Have you never watched Obama speak...ever? I mean, clearly you have some major issues with the guy, which is your choice, but if you did spend any time watching him, he's more than capable of speaking intelligently about foreign policy and the economy.

He sounds more secure on those issues than Bush does after 8 years of being the president, though, that's just as likely simply because he's a great orator as it is because of any superior knowledge.

Please show me where I said it was wrong to be a white Christian. Please tell me how that's something new, and the future for our country.
-----Added 29/8/2008 at 12 : 56 : 35-----
I think this just further proves the point that approval polls are nonsense early on in an administration. Clinton's were in the celler at the start. Bush I got up to 92%, before becoming one termer.

Gallup Poll August 15, 2008 "Bush’s Job Approval Inches Up to 33%".

On the other hand... Congress, the sweeping "peoples mandate" folks, are enjoying approval at below 10%.

Polls... go figure.

Now this made me laugh...from a Fox News commentator:

DOOCY: But the other thing about her, she does know about international relations because she is right up there in Alaska right next door to Russia

OK, fair enough... what did you mean?

It will be interesting considering many may see this as a desperate attempt to get Hillary's voters. Also Palin recently said she has "no idea what the vice president even does" and that she proceed to say "I would have to see what I can do for Alaska with the Vice Presidency". Alaska has a bad rep for bringing home pork and now we want to put a person who has admitted she will use the position to bring home more pork. Also she comes with her own abuse of executive power scandal. It won't be hard to paint her like Bush.

Yes, I have heard Obama speak and when he is on teleprompter and rehearsed he is good.... but when he has to speak off the cuff and without an help.... um, well.... you know... uh uh uh..... I think...... well maybe...... I have been to 57 states and I have 2 more to go..... but I'm tired.... so I have a great excuse for not truly knowing that for which I speak.

Ummmmm..... if he makes a simple mistake like that when he's "tired" what kind of mistake will he make when he's president and has to stay up all night working on issues that are important and need his decision??????

Yeah. That's what I thought.

Otto...I think we've discussed before how comparing the two is apples and oranges.

But for whatever polls are worth, probably the most important or relevant in terms of the election are the "direction of the country" polls.

The latest are about 80% believing the country is moving in the wrong direction.

Yes, anyone may pick and choose polls to take comfort in their ideology... I understand.

I'd rather have Obama than Old Geazer McCain when its late. Especially if the phone call comes at 3 am and McCain took Ambien that night....

Yep...that goes both ways.

What I meant was that a white, conservative Christian is not very futuristic. If that's what one thinks of the future, then they really want more of the same old. You seem to shorten it to just "white Christian".

Do I not want conservatives in office? Yes. Yes, I don't.

Um she has fought pork in her state, she believes states should be self sufficient and she has fought corruption in her state:

Sarah Palin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Her abuse of power? Let's see:

So white Christians can't be futuristic? ... I'm just messing with you :)

They have her on tape a few weeks ago saying she wants to use the power of the VP to advocate for Alaska.... Also she is under investigation by a republican lead state congress....

That was my point too, not a dig.

Also is Palin ready to be president if something happens to McCain (likely at his age, especially with his anger/stress issues).

And????

Um, if I were to be offered VP, I'd want to know how I could help my state of Ohio.

Is there a scandal other than the Wiki I provided? If so, please do tell.
-----Added 29/8/2008 at 01 : 22 : 38-----
LOL.... is Obama ready to be? I don't think so? Again, you talk about experience.... what experience does Obama show that he is ready to be president?

It has yet to be resolved:
I guess you can believe she "only now became aware of it" rather than believe it is a potential abuse of power.

Exactly.

... BTW - was there some sort of a speech made somewhere last night?

I don't want the president or the VP to be trying to do anything to help their home state, as that defeats entirely the purpose of being a national leader. Senators and representatives have the job of working to help their state. It has no place in the executive realm.

If a lazy excessive dirinker in his post-college adult years, failed oil exec, figurehead owner of a baseball team, six year governor with no foreign policy was ready...I have no doubt Obama is equally or better prepared :)

Otto...you voted for this guy eight years ago and you dont see the double standard?

You are going to hear a lot about McCain's age and Palin's ineperience. Obama's experience is much greater than Palin's who 20 months ago was a mayor of a small town with a population of 6,500. The conservatives will now have a much harder time saying Obama is inexperienced. In addition some of the major conservative pundits aren't even happy with here. Here are some quotes:

with Kathryn Jean Lopez of National Review: "She Just Is Not Ready to Be Commander-in-Chief"

Pat Buchanan responded to the quote above: "I'm liable to agree."

National Review's Jonah Goldberg: "Downside: She may not be ready for primetime. The heartbeat-from-the-presidency issue is a real one."

From the National Review's Jonathon Adler: "I recognize that were McCain to select Palin as his Veep it disrupts the Obama Lacks Foreign Policy Experience" talking point, but I was never thought that argument was all that powerful."

From Town Hall's Ron Fournier: "If Obama is an empty suit, as McCain has suggested, is Palin suited for the Oval Office herself?

She is younger and less experienced than the first-term Illinois senator, and brings an ethical shadow to the ticket. Just 20 months ago, she was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, a town of 6,500 where the biggest issue is controlling growth and the biggest annual worry is whether there will be enough snow for the Iditarod dog-mushing race."

From Joe Scarborough: "It Sounds Like a Harriet Miers Decision. Let's Find a Woman, Whether She's Experienced or Not."

If your own hatchet men are attacking her you have to be a bit worried.

Too bad no-one matching that description is running against Obama, I share your concerns. :)

Its a shame you and millions of others cant take back your vote from eight years ago...what a different country we might be.

But it seems to me that you are still applying a double standard....for whatever thats worth. I guess experience didnt matter eight years ago, but it does now.

She smokes weed and believes global warming is a threat to the planet. McCain is trying to move right and he's going to try to make Governor Sarah take the left.

I've never actually seen a campaign poster tear in half just because of political ideology, this should be interesting.

Oh cheer up dc! Obama will win the election. McCain got a little bump and I'm just having a little fun.

This pick also brings into question McCains judgement. If you were going to be President and you had to pick someone to run the country if you were to die who would be better at running the country Palin or Biden? Palin is not nearly strong enough or experienced enough to be President. Why would McCain pick her? I think Joe Scarborough was probably right.

She does? ... cool.

otto...i cant cheer up until Obama tells me its ok....we're all cultists, remember :)

I read that she "had smoked weed once but didn't like it." Where are you seeing that she still does?

Understood :thumbsup:

It's futile to resist, we will be assimilated.

-----Added 29/8/2008 at 01 : 56 : 26-----

WOW! Just a thought...
I hope Hillary wasn't servicing (eee) Bill in some manor when the news came out about Palin as the VP choice.

I know the odds are highly against it, but just a thought.

I have posted that.... why not read what is said in the Wiki article I posted.

Naw, you'd rather have the liberal bias. Don't want anyone to know:

That wold make it look like there really isn't much to talk about there.

Should we open Biden's closet?

I don't think you really want to compare scandals.... Biden will lose.

Experience? Experience is a problem.

Let's compare:

Obama: US Senator logged 143 days, not present for much of that time. Voted on less that one quarter of Senate votes during that period. No experience as an executive managing a government or budgets.

Palin: Elected Governor of Alaska in 2006. I'm not sure how much vacation time or maternity leave she's taken, but she has at least triple the amount of real-time hands on experience in office than Obama... and Palin actually has experience running a successful government.

Then you'd be a lousy VP. THE problem with the current administration, fundamentally, is that Bush thinks he's the president of 51% of the people. And he calls that a mandate. NOBODY'S been watching the people's business.

I can't argue whether or not Palin is an experienced political figure or whether she will be a good VP but I will argue that the reason she was picked is because she is a young woman and that is the end of it. This is supposed to take away from Obama's thunder of last night and it is. We will see if it hurts McCain in the long run.

*EDIT*

I'd hit that shit regardless of her political affiliation. Sorry but it's rare you see a woman in politics that is attractive, much less a possible VP.

VP choice usually doesn't matter, the best you can hope for is that they don't negatively impact the ticket. I think this choice will hurt him more than help him by November. I think McCain's people may have panicked and are making a bold desperate move by abandening the experience (ready to be commander in chief on day one) argument to try and get Hillary voters. Especially since he has said he won't seek a second term which makes her first in line to take over.

The problem with Palin's "executive experience" is that it's roughly comparable to being mayor of Charlotte, NC, except even easier because of the scads of oil money Alaska has.

I have to confess, when I saw her picture in the first article about it I read, my very first thought was, "Is John McCain hitting that?"

I immediately dismissed the notion as silly--what was I thinking? John McCain can't get it up anymore at his age! :lol:

EDIT: Okay, I'm kidding around obviously, but kidding aside--this pick puts McCain's age and health right front and center in the campaign. It's a vast mistake.

Also, lots of conservative commentators, try as they might, are at least puzzled if not downright displeased by this choice. I mentioned the Harriet Myers nomination earlier in this thread--it's reminding me more and more of that as the day goes on.

Well of course they'll rehash Biden's plaiarism problem...

• Plagiarizing in law school.
• Plagiarized a Bobby Kennedy speech word for word (the whole speech)...
• Then there was the infamous Neil Kinnock speech that he plagiarized, forcing Biden to drop out of the 1988 presidential race.

It won't have legs for long, but he's got issues to exploit.
-----Added 29/8/2008 at 02 : 51 : 33-----
Still, Obama's "experience" of 143 days of maybe being there and not really "doing" anything pales in comparison.