Well said, B. Rational. But 8 presidents have actually died in office. It's happened more often than people realize and it HAS to be the main consideration of any Presidential nominee.
This is from today's NY Times cover story:
A Republican with ties to the campaign said the team assigned to vet Palin in Alaska had not arrived there until Thursday, a day before McCain stunned the political world with his vice-presidential choice.
One day before. That's mind-boggling.
First-time reader
September 2nd, 2008 1:00 PM
Does someone actually pay to read your rag??? What garbage. Stick to the Hollywood crowd. They deserve you.
B. Rational
September 2nd, 2008 12:56 PM
I think Cheney has proven to what extent a VP can influence policies and decisions in the White House.
But even accepting your premiere, that the VP does little on a daily basis, he/she is first in line to be President. McCain himself as said this is the only thing that should matter in choosing a VP - and he's 72, with a history of cancer. It might be morbid, but it's not unrealistic to wonder about what happens if he dies in office. Six presidents - out of 43, not that low a percentage, really - have died in office. It's beyond reckless, arrogant and irresponsible to take on a VP candidate that cannot handle the position of President.
The facts - so far, who knows what else is out there, since McCain's people obviously did not vet Palin at all; read today's NY Times cover story, NO ONE in the Alaskan Legislature was asked for info. on the Governor - are now available to the public and voters can decide if McCain put the country first in selecting Sarah Palin as his VP.
Einswine
September 2nd, 2008 12:41 PM
"Truly high position?"
The Vice President plays golf, goes to state funerals that the President can't be bothered to attend, and does other minor ceremonial duties.
The only other function of the position is sit around and wait for the president to die.
Oh, and to "balance the ticket".
For what it's worth, I felt that Ferraro was a token appointment too.
B. Rational
September 2nd, 2008 12:39 PM
Not bad analysis, Phil, but you miss a few crucial points:
- No one has been "spoon fed" Obama. What does that even mean? The man chose to run for President and won his party's nomination. The skeletons in his closet, as DigDug listed, are well-known. What, exactly, has been unfair in the way Obama has been covered, as all aspects of his background are out there and people are free to make up their minds now.
- Who ever took issue with Colin Powell or Condi Rice? Who referred to them as pandering? Powell was wildly popular and only received criticism when he followed the lies about WMDs in Iraq.
- I encourage you, Phil, to read any right wing reaction to Palin. RIGHT wing, not left wing. Almost every single one agrees it was a smart political selection. After all, McCain himself - numerous times! - has said that foreign policy is the number-one issue of our time.
- Chicago has five times the population of Alaska; Obama's campaign has three times the budget PER MONTH of the town Pa
phil
September 2nd, 2008 12:04 PM
Sorry, one more follow up: As I listen to left coast radio, all I hear is seething angry blather that Sarah Palin should stay home and raise her infant son. That sound more like the "angry old white men" of the Republican Party. If a women is a lefty, she can be a Police Chief, firefighter, mayor, construction worker, accountant, New York State Senator, bricklayer or prostitute and still: work, be equal too, or better than a male, come home and cook a meal, take the kids to soccer, attend PTA meetings, do her domestic chores and be proud.
If she is a righty, she needs to stay home and raise her child. After having held all of the elected positions that she has (4 I believe ) as opposed to Obama's 1, she seems to have managed so far.
Eugene
September 2nd, 2008 10:30 AM
B. Rational -- Very well said. Nothing more need be said
B. Rational
September 2nd, 2008 7:47 AM
Here's the difference, Kristen and DigDug:
- Obama is running for President. He has been in the spotlight for over a year and a half, all the information DigDug mentioned is public knowledge and people have chosen to overlook it in order to vote him the Democratic nominee. People are now free to vote for him in the general election or not. Sounds like you've made up your mind and that's fine, that's how Democracy works.
- But McCain went out of his way to CHOOSE Sarah Palin. And anyone with a single working brain cell simply has to acknowledge that it was a purely political pick. Can you argue that Palin is more of a foreign policy expert than Tom Ridge or more of an economic expert that Mitt Romney?
Therefore, the issue at hand is here has nothing to do with Palin herself; and everything to do with McCain, a man whose motto is "Country First," yet selected someone woefully under-qualified for VP, who even happens to bring a lot of baggage in the one area she was chosen for (e.g. fa
kristen
September 2nd, 2008 5:36 AM
i was so pissed when i saw this, and i was ready to give this post my worst, but luckily, DigDug has taken the words right out of my mouth. Thanks. I cant believe the hollywood gossip would even THINK they could post this. how freaking biast do you have to be to post this? 1986? SERIOUSLY?
American Citizen
September 2nd, 2008 1:05 AM
Bristol Palin is NOT currently pregnant. This is a fabrication to cover up the fact that Bristol is the mother of Trig -the governor's claimed son. In the weeks/months to come Bristol will unexpectedly suffer a "miscarriage".
Sharon
September 1st, 2008 9:59 PM
Laura Ingram, of Fox News said that Obama's 10 year-old daughter "...looked like a little hooker in her spaghetti-strapped dress." Obama was compared to Britney and Paris and portrayed as the anti-christ/messiah, and his wife was called bitter and angry, and you're telling me that this pregnancy is off limits? McCain left his crippled wife for the current plastic, drug-addict, Barbie wife, and super-Christian Palin's daughter is pregnant, while she's under an FBI investigation! How hypocritical can you be? I think the Republicans hid behind their wives skirt-tails, and used Gustav as an excuse to stay away from this convention because they were afraid to let Bush speak and face the music for choosing Palin.
Joseph
September 1st, 2008 8:15 PM
Lets not forget about John and Cindy's affair while John's wife was disfigured after a near-fatal accident. No wonder the Dems are now in charge of Washington and Obama has been leading in 90% of the polls and will take the oath of office in Jan. No wonder Hurricane Gustav made landfall on the day of the RNC commencement while the Dems had a crystal clear and memorable convention. I am beginning to think that the word Republican by definition means hypocrisy.
Rhianna
September 1st, 2008 6:19 PM
So HG you show you stripes so soon, and so clearly. Republican children and families are open to attack and smear but the Christ Reborn that is the idiot named Obama is to not be researched, not be questioned, and instead spoon-fed to the American people. Go back to reporting on Britney's up skirts, that's about all you're good for as a rag.
DigDug
September 1st, 2008 6:13 PM
Gee mmmm let's look at Obama's resume
-Said he used marijuana and cocaine
-One of his chief financial contributors(Rezko)is a convicted felon.
-William Ayers, co-leader of the Weather Underground(a political terrorist group) helped launch Obama's political career.
-Need we rehash Reverend Wright?
I dunno man, any or all of these facts could be overlooked if Obama were as qualified as, say, John McCain. But combined with his utter lack of experience in national and international affairs, we're left to wonder if Obama is even trying to win.
September 2nd, 2008 1:01 PM
Well said, B. Rational. But 8 presidents have actually died in office. It's happened more often than people realize and it HAS to be the main consideration of any Presidential nominee.
This is from today's NY Times cover story:
A Republican with ties to the campaign said the team assigned to vet Palin in Alaska had not arrived there until Thursday, a day before McCain stunned the political world with his vice-presidential choice.
One day before. That's mind-boggling.
September 2nd, 2008 1:00 PM
Does someone actually pay to read your rag??? What garbage. Stick to the Hollywood crowd. They deserve you.
September 2nd, 2008 12:56 PM
I think Cheney has proven to what extent a VP can influence policies and decisions in the White House.
But even accepting your premiere, that the VP does little on a daily basis, he/she is first in line to be President. McCain himself as said this is the only thing that should matter in choosing a VP - and he's 72, with a history of cancer. It might be morbid, but it's not unrealistic to wonder about what happens if he dies in office. Six presidents - out of 43, not that low a percentage, really - have died in office. It's beyond reckless, arrogant and irresponsible to take on a VP candidate that cannot handle the position of President.
The facts - so far, who knows what else is out there, since McCain's people obviously did not vet Palin at all; read today's NY Times cover story, NO ONE in the Alaskan Legislature was asked for info. on the Governor - are now available to the public and voters can decide if McCain put the country first in selecting Sarah Palin as his VP.
September 2nd, 2008 12:41 PM
"Truly high position?"
The Vice President plays golf, goes to state funerals that the President can't be bothered to attend, and does other minor ceremonial duties.
The only other function of the position is sit around and wait for the president to die.
Oh, and to "balance the ticket".
For what it's worth, I felt that Ferraro was a token appointment too.
September 2nd, 2008 12:39 PM
Not bad analysis, Phil, but you miss a few crucial points:
- No one has been "spoon fed" Obama. What does that even mean? The man chose to run for President and won his party's nomination. The skeletons in his closet, as DigDug listed, are well-known. What, exactly, has been unfair in the way Obama has been covered, as all aspects of his background are out there and people are free to make up their minds now.
- Who ever took issue with Colin Powell or Condi Rice? Who referred to them as pandering? Powell was wildly popular and only received criticism when he followed the lies about WMDs in Iraq.
- I encourage you, Phil, to read any right wing reaction to Palin. RIGHT wing, not left wing. Almost every single one agrees it was a smart political selection. After all, McCain himself - numerous times! - has said that foreign policy is the number-one issue of our time.
- Chicago has five times the population of Alaska; Obama's campaign has three times the budget PER MONTH of the town Pa
September 2nd, 2008 12:04 PM
Sorry, one more follow up: As I listen to left coast radio, all I hear is seething angry blather that Sarah Palin should stay home and raise her infant son. That sound more like the "angry old white men" of the Republican Party. If a women is a lefty, she can be a Police Chief, firefighter, mayor, construction worker, accountant, New York State Senator, bricklayer or prostitute and still: work, be equal too, or better than a male, come home and cook a meal, take the kids to soccer, attend PTA meetings, do her domestic chores and be proud.
If she is a righty, she needs to stay home and raise her child. After having held all of the elected positions that she has (4 I believe ) as opposed to Obama's 1, she seems to have managed so far.
September 2nd, 2008 10:30 AM
B. Rational -- Very well said. Nothing more need be said
September 2nd, 2008 7:47 AM
Here's the difference, Kristen and DigDug:
- Obama is running for President. He has been in the spotlight for over a year and a half, all the information DigDug mentioned is public knowledge and people have chosen to overlook it in order to vote him the Democratic nominee. People are now free to vote for him in the general election or not. Sounds like you've made up your mind and that's fine, that's how Democracy works.
- But McCain went out of his way to CHOOSE Sarah Palin. And anyone with a single working brain cell simply has to acknowledge that it was a purely political pick. Can you argue that Palin is more of a foreign policy expert than Tom Ridge or more of an economic expert that Mitt Romney?
Therefore, the issue at hand is here has nothing to do with Palin herself; and everything to do with McCain, a man whose motto is "Country First," yet selected someone woefully under-qualified for VP, who even happens to bring a lot of baggage in the one area she was chosen for (e.g. fa
September 2nd, 2008 5:36 AM
i was so pissed when i saw this, and i was ready to give this post my worst, but luckily, DigDug has taken the words right out of my mouth. Thanks. I cant believe the hollywood gossip would even THINK they could post this. how freaking biast do you have to be to post this? 1986? SERIOUSLY?
September 2nd, 2008 1:05 AM
Bristol Palin is NOT currently pregnant. This is a fabrication to cover up the fact that Bristol is the mother of Trig -the governor's claimed son. In the weeks/months to come Bristol will unexpectedly suffer a "miscarriage".
September 1st, 2008 9:59 PM
Laura Ingram, of Fox News said that Obama's 10 year-old daughter "...looked like a little hooker in her spaghetti-strapped dress." Obama was compared to Britney and Paris and portrayed as the anti-christ/messiah, and his wife was called bitter and angry, and you're telling me that this pregnancy is off limits? McCain left his crippled wife for the current plastic, drug-addict, Barbie wife, and super-Christian Palin's daughter is pregnant, while she's under an FBI investigation! How hypocritical can you be? I think the Republicans hid behind their wives skirt-tails, and used Gustav as an excuse to stay away from this convention because they were afraid to let Bush speak and face the music for choosing Palin.
September 1st, 2008 8:15 PM
Lets not forget about John and Cindy's affair while John's wife was disfigured after a near-fatal accident. No wonder the Dems are now in charge of Washington and Obama has been leading in 90% of the polls and will take the oath of office in Jan. No wonder Hurricane Gustav made landfall on the day of the RNC commencement while the Dems had a crystal clear and memorable convention. I am beginning to think that the word Republican by definition means hypocrisy.
September 1st, 2008 6:19 PM
So HG you show you stripes so soon, and so clearly. Republican children and families are open to attack and smear but the Christ Reborn that is the idiot named Obama is to not be researched, not be questioned, and instead spoon-fed to the American people. Go back to reporting on Britney's up skirts, that's about all you're good for as a rag.
September 1st, 2008 6:13 PM
Gee mmmm let's look at Obama's resume
-Said he used marijuana and cocaine
-One of his chief financial contributors(Rezko)is a convicted felon.
-William Ayers, co-leader of the Weather Underground(a political terrorist group) helped launch Obama's political career.
-Need we rehash Reverend Wright?
I dunno man, any or all of these facts could be overlooked if Obama were as qualified as, say, John McCain. But combined with his utter lack of experience in national and international affairs, we're left to wonder if Obama is even trying to win.