NEWT GINGRICH ON MCCAIN'S (AND PALIN'S) AUTHENTICITY

Reliapundit already linked to Newt Gingrich's outstanding analysis. I think this is exactly right:

There is something unaffected and "unsophisticated" (in the Columbia, Princeton, Harvard and University of Chicago meanings of the word) about Governor Palin. She really was point guard of a state championship basketball team. She really is a competent hunter. She is a hockey mom. She has one son about to go to Iraq.

She has 13 years in elected office

By any practical standard she has done far more in the real world with much more spontaneity and practicality than Barack Obama. And there is something deeply real and courageous about John McCain ignoring most of his advisers and all of the "insider wisdom" to reach out to a younger woman whose greatest characteristic is undaunted courage and a willingness to clean out the corruption in her own party.

This is a moment of stunning authenticity versus a sad collapse on the part of the Obama campaign from " change you can count on" to politics as usual, as marked by Obama's choice of a senator first elected when Palin was 9 years old.

(Emphases added.)

The commentariat and the punditocracy may not know it, but the people do:

As I wandered around from a family restaurant to the dry cleaners to a variety of other non-political places, people kept walking up to me and talking with energy and enthusiasm about their reaction to McCain’s choice of Governor Palin. As I sifted through their emotions and the intensity of their reaction it hit me that they were responding to "the real thing."

Altogether a brilliant move by Senator John McCain, it presages more brilliant moves during the McCain Administration, and he is likely to baffle America's other enemies just as brilliantly as he is baffling the "one" Bill Ayers and Jeremiah Wright were waiting for.

WHY LT. COMMANDER MCCAIN (RET) CHOSE SARAH PALIN TO BE HIS WINGMAN

HER COURAGE.

John McCain is a man of tenacity, integrity and courage.

He's been a maverick for decades - taking on any and all, tackling the big issues, calling them as he saw them.

He wanted as his veep someone he could trust to have the same courage. And ethics.

That's why he chose Sarah Palin - who brought down a sitting governor -- from her OWN party, and replaced him and cleaned up her state's government. That's courage.

CAN ANYONE NAME ANY OTHER GOVERNOR WHO HAS DONE THAT!?

You can't, because there isn't one.

And she and her husband just gave birth to a baby with an extra chromosome. She went to work three days later.

She and her family are living proof of the sanctity of life and the ethos of hard work. And courage.

McCain could not have chosen a better wingman.

MORE ON THE CENTRALITY OF PERSONAL QUALITIES HERE.

As for Obama's ethics: HE HAS NONE: He is for infanticide; he played ball with the Chicago Machine; he reneged on his promise to stick with public financing; he reneged on his promise not to run in 2008; and so on.

VOTE ACCORDINGLY.

MCCAIN-PALIN: WHAT THE CHOICE REVEALS ABOUT THE CHOOSER

As I hinted in my post, below, I think that one of the things about the choice of Governor Palin that has so energized the conservative Republican base, is that it clearly shows that Senator McCain is in fine form. As Karl Rove said, "This is John McCain at his most John McCainish."

Senator McCain chose a solidly conservative Governor from a solidly conservative state, where the eternal values are still valued.

He affirmed and underscored his pro-life position, drawing a stark contrast to Senator Obama's vote in favor of infanticide at will.

He enhanced the Republican position on energy. He affirmed support for those God-given rights which are guaranteed by the Constitution.

And he shows his confidence in his judgment. The punditocracy and the commentariat are not after all the nastiest critics he has faced up to and faced down.

In contrast, what does the choice of Senator Biden reveal about Senator Obama? He selected a man who has been resoundingly rejected by the national Democrat Party electorate time and time again. A man whose political experience is solely in the Senate, an elite debating club designed by the Founders to thwart action in dilatory discussions. A man with zero charisma.

Flop sweat was already all over Senator Obama during his vaunted acceptance speech in Denver. It was nothing but the usual Democrat platitudes (and as Christopher says "already forgotten about since it was the same old wind we've been hearing for years from the Democrats and nothing with them ever works") and his delivery was rushed, monotonic, and uninspiring to any who haven't already drunk the Obama Koolaid.

But now, since Zogby already shows Senator McCain ahead, you'll really see the Democrats in full panic mode next week.

(Banner picture taken from Gerard.)

CONGRESSWOMAN HEATHER WILSON LAUDS PALIN AND SLAMS OBAMA-BIDEN

U.S. Representative Heather Wilson On The Selection Of Gov. Sarah Palin

"You know, Governor Palin has more executive experience than Senator Obama, Senator Biden, and Senator Schumer combined because those guys have never run anything." MORE:

GOOD ARTICLE REVIEWING THE FACT-GATHERING/DECISION-MAKING PROCESS THAT LED TO THE SURGE

A GOOD ARTICLE - IN THE NYTIMES, OF ALL PLACES.

• THE SURGE WORKED AND BUSH WILL BE LONG AND WELL REMEMBERED FOR IT - AND FOR HIS COURAGE AND DETERMINATION.
• WE SHALL LONG BE GRATEFUL TO HIM AND TO PETRAEUS AND ODIERNO, AND OUR ARMED FORCES - AND THEIR FAMILIES.
• IF KERRY OR OBAMA HAS BEEN PRESIDENT WE WOULD HAVE BEEN DEFEATED.

VOTE ACCORDINGLY.

THEY'RE EVEN MORE DISGUSTING THAN I THOUGHT: VIDEO OF DEMOCRAT PARTY LEADER LAUGHING ABOUT GUSTAV HITTING NEW ORLEANS

• SHOCKING VIDEO AND ANALYSIS HERE AT S&L.
• THIS AIN'T THAT ASSHOLE MICHALE MOORE; IT'S A FORMER CHAIRMAN OF THE DNC.
• TODAY'S DEMOCRAT PARTY IS THE HOME OF THE DERANGED.

VOTE ACCORDINGLY.

BREAKING NEWS: 2 ST. LOUIS HOSPITALS LOCKED-DOWN/QUARANTINED DUE TO CHEMICALLY EXPOSED PATIENTS

UPDATED - SCROLL DOWN...

AP/NYT:

Two St. Louis-area hospital emergency rooms are on lockdown after the arrival of patients who appeared to be exposed to chemicals.

Authorities say three people arrived by car at St. Anthony's Hospital with health problems caused by chemical exposure, apparently at an industrial area in East St. Louis, Ill.

Meanwhile, three other victims reportedly went to SSM DePaul Health Center.

Details of their conditions were not immediately known.

Authorities say the victims were exposed to a white powdery substance.

About 20 people who were in the St. Anthony's ER were quarantined. People were not being allowed to enter or leave the emergency room.

I HOPE THIS IS NOT AN WMD ATTACK... OR WMD ACCIDENT... AND JUST INDUSTRIAL...

I'M THINKING ABOUT THAT SOMALI WHO "COMMITTED SUICIDE" WITH A POUND OF CYANIDE...

UPDATE/FOX:

Hazmat crews are investigating separate incidents at two area hospitals. Sources say several people came into contact with a chemical and drove themselves to DePaul and St. Anthony’s hospitals. Both emergency rooms were placed on lockdown and ER patients were quarantined.

There is no word yet on the origin of the chemical or the incident that sent the victims to the hospital.

UPDATE #2: ST LOUIS DISPATCH:

The three people who entered St. Anthony's ER arrived together and had respiratory problems, Silvernail said. Fire crews are trying to identify the substance. About 20 who were exposed to the three are under quarantine. .

At DePaul, where at least one individual exposed to the substance entered the emergency department, the Pattonville Fire District has brought in its portable decontamination unit to the hospital, said Jamie Newell, hospital spokeswoman.

For a while, patients at St. Anthony's weren't allowed in or out. Brian Ricker of St. Peters was visiting his brother-in-law when he was told not to leave.

"We didn't know if it was a bomb. We didn't know if it was chemical. We didn't know exactly what was going on," he said.

UPDATE #3: AFP:

Jamie Newell, a spokeswoman for SSM DePaul Health Center in Bridgeton, Missouri near St. Louis, said three men who "came in contact with a dangerous substance" were admitted to the facility Saturday afternoon and that the emergency department was put on lockdown shortly threafter.

The men were in fair condition and recovering, she said.

"Fifteen employees and one patient had to be decontaminated as a precaution... but we don't believe that anybody else has been harmed," Newell told AFP.

She said officials had identified the substance, and though they had not publicly named it Newell said it was not viral -- meaning a widespread airborne contamination was not likely.

Local television station KMOV reported that two patients were in critical condition at SSM DePaul Health Center but Newell denied the report.

KMOV reported that the cases were likely linked to people who were exposed to a substance while rooting through a dumpster in East St. Louis.

News of the exposures emerged as Republican presidential hopeful John McCain was preparing to fly to St. Louis ahead of a rally on Sunday in nearby O'Fallon, Missouri.

There is "no change of plans at this point" McCain spokeswoman Kimmie Lipscomb told AFP.

UPDATE #4: FROM THE HOSPITAL'S WEBSITE:

Earlier this afternoon, three patients came to St. Anthony’s Emergency Department from a site in East St. Louis, IL. They had been exposed to a chemical believed to be nitroaniline. Two of the individuals are in satisfactory condition; one is in fair condition.

At this time, the only area of the hospital that remains restricted is the Emergency Department, which will remain closed until the process of decontaminating it is completed.

UPDATE #5: nitroaniline: WIKI:

This extremely hazardous chemical is used as an intermediate in the manufacture of pesticides and dyes.

MSDS:

Stability Stable. Incompatible with sodium hydroxide, strong oxidizing agents, strong reducing agents. May attack some plastics, rubber and coatings. May decompose explosively in the presence of initiators. Moisture sensitive. May be light and air-sensitive.

WIKI:

The compound is toxic by way of inhalation, ingestion, and absorption, and should be handled with care.

SOUNDS LIKE IT COULD BE INDUSTRIAL OR TERRORIST RELATED.

STAY TUNED...

NRO'S RICH LOWRY, ON THE OTHER HAND, GETS PALIN

Also at the Corner, Rich Lowry understands a little better why Governor Palin will be a great candidate:

For me, the most important thing about the Palin pick was what it signaled about the direction McCain wants to take his campaign thematically—a reformist “fighting for you message” focused on middle-class voters.

He highlights one of the many great things about Governor Palin that I couldn't fit into my earlier brilliant post, below: Todd & Sarah Palin are authentically middle-class Americans. They don't have to reach back generations to find someone in their heritage who worked with his hands in a dangerous outdoors job.

And they are both Union members.

This choice reflects so well on Senator McCain, it is unbelievable.

NRO'S BROOKHISER SHOWS HOW SOME PUNDITS MISS THE POINT ABOUT PALIN

Rick Brookhiser is a very smart and very nice guy. But he can be more than a little obtuse.

Over at the Corner, he makes this observation about Senator McCain's choice of Governor Palin:

We have shown the same color-by-numbers mindset that liberals did when they rallied to Obama. Liberals love Obama because he is a Numinous Negro. Conservatives love Palin because she has a Downs baby and an M-16. For both sides, that is all on earth ye know and all ye need to know. You might call it mystical and childish.

What Brookhiser just doesn't get is that loving her baby and handling an M-16 are things that Governor Palin does, not demographic characteristics that she happens to have.

There is a world of difference between the enthusiasm about the reality quite evident in the history of her actions, on the one hand, and Obama's claim that he deserves coronation because of his demographic attributes.

And that difference is one of the reasons that Senator McCain's choice was so right. He is way ahead of the conservative pundits on this one, too.

And if Senator John McCain thinks that Governor Palin is ready for the Vice Presidency, then I for one defer to his judgment.

1.20.09

The first day of the next 24 years of Republican presidencies:

McCain-Palin for 8 years, then Palin-Jindal for 8 years, then Jindal-?*?*? for 8 years.

HOW PICKING PALIN REALLY CHANGED THE GAME

Up until now, almost all of the commentary on Senator John McCain's choice of Governor Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential running mate has focused on the fact that she is a woman.

From the Democrat Party and the left-liberal commentariat, that focus is of course not surprising. They see politics as nothing but a demographic contest in which the candidates vie for various group identities because of how they style their own stories. The Democrats add up the totals of the various piles into which their misguided multiculturalism divides us (despite their talk of "unity" and transcending ideological division), and think that lining up those pieces will win them the game. They are post-modern groupists, using group identities in a Gramscian attack to demolish the individual.

But that's not why Senator McCain chose Governor Palin.

The evidence for all to see is the reaction of the Republican base.

With this choice, Senator McCain has invigorated the base and transformed it from a lukewarm bulwark into an enthusiastic vanguard. Almost 5 million dollars were contributed to the campaign on Friday, much of it, judging from comments posted on the internet, by first-time donors who are not committed to a McCain victory in November.

And that's not because he put a woman on the ticket. It's because, with all due respect, that he put a Republican on the ticket.

Governor Palin is a living embodiment of the small-town family values that made my country great and that will keep it great if they are allowed to flourish.

To point out that she was elected Mayor of a small Alaskan town is not to reveal a defect: it is to highlight a highly favorable attribute.

A couple of examples. (There are many more, but the coming weeks will provide ample opportunities to discuss them.)

She is a religious believer, and her honest expressions of her love for her family are spontaneous, unrehearsed, and believable. She is living the choice of being pro-life.

Far from portraying our heroic soldiers, sailors, and Marines as infantile victims, the way the Democrats do, she respects and honors her eldest son's personal choice to enlist in the United States Army, and recognizes that his upcoming tour of duty in Iraq is vital to the defense of America and of freedom.

Unlike most Democrat politicians, far from having to pose in awkward and embarassing photo-ops in military gear that looks ridiculous, handling firearms they are trying to ban, she is a nearly life-long hunter who looks great in camouflage fatigues, and can handle a high-powered rifle with aplomb. Not only is she a Life Member of the N.R.A., she is Governor of one of the two states that have the most sensible laws regulating their citizens' concealed-carry of self-defense firearms.

She is a reformer who has run against and taken action against corrupt politicians in her own party, in her own state.

As far as foreign policy is concerned, with Alaska separated from the lower 48 by Canada, and from Russia by only a few miles of the Bering Strait, she has had as Alaska's Governor more direct foreign policy concern and experience than Senator Biden: all he has ever done with respect to foreign policy is jawbone about it in the Senate.

And yes, she has more real governmental executive experience than Senator Obama, Senator Biden, and Senator Mccain - combined.

The fact that she is a woman may be the least of what she brings to the McCain-Palin Campaign.

And the fact that that's all the left-liberal pundits (and more than a few Republican pundits!) can talk about, shows you just how far ahead of the Obama team Senator McCain really is. It shows you that he is operating well inside his opponent's OODA-Loop.

And for those who worry about Senator McCain's age, it shows you that he is definitely at the top his game.

He is at the top of anybody's game.

Thus, in part, the enthusiasm of the base. And that's why this choice changed the game.

[Lots more here.]

ON THE DAY HE DECLARED HIS CANDIDACY, OBAMA HAD SERVED 150 DAYS IN THE US SENATE; BEFORE THAT, HE WAS A SELF-SERVING PART-TIME STATE SENATOR

UPDATE: WELCOME ACE OF SPADES READERS!

DO 150 DAYS IN THE U.S. SENATE - THE WORLD'S GREATEST DEBATING CLUB - MAKE ONE EXPERIENCED ENOUGH TO BE POTUS?

NOPE.

WELL.... WHAT ABOUT OBAMA'S EXPERIENCE IN THE ILLINOIS STATE SENATE. HERE'S HOW THE NYTIMES SAW IT IN July 2007:

Asked why he ran for the Senate in a state where rank-and-file lawmakers have been called “mushrooms” (because they are kept in the dark and fed, uh, manure), Mr. Obama said: “Part of it was that the seat opened up. I was living in the district, and the state legislature was a part-time position. It allowed me to get my feet wet in politics and test out whether I could get something done.”

Forming Relationships

From his days as an organizer, Mr. Obama already knew the Democratic leader, Mr. Jones, who had come up through the Democratic organization in Chicago. He had helped Mr. Obama’s group acquire state money for a dropout prevention program that still operates today.

... The new senator, Barack Obama, was a progressive Democrat in a time of tight Republican control. He was a former community organizer in a place where power is famously held by a few. He was a neophyte promising reform in a culture that a University of Illinois political studies professor describes as “really tough and, frankly, still quite corrupt.”

... Mr. Obama did not bring revolution to Springfield in his eight years in the Senate, the longest chapter in his short public life. But he turned out to be practical and shrewd, a politician capable of playing hardball to win election (he squeezed every opponent out of his first race)...

... He positioned himself early on as a protégé of the powerful Democratic leader, Senator Emil Jones, a beneficiary of the Chicago political machine.

... His critics say Mr. Obama could have accomplished much more if he had been in less of a hurry to leave the Statehouse behind. Steven J. Rauschenberger, a longtime Republican senator who stepped down this year, said: “He is a very bright but very ambitious person who has always had his eyes on the prize, and it wasn’t Springfield. If he deserves to be president, it is not because he was a great legislator.”

... When the Democrats took control of the State Senate in 2003 — and Mr. Jones replaced James Philip, known as Pate, a retired Pepperidge Farm district manager who served as president of the Senate — Mr. Obama made his next move.

“He said to me, ‘You’re now the Senate president,’ ” Mr. Jones recalled. “ ‘You have a lot of power.’ I said, ‘I do?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ I said, ‘Tell me what kind of power I have.’ He said, ‘You have the power to make a U.S. senator.’ I said, ‘I do?’ He said, ‘You do.’ I said, ‘If I’ve got that kind of power, do you know of anyone that I can make?’ He said, ‘Yeah. Me.’ ”

FACT RECAP:

• AS STATE SENATOR, OBAMA DIDN'T TAKE ON THE CORRUPT ILLINOIS MACHINE OR THE CORRUPT COOK COUNTY MACHINE OR THE CORRUPT CHICAGO MACHINE.

• HE PLAYED BALL WITH THEM TO ADVANCE HIS OWN PERSONAL AMBITION - ACCORDING TO THE NYTIMES.

• AND, AS OBAMA TOLD THE NYTIMES (see above), BEING AN ILLINOIS STATE SENATOR IS ONLY A PART-TIME JOB; THE STATE SENATE IS IN SESSION ONLY A FEW MONTHS A YEAR.

THAT'S NOT MUCH TO BRAG ABOUT. AND IT HARDLY QUALIFIES HIM TO BE POTUS.

LET'S COMPARE THAT TO PALIN:

• PALIN TOOK ON A DEFEATED THE CORRUPT ALASKA MACHINE - UNSEATING THE STATE'S GOVERNOR, WHO WAS IN HER OWN PARTY!
  

• HAVING SERVED 350 DAYS AS GOVERNOR - A FULL-TIME, HIGH-PROFILE TOTALLY ACCOUNTABLE JOB, (AND YEARS AS A MAYOR AN CITY COUNCIL MEMBER) - MAKES HER IS MORE QUALIFIED TO BE PRESIDENT THAN OBAMA.

BOTTOM-LINE: IN ADDITION TO NOT BEING QUALIFIED BY EXPERIENCE, OBAMA'S KOWTOWING TO THE CORRUPT MACHINERY IN CHICAGO AND ILLINOIS MAKES HIM MORALLY UNFIT FOR THE OFFICE.

VOTE ACCORDINGLY.

WHICH OF THE FOUR CANDIDATES WOULD YOU HIRE?

JONAH HAS THE SPIN - FROM ONE OF HIS READERS.

THE RHETORIC AND ORATORY OF OBAMA-BIDEN VERSUS THE STRAIGHT-TALK OF MCCAIN-PALIN

• OBAMA AND BIDEN ARE PERORATING BLOW-HARDS; THEY RAMBLE AND HEDGE.
• MCCAIN AND PALIN ARE STRAIGHT-TALKING PLAIN-SPEAKING STRAIGHT-SHOOTERS.
• AND MCCAIN AND PALIN NOT ONLY TALK THE TALK, THEY ALSO WALK THE WALK:
• THEY HAVE REAL BIG ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO THEIR CREDIT;
  
• WHEREAS OBAMA AND BIDEN HAVE NONE. ZERO. ZILCH. NADA.
  
• AMERICANS WILL OVERWHELMINGLY VOTE FOR THE STRAIGHT-TALKERS WHO WALK THE WALK.
• IT'S GONNA BE A LANDSLIDE!

WHEN WILL OBAMA AND BIDEN GO ON THEIR OBLIGATORY HUNTING TRIP?

PALIN.................................................................... OBAMA.................

Can you spot the photoshop?

THE OBAMA GIRL VERSUS THE MCCAIN GIRL

HOT AIR COMMENTER:

The Obama Girl can dance.

The “McCain Girl” can govern.

Now, that’s hot.

Lockstein13 on August 30, 2008 at 9:05 AM

YESSSSSSSSSS!

AND PALIN CAN SHOOT STRAIGHT, TOO! LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY!

VOTE ACCORDINGLY.

MORE COMMON SENSE HERE.

EXPERIENCE: OBAMA VERSUS PALIN

BETSY:

Of course the Obama campaign will make a big deal about her inexperience. And the McCain camp will have an answer to that - if you care about experience, where is it more important: at the top or the bottom of the ticket?

NUFF SAID.

PALIN PHOTO: SITTING ON A BEAR RUG IN HER OFFICE

HER POP SHOT THAT BEAR!

(CLICK PIC' FOR NYTIMES' ARTICLE ON HER.)

PALIN VERSUS OBAMA: "She's done the stuff he's merely a poseur about."

STEYN:

Governor Palin is not merely, as Jay describes her, "all-American", but hyper-American. What other country in the developed world produces beauty queens who hunt caribou and serve up a terrific moose stew?

As an immigrant, I'm not saying I came to the United States purely to meet chicks like that, but it was certainly high on my list of priorities.

And for the gun-totin' Miss Wasilla then to go on to become Governor while having five kids makes it an even more uniquely American story.

Next to her resume, a guy who's done nothing but serve in the phony-baloney job of "community organizer" and write multiple autobiographies looks like just another creepily self-absorbed lifelong member of the full-time political class that infests every advanced democracy.

... Sarah Palin and Barack Obama are more or less the same age, but Governor Palin has run a state and a town and a commercial fishing operation, whereas (to reprise a famous line on the Rev Jackson) Senator Obama ain't run nothin' but his mouth. She's done the stuff he's merely a poseur about.

I posted this sentiment earlier - HERE.

Then there's this - also from NRO's The Corner:

The Bridge to Nowhere [David Freddoso]

Senator Obama voted for it.

Governor Palin killed the project.

08/29 03:14 PM

Palin cool on Global Warming

Some scientists believe Alaska will be among the first to feel the impact of global warming, but Sarah Palin told voters there she wasn't sure climate change wasn't simply part of a natural warming cycle. "I will not pretend to have all the answers," Palin said about global warming, according to the Anchorage Daily News. Her spokesman clarified at the time that "she's not totally convinced one way or the other. Science will tell us . . . She thinks the jury's still out."

Palin shared her views in the run-up to the 2006 governor's race, at an Alaska Federation of Natives convention, where delegates passed a resolution calling for a mandatory reduction in pollution affecting the atmosphere. Answering a question from the Daily News, Palin cautioned against "overreaction."

Those were among the comments that brought condemnation today from Greenpeace to her selection as Sen. John McCain's running mate on the Republican ticket. The environmental group's Alaska Global Warming Campaigner, Melanie Duchin, described Palin as "one of the most anti-environment records of any governor in the United States." "She has supported oil drilling in some of the most ecologically sensitive areas in Alaska, even when it meant sacrificing polar bears, beluga whales, and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge," Duchin's statement said. "Despite her advocacy for expanded oil and gas drilling, Palin has done almost nothing to promote the clean energy sources that can help solve global warming, which is already having major negative consequences in her state," Duchin said.

In an interview released by Newsmax magazine today, Palin said that while she recognized her state would be affected by climate change, that didn't mean humans are responsible. "A changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location," she said. "I'm not one though who would attribute it to being man-made."

Palin's comments stand in sharp contrast to those of McCain, who says at every campaign stop that he believes human activity is driving global warming,

Source


Posted by John Ray. For a daily critique of Leftist activities, see DISSECTING LEFTISM. For a daily survey of Australian politics, see AUSTRALIAN POLITICS Also, don't forget your roundup of Obama news and commentary at OBAMA WATCH

Palin, Palin, Palin: My pick of the comments:

The Moose Hunting "Barracuda"



Everybody and his dog can see that McCain's VP nomination is a brilliant grab for all the disgruntled Hillary supporters. You can almost hear the election ads already: "There's no glass ceiling in the Republican Party". She is much more than just a woman, however -- as Dick McDonald notes below:

Sarah Palin was the point-guard on the state's winning basketball team. The team members nicknamed her "Barracuda". She and her father are big "moose hunters". Her son will be fighting in Iraq soon. She opted to keep her new baby son with "Down's Syndrome" at the same time as the woman was the Governor of Alaska. Her first act as Governor was to sell the Governor's private jet. She won the race promising to clean up the corruption, including destroying Republican Senator Ted Stevens and his "Bridge to Nowhere". Today John McCain has chosen her to be the nominee for Vice-President of the United States.

She must be something special she has five kids and was runner-up in the Miss Alaska contest in 1984. She has the toughest job in America - a mother. She is married to her high school sweetheart and they celebrate their 20th anniversary today. Right at this moment she is speaking for the first time and she is one powerful speaker who will make mincemeat out of many of her detractors. She is a reformer with a record and she has all those attributes men celebrate - and sometime wither under - a phenomenal memory and an ability to make us toe that line we so often want to cross.

I am learning more about her as the minutes pass. My first impression is that we may have found our Margaret Thatcher. Her spirit shines through her face and the visage is much more attractive than Margaret's. The 2008 race has become a lot more interesting just when you thought it couldn't get any more interesting than Obama's love fest at Mile High. She will be the pit bull for McCain and boy she sounds as if she will be effective. As a woman she will be a softening influence on his administration - she was Miss Congeniality in 1984.

She is a hockey mom and the wife of a commercial fisherman, a member of the NRA and a pro-life advocate. Can this election be more different? Her approval rating in Alaska is above 80% which is totally phenomenal in any state. Apparently her reputation with the people is that the countryside is littered with the bodies of those who challenged her. Wow! McCain you did it again. You found an attractive and effective women - I can't wait to for this to all play out. The first call I got on this pick was from one very strong Republican woman who said she was in tears - of joy - after hearing Sarah talk

Source.

John McCain's introduction of her and her acceptance speech are on video here. It is a "Don't miss" video. McCain is not as good as The Gipper but he has The Gipper's straightforward sincerity. Details on how McCain came to pick Palin here

****************************

What Palin Does

1. Steps on the story of Obama's speech (and convention), and possibly the bounce coming from them, and wipes them off the news cycle. The Sunday news shows will be all-Palin, all of the time.

2. Sends Republicans into their convention on a huge head of steam.

3. Wipes out the image of McCain as the crotchety elder and brings back that of the fly-boy and gambler, which is much more appealing, and the genuine person.

4. Revs up the base AND excites independents, which no one else in the party, or perhaps in the world, could have accomplished.

5. Puts youth, change, and history on both of the tickets.

6. May detach some young people, especially women.

7. May attach some women pissed off about Hillary.

8. As a pro-life super-achiever, puts feminists in a tizzy.

9. Revives some of the double-edged nature of the Democratic primary, which featured a black vs. a
female trail-blazer, and put both sides on notice on sensitivity issues. Democrats used to raising charges of racism against Obama's critics may face charges of sexism and/or condescension if they try to diss her.

10. Steps on Obama's claims to have been a reformer, as he reformed nothing (much less the corrupt mare's nest of Chicago arrangements), while she was a dragon-slayer up in Alaska.

11. As a mother of five, one a Down Syndrome baby, helps her side take on the Democrats on abortion extremism and the Born Alive bill.

12. Reignites the deep and unhealed stresses inside the Democrats, some of whom will now wonder more loudly than ever why they didn't pick Hillary.

13. Counters Michelle in a way Cindy couldn't.

14. Counter-intuitively, makes the issue of Obama's light resume more potent than ever. Her lack of experience is no more than his is. And he's--to use a term from Alaska, and the Iditarod--their lead dog.

Source

Posted by John Ray. For a daily critique of Leftist activities, see DISSECTING LEFTISM. For a daily survey of Australian politics, see AUSTRALIAN POLITICS Also, don't forget your roundup of Obama news and commentary at OBAMA WATCH

"SARAH PALIN GOES TO WASHINGTON": A "JEFFERSON SMITH" FOR OUR TIME

Like the character played by Jimmy Stewart in the Capra classic MR SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (links to FULL MOVIE), Sarah Palin is a young idealistic patriot.

In the extraordinarily dramatic climax of the movie, Jefferson Smith brings down the corrupt machine in his home state and in the US SENATE.

Palin has already REALLY done the same thing in her own state.

Whereas Obama played ball with the Chicago Machine and the Illinois Combine, Palin fought the Alaska Machine AND BROUGHT DOWN THE SITTING-GOVERNOR - IN HER OWN PARTY!

That's courage. That's high morals. That's BETTER than Jefferson Smith. And Obama.

That's the kind of person you want a heartbeat away from being president.

HOW OBAMA RUINED HIS BRAND AND LOST THE ELECTION

Ever since he addressed the Kerry convention, Obama has had a lot of potential. But it's gone. Here's why & how:

1. He reneged on his pledge not to run.
2. He reneged on his pledge to stand by Wright and his church.
3. He backed out of campaign finance reform.
4. He dissed & mistreated Hillary and Bill during the campaign.
5. He campaigned in Europe.
6. He made a tour of Iraq into a partisan tour.
   
7. He failed to accept what everyone knows: the Surge worked.
8. He failed to pick Hillary (or a "new generation" outsider like Kaine) as his Veep.
9. He picked Joe Biden.

These were all avoidable - unforced errors.

As a result of these unforced errors, not only will Obama lose this fall, but his brand is finished.

THANK GOD.

THE POST-PALIN OBAMA POSTER

STICK A FORK IN HIM, 'CAUSE HE'S DONE...

SLEAZY OBAMA VERSUS CORRUPTION-FIGHTING PALIN

ON THE ONE HAND: Obama went to Chicago and promptly played ball with the Chicago Machine, the Cook County Machine, and criminals like Rezko.

Obama went to the Illinois statehouse and it was more of the same:
business as usual.

And the machine helped him gain his seat in the US Senate.

ON THE OTHER HAND: Sarah Palin took on Alaska's corrupt machine and the sleazy politicians IN HER OWN PARTY - including the sitting governor - and rode her corruption-busting crusade right into the governor's mansion. (More on her slime-busting HERE and HERE.)

THIS IS THE CONTRAST WHICH SAYS EVERYTHING.

VOTE ACCORDINGLY.

SEPARATED AT BIRTH: MCCAIN AND KILLEBREW?

RETIRED MINNESOTA TWIN HARMON KILLEBREW WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST HOME RUN HITTERS OF ALL TIME.

LIKE MCCAIN; HE WAS HAIR-CHALLENGED.

THE CONVENTION WILL SOON BEGIN IN MINNESOTA, AND - IN PART BECAUSE OF THE PALIN PICK - IT IS SHAPING UP TO BE A GRAND SLAM FOR MCCAIN!

MULTIPLE UPDATES: YES! IT'S SARAH PALIN!!

I am ecstatic that Sarah Palin is about to be was selected for McCain's VP pick. It is a bold move I was hoping for, but quite honestly did not expect McCain to make--but the fact that he did has me enthusiastic for this ticket for the first time since it became apparent that McCain would be the nominee.

Short video from Palin's big moment here via Allah:



Here is a recent interview of Palin by Larry Kudlow (h/t Glenn and sisu):



Read sisu's commentary also.

Formal announcement to come within the hour. That giant hissing sound you hear is hot air rapidly escaping from the Obama balloon.

UPDATE: The Obama campaign has already come out with what can only be called a cheap shot and partisan smear on Palin (did they forget she has been a Governor of the largest state in the Union for the last two years?):

“Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency. Governor Palin shares John McCain’s commitment to overturning Roe v. Wade, the agenda of Big Oil and continuing George Bush’s failed economic policies — that’s not the change we need, it’s just more of the same,” said spokesman Bill Burton.

Ed Morrissey answers the criticism buried in the Obama partisan rhetoric:

First, though, let’s assess the risk. Palin has served less than two years as Governor of Alaska, which tends to eat into the experience message on which McCain has relied thus far. At 44, she’s younger than Barack Obama by three years. She has served as a mayor and as the Ethics Commissioner on the state board regulating oil and natural gas, for a total of eight years political experience before her election as governor. That’s also less than Obama has, with seven years in the Illinois legislature and three in the US Senate.

However, the nature of the experience couldn’t be more different. Palin spent her entire political career crusading against the political machine that rules Alaska — which exists in her own Republican party. She blew the whistle on the state GOP chair, who had abused his power on the same commission to conduct party business. Obama, in contrast, talked a great deal about reform in Chicago but never challenged the party machine, preferring to take an easy ride as a protegé of Richard Daley instead.

Palin has no formal foreign-policy experience, which puts her at a disadvantage to Joe Biden. However, in nineteen months as governor, she certainly has had more practical experience in diplomacy than Biden or Obama have ever seen. She runs the only American state bordered only by two foreign countries, one of which has increasingly grown hostile to the US again, Russia.

And let’s face it — Team Obama can hardly attack Palin for a lack of foreign-policy experience. Obama has none at all, and neither Obama or Biden have any executive experience. Palin has almost over seven years of executive experience.

Politically, this puts Obama in a very tough position. The Democrats had prepared to launch a full assault on McCain’s running mate, but having Palin as a target creates one large headache. If they go after her like they went after Hillary Clinton, Obama risks alienating women all over again. If they don’t go after her like they went after Hillary, he risks alienating Hillary supporters, who will see this as a sign of disrespect for Hillary.

For McCain, this gives him a boost like no other in several different ways. First, the media will eat this up. That effectively buries Obama’s acceptance speech and steals the oxygen he needs for a long-term convention bump. A Romney or Pawlenty pick would not have accomplished that.

Second, Palin will re-energize the base. She’s not just a pro-life advocate, she’s lived the issue herself. That will attract the elements of the GOP that had held McCain at a distance since the primaries and provide positive motivation for Republicans, rather than just rely on anti-Democrat sentiment to get them to the polls.

Third, and I think maybe most importantly, Palin addresses the energy issue better and more attuned to the American electorate than maybe any of the other three principals in this election. Even beyond her efforts to reform the Oil and Natural Gas Commission, she has demonstrated her independence from so-called “Big Oil” while promoting domestic production. She brings instant credibility to the ticket on energy policy, and reminds independents and centrists that the Obama-Biden ticket offers nothing but the same excuses we’ve heard for 30 years.

Finally, based on all of the above, McCain can remind voters who has the real record of reform. Obama talks a lot about it but has no actual record of reform, and for a running mate, he chose a 35-year Washington insider with all sorts of connections to lobbyists and pork. McCain has fought pork, taken real political risks to fight undue influence of lobbyists, and he picked an outsider who took on her own party — and won.

This is change you can believe in, and not change that amounts to all talk. McCain changed the trajectory of the race today by stealing Obama’s strength and turning it against him. Obama provided that opening by picking Biden as his running mate, and McCain was smart enough to take advantage of the opening.

Also from The American Thinker: The Case for Palin

UPDATE: McCain campaign returns fire on the Obama knee-jerk reaction (emphasis mine):

McCain aide Jill Hazelbaker:

It is pretty audacious for the Obama campaign to say that Governor Palin is not qualified to be Vice President. She has a record of accomplishment that Senator Obama simply cannot match. Governor Palin has spent her time in office shaking up government in Alaska and actually achieving results -- whether it’s taking on corruption, passing ethics reform or stopping wasteful spending and the ‘bridge to nowhere.’ Senator Obama has spent his time in office running for President.

MORE: The Editors at NRO weigh in.

Hugh Hewitt: An EXTRAORDINARY Choice. Yes it is.

Mark Levin speaks for the Conservative Wing:

Few have been more critical of Sen. McCain than I, both here and on my radio show. And I have long said on my radio show that his selection of a running-mate will be key in determining my enthusiasm for his candidacy. If McCain has, in fact, chosen Gov. Palin, then count me in with both feet. It would be a terrific choice.

Palin is by all accounts a principled conservative and government reformer who can contribute mightily to the decision-making that occurs in the White House. She has more executive experience in her two years as governor than Obama, Biden, and McCain combined. She is a mother of five in what appears to be a loving and functioning family. And she is someone Republicans, conservatives, and others can rally behind in the future.

From a purely tactical aspect, Palin would knock the legs out from under Obama's monopoly hold on "change." And attacks on her "inexperience" will only highlight one of Obama's greatest vulnerabilities — and he's at the top of the Democrat ticket. And because Hillary Clinton spent months telling women voters that they are being dissed by Obama, some percentage of women who normally would not vote for McCain will take a second look if Palin's on the ticket. There is no question that a Palin selection would cause the Obama camp headaches.

I should add that if Palin is the choice, this also suggests that McCain may not be as stubborn as portrayed — and that's a good thing given his positions on a number of issues that have given conservatives heart-burn. At least it gives us some hope in that regard.

McCain Picks Palin As Running Mate

This comes from the "Any American can rise to become President of the United States" Department.

From AP:

DENVER - John McCain tapped little-known Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his vice presidential running mate on Friday in a startling selection on the eve of the Republican National Convention. In an announcement, the campaign said that Palin, who has been governor less than two years, "has the record of reform and bipartisanship that others can only speak of."

"Her experience in shaking up the status quo is exactly what is needed in Washington today," the campaign said. can National Convention. Two senior campaign officials had disclosed McCain's decision a few hours before the Republican presidential nominee-to-be and his newly-minted running mate appeared at a rally in swing-state Ohio.

Palin, like McCain, is a conservative with a maverick streak who has shown a willingness to clash with others in her own party. A self-styled hockey mom and political reformer, she has been
governor of her state less than two years.

Palin's selection shocked numerous Republican officials.

At 44, Palin is a generation younger that Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, who is Barack Obama's running mate on the Democratic ticket. She is three years Obama's junior, as well — and McCain has made much in recent weeks of Obama's relative lack of experience in foreign policy and defense matters.

In making his pick, McCain passed over several more prominent prospects who had figured in speculation for months — Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge among them.

Palin flew overnight to an airport in Ohio near Dayton, and even as she awaited her formal introduction, some aides said they had believed she was at home in Alaska.

She is a former mayor of Wasilla who became governor of her state in December, 2006 after ousting a governor of her own party in a primary and then dispatching a former governor in
the general election.

More recently, she has come under the scrutiny of an investigation by the Republican-controlled legislature into the possibility that she ordered the dismissal of Alaska's public safety commissioner because he would not fire her former brother-in-law as a state trooper.

The timing of McCain's selection appeared designed to limit any political gain Obama yields from his own convention, which ended Thursday night with his nominating acceptance speech before an estimated 84,000 in Invesco Field in Colorado.

Public opinion polls show a close race between Obama and McCain, and with scarcely two months remaining until the election, neither contender can allow the other to jump out to a big post-convention lead.

McCain has had months to consider his choice, and has made it clear to reporters that one of his overriding goals was to avoid a situation like the one in 1988, when Dan Quayle was thrown into a
national campaign with little preparation. Palin has a long history of run-ins with the Alaska GOP
hierarchy, giving her genuine maverick status and reformer credentials that could complement McCain's image.

Two years ago, she ousted the state's Republican incumbent governor, Frank Murkowski in the
primary, despite having little money and little establishment backing. She has also distanced herself from two senior Republican office-holders, sen. Ted Stevens and Rep. Don young. Both men are under federal corruption investigations.

She had earned stripes — and enmity — after Murkowski made her head of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. From that post, she exposed ethical violations by the state GOP chairman, also a fellow commissioner.

She and her husband Todd Palin, have five children. The latest, a baby, was born with Down syndrome.

That's an interesting calculation on McCain's part; picking another "reach across the aisle" politician. The point is, I'm sure, that his position vs. the Obama-Biden ticket.

McCain now looks as if he really does want to heal the left/right rift which has opened up in our country.

Meanwhile, Obama, who has been giving lip-service to such a healing process, looks as if he is one of the most extremely partisan characters ever to run for President of the United States.

Oh, and I forgot to mention, she's a woman.

Obamabots try to silence critic

Post below excerpted from Michelle Malkin. See the original for links and details:

"First, they came for TV stations daring to air an independent ad about Barack Obama and unrepentant Weather Underground terrorist Bill Ayers. Next, they came for GOP donors.

Now, they are shamelessly attacking National Review investigative journalist Stanley Kurtz - one of conservatism's most thoughtful and penetrating writers on academic and educational affairs. Kurtz has been at the forefront probing Obama's relationships with left-wing ideologues. It was his public information request and public call for help that led to the University of Illinois - Chicago finally releasing tons of files that shed light on the Obama/Ayers working relationship. The Obama camp is condemning Kurtz in harsher terms than it ever condemned the terrorist Ayers. Kurtz has been attacked now as a "right-wing hatchet man" and "slimy character assassin."

As I reported yesterday, Kurtz spent two hours on legendary radio talk show host Milt Rosenberg's Chicago program on WGN last night detailing his initial findings. The Obama campaign went ballistic - and in typical Chicago mafia-style, smeared Kurtz and tried to shut down the show.

It's interesting to see what lengths the Obama campaign is willing to reach to stifle dissenting voices. Kurtz said it best at the end of the show- If a respected conservative who writes for mainstream conservative publications like the Weekly Standard and National Review can't speak his mind, then what dissenting opinion can be voiced?

The Obamabots are terrified that Obama's close ties to an America-hater and terrorist will become well-known.

Posted by John Ray. For a daily critique of Leftist activities, see DISSECTING LEFTISM. For a daily survey of Australian politics, see AUSTRALIAN POLITICS Also, don't forget your roundup of Obama news and commentary at OBAMA WATCH

Democratic National Convention Order of Speakers

I somehow never quite made it to Denver but a reader has sent me a program from it that makes me feel that I am almost there:

5:00-6:00 pm - Jimmy Carter. Topic: Lets give Appeasement a Chance (sung to John Lennon tract).

6:00pm-7:00pm - John Edwards. Topic: Standing erect behind my principles

7:00pm -8:00pm - Jesse Jackson. Topic: I am not bitter OK and if you don't believe me I will cut your nut off. (In place of Al Sharpton's Apolcalypse Now speech: "Do you smell that? It's a race riot, son. Nothing else on the world smells like that. I love the smell of a race riot in the morning. Actually I love the smell of a race riot in the afternoon too.Come to think of it...)

8:00pm 9:00pm - Arrival of Al Gore's personal jet followed by speech. Topic: Do as I say not as I do. (Snacks to Follow .... Drinks sponsored by the Kennedys)

Concurrent workshops (8:00-9:00pm)

Workshop A: 150 ways of using the word `change' by the Obama Speech writers collective (Thesaurus not required).
Workshop B: Milking the `Blame-it-on-Bush-Line'. Can we get another four years out of this? Harry Reid/Nancy Pelosi
Workshop C: Why I plan to go to Cuba for my brain surgery? By Michael Moore
Workshop D: George Soros pays tribute to Obama - background song `Puppet on a String' Sandie Shaw
Workshop E: Some deep thoughts on global politics by Maggie Gyllenhaal/Sean Penn and Scarlet Johansson (10 minutes only)

9:00 pm -10:00pm - Hilary Clinton: Reciting I could have been a contender from 'On the Waterfront'.

10:00pm - Barack Obama arrives in a chariot to the lyrics of Jesus Christ Superstar

10:00-11:00pm - Barack Obama's speech. Special Lottery: Guess the number of references to JFK? (Special Note to delegates: Don't mention the 'sucess of the surge' or we'll give you the Joe Lieberman treatment)

11:00 pm - 'God', one of the few outstanding celebrities, officially endorses Obama (pending an ACLU objection). Apparently it was Oprah who swung him over.

Convention clears. Exit Strategies initialized.

Source

Posted by John Ray. For a daily critique of Leftist activities, see DISSECTING LEFTISM. For a daily survey of Australian politics, see AUSTRALIAN POLITICS Also, don't forget your roundup of Obama news and commentary at OBAMA WATCH

BEFORE HE WILL BE A HAS-BEEN, HE IS A NEVER-WAS

From my comments to the previous post:

I was surprised at Obama's nervous delivery. He rushed, swallowed his points, never developed the momentum of building cadences. The text basically sucked. More empty promises, promising things no President can deliver. My guess is, due to the McCain Campaign's effective "celebrity" ads, Obama's team backed away from the extravagant rhetoric that they would have preferred. The drive by media will laud the performance, just as they did after Obie's "unforgettable" Philadelphia speech, of which of course nobody now remembers a single phrase. Obie is a will o' the wisp, a phenom, and the only reason he will never be a has-been is that he is a never-was.

Meanwhile, the McCain VP pick is a complete surprise.

The announcement is only 3 hours away, and he and his Campaign have maintained discipline and silence.

Reports are that Governor Romney and Governor Palin are in Dayton.

My money is on Sarah Palin. With a woman on the ticket, a conservative governor who recently delivered a beautiful son with Down's, McCain will peel off even more of Hillary's faithful than he has already.

As in a game of Go, the outcome has been assured once the playing field has been established. The rest is just a mopping-up operation.

VIDEO OF OBAMA VERSUS MCCAIN: MANO A MANO

NORTHERN SEER CORRECTLY SUGGESTS THIS AS AN ALLEGORY FOR THE UPCOMING ELECTION:





HERE IS A VERBAL TAKEDOWN: THE TEXT OF A LETTER MCCAIN SENT TO OBAMA IN 2006 - A LETTER WE BLOGGED ABOUT AT THE TIME:

John McCain released a SCATHING and SARCASTIC letter he sent to Senator Barack Obama. Here's an EXCERPT:

Dear Senator Obama:

I would like to apologize to you for assuming that your private assurances to me regarding your desire to cooperate in our efforts to negotiate bipartisan lobbying reform legislation were sincere. When you approached me and insisted that despite your leadership’s preference to use the issue to gain a political advantage in the 2006 elections, you were personally committed to achieving a result that would reflect credit on the entire Senate and offer the country a better example of political leadership, I concluded your professed concern for the institution and the public interest was genuine and admirable.

Thank you for disabusing me of such notions with your letter to me dated February 2, 2006, which explained your decision to withdraw from our bipartisan discussions.

I’m embarrassed to admit that after all these years in politics I failed to interpret your previous assurances as typical rhetorical gloss routinely used in politics to make self-interested partisan posturing appear more noble.

Again, sorry for the confusion, but please be assured I won’t make the same mistake again. [...]

As I noted, I initially believed you shared that goal. But I understand how important the opportunity to lead your party’s effort to exploit this issue must seem to a freshman Senator, and I hold no hard feelings over your earlier disingenuousness.

Again, I have been around long enough to appreciate that in politics the public interest isn’t always a priority for every one of us. Good luck to you, Senator.

Sincerely, John McCain United States Senate

LAST NIGHT'S STRIDENT AND DISHONEST BOILERPLATE SPEECH FROM OBAMA HAS CONVINCED ME THAT MCCAIN WILL DEMOLISH OBAMA IN THE FALL.

POLITICAL LEGERDEMAIN: OBAMA - ACCEPTING THE NOMINATION AND EVADING THE ISSUES

Obie offered several times in his acceptance speech to debate McCain. But tellingly, he spent much more time evading the issues and staking out non-debatable positions.

Like this:

We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country.

This is political misdirection. He is hiding the substantive differences between him and McCain, in order to stifle debate, and make the election a media sideshow and personality contest, rather than a contest of ideas.

Honestly, whether we agree or disagree on reducing unwanted pregnancies in the country is completely irrelevant to the issue of abortion. And the differences there are stark: Senator McCain told Pastor Rick Warren that human rights begin at the moment of conception, while Senator Obama hemmed and hawed his way through an obfuscatory non-answer.

Obama had a whole paragraph of this political trickery in his speech last night. Example after example. Here's the next one:

The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than for those plagued by gang-violence in Cleveland, but don't tell me we can't uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals.

Another substitution of a falsehood for the real differences between Obama and McCain. First of all, the realities of gun ownership are no different for anyone, no matter where you live. And gun laws that deprive law-abiding citizens of their God-given, Constitutionally-recognized and protected rights do nothing to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. And criminals don't use AK-47s, either. So the areas of agreement that Obama seeks are meaningless, and conceal his intent to disarm law-abiding Americans.

Next:

I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination.

Another misdirection. Whether or not gays and lesbians can visit whomever they want in the hospital, and whether they face discrimination, has nothing whatsoever to do with the sanctity of marriage, and the common-sense, common-law definition of marriage being between one man and one woman that has prevailed in my Country from its inception, and in the West in general for two millenia.

Obama said, " I know there are those who dismiss such beliefs as happy talk." Well take it from me, these rhetorical tricks are not happy talk. They are an a calculated deception intended to hide Obama's radical leftist ideology and prevent any real debate and discussion of ideas and issues in this election.

Don't fall for it. And vote accordingly.

Economic fairness: $80 parking to see the Messiah at Invesco

$80 parking at Invesco?

What, you thought it'd be free to see the Messiah appear in his temple?

The anointed one likes to talk about economic "fairness", but when it comes to the realities of making money, he's just as capitalistic as the rest of the corporate bigwigs.

Zombie's Kafka-esque report was filed last night from outside the stadium.

PREDICTION: THE AYERS-OBAMA CONNECTION WILL MAKE THE EDWARDS-RIELLE HUNTER AFFAIR LOOK LIKE A WALK IN THE PARK

I THINK THERE'S A HUGE SCANDAL BREWING:

• THAT THE RELEASE OF THE AYERS-OBAMA PAPERS
• (PERHAPS NOTES TAKEN BY AYERS ABOUT HIS PROTEGE OBAMA)
• WILL PROVE THAT BARACK KNEW OF AND ENDORSED
• AYERS' TERROR ATTACKS AGAINST THE USA,
• AND HIS SOCIALIST GOALS.

• THIS WILL BE MORE DISHEARTENING TO MANY DEMOCRATS THAN THE EDWARDS REILLE HUNTER AFFAIR.

THIS IS WHY OBAMA HAS BEGUN A OFFENSIVE IN THIS MATTER AND IS SLIMING KURTZ, AND IT'S WHY HE WAS TRYING TO INOCULATE HIMSELF FROM CHARGES OF UN-PATRIOTISM IN HIS ACCEPTANCE SPEECH.

A REAL GOOD ACCEPTANCE SPEECH: REAGAN 1980

NOTICE HIS JOY.
HIS GRATITUDE.

NOTICE THE INTIMACY - THE DELEGATES ARE RIGHT THERE... THE STAGE FILLED WITH LEADERS OF THE PARTY...

NOTICE HIS HUMILITY... HIS HUMOR... HIS DIRECTNESS, THE WAY HE DREW SHARP CONTRASTS WITH THE OPPOSITION...

NONE OF THIS WAS EVIDENT AT OBAMA'S STADIUM BASH.

WATCH ALL 46 MINUTES.

AND REMEMBER: HE PICKED HIS #1 RIVAL TO BE HIS VEEP.



Update: Awesome: I got a link on this from Sondra.

I think there's a tingling feeling going up my leg...

WHY OBAMA IS PROTECTING AYERS...

OBAMA THREW WRIGHT
AND FARRAKHAN
AND PFLEGER
AND HIS TYPICAL WHITE GRANDMOTHER
AND TRINITY CHURCH UNDER THE BUS.







BUT HE HAS NEVER EVEN DISSED AYERS - THE FORMER "WEATHERMAN" AND UNREPENTANT TERRORIST.

I KNOW WHY:


HE PLANS TO SEND AYERS AND THE WEATHERMEN INTO PAKISTAN TO GET BINLADEN!

WHAT IS A COLD, CALCULATING PSYCHOPATH?

A working definition of a psychopath is a human being without a conscience. From the Wikipedia:

Lack of a conscience in conjunction with a weak ability to defer gratification in criminal, sexual and aggressive desires, leads to the psychopath to constantly engage in antisocial behaviors. Psychopathy (in its extreme form) does not necessarily lead itself to criminal and violent behavior (although such tendencies are likely). Instead, psychopaths high in social cognition may be able to redirect their antisocial desires in a more positive manner.

And here are some items on the diagnostic checklist:

Factor1: Aggressive narcissism

1. Glibness / superficial charm
2. Grandiose sense of self-worth
3. Pathological lying
4. Cunning / manipulative
5. Lack of remorse or guilt
6. Shallow
7. Callous / lack of empathy
8. Failure to accept responsibility for own actions
9. Promiscuous sexual behavior

Psychopaths are often described as cold, aloof, and calculating.

How about this description:

He developed a self-discipline so complete, friends and aides say, that he has established dominion over not only what he does but also how he feels. He does not easily exult, despair or anger: to do so would be an indulgence, a distraction from his goals. Instead, they say, he separates himself from the moment and assesses. [Emphasis added.]

That's from a New Duranty Times puff piece on Barack Obama. (Hat tip: the inestimable Tim Blair.)

Here's more from the same profile:

If there is one quality that those closest to Mr. Obama marvel at, it is his emotional control. This is partly a matter of temperament, they say, partly an effort by Mr. Obama to step away from his own feelings so he can make dispassionate judgments. “He doesn’t allow himself the luxury of any distraction,” said Valerie Jarrett, a close advisor. “He is able to use his disciplined mind to not get caught up in the emotional swirl.”

And still more testimony to his narcissistic self-absorption:

Mr. Obama watches and assesses no one more avidly than himself. During the primary season, supporters who complimented him on debate appearances found that he often disagreed. “I wasn’t great nor was I wonderful,” Mr. Obama responded last spring at a fund-raiser in Seattle. Then came his usual refrain: “I have to get better, and I will do better,” he said, according to Michael Parham, a donor.

The Astute Bloggers has commented on Obama's psychopathic traits before, here, here, here, and here.

WILL DOHRN BE BARACK'S ATTORNEY GENERAL?

OBAMA'S SPEECH - LIVE BLOG

1. SCROLL DOWN...
2. THE ROCK STAR COMES OUT APPLAUDING THE CROWD LIKE ALL SOCIALISTS DO...
3. NOMINATION FOR PRESIDENCY!?!?!? FLUB #1...
4. 10:15 THANKS THE CLINTON'S. BIG DEAL. TEDDY JO. AND JOE THE LIAR BIDEN...
5. YAWN... 10:16... WIFE KIDS... YAWN. THE CROWD IS ALREADY TIRED OF APPLAUDING EVERY SENTENCE.
6. 10:17 - THE FIRST LIE: HIS PARENTS LOVED THE AMERICAN DREAM. YEAH SURE: THAT'S WHY HIS MOM MOVED TO INDONESIA TO RAISE HIM. SHEESH.
7. 10:18 ANOTHER LIE: UNEMPLOYMENT IS NOT UP.
8. 10:19: PUTTING DOWN THE USA. IOW: THE NEGATIVE LITANY OF THE DEMS.
9. 10:20 THE BIG LIE ABOUT KATRINA.
10. HE SOUNDS SHRILL AND HE SOUNDS LIKE A WHINER. HE SOUNDS ANGRY.
11. YUCH.
12. 10:22 - DAMNING MCCAIN WITH FAINT PRAISE. TRYING TO TIE HIM TO BUSH.
13. 10:23 - HE'S ARGUING THAT THE NATION'S ECONOMY IS FUNDAMENTALLY BAD. ER UM.... WE GREW AT A 3.3% RATE LAST QUARTER.
14. 10:24: ATTACKING GRAMM. ER UM... MCCAIN FIRED HIM. AND NOW SAYING MCCAIN IS IGNORANT.
15. 10:25 - HE'S ARGUING MCCAIN WILL RAISE TAXES!?!?! A LAUGHER!
16. HIS LITANY ABOUT THE OWNERSHIP SOCIETY IS RIDICULOUS AND DISHONEST.
17. 10:28 - MORE ON THE ECONOMY ... ER UM: WHY IS HE AVOIDING IRAQ!?!? WASN'T THAT THE REASON HE RAN AND THE ISSUE WHICH PROVES HIS JUDGMENT!?!?!?
18. ASIDE: THE BACKDROP IS BORING BROWN WINDOWS... BAD....
19. 10:29: OH MY GODl HE'S PRAISING HIS TYPICAL WHITE GRANDMOTHER.
20. WHAT A PHONY.
21. BORING.
22. 10:30 - STUMBLES.... IS THE TELEPROMPTER WORKING? OKAY...
23. THIS DOESN'T SOUND PRESIDENTIAL - OOPS HE STUMBLES AGAIN...
24. I THINK HE'S STUMBLING BECAUSE THIS SECTION OF THE SPEECH IS ABOUT SOCIALISM - IN A VEILED WAY...
25. YUP::::: HE WANTS THE GOVT TO PICK WINNERS AND LOSERS - TAX BREAK FOR COMPANIES WHO OPEN PLANTS HERE, BUT NOT FOR THOSE WHO OPEN THEM OVERSEAS. BUT.... MANY FOREIGN COS. OPEN PLANTS HERE, AND OUR COMPANIES NEED TO DIVERSIFY OVERSEAS. THIS IS A BAD IDEA. AND WOULD BE RETALIATED UPON BY OTHER NATIONS
26. NOW ONTO ENERGY...
27. 10:34... DRILLING IS ONLY STOP-GAP NOT A REAL SOLUTION... HAH! $150 BILLION FOR NEW ENERGY. ER UM... PAID FOR WITH WHAT!?!?!?! WHY NOT JUST LET ENERGY COMPANIES INVEST THEIR OWN DAMN MONEY!?!?!
28. 10:35 - ONTO EDUCATION....
29. BORING... WILL RAISE THE PAY FOR TEACHERS - WHO HAPPEN TO BE IN UNIONS WHICH ENDORSED HIM. AND HE WILL PAY FOR COLLEGE EDUCATION. MORE BILLIONS OF WELFARE.
30. AND 10:37 ONTO HEALTHCARE. HE'S GONNA PAY FOR IT. HE DOESN'T DAY HOW...
31. MORE SICK DAYS! PROTECT SOCIAL SECURITY! EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK!
32. JEEZ. THIS CRAP WAS OLD LAST DECADE.
33. 10:39 - YEY: HE ADMITS IT WILL COST A LOT OF MONEY: HE'LL GET IT BY CLOSING LOOPHOLES. CUT WASTE.
34. WUT BS.
35. THIS GUY HAS NEVER EVEN MET A PAYROLL A WRITTEN A BUDGET. SHEESH.
36. PREDICTION: UNLESS HE PULLS A RABBIT OUT OF HIS ASS, THEN HE WILL NOT GET A BOUNCE.
37. 10:41 SHIT: HE SAYS HE WANTS TO DEBATE MCCAIN. WHAT A LIAR: HE'S BEEN AVOIDING A DEBATE FOR MONTHS.
38. 10:42: HE IS ARGUING HE'S GONNA BE TOUGHER ON BINLADEN THAN MCCAIN. BWHAHAHAHA!
39. ASIDE: THERE'S BARELY A FLAG ON THE STAGE, AND NOT ONE FULLY VISIBLE ON THE SCREEN BEHIND HIM. THAT TELLS ME SOMETHING.
40. 10:43 - HE ARGUES THAT EUROPE AIN'T WITH US. WUT BS: THERE ARE MORE IN OLD EUROPE WITH US NOW THAN IN 2003 - BEFORE THE IRAQ WAR.
41. HE SEEMS TO THINK THAT TOUGH TALK/DIPLOMACY AND MORAL STANDING WILL PROTECT US AND DEFEAT OUR ENEMIES.
42. NAIVE BS.
43. 10:46: WANTS TO AVOID CHALLENGING ANYONE'S PATRIOTISM, WANTS IT OFF THE TABLE.
44. THIS SMACKS OF AN INOCULATION ATTEMPT.
45. WHAT IS HE EXPECTING??? AYERS??? WRIGHT???
46. AND WHERE'S THE FLAG??? OH::: THERE IS IS, THEY GIVE US A SHOT OF HIM WITH A FLAG AT THAT EXACT MOMENT. RIGHT ON CUE.
47. 10:49 - IMMIGRATION... GAYS... BRIDGING DIVIDES... YAWN.. "HAPPY TALK" YUP....
48. ACCUSES THE GOP OF USING STALE ATTACKS
49. THIS SMACKS OF THE CRAP HE JUST A MOMENT SAID HE WANTS TO AVOID.
50. SCHIZOID.
51. NOW SAYS THE ELECTION ISN'T ABOUT HIM, BUT US. UGH. I AIN'T ON THE BALLOT.
52. YAWN.
53. CHANGE COMES TO WASHINGTON NOT FROM WASHINGTON. ER UM... THAT WOULD BE YOU!?!?!?! YOU ARE THE CHANGE!?!? THEN THE ELECTION IS ABOUT YOU!?!?!? HE IS SCHIZOID.
54. A VAPID CLOSING... POETRY... THE AMERICAN PROMISE....
55. HE HISSSSSSSES ON THE REPEATED WORD "PROMISE".....
56. 10:55: INVOKES DR. MLK JR - AND HIS SOUNDS MORE BLACK ALL OF A SUDDEN.
57. UNCONSCIOUSLY. HE'S A PHONY ACTOR. A PSYCHOPATH..
58. 10:57 - OVER!!!!!!
59. BORING.
60. HIS WORST OF THE ELECTION SEASON.
61. THE APPLAUSE AND M,USIC IS LOUD: AND STRANGELY EMPTY OF REAL FEELING: LIKE OBAMA: THE CROWD DISTANT, THE PATRIOTISM A FACADE... THE STAGE IS ONLY SLOWLY FILLING WITH LOVED ONES, FRIENDS, THE MUSIC IS ALREADY GETTING DULL... THE FIREWORKS PALE IN COMPARISON TO THE OLYMPICS...
    

AND HE SEEMS LIKE HE CAN'T WAIT TO LEAVE...