Shady McCane can’t dig a hole deep enough to cover up this mess. time is drawing near for the elections; and we finally know their plan - “Stall and Smear”.
They have No Platform, No New Speeches and Nothing for us to really use as a gauge to figure out what they really plan to do other than destroy the rest of us. it’s been one long replay with Shady doing the same speech at every stop. Sheesh, doesn’t McCane have a spare liar around for her ?
Enough, of all of it, next week we start a Fresh New Series on Joe Biden and Then Barack Obama
“It’s All About Change Baby” Daily Updates Straight Through to NOV 4th.
~RE
Making it Rain on McCain and that Ho
September 17th, 2008
Posted by Bossip Staff
Hollyweird folks raised about 9 mili for Barack Obama’s campaign:
Barack Obama partied with Hollywood celebrities Tuesday night and with the help of Oscar-winning singer and actress Barbra Streisand raised an eye-popping $9 million for his presidential campaign and the Democratic Party.Obama spent more than an hour before dinner getting his picture taken with guests. He said later that people had encouraged him to be tougher and had questioned why he was so calm in a close race against Republican John McCain.
“I’m skinny but I’m tough,” he said. “I’m from Chicago and we don’t play. Just keep steady. If we can cut through the nonsense and the lipstick and the pigs and the silliness, then I’m absolutely convinced that we are going to win,” Obama said, referring to some of the offbeat charges raised against him. “The reason I’m calm … is I’ve got confidence in the American people,” he said. “I really think they want to see us do better.” Standing in the courtyard of the palatial estate, he said his campaign was dedicated to people who need jobs and health care and worry about their pensions and sending children to college. “It’s about those who will never see the inside of a building like this,” Obama said. He said the economic turmoil in recent days had been sobering for America. “It’s reminded people that this is not a game. This is not a reality show, no offense to any of you,” Obama said to laughter. “This is not a sitcom.”
YES WE CAN!!!! If you haven’t done so already, make sure you get out there and register to vote!!!
Special Report: US Elections 2008
US Election issues guide
| Issues | John McCain Republican | Barack Obama Democratic |
|---|---|---|
| Economy | Would cut taxes on middle-class families by abolishing the Alternative Minimum tax. Would keep Bush tax cuts, but reduce government spending. Wants to reform social security and healthcare. | Would use targeted tax relief to help middle-class families cope with rising costs and stagnant pay. Would repeal Bush tax cuts for rich households. Wants to reform healthcare and renegotiate free trade deals. |
| Iraq | Voted for 2003 invasion and backed Bush troop escalation. Had said US forces should remain until Iraq is able to defend itself, but now predicts under his presidency most would have withdrawn by 2013. | Opposed the war in Iraq from the outset and says there is "no military solution". Opposed "surge" strategy. Backs phased withdrawal of US forces - with all troops out of combat operations within 16 months of taking office. |
| Iran | Would focus on trying to get a league of democracies to escalate economic sanctions against Iran. Refuses to rule out military solution if necessary to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran. No unconditional diplomacy. | Favours "aggressive personal diplomacy". Would meet Iranian leaders without preconditions. He says they would change their behaviour if given incentives to do so. Military option not off the table. |
| National security | A former Vietnam POW, he has sought to prevent the CIA using "cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment". However, in February 2008 he voted against a bill that would have banned water-boarding. | Wants increased national security funding to be allocated to areas most at risk of attack. He has criticised the Patriot Act, but voted to re-authorise it in 2006. |
| Climate change | Says climate change is real and devastating. Says US should consider joining with every other nation in the world to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, if China and India join in. | Wants an 80% cut in US greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Wants US to lead global effort to combat climate change. Would invest $150bn over 10 years in clean energy. |
| Healthcare | Has highlighted his record on supporting health care for military veterans. Favours tax incentives to encourage people to get personal health insurance. | Backs universal coverage but would not make insurance compulsory, except for children. Subsidies would make cover more affordable and insurers would be unable to refuse coverage because of pre-existing conditions. |
| Illegal immigration | Co-sponsor of bill which offered an amnesty to illegal immigrants as well as tougher border controls. Says undocumented workers already in the US should be put on path to citizenship. | Wants US-Mexico border better policed and backs stricter penalties for employers who hire undocumented workers. Argues that giving illegal immigrants a path to citizenship is not an amnesty if they pay a fine. |
| Abortion | Wants to overturn the 1973 Supreme Court ruling that legalised abortion, Roe v Wade, but was supportive in the past. Would aid state efforts to boost adoption. Backed 2007 ruling banning late-term abortions. | Trusts women to make their own choices on abortion "in conjunction with their doctors and their families and their clergy". Criticised Supreme Court decision to uphold ban on late-term abortion. |
Arizona senator and Vietnam war hero would be oldest man to become president.
The Illinois senator promises "change" and would be the first black US president.US Election polltracker
the polls have it
Gallop :
47% mccane / 46% obama
Rasmussen :
47% McCane / 46% Obama
Washington Post :
47% obama / 46% mccane
AP - Ipsos:
47% Obama / 41% Mccane
US election at-a-glance: 18 Sept
DAY IN A NUTSHELL
Clips of an interview John McCain gave to a Spanish radio station are aired in which the Arizona senator appears to mistake Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero for a Latin American leader, and declines to promise to hold talks with him. A McCain spokesman dismisses the suggestion that Mr McCain misunderstood the questioner, and asserts that Mr McCain would make no promises about holding talks with the Spanish leader. Joe Biden says that paying taxes is "patriotic" in an interview with ABC's Good Morning America, and the second part of Sarah Palin's Fox news interview is aired, in which she talks about Hillary Clinton and her role in the "Troopergate" scandal.
KEY QUOTES
"I have a clear record of working with leaders in the hemisphere that are friends with us and standing up to those who are not. And that's judged on the basis of the importance of our relationship with Latin America and the entire region."
John McCain answers a question about the Spanish prime minister
 |  I think he was first elected when I was like in second grade  Sarah Palin on Joe Biden  |
Joe Biden calls on Americans earning over $250,000 to pay more tax
"Senator Biden has tremendous amount of experience. I think he was first elected when I was like in second grade."
Sarah Palin
"People shouldn't make a decision this time based on, 'I like that guy' or 'she's cute'... And I'm talking about me."
Michelle Obama
"The Obama campaign is cheerleading this crisis. And if you look at the quotes from this campaign, when they talk about 'we think that this is going to benefit us... it's great for us'."
McCain campaign manager Steve Schmidt
"These days, [John McCain] sounds less like his old self than Bob Dole, another senator who ran for president in 1996, sounded in the closing days of his campaign - speaking louder or repeating statements that he thinks might be overlooked."
Adam Nagourney, New York Times
NUMBER NEWS
John McCain has now lost his lead in all four daily tracking polls, with Rasmussen now showing a tied race, Hotline/Diageo, and Gallup both giving Mr Obama a four-point lead, and Research 2000 giving the Illinois senator a six-point lead.
A series of battleground polls from the University of Wisconsin suggest that the races in Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are statistically tied.
And another set of swing-state polls - from the National Journal - indicates tied races in Florida, Colorado and Ohio.
DAILY PICTURE
Campaigning is clearly hungry work for Barack Obama in Bernalilo, New Mexico
Tracking campaign finance
FINANCIAL OVERVIEW as of 31 July 2008
Barack Obama has raised more money than John McCain partly because of the excitement generated by the Democratic nomination battle. His donors had pressing reasons to donate, from January right through to June, while Mr McCain wrapped up the Republican nomination in March.
Mr McCain has decided to take public financing, which means that from 1 September he has a maximum of $84m [£45m] to spend on his campaign. The McCain campaign is no longer accepting donations, except to its compliance fund - money to pay for lawyers, accountants and other expenses involved in maintaining compliance with federal election laws. The Republican National Committee, however, can still raise money to support the McCain campaign.
Barack Obama is the first candidate not to take public financing since the system was introduced in the mid-1970s. He will have no spending limit.
The Obama campaign has also broken the mould of US election finance by making big efforts to attract small donors. As a result Mr Obama has raised almost four times as much as John McCain from donors contributing less than $200.
FUNDRAISING BREAKDOWN
A look at where the candidates are receiving most donations reveals that Barack Obama has a distinct advantage in heavily urbanised states such as New York, Illinois and California, while John McCain is receiving significant support from the key battleground state of Florida.
The majority of a campaign's spending is split between media - the adverts, websites and leaflets that deliver the candidate's message - and administration, which includes offices, salaries and travel.
The campaigns also reinvest a portion of their money on fundraising activities, such as live events and phoning supporters, to generate more donations.
MAJOR DONORS
Anyone making a donation above $200 must indicate their occupation. These figures can be combined with donations from unions, industry associations and political groups to give an idea of who is supporting each campaign.
John McCain is only significantly ahead on donations from retired people and from the oil and gas industries. In all almost every other area, Barack Obama is either on roughly level terms or ahead, even in those where the Republicans would expect to be strong, such as real estate, business and finance.
Educational Backgrounds of the Candidates....Which Team Would You Hire?
(this blog appeared originally on 09/16/08on VoteMeCool - click the title to visit them, it's well worth it, believe me)
I found this extremely useful info. while visiting the Electronic Village Blog.
(Its a totally Friendly, Unbiased site where anyone is welcome.)
Since ALL four (including Palin) candidates are asking us to hire them for Executive positions, shouldn't we THOROUGHLY examine their resumes?
Yes I realize that REAL EXPERIENCE (not Fraudulent Experience) counts as well, however shouldn't a good Education lay the foundation?
NOT trying to play the "Race Card" or make excuses but could someone please tell me how is it that whenever Minorities (especially African-Americans) are vying for Leadership roles their backgrounds are evaluated with a fine-tooth comb, but when the candidate is Caucasian it appears as if their faults or lack of necessary skills are often overlooked?
I'm just asking because inquiring minds want to know.
Here's some Food for Thought:
More Education doesn't mean your an ELITIST, just as less Education doesn't indicate you actually identify with Grassroots, WORKING CLASS type of people.
Peace
Barack Obama
* Occidental College - Two years
* Columbia University - B.A. Political science with a specialization in international relations.
* Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude
Joe Biden
* University of Delaware - B.A. History
* University of Delaware - B.A. Political Science
* Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)
John McCain
* United States Naval Academy - Class rank 894 of 899
Sarah Palin
* Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
* North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
* University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
* Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
* University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. Journalism
Sources: Electronic Village, Flickr
Small-town girl v big-city boy
When an American refers to someone as "small-town", it's seldom clear whether it's meant as praise or scorn.
|  Sarah Palin declared psychological war on Barack Obama by setting up a 'small-town girl v big-city boy' dichotomy |
Governor Sarah Palin, the political hurricane that made landfall in early September as the surprise Republican vice-presidential nominee, hit upon the deepest contradiction in the American character. It's as old as the fierce fight between two founding fathers - urbane Alexander Hamilton of New York and Thomas Jefferson, a Virginia slave-owning gentleman of the land.
We Americans still have a romantic notion about the simple small town, which goes hand in hand with Jefferson's idealised "yeoman farmer". But in real life, most of us live in the busy, peopled world Hamilton envisaged.
Ms Palin declared psychological war on Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, right away by setting up a "small-town girl versus big-city boy" dichotomy.
In her hello-to-the-country speech, Palin zeroed in on Obama's work as a community organiser in Chicago before he went to Harvard Law School. That was in another metropolis known as Cambridge, a lively academic grove in Boston.
In a rare move for a political unknown, Palin made it personal between the man running for president, Obama, and herself. They are of the same generation: she is 44 to his 47, and represent bipolar extremes.
| VIEWPOINTS  Jamie Stiehm is a political journalist based in Washington DC, whose essays on the 2008 presidential campaign have appeared in the liberal, pro-Obama Huffington Post. This is one of a series of comment and opinion pieces that the BBC website will publish before the election. |
Gopher Prairie
But, just a moment, what's so great about being mayor of tiny Wasilla, Alaska? Whether Ms Palin ever made time to see the skylines and neighbourhoods of Philadelphia, Boston or Baltimore is arguably more to the purpose of governing the United States.
For like it or not, we are a nation composed of mostly city dwellers.
|  We grow good people in our small towns, with honesty and sincerity and dignity Sarah Palin quotes the late Hearst journalist, Westbrook Pegler |
The most famous work in the anti-small town movement was the 1920 novel Main Street, by Sinclair Lewis, who based fictional Gopher Prairie on his own Minnesota hometown.
The Nobel laureate author opened with a world-weary, ironical note: "This story would be the same in Ohio or Montana, in Kansas or Kentucky… Main Street is the climax of civilisation."
Biographer Richard Lingeman, also the author of Small Town America, said Lewis' masterpiece launched "a conscious, definitive attack on the stuffiness, provincialism, smugness, conformity and cruel gossip of small town life, intended to puncture the myth once and for all."
World citizen
Yet here the heartland myth persists, in popular culture as well as partisan politics. Rock singer John Mellencamp's song, Small Town, tells the other side of the story told by Lewis: "No, I cannot forget where it is that I come from/I cannot forget the people who love me/Yeah, I can be myself here in this small town/And people let me be just what I want to be."
The lyrics are in an ode to his Indiana hometown.
 Barack Obama would have a hard time laying claim to small-town credentials |
He's a world citizen.
He'd have a hard time claiming small-town status, though Springfield, Illinois, where he served as a state legislator, is a fairly small town where another lanky lawyer who ran for President once lived. (That would be, of course, Abraham Lincoln.)
No doubt certain strengths come from living in a small town, especially for politicians.
Bill Clinton, who hails from Hope, Arkansas, embodies the easy social connectedness which a small town upbringing can produce.
Everyone tends to relate to everyone else, up and down the social scale. People know the person you were in high school.
You might even be married to someone you knew in high school, as Palin told the world she was. "My guy," was how she introduced her husband, Todd Palin, to the cheering crowd that night.
You might even be pregnant in high school, as her daughter Bristol is - but somehow the redoubtable Palin has turned that into a small-town virtue, too.
Urban sophisticates
In her convention speech, she quoted anonymously Westbrook Pegler, the long-gone Hearst newspaper columnist and scourge of Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt: "We grow good people in our small towns, with honesty and sincerity and dignity."
Was the subtext that urban sophisticates like Obama are somehow suspect?
Just what we need, a new culture war at home.
As if we Americans weren't demoralised enough already by the economy and the war in Iraq.
But there is no obvious reason why the big city guy has to lose this ideological battle.
Maybe he should engage and ask Americans: hey, whose world would you rather live in? Jefferson's or Hamilton's? Mine or Palin's? Wasilla or Chicago?
He'll have to watch out though, or the small-town girl will have him for lunch at the diner.
Palin e-mail hack details emerge
 The hacked Yahoo account was one of two Ms Palin owned |
Details of how an e-mail account of US Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin was hacked have emerged.
It is thought the attackers exploited the password resetting system of Yahoo's e-mail service.
Details about Mrs Palin's life pulled from public sources reportedly helped defeat security questions.
Formal investigation
Information from Wikipedia and other online databases helped to establish Mrs Palin's date of birth, zip code and other personal information.
Armed with this, the attackers convinced the Yahoo password re-setting system they warranted access and allowed them to re-set the password and then get at the account.
In an official statement Yahoo said: "Yahoo treats issues of security and privacy very seriously."
It added: "To protect the privacy of our users, we are not able to comment on the details of a specific user account."
"Generally, if Yahoo! receives reports that an account has been compromised, we investigate for suspicious activity and take appropriate action," the company said.
 Mrs Palin is being investigated for her conduct as governor of Alaska |
The FBI and the US Secret Service have now begun a formal investigation into the attack and who may have been behind it.
The hackers used the CTunnel proxy service which routes web browsing through an intermediary to obscure where the attackers were based.
However, the screenshots for the attack reveal the original web address used by the proxy which may help investigators track down the miscreants.
It has been reported that records from the CTunnel proxy service are being sought by the FBI.
The attack on the e-mail account comes as questions are being asked about whether Mrs Palin used her personal e-mail accounts to carry out state business.
US law states that all e-mails relating to the official business of government must be archived and not destroyed. However, it does allow for personal e-mails to be deleted.
Mrs Palin is being investigated in Alaska for alleged abuse of power while governor of the state.
 Senator Chuck Hagel could be influential with independent voters |
(BBC News) Senior Republican Senator Chuck Hagel has voiced doubts about Sarah Palin’s qualifications for the vice-presidency.
John McCain’s running mate “doesn’t have any foreign policy credentials”, Mr Hagel told the Omaha World-Herald.Mr Hagel was a prominent supporter of Mr McCain during his 2000 bid for the US presidency, but has declined to endorse either candidate this year.
He was opposed to the Iraq War, and recently joined Mr McCain’s rival Barack Obama on a Middle East trip.
‘Stop the nonsense’
“I think it’s a stretch to, in any way, to say that she’s got the experience to be president of the United States,” Mr Hagel told the Omaha World-Herald newspaper.
And he was dismissive of the fact that Mrs Palin, the governor of Alaska, has made few trips abroad.
“You get a passport for the first time in your life last year? I mean, I don’t know what you can say. You can’t say anything.”
| This kind of thing will have an effect on independents BBC North America editor Justin Webb |
“I think they ought to be just honest about it and stop the nonsense about, ‘I look out my window and I see Russia and so therefore I know something about Russia’,” he said.
“That kind of thing is insulting to the American people.”
BBC North America editor Justin Webb says Mr Hagel’s opinion of Mrs Palin will have an effect on independent voters.
A senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Mr Hagel was a close ally of Mr McCain, but the two men parted company over the decision to go to war in Iraq.
Mr Hagel skipped this year’s Republican National Convention in favour of a visit to Latin America.
Mr Hagel’s decision to accompany Mr Obama this summer on a trip to Iraq and Israel, as part of a US Congressional delegation, led to speculation that he would throw his support behind the Democratic nominee.
However, a spokesman for the Nebraska senator insisted in August that “Senator Hagel has no intention of getting involved in any of the campaigns and is not planning to endorse either candidate”.
By Lourdes Heredia BBC News, Washington |
 In April, Mr McCain called for improved relations with Spain |
US Republican presidential candidate John McCain has raised suspicions in Spain that he thinks the country’s prime minister is Latin American.
Asked by a Miami radio station if he would meet PM Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Mr McCain spoke of his record with leaders in “the hemisphere”.His answer led some to suggest he thought Mr Zapatero was Latin American.
Mr McCain’s campaign team denied any gaffe, but did say the candidate had refused to commit to a meeting.
Spanish media have suggested that stance could be a sign Mr McCain has not forgiven Mr Zapatero for pulling Spanish troops out of Iraq when he became prime minister in 2004.Misunderstanding?
Before asking Mr McCain about Mr Zapatero, the Spanish interviewer repeatedly questioned Mr McCain about Latin American leaders, including Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and Bolivia’s Evo Morales, with whom the US has a fraught relationship.
But the interviewer then changed the subject by saying: “Let’s talk about Spain.
“If you are elected president, would you be willing to invite Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero to the White House to meet with you?”
“I would be willing to meet with those leaders who are our friends and who want to work with us in co-operative fashion,” Mr McCain answered, before moving on to talk about US relations with Mexico.
| He did not even mention Zapatero’s name Semanaldigital.com Spanish digital newspaper |
Mr McCain gave more or less the same response, saying at one stage: “All I can tell you is that I have a clear record of working with leaders in the hemisphere that are friends with us and standing up to those who are not.
“And that’s judged on the basis of the importance of our relationship with Latin America and the entire region.”
But Mr McCain’s answer has itself posed more questions.
Did Mr McCain forget which country Mr Zapatero leads? Did he misunderstand or mishear the question? Or was he intentionally signalling a cooling in the relationship between Spain and the US?
Mr McCain’s foreign policy adviser, Randy Sheunemann, said that there was no doubt about the senator’s answers.
“The questioner asked several times about Senator McCain’s willingness to meet Zapatero, and identified him in the question, so there is no doubt Senator McCain knew exactly to whom the question referred,” he wrote in an email to the Washington Post.
“Senator McCain refused to commit to a White House meeting with President Zapatero in this interview,” he confirmed.
‘No mention’
In Spain, opinion was divided on the ambiguous answer.
One interpretation is that Mr McCain has not forgiven Mr Zapatero for deciding to pull Spanish troops out of Iraq upon taking office in April 2004.
“McCain was asked four times and four times he avoided committing to a meeting with Zapatero,” wrote the Spanish newspaper El Pais.
That would be a big change from April, the newspaper said, when the candidate told a reporter “it is the moment to leave behind discrepancies with Spain”.
Other newspapers were more critical.
“He did not even mention Zapatero’s name” wrote El Semanal Digital, an online newspaper.
Mr Zapatero, himself did not give much credence to this episode, telling Spanish media that his government would work with Washington “whoever wins the elections” in the US.
 Sarah Palin denies any wrongdoing over the affair |
Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin is “unlikely to co-operate” with an inquiry into alleged abuse of power, a campaign spokesman has said.
Ed O’Callaghan said the Alaska state legislative probe had become “tainted” by partisan Democratic politicians seeking to target the Alaska governor.Mrs Palin, who is John McCain’s running mate, denies any improper behaviour.
A spokeswoman for the Alaska Democratic Party rejected claims that the inquiry had become politically motivated.
The probe into the affair - referred to by some as “Troopergate” - began before Republican presidential nominee John McCain picked Mrs Palin as his running mate last month.
Mrs Palin and her husband campaigned in Colorado and Ohio on Monday. She is expected to make further campaign appearances in Ohio on Tuesday.
‘Stall and smear’
Mrs Palin is accused of removing Alaska Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan from his post after he had refused her request to fire her ex-brother-in-law, Mike Wooten, as a state trooper.
Mr Wooten was involved in a contentious divorce and child custody battle with her younger sister.
Critics say Mrs Palin was using her power as governor to pursue a personal feud.
 The investigation centres on the dismissal of Alaska’s public safety chief |
A bipartisan panel of the Alaska state legislature voted to authorise an inquiry and in July appointed retired prosecutor Stephen Branchflower to lead it.
Mrs Palin’s husband, Todd, has been ordered to testify to the inquiry, as have her chief of staff and deputy chief of staff.
McCain campaign spokesman Mr O’Callaghan said he did not know if Mr Palin would challenge the subpoena, issued on Friday, requiring his cooperation.
However, Mrs Palin was “unlikely to co-operate” with the inquiry “so long as it remains tainted and run by partisan individuals that have a pre-determined conclusion”, the AFP news agency quotes him as saying.
Mrs Palin has not been ordered to testify but Mr Branchflower has said he hopes to speak to her about Mr Monegan’s dismissal.
Patti Higgins, spokeswoman for the Alaska Democratic Party, accused the Republican presidential campaign of “doing everything it can to stall and smear” the investigation.
Mrs Palin’s lawyer has claimed that public statements by the Democratic chairman of the state Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this month indicate that the inquiry is politically motivated.
Ho Sit Down
September 15th, 2008
Posted by Bossip Staff
This broad stay running her mouth. Now “Sarah Palin” is saying Barack regrets not choosing that Shady Hillary Clinton as a running mate:
Gov. Sarah Palin says Sen. Barack Obama just might regret not picking Sen. Hillary Clinton as his vice presidential running mate. “I think he’s regretting not picking her now, I do. What, what determination, and grit, and even grace through some tough shots that were fired her way — she handled those well,” the Alaska governor told Charles Gibson in her third and final exclusive interview with ABC News.
The thing about Barack is that he doesn’t need to choose some random ass heffah as his running mate to get the woman’s vote. Everyone knows why this Palin character was chosen, and believe us, it’s not because she’s the best man for the job.
PEOPLE'S 10 Best Dressed Stars of 2008
MICHELLE OBAMA
Politics may be tougher than ever, but Obama has wowed along the campaign trail with confidence, in polished looks that bring to mind a famous former first lady. Sticking mainly to favorite hometown designers like Maria Pinto, who crafted her sleek purple sheath, Obama has also tried new looks by Isabel Toledo and jeweler Tom Binns for campaign fund-raisers.
By Jonathan Beale BBC News, Washington |
Sarah Palin's TV interview debut
US opticians have witnessed a surge in sales of those Palin glasses.
On the internet you can now purchase Sarah Palin dolls.
But until now we had heard precious little from Sarah Palin herself - bar the set-piece, scripted speeches that she has delivered with aplomb.
Her appearance on ABC News was without doubt an eagerly awaited interview, the anticipation heightened by the stories of her teenage daughter's pregnancy, "troopergate" and "lippygate".
'Agent of change'
For Democrats, who are not alone in feeling that she has been shielded from the media, would this be the time when she would fall flat on her face?
For Republicans who have been wowed by this mother, moose-hunter and maverick, there was the hope perhaps that her critics would be forced to eat some more humble pie.
It was always going to be difficult to live up to those kind of expectations.
But Charles Gibson, the avuncular anchor of ABC's nightly news, tried to probe areas that have so far been off limits.
He began with foreign policy. What did this former mayor of a town of 9,000, and now governor of one of
America's most remote and least populated states, know about the real world?
We learned that Sarah Palin had travelled abroad, to Mexico and Canada, and more recently brief stops in Germany and Kuwait to meet Alaska's National Guard.
No, she had never met another head of state.
But she knew about Russia - because you can "actually see it" from Alaska.
At first it may have all sounded rather naive.
But Sarah Palin held her ground, pointing out that she was an agent of change, not the same old Washington politician clinging on to a "big fat resume".
Straight talking
She highlighted the fact that she was governor of a state that produces nearly 20% of the US domestic supply of energy.
And she had clearly grasped some of the detail of global affairs, making reference to Georgia and Ukraine's Rose and Orange revolutions.
She staked out a hawkish line on Russia. If Georgia were a member of Nato, she made clear, then America and its allies would have to defend its independence.
It may have sounded gung-ho, but who could disagree with a central tenet of Nato membership?
| In the end this interview is unlikely to dramatically alter already strongly held perceptions |
Governor Palin did seem rather hazy when asked whether she agreed with the Bush doctrine.
"In what respect?" she asked, without seeming to know that it was a reference to pre-emptive war.
But after some prompting she was able to define a familiar Republican theme of the threat posed by Islamic extremism.
More than that, she was able to make reference to the fact that her elder son Track was about to deploy to Iraq. For millions of Americans, this is about actions not words.
Many questions were really left unanswered. Her religious beliefs were only briefly touched on. She clarified her earlier comments that suggested the Iraq war was ordained by God himself, talking instead about a plan for good and a reference to God-given rights. Enough not to alienate an agnostic, or to offend the evangelical vote.
In the end, this interview is unlikely to dramatically alter already strongly held perceptions.
For Republicans it will have only reinforced Sarah Palin's appeal as a tough-talking, no-nonsense breath of fresh air.
For Democrats it is likely to have highlighted her weakness - a lack of experience.
As for the all-important undecided voter, they will probably want to hear more before they finally make up their minds.
Does it matter if Sarah Palin had a tanning bed at the governor’s mansion?
US Weekly ran a story yesterday about how Sarah Palin had a tanning bed put into the governor’s mansion in Alaska. She paid for it with her own money and it’s possible it wasn’t as astronomically expensive as they’re claiming, $35,000, because used and refurbished models can go for under $2,000, based on the three minutes of research I did. Somehow they’re trying to make a connection between John McCain’s two bouts with skin cancer and Palin’s use of the tanning bed, which she even discouraged in a public service announcement, saying it contributed to cancer.
Self-proclaimed “hockey mom” Sarah Palin had a private tanning bed installed in the Governor’s Mansion in Juneau, Alaska, Usmagazine.com confirmed on Monday.
“She did. She paid for it with her own money,” Roger Wetherell, chief communications officer of Alaska’s Department of Transportation and Public Facilities told Us.
The Narco News Bulletin first reported on the former beauty queen’s penchant for a bronzed body.
“It was done shortly after she took office [in early 2007] and moved into the mansion,” Wetherell told the Narco News.
According to Wetherell, the tanning bed was purchased used, from a health club.
Tanning beds can cost up to $35,000 to install in a home - not including the cost of parts, Color Me Tan manager Erin Weise told the Narco News.
“I don’t think it’s normal for people to have a tanning bed in their house, ” Wiese, who is based in Fairbanks said. “It’s expensive.”
Palin’s running mate, presidential candidate John McCain battled skin cancer in 1993, and again in 2000.
“I coat SPF 30 on myself first thing in the morning, and wear long sleeves and a hat whenever I’m in the sun,” McCain has told Newsweek.
Palin declared May 2007, “Skin Cancer Awareness Month.” In the press materials it was noted, “Skin cancer is caused, overwhelmingly, by over-exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun and from tanning beds.
[From US Weekly]
Did anyone see that movie with Al Pacino and Hilary Swank, Insomnia? It’s dark all day in Alaska during some times of the year, and light all day at other times. Maybe Palin just wanted some sunshine. Most doctors don’t recommend tanning beds for seasonal affective disorder, but I’ve used them sparingly for that purpose and it does help improve my mood in the winter.This isn’t really anything to fault Palin for and we don’t know if she was tanning every day or if her teenage daughters bugged her to get the tanning bed or whatever.
We have earnestly been cutting back on the political news here after your feedback and the pretty heated discussions about it. More celebrities have talked smack about Palin and McCain, and we’ve stuck to the entertainment news and rolled our eyes. Mollygood has a good take on this and said it’s hard not to do politics because these people are on the covers of all the celebrity magazines. Even if we actively ignore them they’re becoming celebrities on both sides of the fence, whether they’re actively seeking it or the press is helping them along.
Palin using a tanning bed, though, that’s not news. Do any of you use tanning beds in the winter? It really did help me, but I once got burned and have to limit my time in the bed. The politicians should take a similar approach to fame - use it wisely or it’ll bite you in the butt.
Written by Celebitchy
No comments:
Post a Comment