Some funny revelations about McCain & Palin

I'm continuing to do post-mortem stuff about the election, and I have a few more pieces to bring you, just in case you haven't seen them. (Or even if you have - they are that good.)

Of all the losing tickets in recent memory, the Palin-McCain McCain Palin ticket has got to be the most hilarious. As it turns out, they both were as inept as many of us thought they were.

First, McCain: I've been writing it for some time now, and it bears repeating once more - McCain's choice of Palin disqualified him for being fit to serve as president. It now can be safely said that McCain either a. didn't vet Palin at all, or b. the campaign's vetting process was so hopelessly inept that staffers didn't even bother to adequately interview her. What else can we conclude? The video above offers up some great stuff. According to Fox News Channel (yes, you read that right), some of the Palin lowlights included:

-Not knowing which countries were in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

-Not knowing that Africa is a continent, not a country

-Temper tantrums and abuse of staff

-Refusing to prep for the Katie Couric interview, which by anyone's definition was an unmitigated disaster

-Oh, and then there's the clothes. I particularly love this point, because the right had a lot of fun for days on end following the revelation that former Sen. John Edwards was getting $400 haircuts.

Of course, Palin has a reputation to protect, since she obviously is eying a run for national office in '12, or maybe even sooner if a special election is held in Alaska for soon-to-be-former Sen. Ted Stevens. So, to protect that reputation, she has lashed out at her detractors.

From HuffPo:

"I consider it cowardly" that they did not allow their names to be used, she said.

Palin said those allegations aren't true. She recalled discussing Africa and NAFTA with aides who prepared her for the vice presidential debate with Democrat Joe Biden.

"If there are allegations based on questions or comments that I made in debate prep about NAFTA, and about the continent vs. the country when we talk about Africa there, then those were taken out of context," she said. "That's cruel, It's mean-spirited. It's immature. It's unprofessional and those guys are jerks if they came away with it, taking things out of context and then tried to spread something on national news. It's not fair, and it's not right."

That's a typical escape hatch that embarrassed people always use to deflect attention away from the embarrassment - that they were taken "out of context."

Quite frankly, had Palin's very few interviews not been so disastrous, maybe this stuff would be harder to believe. But, she couldn't even have a basic discussion about what she liked or didn't like about the Bush Doctrine. "What part, Charlie" will forever live on in election lore.

And if Palin is truly going to be the face of the Republican Party moving forward, the only danger to Democrats is overconfidence, because she's a complete disaster. Talk about judging a book by its cover. One of the right's hate messages about Obama was that with his experience, the only reason he was having electoral success is because he's black. (Which, by the way, is total b.s. - his education, knowledge and know-how have put him where he is - for instance, compare his educational background with those of McCain and Palin, and in about 10 seconds it'll pretty obvious to you who took his education seriously, and who didn't.)

Anyway, it's soo obvious that Palin was picked for her looks, and little else. I'm still laughing that one of my friends, a few weeks after Palin was selected for the ticket, said he was more excited about Palin "than any Republican since Reagan." Maybe I should ask him if he cares to revise that statement, since he did about as much research on Palin as the McCain campaign did.

VICTORY! YES -- WE -- DID.

I couldn't be prouder to be an American than I am right now. I haven't typed for a little while, because I just wanted to soak it all in. It's been quite a day in so many respects. I'm pretty happy to say that maybe some of us (including me) were very wrong about the vote being hacked, and that's a good thing, but I certainly hope that in the wake of a non-contested presidential election that wasn't all that close vote wise, we don't lose sight of the fact that we are in desperate need of election reform. But, more on that in the coming days and months.

Here is the full footage of Obama's acceptance speech - truly inspiring words from a man who will soon be known as President Obama.

This was one of the best speeches I've heard him give; the right mix of toughness toward those who wish us harm, and even some words of bipartisanship to his opponents and to those who didn't vote for him.

Tonight's Obama victory was a clear sign that America is disgusted and tired of the politics of old - the slash and burn, conquer, divide and marginalize mentality that's been used too often in the past 30 years to win elections. I really do hope that Obama means what he says - especially when he said, in so many words, that he wants to move beyond these 20th century political clichés.

I heard someone say this tonight on MSNBC, I think it was Doris Kearns Goodwin, who stated that she hopes the Obama administration doesn't make the same mistakes that Clinton did in his first 100 days. Amen to that - I certainly hope and pray that he surrounds himself with good, decent, competent people. What's more, I hope Obama doesn't let his guard down against those who wish to destroy him, because these people will not take a break from trying to tear him down. (Getting some advice from President Clinton about how to effectively combat the right-wing noise machine wouldn't be a bad idea.)

Sen. John McCain's speech was pretty magnanimous, and good on him for that. I watched his words with more than a touch of sadness though; I really would have considered voting for that version of McCain had he run this year. Unfortunately, I never got to vote for that McCain. Many of McCain's mistakes, gaffes and missteps were self-inflicted, from his selection of Palin to the political gutter through which he crawled in trying to win the presidency.

McCain is a true American patriot who I have no doubt loves his country. Too bad that he accused Obama of otherwise during a hard-fought campaign.

As for Sarah Palin - I have no use for her, and I have very little respect for her, because quite simply, she hasn't earned any, period. She was McCain's attack dog, an ill-advised role for her, and one that will take a long time to wear off in the eyes of wary independents and Democrats, too. If she's the face of the future of the Republican Party, then that party is going to have a lot of trouble over the next decade or so. And speaking of her face, I will go to my grave convinced that if she were an average looking woman, she would still wallowing in obscurity as the Governor of Alaska.

How many days until the '12 election again? Just kidding.

Now, the real work begins.

File this one away about Sarah Palin

Seriously, I don't know whether to be extremely happy or frightened that Sarah Palin is widely considered the "new face of the Republican Party" by many. She's proven over the last few months that there really isn't much that is out of bounds and that she won't say. Check out her comments at a campaign even earlier today - in it, she asserts that Democrats think that terrorists "are the good guys."

I've written it before, and I'll no doubt rewrite it over the next few days - McCain and Palin will do and say (and have done and said) just about anything to get elected over the last few months - reality and truth be damned. Yet, this is the woman that John McCain picked to be his running mate, while at the same time proclaiming of having the ability to "reach across party lines" and be bipartisan to get things done. Yes, I realize that this is the heat of a presidential campaign, but some bells simply cannot be un-rung.

We all need to remember comments like these in '12 (and beyond), when Palin undoubtedly makes a run for the U.S. Senate, or possibly even president. Because, most people won't remember 2008, when she made mindlessly partisan and hateful attacks against Obama, and when both her and McCain tried all they could do to divide America in order to win an election.

Sure, Obama has thrown some mud, too, but only to respond in kind to the attacks that he's endured. He had two choices - he could either take the "high road" completely, a la John Kerry in '04, or he could respond selectively as he did. I think, no matter what happens tomorrow, Obama took the wise course - responding to the more serious charges, and ignoring the more scurrilous ones. I think his strategy is about to pay off, big time.

Leading into tomorrow, I'm cautiously optimistic.

Palin gets pranked by Montreal radio station

One more comedy piece before I get back to the serious stuff. This audio has been flying around the Internet for the past few days, so I thought I'd share it. A Montreal radio station called Sarah Palin a few days ago posing as French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and... *Surprise!* Palin takes the bait... hook, line and sinker.

Honestly, if this is how she were to talk to any foreign leader, I shudder to think of her occupying the Oval Office for even 15 minutes. How she didn't pick up on the fact that this was a joke is beyond me. Not to put too fine of a point on it, but these guys made an ass out of her. The Palin campaign released a statement after the prank that basically said, "C'est La Vie." That's right, governor, that is life - it's not hard to get you out of your element of winking and talking about your family and what you allegedly "have done" to for Alaska. This woman has the depth of a mud puddle.

McCain on SNL: sorta funny

I have to give credit where credit is due - McCain's appearance on SNL last night was pretty funny, but hey, I'll take the credit away by saying it was just good comedy writing.

A few things I noticed - when McCain was talking about his celebrity connections, I noticed that he didn't mention Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Aww - poor baby.

I thought it was also entertaining that McCain described himself as "a real maverick - a Republican without money." He's right on that count. I find it hilarious listening to Republicans who are so quick to bitch and moan about the amount of money that Obama has raised; this is the first time in many, many presidential elections where the Democratic Nominee has outraised and outspent the GOP candidate.

Talk about money - anyone remember Bush's stupid labels that he gave his fundraisers in 2000 and 2004 - Pioneers, Rangers, Mavericks and Super Rangers? Only guys with the balls the size of Karl Rove and President Bush would give such prominent, public labels to their political donors. (Some of whom have pleaded guilty to politics-related crimes - Jack Abramoff and Thomas Noe among them.)

This is a typical GOP tactic - when the rules benefit them, there's no need for change (or complaining), but when the opposite is true, criticize your opponents for beating you at your own game.

All in all, it was a funny appearance for McCain. Will it win him any votes? I seriously doubt it, but stranger things have happened. At this point, people out there who still describe themselves as "Undecided" are simply letting themselves be convinced by the blatantly misleading ads being run by both sides of the campaign, but mostly by the McCain camp.

Below is McCain's appearance on Weekend Update, which was decidedly more lame.

Ad jabs @ Palin's winks, Mac's economic IQ

A new Obama political ad takes a subtle jab at Sarah Palin, for her stupid winking during the vice presidential debate. I love it.

Even more importantly, though, it features some pretty telling quotes from John McCain about his lack of knowledge on the economy.

From HuffPo:

Titled "His Choice," the spot begins with quotes from McCain admitting his lack of economic know-how. The last one has McCain declaring, "I might have to rely on a vice president that I select" for expertise on economic issues.

"His choice?" the script (no narration) asks -- before cutting to footage of Palin winking at the vice presidential debate. "On November 4th, You Get to Make Yours."

It is considered politically taboo for a presidential candidate to go after a vice presidential candidate. To be sure, much of the ad focuses on McCain's record on the economy. But the inclusion of Palin is indicative of just how large a liability the Obama folks -- indeed, the political community at large -- thinks she has become for the GOP ticket.

It might be considered taboo, but I think the underlying theme here is McCain's age. (And this is likely as close as the Obama campaign will ever get to discussing it.) I've been saying and writing this for months now - McCain's choice of Palin disqualifies both, and what's more, it offers us a glimpse of how he would select the people who surround him - his cabinet, advisers, etc.

McCain & Palin starting to self destruct

I love this - John McCain is surely ruing the day that he ever selected Sara-cuda - she's been a disaster in just about every way. In recent days, there have been numerous reports that the Palin and McCain camps are increasingly acrimonious toward each other about how she's being used on the campaign trail. I've also read some reports that she's been striking out on her own in her stump speeches and straying off message vis-à-vis what the campaign wants her to say..

Hmm - self-destruct much? I'm certainly not, in Obama's own words, "counting chickens before they're hatched," but as of right now, it's looking pretty good for Obama. And I love being a spectator to the finger pointing that has already started. Unfortunately for the supporters of McCain and Palin, all of the finger pointing in the world won't change one thing - that McCain has sold his soul in hopes of capturing the presidency. Think I'm being unfair? Do a YouTube search and see for yourself - when I look back at footage of McCain during the 2000 Republican Primaries, I see and hear a guy I hardly recognize, and I don't mean physically. I laughed out loud when McCain defiantly challenged people to name one issue that he has switched positions on. And yes, he was serious.

Anyway, here's a transcript of the video above, and it's pretty damning about Palin's striking out on her own, and talking about her future before the election.

From CNN:

BLITZER: And this just coming into the "Situation Room," the Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin now speaking out openly about her intentions in 2012 if, if she and John McCain were to lose this contest next Tuesday. In an interview with ABC News, Sarah Palin is now saying, she would be interested in remaining a serious national political figure, going ahead to 2012. She was asked what happens in 2012 if you lose on Tuesday, would you simply go back to Alaska? Elizabeth Vargas of ABC News asked her and Palin said this, and I will read it to you verbatim according to an ABC News transcript: "Absolutely not," Sarah Palin says. "I think that, if I were to give up and wave a white flag of surrender against some of the political shots that we've taken, that ... that would ... bring this whole ... I'm not doin' this for naught," and that is a direct quote from Sarah Palin. Clearly, leaving open the possibility that she would be interested in leading the Republican Party in 2012 if she and John McCain were to lose this presidential contest right now. Let's go to Dana Bash. She has been covering the McCain campaign reaction from the rather blunt statement from Sarah Palin that she would in fact be interested in leading the Republican Party going forward after Tuesday if they lose?

BASH: I just got off of the phone, Wolf, with a senior McCain adviser and I read this person the quote and I think it is fair to say that this person was speechless. There was a long pause and I just heard a "huh" on the other end of the phone. This is certainly not a surprise to anybody who has watched Sarah Palin that she is interested in potentially future national runs, and she is being urged to by a lot of people inside of the Republican Party if they do lose, but it is an "if" and people inside of the McCain campaign do not want any discussion that has an "if" in front of it six days before the election, they don't want any discussion at all, any kind of hypothetical talk about running for the next time around. So certainly, this is not at least initially being received well inside of the McCain campaign.

BLITZER: I am not surprised, not surprised at all. It is one of those "wow, she is talking about 2012 if we lose," that is not supposed to be something that you say. You are supposed to say, "well, I'm not looking ahead, I'm not looking ahead only to Tuesday," and those are the talking points she's supposed to be saying, but she is obviously blunt and she is looking ahead if something were to happen on Tuesday that she wouldn't be happy with.

That last point about how Palin should have responded is spot-on by Blitzer, and it's another illustration of how much of a political neophyte Palin is (lucky for Obama & his supporters). She's very naïve when it comes to how she should handle herself in a national campaign. Her manner, annoying accent and gaffes may play well in Alaska (and in many cases might be viewed as quaint), but her appeal has worn off with undecided and independent voters. And her lack of depth and knowledge on the most basic of issues, in my estimation, has been the most damning and damaging of all.

h/t to Crooks & Liars for the video & transcript

Palin's lame clothes defense

Over the weekend, Sarah Palin lamely tried to defend the McCain campaign's expenditures for her clothes, and she sounded about as genuine as I'd expect any politician to sound when he or she is on shaky ground, or maybe as genuine as she sounded when she says repeatedly on the campaign trail that she never supported the Bridge to Nowhere.

Palin really is the most superficial, phony candidate that has been on a presidential ticket in my lifetime. Who would have thought that in 2008, 20 years after Mr. Superficial, Dan Quayle, we would have someone who makes him look like a policy wonk?

Not to put too fine a point on it, but I don't believe a word she says about the $150k tab, or McCain's defense, for that matter. Yea sure, it was all going to charity before that damn lib-rul media found out about it. Dry that one out, you could fertilize the lawn.

Palin is probably delighted that the issue of her clothes was raised in the media, because she now gets to spend less time talking about policy and answering questions, two things that she has proven more than reluctant to do.

I know, I know, there are, ahem, 150,000 other things the media could be and should be focusing on, a little more than a week before the election. But, it goes to character, Your Honor.

This certainly makes John Edwards' alleged $400 haircuts seem trivial by nature, doesn't it?

What's more, the McCain camp has got to explain it - after all, McCain has to keep the river of campaign cash flowing, a mere eight days before the election.

A great video: I'm a Little Confused

This is a pretty good video, and if anything, it's a little conservative on the statistics it offers, too - the Obama campaign and the Democratic Party have both successfully registered millions of voters, even though there have been a few isolated instances of "Mickey Mouse" and "Tony Romo" registrations being submitted. (I'll have much more on ACORN, porn for Republicans, a bit later.)

Other than that, this video holds up and is an effective, stinging rebuke against how the press has been covering Obama vs. how it has been covering Palin.

I'm pleased that McCain's adultery is mentioned, as well as Obama's record on sex education. A very good friend of mine, who shall remain nameless, called me up all breathless a few weeks ago, outraged that Obama would support a bill that would allow sex education for first graders, which, according to U.S. News & World Report, is a gross distortion of the truth.

From the Fact Check section of the Voter's Guide in the Oct. 27, 2008 issue of U.S. News:

THE CLAIM:
A McCain campaign ad claims Obama's sole accomplishment on education was introducing legislation as an Illinois state senator "to teach comprehensive sex education to kindergartners."

THE REALITY:
This ad has been roundly attacked as a gross distortion and singled out as perhaps the worst of this election season. The portion of the sex-ed bill geared toward youngsters was aimed at teaching them hot to protect themselves from predators.

I also think it's a very good indication of how favorable the press has treated Palin but how little press coverage has been devoted to her husband's membership in a group until 2002 that wants Alaska to secede from the United States (and also a group that Palin addressed, as governor of Alaska). Talk about putting "Country First." (Which we all know is an empty, b.s. faux patriotic statement to begin with.)

Olbermann rips Powell endorsement rxns

The reactions by many on the right to Colin Powell's endorsement of Barack Obama this past Sunday on Meet the Press have been both shocking and appalling this week, and considering the level of discourse in our country, I'm not a person easily shocked.

A few nights ago, Olbermann did a pretty nice round-up of the ridiculous statements that have been babbled by the likes of Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and Sarah Palin, and I can't even begin to get my hands around how breathtakingly mindless both of these women are (and I'm being quite kind).

I'm just wondering exactly where these "pockets of pro-America areas" are? We'll have our answer in 10 days - whichever states vote go for the McCain/Palin ticket I guess are the pro-America. Pretty pathetic.

Even more pathetic is Bachmann's assessment that we should have what would equate to loyalty oaths in Congress, which I'm guessing even her own Republican Party disagrees with. As frightening and reactionary as the current edition of the GOP can be, I'd like to think that we'll never return to the age of McCarthyism. Fortunately, Bachmann's idiotic statements have been a financial boon to her opponent, El Tinkenberg, who has raised over $1 million since her stupid comments last weekend. The best part about Bachmann's fiasco is that she almost certainly would have won reelection had she kept her mouth shut, but she couldn't help herself. Hopefully her stupidity will be Tinkenberg's gain. Right now, El Tink's got a slim two-point lead on Bachmann. Please, if you have the means, go to Tinkenberg's Website and contribute $5 or $10 to help out his campaign; every little bit will help him kick an intolerant, asinine Republican out of Congress.

Just in case you missed it, below is the video of Powell's endorsement. I found his words to be powerful, heartfelt and spot on. This past week, I was asked by many people how I felt Powell's endorsement would affect the election, and my initial reaction was, "Not much." However, upon further reflection, I'm not so sure. His support for Obama certainly does shatter some misconceptions about how Obama would lead and use the military. Naturally, right-wing hate radio had a field day with the endorsement (see Olbermann clip above).

I was very happy to hear Olbermann slam the likes of the hate mongers mentioned above, and specifically Rush Limbaugh for his mindless hate speech. I don't always agree with Keith, but this is one of his best Special Comments I've heard in quite some time. For all of the people who rip Olbermann for being so partisan, my question would be, were it not for Olbermann and a select few others, who else in our corporate media would be echoing these thoughts? Damn few, and I'm happy Olbermann is doing what he does on a nightly basis.

Countdown on another Palin gaffe

This past week, both campaigns swapped gaffes - Biden on how Obama, if elected will be tested (but, to be fair, his quote did get cut off by the corporate media); McCain had too many to mention here (but I'll talk about a few individually); and most notably, Sarah Palin showed her rank ignorance about the job that she's campaigning for.

A few nights ago, Keith Olbermann did a pretty nice round-up of Palin's outrageously (and tragically) funny misstatements about the vice presidency. Whether you like Olbermann or not, Palin's remarks are there for all to see and hear, and they are not comforting. We all know that McCain will be the oldest president in history on inauguration day if he's elected, and he's been less than forthright about his medical history (more on that in a separate post as well). To have this woman sitting in the chair of power in the Oval Office is truly a terrifying thought.

It is pretty remarkable that she's so clueless about what the vice president's responsibilities are. I'm probably insulting a few people as I write this, and I don't care - it's pretty clear to me by now that most of the people who support her fall into two categories:

1. Rabidly pro-life, who will vote for anyone who wants to overturn Roe v. Wade, and

2. People who support her based on her appearance and her breathtakingly dumb soundbites and attack lines on Obama

Either way, superficiality seems to be the name of the game, in most instances. I don't think either group is going to carry the day for McCain and Palin.

Even her "hockey mom" persona isn't genuine - not after it was revealed that $150,000 in campaign cash was spent on clothes for her during the campaign. Zoinks! Another Repube politician who doesn't mind spending other people's money - clearly the McCain campaign is embarrassed by this revelation. Of course, almost immediately after this story hit the wires, the McCain campaign released a statement saying that "the clothes will be donated to charity," with the implication that that was the plan all along. If you believe that one, I've got some preferred stock in Enron you might be interested in purchasing.

Palin: amendment needed on gay marriage

This is some pretty interesting (and tragic) footage of Sarah Palin answering a question about gay marriage.

In a word, disgraceful. And it's neither surprising nor remarkable that Palin openly and overtly contradicts herself in less than 60 seconds:

I am, in my own, state, I have voted along with the vast majority of Alaskans who had the opportunity to vote to amend our Constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman. I wish on a federal level that that's where we would go because I don't support gay marriage. I'm not going to be out there judging individuals, sitting in a seat of judgment telling what they can and can't do, should and should not do, but I certainly can express my own opinion here and take actions that I believe would be best for traditional marriage and that's casting my votes and speaking up for traditional marriage that, that instrument that it's the foundation of our society is that strong family and that's based on that traditional definition of marriage, so I do support that.

So, let's get this straight - you claim that you're not going to be out there judging individuals, nor sitting in a seat of judgment telling [them] what they can and cannot do, yet you want to amend the Constitution?

Call me crazy, but isn't amending the Constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman telling other people what they can and cannot do?

As a country, we've come a long way with regard to gay rights, but we sure have a long way to go, too. I heard an excellent interview with Melissa Etheridge on Air America Radio last Friday, and she put it best - you can't put the genie back in the bottle with respect to gay marriage. It might take a while longer, but we will get there, and gays will get the support, respect and rights they should've been given to them by the federal government long ago, the Sarah Palins of the world be damned.

Latest TMW touches all the bases

[Click image for full cartoon]

More sage, spot-on political witticisms from Tom Tomorrow - I look forward to his cartoons every Tuesday morning. I love it that he even makes light of the two most annoying non-verbal actions by any candidates in recent memory - Palin's winking and McCain's blinking.

And, my friends, let's not forget, my friends, that he even mentions, my friends, McCain's most annoying habit of all... my friends. Whoever told him it was a good idea to start saying that should be fired given a raise.

Palin's SNL debut a yawner

I really did have high hopes for this, but... *Pfft* Palin's appearance on SNL was really a dud. I suppose it's not all her fault - she could have insisted on something funnier, etc., but as usual, Tina Fey was funny, and hey, guess what? She's probably more qualified to be vice president, too.

Pretty funny how art imitates life, though - Palin said on the show that she wouldn't take any of the reporter's questions, and she doesn't in real life, either. I don't know what I find more stupefying - that she hasn't held one press conference since being named to the McCain ticket, or that the press has largely given her a pass for not answering any questions of substance. She hasn't given many genuine interviews, either - the Charlie Gibson & Katie Couric sit-downs were horrific, and Sean Hannity? Puh-leese.

You just have to love Philly fans...

I referred to this prior to the weekend, and now there's video. Ed Snider, the right-wing owner of the Philadelphia Flyers, thought it would be a good idea to have Sarah Palin drop the puck for his team's home opener. Let's just say that it didn't exactly go as planned. I hear quite a few boos in this video, and numerous reports from the game, including one by the NY Times, described the boos as "almost deafening" and "resounding."

What's worse, her strategy of bringing her daughter as a human shield to insulate against booing backfired, too:

A carpet was laid down and Palin, dressed in a beige trench, walked on to the ice joined by her daughters Willow and Piper. The GOP Vice-Presidential nominee said at an earlier fundraiser that she would stop some of the booing from the rowdy Philadelphia fans by putting her seven year old daughter, Piper, in a Flyers jersey. She said, "How dare they boo Piper!"

I think the proper observation would be, "How dare a parent put her daughter in that position?" I'm not a parent, and I'm normally loathe to criticize a parent for decisions they make, but it's a safe bet to say that this was a bad parenting decision, to say the least.


The best part was yet to come, though - our official State TV, Faux News, offered up its predictable spin...

Of course, Faux News was virtually obligated to try and spin Palin's bomb on the ice, so edit the tape they did. Draw your own conclusions. But, Fox is getting so bad, I'm really beginning to think that people who actually have the temerity to think the "network" is Fair and Balanced seriously have something wrong with them. For that matter, people who take at face value anything they hear on any of the corporate news channels in America are doing themselves an incredible disservice, at best.

Ed Snider more than deserves scorn for introducing politics into a sporting event. (By the way, drop Snider a line Here with your comment about his decision to inject his politics into hockey.) I've said it before, and I'll say it again - when I watch sports, I want to forget about politics and enjoy myself. NBC's decision to have Keith Olbermann on its Football Night in America, as well as ESPN's decision to hire Rush Limbaugh, were both mistakes. I write this even though I agree in most instances with Olbermann's political opinions, I don't think it's appropriate to put him on a football show.

I also found it funny that Snider would have the stupidity to feature Palin for a pregame show in a heavily Democratic city in a building named after a bank in the middle of a financial crisis precipitated in a number of ways by irresponsible banking.

Well played, Snider.

And bad parenting choice, Hockey Mom.

(By the way, pretty funny that the Flyers introduced her as a "hockey mom" and not the GOP vice presidential nominee.)

Olbermann's Special Comment on Palin

Last night, Keith Olbermann unleashed a savage and well-deserved attack on Sarah Palin, which was one of his finest Special Comments I've heard in a long time. Olbermann, like many, is outraged at Palin's hypocritical remarks regarding Barack Obama's "association" with Bill Ayers.

Here's a particularly poignant passage:

"The Governor of Alaska wants to start calling people terrorists -- and insisting of Senator Obama that quote 'this is not a man who sees America like you and I see America' - and whose rhetoric like that and the 'pallin' around with terrorists' line were rightly described by the Associated Press yesterday as a wolf-in-sheep's-clothing kind of way of slipping racism into the equation because it's a nifty trick to remind the white folk that (PSST!) 'Obama is black.'

But overriding this sleaziness -- and doggone it, the Governor of Alaska has got to be the sleaziest politician working the stage at the moment -- there is the sheer blessed stupidity of letting herself become the bomb-thrower when her own life is full of domestic terrorists.

Governor -- Bill Ayres? Your hubby was in this secessionist hate group for which you recorded a video.

Governor -- Jeremiah Wright? That pastor you credit with helping you become governor is either a con man or a psycho who believes he can tell which woman in the village is the witch and which is the governor."

I'm delighted that at least someone in the media is pointing out what so many are either ignoring or neglecting to follow up on - that Palin has some highly questionable people in her private life that should raise some legitimate concerns among voters, at best, starting with the man she shares a bed with (and I'm not referring to her husband's business partner, with whom she reportedly shared more than profits with).

I've said it before, and I will undoubtedly a great deal more before the election - McCain's selection of Palin disqualifies both, in my view. Palin is unfit to hold the office of the vice presidency, much less the presidency, and if this is the sort of people McCain wants to select to fill posts in his would-be administration, then we are all in it if he becomes president.

Get your Best of Sarah Palin CD... now!

For those of you petrified about the economy (I know I am), here's a way you can go out and do your patriotic duty to buy as much stuff as possible - get a Best of Sarah Palin CD, brought to you by the folks at 23/6.

I'll save it over and over, and I'm not done criticizing Palin by a long shot, but I find it downright petrifying that a woman as ignorant, amateurish and clueless as her could even get this close to the presidency.

Anyway, I have much, MUCH more to bring you later today, so please stay tuned. It was a pretty active weekend in the world of politics, and this week is going to be another roller coaster, both on the stock market and in the presidential race.

A special note: Please click onto the site tomorrow night for another live blogging session for the second debate between McCain and Obama.

Polls: Biden the clear winner

In case you missed it, polls show that Sen. Joe Biden was the clear winner of Thursday's night debate with Gov. Sarah Palin.

CNN, CBS and other major polls have the debate going to Biden. Additionally, Palin didn't move the meter much, despite a generally positive reception on her performance from the network talking heads (especially conservative ones). From CNN:

Is Palin qualified to serve as president?

Yes

Before debate: 42%
After debate: 46%

No

Before debate: 54%
After debate: 53%

For a debate that was considered by most to be a resounding success by many, these numbers can't be too encouraging. I've written it before and it's worth repeating - Palin's qualifications and stances on the issues matter more than most vice presidential candidates because of McCain's age and health. I'll have plenty more thoughts about last Thursday's debate later on today, as well as Tuesday's upcoming debate between Obama and McCain.

The Sarah Palin debate flow chart

I've got many, many things to blog about later on today, but before I get too deeply into last night's debate and a host of other topics, I wanted to share a few fun and interesting things.

First off, the flow chart above is pretty self explanatory. Enjoy!

Live Blogging the Veep Debate

I watched a minimum of "pregame" coverage leading up to the debate - I'm still setting up my new Dell laptop, which is what I'll be furiously typing my live blogging comments on tonight during the debate.

It looks like they are about to get started - here we go...

9:00: Hmm - the candidates just came out, and the reception was a lot more cordial than the stand-offish McCain's demeanor toward Obama last Friday.

And I'm wondering if it's any accident that a mic picked up Palin saying to Biden, "It's so nice to meet you - can I call you 'Joe?'" Phony.

9:01: Not much time for formalities - Gwen Ifill gets right to it, about the economy. Biden's response was pretty crisp and straightforward.

9:03: Palin sounds pretty smooth and rehearsed, and of course we get a "soccer mom" mention in her response to Biden. She's already overdoing it - to listen to Palin, if the country had only listened to McCain, we wouldn't be in this mess. Hogwash.

9:04: Biden is now reminding listeners about McCain's characterization that "the economy is strong" - the first jab of the night.

9:05: Palin sounds beyond rehearsed when she's ready for Biden's reminder about McCain's goof about saying the economy is strong, and inside of one minute, she says "Maverick" twice, and she just winked at the camera. I've been won over - I've been all wrong.

9:07: Now Palin is blubbering on about the economic crisis, and in doing so, she mentions "Joe Six-Pack" and "Hockey Moms." If I hear "Hockey Moms" one more time... I was just looking around for a 6' length of rope, or a gun, but unfortunately, I couldn't find either to use on myself *Snicker*, so I must go on listening.

9:12: Now Palin is really walkin' on the wild side - "Barack Obama voted for the largest tax increase in U.S. history" - I'll have to come back to that one. Another falsehood - "Barack Obama supported increasing taxes for families making $42,000." Biden comes right back at her, saying the charge if "absolutely not true." And Biden also comes at her about "not answering the question about deregulation."

9:15: Palin just said, with a straight face, "I may not answer the questions that way you would like or the way the moderator would like, but I'm going to talk about my track record as a governor and as a mayor." Wow, talk about leaving yourself wide open - I hope Biden gets to it at some point tonight - she left Wasilla in debt, and she was and is the queen of pork in the entire U.S.

9:17: A question about class warfare - that's straight out of the GOP playbook.

9:18: A modern-day Reagan with boobs and make up - Palin just said, with a straight face, that "government isn't the solution, government is the problem." I've said it a million times - why would the American people put a party in power that despises government? (And then, wonder why the government is hopelessly screwed up.) And Palin herself even just admitted as much, saying, "We don't want to put the government in charge of anything considering how things have been running lately." The government has been largely run by Republicans during the last eight years!!

9:21: Biden, in response to some Palin mischaracterizations, specifically about the McCain healthcare plan "the ultimate Bridge to Nowhere" - easily the line of the night so far. I'm glad that Biden is hitting the fact that McCain is planning to tax people's healthcare plans that they get through their employers.

9:23: Now Palin is accusing Barack Obama of giving the tax breaks to the oil companies. Talking point alert: Palin just called it a Rescue Plan - it's not a Rescue Plan - it's a Bailout Plan, Period.

9:25: Biden is talking about a Windfall Profits Tax - good, because McCain, and all Congressional Republicans are dead set against it, and it was defeated in the Senate earlier this year.

9:27: I can't help it - the first patently absurd, bullshit alert of the night - Palin is talking about how McCain sounded the alarm that Fannie and Freddie needed reform. Hmm - she's leaving herself and McCain open to a few haymakers here - how about the fact that McCain's campaign manager's company was taking money from Freddie up until about five weeks ago.

9:30: The question was about bankruptcy, and Palin gave a one-word answer, and then reverted to something she wanted about her and McCain's energy plan. And she's absolutely full of it when she's talking about "energy independence." We have three percent of the world's oil reserves - we cannot, under any circumstances, drill ourselves out of foreign oil dependence.

9:30: And now she's using code words for global warming deniers - "the cyclical temperature change" - GOP GW deniers rejoice, without question.

9:31: Palin's answer on global warming is by far her lowpoint of the night thus far - she has absolutely no idea what she's talking about when she talks about how much America pollutes, and what our capabilities are.

9:34: Biden had better kneecap Palin on her absurd statements on energy - she absolutely has zero credibility here - she has none, and I don't care if she's the governor of Alaska or not. And the natural gas pipeline she's talking about is going to take many, many years to be operational - it's not a solution now, and she knows it. Wait, maybe she doesn't? Palin just took Biden to task for not supporting a domestic solution to our energy problems. That's because THERE ISN'T ONE, hockey mom. She just left herself open to a right cross, and Biden lets it pass. That's leaving points on the table.

9:37: Now Palin is trying to skirt around the issue of gay marriage - TOTAL, unadulterated bullshit, period. I'll have more on this after the debate. She's been the member of a church that actually prays for curing homosexuals. Minus to Biden for saying that he and Obama don't support gay marriage like heterosexual marriages. That's sad.

9:41: On to foreign policy - Palin looks and sounds like a robot, repeating McCain talking points about "winning" - I would give my eye teeth to hear Biden (and Obama!) say that "we already won the war, but we are losing the occupation."

Palin just haltingly said, "Your plan... is... the white flag of surrender." Every American should be offended at such rhetoric. It's shameless and pathetic.

She's also sounded mindlessly rehearsed when she says that Obama and Biden want to cut off funding for the troops, and blah blah blah. She just ends another feckless attack by saying, "That's another story." I was waiting for the Inside Edition logo to appear on the screen.

9:45: I smell a GOP talking point - a question about Iran and Pakistan. This is Biden's strength - Biden's talking about the "central front in the War on Terror" and how a next possible attack will come from the "hills of Afghanistan and the hills of Pakistan." Palin will no doubt repeat GOP talking points about how Obama said he "would attack Pakistan."

9:47: Palin is now blubbering on about Iran and "Ackmudinigad" (learn how to say it, along with "nuquleur") - she might as well be a tape recorder, because she's giving identical answers to what McCain said six days ago. She's now talking about how Obama would meet with our enemies "without preconditions" and she's nearly bragging that she "had a good conversation with Henry Kissinger" - oh, I guess that's when she went on her afternoon tour of diplomacy at Columbia University, which gave Cliff Notes a bad name.

9:49: Biden is coming back at her about Iran; and he's forceful, articulate, and right on, especially when he talks about how "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is not the most powerful person in Iran" - he's not - the religious leaders are. How would Palin know? She doesn't - only what McCain has put it her head during debate school during this past week.

9:52: Biden is now savaging the Bush administration about Israel, and I'd love to hear Palin's response - it will no doubt involve mentioning "hockey moms" or something, if she's off message for even a nanosecond.

First true Palin moment in the night - she has ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA and NO ANSWER about the Bush administration's handling of Israel - she's talking about how the Obama/Biden ticket is "looking back," and a whole bunch of empty talk about bipartisanship, etc. This is a new low for her tonight - I could swear that Katie Couric just asked her that question.

I suspect that Palin just got knocked off her talking points about Afghanistan, and Biden should whip her on this.

9:56: Whoops! Biden beat back the straw woman that Palin just set up with her mindless talking points about Afghanistan.

9:58: Palin is coming back and trying to answer, but I just can't hear or see any credibility from her - she just has talking points. She certainly can't point to her record on foreign policy, because she has none, other than looking out at Russia from her window. *Snicker*

10:04: I could swear that Palin was at a beauty pagent when she just said, "You know, you can tell that I'm a Washington outsider," and then rehashed an attack on John Kerry "I was before it before I was against it." I was waiting for her to say "Aw shucks," while sweeping a foot in a semi-circle in front of her. She also said she "watched the [Democratic] debates," but I can just about guarantee that she only watched them a few days ago during her "Debate School."

10:07: Biden is now talking about "getting, capturing or killing" bin Laden - a strong point for the Democrats - it's an indefensible, inconvenient fact for the GOP.

10:10: Palin just referred to herself and McCain as "a team of mavericks" and she winked, again. Gimme a break.

10:11: Biden is talking about the destruction of the middle class, and he's right - it's shrinking by the day.

10:12: Palin just said, "Say it ain't so, Joe" - again, what a crock. She's trying to differentiate McCain from Bush, but it's b.s. - McCain has voted with Bush over 90 percent of the time during every year of his presidency. And she just winked, AGAIN. Vice presidents don't wink, governor, but she's merely the latest mastubatory fantasy of GOP men the world over, who are no doubt tired of the likes of the despicable Michelle Malkin and Ann Coulter. (Did anyone consider them attractive, ever?)

10:15: Here comes the first fearless prediction of the night - Palin is trying her hand at self deprecation - how no one got her or Biden's joke about not wanting to be vice president.

10:16: I don't like Palin's characterization about the office of the vice presidency - that the Constitution offers "flexibility" in the office of the vice presidency. Is Cheney talking in her ear? The vice president is a member of the executive branch, period. Palin just got off message, saying she "agrees with vice president Cheney." Wow - that's a whopper - I do NOT like the fact that a candidate for vice president is looking for more power for the office, specifically after the most dangerous, reckless and downright scary vice president we've ever had.

10:18: Biden is ready - "Dick Cheney is the most dangerious vice president in the history of this country." Boom.

10:20: I have to give Biden credit here - he's not being baited by Palin's little tweaks.

10:22: Palin just said Maverick for the umpteenth time (and once again!) - I think her record is skipping - someone should slap her in the back of the head. And she's said Greed and Corruption on Wall St. at least six times. It's pretty clear she's out of things to say - good thing the debate is almost over, because Palin's No Repeat Work Day is over.

10:25: They both are wrapping this up, and Palin's talking about cutting taxes, and I wish above all else that Biden would have hit her tonight about leaving Wasilla deep in debt when she was done with her two terms as mayor. Oh well - more points left on the table.

10:26: More mischaracterizations by Palin - she keeps mentioning "energy independence," which is a flat-out myth - America achieving energy independence through drilling is pure fantasy.

Her closing statement is a pretty big whopper - she's taking swipes at the mainstream media (a little Couric damage control, table 2). She also talks about Reagan (it has to be the sixth mention, at least), and more platitudes about cutting taxes that create jobs. First, those taxes have to be cuts to the right people, and by that I don't mean the wealthiest Americans.

10:28: Biden's closing remarks are pretty staid, steady and crisp - he's clearly talking to the America's middle class, citing what his father used to tell him, "Champ, when you fall down, you get back up," and he finishes by saying that America is ready to get back up, and it is.

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More post-debate thoughts in a bit.