Foreign Policy? Palin > Kissinger. No Rly! LOLz.

You can't make this shit up!

Another Conservative Calls Out Palin on Couric "Debacle"

More and more are noticing:

Couric's questions are straightforward and responsible. Palin is mediocre, again, regurgitating talking points mechanically, not thinking. Palin's just babbling. She makes George W. Bush sound like Cicero.

...

I remember the morning I woke up in my college dorm room and went in to take my final exam in my Formal Logic class. I knew I was unready. Massively unready. And now I was going to be put to the ultimate test. I sat down in Dr. Sarkar's class and resolved to wing it. Of course I failed the exam and failed the class, because I had no idea what I was talking about. I wasn't a bad kid, or even a stupid kid. I was just badly unprepared, and in way over my head. Seeing the Palin interview on CBS, I thought of myself in Dr. Sarkar's exam. But see, I was a college undergraduate who had the chance to take the class again, which I did, and passed (barely). I wasn't running for vice president of the United States.

...

New Palin excerpt up, in which she discusses why having Russia next to Alaska gives her relevant foreign policy experience. I am well and truly embarrassed for her. I think she's a good woman who might well be a great governor of Alaska. But good grief, just watch this train wreck: (video)

Too bad 40% of Americans are still asleep at the wheel.

Another Serving of Palin Word Salad

Listen, watch and learn all about how the bailout is going to help with healthcare reform.

I wish I were making this up.

Couric's Interview of Sarah Palin -- She Seemed Okay to Me

I just watched the CBS interview by Katie Couric of Sarah Palin. Lots of folks are saying this was a "disaster" for Palin -- some going so far as to claim it was the reason behind McCain's stunt today -- but unless there's more to the interview that I didn't see, I think she handled herself just fine. The Gibson interview I thought was a crash-and-burn, but I didn't see anything too bad here.

Even at the end when Couric cornered her on McCain's history of regulation, well... Obviously she is clueless on that, as she is on most subjects. But all politicians sometimes get caught not knowing the answer to something and her answer was cute, even disarming. She definitely has a charismatic manner about her and I certainly understand the comments some Alaskans have made that she has a tendency to put men "under a spell". (Rather ironic, considering her former church pastor!)

Bottom line: she's set her own bar so low that I thought she cleared this one.

The Sorrow and The Pity

Indeed. And so far, nobody seems to care.

Scary Stuff on Friday the 13th. Oh Wait, It's Only the 12th. Well, Still Scary.

Reviewing some of the comments from viewers on the ABC story about Palin is enough to send any intelligent person into some perverse combination of nausea and hysterical laughter. Many of those who reply point out correctly that Sarah Palin seemed uninformed and unprepared -- thank goodness for that. Some tried to argue that she really seemed to know her stuff (but not many). But it is the third group that continues to amaze: those who continue to expect Americans to treat a potential president in two months as Her Royal Highness, Princess Sarah Palin, Precious and Delicate Flower Who Must Be Revered At All Times.

They're not upset at Palin for putting our country at risk by accepting a nomination for a job she knows she's not ready for -- they're upset at Gibson for asking the questions that illustrate this. Thousands of people, all whining like babies that Palin should get special treatment because she's a woman, or that Gibson wasn't deferential enough to her.

The GOP talking points work, it would seem. Americans expect us to treat our candidates as royalty now, instead of as the job applicants they are? What do these morons think is going to happen if Sarah Palin gets into the White House -- that the foreign leaders who are right now laughing at us for McCain even choosing her will treat her with kid gloves?

Here's a selection of just some of this vapid, embarrassing nonsense:

I will not longer be watching ABC News as long as Charles Gibson is affliated with the progam. I was undecided but now I am voiting for McCain.

Great JOB Palin, You make Charlie studder three times! We all love her more because ABC is soooo aganist her. Anything ABC is against I am FOR! Go McCain/Palin all the way. Shame on you ABC your hate is showing.

I was appalled at Charlie Gibson. He came across as the stern principal disciplining his pupils. He was so condescending and pompous. Where does he get off treating a sitting governor and possibly future VP/Pres of the US like this?

I had always liked Charlie Gibson until this interview. He tried to trap Palin in the questions.

So what if Palin dropped the ball on the so-called "Bush Doctrine". Who ever heard of that anyway.

The only person that proved they were not qualified was Charlie Gibson.

This wasn't the best interview, but it was her first on the day that her son was being deployed. I think it would be very difficult to be focused in a situation like that. Although she didn't do "great" we should remember that she was introduced to the WORLD only 2 weeks ago. Everything is happening soooo fast for her. Give her a break!!

I hope Gibson is happy, because he just let his producer and editing team reduce his name to the same caliber of Joseph Goebbels.

Sarah Palin who is living the American Dream of coming from humble beginnings to being the VP candidate should be applauded instead of being derided for her inexperience.

That last one is my personal favorite. LOL.

The Referendum continues. Will Americans show that they are smart enough to understand what is at risk here? Will they inform themselves and realize how serious this election is and that they have a responsibility to choose their leaders wisely? Or will they get the leaders they deserve -- and drag the rest of us down with them?

Wake up, America, before it's too late.

More on Reckless McCain's Reckless VP

Ilan Goldenberg agrees with my take on Palin's assinine Russia comments, and since he knows a lot more about this stuff than I do, that makes me feel pretty good. LOL. Excerpt:

No sane American or European leader would ever ever ever give an answer like that. You do not get into hypotheticals about nuclear war. You just don't. Palin references the Cold War. The only reason the Cold War stayed cold is because our leaders understood the stakes of getting things wrong and saying things that could lead to catastrophic nuclear war. During the Cuban Missile Crisis every word, every public statement, and any message that the Kennedy administration sent to the Soviets was checked, double checked, and triple checked to make sure it was sending precisely the right signal. This is what you are forced to do when you have thousands of nuclear weapons and so does your opponent. The stakes are simply too high. And yet there is a nominee for the vice presidency of the United States who may one day have her hand on the button and she is casually talking about potential catastrophic nuclear war.

Barack Obama would never give that answer. Joe Biden would never give that answer. They would say that we don't discuss those types of hypotheticals. That might sound like a cop out, but think of the Palin alternative and what kind of alarm bells that sets off in Moscow. Prescisely the type of alarm bells that could one day lead to mushroom clouds.

Saber rattling matters. Words matter. We've learned that from the past eight years. ... And when Sarah Palin, a first term Governor with no national security experience or expertise, talks about hypothetical nuclear war it really matters. It reflects badly on her and her readiness. It reflects even worse on John McCain who thought that she was qualified to be Commander in Chief.

McCain/Palin is the National Insecurity ticket.

"His World View?"

Sarah Palin, future Commander in Chief, doesn't seem to know what the Bush Doctrine is:

Gibson: "Do you agree with the Bush Doctrine?"

Palin: "In what respect, Charlie?"

Gibson: (confused) "What do you interpret it to be?"

Palin: "His world view?"

Unreal.

But the talking head morons in the media are all saying she "did great", and right-wingers don't seem to give a damn about anything other than "Sarah's helping us win! We might win!"

How appalling to realize that a former POW has effectively betrayed his country by choosing a running mate he KNEW was not prepared to be president, solely out of a hunger for power. I watch this woman, and she sounds like a teenager who just crammed for a History final, and I get sick thinking that she could soon be in a position to launch a war.

The people who don't care about this, and only care about "winning" are the scourge of this nation.

Today's "WTF" Moment - Palin Warns of War with Russia?!

I wish I were making this up, but she really did, in her little sit-down with Charlie Gibson. Right afterwards, ABC actually scrolled a bright red "BREAKING NEWS" banner about it on their site, before, presumably, someone got a call from the GOP telling them to remove it. ;)


Somewhat amusing that this happens the same day I write a long piece arguing that McCain will not keep the nation safer than Obama would.

Here's the full context of her statements:

GIBSON: Would you favor putting Georgia and Ukraine in NATO?

PALIN: Ukraine, definitely, yes. Yes, and Georgia.

GIBSON: Because Putin has said he would not tolerate NATO incursion into the Caucasus.

PALIN: Well, you know, the Rose Revolution, the Orange Revolution, those actions have showed us that those democratic nations, I believe, deserve to be in NATO.

Putin thinks otherwise. Obviously, he thinks otherwise, but...

GIBSON: And under the NATO treaty, wouldn't we then have to go to war if Russia went into Georgia?

PALIN: Perhaps so. I mean, that is the agreement when you are a NATO ally, is if another country is attacked, you're going to be expected to be called upon and help.

But NATO, I think, should include Ukraine, definitely, at this point and I think that we need to -- especially with new leadership coming in on January 20, being sworn on, on either ticket, we have got to make sure that we strengthen our allies, our ties with each one of those NATO members.

We have got to make sure that that is the group that can be counted upon to defend one another in a very dangerous world today.

GIBSON: And you think it would be worth it to the United States, Georgia is worth it to the United States to go to war if Russia were to invade.

PALIN: What I think is that smaller democratic countries that are invaded by a larger power is something for us to be vigilant against. We have got to be cognizant of what the consequences are if a larger power is able to take over smaller democratic countries.

This is a pretty major gaffe for three reasons.

First, it immediately shows that she is in lock-step with the neo-con position on these issues, which really blows much of her "change" appeal right out of the water. It's a big wake-up call to a lot of folks who bought the hype about her.

Second, while her statements seem at least somewhat reasonable, she made a rookie mistake by answering the question about us going to war with Russia at all. We may be in NATO, and NATO may mean mutual defence, but it is still blindingly stupid to put into words what is normally only implied by the treaty: war with Russia. A smarter and more experienced politician -- i.e., one actually ready for the White House -- would have given a more diplomatic response.

Third, the imagery here could be the "tone arm yanked screeching off the record" moment for Palin's little honeymoon with the American people. The media and the public will boil down all that context above into just a soundbite: "Sarah Palin warns about war with Russia". This in turn will cause millions of voters to suddenly shift from a warm fuzzy image of Sarah Palin smiling and relaxed with her baby on her shoulder, to a very tense Sarah Palin with one hand on the "red phone" and the other on the button. And that should scare the crap out of anyone with an IQ above room temperature.