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McCain's Hail Mary Pass
The news was so stunning I refused to believe it until I saw John McCain on the TV screen announcing his pick for Vice President. There's no need to disparage Sarah Palin. She's seems like a smart, serious person. But what the choice reveals about McCain is devastating with a capital D for Desperation.
Within forty-eight hours, all America will be talking about her. What people will say is, "You mean, if John McCain croaks, she becomes our president?" Gasp, yes. That is what McCain has decided. So much for "experience" and wise judgment as a campaign issue.
The Senator was widely thought to be on the fifty-yard line, nose to nose with Barack Obama. But this selection reveals the Republican campaign strategists knew better. Picking the obscure and under-experienced governor from Alaska for veep means McCain and his people recognize they are in a very weak position for the fall campaign. So weak they decided to throw a forty-year Hail Mary pass and hope audaciously for a lucky catch.
It won't succeed. In fact, I expect this gambit is going to drive far more voters to Obama's column than it does for McCain.
Choosing Palin kills the "experience" argument. Republicans must have recognized from their own market research that it wasn't working for them. For two months or more, McCain and his handlers have smeared and slandered Obama, mocked his star quality talents, belittled his lack of tenure in Washington back rooms and accused him of unpatriotic egotism. Clearly, their internal polling told them this line of character attack wasn't grabbing the public. Playing the wise old man was not going to be enough to overcome McCain's other significant handicaps, his somewhat doddering style and memory lapses, his deadly embrace of right-wing cant and G.W. Bush.
So, what the hell, let's take a wild shot and see what happens. The other veep possibilities are dull guys in good suits. Let's go with the young gal from Alaska. She's not only a woman--she's a mother! You want history-making? We Republicans can do history-making.
Their internal logic was obvious, it was also pathetic. Putting a woman on the ticket is supposed to draw away those discontented Clinton voters in the Democratic party. Not going to happen, I think. First, that group has dwindled considerably in the last few days--thanks to Hillary Clinton's straight-shooting endorsement of Obama and especially to Bill Clinton's brilliant blessing. The former President went the full mile in defending Obama as ready to be President by reminding everyone that he too had been dogged for a youthful lack of experience. Any remaining bitterness among Clinton voters will not be salved by supporting a hardcore right-winger on feminist issues.
The early returns I am hearing from people suggest that McCain's gambit may prove to be a home run (mixing my sports metaphors) for Obama. One young friend first heard the news from his mother who called to say, okay, she was switching to Obama. For months, she had rooted for Hillary and insisted Obama was too wet behind the ears. "You can stop arguing with your mother," she said.
Palin's previous political experience was as mayor in a town of 6,000. Did they mention this to John McCain? Or did he perhaps forget? Senator McCain says he has seasoned judgment, but he may have been over-cooked.
- Posted in
159 Comments so far
Show AllOh really? So Greider believes that picking Joe Biden is some great touchdown for Barack Obama compared to McCain's selection of Palin? It just goes that 'Progressives' really become thoughtless fools when hooked on the dope of 'lesser of two evil' narcotic. It is Barack Obama who really messed up in this game of commercial poltical imagery, not McCain.
Here everyone is talking about all the bad choices that McCain is going to make, and he makes a relatively reasonable pick for VP.
Meanwhile Obama picked a war monger, Biden. Go figure.
I think it is bad news for the democrats because they were trying to paint McCain as over the top on every issue. I guess it must not be true.
This is what happens when your main plan of action is dependent on putting down the values of your opponent so the voters don't notice your own warts, the lesser of two evils approach.
Both McCain and Obama are unacceptable to me as leaders.
Vote Green Party, vote Nader, vote Third Party.
I think this is the best tactical decision that McCain has made and it will work. He will gain 1-2% of the vote with this choice, and in a close election (and this will be a close election) that might very well be enough. I don't care who wins and write this as an outsider, who will only ever vote for alternative parties and independent candidacies. And enough of us feel this way fortunately to start the real progressive revolution! McCain and Obama are both terrible choices who we ought not even consider at all.
You know what, THIS is what amazes me. "...and this will be a close election."
I am not denying that it may be... but Why would it be?... Is this not the most
distrubing aspect of all of this?
There are enough stupid Americans to make this a close election?? That eight years of absolute bullshit have not convinced enough Americans that Republican politics simply don't work (for the many). That John McCain can adequately lead this country? (not to mention the beauty queen/pro-life/pro-war/pro-death penalty "mother") I am NOT an Obama supporter, but I at least saw this disaster of a party for what it was 8 years ago.... How is it that half of Americans cannot see it now? After 8 years of destructive policies??
Oh, that's right. God. Money. And Gays. I keep forgetting. Idiots.
truthbetold: You are in denial. Both parties are responsible for what's happened. The democrats had chance after chance to directly change the outcome(s). What is it I, and others here, are missing?
There is NO difference in their POLICIES.
Get over it.
Again.... NOT a democrat. Card carrying member of the Green Party. Read my post again. I am not advocating for either side, I am merely pointing out the idiocy of Americans. Repeat: I am not a Democrat, nor do I excuse the funding of these wars... but do we honestly believe that Gore would have started a war with Iraq?... My money is on No, he wouldn't have.
"but do we honestly believe that Gore would have started a war with Iraq?"
You better believe it. One name says it all: Joe Lieberman. VP in charge of terror--just like Cheney. Although the sheer brutality of Israel could have easily made him president. (Think about that!)
As much as its hard to believe, it COULD indeed have been worse.
I'm REEEEEALLY glad I voted for Nader in 2000.
And I will do so again.
"I'm REEEEEALLY glad I voted for Nader in 2000."
Are you REEEEEEALLY glad about the Iraq war? Do you REEEEEEEEALLY believe Gore would have done the same, REEEEEALLY? Or are you stubbornly engaged in self delusion to protect yourself from guilt?
No moonpie, Gore would NOT have started a war with Iraq. Lieberman is not Darth Cheney, the most powerful VP in history and Bush's real brain. If you recall, Gore spoke out forcefully against the Iraq war before the invasion.
Only a completely unreasonable fool would think that Gore would have been the same as Bush. What you are saying in effect is that any person who is elected to the presidency from either of the two establishment parties is nothing more than a mere figurehead completely beholden to some secret, monolithic cabal which has an established agenda and complete power. What a joke and how completely naive. In reality the U.S. power structure is much more complex with many groups and persons of varying interests and ideological beliefs vying for power and influence. There are many examples in U.S. history that completely debunk your belief that the establishment (ie "The Man") has monolithic power and control as many past presidents (and senators and representatives) have bucked the establishment powers to do the right thing.
I too would like to see a viable third party candidacy, and it ain't gonna happen without some modifications to our current system. But I don't think the way to achieve this is by burning the house down. A lot of people will suffer terribly, like these last eight years have shown. It can get much worse. Past U.S. history has shown a slow but steady progress to the realization of the promise that our country was founded on. I believe it will continue.
Here, here! Well said. A bit of sanity amongst all these self-righteous, cynical holier-than-thou leftoids. Of course, it's just coincidence that Bush/Cheney followed PNAC policies to the letter, or that Gore was a secret member and would have done the same thing. There's no need to have illusions about Gore, Clinton, Obama, the Dems in general, but Gore then, and Obama now represent a significant improvement over the alternative.
No wonder this country is in such a mess: most of the people are watching reality TV in a daze, and much of the 'left' are such ridiculous self-righteous, nasty, egotistical idealists who are more than willing to destroy alternatives to the fascists because of their vanity...they know better, and are too pure to support anything that they feel isn't perfect. Wrong planet.
I agree with Marco.
If Obama is not elected in November, this country is screwed, big time.
If you are in a state with a close race (Electoral votes are crucial; you can 'cast a symbolic vote' in a safe state like California), you are an idiot to waste your vote.
The way to push the country in a progressive direction is *between* elections, funding progressive alternative media, groups that fight the fascist slide of the country, etc. A campaign is not the time for much learning. Someone like Kucinich has no chance in hell, because most Americans don't understand his message, and as long as Murdoch controls 1/6 of national 'news' information, for instance (and the other 5/6 is not much better), he will never have a chance. A $400 million campaign cannot erase decades of $25 billion/year brainwashing.
Lock in a little progress, regroup, push some more.
If McCain wins, your Nader vote is worth zilch. If Nader were serious about being President, he could have been a Senator 20 years ago, held high-profile hearings on a number of issues, worked with Bernie Sanders, Barbara Boxer, Russ Feingold, Paul Wellstone before his accident, and be seen as someone with integrity, gravitas, experience, intelligence. Right now, the 'experience' part in National Politics is lacking. No one jumps to President with *no* political experience: he just wants a platform to get his good ideas out there. He would make a fine Senator from Connecticut (maybe Lieberman will have an accident visiting Iraq to see how safe it is...)
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Knowledge may give weight, but accomplishments give lustre, and many more people see than weigh. - Herodotus
NO difference in their POLICIES? Really? Obama is Pro-Life?! Who would have thought that?!
And if you don't think that THIS very issue matters to people, you my friend, are in denial.
There are two profound truths that are never talked about:
One: Nuclear War. Will never happen. There is too much money (and real estate) at stake. Washington, Moscow and the rest are warmongers, looters, power crazed and generally conveyors of destruction, but they aren't suicidal or stupid.
Two: Abortion. Will never be made illegal in the U.S. simply because it would be a political and financial disaster, not to mention it would result in violence. Again, too much money to be made. (It just keeps your panties in a wad thinking it will be while they kill and reek havoc on the rest of the world.)
There is no difference in the two parties, no matter how much you want to believe it. At the end of the day, its all the same. What's sitting in the chairs of congress right now proves my point beyond any challenge.
I had to laugh at what I heard on C-SPAN this morning when a McCain supporter called and wanted to know why, when there were good republican choices of women in Congress, like Elizabeth Dole, and a couple of other older women, why had he picked this unknown, inexperienced woman.
The guest speaker's reply was that as Governor of Alaska, Palin was head of the National Guard, thereby giving her military experience. Oookay!
Is it too paranoid to think the GOP doesnt need to care much about actual votes this year because they are well into planning another stolen election ?
We need international observers at the polls... who is working on this ?
or maybe they know that an international incident will be provoked before November and martial law declared with the election on hold... are they just stalling for time until then??
If it is paranoid to think that, I guess I'm paranoid.
And it doesn't need to be an international incident. We've got possible nasty hurricanes rolling in. Another disaster like Katrina would be enough for bush to put that string of laws or mandates, whatever in force and to declare martial law.
Don't EVER underestimate these parasites. Don't EVER underestimate the invisible hand of carl rove. Don't EVER think you can stoop lower than these parasites. Don't EVER think you're politically smarter than these parasites. The end always justifies the means.
When will they find the nude shots of her at the last X-mas party. I would not mind seeing them - how bout you?
Biden is a bullet proof vest for Obama, he'd never be president unless some fool assissanated Obama. Just like Quail was the bullet proof vest for the older bush, and Cheney is the one for the current bush.
For Mcsame it's the other way around, he's old enough to drop dead quickly and without much warning. He needs someone who could step into his shoes and not panic the usa, Palin isn't that person. The best that can be said about this choice is that the repukes have also recognised that a women can lead a country; mind you after the examples of Thatcher, Meir, Ghandi and a few other women who've led countries I'm surprised it's taken them this long to choose one as their number two.
The only way the november vote will be close is if the repubs stuff the ballot box, otherwise they have - like the author points out - no chance. No chance at all, and most pukes know it.
I like you're bullet proof vest analogy. You may have exposed an unreported secret.
I really wonder about liberals, are they out of touch, or live in some other planet than the vast majority of Americans? Palin is an outstanding choice, it is brilliant because it touches exactly what the working class whites (and even many Latinos) want to see in a candidate. McCain's camp understood Obama's weakness correctly as not one of "experience" , but of not being able to connect with the working class voters (this is why Clinton won all those 18 million votes). And Palin will connect, unless she messes up somewhere, there is no question that she is going to loved far and wide, and people will vote for that ticket in droves.
What does Obama bring? A Harvard educated lawyer - he may have working class beginnings, but he is now squarely one of the elite - and his choice of Biden proves that. OTOH - Palin remains a working class populist, check her profile in the WSJ.
But Obama could still have won if he really stood with an anti-war message, connecting that to the horrible US economy, but as a ruling class empire's candidate he won't do that - he cannot do that - he is now one of them... Why any so-called "progressive" would want to vote for this guy, well, we know why --- they have have no imagination, other than the usual fearmongering, "supreme court" this and that dance every four years.
Rasmussen (that is a conservative polling agency) has already pointed out that on her first day, she is viewed favorably by 53% - "Palin earns positive reviews from 78% of Republicans, 26% of Democrats and 63% of unaffiliated voters." This is far higher than Biden's 43% on his first day... And it is only going to get better for Palin, as she begins talking about clean government, no-partisanship, etc.
http://almusawwir.org/resistance/
W T F!!!!! This is madness do any of these "supporters" imagine her talking with Putin.
Putin: Madame President (McCain is dead) what is your position on the admission of Georgia into NATO? We demand the admission of the independent nation of South Ossetia as well...
Palin: Oh gosh shucks, don't you Russians have a school millage issue or something I know about to talk about? (blinks nervously). Well gotta go start my snow mobile I shipped over, I hear Russia has some excellent ski trails.
No freaking way, this is a huge disaster waiting to happen.
While neither candidate may excite progressives, the likelihood of either Nader or McKinney winning the election is zero. The numbers simply aren't there.
Given that, and McCain's advanced age and medical history, the odds of his VP choice ascending to the presidency is more than simply theoretical, should he prevail. Does anyone really think, policy positions aside, that PTA, a part-time mayoral post of a small town, and a year and a half as a governor of a state with fewer than one million people is adequate preparation to be President?
What a cynical and insulting way to try to appeal to disaffected Clinton supporters. It says a lot about what he thinks about women. It also says a lot about whether he truly puts country first and which candidate is more driven by blind political ambition.
Yes, keep saying that every four years, and keep diverting any and all anti-war energy to electing empire supporting candidates, such as Obama. Four years ago, you progressives destroyed the anti-war movement by focusing on Kerry, this year you want Obama - who has promised to kill more humans in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This is the incredibly low level of thinking that prevails amongst liberal-progressives.
http://almusawwir.org/resistance/
Was it really the progressives that put Kerry in the lead in the primaries in '04, or was it the surge of crossover voting like what went on with Hillary in this one. I certainly didn't want Kerry.
Hmm normally I'd be with the Green/direct action contingent scoffing at this line of thinking, but it seems the Repigs have REALLY f*cked up this time, sigh.
I don't see how we can possibly risk letting this incompetent provincial creationist anti choice bimbo hack within a mile of the Presidency. I'm still voting for Cynthia if Michigan definitely going to Obama but I may vote for the FISA caving Wall St. whore Obama if it's close.
Why do Americans have to be SO stupid? Why, why, why, it's so frustrating. :(
The way to make your vote make a difference is if you are making a difference. If you are voting for a 'winner' who doesn't support your core positions, then you are empowering those forces (including the democratic party leadership) that is working against your interests and the interests of the general public.
If it is close, that it when it is more important to vote your conscience using rational thought. Otherwise you are just giving tacit approval to the potential war criminal Obama. Don't allow the democratic party to eviscerate your vote. Vote third party, and if the democratic party refuses to change (they probably will, they haven't the last two elections) you will know that you voted for the right choice.
Now is the time to vote for a candidate that you can support. Obama will continue to 'cave in' to corporate interests. I think it is really selling out, and the sellout started years ago.
The democratic party leadership would rather that the republicans win than change their policy to a more pro-peace position. That is the sad truth.
Impeachment off the table meant justice and rule of law are off the table.
You don't get where I am coming from I voted Nader in 96, I voted for Leonard Peltier in California in 2004 and would have voted for Nader in Oregon in 2000 but I didn't get my voting form in on time. I would have said EXACTLY what you said yesterday and fully intended to vote for McKinney or Nader but this choice of Pailin is REALLY changing my thinking.
She is a full on room temperature IQ wingnut with NO experience in national politics who supports creationism in the schools. I think McCain who is 72 and who has had cancer 4 times would LIKELY die in office leaving this women with her finger on the nuclear trigger. And in that particular weird circumstance I hate to say it but lesser of two evils does start to make sense.
Note I don't say this as a naive Obama supporter, I HATE the fact that he sold out on FISA, I think he is a corporate whore for getting most his funding from Wall St, I hate the Dims for setting up a police state at the convention, further I don't think Obama will change or that he is one of us he isn't at all he will rule as a corporate Dim sock puppet practically indistinguishable from Repig McCain.
OTH I'd like to live to see my 45th birthday and I worry the sniper rifle toating provincial creationist wingnut Palin would likely gain the Presidency and get us into a giant perhaps even nuclear war with Russia, I'm not willing to take that risk. Nope, uh-uh, yeah it's that important. I'll still vote Green for everything elsebut no way I'm endorsing letting that stupid bimbo near the Whitehouse.
p.s. I will also vote for McKinney if Obama is clearly going to win Michigan but it doesn't look that way so far.
p.p.s. Screw both the cowardly sock puppet Dims and the stupid sock puppets Repigs for putting me in this position. Ii's this sort of thing that makes me a lefty that supports the 2nd amendment BTW. In the long run probably only revolution will bring down the corporate globalists, hopefully non violent revolution but if not, not.
I'm right there with you, hootowl.
Palin can sway the rural in MI, OH, PA and FL. That's all she has to do and all she was brought on for. Liberals, please do not be smug about her. We are in deeper trouble here than author imagines. All issues are on the line and Sarah is dangerous to all of them at once.
I agree with muswwir that Palin is a good choice. As a whistle blower against corrupt corporations in Alaska (and ALL of the oil companies there are terribly immoral!) the choice of Palin has thrown a monkey wrench into the label of all Republicans as corporate lackeys. Any other Republican woman is so far removed from the average American, that McCain would have just cemented his position as a corporate stooge.
Biden on the other hand is a long time cheerleader for the destruction of democracy via the Milton Freidman playbook for corporations and Neo-Cons which only further erodes confidence in the general populace that Obama might actually break free of the multinational yoke and represent the majority of Americans for a change.
I want to disagree with VFTW that the chances of Nader or McKinney winning is 'zero' only because I still hope for a sudden epiphany from the American electorate, but unfortunately it does seem that our sophisticated MSM campaign of misinformation is still quite effective at steering away the majority of voters from choosing democracy and representative government instead of one of the corporate selected candidates. Nevertheless I will do my part just before the election with a massive email campaign as a part of a last ditch attempt to save the country for the corpocracy.
Speaking of VP selections, I must admit that Cynthia McKinney's choice was poor as well. Rosa Clemente's 'Hip Hop' movement and her mistake of mixing up Iran with Iraq on a Democracy Now interview reflected badly on McKinney's judgement. Rosa does have other strong attributes in her desire to dismantle the prison industrial complex, focus more on human rights and reduce poverty. I'm afraid though that Rosa, Sarah and Joe Biden are all inexperienced or else huge failures when it comes to understanding foreign policy issues.
Don't blame the media for Nader's lack of popularity. The media doesn't have to bad mouth Nader because the people don't like him. He is a serious person without the appearance of statemanship that Americans like. He would never fit in a soap opera. The others do. Americans chose by their emotions and Nader is all logic and good sense. Americans want a hit man at the helm. Nader is not at all like what Americans like. And short guy Kucinich is another one of those earnest school presidents you never liked. Americans believe that gut feelings are the way to go. Go figure----------------the problem is the people--------------------------------------------------------------------------lizard
Actually the US entertainment media is almost fully responsible for this culture of emotional, unenlightened unreason.
Almost all americans are huge failures when it comes to understanding foreign policy issues. How many understand that the greatest negative contributor to world justice and peace is the US?----------------lizard
McCain's selection of Sarah Palin is an indication of just how desperate they are and how little they think of the electorate. The scary thing is they just may be right, especially if the disgruntled Hillary supporters swallow the Republican Kool Aid and ignore their state political beliefs in a fit of pique (that is what the PUMA's are). It is now incumbent upon the Obama camp to go against the Democratic tradition of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory and get the circular firing squad into line and finally put McCain out of his misery.
You are quite correct. McCain does not care at all about "the electorate". He plans to do it all in MI, OH, PA and FL.
Barack unfortunately left the front door wide open for this and John shoved an Alaskan bear right in---into your life and living room, maybe for years.
I think you (and the McCain program) underestimate Hillary supporters. This is not just about a "woman in the White House". Hillary supporters existed not because she is a woman, but also because her message resonated with them.
I contend that a pro-life, pro-war, gun-toting, big-oil supporting pageant queen will pull very few Hillary supporters.
The choice of Palin is designed to bring the conservative base back into the fold. If they can keep the election close---within 10 points of Obama---they'll be able to steal it with the diebold machines in 34 states. They will then explain the last minute poll-number switch by saying it was disgruntled Hillary voters moving to the woman... And the whole phony "PUMA" thing is part of the plan. (They're Rovian plants)
This analysis is most opinion presupposing how America will respond.
Sadly, instead of actually reading about the woman, looking at her decision making, studying her ideas, carefully weighing the implications of her proposals, and comparing all that to the views, opinions and ideas of themselves, most voters will be swayed by corporate generated tv commercials on the corporate mainstream media channels.
Thus, the bulk of Americans will make an emotional choice, as they always do. Facts are largely irrelevant in the American presidential selection process.
Right now, Mr. Greider's analysis is as likely to be correct as flipping a coin.
Barack Obama was for single payer before he came out against it.
madcow has it right on one thing - just as the past two presidential elections were gamed, the Republican hope here is to have plausible stories to tell the morning after they game this one too.
Funny how easily we all buy the story of the 2004 election, even though exit-polling (that had somehow been reliable until the 21st century arrived) showed Kerry beating Bush quite handily. Somehow the story became "the unreliability of exit polling".
And yeah, picking Palin is sure a brilliant move for McCain... why she's nearly perfect, no good lines of critique are available to anyone who opposes a McCain presidency! Let's talk about how cute she is! And attack each other for how stupid we all are!
Its 3AM...the white house phone rings....a maasive terrorist attack in New York City...thousands dead.....Grampa McBush is sitting in his reeking, soiled Depends, in a drooling alzhiemers riddled stupor after suffering a massive stroke the week before.....VP Palin steps in and assumes the power of the Presidency.....and ...what?....calls a PTA meeting? Holds a Beauty Pagent? Pull the snowmobiles into a circle?
What a ridiculous choice. IF the Repuglies were so desperate for a rightie woman VP, there are MANY qualified women in their party that have at least a speck of experience, (though evil biotches they may be...)
But this totally green former beauty queen MILF aint one of them.
POTUS and MILF dont mix.
"The only means of strengthening one's intellect is to make up one's mind about nothing, to let the mind be a thoroughfare for all thoughts." - John Keats
"POTUS and MILF dont mix."
John McCain hopes so, but don't tell Cindy.
Did anyone else notice him staring at her tits?
And thanks for the MILF mention - it was the first thing that came to my mind.
Get that FLILF out of your mind.
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Of all men's miseries the bitterest is this: to know so much and to have control over nothing. - Herodotus
I'm stunned as well, and after watching 20 years of evil corporate sock puppetry by both parties it takes a lot to stun me.
I have more faith that Palin could handle a major terrorist attack than Obama and I say this as a democrat. Palin has been mayor and governor. She has fought against corruption and won. She seems to be fiscally responsible. What has Obama ever done that shows leadership? I am seriously asking, because I don't know. He does give great speeches. We are at war in Afghanistan, Obama heads the committee and has never held a meeting. If Obama had the experience Sarah Palin has you would be bragging about it and calling people racist if we disagreed with you. What is wrong with giving her credit for her hard work. She was a mayor and now a governor. She works for the good of the state. Both democrats and republicans seem to like her. What has happened to the democrats this election season. They are all about hate. You can criticize someone or disagree with them without the sexist, degrading remarks (But this totally green former beauty queen MILF aint one of them) This is beneath contempt - but this is what we have come to expect from Obama supporters. Why do you want to keep the Country divided? Hate is not good for you!
Sadly madam you mistake us for Dimocraps, that is most definitely not the case as hard leftists most of us despise Dims every bit as much as you do, but for rather different reasons. Please don't call us "Obama supporters" like the koolaid drinkers in Denver. If I vote for Obama at all it's only bercause I think Pailin is actually isnsane not because I think Obama himself would do better than McCain but solely so there is no chance the creationist anti choice airthead doesn't get get the captains chair, kapeche madam? The ball is in your court tennis mom...
maverick
noun
an unbranded range animal (especially a stray calf); belongs to the first person who puts a brand on it .
"The only means of strengthening one's intellect is to make up one's mind about nothing, to let the mind be a thoroughfare for all thoughts." - John Keats
If Barack really wanted to prove how good a Commander in Chief he might be, he could (next week) ask Joe to step aside, recall the convention, substitute Hillary and have the "glass ceiling" election contain the proper participants.
A good C in C knows to adjust the forces to actual battlefield conditions on the ground. The new weapon of Sarah requires new tactics.
Impossible? Perhaps. But not a bit unwise if it is legally possible.
"You mean, if John McCain croaks, she becomes our president?"
Or if McCain's Alzheimer's deteriorates so much that he is unable to distinguish between the toilet flush button and the RED BUTTON.
As GWB has shown, it doesn't take (any) brains to be president. He took his orders from the real decision maker, much like they all do. She's probably just a capable as anyone to read the script, maybe even a hell of a lot more so, given what we got in GWB.
I certainly may be wrong here, but I think it was a brilliant choice.
I'll be voting for Nader since O ditched his Iraq and telco positions in favor of more killing and empire. If its close, real close in my state, I'll vote for McCain and the Babe.
Its clear a third-party will probably never stand a chance at this point, so it appears the dems will have to lose (again) for any pressure to change it from its mirror-image of the republican party, to something that REALLY reflects will and needs of the nation.