Is Sarah Palin ready to be President??

One of the big questions the media and the Democrats (I know, redundant...) keep harping on is whether Sarah Palin is ready to step in on 'Day One' if something happens to John McCain.

I see some Republicans hemming and hawing on this and I think the answer is very simple. Just turn the question around on them. Ask "What is it you think she's missing? What experience do you think she needs to be 'ready'?"

Unless their answer is something like, "she needs to write a couple of books" or "she needs to spend a couple of years on the campaign trail while 'serving' in the Senate" then it is very easy to turn around and say "now do YOU think OBAMA is ready to step in to the job on Day One?"

There is NOTHING is Barack Obama's life that better prepares him for the job than Sarah Palin. And up until this election, it was a given in politics that Senators don't win elections for President - Governors do - because of their executive branch experience and lack of "insider" status in Washington. The only reason a Senator will win this time is because both parties have nominated one.

Think about it. George W. Bush (twice) Bill Clinton (twice) Ronald Reagan (twice) Jimmy Carter (once). The only non-governor to be elected President in the last 8 Presidential elections was George H.W. Bush and he was never a Senator.

So obviously, the American public values state-level, executive branch service over back-room Senatorial politics.

Tell me again, how much of that experience does Barack Obama have??

Gingrich Slams MSNBC's Allen Concerning Palin's Qualifications

Gingrich Slams MSNBC's Allen Concerning Palin's Qualifications NewsBusters.org

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich did what conservatives have been waiting for someone to do since Sarah Palin was announced as John McCain's running mate: take on someone in the media claiming that she lacks the qualifications to be vice president.

McCain Cancels Larry King Live Appearance

CNN: McCain Cancels Larry King Live Appearance - 9/2/2008 6:17:00 PM - Broadcasting & Cable

According to CNN, Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) pulled out of a scheduled interview with the network after a segment with Campbell Brown and a top McCain spokesman...

Finally! Someone with the balls to stand up to the mainstream media and call them out for the liberal political hacks that they are!!

The media created the the phenomenon known as the "maverick" John McCain - now they are seeing what it's like to deal with him head on. I gain more and more respect for this man every day.

McCain Camp to NYT: Try Reporting

McCain Camp to NYT: Try Reporting - Real Clear Politics - Elections 2008 - TIME

While the press scrambles to report on the process by which Governor Palin was offered the second spot on the Republican ticket, New York Times reporter Elisabeth Bumiller has opted instead to make up her own version of events.

What do you expect? It's the New York Times.

Which reminds me...if you ever want to feel better about the direction of the country - just look at the stock price of the New York Times (NYT) your hometown liberal news rag. Mine is the Charlotte Observer (McClatchy - MNI).

Here are links to graphs of the last 5 years for each of them. Doesn't it just bring a smile to your face??

Troopergate Update

Sensing impending doom, the Democrats in the Alaskan House and Senate are doing their best to create scandal where none exists."...Alaska Senate leaders want an investigation of whether Gov. Sarah Palin pressured and then fired the public safety commissioner because he wouldn't get rid of a state trooper who had gone through a bitter divorce with Palin's sister...."It is quite obvious national politics are being played out on the local scene, as Palin fired the Public Safety Commissioner she appointed. Evidently the fact that this trooper has a record of some serious problems."...Why not just defuse this investigation by saying that regardless of who this trooper was married to (if all printed allegations are true) he's not trooper material. Illegal Moose kill, tasering a child, terroristic threats, harassment, possible alleged comp fraud, wow, and this guy might pull me over for not using my turn signal? For More...http://thepinkflamingo.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/7/23/3807197.html

Obama defends natural disaster experience

CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - Obama defends natural disaster experience « - Blogs from CNN.com

CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 Monday night, Obama was asked about whether his experience in the U.S. Senate dealing with weather-related situations compares to Palin’s executive experience running the state of Alaska and as the small town mayor of Wasilla, Alaska.

“My understanding is that Gov. Palin’s town, Wassilla, has I think 50 employees. We've got 2500 in this campaign. I think their budget is maybe 12 million dollars a year – we have a budget of about three times that just for the month,” Obama responded.

I'm not sure where to begin, but let me try...

(1) Palin is the GOVERNOR of the STATE of Alaska. She WAS mayor of Wasilla.

(2) Should you be proud that your greatest executive experience is running a campaign organization on 2500 people. I guess it should be if campaigning is all you've ever done in your life. But since you brought it up, the State of Alaska has 29,000 government employees. Next?

(3) A 36 million dollar budget for the month of campaigning. Yet another thing to be extremely proud of(??). Spending a HALF-BILLION dollars a year trying to convince people you've done something is worth nothing when you are put next to someone who has actually done something. But since you brought it up, Alaska handles about 12 BILLION dollars of revenue each year. Next?

Here's a hint, Senator Obama: When someone asks you why you are more experienced that someone, you probably shouldn't try to put her down by talking about a job she used to have BEFORE becoming the highest executive in the state. You also probably shouldn't try to convince Americans that running the largest, most expensive campaign in history qualifies you to look after our tax dollars.

And by the way, what does the answer have to do with addressing Palin's experience in dealing with weather-related situations? Unless of course, you have finally realized that your campaign will go down in history as a "disaster" :)

I Hate You Sarah Palin

I wish I could write like this...

David Kahane on Sarah Palin on National Review Online

from the article:

...seriously, just look at the negatives: she’s a popular first-term governor, she’s a woman, she’s happily married, she has five kids, one of them with Down’s syndrome, she’s a maverick, she’s from way beyond the Beltway, she’s taken on both the Republican Party and Big Oil, she shoots automatic weapons, she can kill a moose with a butter knife and fillet a sea lion with a smile, her husband’s a roustabout Eskimo snowmobile champ, she’s a hockey mom, she was Miss Wasilla, she looks like she should be playing Cecily, the saucy librarian, in Tom Stoppard’s Travesties, and she doesn’t wear pantsuits. Heck, she hasn’t even appeared yet on Meet the Press! I mean, who in his right mind would vote for her?

Sure, if she were one of ours, not only would we have nominated her by acclamation, since she fulfills every trope of feminism except for her unfortunate and inexplicable opposition to murdering unborn children, we would also have made at least two TV movies about her life, celebrating her choice to have her fifth child and the announcement yesterday that her 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, is pregnant and is going to marry the teenage father of her child. That’s the kind of heartwarming, inclusive, empowering story we love — she’s like Juno come to life as Juneau, set in Mystery, Alaska.

But she’s not a Democrat, which despite her va-va-va-voom appearance, means she’s not really a woman...

DailyTech - Sun Makes History: First Spotless Month in a Century

DailyTech - Sun Makes History: First Spotless Month in a Century

The sun has reached a milestone not seen for nearly 100 years: an entire month has passed without a single visible sunspot being noted.

The event is significant as many climatologists now believe solar magnetic activity – which determines the number of sunspots -- is an influencing factor for climate on earth.

In 2005, a pair of astronomers from the National Solar Observatory (NSO) in Tucson attempted to publish a paper in the journal Science. The pair looked at minute spectroscopic and magnetic changes in the sun. By extrapolating forward, they reached the startling result that, within 10 years, sunspots would vanish entirely. At the time, the sun was very active. Most of their peers laughed at what they considered an unsubstantiated conclusion.

The journal ultimately rejected the paper as being too controversial.

The paper's lead author, William Livingston, tells DailyTech that, while the refusal may have been justified at the time, recent data fits his theory well. He says he will be "secretly pleased" if his predictions come to pass.

But will the rest of us? In the past 1000 years, three previous such events -- the Dalton, Maunder, and Spörer Minimums, have all led to rapid cooling. One was large enough to be called a "mini ice age". For a society dependent on agriculture, cold is more damaging than heat. The growing season shortens, yields drop, and the occurrence of crop-destroying frosts increases.

He - he

"many climatologists now believe solar magnetic activity – which determines the number of sunspots -- is an influencing factor for climate on earth."

No. Many climatologists believed this BEFORE but were unable to speak out loud for fear of losing their jobs or being ridiculed by the global warming "consensus". Even the "evil, know-nothing" Rush Limbaugh has been touting this evidence for years.

U.S. hands back security of Anbar Province

U.S. hands back security of Anbar Province - International Herald Tribune

Two years ago, Anbar Province was the most lethal place for American forces in Iraq. A U.S. marine or soldier died in the province nearly every day, and the provincial capital, Ramadi, was a moonscape of rubble and ruins. Islamic extremists controlled large pieces of territory, with some so ferocious in their views that they did not even allow the baking of bread.

On Monday, U.S. commanders formally returned responsibility for keeping order in Anbar Province, once the heartland of the Sunni insurgency, to the Iraqi Army and police. The ceremony, including a parade on a freshly paved street, capped one of the most significant turnabouts in the country since the war began five and a half years ago.

Ex-Dem Chair Apologizes for Hurricane Remark

Political Radar: Ex-Dem Chair Apologizes for Hurricane Remark

ABC News' Teddy Davis Reports: Former DNC Chairman Don Fowler apologized on Sunday for joking in a private conversation that the timing of Hurricane Gustav demonstrates that God is on the side of the Democrats.

Fowler was secretly recorded by the person sitting behind him while flying from Denver, Colo., to Charlotte, N.C., following the Democratic National Convention. His conversation with Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C., was anonymously posted to YouTube and highlighted by RedState.com, a conservative blog.

"One doesn't anticipate that one's private conversation will be surreptitiously taped by some right-wing nutcase," said Fowler. "But that's the nature of what we're dealing with."

Fowler, a superdelegate who endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2007, was caught on tape saying: "The hurricane’s going to hit New Orleans about the time they start. The timing is -- at least it appears now that it’ll be there Monday. That just demonstrates that God’s on our side.

I love the reaction anytime a Democrat gets caught doing something they wouldn't want people to know about: "where did you get that!...or...that was a private conversation!". It is a true testament to their character.

One of my favorite sayings is a definition of 'character' attributed to many people and slightly altered depending on whom it's attributed to:

Character is who you are when you think nobody is watching.

I guess we know the character of Don Fowler and John Spratt, don't we?

This is what has become of the democrats in this country...

Townhall.com

Members of the lefty blogosphere haven't stopped perpetuating the rumor Sarah Palin "faked" her last pregnancy and are now humiliating her daughter Bristol on the blatantly incorrect suspicion she is the real mother of baby Trig.

"Sarah Palin is NOT the Mother" is the title of this DailyKos blog that accuses Bristol, a completely fit-looking adolescent teen, of having a "baby bump" in a photo they allege was taken March 9th of this year.
"Sarah, I'm calling you a liar" wrote blogger ArcXIX. "And not even a good one. Trig Paxson Van Palin is not your son. He is your grandson. The sooner you come forward with this revelation to the public, the better. " Photos of Bristol with detailed commentary about her abdomen are contained in the post.
Not only is the DailyKos disgustingly inspecting Bristol's midriff with all the fervor of LA paparazzi examining J-Lo's or Jennifer Aniston's washboard stomachs for evidence of a "bump," the DailyKos is wrong on when the photo was taken. It was taken, and published, by the Anchorage Daily News in 2006. Baby Trig, a child with Down's Syndrome, was born on April 18, 2008. That's a long time for a teen girl to be carrying a "bump" which looks nothing more than the curve of a tight sweater.

Folks - I can't even begin to tell you how angry this story made me.  But after thinking about it a bit and calming down - it hit me - this is all they've got.  Kooks like the bloggers at the DailyKos and liberal idiots like Alan Colmes have resorted to this type of crap to raise doubts about Sarah Palin.  This tells me only one thing.  They are SCARED.  This race is OVER and they know it.

After years and years of the Democrats supposedly pushing the causes of women - what they have meant all along and are showing the whole world now - is that a woman can be anything she wants and can do anything as well as man...UNLESS... she's a moral, conservative, hard working, pro-American (gasp) Republican!!

The Democrats are showing themselves to be the racist, sexist, bigots that we conservatives have known them to be for years. 

Obama Should Come Clean On Ayers, Rezko And the Iraqi Billionaire

Obama Should Come Clean On Ayers, Rezko And the Iraqi Billionaire - WSJ.com

Even as Barack Obama gave his soaring speech Thursday night, his campaign was playing hardball with its critics.

Team Obama has launched an offensive against WGN, the Chicago Tribune's radio station, for interviewing Stanley Kurtz. Mr. Kurtz is a conservative writer who this week forced the University of Illinois to finally open its records on Sen. Obama's association with William Ayers, the unrepentant 1970s Weather Underground terrorist. - more-

These stories will not go away until Obama is completely honest about them. I don't think Obama is a terrorist. Nor do I think he approves of Mr. Ayers' actions. But until he stops lying about how much they worked with each other - it will not go away.

It's sort of like the John Edwards story. He John had come clean and admitted to everything, he would have been left alone like yesterday's news. But now the tabloids still have information on him and he won't come clean.

Tony Rezko and Nadhmi Auchi are different stories. There is only a wisp of smoke right now but there is definitely fire here.

New Orleans Tells Residents to Leave or Face Storm Alone

New Orleans tells residents to leave or face storm alone

Isn't it amazing that Ray Nagin, mayor of New Orleans, and the city government can tell people "you are on your own"? Here's the quote from the story:

Those among New Orleans' estimated 310,000 to 340,000 residents who ignore orders to leave accept "all responsibility for themselves and their loved ones," the city's emergency preparedness director, Jerry Sneed, has warned.

Imagine if President Bush said this. There would be calls for public hanging - nevermind impeachment.

I expect Barack Obama to be on this any second now since his speech on Thursday made it perfectly clear that this is unacceptable. And I quote:

" We are more compassionate than a government...that sits on its hands while a major American city drowns before our eyes...
...For over two decades, he's (McCcain) subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy...Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps - even if you don't have boots. You're on your own."

Yeah, I expect to see Obama condemn the New Orleans mayor's office anytime now...

My Comments on Obama's Speech

Well, folks. I don’t know what to say. After watching Obama’s speech last night (I guess it was two nights ago now), I have to say that I understand why people adore him so much. Hell, I may even vote for him myself. The laundry list of things he’s willing to ‘give me’ is just about everything I need and it’s hard to argue with that.

In all seriousness, his speech was the most eloquent, well-delivered, gigantic piece of fireworks-fueled liberal bull crap I’ve ever seen! For those that didn’t watch it –here’s a rundown of the main points I gathered from the speech. Just click on the title of this post above to view. Obama comments are in bold and mine are in italic.

I've taken the liberty if shifting the order of some things around to make it easier to stay on topic. If you want to read the speech as it was given, please the the post directly below this one.

Full Text of Obama Acceptance Speech

For anyone that wants to reach the whole thing, click here

More thoughts on Sarah Palin

Pro-Gun Rights
Pro ANWR drilling
Pro-Life
Pro-God
Pro-War on Terror
Pro-Small Government
Pro-Ethics
Pro-Death Penalty
Pro-Marriage

That makes me - Pro-Palin!

Some quick info about Sarah Palin

Excerpts from wikipedia.com
(It’s Wikipedia folks, take it all with a grain of salt. As far as I know, this is all accurate)

Palin served two terms on the Wasilla City Council from 1992 to 1996.
According to my basic math, this means she’s been in ‘public service’ for 16 years. Obama began his political career in 1997.

In 1996, she challenged and defeated the incumbent mayor, criticizing wasteful spending and high taxes.[3]

Palin kept her campaign promises by reducing her own salary, as well as reducing property taxes by 60%.[3]

She ran for reelection against the former mayor in 1999, winning by an even larger margin.[3][5]

Palin was also elected president of the Alaska Conference of Mayors.[6]

Governor Murkowski appointed Palin Ethics Commissioner of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission,[7] where she served from 2003 to 2004 until resigning in protest over what she called the "lack of ethics" of fellow Alaskan Republican leaders, who ignored her whistle blowing complaints of legal violations and conflicts of interest.[8][3]

After she resigned, she exposed the state Republican Party's chairman, Randy Ruedrich, one of her fellow Oil & Gas commissioners, who was accused of doing work for the party on public time, and supplying a lobbyist with a sensitive e-mail.[9] Palin filed formal complaints against both Ruedrich and former Alaska Attorney General Gregg Renkes, who both resigned; Ruedrich paid a record $12,000 fine.[3]

In 2006, Palin, running on a clean-government campaign, executed an upset victory over then-Gov. Murkowski in the Republican gubernatorial primary.[3]

Despite the lack of support from party leaders and being outspent by her Democratic opponent, she went on to win the general election in November 2006, defeating former Governor Tony Knowles.[3] Palin said in 2006 that education, public safety, and transportation would be three cornerstones of her administration.[10]

When elected, Palin became the first woman to be Alaska's governor, and the youngest governor in Alaskan history at 42 years of age upon taking office.

3. Johnson, Kaylene (2008). "Sarah: How a Hockey Mom Turned Alaska's Political Establishment Upside Down". Epicenter Press.
6. Commentary: Palin is brilliant, but risky, VP choice". CNN (2008-08-29).
7. Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission – Homepage (Redirect)
8. Kizzia, Tom (October 24, 2006). "Part 2: Rebel status has fueled front-runner's success". Anchorage Daily News.
9. adn.com front : Palin explains her actions in Ruedrich case
10.Hopkins, Kyle (August 6, 2006). "Same-sex unions, drugs get little play", Anchorage Daily News.

McCain Picks Alaska Governor as Running Mate. - Yahoo! News

McCain picks Alaska Governor as Running Mate. - Yahoo! News

I'll have plenty to say about Obama's speech later (I was not impressed with anything other than his oratorical skills...) but right now I can't focus on that.

I can't even BEGIN to tell you how thrilled I am at McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate!!

More later. I have to go watch the official announcement.

Cuyahoga board probes ACORN voter registration drive

from Cleveland.com/Metro by Joe Guillen

A national organization that conducts voter registration drives for low-income people has curtailed its push in Cuyahoga County after the Board of Elections accused its workers of submitting fraudulent registration cards...Board employees are unsure how many of the cards are fraudulent. But the voter registration department received so many suspicious cards that it began compiling a binder with evidence. The binder grew to be an inch-thick...more

ACORN is well known for its voter fraud efforts...umm...I mean 'inexperienced workers making honest mistakes'.

The really scary thing is how good they are at it and how often they get away with it. Remember, Ohio was the 'Florida' of the 2004 presidential election. Kerry's folks tried like hell to get the story going that votes weren't counted there. Now there are upwards of 85,000 "new" registered voters in Cleveland. I wonder what party they are?

Good News for the Economy - Bad news for the Democrats

from the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis

Real gross domestic product -- the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States --increased at an annual rate of 3.3 percent in the second quarter of 2008...according to preliminary estimates released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. - more -

I'm a little confused about how the Democrats differentiate between a good economy and a bad economy.

It seems that their definition of "recession" is 'two consecutive quarters with a Republican in the White House'.

It's a shame that people like Phil Gramm have to resign from the McCain campaign for speaking the truth.

Quick!!! Someone help me out here!!!

I ask each and every person that visits this site today to take one minute and post something - anything - that Barack Obama has done in his life that would count as "experience".

Ok, maybe I'm being too tough...how about something he's done that qualifies him to be Commander in Chief?

Still stuck??

Ok...how about something he's done to show he would know how to lead this country's economy???

Come on, work with me here, people!!!

How about naming one piece of legislation he's introduced and gotten passed to help the American people??

Maybe a time when he showed his ability to "reach across the aisle" to get something done??
No? ok, let's see...

He was President of the Harvard Law Review for two semesters. Maybe there's something he wrote that would give us a clue as to the great leader Mr. Obama would be?
What? Really? Nothing but one paper that argues that unborn children have no rights.

Well...now I understand why everyone is so excited.

People, I'm going to say this as clearly as I can: Never has this country had a major party candidate for President that was less qualified for the job than Barack Obama. It has NOTHING to do with race (although once he loses, that is all you will hear). It has everything to do with poor judgement, lack of experience too much confidence.

OK, now that I've got that out of my system - feel free to post and prove me wrong.

ABC Reporter Arrested in Denver Taking Pictures of Senators, Big Donors

from The Blotter from Brian Ross at ABC News By BRIAN ROSS

DENVER--Police in Denver arrested an ABC News producer today as he and a camera crew were attempting to take pictures on a public sidewalk of Democratic Senators and VIP donors leaving a private meeting at the Brown Palace Hotel. - more -

Click here to watch video of the arrest.

I wonder why the Senators didn't want their picture taken with VIP donors. It's almost like they feel they were doing something wrong...

Michelle Obama's Sad Transformation

from the Washington Post by Richard Cohen

The transformation of Michelle Obama from a bracingly proud contemporary woman -- mother, wife, career woman -- into a prime time Betty Crocker was sad to see. more

Richard Cohen is far from one of my favorite columnists. In fact, he and I have exchanged a few e-mails disagreeing vehemently (although in a civil tone :) ) on topics in the past. However, he touches on something here that makes sense (even if he didn't mean to).

Democrats spend a lot of time trying to convince people that they are something they are not in order to win elections. They know that their ideas and policies won't hold up to scrutiny so they need to fool people into voting for them.

Think about what Michelle Obama talked about on Monday night: personal responsibility, hard work paying off, your word is your bond, etc. Do those sounds like the values of a liberal community activist or would it be more like: government handouts, tax the rich, racial preferences, etc.

I think this helps explain why Hollywood celebrities and Democratic politicians like each other so much...

They both make a better living by being really good at pretending to be someone else.

Joe Biden talks about the "surge" on Meet the Press

Please watch the whole thing. This is the guy that Obama's people think gives him the foreign policy experience necessary to form an effective adminstration.
If this guy's short-sighted view of how to conduct a war passes for foreign policy experience - I'll pass on his foreign policy experience.

American Thinker: A Brief History of Bush's Time

from the American Thinker web site By Randall Hoven

...Despite being handed one of the worst situations in history from President Clinton, and being fought tooth and nail by his opponents in government and the media, literally from the day of his election, President George W. Bush persevered to restore prosperity at home and to make the US and the world more free and secure...more

This piece is an awesome roundup of the reasons why 'historians' should be left to discuss things that happened long ago instead of trying to determine what history will be...