Palin Newspaper Interview

Never mind that yesterday she couldn't name one newspaper she's read, today Palin gave an interview to the Frontiersman, which is either the Wasilla newspaper or a gay monthly. In it she comes clean, sorta, about the Bridge to Nowhere.

Q: Since your campaign began, you’ve stated you opposed the “Bridge to Nowhere” and have called it that. What caused you to change your stance on building the bridge? Also, do you still support construction of the Knik Arm bridge? Why or why not?

A: After taking office and examining the project closely, realizing the Feds were not going to fund it as Alaskans had assumed was the case, I cancelled [sic] the project.

So she canceled the project when it became clear that Alaska was going to have to pay for it. So she didn't tell Congress thanks but no thanks. Congress told her no. That's it. Of course we've always knows this to be the case, despite her repeated claims otherwise.

Palin is a twit and a liar.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Palin Talent

Walking Contradiction

UPDATE: I've been told my line on Palin, Roe, and privacy is too strong, but I remain skeptical. Roe is founded on Griswold which is founded on the right to privacy. I don't see how you can be for one without granting the other.

In the Supreme Court interview Sarah Palin says three things of note: 1) that she is a federalist; 2) that she does not agree with Roe v. Wade; 3) that there is an inherent right to privacy protected by the Constitution.

There is no political philosophy that encompasses these three positions. They are self-contradictory.

To wit:

Federalists do not believe in an inherent right to privacy protected by the Constitution. Federalists are concerned solely with enumerated rights (all else is left to the states). Privacy is not an enumerated right.

The legal basis for Roe v. Wade is the right to privacy. You cannot be against Roe v. Wade while agreeing that the Constitution protects the right to privacy. It makes no sense. It's like being against the existence of stars while agreeing there is a sun.

Finally, the Republican platform since Roe v. Wade has in large part been cast against the right to privacy being protected by the Constitution. In stating that she believes there is such a right she's bucking her own party's platform. How will that play to the base?

Ladies and Gentlemen, Your Next VP!

Via Politico:

COURIC: What other Supreme Court decisions [than Roe v. Wade] do you disagree with?

PALIN: Well, let's see. There's --of course --in the great history of America rulings there have been rulings, that's never going to be absolute consensus by every American. And there are--those issues, again, like Roe v Wade where I believe are best held on a state level and addressed there. So you know--going through the history of America, there would be others but--

COURIC: Can you think of any?

PALIN: Well, I could think of--of any again, that could be best dealt with on a more local level. Maybe I would take issue with. But you know, as mayor, and then as governor and even as a Vice President, if I'm so privileged to serve, wouldn't be in a position of changing those things but in supporting the law of the land as it reads today.

Better to say nothing and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. -Samuel Clemens

Palin Lies Again

Responding to a question from Hugh Hewitt about the economic crisis, Palin says:

I know what Americans are going through. Todd and I—heck, we’re going through that right now even as we speak, which may put me again kind of on the outs of those Washington elite who don’t like the idea of just an everyday working class American running for such an office.

But the Washington Times has the real story:

A check of financial records, though, shows the Palins live anything but a common life when compared with their fellow residents of their hometown of Wasilla.

Their combined income of nearly a quarter-million dollars last year was five times the median household income for Wasilla’s 7,000 residents. They own a single-engine plane, two boats, two personal watercraft and a half-million-dollar, custom-built home on a lake that is worth three
times the average of other homes in town.

Clinton Raises Stakes

After weeks of doing little to help Obama with the election Bill Clinton today finally made himself useful by raising the stakes of the vice presidential debate.

"Senator Obama has spoken a lot about how we oughta relate to the world, and yes, he'll get out and travel some in the first year, we should want him to do it. But he is going to have to be really focused on fixing this economy. That means that role of the Vice President in repairing quickly our relations with the rest of the world will be relatively more important in the first two years of the next presidency.

"And I am just telling you, you can talk to me or anybody else at any time in Washington, and they will tell you there is nobody, nobody in the entire United States senate that understands the political, the economic, and the security challenges and opportunities of the world better than Joe Biden does. He is a superb choice."

How Smart She Is

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour says of Palin:

"She's normal. My wife loves her because doesn't have a chip on her shoulder like some women politicians. She is very normal, she doesn't tell you how smart she is."

Oh, but she does tell you how smart she is. Every damn time she speaks.

A Lyric For Today

I know you are waiting and I know that it is not for me /
But I'm here and I'm ready and I've saved you the passenger seat /
I won't be your last dance just your last goodnight /
Every heart is a package tangled up in knots someone else tied /
I'll be the one to drive you back home Kathleen

CBS Teases Tonight's Interview

Roe v. Wade
Answered tonight: "Why do you think Roe v. Wade is a good or bad decision? What other Supreme Court decisions do you disagree with?"

Church-State Separation
Answered tonight: "Thomas Jefferson wrote about the First Amendment: 'building a wall of separation between Church and State.' Why do you think that is so important?"

[Funny thing is that Palin doesn't actually answer all these questions]

538 / Intrade Update

Big day for Obama. Win percentage cracks 85%. Still selling below 65 on Intrade. If you can stomach the $25 wire transfer fee, now is a good time to buy Obama stock. Exploit that 20-point gap.

Stupid, Completely Understandable

Man jumps into the ocean to save is dog from a shark.

Debategate

Nate Silver weighs in on Debategate -- the new name for the Gwen Ifill-moderated vice presidential debate -- arguing that should Ifill be replaced Obama would be in an even more commanding position than he is now.

Hello, Texas

Total oil consumption: Texas. Most oil consumption per capital: Alaska.

Remember When...

Remember when Palin was nominated for the vice presidency and a bunch of people said that she should get back into the kitchen? Completely justified.

Believe What I Say, Not What I Said

Talking Points Memo has the skinny on McCain's latest divorce from reality. Yesterday he blamed Obama for the bailout failure, even going so far as to release this ad blaming Obama for the bailout failure. Then later yesterday he says he never blamed Obama for the bailout failure in an interview with ABC.

Biden's Debate Prep

For his debate with Sarah Palin tomorrow night Joe Biden should be locked in a room with whatever it is that drives him insane the most. Then he should be coached on how to stay silent. Reaffirming slogans like "What to keep your mouth shut, Joe!" should be running through his head at all times. Whatever it takes to keep him from talking. Going against Sarah Palin, that's all Biden needs to do to win the debate. Opening his mouth is the only way he could lose. Biden does not need to bury Palin. Palin will do that herself. He should be focused on two things: 1) not jumping up and down on her grave and 2) not sticking his foot in his mouth. That's it. Keep quite, Joe.

McCain Seeks Advice From Palin

From an interview with NRP this morning:

NPR: Given what you’ve said Senator, is there an occasion where you could imagine turning to Governor Palin for advice in a foreign policy crisis.

MCCAIN: I’ve turned to her advice many times in the past, I can’t imagine turning to Senator Obama or Senator Biden because they’ve been wrong, they were wrong about Iraq, wrong about Russia…

NPR: But would you turn to Governor Palin?

MCCAIN: I certainly wouldn’t turn to them, and I’ve already turned to Governor Palin particularly on energy issues and I’ve appreciated her background and knowledge on that and many other issues.

NPR: Does her energy qualification extend to the international energy market?

MCCAIN: Of course. Of course. That’s what it’s all about. It extends to a broad variety of issues from her worldview to threats that we face, to radical Islamic extremism, to specific areas of the world. I’m very proud of her, and proud of the knowledge and background that she has.

The America Blog sums up my reaction nicely:

Yeah, right, Joe Biden doesn't hold a candle to the woman who's read most of the newspapers and magazines in the world. And McCain has turned to her for sage foreign policy advice "many times in the past"? He's known her a month. Please do tell, what areas, plural, of foreign policy expertise did John McCain get schooling in the past month from Sarah Palin? McCain said it's happened "many times" - so give us two examples please. And he turns to her for advice on her world view on radical Islamic extremism? Oh please, her expertise in the Middle East is limited to taking a taxi in Anchorage from a guy named Ahmed. And her expertise in particular areas of the world? She just got her passport last year - what areas of the world is she an expert on, and more of an expert than John McCain? The great threat from radical Canadian extremism?

Once again the question arises: lying McCain or demented McCain?

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Crib Sheet For Palin

Tonight CBS will air the portion of Couric's interview with Sarah Palin in which she fails to name a Supreme Court case other than Roe vs. Wade. Since she may very well be our next vice president I figured it was my civil duty to provide her with a quick cheat sheet should the Supreme Court ever come up again.

Marbury v. Madison: Supreme Court can overrule Congress.

United States v. Nixon: President not above the law.

Plessy v. Ferguson: Separate but equal.

Brown v Board of Education: Segregation unconstitutional; overturns Plessy.

Miranda v. Arizona: Police must inform suspects of their right to remain silent, consult attorney.

DC v. Heller: Individuals can possess a handguns.

Boumedine v Bush: Prisoners have right to habeas corpus.

Bush v. Gore: Votes must be counted, but shouldn't be recounted.

Dred Scott v. I Can't Remember: Blacks cannot be citizens.

Now, a confession: This is the complete list of Supreme Court cases I could come up with off the top of my head. I know of others, but not necessarily the name of the case. And I know other names, but not necessarily the decision. I also had to look up how to spell "Boumedine" because I cannot spell to save my life (right, Rene?). And it's Dred Scott v. Stanford.

Women Wising Up

Women now favor Obama over McCain by a margin of 55-38.

4 Years Ago

Gwen Ifill began the vice presidential debate by asking the following question of Dick Cheney:

Vice President Cheney, there have been new developments in Iraq, especially having to do with the administration's handling.

Paul Bremer, the former head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, gave a speech in which he said that we have never had enough troops on the ground, or we've never had enough troops on the ground.

Donald Rumsfeld said he has not seen any hard evidence of a link between Al Qaida and Saddam Hussein. Was this approved -- of a report that you requested that you received a week ago that showed there was no connection between Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and Saddam Hussein?

For fun, between now and the debate you can calculate how many minutes remain until Ifill is accused of sexism and liberal bias, with bonus points awarded for how quickly into the debate someone charges her with acting out of racial solidarity with Obama.

Of course this could all be moot if Ifill doesn't do her job, but since she broke her ankle while preparing for the debate I expect that she'll hurl at least one hardball at Palin.

UPDATE: Ifill already being disqualified.

Welcome to the IHSA Bass Fishing Tournament

That's what many parents around the state will hear next May when the tournament rolls around. Illinois voted last year to add bass fishing to the roster of official high school sports. Apparently, it's a big deal. I wonder how many kids would have joined the bass fishing team when I was in high school. Probably none.

"What are you doing after school today Jim? You want to come over and get stoned? Those two hot girls from chemistry will be there."

"I can't dude. I have bass fishing practice."

Sounds lame.

New Voters

Via First Read:

A brand-new NBC/WSJ/MySpace poll is further evidence that the number of new voters who turn out on Election Day could very well decide the presidential contest. According to the survey, new and lapsed voters (those who didn't vote in 2004) back Obama over McCain by a 2-to-1 margin, 61%-30%. If you take the Bush (62 million) and Kerry (59 million) vote totals from 2004, assume turnout increases by 20 million additional voters (about what it did in 2004), and assume Obama wins these additional voters 2-to-1, then Obama would best McCain nationally by more than three million voters, 72.4 million to 68.7 million. But if turnout increases by just 10 million, then the numbers become Obama 65.7 million, McCain 65.3 million -- a virtual tie.

Stay Classy, John

From the NYT via Politico:

"At one point Senator Barack Obama walked over to the Republican side to shake Mr. McCain's hand; Mr. McCain barely interrupted his conversation, and did not pivot to face him, shaking his hand for only a moment."

A Joke

Palin sits down for an interview with Hugh Hewitt.

HH: Governor, your candidacy has ignited extreme hostility, even some hatred on the left and in some parts of the media. Are you surprised? And what do you attribute this reaction to?

SP: Oh, I think they’re just not used to someone coming in from the outside saying you know what? It’s time that normal Joe six-pack American is finally represented in the position of vice presidency, and I think that that’s kind of taken some people off guard, and they’re out of sorts, and they’re ticked off about it, but it’s motivation for John McCain and I to work that much harder to make sure that our ticket is victorious, and we put government back on the side of the people of Joe six-pack like me, and we start doing those things that are expected of our government, and we get rid of corruption, and we commit to the reform that is not only desired, but is deserved by Americans.

Two things. 1) That's one long-ass sentence. 2) It's never time that Joe six-pack is represented in the Office of the Vice President. That Palin believes regular folk should run the White House is a sign of a twisted egalitarian narcissism.

The other questions asked:

Now Governor, the Gibson and the Couric interview struck many as sort of pop quizzes designed to embarrass you as opposed to interviews. Do you share that opinion?

Have you followed the attacks on you, say, via Drudge or the blogs? Some of them are just made up and out of left field, others are just mocking. Do you follow those?

Governor, you mentioned the people who are struggling right now. Have you and your husband, Todd, ever faced tough economic times where you had to sit around a kitchen table and make tough choices?

Governor, when you say things are tight right now, is that simply because of Todd being off not working? Or is it because of extraordinary demands on the fiscal resources of the Palin family? What’s the situation there?

Governor, let’s turn to a couple of issues that the MSM’s not going to pick up. You’re pro-life, and how much of the virulent opposition to you on the left do you attribute to your pro-life position, and maybe even to the birth of, your decision, your and Todd’s decision to have Trig?

Do you think the mainstream media and the left understands your religious faith, Governor Palin?

Last question, Governor. Have you and Todd heard from your son? And how is it on your nerves having your son deployed?