The Associated Press just reported that McCain and Obama will attend a ceremony at Ground Zero to mark the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks next Thursday in order "to honor the memory of each and every American who died" in the 2001 attacks.
The campaigns have agreed to suspend television advertising critical of each other on Sept. 11, and McCain has announced its campaign will air no ads at all that day.
"All of us came together on 9/11 — not as Democrats or Republicans — but as Americans," they said. "We were united as one American family. On Thursday, we will put aside politics and come together to renew that unity," a joint statement said.
Here is the joint statement:
"On September 11, 2008, we will join together to mark the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks at Ground Zero.
"All of us came together on 9/11 — not as Democrats or Republicans — but as Americans. In smoke-filled corridors and on the steps of the Capitol; at blood banks and at vigils — we were united as one American family. On Thursday, we will put aside politics and come together to renew that unity, to honor the memory of each and every American who died, and to grieve with the families and friends who lost loved ones. We will also give thanks for the firefighters, police and emergency responders who set a heroic example of selfless service, and for the men and women who serve today in defense of the freedom and security that came under attack in New York City, at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pa."
FOX News is reporting this afternoon that Kohn McCain will hit the Obama campaign for discarding flags after its Denver convention. More than 80 trash bags of flags were rescued, FOX News says in this report:
John McCain’s presidential campaign prepared to chastise Democrats Saturday over leaving behind piles of miniature American flags after Barack Obama’s nomination acceptance speech last Thursday in Denver.
Boy Scouts have arrived with 84 trash bags full of bundles of flags at the site of a McCain rally scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. local time in Colorado Springs.
The campaign says the flags were recovered from Invesco Field after the Democrats concluded their convention there, and they are going to be used as part of the warm-up ceremonies before McCain takes the stage for the rally.
FOX News has been told a vendor at Invesco Field found the flags, which were going to be thrown out, and turned them over to the McCain campaign.
Veterans in Colorado Springs are expected to distribute the flags to the audience at the rally.
This computer forecast model for Hurricane Ike has it heading for New Orleans next week. Weather officials have said they expect it to be a Category 4 storm as it enters the Gulf of Mexico.
The Miami-Fort Lauderdale area could also be in Ike's path, potentially striking the South Florida region as a Category 3 storm. Visitors were ordered to evacuate the Florida Keys on Saturday.
Meanwhile, tropical storm Hanna has made landfall in the Carolinas and is causing havoc along the East Coast, where drenching rain and 50-mph winds were expected as far north as New England on Saturday night.
The Contra Costa and Alameda County sheriff's offices said they had no reports of damage.
The quake was felt in Petaluma to the north and in Gilroy and Turlock to the south and southeast, said David Oppenheimer, a seismologist with the geological survey. He said it occurred on an unnamed fault about 2.5 miles from the larger Calaveras fault and two miles north-northeast of Alamo, on Serafix Road.
A cluster of quakes occurred on the same fault in April 1990, with 18 registering at 3.0 or higher in a three-week period, Oppenheimer said. He said the larger quakes in that sequence caused minor structural damage to nearby homes.
Friday's earthquake took place about 10 miles underground, more than twice as deep as the 1990 quakes, and thus is probably less likely to be part of a cluster or cause damage, Oppenheimer said.
My fifth-grade daughter loves this show, and we use it as a teaching night in front of the television. Last night, Georgia State school superintendent Kathy Cox, a Republican, became the first $1 million winner on the FOX TV series “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?”
She answered the question: "Who was the longest reigning British monarch?" to win the $1 million. She did a great job in thinking it out.
She said her winnings will be donated to three schools: Georgia Academy for the Blind in Macon; Atlanta Area School for the Deaf in Clarkston and Georgia School for the Deaf in Cave Spring.
The show was taped last month, and she watched it with a crowd of enthusiastic supporters at a restaurant/bar in back home in Georgia last night.
When word got out that Cox was on the show, critics said she was risking her own reputation and that of the state school system. What happened if she missed a simple category such as Second Grade Animal Science? She got that right, too.
Despite the win, she took some political heat. State Representative Rob Teilhet (D-Smyrna) ran an ad on the show Friday night criticizing her for being on TV while students are struggling in crowded Georgia classrooms. That brought boos from the crowd.
Here is Teilhet's ad:
Earlier, the paper reported that the criticism had become a sore point with education advocates:
“The budget is in meltdown, the CRCT is a mess and you have a superintendent in Hollywood taping a game show,” said Tim Callahan, spokesman for the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, an advocacy group. “It gives new definition to the word frivolous.”
MyFoxAtlanta.com reported that Cox accepted the invitation to go on the game show because it is family-friendly and promotes education. "During my tenure as state superintendent of schools, class sizes have been lowered, a more rigorous, relevant curriculum has been implemented and students have more options for learning," Cox said in a written statement. "The 24 hours I spent filming '5th Grader' certainly did not distract me from that important work."
Reports said she used her own time off and funds to go to Los Angeles to appear on the show. Quite frankly, it's sad when politics creep into a game show.
Here are the 10 questions and the answers:
1- What is the first month of the U.S. calendar year that has exactly 30 days? (1st grade measurements) $1,000
2- True or false: crawfish are fish. (2nd grade animal science) $2,000
3- How many times does the letter “D” appear in the following word ... The word in question is grandma’s daughter’s little girl. (2nd grade spelling) $5,000
4- What is the two letter abbreviation for the word doctor? (1st grade English) $10,000
5- The U.S. Naval Academy is located in what city? (4th grade social studies) (Dr. Cox taught social studies for 15 years). $25,000
6- Costa Rica borders two countries. Nicaragua is one of the countries. What is the other? (4th grade world geography) $50,000
7- Which of the following foods contains no natural protein 1- whole milk 2- pure sugar 3- raw eggs (3rd grade health) $100,000
8- Which of the following is NOT an official language of Switzerland 1- German 2- Italian 3- Spanish (3rd grade cultural studies) $175,000
9- What is the name of the following painting by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch? (5th grade art) $300,000
10- Which commanding British general surrendered to American troops in Yorktown in 1781? (5th grade U.S. History) Cox did a peek to Olivia’s answer but ignored it. $500,000
MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION (she gets no help from her fifth graders and gets no cheats, plus once she sees the question, she must answer. If she got it wrong, she would have dropped to $25,000). The topic: world history. The question: Who was the longest reigning British monarch?
ANSWERS:
1- April 2- False 3- two (granDDaughter) 4- dr (Not M.D.) 5- Annapolis, Md. 6- Panama 7- pure sugar 8- Spanish 9- The Scream 10- Lord Charles Cornwallis $1 million answer- Queen Victoria (for 63 years)
The mother of missing Orlando toddler Caylee Anthony was released from jail Friday after posting $500,000 bail for the second time. Casey Anthony is once again required to wear an ankle monitoring bracelet after being set free.
Outside the mother's home there was a scuffle between protesters and neighbors. Here is raw video of the fight. (Note: Vulgarity in the video)
In one of the funnier moments in the convention coverage these past two weeks, Andrea Mitchell of MSNBC is embedded on the Republican Convention floor and is under attack by a massive balloon drop!
Mike Wooten, the Alaskan state trooper and former brother-in-law of Republican vice presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin, talked to Drew Griffin and Kathleen Johnston of CNN today regarding the allegations against him and the investigation into whether Palin had pressured his superior to have him fired.
Wooten denied the driving while drinking allegation, but admitted an error in judgment in a Tasering incident that involved his stepson.
"I made mistakes. I fessed up to them. I was punished appropriately, and I'm moving on," Wooten told CNN.
He said that he was a new Taser instructor, and his stepson was asking him about the equipment. "I didn't shoot him with live, you know, actual live cartridge," Wooten said.
Instead, he said, he hooked his stepson up to a training aid "with little clips. And, you know, the Taser was activated for less than a second, which would be less than what you would get if you touched an electric fence. ... It was as safe as I could possibly make it."
He said his stepson was on the living room floor surrounded by pillows, that he "was bragging about it," and that the family laughed about it.
Asked whether it was a dumb decision, Wooten told CNN, "absolutely."
He said that John McCain's choice of Palin as a running mate was "absolutely wonderful for the state of Alaska."
The investigation centers on whether Palin used her office to try to get Wooten fired. Eventually she dismissed Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan, who had refused to fire Wooten. Palin has denied any wrongdoing. She has confirmed that her staff discussed Wooten with Monegan or members of Monegan's department, but she has said she never abused her power in the case or urged that Wooten be fired. Wooten, 36, had undergone a bitter divorce battle with Palin's sister.
James Hibberd's blog the Live Feed reports tonight that John McCain has beaten Barack Obama, at least in the television ratings race.
The Republican nominee beat Democratic challenger Barack Obama's record-setting convention speech viewership by 500,000.
McCain's address at the Republican National Convention on Thursday night was seen by about 38.9 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. Obama received 38.4 million.
That means McCain's speech is now the most-watched in convention history -- 41% higher than President Bush's acceptance speech four years ago, and 1% higher than Obama's address last week.
Looking at the speech's audience demographics, McCain drew significantly more male viewers than Obama (16.2 million). McCain also drew more white viewers (32.2 million), while Obama was seen by more African Americans.
The numbers for the McCain speech (10 p.m.-11:15 .m.) are as follows:
FOXNEWS 9.2 MILLION NBC 8.7 MILLION ABC: 6.0 MILLION CBS: 5.3 MILLION CNN 4.8 MILLION MSNBC 2.5 MILLION
Investors Business Daily published an editorial, headlined "Michelle's Boot Camp For Radicals," yesterday linking Obama and his wife Michelle to a non-profit community activist group called Public Allies, in which it said was a radical protest group against the military that Obama hopes to federally fund. Parts of the editorial read:
Barack Obama was a founding member of the board of Public Allies in 1992, resigning before his wife became executive director of the Chicago chapter of Public Allies in 1993. Obama plans to use the nonprofit group, which he features on his campaign Web site, as the model for a national service corps. He calls his Orwellian program, "Universal Voluntary Public Service."
Big Brother had nothing on the Obamas. They plan to herd American youth into government-funded reeducation camps where they'll be brainwashed into thinking America is a racist, oppressive place in need of "social change."
The pitch Public Allies makes on its Web site doesn't seem all that radical. It promises to place young adults (18-30) in paid one-year "community leadership" positions with nonprofit or government agencies. They'll also be required to attend weekly training workshops and three retreats.
In exchange, they'll get a monthly stipend of up to $1,800, plus paid health and child care. They also get a post-service education award of $4,725 that can be used to pay off past student loans or fund future education.
But its real mission is to radicalize American youth and use them to bring about "social change" through threats, pressure, tension and confrontation — the tactics used by the father of community organizing, Saul "The Red" Alinsky.
"Our alumni are more than twice as likely as 18-34 year olds to . . . engage in protest activities," Public Allies boasts in a document found with its tax filings. It has already deployed an army of 2,200 community organizers like Obama to agitate for "justice" and "equality" in his hometown of Chicago and other U.S. cities, including Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New York, Phoenix, Pittsburgh and Washington. "I get to practice being an activist," and get paid for it, gushed Cincinnati recruit Amy Vincent.
The editorial continues:
The Obamas discourage work in the private sector. "Don't go into corporate America," Michelle has exhorted youth. "Work for the community. Be social workers." Shun the "money culture," Barack added. "Individual salvation depends on collective salvation."
"If you commit to serving your community," he pledged in his Denver acceptance speech, "we will make sure you can afford a college education." So, go through government to go to college, and then go back into government.
Oprah Winfrey responded this afternoon to the Drudge Report stating that there was a rift among her show's staffers about having Sarah Palin appear. In essence, she said there is no way Palin will appear on the show before the election because of her support of Barack Obama.
"The item in today's Drudge Report is categorically untrue," Winfrey said. "There has been absolutely no discussion about having Sarah Palin on my show. At the beginning of this presidential campaign when I decided that I was going to take my first public stance in support of a candidate, I made the decision not to use my show as a platform for any of the candidates. I agree that Sarah Palin would be a fantastic interview, and I would love to have her on after the campaign is over."
Sarah Palin may not be popular with some in the national news media, but she is scoring well with Americans. Rasmussen Reports says that she is viewed more favorably than Obama and McCain in its latest poll released today:
A week ago, most Americans had never heard of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Now, following a Vice Presidential acceptance speech viewed live by more than 40 million people, Palin is viewed favorably by 58% of American voters. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 37% hold an unfavorable view of the self-described hockey mom.
The figures include 40% with a Very Favorable opinion of Palin and 18% with a Very Unfavorable view (full demographic crosstabs are available for Premium Members). Before her acceptance speech, Palin was viewed favorably by 52%. A week ago, 67% had never heard of her.
The new data also shows significant increases in the number who say McCain made the right choice and the number who say Palin is ready to be President. Generally, John McCain’s choice of Palin earns slightly better reviews than Barack Obama’s choice of Joe Biden.
Perhaps most stunning is the fact that Palin’s favorable ratings are now a point higher than either man at the top of the Presidential tickets this year. As of Friday morning, Obama and McCain are each viewed favorably by 57% of voters. Biden is viewed favorably by 48%.
Drudge is reporting this morning that Oprah is resisting having Sarah Palin on as a guest on her show because of her loyalty to Obama. This, according to the report, is causing a rift among Oprah's staff:
Oprah Winfrey may have introduced Democrat Barack Obama to the women of America -- but the talkshow queen is not rushing to embrace the first woman on a Republican presidential ticket!
Oprah's staff is sharply divided on the merits of booking Sarah Palin, sources tell the DRUDGE REPORT.
"Half of her staff really wants Sarah Palin on," an insider explains. "Oprah's website is getting tons of requests to put her on, but Oprah and a couple of her top people are adamantly against it because of Obama."
One executive close to Winfrey is warning any Palin ban could ignite a dramatic backlash!
It is not clear if Oprah has softened her position after watching Palin's historic convention speech.
Last year, Winfrey blocked an appearance by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, timed to a promotional tour of his autobiography.
Oprah and executive producer Sheri Salata, who has contributed thousands of dollars to Obama's campaign, refused requests for comment.
Most pundits followed the expected line after John McCain's acceptance speech last night at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul. The ones who you would expect to like it praised the speech, and the commentators who are backing Barack Obama did't see much to get excited about it. Clearly, McCain had a tough act to follow after Sarah Palin's performance.
In my book, Chuck Todd said it best when he said that McCain was probably happy it was over with, and is eager to get to the more intimate settings of the debates.
David Gergen gives high marks on CNN:
A few thoughts as John McCain takes his bows: one cannot leave that speech without having enormous respect for him as a war hero and patriot. His retelling of his story tonight was extremely moving. I have long been a fan of John McCain the human being and I came away even more impressed tonight. It is worth remembering that a McCain has fought in every American war since 1776.
In terms of addressing America's big challenges, however, I found the speech much less compelling. It was a very general recitation of fairly standard Republican approaches (how is he really different from Bush on policy?), and it did not address many issues such as getting us out of an economic ditch, heading off the worst financial crisis since the Depression, exploding health care costs, and more. Overall, I thought that part of the speech was thin.
Kudos to McCain for leaving personal partisan rancor out of the speech. Personally, I wish that he had curbed some of that earlier in the convention.
Overall, I came away believing that the McCain-Palin ticket will be very formidable this fall. And even though the speech was long, I thought that when one judges its political impact, I would give it an A.
The effort to position Mr. McCain and the Republicans as the true agents of change benefited this week from his selection of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate. Known for taking on her own state party over corruption and wasteful spending, Ms. Palin projects the image of the ultimate Washington outsider, literally from more than 2,800 miles outside the Capital Beltway. And she would be the first woman to serve as vice president.
But as a matter of history, it is easier to run as the opposition party if you actually are the opposition party.
“When the president of the United States is from your own party, to present yourself as a change agent is not the easiest thing to pull off,” said Joe Trippi, a Democratic strategist. Referring to Senator Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, Mr. Trippi added, “All Obama has to do is say, ‘Bush-McCain, Bush-McCain.’ ”
Chuck Todd said McCain missed the mark. "the convention will not be remembered for this acceptance speech. It will be remembered for Sarah Palin." He also noted there was no humor in the speech and that McCain is probably relieved that it's over. He said McCain is probably looking forward to the debates, where he might fare better.
Chris Matthews said McCain was separating himself from the party and George Bush. "This crowd is applauding his divorce from this administration." He went on to say that the delegates might not like the tone of his tact, but they may see a winner here.
David Gregory said that in the course of three days that McCain gave the Republicans the picture that he is a fighter, and that he has some fight in him left.
A memorial tribute was played to the victims of 9/11 last night at the Republican Convention. Keith Olbermann found it disturbing.
"It is a subject of great pain for many of us still and was probably not appropriate to be shown," he said. Yes Keith, it was graphic, and it did stir up memories. But while those memories that are painful, they should never be forgotten. There are some events that come -- thankfully once a generation -- that define us as a nation. In these events, we honor the dead not just because they died, but because of their motivation, patriotism and love of country. Such is the case with the defenders of the Alamo; or the hundreds of thousands whose blood was spilled by the hand of brothers at Gettysburg, Manassas, and Antietam; or the so many young servicemen killed in a surprise attack at Pearl Harbor. The list goes on and on. But in every waking moment, we must be grateful for their ultimate sacrifice.
Yes Keith, being reminded of the sacrifices of Sept. 11th is painful. But closing our eyes to what happened on that day would be more painful. If we forgot those heroes, we would be guilty of wasting their bravery. The firefighters who climbed those stairwells, or the passengers who fought back on a jet over Pennsylvania, as well as the other 3,000 heroes deserved to be remembered. Tributes to those heroes are never out of place, and last night's video was done in good taste. There was no politics involved. It would have been appropriate to run the same video at the DNC in Denver. Not once was McCain's name used, nor was there a push to vote Republican. It's too bad you feel shame in their tribute, because most Americans are proud of them.
And yes, I knew two victims of that day as well. I will never forget them, neither should anyone else.
UPDATE, 12:25 p.m. Sept. 5: The Olbermann Watch blog makes a point worth reinforcing. Last night's commentary came from the same "neutral news anchor" who repeatedly screamed for media access to take pictures of our military heores' flag-draped coffins coming home from Iraq, despite family wishes to the contrary.
... Olbermann, who remains "down the middle" when he's anchoring news events, did raise crocodile tears over this horrible "exploitation" of the dead. Mind you this is the same Herr Olbermann who repeatedly made an issue of getting public photos of flag-draped coffins, regardless of the wishes of the families. That's not exploitation, oh no. But remember, hypocrisy is coin of the realm on OlbyPlanet.
MSNBC's Chuck Todd, Republican Party strategist Mike Murphy and Wall Steet Journal Columnist Peggy Noonan discover what an open microphone can do for you. Noonan, is overheard saying: "It's over" and that she did not think Palin was the most qualified pick available to McCain.
What makes Noonan's comments over the open microphone so fascinating is that in her column which appeared in the today's Wall Street Journal she certainly seemed a lot more supportive to Palin than she did on the NBC set when she thought the mic was turned off.
"Because she jumbles up so many cultural categories, because she is a feminist not in the Yale Gender Studies sense but the How Do I Reload This Thang way, because she is a woman who in style, history, moxie and femininity is exactly like a normal American feminist and not an Abstract Theory feminist; because she wears makeup and heels and eats mooseburgers and is Alaska Tough, as Time magazine put it; because she is conservative, and pro-2nd Amendment and pro-life; and because conservatives can smell this sort of thing -- who is really one of them and who is not -- and will fight to the death for one of their beleaguered own; because of all of this she is a real and present danger to the American left, and to the Obama candidacy."
Keith Olbermann describes Sarah Palin's speech as condescending, insulting, and dismissive of community activists:
Olbermann here see a lot of sarcasm:
Before the speech, Olbermann had a tough time figuring out who Palin was referring to when she talked about the media elite, and how she could care less if she's not in their good graces. This excerpt is from Geoffrey Dickens of Newsbusters.org:
OLBERMANN: We're getting some of the excerpts now Andrea and I think it's fair to say there don't seem to be any excerpts anyway, any significant attacks on Obama or the Democrats, however guess who has been attacked? That would be probably us, as collective us. Let me read one before we go back to the floor at the Excel Center. "Why She Is Going to Washington D.C." is the headline on this excerpt.
"I'm not a member of the permanent political establishment, she says, and I've learned quickly these past few days that if you're not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, than some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone. But here's a little newsflash for all those reporters and commentators, I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion, I'm going to Washington to serve the people of this country."
Who those reporters and commentators might be she does not say, at least not in the excerpt. It will be interesting to see if they're named in that speech. There's no one I can think of, off the top of my head, who did what she is apparently complaining of tonight, but she will be doing the complaining herself.
Jennifer Harper, writing for the Washington Times today, said that the honeymoon period was short-lived and is over. She talked to some media experts about the Palin coverage:
Some say the press is clearly awry.
"It's completely fair to question Palin's experience, question her record, and question her judgment. Every candidate should expect that. But what's jaw-dropping here is how a supposedly feminist media elite can so abruptly drop all their principles and start questioning whether a mother of five can handle this job. They don't only look biased, but extremely partisan and opportunistic," said Tim Graham of the Media Research Center.
Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, agreed. "The choice of Governor Palin is exposing the rank hypocrisy of the 'enlightened' gatekeepers of the mainstream media."
"While some blame bloggers or Democrats for the most appalling rumors or smears, the mainstream media has also been eager to focus their obsessive coverage - not on Governor Palin's accomplishments - but her personal decisions as a woman. Decisions for which the media clearly have visceral contempt," she said.
A sympathetic public could ultimately favor Mrs. Palin, she added, faulting journalists who offer more favorable coverage to Sen. Barack Obama, and those who appear to think "that the Palins should have chosen abortion over giving life to a special-needs child or teenage pregnancy."
Phil Pedlikin, president of the Down Syndrome Association of Northern Virginia, said the coverage of Mrs. Palin as the mother of a child with Down syndrome has been very mixed.
"We have found it frustrating that, even though Governor Palin has never suggested it, quite the opposite really, the emphasis of many reports has been on the 'burden' that she faces because her child has Down syndrome. Also, she is sometimes portrayed as a hero because of this additional 'burden.' We are not heroes because we have children with Down syndrome. Our children are the heroes," Mr. Pedlikin said.
On behalf of the media, I would like to say we are sorry.
On behalf of the elite media, I would like to say we are very sorry.
We have asked questions this week that we should never have asked.
We have asked pathetic questions like: Who is Sarah Palin? What is her record? Where does she stand on the issues? And is she is qualified to be a heartbeat away from the presidency?
We have asked mean questions like: How well did John McCain know her before he selected her? How well did his campaign vet her? And was she his first choice?
About 37.2 million people watched Sarah Palin make her speech last night at the Republican convention, just about the same viewership as Barack Obama's, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Palin pulled in 37.2 million viewers across broadcast and cable networks, according to Nielsen Media Research.
That's 55% higher than Day 3 of the DNC, when her Democratic counterpart, Joe Biden, and President Clinton took the stage (24 million).
It's also up a sharp 99% from the Republican convention's third day in 2004 (18.7 million). In fact, it came close to upsetting Obama's historic address on Thursday -- the most-watched convention speech in history (38.4 million viewers).
Palin's viewership is up significantly from Tuesday's RNC tally, when 21.5 million tuned in to see President Bush and independent Sen. Joe Lieberman endorse nominee John McCain.
Taking on the Washington media establishment, as well as Barack Obama, Sarah Palin's fiery speech before the Republican National Convention last night put the country on notice: She's here to stay, and she can hold her own on the national stage.
The party faithful welcomed her with a long thundering round of applause as she took the stage. Her speech was enthusiastically interrupted with cheers as she took stabs at Obama and the media:
"I've learned quickly, these past few days, that if you're not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone. But here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion - I'm going to Washington to serve the people of this country." -- Excerpt from Palin's speech.
"There is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform - not even in the state Senate," -- Palin's speech.
"But when the cloud of rhetoric has passed, when the roar of the crowd fades away, when the stadium lights go out, and those Styrofoam Greek columns are hauled back to some studio lot, what exactly is our opponent's plan? What does he actually seek to accomplish, after he's done turning back the waters and healing the planet? The answer is to make government bigger, take more of your money, give you more orders from Washington and to reduce the strength of America in a dangerous world. America needs more energy, our opponent is against producing it."
While the convention was thrilled with her speech, some members of the media had a hard time dealing with it, especially at the criticism leveled against them.
Geoffrey Dickens, writing for newsbusters.org this morning, summerized NBC's position:
During MSNBC's Wednesday night live coverage of the Republican National Convention Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann, Tom Brokaw and others scoffed at the idea they had an anti-Sarah Palin agenda. Brokaw depicted the charge of liberal bias as a mere "tactic," by the GOP, Matthews played it off as just "an old, old conflict," and even tried to write off the media's fascination of Obama, as just a mere fondness of "the new." Brokaw dismissed the contention of any real liberal bias:
This is a political tactic on their part. And the shorthand is, "Let's go after the media." And are they sorting out, for example, Fox or conservative blogs or others who have, in fact, been defending all of this? No what they want to do is just raise the specter that everything that America sees is controlled by a tiny band of Eastern liberal elites.
And for her part Norah O'Donnell insisted:
There is one important thing to point out. The media is not attacking Sarah Palin. The media has done investigative pieces, in their job, about the way Sarah Palin was chosen.
On her experience as a public servant: "I had the privilege of living most of my life in a small town. I was just your average hockey mom, and signed up for the PTA because I wanted to make my kids’ public education better. When I ran for city council, I didn’t need focus groups and voter profiles because I knew those voters, and knew their families, too. Before I became governor of the great state of Alaska, I was mayor of my hometown. And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves. I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a ‘community organizer,’ except that you have actual responsibilities."
On why she is going to Washington, D.C.:
"I’m not a member of the permanent political establishment. And I’ve learned quickly, these past few days, that if you’re not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone. But here’s a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I’m not going to Washington to seek their good opinion - I’m going to Washington to serve the people of this country."
On energy policies that the McCain-Palin administration will implement: "Our opponents say, again and again, that drilling will not solve all of America’s energy problems - as if we all didn’t know that already. But the fact that drilling won’t solve every problem is no excuse to do nothing at all. Starting in January, in a McCain-Palin administration, we’re going to lay more pipelines...build more nuclear plants...create jobs with clean coal...and move forward on solar, wind, geothermal, and other alternative sources. We need American energy resources, brought to you by American ingenuity, and produced by American workers."
On John McCain: "Here’s how I look at the choice Americans face in this election. In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers. And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change."
Sarah Palin gives her speech tonight in accepting the nomination as the Republican vice president candidate, and the media is still pounding her on a number of fronts.
First Argument: She can't be a vice president be cause she is a mother of five.
Above, on CBS' Early Show today, Sally Quinn of The Washington Post is asked by co-host Maggie Rodriguez, "The question, can a mother of five, including an infant with Down's syndrome, be an effective vice president?" Quinn's answer is "it's interesting that here I am, supposedly part of you know, the -- what one would call the liberal elite media. That's what we've been all -- the critics of Sarah Palin have been called. And yet, taking the position that a woman with five children, including one with special needs, and a daughter who is a 17-year-old child who is pregnant and about to have a baby, probably has got to rethink her priorities. It seems to me that there is a tipping point, and I think that she's crossed the tipping point. I believe that it's going to be very difficult for her ... I think this is -- this is too much."
So yes, it is a liberal's argument that there is a tipping point (maybe a glass ceiling?) as to how high a woman can go in the business world. According to Quinn, a women with five children cannot succeed in high levels of government. But in my book, anyone who has raised five kids is most certainly capable of serving as vice president. There is no underestimating the amount of work it takes to handle the responsibilities of such a family, and at the same time achieve the position of governor.
Second Argument: She's not ready to be Vice President.
Well, actually, who is? What exactly is needed to be President of the Senate, besides swinging a gavel and breaking ties?
Now, the role of the vice president has changed the past eight years. Dick Cheney has wielded more power and influence than most vice presidents ever. But that doesn't mean that role will continue. The vice president's role is chiefly designed by the president. The president can have a potted plant if he wishes, or he can assign tasks to the vice president, or as in the case of George Bush, rely on an active vice president in the day-to-day affairs of the country. Either way, it will be up to Barack Obama or John McCain to define the roles of either Joe Biden or Sarah Palin. Obama and McCain will most likely use their vice president in roles that play to their strengths.
Argument Three: Sarah Palin's resume is not up to snuff on the national stage.
Once again, so what? Look at some other presidents. Harry Truman was a congressman before becoming vice president. Ronald Reagan was a governor and an actor. Gerald Ford was a congressman as well. Calvin Coolidge was a one-year governor. Grover Cleveland was mayor of Buffalo, then briefly governor of New York. Bill Clinton was governor of Arkansas. Abraham Lincoln served only one term in Congress. The list goes on.
Argument Four: Sarah Palin's a hypocrite because she stands for family values and her unwed teen daughter is pregnant.
This is so below the belt that it astounds me that anyone with any sense of decency can put forth this nonsense. Palin has demonstrated that she is living her faith through actions by carrying her Down's syndrome child to birth and opting for life. She's doing the same for her daughter, providing her with the love and support she will need to get through this. If anything, it has provided more support for Palin from evangelicals and social conservatives.
In the end. it's not a matter of words on a resume, it's a matter of leadership skills. That's what we need from our elected officials in Washington. Tonight is the first big test for Sarah Palin. If she can prove on a big stage that she can lead a party into action, she'll go a long way in fighting the barrage of insulting counterattacks from the left in the coming months.
President George Bush opened the Republican convention 1.1 tonight stirring the party faithful with a heart-felt endorsement of the GOP ticket of John McCain and Sarah Palin. Bush spoke via a video link from the White House, where he is monitoring developments from Hurricane Gustav.
At one point the president gave the statement of the night: "If the Hanoi Hilton could not break John McCain’s resolve to do what is best for his country, you can be sure that the angry left never will." The convention roared its approval. A video clip can be found here.
"In these past eight years I've sat at the Resolute desk and reviewed the daily intelligence briefings, the threat assessments and the reports from our commanders on the front lines," Bush told the delegates. "I've stood in the ruins of buildings knocked down by killers and promised the survivors I would never let them down. I know the hard choices that fall solely to a president. John McCain's life has prepared him to make those choices. He is ready to lead this nation."
Fred Thompson spoke of McCain's devotion to country and his ability to fight the status quo. He described how McCain's experience as a prisoner of war help mold his character.
"On October 26, 1967, on his 23rd mission over North Vietnam, a surface-to-air missile slammed into John's A-4 Skyhawk jet, blowing it out of the sky. When John ejected, part of the plane hit him -- breaking his right knee, his left arm, his right arm in three places. An angry mob got to him. A rifle butt broke his shoulder. A bayonet pierced his ankle and his groin. They took him to the Hanoi Hilton, where he lapsed in and out of consciousness for days. He was offered medical care for his injuries if he would give up military information in return.
"John McCain said 'No.' After days of neglect, covered in grime, lying in his own waste in a filthy room, a doctor attempted to set John's right arm without success and without anesthesia. His other broken bones and injuries were not treated. John developed a high fever and dysentery. He weighed barely a hundred pounds. Expecting him to die, his captors placed him in a cell with two other POWs who also expected him to die. But with their help, John McCain fought on. He persevered.
"So then they put him in solitary confinement. For over two years. Isolation. Incredible heat beating on a tin roof. A light bulb in his cell burning 24 hours a day. Boarded-up cell windows blocking any breath of fresh air. The oppressive heat causing boils the size of baseballs under his arms. The outside world limited to what he could see through a crack in a door.
"We hear a lot of talk about hope these days. John McCain knows about hope. That's all he had. For propaganda purposes, his captors offered to let him go home. John McCain refused. He refused to leave ahead of men who'd been there longer. He refused to abandon his conscience and his honor, even for his freedom. He refused, even though his captors warned him, 'It will be very bad for you.' They were right. It was. The guards cracked ribs, broke teeth off at the gums. They cinched a rope around his arms and painfully drew back his shoulders. Over four days, every two to three hours, the beatings resumed. During one especially fierce beating, he fell, again breaking his arm.
"John was beaten for communicating with other prisoners. He was beaten for not communicating with so-called 'peace delegations.' He was beaten for not giving information during interrogations. When his captors wanted the names of other pilots in his squadron, John gave them the name of the offensive line of the Green Bay Packers. Whenever John was returned to his cell -- walking if he could, dragged if he couldn't -- as he passed his fellow POWs, he would often call out to them. He'd smile, often give them a thumbs-up.
"For five-and-a-half years this went on. John McCain's bones may have been broken but his spirit never was. Now, being a POW certainly doesn't qualify anyone to be President. But it does reveal character. This is the kind of character that civilizations from the beginning of history have sought in their leaders. Strength, courage, humility, wisdom, duty, honor. It's pretty clear there are two questions we will never have to ask ourselves, 'Who is this man?' and 'Can we trust this man with the Presidency?'"
Joe Lieberman closed the night as a registered Democrat and the former vice presidential candidate for the opposition eight years ago. He was well-received, and spoke of why he is supporting a Republican for president. Noting that while Obama was voting to cut off funds for troops in Iraq, McCain took the politically unpopular position to support a surge in troops. "Because of that, today, our troops are at last beginning to come home, not in failure, but in honor.
"Tonight, I ask you, whether you are an independent, a Reagan Democrat or a Clinton Democrat, or just a Democrat: This year, when you vote for president, vote for the person you believe is best for the country, not for the party you happen to belong to,"
All three broadcast anchors, CBS' Katie Couric, ABC's Charlie Gibson and NBC's Brian Williams, made it from New Orleans to St. Paul today to switch gears and provide coverage of the Republican convention. But there was one famous commentator missing. Keith Olbermann decided to play it safe and stay in New York. Olbermann is co-anchoring from MSNBC studios in New York while Chris Matthews is in St. Paul.
An MSNBC spokesperson told TVNewser, "Since the next hurricane may hit on Thursday night, Keith will remain in New York. But, he'll co-anchor with Chris who will be on our Rice Park set."
It's pretty obvious that Olbermann didn't feel like going to Minnesota and be surrounded by so many Republicans. It's tough being in hostile territory. Quite the contrast to other conservative commentators, say Bill O'Reilly, who attended the Democrat convention in Denver.
Ben Smith and John Bresnahan of Politico have posted the internal Democrat memo on research in Sarah Palin's political and personal life, including a partial release of her Social Security number, a list of vehicles she has owned with VIN numbers, her home address, former addresses and phone number. The pdf file is here. The 63-page document includes subsections called "Vindictive, Firings", "Creating Bureaucracy", "Powerful Mayor" and "Can't Handle Criticism" under a management style section.
Democrat Tony Knowles, her opponent in the 2006 Alaska gubernatorial race, put together a detailed, 63-page research document — obtained by Politico — cataloging Palin’s strengths and weaknesses. And the Obama campaign, in particular, knows Palin well: A key Obama consultant, Anita Dunn, worked on Knowles’ campaign.
“We’re running against John McCain — the issues raised around his decision and the fact that he clearly bowed under to the right wing of his party and let them exercise veto power over his vice presidential pick,” Dunn said, suggesting the Obama campaign wouldn’t be recycling the 2006 Democratic criticism of Palin.
“Whether it was Sarah Palin or Tim Pawlenty or Mitt Romney or somebody else, fundamentally that wasn’t going to alter the dynamic — which is that John McCain believes we don’t need to change the fundamental economic policies in this country,” Dunn said.
The Democratic opposition research document, which was not obtained from Dunn or from the Obama campaign, is largely a catalog of the day-to-day decisions of a small-town mayor. It contains examples of her sometimes confrontational tenure and colorful details of an ordinary woman who was thrilled to meet Ivana Trump and who began the process of opening a marketing company whose name — Rouge Cou — was supposed to be a French version of “redneck.”
The boyfriend of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's unwed, pregnant 17-year-old daughter will join the family of the Republican vice presidential candidate at the GOP convention in St. Paul, Minn., the Associated Press reported late Tuesday afternoon.
Levi Johnston's mother said her 18-year-old son left Alaska on Tuesday morning to join the Palin family at the convention where Sen. John McCain will officially receive the Republican nomination for president. The boy's mother, Sherry Johnston, said there had been no pressure put on her son to marry 17-year-old Bristol Palin and the two teens had made plans to wed before it was known she was pregnant.
"This is just a bonus," Johnston said.
The young man's presence could set off a media frenzy around the young couple as photographers and cameramen scramble for pictures of the two teenagers. On Monday, Palin and her husband, Todd, said their 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, planned to have the baby and wed a young man identified only as Levi. The family asked the media to respect the young couple's privacy as has been the tradition with children of candidates.
The Associated Press is reporting today that John McCain said he is happy with the process in selecting Sarah Palin as his running mate, and he is excited with its outcome.
Asked about whether Palin's background was thoroughly checked out before he selected her, McCain told reporters in Philadelphia: "The vetting process was completely thorough and I'm grateful for the results."
Later, after visiting a firehouse outside Cleveland in Brecksville, Ohio, McCain added: "I just want to repeat again how excited I am to have Sarah Palin, the great governor of Alaska, as my running mate."
"America is excited and they're going to be even more excited once they see her tomorrow night," he said. "I'm very, very proud of the impression she's made on all of America and I look forward to serving with her."
CNN reported Monday that evangelicals are still backing the nomination of Sarah Palin as the Republican vice presidential candidate despite the revelation that her 17-year-old daughter is five months' pregnant.
"Before, they were excited about her, with the Down syndrome baby," conservative, anti-tax activist Grover Norquist said. "But now with this, they are over the moon. It reinforces the fact that this family lives its pro-life values."
"Fortunately, Bristol is following her mother and father's example of choosing life in the midst of a difficult situation," Family Research Council president Tony Perkins said. "We are committed to praying for Bristol and her husband-to-be and the entire Palin family as they walk through a very private matter in the eyes of the public."
Evangelical leader Richard Land also backed Palin completely.
"This is the pro-life choice. The fact that people will criticize her for this shows the astounding extent to which the secular critics of the pro-life movement just don't get it," Land said in a statement.
"Those who criticize the Palin family don't understand that we don't see babies as a punishment but as a blessing. Barack Obama said that if one of his daughters made a mistake and got pregnant out of wedlock, he wouldn't want her to be punished with a child. Pro-lifers don't see a child as punishment."
"Being a Christian does not mean you're perfect. Nor does it mean your children are perfect," said James Dobson, founder of ultra-conservative Focus on the Family and a key figure in the pro-life movement. Conservatives have been outraged at speculation about the Palins on liberal blogs, and any Democratic comments critical of the family are likely to meet a fierce response.
The Associated Press released this report today on John McCain's opposition to proposals to spend federal money on teen-pregnancy prevention programs. The report noted that he voted to require poor teenage mothers to stay in school or lose their welfare benefits.
McCain's record on issues surrounding teen pregnancy and contraceptives during his more than two decades in the Senate indicate that he and [Sarah] Palin have similar views. Until Monday, when the subject surfaced in a deeply personal manner, teen pregnancy and sex education were not issues in the national political campaign.
Palin herself said she opposes funding sexual-education programs in Alaska. She has supported abstinence programs in schools.
"The explicit sex-ed programs will not find my support," she wrote in a 2006 questionnaire distributed among gubernatorial candidates.
McCain's position on contraceptives and teen pregnancy issues has been difficult to judge on the campaign trail, as he appears uncomfortable discussing such topics. Reporters asked the presumptive Republican presidential nominee in November 2007 whether he supported grants for sex education in the United States, whether such programs should include directions for using contraceptives or whether he supports President George W. Bush's policy of promoting abstinence.
"Ahhh, I think I support the president's policy," McCain said. When reporters pressed McCain whether the government should provide contraceptives or counseling on contraceptives, he replied: "You've stumped me." McCain said later that he was sure he opposed government spending on contraceptives.
Paul Kane of The Washington Post reports today that Sarah Palin hired a lobbying firm to secure almost $27 million in federal earmarks for a town of 6,700 residents while she was its mayor.
There was $500,000 for a youth shelter, $1.9 million for a transportation hub, $900,000 for sewer repairs, and $15 million for a rail project -- all intended to benefit Palin's town, Wasilla, located about 45 miles north of Anchorage.
In introducing Palin as his running mate on Friday, Sen. John McCain cast her as a compatriot in his battle against wasteful federal spending. McCain, the Republican presidential candidate, hailed Palin as a politician "with an outstanding reputation for standing up to special interests and entrenched bureaucracies -- someone who has fought against corruption and the failed policies of the past, someone who's stopped government from wasting taxpayers' money."
McCain's crusade against earmarks -- federal spending sought by members of Congress to benefit specific projects -- has been a hallmark of his campaign. He has said earmarks are wasteful and are often inserted into bills with little oversight, sometimes by a single powerful lawmaker.
The New York Daily News researched the background of 17-year-old Levi Johnston, who is the father of Bristol Palin's unborn child. Its story notes that Johnston described himself as "a f*in' redneck" hockey player who "doesn't want kids" on his myspace page, which has been taken down.
Besides his hard play on the ice, Levi Johnston was also a bit of a hell-raiser off it - another reason Bristol may have been smitten.
State troopers popped Johnston last year for snagging some king salmon out of season in Moose Lake, records from Alaska wildlife enforcement show. He had to pay $370 bail.
On his MySpace page, Johnston proudly declares: "I'm a f---in' redneck."
"I live to play hockey. I like to go camping and hang out with the boys, do some fishing," he says on the site.
He also warns that if anyone messes with him, "I'll kick ass."
The Web site, before it was removed, appeared not to have been accessed for a year.
On it, he admits to having a girlfriend.
On the part where it asks about children, he wrote, "I don't want kids."
Nico Pitney and Sam Stein, writing for the Huffington Post, uncovered a video of Sarah Palin appearing in June at Wasilla Assembly of God, the church she was a member of for many years. The full video is available at the Huffington Post.
Speaking before the Pentecostal church, Palin painted the current war in Iraq as a messianic affair in which the United States could act out the will of the Lord.
"Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God," she exhorted the congregants. "That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan."
Alaska's governor asked the audience to pray for another matter -- a $30 billion national gas pipeline project that she wanted built in the state. "I think God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built, so pray for that," she said.
The church runs a number of ministries providing help to poor neighborhoods, care for children in need, and general community services. But Pastor Kalnins has also preached that critics of President Bush will be banished to hell; questioned whether people who voted for Sen. John Kerry in 2004 would be accepted to heaven; charged that the 9/11 terrorist attacks and war in Iraq were part of a war "contending for your faith;" and said that Jesus "operated from that position of war mode."
It is impossible to determine how much Wasilla Assembly of God has shaped Palin's thinking. She was baptized there at the age of 12 and attended the church for most of her adult life. When Palin was inaugurated as governor, the founding pastor of the church delivered the invocation. In 2002, Palin moved her family to a nondenominational church, but she continues to worship at a related Assembly of God church in Juneau.
Moreover, she "has maintained a friendship with Wasilla Assembly of God and has attended various conferences and special meetings here," Kalnins' office said in a statement. "As for her personal beliefs," the statement added, "Governor Palin is well able to speak for herself on those issues."
Except for the national spotlight, Wasilla Bible Church resembles thousands of conservative evangelical churches across the country. Its statement of faith says its members believe that the Bible is the "inspired, inerrant word of God." It offers a half a dozen ministries devoted to children and families, including a chapter of MOPS, a popular nationwide support group for Christian mothers of preschoolers. The sermons of its ministers steer clear of politics and hot-button social issues and dwell instead on scripture. Its membership is largely conservative.
Alexander Burns of Politico wrote about today's breakfast panel discussion at the GOP convention where Republicans groaned loudly in reaction to a question about 17-year-old Bristol Palin’s pregnancy.
“Lay off the kid,” said former Republican strategist and NBC news analyst Mike Murphy, responding to an audience member who asked how conservatives would respond if similar information arose about a Democratic candidate’s child.
Idaho Lt. Gov. Jim Risch, another panelist, dismissed the subject, tersely saying: “Next question.”
Panelists defended Palin at a discussion hosted by Politico, the St. Paul Pioneer Press and Yahoo News. Joining Murphy and Risch at the event were California Rep. Kevin McCarthy, Ohio Rep. Deborah Pryce and Michigan Rep. Candace Miller.
Here is Bill Bennett arguing with Wolf Blitzer over coverage of Bristol Palin and her pregnancy.
Hanna could strike the U.S. coast on Friday, but may impact the Florida coast Thursday night, just about the same time Sen. John McCain is scheduled to speak to the GOP convention in St. Paul.
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has already declared a state of emergency, saying the state should prepare for flash floods and winds up to 111 mph.
Republican Party insiders are reeling over the cloud storms that have gathered over John McCain's decision-making process in choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate. While the party is unified in her defense concerning the controversial pick, George Stephanopoulos of ABC News wrote this morning that there are three questions the party faithful are asking themselves at the convention:
1) What else is out there about Palin? Monday brought the announcement that Palin's 17-year-old daughter is pregnant; news that Palin was once a member of the fringe Alaska independence party; and the revelation that Palin's husband was arrested for a DUI in the 1980s. The news about Palin has continued to come this morning, with the Washington Post reporting that Palin hired a lobbying firm during her time as the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, to lobby for millions in earmarks for the small town.
2) Was the vetting process complete and professional? Reports in Tuesday's New York Times and Alaska Daily News both suggest the McCain campaign's vetting of Palin was swift and superficial, although the McCain campaign continues to insist that Palin was thoroughly and professionally vetted.
3) And most significantly, what message will voters hear about McCain's judgment that he chose someone to be his running mate who has almost no national security experience and who is so much of an unknown quantity?
The answers to these questions could be deal-breakers, not only for Palin's political future but for John McCain's chances in the election.
For question No. 1, if there are no new revelations, she should survive the political storm. A DUI by her husband two decades ago is nothing to be concerned about. And despite the left's insistence that Palin is a hypocrite because of her stance on family values, evangelicals and social conservatives will see her actions in her daughter's pregnancy as a sign that she lives what she believes. That is, life is sacred at conception.
In regards to question No. 2, there is no real answer. Who is to say what is required in the vetting process? A presidential candidate can request thousands of documents from a potential vice presidential pick but there is always a chance something will fall through the cracks.
But question No. 3 might have produced the most damage for McCain. Clearly, this is a window into his decision-making process and ultimately his judgment. When Americans make their decision this fall, they will want someone in the Oval Office they can have confidence in to make the right call. Rash judgments and ill-advised decisions could lead to disaster for a president. McCain's reputation has clearly suffered in this regard. Palin may be the right person for the vice presidency, but her selection is seriously degrading McCain's chances in being elected. McCain may be forced to ask her to step aside. He could spin it by saying with new revelations, it's become clear that it's time for a midstream adjustment. She could say that she has decided for the good of her family and the party she is not going to run.
One thing is clear, if a move is to be made, it has to be soon, and that means during the convention. That would give him and the party time to recover from this political mistake, and rebuild his reputation for someone who normally has sound judgment.
In what is a terribly sad story, an investigator in Orlando said today that the lab results on hair samples confirmed that Caylee Marie Anthony's dead body was in her mother's trunk. How the body ended up in the trunk and how she died is still unknown.
"We clearly have evidence that indicates there was a dead body in the trunk of Casey's car and that that body was Caylee's," Sgt. John Allen told ABC News affiliate WFTV. That station had previously reported that FBI DNA tests confirmed that Caylee's body had been in the trunk and hair and fluid analysis indicated the body was decomposing. The mother, Casey Anthony, remains in jail on an unrelated charge.
Rick Klein and Jennifer Parker, writing for ABC News, examine the ramifications of the news that Sarah Palin's 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, is five months' pregnant and will marry her boyfriend.
Palin is an outspoken opponent of abortion, opposing the termination of a pregnancy in all cases except when the mother's life is in danger. Palin also opposed sexual education programs in schools, other than an abstinence-only curriculum, during her 2006 Alaska gubernatorial campaign.
Given all that as a backdrop, the tag of hypocrite may soon appear from the left. That tag is a political death sentence for anyone.
So far, the reaction has been predictable along party lines. Obama told reporters after a campaign event in Monroe, Mich., that “people’s families are off-limits and people’s children are especially off-limits. This shouldn’t be part of our politics. It has no relevance to Gov. Palin’s performance as a governor or potential performance as a vice president. So I would strongly urge people to back off these kinds of stories.”
But fallout has started, and there will be no let up in the coming days.
Richard Gizbert, writing for the Huffington Post, says Palin is the new Thomas Engleton, and predicts she will step away from the race within next week or so. He pins the potential move on reaction from evangelicals.
But what hurts Palin's candidacy more than anything else is the breaking news about her daughter.
It hurts because Sarah Palin was a bone John McCain threw at the Republican right.
He had problems with evangelicals and thought she could help him there. And, for a news cycle or two, it worked.
But what are the evangelicals thinking now? A teen pregnancy for a prospective vice-president's unmarried daughter?
Even though some will say the decision to keep the baby is consistent with their beliefs on abortion, it's still not the news they want to hear.
Evangelicals are socially conservative. How many of them are calling members of their congregations today, asking whether this kind of thing would have happened had Sarah Palin given up her career to be there for her children?
The selection showed a "major lack of judgment" and a "major failure to comprehend what the reaction would be," Sheinkopf said.
"You cannot excite the base of fundamentalist Christians by telling them your daughter is pregnant out of wedlock," he said. The entire episode "makes the McCain people look stupid."
"I don't think it [hurts] at all," said Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, who hailed Palin's nomination.
The media's breathless reaction is proof that "you just don't get it," Land said during a U.S. News lunch roundtable here that also included Jim Wallis, president and executive director of Sojourners; Randy Brinson, founder of Redeem the Vote; and Chuck Donovan, executive vice president for the Family Research Council.
"We need to take the Juno option," Wallis said, referring to last year's popular movie about a pregnant teenager who gives her baby up for adoption. Said Donovan: "It doesn't matter if it's a conservative, liberal, or an apolitical family—these things happen."
Donovan and Land both referred to the national efforts by evangelicals to encourage women and girls to do what Bristol Palin, now five months pregnant, has done and keep the child. "Pro-life people don't see a baby as a punishment," Land said.
Carla Marinucci, the political writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, talked to Republican delegates in St. Paul, Minn., about their concerns. Most everyone was supportive of Palin and her family.
Most staunch Republicans in St. Paul, hearing the news, aimed to accentuate the positive: Palin's daughter is keeping the baby and getting married, a plus - the embodiment of family values, they said.
"I'm not a feminist, never have been, and I opposed the Equal Rights Amendment because it was bad law," said Jo Ellen Allen, a delegate from Newport Beach. "But women ought to be applauding her. ... This happens to the best of families."
"As a delegate, and as a woman, I respect them even more now,' said Miryam Mora, 26, a GOP delegate from Los Angeles, whose reaction mirrored many inside Xcel Energy Center. "It's a family with real issues and real problems ... but it's an amazing family."
At least one poster at the Daily Kos is trying to set the record straight in regards to the awful mudslinging that has been going on over there concerning Sarah Palin.
OK, there is a visibly-pregnant Sarah Palin talking with a CBS 11 (Dallas Juneau) reporter at the Governor's meeting in Texas end of the Alaska legislative session. She clearly appears to be pregnant.
Unless someone has counter evidence, we can drop this crap now. Yes, there are still some interesting questions, such as why she flew to Dallas and back when she was this pregnant, and why the Alaska Airlines crewmembers insisted that she was not visibly pregnant on the flight. Nevertheless, until this photo is debunked, we look stupid pushing this rumor.
That is all.
This was posted last night (11:50 p.m. Eastern), before I posted my remarks earlier this morning (1:10 a.m. Eastern). I had originally posted it in the same file as the Palin investigation, but I split them later at 8:46 a.m. Eastern.
The largest government-assisted evacuation in New Orleans' history wrapped up smoothly Sunday after about 18,000 people boarded government-provided buses, trains and airplanes over three days to flee Hurricane Gustav.
By noon Sunday, the flow of evacuees coming through the Union Passenger Terminal on Loyola Avenue had slowed to a trickle, with more National Guard soldiers, police and volunteers filling the station than evacuees.
I'm confident "everybody who wanted to leave was able to leave," said Michael Chertoff, secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, who visited the terminal as evacuations wrapped up.
Chertoff said early estimates suggest that a high percentage of the city's population evacuated, but he stressed that could not be confirmed until the storm passes. "There may be people hiding in their houses," he said.
Coast Guard officials have been dispatched to the Industrial Canal to check on reports that a pair of barges are drifting loose in the channel, a top official for Gov. Bobby Jindal who is embedded at City Hall said at 9 a.m., Nola.com is reporting.
Mark Potter of MSNBC is reporting at 10:52 a.m. Eastern that water is overflowing the west side of the Industrial Canal in the upper 9th ward, but there is no evidence of any breaches in the levy. Water is overflowing the canal "over a length of about seven rail cars."
"It looks like a lot of wind pushing water over it."
It appears that Michael Moore isn't the only one who thinks Gustav is a sign that God is supporting the Democrats.
A blogger for RedSatate.com sat behind former national chairman of the Democratic National Committee Don Fowler and Rep. John Spratt of South Carolina on a flight from Denver to Charlotte after the convention. Their conversation centered on making fun of Sarah Palin, with Fowler describing her as Dan Quayle on steroids and Spratt saying she was "just terrible." They both agreed that other than the simple fact that she's a female she has nothing to offer.
But the conversation turned ugly as Fowler is caught on camera saying, "The hurricane is going to hit New Orleans about the time they start. The timing is, at least it appears now, it will be there Monday. That just demonstrates God is on our side." He is seen gleefully laughing that the hurricane is going to hit New Orleans, and saying "everything's cool."
South Carolina Republican Chairman Katon Dawson's reaction was to say, "The outrageous behavior of two of the Obama campaign's highest profile supporters in the south is despicable, a cynical politization of life and death. I call on Barack Obama to immediately denounce Fowler and Spratt and demand sincere apologies from these members of the Democratic leadership."
On Sunday, Fowler told The Associated Press that he was making fun of comments made by the Rev. Jerry Falwell, who after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, said the attacks were God's punishment for abortion, homosexuality and other sins.
"I don't believe in a God that's vengeful," Fowler said. "I believe in a God that's compassionate."
"This is a point of national concern. I think everybody of good will has great empathy and sympathy for people in New Orleans," Fowler also said. "Most religious people are praying for people in New Orleans. There is no political connotation to this whatsoever. This was just poking fun at Jerry Falwell and the nonsensical thing he had said several years ago."
There is no mention on the video of Jerry Falwell or of 9/11. The video shows Fowler was pleased that Gustav was slamming into New Orleans as the Republicans were scheduled to open their convention.
"If this offended anybody, I personally apologize. It was a mistake, and it was a satirical statement made in jest. And one that I clearly don't believe."
He also took a swing at the blogger:
"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."
The National Hurricane Center has downgraded Gustav to a Category 2 storm. Official landfall was expected in about an hour, with Houma as its target.
A Hurricane Warning is in effect from east of High Island to the Mississippi-Alabama border. This warning includes New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain. A Tropical Storm warning is in effect from the Mississippi-Alabama border to the Ochlockonee River.
AT 800 AM CDT...1300Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE GUSTAV WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 28.9 NORTH...LONGITUDE 90.4 WEST OR ABOUT 80 MILES... 125 KM...SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF NEW ORLEANS LOUISIANA AND ABOUT 130 MILES...210 KM...SOUTHEAST OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA. THIS POSITION IS ALSO ABOUT 20 MILES...35 KM...SOUTHWEST OF PORT FOURCHON ALONG THE LOUISIANA COAST.
GUSTAV IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 16 MPH...26 KM/HR...AND THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT DAY OR SO WITH SOME DECREASE IN FORWARD SPEED AND A GRADUAL TURN TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST ON TUESDAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK...THE CENTER WILL CROSS THE LOUISIANA COAST BY MIDDAY TODAY.
REPORTS FROM AIR FORCE RESERVE AND NOAA HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT INDICATE THAT MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE DECREASED TO NEAR 110 MPH...175 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. THIS MAKES GUSTAV A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN STRENGTH IS LIKELY BEFORE LANDFALL...WITH WEAKENING EXPECTED TO BEGIN AFTER GUSTAV MOVES INLAND LATER TODAY.
``The latest forecast show that while Gustav is perfectly aimed at the heart of U.S. oil and gas production, it's not as quite strong as was initially feared,'' said Mike Wittner, Societe Generale's London-based head of oil research. ``The refining system is not as stretched this time round compared with Rita and Katrina.''
Crude oil for October delivery fell as much as $1.85, or 1.6 percent, to $113.61 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, and traded at $113.93, down $1.53, at 12:48 p.m. London time. It earlier rose as much as 2.2 percent to $118.
Workers from more than 70 percent of the platforms and rigs in the Gulf have been evacuated as Gustav approaches, the U.S. Minerals Management Service said in a statement on its Web site yesterday. About 1.25 million barrels a day of oil and 6.09 billion cubic feet of gas have been shut, or more than 96 percent of offshore oil output and 82 percent of gas production.
The Gulf of Mexico normally produces about 1.3 million barrels of oil and an estimated 7.4 billion cubic feet of gas a day, according to the Minerals Management Service, part of the U.S. Interior Department.
Nymex electronic trading opened early today to allow traders to respond to Gustav. Trades will be recorded as part of the Sept. 2 session because of today's U.S. Labor Day holiday.
Brent crude oil for October settlement was down $1.71, or 1.5 percent at $112.34 barrel on the ICE Futures Europe Exchange.
The Daily Kos should delete these posts immediately, issue an apology, and work to improve its standards. It's a new low in American politics coming from the side that claims it wants "change" in the way political campaigns are conducted. It's about as disgusting as you can get.
KTVA, the CBS affiliate in Anchorage, is now reporting that despite Sarah Palin's new-found national notoriety, the investigation into whether her staff violated ethics laws in the firing of a state official is continuing.
An earlier report that breaks down the case is below:
"The status of the investigation is that Steve Branchflower is taking statements right now from former members of the administration, and scheduling other appointments with other members of the administration, up to, and including Governor Palin to find out the facts of what happened," said Senator Hollis French, who is in charge of the legislative investigation of Palin.
Branchflower is looking into the events that led up to the firing of former public safety commissioner Walt Monegan. It is alleged that Monegan may have been fired for refusing to fire Alaska State Trooper Michael Wooten, who went through a messy divorce with Palin's sister and is currently in the midst of a custody battle.
Other state officials from both parties say that they want the investigation to play out.
"There is too much information to just erase it as a mistake," said Senator Lyda Green, a Republican from Wasilla, "It needs to be followed through very diligently, very carefully."
"The fact is the investigation will continue to go on regardless of governor Palin's position as the vice presidential nominee," said Andrew Halcro, who ran against Palin for governor in 2006.
"I don't know how they would do that given the fact that Branchflower just began his investigation and there is a lot out there that is unknown," said Halcro.
"We certainly don't want to see anything like this on the national level if it is found there is abuse of powers on the state level," said Green.
The results of this investigation are due on Oct. 31, just five days before the election.
