Palin's speech full of lies and empty rhetoric

But don't take my word for it - watch it for yourself and make your own judgments. God only knows plenty in the news are doing just that, and the right is already crying foul. We all know that drill, too; it's the liberal media trying to derail a Republican presidential run. What a tired (and wholly inaccurate) argument. It's as if the GOP has dug up Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew to make the same old trite complaints about anyone in the media who dares oppose them. It's as hackneyed as it is pathetic.

Anyway, on to Palin's speech. My first thought was that she gave a pretty good performance. She's obviously a very polished public speaker, and it shows. However, many news organizations have begun to do some fact checking about some of her statements in the speech, and (surprise), her partisan witticisms aren't holding up. (And should it be any wonder, since her speech was written by the McCain camp? Some reports have most of it being written before she was even nominated.)

As C&L notes, it's also interesting that she kept the broken record of GOP lies spinning last night with some previously debunked and long-ago refuted falsehoods:

"I suspended the state fuel tax, and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress." Strike One.

"I told the Congress 'thanks, but no thanks,' for that Bridge to Nowhere." Strike Two.

"If our state wanted a bridge, we'd build it ourselves. When oil and gas prices went up dramatically, and filled up the state treasury, I sent a large share of that revenue back where it belonged - directly to the people of Alaska." Strike Three.

Thankfully, the Obama camp didn't wait long for the stench of rank partisan bullshit to die down before responding. Here's Obama Campaign Spokesman Bill Burton:

"The speech that Governor Palin was well delivered, but it was written by George Bush's speechwriter and sounds exactly like the same divisive, partisan attacks we've heard from George Bush for the last eight years. If Governor Palin and John McCain want to define 'change' as voting with George Bush 90% of the time, that's their choice, but we don't think the American people are ready to take a 10% chance on change."

Crooks and Liars has the rest Here.

To be fair, I think much of the coverage of Palin has been overdone, overblown and undeserved, but the more her record is examined (as all four candidates' records should be by the press), the more disturbing things seem to stand out - her husband's membership in a very powerful, belligerent movement for Alaska to succeed from the United States; and even more ominous, her abuse of power as governor of Alaska. Much, much more a bit later today.