We liberals were concerned. Admit it out there leftists. You were befuddled by the impact Sarah Palin had on the race. The polls seemed to be slipping away; moving toward McCain and his new “Ear-mark Queen”. We were not nervous because Palin was a strong pick to be VP. We were nervous because just like the climate that got Bush elected twice, despite the logic that said he should not hold that office, the same strange reasoning seemed to engulf the Palin phenomena.

But don’t despair. The glow of the halo is rubbing off. When you have a thin resume you better make sure the history you do have is clean. As the RNC built up Palin’s leadership story, almost everything she championed in her political biography is crashing down. Especially damning is her earmark requests that included $4.5 million for an airport that served 100 people and $9 million to help the oil companies in Alaska. And of course don’t forget her John Kerry moment in that she was for the “Bridge to nowhere” before she was against it. You want foreign policy credentials? Don’t forget her trip to Iraq to support the troops. Actually she didn’t make it over the Quwait border. That would have been impressive if it was 1990, but that was an old war. You must also add her trip to Ireland to her resume, even if it was just a refueling stop.

What has brought about the winds of change. First, I think the Saturday Night Live skit portraying Palin with Hillary was extremely funny but damning at the same time. The McCain campaign understands this too as they have called the bit “sexist”. This coming after Palin, when asked earlier in the week, said she thought it was funny.

The second factor that has changed the dynamic was the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the subsequent drop in the Stock Market. This has shifted the campaign back on the issues and whenever that happens McCain loses. The Arizona Senator has bungled the talking points in regard to the economy. But you need not be surprised since Phil Graham is his go-to guy on the economy and was the man largely responsible for the conditions that led to the melt down we are experiencing.

As the McCain campaign continues to protect Palin from the evil media (well, except Sean Hannity) and the news of her governing history continues to flow from Alaska, the country will begin to see what an error McCain has made. Just like the real estate and oil bubbles, the Palin bubble is about to burst.

If Sarah Palin is ready to be the VP why is she being sequestered? If she is indeed ready to take on the position as McCain’s number two then why can’t she prove it now? This just shows the reckless and dangerous choice McCain’s staff has made. It is time the people in this nation realize the poor judgement exhibited by McCain. This choice is bound to explode in his face and if the country doesn’t realize the utter lack of substance in his decision then we know why we keep getting leaders like George Bush at the helm of this nation; the right is incapable of intellectual thought.

No questions, please; Palin sticks to her script

By SARA KUGLER, Associated Press Writer Sara Kugler, Associated Press Writer 25 mins ago

LEBANON, Ohio – John McCain took a risk in picking little-known Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as a running mate, but now the campaign’s playing it safer. She’s sticking to a greatest hits version of her convention speech on the campaign trail and steering clear of questions until she’s comfortable enough for a hand-picked interviewer later this week.

More than 40 million people tuned in last week to listen to the speech from Palin, the 44-year-old, first-term governor whom McCain announced as his surprise vice presidential pick just days before. Since then, that basic script is all anyone has heard from her publicly, and her only interaction with the media was a brief conversation with a small group of reporters on her plane Monday — off the record at her handlers’ insistence.

Associated Press reporters were not on the plane, but an aide told the journalists on board that all Palin flights would be off the record unless the media were told otherwise. At least one reporter objected. Two people on the flight said the Palins greeted the media and they chatted about who had been to Alaska, but little else was said.

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During the Republican Convention the delegates would not claim their leader. There was a piece on TV whereby those in attendance had pins galore but none of those pins were of George W Bush.  The party that gave us a second term of W and then fled from their choice a mere four years later is now trying to tell us this nation would be better off with McCain. To make matters worse, the GOP is now exhorting the notion that Palin somehow completes the ticket. To say a two year governor of a distant, barely populated state like Alaska is ready to take over the Vice Presidency is like saying a returned Peace Corps volunteer is prepared to run the State Department. If Palin was indeed prepared to take over the number two slot then why is she being protected from the media? Her party faithful (and John McCain, for that matter) are crying foul at the treatment she has received since being named as McCain’s running mate but there is no problem with it. Obama has taken the heat from those on the right and much of it was as harsh as what has come Palin’s way. Surely you remember the closet Muslim stuff and the accentuating of his middle name. Obama’s wife was fair game, too. She was depicted as an angry militant. It simply goes with the territory. It is not racist or sexist, it is the way this nation prepares those for the most powerful positions in the land. It appears the first rate education, the stint at community organizer (which the Republicans prefer to mock rather than credit), the term as state senator and then Congressman has paid off for Obama. He not only overcame the attacks against him but won the nomination of his party. It is time for Palin to face the music. Only then will we know if John McCain made  the right choice.

You hear so much about the liberal media. Sure it is out there but the bit on the John Stewart Show last night was perhaps the best piece that has been done in regards to Conservative hypocrisy. It was as good and funny as it gets.

Sarah Palin delivered a very good speech tonight. Her attacks against Barack Obama were pointed and partisan. But I get the feeling from watching the Republican convention that it is 2000 again. A time when we had a balanced budget, where Wall Street and Main Street were humming along at a positive clip. A point where all you had to offer was to attack the opposing candidate. But this nation is not healthy. Palin did not touch on the declining economy, the strained housing market or the challenges in Afghanistan, neither has any Republican speaker. She did address the issue of energy but Alaska is a lot about energy. Republicans, for some reason, have lost touch with the average American. They are incapable of showing compassion for those on the fringes of society. This was abundantly clear when two of the speakers prior to the Republican heavy hitters tonight were CEOs of Ebay and Hewlitt-Packard. It is also interesting how the Republican base was against John McCain for his very decision making that Palin praised tonight; his belief in immigration reform and against the Bush tax cuts (though he has changed his mind on this issue) but now find solace in the character of John McCain. Though Palin’s speech was well written and well delivered it contained no substance whatsoever. It continued the trend of focusing on the opposition because the Republican Party is devoid of ideas. Don’t believe me. Give me three policy issues Palin presented in her speech. Perhaps McCain tomorrow will delve into a platform because I haven’t seen one yet.

I understand Senator Joseph Lieberman is a strong ally of John McCain. I get that. But it was extremely disingenuous for Joseph Lieberman to also praise McCain’s running mate, Sarah Palin. There could not be two politicians farther from the ideological spectrum than Lieberman and Palin. Republicans should see it as a farce.

Another interesting indication of the rudderless nature of the GOP these days is tonight’s convention schedule. George Bush, the leader of the party, spoke by satellite to the hall prior to the big networks joining the coverage. It is the equivalent of those Simpson’s episodes where they put Bart in the basement when key school dignitaries are visiting the school. To ensure there is no connection between George Bush and John McCain, as soon as Bush finished speaking they quickly went to a tribute video to Ronald Reagan before continuing with Fred Thompson. And then who was the keynote speaker? A Democrat (well Independent technically) who came out and spoke to the Republicans after Thompson threw out his red meat to the party faithful. Lieberman quelled any momentum for the night. At one point he even praised President Clinton’s bipartisanship while in office and what did the hall do… they applauded. After that it seemed like they were under some kind of spell. Sure, Lieberman gave his reasons for supporting McCain but the energy had vanished from the convention. It almost was like it was an analogy to the Republican support for McCain; polite and subdued.

In many ways the campaign of John McCain has taken on a life of its own. The talk these days is not about McCain but about his choice of running mate. Their strategy has been to make the race about Obama but by choosing Palin, McCain has taken the focus off of his game plan and put it squarely on and about her. In the process he has taken the experience card and returned it to the deck. Tomorrow will be interesting. There are those in the GOP who are completely electrified at his VP choice. Will Wednesday overshadow the purpose of the convention, to highlight the presidential selection? After all, people vote for the person at the top of ticket not the pretty Hillary surrogate who no one really knows.

Chuck Todd, the NBC Chief Political Correspondent had the best quote of the day following John McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate. He said:

It is obvious John McCain views the vice presidency differently than does George Bush.

This is apparent and a positive thing since America’s citizenry doesn’t select our VPs in the same manner as we do our presidents. This is how we end up with a man like Dick Cheney.

In keeping with this notion it is interesting how the Republicans like to deflect Palin’s lack of experience by harping on Obama’s resume, but the point is ridiculous on one major point. Barack Obama has been campaigning for 18 months in which he was challenged by one of the most skilled politicians in America today, and he won. He was selected by the voters of this country to represent one of the two major parties in America. He has been scrutinized, analyzed, attacked, and smeared. Despite it all he became the Democratic nominee. Even Joe Biden threw his hat in the ring and campaigned for several months, traveling the country and understanding the issues of the day. How can anyone compare this to the environment Sarah Palin comes from? In her acceptance speech on Friday what information did she give on her stance on what is going on in the world and the significant obstacles America faces? It is obvious in this speech her head is still in Alaska, two months from election night. If I were a Republican I would be insulted. To hear the right wingers hail her as a perfect choice because she is a member of the NRA, has extreme views on abortion and is a mom simply makes John McCain seem like a knee-jerk politician who had to find a way to subdue Obama’s rise and throw red meat to his party’s conservatives. McCain only met her twice. Is this the kind of decision making you want from your president? I understand the fact there are few Republicans left who are worthy of becoming president but choosing a half term governor of a state with a population of 600,000 who is fresh from being a mayor of a town of 9000 as the person who is a heartbeat away from running this country is simply irresponsible.

Because she took tough stands against opponents in what is the cage-match known as Alaska politics she received the name Sarahcuda. This goes along with John McCain’s nickname McNasty. Somebody, somewhere must thrust up a sign that reads: McNasty: Sarahcuda 08. Please somebody out there!

Scholars question Palin credentials

Back in the 19th century, during the heyday of what is known as the Age of Imperialism, the French were masters of a colonial policy known as divide and conquer. In possessions such as Lebanon, Cochin China (SE Asia), and Algeria the French would purposely play off one faction against the other in order to keep the colony fractured, disorganized and dependent on French rule.

In the Presidential race the McCain campaign is attempting to apply the divide and conquer strategy to the Democrats. With ample Hillary voters angered over the primary process, McCain is trying to claim sympathy for Clinton voters in order to woo them over to his side. This is a good strategy, no doubt, but if Democratic voters of any stripe are swayed by this tactic they must realize they are being manipulated by the same people that brought you George Bush who in turn persuaded most of America to support the invasion of Iraq. If I was a Hillary supporter, I  would feel manipulated by this tactic.

Hillary Clinton’s supporters should realize when the two debated there was a razor thin difference between the them. Sure there are personality differences. This will happen anytime two political rivals vie for the same position, especially if it is the most powerful position in the world. It is now time to stop squabbling and begin staring down John McCain, or the Democrats are going to stumble into another defeat.

What does John McCain stand for? What is his platform? Every commercial I see from his campaign is always about Obama. I find it amazing this man has any support at all. I am challenging any McCain voter out there to tell me what policies he is running on. He says he will not raise taxes so how does he plan to run this country? If he doesn’t raise taxes and he wants to continue the Iraq War without paying for it will we continue to deficit spend to the tune of $400 billion a year? McCain is centering his energy policy on drilling for more oil. How is that going to revolutionize our dependence on foreign oil? The big question is what is the core feature of his platform? What are the three components of his platform that he will deliver within the first two years? To understand the nonsensical nature of McCain’s economic plan simply go to his campaign website and read his proposals. Most, in fact, are not really proposals at all. Take for instance this:  JohnMcCain2008.com. He talks about strengthening the dollar but doesn’t say how he plans on doing so. He also is going to tell foreign oil producing nations our dependence on foreign oil will come to an end. Is that a policy? Look how this is worded. Craziness. McCain’s energy plan includes a $300 million prize for anyone who comes up with advanced battery technology. Obama plans to invest $150 billion in the next 10 years to advance technology in plug-in hybrids, promote development of commercial scale renewable energy, encourage energy efficiency, invest in low emissions coal plants, advance the next generation of biofuels and fuel infrastructure, and begin transition to a new digital electricity grid. Now that is a policy. Some would say the government should not be playing such a large role but we now know energy dependence is a national security issue and since when has the government not been involved in making us safer? Obama is honest. He says he plans on raising taxes. If it requires higher taxes to emasculate the Middle East and Venezuela then I am all for it. So I will be waiting for Republicans to tell me what McCain plans to do to solve the problems we now face. I won’t, however, hold my breath.

There is no more diverse state politically than Oregon. Portland is as liberal as any city in the US including San Francisco but if you go east you find yourself next to Idaho and conservatism breathes in these locales. But this election is unique and the winds of change favor Barack Obama. One GOP senator seems to understand the nature of this election and he has hitched his wagon to the Illinois Senator in a new ad.

It is unheard of for a candidate from one party to identify with the nominee from the other party but Oregon Senator Gordon Smith has done just that. His ad shows Senator Obama’s website and also refers to Oregon’s Democratic Governor Ted Kulongoski. The advertisement is intended to show Smith’s ability to be bipartisan but the message is much more than that. The waves sweeping on Oregon’s shores these days are much bluer than in the past and Senator Smith wishes not to drown in the high tide. The impact of this ad may very well work for Senator Smith but he won’t win any friends in his party for running it. But if he indeed wins and the scales tip favorably toward the Democrats in Congress, Senator Smith will be able to put his bipartisan experience to work.

There is another element to this tactic by Senator Smith. There is not a feeling of disdain about either Barack Obama or John McCain. This climate has allowed for the Oregon GOP senator to air his ad. The vitriol that has served as the sword of Damocles the past several decades has been tamped down in this election.  Thankfully, mouthpieces such as Michelle Malkin, Ann Coulter and Michael Moore have been marginalized and with the nature and depth of the problems that the new President must face this can only be a good sign for our country.

An Obamacan is a Republican who supports Barack Obama