My favorite line about Palin

I am getting this from a comment left at Contentions, referencing another comment I could not find. One of the memes that the left is trying to get planted is that Palin is the latter day equivalent of Dan Quayle. Whatever you might think about Quayle, his performance on the stump was not his finest moment. And when Lloyd Bentsen delivered the "You are no Jack Kennedy" zinger, Quayle was left with that "deer in the headlights" look.

Referencing this, and incorporating Palin's hunting prowess, the commenter says of Palin's Dayton performance: She had that deer in the cross-hairs look.

Barracuda!

This is great psyche-up music to pump up the crowd as Palin enters a room to deliver a speech:

Palin Drone

I haven't heard that term used yet, but I am sure the nutroots will be trying to belittle Sarah Palin and her supporters, so I thought we should take ownership of the word. YAY is the palindrome I uttered upon learning of her selection. As long as I am suggesting names for supporters of Sarah "Barracuda", I am offering this for the erstwhile Hillary supporters who want to help elect Palin: PUMAs for the 'Cuda. Anyway...

A site that is doing yeoman's work in providing background on Sarah Palin and the fake "scandal" involving her former brother-in-law is Beldar Blog. The trooper in question is a nut job who Tasered his 10-year-old step-son, illegally shot a moose, drank beer while driving his patrol car, has been divorced four times, and threatened to kill Palin's father (leading me to question the judgment of her little sister, but that's not germane to Sarah Palin herself). Of course, the trooper's union had his 10-day suspension reduced to 5 days; that's what unions are for, I suppose. The Anchorage Daily News has a series of articles on this matter. The crux of this issue as it relates to Palin is that a subordinate named Frank Bailey called a trooper lieutenant asking how it is that this guy could still have a job. In the course of the call, he dropped a line that suggested that Palin and her husband were curious as to why the guy hadn't been fired. This was interpreted as pressure from the governor herself to fire the guy, a task which would have fallen to the head of the Alaska Public Safety Department, Walt Monegan. Bailey has said that no one asked him to make the call, and Palin not only denies having authorized the call, but has initiated the investigation herself.

Monegan was offered a different job in the Alaska state government (his spot is a political appointment, and he was appointed to this spot by the previous governor, whose dubious ethics led to Palin's ascension to the governorship), but declined. He sounds like a disgruntled friend of the former governor who is out for a little retribution on behalf of his now-disgraced former political patron.

Suffice it to say, this ain't Watergate. Palin started the investigation so that she could clear the air and remove any taint from her. Good for her. Having served myself in a corrupt political institution, I understand how the good ol' boy back-scratching works, and how trying to change things can bring reprisals and ultimately little but grief. My admiration for Palin stems in part from the fact that she has done what I tried to do, but succeeded politically.

Of course, the left will make this out to be some sort of horrible injustice visited upon some poor hard-working trooper by an authoritarian governor out to punish her sister's ex or something. Beldar has a great line in one of his responses to a comment left at the end of his post: it's clear that the line to support this admitted child-abuser and committer of crimes with a deadly weapon forms at the FAR LEFT. If this is the best they can do...

Transcript from Palin's Dayton appearance

The whole thing is here; the intro of Palin by McCain and her speech are below:

MCCAIN: I am very pleased and very privileged to introduce to you the next vice president of the United States...

(APPLAUSE)

... Governor Sarah Palin of the great state of Alaska.

(APPLAUSE)

PALIN: Thank you so much.

And I thank you, Senator McCain and Mrs. McCain, for the confidence that you have placed in me. Senator, I am honored to be chosen as your running mate.

(APPLAUSE)

I will be honored to serve next to the next president of the United States.

(APPLAUSE)

I know that when Senator McCain gave me this opportunity, he had a short list of highly qualified men and women. And to have made that list at all, it was a privilege. And to have been chosen brings a great challenge.

I know that it will demand the best that I have to give, and I promise nothing less.

(APPLAUSE)

First -- first, there are a few people whom I would like you to meet. I want to start with my husband, Todd.

(APPLAUSE)

And Todd and I are actually celebrating our 20th anniversary today. And I promised him...

(APPLAUSE)

I had promised Todd a little surprise for the anniversary present, and hopefully he knows that I did deliver.

And then we have as -- after my husband, who is a lifelong commercial fisherman, lifetime Alaskan. He's a production operator.

(APPLAUSE)

Todd is a production operator in the oil fields up on Alaska's North Slope. And he's a proud member of the United Steelworkers union. And he's a world-champion snow machine racer. (APPLAUSE)

Todd and I met way back in high school. And I can tell you that he is still the man that I admire most in this world.

(APPLAUSE)

Along the way, Todd and I have shared many blessings. And four out of five of them are here with us today.

Our oldest son, Track, though, he'll be following the presidential campaign from afar. On September 11th of last year, our son enlisted in the United States Army.

(APPLAUSE)

Track now serves in an infantry brigade. And on September 11th, Track will deploy to Iraq in the service of his country. And Todd and I are so proud of him and of all the fine men and women serving this country (inaudible)

(APPLAUSE)

AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!

PALIN: Next to Todd is our daughter, Bristol, another daughter, Willow, our youngest daughter, Piper, and over in their arms is our son, Trig, a beautiful baby boy. He was born just in April.

(APPLAUSE)

PALIN: His name is Trig Paxson Van Palin.

Some of life's greatest opportunities come unexpectedly. And this is certainly the case today.

I never really set out to be involved in public affairs, much less to run for this office. My mom and dad both worked at the local elementary school. And my husband and I, we both grew up working with our hands. I was just your average hockey mom in Alaska, raising...

(APPLAUSE)

We're busy raising our kids. I was serving as the team mom and coaching some basketball on the side. I got involved in the PTA and then was elected to the city council, and then elected mayor of my hometown, where my agenda was to stop wasteful spending, and cut property taxes, and put the people first.

(APPLAUSE)

I was then appointed ethics commissioner and chairman of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. And when I found corruption there, I fought it hard, and I held the offenders to account.

(APPLAUSE)

Along with fellow reformers in the great state of Alaska, as governor, I've stood up to the old politics as usual, to the special interests, to the lobbyists, the big oil companies, and the good-old- boy network.

(APPLAUSE)

When oil and gas prices went up so dramatically and the state revenues followed with that increase, I sent a large share of that revenue directly back to the people of Alaska. And we are now -- we're now embarking on a $40 billion natural gas pipeline to help lead America to energy independence.

(APPLAUSE)

I signed major ethics reform. And I appointed both Democrats and independents to serve in my administration. And I championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. In fact, I told Congress -- I told Congress, "Thanks, but no thanks," on that bridge to nowhere.

(APPLAUSE)

If our state wanted a bridge, I said we'd build it ourselves. Well, it's always, though, safer in politics to avoid risk, to just kind of go along with the status quo. But I didn't get into government to do the safe and easy things. A ship in harbor is safe, but that's not why the ship is built.

Politics isn't just a game of competing interests and clashing parties. The people of America expect us to seek public office and to serve for the right reasons.

(APPLAUSE)

PALIN: And the right reason is to challenge the status quo and to serve the common good.

Now, no one expects us to agree on everything, whether in Juneau or in Washington. But we are expected to govern with integrity, and goodwill, and clear convictions, and a servant's heart.

(APPLAUSE)

Now, no leader in America has shown these qualities so clearly or present so clear a threat to business as usual in Washington as Senator John S. McCain.

(APPLAUSE)

PALIN: This -- this is a moment when principles and political independence matter a lot more than just the party line. And this is a man who has always been there to serve his country, not just his party.

(APPLAUSE)

And this is a moment that requires resolve and toughness, and strength of heart in the American president. And my running mate is a man who has shown those qualities in the darkest of places, and in the service of his country.

(APPLAUSE)

A colleague once said about Senator McCain, "That man did things for this country that few people could go through. Never forget that." And that speaker was former Senator John Glenn of Ohio.

(APPLAUSE)

And John Glenn knows something about heroism. And I'm going to make sure nobody does forget that in this campaign. There is only one candidate who has truly fought for America, and that man is John McCain.

(APPLAUSE)

PALIN: This is a moment -- this is a moment when great causes can be won and great threats overcome, depending on the judgment of our next president.

In a dangerous world, it is John McCain who will lead America's friends and allies in preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

(APPLAUSE)

It was John McCain who cautioned long ago about the harm that Russian aggression could do to Georgia and to other small democratic neighbors and to the world oil markets.

It was Senator McCain who refused to hedge his support for our troops in Iraq, regardless of the political costs.

(APPLAUSE)

And you know what? As the mother of one of those troops, and as the commander of Alaska's National Guard, that's the kind of man I want as our commander in chief.

(APPLAUSE)

AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!

PALIN: Profiles in courage: They can be hard to come by these days. You know, so often we just find them in books. But next week when we nominate John McCain for president, we're putting one on the ballot.

(APPLAUSE)

PALIN: To serve as vice president beside such a man would be the privilege of a lifetime. And it's fitting that this trust has been given to me 88 years almost to the day after the women of America first gained the right to vote.

(APPLAUSE)

I think -- I think as well today of two other women who came before me in national elections.

I can't begin this great effort without honoring the achievements of Geraldine Ferraro in 1984...

(APPLAUSE)

... and of course Senator Hillary Clinton, who showed such determination and grace in her presidential campaign.

(APPLAUSE)

It was rightly noted in Denver this week that Hillary left 18 million cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling in America...

(APPLAUSE)

... but it turns out the women of America aren't finished yet and we can shatter that glass ceiling once and for all.

(APPLAUSE)

So for my part, the mission is clear: The next 67 days I'm going to take our campaign to every part of our country and our message of reform to every voter of every background in every political party, or no party at all.

PALIN: If you want change in Washington, if you hope for a better America, then we're asking for your vote on the 4th of November.

My fellow Americans, come join our cause.

(APPLAUSE)

Join our cause and help our country to elect a great man the next president of the United States.

And I thank you, and I -- God bless you, I say, and God bless America. Thank you.

Sarah on video

Yes, I am stoked. And here is the reason why, on video.

Craig Ferguson digs Sarah Palin

Evil Rove must be fibbing

As every leftist knows, Karl Rove is evil and never tells the truth. So read these lies with a grain of salt. Here's the mendacious concluding paragraph:

Mr. Obama should be way ahead in the race for the presidency but this week has seen five polls showing the essentially race dead even. Deep doubts remain about whether Mr. Obama is up to the job. His running mate and his handlers know this. So they are puffing his résumé, padding his accomplishments and claiming the work of others to reassure voters he is up to the duties of the Oval Office. It may work. But the American people are particular about who they elect as president. And voters do not tolerate candidates whose opinion of ordinary citizens is so low they think they can get away with misleading them.

Best McCain ad yet

Wonderful ad, but I am still waiting to be disappointed by his Veep pick.

BTW, I learned that "Veep" was a neologism coined by Alben Barkley's son listening to NPR yesterday. So NPR's not totally useless!

Line of the day

Y'know, listening to Biden's speech last night, I thought: I probably would've liked the guy and his family if they had lived on my block growing up. I think that's because his family stories rang true (why he has embellished his own biography by stealing Neil Kinnock's is another matter, but I digress). But the best reaction comes from a reader of NRO whose words in regard to Joe Biden's mom Jonah Goldberg posts at The Corner:

Any way that we can put her on the ticket? At least she knows that when you meet a bully, you bloody his nose, instead of entering into multilateral negotiations with fellow neighborhood kids.

When did the aphorism...

"People judge you by the company you keep" go from a bit of folksy wisdom that parents invoke to warn their children to stay away from "bad kids" to an indictment of the speaker's deficient character for practicing "guilt by association"?

I listened to the last hour plus of Stanley Kurtz's interview with long-time and well-respected Chicago talk show host Milt Rosenberg. It was surreal. There were all sorts of angry callers who obviously were reading straight from their Obama campaign-provided talking points. They were threatening Rosenberg and WGN with reprisals merely for having Kurtz on the air. They offered not one scintilla of reasoned critique of Kurtz's work; of course, they betrayed their complete lack of awareness of anything he had written.

Calling him a "smear merchant" (and that's directly from the Obama campaign) is risible. If anything, my own take on Kurtz is that he is so very earnest, so scholarly, and so dispassionate that reading his often long posts on The Corner makes me wonder if he "gets" the concept of blog posting (that is, it's not the best place for a seven paragraph exposition of an issue). That's not a slam at the content of what he writes, and it is offered merely to highlight just how ridiculous calling him a "slimy character assassin" truly is. As an aside, when The Corner adopted a technique of hiding lengthy posts by showing the opening few lines and adding a link that said something like "Keep reading this post", I wrote to Jonah Goldberg that this ought to be referred to as the "Short Kurtz".

If Obama wasn't frightened by what Kurtz might reveal, this would be a non-issue. That he is so afraid should open the eyes of those who are willing to see.

Barack's Buddy

Sarah Palin for VP

OK, I offered these cogent and important insights to various writers at NRO, but this hasn't yet made it onto their site, nor have I received an e-mail reply (except for Jay Nordlinger's automatic "out of office" reply. So for the rest of the world, here is why I think in light of Snobama's pick of Biden that Palin becomes the logical choice for McCain:

I have been thinking about the strategic implications of Obama's having selected Biden on McCain's VP pick. And I keep thinking that instead of Mitt Romney, whom I had thought was the most logical choice (based on his executive experience in and out of government, his ability to help keep Colorado in our column, and perhaps his ability to tip Michigan), Sarah Palin emerges as the choice. Here are my reasons:

• She makes it difficult for Biden to play the role of attack dog. He is already hamstrung in attacking McCain by his on-the-record encomiums to his pal John. But with his outsized ego and no-"off"-setting mouth, he will have to go somewhere, and if he attacks a woman, he risks looking like an ill-mannered bully.
• She puts the women's vote into play. I understand that she is (in the popular imagination of the MSM, at least) to the women's vote as conservative black candidates are to blacks more generally (i.e., not "authentic"). However, for all the disaffected Hillary Harridans out there, as well as just relatively normal women who would like to see a woman at the head of the ticket (thinking ahead to 2012/2016) and a heartbeat away from the presidency, I think she will garner a lot of "in the privacy of the voting booth" support.
• She represents conservatism as a reformist with a record of achievement. Bush's "compassionate conservatism" was marketing of his big government instincts with his respect for conservative governance (as embodied by such as Ronald Reagan), in an attempt to make it palatable to more centrist voters. Palin's reform conservatism is not a gimmick and it's not marketing; she took on the worst of her own party in her home state without abandoning her principles (in fact, she stood by them when many, I suspect, would not have), and succeeded substantively on the issues and politically with the voters.
• She is fresh, new, and has a compelling story, both personally and professionally. I think she will suck a lot of the media oxygen out of the Obama hype (McCain's recent ads have already put the MSM and the Obamaniacs on the defensive when it comes to the worshipful excesses they have oft displayed), as they will have to tell her story. Okay, they won't have to, but people will demand that they do.

I think she represents an opportunity to change the playing field from one in which careful considerations of geography and the electoral map yield to a larger opportunity to tap into the electorate across the nation. Given that the polls are close, I hope that McCain does not feel that he has to agonize over which electoral votes are more likely to come his way by his choice of running mate. I really think that it's game, set, and match if he picks her.

And this is coming from someone who was high on Kasich and Cantor for their conservative cred, and Romney for his business acumen and electoral considerations. I was sour on Ridge, Lieberman, and a lot of the other names that have been floated (I keep the mailing from the McCain campaign with the bumper sticker in the trunk of my car, waiting for the day I can happily affix it to the bumper; that day won't come until I see his VP pick).