal, who would you have a beer with... Why are people so excited by having the average American so close to the highest office of the land (and possibly the world)? I wouldn't want Joe or Jane six pack to do my taxes, provide my financial planning or my medical care, and I certainly wouldn't want him/her as president/VP.

Barrack can still win! If he can convince Hillary's supporters to forgive and forget that he collective gave Her and them the finger during his campaign. He will also need to convince Bitter small town Whites that cling to Guns, Religion, Love of American and believe in our Constitution against Invasion and the rule of Law that the largest invasion in world history, of any country, at any time, by any means and that is taking their jobs and lowering their standard of living while killing, robbing and raping American citizens by the 10,s of thousands every year and is slowly but surely changing American into an Spanish speaking third world cesspool of Crime, Corruption, Poverty and Misery, modeled on Mexico, is a good thing for them and American.

He may even start losing losing black votes since they are the ones paying the greatest price for his pandering for Hispanic votes to fuel his political ambitions and lust for power!

They are starting to realize that Barracks open Borders and Amnesty for the Invading horde will completely disfranchise and destroy the political gains, civil rights & progress made by Black Americans and empower the Racist Hispanics.

He needs to explain why he and most Democrats Believe that Article IV Section IV of our Constitution against Invasion, enforcement of our Immigration Laws and their Oath of office are all null and void!

He needs to future explain why he thinks Babies born alive should be denied medical care and left to suffer until they die! Why he considers babies an punishment and worthy of killing!

He will need to convince them that attending the church of hate, supporting and listening to Hate American, Hate Whites and hate everything but Blacks and Muslims for 20 years while hanging out with criminals, terrorist and racist is no big deal and no harm intended!

Nice rack.

I worry that Track may be placed in harm's way, a little too deliberately during the last week in October...

The Beverly Hillbillies are coming to the White House. Talk about a decline of standards. I suppose we will get the government we deserve

Palin for VP? no way. Her speech last night crystallized, at least for me, the choice we all face in this election: Hope? or Hate?

Go ahead and slam the community organizers,of which there are thousands who conduct the most thankless job in the world: Helping the poor, the uninsured sick, the diseased, the jobless while the rest of America celebrates wealth and indulgence 24/7.

Palin revealed herself to be worse than most of us thought. Lying to Americans while giving the religioius right the despicable racial code words that they live by. Disgusting.

As bad as she was, it was nothing compared to Rudy Giuliani. Truly a despicable human being. Anyone who tuned in expecting the soaring, visionary rhetoric of Ronald Reagan must have been shocked. No longer America's mayor, reduced now to being McCain's fool.

As for McCain, extol his suffering in Hanoi all you want, but please do not tell me he suffered for me, to keep me safe and protect my freedom. Soldiers are instruments of political leaders. Brave, yes, but they are still hired guns. We rely on the political leaders to use them wisely and hopefully sparingly.

Did you see McCain's vision for the future in any of the speakers last night? Do you still think Palin is fit to sit in the oval office? What is her vision?

Hope or Hate? My choice is Hope.

All I know is that I would feel terribly disillusioned if the American people actually end up choosing the McCain/Palin ticket to run this country.

As far as I've been able to tell, neither half of that ticket seems really very interested in uniting the country.

I'd feel invigorated with a vibrant younger man, forward thinking and optimisitc, at the lead for once, instead of yet another crusty old man. And backed by an angry sessesionist this time.

The Republican dirt-dredger has been going now in full force for three decades. They haven't hesitated to take the focus off the issues because, at 30% nation-wide registration, let's face it, they cannot win any other way BUT to throw an ill-prepared woman and her hapless family into the machine and start spraying--After all, they have been the masters of tabloid journalism for a long time and HAD to have known how the media would treat Palin (without ANY help from their opponent) THEN, they cry foul against the other side for "dragging the debate down" when they DO respond to Republicans' preposterous caricatures and even more preposterous claims of "unfairness." Sarah Palin is not the issue, nor even the hypocrisy of foraging for millions in Fed. assistance as mayor then turning around and smugly claiming to have "cleaned things up" and apparently opposing Federal earmarks.

My Dad (a lifelong Republican, by the way) always said that scoundrels who are backed into a corner, always accuse you of what it is they are guilty of. Of COURSE Republicans have thrown Palin's family out to the media deliberately. They can accuse their opponents of virtually anything, whether they are responsible for the attacks or not because it has always worked!

I hope not this time.

strong , able, mom. leader, it should have been hill's time, except that slick talking car salesman (another man) smooth talks his way in. Ob has written 2 memoirs and never even sponsored a major bill while he was in the senate ? what a pompous....

I still am scratching my head as to why the polls are so close. With the sad situation this country is in now, why would we want another 4 years of the same ruling party? It really gives me no faith in the American people.

Was anyone else wondering about the 4 month old Palin baby. He was out there on display at 10 p.m. in a crowded, noisy hall. Of course, as a political prop and infant no one thought to ask him for his approval. However, I for one don't think it was right. I would never have allowed my son to be used in this manner so late in the night, or in the company of so many potential disease vectors (strange adults). Where's the outrage?

Palin is a supreme case of "do as I say, not as I do".

Such a hypocrite. Go ahead, vote for McCain-Palin and set women's rights back a hundred years. May as well take away their shoes, take away birth control, and take away their right to employment outside the home while you're at it.

Oh yeah, let's encourage everyone to keep their severely birth defective children too.

If she wants us to believe that she is a true hockey mom, what gives a hockey mom the qualifications to run a country???
Nuff said for me.

PERFECT!!!

So obvious you almost miss the hypocrisy.

Almost.

Dennis@8:10

Easy answer: because the alternative is the DemoFraud's America Hating Never Done Nothing Empty Suit Crack Head Surrender Monkey and his sidekick Joe who says that Hussein is not qualified to be President.
Why don't the DemoCra*ps believe Joe Biden?

Mcaine seems like a genuinely nice guy. But shows an extreme lack of judgment in picking Palin. I was going to vote for him until I heard Palin. She seems full of hate.

I've showered three times since her speech, and I just can't seem to get rid of that dirty feeling....
Also, as a combat veteran (US Army Infantry), she and all the rest of the reepublicans can kiss my ass if they think I'm not patriotic because I won't drink the GOP kool-ade; and who names their kids Trak and Trig? That alone should disqualify her.

Kinsely, better hope you never run into a real woman like Palin. Your snide little pissy attitude would probably result in a permenant loss of that last little bit of manhood you possess.

It seems the MSNBC Morning Joe group witnessed a different Palin speech last night. As a moderate republican I was deeply offended by her mean spirited speech - Carl Rove with a dress on. She has set the tone for the VP campaign and she best not whimper about it. Yet everyone is zeroed in on the women's vote; Palin effectively lost a large portion of the while male and minority vote with her spittle. It was also something of a shock to see an auditorium filled with nothing but middle-aged white people. Still no diversity in the GOP. Go Obama and Smokin'Joe.

Palin. Imagine her on the world stage. How embarrassing for the US.

Congratulations to the G.O.P. for introducing their Eva Peron -- their Alessandra Mussolini -- to the nation in a typical proto-fascist speech replete with lies and contradictions to appeal to extremist elements of the middle class. Yes, the gloves are off. Does the Democratic Party have enough courage and strength to confront and reverse the ongoing decline of representative democracy in the United States?

On DailyKos I read that one of Hussein's African brothers is really the father of one of his kids and G*d D*mn America Jaremiah Wright is the other's Baby Daddy.
When will the MSM demand DNA tests to put this rumor to rest?

"She failed to mention that Republicans have been in charge the last 8 years.
All the problems we face, the mess we have, are products of Gov. Palin's own party"

Say what..? You must have missed Rudys speech: is it liberal or conservative to increase gov't spending?

If they're buying from Rudy we're sunk - 'cause the truth is false, and we get perpetual war for perpetual peace..hm, sounds like a plotline for a book..

Of course, my favorite "pimping accessory" was the Blue Star Flag Lapel Pin she was wearing.

I have one child and one nephew in the military -- but I would never wear one of those pins, even if they were in harm's way.

Her kid is still in Alaska waiting deployment to Iraq.

All Pols love to exploit their families when it's to their benefit and feign outrage when anyone else pays them any mind. She's no different and if it weren't for her gender, far right credentials and family story, she wouldn't even have been considered. Her experience is irrelevant.

To hear Palin talk, you would think all 50 Governor's are more qualified than McCain, Obama and Biden put together, because they have an abundance of Executive experience. You know who else had a lot of Executive experience before they became President? Dubya. Oh, and the most experienced President of all time? James Buchanan, who is widely considered one of the worst Presidents of all time.

Obama should ackowledge his lack of experience and say, "so what"? The American people had a chance to have their voices heard and their votes counted during the primary season and they chose McCain and Obama. They're smart enough to know that the only job that can truly prepare a candidate for the Presidency is the Presidency itself.

Bush, Chaney, Rumsfield = Experience. So what?

She(and her handlers) certainly know how to tap into Republican resentments, and it worked as far as it went last night. But nasty zingers and cheap shots will only carry so far outside the echo chamber of a controlled convention hall. They aroused a defiant ugliness ("Drill Baby Drill") that will be hurtful if they keep it up. Was I the only one wondering what Trig was doing up so late in packed convention hall being passed around like a prop?

What was Mcain thinking with Palin. if they get elected, I would not be suprised if they broadcast the Jerry Springer show from the White House.

lol

The question is, what exactly are family values? And if you're going to offer your family as proof of your "family values," then it's fair to ask what values, exactly, they embody.

Do you value education? Then explain why both your high-school age children have failed to graduate. Do you value abstinence before marriage? Then explain your daughter's pregnancy -- and the timing of your own first child.

Or is it that your family can do anything as long as you say the right things about God, go to church, and are white? (One can scarcely imagine the reaction if a black candidate tried to pass of his family of dropouts and an unwed pregnant daughter as a family he is so "proud of.")

If you think any of the above "crosses the line," then I suggest you stop offering yourselves as paragons of family values, and stop attacking the values -- or alleged lack of them -- of the rest of us.

Memo to Kinsley:
Biden's wife and daughter were killed in an auto accident in 1972 leaving two critcally injures sons. Biden was elected to Senate in 1972. Why didn't he resign and care for his "family."

Dee S.: Quite being so defeatist about this. Yes, Bush's victories in 2004 and 2008 were quite disappointing, but please have some faith in the American people. The Republicans have fouled up the nation so royally in the past 8 years, between Katrina, Iraq and now the crumbling economy, that the American mood is sour and enraged.

People want the Republicans out, if nothing else to just try a new approach. Have some confidence and work for an improvement.

Holding up your Downs Syndrome baby as a prop after your speech, having the guy who impregnated your daughter in the audience, cleaned up.... yes, families are off-limits? Only to others?

How cynical, how manipulative.

My first impression of Palin last night was that she was full of smart-assed comments but hasn't earned the right to talk that way.

I don't think Biden should keep the kid-gloves on.... if she is going to talk that way, she can take any treatment she gets from here on out.

What is everyone afraid of? A black man with no experience and no one endorsing him except the media,or a young woman who is an actual Governor of an actual state who has children and is the presumptive VP not the Presidential candidate. The lack of intelligence and obvious sissy liberal class envy is nauseating. Kinsley is a Semite handwringer who never worked a day in his life thanks to his mommy paying his bills for him and people actually listen to his ranting. Now that scares me.

Palins a hypocrite. She wants family to be left out, but points to her son when when it promotes the image she wants

Okay, school started in mid-August in Alaska. How long is she keeping her kids out. Geez.

Kinsley, did someone forget to tell you not to be a partisan hack. The liberal media attempting a coup in the US and it must be put down! Hang them all!

What a hateful skank!
Do we want trailer trash in the White House?

So, in your opinion, introducing your family at the convention takes them off the "off-limits" list? So I guess this means that Obama's two kids---who *spoke* on the convention stage---are no longer off-limits?

Sure looks like she has done her Job well. Look at the reaction on both sides. Do we honestly think that anything she says will be accepted by any of Obama's supporters. I don't think so. Why does it anger so many when a woman stands up for herself and defends what she believes in.

Does anyone recall the Chief of Police character from the movie "Fargo"? I think she is now running for vice-president.

I kept thinking, "Could you imagine this woman meeting Putin or Ahmadinejad face to face?" God, help us.

How nice and white? Almost spotlessly so.
I thought about bleach all the way through.

Now I definately know who I want as President and Vice President:

a man who is disorented on stage,

and a woman who pees in the words, then puts on lipstick and goes out to dinner.

I'm so impressed by the United States!

God bless America!

I am all for women in high office.

Why not Condaleeza? = all class v. Palin = completely classless

Kinsey- you're a real d-bag. The truth is Palin blew the doors off last night and everyone knows it. So, time to get your panties unwadded and do some real reporting...

I sure would hate to work for Mrs. Palin. She came across as "the boss from hell": headstrong, my-way-or-the-highway, personnally intimidating and sarcastic.

I come from rural roots, the kind of place she is supposed to reach. And believe, me, it won't work.

This Palin pick has been gold. Watching the media and liberals demonstrate how sexist, hypocritical and nasty they are has done wonders for McCain and the country as a whole.

Here is what it comes down too. Liberal are such a bunch of intolerant zealots that they attack all Repuublicans with the same intense fervor. Bush is hailed as the worst President of all times, yet the hatred for McCain or Palin has been at the same volume. Knowing that liberals are a bunch of hateful children, McCain picked a tough and accomplished woman who liberals could attack on a number of disgusting levels.

She has been attacked as a woman. She has been attacked as a parent. Her daughter has been publicly humiliated and attacked. Her husband has been savaged. And as several posts above demonstrate, even mocking a baby with down's syndrome is acceptable to liberals.

It's great stuff. She can take it. I don't think Obama's Presidential aspirations will fare as well.

The first point is that her family is a soap opera. They careen from crisis to crisis. Somehow, this is supposed to be endearing. Only elitist fmailies are stable.

The second point is that she has poor boundaries, and will bleed her family issues into matters of national governance, as she has in Alaska. It will be as it was with the Clintons. Thrills.

The third point is that this is supposed to be a family that you will want to sit down and have a beer with.

The fourth point is that her family is not going to pay the increased interest rate on our mortgage, help us put a child through college, help us meet the health care needs of our elderly parents, or otherwise benefit our lives. They may, however, entertain us with their distrations while we struggle to clean up their messes.

She admitted she is a pitt bull with lipstick. Nice image!

OMG let's not dare take a shot at democrats they can't handle it. She was an attack dog which from what i hear is what Biden was hired for. These are the speeches VP's give. Just like Obama his party can't take a few jabs thrown their way. Her speech was more memorable then Biden's. I think people were caught off gaurd because she has that nice Lisa Lobe look to her.

Palin as VP? Only in America!

"I can see why so many people are shaking in their boots. In Palin, I sense a female Ronald Reagan..."

******************************
Todd, thank you for the laughs. Even Nancy Reagan is impressed with Obama. LOL!!!

Past Visions come to mind of the George HW Bush campaign.....Dan who? Quayle? Do you spell that with an "e" at the end?

sanity wrote:
How nice and BLACK? Almost Midnight.
I thought about Willy Horton all the way through.

Now I definately know who I want as President and Vice President:

a man who lies on stage,

and a woman who pees in the ghetto, then puts on lipstick and goes out to dinner.

I'm so impressed by the ObaDroids!
Hussein says "G*d D*mn Amerika!"

Well, at least the Republicans have introduced a new idea: teenage pregnancy is good for America. Third world here we come.

Posted by: mnjam | September 4, 2008 1:33 AM

The USA already has the highest teen pregnancy rate of the western world. This is just another example of how well abstinence education works. Unfortunately not all the other pregnant teens have the support that this 17-yr old has. Most will be left alone to struggle through life with no chance to continue their education, or to advance in their job. Not to mention the child born into such a situation - most likely with no healthcare. This is not the equation for a healthy, happy, safe society.

McCain and Palin in office will just guarantee that the shift back into the middle ages will continue. We may have tons of consumer goods made in China, but what is happening to our education? This was what made us strong, kept us on the cutting edge. What will happen to us as the middle class erodes? What will happen to us as we go further in debt to China? What will happen to us as this democracy becomes more and more of a farce and critical thinking and critical voices are banned, patriot-acted out of us? Why are we giving up control of our lives?

If family are off limits, why parade them on stage. And why bring the boy who got your daughter knocked up on stage as well? This shows a complete lack of class. Contrast that with Jackie O. The White House will go to the dogs with Palin there.

All that Palin did last night was merely to give the dwindling Extreme-Right Bush Base a FALSE sense of hope while ADDING to the DETERMINATION of the Democrats and Independents to get Obama elected.

Thanks for the BOOST, Palin!

This is the Republican's platform: We messed things up, but Obama would make it even worse.

Stunning.

Game on! Its about time the GOP gave some of the cocky talk back to the crazy left.
HOW can you walk into that both and look at those 4 names and pick the ones on the left side when you see the long list of accomplishments on the right. COME ON!
Wake up forget the past can you wackos please look forward!

Ummm . . . the media raises the issue by attacking her family and Kingsley expects a parent to ignore the attacks? I hope he doesn't have children.

It's a point worth repeating, Mr. Kinsley. The family issue was forced upon Sarah Palin in an ugly way, based on the flimsiest excuse -- some cowardly anonymous blogger who had a "tip." If someone attacked my family like that, I'd want to properly introduce them to the public, too. Keep your snarky memos to yourself.

If Gov. Palin were Black, the media would call her a 'feisty baby mama' with those 5 kids.... she passed on her family values to her daughter with abstinence only education that got her daughter knocked up just like she was at 18.

I'm wondering when Fox News will start calling Bristol a baby mama like they did Michelle, when Bristol is the one who got knocked up.

Notice how thrilled Bristol looked to have her mother put all that focus on her last night? Poor kid looked like she'd sooner have crawled under her seat than have to stand up for her spotlight at the convention. How very refreshing to see a parent putting blind ambition ahead of their own family.

She had some good lines, she told her story. But then she went on to misrepresent and outright lie about Obama's plans and record (take note of her misrepresentation of energy plans, taxes, Iraq, etc.). It makes me so sad for our country that the parties can't have an honest debate about their differences. And sadder that people cheer for it with gusto.. rather than demand a higher standard. Misleading has become part of the the culture, particularly the Republican culture.

Wow, this is the most laughable opinion piece I've ever written. TO answer the obvious: the "off limits" is in terms of digging for dirt. Kinsley has been around long enough to remember this. It has never meant that you cannot talk about your family in order to show where you come from.

Certainly Kinsley's candidate has talked a LOT about family in his two autobiographies. (One wonders when he finds the time to write them, and if he's working on a third one.)

If that's all you got, Kinsley, I imagine you must feel the Republicans have sewn up the election already.

Leave it to some smug columnist to draw a moral equivalence where there is none simply to justify earlier attacks. Memo to Kinsley: Talking about one's family, something that politicians have done since Greek city states defined politics, is not, repeat NOT, the same as smearing a 17 year-old girl all over the front page of NYT just to make a point. Nor is it the same as questioning a woman's personal choice where to pursue a career while maintaining a family or whether to have a child in her forties. So, quit the smug moral equivalence where there is none. It's intellectually dishonest.

this is a reach????
did you go to college
to come up with that
inane 'article'?
we need to hire
writers and thinkers,
not a**holes
how take cheap shots
are those with the courage
to live a life.

Sara Palin Should have added that she is a failure as a mother. These religious people dictate how others should conduct their lives, while they are a failure.

The Palins remind me of the Clampetts from the Beverly Hillbillies. McCain can play Granny. Washington needs a good enema, but the Palins will fit like a square peg in a round hole.

Let me say first that I don't think its right to target the candidates family. But the truth of the matter is that Palin and McCain are the ones who wanted to HIGHLIGHT her family from the beginning. The first time they introduced her, the biography was -- SON is going to WAR, other SON has disability, and HUSBAND is champion snowmobile racer. So unfortunately Palin and McCain opened the door for scrutiny on Palin's daughter. You can't go around saying my SON is going to WAR and SHOUT it everywhere you go, and then say don't talk about my daughter.

In addition, as a Evangelical Christian she opens herself up to the standards of the church when seeking a position of authority. In 1 Timothy 3 it talks about certain qulaifications people should have when seeking an office in the church, and therefore this should be referenced when seeking a government office as a Christian. 1 Tim 3:1-4 "1...If anyone sets his/her heart on being an overseer, he/she desires a noble task... 4He/she must manage his/her own family well and see that his/her children obey him/her with proper respect. 5(If anyone does not know how to manage his/her own family, how can he/she take care of God's church?)" Thus since the Bible tells Christians to look at the family of those seeking high positions, she has opened herself up to scrutiny which includes family values and childrens behaviors... (That is if she's an evangelical Christian... because this standard does not hold water unless you profess what's in the Bible.)

Michael wrote:

"Oh yeah, let's encourage everyone to keep their severely birth defective children too."
/////////////////////////////////////
Your mama kept you. I guess she did not foloow your advise.

Palin didn't put her family in the spotlight...it was the screamers at places like WAPO that did. This is a real snoozer, Kinsley.

Wow! I felt so sorry for all thise people in the convention hall, the looks on their faces. They are so "hungry" for something...anything...that can bring some sort of life (or distraction)to their party.
They were cheering and yelling for someone they don't know ANYTHING about. Talk about leading lambs to slaughter. About Mommy Dearest, whoops, I mean Palin, she is a thoughtless, selfish person who made the choice to offer her children up to the world for scutiny. Where was their voice?

I really dislike her. She seems snotty, mean and full of herself. She's sort of like a female version of Ann Coulter.

Posted by: Mark F | September 4, 2008 6:58 AM

Mark - too funny!

I thought Palin insulted pit bulls all over the world. Only poorly raised pit bulls need to be feared. Oh, right.

I'm a woman who voted for Hillary in our primary. Would I vote for McCain/Palin? Heck no! I know plenty of accomplished, professional women who are leaders, so I'm certainly not biased against women. What I am against is hate, delusional thinking and ignorance (see Pledge of Allegiance statement she made) one step away from leading our nation.

So community organizers don't have real responsibilities? Smart move to demean the "thousand points of light" you need when you cut funding to social welfare programs. Yes, ma'am, that's good for the country, especially pregnant teens.

She reminded me of one of those 'mean girls' in High School..the Heather girl..smiling while slicing you in the back or while making sarcastic comments to her friends under her breath.

About the mud slinging and obnoxious attacks let's not forget that it's the *duty* of the VP on any ticket to vehemently attack the leader of the opposition party. This has been a political defacto standard since our Constitution was written, when the VP was established as the President of the Senate in Article 2, section 1. Meaning, the number two guy is the one who gets to mouth off and say everything a more dignified and stately guy who wants to be head cheese.

Get it, folks?! She was just doing her job, as her party dictated, and she firmly believes all of it. I'm not saying she's a Stepford wife, either - she clearly has a mind of her own and is a powerful public speaker underneath the Ms. Clarol garb and naughty school teacher rims.

This is how the game is played, and if the party line is all about experience and sustaining the maverick persona then it requires increasing the rhetoric.

Nobody should be surprised by this, and voters should DISMISS the theatrical elements and funny one liners and zingers from Palin and Guiliani. Now is the time for the democrats to focus voters back on the issues, and get ready for the upcoming debates when all this will really be settled. I for one, can't wait.

-jim

The left-wing nutjobs are nervous! I live for this!

An intelligent, confident, hard-working woman acts tough and she is "mean and condescending"! What hypocrites! She is going to kick liberal a** in the coming weeks and I can't wait!

So when is it that Polin said that family is off limits? Not sure I heard that one. Anyway, why trouble the left-wing with the currency of logic? Let the games begin!

Gov. Palin: If one of the top few qualifications *YOU* cite is "hockey mom," then your track record (ok, bad pud) as a mom is FAIR GAME. YOU played the family card, guv.

So, who's the bigger celebrity now? Sarah, Barack, Paris of Britney?

"Only 36 of the 2,380 delegates seated on the convention floor are black, the lowest number since the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies began tracking diversity at political conventions 40 years ago."

Minorities must not look good in cowboy hats!

It looks like this election, like in past elections, is going to be decided by the people in the middle. People who don't live their lives according to doctrine preached from one side or the other. Truman, Nixon, Regan, Clinton, and last and most hated...George W Bush. They all won elections by being voted in by the middle. These are decent folks who don't spend all day thinking about politics as usual. They are the hard working Americans who have made and will continue to make America the strongest Nation on Earth. Neither Party will be able to sway their vote. They are neither Democrat nor Repulician. They are American. If history stands true, these people are from America's heartland. All is well.

Apparently, some people think this counts as political discourse:

"Kinsley!!!!!! You little pu$$y!! How DARE YOU blame the Palin's downs syndrom baby on inadequate prenatal care you effing little coward!!!! You are so typical of the media! I hope that Sarah marches on Washington and personally kicks your a$$.... You pathetic little man."

Yes, this is where we are, America. Fact-free vitriol (Kinsley never said anything of the sort). We have a chance to break free of this insanity in November. I urge everyone to think about this, and to contrast angy, extremist speeches about "pitbulls," "bring[ing] it on," etc., with speeches conveying messages of hope and change. The choice is pretty simple.

Was the boyfriend 18 at the time of conception?

If so, we have a statutory rape on our hands.

You know . . . the kind of stuff Republicans want prosecuted.

What a mean, shrill person Palin is! Gosh, did McCain ever make a mistake choosing her.

All of us here in Canada adore Obama. If you Americans don't elect him, we'd be delighted to have such a magnificent leader up here.

Palin is a total disaster!!!!

NOTE TO KINSLEY

Oh now you cannot defend yourself and your family against attacks??

Is that all you have?

Gov. Sarah Palin now claims to love America (hmmmmm), when she is covertly supporting Alaska Independence Party that calls for Alaska to secede from the U.S. The AIP calls American troops stationed in Alaska "occupation forces"!

Her Husband was overtly, until VERY RECENTLY, a long-time member of that anti-American party.

Watch these video clips. This is an explosive stuff about Sarah Palin

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/1/4231/18477/878/581881
http://www.richardhiorns.com/

Governor Sarah Palin is a covert and overt loyalist of Alaska Independence Party (AIP) which advocates secession from the U.S. She supports Alaska’s right to secede becoming either a territory or a sovereign nation. That is the main goal of AIP.

From Alaska Independence Party postings: The Alaskan Independence Party's goal is the vote we were entitled to in 1958, one choice from among the following four alternatives:
1. Remain a Territory.
2. Become a separate and Independent Nation.
3. Accept Commonwealth status.
4. Become a State.

The call for this vote is in furtherance of the dream of the Alaskan Independence Party's founding father, Joe Vogler, which was for Alaskans to achieve independence under a minimal government, fully responsive to the people, promoting a peaceful and lawful means of resolving differences.

Vogler was murdered under suspicious circumstances in 1993. Manfried West confessed to the killing the following year.

Vogler was buried in Dawson City, Yukon Territory, Canada, according to his wish that he not be buried under the American flag. His second wife, Doris, who died of cancer in January 1992, is buried next to him.

Trite, vapid, and condescending...

I liked this speech more when Bush gave it in '00.

"What you're seeing now is the difference between a party that feigns tolerance and fair treatment (Dems) and the one that actually practices it (Repubs)."

By holding a convention that very clearly tells everyone else "we hate you"? Hmmm...

Sure families are off limits, so put the unwed father front and center! Duh?

Palin's the latest in a long line of hypocrital right wing, Bible thumping "lug nuts" in the GOP. She vetoed a bill for the state's portion of a badly needed expansion of a home for unwed mothers in Alaska.

Drilling you say. Well, up until John Edwards broke, I'd have ingnored anything from the "National Enquirer", but they've got a story out about a purported affair with Smirking Sarah and a business partner. Families off limits? When personal life affects your public duties, it is relevent.

A lot of us can't fathom just what this woman stands for and what she really belives. As little vetting took place, I say to the "Fourth Estate", bring it on!

Pretty obvious she kicked the living hell out of the democrats by the whiny defensive comments here. A complete homerun. The media may be in the tank for Obama but the gloves are off. She made complete fools of the liberal MSM. A star is born.

No DENNIS
Don't you read the polls? 98% of blacks support Obama, seem a little racist to you???
Oh that's right only whites can be racist

Palin didn't start this line of discussion. Liberal leaning media hacks did, and with mean intent, displaying a lack of class. She is entitled to respond. You are a whining.

No Will
I would rather have an elitist with no experience except voting present that is going to raise my taxes as I am sure you do.

"Palin is a total disaster!!!! "

You are absolutely right............if you are an Obama koolaid drinking leftist who thought the republican party would roll over to the obama fraud.

Palin is obviously being cast an O'Reilly/Hannity voice of working-class resentment against the "elites." That may connect with blue-colar types in Upper Midwest (Ohio, Michigan) swing states. She's also energizing the rural God, guns 'n' gays crowd that has been cool toward McCain.

Independent and Democratic women? Don't think so. They prefer yellow labs to pit bulls with lipstick.

And, yes, passing around a 5-month-old (let alone a special-needs infant) like a trophy in a crowded, noisy arena . . . If a Democrat had done that, Republicans would be screaming "child abuse!!"

The democrats better get used to Plain, she will be around a long time.She has assured herself the next republican nomination.

Someone name me ONE, JUST ONE, national party candidate that has not introduced their family at the national convention?

Anyone?

Anyone?

blues

You make a great point. It's one that struck me when I learned of Bristol's pregnancy. I think (hope) the hypocrisy/bs meters of undecided voters must be beeping very loudly by now. Those who drink the GOP Neo Con flavored Kool Aid don't see what everyone else does: This party confuses steadfastness with delusion. It's axiomatic that there is not enough domestic oil offshore, in ANWR, etc. to supply our country for any real length of time. But we'll drill, drill drill our way out of this crisis. They'll talk about how the surge "worked" but fail to point out that there wouldn't have been a need for a surge in the first place if the GOP didn't start this totally unnecessary war. They tell us they're the party of security when they're own intelligence estimates reveal that their hawkish policies have done more to increase the terrorist threat. They'll go on and on for months about how "experience" matters, and then, with a straight face, choose a candidate for vice president with little experience. The VP candidate is staunchly pro abstinence-only education, despite the fact that, had her own daughter been better educated about sex and the boyfriend had easy access to condoms, she wouldn't be on her way to becoming a trailer park mamma-in-law. For a long time now in the GOP universe night is day and up is down. They think they can just keep talking and spinning and saying they really like the taste of the slop they're being fed. Because, to them, a happy, safe and prosperous America is not enough. It has to be happy, safe and prosperous on their terms. It has to look and act like them and believe exactly what they believe. America doesn't come first for them, the GOP comes first. One party, one God, one leader. Fortunately, their lies and hypocrisy have reached levels of comic absurdity and I don't believe that many have faith in them but their own faithful.

Help me understand how she and John McCain will be able to work across the aisles should they win? Everyone knows the Democrats are in the majority and will be picking up more seats, so exactly how will that work when they continue to alienate everyone who don't think like them.

I thought it was SAD!

Wonder what all the women out there think of Harry Reid calling her "shrill", the codeword for a woman who doesn't know her place and is not to be listened to because she is being irrational. More misogny from the democratic party, first Hillary, now Sarah. When did the democratic party start hating successful women?

She DOES have a future in politics, just not now.

Posted by: Dennis | September 4, 2008 7:40 AM

Same can be said about Obama...

Palin is just what the late night hosts and SNL writers have been waiting for. Comedy gold!

I've seen less partisan presentations given by Anne Coulter.

THANKS FOR INTRODUCING US TO SARAH. WE'RE ALL PUMA'S AND WE LOVED WHAT WE SAW LAST NIGHT. FINALLY, SOMEONE WHO NOT ONLY TALKS THE TALK BUT WALKS THE WALK. SARAH IS A TREASURE.

I still am scratching my head as to why the polls are so close. With the sad situation this country is in now, why would we want another 4 years of the same ruling party? It really gives me no faith in the American people.

Posted by: Dennis | September 4, 2008 8:10 AM

Frankly the greatest damage was done by Bush when he had the Republicans running Congress. Now the Democrats run Congress. Why you would want to go back to one party rule after the six years of disaster we just got out of gives me no faith in your political knowledge...

Frankly, after watching that speech last night, I wouldn't even trust Sarah Palin to borrow my car, let alone run our country. What a complete and utter PHONY.

Reading this stuff is funny... first I want to say that I attended the Democratic National Convention and no way was the tone of any of the speeches as cheap as those that I have heard from the RNC this week. For years the Republicans have been winning by doing just what they are doing this week. If the Dems don't wake up and fight back then we deserve to lose again. Having said that, the republicans need to wake up and understand that the right is already going to vote for them. Its middle of the road people who need the help and I have not heard one thing from the RNC this week that makes the case for their votes. Oh and what happend to diversity within the Republican Party... I have not seen any within the convention this week. Its really pretty sad.

Palin is a trojan horse, hiding behind her family. She presents as the "awk shucks, I'm just a country bumpkin," but inside she is the latest incarnation of all that is frightening about the fringe wing of the Republican party, which is trying to to take over our country. Our country can ill afford another 4 years of such divisiveness which distract us from addressing the real issues such as health care and the economy which affect many Americans, none of which were mentioned last night. And did you see all the suits? This party does NOT represent the common man. It is the party of the wealthy, who have had a very nice run of it under Bush. And why did McCain greet Levi at the airport like he was a war hero? Bizarre! If Obama/Biden does not win, this country is in for 4 more years like the past 8. Go Obama/Biden!!!

I read today where Mrs. Palin told ministry students essentially that God sent us to war in Iraq. Not only is that very scary, the idea that the deity that one group worships could tell them to send me to war but it is inaccurate. Cheney only THINKS he's God. he isn't really.

NOWAREP

98% of blacks will vote for Obama? I think not. Don't know what poll that is??Anyways, by watching the Grand OLD Party last night, it's a wonder why minorities are turning away from the Republican ticket. As an Independant as myself, the party has tuned into God and Guns.
It's a real turnoff.

I am a married parent of four who is an independent, smart, professional working woman. I cannot for the life of me understand the Palin selection or how anyone Republican or Democrat can seriously select her into that position. Literally, I am shaking my head watching the speech and thinking of all the times my right wing republican relatives and friends have sighed with disgust when I worked, sighed with disgust when my kids went to Public school, judged every move I made. Now I am not allowed to judge?!!! Someone who wants my girls to have no rights to plan their family and reach their dreams and potential. I would tell my daughter if she "chose" to keep the baby to still date that boy but no marriage until you are older and more able to make that life long decision. As a mother I say motherhood is the most important and hard job in the world and it is an insult to say anyone at any age with any mindset can do it in this world. She also reminds me of the PTA moms that boss and show no understanding, you will do it my way and stab in the others in the back. They then play the martyr role and act like no one else wants to help out!!!! If you are going to represent the family values party, then I think you must br ready to say some of the Republican stances do not work for families or humans for that matter!!!!

Bishop Tutu said, "Well get use to scumbags."

We are used to them, they've been ruining...oops, Freudian slip, running the country for 8 years now. We just don't need them to continue failed policies another 4 years.

What a joke Palin is when says that she is the consummate Mother at the same time being governor of Alaska. The State of Alaska is not that big in population and it is not that demanding as say being governor of California with one of the largest budgets in the nation or being governor of the Great State of New York. Population of Alaska per the Census: 670,000 out of a nation of 299 million American's. Palin is an out right fraud. She is NOT the average working parent in America. Pure, as Noonan stated, BS.

I wonder who asked Track Palin to remove his earring. Was it the Army or his mom's handlers? Oh, the benefits of HDTV

Democrats be afraid. Be very, very afraid.

HAHAHHAAAAAAAAAA

Posted by: Mia | September 4, 2008 10:01 AM

Mia, your statements are funny, did you read them out of the obama fraud website? I love reading these whiny hurt comments, it goes to show that the koolaid drinkers are worried and defensive. Palin is the real deal, unlike the fraud Obama.

Wyatt Earp:

"Someone name me ONE, JUST ONE, national party candidate that has not introduced their family at the national convention?

"Anyone?

"Anyone?"

And someone name me ONE, JUST ONE, national party that has declared with great indignation that Sarah Palin's family difficulties must not be politicized by her opponents, yet thinks it's perfectly wonderful when she attempts to connect with voters by discussing her family in her acceptance speech?

Here's one: the Republican party.

HYPOCRITES ALL.

Can you smell the palpable fear of the democrats? I Can't wait for Palin to debate that hairplug retread Biden on live TV. The flopsweat is pouring already from the democrats

When a Republican makes a rule you always have to add the phrase ".... unless you are a Republican" at the end.

Examples:

Talking about families is off limits ... unless you are a Republican.

Teen pregnancy is bad ... unless you are a Republican.

Having an affair disqualifies you from public office .... unless you are a Republican.

Gay sex in the bathroom is bad ... unless you are a Republican.

Consorting with prostitutes is evil ... unless you are a Republican like David Vitter.

Get the picture?

Posted by: MorganaLeFay | September 4, 2008 1:57 AM

I get the picture; if you're a Democrat, teen pregnancy is ok, having an affair is ok, gay sex in a public bathroom is ok, and consorting with prostitutes is ok. And it's quite alright to be DWI resulting in the death of your passenger and leaving the scene of the accident to sober up before reporting it.

Palin's speech defined what Republicans, again, are all about: cynicism and mendancity. This time it will not sell.

she is a lightweight, and she will implode before the election. Mad Mac will explode first, or course, but the (R)'s have shown us their hand, and since they won't fold, even with this sad hand, they will lose spectacularly. can't wait.

When did community organizing become unpatriotic, and high-school teenage pregnancy become respectable?

"Palin kicked some butt,

Now every demo-rat, seems to think she was smug and condescending.

That being said, you bastards rake her over the coals, now she pushes back and you don't like it.

Well get use to scumbags.

And as far as smug goes, no one beats Obambi in that area.

ITS ON!!!!!!!!"

Posted by: Bishop TuTu | September 4, 2008 12:23 AM
-------------------------------------------
You should have proof read your post prior to hitting submit. You say "Well get use to scumbags." We did. For the past 8 years we've had a bunch of them. Don't like them and don't want any more of them. That's why in November you and your kind are going to wonder what the hell happened to you and your party, you know, the one that can't come up with anything of substance, just attack, attack, spread fear, sport your "values", tout your vast experience in running a state that has fewer people than my home town, and on and on.....Maverick my @ss.

I have had enough of the Republicans as all they have done is take a massive dump on the Constitution and rape those most in need of help in this country. And to think that these two are the best they have to offer ? No thanks.

Now wonder all these democrats are so whiny, hard to be upbeat with palin's boot so far up their a$$. The pitbull has been unleashed and democrats are terrified.

"She's trailer trash..."

Posted by: John P | September 4, 2008 2:39 AM

Ah, spoken like a true Liberal bigot. You probably also refer to blacks by using the n-word when no one is within earshot.

Jimmybob wrote:

"The Beverly Hillbillies are coming to the White House. Talk about a decline of standards. I suppose we will get the government we deserve"

~~I call the Palins "The Alaskan Mooseburgers"!

Go Mia! I could not have said it better myself!

Pain-in-the-butt Palin! Nasty, caustic and saucy.

It did not escape me that this woman stated that the "Decision" to have a baby was her daughters. Yet this is a woman who states that she would like to take that choice from everyone else? I am really starting to think that McCain is trying every thing that he can NOT to be elected. I have a distinct feeling that if this VP choice goes more sour that she will be magically kidnapped and released by a terrorist cell so she can emerge and utter "POW" every time someone asks her a question that she can not answer.

Palin has been one of the most successful recipients of "earmarks" throughout her political career. She hired a lobbyist and travelled to DC as the mayor of a small town to secure earmarks for her town. As Governor she leads the state which claims more earmarks per capita than any other state. She did not send the money for the "bridge to nowhere" back to the American people, but spent it on pet projects in Alaska. I hope that we will recognize that Wasilla and Alaska are basically welfare recipients. They are unable to make it on their own so they accept, or rather demand, charity from the rest of the country. Without being on the federal dole Wasilla and Alaska would be a far more difficult place to live.

I am pretty sure that you saw Mrs. Obama's speech, no?

Pot meet kettle.

You are pathetic, Mr. Kinsey.

If palin had it her way, the only book in the library would be the bible.
Don't worry. There's an Old and New Testament so at least there's some variety.

She is the real deal folks! if you can't handle that, then you need to wake up to what is real and what is a bunch of fluff in this world.

"Palin must be seen as a national security risk. If she became President because of McCain ill health then the USA will be in danger of extreme right wingers running foreign, domestic and economic policy. Wages and services tied to church attendance, more wars, an obliterated economy as only extreme organisations get funding, destruction of science and technology in the US and so forth. How does the USA keep coming up with these dangerous people."

Posted by: Debbie | September 4, 2008 12:26 AM

------------------------------------------
It's not the USA, it's the Republicans. They are the party of fear, distortion, hype, pandering, and class warfare. They eat their own when it suits their needs (Didn't Karl Rove say that McCain fathered a black child when the party needed someone as stupid and malleable as W in the White House so that the neocons could start an unnecessary war ? ) and then wrap themselves in the flag that they were too cowardly to serve. They use religion as a weapon/tool depending on how the wind is blowing and will use it again in this election (Huckabee, anyone ? He wasn't good enough to be the candidate, but hey, the party needs his wingnut followers votes, so he gets to speak.)
The list goes on and on.

And this is the best the Republicans can come up with.

Sarah Palin's speech last night conveyed to me that she is not a team player. Some may see that as a positive trait for a person who is supposed to become an agent of change in Washington. But it is not a positive trait. As a country, we cannot continue to "go at it alone", and neither can the vice president. You can't just go in and change Washington by being abrasive and saying "do it my way or the highway". You have to be cunning. You have to trick Washington into changing so that it never actually realize it's being changed. As much as you may dislike the 'game', you must play it to change it. Palin's brashness will gain her few allies where she'll need them the most to implement change, and she'll get nothing accomplished. You can't force people to cooperate with you - you have to soften them up first. Then, once you've got them where you want them, you can take action.

Lets think about Republican VPs over the past half century - Nixon, Agnew, Quayle, Cheney (oh and Bush dad - maybe he was OK but look at who he fathered). Why are we surprised when they roll out the 21st Century version - outwardly more interesting, but cut from the same cloth.

Wow, She cries about her family in the media so Obama being respectful suggests that families should be off limits and then this piece of crap woman brings her family and parades them on stage after her pleas to keep them out! OK, so it's ok to showcase your 17year old daugher who couldn't keep her legs shut huh? It's ok that the VP has pics of her NUDE on the web and this is the Moral pick? She after all this time parades her downs baby in front of the word but whoa, don't talk about her or she will cry like her little baby! I guess the one thing that her daughter learned from her is to do whatever your man wants. These Palin women sure pleases their men! That's the role model for her youngest daughter to look up to! A corrupt mother who was ANTI AMERICAN, preaches abstinence, A older sister who going to marry a redneck who hates kids and don't want to be married so He's now forced by shotgun so as not to embarrass the Palins, a mother who took funds from her VERY DAUGHTER BY VOTING NOT TO FUN PROGRAMS FOR YOUNG EXPECTING MOMS!!! LOLOLOL her family is a joke, the republican ticket is a joke and the simple fact that what I thought were educated repugs are all on the same play book just lets me know that your are expected to cheer not because your want to but you have to. This is a unpatriotic woman with absolutely no reason to be here other than she was told to by her man, oops her running mate, the right wing of the republican party.

it is so funny to see thye left-wingers obsess about things. talk about knee-jerk reactions - no wonder we had a republican get elected twice in the last eight years and I'm sorry that the dems will bwe left out in the cold again this year. no one with any sense will listen to their diatribes. boo-hoo. ROFL

Ah, spoken like a true Liberal bigot. You probably also refer to blacks by using the n-word when no one is within earshot."

Of course, that is their modus operandi, say one thing in front of one crowd, soemthing completely differently privately. I.e. women, jews etc. probably blacks too. Funny reid calling her shrill, next he will say she was in "hysterics"

Republican politicians know that their constituents are not the most educated and they count on them staying that way. Why else woyuld they support uneducated and unmarried kids making babies.

They need illiterates.

Posted by: DintheD | September 4, 2008 10:31 AM

this is the post of defeat. Pretty obvious Palin sent the koolaid drinkers reeling......

Family are off limits unless you want to exploit them to your own advantage and career. Mrs Spears, Mrs Lohan, meet Mrs Palin.

To Concerned:
I too asked the same question!! What was that infant doing out, late at night, in a large, noisy environment?! Where's the Good Judgment there?! Unbelievable.

HOCKEY MOMS FOR OBAMA!!!!

I thought a "memo" was supposed to say something useful. My mistake.

I watched her last night. She read a good speech. Which, by the way, was written by Bush's speech writers. It's just more of the same wrapped in a different package. The audience was really excited. After all the hoopla is over, then she's gonna have to provide some answers on her positions and what will she do to fix the economy, healthcare, jobs, energy, gas prices and the like. She came off to me as a comic with a bunch of one liners...kinda like Jay Leno...

anonymous, hiding like the coward you are. You don't even have the guts to say who you are? Your voting for a anti government mommie who can't keep her daughters legs closed especially given her abstinence stance. You are the reason why abortions are legal, please don't procreate we don't need anymore idiots in this country. This is the post of defeat, the defeat of your pathetic little racist party. I saw mccain and palin with their pointed little hoods on! I see now who supports them, you coward with no name. Pathetic Loser!!! LOLOLOLOLOL

Anonymous, you're right, this is the post of defeat, the defeat of your pathetic little racist party. You don't even have the guts to say who you are so you hide like the little turd you are. You come here and post but you stay behind the scenes like the little scared pathetic tard you are, you loser just like your party. I have more respect for people voicing their opinions on here with THEIR NAMES but you, you hide like the worm you are. You are probably at home with your hood on looking at pics of Bristol holding your johnson. Lame! You have no opinon other than ooooh, I like the little palin daugher, I wonder when she's turning 17!! YOU LOSER!LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

Amazing. A Repub does essentially the same speach as a Dem and the liberals are up in arms. Initially I was seriously considering voting for Obama because what he says is very "likeable'. But he reminds me of a motivational speaker - afterwards when you ask what did he say, you have no details. Also, he has a tendency to rebut arguments with that's so old school (not a real anwser) or that is racist (also not a real anwser. About family. Why is it we only hear about Obama's "black family" and little about his "white family" who reared him. Could it be he is afraid of being called an "oreo"? So far the only real change he is trying to sell is a switch from a Yale graduate to a Harvard graduate.

There the democrats go whining again. Since Friday they have been whining b/c they didn't know Palin and were completely taken off guard (oh and b/c she is a woman and Obama should have picked Hilary...not that I care) and now they are whinig b/c she introduced her family and gave some information about herself. You can't have it both ways...lets face it you are never happy and will always spin the situation in your favor.

With Palin, the GOP have over-reached strategically. True, by choosing Palin, McCain did solidify the hard-core 3G (God, Gunz and Gays) base of the GOP. But, before the Palin selection, McSame had done a good job of framing the election as a referendum on Obama and Obama's lack of experience. Now, (I submit this blog as evidence) the discussion has shifted; the election will now be a referendum on GOP neo-con values. In essence, do you want change or four more years of white hicks in cowboy hats zieg-heiling (or was it zee-row they were chanting, I don't know)?

WOW and still they think they can win!!!!!! These idiot repugs actually think that the race is based on her speech!!! LOLOLOL Dude, get her in front of some reporters FOR REAL, they won't because she will just validate all we have been saying. SHE IS AN IDIOT and it's going to be so apparent the moment she opens her mouth so if you think this is the end of the race and her speech was it, then YOU'RE ALL IDIOTS! LOLOLOLOL She is going to get nailed! oops sounded like I was talking about her daugher!! LOLOL

Excuse me Mr. Kinsley, but what exactly did Palin do last night that every other nominee in the history of televised speeches has not done?

She introduced America to her family, and thanked her family for supporting her through everything.

So, from your point of view, the only way the media should not pay attention to grossly off limits stories about candidates' children is if those candidates hide their families and pretend they don't exist?

OK, well, just for the sake of argument, let's say you're right and presenting your family in a speech means the media can attack them at will.

In that case, answer me this, you bespectacled dolt: when, exactly, are we going to have the major media stories about the fraud lawsuits that Joe Biden's (adult, I might add) brother and son are facing? When is the media going to come out -- like they did with Todd Palin's DUI when he was 22 -- and say, "OH MY GOD. JOE BIDEN'S DAUGHTER WAS ARRESTED A FEW YEARS AGO FOR FIGHTING WITH POLICE."

When are the media going to denouce Joe Biden's blind ambition for continuing to run for office after his first wife died and he was a single father raising children?

When are the media going to decry the fact that Barack Obama allows his brother to live in poverty and squalor while he enjoys the American dream with shady house deals?

No, I didn't think you could answer those questions.

You Michael Kinsley, like most in the MSM, are a hypocrite. Luckily for Sarah Palin, most of American can embrace her and her family for who they are. And we will cheer her success -- and your demise as even a remotely credible commentator -- when she and John McCain are elected.

I wanted to vomit on her face while watching her speech. She thinks she has experience! Ha, I really got a kick out of her jokes! It was pathetic. She really is more of a clown than I thought. She was almost as bad as Guiliani.

Kinsley: I don't believe it was Sarah Palin who first put her children under the "journalistic" spotlight. Question: Why don't you treat Palin's family like you treated Chelsa Clintion, the Carter kids, and are currently "not treating" the indictments of Biden's son and brother.? Answer: Because you ares totally biased by donkey B.S. You comments are petty and deceptive. If Palin had not talked about her family you would have criticized her for trying to hide them. You need to get out of your bubble once in a while and quit trying to play "gotcha". You are not very good at it.

All I want is for conservatives to come right out and say that it is ok for a woman to have a family and a full time career. For too long, they have tried to portray such women as "selfish", and not living up to their "God given calling as a wife and mother".

I want conservatives to admit that, particularly if she should become President, Ms. Palin will often have to put her job first and her family second, and that the First Dude will have to be the primary caregiver to the family.

I want conservatives them to stop laying guilt trips on other women who, for whatever reason, have to rely on day-care and other such resources so that they can balance home and career.

In other words, I want them to accept what liberals have known and practiced for a long time.

Thank you Sarah Palin for making my choice much easier. After watching you at work last night I will be casting my vote for Barack Obama in November. If I were to vote for John McCain in November I might as well be voting for Pat Robertson in addition to George W.Bush. Combine the Religious Right with the interests of Big Oil and you have Ms. Palin. She has a fine family and she uses them well. That's another big problem I have with this family picture.

It was a good night for Republican lawyers because Palin's probably a better shot than Cheney. That and the lipstick are the only differences.

Incredibly, Palin has to lie about most of her short resume. She was FOR the bridge to nowhere until it was a national joke, and kept the money for it. Bald-faced lie.

The American people are tired of lies and fear. That's why Obama will win.

Palin has spent four days enduring some of the worst, mean spirited reporting I have ever witnessed. I have seen CNN compare her daughter to the movie character Juno and then Jamie Lynn Spears. Small wonder she hit back in anger. As for being divisive, if the grand national divide runs between small-town America and the left-wing elite then yeah, it was very divisive.

WOW....I GUESS YOU MISSED THE POINT. ALL THE LEFTWING ATTACK MEDIA ATTEMPTS WERE PUT IN PERSPECTIVE BY THE ENTIRE FAMILY BEING THERE WITH THEIR MOM.

ONE THING THAT DRIVES THE LEFT OVER THE EDGE..... A BIG, HAPPY REPUBLICAN FAMILY!!!

A big, illegitimate Republican family it seems. Wonder what they'll name the little, well you get the point. (Think the Baby Daddy is going to stick around? Think again).

If Palin will be a "friend" to kids with special needs in Washington, they'd better watch their backs. She cut funding for special education in Alaska by more than 60%. (From $8 million plus in the budget enacted before she became Gov, to 3.1 million in the last two years.) With friends like that...

I'm still trying to get over Palin's youngest daughter licking the palm of her hand and then grooming her little brother with spit.

God Bless America...

Has anyone else noticed that Palin and Cindy McCain share much the same upswept hairdo? And that Mrs. McCain has let her hair down since Palin was nominated?

Sorry, but putting those two teenagers on the tarmac to be greeted by McCain, knowing there would be media present, is exploitation, pure and simple. No getting past that one in my book.

Listening to Gov. Palin is as revolting as listening to Sen.Clinton. How is it that in a country of over 300 million people over half of whom are women these two are what we have to choose from?

I hope the focus will turn from Palin the character to Palin the policymaker: What, really, is her vision for the federal government? I believe she is an extremist who would put Evangelical Christians in charge of the Justice Deparment (all departments, really) and demolish the separation between church and state.

I believe she is in accord with Dr. Dobson, believing that homosexuality is simply immorality, and homosexuals should be persecuted by the government in order to persuade them to "go straight."

And I believe she is an anti-tax radical who would, if she could, eliminate most of what the Federal Government does, privatize
Social Security, and instead take care of impoverished old people by sending them to soup kitchens.

Her experience and temperament are certainly relevant, but shouldn't people also be considering whether they want someone even more extreme than George Bush in the White House?

I pray that we are not so dumb to be tricked again with the same playbook. The winning formula has been to whine about being treated unfairly by the press, promote fear, envoke God and "Family Values" as justifactions for all failed policy decisions and simple lying. Those who voted for Bush will be easily fooled by this gameplan and will vote for McCain. Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me. Fool me a third time......Your Republican.

Attacking families is off limits, being proud of your family is not. The only time the family is fair game is if they truly become part of the campaign and give speeches.

Kinsely, you know this. Don't trade your integrity for cute partisan shots.

Is that your knees I hear shaking? Where was the memo you wrote to Obama when pictures of Sasha and Malia were all over my tv screen? You're the hypocrite.

Lame, Kinsley, just lame.

ALL candidates talk about their families. Noone says that that's "off limits". ATTACKING the minor children of candidates is off limits.

The leftie media stayed off Al Gore's son's run-ins with the law and drugs etc. Does that mean Al was obligated to never mention his family? Same thing with the Bush girls, etc.

Getting a little defensive, Kinsley?

I submit that for the party that is so against affirmative action, they have also exposed their hypocrisy on this issue. Palin was clearly picked only because she is a woman, in a shallow attempt to appeal to the misguided PUMA's. Also, this "drill here, drill now" mantra is naive in that it assumes that "our" oil will remain in "our" gas tanks...do folks really think that Exxon won't sell that oil to the highest bidder on the world market? The Chinese will thank us for wrecking our beaches so they can run their factories with "our" oil. Grow up.

I find it appalling that Palin condones and applauds young girls getting pregnant and marrying the baby-daddy. Abstinence-only doesn't work in her family ... how in the heck would it work for an entire nation? And she's already exploiting her Down-syndrome newborn son, who after 2 days of being born, was pawned off to someone else as she merrily went off to work. I can only assume she had no desire to bond with her special-needs child.
She talks a big game, but it's painfully obvious that she doesn't walk the walk. I feel pity for her. Everyone knows that when you are losing an argument, the knee-jerk reaction is to get beligerant. I found her rant to be childish. McCain or someone needs to put her in a time-out to learn about the real world around her.

I am an anti-Bush Republican. Not because he's Republican, but because of the unnecessary Iraq war he got us into. Having said that, I at least know that I am making the right decision by voting for McCain/Palin.

Anyone that suggests that Mrs. Palin's family is off-limits (this was Obama's quote) is an idiot at best! She is proud of her family. My family has also made mistakes - however, I don't think that makes me a hypocrit when I want all families to have a mommy and a daddy.

I realize I'm generalizing here, but in general, Republicans strive for ideals and standards whereas Democrats will attack the PERSONAL decisions that people have made when they fail to meet those ideals.

I like Obama, he is intelligent, kind, and thoughtful. I wouldn't want him running my small town of 30,000. His inclination is to use government to solve problems - period. That is why he SHOULDN'T be president.

I would have considered Obama if he had accumulated ANY executive experience. I'm not sure why stating a fact like this constitutes being "mean", but it IS a fact.

I understand the left-wing anger, I am just not sure that it is appropriate to direct it at Palin's family. Is Sarah's family fair game? Of course it is.....BUT, it does show quite a bit about the character of the person making the attack. It shows an element of desperation. Best of luck to the liberals - you may at least get Congress in '08.

more interesting than the Clampetts. The Palin clan is now fair game. The Gov named them all and is holding them out like credentials. And she tried to smack down the working press.
Let's see what can be discovered about this band of chillbillies.

When did community organizing become unpatriotic, and high-school teenage pregnancy become respectable?

Posted by: PLAD | September 4, 2008 10:16 AM

Community organizing is not unpatriotic. You missed the point. The point is that Obama's experience in the South Side of Chicago and voting "present" in the Illinois legislature does not qualify him as having more experience than anyone with real executive experience especially when it comes to the White House.

The answer to this post is easy. Palin's private life is off limits to the press, but she is free to bring it up at her own risk. She is free to preach about the virtue of her children, of her family's values, of her values as a parent, but do so at her own risk. Not at the risk of having her private life legitimately checked by the press, but at the risk of looking like a hypocrit when it all comes tumbling back at her. Which it damn well may. Nobody's perfect.

The narrow-minded whining from liberals about rural life and trailer parks makes themselves look stupid. Incredible as it may seem, many intelligent people prefer to live out in the western half of the United States. They even have services out there!

Sarah Palin is not a DC insider, which already makes her WAY more respected by most of the normal people in the United States!

I don't understand something, It was PALIN who brought her kids into this!! HOW THE REPUG mind quickly forget when it's convenient for them. Then to have this little boy and her meet on the tarmac with camera's DUDE! Everything being said about Pallin, her daughter is now fair game since THEY PUT THEM IN PLAY FOR THE VERY MEDIA THAT THEY ARE ATTACKING!!! LOLOLOLOL GET YOUR STUFF STRAIGHT BEFORE COMING HERE AND BLOGGIN WITH PEOPLE! RETARDS I SWEAR!!! LOLOLOLOL

One thing I can say for Palin is that she's not a hypocrite. But....Perhaps, if her daughter had some basic sexual education (which Palin strongly opposes) she would have been able to live up to the mirage of her Mother's Morality. Personal Morality has no business making policy. The ironic juxpostion of supossed morality and policy making (funding)is growing in her daughter womb.

A friend that was giving McCain a "look" tuned in last night, and just said Ugh...end of voting McCain talk.

My own impressions: she was better than Biden, Palin can read a teleprompter quite well (I was expecting that because she wanted to be a broadcaster at one time), Matt Scully wrote an "effective" speech for her based on ridicule and little else as others have noted, listening carefully, Mrs. Palin reinterated McCain's aggressive military posture, so once again, the Republicans are basing this election on FEAR; fear that "the terrorists" will infilitrate MooseJaw Alaska, rape our children, subjugate our women, and force us to worship Allah, Fear that if we don't plunder our energy resources right away that filling up the Hummer will continue to take a huge chunk of change (never mind personal responsibilty for those hummer owners), and further enslave us to the third world oil producers without telling us when and IF we can truly reach energy independence by heavy duty drilling, and when oil prices will really, if ever, come down once we start drilling, Fear that the Government will "tell us what to do," missing the supreme irony that the Bush regime has been more intrusive than almost any previous administration, so much so that the USA ranks 30th out of 36 in the ranking of the most Surveilled Countries in the World.

And, as others have said, there was not one whiff of substance, but the air was heavy with the stink of lies about Obama's record (for the record Obama has crossed the aisle to work with Dick Luger and Tom Coburn on important legislation, not to mention that he spent 2 terms in the IL Senate where he worked on meaningful Legislation...this was after he spent years as a Community Organizer helping the poor and displaced of Chicago gain a voice) but the Repugs have never let the facts get in the way of their rhetoric.

I do know that after all this talk of small town people, and small town "values" spoken with folksy familiarity by Mrs Palin, that John McCain voted no on increasing the minimun wage 19 times...and before someone poo-poos a dollar or two per hour raise as "insignificant" to the lives of the people that work these jobs, let me tell you having an extra $20 or whatever dollars a month is significant to the working poor oftentimes meaning the difference between eating or going without, or having enough gas to get to work. McCain has also voted over and over not to increase funding to the Veteran's administration, and NO to numerous Bills meant to protect the environment, and boost development of renewable energy resources.

It appears this country is hopelessly divided on issues that need to be addressed. Where is the future for our grandchildren? Maybe it's time for our family to leave this country and become citizens of Canada, Australia or New Zealand.

This may be a bit off the subject, but has anyone ever wondered why the Republicans are able to end their primaries before the Democrats, and then have their convention after the Democrats? That's a hell of an advantage for McCain and what's her name.

Ok back on subject: If the GOP is given a third chance in November we will be the laughing stock of the world. I wouldn't be surprised if other countries understand our politics better than we do. I'm 25 and this is only my second time voting this election, and I already see how hyprocrisy is common ground in politics. Hey, it explains the last 8 years. EXPERIENCE??? Been there done that for the past 8 years and this country is even for f---'d up. Damn the "politics for dummies" and be for real. McCain "the critically-acclaimed MAVERICK" (since when??) should save those GOP brainwashing tactics....and prove to this nation why we should give the Republicans another chance. Hell just say, "Gimme once more chance" and don't forget to say "please".

The worlds is laughing harder at us. What a red neck of a pointless bashing speech!

I suppose that should McCain/Palin win, Britney Spears would become Secretary of State and Lindsay Lohan would be a good choice for Attorney General. After all, they are attractive, talented young women from small-town America, with interesting families who suffer their own ups-and-downs. Britney has traveled all over the world performing, and Lindsay has at least a passing acquaintance with the legal system.

Way to read a teleprompter. Of course, this "journalism" major from th U id IDAHO can't write her own speeches, as opposed to Obama. But then again, the U of Idaho is no Columbia......or Harvard......Oooh, sorry! So elitist of me!

Sara Palin described herself the best "a pit bull with lipstick" and we all know the proper name for a female dog!!!

Michael Vick would have been proud to own her

Please include in your memo:

We don't appreciate your sarcasm.
If you are going to make attacks, get your facts straight.
If you are going to denigrate community organizing, take a moment to learn what the term means!

And please tell us what you will do besides drill, and how you deal with issues besides spout ideology?

According to GOP talking points, Palin should be the top of the ticket since McCain has the identical "no experience" as Obama. (Hey, John, watch your aged back. "Sarah Barracuda" is in the pool.)

Anonymous, you're right, this is the post of defeat, the defeat of your pathetic little racist party. You don't even have the guts to say who you are so you hide like the little turd you are. You come here and post but you stay behind the scenes like the little scared pathetic tard you are, you loser just like your party. I have more respect for people voicing their opinions on here with THEIR NAMES but you, you hide like the worm you are. You are probably at home with your hood on looking at pics of Bristol holding your johnson. Lame! You have no opinon other than ooooh, I like the little palin daugher, I wonder when she's turning 17!! YOU LOSER!LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

what stupidity but that's what it takes to support na empty suit like Obama. Oh here's my name on an internet blog..there big deal. Btw, got Palin's foot out of your a$$ yet? Maybe some vaseline would help.

" His [Obama's] inclination is to use government to solve problems - period. That is why he SHOULDN'T be president. "

Well, the inclination of Republican Presidents is to CREATE problems so I don't see how that's much of a better choice....

Shattered! All the hard work men and women did, through organizations in this country, to discourage teen pregnancy here in America. The sleazy Palin family parading their un-wed pregnant 17 year old daughter in front of thousands of families in this country sending the message “teen pregnancy is the way to go”. It is time the right wing Republicans send a message to McCain and Palin that this is not acceptable. This increase of teen pregnancy will sky rocket by April 2009, unless Americans send the message “no, no, and no McCain/Palin”.

Just goes to show that Rove believes the wacko religious right are so stupid they'll believe anything anyone says to them, as long as they use "god" somewhere in their speech....and based on the fawning praise from the "values voters", he's right. Well, who needs positions on policy when god is on your side?........Idiots. The really funny part is they use the "she speeks SO WELL" as justification for support, when they spent 10 months blasting Obama for that. Guess hypocrisy is a requirement for entry into the GOP.

Just what America need no family values and no continue education.

I must say I enjoyed watching the elite media get spanked last night in Palin's speech.

Don't know if you all actually look at both sides of things or not. Seems like you don't. But a poll today asked "Who is more qualified to be president, Obama or Palin?"

Obama - 49%
Palin - 39%
Undecided - 12%

All I can say is WOW!!! We do live in a great country.

What? She didn't even write her own speech? WHAT DECEPTION! Sike... I'm just playing....I knew that.

"Did someone forget to tell Sarah Palin that families are off-limits?"

Memo to Kinsley.

Attacking family and family members to discredit a candidate is off-limits. Praising family, or introducing them to the public, is not.

There are people who believe their groups are immune to the rules and the laws. Palin believes the laws only apply to those other people outside her group. Laws like hunting out of season, drunk driving.. moral laws like not terrorizing animals by chasing them to death from an airplane. Yup, Palin lives big and wild - outside the rules and laws. Great choice McCain, you had my vote until you picked someone who lives so outside.

Dear, God, please forgive this country for electing Geo. Bush to 2 terms as President and please, please, please, please make sure Obama-Biden win the election!!!

Posted by: radical_moderate | September 4, 2008 11:21 AM

BULLSH!T, your "friend" was going to vote democrat anyway.I love these my friend was going to, i have been a lifelong republican but now, blah blah, just made up people posted by desperate koolaid drinkers who see the air going out of the obama fraud.

Apparently the liberal media is not listneing to Obama's request to leave the families alone. Just like the tin horn dictators and terrorists won't pay any attention to him either

Great choice McCain, you had my vote until you picked someone who lives so outside

sure buddy sure. what crap

Duh. The media were the ones who brought it up. They're saying stuff about Palin's family and yet why haven't I heard anything about Biden's family. They had the nerve to ask that of female politician, but hardly anything to male politician eh? Isn't that a double standard?

what you are reading is the equivalent of the democrats crapping their pants......

Families are not off-limits to family members. All other must keep their opinions to themselves. It's true in politics and it's true in your neighborhood. Would you turn to the soccer mom next to you and say, "Joe's really missing a lot of shots today, isn't he?" No, you wouldn't. For many good reasons. When someone does criticize one of their familt members, you can say somethjing like "Gee, that must make things tough for you, doesn't but?", but you can never say "Yeah, that was a really rotten move on his part." It's Human Relationships 101.

Some political rules are the same at every level, workplace politics, neighborhood politics, little league politics - certain rules are universal. "Never criticize someone else's family members" is such a universal rule.

Polling data shows this to be a close race, so it is more than interesting that many of the diatribes posted her are against Gov. Palin. I wonder how many of these "comments" are planted here to skew things seemingly towards the left?

I try to be objective, scientific if-you-will and based on merit to what is stated on all sides, Dems, Reps and Independents.

The fact is convention speeches are formal introductions of each candidate, offering information about his/her background and what they'd like to accomplish and at a high level how they would do so.

Governor Palin discussed her background and issues, such as energy independence. I must point out that when people are laughing, nodding their heads in agreement or crying that means the speaker has touched, has moved the listener. Last night's speech by "Governor" Sarah Palin did that and was well accomplished.

I've witnessed the same with Democratic Presidential Candidate (DPC), Barack Obama. However, the subject of this discussion thread is about Govenor Palin, but the same could be said in response to uncivil discourse about DPC Barack Obama.

Each of us harbour thoughts and/or write about what we would do if we were elected to office. This woman isn't from some long line of political pedigree, like the Bush's or Kennedy's. She is from our ranks. A woman who took her thoughts and put them into action and went a step further by taking on members of her own party. Something we all might think we'd do, but would we really risk that?

Imagine changing your life as it is now to put your ideas into action, exposing all of yourself and your family to the scrutiny the media. How would you like to be treated if you were in that position?

Our public servants, regardless of party, deserve respect for taking on the task of serving their fellow citizens, i.e. you. I think most public officials would agree they did not enter the public sector to improve their income. I know that some representatives to state houses from high cost of living areas earn less than $20k p/year.

Criticize as you will, but do so with these things in mind and more civility.

SJ - If you're going to talk about following don't forget to mention Bill Clinton lieing under oath and obstructing justice. Don't forget Ted Kennedy driving drunk and actually killing someone.

And if you want to talk about hypocrisy let's talk about Al Gore telling all of us to conserve while he flies all over the place in a jet, drives SUV's and continues to add on to his already huge house.

Don't mind you pointing out peoples hypocrycy, just keep it balanced.

This is low even for you, Kinsley. There is nothing wrong with a candidate talking about his/her family (just like Obama and Biden have). What is off limits is taking cheap swipes at the candidate’s children. If you had any common sense you’d be able to understand the distinction.

If you listened to Linda Lingle's introduction of Gov. Palin, in hyping Gov. Palin's experience the case which she made against Sens. Obama and Biden also applies to Sen. McCain.

How many times can campaigners push #2's experience before it begins to diminish #1's?

Questions about her role as VP and Mom at the same time became even more legitimate when she described herself last night as a person, '...who likes to drive myself to work.' Oh, what a surprise she's in for when the Secret Service begins telling her all the things she can no longer do. And that's just as a candidate.

For me, 'Hockey Mom' has almost gotten to be 'old' already.

Well you seem to be doing it again. The press is so liberal and self-righteous that it cannot see its own sins. Some of the press are attempting reasonable unbiased journalism, but at times the slant is still there.

Let's face it, going after a TEENAGER'S emails and reporting it simply because it relates to a pregnancy to the daughter of a running VP is a violation of privacy that you usually hear about in suspense thrillers to build a plot, but not in real life!
This sounds like a dirt and smear and "You hypocrites" press campaign rather than a well balanced "lets give them equal time and equal footage and judge not" until the whole message gets out journalistic adventure that this is supposed to be.

The press is relentless, and so you already have 5 days of smear against them, and then they have a chance to introduce themselves, and what makes them themselves, is their family. Of course, because you want to show your best side and given a chance, you would. I mean, if you were doing a job interview, you would put your best foot forward, wouldn't you? Or just how did you to get that job that you now have?, I hope it was by putting YOUR best foot forward!

For starters, I watched the DNC and how well and cordial the press seem to be, yes there were some issues, but only a hand- ful and only by the pundits that are not suppose to be enticed by a wine and dine campaign. Now I'm watching the RNC and how the press that initially seemed impressed and began to change as I continued to watch, I began to see a large number of press members that weren't satisfied as if they came in with a preset agenda to taint the message and/or the messenger(s). They seemed uncomfortable with the successful delivery that unfolded before their eyes and now with zeal and brashness said things like wanting to find out this and that, slice her, and dice her, and put her under a microscope as if trying to be the first to sensationalize her with a new scandal that some may want to start only to get undeserved credit for a better resume.

Yes, there is more to the story, but wait!, give a little respect, and you the press may get some back. After all, when you started your career, didn't they phase you in before they plopped you out there with the big fish. Don't you have another 60 to 70 days, for your coverage to unfold, or is the temptation to the first to burst bubbles so overwhelming that you cannot wait and in doing so stunt the growth of respect for your profession to it former days of glory?

I am dumbfounded at some of the personality types and even their sources (www.politico.com) that are just so ambivalently passed as sources of integrity that I find that the press is hard to believe. I fervently believe that somehow your profession must do major introspection and clean up your act, or you can expect more disrespect for your profession in the future and know why the radio talk shows will become more dominant in their credibility.

In conclusion, I find it a disservice for Americans or any people to watch some of the shoddy works passed as journalism to Americans and then to make informed and intelligent decisions. It wreaks of political propaganda that were once used to bash communism and socialism. Are we becoming so calloused that we cannot see who we are and where our roots stem? I pray not and I pray for a better America for the present and the future. May God be merciful to us, an undeserving people, that HE chooses to bless!

You're rich.

There's a difference between showcasing her family and exploiting them.

According to the World Health Organization in their 2005 report, the average US White Male lives to be 76. Statistically speaking McCain SHOULD die in office. President Palin???? Two words......Supreme Court

Palin - She's Rush Limbaugh's kind of Woman - And McCain's bites the bait.

"Selecting Sarah Palin, who was touted all summer by Rush Limbaugh, is no way to attract most women, including die-hard Clinton supporters. Palin shares nothing but a chromosome with Clinton. Her down-home, divisive and deceptive speech did nothing to cosmeticize a Republican convention that has more than twice as many male delegates as female, a presidential candidate who is owned and operated by the right wing and a platform that opposes pretty much everything Clinton's candidacy stood for -- and that Barack Obama's still does. To vote in protest for McCain/Palin would be like saying, "Somebody stole my shoes, so I'll amputate my legs." Gloria Steinem - LA Times 9-04-08

How refreshing to finally have a self-confident, non-angry, smart and accomplised woman in line for the presidency ... Too bad the democrats didn't want to put Hillary against her... chauvinists!

I just don't see Mr. Obama as being a supporter of big government. I mean, he's still a community organizer. Ever since I first heard him speak, I got the impression that he felt strongly about American volunteerism. I think he wants the people to help other Americans, not big government helping Americans and not big corporations helping Americans. I think he wants to use government as a catalyst for this effort. Like he said last week, you can't pull yourself up by your bootstraps if you don't have boots. So his plan is basically for government to say, "I'll give you a pair of boots if you pledge to help the next guy get his own boots. That way, I (government) won't need to give both of you each a pair of boots, and eventually, I (government) won't need to give anybody any boots!" It's basically "pay now so you don't pay as much later" instead of "don't pay now and let someone else deal with paying later down the road".

All you perfect people--where do you all come from?
All you angry people--where do you all belong?

(Apologies to the Beatles)

"If Sarah Palin doesn't want her family in the light, she shouldn't have put them in the light. Due to her unmitigated ambition, her teenage daughter will be on the cover of every tabloid magazine from now to the birth. Who would do that to their own kid?"

To BGA @ 12:32 a.m. --

My thoughts exactly. I don't have kids (and don't want to), but I can't believe the almost pathological disregard this woman is showing for her daughter. And I would feel the same if Palin were a man. No parent should do to Bristol what these people are doing to her.

Is Obama proud of his country yet. The one with 57 states is that Kenya?

So her foreign affairs experience is that Alaska is close to Russia?

that's hysterical..

Posted by: Fla Joe | September 4, 2008 11:57 AM

Great lets take the advice of an irrelevant angry feminIst dinosaur like steinem. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!

republican voter, no I just took my foot out of your mother a$$ she said the same dumb sh#t that your dumb idiotic no brain lame A$$ said. And you still didn't give up your name you little coward faggor. Your stupid party is still losing you pathetic loser! I must give your nominee one point, she said that only difference between her and a pitbull is lipstick! WE ALL KNOW WHAT A FEMALE DOG IS, AT LEAST YOU SHOULD KNOW!! lololol CLOWN!

I pray, hope and cross my fingers that the American people can see through all the muck. Obama and McCain are as different as night and day. Either way you vote, the vote should be an easy one to make. And it's clear that half of America will vote one way and half will vote the other.
Republicans and Democrats have differed on the same issues for decades and decades. All the stuff that happens between now and Nov. 4 is made to confuse the American people. I urge everyone to do their own research. Don't rely on TV ads and other propaganda to make your decision. Spend a little time to do homework. A few hours of looking into voting records, backgrounds, etc. isn't that difficult to do. You don't have to be a private investigator or an invesigative journalist to get factual information. If you care enough to vote, please care enough to find accurate information on your own.

Please America .... due diligence in crucial in this election. There is a lot at stake on both sides.

No republican voter, I just took my foot out of your mother's A$$, sorry, she actually liked it but I had to get it out so I can go to work. Anwyay, since you want to be the dumb Sh&t or your party, how about this. Your dumb governor is screwing her husbands friend, her daughter is screwing around and she is totally anti-american until the men of your party told her what to do and say. YOU on the other hand, is the posterboy for Abortions but since your mom didn't believe in them, we're stuck with ya but go to the corner you hack lame suckbutt and console your candidate's daughter, she has a line waiting on her.

As an educator (and single mother of 2)I am happy to see the Republicans embrace their new, top-selling book:
The Vice-Emporor's New Clothes

I couldn't help but think when I saw the glassed over zealotry laden eyes of the women as Palin spoke .. I couldn't stop thinking of the Stepford Wives. If she is somehow elected. GOODBYE to the last vestiges of separation of church and state, you know the REASON our country was founded.

Top Ten Reasons NOT to vote Democrat.

10) They believe that a national healthcare system would actually be more effective. This one’s easy – go to Europe and/or Canada and report back to me in a year on your healthcare experience….

9) They believe that Unions make this country great. FACT: unions reduce our competitiveness in the global marketplace and dumb down our public schools. But at least the sub-standard teachers get a few extra dollars an hour and get to have more days off……VERY helpful for the children….VERY helpful…

8) They believe that we should be more like Europe. No, seriously. Even though the US provides them with all the military protection they need (with OUR tax dollars). AND…even though the unemployment rates in Europe are through the roof – Dems think that Europeans “CARE” more about their people.

7) They actually think that raising taxes helps the little guy. OK, so you are running a business where a poor person works (assuming they are not on welfare) and the government decides to raise your corporate taxes. What do you do in order to stay in business? OK, trick question for those of you who understand economics. However, democrats actually think that this would HELP you business. I know….I don’t get it either.

6) They actually look at the following headlines in the Washingtonpost: “Palin takes swipes at Obama and Critics” and thing that the old print media is a bias-neutral entity. If a Democrat were to do have done the same in the mile-high convention, the WaPo headlines would be: “Dems Correct Misconceptions from the Right”. Journalism at its finest!

5) Even though Obama is a great man (and he IS a great man), the most compelling reason to vote for him for president is his pigmentation. I’m sorry, but if I vote for someone based on what they actually BELIEVE in as opposed to their skin color, I am NOT racist. If you think that, I suggest you either educate yourself, or consult a dictionary.

4) Talking about a family member’s failings is grounds for claiming hypocrisy using a flawed argument. So Sarah Palin’s daughter got pregnant. This MUST mean that abstinence education doesn’t work. We KNOW that if she were given condoms and taught about sex in pre-school, that she would NOT have gotten pregnant. This we know for a FACT, right?

3) They believe that when on mentions the fact that people in other countries want to KILL us for our beliefs – you are “preying on fear”. When I tell my children not to play in the inner-city streets, it’s not because I don’t like people who live there. Quite the contrary – I WISH that they had a better lot in life. However, I have common-sense and realize that danger is imminent in those types of environments.

2) They actually believe that the minimum wage helps working people. Forget Economics 101 - that requires too much intellectual thought. When the cost of business goes up, people get laid off. It’s a little more complicated than that, but I am breaking it down for the "elite".

1) "Not God Bless America, but God Damn America!" - Reverend Wright. Need I say more??

I seem to remember an almost identical moment on stage at the DNC convention with the Obama's. They went through similar family introductions, and then the kids joined Michelle on stage, with their father via satellite. Not only that, but there has been plenty of talk about Obama's family and his roots. Why is it only a problem when Sarah Palin does it?

Wait a minute! Why are families "off limits"? Certainly, when a family member is well known, say Barbara Bush, a candidate will brag about "my mother taught me the value of hard work...". When a family member is married to a criminal, say Governor Eliot Spitzer, party officials will be inclined to grant a pardon. However you slice the family issue, it is inseparable from a political candidate. Every candidate is a member of a family. Some may be members of organized crime, or a religious cult, examples of an extended family. Some may be members of a labor union, or The Sierra Club, examples of affinity groups. These kind of relationships tell us something about a candidate. We the people, learn about the values that are important to a candidate, and thus we learn about the character and judgement of a candidate.

But there is a gap in mapping a candidate's values to job performance and policy making. Take Bush for example, his family values were well known before he became president. He came from an elite political dynasty. But how could voters project his poor job performance and failed policies? Would anyone vote for Bush today, knowing what a poor job he would continue to do?

Thus, voters need to ask themselves if McCain could do any better than Bush, assuming McCain would follow the same failed policies: laissez fair economic melt-down, unlimited occupation of Iraq, no sustainable energy policy, no immigration enforcement, no national health care, no child left behind, no jobs for americans, no environmental protections, etc.

What I love about this is its like a complete victory for Rush. The Clintons are done and feminazis routed. Sarah believes in respecting and obeying her man as the bible teaches. Hillery doesn't have a chance against her. The Republicans will have the White House for 12-16 more years

I'm afraid I don't understand how Gov. Palin thinks she can have it both ways. We can't talk about her unmarried, pregnant 17 year old daughter, but she invites the 18 year old father (now a "fiance") on to the stage of the Republican National Convention. Seems a bit hypocritical to me.

Reading these posts has made me realize that there are a lot of lonely and angry people out there, still living at home.

If Palin is so ok with her teenager's out-of-wedlock pregnancy then why did they have her in the tighest black dress possible last night so viewers couldn't really tell if she is pregnant? I never thought teaching abstinence was an effective approach to teenage sexuality and hormones. And guess what? It's not!!!Maybe the Governor should change her mind, too. All this spin is nauseating. Ok, so she's keeping the baby...she shouldn't be pregnant to begin with!

Oh, and what was that about wanting to ban some books and firing the librarian for disagreeing with her? Sounds just like Bush.

Lastly, here's the way Americans should be viewing the Vice-Presidency. If something were to befall Obama, then Biden, with 30 years of experience, would step in. If 72-year-old McCain got cancer for a 5th time and had to relinquish his office, Palin would step up. Should I go on? I'm scared.

Riddle me this Dems....when did Sarah Palin say that family was off limits?? Please tell me once...JUST ONCE...that she said this.....

Oh...right...it was Obama that said it....sorry...Christ himself...

Jobo: Interesting that you're "still living at home," reading the posts. Maybe you should take some time to do some research on the candidates while you're at the computer.

Dave sez "Obama couldn't plan a one man parade..."

But he planned a primary campaign that succeeded against an extremely sophisticated and experienced political organization. Moreover, he succeeded because he thoroughly understood the implications of the Democratic Party's new primary system, which was established to keep dark horse candidates like Obama from winning. He not only planned the campaign, but he used his organizing skills to win it. He's the most able candidate we've seen running for the White House in decades! The prospect of having him as the president of the U.S. makes me proud to be an American in a way I haven't been for a long time. I love America and am ready to see her be her best self!

#1 Kingsley, please learn how to spell "enlisted". I know that word is not part of the liberal vocabulary but you could educate yourself.

What a petty commentary, I didn't think the liberals could sink any lower but hey, you proved me wrong. In order for you to understand, I will speak your language. Where is the coverage of Hunter Biden? He is embroiled in a lawsuit over hedge funds. Is he off limits? Gee we can't say anything about a grown adult, but you can destroy a 17 year old girl. What a bunch of classless ideologues.

Why are democrats unable to accurately anzlyze a topic such as the kids are off-limits. Every Presidential candidate has their family in the audience and at photo-ops, etc... Most also reference their family and thank their spouses and children during their speeches. Every candidate brings their family on stage after their speech. The issue of the children being off-limits concerns investigating them and making political points at the childrens expense. Chelsea was off-limits during her time in the white house as well as Al Gore's son's drug arrest during the 2000 campaign. In the democrats haste to point out hypocrisy, they apparently can't see their own.

Politics abhors a vacuum and so it may well be that the tired ole GOP will look to this prettier version of Phyllis Schafly as its savior. I don't begrudge her trotting out her family, so in that sense I disagree with Kinsley. The shot of her little daughter wetting the baby's hair was adorable. No, the problem isn't her kids, it's her and the entire Hitleresque spectacle we've seen in Minnesota. A mean bunch of folks, clearly on the defensive, since their last guy Bush turned into an indisputed joke, a fiasco. All hail Frau Palin, new Nazi in town. Let's hear about her affair.

Palin was picked because the Republicans will need someone to blame when they lose. The "Old Geezer" conservatives will serve her up on a platter with sides of "family", "no experience", "no talking point knowledge" (same stuff we see in the media), but the best will be their main reason--- you guessed it- she's "a woman". They have already ceded the election because of the Bush mess, now they want a scape goat and she was hand picked. Then she will show them "maverick" and become an independent. Please tell me you don't believe the Republican elite invited a skirt into the inner circle!!

St. Sara (yes, she is close to being canonized by the RNC, as we speak) brags about her administration taking care of kids with special needs. In the great state of GA where I reside, Gov. Sonny Perdue (R) has virtually eliminated state funds for special needs kids except for the Katy Beckett Deeming Waiver. St. Sara should move to GA and she will find out. By the way, it is very insanitary for your daughter to use her spit to smooth her baby brother's hair. St. Sara, please take a deep breath and think of your children. Your ambition reminds me of Lady Macbeth. Would Todd be your accomplice? The McCains deserve better.
Recently, I saw a pained expression on Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson's face during Bush's visit to Austin, TX to check on Gustav's impact. Sens. Collins and Dukakis have moved out of the way, too. They deserve better, too.

Let's see the GOP were in charge of Congress in Washington from 1994 until 2006 and have had the White House from 2000 until now and only a GOP ticket can fix the mess that "Washington" has created. Huh?!

Palin's speech was brilliant. To avoid the real issues was masterful. I cant wait for the debates to begin. I just cant imagine how Joe Biden can stand up against Sarah Palin in the up coming dabates. Maybe Joe will surprise us, righ.

and for all those Republicans who say END OF STORY on Sarah Palin's speech, well, of course you would like us to believe that because you are right, she has no story to tell because she said it all. come to think of it, Joe Biden dosent need to dabate becasue END OF STORY HA HA HA HA

Plutonium57: You captured my thoughts exactly! Thanks!

I could explain to you why it's wrong to publicly ridicule a candidate's children, but I can't understand it for you.

I'm sadden as a independent. Palin has completely turned me off to voting for McCain. I'm a proud stay at home mother that puts my children first because they need me. To see her running for VP with one newborn and a teenager with child is terrible. She needs to be home teaching her daugther about not having sex and if so unprotected sex. I'm sure she didn't talk to her Dad about that, the mom is suppose to be there. And a child with DS....O My Goodness....she needs to be home nuturing that child. I'm very disappointed in McCain. I had given him credit of a good decision maker until now.

Only Nixon could go to China.

Only Palin could bring her unwed pregnant teenage daughter on stage along with the boy who "did it" and receive enormous applause from the self appointed gardians of family values.

I can see the Russians shaking in their tanks when pitbull Palin is over in Georgia taking them to task for invading that country.

The world stage is much different than a Republican stage.

McCain happily greeted Brystal's Baby Daddy yesterday because he reminds him of himself: a gold-digging, reckless, adolescent.

Palin delivered a dynamite performance last night. She represented herself and her Party perfectly: aggressive and belligerent, short-sighted and forgetful, shallow and visceral, seductive and unctuous. All the qualities which have produced positive results and delivered our nation into Conservative hands over the last quarter century. As impressive as her performance was, there are two problems with her speech. For all her talk about the Republicans being the real party of change, she used the same old language and had the same old unappetizing attitude from which America craves a break. To put it bluntly, Palin did a good job doing a bad thing. And that will serve neither her ticket nor her party well. The second problem with her speech is she attacked the very institution - the media - to which all Republicans owe their imperial status. Had the media fulfilled its watchdog role even the nation's founders envisioned and protected through the 1st Amendment, then much of what has been perpetrated - since and including Bush 2000 - by the Republican majority either would not have come to pass, or would have been properly subjected to the kind of discrediting accountability usually reserved for those who refuse to fall into lock-step with the GOP line. Last night, Ms. Palin whined about unfair media scrutiny out of one side of her lipsticked mouth, and spat ignorant and inconsiderate insult out of the other. Ms. Palin may be the ticket's "pitbull in lipstick", but she forgot that she is only one dog in this fight for the White House. To the media: release the hounds!

Smartest comment of the night came from the Hillary folks, sexism is bad: you can hate it and still vote for Obama.

I am now very confident about McCain's chances of winning. After witnessing that misogyny is live and well in the left-wing branch of American politics, I am sure we can bring in some of the independent voters....

I did not realize how sexist liberals are, although given who Obama put on the ticket and the way the liberal media attacked Hillary, I should have guessed.

Now I am reading the comments above about her hair and she should stay at home with her kids???? oh my god. Would this ever be said about a guy? What hippocrites!!!

After Obama said that families are off limits, Mitt Romney was picked by McCain to go attack Obama's wife!!

Jesus, you shameful cowards in the GOP. Underhanded and sleazy as always.

Posted by: TRoy | September 4, 2008 12:51 PM

McCain happily greeted Brystal's Baby Daddy yesterday because he reminds him of himself: a gold-digging, reckless, adolescent.
-------------------------------------------WOW PERFECT!!!!!!!!! TRUTH TRUTH!!! Britol better be careful, Mccstain traded in his first wife for a upgrade model, once governor Paleface, ooops Palin loses, Levi will see the loser family for what it is he's gonna trade her in just like McCstain traded his wife in for the money of another woman! Cindy McCain Sugga Momma!!

Hah! Libs are such weenies ... of course it's partisan, just like Obama, the weak-kneed looser who has never led anything. Biden is such a wuss his own party has rejected him for over 20 years. If this is the future of the country, then every enemy we have will be grinning from ear to ear and thanking moveoff.org, Soros, Hollywood, and the rest of the Dems "values" promoters ... what a pathetic image -

I hope everyone is up for the pitbull with lipstick being in charge of our country. Just imagine Cheney... with lipstick!

dem52, Although some are sexist, IT WAS PALIN AND THE REPUGS WHO MADE THAT POINT! Dems stuck to the issues, then they started with all that victim crap or she's a woman mess and what, we're supposed to bow down? They made this an issue, we're just pounding them for it! I didn't see any post from you when they attacked michelle obama? I guess she's the wrong color....maybe?

To quote a poster from Politico.com: "Mrs. Palin needs to be reminded that Jesus Christ was a community organizer and Pontius Pilate was a governor."

Palin would do well to remember that next time she decides to go the low road and trash a political opponent for giving up a high-powered job to work with poor people.

The extent to which Palin is abusing her family, and allowing other Republican speakers to abuse them, was apparent from the beginning. She has been happy to have her youngest child portrayed as so utterly undesirable that only a wildly committed pro-life person would possibly have continued her pregnancy. On the contrary, many families feel that their Downs children are great blessings -- but might have other opinions about pregnancies involving rape, incest, or congenital problems that would leave the child with a short and painful life. Women must be allowed to make their own decisions. We don't need to have Sarah Palin making them.

They use family when it is convenient for them! I was totally turned off by her speech...sick and tired of the same old GOP rhetoric.

Posted by: DintheD | September 4, 2008 12:05 PM

This poster DintheD had to leave, said something else was stuck up his a$$ besides Palin's foot. A gerbil I believe but not sure..........

Great Republican family values -- parading an unwed pregnant teen as a role model to America's youth. Disgusting.

I want to here and now profusely thank Sarah Palin for her speech last night. She was very clear in her thoughts, and effective in her delivery.

But the unintended consequence of taking such a low road in her first national speech is that she has energized Democrats and centerist independents. Cash and volunteer hours are flowing into the Obama Campaign as we speak. Yes, she also energized the fringe of the Republicans. But unfortunately, nearly everyone else is running away.

Good job, Sarah! Thanks!

www.barackobama.com
GET INVOLVED TODAY!

relaxed- LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLO

If McC is a family man why did he call his wife a c***? My husband didn't believe it until I googled it for him.

Memo to Kinsely:

Palin's remarks came *after* the press breathlessly reported on her daughter's pregnancy (I was in a restaurant with CNN's Wolf Blitzer on TV reporting on this terribly important, breaking news), so if the pregnancy is relevant, why isn't the rest?

The spit shine put on that babies head last night was a scene from the Beverly Hillbillies. The pool sticks in the whitehouse will soon be pot holders. lmao

Funny...Sarah Palin talks about her family, and liberals paint her as someone who's just using her family for political gain. I think she was simply introducing them to us as a way of letting Americans know who she is and what she stands for. Also, I find it strange that liberals did not accuse the Obamassiah of using his family for political gain when they appeared on "Good Morning, America," graced the cover of numerous magazines, and got a multi-episode interview on "Access Hollywood."

Where is the demand for Biden's medical records? Where is the story on him confusing battalions and brigades 3 times this week? Where is the story on his brother and son being charged with hedge fund fraud?

HOPE: I hope that the focus stays on Palin so that my inexperience doesn't become an issue

CHANGE: I'm so glad the subject has been changed and the spotlight taken off of me.

HOPE: I hope I get elected so that I can take more money from those hard-working middle class bastards that believe in God.

CHANGE: I hope no one notices how many times I've changed my mind on the issues...

HOPE: I hope the left keeps attacking Palin so that the Reverend Wright issue is washed under the rug.

CHANGE: I just need to make it to early November by mentioning change without a real plan....

huh?- awwwww you think you made a funny.. See, just goes to show you the utter ignorance of not only the Palins but those (YOU) who actually think this ticket has any chance of winning anything other than prom jester and prom fiend of the local repug ball! See, we offered to stay off of families and what do you do? Mock his respect for this pathetic family? A family of traitors, a family of loose women, a family who thinks it's ok for their daughter to marry a rapist! Wow republican morals at work for the world to see! This woman was in charge of what, the boyscouts and that makes her ready to lead this nation? This nation with the largest millitary, larges economic budget, 2 wars, a housing crisis, unemployment at a all time high, high heating and fuel cost! This is your pick? DUDE she is a bafoon for not turning this down and not recognizing that the repukelican party is pimping her out like the little repug play along too stupid to realize they're using you drone! Wow, thanks for letting us know exactly how much you're clueless. You come here and spew republican talking points without even knowing a thing other than she is attractive, got big boobs, daughter prego, under investigation for abuse of power and lobbied to get money for her state whe she CRIED THAT SHE DIDNT! LOLOLOLOLOLOL bunch of unaware clowns!!!

We shouldn't blame her, since she didn't write the speech.

It is interesting to observe that most of the comments on this website re: VP candidate Sarah Palin are negative. One person even said he'd pull the democrat lever for the FIRST TIME IN HIS LIFE due to McCain's VP pick.

I believe her mean-spirited, lack of any real substance regarding the issues, and the mocking and very personal demeaning of Barack Obama show the desperation of the Republicans.

I went straight to the Obama website and made another donation as a result!

JB

Karen, for the record, Biden's brother and son were not "charged" with fraud, i.e., by a prosecutor making a criminal charge, but rather sued by former business partners.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/23/AR2008082302200_pf.html

Still though, I hadn't even *heard* of that until you mentioned it. So good point.

No matter which side you are on, what a moronic single sentence "article." Don't think I heard her attack anyone elses family, which should be 100% off limits. All I think I heard was her introducing her own family, the one that has been violated by the press over the last week. Was to be expected.

Jeez, it was basically an introduction to the American people. If she parades her family day after day, speech after speech, you may have something here Mr. Writer with the Brilliant Insights.

She'd rather push her daughter into a bad marriage than loose and election! Let's double down on the first mistake!

Is there a pattern in Republican governance?

"Women must be allowed to make their own decisions. We don't need to have Sarah Palin making them."

Couldn't agree more with the above poster. My question is this, though: if pro-choice people are truly pro-choice, why do they fight laws that are simply designed to make sure that woman know about all their options?

Wow, thanks for letting us know exactly how much you're clueless. You come here and spew republican talking points without even knowing a thing other than she is attractive, got big boobs, daughter prego, under investigation for abuse of power and lobbied to get money for her state whe she CRIED THAT SHE DIDNT! LOLOLOLOLOLOL bunch of unaware clowns!!!

-----------------------------------

Republicans! Relax...THIS is what we are arguing against! Feel like you're watching an episode of Gerry Springer....KEEP READING THESE left-wing nutjobs...LOL

Why - oh why would Ms. Palin extort her children the way she did before a national audience. That poor young man from Alaska - forced to hold Bristol's hand before the cameras. Mom - wake up and show true American values. How shameful as a mother!!

Why - oh why would Ms. Palin extort her children the way she did before a national audience. That poor young man from Alaska - forced to hold Bristol's hand before the cameras. Mom - wake up and show true American values. How shameful as a mother!!

I went straight to the Obama website and made another donation as a result!

JB

Posted by: Jane | September 4, 2008 1:20 PM

You would have made a better choice throwing it into the wind. same result wasted money

Why - oh why would Ms. Palin extort her children the way she did before a national audience. That poor young man from Alaska - forced to hold Bristol's hand before the cameras. Mom - wake up and show true American values. How shameful as a mother!!

Why - oh why would Ms. Palin extort her children the way she did before a national audience. That poor young man from Alaska - forced to hold Bristol's hand before the cameras. Mom - wake up and show true American values. How shameful as a mother!!

She is an attractive attack dog and it meant to move the debate to the mud pits because the Republican elite wants 1)Democrats off issues and 2) in a nasty voter-turn off that they are losing. The Democrats should stay completely on issues and define what leadership is and what new ideas are for independent voters who will determine the election. Kindness can turn away wrath and it is not weakness but the strength to carefully define terms. Americans need to see the complexity of issues simply put. For example: compare a common city council-mayors meeting agenda in a town of 10,000-20,000 with that of the President of the US on an emergency day of dealing with an invasion from Russia of say, the nation of Georgia. Compare the agenda of former Alaskan Govenors for a day with that of the President's normal work day. Make the issues concrete and tangible. Let Biden discuss what a national security issue is and how it plays out in discussions at the Federal level between the President, Congress, interested parties, foreign leaders. Be concrete. Do not get in the Republican mud slop. That is a world of their own Machiavellian creation. Call America to a higher spirit of democracy and discussion. This can also mean correcting, matter-of-factly, distortions, lies, glittering generalities and the low ugly play of quite desperate elites. And for goodness sakes...engage McCain in debate: he is the weak link. Pit Bull Sarah is nearly irrelevant.

Saying that a 7-year-old just giving her brother a little loving attention a hillbilly? That's low, dre.

She apparently doesn't know the difference between the Presidency (or vice presidency) as a bully pulpit but rather thinks it's a pulpit for bullies. Come to think of it, so does Dick Cheney. It would be interesting to see if more folks are scared to go hunting with her than with Cheney. Considering her aggressive seeking of Federal earmarks I would say that she made Wasilla the Welfare Queen City of the West.

Brilliant speech She will shake up the establishment. I am voting for McCain/Palin.

Shrill voice, compared to what? Clinton or Pelosi? No way, they make one's ears bleed.

And didn't Obama say family was off limits? Wasn't his introduced at the convention? Oh yeah, that's different. Everyone introduces their families at these things, that doesn't mean they should be victims of vicious media attacks.

The modus operandi is "exploit your kids when you can and lie about them when you can't"

Chris Barrett -

Thank you! I suspect I disagree with you politically (I AM Republican), but I respect that you are arguing on the issues. The points you brought up are completely legitimate. I disagree with your characterization on McCain, but it is an honest one out of respect. I was just about to close this blog out of disgust for the left. Thanks for providing a light of hope for my faith in the opposition...

So, now we know that Ms. Palin not only has no experience, but she also has NO CLASS.

What an absolutely disgusting 'speech' she gave. Taking cheap shot after cheap shot at Obama/Biden, Misrepresenting the facts about McCain, and, unbelievably, USING her family to her political advantage AFTER saying her family is off limits

A snide, condescending and ELISIST speech full of cheap shots and mud slinging, and LIES, does NOT make one 'ready' to be VP.

Good point Michael, but nothing in the speech itself compared to the photo ops. Flying in Levi and passing the baby around for the camera are the most cynical, shameless political uses of children I've ever seen. They're using a pregnant teenager as a prop. Family values indeed.

And really all I got from her speech was that she enjoys being nasty. Just what America needs more of.

Both Obama and Biden wholeheartedly praised and thanked McCain for his public service, then attacked him on the issues. Both Palin and Giuliani mocked Obama's public service, as well as that of any other frontline community worker, and then repeated much of his platform as their very own (change, reform, energy independence). Speaks volumes.

The angry and condescending tone of the RNC has turned off my entire TEXAS family. It's not just Palin, that would be sexist. Romney, Guiliani and Huckabee were mean too! No vision, no more American promise. Just bash, bash, bash! Reagan's party is no longer optimistic, they're paranoid. Are we going to spend the next 8 years with a "with me or against me" attitude? Is "fear" our main ingredient? We've got real problems to solve, like energy independence so we won't have to fight anymore wars in the Middle East, healtcare, social security, job creation, etc... We want a positive message of Hope and Change, not Fear and Loathing.

You guys also have to realize that she was not the initiator here. Her family has been unfairly scrutinized by the media. Reaction is to put a human face on them which is exactly what she did. She was attacked by Obama and company for lack of experience. She countered that with big, strong words, exactly what you should have expected. Had she NOT addressed them you'd have a story. Her job, in 45 mintues or so was to: 1) show herself and persona to the public, 2) show her support for McCain, 3) answer the attacks and 4) start to introduce her leanings (lower taxes, smaller government, balanced energy policies). Acceptance speeches at conventions are rallying points and sound bites. They are not detailed plans and policies, that is for other speeches and the debates.

Its not her fault because she didnt write the speech? Does she have the intelligence to write a speech or is she just willing to say anything that they tell her to say in order to get what she wants ( Which seems to be being a celebrity.... her and her disfunctional redneck family are probably already in negotiations for their own reality show)

Funny, McCain was known in his youth as "McNasty" (really). Now with Palin, we can have McNasty and "Just Plain" Nasty. Send her back to Alaska and remind me never to visit there!

For all those who think that Palin was using her children as "props," do you think the same thing when one of the Obama children whines, "what city are you in, Daddy?" Talk about shameful exploitation!

Did anyone tell Ms. Palin that divluging troop deployment dates on national t.v. is not a good idea if the Republicans are so concerned about security. I'm not sure if it is actually against the law, but it does open up some questions about her ability to work in an arena larger than the PTA.

This was posted by "Anonymous" on September 4th. It is exactlly what I thought when she made the demeaning remark about Obama being a community organizer.

"Palin needs to be reminded that Jesus Christ was a community organizer and Pontius Pilate was a governor."

Anonymous goes on to say a very crucial truth:

"Palin would do well to remember that next time she decides to go the low road and trash a political opponent for giving up a high-powered job to work with poor people."

I thought it warranted repeating!

What exactly do you bloggers want?
Sarah Palin is the most exciting candidate I have seen since John Kennedy. I am amazed that such a talent is held in such contempt.
I see in her a person of immense talent.
She wasn't educated in the liberal Ivy League. She is enormously strong. She understands team work.
We are going to have a great race for the president.

Screaming negative comments aren't going to affect candidate Palin.

Remember her nickname "Sarah the Barracuda".

Haha at the dudes nose at 3:51.

The only qualifications this woman has are for the Jerry Springer Show. To those 'elites' reporting on this atrocity of a candidate, please do your jobs and ask questions.

So what is your point? Self-disclosure is a wonderful thing.

We may have learned something substantive about barry in the past 20 months if he bothered to discuss his life, accomplishments and family. Oh... I forgot he did admit to abusing drugs in high school.

What should be even more frightening to Democrats than McCain and Palin is the unvetted nonimee at the top of your ticket. But of course, barry's life is totally off limits. Sarah Palin can get dragged through every sewer in the country but not your precious little presidential candidate. Grow up!

Anonymous:
To quote a poster from Politico.com: "Mrs. Palin needs to be reminded that Jesus Christ was a community organizer and Pontius Pilate was a governor."

Palin would do well to remember that next time she decides to go the low road and trash a political opponent for giving up a high-powered job to work with poor people.
------------
So perhaps it's totally consistent to encourage Obama to back to church with his soul-mate hate-monger Rev Wright, and the governor govern.

No presidential election has been decided by the major cities since Richard Daly fixed the 1960 election for Kennedy yet all last week Obama's media surrogates pounded both small town America and a pregnant 17 year old girl. Do you seriously think small town America wasn't paying attention? It was simply a monumental political error and very revealing to the people who will actually matter at the polls come November.

"Palin needs to be reminded that Jesus Christ was a community organizer and Pontius Pilate was a governor."

----------------------------

Huh? The corollary to that rediculous argumnet is "Louis Farrakhan is a community organizer and FDR was a governor". Neither statement says anything intelligent...

Jane says:

"Palin would do well to remember that next time she decides to go the low road and trash a political opponent for giving up a high-powered job to work with poor people."

Boy, some interesting between the lines reading there! She was not disparaging community work. She was DIRECTLY rebutting the Obama campaigns statement that his community service helps qualify him for Presidental duties while here mayoral experiences somehow did not qualify her to be VICE President. And as for the "low road", this was an ANSWER to an attack, not a unsolicited one.

Anonymous: "Flying in Levi and passing the baby around for the camera are the most cynical, shameless political uses of children I've ever seen. They're using a pregnant teenager as a prop. Family values indeed."

Since over the last four days I've heard extensive reporting about Bristol Palin's pregnancy, I simply don't see how Sarah Palin is using Bristol as a prop. The press can report about Bristol's pregnancy (why that's news, I have no idea) but Bristol showing up to her mom's convention is using the teenager as a shameless prop? I don't get that.

As for the term "family values," I don't understand what conservatives mean by that term and I don't understand what you mean when you suggest that Palin is somehow acting contrary to those nebulous "family values."

LOLO relaxed, YOU MUST LEARN TO SPELL BRO!!! LOLOLOLOL It's Jerry Springer, illiterate idiot! LOLOLOLOL So dems relax, these idiots are who we have to deal with!!! LOLOLOLOL they're base can't even spell!

Funny watching the koolaid drinkers writhe with fear. Nonsensical posts, posts attacking a 7year old, etc. You ninnies are the best commercial for republicanism.

The Palins are modern Beverly Hillbillies. She went shooting for food (moose, I presume) and she became crude - a crude example of what a VP should not be. Ellie Mae Clampett she ain't!

LOLO relaxed, YOU MUST LEARN TO SPELL BRO!!! LOLOLOLOL It's Jerry Springer, illiterate idiot! LOLOLOLOL So dems relax, these idiots are who we have to deal with!!! LOLOLOLOL they're base can't even spell!

-----------------------------

You are too stupid to realize the profundity of what you've just written....LOL

What's the only difference between Palin and Bush?

Lipstick

Allonfla - It is only a presumption on my part but I think English is Agsoba83's second language. I would cut him some slack.

Palin's speech was nothing more than a mean spirited sound off that meant nothing to our country. She is a new executive to one of the smallest populations in the United States. She did not address that she cut programs to assist pregnant teens and does not support sex education in schools (much less in her own home). She cannot make enough time to raise her own family properly or give needed care to her special needs baby if she is involved in the role McCain poorly drafted her for (much less when McCain strokes out in 2 years). Everything about her is empty and fake and her speech showed that. Palin is Harriet Meyers meets Tammy Faye Baker... America deserves better.

"LOLO relaxed, YOU MUST LEARN TO SPELL BRO!!! LOLOLOLOL It's Jerry Springer, illiterate idiot! LOLOLOLOL So dems relax, these idiots are who we have to deal with!!! LOLOLOLOL they're base can't even spell!"

"they're" I'll give you credit for spelling the wrong word right!

Just a quick question for those against Palin. Taking the emotions out of it and just looking at the facts what did Palin proposed last night that you would not want America to accomplish?

It is so obvious that most those who take time to read and respond have only one point of view and that is theirs, which does not necessarily make it right.

The Democrats must be gnashing their teeth for not putting Hillary on the ticket. What a game-changer Governor Palin is ? The emptiness of Senator Obama is now coming front and center. Why did the press fall for him ? They spent more time trying to take down the Republican VP candidate, than to find out just who is Barack Obama. I have voted for Democratic presidential candidates all my life, but I will not be conned to vote for an empty suit. The blunder of not picking Hillary is now obvious.

Tom, get a life. If you can not stand the heat get out the kitchen! Some Americans would be worst if the Obama camp was going through something right now. But - - as some of you think, white is right, regardless of the consequences.

Family: You mean her "dysfunctional reality tv show ready" collection of misfits? This, coupled with her myriad Alaskan political scandals will be a major distraction to the ticket.

In the end she will end up being a liability, not an asset.

Mark, can you believe this idiot? I'll bet his second grade teacher let him out of class early today....

Mark thanks! wrong word but he spelled it correctly so good for pointing that out for him. But, he still makes the correct point, despite all the rhetoric, democrats will win this election. Sorry republicans supporters, John Mccain didn't do you supporter right by this pick. It was last minute, not vetted no matter how much they spin it and frankly, regardless if you think Obama isn't ready, SHE is definitley not ready and it's going to hurt him in this election. Sorry

Smoke and mirrors once again from the GOP. Disappointing and devoid of substance. Not interested in one-liners or zingers -- just lay out your plan to get us out of this downward spiral....if you have one.

Reminds me of a scene from The Wizard of Oz, "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain..." With a little more time, she'll be an excellent (and annoyingly loud) puppet for those who are really running the show. She won't need as much time to prepare either and will have those standard party line responses memorized.

LarryO, the fact is, there is a shortage of REAL facts when it comes to the Republicans. Impressed with her, I am not. She definitely doesn't have the command of a Hillary Clinton or any other woman who has served as more than mayor of a small inconsequential little town.

Reformer? And how much in fed $ did she grab for her tiny inconsequential little town - at the expense of taxpayers?

Please. Hockey mom this. Who in her family plays hockey? And who cares?

To top it off, she has a voice like nails across a blackboard.

Good grief, can't we do better than her? Jeez.

You libs just make me laugh. You have a strong woman, who, if she followed your dogma would be the toast of the town but because she has other (right) ideas and attitudes, you hate her.
Has the word Hypocrite ever come to any of you? You are, the press is, all the Democratic party is. Your party chose a bum, who only has his race to run on over a strong woman with ten times more experience. Yes, even though I would NEVER vote for her, she is 100 times better than the socialist community activist.
Remember no matter what, she did something historic and she is standing up to your rhetoric. You are as pathetic as you are laughable.

Why is pointing out the fact that someone (Obama) has no executive experience an attack? Really, can someone answer that...no, its just the same old mud-slinging republican attack machine defense. Democrats would be much better off if they recognized their weaknesses, addressed them, and exploit their strengths. Neither AL Gore or John Kerry did either, and Obama has yet to.

SEE BELOW
HEY Richard In Chicago: BABY DADDY HAS ALREADY BEEN USED, BY MICHELLE OBAMA TALKING ABOUT HER SUPPOSED BABY DADDY

The gloves should come off here. Be prepared to hear the phrase Baby-Daddy.

Posted by: Richard In Chicago | September 4, 2008 12:13 AM

I don't know if I'd call her smug and condescending.

But, as a former Army Sergeant, I'm going to call her whiny.

God her voice grates.

I don't know if I can take even two months of that whiny voice ...

She was so "smug and condescending" because she realized she has NO idea what else she can talk about! Surely she has no experience and absolutely stated nothing about her POA or the economy or foreign policy.
She claims she wants her family left out of the media but spent the entire first portion of the speech talking about them.
Abstinence is great, ya'll!

Kinsley: Obama can introduce his daughters make them sing and dance in Democratic Convention. But Palin cannot.

I think it is very very apparent how Washington Post and CNN are extremely biased.

Let us pray and hope American people use their WIT to chose McCain and Palin.

God Bless "McCain and Palin" and "God Bless America"

I need to ask why CNN did not send a agent to Africa to trace information Obama's father, Neighbourhood, his relatives and have them talk about Obama.

Ryan - STOP! You are asking liberals to use FACTS. This type of currency doesn't fly well when you use name-calling and emotion to make an argument.

DJM3 - Remember, its NOT hypocritical if its done by a Democrat. Not making decisions as part of the US Senate requires LOTS of experience, remember?

Will in Seattle: "But, as a former Army Sergeant, I'm going to call her whiny."

What does the fact that you're a former Army Sergeant have to do with the fact that you think Palin is whiny?

"not vetted" Seems like this week a lot of folks learned a new word! She has been on the list for months. YOu can be sure that they new all they needed to know about her, from her politics to her abilities to her intelligence to her personna. Strategy-wise, it could not have worked much better. She was announced and immediately attacked which allowed her to fight back, allowed the GOP to attack the media.

"I don't think you realize how insulted we ladies are to see a trashy woman like her being willing to be used by the likes O McCain."

I suppose you ladies are proud of how you throw yourselves at Obama the celebrity. It's also ironic how all the dems now say that a good speech does not a vice president make, when that's been the only strength of the Obama campaign.

The addition of Sarah Palin is an obvious gimmick, I am insulted. GOP attacking the press is laughable. I was voting for McCain before this choice but now he's proven to be a hollow shell of the great man he was before. Candidate McCain is nothing but a Rovian puppet, making poor and hasty decisions. Nothing but lies, deception and manipulation to further divide an already conflicted country.

We all should feel pity for McCain. I feel sick that I was going to vote for him.

thank GOD someone is pointing this out. either your kids aren't brought in, or they are.

but you can't whine about how the media should leave your kids out of the spotlight and then trot them out whenever you feel like using them to gain sympathy.

this is the HEIGHT of hypocrisy. "i'm allowed pimp out my children when it benefits me, but you're not allowed to call me out on it when they do something that negatively affects me."

UM, ah, RYAN,
First, let’s point out one fact, Obama has no executive experience, that is FACT. Look at the last number of Presidents including your “god” old Billy? THEY WERE GOVENORS!!!
Where is Obama from? AH, CHICAGO, the DEMOCRAT ATTACK MACHINE HEADQUARTERS. You are right about one thing, the democrats would be much better off if they got rid of their leftist, socialist comrads
Why is pointing out the fact that someone (Obama) has no executive experience an attack? Really, can someone answer that...no, its just the same old mud-slinging republican attack machine defense. Democrats would be much better off if they recognized their weaknesses, addressed them, and exploit their strengths. Neither AL Gore or John Kerry did either, and Obama has yet to.
Posted by: Ryan | September 4, 2008 2:03 PM

61 days until Barack Obama is elected President of the United States.

Professional journalists before the speech: "Who is this woman?" Journalists after the speech: "Why is she telling us who she is?" Something tells me the media enjoyed defining Sarah Palin for us.

If you want family out of the debate, then stop talking about Ann Dunham on food stamps. Stop talking about Obama's military family members and his grandparents.

Palin is an ultra conservative radical who belongs to the Middle Ages. I hope the Dems will go after her record with full vigor. Let's remember the viciousness of the GOP against John Kerry in 2004. If Palin uses her family as a campaign issue, then her family is fair game, especially since she wants to proselytize her family value views to the rest of the nation.

Well, she has the redneck vote locked down with that speech. Let's see if they're in the majority. If the the Democrats can't win this election after these 8 hellish years, perhaps they don't deserve to win?

Ah....the Dems are panicking!! I hear Paul Revere's voice in my head.....

The Red States are Coming!
The Red States are Coming!
The Red States are Coming!

Palin might be a pit bull, but I'm not a dog. Neither are any of my girlfriends.

This is one Republican Precinct Chairwoman that McCain has lost.

Sorry JMS, she was INTRODUCING THEM. What a bunch of clap trap. you all need to realize that SHE IS REAL, The aristocratic media was RIPPING HER TO SHREADS, all of your left (KOS) blogs said she did not have her baby, it was a cover up for her daughter. She is FIGHTING BACK and it drives you all crazy. It is strange want fear will do to the media

Someone please source when Palin said her family off off limits? Kinsley? Can't do it can you.

Memo to Kinsley.........your a flaming left-winger.........zero credibility.

Which is probably why the POST uses you.

Sad person ...........sad paper......

"Even though Obama is a great man (and he IS a great man), the most compelling reason to vote for him for president is his pigmentation."
***********************************

Sorry, you may not think you're a racist but it's pretty clear you are. You say Obama is a great man but the most compelling reason to vote for him is his skin color...

uh... why isn't the most compelling reason to vote for him the fact (as you point out) that he's a great man?

America-hating Rev Wright, a Chicago terrorist, a slum lord, Race merchants Sharpton, Jackson: Great Cabinet for Barak Hussein Obama!

Let's hope Tina Fey is willing to play Sarah on SNL.

How does one even begin to address the absurdity of Mr. Kinsley's "Memo?"

Palin made her speech after the press declared open season on her 17-year-old daughter.

And what's all of this talk about press bashing (see Dionne)? Anytime the media is criticized en masse they complain about bashing.

What they did to Bristol Palin was inexcusable. That four-day circus was driven by the same unfiltered blogs sanctimonious editors so solemnly condemn.

Worse, they put the Democratic Party in a bind. The Obama campaign and institutional Democrats scrupulously avoided cheap shots against Palin's family, but Middle America will likely blame them anyway -- particularly if Palin becomes a popular addition to the ticket.

Those of us who work or used to work in the media know that most reporters are too self-absorbed and too mouthy to pull off an effective conspiracy. But the public doesn't see it that way, and a significant portion of the public -- with ample justification -- equates "media" with "liberal."

Then, of course, there's the "right-to-know" sermonette. We all know that one by heart, and we're starting to hear it now from defensive reporters and editors. But it applies to Sarah Palin, not to some pregnant minor.

Mr. Kinsley's demand for post-injury consistency is silly. He's just offering Sarah Palin and her family a Hobson's choice as if it were a reasonable alternative.

Today, ironically, the McCain campaign is refusing to answer questions that probably shouldn't be off-limits: About the selection process, "troopergate," and other pertinent matters.

But he'll get away with it because reporters from allegedly respectable outlets spent four days mixing reasonable questions with requests that Sarah Palin submit her infant's blood for a DNA test.

When you mix the wheat with the chaff, everything blows on the ground.

This is one Republican Precinct Chairwoman that McCain has lost

sure, "sally", sure you are a chairwoman-wink wink.

I'm a Republican woman who was very much looking forward to casting my ballot for Mccain until he made the massively idiotic decision of picking Palin as a VP. The fact that he would entrust our entire nation to someone w/ zero credentials speaks volumes and makes my heart hurt.
Watching her last night, where all she did was criticize her opponent and didn't offer a single idea as to what she brought to the table confirmed I will def be voting Obama/Biden.

Hitler had a family too, Mrs. Palin. Maybe your name stands for Palpably Arrogant Loser Inciting Neocons.

She was "smug" because she was laughing inside at all the Liberals who were watching and starting to realize that they are in for four more years of a Republican in the White House.

Y'all know it, too, and there's jack you can do to change that fact.

Gary - Do you understand the meaning of the word racist? That's a serious charge to throw around when you don't understand its meaning....

NCLLWTK
HAHAHA, does OBAMA write HIS speeches, NO you bunch of idiots
Look at this, it is off of ABC’s web site.
By LISA FERRI and OLIVIA STERNS
Feb. 19, 2008
The man credited with writing Sen. Barack Obama's "power of words" speech today called the plagiarism accusation "not fair" and said it was an attempt to "belittle his ability to motivate people."
AHHH, no one writes their own speeches you putz and it is all of the CLINTONS WRITERS WHO WRITE FOR OBAMA
Its not her fault because she didnt write the speech? Does she have the intelligence to write a speech or is she just willing to say anything that they tell her to say in order to get what she wants ( Which seems to be being a celebrity.... her and her disfunctional redneck family are probably already in negotiations for their own reality show)
Posted by: ncllwtk | September 4, 2008 1:37 PM

Mpeach1 is right: People are complaining, but a majority of voters have decided to re-lelect W in 2004. The McCain-Palin has zero interest in solving housing, health care, energy, and inflation problems. What you are going to get with McCain and Palin is exactly what you are getting with Bush-Cheney. There will not be one iota of difference. If you want to vote for McCain and Palin, go ahead, but stop complaining.

relaxed, I think he just got off of your mother, or that's what she told me.Hey maybe she should've aborted you but she didn't so we have to deal with your idiotic rantings about everyone other than your candidate. Funny how all your republican hacks don't want to speak on your candidate, hmmmmm wonder why?

So much for at least paying lip service to "uniting" the country.

All I heard from last night's speech was a big "Fuc# you" to anyone not already on the team....

FYI: Condescending, sarcastic and downright mean jokes are not a good tactic for a VP.

It plays well at Amateur Night at the Improv (aka the GOP Convention) but only served to really alienate a whole lot of people wondering what the GOP planned on doing to fix this great country they ruined.

I think the Rev. Wright comments are about to end. Palin's church has some pretty interesting/radical takes on the conflict in the Middle East.

"Jan" was voting for Obama the whole time, of course. :-)

relaxed, I think he just got off of your mother, or that's what she told me.Hey maybe she should've aborted you but she didn't so we have to deal with your idiotic rantings about everyone other than your candidate. Funny how all your republican hacks don't want to speak on your candidate, hmmmmm wonder why?

-----------------

That's such a brilliant argument, that I couldn't possibly challenge it....

Having lived thru 8 horrible years of the Bush Theocracy, do we really want a VP who opposes sex education (and not surprisingly is about to be a grandma), oppposes abortion in the case of rape, opposes gay rights, ... She should run for minister of her bigoted church, and stay in Alaska. It's time to "vet" this bigot in the press.

Obama 08

To all right winger extraordinaire:

Yes, us democrats ARE in fact panicking. However, don't misunderstand our panic. We are certainly not panicking over Sarah Palin's amazing ideas that she hatched last night in her speech, we are not wowed by her resume, and we are not impressed by her empty (and inaccurate) insults that she threw last night. We are panicked that there are those out there who are ignorant enough to think that this woman and this administration is going to change ANYTHING AT ALL about our country's sad state of affairs that members of your brilliant party have placed us in now.

And also, for the record, IT IS GO TIME. Sarah may have come out swinging but now she's trying to kick us in the fruit and then run back behind her protectors screaming "don't hit I'm a girl"!! NO MA'AM. If you are going to deliver blows like that just make sure you are prepared for the backlash pretty princess pageant girl, because rest assured, ITS COMING. I don't believe your "hockey mom with lipstick" status is going to help you against Uncle Joe Biden....

She talked about Hilary Clinton being such a huge influence on her during her initial acceptance speech, well sorry, but I don't think Hilary Clinton would ever have the audacity to go on stage and dub herself a lipstick wearing hockey mom. I'm sure Hil was hiding behind the lapel of her pantsuit somewhere embarrassed that this woman is trying to channel her.

This is a complete and total CIRCUS and I'm disgusted that anyone can take any of this seriously. Ray Charles could see what is going on.

Fondest regards,
THE DEMOCRATIC WARRIOR

Hey when did the republicans rant on clinton's daughtr....never....she is not in the race she is there only to support her Mom as a Mom and I have a feeling her daughter and Sarah will be just fine handling the ignorant and vile media that try to trash her msnbc and the like have been out of line. Obama has nothing no experience no good message his messages are more welfare money coming to you by raising my damn taxes and a belief that the Muslims are right.....that comes from his own writing in his book....I don't trust him or his nasty wife Michelle who needs to head back to her ghetto... Sarah has in two years done more for Alaska's economy and strength than Obama or Biden have done for American in their entire senate careers. Like she said last night you can't vote "Present" when you are the Governor or President you have to be willing to make a decision. She was not bitter or out of line last night she clearly laid out the facts of Obama's campaign and now the demo rats are crying foul...but reporting that Sarah's baby son wasn't really hers oh yeah you thought that was ok. So my closing thought is you go ahead and vote for those two idiots on the demo rat ticket and when your taxes are as high as France don't come crying on here......

Kinsley's got a point, if Palin wants to harp on and on about her great family, then she is the one inviting scrutiny of them. Policy-wise, one has to ask if this candidate's pregnant teenage daughter is an example of the result of abstinence-only sex "education"- yes, obviously. Had she at least told her daughter to use a condom during sex, they would not be in this predicament.

But even worse, here is a candidate whose peers in the GOP have gone on and on ad nauseum about the family's right to privacy in this "private matter", yet she is a candidate who wants to take away people's right to privately decide matters of family planning and make them a government decision. That just doesn't add up.

If they were honest they would say, "You see, we are against family planning and to prove how serious we are about it here is our candidate who is forcing her teenage daughter, a minor, to carry to term an unintended pregnancy and you will all do the same."

When McCain came out at the end he looked like about 200 years old and so stiff you could fold him up and put him in an envelope.

When he dies in office and she's President, will we be banning/burning books as well as torturing people?

you left wing flamers have begun the smear about her and her family since she was selected by McCain. She is now pushing back and you Fa**ots can't take it.

she can talk about "small towns breed great people" all she wants. i'm not arguing that. that still has notthing to do with EXPERIENCE.

The ironic fact is- Giuliani ran a city more than 8 TIMES bigger than her entire state, and he was critized mightily for his lack of RELEVANT (the key term here) experience- by other republicans, including McCain- and his city is way closer to being a microcosm of the whole US than alaska and wasilla are.

Not all "executive" experience is the same.

Yonkers, New York
04 September 2008

Yes, Michael Kinsley, it does seem that Sarah Palin has forgotten that kids are "off limits."

Or is it the case that kids are off limits only when, say, a 17-year child is gotten pregnant by another 18-year old child?

Recall that when she was Mayor of Wasilla, she nurtured a reputation for strenuouly opposing "earmarks" (pork, that is).

But it turns out that she herself hired a lobbyist (another specie she is supposed to hate) to get her those pork goodies from Washington--with, of course, the help of "Uncle Ted" Stevens, who is considered a champion of pork and who acquired some notoriety for his "Bridge to Nowhere" costing millions which would have benfited some 50 Alaskans.

You can say, Michael Kinsley, that Sarah Palin besides being a complete unknown and a nondescript pit bull with lipstick politician, is a hypocrite!

Mariano Patalinjug
MarPatalinjug@aol.com

I'm sick of this woman and her trashy family already, and its only been a week since McBush picked her!

Mary, who beat us all to the Comments Line, asks, "Could someone address why Sarah Palin was so smug and condescending?"
Well, Mary, She's a Republican. I'm just glad if she doesn't wipe
her nose on her sleeve.

Valerie,

"Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because her father is Janet Reno."

That's John McCain's joke he happily told to many politicians.

And are you serious about Joe Biden? Have you ever read heard of the Biden crime bill. Give me a break. Let's try to use facts, people.

No one seems to have been bothered by, for instance, Miss Lilian, Roslynne and Amy Carter being on the stage at the DNC convention, nor at any other U.S. presidential nomination convention before last night.

So why is it such a horror now?

Kinsley,
If I had to introduce myself to the country as the vice presidential candidate, I would feel compelled to speak about my family. So what is your problem with that? BTW, she did an excellent job with her speech last night. As expected, the Obamoids are in high reaction mode. Even the number 2 obamoid (ie: biden), is saying Palin's speach lacked substance. Wow! Ok Joe, you'd better start preparing for that october date! The number 1 obamoid, is staying pretty quiet waiting to see how this all shakes out while his minions are out in full force trying to stir up things. In other words, he is voting present at the moment, giving careful thought and consideration.

I wonder how McCain is going to feel playing such an obvious second fiddle to Palin?

No one is going to pay attention to anything he says as president. The press'll always be peeking around the corner to catch a glimpse of Palin. It will definitely be one of the strangest presidencies in history. And it will be contentious between these two; her ambition coming up against his old boy inside-the-Beltway stodginess.

The Republicans have their celebrity. And now that she's bigger than even Obama, doesn't that mean Obama and Biden should be the ones to really relate to the "little guy?"

yo djm3- you still seem to think she's allowed to have it both ways.

She's allowed to fight back- but not after saying that "kids should be off limits." If kids are "off limits", then introducing them shouldn't be relevant. either everyone can talk about them, or no one can- even her.

your response is typical of people who blindly support something without any critical or logical analysis.

Hal, why punish an unborn innocent child because of the sin of a rapist?? Bigoted church? What about Barak Hussein Obama sitting in a pew of an American-hating church for twenty years? Time to vet her, huh? Let's also vet BHO reagarding his association with an unrepentant terrorist and a slum lord? ok with you?

It's sad to see so many otherwise intelligent people fall so easily for the political theater put on by the Democratic and Republican parties.

Take the furor over Palin: do you really believe that Republican strategists are "outraged" over media attacks on her? Ha! They're delighted! This is what they PLANNED for. Don't fall for it!

Likewise, you know that Obama's people are praying for some right-wing mouth breather to cough up the "N-word" or some equivalent, so they can have a "macaca moment". If they can trick somebody into it they will. They'll pretend outrage but off camera will be chortling with glee.

It isn't enough to just study the issues. It's also necessary to keep your mind protected from these ridiculous little charades the campaigns put on.

All you Dem's reek of fear.....as you should your days of saving gays and killing the unborn are over.....

All the "redneck" comments are snide and classless.

To THE DEMOCRATIC WARRIOR: Thank you for presenting an INTELLIGENT retort to my musings on the Dems. panicked state. To be clear - I think you are WRONG to prematurely characterize Mrs. Palin as having thrown empty insults. If my children were criticized in ANY way, I would be the meanest pitbull you've EVER seen....

You make a great point however - she did open herself up to play hardball. So all bets are off! However, I don't understand the left's fascination with her child's pregnancy. To me, this is a personal matter that should stay within the family. Although it IS fair game, I find it distasteful at best. Thank you & keep up the intelligent debating!

As far as I can see, so far, the only people who can even REMOTELY be seen as having done Ms. Palin wrong are all Republicans.

Most of us Democrats (full disclosure: I supported Hillary, and am voting for Obama out of necessity) were quietly chortling into our matutinal coffees when we found out about her. About the worst comment I heard or saw was that "It must be Obama's birthday, to get such a big gift."

Meanwhile, Ms. Palin was selected because of her pro-tax, drill the hell out of the earth, let's Bomb Bomb Bomb Iran attitudes, which extend to outright theft: Alaska rakes in far more in federal contributions than Alaskans pay in taxes. She is the one who chose to put her family (and family values) on display as a part of her credentials. She is the one who is proud, apparantely, of her pro-life, let's abolish science and teach creationism, and while we're at it, let's use the state police to GET our family enemies, past.

And now, she has the incredible temerity, verging right up there with Bush's claim to be a "compassionate" conservative, to claim that somehow, per past, her performance, her family, and God alone who or what knows what else are somehow out of bounds, and that she, Little Miss Know Nothing, has been done wrong?

Hello, little girl, welcome to the big leagues. If you think for one nano-second that any Hillary supporter will fall over because you have two ovaries, think again.

What I want to know is...

If John McCain wanted Joe Lieberman or Tim Kaine to be Veep...

Who the hell decided that Palin should be on the ticket.

She is apparently a neocon lapdog.. Maybe Rove picked her?

________________________________

As much as I would like to blame Karl Rove, I can't. McCain will do anything to get into office.

Dave: "Wow! Ok Joe, you'd better start preparing for that October date!"
--------------------------------------
Personally, I can't wait. Here is Biden, who's been debating in the US Senate for three decades going up against Palin, who's been reading scripted speeches off teleprompters for a couple years. How can a newbie like Palin stand a chance?

As a died-in-the-wool Buckley conservative - right down to being a sailor - I believe I am channeling Bill in characterizing Gov. Palin's speech as shrill and essentially devoid of any substantive information pertaining to anything that one might deem germane to intelligent discourse in a presidential race.

It was as loud as it was vapid. Which really brings up a dilemma for the GOP. Not all of us are Bible pounding, gun slinging survivalists of the wild frontier. I dare say, our ancestors fought pretty hard to settle the nation in such a way that we don't have to shoot our dinner.

Does this now disqualify us from being "good Republicans?"

I can assure you, the shallow, angry tone of the speech was a major turnoff to my wife and her friends who were over to the house for the "big event" last night.

Bear in mind, here was Gov. Palin's chance to be a hit with a group of conservative, old-school GOP power women about 10 years older than her, all of whom have raised numerous children (we have five), all of whom have held/hold jobs and/or posts of high responsibility (two in the group of 11 ladies last night are doctors, three are lawyers, one is the president of faculty at a well-know college, etc.)

In the midst of her attack on the "Washington elite," one of the ladies laughed and said, "I think she's talking about us!"

This empty, angry attack at some unseen enemy hiding within the ranks of the dreaded liberals is going to gravely hurt the chances of the GOP in this election.

Simply put, there is nothing "elite" about being an educated, thinking person with the intellectual capability to take apart one's opponents' positions on a plane of thoughtfulness and logic - as opposed to ranting and mocking.

A great example of this capability was the time on Firing Line when Buckley asked one of his long standing liberal foes on the show a question that went something like this (forgive the loose paraphrasing): "You've been on the program (lots of times over the years). Tell me, have you learned anything yet?"

Of course, this drew a lot of laughs, but the point was made.

As educated Republicans who have worked hard to provide for our families and who happen to be fortunate enough to live in good communities in good homes we earned, I fear that our way of life was under attack last night because we are seen as "elite" - perhaps because we have no moose or other wild game close at hand to shoot and "properly field dress."

As one of the ladies said last night, "Girls, maybe we ought to sit this one out (skip voting altogether)."

There is nothing sexy about being angry, undereducated and looking for a fight all the time. Trust me when I say there are millions of us in the GOP who are not pleased with the course this party has taken over the past few years.

I thought it would be a cold day in hell when a so-called Conservative voice would sound worse than the sort of manic ranting and whining that had come to characterize many in the Democratic Party over the past 20 years

Last night, however, we achieved that dubious distinction. Bill must be aghast.

Okay, and with Va_Lady2008's ridiculously insane comments, I will leave this forum. Take care, folks.

O.K., I get it.
Republican and Evangelical family values include now premarital sex and pregnancies among teenagers. Do those good people find anything questionable?

Let's keep talking about Sarah's daughter's baby...yeah, that's WAY more important than the scum of the earth, Bill Ayers. Hmmmm...Bill Ayers, Reverend Wright....what was that about the company you keep???? I think that is a REAL issue...But I'm just a right-wing nutjob...

Too bad they couldn't find a sitter, since they made their going-out plans so last-minute.
By the way, since she's out moonlighting, who's minding Alaska?

Sorry folks, I am so sick of the hypocrisy from the right. These people love to legislate moral behavior for everyone else, but when it comes to them, "Life happens." Let's be honest if Obama's daughter had been Bristol's age and in her condition the republican party would have had a field day. And they would use it no doubt as a means to demonize the thousands of women/girls of a darker hue who find themselves in similar circumstances. Funny how James Dobson, Mr. Focus on the family is silent. May be if Palin focused on her family and stopped trying to censor any and all discussions about sex and sex education things would have been different. I might add, how pathetic to bring the boyfriend (now fiance') before the world to further justify the seemingly unjustifiable. I am willing to bet that the poor guy doesn't even want to be in this situation. The whole thing is a joke, but I for one ain't laughing as the times are too serious and the stakes are too high.

Kinzley,
You are whining, despicable wimp. "Family is off limits"???? Is that the best you've got? How about some intelligent commentary on real issues. You are pathetic.

Families are suppose to be off limits, but she keeps dragging them back into the limelight. One other thing - why would she be so stupid to say that her son is going to Iraq? That makes him and anyone around him huge targets. I'm sure that the commanders of his unit are none to happy about that revelation.

I missed something, pointed out by Anita RN:

"Governor Palin violated military operations regulations by announcing the unit and date of deployment for her son Track. I would think that one of the requirements to be commander in chief would be to at least know and obey the military regulations designed to protect the security of our troops being deployed to an overseas war. "

My Marine son did two combat tours in Fallujah, when Fallujah was beyond any reasonable argument the most dangerous piece of real estate on the planet. He didn't have his mother to look after him, nor his father, nor Secret Service, nor a bunch of totally terrified they'll get the vice president's son killed non-coms.

We were enjoined from the get go: never, ever disclose unit, deployment, return, location, ever under any circumstances.

Apparently Ms. Palin missed the part in the briefing about how many OTHER mother and father's children she could get killed by her selfish stupidity.

And she thinks she's fit to be the Commander in Chief, should, God forbid (1) John McCain is elected and (2) John McCain croaks?

She isn't fit to command a garbage truck.

RELAXED - I totally hear what you are saying- it's certainly distasteful. and honestly, I don't find anything notable or wrong with the girl herself being pregnant.

But can you truly tell me that this isn't something that she (if it hadn't happened to her) would criticise a Democratic candidate for? the pregnancy isn't the thing- it's the hypocrisy.

Va_Lady2008: Amen. Watch all the angry koolaid drinkers leave the Forum. Come back when you want to talk about FACTS. Bubye!!

Really missing the big picture folks...More kids are showing up needing free and reduced lunches this September and the school districts don't know where they'll get the money to pay for the extra lunchs. Kids in Maine and other states, many in rural areas, who once had school buses, now need to figure out how they will get to school. We can drill baby drill but the energy costs to heat our homes, run our cars, etc are going to keep going up, up, up. Food costs will, too. Go ahead, love Palin's feisty talk. I don't have time for this. The whole family is a sideshow...and a very American one at that. Keep looking at the sideshow and we'll miss what's really going on here. I don't gain a thing if McCain-Palin win. My family will just continue to see our gains get eaten away. I don't live in Alaska, I live in the lower 48, where my retirement funds and my house are worth a lot less than they were a year and half ago. I don't know how I'm going to pay for my son to go to college. LOL to most of us -- the ordinary folk Palin is supposed to be a sop to.

We're in a mess and most of us are really feeling it. We can keep our anger stoked and let Palin stoke it as a subsitute for holding someone accountable. I'm holding the Republicans accountable...this is a mess, a real mess and they created a lot of it.

The most breathtaking thing of the Republican Convention is that Sarah Palin, with the support of James Dobson, has redefined teen-age pregnancy. It is now an admirable thing if the mother to be chooses not to have an abortion.

And think Ms. Palin has been on the national scene less than a week. Imagine what she redefine in four years.

To Relaxed-

I appreciate your comments regarding my post.

Here's the thing- I don't feel that us leftys are fascinated with her daughters pregnancy. What facinates us are two main things-

1. Teenage girls get pregnant every day. We are all grownups. We all know that when you take the cheecher and put it in the chacha 9 months later a baby comes out...we get it. What we don't get is how this woman can possibly expect us to take her seriously on the abstinence only view. I mean...really. Fascinating that we should be expected to take her seriously.
2. Yes, I agree that it is distasteful for ANYONE to critize her young daughter. Which I don't really think is the point of any of the media coverage of it....we are critizing her MOM. The simple fact of the matter is, it has absolutly nothing to do with Bristol Palin, it has to do with Sarah Palin. Again, enter in the fascination.

Sarah introduced her family last night as any proud mother would but They should off limits from media fed exploiters. Obama show true class when he said candidate's children should be off limits. If the media would stop all this gossip and half-truths and let private life be private, the candidates on both sides could have some real discussions about the issues. Not worrying about how the media will twist it and put in their 2 cent which is all that it is worth. We can elect a president but without the support of the people, media and congress it is a up-hill battle so no change will happen. Ask President Bush.

I didn't watch the speech, but I'm still waiting for the naked pictures.

JMS: I agree. I think there are petty people on both sides of the aisle. The Republican party certainly is populated by people who lack brains and the ability to form a sentence. However, I honestly would take a Republican (or anyone for that matter) to task if they went after Obama's family. I gave lots of grief to people I've spoken to who give Michelle Obama grief for her "proud to be American for the first time" comment. Is it fair to go after her for that? - sure it is. Do I find it distasteful that people in my party would use that tactic - ABSOLUTELY. I guess the point is that hypocrisy is not partisan. Let's focus on the issues....BOTH SIDES!!!

I'd like to hear Roberta McCain's