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Fri: "Sarah-Cuda?"
posted at 2008-08-29 23:01 | Last modified 2008-08-30 22:35
Sarah who?
From Time’s "Ten things to know about Sarah Palin":
Now that’s a presidential resume. (Never trust a journalist.)
At TNR, Michael Schaffer trotted out some “Fun facts about Palin.”
On CNN's Situation Room tonight, Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) lodged his loafer firmly in his mouth while trying to defend McCain's choice of a VP who not only has no foreign policy experience, but - as far as anyone knows – has never even met a world leader.
"You know, I don’t know where she’s traveled to, and I know the people I’ve met, but it’s not meeting people that matters. You know, President Bush met President Putin.
[Long, regretful pause...]
and...uh, I don’t think it matters, just meeting people."
Over at Time, Michael Scherer says it looks like the Palin pick has cemented the far-right vote. Good to know.
HuffPo reports Palin likes to decorate with dead stuff…
(Credit: Anchorage Daily News/MCT—Landov)
…and wear it, too.
(Credit: HuffingtonPost.com)
Snark aside,
I’m beyond baffled. "Gobsmacked" might be a more accurate description. If the goal here is to woo women voters, other GOP women would’ve brought a lot more political credibility to the ticket – Kay Bailey Hutchison and Meg Whitman are the first among many to come to mind. So, what, they weren’t cute enough?
Instead, we’ve got a gun-toting beauty queen whose political resume largely consists of part-time mayoralty over 7000-ish people who gave her a tiara 12 years earlier. She’s been Governor of Alaska for a year and a half. It was a productive 19 months - she worked both sides of the aisle to balance a budget and pass ethics reforms - but it's still a shorter tenure than the average cell phone contract.
She advocates teaching creationism, opposes abortion, doesn’t think much of the job she just got named to, is under investigation by her own legislature for abuse of power, and called Hillary Clinton a whiner for complaining about her media coverage. And she’s supposed to attract disgruntled Clinton feminists?
(Not that Hillary took offense. Her reaction to Palin via Politico:
“We should all be proud of Governor Sarah Palin's historic nomination, and I congratulate her and Senator McCain. While their policies would take America in the wrong direction, Governor Palin will add an important new voice to the debate.”
But don't worry, Dems: HRC’s behind Obama all the way. Obviously.)
Honestly, as a woman, I’d love to see “Sarah-cuda” rise to the occasion, and I’ll be the first to eat my words if she does. But it doesn’t help matters when McCain advisor Nancy Pfotenhauer pops up on CNN's Larry King accusing anyone who questions Palin’s credentials of sexism. Sorry, Nancy, it ain’t so - and, frankly, it’s offensive to suggest it.
Palin’s fans, including Bill Kristol, say it's a big mistake to underestimate her. I really hope they’re right. But all I know is what we've got so far: a resume that makes Dan Quayle look like an elder statesman, and an intro that sounds more like a Kiwanis dinner speaker than someone who could lead the free world. Here’s hoping she does better – much, MUCH better – in her GOP convention speech next week.
Comments? Drop me a line.
