Political Punch

Phillygirl64,

You wrote:

"how about Brown v. Board of Ed...or Bush v. Gore?"

Again, why would Palin disagree with either of them? That's the point I tried to make, it was a lot more complicated question than it seemed.

In other words, that question is almost like an essay question on a test that even knowledgeable people would want a few minutes to think over. Someone of a legal background would probably be prepared to answer it without a moment's delay, but to expect even knowledgeable people to without even a second or two of delay, as TV interviews require, is unreasonable.

I’m sure that Palin’s answer had more to do with the circumstances than anything else. As if she’s never heard of any other cases. Biden had an easier time with the question being a lawyer and longtime Washington politician, and he had a ready answer in a case that involved himself. It wasn’t even a high-profile case, but one that personally involved him. I know I’m familiar with a lot of court cases, but I’m really not sure under all the pressure and liberal “prosecution by media” that’s she faced, that I wouldn’t have had a brain-freeze either. It’s such a broad question invoking all of American history and it’s asking her not only to choose a decision by name but one she opposes (which eliminates a famous case such as, "Brown vs. the Board of Education") and argue the case in sound-bites right there. It’s a good question to spring cold on a lawyer or constitutional or judicial scholar, but it's actually a lot to process even for knowledgeable people, and again, even Biden with all the legal and government background didn’t jump into all those big, landmark Supreme Court decisions that have liberals and Democrats outraged. He had many of them to choose from, and it would have made more sense to pick one of these cases for their impact on America, but doing so would have been much more of a challenge than the personal approach he took. Rather than try to deal with a can of worms on the spot, he himself took the comfortable way out.

And, again, Biden hasn’t been savaged by a media who wants to destroy his image. Just take a look at Couric’s interview last week with him, “Behind The Scenes With Joe Biden, CBS News Anchor Katie Couric Spends The Day With The Democratic VP Nominee.” Take a look at Couric’s comments/questions. Here’s part of it: “Relating to the fears of working-class Americans is one of Biden's strong suits, as he did before union members in Akron, Ohio. That's something that comes easily for this son of a car salesman from Scranton, Pa. ‘What was it about what he said that really resonated with you?’ Couric asked some members of the audience.” We’ve got the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac crisis going on, but nothing hard-hitting about it, and no questions about how fair it is to blame Republicans when the Democrats are clearly involved in the mess (see, for example, Slate’s informative “Fannie Mae and the Vast Bipartisan Conspiracy”). It is really a scandal that for the sake of their candidate, the mainstream media has withheld so many of the facts about this crisis, particularly given its scale and the importance of actually diagnosing and fixing the problems.

Also look at Charlie Gibson’s interview with Palin (“EXCERPTS: Charlie Gibson Interviews Sarah Palin”). ABC and Gibson twisted the facts, and the media has twisted the interview. Palin never said that Alaska’s proximity to Russia gave her foreign policy experience, especially in that “you can see Russia from here.” If the media cared about the truth, they’d want to be fair on the whole thing, but they evidently don’t care. Gibson himself asked, “Let's start, because we are near Russia, let's start with Russia and Georgia,” and “What insight into Russian actions, particularly in the last couple of weeks, does the proximity of the state give you?” Palin also tried to explain that her remark on seeing Russia from Alaska: “Well, I'm giving you that perspective of how small our world is and how important it is that we work with our allies to keep good relation with all of these countries, especially Russia.” Alaska’s proximity to Russia really does matter, just as being close to Canada, Mexico and Cuba does. Canada has recently felt threatened by Russia. And, she did talk about Russia outside of the Alaska angle.

And look in the Gibson interview at his claim that she said to ministry students about the Iraq war that “our national leaders are sending U.S. soldiers on a task that is from God," and that “there is a plan and it is God's plan." At one point Palin said she didn’t think those were her exact words, but Gibson insisted that they were. They weren’t. This is what she actually said: “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 them [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God. 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.” She was seeking God’s guidance for our country through prayer, just as she tried to tell Gibson, as the transcript shows.

There’s good reason why Palin feels the media is against her - it is. From the claims of her not knowing what the VP does and her lying about selling the governor’s jet on eBay, to her cutting funds for teen moms and special education, the media has intentionally distorted the truth and misinformed the public.

David - how about Brown v. Board of Ed...or Bush v. Gore? Even if we don't know the names of the cases, we know the rulings

Palin makes Bush and Quayle look like geniuses

When is the last time anyone really heard an honest answer from any politician. Just look at the Bailout, Meet the Press, or any interview they don’t have the questions in advance.
Maybe a non answer is better than a lie.

I agree with Paige. How could she give such a ridiculous reply and expect to be taken seriously? People, this was an interview to HELP us get to know her. Palin was asked a SIMPLE question (actually many SIMPLE questions that anyone with half a brain could have HONESTLY answered easily) "Are there any Supreme court decisions in which you disagree?" I don't understand how anyone can defend (with such passion, no less) her reply. It insults ALL of our intelligence. WE THE PEOPLE DESERVE BETTER THAN THAT! Republican supporters, stop being so defensive, you know in your heart you wish she could have given and INTELLIGENT (not rambling BS) to that questions. I don't want her on my payroll! I call on Palin to do what the GOP campaign is promoting, put country first, step down, you are NOT qualified!

"Roe v Wade has nothing to do with Privacy!

It has to do with does a Woman have the right to play God and decide whether a living being should live or die!"
****************

You haven't read the case, have you? Because that case establishes the law of the land, and that law says otherwise. The foundation of the rationale of Roe v. Wade is the fundamental right to privacy established in Griswold v. Connecticut. That fundamental right of privacy implicates a right protected by the Due Process clause of the 5th/14th Amendments of the Constitution.
Thus, in order to overturn Roe v. Wade, you have to undermine its cornerstone: the fundamental right to privacy. But Palin doesn't do that: she's proposing quite a feat of mental gymnastics, arguing that the right to privacy established in Griswold is sound, but that Roe v. Wade should be overturned on the basis of "federalism" i.e., states should decide for themselves. Unfortunately, for the states to be able to do that, they'd have to find a way to draft a law that overcomes the strict scrutiny standard (law must be a necessary means to a compelling end) that is applicable when a fundamental right is involved. States have been trying to do that for 20 years now, and have been able to chip away at the holding (see Planned Parenthood v. Casey) but can't draft laws that would ban all abortions in a way that survives constitutional scrutiny.

"Only lawyers and legal activists are going to remember the names of Supreme Court cases. We have two lawyers on the Dem ticket and no lawyers on the Rep ticket."
-----
A good reason to vote for the Republicans."

Just yesterday you told us you were a John Edwards supporter.

Today you are saying not having a lawyer on the ticket is a good reason to vote for Republicans.

Roe v Wade has nothing to do with Privacy!

It has to do with does a Woman have the right to play God and decide whether a living being should live or die!

HP Boston: Instead of just reposting your comment, perhaps you could share with us your sources for that information. To protect your comment against deletion, you don't have to include URLs, just state the author and date of the source - where you obtained that information so we can read more about the conduct you're alleging.
Providing citation improves your arguments by allowing others access to the same source of information, allowing readers to independently verify the data, ultimately giving your arguments more credibility when a reader sees that you've cited to accurate information.

"A right to privacy doesn't mean you can do whatever, kill whoever you want."

You're right, John. I don't see anywhere where anyone has made that argument.

Also, for those of you wondering where Obama and Biden's "pop quizzes" are, check the news from the last year; unlike Palin, they haven't been hiding from the media.

In response to Belle Starr's comment below regarding not having lawyers on the Republican ticket, yes lawyer bashing is fun. It's also intellectually easy. What would be more challenging for you is to justify how your candidates, charged with enforcing the laws of this nation, have enough knowledge and understanding of how those laws work to be able to fulfill their constitutional duties.

And for those of you who keep raising the spectre of some "Obama scandal", supposedly warrants FEC investigation, your arguments might gain more traction if you can point toward some actual evidence of this, instead of just repeating talking points shoveled at you by Drudge. You are smart people: think for yourselves, and find support for your arguments.

A right to privacy doesn't mean you can do whatever, kill whoever you want.

Pop quiz? Pop quiz?
Why is it unfair to expect the people we entrust with our nation's government to be knowledgeable about the elements necessary to run it? If McCain dies and she becomes POTUS, she could be in the position of appointing members of the judiciary. While we don't expect the average "joe six pack" to have bothered to actually read the Roe v. Wade decision, I don't think it's asking too much for the leaders of our country to have read it before forming their own opinion about the decision. Had she read the opinion, she wouldn't have answered the "privacy" question the way she did.
"Joe six pack" Americans are a valuable part of the fabric of our country. However, we want our leaders to know more than we do: saying that we should hold a politician to the knowledge of the average Joe, rather than individual educated about law and government is a ludicrous argument which endangers our national and economic security. The interview above is yet another example of this candidate not being able to demonstrate basic knowledge necessary to govern. This is putting country last, not country first, and betrays the level of brash, irresponsible decisionmaking that McCain would demonstrate as POTUS. Palin supporters: You should be ashamed from tolerating this from your nominee and demand he replace her with someone more qualified.

The acceptance of this bald ignorance makes me fear for our country. She's not interviewing for a job as a sales associate. She's running for the second most powerful job in the world.
Anyone who took an eighth grade civics class ought to at least know
1- Brown v. Board of Ed.
2- Plessy v. Ferguson
3- Dred Scott

Let alone GORE v. BUSH.

ANYONE!!!????

I personally could not name any supreme court cases, I know some basic rulings but truthfully, I don't need to know them but my next vp most certainly does.

"Only lawyers and legal activists are going to remember the names of Supreme Court cases. We have two lawyers on the Dem ticket and no lawyers on the Rep ticket."
-----
A good reason to vote for the Republicans.

Ifull is definitely NOT IMPARTIAL.

I could care less about who she is. This is about electing a President. This is NOT about her this is about hundred million people wanting a fair and honest election.

IFILL is definitely biased. That is the definition of bias. She is biased. She has a favorite to be elected President. She will sell more books if Obama is elected. it is simple money.

She should step down and recuse herself. This is important for the reputation of PBS. She should not politicize PBS. I am shocked that PBS will allow her to moderate with her book coming out. Jim Lehrer has worked for some 30 years to make a neutral PBS News. Ifill can mess that up in 90 minutes. The public needs to feel the debate is beyond reproach.

One word comes to mind when I hear or read Palin's responses:

Incoherence.

Why is FEC Keeping Lid on OBAMA SCANDAL?

It looks as if Senator Obama may have received MORE THAN $200 MILLION in illegal donations including millions overseas campaign donations. Four times during the last three months an FEC Auditor has asked his bosses to start an investigation into Senator Obama’s illegal campaign donations such as this one

Similarly, a donor identified as “Pro, Doodad,” from “Nando, NY,” gave $19,500 in 786 separate donations, most of them for $25. For most of these donations, Mr. Doodad Pro listed his employer as “Loving” and his profession as “You,” etc.

An AP-Gfk poll released Wednesday found that just 25 percent of likely voters believe Palin has the right experience to be president.

With Palin, McCain has shot himself fatally in the foot.

IN ALL MY YEARS I HAVE NOT SEEN A POORER EXCUSE FOR PRES AND VICE PRES-----WE WOULD BE THE LAUGHING STOCK OF THE WORLD IF THESE TWO GOT INTO OFFICE--
or maybe the public is just that dumb and deserves no better.
note---N-O-------B-A-I-L-O-U-T

Now that we've seen and heard Sarah Palin on the issues (foreign policy experience, the economy / rescue plan, the Supreme Court) there can be no doubt: Palin needs to put country first by stepping down.

If she doesn't, she clearly holds this great country in contempt.

Who knows what her true loyalty to an independent Alaska is. As we know her "First Dude" firmly supports it.

American voters, take care.

The Two Jakes: Your example (quoting Obama saying 'I have never said that I was prepared to immediately normalize relations with Cuba,' followed by his quote regarding meeting foreign leaders without preconditions) doesn't show that Obama is a liar. It shows that you don't understand what 'normalizing relations' and 'meeting without preconditions' are.

Meeting without preconditions does not mean immediately normalizing relations. It might, depending on whether the meeting is successful, result in moving towards a normalization of relations, but that is hypothetical and wouldn't be immediate even if realized.

On the basis of your example, Obama is not a liar.

This answer shows she takes no interest in serious issues beyond those she was dealing with regularly in Alaska. Amazingly, she even whiffed on criticizing the Valdez case.

She easily could have talked concepts of cases and not gotten into the name. How about "Katie, I did not like that eminent domain case a couple years back."

"Katie, I think child rapists really should get the death penalty."

"Katie, I think the school prayer decision was a bad one."

Instead, complete and total whiff.

I mean, I am pro-choice myself.

No one is pro-abortion. We just feel it's safer to at least allow things to be done legally, of course we don't delight in killing a foetus.

You can at least make sure the mother makes it out alive, instead of both dying because of botched up back-room abortions without proper surgical procedures.

And even then, women can be counselled at abortion clinics directly, perhaps to ask them to reconsider an abortion. If it's illegal, you miss this opportunity too, because they'll just try to hide.

i guess terrorist going through our court system --could plea temporary insanith and maybe waLK-----HAS OUR COUNTRY GONE CRAZY----maybe say they were abused as a child---wow is all our country as nieve as palin.

palin would leave abottion up to imdividual states-------does that mean women would have to go to the pro choice state to have an abortion--how stupid can this broad be.

Honestly,

I'm sure most of us will not be able to rattle off all the Supreme Court cases, but considering that Palin is running for VP, that's different.

Now, if she had demonstrated herself to be able to quickly grasp the nuances of foreign policy, I don't think not being able to name the Supreme Court case would be a concern.

But so far she has shown us she is pretty uninformed (she could not cite a particular magazine she read-Newsweek, TIME, anyone?). She got her facts wrong about the Ossetian conflict, she thinks America can give arms to Israel and not ever second-guess Israel- even if they were to start invading Iran- which would DESTABILISE the whole region, no matter how much we dislike Ahamdinejad. That would be disastrous. Her inability to cite examples of Supreme Court cases just reinforces the opinion that she is not ready.

McCain's age and health history of cancer also significantly tips the odds of Palin having to step up- and that's quite a terrifying thought in my opinion. She may be qualified to be governor, but I don't think she demonstrates the knowledge and understanding of foreign policy to be the VP of the USA.

There are plenty of innocent people who are stuck in Gitmo- that the CIA had been forced to release after two years of detainment after they concluded (this is without trial, mind you) that they had nothing whatsoever to do with terrorism and were just at the wrong place and at the wrong time.

Now, I have no doubt that some of those they have netted are indeed terrorists, but with such lack of transparency and few safeguards- anyone can be detained on just the President's word- there are plenty of loopholes. And especially since we have heard stories of waterboarding or torture methods, some of these innocent people may end up derailing the fight by misleading and wasting the CIA's resources.

I think at the very least there needs to be more accountability as to who is getting detained- the President alone should not be able to decide that by himself.

And what do you think the family members of these people would think- if they were innocent? They would be angry and resentful of America. And maybe some of them might really join the extremist cause.

This whole thing is like a poisonous ideology. You can't win the war on terror just using guns and bombs or by trying to arrest all of them-they will just get more recruits, you need to win the moderate Muslims in the Middle-East over in order to discredit and illegitimise the terrorists.

I don't believe that many of us could actually name any case by case decisions made by the Supreme Court unless we went back a refreshed ourselves or we had been a student of the Courts workings. I doubt very seriously any journalist, be it Palin or Couric, could answer any one question at a particular time, unless it was their job to do so. Many suggest she should be able to answer any and all questions since she could be "in charge". Unless we raise an infant in the capital and pump info into it on the workings on all phases of Government we will never have a person who knows everything we want them to know. And somehow I don't think the founders actaully meant for it to be that way.
More importantly as we all see the mess our "learned" men and women, mostly Lawyers and business people, have made of a great economy I for one wonder exactly what the qualifications for any politician are.

Oh good one, GOT CHA!

This is so stupid, she is not a senator and she is not a lawyer, so does that make her not eligible to run the country? Why don't you ask one of the other candidates about who they have ever governed?

Ladies, do not vote for Palin and you will be sure to get a nice pat on the head from the Patriarchy. But that is all that you will ever get.

Female, ex-democrat for McCain/Palin

Oh please. This is a fake criticism of Palin. Only lawyers and legal activists are going to remember the names of Supreme Court cases. We have two lawyers on the Dem ticket and no lawyers on the Rep ticket.

Since when is asking what do you read a gotcha question?

Obama is on the WRONG side of history! He tried to game everyone and there is no question that despite uneasiness about a fresh face in Palin not knowing alot about national issues Mccain will be elected... remember Dukkakis had a 20 pt lead going into the final month of the election with GHW Bush and lost

I love you Sarah Palin. I am proud of your accomplishments. Only losers quit.The pleasure we feel in criticizing robs us from being moved by very beautiful things. Best, and be strong.

-me

yodaxl7
You wrote:
"The gotcha questions are not fair."

She's running to be the VP she should be able to answer any question...

If McCain was to be the President and something happened to him... This woman could be ask to decided if we should push the button or not!

Please GIVE ME A BREAK!

May 2008 Obama, Des Moines IA:

OBAMA: I have never said that I was prepared to immediately normalize relations with Cuba. John McCain keeps on making these statements that simply aren't based on anything I've said.

Obama July 23rd, 2007

Viewer named Steven from California asked Obama, "Would you be willing to meet separately without precondition during the first year of your administration, in Washington or anywhere else, with leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba, and North Korea in order to bridge the gap that divides our countries?"

OBAMA: I would. And the reason is this, that the notion that somehow not talking to countries is punishment to them, which has been the guiding diplomatic principle of this administration, is ridiculous.

OBAMA IS A LIAR

Palin is quick study. Although, the interview Katie Couric was not a true representation of her skills. Katie does ask a few stupid questions and some good ones. The gotcha questions are not fair. Palin has not had much time to be prep for her interview. Plus, katie surprised her because Katie did not like the sexism toward Hillary clinton. Palin had a bad day like the rest of us. It has been a fast pace for, esp, traveling everywhere. Perhaps, that is why she has not gone on TV much. She had not had the time to catch up. She need to know McCain, Joe Biden, and Obama's voting record. Things will get better.

I know a lot of people think this may be an instance of "gotcha" journalism, but the point to these questions was to find out if she had ever even given serious thought to issues outside of Alaska.

It is plainly obvious that her focus has been completely on Alaska. Economics, constitutional law, foreign affairs, etc. simply held no interest for her for the last 44 years of her life.

The fallacies of our federal, state and local laws give way to our own individual existentialism.

Tea anyone?

citizens,

country first.

do not go along with mccain' political stunt.
mccain was wrong for picking someone who just 4 months earlier said,
"I need someone to tell me what the vp does?"
mccain/palin-wrong for the country.

Is Biden a conservative? He said that government has the right to protect women's health. Interesting...

WAVA as far as I'm aware was dumped on states and was used in a court of law maybe 8 times.

given the economic realities in our country today this election may be the first one where the winner demands a re count. lol

colorado;

so your only criteria for bringing up your draft dodger comment is that he's running for V.P.

Cheney - is - the current V.P.
and many of the members of the list are currently serving in the Congress.

At one level, I really don't understand why people (esp the media) harp on these things.

I want leaders who know what questions to ask, who can consider information, who can look at conflicting views, and who have the ability to make decisions, learning from the bad ones and building on the good ones. I dont need someone who has the knowledge base but doesn't know what to do with it.

For all of the questions about Palin's readiness, or her ability to be a heartbeat away from the presidency, where's the recognition that there's not a single decision the VP or Pres makes by him or herself, with no recourse to others or their information.

At the same time, Palin is in a somewhat unenviable position. BEcause the underlying questions aren't just "what do you believe" but "what will a McCain Palin administration believe". McCain doesn't agree with conservative right on many issues, Palin doesn't agree with McCain on all issues, so she has to walk the line b/w I, John, and independents in terms of thinking what will/won't get the vote. In that scenario, best thing might very well be to keep quiet about too many specifics.

rex they are not running for vice president joe biden is, and he is a draft dodger.

I think it's okay to be dumb. I think that being uneducated is relative. My folks didn't go to college and between them, they knew a lot more than my husband and myself and a lot of academics I know. It's when you just don't know that you're dumb that you get in big trouble. Sarah will do fine in her debate. She'll be that girl in high school who smiled while she lied and stabbed you in the back - and arrived early for the prayer circle. But she doesn't even seem to get that a potential president for the US should know a little about the supreme court and its decisions. It seems to me that Katie Couric is about as respectful and kind as anyone could be. Sarah Palin isn't every woman. Every woman I know is a lot smarter - whether they have a law degree or a college degree. And more decent. They woud have said "thanks, but no thanks - I'm not ready." Even Condeleeza Rice knew she didn't have it in her. Sarah Palin can win a debate - anyone willing to lie can. But she will never be able to govern this country - especially now.

colorado;
re: 'draft dodgers"

here's a few Republican/Conservative who 'didn't serve' :

Elliott Abrams, Ken Adelman, William Bennett,
John Boehner, John R. Bolton, Neal Boortz, Sam Brownback, Pat Buchanan, George W. Bush, Jeb Bush, Marvin Bush, Neil Mallon Bush, Richard Cheney, Douglas Feith, Ari Fleischer, Newt Gingrich,Rudy Giuliani, Phil Gramm, Bill Kristol, Joe Lieberman, Rush Limbaugh, Mitch McConnell, Richard Perle, Ralph Reed, Condoleezza Rice, Rick Santorum, Michael Savage, Joe Scarborough, Fred Thompson, Paul Wolfowitz

Davis with followers like you lowering the bar for sarah the only thing she will have to do is not trip going up the stairs.

biden the draft dodger thought fdr was on t.v.
but considering he has the script from gwen even he can't blow this eh!

Palin is lying. She wants to turn Rove down because she wants women to go to jail for exercising their right to choose.

That is a fact. In her Church they promote this and go to abortion clinics with banners and eggs.

Look at what gay people trying to marry are going through for having the States taken over the issue. They cannot marry anywhere because the Churches interfere with the electorade.

With a CAIN-PALIN duo we will be heading back to the middle ages, and women will be stoned or persecuted.

Be ware of Sarah. She is a liar with a forked tongue.

Democrats for 09'

I think that Palin should have been able to name a Supreme Court decision she disagreed with. Exxon v. Baker would have been a good choice since she herself wrote that she did not agree with the court's decision.

I am not running to become vice president of the United States, I am not a Governor, I have not been a mayor, I am younger than Palin but I can at least remember the recent court ruling on habeas corpus for prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. That was a decision McCain, her new boss, was decidedly against! She should have known at least as much as me.

Hey Tom,

The O in Obama stands for Ordinary, the A at the end stands for Arrogant. I'm backin' McCain, the M in McCain stands for Man made of grit. Woohoo!

Rex:with all due deference to Gov. Plain, when did not being able to answer questions in a straightforward manner become an admirable trait?
___________________________

There is more agreement between Democrats and Republicans than your subjects and verbs.

To your english teacher: Mission not accomplished

remember at the dnc nomination biden's son asked us to 'take care of his dad' i thought that was kind of weird now i get it.
Biden is a DRAFT DODGER was it a mental disability?

and two jakes,

katie is not running for one of the highest offices in the land.
_____________________________________

So she can't come back to answer why she disagrees with the two cases she named?

Sarah Palin is a woman and makes her own decisions.

Obama is more comforting I guess

Obama:"Well let me be absolutely clear. Israel is a strong friend of Israel's"

Yes.

Mydress:
re: your post about:
BERG v. OBAMA et al
Plaintiff Philip J. Berg alleged that Defendant Barack Obama is not eligible for the Office of the President because Obama lost his U.S. citizenship when his mother married an Indonesian citizen and naturalized in Indonesia. Plaintiff further alleged that Obama followed her naturalization and failed to take an oath of allegiance when he turned 18 years old to regain his U.S. citizenship status."

so Berg thinks Obama is not an American citizen? .... guess we'll see soon.....
BTW: Obama is ahead in PA....

Mission Accomplished

HEY REPUBLICANS!!!

You have less than 24 hours before your pretty Moose with lipstick Palin, takes McCain and all the rest of you Republicans down the drain!

I bet all of you Republicans long for the days right after McCain drug her out of Alaska to be VP... Those were the days, huh?

I remember how all of you Republicans were dancing in the streets back then, slamming all of us Obama supporters...

That was before you and the WHOLE COUNTRY found out she was DUMB AS A ROCK and a pathological LIAR!!!

So as you watch tomorrow nights debate, listen for that sound. That would be the sound of all McCain's hopes and dreams for the presidency going down the drain! It will sound like this - FLUSH!!!!

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the more the presidential race continues the more it bears out one of Obama's statements:

"they are proud of their ignorance"

with all due deference to Gov. Plain, when did not being able to answer questions in a straightforward manner become an admirable trait?

I don't want cute answers, political speak or any other kind of mind numbing answers to the important issues of the day...and... I don't really care if it's a Dem or a Repub..... answer the damn question.

Being ordinary doesn't qualify you to be president. I want someone absolutely extraordinary, much more than an average person, in that job. George W Bush is a perfect example of the chaos that ensues from electing an ordinary man with limited skills and intellect into the most demanding position in the world. For the love of god, let's not repeat our mistake. Palin simply cannot be allowed to become vice-president.

and two jakes,

katie is not running for one of the highest offices in the land.
the heads of state in other countries are watching this also. and they and all of the rest of the world must be shaking their heads saying-cannot believe this.
i know i am.
all of the talk against the media people now saying the media is being to hard on palin.
it is mccain who has done a disservice to palin. and mccain is the one to blame.

Awe heck, a right to privacy in the constitution? Yeah, that sounds good. Oh wait, does that mean Roe v. Wade? Well, that should be the States, oh wait? I haven't thought to much about his stuff..let me ask God, I'll get back to you!

Yikes. I'm sure Sarah Palin is a nice person who can relate well to people like her but...a heartbeat from being the Leader of the Free World??? Sorry, I'm stuck in a reality-based world. I can't help it.

Counting crows if that is your defense then I hate to break your delicate bubble but Obama is a more articulate DNC version of George Bush...Who by the way was nominated out of a bevy of far more qualified and talent candidates including Hillary Clinton, Edwards, and Joe Biden. But like most, I assume you are enamored with the perversion of the truth that has been put before you.

You said that "Personally, I don't want my buddies, neighbors, or fellow beer drinkers to be the ones in charge."

...May I suggest you find better buddies and move to a better neighborhood.

American is what it is and made of diverse people. Obama's pedigree is not any different from most other presidents and that is really not a a departure or change. I don't suffer from an inferiority complex, therefore I don't feel the necessity to be led by ones who degrees, experience or standing somehow better than myself. On it face that argument is subjective and varies among the population in opinion.

I did not vote for Bush- either time.
I will not vote for Obama and I definitely don't identity with him or his crowd. I am allergic to and unerved by slum lords and similar types no matter how they are packaged. High on ambition. Low on good will.

This election has taught me that humility is a trait which is hardly understood by well fed people.

Colorado:
re: "the little draft dodger"

careful with your invective....

probably over 90% of Republicans currently in the government and maybe closer to 99% for the right wing pundits never served in the military...

and it's probably close to the same for the Dems.

Of course the real hypocrisy is that most of the 'chicken hawks' who got us into the Iraq war didn't serve and got deferments. Even Bush's 'service' in the reserve is questioned.

Mission Accomplished

counting crows,
thank you so much for your comments.
they are spot on.
I thank John mccain for his past patriotism. any time I see the mccain vietnam footage. i still question myself and wonder if i could have held out.

but the john mccain of now, by picking palin- (a brilliant political stunt)
a very UNpatriotic thing to do.

they must not think very highly of the positions of vp or Potus. because by picking palin they are saying anybody can be president or Potus. even if they haven't done anything to prepare for it or not.
I believe palin still cannot believe
she is in the position she is in today.

when offered the vp position she should have said "thanks, but no thanks-i value
the position of vp and president to much to think i am ready for either of those jobs"
her accepting the position has to be pure ego, or she does not have any insight. also a very UNpatriotic thing to do. and they have the nerve to have a campaign mantra of "Country First"

So Katia, do you disagree with Marbury v. Madison and Brown v. the Board of Education? If so why?

The Two Jakes - It's great when us ordinary folks strive to achieve a higher position in life. We have to be smart and work hard. Maybe Palin was fine as governor of Alaska, although from what I've been hearing, the people in Alaska, having seen Palin's television interviews, are not so thrilled with her anymore, but she was literally plucked from amongst a bevy of far more qualified people, including women, to be McCain's running mate. She has proved over and over again that her knowledge base is very limited. The McCain campaign has been accused of sequestering her but it has become obvious that she herself has led a very provincial life and is not knowledgeable about really important issues that are necessary for a vp (and possible president) to know in more than a cursory fashion. Anyone who listens to this woman speak (not in front of a teleprompter-that doesn't count) must realize that she is not only not qualified, she is dangerously not qualified. Personally, I don't want my buddies, neighbors, or fellow beer drinkers to be the ones in charge. This whole business of wanting to be able to identify with the candidate is incredibly naive and self-defeating. Look what happened the last time we voted that way - we got Bush. Enough said.

Jake Tapper:Any abortion opponents out there concerned that she didn't seem to know that? Or are her credentials on that issue solid enough that it doesn't matter?
_________________________________

You answered your own question Jake. The answer is.It doesn't matter. Just like I watched Obama stammer through debates with Hillary Clinton and again with McCain on foreign policy. Obama was clearly regurgitating pleasant sounding subterfuges. Sarah needs to learn the art of finessing the non answer. Obama is very good at saying nothing that sounds good...to the fools that fall for it. The bar was set low this election when Obama became the DNC nominee. No,no, no I should be fair, the Bar was set low when Bush became president.

Now that the Bar is set low,by purported smart people behaving stupidly that gives way for media described dumb people behaving smartly.

Truly sad. I remember learning about Marbury v. Madison and Brown v. the Board of Education in the 8th or 9th grade. And I went to a public school.

Perhaps the average American couldn't do better than Palin at naming important cases, but I think he or she should.

More importantly, I think we need someone a lot better than average as president and vice-president -- and every other office holder.

Palin has some attractive qualities, and she may do very well delivering memorized answers in Thursday's debate -- just as she did delivering a speech someone else wrote at the convention.

But these interviews with Couric make it painfully obvious that Palin lacks the background and the think-on-your-feet kind of smarts that high office demands.

and biden thinks fdr was on t.v. the little draft dodger is one weird dude. tomorrow could turn out to be an interesting evening.

When asked why he thought Roe vs. Wade was a good decision, Biden said, “Because it's as close to a consensus that can exist in a society as heterogeneous as ours.” When asked to comment, Palin asked, "Heterogeneous… isn’t that a really smart straight person?”

richardcranium1,

I said one of the things lacking here was a law degree.Your kid who is in high school did not go to school in Alaska during the 1970's. The students I teach now have much more available to them and if you differ you are a liar and you know it.

Biden's answer while well worded was a case he had worked on. In my book he didn't answer the question that well either and lets hope he didn't plagiarize