Sarah Palin at the NRA Convention

Gryphen has some good observations about this amazing speech.

Let Allah Sort it Out

Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live

Now that's what I call a good sport. I absolutely see this as Sarah Palin showing the country that she is a good sport and has no hard feelings rather than a calculated political maneuver. CNN reports on the show that aired last night.

The opening sketch also featured a surprise visit by Alec Baldwin, Fey's "30 Rock" co-star Alec Baldwin, who mistook Palin for Fey, and tried to convince Michaels not to let Fey appear on the show with the governor. He snapped his fingers, trying to remember the nickname some had given Palin.

SNL's regular Tina Fey has made quite a splash imitating the Alaska governor. When asked to be on the show with her, Palin said this:

"I love her, she's a hoot and she's so talented," Palin said, according to the AP.

"It would be fun to meet her, imitate her and keep on giving her new material."

To me it sounds like this demonstrates a level of class that belies some of the attention Sarah Palin has received in the liberal press. But I didn't see the show. What's your opinion? Was it a genuine expression of good sportsmanship? Or was it a political attempt to win back some lost ground?

The Old Double Standard

On the wonderfully informative site called The Cognoscenti, Graham asks a very pointed question.

Why does Sarah Palin get a free pass?

This question is in reference to her membership in the Alaska Independence Party. I've read about this here and there, but frankly didn't pay much attention. But, while reading what Graham has to say about it, I realized there's a major double standard going on. Imagine if Obama had selected a VP running mate who had said the un-American things Sarah Palin has said? Do you think the Republican mud-slingers would have been so quite about it? Examples:

"I'm an Alaskan, not an American. I've got no use for America or her damned institutions."

"And I won’t be buried under their damn flag. I’ll be buried in Dawson. And when Alaska is an independent nation they can bring my bones home.”

I'll answer my own question. If Joe Biden had ever said things like that, we would have been bombarded with it like there's no tomorrow. Look at what they've done with the Ayers business, the desperate, straw-clutching Republicans.

The explanation is obvious. Obama must have instructed his advisors to try, as much as is possible in a presidential campaign, to maintain some dignity, to not stoop to using every low blow they could. And the reason for that is also obvious. He could afford to do it. He's the better candidate. People are ready for a change.

What do you think?

More on the VP Debate

Robert Parry over at The Smirking Chimp has a wonderful post, Neocon Desperation is Showing, about the VP debate. Without doubt, it is the most incisive and informative article I've read about the debate. He basically refutes the spin which Fred Barnes of the Weekly Standard wrote in his article entitled “Comeback.”

Of course, it would have been quite a feat to positively spin the following Palin gem:

“Nuclear weaponry, of course, would be the be-all, end-all of just too many people in too many parts of our planet, so those dangerous regimes, again, cannot be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, period. Our nuclear weaponry here in the U.S. is used as a deterrent. And that's a safe, stable way to use nuclear weaponry..."

It must have had them rolling in the aisles, not only her mispronouncing the word nuclear four times but with that ridiculous "be-all, end-all" expression.

Parry again:

Palin’s “shout-out” to some Alaska school kids and other folksy chatter might have charmed some casual voters, but Palin’s casual style – masking a shallowness of knowledge – might have been unnerving to many other Americans who are in the mood for some gravitas.

What do you think? Can you really imagine this small-town personage actually performing the role of the Vice President?

The VP Debate

I wasn't able to watch or read much news this weekend, but judging by Digby's post, Take Me Out To the Ballgame, at Hullabaloo they must have been mixing up the sports metaphors.

After the Republicans successfully worked the refs and lowered the bar, last Thursday Sarah W Palin was in her wheelhouse and kept her eye on the ball. While she didn't hit it out of the park, she proved that she could take a punch and serve an ace when it counted. Biden meanwhile, showed that he's a team player right out of the gate by avoiding time in the penalty box and probably won on points. But with her humor, personality and confidence, Palin hit the trifecta.

The question for Tuesday is whether McCain will throw another hail mary or if Obama will fall on the ball and run out the clock. The one thing he needs to avoid is dancing in the endzone or spiking the ball before the final score is on the board. He needs to keep his eye on the ball. McCain, on the other hand, is behind on points, so he needs to strike out the side, get the ball over the plate and score a knockout.

Who do you think is winning? Did the VP debate make much difference? Will Tuesday's debate between Obama and McCain?

The Keating 5 Scandal

Over at the wonderfully informative blog called Hullabaloo, Digby wrote a post entitled They've Been Listening, which makes reference to a poll indicating that "By a 2-to-1 ratio, Americans blame Republicans over Democrats for the financial crisis that has swept across the country the past few weeks."

I find this extremely gratifying because all too often in this campaign things that I've concluded and surmised seem to go unnoticed. For example, the idea that Palin was qualified for the office of Vice President seemed to be accepted by many of the same people who berated Obama's qualifications. In spite of this apparent contradiction, the Republicans seemed to receive the breath of life from her candidature. Thank goodness that's subsiding now.

I became aware of the Keating 5 scandal some months ago via another site I like very much, Opinione. In the Digby piece, there's a concise explanation of McCain's role.

McCain's role in that scandal was very specific: he pressured regulators into going easy on his friend Charlie's savings and loan.

The Wikipedia article on the Keating 5 says this:

Senators John Glenn and John McCain were cleared of having acted improperly but were criticized for having exercised "poor judgment".

What's your opinion? Do you think "poor judgment" is a euphemism for "criminal behaviour but we're giving you a break this time?"