I know it’s possible, but it would be hard for John McCain to have a worse interview, response-wise that is, than the one he had tonight with Brian Williams on NBC’s Nightly News. Of all the incredibly lame things McCain said — and there were many — his most incredible claim was that Sarah Palin’s PTA membership qualified her to be Vice President (begins at 3:35 in the video).
I honestly did not think McCain could be that stupid, but I was, indeed, quite mistaken. Palin’s experience had nothing do with her selection as McCain’s running mate. Instead, her reputation and record on social issues (abortion, gay rights, etc.) had everything to do with her nomination (presumed). McCain is making it very clear he intends to focus the rest of his campaign primarily on extreme right-wing ideology and not issues. The GOP will make “values” the issues.
There’s so much more that could be discussed about McCain’s interview, such as how being mayor of a town with less than 8,000 residents qualifies one to be Vice President of the United States, but citing PTA membership suffices for today.
Partial transcript :
WILLIAMS: You’ve heard the commentators, I know, and by repeating it I mean no disrespect. A 72-year-old cancer survivor picks a not yet one full-term governor of Alaska — is she the best person to be, literally, a heartbeat away from the presidency, Senator?
MCCAIN: Well, let me just point out facts are funny things. She’s been in elected office longer than Senator Obama. She’s been the chief executive of the state that supplies 20 percent of America’s energy. She has balanced budgets. She’s had executive experience as governor, as mayor, as city council member, and PTA. So, she was in elected office when Senator Obama was still a “community organizer.” He’s never had one day of executive experience. I think it’s almost ludicrous to compare her experience in elected office and as a leader of one of the most important states in America — certainly the largest — and compare her experience with his. It’s no contest.
WILLIAMS: But you know the question Senator, given the field, given all that we know, is she the best person to be a heartbeat away from the presidency?
MCCAIN: Oh sure! In every way! In every way that I know of. She has experience. She’s been an executive. She knows how to balance budgets. She knows how towns and cities work. And in all due respect to every American, I think the example that she has set of home and family and service and putting her country first — I think is, frankly, it inspires me.
Put aside for a moment whether Sarah Palin is qualified or not to be Vice President. Does John McCain’s selection of Palin demonstrate the judgment required to be President? Not according to this this nugget from Sam Stein at the Huffington Post (emphasis added).
The McCain campaign has gone to great lengths to present the selection of Sarah Palin as one made after a careful, meticulous vetting process. But evidence continues to suggest that the Arizona Republican made his VP choice with surprising haste.
On Saturday, a Democrat tasked with opposition research contacted the Huffington Post with this piece of information: as of this weekend, the McCain campaign had not gone through old newspaper articles from the Valley Frontiersman, Palin’s hometown newspaper.
How does he know? The paper’s (massive) archives are not online. And when he went to research past content, he was told he was the first to inquire.
Trying to ensure they don’t have a repeat of Katrina, the Rethugs have canceled most of their convention activities Monday. From the New York Times:
ST. PAUL -Senator John McCain said Sunday afternoon that Republicans would suspend most activities on the first day of their convention on Monday because of Hurricane Gustav.
Mr. McCain, speaking by satellite from St. Louis, also said he was optimistic that the mistakes of Katrina would not be repeated. And he called on his fellow Republicans to “take off our Republican hats and put on out American hats.”
On Monday, the Republican Party will conduct only its essential business of convening the convention, adopting its rules, electing its officers and adopting the party platform. Rick Davis, a top McCain aide, said the convention would only be convened from 3 p.m. Central time to about 5 or 5:30 p.m. The Republicans need a quorum on the floor to conduct their business.
Mr. Davis left open the possibility that Mr. McCain might not attend. He said the nominee is not required to attend, but since this convention is “the culmination of his political career,” he wants to be here but he “won’t do anything deemed inappropriate.”
This is what the Times sent out in an email alert about 30 minutes before the article referenced above was published.
With Hurricane Gustav heading toward the Gulf Coast, Senator John McCain announced that Republican Party activities on Monday in St. Paul would be suspended except for necessary business. He called on his party members to “take off our Republican hats and put on out American hats.”
John McCain doesn’t want any lasting pictures from Gustav like this gem from Katrina.
Oh dahling! I absolutely must know who your interior designer is!
The New York Timesruns this photo today by Landov (Anchorage Daily News) with the caption: “Gov. Sarah Palin in 2007 in her downtown Anchorage office, which has a decidedly Alaskan touch to the décor.”
It has been frequently reported how important John McCain’s VP selection would be to the neocon base. As late as yesterday, ABC News reported, “a revolt is brewing among anti-abortion activists in his conservative base that could include a walkout at the Republican National Convention next week and a huge battle on the floor.”
With each passing month of the campaign, McCain has repeatedly capitulated to his neocon base, and it looks like the decision to select Sarah Palin was nothing more than McSame rubber-stamping Rush Limbaugh’s mandate.
The politicos are all abuzz over whom John McCain will choose as his running mate for the 2008 presidential elections. Rush Limbaugh started the push for Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin, right down to designing a logo for a McCain-Palin ticket.
High School: Wasilla High School, Wasilla, AK (1982)
University: BA Journalism, University of Idaho (1987) Update: I should have mentioned TPM has already published some scandalousinformation on Palin.
Sarah Palin’s resume is not exactly what I consider deep in law, governing, national security, or foreign policy. In addition to being the runner-up in the Miss Alaska Pageant, Palin served two terms as Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska (pop. 5,470 in 2000) and has been Alaska’s governor for 19 months. The population of Alaska is 683,478.
NBC New’s Kelly O’Donnell just gave this report on McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate.
John McCain’s most frequent answer to “What was he looking for in a running mate?” was not “Someone who could step in in a moment’s notice.” It was: “Someone who shares my values, principles, and priorities.” And that you can find in Sarah Palin. He was not making the case on a regular basis that it would have to be someone who would step in.
Secondly, what has been the biggest concern of the McCain campaign? From their point of view — a disparity in media coverage. What have they just done? Every news organization will now feel compelled to cover Sarah Palin. It’s a historic opportunity — not since Geraldine Ferraro in ‘84 will there be greater coverage of this part of the race. And that is part of what they’ve been looking for — some kind of parity. So, in addition to that — you know, she looks hawky, she looks hunting. She really can appeal, in their view, to some of those voters around the country. So, for all those risks, those are two little insights I wanted to just add to the conversation that I think help to explain what they’ve done here.
I may have misinterpreted O’Donnell’s statement, “you know, she looks hawky, she looks hunting”. I played that part of her statement over and over again — it was a little hard to discern if that is precisely what she said, but I believe I have quoted her correctly.
That’s a pretty telling statement about McCain’s decision making. If McCain wins, he will be 73 years old on Inauguration Day, and he’s more interested in choosing a running mate that will get press coverage than a candidate that is qualified to serve as president if he were to die.
How revealing. Greg Sargent has an interesting post about John McCain getting quite “prickly” when asked during a Time magazine interview to define “honor” in a political context. Saint McSame refused to answer the question.
Well, this is what Webster says and apparently McSame needs to re-read it.
noun
Etymology:
Middle English, from Anglo-French onur, honur, from Latin honos, honor
Date:
13th century
1 a: good name or public esteem :reputationb: a showing of usually merited respect :recognition <pay honor to our founder>
2:privilege <had the honor of joining the captain for dinner>
3: a person of superior standing -now used especially as a title for a holder of high office <if Your Honor please>
4: one whose worth brings respect or fame :credit <an honor to the profession>
5: the center point of the upper half of an armorial escutcheon
6: an evidence or symbol of distinction: as a: an exalted title or rank b (1):badge, decoration(2): a ceremonial rite or observance <buried with full military honors> c: an award in a contest or field of competition darchaic: a gesture of deference :bow eplural(1): an academic distinction conferred on a superior student (2): a course of study for superior students supplementing or replacing a regular course
7:chastity, purity <fought fiercely for her honor and her life - Barton Black>
8 a: a keen sense of ethical conduct :integrity <wouldn’t do it as a matter of honor> b: one’s word given as a guarantee of performance <on my honor, I will be there>
9plural: social courtesies or civilities extended by a host <asked her to do the honors>
10 a (1): an ace, king, queen, jack, or ten especially of the trump suit in bridge (2): the scoring value of honors held in bridge -usually used in plural b: the privilege of playing first from the tee in golf
I thought John Kerry delivered one of the best speeches of the convention (if not the best), and certainly one of Kerry’s best speeches ever. He delivered a side of very rare red meat to John McCain.
The stakes could not be higher, because we do know what a McCain administration would look like: just like the past, just like George Bush. And this country can’t afford a third Bush term. Just think: John McCain voted with George Bush 90 percent of the time. Ninety percent of George Bush is just more than we can take.
Never in modern history has an administration squandered American power so recklessly. Never has strategy been so replaced by ideology. Never has extremism so crowded out common sense and fundamental American values. Never has short-term partisan politics so depleted the strength of America’s bipartisan foreign policy.
George Bush, with John McCain at his side, promised to spread freedom but delivered the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time. They misread the threat and misled the country. Instead of freedom, it’s Hamas, Hezbollah, the Taliban and dictators everywhere that are on the march. North Korea has more bombs, and Iran is defiantly chasing one.
Our mission is to restore America’s influence and position in the world. We must use all the weapons in our arsenal, above all, our values. President Obama and Vice President Biden will shut down Guantanamo, respect the Constitution, and make clear once and for all, the United States of America does not torture, not now, not ever.
Here’s the full text of Kerry’s speech
Update: TPM has the video of Kerry’s speech. Update II: Gail Collins obviously wasn’t paying attention when John Kerry gave his speech last night because she takes a rather hard swipe at Kerry in her column today. But then, why should she bother listening to Kerry’s speech before she slams him in her column today? Just business as usual. And of course, every negative critique of the Obama campaign must come with an appropriate dose of Michele-bashing, especially if the punditocracy wants to continue cozying up to their favorite candidate.
Hillary looks 10 years younger than she did when she thought she was about to become the first woman president. She’s developed this … glow. It appears that not only does she possess superhuman resilience; she positively thrives on crushing disappointment.
Michelle, on the other hand, has been looking slightly frayed. At the joint event, after the paean to Hillary, her speech went a little astray. Her mouth twitched and she seemed preoccupied with something else during her ritual call to reject the world as it is in favor of the world as it should be.
Obviously Collins didn’t savor her cathartic moment during roll call today. Isn’t it time to give it a rest and get on with life?
Barack Obama just won the Democratic Party’s nomination for President. In addition to winning the nomination, Obama is the first African-American in the history of our country to win the nomination of any major party. The media’s perspective — So?
Obama may be the nominee, but the media simply cannot stop its lovefest with Hillary Clinton. Take a look at the the leads from the Times and the Post. If you didn’t read the headline, who would you think won the nomination?
Although Hillary’s motion to nominate Obama by acclamation was a pivotal and important point, Clinton did not win the nomination and was not remotely close to doing so, but the press plasters her image as if she just won the general election, rather than losing the party’s nomination..
I have not been able to post for several months for several reason, but I found this so indicative of everything that has been transpiring in the campaigns since then, I had to take the opportunity to make note of it.
Here’s the tally of delegate votes by state up to New York’s (Clinton) motion. Of the 32 states voting, Obama had 82 percent of the votes cast to Hillary’s 18 percent.
