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Sarah Palin Rumors

I complain about the media a lot, especially about journalism, but I try to keep an eye out for things that I think are done well. Here's an example of that.

I'm not a fan of Sarah Palin, but it's nice to see a new organization try to set the record straight on some rumors. Most of the rumors CBS News chose to examine were false.

Ron Paul's Endorsement

Paul is the man I'd vote for, regardless of what ticket he ran on, if he had any chance of winning or moving a third party toward legitimacy. I read his book, and while I didn't agree with everything, it more closely suits my personal philosophy than anything I've ever read.

I know this has been said for many generations before me, but I'm tired of having to pick between what feels more and more like two sides of the same coin. I'd like a legitimate third party.

From The Associated Press:

Republican Rep. Ron Paul, the libertarian-leaning Texas lawmaker who attracted a devoted following in the GOP primaries, said Wednesday he rejected an appeal to endorse John McCain's presidential bid.

Paul said the request came from Phil Gramm, the former McCain adviser and ex-senator whom the campaign jettisoned after he said the country was a "nation of whiners" about the economy. Gramm defeated Paul in the Republican primary for the Senate in 1984.

Speaking to reporters at a news conference, Paul said Gramm called him this week and told him, "You need to endorse McCain." The Texas congressman said he refused.

"The idea was that he would do less harm than the other candidate," Paul said.

Paul won no primaries in the Republican nomination contest but developed a strong following on the Internet.

He appeared at a news conference with three third-party candidates: independent Ralph Nader; former Georgia Democratic Rep. Cynthia McKinney, the Green Party candidate; and Chuck Baldwin, the Constitution Party candidate. Bob Barr, the Libertarian candidate, was invited but said at his own news conference later that he declined because Paul didn't endorse one candidate.

Pure Pizza

I've gotta check out Anthony Mangieri's Una Pizza Napoletana.

I love New York.

Why is a comedian the best journalist in America?

I would really like to know why "real journalists" aren't doing this kind of research.

From the Huffington Post:

Wednesday night on "The Daily Show," Jon Stewart hit Karl Rove and Bill O'Reilly with damning evidence of their hypocrisy regarding Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin.

While Rove recently praised Palin's experience as the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, Stewart showed video of Rove trashing Virginia Governor — and former Richmond Mayor — Tim Kaine's executive experience, listing all the cities that are bigger than Richmond and calling such a pick "political."

Then, after recent video of O'Reilly describing Bristol Palin's pregnancy as a family issue, Stewart showed a clip of the Fox News host blaming Jamie Lynn Spears' parents for her teenage pregnancy.

Finally, after showing video of Dick Morris complaining about the rampant sexism in the media coverage of Sarah Palin, Stewart unveiled a clip of Morris saying that Hillary hides behind the sexism defense, and that anytime "the big boys" pick on Hillary, "she retreats behind the apron strings."

"In Dick Morris' defense," Stewart said, "he is a lying sack of sh*t."

No wonder Stewart is the most trusted man in America.

Some on the Right say choice of Palin was wrong

I guess Democrats aren't the only ones who have problems with Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate:

Peggy Noonan, speechwriter for Ronald Reagan and columnist, interjects: “It’s over.”

Asked whether Ms. Palin is really the most qualified woman Mr. McCain could have picked, Ms. Noonan responds rather incredulously, “The most qualified? No. I think they went for the — excuse me — political (expletive) about narratives. … Every time the Republicans do that, because that’s not where they live and that’s not what they’re good at, they blow it.”

And here's another reason why the pick was bad: Now when Rudy Giuliani attacks Barack Obama's lack of experience, it really doesn't carry any weight. Especially when he's leveling the same arguments against Obama as he did against McCain:

Mr. Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, began making the argument early Wednesday. “Barack Obama has never governed a city, never governed a state, never governed an agency, never run a military unit, never run anything,” Mr. Giuliani said on the CBS “Early Show” in an interview the McCain campaign sent to reporters.

If his formulation sounded a little familiar, it is because it was one of the few criticisms that Mr. Giuliani aimed at Mr. McCain during the heat of their primary fight, saying that he had “never run a city, never run a state, never run a government.”

Hookers & Blow

I think this piece is unfair to the GOP. What were they supposed to do, just shut everything down because of Gustav?

But it's worth watching just to catch the name of the band that played at a party for the NRA, Lockheed Martin and the American Trucking Association, thrown by a lobbyist who was a longtime aid to Tom Delay. It's about 1:30 into the video.

Let's face it, the GOP knows how to party better than the Democrats.

It's nice to see a journalist doing her job

Even if it cost CNN's Larry King an interview with John McCain. From the New York Times:

"... Ms. (Campbell) Brown had sharply questioned Tucker Bounds, a campaign spokesman, after he said that the role of Mr. McCain’s running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin, as commander in chief of the Alaska National Guard was an example of executive experience that Senator Barack Obama of Illinois did not have.

"Can you tell me one decision that she made as commander in chief of the Alaska National Guard, just one?” Ms. Brown asked.

Mr. Bounds responded, “Any decision she has made as the commander of the National Guard that’s deployed overseas is more of a decision Barack Obama’s been making as he’s been running for president for the last two years.”

Ms. Brown pressed again, saying: “So tell me. Tell me. Give me an example of one of those decisions.” To which Mr. Bounds said, “Campbell, certainly you don’t mean to belittle every experience, every judgment she makes as commander.” The argument devolved from there, with no real resolution."

I know the Right will say that she was hounding him, but all Bounds had to do was answer the question. He couldn't or wouldn't, so he tried to spin it that Brown was somehow "belittling" Palin. It was a legitimate question and voters deserved an answer -- and answer that could have possibly strengthened Bounds' argument. If he really had an argument.

I'm usually the last to hold television journalists in high regard, but Brown did well. I wish there were more like her.

bk at the Technocrat calls the election

Here's a taste of what he has to say:

So pardon me for calling the election on September 2 but within the last day the first polls showing Obama with 50%+ started showing up. I’ve long held that lots of America’s choose not to decide until after Labor Day. They can’t be bothered to, it’s just not in their blood like us partisan types. Every cycle just as the decidedly undecides starting tuning in to make their decision they use two events to judge the candidates - the convention acceptance speech and the Presidential candidate’s first executive decision on VP candidate. ...

Click here to read the rest.

From Wasilla to the White House

Two years removed from being mayor of Wasilla, Alaska (pop. 5,470), Sarah Palin could sit a heartbeat away from running the United States of America. So now everyone who attacked Barack Obama for his thin resume needs to be silent. Never mention it again.

But some of these same people are actually claiming that Palin, who has been governor of Alaska for the past year and a half, has more experience than Obama. (She was a city councilwoman before she was mayor, you see.) I don't know why I find this so surprising. After all, this noise is coming from the same camp that thinks the past eight years haven't been so bad.

So here's the Hail Mary pass, Palin. It's tossed up there for you bitter Hillary Clinton supporters to grab, those of you who say you refuse to support Obama. I wish I had more confidence that this angry mob couldn't possibly be so blind that they would vote for a woman whose reproductive organs are all she has in common with Clinton. But McCain clearly thinks they can be swayed.

It was going to be a close race for the presidency, and I think it still might be. Palin could help win Alaska, and it probably will sway a few disgruntled Hillary supporters. But it should move rational moderates away from McCain. Should.

I have a lot of admiration for McCain, and there was a time when I even considered voting for him. He is an honorable man. But should anything happen to him, we would be saddled with someone two years removed from being mayor of Wasilla, Alaska (pop. 5,470). If this is what it takes to be vice president, then this country is in more trouble than I ever imagined.