I shudder at the thought of this woman holding a position of power and influence in Alaska, let alone on a global stage.

How anyone can reconcile being pro-life with being pro-gun is nonsensical to me. Oxymoronic, no? Or is that just moronic?!

I'm baffled that some women, and I'm sure they exist, would switch allegiance from Clinton to Palin just because they both have boobs! Seriously, this woman could unpick all the good that Hilary has done for women in positions of power, stitch by stitch.

I listened to Obama and I felt 6 inches taller. I listened to McCain and I was utterly bored. I listened to Palin and I felt sick to my stomach.

"I believe in Unicorns!" Classic.

Thanks guys, enjoyed your commentary.

I cannot WAIT to vote this November.  Time to CLEAN HOUSE.  I think it's fantastic McCain has chosen Palin.  She is so divisive and so conservative she's going to sink McCain's presidential bid.  I say KEEP HER!

Samantha Bee's commentary on the Daily Show this past week was priceless! A hilarious barb at Republicans thinking women would vote for Palin just because she is a woman. Speaking for all "Vagina Americans" Bee said she was voting for Palin even though their beliefs are completely opposite because "Republicans have figured out that women don't vote with their 'big head' but with their 'little hood'."  HAH!  

Palin is someone not to be taken lightly.

She has Rove's fingerprints all over her. She has showmenship, smarts and is fucking nuts. This is not a combo to be dismissed.

She scares the shit out of me, much more so then bumbling idiot trying to be prez.

If that happens there just isn't a planet far enough away. How did this country get so screwed up and how did this should have been a runaway election get this close?? 

I feel like it is an attack on my intelligence for McCain to pick Sarah Palin as VP. I am not an idiot. I was not a Hillary supporter merely because she is a woman. I was a Hillary supporter because her stance on many issues was the same or similar to mine. Why would I all of a sudden decide to vote for McCain, who is so opposite in every way, just because he has a woman as his running-mate?

I don't like Palin because she doesn't have enough experience and she stands for things that I stand against. In case anyone hasn't heard, or hasn't been keeping up with all things politics, she was a sports reporter in Alaska and she was the winner of a beauty pageant. That, to me, doesn't say I know a lot about politics.

kristina.michelle

on American politics, or certainly haven't been in the past. But the results for this Presidental election will certainly be of great interest to me considering the differences between the candidates and with the way it turned out last time.   

Palin makes me squint, in a bad way. 

words of meaning don't mean a thing, if those words don't actually mean anything to you

mainly because I am one.  And, I am very pro-choice.  I am offended by the term 'pro-life' to describe these war-profiteering, anti-scientific research idiots.  I don't consider a fetus to be alive and I believe that contraception should be readily available in all high schools.

Sarah Palin is just another hypocritical right-wing-nut who got knocked up before marriage, cheated on her husband, raised a daughter who got knocked up at 17 and has absolutely no respect for the rights of other people.  She is a bigot and a fascist and the thought of her anywhere near the Presidency scares the shit out of me.

This country is in the mess that it's in precisely because of 8 years of Republican rule.  And, sadly, Republicans don't get it and they don't care.  They will vote for Republicans just so long as their religious leaders keep telling them to.

As far as the bridge to nowhere goes, Palin did not do away with it. She was all in favour of the bridge when it was first proposed. In 2006, whilst running for governor, she was interviewed about her stance on various issues, and answers a direct question about the bridge:

Reporter: Would you continue state funding for the proposed Knik Arm and Gravina Island bridges?

Palin: Yes. I would like to see Alaska's infrastructure projects built sooner rather than later. The window is now - while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist.

As Serendipity said, she later changed her position and jumped on the bandwagon and is now claiming that she never supported the bridge in the first place, which is clearly a lie. The other embarrassing thing about the above comment is that it clearly indicates she was in favour of securing funding for the bridge project through earmarks as a result of the Alaskan delegation's strong position within congress at the time. A little out of line with the portrait that the McCain team are attempting to paint of her as a fiscal conservative who stands up to corruption..

I'm really amazed that McCain went with her as his choice of running mate. She's almost laughably easy to poke holes in. Not just her position on unicorns and her relative lack of experience but the fact that, after only 20 months in office as governor she's being investigated for abusing her position. And she lied, flat out lied, about the bridge to nowhere in her acceptance speech. I mean come on! She's a disaster.

Interestingly enough, the McCain team appear a little wary of Palin as a loose canon, which doesn't do anything to assuage my lack of confidence in his choice of her as running mate. They seem to be intent on minimising her contact with the media. McCain, Obama and Biden are all lined up to do interviews on shows tomorrow but not Palin.

since you asked, I thought the Democratic National Convention was spectacular.  The caliber of the speakers, the issues that they discussed, the two settings, the true rainbow of Americans present, the musicians/artists were the best convention I think I've ever seen.  The best coverage was on C-SPAN.  Obama gave a great speech, both in terms of substance and delivery.  It was truly the climactic moment of the convention. 

I say this not only as an Obama supporter, but also as an African American woman.  If you are too young to know what it was like to be alive during Segregation, you wouldn't get the full impact.  I only got a brief experience of it as a young child in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.  The military was technically desegregated, but on some level military bases always reflect the communities in which they are placed.  The DNC of 2008 was a moment in history.  To see a genuinley positive loving African American family highlighted so strongly is something that will have an impact far beyond politics.  No matter what happens in November, the Obamas have changed the American consciousness.

By contrast the Republican National Convention was just filled with lies, bigotry and self-congradulations for no real substantive reasons.  Romney and Giuliani were all about hot air and 9/11.  Did you see the footage of 9/11 they used for McCain?  It was absolutely disgusting.  They actually showed the buildings collapsing.  Cindy McCain showed she had compassion as an humanitarian, but every time she talked about her husband she looked like she was about to pass a kidney stone.  Palin came across as forceful, but after a few minutes I fell asleep.  I really tried to stay awake, but there just wasn't enough substance from any of the RNC speakers to keep my attention for long.

If Palin wants to be viewed as a pitbull with lipstick, than let's have at her.  The Dems need to go after her hard on the issues.  There are so many of them.

Not only do I live in SC, I live in the 1st congressional district where Ketner is running. How awesome is that?

Why I think Palin was picked?

She's a wedge. Not a wedge issue. She, herself, the woman, is the wedge because she's a woman. That's messed up, and I find it insulting that McCain allowed the GOP to pick her. I really have a hard time believing this was McCain's choice.

Why she's a horrible choice...

Despite living in Alaska where she must be witness to the effects of global warming more than any other place in the US, she thinks global warming isn't man-made.

Despite her family's experience with teenage pregnancy, she supports Abstinence Only programs. I seriously do not understand why so many Pro-Life folks are against sex education and contraception. Teenagers have sex because it is human nature to want to have sex...it's an instinct. If you do not teach them to have sex, they will still have sex. If you don't teach a human to eat, guess what? They'll figure out how to eat when they're hungry. And teenagers will have sex when they get horny.

I'm not a hardcore atheist. I have no problem with creationism. As long as it's taught in church. If you want your children to learn about God, then send them to Sunday School. That's what it's for. And people are certainly free to send their children to private Christian schools.

I don't think she's from my reality. Seriously. What? I don't understand her decision making process. Sometimes I can disagree with someone, but at least understand how they got to their conclusions. But Palin is just totally alien to me.

PS Heart is really, really pissed that the RNC used their song "Barracuda" as Palin's theme song after telling them not to.

Nancy Wilson says, "I think it's completely unfair to be so misrepresented. I feel completely fucked over. Sarah Palin's views and values in NO WAY represent us as American women."

She is "pro life" ...yet as Governor she has slashed the budget for special needs children and reduced it by 60%.

Palin is recently a mother to a special needs child, an aunt to a special needs child, and who promised in her acceptance speech at the recent republican convention that she was there for special needs children..

Here is what she said: “To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters. I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House.”

This is how she "supported and advocated" for those with special needs in Alaska:

Here is the states budget prior to her term:

2005 6945.30/2007 Management Plan 7949.30
2007 Governors 8265.30

Here is the budget from when she was elected in 2006 starting in office Jan 2007:

2006 7949.30  2007 Management Plan 3173.70 2008 Governor 3156.00

some "friend" she is...So pro life support ends with birth in her book it seems.....We get her message...

Kudos to Jennifer for the 'creationism is insane like unicorns prancing across a rainbow' rant. Mocking people's religious beliefs takes a lot of nerve regardless of how off the wall they appear to be. Especially Evangelicals, they're scary.

I found the VP Nomination insanely offensive, and don't really understand how any woman could interpret it otherwise... There is no way in hell McCain would have nominated her if not for the Hillary voters he wants to pander at.

I assumed Palin's nomination wasn't only because she has boobs, otherwise why wouldn't he have gone after Condoleezza Rice? But when I looked up Palin's resume I found it very hard to figure out why the hell else she's now a potential leader of the most powerful country on the planet. McCain had to have considered Rice for this position if he was set on a female VP, and she is vastly more qualified than Palin, but he wants to disassociate himself from the Bush administration. This is all about the right person for electability, not about the right one for the job... and marketing's fine or whatever, but there's a difference between flipping pancakes for the cameras and putting the fate of your country in the hands of whoever happens to be good PR at the time. It's completely irresponsible.

Responsible government should nominate its leaders based on their ability to manage the country's domestic and international affairs, NOT for their ability to win an election. It is completely irresponsible, idiotic, and offensive to every single american voter to pull a stunt like this. I get that the VP has to appeal to the public or whatever but that is her only remarkable asset. Even republicans should be pissed about this. The american presidency is supposed to reflect the best of the best, and instead you've got your leaders throwing the first available vagina at you because they think you'll like it.

The true insult is that McCain is obviously convinced that you're all stupid enough to fall for it, otherwise none of this would have happened. And also the fact that he's more concerned with winning an election than the VERY REAL consequences that we'll all have to deal with....... like when he inevitably dies sometime during his term and suddenly we have joe vagina + nuclear weapons.

The irony is that hypothetically this is great for feminism. Hah. This election makes my head hurt.

I believe in creationism! I also feel that it should be taught in school  along with evolution.  Not every child has the opportunity to go to church. It's awesome that we all feel strongly about our beliefs. I just wish there were unicorns. I'd still be afraid to ride them though.

That is the only thing i have in common with palin other than the boobs thing.

So make your voice heard by voting!! 

I thought creationsim was bunk too until someone pointed out to me that if you believe in some kind of infinite higher being you actaully believe in some type of creationism.

 Now I dont believe in a father figure god, but i do believe in the Hermetic All.

The ALL who has always been and who always will be.. if i believe that then I must believe that the ALL created life..but then evolution kicks in producing our state of life today.. but technically since I believe life comes from the ALL.. I believe in creationism... same thing applies to those who believe in a goddess or "the Universe"

Only atheists could truly refute creationsim beliefs

Palin scares me (I actually had feverish nightmares of her last week when I fell ill with a cold- it wasn't pretty) and the whole direction this is taking..

Let me just say I was crushed four years ago when Bush won again. I don't know just how I feel if it turns out the republicans win again. I'm not from the States, I'm from the Netherlands. Uninterested Americans that don't vote or don't consider why they vote this or that drag the rest of the world with them into misery.

All in all this whole ordeal reminds me of the Eurovision Song Contest. Each year I get highly invested in our dutch candidate, hoping against hope, and each time we get crushed by our opponents. Something inside me dies a little each time. 

--
http://ankie.livejournal.com

First of all, I'm a canadian. However, I work with an American who is a republican, and I like to debate with her on the issues.

Yesterday I spoke to her about Palin and brought up all the what ifs, and she had been busy the last couple of weeks so hadn't caught up on reading. My co-worker is pro-life, has traditional views on family and is, to some degree, a religious lady. Not to mention she's from Texas and probably would have voted for Bush the second time around if she hadn't moved to Canada. Even she wad disguested by Palin by the time I was done our conversation, and we hadn't even really talked about much.

''All in all this whole ordeal reminds me of the Eurovision Song Contest. Each year I get highly invested in our dutch candidate, hoping against hope, and each time we get crushed by our opponents. Something inside me dies a little each time''. 

...when one disagrees with her politics?

i mostly enjoyed watching this week’s descriptive and heated (albeit mostly 1-sided...?) episode. the memorabilia was fun to see, and in particular the descriptions of gay delegates standing with arms raised, and gay rights supporters joining in, was very touching. it reminded me of the key differences between Dems & Repubs.

the unanimous pummeling of SP, though, has me seeing flashbacks of the Dem presidential primary. they dragged Hillary up and down, backwards and forwards through the mud for wanting to be president. now? they’re dragging SP up and down, backwards and forwards through the mud for wanting to be vice-president. while it seems logical to attack SP because of her conservative ideas, why the viciousness?

remember, HRC was very liberal, yet that didn’t stop Repubs and Dems alike from ripping into her like jackals. these are two seemingly very different women, (a high experience liberal v. a mid-low experience conservative), yet the nonstop attacks thrown at both women all amount to the usual stuff: a She just can’t handle one of the two highest offices in the U.S.

sadly, not 1 woman on this site has defended SP. that doesn’t seem fair, so I will.

Unlike other feminist organizations which have taken up against Palin because of her conservative views, … WomenCount says they’ll “work to stamp out sexism when we see it on the campaign trail.” WomenCount was co-founded by top Hillary fundraiser Susie Tompkins Buell, once the head of Esprit Clothing and now a full-time philanthropist and activist.

One blogger who said it best over the weekend: “We will defend Sarah Palin against misogynist smears not because we like her or support her, but because that’s how feminism works.”

[see “ Hillary backers come to defense of Palin” at http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20080909/pl_politico/20934]

once again, most of us (don’t see that we) generously give the Benefit of the Doubt to a flawed and inexperienced man to do right by us - - BO’s faults are clearly documented (u-turn on public financing when it served his own campaign’s pocketbook. Note that JM & SP are actually using that exact same public financing system which BO had supported before not supporting it; two-facedness in praising Pennsylvanians in PA, and then trashing them in San Francisco; calling for 'unity' while maintaining a lifelong relationship with a divisive religious figure; etc.) - - YET when a similarly flawed and inexperienced woman wants to do right by us? we snatch back that same Benefit of the Doubt with lightning speed.

Oh, no, no, No! she didn’t get a law degree from Harvard / Stanford / or / Yale like BO did! (BO’s wealthy grandmother putting BO through decades of schooling and world-traveling for free? let’s not mention that un-American fact! stick with the poor-single-mother story, please!) she participated in a beauty pageant as a young woman! (the fact that SP had to earn her own money to put herself through college, and quickly realized pageantry is a denigrating institution? let’s not mention any exonerating facts!) Five children, shouldn’t she be at home cooking? (BO’s wife giving up her advanced career so BO can advance in his career alone? let’s not mention such a distasteful fact!) why, SP even hired a slimy thing (lawyer) once, isn’t she slimy by association? (BO’s 20-year close father-son-type bond with racist and christian nutjob rev. wright? let's don't mention facts questioning BO’s character. stick with smearing SP.) how could she possibly be vice-president of our country?!

SP is not perfect. no doubt her vision has been limited by such insular geography, and the small-town-mentality politics in it. to see more fully, let's look at context. Alaska is an excessively macho state in an already very macho country. a liberal (Hillary-type) female wouldn’t have lasted one term in AK as mayor of any town, let alone become the state’s Governor.

i understand SP did what she had to do to survive as a female politician, amidst a vast swarm of (hard boiled) male politicians and (some chest-banging) male power brokers. yet ... with the first bits of power in her hands, she decided to play hardball with them rather than take the logically easier route of currying their favor. it speaks volume as to the size and strength of her spine. SP is a deeply religious yet contemplative mother who is still trying to make her way, and establish her footing, in a male-dominated world. she is far more thoughtful and measured, and “feminist” than many “liberal” women can see.

personally, i see a strong, charismatic, hardworking and intelligent woman who’s doing pretty damned well considering the height of the odds stacks against her. it’s apparent from the last few weeks that SP has had to fight both women and men’s low expectations about her abilities; subtle misogyny about her intelligence; and even outright sexism about her very worth, in order to achieve meaningful goals in this male-dominated society.

she's not only achieved a tremendous amount in her young life, but duly acknowledges the foremothers who blazed that trail for her. many say 'can't you see it's just opportunistic lip service. don't fall for it!' the facts say differently. SP praised female leaders including Hillary, back before Hillary even conceded the Dem primaries. “i have to admit a ... bit of guilt for not being able to jump on Hillary's bandwagon [2 different political parties] because i would so love to see a woman president. and i think our nation is overdue there. ... i've said all along 'Heck Yeah!' america's ready for a woman president.” [see Newsweek’s Women & Leadership Event held in L.A. in March 2007 at http://www.newsweek.com/id/156190.]

As Geraldine Ferraro herself said, SP “mentioned both me and Hillary. I was really quite surprised because in 24years nobody has done that on a national scene politically.” [see interview by Greta Van Susteren at http://gretawire.foxnews.com/2008/09/08/governor-palin-an-american-woman-in-case-you-missed-it/]
In 24 years. Not.One.Single.National.Candidate acknowledged the first female vice presidential candidate of our country. since 1984, and yes, that includes all those pro-choice 'pro-women' Democratic candidates.

… it’s amusing how many women and men reacted so quickly and so loudly.

to misogyny against Geraldine Ferraro? nope.

to misogyny against HRC? nope.

to what, exactly?

to the first woman who has a real shot at the vice-presidential office. liberal women everywhere rose up and declared they’re steaming mad and “highly offended” by the SP pick. they assure everyone that they’re much too smart to fall for such Empty Pandering.

I guess I was alone when I thought …

when Michelle O said ‘thanks to HRC for putting 18 million cracks into that glass ceiling,’ wearing her soft pastel mom clothes per BO’s advisors’ instructions, while gathering up the little ones to spare her Important Husband such a menial task, that was the definition of Empty Lip Service Pandering.

when SP said ‘thanks to Geraldine F and HRC for putting 18 million cracks into that glass ceiling,’ dressed in sharp no nonsense business black, while accepting the Vice Presidential Nomination for the United States of America, that was the definition of Actions Speak Louder Than Words.

here are some specific points in the vlog that I disagree with, and some of my own points:

one, if it wasn't SP, but a male governor who was “under investigation” for “ethics violations” shortly after going toe-to-toe against big business (big oil, to boot)... if they tried to make him sweat right after he tried to cut them down at their knees financially because he wanted to share their enormous wealth with ordinary working-class Joe & Jane citizens... what would we be saying about this ostensible “investigation” then? i think we all know. just pick up any Hollywood legal drama in your video store to see the many forms of ...

___________

Main Entry:

pay·back

Pronunciation:

\’pa-?bak\

Function: noun

Date: 1955

1: something done in retaliation: a really vicious payback for years of being snubbed.

2: requital; something given in return, compensation, or retribution.

___________

two, kinda odd how SP’s “inexperience” is compared to ... bill clinton’s? no mention of BO, whose record easily lends itself to valid comparison with SP’s: neither held “substantial” office until recently. neither have finished their 1st terms in their current positions. both are in their 40s. both are part of ‘minority’ groups. both are smart, hardworking, hardcharging, gifted speechmakers, with highly charismatic personalities.

BO is running for president, SP is running for vice-president. a crucial difference. Dems complain ‘She has no experience and she’d be a hearbeat away from the presidency -- how irresponsible!’ BO’s equal inexperience? uh, don't mention it & it'll go away? what does one call this ignoring of the pink elephant in the room?? Hm. a) unconscious double-standard sexism? or b) fear of once again highlighting BO’s obvious inexperience? here is, sadly, plain ol' misogyny. here is, sadly, exactly the obfuscating the Dems criticize Repubs for.

three, as for supporting the teaching of creationism, i agree with Vanasco that this is somewhat troubling. yet, as pointed out earlier, a belief in a sentient higher power = belief in creationism. i’m not a fan of creationism as “science,” but in all honesty, science still hasn’t answered our eternally mystifying question: what came first, chicken or egg? As Albert Einstein observed: “Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind.” SP’s real position? teach creationism along with evolution, not one or the other.

four, SP is not 100% anti-abortion. she completed a pro-life group’s questionnaire in 2006 re her stance on social issues. SP wrote: “I am pro-life. With the exception of a doctor’s determination that the mother’s life would end if the pregnancy continued. ...we cannot condone ending an innocent’s life .” for SP, grown & sexual women can still be “innocent,” and yes, their lives valuable enough to save. this flew in the face of the same right-wingers who support her. [see msnbc’s ‘Race for the White House’ video at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032553/]

five, actions speak louder than words. SP, like BO, has said one thing and done another. the difference is, in BO’s case it’s liberal words + conservative deeds. in SP’s case, it’s conservative words + liberal deeds:

1. After getting elected on a pro-life platform, In 2006, as AK governor, SP had a chance to sign into law a bill that would remove all legal protections for gays & lesbian citizens of AK. she used her very first veto as governor to kill it. [see cites #1 & #2 below]. [see http://www.gay.com/news/article.html?2005/11/01/3] and [see http://www.gay.com/news/article.html?2006/12/29/6]

2. In 2007, SP had a chance to write an abortion ban into law. she chose to ignore it, and let it die.
[see http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1837918,00.html?xid=site-cnn-partner]

3. In her very recent interview with ABC news, she said “I don’t know [if homosexuality is genetic or learned]. I’m from a … community with … many diverse backgrounds. … I’m not going to judge them.” when she could easily have toed the same terse line, ‘it’s a lifestyle choice I don’t agree with’ the way mccain, the way far-right religious nuts, the way every-self-righteous-body in her whole party, do. [see http://abcnews.go.com/wn]

if we look beyond the distortions, SP doesn't fit into the 'scary' 'extremist' mold which moveon.org types have fashioned for her (and would like her to fall into). perhaps, if we value facts & science, we’ll research at non-partisan sites whenever possible; and take partisan sites’ claims of “fact” with a healthy dose of salt.

"Be the change you want to see in the world."

Thank you for your thoughtful words, coffcaffcola.

I had watched this provocative video a few weeks ago and was put off by the snide, belittling tone and cavalier use of poorly researched assertions as “fact.” Unfortunately, I don’t think the Gay Agenda’s tone is any different than the fanatically staunch supporters of either side.

I had stayed in the “political closet” because I knew I would be well in the minority in my objection. I knew I would be unable to sway any opinion in this forum, even if I were as eloquent as Mr. Obama. And I knew I would open myself to being accosted for my beliefs, which alone would make me a lousy politician and make that closet seem pretty darn nice. But coffcaffcola’s words gives me hope that there are some people willing to not buy into the scare tactics. I wanted people to know there is more than one AfterEllen reader who is not “insulted” or “disgusted” or “frightened” by Mrs. Palin as the VP choice. I am, in fact, encouraged by it.

What do I fear? I fear voters will be too lazy to really investigate the candidates. Although, it is really hard work. What assertions are true? We get spin out of both campaigns, the liberal and conservative main stream media, and of course the ever-reliable opinion editorials and blogs.

Of course, staunch liberals know that the Republican’s are the only ones that spin, flip-flop, and just out and out lie. Just look at the SP “bridge to nowhere,” which she did finally abandon as Governor after supporting a transportation solution during a political campaign. How dare she reject the bridge and keep the reduced money she didn’t ask for to do other projects for her state! How dare they spin that she was totally against earmarks! She only significantly reduced the state’s requests not eliminate them cold turkey! BO would never ever, ever, ever. flip-flop or spin like that!!

It wasn’t really a flip-flop when Obama said in 2004 that it was time "to end the embargo with Cuba" because it had "utterly failed in the effort to overthrow Castro," then in August 2007, speaking to a Cuban American audience during his campaign, he said he would not "take off the embargo" as president because it is "an important inducement for change.” Nor did he flip-flop his position regarding gay marriage, (http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/1051404.html#comments_here)

where he first said he thought the States should choose, but then announced his opposition to a California ballot measure that would ban same-sex marriages. (Why should I give any credit to SP, who vetoed a bill that would have banned equal State benefits for same-sex couples. It wasn’t done to win the gay vote – she had the audacity of trying to follow constitutional law, really!!)

Maybe Obama’s positions changed because, perhaps, he actually learned more information that changed his mind. Now, don’t we expect politicians to do that? Learn? And it shouldn’t really matter that that the BO campaign described union contributions to the campaigns of Clinton and Edwards as "special interest" money then changed his tune as he began gathering his own union endorsements. I mean, he learned that he could get their endorsement and was "thrilled" by their support http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/24/AR2008022402094.html.

I can not blame Ms. Vanasco’s reservations concerning the widely reported “fact” that SP blindly believes in creationism. Surely she’s insane like a unicornism-ist. Well, her parents were science teachers and she thought it OK to discuss both in classrooms - oh the utter insanity!

I also can not blame Mr. Mallow for repeating that traitor SP was a member of the Alaska Independent Party, which was reported with great authority until someone actually did the research instead of rely on hearsay. I do think it is a valid question to ask SP why she attended AIP conventions and her thoughts on the AIP, especially since her husband was a one-time member. I would guess it was she was being a sleazy politician listening to voter concerns, like she did to get elected to mayor, then Governor, and that’s just appalling. Why would anyone want to listen to the voters?!?

Unfortunately, I believe SP answers won’t matter one bit to staunch liberals or even staunch conservatives, who are so far entrenched in their positions that any revelation to the contrary of their beliefs will be summarily rejected.

D@mn the facts, full spin ahead.

An American

...than anything. One cannot help but be a little fascinated by the apparent extremity of her conservative beliefs. By freaking out about Palin's connection to the Alaskan Unicornist Society (or what have you), the Republican party is more easily able to dodge the issues that are actually important. (Are you actually going to do anything about the war or the economy? I'm guessing not really.)

There are some good things about Palin. Even when she says really stupid stuff, she's still got some charisma about it. She's also nice to look at. However, just because I would possibly like to see her naked does not mean that I want to see her as next in line for the presidency.