Take a few hours off, and see what happens? Apparently it’s not possible to blink these days without missing the latest bit of Palin drama. While I was out snapping photos of the governor’s home town of Wasilla and its environs, the state of Alaska was busy running an errand for Sarah – finding her a lawyer. Yes, she’s lawyered up. And the sparks are flying already.
It all goes back to Troopergate. If you need to consult the Troopergate Primer, go HERE. We’ll wait….
Now, we’d like to welcome our newest player to the growing cast of characters in our little drama – Thomas Van Flein. Mr. Van Flein (don’t you just have to say that with an accent?!) has been hired to represent Palin in the upcoming legislative investigation into the firing of Commissioner Walt Monegan.
“But wait!” you may be asking, “What about the state Attorney General? Why can’t he handle this?” Why not AG Talis Colberg? Well, he’s the one that Palin sent out to do a pre-emptive sleuthing campaign to see what the Legislature was going to find out when they investigated her. Just so she’d have a heads up. So now Colberg, who has already been talking to everybody and his uncle about the Trooper, including Walt Monegan, has now opened himself up to being called as a witness! So he’s out. (And incidentally, he’s also going to take over the role of Governor of Alaska should Palin end up as the VP, and her Lt. Governor Sean Parnell win his bid for Alaska’s sole House seat. My head hurts).
Now that John McCain has gotten his mits into this mess, the McCain/Palin campaign has put together a four-page statement saying that her husband Todd Palin and members of her administration had simply inquired “about the appropriate Department of Public Safety procedures for dealing with someone they considered a dangerous person and rogue trooper.” No pressure, just simple friendly inquiries. BUT, they say, keep in mind that Sarah Palin herself only became aware of her husband’s and all those other people’s ‘inquiries’ very recently, long after they were made. Because married people don’t talk about things like exacting vengeance on dastardly ex-brothers-in-law (on whom they’ve filed dozens of complaints) with each other. Todd did it all on his own. That rogue!
Here’s where the gloves come off. Van Flein, Palin’s new lawyer, says that the state legislature shouldn’t be handling the investigation at all. It would be much better, he says, if the state Personnel Board (a three person board appointed by Sarah Palin herself) did the investigation. And Van Flein also asked for all witness statements, documents and other materials collected in the course of the legislature’s investigation.
Hollis French, the state senator, and former state prosecutor who is heading up the investigation said, “No.” and “No.” French reminded Van Flein that Palin has been saying she has nothing to hide all along, and is Palin aware that Van Flein seems to be questioning the legislature’s legitimacy? (That was the first No.) Then he said that Palin had sent the Attorney General out to do the dirty work of talking to all the witnesses first anyway, so go get the information from him. And he told Stephen Branchflower, the real investigator, not to give any info to Van Flein. (Second No.)
Palin and Van Flein vs. French and Branchflower. Doesn’t that sound like some kind of epic medieval jousting match? Good analogy.
Van Flein saddles up. He says, “Our concern is that Hollis French turns into Ken Starr and uses public money to pursue a political vendetta rather than truly pursue an honest inquiry into an alleged ethics issue.”
OHHHHH. Name calling metamorphosis imagery and conservative hot button issue! FOUL for Van Flein!
And now French galloping at full speed…. “How does Van Flein explain the unanimous vote (to pursue the investigation of Palin) by the Republican-dominated Legislative Council?” OUCH! Van Flein is off the horse. Boy that had to hurt.
OK, now Branchflower is ready to take on Palin for some questioning. But…where is Palin? Is Palin in the house? (looking around) Ohh that’s right…busy with that Vice Presidential thing.
Van Flein, dusting himself off, pipes up: The investigation is “bad timing” in the middle of a presidential campaign!
Methinks the presidential campaign is “bad timing” in the middle of an investigation. But that’s just me.
BREAKING NEWS 9/2/08 4:35 LOCAL TIME:
Palin has just released documentation indicating that she will attempt to scuttle the investigation by the Legislature and steer it to the control of the State Personnel Board, a 3-member board that Palin herself appointed. The stall tactics begin. The McCain campaign does NOT want a Legislative investigation, and they don’t want the results of that investigation to come 5 days before the election as it is scheduled now. More shenanigans to come, I’m sure.
Mudflats 
OMG. Nobody could make this stuff up. And when you think McGovern dumped Eagleton over just a couple of bouts of electroshock therapy.
Also,
Is it true that Governer Palin copies her husband on official emails? What is that about?
I wonder if we’ll see any shenanigans such as the (alleged) secret purging of George W. Bush’s (again, alleged) less-than-stellar records from his stint while serving with the Texas Air National Guard.
OMG! You and the politics of your state are hilarious….can it get any better? Or worse? Worse, yes….a VP named Palin.
Have you considered selling advertising on your blog? It’s just great. Contact me if you ever do – I’d be interested.
I hate what Sarah Palin is doing on the national stage to trash the reputation of Alaskans. The fact that she’s basically thrown her daughter to the wolves by accepting the nod for VP is nothing short of vile. She had to know the media would feast on her daughter; Sarah AND Todd should have put their daughter first. Rather than pursuing MORE public attention, her parents should be focusing on helping her through this challenge.
I love how the Wall Street Journal blog is already all over Van Flein and his credentials. He’s a sharp shooter on Alaskan Federalist Law. And he runs the Bar Rag. My question is, is there a way that he could go over the legislature and have this whole thing delayed? And is there a way we can prevent that from happening? This investigation is pivotal in getting to the bottom of this woman’s character.
You almost have to feel bad for McCain. He wanted Lieberman, but his chief strategist Charlie Black pushed for Palin at the last minute to please the base. By running as the “change” candidates against THE CHANGE MACHINE in Obama, they’re in for a world of hurt. Poor Mac.
This is great, thanks for bringing a sense of humor along with the facts. In NYC, reading your every entry.
this is a FANTASTIC blog – you have kept me feeling sane(ish) all weekend. This is a terrifying situation for our country and i wanted to say thanks to all you smart and funny people that are commenting here. I feel like I’m in the beginning of a scary Stephen King book the past couple of days. Is this America?
I can’t believe that I have Sarah Palin and the GOP to thank for discovering your blog. You should be ashamed of yourself for causing me to spend hours and hours on my computer reading your prior posts. I have to take a nap. but I’m afraid I’ll miss something…. BTW, thanks for the pictures of the Greater Wasilla Metropolitan Area.
Having grown up in Stephen King’s Maine, I’d say there were certain similarities to Alaska. And I’d say both states are all-American.
Go back and read your Mark Twain. This craziness has always been part of our native landscape along with Jefferson, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the PTA.
Just brilliant. You are scooping the MSM left and right. Love love love it.
Mudflats – I hope Steven Spielberg hires you as a writer/Consultant when he puts together a film on “Palingate”
I think Gearhead nailed it: if there’s any negative paper (or e-mail) trail on Palin, expect the flood of GOP “vetters” to “vet” it out of existence, as they did with George the Lesser’s TANG records.
Also, we can assume that Mr. Van Flein is shortly to become a figurehead for the GOP white-shoe lawyers that undoubtedly will take over. They’re such aces at delaying investigations, and never was delay more needed.
Meanwhile, as a visitor online from the lower 48, I’m enjoying the beautiful pictures of Alaska and your smart, snarky blog. thanks!!
The thought of either Parnell or Talis as Governor is uber depressing. Which is a definite possibility regardless of whether or not McPalin does the impossible and wins. I’m hearing from more and more Alaskan’s who are realizing just how bad Pailin and her administration really is. Too bad McCain didn’t spend more than 15 minutes in his decision which will go down in history as one of the all time worst political moves ever for BOTH McCain and Palin.
My sister, who works on the frontlines in DC, just emailed me saying she’s being bombarded with questions about Palin. The end is near for our governor. Took off way more than she could chew.
There is a story in the Washington Post today about how Sarah hired a lobbying company to get huge earmarks for Wasilla. Miss Conservative is a big spender afterall. Please read it I don’t know how to do a link.
Thank you for the local perspective. You and your blog are WONDERFUL.
Can’t wait for your next hilarious yet insightful entry.
“Methinks the presidential campaign is “bad timing” in the middle of an investigation. But that’s just me.”
Ditto. Just so you know, I came to your site first today. Of course I turned on CNN when I got up, but that’s tv.
Keep on reporting. And Thanks.
This blog is, by far, the best of the best. I must have it first thing in the morning and then I’ve got to check it every hour to make sure I haven’t missed anything. Your writing is phenomenal, I look forward to what comes next. Keep it up!
Plwalsh, I’ve never been to either Maine or Alaska (sadly), so I can’t comment on that. (I’m from the South and currently live in California. ) I was trying to express the growing feeling I’ve had over the past couple of days that something alarming is unfolding. Friday and Saturday I would have said this feels like a Carl Hiassen story (Baked Alaska, now in paperback!), but today I’m feeling scared, hence my clumsy Stephen King reference.
Did anyone else see Michelle Bachmann from Minnesota on Larry King Live yesterday? YIKES. the other “panelists” (none of whom I’ve ever seen before, they’re down to the F list apparently) couldn’t even stay composed while she was spitting out her lines.
A Palin spokeswoman said trips to Germany, Kuwait, and Ireland made up her foreign travel.
Two details worth clarifying:
The Ireland trip was a REFUELING STOP on her trip to military installations in Germany and Kuwait, spokeswoman Maria Comella said.
Source: http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/
Sue,
I am with you. I stumpled on this blog Saturday and couldn’t do anything else. I was so afraid I would miss something. I have been reading the whole weekend.
There was a question on the previous topic, about Sara’s parents. Where are they from, and what are their views regarding all of this maddness?
References to Steven Spielberg; that mosquito “State Bird”; the “mountain”; moosecrossings. Yes, a major motion horror picture should definitely be in Wassila’s future. MAWS ?
Love this blog.
I wonder when video is going to surface of Palin at the Alaska Independence Party Convention back in the mid-90s. You would think being a member of a party that actually wants to BREAK UP the United States would turn out to be the biggest story out of this entire mess.
You really can’t make this stuff up.
An excerpt from Sydney Blumenthal’s latest article on the Huffington Post:
“McCain’s selection of Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska reflected his impulse to reject Bush. As I explained in a previous article in the Huffington Post, he really wanted to name Senator Joe Lieberman as his running mate, but that option was a political impossibility that would have provoked an open revolt at the convention. Karl Rove tried to manipulate McCain into choosing Mitt Romney, endorsed by almost all members of the Bush family (except the president who had to remain above the fray). Rove organized a campaign against Lieberman and other potential choices. There could be little doubt that Rove was doing Bush’s bidding. But McCain, resentful of Rove’s maneuvering, outflanked him with Palin.
Bush is said to be dismissive of McCain’s pick of Palin, according to the sources. Ironically, he is said to believe that now he will bear no responsibility if McCain loses. The old rivalry, supposedly buried, has come back to life.”
The piece also says that McCain was delighted (and Bush furious) when the hurricane meant Bush and Cheney wouldn’t speak at the Republican Convention.
Found your blog looking for home grown information on Sarah Palin. Sorry I came in so late. Having marched and fought for equal rights back in the day; there is no way I would vote for McCain/Palin. McCain is losing it! As a nurse I would say McCain is not thinking straight at all. Possibly an onset symptom of dementia? No, really, this man still believes in the shoot first model of operating. Age has taught him nothing. In his mind, he is still the skirt chasing Naval officer running with the big dogs from Congress back in the 70’s. It is ridiculous to believe that people who have respect for Hillary Clinton; and many other hardworking, intelligent woman, or themselves, would vote for the likes of Palin. Maybe McCain felt the need for a cheerleader or an office wife – maybe a secretary type. Yes, Palin was made Governor of Alaska…..don’t ask me how – I live outside of Philadelphia PA. Women like me are insulted with a vice-presidential candidate who is so superficial and, as the Republican party has proven in the last eight years, perfectly capable of playing the magician in her dealings with the public. You know – Look Over Here! – while they are picking your pocket or stabbing you in the back. If I were Cindy McCain, I might worry about what the old boy is up to. This country certainly should worry.
The fencing and jousting analogy is priceless and spot-on. I’ve always hated Jerry Springer and the soap operas, but I just can’t tear myself away from this particular car wreck of epic proportions. Bring…it…on….!
Stumpled on to your website. You are a gifted writer. I’m hooked!
Nice post. Very nice. Actually I found video footage of the ever-fiesty Van Flein:
What I’m finding really scary is an article in the Jerusalem Post that says the U.S. is about to bomb Iran and that Iran is saying this will cause World War III. This is based on unconfirmed reports Dutch newspapers supposedly based on information from Dutch intelligence.
There is definitely something ominous in the air besides the hurricanes and the Palin soap opera.
Latest polls!! Obama’s got Bounce!!
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/us/general_election_mccain_vs_obama-225.html
Eat that McCain! *thumbs nose*
From Andrew Sullivan – the fear he expresses in the second paragraph of this post is what I’m afraid of:
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/09/profiles-in-poi.html
Wait, Ken Starr, scourge of Bill Clinton, is now evil? When did the right change its mind a recognize that Starr had a “political vendetta”?
I am so glad that the Internet tubes work in the great white north. Although you 49th Staters think that you are different than your lower brethern, after reading through your blog, Alaskans are just like the rest of us. Your pictures of Wasilla are no different than any other highway town in America. And white trash in Alaska is no different than white trash in Texas or white trash in Oregan (this is from someone who is from white trash Louisiana).
Keep up the great work and GET A GOOGLE ADSENSES BANNER UP ASAP. Make some money before the Eagleton moment……..
There are a couple of articles in today’s L.A. Times that are worth reading, especially for the anonymous quotes from GOP insiders. Both are available online at http://www.latimes.com. The link to the first is on the front page. See “With Palin revelations, McCain’s gamble is clearer.” The other can be linked from the first. See “Pregnancy of Sarah Palin’s daughter shakes up McCain Campaign. Unfortunately, my html skills are so rusty that I’ve forgotten how to provide links.
Both raise questions about McCain’s judgment, the stakes involved in his high-risk pick, and the depth of the vetting process. The good news is that at least someone in the campaign knows how to use “the Google.” The bad news is that apparently they don’t know how to use it very well.
The last couple of paragraphs of the article of the effect of the recent disclosures on the validity and depth of the Palin vetting is almost comical if it weren’t so distressing. “In 2007, the candidate stumbled when a reporter in Iowa asked his position on funding condoms to fight AIDS. He called on a member of his staff ‘to find out what my position is on contraception.'” That, combined with the statement that the candidate doesn’t speak for the campaign should cause every American at least a bit of unease.
Any family can be faced with an unexpected pregnancy or the birth of a disabled child. The test for me is where the family puts its priorities. It would seem that family values would include putting the kids’ needs ahead of political ambition. But that assumes Mrs. Palin actually knows what the job of VP entails. While McCain may have intended to have a minimally involved VP, rather than one as deeply entrenched in the day-to-day WH operations, his age and health would mean that a responsible POTUS would have his VP well-versed in the day-to-day activities, just in case.
It has become clear to me that the choice of Palin was aimed, not at disaffected HRC supporters, but rather at his previously luke-warm base. The Dems must be very careful to keep the focus on his judgment in choosing Palin, and the obvious weaknesses in his vetting procedure and his decision-making skills lest they be wide open to charges of sexism and bullying. I suspect the reporters, bloggers, and the information that bubbles up to the MSM will be more than adequate to call Palin’s credentials into question.
Sullivan says:
“What I fear is some kind of pure emotional-religious wave that redefines the GOP for ever as a purely religious party, swamps all genuine questions about governance, celebrates this woman as the epitome of modern conservatism and rides the tidal wave of fundamentalist fervor to the White House.”
The great shame regarding American Christian fundamentalists is not that they have hi-jacked our party.
The great shame is that they’ve hi-jacked our religion.
“Plwalsh (09:11:22) :
OMG. Nobody could make this stuff up. And when you think McGovern dumped Eagleton over just a couple of bouts of electroshock therapy.”
I feel like I, myself, now NEED electroshock therapy just SINCE *FRIDAY*, August 29th when I first heard the news about this potential nightmare: a person with absolutely ZERO real creditentials becomming President of the United States if McCain leaves this world. That possibility after what we have been through for the last EIGHT YEARS! Nooooooooooo! My train-wreck-gut-o-meter went IMMEDIATELY off the scale!
On Saturday I franticly started Googling the Internet for any information I could find on this person and ended up here at this amazing blog like everybody else now here. I love you people! It saved my mental health that there are STILL sane and rational people left SOMEWHERE in the United States!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
But my head HURTS too after this weekend of trying to follow post by post who has impregnated who and who knew who was impregnated when by whom. Ouch! It is so hard to follow. But kudos to good research on following the trail of photos and the amazing work of that one of you who did that research on finding a 16 year old female on MySpace to trace the Second Theory down BEFORE the entie MSM! Outstanding citizen journalism! I understand the Enquirer has a SPECIAL investigative unit for that! You folks trumped them all!
I hope at least some of you enjoyed my stellar investigative reporting on vetting Falconi Field a la the Dylan Concert with my (now) 87 year old dear sainted rock and roll crazed Mother and my trenchant depth psychology analysis that McCain is losing his mind on the national stage.
I was always deeply influenced in life and my political thinking by the late Robert G.L. Waite’s psychological analysis of a major political figure in the last century and the stunning mirror effect he had on the idiots that followed him: “Adolf Hitler: The Psychopathic God”.
Always a MUST READ for each generation.
You may not like his use of Freud and others. But the chapter on psychological mirror politics is still totally relevant right down to the present hour!
Does anyone know if Hitler ever went moose hunting?
Yes. She doesn’t have a moustache but Hitler too forced people to sign ” loyalty oaths” in first the Party in the 1920’s and then pretty much eventually everybody speaking German anywhere in the world.
It is a joke indeed, but we are in very, very dangerous times because “psychological mirror politics” elected the Boy King to lead us into a wasteland. And now the same psychological mechanisms may now put a person in line to be the President of the United States that would be so over her head that it woul be absolutely terrifying as katie just said.!
Yoi!
I agree wholheartedly with katie, who said earlier in this comment thread: “this is a FANTASTIC blog – you have kept me feeling sane(ish) all weekend.”
Sorry – wholeheartedly
Is there any truth to the National Enquirer story?
http://www.nationalenquirer.com/sarah_palin_at_war_with_her_daughter_over_pregnancy_wedding/celebrity/65370
John McCain’s War On Blogs»
John McCain has made clear that he doesn’t like the blogosphere.
Now he has introduced legislation that would treat blogs like Internet service providers and hold them responsible for all activity in the comments sections and user profiles. Some highlights of the legislation:
– Commercial websites and personal blogs “would be required to report illegal images or videos posted by their users or pay fines of up to $300,000.”
– Internet service providers (ISPs) are already required to issue such reports, but under McCain’s legislation, bloggers with comment sections may face “even stiffer penalties” than ISPs.
Republicans rush
in to put Palin on a
pedestal — what fools.
The Deadliest Catch.
But, McSame was stuck with a Dobson’s Choice.
@sosad –
Link?
With stuff like this who needs reality tv?
LMAO!!
Keep it coming! We love you!
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/12/13/mccain-war-on-blogs/
Sweet Jaysus, is that Palin ever a blotch on the Alaskan landscape (unless you’re a lawyer, lolz).
The State of Alaska, which allocated $100,000 to investigate the propriety of the Palin family’s witchhunt against the boss of the ex-brother-in-law, former Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan, must now fork out another $95,000 to defend the indefensible : Sarah Palin’s role in the Palin family’s witchhunt against the boss of the ex-brother-in-law, former Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan.
Let’s pray that straight-for-the-testicles Sarah doesn’t utter the same words attributed in the 12th century to King Henry II (another tyrant who brooked no dissent) , “who will rid me of this meddlesome pest?”
Who knows who would saddle up their snowmobiles and ride to the rescue of the beleagured-but-still-pious Palin?
http://www.adn.com/monegan/story/513137.html
Attorney challenges Monegan firing query
By LISA DEMER
ldemer@adn.com
Published: September 2nd, 2008 12:33 AM
Last Modified: September 2nd, 2008 01:39 AM
“…The state Department of Law hired Thomas Van Flein…He is initially authorized to spend up to $95,000…“
@sosad –
Yeah, thanks, I’d already used The Google on The Toobzs and found it.
I feel sorry for you Mud, all this is making Alaska look like a HORRIBLE JOKE of a state.
Have a feeling this is going to get a lot of press. Palin says the War in Iraq is a “Task from God”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/02/palins-church-may-have-sh_n_123205.html#postComment
http://www.pubrecord.org/nationworld/299-documents-suggest-palin-obsessed-over-retaliating-against-ex-brother-in-law.html
Something tells me Sarah Palins picture is never going to appear in the dictionary next to the words change or reform.
Something else tells me McCain uses a different dictionary than the rest of us.
I….I….I….I….just don’t know what to say.
Like most of your new fans I came looking for “the rest of the story”. Was not ready for what I found.
I found every thing I was looking for but don’t get the claim of the Maverick reformer. Has she reformed anything or any one that was not just ‘IN HER WAY TO THE TOP? Can any one point me toward anything/the sorce of THAT spin? What is that title based on?
Several of you in AK are doing great work, TRUE AMERICANS. Keep it up, there is a reason freedom of speech is the first.
As an AZ resident for 27 years, I feel your pain with state politics. From John McCain, to Evan Mecham, to Fife Symington and to Sheriff Joe, I thought I’ve seen it all.
Sadly, I think the worst is yet to come with Palin. If this is all public already, what are we going to find hidden?
Prediction markets are now betting on whether Palin will be withdrawn as Veep. 12% say yes. I’m sure that number will be rising…
http://www.forbes.com/reuters/feeds/reuters/2008/09/02/2008-09-02T163103Z_01_N02400466_RTRIDST_0_USA-POLITICS-PALIN-PREDICTION.html
I’ve become addicted to your blog, which I just discoverd on Saturday. I find myself checking in constantly! I love your sense of humor.
Thanks for providing us main landers with such insightful information.
Sounds like the National Enquirer is about to dish all the dirt about Palin’s family, including Bristol’s refusal to go along with the just announced marriage plans.
The Enquirer also says that Palin broke the pregancy news only after its people told her people the newspaper was going to run with the story. This sounds credible to me since everyone knew the Enquirer was onto the story. So the Republican attempts to blame liberal blogs was just another smoke screen.
Of course, the Republicans could neer admit that they leaked the news because of the Enquirer was on to something.
Savvy journalists actually often say that the Enquirer practices some of the most astute reporting in the country. Just in this case they went after something other than the usual celebrity trash.
I have to echo the previous posters’ sentiments on how much saner I feel having found this blog and its thoughtful commenters. Ever since Palin was announced on Friday, I have been terrified about the possibility of this person being anywhere near the Oval Office. I have not felt this insecure since the weeks after 9-11 when I was living in Washington, DC — no joke.
I have been trying to make sense of this, as many people have. I’m beginning to think that John McCain, and now religious conservatives, have simply fallen in love with Sarah Palin. Cupid’s arrow, love-at-first-sight. McCain called her his partner and soulmate. I don’t mean “love” in a romantic way, but you see someone and just sense that they GET you. And then that blinds you to their faults, which only reveal themselves over time. You make excuses to rationalize their very bad behavior, because you’re infatuated. Of course since McCain did not vet her, and we’ve only known her for a couple of days, there hasn’t been time for these realizations to sink in for the conservative faithful.
For those of us who don’t see her as our instant soulmate, these faults are glaringly obvious, but for those who see her as kindred spirit, all the rational arguments about experience don’t mean a darned thing. Maybe Obama is also capitalizing on this kind of appeal, but I feel that least he’s got a record of good decisions to back it up.
Perhaps this is all just bad pop psychology. But I’m grasping at straws here to make sense of it all. It really feels like the Twilight Zone — a bad movie — a nightmare.
OK, regarding The McCain Online Kiddie Porn bill, I’m reading through it in detail. Everyone needs to take a valium and calm down.
(Link: http://politechbot.com/docs/mccain.child.sex.offender.120806.pdf)
I try to tend to thorough analytical detail (see my own blog, link in my sig)
It may be the typical legislative POS replete with vague and unconstitutional provisions (like most of them). It may not get any traction, either. Yes, it bears scrutiny and ongoing monitoring and pushback, but let’s not start hyperventilating about McCain trying to suffocate online political criticism. Much as he might like to, he’s up to his eyeballs in other alligators.
@ Proud kid – you forgot the sarcasm tag on almost feeling bad for McCain. I feel bad for the moms, dads, siblings and loved ones who lost sons, daughters, loved ones in Iraq, including the Iraqis. I’m glad the blogsphere and the media are pouncing on this story. It, however, doesn’t justify the 8 years that the media sat on their brains and let GWB do whatever he friggin’ wanted.
It’s karma – what comes around, goes around. I paused a couple days ago and started feeling a wii bit sorry about the GOP’s demise and then, I thought about $4 a gallon gas, how I lost my last newspaper job because of a sinking economy, how folks are being foreclosed left and right, how we got ourselves into a war that we had no business getting into, how we can be wiretapped, phonetapped and locked away with due process. Oh yeah, it’s time for a regime change.
I have a question. What does this woman do with the wolves she shoots? I cannot believe that one who pro-life would shoot wolves from a helicopter.
Have you heard about the supposed loyalty test that Palin gave just after taking office? Apparently she mailed letters to each of the city’s top managers requesting that they resign as a test of loyalty.
http://www.washingtonindependent.com/3767/palin-involved-in-ousting-scandals-from-the-start
I’m beginning to wonder if the GOP really wants to win.
Think about it:
A really, really old guy.
A cute but ineffectual running mate.
An extended family straight out of white trash central casting.
Lies & lawsuits.
Supporters that book a band called ‘Hookers and Blow’ to entertain delegates.
Now, a conspiracy theorist type might consider they want to Dems to actually win: balance a budget, bring back peace, international respect, and a strong economy. Just like Clinton had to do post 12 years Reagan/Bush.
And, 8 years later, the GOP can ride in with their Humers and shriek ‘tax and spend liberal deviants’.
Just a thought. Keep up the great blogs–I’m hooked!
McCain Kiddie Porn Bill / alleged Stifle Online Dissent update:
Circa DECEMBER 2006? (these articles citing such anguished concern)
I can’t find anything more recent as yet.
Sosad – McCain doesn’t even know what a blog is, because he doesn’t use computers. If he actually used computers, he would have been able to Google Sarah Palin, like the rest of the country did.
Just remember folks…
Thursday , September 4th at 7 PM EST
Washington Redskins vs NY Giants
Season Opener @ Giants Stadium on NBC
No McCain / Palin GOP Acceptance Speech to
contend with for this gal!
Are we ready for some footbal !! ?
Whoa Nellie!
MSNBC just read a quote from Karl Rove, saying the VP pick was not a Governing pick, and basically politically motivated.
This just goes to show you, how upset Rove, and Bush are with McCain for making this pick.
National Enquirer website down….hmmmm?
PalinGate – sorry ,, I forgot about that ,,HA!!! He must get angry when people who can use one show him the blogs.
this pick blows me away ,, some maverick pick ……If he was a real maverick he would have put up the middle finger and picked Lieberman .. Better yet someone with real money skills and a clean cut family like Romney . Can’t do that though , the Mormon thing gets in the way of doing what’s right.
Big, big thanks for this blog. I, too, confess to being completely addicted (and just a weebit obsessed with the insanity going on). I share Andrew Sullivan’s concerns, although more from the perspective of a life-long liberal facing the very real prospect and frightening possibility of another evangelical a breath away from the Oval Office. Please, please tell me that this craziness will not make it to the White House.
That said, I am so, so sad for Bristol (and the remaining Palin children). I just keep thinking about how unfair it is to her (and them) to be thrust into the spotlight by parents who are more focused on other things.
If they are elected (McCain/Palin), we deserve what we get. I just wish that the consequences could be directed only toward those who do cast that ballot. Sigh….
Signed,
An American in Helsinki
I’ve been glued to this blog since Saturday too! I think this story is the SUPER BOWL of gossip, the PERFECT STORM of scandal… politics, sex, mystery as to who is the mom or dad of the special needs kid… it just NEVER stops. It’s even better than a trainwreck, it’s … Palin … water … breaking … torture.
I knew this election was going to be historic, but now it’s going to be historic and a source of comedy for the whole world for Years. I hope the Daily Show gets in on some marathons of the recent episodes soon. So funny.
Will someone clear up the following confusion?
1) The rumors regarding Trig’s parentage were largely fueled by the preposterous explanation of the circumstances of his birth, described without irony in the last third of this Anchorage Daily News article:
http://www.adn.com/front/story/382864.html
2) Some speculated Trig’s real momma was Bristol, until a recent announcement of Bristol’s pregnancy was pushed by the National Enquirer – which paper claims it “knew” about Bristol’s pregnancy and threatened Palin with it (suggesting that Bristol’s current pregnancy is all too real). Bristol would then probably not be Trig’s momma, yes?
3) If Bristol is not Trig’s momma, does that mean Sarah is? And so the great migration from Dallas to Wasilla to give birth to Trig is…true? because “You can’t trust a fish picker from Texas”? That can’t be. Can it?
An AK gas pipeline is “God’s will”? But, she’s asking congregants to pray for it?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/02/palins-church-may-have-sh_n_123205.html
Fucking unreal. Let Us Prey.
[…] http://www.mudflats.wordpress.com […]
Just gotta say once more: What a terrific write you are!
Sorry that you have to do all this writing over such a headache. But better than a huge hangover later for the entire world!
Because I was so excited abut remembering Football starts Thursday night,
I for got to ask why so little is being reported on Ms. Palins attempt
to cover up the improprieties she has exhibited during her tenure as Governor.
Yes I have mention of it, but no one in the mainstream media seems to be delving into any specifics.
I have also seen the latest polls have McCain / Palin at a dead standstill
while the other party’s numbers seem to be rising.
Lets hope this trend continues even after the debate.
I hope the ” real ” Palin stands up tomorrow night and truly shows her colors.
This gal is not to be trusted with pet rabbit much less the potential Presidency of the United States.
I have been GLUED to your site since I first googled Sarah Palin’s name the minute she was announced as the running mate. Your blog is fabulous, with great commenters too. Thank you for the grand writing and keep up the good work.
All the images I see of Sarah P show her with her children and her new baby. I don’t see any images of Todd helping out, holding the newborn and offering his help with this child. This is a problem I think. The public needs to see that this special needs baby is going to have a member of the family raising him while she pursues her political career. If it ends up being one of her daughters, then that says a LOT about her husband—that he would be no help to her. Not a family value that will go very far in this day and age. That family could get more credibility if we see them working together, not only the women doing all the work with raising the kids.
I am just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Where there is smoke there is fire—and that messianic war mission statement she made that is on huffingtonpost.com is a doozie!
Cheers!
Washington Post latest story re: convention lineup mentions Cheney leaving for Azerbaijan and Georgia today. Nothing on the tube about it but with Cheney that’s not suprising.
Today’s Jerusalem Post has an AP release that’s almost as obscured:
“Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is set to travel to Libya this week. It is the first visit to the country by a US secretary of state since 1953…..Rice is scheduled to meet with Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.”
First official state-level visit to Libya in 55years, and first ever in the Gadhafi era, whose regime, unlike Saddam’s, actually commited a terrorist act against us and blew hundreds of our citizens out of the sky over Lockerbie. An historic face-to-face conference between the United States and a ‘former’ terrorist state heavily involved in nuclear proliferation.
I wonder what they’ll talk about, besides oil……
Madhaus – special needs – the story yesterday ,,pop !!! she pulls the kid off her teat and hands it off to secret service .. no problems ….
Palin has cited her mayoral work as a central part of her qualification to serve as governor. But at the beginning of her term, asked by the local newspaper how she would run the city without experienced department heads, she made the job sound like no big deal: “It’s not rocket science. It’s $6 million and 53 employees.”
Source: http://dwb.adn.com/news/politics/story/8334949p-8231037c.html
(I took a screen shot of the article in case it goes missing. palingate@gmail.com)
Stunning Palin hypocrisy! Even moose don’t have such big testicles.
Here is that WP article about Palin’s addiction to earmarks:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/01/AR2008090103148.html?hpid=topnews
Tell me, dear blogger, is Dr. Baldwin-Johnson, the doctor who delivered Trig related to Levi Johnson? Or is that just a weird AK coincidence? And, how is it that Palin can breastfeed AND be so active on the campaign trail?
Is Van Flein simultaneously negotiating with father Levi who suddenly finds himself in an excellent negotiating position? You would think that if these two kids were heads over heels in love and itching for marriage it would have happened somewhere in the first 5 months of the pregnancy. Are there any rumors out there that now that Sarah has to holster her shotgun, the groom may think twice, or three times, about this union?
Okay we need more about the AIP. McBush campaign is saying it’s just rumors and Sarah was never a member, but AIP says she was and that she attended 2004 convention. More AIP members are coming forward saying she WAS a member. And of course McBush is saying they are just rumors started by Obama camp.
This AIP thing is the MOST damaging, more so than babygat or troopergate. Any local info regarding AIP?????
From the Washington Post blog, The Fix:
McCain Manager: ‘This Election is Not About Issues’
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/09/mccain_manager_this_election_i.html?hpid=topnews
Rick Davis, campaign manager for John McCain’s presidential bid, insisted that the presidential race will be decided more over personalities than issues during an interview with Post editors this morning.
“This election is not about issues,” said Davis. “This election is about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates.”
Davis added that issues will no doubt play a major role in the decisions undecided voters will make but that they won’t ultimately be conclusive. He added that the campaign has “ultimate faith” in the idea that the more voters get to know McCain and Barack Obama, the better the Republican nominee will do.
Davis generally dismissed the controversies surrounding McCain’s vice presidential pick — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin — as a media creation but did acknowledge that her acceptance speech, which seems likely to come tomorrow, is critically important to defining who she is to the American public.
As for the speech itself, Davis said a generic, “masculine” speech was being prepared before the pick was made and, now that Palin is the choice, she is adapting the speech to her own needs and personality.
Davis demurred when asked when Palin will sit for interviews with major news organizations, pointing out that now would not be the right time given the “combative” attitude the media has seemingly adopted toward Palin. Pressed on the issue, Davis insisted that “we allot a lot more access in our campaign than any campaign in modern political history….we’ll get around to it.”
it’s becoming very odd that every time I come back to this site my browser/computer goes crazy with blocked “pop-ups”.
I always tell the kids . . .backup your computer cause tomorrow it could just mysteriously be gone. . .that would suck.
Piuma
they only need Levi and her married for a few months ,, wonder what Levi “gets” out of the deal .. Can you imagine ,, there ‘s no place Levi can hide now ..
It is just now dawning on me the real job of that gang of GOP lawyers and vetters heading to Alaska. To shred papers, bury documents and intimidate people into staying quiet. Very depressing. Thanks for all you do to keep the news flowing and getting stuff into the public record before it can be scuttled.
Count yourselves lucky, Alaskans. You have ringside seats to the greatest show on earth! It’s hard now to even pick a favourite act–is it trying to dump the brother in law or getting books banned? Is it lying in her first national speech or failing to mention the pregnant daughter? Is it Alaskan Independence or saying that George Bush is doing God’s work in Iraq? And if I was to pick a favourite I’d probably have to change my mind in about half an hour, because the hits just keep on coming!
Question: let’s just say she has to withdraw from the VP race (“My five month old needs me, other daughter going to pop, Track got someone pregnant too, Alaska is fertile and needs my direct attention, etc. etc.” ). What will happen to her career as governor? Can she really return to Juneau unscathed?
‘He added that the campaign has “ultimate faith” in the idea that the more voters get to know McCain and Barack Obama, the better the Republican nominee will do.’
Um… how’s that workin’ for you?
LOL!
gary
thanks for that ,, I just realized were all on the terror watch list ..Frick!!! now I have to cancel my trip..
You’re doing a great job on enlivening the Alaskan political scene and Sarah Palin. I read Andrew Sullivan, HuffPo and your blog for what I consider to be the inside scoop. Keep up the good work!
hmmm. I get no ads at all.
“Any local info regarding AIP?”
How about the J B S, for that matter……..any comment’s, Chuck?
I can’t comment on the authenticity of the flag or the integrity of the picture in the following link; however, the flag is mentioned in the Israeli National News and shown on the INN article below..
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/127445
Published: 09/02/08, 2:00 PM
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Republicans Say Palin’s Israeli Flag Says It All
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
(IsraelNN.com) Republican vice presidential candidate Governor Sarah Palin sports an Israeli flag in her lapel and displays an Israel flag in her office window despite the tiny Jewish population in her state. Republicans say “that says it all” concerning what they charge is Democratic propaganda that she once backed Pat Buchanan, whose name is anathema to most Jews…
…Gov. Palin is a likely Israeli backer because she is “a very religious person, and the religious Christians are the greatest supporters of Israel,” according to the Hawaii’s Jewish governor, Linda Lingle, also a Republican.
umm- how am I going to break this addiction? This blog has gone to the top of my list.
I also just happened upon this website and I love it! I feel like Corie…..ever since Friday i have been vert frightened of this choice. McCain would never have my vote anyway but this is truly scary!! I am afraid that MSM will not put all this stuff out there for the world to see because they are scared of the backlash and that is a problem. All of this is relevant and everyone needs to know about this man’s bad judgement and recklessness. The troopergate investigation is enough to take her off the ticket. Are they actually thinking of waiting until Oct. to see how it turns out? Can the investigation possibly be delayed until after the election? The American people need to know how Palin operates and I believe they will be in for a surprise.
Jim,
That will be the coup de grace.
Alaskans: What’s your general take on the Anchorage Daily News? Are there good reporters or writers to look for in all of the coverage?
I also wanted to surface for anyone who hasn’t yet listened to it the radio interview she did with a morning zoo show (it appears to be the same one she called in to in “bitchgate”) the day of or the day after the announcement. She puts McCain on the phone at the end of the call to “say hi” to the DJs as if she’s gotten backstage at a Jonas Brothers concert and she’s calling her friends at home and passing the phone around:
http://bobandmark.com/palin_mccain_interview
I used to live in Yukon and I’d peek over the border to take in Alaskan politics, but that was a long time ago. I interviewed Murkowski Sr. a few years ago and had to take several showers after. Was Sarah a nasty piece of work in the gubernatorial election and/or the nomination process? This is an open question for the class…
So can anyone explain why . . eagle forum has been washed from the blogs?
http://eagleforumalaska.blogspot.com/2006/07/2006-gubernatorial-candidate.html
Yesterday it had posted the Q&A:
2006 Alaska Gubernatorial Candidate Questionnaire:
Will you support the right of parents to opt out their children from curricula, books, classes, or surveys, which parents consider privacy-invading or offensive to their religion or conscience?
SP: Yes. Parents should have the ultimate control over what their children are taught.
Will you support funding for abstinence-until-marriage education instead of for explicit sex-education programs, school-based clinics, and the distribution of contraceptives in schools?
SP: Yes, the explicit sex-ed programs will not find my support.
Today it’s gone, and the last post from eagle forum is now dated Sunday, April 13, 2008.
ehhh?
All,
I found a new home for my news article links. Out of respect for Obama’s wishes, I will not be posting “baby mama drama” a.k.a. “babygate”. There is a ot of other good stuff on there, though.
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/blog/palingate
See talking points — Todd a confirmed AIP member.
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/09/todd_palin_was_registered_memb.php
And via metafilter, their church, beseiged with people wanting to review posted-online sermons because some of the stuff within is the stuff of Jeremiah Wright part II, has now taken all their content offline.
http://www.wasillaag.net/all.html
Dare I hope anybody got there first and saved some of those files? They appeared to have all their sermons for YEARS on that site.
Bet the server doesn’t come up again for a good long 70 days or so.
Ok, here is the thing that is the clear and imminent danger that this country faces.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/02/palins-church-may-have-sh_n_123205.html
If you read the Woodward books on Bush, you know that ‘god told him to
invade Iraq and he did it’.
Here is a why this matters.
Bin Laden is first and foremost a religious fundamentalist who places his own interpretation on a 1500 year old myth. He has this ability to then find other people (with not a whole lot else to do), to work for him and ‘carry out the work of god’ as it is written in the book.
Secondly, he is a terrorist. The terrorism is simply his expression of ‘gods will as it is written in the book’ (that’s not what i believe, that is what he and the people who work for him believe.)
If you can not see the similarity between that sort of thinking and what you see happening in this so called church and coming from the mind and mouth of the potential next president of this country then you are missing the most frightening aspect of the whole drama.
if you can and you do see it, then get going folks, spread the word. it’s not too late. reason and rationality are not dead. never have been never will be.
but this sort of insanity is much more organized and if this country allows this sort of mind into the white house for another four years, the supposed suffering that people are feeling from $4.00 gas will seem like a foot massage compared to what actually happens.
unbridled dogmatism cloaked in the guise of ‘the work of god’
how did this child of a science teacher wind up so lost in modern day myth mongering? tax free status for ‘churches’ must come to an end. it creates
the havens for these nuts and it’s all about money.
don’t sit there in your comfortable chair and expect the guy that owns this blog to be the one who makes the difference. you need to get typing and stop the insanity. Trig has no worries. he will never die fighting for the opinion of some lunatic be it his mother or some other nut. but if you have young children, your inaction right now puts their life at risk. don’t let these fanatics kill your children.
I am simply FED UP with the despicable hounding librul media assertions that Palin has not been properly vetted! And I have photographic proof to the contrary
Did anyone see this video from John McCain’s fellow former POW?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/01/fellow-pow-questions-mcca_n_123070.html
One Question-
Is it a landslide yet?????
Oh man, I just turned onto this space this weekend also. Hysterical!! Had no idea Alaska was so wacky. Palin is one scary chick, and McClown is one pathetic old asshole. I love this site!!!
Are you afraid for your safty up there. I don’t want anything to happen to you or your website. I just love it. Good luck!
Mjc
good one ,,I was looking for something like that .. I said from the start I have nothing but respect for war hero’s but sitting in a box and getting jabbed with sharp sticks only qualifies you to go “oowwwww” . That and eat bugs when your hungry .
Horrified New Yorker,
Levi’s last name is Johnston with a ‘t’. No relation that I know of.
To all:
Yes, Palin has been affiliated with the Alaska Independence Party. And yes, they would like to see Alaska become its own country. Will try to post on this later. Never a dull moment!
Levi’s new last name is “cha ching” when he gets to load up wedding gifts from the RNC
AKM-
I think a major story would be just exactly what were the books that Mayor Palin wanted REMOVED from the library? That has GOT to be a revelation of her cosmic thinking right there. Right?
Can you make a phone call and get that Librarian Lady that stood up to Palin to make a nice little post on here? What were the exact book titles she wanted pulled?
Why not break the book title list to the entire world right here?
This Blog is now leading the whole world with revelations. Why not just keep them coming? Surely someone you know knows her and can make the call for the inside scoop.
Let’s hear it!
I love all you people posting on here!
That would be a sight to see ,,Alaskan independence …. The Russians would love to see how we handle that affair ..
Am I to understand that the state of Alaska is paying for Palin’s lawyer in Troopergate? And, secondly, isn’t her enlisting the attorney general of Alaska to investigate on her behalf a conflict of interest? I mean, I realize this is Alaska and all, but isn’t the attorney general usually the highest level prosecutor in the state who is suppose to prosecute misdeeds? I mean, what’s up? Was she abusing her power on behalf of the people of Alaska?
This is just too wonderful. You are now on my bookmarks and I check you out every day.
Hey, NYC (from NJ) we both have had our share, Sptizer and McGreevey?
But they were NOT running for VP!
oh wait . . . .now it’s:
Sorry, the page you were looking for in the blog Eagle Forum Alaska does not exist. “
This is making me sicker by the moment… How did this happen?? Here is another link for you to check. Who knows?? http://www.the-peoples-forum.com/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=4001 Thanks for giving me a place to put it!!
RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrraaaaaaaahhhhhhhh ,, dang just tossed lunch !!!
I need a new keyboard.. This is insane … turn on Fixed news for as long as you can bear it .. They are just gitty about this pick .. You can see one after another gritting there teeth as they proclaim her the best .. HHHHHHHAA!!!!
Hey you guys! I have figured it out!
We are in the Twilight Zone Episode called “The West Wing Meets Northern Exposure.”
Ana
what a relief ,, I thought it was real ..
What happened to Sue Williams? She knew Sarah, lived in her hometown, a Conservative Republican, didn’t seem to gossip…just told the truth as she knew it. She made several excellent posts then disappeared. Did they threaten her or her husband’s job? Is she okay? I do not trust the SOB’s when it comes to critiscism or anyone who does not think their way! Hey, mudflat, thanks for the great pictures. Gives a rounded portrait of Miss Sarah’s backgound. Love the pic of Town Hall! Looks like a real center of government learning and decision making. Huh! Question: What exactly type of decisions does a governor make in reference to the National guard or it’s deployment? Loved the interview with CNN’s Campbell Brown and her spokeman when she asked that question…..repeatedly…..and NEVER got an answer! Lol! Please keep up the good work. Your reporting and the comments are invaluable.
THANK YOU THANK YOU for your blog. I hope you are able to get some work done between your great entries. I’d be happy to support you with a donation to keep all the good info coming, please post a pay pal link or something.
cmac in los angeles, ca
Thanks for this great blog. Nothing more to add since everyone has pretty much said it. Now tell me again, how did you guys elect this governor? I thought we had a weird one in California!
Judy B . .this is not wonderful. . .it’s frightening.
Holy crap!
I thought Chicago/IL along with NY/NJ had all the city/state political insanity!
Be safe AKMuckraker this could get scary–you never know with the GOP!
Hamlet:
The book she wanted banned was Hilary’s “It Takes a Village” — it was too competitive (or in Palin parlance “not supportive enough”) of her book “I Ran a Village”
This blog is the best thing to come out of this whole nightmare.
Its going to come down to ‘did she clearly and deliberately direct someone to pressure Monegan?’. I doubt there will be any findings before the the election. If there are, Van Flein will have failed his real mission. I havent read the local paper yet, but it sounds like there have already been some public confessions. No? Have they lost the pertinent emails yet? It seems like so far this is the highest priority damage control item. They’ll finesse the rest as just liberal media bias.
Esquece, o mulçumano não ganha,voce é uma piada.
Muckracker,
As others, I’m now addicted to your blog. This is truly better than any soap opera, except for the dire consequences should this pathetic team win.
I also am wondering about Sue Williamson. Please post, Sue, so we know you’re okay.
I love this blog. Thank you.
gracejo assustador
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/1/4231/18477/878/581881
I know what it is–we are in an alternate universe this week!! We all may have the occasional ‘un-american’ thought, but do we join an organization and stay there, putting out videos in support, and THEN run for VP? Yikes… Why didn’t she JUST SAY NO?!
to the the Witz auf uns
Assustador é ter um protecionista como o Sr Barack Obama no governo dos EUA.
This race, as Davis directly stated, is not about national issues, but rather, this race is going to be about personality and personal beliefs. Outside of the relevant national issues defined and debated by these candidates (Obama much more so than McCain), the Republican party has a strong base that is united solely based on their religious beliefs and values.
Tomorrow night, the Sarah Palin presented to this country will not be the extreme right-wing character that this and other blogs have been able to define her as through the extensive research for the past few days. Rather, the portrait of Sarah Palin will be a friendly, young, energized, and compassionate mother that holds strong religious and Republican values. She will not emphasize her extreme beliefs on abortion, although she will claim to be pro-life, she will continue to spin the idea that she is a reformer, a maverick, and that she is willing to take on the good ol’ boys, and she will dispel any notion that she is lacking experience by referencing similar talking points that were used in her introduction speech last week.
The lies that the Republicans have utilized through the past few days will continue to prevail in tomorrow’s speech, and she will convince not only the audience on the floor, but the entire base of Republicans that share her religious views and values that she is not only ready to take on this VP position, but that perhaps even that she is destined to do so. I very much believe that the right-wing fundamentalists will view her candidacy as being destined by god.
This, to me, is a no-brainer. The republicans are neck-deep in this pick right now and are going to ‘go big, or go home’ by running this to the end. If she only performs in positively among the neo-con base, the republicans will reach even deeper and implement a plan to accentuate further the personality and values their constituency shares.
Will it be a war, a domestic terror threat, or another tactic? It sounds far-fetched, and I, in no way would hope that any of those things become reality, but the fact is, the republicans will not stop at anything to win this one, because if they do, the base they have energized will feel more defeated than ever before. They need an all-encompassing reaction to an event that will prove even more firmly to their base that they are indeed together and following the destined path. They will reinforce that allowing the country to follow a divergent path, belief, or value would be an enormous failure of god’s will.
I originally believed that Palin would be out of this by the end of the week, but after the last few days, I believe whole-heartedly that this train is on the tracks until the end of the line. I hope I am wrong, that the scandals surrounding Palin can be unearthed and proven soon enough that she will be forced out of this run without harming our country, but that may not be possible with the spinning and lying that the republicans are already employing.
Get the word out. Vote. Tell your family, friends, and friends of friends to vote. If the republican train arrives at their station at the end of this track, we are all in for a terribly reality.
Obama / Biden ’08
“I Ran a Village.” HAHAHAHAHAHA. Priceless. I spit out my coffee.
I had MSNBC on in the background but I’m turning it off. It is excruciating and alarming watching the networks cover this. They are at least two or three days behind the real story if they’re on track at all. I would LOVE for someone, anyone, on-air to break away today and call this insanity out for what it is. Campbell Scott keeping it a little real with Tucker Bounds yesterday was not nearly enough.
I would have so much respect for a leader in the GOP who is rightly fearful of this ticket to speak out today and ask John McCain to recuse himself from this election. (if that’s even possible)
The end of the latest post from andrew sullivan is good:
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/09/a-shameless-plu.html
Amen, Parker CA, Amen.
Obama/Biden 08/12!
O.K., here’s my rule of thumb for politician’s kids:
Any kids who aren’t old enough to vote should stay off the stage. The ones under 18 should sit quietly in the audience or else stay at home with a responsible adult. It’s O.K. to mention them in speeches from time to time, but keep your minor kids OUT of the spotlight.
THEN you can tell the media they are off limits and not answer questions about your parenting skills. Otherwise, your family is fair game.
porco McCain da guerra melhor??
I love a good melodrama. The first thing I do when I get home is read your blog. Great job!! This story should be good for at least a movie of the week. You could write the script.
A reminder of why this is all so important, and what is at stake in this election:
How can we NOT elect this man?
Mudflats, you’re outstanding, I vote you the blogger of the year!
Any secondments? Please keep it coming…I no longer watch TV, I am hooked to your blog!
Sr McCain,vai levar,não adianta chorar,ou tentar enxovalhar a vice.
except this isn’t “muckraker” . . . it’s “mudflats”. . .beautiful country regardless of the sleazy politics. . . yep yep. ..a few enlightened families actually live in Alaska.
The predictably emergent Gooper Palintology theme:
Any detailed critical analyses of Palin’s CV whatsoever are nothing more than despicable Godless Democrat sexist politics-of-personal-destruction smear tactics. She Is All That Is Good And Pure And Righteous; McGod Said It, I Believe It, That Settles It.
Comic Relief everyone!! Check this out. Swallow what you’re drinking first!!
If They IM’d: the Republican VP losers
http://www.236.com/news/2008/09/02/if_they_imd_loser_vps_1_8648.php
Just wanted to say hats off!!!! This has been, and contiunes to be, a great resource. Thank you for all your hard work.
I can’t bare to watch Fixed News…my TV will never toon to that channel!
The totally sober reality of why Sarah Palin can never, ever be VP! Visual reality check.
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/09/essential-difference.html
Se blogueiro ou jornalista ganhasse eleição com conversa fiada, o Sr Bush não seria reeleito.
McCain é um vencido, ele perdeu sua maneira, fala o inglês
HamletsMill,
This is the only thing I could find regarding censorship of books. Look on page 18.
http://www.politico.com/static/PPM41_palin.html
Bush e McCain são a mesma pessoa
( bush and McCain are the same person) more of the same ,,maybe worse now
die Welt lacht
Se o Sr permite prefiro o Portugues,o Sr Bush tambem tinha perdido a releição,na conversa mole de blogueiros e jornalistas,ganhou facil facil.
HA!
Apparently the Dems vetted Palin in 2006 – opposition research, so the Obama camp has not been totally caught off-guard!!
Here ya go:
For the article:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/13084.html
For the vetting report:
http://www.politico.com/static/PPM41_palin.html
Details of the Palin Wasilla library censorship effort are now clarifying:
She tried to get them to remove Hillary Clinton’s “It Takes a Village,” and replace it with her bio “I Gave Birth To a Village.”
😉
The Deadliest Catch.
sorry japelo no more portuguese from me today ,, english please.
HHHHHHaaaa !! so five’s a village is it ??
I just heard Bill Bennett and James Carville on CNN.
Carville brought up Palin’s relationship to the AIP and Bennett did not scream about it. Bennett also didn’t scream and yell about the liberal blogisphere and said it was perfectly legitimate to look into Palin’s political past. He also said things to the effect that this was not a good year for the Republican Party.
It seems the nominations of McCain and Palin and their speeches are going ahead as planned. CNN did not make any comments at all about the AIP stuff.
My sense is that the Republican honchoes have decided that they have to go through with the Palin nomination and have resigned themselves to losing the election. I think they realize that the choice of Palin was a disaster but they also realize that dumping her now would be just as damaging, if not more so, than leaving her on the ticket.
Elsewhere, Bush is said to be furious with McCain, contempuous of the Palin pick, and content just to let the ticket lose. By now the Republicans will have done some vetting of their own on Palin and may well realize the cause is lost for this cycle.
É muito engraçado ver e ler a falsa moralidade de alguns americanos,dá a impressão que só tem santo ai hehehehehe
About two days ago someone mentioned a rumor that Palin’s son joined the service as a plea bargain on a rape charge. If so, it would probably be relations with an underage girl (those girls are wild up there) and it could be that Trig is his son, not Bristol’s. Anyone following up on this lead?
os anjos portugueses vêm conservar-nos??? esperar para ver como engraçado
“Elsewhere, Bush is said to be furious with McCain, contempuous of the Palin pick, and content just to let the ticket lose. By now the Republicans will have done some vetting of their own on Palin and may well realize the cause is lost for this cycle.”
Methinks the Repubs are gonna be wandering around the wilderness longer than the Israelites did. (Too bad they don’t know about Mapquest, eh?)
This 63-page vetting document (see above) supposedly from the Obama Campaign, release through the Politico, is utterly devastating.
You can see why Obama wanted to keep the press off Bristol’s pregnancy— it will take every second of the rest of the campaign to get a tenth of this material out in news stories. What is in this document is far, far worse than anything that has appeared in the media (MSM or blogisphere) so far.
I think the Republican Party must now know that the Palin choice was a disaster for McCain and the party and is just going through the motions of the rest of the campaign. Their strategy must be to reform and regroup for 2010 and 12.
Man the drama just keeps on rolling in! It’s too much; I can’t keep up. And if I can’t keep up, how on earth can Palin? I’m not sure how she can manage her job as govenor, never mind Vice President of the United States!
This blog is one of the rare few that has med it to my Bookmarks list. I want to echo the sentiment already expressed by many that the blogger and the community that has formed here is bar none, the best the Web has to offer.
Thank you. Most sincerely, thank you, and please keep up the great work.
AP is now reporting that the HUSBAND not Sarah was member of AIP Sounds like the rebubblecan “vetters” are one step ahead of the press—-a depressing thought if true
(sorry my caps lock seems to be malfunctioning< so punctuation is a bit odd here)
i too am one “addicted” to this story and the blog 🙂
“MJC (12:19:49) :
Did anyone see this video from John McCain’s fellow former POW?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/01/fellow-pow-questions-mcca_n_123070.html”
Mjc,
Thank you so much for this link. I did not have any idea this was out there. I literally have had Phil Butler in the back of my mind since this past Friday when I tuned on the national and local news to see what McCain had to say at what, as I posted on the vetting thread, is known to us locals as Falconi Field (now Consol Energy Field) on the DAY ONE DEBUT of Sarah Palin as nominee for Vice President of the United States.
I immediately thought of him when I saw McCain going on with the POW and Vietnam Veteran card which is his ENTIRE PSYCHOLOGIVAL SYSTEM of self-identity now. He and former Vietnam Vet PA Governer Tom Ridge would have been formidable on that meme. Why didn’t he pick Tom Ridge as a running mate? Has anyone psychoanalized that yet? He would have had a much better chance to get Pennsylvania’s 21 electoral votes in my state which may be decisive in this election. Instead he went for Killer Moose Babe. Sarah, apparently, trumped even the noun, verb, and POW meme in his psyche. I am sure everyone has now seen the video footage of him on YouTube scoping that nice fundamentalist bottom of her’s. That vibe is somewhere in his memory of himself back in the day. It is probably more about that memory than anything else. I am sure all of the women on this Blog know that radar “lock on” even if you have a candidate for the Presidency of the United States standing behind you. (Fighter pilot pun intended.)
So seeing this on TV really did get me thinking of Phil Butler. I am a veteran of that Era too. in that very moment on Friday of viewing McCain’s speech at nearby Falconi Field, Phil Butler popped into my mind. I had not thought of him for years. I met him about 10 years ago and spent several days with him in conversation.
I think he may have been in the same prison cell with John McCain for several days once but their direct contact in captivity did not go on much longer than that. They were just held in the same prison in separate cells.
I thought of him because I knew he had been a POW a FULL TWO YEARS longer than John McCain. I think Phil Butler maybe was the longest held or second longest held POW of the entire Vietnam War. To all of you here who have never heard of him, I just Googled “Phil Butler” and there is a ton of stuff out there to view and read.
http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/16355
See what Phil has to say out there for yourself. I would tell everyone here to send these links to as many friends and family that you know as fast as possible.
I can honestly say that Phil Butler is a very different person from John McCain from HIS lessons learned from the terrible, terrible POW experience. He became very spiritual (NOT religious but spiritual – there is a difference) from the experience. He is a very loving, gentle, and cheerful man. Very soild and steady. I guarantee that every person here would love to take your entire family and go to dinner with Phil and his wife. You would be so uplifted.
He doesn’t talk about what it was like to be a POW in confinement for 8 years not knowing if they would torture or kill him on any given day. He talks about what he LEARNED from that experience about BEING a human being. I was present in a riveting talk he gave to an audience about the moment when he had to chose life over death and consciencely manifest and explore the WILL TO LIVE no matter what the circumstances. He is a very fine man.
I think something of what he learned (there is more) is expressed in film by Oliver Stone in the ending of “Platoon”.
here is the link i found to the story-
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080902/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_palin_politics
Santos portugueses eu não sei,mas se forem brasileiros vai dar o que falar.
Blogueiros e jornalistas não vencem eleições,é só dar uma olhada no passado.
Gary: I am scared, too. This wonderful blog is the only way I can
keep my sense of humor. I can NOT believe this country will elect
this sorry team. God help us!
Democrats we must remember how the far right wingnuts got in power in the first place: Grassroots efforts. It starts small, a school board election here, a mayor of a small nowhere town there, a governor of a tiny state that doesn’t mean much on the national landscape. Then, BOOM, there go our rights. We are left sitting around wondering what happened.
Sarah Palin is a part of that story.
We must ENERGIZE and get to our Democratic Headquarters in the next 24 hours. We must: 1. Register voters. 2. Start talking about the issues that our country faces. 3. GET OUT AND VOTE!
Don’t think of this as a free ride! Think of this as a gift to start questioning the terrible policies that have been dogging us for the last 8 years. This is OUR CALL TO ACTION.
Obama / Biden ‘08
BREAKING:
Apparently The Guv was in fact vetted in North L.A. by L. Ron Hubbard’s 3rd cousin’s offshoot “Church of Palintology,” using a technological variant of Dianetics Analysis:
AKM,
I used to have Phil Butler’s personal e-mail address. It may well be out of date, but I will try looking for it tonight. It is not on my current computer because that was three computers ago. If I can find it, I will e-mail him about perhaps posting some of his thoughts on your Blog since your Blog has trumped the entire MSM corporate media on what is happening. Maybe he will have some further thoughts to say here.
lookingglass raises a good point.
Let’s not get so complacent that we don’t bother to vote because we think it’s going to be a slam dunk for Obama. That may be what the Republicans are hoping for.
The fear tactic will play a crucial role in Bush’s speech this evening. Alluding to the 9.11 response and subsequent pre-emptive actions taken by the USA, Bush is going to slam home the idea that we cannot take another hit from terrorists, and that the only way to ensure this will be to vote for McCain/Palin.
We, on the left all know that this is merely a verbal pick used to strum emotional heart-strings, but we need to be talking about this more. The more the right-wing is aware that we understand they are employing fear as a main talking-point, the less impact it will have on broad level.
Obama / Biden ’08
Deb
That’s great if her husband was AIP ,, then that would be palins reverend wright ,, only she married hers .. ,, America haters ,, free Alaska ,,
“Deb
That’s great if her husband was AIP ,, then that would be palins reverend wright ,, only she married hers .. ,, America haters ,, free Alaska ,,”
But didn’t I hear a recording of her giving a speech praising the AIP and wishing them well on a convention? She seemed pretty darn supporting of them in that speech!
Just read this in the Washington Post. Probably not a biggie, but still…
“Sarah Palin
Palin Scrubbing Turns Up a Car Wash
By Matthew Mosk
ST. PAUL — In addition to being a mayor and raising four children, Sarah Palin found time for another venture in her Wasilla years — she was part-owner of an Anchorage car wash.
Palin and husband Todd each held a 20 percent stake in Anchorage Car Wash LLC, according to state corporation records filed in 2004.
The venture was not entirely smooth sailing, though. State records show the business ran into trouble with Alaska’s division of corporations business and professional licensing after Palin became governor of the state in 2006.
A Feb. 11, 2007 letter to the governor’s business partner advises that the car wash had “not filed its biennial report and/or paid its biennial fees,” which were more than a year overdue.
The warning letter was written on state letterhead, which carried Palin’s name at the top, next to the state seal.
On April 3, 2007, the state went further and issued a “certificate of involuntary dissolution” because of the car wash’s failure to file its report and pay state licensing fees.”
This whole Palin drama is way better than any telenovela!!
sorry guys i keep trying to link the story but with my caps problem it isn”t going through found the story on yahoo main site under news
NPR is reporting that Todd Palin was indeed a member of AIP and have documents to prove it. Although, sources to NPR say that she, too, was a member in the 199’s, but no documents to confirm can be located.
Katie — I agree that there are many things to fear along with Andrew Sullivan — but “What I fear is some kind of pure emotional-religious wave that redefines the GOP for ever as a purely religious party” has already happened. The party base is filled to the brim with single issue voters – people who, in spite of their economic position — virtual poverty — will vote for the Republican candidate because he/she is pro-life.
Mudflats — right on! You are blowing me away. My husband is a former Alaskan salmon fisherman and still loves the place (although he hasn’t lived there for 10 years now) and wants to go back. (I’ve got rain and cold issues but hey… maybe!) If there’s handful of thinkers like you up there, I’d really consider moving.
Everyone else — TURN YOUR RED STATE BLUE!!!! These crazies have to be stopped.
Republican Delegates (as if they are reading!): Nominate Lieberman and save yourselves from The Wicked Witch of the Far Northwest!!!
lookingglass, you took the words right out of my mouth. Except the last word, theocracy, which is where all this leads. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
I would encourage everyone on that comments on this blog to read, or reread, Margret Atwood’s: Handmaid’s Tale. Then look at Palin’s views on birth control, sex ed, and abortion. If she gets to have any say in our next Supreme Court that is the slippery slope we are going to go down as women.
We have to do something. Now. Not later. Please check out where your local Democratic Headquarters is, please start door knocking, please start making phone calls. Hell, some of them only need people to make copies! We’ve got to take back our government.
When you’ve spent 5 years in a POW camp, you can look in someone’s eyes, see their life and career flash before you in photograhic detail, do a cost-benefit analysis for the country first, and then for you as the candidate, and wait for the compelling signs of divine inspiration to guide you to the right VP choice – all in 15 minutes.
Diva
yea, because Palin and her husband don’t record conversations in bed .
You can bet if he’s AIP they talked about it plenty ..
Keith Olbermann is on! He is my favorite!
It appears that Palin may need to have support on stage to give her acceptance speech. That is so sweet what they are doing to give her that. See below…
http://community.adn.com/adn/blog/24417 Palin is scheduled to accept the nomination for vice president in a speech tomorrow night. But McCain campaign manager Rick Davis said “we’re reserving the right to move things around.”
Moving Palin’s speech to Thursday would ease some of the pressure on her, because John McCain is going to have his own speech that night accepting the presidential nomination. So Palin wouldn’t be alone in the spotlight.
I love this site! I discovered it a couple of days ago on Kos with a link to Mud Flats. I spent about a week in SE Alaska 12 years ago and learned a lot about the state. There are so many questions: (1) Is Alaska still a predominately male populated state? (2) Is everyone on anti-depressants because of the light-dark cycles? (3) Is Wasilla suburb of Anchorage as it’s being reported or a separate community? These are thing Alaskans on the Columbia ferry told us as we traveled up the Inside Passage. Keep up the good work. We here in southern Indiana are working hard to turn it blue.
Just as an aside, I’m from Missouri originally. Everyone in the state knew that Eagleton had had a couple of episodes of ECT, but didn’t hold that against him. How the McGovern campaign failed to know that before he was nominated was a mystery to those of us from the Show Me state.
Down In Mississippi – Palin’s biggest mistake in “Troopergate” may indeed be that she ordered the AG to “pre-investigate”. By doing so, he’s left himself open to being called as a witness in the case and must disclose EVERYTHING he discovered.
Looking Glass – You are so right! I can’t remember whether it was the late Lee Atwater or his trained chimp Ralph Reed who once said that more important than winning the WH, the real key to creating and maintaining a conversative GOP was to control “every city council, every school board, every state house, every govenorship, etc because we will have created a base of power that can do it business unchecked and unchallenged.”
Now, here’s what you must keep in mind about John McCain: he’s a 72 year old former Navy fighter pilot and that makes him one of the most arrogant people walking this planet. He also LOVES beautiful women, especially models and beauty queens and just like when he fell in love with Cindy at first sight, he was immediately thunderstruck by Palin when he met her at a conference in February of this year. Think he would have picked Palin if instead of looking like a “Mrs America” contestant, she looked like Hillary Clinton? Of course not. And if the reports are true and he was convinced by his advisers not to pick who he really wanted, then what does that say about his character and ability to make the “big” decisions?
Here’s what it really comes down to; John McCain, a noted gambler who loves to shoot craps, has put the fate of his presidential campaign in the hands of the relatively unknown governor of Alaska. A governor who yesterday had to announce/verify that her 17 year old daughter is pregnant and plans to marry the father (an 18 year high school senior). A governor who also is currently under investigation in the firing of her state’s DPS director (Department of Public Safety).
Palin, who’s scheduled to give her acceptance speech on Wednesday evening hasn’t made any public appearances since Sunday’s appearance in O’Fallon, Missouri with McCain. While most observers expect her to be very well received by the delegates in the Excel Center, it’s as Republican strategist Mike Murphy said on Monday, “She remains very popular in the convention hall, but it’s the rest of the country that matters.” And that’s just one obstacle facing the McCain/Palin ticket.
In my opinion, here are the three key areas where Palin will ultimately be judged – 1) On the campaign trail without John McCain. She will be in front of mostly friendly crowds but what remains to be seen is how large those crowds will be, how (if) she’ll respond to questions from the crowd and media and after cutting any reference to Hillary Clinton from her speech on Sunday because of the booing it received on Saturday, how she tries to reach out to so-called disaffected Clinton supporters, 2) How she fares in the VP debate against Joe Biden. Sure, they can brief and prepare her to the nth degree but at some point she’ll have to respond with more than just the campaign’s “talking points” and this is where experience and long-term knowledge of programs, facts and events comes in handy, 3) The outcome of “Troopergate”. If she’s cleared, fine. But, if things come out during the investigation that put her or husband Todd in a negative light or charges against her are recommended in the final report that comes out a mere four days before Election Day, then all bets are off.
And right now, despite their public statements, one has to believe that the GOP powers-that-be are sweating bullets, afraid to answer their Blackberrys for fear they might hear the following: “You’re not going to believe what they just found out about Palin.”
AKMuckraker,
Thanks again for your hard work, stellar writing, and informative insights into Palin’s career and Alaska politics. I look froward to your information regarding Palin’s affiliation with the Alaska Independence Party. In the background I hear a McCain surrogate denying it on CNN as I write.
Although this melodrama seems surreal, we must all remember how important this election is – the state of our nation is at stake.
The right-wingers are thrilled with Sarah and her ultra conservative views on abortion, as well as her hockey-mom-gun-totin’ persona. THE GOP will do ANYTHING TO WIN (anything EXCEPT vet their VP pick it seems!).
A woman I know said to me yesterday, “I like her – she’s a mom just like me and I’m gonna vote for her!” Yikes! That’s scary. So, while we’re all interested in uncovering the FACTS, let’s not forget to factor in the “stupid vote!” and DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE GOP!
You’ve gotta’ know why they are on the ground, in Alaska, scrubbing, right now.
Be safe in 49 North!
Palingate
Drats! Now I have to go out a buy a National Enquirer.
But, did anyone else notice how Bristol kept little Trig splayed across her belly?
I thought it odd that she was the only one holding the baby. Not the dad, not Sarah, not the other children. At first this convinced me that the baby was hers. New mothers are often very territorial.
But, then it dawned on me. They were using the little Down Syndrome baby to cover up they teen’s belly.
How low is that?
How stupid do they think the public is?
Miss Family Values Mom of the Year, Governor Sarah Palin, actually used her (or her daughter’s) infant son to try to pull a ruse over the very people she wants to elect her into office.
That’s despicable.
ChuckFree (15:12:19) wrote:
“And right now, despite their public statements, one has to believe that the GOP powers-that-be are sweating bullets, afraid to answer their Blackberrys for fear they might hear the following: “You’re not going to believe what they just found out about Palin.”
Excellent analysis in your post. I figure they HAVE to pull her NOW. If she accepts the nomination it will be much harder to pull the plug on her now. After following the raw flow here over the weekend and then seeing the MSM start to react and then the deluge on HuffPo where real journalists are out their digging now, it would all hit the fan on Monday. They HAVE to get her out of the picture ASAP. If her acceptance speech is a disaster out in the country they are toast. If they try to help her not stand on her own then that will back fire too. The people behind the scenes HAVE to be sweating bullets unless they are all Kool Aid drinkers who are that far gone. Any clear headed political operative would be soiling their pants at this point. If now one is, then these people are truly crazy. And her debating Biden on TV in front of millions of people and world wide is just something I cannot get my mind around. I sure Biden will be gentle, but on just ANY topic how can she say something: Iraq, Iran, Wall Street. She is going to be ripped to shreds. They HAVE to gracefully get her out of this by Thursday.
But when you turn on the MSM and see the delusional talking points memo surrigates it is truly surreal. Yep. That is the operational word in all this: surreal.
How can the GOP power people behind the scenes not be changing their underwear more than that poor baby’s diapers at this point?
This is a train wreck that can ONLY get worse. Sure. They would like to turn off their Blackberry’s but thanks to Mak Daddy they CAN’T.
OMG
Want a bet……the result will not come out, before the election is over. It will be tired up in court with motions after motions, to prolong the final result as long as possible. AND….If Palin was wrong, well then she will just resign and McCain will appoint another VP….end of story…McCain got his female VP for the election, that he needed badley in his own mind and then when its all over Palin can go back home to Alaska and she would be old news.
You will have a best seller out of this either way it plays out! I absolutely enjoy all your insights and colorful writing.
One of the cable news networks ran a story about a car wash owner targeted by Palin for personal retribution. Do you know anything about it?
As an aside, I just got off the phone with my very conservative sister-in-law in “Alabama in the Middle” PA and wanted her take on Palin. I was amused that she was appalled that Palin would invite that type of media scrutiny on her daughter and even worse, she hunted aerially. My brother and sister in law hunt deer and believe in the “DeerHunter” one shot rule. Don’t take the shot unless you can down it.
We’ll soon see if this was McCains one shot.
Levi Johnston to join Palin family at convention
Cain @ 13:29:11
My sediments exactly!
HamletsMill –
Lest not forget that the public lime-light has been completely void of Palin since her Sunday recycled speech. She has been bunkered away with the republican strategists and word-smiths hammering down the character attributes and details of what they are teaching her she must exemplify and voice.
Her speech will be extremely well received in that convention hall, and based on the spin the MSM has been putting on the issues thus far, and one can assume that the reviews the following day will shed a very glowing light upon her stagecraft.
Assuming this woman will fail during the big moments such as her speech tomorrow or her debate with Biden is just the reactive position the republicans are hoping the Democrats will take. It will be much more proactive to continually attack McCain on this deplorable and glaringly irresponsible decision that he made in choosing Palin to run as his VP, and to never acquiesce to what many perceive as Palin’s inabilities, shortcomings, or areas lacking experience.
Obama / Biden ’08
Parker – Just as you mentioned: Bushies Come to Palin’s Aid
lookingglass, I actually found my copy of Handmaid’s Tale yesterday and am going to reread it this week – you are so right.
When I was watching Michelle Bachmann and James Carville on Larry King Live (up on You Tube and if you haven’t yet seen this it’s worth watching), I couldn’t shake the thought that if we’re headed towards that future, this is how it would start.
That’s why I’m scared and having a hard time appreciating the inane aspects of this as much as I usually would. And I’m not an overly sober or serious person normally, so this feels extra weird. I’m struggling to understand the right level of concern because most of my friends and family don’t seem to be alarmed. They think this is all crazy, but that it will work itself out and Palin will be off the ticket soon.
The link to the politico vetting of Palin by Obama is another “poof” of many in the past 5 days. Vanishing links, scrubbed sites, changes of hearts & (&facts), journalists arrested. Enough?
<blockquote?The link to the politico vetting of Palin by Obama is another “poof” of many in the past 5 days. Vanishing links, scrubbed sites, changes of hearts & (&facts), journalists arrested. Enough?
The URL above is incorrect. The report is here: http://www.politico.com/static/PPM106_palin_doc.html.
Hey PlWalsh… as someone who mowed the grass of King’s parents down in Durham, and having spent a fair amount of time up in Bang gor… I’m gonna disagree. Chase Smith, Muskie, Cohen, Collins, Snow… even Hathaway. Our politicians have much better ethics and cranial ability than just about anyone from recent Alaska history. Moose prolly taste the same but Maine has NO bridge to nowhere!!
Question for all of youse… it’s been reported that the 16 y.o. Bristol was impregnated by a much older Levi Johnston. How old is this Levi? Are his parents also of the silver-ring mind? Did Bristol ever wear a silver ring to show her committment to abstinence?
If Levi is the 25 years old as reported in several places, has a statutory offense been committed? What is the age of consent in Alaska? Are there any limitations, e.g., in pennsyltucky a 25 y.o. found to have sex with a 16 y.o. would be charged with several sex crimes, including corruption of a minor, aggravated statutory sexual assault, and the like. If such statute exists in Alaska, why are the parents of Bristol Palin not following through on their parental obligations to their underage daughter?
I was reading the vetting document and came across the information about feminists for life: http://www.feministsforlife.org/index.htm See their mention of Palin up at the top of their home page and here: http://feministsforlife.org/news/ffl-member-sarah-palin-vp.htm At least they are being careful of their 501c3 and not endorsing her..
From document: Palin is a Member of Feminists for Life, A Group That Says Abortion Increases the Risk of Miscarriage, Cancer, and Compares Abortion to the Tuskegee Trials. According to the Anchorage Daily News, Palin “said she’s a member of a pro-woman but anti-abortion group called Feminists for Life.” Feminists for Life writes on its website, “If you choose to have an abortion, even if it’s at an early stage of pregnancy, the risks associated with this choice include bleeding, injury to the bowel, injury to the urinary tract, infection, and possible problems with having children in the future. Obviously, the further along in the pregnancy you are, the higher your chances are to have these types of problems.”
The site also says, “recently there have been reports that link breast cancer with abortion. Since abortion has been legal for over 20 years, and sometimes it takes 20 to 30 years for a cancer to develop, this link is just starting to surface. More research is needed, especially since so many women have abortions every year coupled with the fact that so many women also die from breast cancer.” The site adds, “We are reminded that in the not-so-distant past American citizens were “tricked” into participating in research experiments being performed by doctors and other people in the health industry…The Tuskegee experiment is a grim reminder that even though doctors and other people connected with the medical profession have been granted a great deal of trust and privilege in our society, there have been times when that trust was betrayed and innocent citizens were caused irreparable harm.” [Anchorage Daily News (Alaska), 8/6/06]
What is so frightening to me is the blind acceptance of Palin by your average voter on the street. You hear people being interviewed and they come out and say they love it that Palin is an average women just like them!
Thanks for a great blog. This election has shown me that the future of information sources will be blogs and not MSM. MSM is dead and will follow the Republican party down the rabbit hole. Unless McSame-Palin win, of course, then the rest of us go down the pooper.
One more point: after what we have all seen about the loonies in AK, does anyone in the other 49 states really object if AK secedes from the USA?? The loonies from the rest of the US can be shipped there as well.
I just read at cnn.com that Fred Thompson ripped Obama a new one and had the crowd standing. They are gonna stick by Palin and then turn it around and blame it on the liberal media and the liberal bloggers. We need to fight back. We need to keep the momentum. We are never going to change the minds of the sheep that follow blindly, but we can get the message across to those who have the ability to think for themselves.
Is Palin an intentional distraction to keep the focus away from McSame?
Ok, I opened that vetting document 7 or so hours ago, saved it to computer and downloaded it in pdf format too because you all keep talking about the scrubbing of sites… I have been doing that all day long. I kept the window open all day as it was so interesting and would read a section now and then. I didn’t reload or anything, luckily!!
Then I saw jwb’s post and opened a new window and checked the old and new link. NEITHER work. Very interesting. I have it saved—all 63 scary pages!!
If Palin tries to delay or move the investigation to the Board of Personnel, the question must be asked; Why are you trying to delay or move an investigation YOU ordered?
You know what, I’m tired of Obama and the Dems being nice. They need to rip both McCain and Palin to shreds! F**k being nice; with the election by ANY and ALL means necessary so we can get this country back from the right-wing loonies.
P.S. I hope I didn’t offend anyone with my language but these “people” are driving me crazy!
sauer kraut:
I left the State of Maine in 1965 and things are very different there now. This was long before the “new Portland” and when the only thing open at night in Freeport was an old fashioned hunting and fishing supplier called L.L.Bean. The Maine of those days was much more the odd, backwoods Maine of Carolyn Chute and Stephen King, who actually sometimes writes about places I lived in. One of my best friends from those days was a horror ficiton fan from an old Maine family, also named Chute.
And I only said that there were “certain” things Maine had in common with Alaska, not that the states were the exactly same (we had Moose walking around in our town, for example, even though it was several times larger than Wasilla). The lack of oil money has made a big difference in Alaska, bringing with it a lot of the corruption you see in other oil kingdoms around the world. Maine politicians of my day used to be all Republican and pretty stuffy and conservative but they were never, so far as I know, especially corrupt, if only because there was much less cash to get your hands on.
Everybody in politics knew everyones else’s business, though, just like in Alaska. And teenaged girls got pregnant and were forced to marry their boyfriends, too.
“Palin and Van Flein vs. French and Branchflower. Doesn’t that sound like some kind of epic medieval jousting match?”
OMG – yes!!!
And she handpicked her own panel. Oh, this should really make us go back and look at Gonzo as Attorney General and his cronyism that defies the U.S. Constitution.
I guess the State Legislature of Alaska are a bunch of sexists? *eyeroll*
[…] This guy is good. Now, we’d like to welcome our newest player to the growing cast of characters in our little drama – Thomas Van Flein. Mr. Van Flein (don’t you just have to say that with an accent?!) has been hired to represent Palin in the upcoming legislative investigation into the firing of Commissioner Walt Monegan. […]
OK, not sure how it works in Alaska, but when a state official in our state is investigated, then the state does not give the person in question, $96,000.00 to hire her-his own attorney.
JUST DONATED ANOTHER $25 to OBAMA campaign.
From Newsweek:
“An Anchorage judge three years ago warned Sarah Palin and members of her family to stop “disparaging” the reputation of Alaska State Trooper Michael Wooten, who at the time was undergoing a bitter separation and divorce from Palin’s sister Molly.”
http://www.newsweek.com/id/158140