Archive for Sunday, September 7, 2008
Snap decisions
September 7, 2008
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To the editor:
So much can be said about Sarah Palin, but more revealing and ominous is how and why McCain chose her for the second highest office in the land.
It's not hard to speculate that during the highly viewed Democratic convention the McCain camp crunched numbers and found likely VPs unlikely to draw enough votes. So he/they made a snap decision that blindsided even most in their own party - a wild pick that might work, might not (i.e., a crap shoot), that would shake things up and direct focus away from the Democrats. Although desperate, calculated, arguably not "country first," and pandering to women, it did draw everyone's attention.
According to Elizabeth Busmiller and Michael Cooper ("Conservative Ire Pushed McCain From Lieberman," New York Times, Aug. 30), "the process reflects Mr. McCain's history of making fast, instinctive and sometimes risky decisions. 'I make them as quickly as I can, quicker than the other fellow, if I can,' Mr. McCain wrote : in his 2002 book, 'Worth the Fighting For.' 'Often my haste is a mistake, but I live with the consequences without complaint.'"
Of the many reasons to not elect McCain president, all pale in comparison to this. In a perilous world where the words and actions of a commander-in-chief can be a matter of life or death, precious few instances will call for a crap shoot. Hasty, risky, and often mistaken decisions and their consequences are not something that Americans, or the rest of the world, can afford to live with.
Christy Kennedy,
Lawrence
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7 September 2008
at 12:45 a.m.
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notajayhawk (Anonymous) says…
>>> It's not hard to speculate that during the highly viewed Democratic convention the McCain camp crunched numbers and found likely VPs unlikely to draw enough votes.
Um … Christy? This is a political race. That's exactly why every presidential candidate (Obama included) picks a running mate. You really, really think Obama picked Biden because he believed old Joe would be the best one to carry on Obama's policies in the event that he died in office? Are you seriously so politically naive?
7 September 2008
at 7:31 a.m.
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just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (Anonymous) says…
Way to miss the point entirely, nota.
7 September 2008
at 9:20 a.m.
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Mimis_friend (Anonymous) says…
Being a long time Republican, I must say I have given great pause when it comes to McCain and have looked seriously at Obama because of those statements. Sarah Palin seems to know nothing about international politics and being second to an old man who could be one who doesn't see the end of his term, is really awakening to me. What a decision this was and it is not worth the risk for me. I look closely at the facts and since I am not a “christofacist” as someone coined in another post, I think I will put my cards on the guy who is smarter than most and has a good way of thinking things through.
7 September 2008
at 9:52 a.m.
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marcdeveraux (Anonymous) says…
Do we really want another born again christian iin the white house? The fact that palin is a pentacost church member is enough to stop anyone for voting for her.She is a wacko who should stay alaska
7 September 2008
at 9:56 a.m.
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madmike (Anonymous) says…
marc, it is you that is the bigot here. Constantly calling a KKK member, and always ranting against any religion shows your true self!
7 September 2008
at 10:07 a.m.
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tangential_reasoners_anonymous (Anonymous) says…
“the process reflects Mr. McCain's history of making fast, instinctive and sometimes risky decisions. 'I make them as quickly as I can, quicker than the other fellow, if I can,' Mr. McCain wrote : in his 2002 book, 'Worth the Fighting For.' 'Often my haste is a mistake, but I live with the consequences without complaint.'”
Nothing like beating the competition to the buzzer, with the wrong answer, in the Double Jeopardy round…
“Alex, I'll take International Affairs for $2,000,000,000….”
7 September 2008
at 11:43 a.m.
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foodboy (Anonymous) says…
Why there is some concern about McCain's impulsive, cynical and purely political choice for VP:
Palin Documented Quotes Posted on msnbc.com
On Creationism:
The simple yet elegantly awkward moose proves God's creation and not evolution is the source of all life. How could something as oddly shaped and silly looking as a moose evolve through so-called 'natural selection?' Is evolution a committee? There is nothing natural about a dorky moose! Only God could have made a moose and given it huge antlers to fight off his predatory enemies. God has a well known sense of humor, I mean He made the platypus too.
On oil exploration and drilling in the ANWR:
God made dinosaurs 4,000 years ago as ultimately flawed creatures, lizards of Satan really, so when they died and became petroleum products we, made in his perfect image, could use them in our pickup trucks, snow machines and fishing boats.
Now, as to the ANWR, Todd and I often enjoying caribou hunting and one year we shot up a herd big time, I mean I personally slaughtered around 40 of them with my new, at the time, custom Austrian hunting rifle. And guess what? That caribou herd is still around and even bigger than ever. Caribou herds actually need culling, be it by rifles or wolves, or Exxon-Mobil oil rigs, they do just great!
On Alaskans serving overseas in Iraq:
Well, God bless them, and I mean God and Jesus because without Jesus we'd be Muslims too or Jewish, which would be a little better because of the superior Israeli Air Force.
7 September 2008
at 12:13 p.m.
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hawkperchedatriverfront (Anonymous) says…
But will she pose for Playboy?
7 September 2008
at 12:13 p.m.
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XD40 (Anonymous) says…
The left's fear of Sarah Palin becomes more palpable every day. You can see the flop sweat on Obambi's brow as he attacks her. And, attacking her, commits a serious tactical error — his opponent is McCain. Yes, a lot of folks were broadsided by the Palin choice. But, I've been privately advocating on her behalf since May. The choice of Palin as his veep candidate was no 'Snap Decsion' by McCain. It was/is a well thought out strategy that has put Obambi on the defensive.
7 September 2008
at 12:20 p.m.
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snap_pop_no_crackle (Anonymous) says…
foodboy, you appear to be the most gullible of the gullible ones.
Rather than appearing in an msnbc story, those fake quotes were in a comment left on an discussion thread. They were supposed to have come from an Anchorage Daily News interview. A search of the ADN reveals no such story.
However, check out:
http://unbearablebobness.typepad.com/…
“Disclaimer: She didn't actually say these things - I made them up. But thanks for all the visits.”
Dum b*ss.
7 September 2008
at 1:22 p.m.
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notajayhawk (Anonymous) says…
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (Anonymous) says:
“Way to miss the point entirely, nota.”
An interesting comment coming from someone who's never been able to understand a point, let alone ever had one of his own.
The point, boohoozo, is that there has never, ever been a VP candidate chosen because they were the best choice to run the country if the president dies. Obamamama's choice of Biden is no exception - he was chosen for the sole reason of addressing the concerns of the independent voters (who will decide this election) that he has absolutely no foreign policy experience.
And he's running for the top spot, not the understudy role. But with the latest Rasmussen tracking poll (3000 *likely* voters 9/3-9/6) showing McCain in a tie with Obamamama, all the Dem's can do is attack the number two spot on the ticket.
And what was your point, boohoozo, that the Republican nominee should have chosen a VP candidate who was more acceptable to Ms. Kennedy, to you, and to the rest of the looney left Larrytownies? Gee, can't understand why *that* didn't happen. Oh, wait, you must be talking about Ms. Kennedy's contention that this was a 'snap decision.' Sorry, that was too stupid to address. You really think he flipped a coin or something? The decision to select Sarah Palin was carefully considered, and the part that bothers you and the rest of the loons is that it looks like it will have exactly its intended result - to keep the truly unqualified candidate, Obamamama, out of the White House.
7 September 2008
at 1:26 p.m.
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hawkperchedatriverfront (Anonymous) says…
Cindy McCain picked Sarah Palin. Cindy McCain is going to run the White House. Free beer for everyone on inaugural day and moose jerky served by the First Dude. Grandma McCain will chauffer guests around DC in her new mercedes. Camelot will be back at the White House.
7 September 2008
at 2:14 p.m.
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merrill (Anonymous) says…
Big oil picked Palin not McCain!
That said a larger concern is republican foreign policy.
This appears to be Republican foreign policy which openly advocates for total global military domination and one that must be squashed:
The Project for the New American Century (PNAC) is a neo-conservative think tank with strong ties to the American Enterprise Institute. PNAC's web site says it was “established in the spring of 1997” as “a non-profit, educational organization whose goal is to promote American global leadership.”
PNAC's policy document, “Rebuilding America's Defences,” openly advocates for total global military domination. Many PNAC members hold highest-level positions in the George W. Bush administration.
PNAC members in prominent government positions:
Dick Cheney Vice President
Donald Rumsfeld Former Secretary of Defense
Douglas J. Feith (former) Undersecretary of Defense
I. Lewis Libby Vice President Cheney's former Chief of Staff and Assistant to the Vice President for National Security Affairs.
Aaron Friedberg Vice President Cheney's deputy National Security advisor
Robert Zoelick US Deputy Secretary of State
Paula Dobriansky Undersecretary of State
Elliott Abrams Deputy National Security Adviser
Frank Gaffney Pentagon's Defense Policy Board
Fred C. Ikle Pentagon's Defense Policy Board
Eliot A. Cohen Pentagon's Defense Policy Board
Henry S. Rowen Pentagon's Defense Policy Board
William J. Bennett Presidential speech writer
Jeb Bush Former Governor of Florida
Paul Wolfowitz World Bank President
John Bolton Ambassador to the U.N.
Zalmay Khalilzad U.S. ambassador to Iraq
7 September 2008
at 2:16 p.m.
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merrill (Anonymous) says…
Palin IS NOT fiscally responsible
Palin did not turn back earmarks but spent many many of them
Palin and troopergate is abuse of power and may require a pardon before the general elections. McCain and the RNC have sent a battery of lawyers to Alaska to sqaush the case.
Palins Alaskan republican party requested the troopergate investigation.
Palin tried to fire a librairian who refused to bow down to Palins demand for censorship. Citizens told Palin to stick it in her ear. The librarian is back to work.
Then there is the sex scandal over Plain having an affair with her husbands business partner. Palin must enjoy sex.
7 September 2008
at 2:27 p.m.
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The_Original_Bob (Anonymous) says…
Cut and Paste!
7 September 2008
at 2:38 p.m.
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just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (Anonymous) says…
I guess you did miss the point, nota, but nothing new there.
The point is that this was a very hasty decision— Leiberman was who McCain wanted, but that would not fly with the ChristoFascist base.
So who did they choose among all the other bad choices available?— an unknown who was not very carefully vetted.
How will that play out in November? I don't really know, (and neither do you) but that doesn't change the fact that this was a big gamble on McCain's part, and there is very little indication that he put much thought into it before he did it.
7 September 2008
at 3:15 p.m.
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gsandell (Anonymous) says…
Palin must enjoy sex.— merrill
________________
And I state again, Even for merrill, that's a really stupid comment!
7 September 2008
at 3:25 p.m.
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just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (Anonymous) says…
So, you're saying she doesn't enjoy sex, gsandell?
7 September 2008
at 3:27 p.m.
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gsandell (Anonymous) says…
I hope she does, but it's none of his frickin' business.
7 September 2008
at 3:30 p.m.
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XD40 (Anonymous) says…
Merrill: Your paranoid conspiracy theories are what will eventually sink Obambi.
7 September 2008
at 3:36 p.m.
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RedwoodCoast (Anonymous) says…
I keep seeing all this talk about the 'left' being afraid of Palin. Well, I'm afraid of her, but it isn't because I believe she would be a capable VP or President, which is what I think the 'right' is trying to suggest.
7 September 2008
at 3:46 p.m.
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snap_pop_no_crackle (Anonymous) says…
merrill wanted to see her breast-feeding.
7 September 2008
at 3:51 p.m.
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XD40 (Anonymous) says…
Why Obambi (THE Obamessiah) will lose (blame Sarah):
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfr…
7 September 2008
at 3:58 p.m.
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XD40 (Anonymous) says…
Obambi admits he's a muslim:
http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008/…
7 September 2008
at 4 p.m.
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just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (Anonymous) says…
“I hope she does, but it's none of his frickin' business.”
BushCo has made it official policy that anything they do is none of the business of the American people. Palin appears to have similar beliefs, regardless of how she enjoys sex.
7 September 2008
at 4:02 p.m.
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gsandell (Anonymous) says…
Probably more a case of “Please, please punish the big, bad liberal”.
7 September 2008
at 4:07 p.m.
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RedwoodCoast (Anonymous) says…
I don't understand Islamophobia. It's almost like people believe that you have a skewed sense of right and wrong if you're a Muslim, thus, you are inherently dangerous. I'm not sure what planet that logic came from, but it isn't mine.
7 September 2008
at 4:08 p.m.
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notajayhawk (Anonymous) says…
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (Anonymous) says:
“The point is that this was a very hasty decision- Leiberman was who McCain wanted …”
An insight no doubt gained from boohoozo's insider contacts in the McCain campaign. Oh, wait, you mean she wasn't the choice the morons in the press that you so blindly believe predicted? Imagine that.
“…and there is very little indication that he put much thought into it before he did it.”
If you're referring to the timing of the announcement, boohoozo, you obviously weren't paying much attention. It had been predicted for weeks that McCain already had his choice, but he would announce it immediately after Obamamama's speech, taking the media attention off that speech. Which, since you don't seem to be paying attention (which is nothing new) worked beautifully. Your contention that the McCain campaign didn't put much thought into their choice is based on nothing other than your complete inability to understand that choice - which, again, is nothing new.
7 September 2008
at 4:38 p.m.
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BigPrune (Anonymous) says…
The Smoking Gun removes the Palin Affair B.S. It's a lie, she never had an affair with her husband's business partner. The leftwing press sure loves repeating it. Repeat a lie enough times and eventually people will believe it (to paraphrase Nazi Propaganda Minister, Joseff Goebels). Surely they wouldn't report these things to help out their man.
click link to read all about it, especially Merrill.
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/…
7 September 2008
at 5 p.m.
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merrill (Anonymous) says…
“The big news this week has been Sarah Palin, and the press has been at a loss about how she will stand up over the next 2 months. There's Troopergate, Flip/Flop on the Bridge to Nowhere, EBay trader or not, Alaska secessionist or not, anti-Semite or not… racist or not.
A friend of mine asked rhetorically, on another forum, why Democrats were so angered by her selection as McCain's running mate. My response was that I've met too many people like her in my life, and that her well-documented character traits would make most people angry. In other words, she's just not a very nice person.
- She fired everyone in Wasilla- police chief, librarian, etc- who didn't support her mayoral bid or went against some of her more extreme demands. For many, it seems that they hadn't necessarily campaigned against her… they just didn't support her.
- She's at least an active participant in the Alaska Independence Movement, if not an actual member… her husband is the member.
- This whole Troopergate thing is because she wanted more blood from her sister's ex-husband… even after he'd already been through due process for his infraction. It's called 'double jeopardy' but, like most Republicans, the Constitution doesn't matter if you want to get even.
- She lies through her teeth: While she says she's fought Porkbarrel Programs, she's begged for them from Stevens and Young- $12 million as mayor alone. She says she didn't try to get Wooten (ex-brother-in-law) fired, but tapes and emails prove she did. There are literally dozens of these floating around.
- Fiscally irresponsible: As mayor, she inherited zero debt; she left with Wasilla $22 million in the hole. (Remind you of another 'conservative'?)
- Her minister is a right-wing wacko- and she has endorsed, publicly, his sermons on numerous occasions. She is a firm believer in Dominionist “Last Days” Rushdooney theology.
- She has publicly stated her maniacal dislike of gays.
- She is anti-abortion to the extreme: even victims of rape and incest gain no sympathy from her extremist view.
And now there's some evidence that she is a flat-out racist.
Maybe your experiences with people sharing these views has been OK, but to a person I've found these people to be not just distasteful and boorish, but mean, vicious, callous, and vindictive. They are, to the person, shallow idealogues. They are the likes of Karl Rove, Tom DeLay, Bill Frist, Phyllis Schafly, and Dick Cheney; these are the first to come to mind, but everyone knows I could go on.
She is absolutely not the person I want to become President when McCain is unable to continue in office because of dementia or death. She is everything even the most conservative Democrat is against. I don't think the Enquirer needs to vet her rumored infidelity… there's already enough there to dislike.”
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Did-…
7 September 2008
at 5:04 p.m.
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snap_pop_no_crackle (Anonymous) says…
“And now there's some evidence that she is a flat-out racist.”
And other than existing in the fevered brain of some loonie, what is that evidence?
7 September 2008
at 5:40 p.m.
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XD40 (Anonymous) says…
redwoodcoast: There is nothing to understand about islamophobia once you come to grips with female genital mutilation, honor killing, marrying 9 year old to 50 year olds and things of that nature.
7 September 2008
at 7:45 p.m.
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just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (Anonymous) says…
I understand the choice quite well, nota. He couldn't have Lieberman, and all of the rest of the choices sucked, so he did what desperate people do— something desperate. He chose a relative unknown who would appeal to the CristoFascist base, someone that would be controversial because she is both inexperienced and a woman, and the discussion has become about Palin, not on issues or policy, because that's not a strong point for McCain.
So the campaign will be centered around nothing but fluff the rest of the way. It worked for Bush the second time around, and maybe it'll work this time, too. It sure works for you.
7 September 2008
at 7:53 p.m.
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snap_pop_no_crackle (Anonymous) says…
Hey, watch it there with the “Cristofascist” business. I really liked the Umbrellas art piece in Japan.
7 September 2008
at 8:23 p.m.
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forchange (Anonymous) says…
I'm not pretending to know any of the basics of the Muslim faith. Are we sure that genital mutilation, etc (as noted in an earlier post), are basic beliefs of the faith, or is that part of the extremist secs?
8 September 2008
at 5:50 a.m.
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Barclay (Anonymous) says…
One thing is quite obvious to me- McCain's choice of Palin as VP has raised a sinking ship. Dems would have been relieved to see Huckabee, Romney, or any other young male governor nominated. Palin has them nervous. She has made McCain a winner, plain and simple.
8 September 2008
at 4:15 p.m.
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uncleandyt (Anonymous) says…
You mis-spelled wiener.
8 September 2008
at 4:29 p.m.
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KS (Anonymous) says…
Good ole left leaning Lawrence, Kansas! From the comments above, it appears to me that the Dems are bummed out. They just don't know how to handle Palin. They appear to be so jealous that they don't have anyone on their side that is soooo popular with the people. There is a reason she is so popular. People that want change, but not the change that Obama wants to bring. Lawrence wants free healthcare. The rest of the country doesn't. Lawrence wants more social programs. The rest of the country doesn't. People want the government to spend less, not more. People want the government out of their lives. That is the type of change that people want. People in Lawrence want the government to lead them around like dogs on a leash and tell them what to do and how to live. The people of Lawrence can't think for themsevles and they just have to have help getting thru life. That's a sad state of affairs.
8 September 2008
at 5:39 p.m.
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tangential_reasoners_anonymous (Anonymous) says…
“Good ole left leaning Lawrence, Kansas! From the comments above, it appears to me that the Dems are bummed out. They just don't know how to handle Palin.”
,;-D
We know how to handle little Bo Palin… just leave her alone, and she'll go home, wagging her tail behind her.
8 September 2008
at 6:54 p.m.
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KS (Anonymous) says…
tangential_reasoners_anonymous - Don't count on it. Popularity equals votes. Right or wrong.