Okay, stop me if you’ve heard this before: High-ranking government official abuses their power to put a dedicated public servant out of a job, then hides behind the stone wall of omerta to ride out the subsequent investigation. Yes, that would be Sarah Palin, totally justifying John McCain’s faith in her ability to be an effective Republican vice president.
It started out simply enough: Palin’s sister divorces State Trooper Mike Wooten, and it’s ugly, with lots of lurid but mostly uncomfirmed accusations against him. Palin and her minions (including her perhaps-a-little-too-involved husband) lean on Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan to fire Wooten, and then she fires Monegan when he refuses.
Only when the Alaska state legislature starts to investigate does the Cheneyishness really begin.
My favorite moment was when Palin filed an ethics complaint against herself, hoping that an executive branch investigation by the state’s Personnel Board would somehow invalidate the legislative investigation. And, of course, it has the added advantage of enhancing Palin’s undeserved reputation as a good-government reformer.
Apparently that didn’t work out so well, so the Republican State Rep. from the North Pole(!) petitioned the chair of the legislature’s investigation to remove Democratic State Senator Hollis French as the investigation’s "project director." You see, French said that the investigation was "likely to be damaging" and mentioned the possibility of impeachment. The horror! The… horror. (Can we get Mr. French into Congress ASAP, please?)
And then there are the witnesses. First they agreed to provide depositions voluntarily, so the legislative panel cancelled their August 18 meeting to consider subpoenas. Then seven of them changed their minds over the past three days (what an amazing coincidence!). Now subpoenas are not only back on the table, but the legislature has now moved their report date up to October 10th, thus making it that much harder for Team McPalin to stall it beyond Election Day. Ha ha!
And, finally, there is Sarah Palin herself, who talks a good game about wanting to be open and accountable, but, well…
The legislature’s special counsel Steve Branchflower so far has not been able to depose either Palin or her husband, Todd. [Palin's lawyer, Thomas] Van Flein indicated the governor likely will not agree to a deposition unless lawmakers turn the matter over to the Personnel Board.
"Assuming you agree to submit to proper jurisdictional process, we can check the Governor’s schedule to see when she and the First Gentleman are available for an interview," Van Flein wrote.
In other words, he’ll make Palin available to their investigation… if they agree to drop it. Beautiful. This is the same guy who called Branchflower’s attempts to contact Palin’s husband "a serious security breach that we may be obligated to report to the Secret Service."
Also, as the Anchorage Daily News notes, Palin is not exactly ordering her staff to cooperate with the investigation.
What is it about Republicans and the rule of law? And when will they realize that the coverup makes them look far more dodgy than the initial crime itself? And why on Earth would McCain choose a running mate with an unmarried pregnant daughter and a serious ethics investigation hanging over her head?
Just because Republicans don’t care about such things (only among their own, of course), doesn’t mean the rest of America doesn’t.
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Aloha, Eli!
I still don’t understand why the photo part of the Alaskan Governor’s website was shut down for 2 days and then when it reappeared only pictures of her post-birth were on there.
That said, even if she was the one who was pregnant with Trig and not Bristol as it had appeared, then why did she wait until she was 7 months pregnant to announce to her office or those around her that she was?
In my mind, there are things that don’t add up. But! I will be focusing on all the other stuff in her life. We’ll all be busy. ;-)
Aloha, CTut!
I grew up in a small town. These kind of “rumors” usually have at least some truth to them.
So Eli, what does Sarah Palin think of the Missouri Compromise and the Kansas-Nebraska Act?
(Gosh, I suppose that’s before her time. Perhaps she can ask McCain for some help with that one.)
Because she fires anyone who exhibits even a trace of disloyalty?
Because when she fires a gun, she hits what she’s aiming at?
My original draft had a preamble about how I’m totally fascinated by all the rumors and stories about Palin’s personal life, but it’s hard to tell which are legit, and which ones would make me look like an idiot if I stuck my neck out on them. And via the magic of the Republican transitive property, that would discredit The Entire Liberal Blogosphere, and probably my entire family.
Of course, nothing never seems to discredit conservabloggers. C’est la vie.
Hi, Eli! It’s really too bad that Grace Metalious died when Sarah Palin was only 2 weeks old… It sounds like she could move her novel north for a sequel — “Palin Place.”
OT
Govt to take over Fannie & Freddie
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/
Nice post, Eli…
There is nothing new here in teh republican Modus Operandi developed over the last 35 years and refined to a sharp point in the last eight.
I know it sounds silly, but I blame Nancy Pelosi for this, her spinelessness in failing to hold the present administration accountable has allowed other republicans to give the finger to the rule of law with a smile on their face and a song in their hearts.
There is no chance that Palin will be held accountable unless the Alaska Lege grows a pair in the next five or so weeks.
Classic Rove, Classic republican and unAmerican as you can get. Country First? Hardly.
(((((Eli!)))))
You are in good company – many share your fascination. :~D
Did I imagine earlier reports this week the National Enquirer claims they have the goods on Palin & a reporting team poking around her home turf?
why on Earth would McCain choose a running mate with an unmarried pregnant daughter and a serious ethics investigation hanging over her head?
Because McPalin wasn’t vetted not that it mattered to Dobson. Crazy old white dude needed a fundie uterus to convice his base to show up on Nov 4.
Oh, and O/T and EPU’d from another thread, here’s Palin’s book BBQ list: Sarah’s Best Seller List
Sorry for the interruption to Eli’s regularly scheduled programming.
The Alaska lege kinda sounds like it has a lot more balls than what we have in Congress. The Republican House Judiciary Chair seems to be totally on board with moving up the date, and with the investigator and investigation in general.
This is completely OT, but I don’t know where to bring up these concerns, given that the entire left blogosphere is completely occupied with Sarah McCain.
Does anyone remember the Cuban missile crisis? I do – I was a kid scared out of my mind at the time. Well, I think Cheney is trying to foment such a crisis in reverse. He’s been in Georgia and Ukraine, and we have a warship parked just outside of a Georgian port where Russian troops are stationed.
Putin is no Kennedy, but I’m sure he is capable of telling the US that there could be some serious repercussions if we don’t back off soon. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are some very heavy discussions going on in the Kremlin as I write this.
Anybody else out there worried about this, or am I just imagining that the Kremlin won’t say, sorry, just kidding about this.
jb
Eli, Wooten gave an interview on CNN and admitted remorse about tasering the year old. I don’t know that much about tasers but he said it was a training bullet and was less of a shock than touching an electrical fence. He said the child had asked him to try it and it was stupid of him to follow through. He did kill the moose and did not threaten anyone’s life.
I am soooo hoping they have some there there.
Not sure if that makes it better or worse, really.
I’m willing to stipulate that he’s a bad guy, but Palin has now made the situation so much worse than it had to be.
Evening Eli.
I don’t know, but I suspect that those lizard brained repugs see all of this as a game. Only the victory matters, what happens after is not their problem. They look at these criminals stalling, and they’re proud, heck, they’re winning once more…
Oh, they’re OK with it, as long as they rule and decide who is subject to the law.
The repubs always have an October surprise without any feeling of long term consequences. We all should be concerned.
Gaddamn. Just saw another Biden clip from today in addition to the other one making the rounds. This one is different, yet just as good, especially the last half. Biden has quickly won me over and he needs to give lessons to Obama and every other Dem running for office anywhere. Fantastic!
http://my.barackobama.com/page…..log/gG5cnG
(10 minute clip)
they are above the law, it is the real reason they seek office, not to serve but to be served, not to uphold the law but to holdup the law
this is their real brand, this is what they are, who they are, they hate government when it governs, they love government when they are the administers of power
I kinda think it’s simple contempt for the law combined with a sociopathic streak. They don’t believe they should be held accountable, and they’ll resort to anything to avoid it.
I don’t give that much stock for 2 reasons:
1: I don’t think she’s ever heard of, much less read, that many books, and
2: No attribution.
To me it smells like a compilation of what people THOUGHT she might want to ban.
Witness the Bush administration’s use of the Justice Department as both sword and shield.
In Peter’s post I mentioned the same thing. She is vindictive and that is not someone, I want in office. In defense of Wooten, he is suppose to be a good trooper.
But, but, “community organizer”…
(sung to the tune of But, but Clinton)
Wow, after the zed I was booted out when I tried to post this money quote…
I’ll believe a republican would make a deal like that after I see the hearings concluded. They are waaay to good at working the refs and saying one thing and meaning another.
Am I too cynical? I’d like to think not, but after Bush v Gore I no longer believed anything said by anyone who could either put their hands in my pocket or have me locked up if they had an “R” after their name.
Isn’t that the truth!
Unless it happens really soon and is a Sept surprise, I’m not sure it’ll work for them. The Obama train is picking up steam and if they tried some scary shit, I wonder if it might actually help Obama. It could totally backfire on the Neocons since Obama can say, “Obviously, the Repub approach is not working.”
Biden is nobody’s fool, and was chosen for a reason. At first he may have felt like getting socks for Christmas, but I think we’re going to find out that they’re really, really, really nice warm socks!
Jo,
It appears from the later comments that that list is not accurate and may be from a global list of book banning favorites.
Some of the books included were published after her stint as Mayor of Wasilla.
Yeah, it’s very hard for me to avoid the impression that she’s a very unpleasant person. Maybe she didn’t write the awful acceptance speech she delivered, but she sure didn’t show any discomfort with it.
But if that’s *not* really what she’s like, then the McCain campaign did her a terrible disservice.
(Of course, I’m coming at this from the perspective that the speech was a huge turnoff to sane and decent people, but I could be wrong, or there might not be enough of them.)
Marion, found it out there… seemed consistent with what I had heard and it’s the first “concrete” list that I’ve seen. I also had heard that “The Handmaids Tale” was on her list, and it was on that list as well… FWIW, YMMV.
Probably just the hamsters having a hiccup… I’ve been having hell’s own time trying to get here and/or comment recently. And THANKS for coming back with that quote. It’s right on the money.
Another possibility is that they’re a Murkowski or Lyda Green ally.
this is what democrats do NOT understand, their MUST be consequences, IF there were consequences rumsfeld and cheney would have been put into jail for manufacturing data to undermine nixon’s treaty of detante, bush sr would be in jail for acting as president when reagan became incapacitated and putting bin laden in power, trading arms for hostages
THERE MUST BE CONSEQUENCES
and these criminals MUST be brought to the bar of justice, shown for the treasonous pox that they are, they MUST be STRIPPED of the profit they aquired through their treason, their assets MUST be confiscated and their family name MUST become synonomous with the name bendict arnold
if not, we will revisit this team of maggots yet again, in a decade or two but we will SURELY revisit these maggots again
they must be brought to the bar of justice and answer for the crimes against this country, crimes against humanity, crimes against geneva, war crimes as severe as those faced by criminals comitting the same crimes from wars past
they must face the bar of justice and answer for what they have done to our children, our grandchildren and theirs, a price unknown for time untold
they must face the bar of justice
Uh, I gotta say that I am not at all fascinated by the rumors and stories. They make my head hurt, and I’ve got better things to do with my time. Seriously.
Like, check out Darkblack’s latest.
Faster, President! Drill! Drill!
and palin seems to do it even more brazen, even while running
and our fourth estate will be silent, the witnesses silenced, bought off or threatened off
Yeah the tin hatters can poison the water for any sort of investigative journalism. But remember, just because you’re paranoid, doesn’t mean that they’re not out to get you ;-)
Consider the Rolling Stone wonder, Matt Taibbi. I love his writing style, his reporting, his adherence to real investigative journalism in a time when that breed is going the way of the Passenger Pigeon.
So, Matt writes a book (a whole book mind you) making the very valid juxtaposition of nut-bag religious freaks and nut-bag 9/11 troofers.
Now, in terms of religious fair disclosure, I’m skeptical of all religion but I’m also very skeptical of the 9/11 commission report. But, my man Matt compared anyone who questions the commission report to a religious nut, so whatamIgonna do?
Well, thank god there’s a guy I respect even more than Matt. Robert Fisk has been in the deal for some time and knows a fair amount about reporting. If you’ve read The Great War for Civilization (congratulations), you know he’s the man who stands the best chance of explaining the quagmire of Middle Eastern circumstances to the layman’s mind of a Westerner. Well, now my man Bob has got some valid 9/11 questions that mirror my own:
http://www.independent.co.uk/o…..62904.html
So, I’ll reiterate, just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you. Just because the prophet is covered with shite, doesn’t mean he isn’t channeling the big kahuna. And, just because the story replaced “bat-boy revisited” at the final printing, doesn’t mean it’s full of shit. It just means it probably is.
There is absolutely no “MAYBE” at all about it. That speech was written weeks before she was picked, and had to be re-worked to “feminize” it. (Ain’t that a kick in the head?!) They wrote a “generic fuck the Democrat” speech.
Hell, Team Nixon started creeping back less than 30 years after there *were* consequences. Think how quickly Team Bush/Cheney will come back without them.
A commenter in that thread suggests some of the books on the list were published after Sarah’s book banning daze.
Cheney’s in Georgia trying to convince them to allow an Israeli attack against Iran from Georgian soil. Good ideas die hard.
Yeah, and she’s also too young to remember that it was “the cover-up, not the crime,” that blew Nixon out of the White House.
Umm, no, you’re not alone.
But hey, not to worry – Gov. Sarah knows all about how to handle the Russkies – she’s right across the Bering Strait from them, after all! /s
Unless of course, you’re Ann Althouse. Then only if you commit homicide, although what you call the deaths of thousands of Iraqis in an illegal war of agression (accidents?) I’m not sure.
If Ann Althouse is on the faculty of UW Law School, whom did she get her legal larnin’ from, John Yoo?
That is so awful on so many levels that I’m struck speechless… Howling with laughter, you understand, but struck speechless. I think that for the next 60 days I’m going to have to cover my monitor in Saran Wrap…
I really would be interested to know what her reaction to it was. Did she say, “Ooo, this is awesome! Thanks!”, or did she say, “Oh jeez, do I really have to read *that*?”
If it was the latter, she did a great job of hiding it.
Applying the rule of law to Republicans is a complicated business and takes an enormous length of time, which is something unaffordable this close to the election. Yes, the evidence is strong that Gov. Palin abused her power, but is this something that can be summed up tidily in a 30-second ad? Perhaps, but I also think that many people, when they learn about the character of her ex B.I.L., will say she was justified in taking action against an entrenched bureacracy.
On the other hand, her efforts to ban books would make a terrific 30-second spot. Darn near everyone (save the nutballs who like to ban them) understand the danger in banning books. Take some liberties in the ad and throw in graphics of burning books. Heck, take a page from the Republican playbook in that truthiness is not really an obstacle and show clips of Nazi’s burning books. This will demonstrate quite quickly just how radical Gov. Palin is.
They actually make it harder to figure out what to write about, what with all the distracting shiny objects whizzing around.
Exactly. I want to hear from the librarian. She must be a wonder, because from what I’ve read no men in Alaska seem to be willing to stand up to her…
I’ll take Door #1 as my choice…
I had a post idea, which was kind of overtaken by events, along the lines of “Sarah Palin: Maverick Or Zealot?”, which would have highlighted her extreme religious views (abortion, gay rights, creationism, Crazy Vote-For-Kerry-And-You’ll-Go-To-Hell Pastor, and, yes, book-banning) and love of earmarks.
No one I know thinks she is even sane much less likable. The MSM keeps calling her popular without any basis in fact.
Worked for Preznit Borracho Hombre, he’s from right across the border with Mexico after all. Same thing, right?
I believe she had or has an 80 percent approval rating, that’s popular by any standard
Palin Place — good one, Marion! Salut.
And Eli in #7 — c’est la vie, non. C’est la guerre.
And we are in a war…for the survival of our democracy. Back to catch up on comments now.
Oh, and have I mentioned my contempt for L’il Joey Lie-berman? Quisling or Goldschlag…you decide.
There are some rather alarming poll numbers which suggest she’s actually an asset to the ticket. I have trouble comprehending how this can be – she was basically Karl Rove Meets Mean Girls.
Great observation. Let the narrative begin… Sarah the “Popular” Messiah of the old white guy party
Please do continue to write it. It’s not been addressed at all. They savaged Michelle Obama for her “proud of America” comment and have completely neglected the fact that this broad thinks secession is cool. And at least Rev. Wright doesn’t think I’m doomed to hell because I voted against Bush, and doesn’t think the Iraq war is God’s business….
Didn’t take her long to get in the Rovian groove..Lies to cover up lies about the lies… Amazing how this story just keeps playing out the same way and nobody (generally) seems to care that they’re being lied to.
Rove and his smear merchants are traitors to America and shuold be treated that way. Locked up and forgotten.
Eli, I was not discounting the rumors, or at least not discounting most of them, because most sound to be “all of a piece”. I mean, hell, I read National Enquirer on the way out of my local CVS, and thus saw the Edwards stuff long before it was uh, polite to say so here (and some was crap, but a lot wasn’t).
For whatever reason, I’m just not all that “fascinated” by the Palin saga. And, I’ve been trying to figure out why I have this reaction. My best guess, at present, is that I am just so appalled and depressed that THIS is a “credible” candidate in any way, shape or form. And, that’s not even exactly how I feel, but I just can’t seem to put my revulsion in words.
B-b-b-u-t-t weren’t we supposed to leave her family alone?
Just this morning, wasn’t Jane Herself (Affirmative Concern Trolling) telling us
Oh, wait. This is OK because it involves a Legislative investigation?
Yeah, that’s it.
That sure was a stellar job of vetting, wasn’t it.
Didn’t McLame insist that he’d done a thorough job?
Maybe we’ll soon be in a position to ask if this is how he’s going to vet members of his cabinet?
Oh, we’ve still got a few hours to go before we get into (Blue Texan’s?) Red Zone for Palin’s withdrawal from the Veep nomination, posted here at the Lake a few days ago. Will Sarah’s Ride last out the evening?
Bob in HI
Yep, that’s more or less what McCain will take this state by come 60 days from now. Sad, but probably true. Well, maybe only 86%…
Hate to say this…but Alaskans are likely to clam up about this thing for two reasons.
1) If McCain-Palin wins she is out of the way in Alaska…and an opportunity opens up for those attacking her to run for Governor. Miss nasty is gone…and it’ll get back to the old system of patronage.
2) Just think how much oil money will come into Alaska if Sarah gets to perform the “Drill, Drill, Drill” With apologies to Inul Daratista.
The reality is that Alaska’s economy is pretty much wholly dependent upon oil leasing and drilling…and the upset at politicians in cahoots with the oil industry is because they were sponging off the money that was supposed to be going to the public coffers. The Alaska Permanent Fund would balloon to incomprehensible sizes if McCain-Palin and the Repubs get to “drill, drill, drill”.
So why not just kick Sarah upstairs? She’s also likely to take some of her cronies with her to Washington…and fill the spots vacated by the Texans shown the door out.
Like I said, thank you Nancy Pelosi. Her “speakership” will be marked not as historic, but as a historic failure for her calls to inaction in the face of this threat to the Republic.
the reason she’s an asset is because mccain is not, there has to be some fire on the ticket and she is it
they are getting tons of free press, her delivery was excellant and she has given the republicans something to hope for
thanks, link bookmarked for later reading.
I’m waiting for “Adultery-Gate” to break big.
Old man Murkowski might not have been the best, but Alaska can do better than Sarah Palin or her ilk. That state’s population is too mixed to be so radically Right. And Palin’s record is quickly being discovered to be lies, self-promotion and perhaps outright criminality.
Of course, the state’s economics are really weird, so someone like Palin can make out like she’s great. But, few Americans anywhere will go along with extremism very long. Texas being the possible exception.
What I really really want to know is if the strange economics of Alaska have fed into Sarah short and strange’s career and meteoric rise to the top. If so then it would be very wise for the state to get it’s house in order to avoid losing a lot of oil revenue for the future.
I wonder, is TransCanada an American company or a Canadian company. How long would it take a good team of investigators to find a trail of money from Alaska-TransCanada-Republicans all across America?
Alaska, straighten up your house. You have visitors coming over for some moose stew.
Just a suggestion, but I think the term you mean is “epic fail.”
Urban G – i’m with you – i’m a 9/11 troofer, too. Love Mike Taibi but not on that.
PS
http://firedoglake.com/2008/09…..nt-happen/
Whoever put that “pitbull in lipstick” phrase in there probably will live to regret THAT one, though. That feminized things like a gangsta rap song represents a paean to feminism.
Maybe he was trying to prove what a gamblin’ maverick he is by deliberately choosing a running mate with obvious baggage.
Or maybe the only real vetting she got was by Dobson. (”She’s one of us. Take her or lose.”)
Did you notice that Darkblack gave her a French manicure? I wonder why that isn’t listed as part of her experience with other states/ nations. Okay, not to worry. She’s got the French thing down.
Mudflats recommended as a very well written Alaskan site.
But if that’s *not* really what she’s like, then the McCain campaign did her a terrible disservice.
If that’s *not* what she’s really like, then she should be auditioning for roles ordinarily thought to be in only Meryl Streep’s range.
I’m having a hard time picturing Mrs. Palin being that good an actress. That was *all* her, baby.
Actually, French is kind of a problem for her right now…
Some of my favorite books are on that list. Authenticity to be determined?
Oh but it’s all okay to silence our books and our tongues if you are rightwing Republican.
Still to be determined if she speaks in tongues….
But we know how much Ab Fab Nancy loves being Speaker of the House.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TH9JbWZ0sAc
pardon the YT whoring.
Transcanada is indeed a Canadian HQ’d and registered firm (Calgary)…with most of the Board of Directors being Canadian corporate types. But some are American and affiliated with other mining and petroleum businesses in the lower 48.
Plus, if I’m not mistaken, there’s some legal action that’s been filed against her for violating laws that govern confidentiality of personnel records in connection with her former brother-in-law.
Priceless.
Palin was apparently a hit on the pro-Lifer circuit for about a year and a half before McCain picked her. She was scheduled to give the keynote address at the National Right To Life convention just days before the RNC and had to cancel that appearance when McCain tapped her for Veep. I suspect Dobson and other anti-Choice fundamentalists had pushed this choice for months.
It’d be interesting to see which of these conventions she attended in the past and whether any of the Fundamentalist High-Priests were also in attendance. I seriously doubt that they travelled up to Alaska and ran into her there…so what was her travel down to the lower 48 over the past year or so?
I felt that we were well and truly through the looking glass when I saw the photo op of a US presidential candidate going to the Minneapolis airport to meet his running mate’s pregnant 17 yr old daughter’s 18 yr old high school dropout boyfriend.
Wasn’t Chee-knee up in Alberta meeting with oil co execs not so long ago?
Please bring that post up! Hit her now, while she’s off hiding at home trying to sort through her garbage. Take the offensive and define Palin for the radical fundamentalist that she is.
Looked more like Grandpa meeting his grandkids to me.
Is that not normal, then?
I know we have to talk about this woman who is a freaking mess, but I am so tired of her. Maybe other people who vote will get tired of her, too. McC certainly did manage to take the spotlight. I hope some big scandal will happen with the R’s and take her right off the front page. It’s driving me nuts.
I pray to God that “normal” Americans will be uneasy about it.
Oh, yes, you just reminded me of what I was thinking- I had the VERY same reaction- Through the looking glass aka Malice in Wonderland when I first started reading the Palin stuff.
The thing that sort of amazes me is that POWJohn is so fervently embracing the same people he once called “agents of intolerance” to get his sorry ass elected. It really is all about power and redemption for him personally.
The only aisle he’s reaching across these days is the one the Televangelists pass the collection plate down… he knows his would be base (or at least his handlers do).
It’s not an authentic list. It’s a general list of ”banned books” from across the US…and includes many that weren’t even published when Palin was Mayor.
I think that a better source for researching what she might have found ”offensive” would be from the sermons of her Minister (Ed Kalnin) at the Wasilla Church of God. It’s interesting that these were available on his website until right after Palin’s nomination…then they were taken down. But maybe someone got them?
Twain- ah, yes, if you read my comments above you will see that my reaction is similar, tho I couldn’t put it into words. But, you’ve done it. I don’t know why I even started commenting on this thread! I am just so tired of reading about McPalin!
I know that at least some R’s read this blog and we are giving them exactly what they want – attention. They must be rubbing their hands and saying “look, they’re scared of her” when they see all the blogs that are talking about her. I don’t want to give them anything.
I really hate these bastards. :::::Hope waves frantically at Eli::::
Hi sweetie, great post. Even if it did piss me off.
Hi, Hopie! Thanks!
… very funny!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..inionsbox1
Richard Cohen on Palin:
Favorite quotes:
***
Wow, first Joke Line, then Roger Simon, now Richard Cohen! I think even *Broderella* said some less than complimentary things.
Of course, the Republican response will be, “See? We *told* you the liberal media thinks you’re stupid!”
Eli — Thanks for the thoughtfulness and the atmospheric pic.
I don’t think Sarah will go away quickly, being the new media/neocon icon/darling. My stomach flipped when Blitzer declared, “A Star is Born!” If Bush and Cheney and Rove and the rest of BushCo are walking around undeterred after their colossal crimes, I think Ms. Non-Congenial Pit Bull is TERRIFYINGLY home free.
Brian Lehrer on wnyc radio interviewed Paul Ekman about the micro facial expressions of speakers during the conventions. For Palin the descriptions were telling and sobering. A wrinkled nose and dilated and flared nostrils revealed DISGUST for her opponent. He said she finds people who make other moral choices other than hers REPULSIVE. He also said the contempt flashes were quick and reined in but serious.
At the end of her speech, though, she did not rein in her sense of self-satisfaction and smugness over her performance. And the audience loved that she had that look.
When some pundits were comparing her to Ann Richards I was super annoyed. I miss hearing what Ann R. or Molly Ivins would say about this “fresh hellion.”
Well, I certainly don’t think she’s going to get booted off the ticket unless she gets indicted, although if the adultery rumors pan out, that might be a problem (I got the impression that it wasn’t recent, which I think would weaken its impact).
As to whether she gets off scot-free, the AK legislature is not the same as the US Congress. I don’t honestly know whether it’s better or worse, but it certainly *sounds* like they’re pursuing it pretty aggressively and honestly, or else they would have bowed out and let the “Personnel Board” investigation take their place.
The fact that they decided not to subpoena Palin is worrisome, though.
I am getting several circulated emailed letters from some of her female Alaskan acquaintances pleading with people to keep such power out of her hands. I know I am sending Obama a donation in her honor this week!
Hope! Hello. Nice to see your moniker.
Thank you for mentioning Todd Palin. I have been thinking he was an “eminence grise” from the first time I saw him on TV.
Sarah seems to be a hard-right evangelical, and the thought of a woman wielding real power is anathema to them.
Let’s start seeing some real scrutiny of the potential “second husband.”
You got it! Well done.
Interesting things are happening that are connected (indirectly) to Vice President Cheney’s business trip to Georgia. On Thursday, BP agreed with Russia to sack its current US Chief Executive, give greater control to its Russian business partners, and in return, BP will retain control of its Siberian oil fields – one of their most valuable assets.
The new Great Game has begun. But this time it is not about Russia and France fighting it out with the British East India Company over control of India’s riches. Instead, it is about oil.
Of concern is that BP’s Russian operations are under threat – from Russia, which is angered by American moves in Georgia, the Ukraine and Azerbaijan.
There is another Great Game in the offing. This one is the fight that Exxon/Mobil is about to have with China over oil exploration off Viet Nam’s coast. Again, China could make life tough for Exxon/Mobil.
Cheney will have a very busy travel schedule the next few months, as will the US Navy.
Not sure where you are getting “dedicated” public servant. Even people who don’t like Palin can’t like the officer who Tazered his own 10 yr own son. Beat his wife and hid behind his badge and the police form of “omerta” to protect his job. If Sarah Palin commited a crime, then she needs to be held accountable. But, it is appallingly hippocritacal for any of us to take the side of the trooper in this case. Any of us who fight violence against women should be ashamed at how some are acting. If the trooper was Sarah Palins brother and been accused of these things she would of been accused of protecting his job had she not tried to get rid of him.
She didn’t fire the trooper, she fired the Public Safety Commissioner.