You have to read this

Dan, thanks for alerting readers to this article. I read it in this morning’s Seattle Times and hope that its message is absorbed by more than just us West Coast pointy headed intellectual liberal elites.By the way, I really count on getting this kind of cogent referrals from your blog. Thanks for keeping me (us) informed.

o-f-l:I get it. Being an executive and showing horrendous judgment is better than no executive experience at all. That’s not a winning argument even if you win it.

“[S]omeone in the habit of abusing official power who should not be let within a mile of being president.”Oh, you mean, like, George Bush?This is SOP for the GOP.

Apologies. I got the population number for Alaska incorrect. According to the US Census Bureau, the 2006 estimate for Alaska is 670,053, not 560,000, and Boston, 590,763. The new numbers are still close enough to make a comparison.

The weird thing about the “In what respect, Charlie?” comment is that the Repug talking point on it is that the Bush Doctrine morphed from one thing to another (lol, Like the justification for war?), and that Charlie Gibson described only the “original” one, so he didn’t know what it meant either.But amazingly, they are so focused on the “press is out to get her” theme, that none of them posit her answer as an indication that she understood there were multiple versions; that in itself is an indication that she was not prepped to answer the question the way she did.If her preppers had instructed her to answer the way she did, you would have heard them talking about how she’s smarter than Charlie Gibson, rather than people like Krauthammer and George Will claiming to be regular guys who don’t know what the Bush Doctrine is either.It’s clear that, whether it was intentional or not, the McCain campaign felt that they would have enough time to “brand” Palin before shit started coming out.They’ve been successful in firing up the base. Besides her “God’s on our side” ‘tude, she also is a brazen liar, and the Repug base loves that.Remember how when Dole lost to Bush I in NH in 1988, how his “stop lying about my record” comment didn’t go over well in the rest of the Repug primaries.So the “L” word is a tricky thing for the Obama campaign to whip out, but looks like they’re going to do it (via McCaskill on ABC this morning), and good for them.If you’re going to do it, though, ya need to be specific, ya can’t just start using it as a mantra.

The difference may be that the population in Alaska is so small and insular that the choices to fill positions are limited, and without requirements to the contrary, office holders fall back into small, familiar patterns to fill jobs. Also, their way of conducting business is probably also affected by those same isolated lifelong associations. Crudely put, they don’t know any better, and don’t have much choice in the matter.

For Liamstliam– my source on one of the 2 books she tried to ban was the author of one– he is a liberal pastor who wrote a book about being tolerant of gay people. His story is on salon.com and his name is Rev. Howard Bess. He spoke about how the one bookstore willing to carry his book had to drop it too because of all the threats and hate mail to the bookstore owner and to him. The other place I read about the two books was within the past day or so, and I believe it was on Talkingpointsmemo.com, but I’ll go check. The other banned book was “Daddy’s Roomate.”

No. Jane Swift has more experience than Sarah Palin.

Am I the only one who sees Sarah Palin and thinks Lady Macbeth?

a small-minded person who populates her administration with cronies and grade-school friends, fires those who dare to criticize her and uses the power of her office to pursue personal vendettas. In other words, someone in the habit of abusing official power who should not be let within a mile of being president.Ever take a close look at Cook County family politics?

Need a laugh. try http://www.palinfacts.com/ I would submit one of my own: While Al Gore may have invented the Internet Sarah Palin is the sole moderator and can shut it down at any time.

Ms. Lane -“If you’re going to tar Obama with Cook County, then Palin gets hung with the entire Alaska Congressional delegation.”Did Obama ever recruit and endorse an opponent to a sitting corrupt Congressional Democrat? Because Palin did find and back a primary challanger to Don Young.About the books – TPM is hardly unbiased, and I’d be interested to know – did the hate mail the minister receive came from Palin? If not, why is she blamed?BTW – yes, you ARE the only one to see Lady Macbeth. You seem to have many such unique experiences, and tout them as factual.

Color me impressed PP. Palin worked the Alaska Congressional delegation for earmarks, jobs, and every other meager accomplishment she’s had in her career. I will give her credit for being able to sell out her friends when expedient–it’s a trait that will serve her well in her career.”You seem to have many such unique experiences, and tout them as factual.”Okay Mr. “Trans fats only exist because of progressive goo-goo’s, convinced the world needed saving from rancidity.”

Any local administrator, mayor or governor would try to get as many dollars from the federal government to pay for projects they would like to see done. That’s and accepted fact. The Big Dig would never have taken place without it. OTOH, trying to burnish a thin resume and curry favor with an anti government crowd by claiming, crowing even, that you are anti pork, and opposed a notorious, discredited pork project such as the Bridge to Nowhere is something else, entirely. Hypocrisy doesn’t even begin to describe it.

Bill, as you are completely aware, the former Gov. Jim Thompson sat on his hands while chairing Hollinger Corp., whose head is headed for jail because of fiscal shenanigans that screwed ordinary shareholders and that directors like Thompson were supposed to catch, and (tried to) interfere with Fitzgerald’s investigation of ex Gov Ryan, who is now sitting in the big house. Republicans both.So any criticisms you have of the Illinois Democrats pale in regards to the outright felonies committed by their counterparts. The bigger issue, of course, if Old Man McCain lacks the judgment to handle the presidency. Over time, he alienates just about everyone. His so-called reforms of the DoD spending are the equivalent of Warren Buffet pinching a few pennies. He is looked down upon by the ranking generals. He has a horrendous personal track record, from the lackadasial effort in school to all the wives and questionable finances etc. Politics means getting along. He doesn’t get along with anyone. Oh, and he wants to spend even more of your money to protect the oil interests of George Bush’s friends.Real stellar guy.