Your not baffled. Your afraid. Have a nice day. Kitty C.

It looks like the McSame campaign is going to try to make Palin seem ready for leadership because she is the commander of the Alaska National Guard. So we need to know her record there. Did she fight to get body armor and other decent equipment for the troops who had to go overseas? Did she find money in her budget (overflowing with oil $) to pay for it? Did she fight to keep the National Guard home in Alaska to protect it in case of natural disaster? Or did she willingly let the young men and women of Alaska go to Iraq to fight a war that we should never have started?? If they want to use that 'experience' to make her look good then we have to uncover her record (I couldn't find anything in a quick net search). And btw - do they really think that they found a substitute for Hillary who will appeal to Hillary supporters? Opposed to choice, no apparent record advocating for the critical health care needs of Americans, no experience on the national stage, much less international. She doesn't begin to measure up. The pick of a VP candidate is the first presidential act. I think McCain just lost the election.

You're not using apostrophes, you're named after a cat.

Your not baffled. Your afraid.

You are or even You're would be correct.

I'm not sure if you're trying to say we should fear her because she's such a good pick or if we should fear her because if McCain is elected, has a heart attack and dies (the man is 72) then a woman who 3 years ago was mayor of Wasilla City, population 6000, will be the leader of the free world.

Either way writing skills are highly recommended.

Good God, they just nominated the equivalent of Eileen Q-Tip for Vice President of the United States.

I guess that whole "Obama is too inexperienced" chant just went out the window.

Christmas came early this year, for Democrats.

A possible uninteded consequence is to that Hillary is now assured to campaign hard for Obama. There are those who think that a Hillary strategy is to let Obama lose so she can run in 2012. I don't believe that, but even so, such a strategy is now DOA.

Palin has very high positives in Alaska and virtually no negatives. If McCain wins, Palin will be the next heir to the GOP nomination in either 2012 or 2016.

McCain upped the ante here, No doubt about it. The only negative is that he can no longer play the experience card. But I think he figured that the experience arguement wasn't enough to get him elected.

With Palin 1) He gets back into the graces of the neocons/Freepers. 2) He adds his own "historic" nature to the campaign. 3) Since he is touting both Palin and her husband as "union members" he will get some of that blue collar vote. 4) If Biden goes into attack dog mode in the VP debate, Palin will get sympathy.

Our job just got tougher in my opinion.

Women and men supported Hillary because she had decades of experience in bringing about policy change, she understood international and domestic issues, she was a known quantity, and she was pro-choice.

Palin has none of those traits.

Find me someone who gave substantial money or time to the Hillary campaign who is now going to work for, donate to, and vote for McCain because of the choice of Palin. I don't think you will find her (except in the minds of the trolls that cruise blueoregon.)

I am completely offended by this choice. This is going to backfire bigtime.

I think her past will become more of a distraction and sideshow as the campaign goes on. It stole the media cycle today, but she doesn't seems to bring any gravitas to the ticket.

What's with McCain and former pagent queens anyway?

An odd choice, but very effective at removing Obama from the media spotlight this morning, and also a very effective sop to the big "C" Christian right. Ralph Reed is in love with her.

Palin pales in comparison to Joe Biden. She pales in comparison to Barack. What she brings is experience with the oil companies and lap dog agreement with the fanatical Right. Dragging five kids up on stage brings back all my concerns with overpopulation.

McCain just lost the election with this choice, if it was ever in doubt. For me he could only win if the election was rigged for a 3rd time, which I will not put past the Reich, based on history. But I don't think it will be close enough to steal.

I'm glad I saw her speech this morning because her future rhetoric will be nothing like we heard. Most of the information she shared will be eliminated. First, that's probably the last time we will hear about Hillary Clinton. Just the mention of Hillary causes the Reich to wretch. It's not even a conscious response anymore they've been so well trained by the FOX. Second, her husband's work history will disappear. Union steel worker?!?! That's heresy! Oil worker! Unless the reich believes, which they may, this association is appealing to the people, it will vanish. Commercial fisherman? Unless he was on a factory boat, the corporate interests prefer farming fish to harvesting wild stock. Third, the underscoring of ANY of the women that have gone before her. The Christian Right is still not too keen on that idea. It's not in their interpretation of the Bible regardless of how many women disciples there were. Third, her personal experience with the oil companies and her ethics committee. What kind of paper tigers did she fell, and why? Knowing how big oil operates, they're all criminals and the only ones who go down are the ones they choose, not the prosecutor.

Teh only reason Palin scares me is if she ever was Commander-in-Chief. There is no crash course sufficient to bring her up to speed. It was good to get someone outside Washington, DC, but the last frontier is a bit to far.

Regardless of the choice of of candidates, it's the timing that interests me. This may have been noted in other comments, but today is John McCain's birthday (Aug 29, 1936). I assume the last thing McCain wanted was a headline/photo showing Candidate McCain blowing out 72 candles - so he released the news today knowing it would trump other headlines. And it certainly has~

But this may not be the wisest choice for exactly that reason. Gov. Palin was probably a good mayor of Wasilla, Alaska (pop. 5,470) and I assume on her way to developing into a competent governor for Alaska (pop. 680,000) ~ but the US, and theissues that trouble us are significantly larger, and Candidate McCain is 72... do we have time for on-the-job training of the VP? (The 'heartbeat away from the presidency' argument.)

My random thoughts...

Does Gov. Palin believe that the national government or state governments should be paid royalties for our natural resources, or is that only not communist/socialist if it's done in Alaska?

I had always thought (especially if Obama didn't choose a woman as VP) that McCain's only hope would be to pick a woman. I was thinking Sen. Hutchison though.

McCain/Palin is using this "Country First" slogan, which makes him look like a chump given one of the most memorable moments of Obama's speech last night.

"She is a social conservative whose first veto was of a bill preventing the state from extending employee benefits to same sex couples." Yeah, she can be proud of that. She's also for the Predator Control Program aka aerial wolf killing. You get $150 for turning in the left front leg of a wolf. She sounds like a winner to me! Maybe now she can take Cheney up in the air now that she's VP pick.

Predator Control Program:

Does that also apply to PUMAs?

I'm not sure what Kitty C thinks we are afraid of in the McCain/Palin ticket. That doesn't make sense. Confused is a better word. I would have been more afraid of a Romney or Pawlenty choice. Those choices actually would have made sense. Just because she has been the executive leader of the 4th smallest state for 20 months does not mean she is experienced. I mean it's Alaska, not New York or California or even Texas. The Republicans argued that Bill Clinton was not experienced enough to be President and he had been the governor of Arkansas for 12 years. Make up your mind!

The bottom line is that being President is not about executive experience. George Bush had executive experience and he turned out to be abyssmal. Being President is about leadership and judgement. It's about being able to surround yourself with people who are knowledgeable, who can challenge your beliefs and help you fully understand the issues before making decisions. To think that a President is going to be knowledgeable about every issue they will face as President is naive. Obama's jugement in choosing Joe Biden is far more solid than McCain's judgement in choosing Palin.

As a woman who supported Hillary Clinton, this choice does not in any way make me want to vote for McCain. I feel like he is using this woman and he is sorely underestimating the intelligence of the people who supported Hillary. I did not support Hillary because she is a women. She and I share beliefs like freedom of choice. Obviously, Palin and I do not have much in common. The vast majority of people who will be enthusiastic supporters of this choice are people who were already going to vote for McCain.

The question should be - does this get Republicans an additional 3-5 points from nonaffiliated women voters in Florida, Ohio, Virginia, Missouri and Iowa? Sure looks possible to me.

Didn't she date a doctor from New York City for a while?

I guess she must have taken the Bush part of being a Bush pilot a bit too literally.

Your not baffled. Your afraid. Have a nice day. Kitty C.

With McCain's finger anywhere near the nuclear trigger the whole world has cause to be afraid. And I'm not an Obama supporter.

Kitty: Since you will probably be returning to school soon, have your teacher explain what apostrophes are and how to use them. I don't have a "not baffled" nor do I have an "afraid" whatever they might be. And thank you for your wish for a good day. I will try to have as many nice days as I can between now and January 2009 in the event the greater evil wins in November. There probably won't be many good days after that unless you're in the business of selling war-fighting equipment.

She's a very honest person who stands by her principles.

Now that that's out of the way, her nomination is a repudiation of everything that Hillary Clinton stands for. She's opposed to abortion, even in cases of rape or incest. She opposes universal health care.

She is admittedly hard to pigeonhole. She's going to have a hard time explaining why she wants a Canadian company to build a natural gas pipeline through Alaska. There are some good reasons for that, actually, given the corruption in most Alaska oil business, but it doesn't really fit with the whole jingoistic Republican agenda, now, does it? She is very strong on ethics, but there is a pesky investigation ongoing that she tried to get her brother-in-law fired from the Alaska State Troopers, rather than standing aside to let the system handle it. I give her a lot of credit for being principled in her short time in office, but her positions are completely contrary to those held by most Americans.

When it comes down to it, though, if I were a Hillary Clinton supporter, I wouldn't be happy, I'd be appalled. Palin is a fundamentally decent human being, but she is in no way qualified to serve in high executive office. Isn't that the fundamental principle of feminism? That women should be judged on their merits, not their gender?

A Scandal We Can Believe In! Maybe McCain likes her because she has a capacity for going for the jugular.

The Prize for Dick Cheney is drilling the wildlife refuge. Selecting Gov. Palin helps focus the Republican message. Too, with a disappearing polar ice cap previously unclaimed areas for oil exploration and diamond mining at the ocean floor will intensify the Russian issue. They have eighteen ice breakers. The US has one. Canadians are building several.

Palin is a symbol of small town values; 'pro-life' Palin is a good choice in today's media where the news has been cancelled.

Nominee Obama advocates for 150 billion for research over the next ten years. Meanwhile back at the ranch The Crow Indians of Montana have signed a seven billion dollar contract with an Australian entity to develop coal to a gas plant now. Montana is also allowing leases in the Yellowstone and Boulder Rivers for oil and gas.

But Palin's selection will be a nice diversion for Dems as McCain is selected. Remember, one third of votes will be on electronic machines which are totally fraudulent. And Bob Ney, the Ohio Congressman who wrote HAVA is now out of prison and appearing regularly on KPOJ's former 'progressive' talk radio news segments. Is that progress we can believe in?

Danny Boy she ain't, and I wonder if McCain picked her because she beat Murkowski in the primary.

That said, she's about to learn what Geraldine learned in 1984. First the press will take a fine tooth comb to everything in her life, and everything in her family's life (incl. her husband's finances--remember that press conference where Geraldine impressed so many people by sitting alone at a table saying "I'm here as long as you have questions to ask"?). Then they will take a microscope to her policy views. For instance:

• Gov. Palin, do you believe states or the federal government should have authority over siting and pipelines for LNG (apparently, if I heard the radio story correctly, McCain and Merkley are on one side, Gordon is on the other)and other energy facilities? Also, the aforementioned royalties question.

*Gov. Palin, how would you provide health insurance necessary for the family of an infant born before the age of 28 weeks? Can you understand that the worries of an early birth are only compounded if the family doesn't have really good health care coverage?

*Gov. Palin, with a son in the military, did you support the GI Bill Congress passed and the President signed? As a governor, what are your thoughts on the current balance between the regular military and the National Guard? Should Guard troops who served in Iraq get the same benefits as those Iraq vets in the regular military?

*Gov. Palin, you are experienced with balancing budgets. What are your thoughts about tax cuts at a time we are fighting in 2 wars?

This will show what kind of a decision McCain made. Will she ever disagree with him? Can she answer such questions better than he has so far?

I lived 17 of my most formative years in Wasilla, Alaska. The difference between living in Alaska and Portland has been night and day. I thought I new freeway driving when I drove the Parks Highway from Wasilla to Anchorage. Then I got on I-84 and panic set in. Its totally different.

I wrote an article a few weeks back on this very issue, about Palin, Alaskans, and their socialist system that does really nice for them.

http://www.pixelmarx.com/2008/08/10/what-does-socialism-look-like-in-america-ask-alaskans/

"Did she fight to get body armor and other decent equipment for the troops who had to go overseas? "

Does it matter? She's a republican and needs to be destroyed....sic Carville on her immediately.

I feel like he is using this woman and he is sorely underestimating the intelligence of the people who supported Hillary.

Ding!

Also, Palin may have good positives in Alaska... but that's a state where scandals are a way of political life. I don't think her penchant for firing public safety officers is going to play well in other states.

This takes the "inexperienced" attack out of McCain's quiver, and leaves him with not a lot to go after Obama on.

Let's face it: if McCain were elected, there's a pretty likely chance that he... well... umm... let's just say he's very old.

I don't think that voters are going to warm to the prospect of a beauty queen runner-up serving as Commander-in-Chief.

Crap. Italics off.

Pretty shrewd move by JMac that changes the entire dynamic of the race. He gets a smart, successful, good looking, Washington outsider with genuine government experience. Any attacks on her “lack of experience” only serves to highlight BHO’s thin resume, and he’s in the number one spot.

She gives disaffected Hillary supporters one more reason to consider how they cast their vote. And she will be difficult for Dems to attack for fear of alienating women voters.

JMac’s campaign is also showing political savvy with the timing of this announcement, blunting the excitement of BHO’s acceptance speech in addition to issuing an ad respectfully congratulating BHO on his achievement, burnishing his credentials as an “honorable man”.

I’d be careful about underestimating the old dude.

Palin? She's just like Dick Cheney, except she's female, young, pretty, ethical (mostly, except where brothers-in-law are concerned). And where he was is experienced Washington insider who knows every back room, back alley, and unlisted phone number in D.C., she went from small-town mayor to Governor of a underpopulated state with more oil revenue than they know what to do with, a year and a half ago.

Sarah Palin, experienced mayor of Wassilla, Alaska. Ever been to Wassilla, about 9 thousand people and three truck stops. Slightly larger than Lakeview, Oregon.

Sarah Palin has a four month old disabled infant. (She hid her pregnancy for 7 months.) Interesting how she is going to campaign.

She has good connections though. Her husband works for the oil companies. He's gone a good part of the year out on the North Slope. The details of trooper-gate will be coming out soon, as well as other idiosyncratic factoids about this rather strange choice to be a heart beat away from the nuclear button.

But since Sarah Palin is a creationist who doesn't believe in science, maybe the end times and the bomb aren't a problem.

Trooper-gate- Sarah Palin fired a respected public servant who refused to illegally fire Sarah Palin's ex brother-in -law whom she wanted to punish for his bad behavior to her sister. Seems like there's a little ethics problem.

Palin? She's just like Dick Cheney, except she's female, young, pretty, and ethical (mostly, except where brothers-in-law are concerned). And where he is an experienced Washington insider who knows every back room, back alley, and unlisted phone number in D.C., she went from small-town mayor to Governor of a underpopulated state with more oil revenue than they know what to do with, a year and a half ago.

Preview and edit, D.O. ;)

I read Romney and Pawlenty are feeling snubbed and like they had been strung along. Will they campaign for McCain?

You know..... John McCain just doesn't like celebrities and doesn't think they should be in high office. They shouldn't be taken seriously at all. That's why he picked Sarah Palin.

http://narcosphere.narconews.com/thefield/celebrity#comments

So...from where I sit...it looks like the Republicans are going to try to get some of the Hillary vote. They are thinking "maybe we can get some disgruntled Hillary voters on our side by tacking on a woman to our ticket"...

HRC supporters may be a little uptight, but they are not stupid enough to fall for such an egregious (sp) tactic.

I heard an analysis yesterday from someone in Michigan that Obama would carry Wayne County but might lose Oakland and Macomb counties to McCain/Romney if that was the ticket. Oakland County is pretty much a Republican county, but Macomb County is ground zero for the famous Reagan Democrats (a county Bill Clinton carried, as I recall). Just how will this play there? Esp. if the GOP platform is not friendly to unions?

This is anybody's race now. Gawd, as a lifelong Democrat, how I wish it was a Clinton/Obama or Obama/Clinton ticket. The DNC and Obama made a very bad choice while McCain made a smart choice. Ironically, the fresh air is coming from the PUBS as far as bringing in a Washington outsider. As far as experience goes, neither Obama nor Sarah have the necessary experiences for the positions they are running for. A good old-fashioned horse race, hope it does the country good. After all, it is about the country and not any one political party.

A good old-fashioned horse race, hope it does the country good. After all, it is about the country and not any one political party.

Lotsa luck on the first sentence. It's about the country? You have to be kidding. It's about organizing the deck chairs (for the corporations that have bought both McCain and Obama) on the Titanic (America?).

Please send Miss Congeniality to come negotiate with us over some vodka.

One more thing about the McCain/Palin campaign slogan: "Country First". By this pick, McCain demonstrated NOT putting the country first in choosing his runningmate. He chose someone in a purely political attempt to get women voters. Doing/saying anything to win without a thought or care about what would happen if - god-forbid - he gets a recurrence of cancer that can't be treated or otherwise drops dead. He's willing to leave the country in the hands of a 44 year old with no experience dealing with national issues.

Carla, et al - you people are just pissed because a woman isn't on your ticket! Instead of a woman, you have old geezer, Biden.

I bet you're pissed...

It's fantastic, in the literal sense of "of or related to fantasy", to see some writers here describing Alaska as "socialist". Having spent a fair amount of time there and having known quite a few Alaskans professionally, I'd characterize the Alaskan socio-political scheme differently: as some sort of weird amalgamation of modern Republicanism and Libertarianiam. Combine the rugged-individualist myth, a carefully cultivated scorn for the common good and the idea of community, and add large helpings of public corruption, corporate welfare, and handouts to buy off John and Jane Q. Public, and you've got Alaskan society.

Watch out for the Palin bounce!!

Old Geezer McCain and Young Bubblehead Palin. Sounds and looks like a shotgun Las Vegas wedding without the Elvis impersonators has just taken place.

Palin looks too uptight for being a VP. I wonder if tht geezer promised her to wear a tiara when they get to St. Paul...

Joel,

I wasn't saying that Alaska's general "socio-political scheme" was socialist. My point was that if a Democrat were to suggest that the country's natural resources belonged to the country as a whole and anyone extracting them from the ground for a profit should pay a royalty to the common good, Republicans would be screaming SOCIALIST!

I am stunned by this choice. If there's any political genius in it, I sure can't see it. McCain picked an inexperienced, unknown, young woman embroiled in government abuse of power and ethics problems. Frankly, it looks like McCain is trying to torpedo his own campaign.

At any rate, it's funny, after three months ofconservative pundits claiming that experince is tremendously important, to see them trying to explain why experience doesn't really matter after all.

It was awesome when Sarah Palin took on BIG OIL in Alaska...                 ...and WON!      She has other Alaskan governmental 'knock-outs' that made John look north (UP)! Her 'david' vs. Goliath successes makes her perfect for 'washing' washington!     She 'shoots from the hip' too and has no pockets for the lobby-ists.              'SHUTZPAH' (cross yourselves and your fingers tho' - once you pass the potamac, the lobbists start slathering you up!) It's also an uppercut from mccain to obama...'i've got a femme by my side and you DIDN'T!'           (i bet 'hill & bill' are not liking life now)

We don't have to worry about Obama or Biden appearing sexist by bashing Palin. I'm sure Hillary will be more than happy to do that.

Could you imagine a standoff with Russia or China, and Palin being the commander in chief. Its a disaster.

Palin: Same ol' Bush/Cheney neocompoop views without the Y-chromosome.

(I thought that was ever so witty when I submitted it to Cafferty File. Jack didn't seem to think so.)

"McCain only wants a prop"..

Agreed. Instead of a trophy wife, we now have a trophy veep.

Look at her, vote for him.

Disgusting.

I suppose she does have one advantage over Hillary Clinton - her husband is a lot less problematic!

Carla,

You and the Obama supporters let hubris, ego, and selfishness get in the way of a rational choice for VP (and President for that matter). Now, you've got to be kicking yourselves for not selecting Hillary as part of the ticket. McCain and the PUBs made a better choice.

"She is a social conservative whose first veto was of a bill preventing the state from extending employee benefits to same sex couples."

Not because she thinks they SHOULD have those benefits - she DOESN'T- but because the Alaska Supreme Court said the bill was unconstitutional. At that time, she expressed her agreement with the bill, and her irritation with the Supreme Court's decision.

She's a sop to the "religious" right and the right side of the GOP to get them to the polls. This has NOTHING to do with Hillary. Hillary voters' values are polar opposites to Sarah's.

I think that this will indeed draw many women and men into McCain's camp. Palin is working class, married to a minority, socially conservative, a true reformer who has several times gone directly against her own party. She has taken on big business in her state. The kinds of people who will like this are those in certain swing states - the Regan dems and independents that Hillary worked very hard for and won, and who Obama has not worked at all for. These people are practical, socially conservative, hard working and will like Palin. They are not the latte youth/yuppies.

She shores up McCain's base, and he re-introduces himself as a maverick going against his party's wishes. She has just a little less experience than Obama, as much as pro-life Kaine, who was on Obama's short list (and who Obama honored by having him speak on the anniversary of women't right to vote), and more executive experience than the top of the dem ticket. Conservatives love her - she has a Downs baby who she did not abort so she walks the walk - another Obama weakness. She brings youth energy and excitement to the ticket and an edge of danger - just like the dems have with inexperienced Obama.

As far as scandals go, wait a few weeks...Obama's are lurking and the repubs will slam him soon.

It is revolting to many women and men that Palin speaks directly and openly about sexism in Hillary's race and yet Pelosi does not! None of the DNC has spoken out about it. So that will read that the left does not own women's issues, since after the fake convention it became clear the left thought it could bully Hillary and her supporters and they had to take it since they had nowhere else to go. That is now a more important issue than abortion to many since is it deeply structural. Wake up call!

Just saw my first campaign button... at first I thought it said "McCain/Pain." Hmmm...

I love this choice by McCain.

Just look at the attack posts on this site against the first woman with a legitimate chance at being on top? Carla, your party couldn't deliver that!

The PUBS will eat this up and it will be obvious to alot of people that the democratic establishment party (Old timer -geezers, whatever Like Biden) are hypocrites.

The democratic party is it's own worst enemy.

Here's a good link showing the disaster that Sarah Palin is:

http://mudflats.wordpress.com/2008/08/29/what-is-mccain-thinking-one-alaskans-perspective/

Question is, will she even make it past the convention?

There are those who say this might attract independents and unhappy Hillary Clinton supporters. But with Newt Gingrich, Grover Norquist and others (WA POST did a round up of opinion from famous people of both parties) saying nice things about her, does that really help?

And she appears to be smarter than Quayle, but let's wait until the first joint appearance (at a comparable appearance, Quayle said a vote earlier in 2008 was a "youthful indescretion" and Bentsen delighted in saying exactly how recent the vote was) to judge how well she does on the national stage.

The choice of Palin has nothing to do with attracting disaffected Hilary voters.

It was straight out of the Carl Rove play book. She's on the ticket so that the christian wacko right will participate. Huckabee was the only other choice that was acceptable to the pastors of hate. McCain can't stand the bass playing Huckabee so he was forced to make this choice that is so puzzling to us rational Blue Oregonians.

Her resume is packed with right wing crap: NRA member Home schooled her kids Didn't move to Juneau when elected as governor of Alaska (She stayed in the town she was mayor of) ala Joe Biden No abortions period. No exceptions. Hates gays. No exceptions. Hates the environment Believes in Armageddon "Washington outsider" (unlike McSame)

Rove needs 271 electoral votes. He must shore up the base in order to lower the number of votes he has to cage, stuff, buy, or manufacture in the battle ground states.

It's not going to work against such a strong candidate like Barack Obama.

It must suck to be an elephant this year!

• Pedro -

Christmas came early this year, for Democrats.

Harrumph!

Talk to me about Governor Bill Clinton's foreign policy experience when he decided to run for President.

Tell me what elective office Hillary Clinton had achieved before she decided to become the carpetbagging Senator from New York (and sitting on the board at Wal-Mart or TCBY doesn't count). At least Governor Palin had the guts to run for local office, and then challenge a well known incumbent from her own party. Hillary waited for an open seat, and then she moved to New York and she's been clinging to Bill's coattails from day one.

What experience qualifies Senator Obama to hold the highest executive office in the land? He was a "Community Organizer" and political machine operative in Chicago and Springfield. Then he decided to run for President? Sure, he has a law degree and polished public speaking skills: that doesn't mean he's ready to stand face to face with Putin or balance the federal budget.

Sarah Palin has!

Oh please! McCains pick of Palin is a clear indicator that he lacks confidence in winning this election. It's a last ditch ploy to divert our attention from Obama. What will this country do if anything would happen to McCain? Have Palin run the country? She is NO Hilary Clinton. I don't want Barbie running my country! Sorry!

Steve Maurer has never heard of photoshop?

That said, if the pic is legit, she is the first VPilf in American History.

Either way, McCain/Palin has my vote.

McInsane has just handed the Democrats the White House for the next eight years. Well done, Johnny Boy!

Carla,

How do you find Palin "absolutely unqualified to be Vice-President of the United States. Period".

Yet accept that Obama is qualified to be president?

LOL, seriously, lady.

And the left wing parade of name calling attacking Palin is something to behold.

Here's a completely decent, intelligent, governor (state CEO), wife and mother and she's already been called a bimbo, streetwalker and countless other names by the big tent tolerant liberals.

Nice folks.

The Obama-hating dead-ender "Democrats" are practically wetting themselves with joy about Palin. Example....

What a cess pool this thread has become -- full of little more than mockery.

Leaving that aside, I think the pick will backfire, though I appreciate why McCain would want to select a woman. Hutchinson would have been my choice. Balin makes people reflect on how old McCain is and how little experience she has to be the Commander and Chief. To be sure, the pick also makes people reflect on Obama's youth and relative inexperience, but over the last two years, he has been severely tested and passed that test. Balin, by contrast, won't be given the opportunity to pass the test. There just isn't the time for us as a nation to "vet" her as we have Obama.

This is not about a fair election and who picks who for whatever. It's about power,power and crookedness. Even in America the voting system is a joke. How else did the chimp get elected, then re-elected? Be afraid...........of the repugnanticans.

How do you find Palin "absolutely unqualified to be Vice-President of the United States. Period".

Well Steve...how about she was mayor of an 8,000 person town and now Governor of Alaska for less than 2 years. She's under investigation by a bipartisan ethics committee in her state for ordering someone to fire her ex brother in law and they refused.

Yet accept that Obama is qualified to be president?

He is. 8 years in the Illinois State Senate, 4 years in the US Senate, served as a community organizer for 3 years following degrees from Columbia for political science with a specialization in international relations. Then there was Harvard Law school and then teaching Constitutional law for 12 years in Chicago. But really Steve, why would an expert on Constitutional law be qualified to be President right?

Here's a completely decent, intelligent, governor (state CEO), wife and mother and she's already been called a bimbo, streetwalker and countless other names by the big tent tolerant liberals.

Reminds me of someone...but who...OH RIGHT...Hillary Clinton. So I suppose that's why we've gone after her kids already like the right did to Chelsea when she was a kid. Oh wait...we haven't.

Steve you're a moron.

Oh, and poor Charlie Crist got engaged and everything. Wonder if he'll call the wedding off now? And what about poor Mittens? He'll probably want to throw up in his mouth when he has to say what a wise choice Grampy McCain made, choosing little Sarah over big Mitty.

"I'd love to see a woman as President or Vice President. However, that doesn't mean I'm going to support someone who is unqualified for the office just because she is a woman"

That's because you're so caught up in obama-fever that you're missing a historic opportunity. Even Hillary, is now coming out saying we should be proud of Palin. Dragging this woman through the mud is not going to gain Obama votes. Wake up.

Some of these posts are amazing to me, or maybe not. I am a long time conservative with some pretty moderate beliefs. I often read this site to get different points of view, and sometimes I am influenced by good solid liberal arguments. Much of what I have seen posted here today is pretty disgraceful. I have seen a United States Governor, female in this case, bashed beyond belief by the very folks who often call others haters. Here is a young family woman who has risen to an executive level in a State that was very much dominated by the good ol boy system. All she has done to deserve being called the equivalent of a twit and a hater of the environment is to accept the nomination. Is it only OK to try to bust through the glass ceiling when the candidate supports your particular position? Is there no valid non name calling argument that you have with this selection? I have seen a few, but only a few.

The McCain slime trolls have once again emerged out from under the rocks. If it pleases you to vote for this creationist right winger in the pocket of the oil companies, who is clueless about the world outside of Wasilla, Alaska, and was runner up in a beauty contest, please do so. But don't tell us Americans should vote for her because she has the right kind of genitalia.

And Jack, the former head of the state Labor Dept., you should know better about what are grounds for dismissing a respected public servant like Monegan, and what are the ethical boundaries regarding abuse of power.

Gee Karol - Kitty was right. There are a lot of demos afraid of Palin. Her nomination really struck a nerve. Larry C.

Sounds like some trolls are attempting to win some "McCain Points" as bloggers so they can redeem them for 'fun stuff' from the McCain store.

This woman is monstrously unqualified to be one heartbeat of a very old heart away from being President.

She's going to make the choice of Dan Quale look good by comparison. I just hope she isn't indicted before the election.

I'm sorry, UL, much as I think Gov. Palin has no clue what she has gotten herself into, she has already (at the announcement) proved herself to be more mature than Danny Boy.

And Jenni, you are right. What I would love to see (at a town hall meeting, perhaps) is for a military Mom to ask Gov. Palin this question.

"Gov. Palin, glad you are making history. It is about time both parties had the experience of a woman on the ticket. I cheer when women win public office. However, I have a question. When Senator Patty Murray was first elected, she called herself a Mom in tennis shoes. You call yourself a hockey Mom. You have a son about to deploy to Iraq. My son is currently serving there (even better if it is 2nd or 3rd tour of duty). I know Sen. Murray's record on veterans issues is different than Sen. McCain's record. I really admire Sen. Murray. Tell me why I should support your ticket when I think Sen. Murray has a better record on veterans issues".

That is a respectful, serious question. No one dragging anyone else through the mud. However, either she fumbles the question the way Quayle fumbled questions, or she gives a responsive answer. Does she even know the difference between Murray and McCain on veterans issues?

On Sen. Murray's website, there are pages of items about veterans. Here is the beginning of one of them, which plays right into the debate on the "surge".

Thursday, January 18, 2007

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – At a Capitol Hill press conference today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) stood with nine veterans of the war in Iraq and four Senators in speaking out against the President's plan to escalate the war in Iraq.

"We have got to do a better job meeting the needs of the men and women who have served our country so honorably," Murray said. "Today – without the surge – veterans are waiting for the services they've been promised."

"If we're not meeting the needs of the veterans today, how can we keep the promise to troops who are sent in to an escalated war?," Murray asked.

.................. Asking a tough question often yields a better result than an attack ad or something like that.

The State Trooper in question has been married (and divorced) four times (before age 35), was caught driving under the influence of alcohol (but not arrested), threatened to kill his wife and father-in-law, and admitted he killed a moose without a tag. He was also disciplined for reckless driving and excessive speed.

But other than that, he's a great guy.

If he had loaned money to Obama, he'd be up for State Police Commissioner in Illinois, and would have been in the front row last night. But after threatening Governor Palin's sister and father, he's still a employed by the State Police and the big "scandal" is a non-starter promulgated by the Governor's political enemies.

She is more qualified to be Vice President than Obama is to be President: she has served as the chief executive of the State of Alaska and as mayor of her town. She's also spent more time in Iraq than Obama, and has a proud record of actually fighting against corruption, rather than asking the corrupt make a donation.

And if "clean money" is such a great idea, why is Saint Obama the first presidential candidate in U.S. history to refuse public financing?

Gov Palin would seem to be the definitive answer to the Republican question of how much "experience" matters.

Jack Roberts wants to play on OR Sec Labor Jack Roberts while he plays at Rovian Republicanism - he seems to think he's earned a pass on whatever shilling he'd like to do. He well knows, or certainly should, the limits of executive powers - but it doesn't count because she's a Republican. (he's an alleged asswipe - operative word, alleged) As I said a few weeks ago, this version of Jack Roberts makes me want to take a real in depth look at that reputation.

He asserts that this is bashing, a bipartisan committee decided it was worth $100K to take a look at this firing, but it's bashing because Jack Roberts is a Republican and so is she. Jack stated that I have no idea what he stands for, sure I do - Hack - it's posted right out in public.

One further note on experience, I prefer judgement to practice at being wrong. John McCain has a proven record of being wrong - except in certain failing memories - including his own. He stated clearly that we had to stop Saddam's WMDs, that we'd be greeted with flowers and candy as liberators, that Afghanistan was a side issue, tinkle down works, deregulation, oh hell...

Let me get this straight - her leading foreign policy credentials are 1) she's been commander of the AK National Guard for less than 2 years, and 2) she has a son who's going to Iraq?

While I'm sure she's proud of her son, isn't it an embarrassment that she views #2 as some sort of qualification? Don't we have thousands of women who have served in the Middle East as soldiers themselves? Remember Tammy Duckworth? You know, Army Guard Major, ran for Congress, went to Iraq, left her legs there? You're telling me the Rs couldn't have found someone like her? Someone, you know, qualified?

Jack, come on. If Sarah Palin had served as the mayor of Prineville (population 9,000), Sherwood (17K), or La Grande (12K) and decided to run for OR Gov, she would have been treated with Pavel Goberman gloves. (I grabbed those cities at random, but they're all larger than Wasilla and some of the remaining OR cities willing to elect Republicans.)

This is a VP candidate who admits to having not seriously thought about Iraq as late as last week. Her running mate wants us to believe that WWIII is waiting for us over near the Black Sea. Obama's been in the Senate since you were last voting for Bush, just about, and since then he's worked with Dick Lugar and Tom Coburn on important issues. Before that he was being groomed by Sen. Paul Simon in a Senate district that represented 27x the amount of people in Wasilla.

So cut out the gender victim-card playing. Palin's selection is a gimmick- even David Frum has the wherewithal to call it a spade. This is McCain's first act as an executive, and it's basically an FU to the reality-based community.

What was the worst-kept secret about national Republicans on August 29, 2005? They weren't serious about governing. It's August 2008 and they're still more interested in Fox News clips than competence. An interesting pick? Yes; mature and considered, no way.

I've spent 10 years in Alaska and am looking forward to returning to Eugene in September. This state is the most corrupt one in the entire union ... it's just nuts. And, Sara has not been the state's savior, no matter what anybody tries to tell you about her big ethics moves.

We progressives were simply amazed when we heard this morning that McCain picked Palin as his running mate. Of course, the McCain "secret agents" who are scheduled to arrive tomorrow will surely be in for a bigger surprise when they dig into their investigation of what we call "Trooper-Gate". It's a saga similar to what you'd expect in an episode of the Beverly Hillbillies. It seems Sara's ex brother-in-law was OK during his marriage to Sara's sister when (1) he shot a moose on his wife's tag and the entire extended family enjoyed the meat, (2) drank some beer while on police duty, and (3) showed his adolescent step-son how a taizer works (because the kid asked to know). None of this was mentioned by any of the Palins until the nasty divorce got underway. At that point, the State Troopers investigated the late reports of misconduct and punished the trooper as the leadership decided was appropriate.

But, that wasn't good enough for the Palin clan; Sara, her husband, her staff (consisting of her friends), and who knows who else made calls to the Trooper leadership suggesting the former brother-in-law had to be given the ol' "heave-ho". This would have caused big trouble for the guy as he tried to share custody. No money = no custody.

But, the Commissioner of Public Safety wouldn't fire the trooper, so Sara fired the Commissioner. It's now a major ordeal as McCain's snoops will soon find out. I can't believe they weren't here to do this before her selection. McCain met Palin once and decided she was his running mate; what does this say about his judgement???

You also may be interested in knowing that the Alaska state legislature is now investigating Sara regarding the Commissioner's termination. The legislature appointed a respectable, former prosecutor as the investigator, but this process seemingly did not suit Sara. She formed up her own team of investigators to question public safety and other staff members to find out what they knew and, presumably, what they would say before the official investigator showed up with the same mission. If this were a criminal investigation, this would be tampering with witnesses, I think. Sara knows, I'm certain, that she instructed her people to lean on the public safety leadership until they'd finally fire her former brother-in-law, although she strongly denies it now. She put her staff fall-guy (and good friend she appointed) on administrative leave (with pay) until the investigations are over.

As to the recent ballot initiatives we voted on this wek, Sara voted "no" on forming a gaming/gambling commission (me, too); "no" on requiring clean water in the head streams of the Bristol Bay fishery following the construction of the largest gold mining operation in the country, "no" on same day airborne shooting of wolves and bears, and "no" on arranging for state-funding of political contests (in order to keep oil money and other lobbyists out of the picture). And, she is also lobbying to keep the polar bear off of the endangered species list. What a gal, huh?

What else do you want to know? There really are numerous competent women in Alaska who could do justice to the position of vice president. But, I'd say we like Biden and we are content with that choice.

Let me get this straight - her leading foreign policy credentials are 1) she's been commander of the AK National Guard for less than 2 years, and 2) she has a son who's going to Iraq?

What has Obama "commanded"?

Does Obama have a son serving in Iraq?

Who is more likely to be concerned about U.S. Policy in Iraq?

A) A former governor with "her" guard troops and a son serving in Iraq.

B). A former Senator who opposed the war while in the Illinois legislature, but who voted in favor of every funding bill since becoming a U.S. Senator?

Actually, as the comments here prove, the most significant thing about Palin is that honesty demands we admit she provides the object case that at least with regard to women, the argument about "glass ceilings" in politics in 2008 is a false argument: Women are not a discriminated against minority, but instead just a divided majority.

Women are a numerical majority. And as Palin demonstrates, women are divided on exactly the same class and ideological lines as men.

There are plenty of women who ship their sons and daughters off to Iraq and Afghanistan out of tragically distorted beliefs just as there are plenty of women --- and men --- who oppose the war.

There are plenty of selfish, greedy women, just like men, (both Democrats and Republicans, too) who have mean-spirited attitudes towards those who are less fortunate.

There are large numbers of women who are fundamentalist religious zealots just like men.

And Bush pulled enough votes from women in far more than enough states that he would have lost big if he hadn't pulled those votes.

The Palin nomination isn't baffling, it's a sad new low and yet embarrassingly instructive across the political spectrum at the same time.

Gawd I love the GOP logic about foreign-policy credibility:

--McCain got shot out of the sky and spent several years getting abused in a POW camp. OBVIOUSLY this makes him eminently qualified to be commander in chief. --Palin's son is in the US Army. OBVIOUSLY this makes her eminently qualified to be commander in chief.

By this line of reasoning, my neighbors, whose son just dropped out of college to join the military, are OBVIOUSLY qualified to be Prez and Vice-Prez. Ditto for my co-worker who spent a couple of years being a quartermaster, or some such thing, for the US Marines in Vietnam.

Jack Roberts:

"'No offense to the U of Idaho, but does a bachelor's degree from that school match up to a Harvard Law Degree (Obama) and a law degree from Syracuse University (Biden)? Not in my mind.'

Gee, I can't understand why people think Democrats are elitists."

*** How much longer can that Republican anti-intelligence pro-stupidity line last? A top-tier education is something to sneer at? For consistency, would you schedule a heart bypass from someone with less than 8+ years post-secondary work? Didn't think so. And these people wonder why the US reputation in the world for higher education is falling faster than corporations can ship their high-tech jobs to India.

*** The complexity and urgency of the problems facing this country -- nay, the world -- cannot be solved by someone with an academic effort no better than graduating in the bottom 1% of his college class.

"Of course, Harry Truman didn't have a college degree at all. How do you suppose the country survived?"

*** Umm. Wasn't that about the time the country implemented the GI Bill which sent millions on to college and shot this country's economy into the stratosphere?

First of all, VP choice typically doesn't impact the election. If it did, Dukakis-Bentsen would have won big over Bush-Quayle.

To the extent it does matter, this was probably a smart choice politiclaly. Palin has a compellin outsider's story that could impress a lot of swing voters the same way that Ross Perot appealed to many swing voters.

THe trouble with many of my fellow D avtivists is that they are so smart they can't relate to swing voters. We can go down the list and say she is inexperienced or whatever, but the apparent genuineness of Palin and her family could potentially attract more support for their ticket than Romeny ever could have.

I think the Biden pick has similar strengths. Even though he is a 30 + year veteran of the Senate , he and his family have a compelling life story and he can relate to real voters.

Jenni, You're not caught up in Obama fever?

Then what fever is it that has you libs continually dream up nonsense like this?

Jenni, "You know, I almost get this weird feeling that she's a stand in. Like she's there until they get elected and into the White House and is then replaced. Maybe it's just too many years of having to be suspicious of their every move."

Maybe it's too many years with the lib fever.

Carla has the fever too. Perhaps at a more advanced stage.

But we're all having fun now aren't we.

Jack, this is just shameless shilling for McCain. I used to think as Labor Commissioner you had some kind of commitment to government ethics. But how can you honestly defend an elected official attempting to bypass a civil service process to carry out a personal vendetta, and in the process ruin the career of a highly regarded civil servant like Monegan? Wooten may be an ass-hole, but he was put on a probationary plan of correction and complied with it. Monegan had no choice except to honor the state civil service rules and he paid for his integrity by being fired by Palin in a blatant abuse of power for the sake of personal revenge. Your defense of that is indefensible.

Go here: http://www.gallup.com/poll/election2008.aspx

See what Dr. Frank Newport from Gallup says about Palin's potential impact on the campaign with reference to independent women.

Go here: http://www.electoral-vote.com/

Understand that Obama/Biden won't make many R's vote D any more than McCain/Palin will make many D's vote R. This choice won't impact states with established voting patterns and margins. This race is about swing votes in swing states.

So the question should be - does this pick get McCain enough additional swing votes in swing states like Florida, Iowa, Virginia, etc. to win. We'll see.

It's astounding how wrong-headed Jack Roberts is in regard to the trooper-gate issue. Mr. Wooten's character is just not at all part of the issue, yet he brings it up. Due process is the issue.

There is a possibility that Sarah Palin had no part in wrong-doing in this case, but you have to admit, it looks fishy. Are we really to believe that her subordinates INDEPENDENTLY took action to have her ex-brother-in-law fired during the messy divorce?

While it may be true that Monegan was an at-will employee, it's also true that the reasons lose their jobs matter, not matter their status. If he was fired because he refused to take an illegal or unethical action, that matters. It may or may not matter legally, but it matters if it's to be believed that Sarah Palin is a "reformer".

It clearly is a risky move to name a running mate who has an investigation pending.

You're not baffled.You're a typical Liberal that does'nt understand how most of America lives and thinks.I'm an independent , by the way, and no fan of pres Bush.She's certainly more qualified than Obama to be Pres.What the heck makes a community organizer qualified to be Pres?He's spent 18 of his 24 months as a Senator running for Pres.The media is obviously bending over backwards for his campaign and almost hyper in their enthusiasm for all he does.Of course, Mccain and biden are both infinitely more qualified than Obama, who appears to be a wholly media creation.She certainly seems to be able to speak without a teleprompter as well ,unlike Obama whose "umms" and "uhhhs" are very uncomfortable to watch.The embarassing part is that Biden has already practically endorsed McCain and so has Hillary.I think she'll do fine and,truth be told, there is no way that anyone(i.e. 9?11/01, Russias agression,wall streets ups and downs,etc)could possibly be prepared to be President.You can only base it on a persons past performance and judgement.McCain,whether one agrees with him or not,has certainly demonstrated a sense of honor,integrity and courage that is more than impressive.

Dena,

Thanks for the thesaurus idea. But what is a thesaurus and where can I find a library or bookstore? You obvioulsy view yourself at a higher plain of intelligence than this unoriginal ilk.

That explains why you are a lib and think Obama is great.

Rumor had it (rumor mind you) that the child was actually her 16 year old daughter...and not hers..either way. Why would a 44 year old woman "hide" her pregnancy from her coworkers. Of which she did so well, that I guess her coworkers didnt know she was pregnant... awesome thing to pull off. She will make a great VP for this country.

Karol - Alaska's population > Delware's population.

What's funny is Palin has done more in her short career than Biden has done in 35 years in the US Senate. I'll take someone who has gotten things done any day over someone who a hate mongering Senator who doesn't joke about Indians and is surprised there are clean, articulate African Americans. If any Republican said things that came from Biden's mouth that person would rightfully be classified as a racist.

I just feel that this was not a smart pick on McCain's end. Correct me if I'm wrong, but on top of having 5 kids to begin with, Sarah Palin has a son being deployed in September, a teenaged daughter with a baby on the way, and a disabled infant son. I'm not sure what order her priorities are in, but it seems as if she's biting off a little more than she is able to chew.

darrelplant said, "You sure didn't see McGovern up there at the podium this week (although he was on the floor)."

Furthermore, Jimmy Carter, perhaps the only "liberal" former president still alive, was dissed as much as McGovern. Tradition has it that former presidents get a speaking slot at the national conventions, and Carter was scheduled to speak at the DNC in Denver. Then, at the last minute, his speech was cancelled.

Why?

Because Carter has spoken out about the plight of the Palestinian people? Because Carter has written a book with the descriptive title: Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid? Because Obama didn't want to offend the foreign policy elites who see Israel as a strategic asset in the control of Middle East oil? Because he didn't want to offend AIPAC?

You Democrats keep wanting to please the far right instead of offering an alternative to corporatism and hegemony. And the Reich continues to call you the "far left". Doesn't this tell you anything? When will you learn?

Pathetic.

<h2>i wan't kitty to pos't again</h2>