Quote du Jour: Don't judge a book...

Sarah Palin:

The choice of photo for the cover of this week's Newsweek is unfortunate. When it comes to Sarah Palin, this "news" magazine has relished focusing on the irrelevant rather than the relevant. The Runner's World magazine one-page profile for which this photo was taken was all about health and fitness - a subject to which I am devoted and which is critically important to this nation. The out-of-context Newsweek approach is sexist and oh-so-expected by now. If anyone can learn anything from it: it shows why you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, gender, or color of skin. The media will do anything to draw attention - even if out of context.

Yes. I try hard not to judge books by their gender or color of skin too.

Good thing she had a ghostwriter for her book. Who knows what literary nightmares the public may have been exposed to had she written an entire book by herself?

As for the charge of sexism, it seems to me that Newsweek has been more than fair and balanced in its choice of cover photos. They can't show you posing with your big gun every single time they feature you, now can they, Sarah?

Sidebar: And the best part of the Oprah/Palin interview? Oprah's gold shoes, hands down. And I'm no fashionista... Ooops. Was that sexist??

Update:

Newsweek defends its choice for the cover photo.

And, this just in from the Department of Irony, Sarah Palin told Barbara Walters in a GMA interview that "political correctness" is going to "do in" America. And she calls the Newsweek cover "cheesy" and "a wee bit degrading". Ummm..Sarah...it's a picture of you that you posed for quite willingly. Mon dieu.
 

Palin Abused Executive Powers

As I noted here last week, she's Cheney in a dress - in more ways than one.

From the NYT:

Gov. Sarah Palin abused the powers of her office by pressuring subordinates to get her former brother-in-law, a state trooper, fired, a investigation by the Alaska Legislature has concluded.

A report on the bipartisan inquiry that was released Friday by lawmakers in Anchorage, concluded, however, that she was within her right to dismiss her public safety commissioner, Walt Monegan, the trooper’s boss.

The public portion of the report concluded that Ms. Palin violated the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act by allowing pressure to be exerted to get Trooper Michael Wooten, her former brother-in-law, dismissed.

In the 263 pages that were released, the independent investigator, Stephen E. Branchflower, a former Anchorage prosecutor, said that Ms. Palin wrongfully allowed her husband, Todd, to use state resources as part of the effort to have Trooper Wooten dismissed.

The report says she knowingly “permitted Todd Palin to use the governor’s office and the resources of the governor’s office, including access to state employees, to continue to contact subordinate state employees in an effort to find some way to get Trooper Wooten fired.”

Further, it says, she “knowingly permitted a situation to continue where impermissible pressure was placed on several subordinates in order to advance a personal agenda.”

I think this proves that Palin is more than qualified to fill Cheney's shoes. You betcha!

Related:

Palin’s Troopergate scandal was fabricated by Bill Ayers — really, read it here first! (h/t bayprarie)

Palin pre-empts state report, clears self in probe

Highlights of and a link to the full Alaska inquiry report
 

The US VP Debate: Cleanup on Aisle 4!

Well, if I ever wanted to know what it feels like to have someone wearing a permanently-plastered smile stab me in the back while pouring a bucket of sickly- sweet syrup on me, I certainly experienced that while watching the US vice presidential candidates' debate.

Is it too much to ask that a potential vice president not use phrases like "you betcha!", "darn right!" and words like "gettin'"? And exactly how does "doggone it" translate into Hebrew, for example? "Oy vey"? I can just see Sarah Palin on the Middle East peace mission circuit now. She'd drive the translators insane. You betcha!

There's no doubt that Palin appealed to that segment of the US population known fondly as Airhead-Americans and that you could hear one gigantic sigh of relief across the country from Republicans once the debate was over. You could tell she's been well-schooled this past week. Her repetition of right-wing talking points showed us that - and her stubborn refusal to answer some questions while so obviously steering her answers back to topics she was most comfortable with reminded me of a tractor pull at a country fair.

Oh, she has "folksy" down. But haven't Americans had just about all of the folksy they can put up with after 8 years of George "the guy you want to have a beer with" Bush? And considering the fact that she has no problem with the overwhelming power grab made by Bush's VP, can we call her Cheney in a Dress now? Let's just hope she doesn't end up shooting somebody in the face (and making him apologize for it later).

Joe Biden won the debate just by keeping his cool (repressing his infamous Inner Angry Joe), not jumping out from behind his podium in response to her inanity and managing to hold back any comment resembling "Jane, you ignorant slut".

I need a shower.

Related:

What? You wanted substance?

Check out the WaPo's Fact Checker and FactCheck.org for that stuff. I have a Canadian leaders' debate to watch now.

And here's the transcript and video. (Don't stare into her eyes for too long. You were warned.)
 

Video: She who might be the next VP...

COURIC: Why isn't it better, Governor Palin, to spend $700 billion helping middle-class families who are struggling with health care, housing, gas and groceries; allow them to spend more and put more money into the economy instead of helping these big financial institutions that played a role in creating this mess?

PALIN: That's why I say I, like every American I'm speaking with, were ill about this position that we have been put in where it is the taxpayers looking to bail out. But ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the health-care reform that is needed to help shore up our economy, helping the—it's got to be all about job creation, too, shoring up our economy and putting it back on the right track. So health-care reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions and tax relief for Americans. And trade, we've got to see trade as opportunity, not as a competitive, scary thing. But one in five jobs being created in the trade sector today, we've got to look at that as more opportunity. All those things under the umbrella of job creation. This bailout is a part of that.

Yikes! Move over Miss Teen South Carolina.

Fareed Zakaria:

Will someone please put Sarah Palin out of her agony? Is it too much to ask that she come to realize that she wants, in that wonderful phrase in American politics, "to spend more time with her family"?

 

Video: Olbermann on the Palin Interview

Yes, Keith Olbermann is mainly a bloviating blowhard most nites who could obviously use a very long vacation away from politics considering that, any day now, his head could literally explode but he did a good job of dissecting Charlie Gibson's interviews with Palin on Friday nite:



Sarah Palin: Talking Points Machine

I've long suspected that Republicans are bots. Those interview clips confirmed those suspicions.



That was followed by more analysis by Newsweek's Richard Wolfe:


Sarah Palin is a nightmare waiting to happen.
 

Palinpalooza

There they are, Mr and Mrs America, in amber waves of nausea.

Those who watched Tuesday nite's coverage of the RNC already know the buzz word Republicans are using to push Sarah Palin: reformer. And that is no doubt what her debut speech to the world will be about tonite.

And, although some pundits have postured that Palin will not serve in the attack dog role that so marks US vice-presidents, a preview of her remarks shows otherwise.

Not only will she come out swinging at the "elite" media (ie. everybody but FOX), she's going for Obama's throat:

Palin, whose revelation earlier this week about the pregnancy of her 17-year-old daughter sparked a media frenzy, is expected to make her case as to why she should be vice-president, citing her record as governor of Alaska and, before that, as a mayor of Wasilla, a town with a population of 6,700.

"Since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves," her text read, taking aim at Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

"I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities."

You can find a longer excerpt here.

No matter how reportedly jittery some Repubs may be about McCain's VP choice as they sweat in the backrooms of their convention center, there is one certainty: they have the power of the presidency and they plan to keep it - no matter what. Their partisan discipline will keep them together behind the unlikely pairing of their party's so-called maverick and the unknown woman he's chosen as his running mate. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if McCain announced that Palin's going after Osama bin Laden with her moose-hunting rifle all by herself. Obama/Biden will have their hands full until November. (By the way, where are they? Has anybody actually seen them since Friday?? Funny how things change so quickly...)

Afterspeech thoughts:

Not only did Palin serve the red meat, she hunted it down, dressed it in the field (as Fred Thompson said on Tuesday nite), and threw it out raw into the middle of a hungry crowd that acted like it hadn't eaten in weeks.

Complete text.
 

Palin's Daughter is Pregnant

And I have 2 words for Democrats: tread carefully.

To rebut rumors, Palin says daughter, 17, pregnant

ST. PAUL (Reuters) - The 17-year-old daughter of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is pregnant, Palin said on Monday in an announcement intended to knock down rumors by liberal bloggers that Palin faked her own pregnancy to cover up for her child.

Bristol Palin, one of Alaska Gov. Palin's five children with her husband, Todd, is about five months pregnant and is going to keep the child and marry the father, the Palins said in a statement released by the campaign of Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

Bristol Palin made the decision on her own to keep the baby, McCain aides said.

"We have been blessed with five wonderful children who we love with all our heart and mean everything to us," the Palins' statement said.

"Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support," the Palins said.

The Palins asked the news media to respect the young couple's privacy.

"Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family. We ask the media, respect our daughter and Levi's privacy as has always been the tradition of children of candidates," the statement concluded.

Check out some of the responses at Daily Kos where many have been pushing the conspiracy theory that Bristol Palin was actually the mother of Trig, the latest Palin family baby born 4 months ago even though we're learning now that Bristol Palin is 5 months pregnant. Not much humility to be found over there for getting that fabricated story completely wrong.

Instead, there are reactions like this:

Holy shit… (2+ / 0-)


a 17 year old pregnant for 5 months who is not married to the father yet?

When is her birthday, was she 16 when this happened?

And McCain decided that this was ok? Is he freaking nuts, does he even know who the father is or what family he comes from?

Wow, just fucking wow!!!

What we do for ourselves dies with us, what we do for others and the world remains and is immortal. (Albert Pine)

by laughingriver on Mon Sep 01, 2008 at 09:14:23 AM PDT

I was a pregnant 17 year-old too and reactions like that were common 30 years ago when I had my daughter. Not only was being a pregnant teenager shameful in society's eyes then but being a single parent was equally as contemptuous.

I thought things had changed. Obviously not.

And it's even more disgusting that these kinds of attitudes are coming from so-called, left-wing progressives today.

I understand that Sarah Palin is a strong advocate of abstinence-only education (or non-education, if you will). That's a fair angle to go after her on. But don't make her daughter the poster-child for what her mother believes.

Take a moment to think about what this girl is already going through. If you've been there as a teenager facing an unplanned pregnancy, you understand the tremendous wave of anxiety and uncertainty that comes with being in that situation. It's hard to deal with. And it's even more difficult when society views you as a freakish pariah. Multiply that 1,000 times now that this young girl is in the political spotlight because of her mother's candidacy and it will be amazing if Bristol Palin makes it through all of this unscarred emotionally.

Some Obama supporters/Democrats have been absolutely vicious and sexist towards Sarah Palin since her candidacy was announced - just a continuation of their Hillary hatred.

Absolutely appalling.

If she can't control her daughter now? (0+ / 0-)

How is she gonna juggle 5 kids, a grand child, and the axis of evil:[sic]

by starlicious on Mon Sep 01, 2008 at 09:19:38 AM PDT

Does Palin really deserve that? I sure don't think so. Would the same be said of a male candidate? Not a chance.

Democrats should know by now that the Republicans can spin anything to their advantage. An illegal war, torture, the decimation of human and civil rights. Do you really believe this issue will be a problem for them considering that Palins' daughter is doing exactly what the right proscribes in these situations?

1. She's keeping the baby.
2. She's getting married.

So, tread carefully, Democrats. If you don't, all of your glee and celebration over this girl's predicament will come back to bite you in the ass big time. And frankly, if you demonize Bristol Palin because she's pregnant, you'll deserve every single bite you get.

Update:

Obama's response: "Back off these kinds of stories."

And I will say it - I told you so:

Mathew Staver, dean of Liberty University School of Law, said: "We're all sinners."

"We all make mistakes. Certainly, the ideal is not to get pregnant out of wedlock. But she made the right decision after her mistake," he said.

Hurricane Gustav, meet Hurricane Palin

This, from the largest community of so-called "progressives" on the tubes: Daily Kos

Well, Sarah, I'm calling you a liar. And not even a good one. Trig Paxson Van Palin is not your son. He is your grandson. The sooner you come forward with this revelation to the public, the better.

Can you spell "l-a-w-s-u-i-t"?

You'd think they'd embarrassed themselves enough during this campaign. Obviously not.

With so many issues with which to go after a very inexperienced Sarah Palin, one would assume that would be enough to successfully pit the Obama/Biden team against McCain/Palin to make a convincing case for the Democratic candidate. Instead, far too many kossacks have decided that using the nastiest smear campaign they can possibly come up with is the way to win in November. And as if that wasn't enough, one of their female front pagers, georgia10, decided to post a sexist caricature of the Alaskan governor as well. Is it any wonder I left that place years ago? How can anyone take it seriously anymore?

"Progressives", heal thy selves.

The place has turned into a pit of vipers. So much for hopeychanginess.

And, for a laugh: you just knew this was coming... (or should have known, fools).

******************

In the real news world, Hurricane Gustav is set to most likely hit NOLA and the Gulf Coast hard on Monday and the Republicans are scrambling to make lemonade out of the impending flood waters:

Convention organizers and McCain advisers watched nervously as Gustav chugged toward land, fearful that the storm could evoke memories of the administration's widely criticized response to Hurricane Katrina three years earlier as Republicans seek to rebrand a party that has been battered under Bush's leadership.

They damn well should be nervous.

McCain campaign manager Rick Davis told reporters that the seven-hour program scheduled for Monday night will be pared down to a bare-bones session of roughly two hours, devoted mainly to meeting the legal requirements involved with opening the convention. He said that there will be no partisan speeches and that officials will assess what to do with the rest of the convention on a "day-to-day" basis until the magnitude of the storm damage becomes clear. He said the GOP will seek to make sure that "nothing we do detracts" from the response efforts in the Gulf states.

Afaic, they should all go down there for the cleanup. Some penance for Katrina is still required.

Updates on Gustav as they come in on Monday. May everyone stay safe.