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Ex-Dem Chair Apologizes for Hurricane Remark

August 31, 2008 5:55 PM

ABC News' Teddy Davis Reports: Former DNC Chairman Don Fowler apologized on Sunday for joking in a private conversation that the timing of Hurricane Gustav demonstrates that God is on the side of the Democrats.

"If this offended anybody, I personally apologize," Fowler told ABC News. "It was a mistake, and it was a satirical statement made in jest. And one that I clearly don't believe."

Fowler was secretly recorded by the person sitting behind him while flying from Denver, Colo., to Charlotte, N.C., following the Democratic National Convention. His conversation with Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C., was anonymously posted to YouTube and highlighted by RedState.com, a conservative blog.

Watch it HERE.

"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."

Fowler, a superdelegate who endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2007, was caught on tape saying: "The hurricane’s going to hit New Orleans about the time they start. The timing is -- at least it appears now that it’ll be there Monday. That just demonstrates that God’s on our side. [Laughter] Everything’s cool."

McCain and RNC officials announced on Sunday that they will suspend most of the convention program for Monday, including speeches by President Bush and Vice President Cheney. Republicans will only take up essential business when their convention gets underway on Monday and will not hear primetime speeches.

Fowler said his remark was "facetious" and a "satirical comment" on the late Rev. Jerry Falwell.

Following the terrorist attacks of 9/11,  Falwell told "The 700 Club," "I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America. I point the finger in their face and say 'you helped this happen.'"

Falwell, who later apologized, said he viewed the attacks as God's judgment on America for "throwing God out of the public square, out of the schools. The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked." 

Fowler sought to contrast his religious views with those expressed by the late Rev. Falwell before his death.

"I believe in a benevolent God," said Fowler. "I'm a religious person. It was a facetious statement, some might even say satirical, play off of what Falwell said."

"If it offended anybody. I'm sorry for that," said Fowler. "I don’t think anybody in America wishes for something bad to happen to New Orleans. I certainly don't."

After the video surfaced on RedState.com, Fowler, the former DNC chairman and Spratt, the South Carolina Democratic congressman with whom he was talking, were pilloried by the chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party.

"The outrageous behavior of two of the Obama campaign's highest profile supporters in the south is despicable, a cynical politicization of life and death," said Katon Dawson, the chairman of the South Carolina G.O.P. "I call on Barack Obama to immediately denounce Fowler and Spratt and demand sincere apologies from these members of the Democratic leadership."

Fowler was unnerved by the experience but he said that he does not think that people should be prohibited from taping such conversations.

"I have to say that I  am a free speech advocate and would not suggest that people should be prohibited from taping such conversations," said Fowler. "But nevertheless it seems to be a bit extreme to tape a private conversation like that."

August 31, 2008 in Vote 2008: Democrats, Vote 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (1082)

Indicted Hometown Senator Poses Problem for Sarah Palin

August 31, 2008 5:15 PM

ABC News' John Berman and Ursula Fahy Report: It’s clear who Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will be supporting when it comes to the presidential race, after all she is on the ticket. The bigger question is who will she vote for in the Senate race in her home state. Embattled Republican Sen. Ted Stevens faces a tight race against popular Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich. And as of now, McCain campaign aides will not guarantee that she will endorse the senior Senator. Of course, perhaps more telling is that they won’t promise she won’t endorse him either.though the antithesis of reform, is an icon in Alaska politics.

So what is the problem? After all Stevens is her fellow Republican. Well, the problem is Ted Stevens is under indictment. Stevens, a Senator for 40 years, has come to embody Washington’s love for pork-barrel politics. And this July he was indicted for allegedly lying about gifts he received.

The endorsement issue highlights Palin's complicated, and not always acrimonious relationship with her state’s controversial senior Senator.

At the time of Steven’s indictment, Palin, who likes to wear the mantle of a reformer, said, "News such as this rocks the foundation of our state." But she continued, "Senator Ted Stevens has dedicated his life to the betterment of Alaska. I share Alaskans' concern and dismay at this turn of events."

In that one statement you can see the opposing political forces at work. Palin wants to be a reformer, but seems to have a hard time distancing herself too much from Stevens who,

Palin has not been shy about bucking at least some of the GOP establishment in Alaska. Remember, she unseated a Republican governor in a primary fight. And in the recent congressional primary she endorsed the opponent of longtime Republican congressman Don Young. But all that only highlights her seeming unwillingness to buck Ted Stevens too much. She pointedly did not endorse any of Stevens recent opponents in his Republican primary. It is impossible to know whether an endorsement from Palin would have swung the election one way or the other. Stevens won easily, while in the race where Palin did fight the establishment, they are still counting ballots.

More complicated history: in Palin's 2006 race for governor, after she ousted Governor and former U.S. Senator Frank Murkowski in the Republican primary, Stevens withheld his support for Palin. But Palin was locked in what looked like a tight race in the general election, and three weeks before the election, Palin welcomed a Stevens endorsement, even releasing a campaign commercial of the event, featuring Stevens offering support of Palin, with Palin smiling mightily in the background.

One other bit of telling video: in July of this year, Stevens and Palin held a joint news conference, denying that there was any political distance between them. This was at a time before the indictment, but after an FBI raid on Stevens home, and after the scope of the investigation of Stevens was clear.

Earlier, Palin had called on Stevens to be more open about the details surrounding the investigation, but at this joint news conference she said:

"I have great respect for the Senator. He needs to be heard across America. His voice, his experience, his passion needs to be heard across America so that Alaska can contribute more."

When asked about specifically about whether Palin would back Stevens in upcoming race, Ben Porritt, a spokesman for the McCain campaign said, "Governor Palin has a record of reform. It was one of her signature issues when she ran for office. And she has a record of accomplishment in office."

Indeed, Palin helped push through key ethics reform in Alaska. And it is clear she now opposes one of Steven’s pet projects, the so-called Bridge to Nowhere (though past statements show she supported it initially). And it is even clear that Palin is not afraid to fight entrenched Republican interests in Alaska. What is less clear is whether Palin will take a definitive stand for or against Stevens before November.

August 31, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (418)

Obama hits Palin on Equal Pay for Equal Work

August 31, 2008 3:58 PM

ABC News' Sunlen Miller Reports: Senator Obama – for the first time – has brought up specific criticisms of Senator McCain’s new VP choice, Sarah Palin – accusing her of not supporting Equal Pay for Equal Work.

“John McCain’s new VP nominee seems like a very engaging person, a nice person,” Obama started to say during a town hall in Toledo, OH, “But I’ve got to say, she’s opposed like John McCain is to equal pay for equal work. That doesn’t make much sense to me.”

Senator Obama recalled the story he tells often: of his grandmother starting of in a secretarial pool and then working her way up the ranks to become VP of a bank.

“But even with all she accomplished, she was still passed over repeatedly because it was hard being a woman in the 60s and the 70s, being a path breaker like that,” Obama concluded, “And I’ve got two daughters and when I think about them, I say to myself, I want to make sure that those girls have exactly the same opportunities as anybody’s sons will. That’s why we’re gonna fight for equal pay for equal work.”

The Obama campaign could not provide immediate proof Palin’s opposition to Equal Pay - and instead only connected Palin to McCain’s opposition.

“Senator McCain has a clear record of opposing equal pay and as his running mate Governor Palin is tasked with promoting his agenda,” Obama spokesman Jen Psaki says. 

August 31, 2008 in McCain, John, Obama, Barack, Palin, Sarah, Vote 2008: Democrats, Vote 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (296)

Graham on Palin: 'Ready to Lead'

August 31, 2008 2:46 PM

ABC News' Ben Newman Reports: Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., made his case this morning that the Republican vice presidential candidate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, is ready to serve in the White House. “She's tough. She's talented. She's ready to lead,” said Graham.

In an exclusive interview with George Stephanopoulos on "This Week," Graham, a longtime friend and staunch supporter of presumptive GOP presidential nominee John McCain, backed the Arizona senator’s pick. “John McCain is trying to tell the American people I got it… I've picked somebody that knows how to fix government, I've picked somebody that will stand up to powerful people in her own backyard and together we’re going to change this place,” said Graham.

When questioned whether he would feel safe and confident with Palin as president, should something happen to McCain, Graham responded, “Compared to Barack Obama I think she would make one hell of a commander-in-chief.”

In a separate interview on "This Week," Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts disagreed, challenging Palin’s foreign policy credentials.

“[McCain’s] chosen somebody that has zero, zero experience in foreign policy," said Kerry. "The first threshold test of a president, of a nominee, is choosing a vice president, is to prove to the American people that the person that you have chosen can fill in tomorrow."

Kerry also suggested Palin was not qualified to take over office should tragedy strike McCain. “I'm sure she is a terrific person,” he said. “I'm not attacking her. I think John McCain's judgment is once again put at issue because he has chosen somebody who clearly does not meet the national security threshold, who is not ready to be president tomorrow.”

Graham claimed, however, that Palin's executive experience as governor trumps the experiences of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. “She's been a governor. She's been in charge of the National Guard. What has Senator Obama done in terms of managing a war? His judgment when it comes to matters of war had been terrible.

Contradicting suggestions that former supporters of Hillary Clinton, Obama's rival in the hard-fought Democratic primaries, will flock to the McCain-Palin ticket, Kerry claimed the policy differences between the two women makes it highly unlikely.

The people who supported Hillary Clinton are not going to be seduced just because John McCain has picked a woman," Kerry said. "They're going to look at what she supports. The fact that she doesn't even support the notion that climate change is manmade -- she's back there with the Flat Earth Caucus. I think it's almost insulting to the Hillary supporters that they believe they would support somebody who is against almost everything that they believe in.”

August 31, 2008 in Veepstakes | Permalink | User Comments (139)

The Democrats in St. Paul...All Quiet

August 31, 2008 2:20 PM

The Democrats in St. Paul say they will largely silence their "rapid response" effort the next couple of days while Hurricane Gustav bears down on the Gulf Coast.   it is clear they don't want to seem overly aggressive at a time when millions of Americans are facing a crisis. 

Their silence will be in sharp contrast to constant barrage of political punches that came from the Republican war-room in Denver, where reporters were inundated every day with scores of e-mails making sure we didn't miss one gaffe or one bit of tension between the Clinton and Obama camps.

In also stands in sharp contrast with the Democrats own plans for St. Paul.  Like the Republicans, the Democrats and Obama campaign sent a response team to Minnesota to try to block whatever message was coming out of the Republican convention. They are set-up in a Union building just outside the convention perimeter, with posters strewn about the building of George W. Bush and John McCain in a warm embrace, with the slogan "More of the Same."   "We're gonna be here early morning, we're gonna be here late at night," said Jamal Simmons, who is leading up the Democratic effort, in an interview before the scope of the Hurricane became clear, "We're gonna be focused on Bush/McCain and how much they look alike."

Now plans for slogans and surrogates are on hold until after the storm passes.

UPDATE:

The DNC canceled their opening reception in St. Paul, not wanting politics to overshadow concern about the hurricane.

"In light of the situation along the Gulf Coast, the DNC has canceled this afternoons Media Welcome reception in St. Paul. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families in the region.," DNC spokesman Damien LaVera said in a statement.

UPDATE #2: The DNC has also canceled a planned daily media briefing for Monday at the Republican national convention in Minnesota.

"In light of the situation in the Gulf Coast, the Democratic National Committee announced that is has canceled its daily media briefing at the More of the Same Media Center on Monday, September 1.  Additional scheduling updates will be provided when available," read a media release from DNC spokesman Damien LaVera.

August 31, 2008 in Vote 2008: Democrats, Vote 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (54)

Obama Will Mobilize Email List to Help with Gustav's Aftermath

August 31, 2008 1:59 PM

ABC News' Sunlen Miller Reports: Senator Obama told reporters today in Lima, OH that he plans to mobilize his network of volunteers and donors to help with Hurricane Gustav’s aftermath.

Obama said that they’ll wait over the next 48 hours to see what resources are most needed, “It becomes a question of what people on the ground need and once we determine that then we can activate our email list of a couple of million people who want to give back.”

Senator McCain and Sarah Palin are visiting a hurricane response center in Jackson Mississippi to learn about preparations. Senator Obama told reporters that at this time he has no plans to visit the region because of the resources that would be taken away from the hurricane in providing for a visit.

“The thing that I am always concerned about is in the middle of the storm is whether we are drawing resources away from folks on the ground, because the secret service and various security requirements sometimes it pulls police and fire and other departments away from concentrating on the job.”

Obama said that it is “fine” for McCain to want to find out what is going on in the region, “I am assuming that where he went that wasn’t an issue and we are going to try to stay clear of the area until things have settled down and then we will probably try to figure out how we can be as helpful as possible.”

Senator Obama has been speaking to officials in the area over the phone – getting briefings about the situation.   He spoke with Louisiana Lieutenant Gov. Mitch Landrieu and Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff this morning, after a stop in Lima, Ohio for church.

The Illinois Senator also went on the air - calling in my phone to local TV stations to urge citizens to follow the instructions of their local officials and to evacuate.

Senator Obama and Biden campaign together in Ohio today.

Before he introduced Obama at an event in Toledo, his running mate Sen. Joe Biden, spared a thought for everyone in Gustav's path.

"It’s a magnificent day today," Biden said on the sunny August afternoon. "But a lot of our friends down in New Orleans, where my daughter went to school, are battened down for something that may be even more devastating than what happened in Katrina. Pray God it won’t."

Biden noted that he said a prayer for these people when he attended Sunday mass at St Brendan's the Navigator in Hilliard, Ohio and he urged the audience to do the same.

"Say a little prayer because these folks have been through, you know, they’ve been through hell," said the Delaware lawmaker. "And pray God this Gustav decides to take a turn or something but it doesn’t look real good now. I just want to, I just want to reference that because I’m sure the folks in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast and Mississippi and Louisiana are on everyone’s minds this morning."

ABC News' Matt Jaffe contributed to this report.

August 31, 2008 in Biden, Joe, McCain, John, Obama, Barack, Vote 2008: Democrats, Vote 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (53)

Social Conservatives 'Ecstatic' with Palin VP Pick, Rick Santorum Claims

August 31, 2008 1:29 PM

ABC News' Jennifer Parker Reports: Social conservatives are 'ecstatic' about John McCain's vice presidential pick Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, former Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., told ABC News, on a flight from Washington, DC to Minneapolis-St. Paul for the Republican convention.

"She is a very, very positive pick for social conservatives," said Santorum, an ardent social conservative who is against abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research.

"I haven't (talked) to anyone who isn't ecstatic about this pick," said Santorum, a former two-term Pennsylvania Senator who lost his seat during the 2006 mid-term election.

Santorum, who is scheduled to appear on Fox News' "Hannity and Colmes" tonight from the convention, said Palin has proved her social conservative values "through her own personal experience" referring to her family's decision not to terminate her fifth pregnancy with a son who has Down's Syndrome.

Pailin's lack of foreign policy experience is no big deal, said Santorum, who was roundly criticised for a 2006 attack ad against now-Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., that juxtaposed images of Casey with images of a nuclear mushroom cloud.

"I don't think the foreign policy experience is that big of a deal," Santorum told ABC News.

"It's important to pick someone that shares your values, is bright, competent and has leadership abilities," Santorum said of the important criteria for selecting a vice presidential candidate.

"She'll learn all she needs to learn," he said of foreign policy. "You pick that stuff up."

Santorum said no one suggested Dick Cheney know everything about foreign policy before he got the vp job.

"There will be plenty of opportunities to learn that stuff as the number two," he said.

August 31, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (45)

The Note: Outside Pressures Leave Clouds Over RNC

August 31, 2008 10:19 AM

ABC News' Rick Klein reports in Sunday's Note:

If the drama in Denver was contained squarely inside the Pepsi Center (only to be expelled into the mountain air with the confetti cannons at Invesco Field), the theater in St. Paul is feeling pressure that's building outside.

Between a hurricane problem and a football-schedule problem -- and a Ron Paul problem, an Arnold Schwarzenegger problem, a President Bush problem, not to mention a Dan Quayle problem and a Pat Buchanan problem

-- Sen. John McCain's control over his own convention grows more limited by the hour.

(The funny thing is McCain may not care about that fact. Who better than a maverick to accept his party's nomination in a way that looks less than traditional?)

A senior White House official tells ABC's George Stephanopoulos that President Bush is almost certain to skip St. Paul. (And McCain surely doesn't care about that, either.)

Amid the somber mood and curtailed partying that is Hurricane Gustav's political wake even before the storm hits US soil, McCain's candidacy has more energy, but is also in more need of some redefinition, as he goes for broke with his vice-presidential pick. (Who's "dangerously inexperienced" now, pray tell?)

And here comes a bold start: McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin head to Mississippi on Sunday-- a visit designed more to remind voters of who they aren't than of who they are.

Read the rest of The Note -- and get all the latest on the 2008 election, Congress, the White House and the wide world of politics every day -- from Rick Klein by bookmarking this link.

The storm has the most potential to change the week's tone (and don't think Team McCain doesn't see the good side as well as the bad side of a few less parties and a few more ways to signal McCain's breaks with Bush).

McCain's visit is designed to make him what Bush wasn't -- though at the risk of a few stories tallying the police manpower soaked up by a political visit on the eve of a massive weather disruption.

Speaking of disruptions: "Republicans scrambled Saturday to make contingency plans for changing the tone of their national convention, worried that televised images of a lavish celebration would provide a jarring contrast to scenes of disaster and mass evacuations," Michael Abramowitz and Robert Barnes write in The Washington Post. "McCain advisers also said that the meticulously planned event may have to be radically altered if the storm begins to grow into a calamity like Katrina."

"It wouldn't be appropriate to have a festive occasion while a near tragedy or a terrible challenge is presented in the form of a natural disaster," McCain tells Fox News' Chris Wallace.

"If it looks like it's going to hit, we will, obviously, drastically change our plans,"Cindy McCain tells ABC's George Stephanopoulosin an interview airing on "This Week" Sunday.

Per ABC News: "There is official business that is required to happen at the convention, like the actual nomination of John McCain and the platform ratification -- but [an official] added contingency plans are being considered regarding delegation travel and the program of speakers. . . . The Republican National Convention has set up a committee in Saint Paul to monitor Hurricane Gustav and evaluate its impact on the convention schedule."

Depending on how bad it is, "Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) may deliver his acceptance speech via satellite because of the historically huge hurricane threatening New Orleans, top officials said," per Politico's Mike Allen and Jonathan Martin.

Weather or not, the list of no-shows grows. It's not just Larry Craig and Chuck Hagel and Gov. Schwarzenegger and Gulf Coasters; for many in tough races, there are better things to do. "At least 10 incumbent senators, plus several Senate candidates, have sent their regrets. Only three incumbents in hotly contested races, including Kentucky's Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader, will join the partygoers," Bob Drogin writes in the Los Angeles Times.

The scene would have been grim enough without the clouds: "Republicans assembling in the Twin Cities are faced with a sobering reality check: The GOP has never confronted such steep political odds in modern times," Carla Marinucci writes in the San Francisco Chronicle. "With the popularity of President Bush in the cellar, issues like the war in Iraq and gas prices, and 'change' becoming the watchword of the election season, the GOP is counting on McCain to come through on what many political observers say may be Mission Impossible in 2008 -- keeping control of the White House."

To that end: Palin has the base jazzed -- but has complicated the McCain storyline. (And did she really get the job after a grand total of two meetings? Isn't it harder to become an assistant manager at Target?)

"McCain risks ceding the most effective argument he and fellow Republicans have made against Obama," Dan Balz writes in The Washington Post.

"For months, Republicans have attacked the senator from Illinois as not ready to be president. Now McCain has put someone who Democrats argue has even less experience one election and a heartbeat away from the presidency."

Peter Baker, in The New York Times: "The selection of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska proved quintessentially McCain -- daring, hazardous and defiantly off-message. He demonstrated that he would not get boxed in by convention as he sought to put a woman next in line to the presidency for the first time. Yet in making such an unabashed bid for supporters of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, he risked undercutting his central case against Senator Barack Obama."

And the battle to define Palin has just begun -- on terms the McCain campaign can't control:Politico's John F. Harris points out that journalists wouldn't be probing the backgrounds of a Mitt Romney or a Tim Pawlenty with equal vigor.

"Over the next 72 hours, whether she becomes a new star of the GOP or an albatross will be determined in large part by a wave of second- and third-day news coverage about McCain's unexpected running mate," Harris writes. "Naturally, there will be the usual articles about her record in passing bills in Alaska and her positions on certain hot-button issues. But the inquiries that have the most potential to explode will delve into more sensitive terrain."

A family feud could be the little story that grows into the big one: "The investigation is focusing on whether she and her aides pressured and ultimately fired the public safety commissioner, Walter Monegan, for not removing Palin's ex-brother-in-law from the state police force,"James V. Grimaldi and Kimberly Kindy write in The Washington Post.  "Interviews with principals involved in the dispute and a review of court documents and police internal affairs reports reveal that Palin has been deeply involved in alerting state officials to her family's personal turmoil."

"Alaska's former commissioner of public safety claims that Gov. Sarah Palin, John McCain's pick to be vice president, personally talked to him on two occasions about a state trooper who was locked in a bitter custody battle with the governor's sister," Lisa Demer writes for The Anchorage Daily News.

"In a phone conversation Friday night, Walt Monegan, who was Alaska's top cop until Palin fired him July 11, told The Anchorage Daily News that the governor also had e-mailed him two or three times about the trooper, Mike Wooten, though the e-mails didn't mention Wooten by name."

"Palin is likely to be deposed soon in the case, according to State Sen. Hollis French, who leads the state Senate's Legislative Counsel Committee," per ABC's Marcus Baram. "French's committee unanimously authorized an investigation into the dismissal of the state's public safety commissioner, Walt Monegan, who claims he balked at pressure to remove Trooper Mike Wooten, who had an acrimonious divorce from Palin's sister."

Continue reading today's Note by clicking HERE.

August 31, 2008 in Biden, Joe, Bush, George W., Clinton, Hillary, McCain, John, Obama, Barack, Palin, Sarah, Vote 2008: Democrats, Vote 2008: Republicans, Washington, White House | Permalink | User Comments (118)

Who’s 'Dr No' on Energy? Obama Points a Finger back at McCain

August 30, 2008 11:06 PM

ABC News' Andy Fies and Sunlen Miller Report: Sen. Barack Obama debuted a new line before a crowd of 18,000 in Dublin, Ohio, borrowing a phrase from his opponent John McCain’s own campaign criticisms of his energy proposals.

"John McCain says the problem is Washington hasn't done anything in 30 years, what he doesn’t say is he's been there 26," Obama said today. "And he said no to higher fuel efficiency standards on cars. He said no to making sure that we are investing in renewable fuels. He has been Dr. No when it comes to energy."

Yes, you’ve heard that nickname before: "Dr No" is one that the McCain campaign originally coined for Obama, on exactly the same issue, energy policy.

The reference of course is to the James Bond film where the bad guy is named, "Dr No."

August 30, 2008 in Vote 2008: Democrats | Permalink | User Comments (128)

Obama on the Palin Pick: Lukewarm Compliments & Criticisms

August 30, 2008 11:03 PM

ABC News' Andy Fies and Sunlen Miller report: It's only been one day since Gov. Sarah Palin was chosen as John McCain's running mate –- and it's already clear Sen. Barack Obama is not quite comfortable yet going out on the attack against McCain’s choice.

Today he sent out one of his surrogates, Ohio Rep. Sherrod Brown, to warm up his Dublin, Ohio, rally with some not-so-veiled criticisms of Palin.

"John McCain chose someone who was a mayor of a town of 7,000 people, then was elected governor, has been governor of a state for 1800 -– for 18 months, governor of a state that’s half the population of Franklin County," Brown said to the local crowd. "And yet she’s gonna be a heartbeat away from the president. No way!"

Brown, who spent part of the day campaigning with Obama and his running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, said Obama showed better judgment by choosing Biden.

Obama didn’t quite bring up Palin herself –- but he brought up her state -– which solicited a roar of laughter from the Dublin crowd.

"After 19 months of traversing this country, traveling to every state except Alaska, which now that I think about it," Obama paused for comic relief. "I’m gonna have to go up there now."

At a press avail later in the day Obama demurred a bit when asked about McCain’s surprising VP pick.

"She seems to have a wonderful engaging personality and you know, the fact that she got elected governor of Alaska I think shows she's got real political skill," Obama said of Palin who defeated an incumbent governor to gain the office.

But Obama quickly insinuated that Palin was just more of the same.

"I think that ultimately, she subscribes to the same economic theories and foreign policy theories as John McCain does," Obama told reporters. "I think those are the wrong theories for this country."

Obama said that anyone can take a look at Palin's executive record against Biden's record in the Senate and make their own judgments about what it takes to be a good vice president.

"I feel confident about my choice," Obama said. "I'll let John McCain talk about his."

Obama's lukewarm criticisms of Palin follow a somewhat different tone than the one his campaign set.

The Obama campaign’s immediate reaction to the announcement Friday was to cast Palin as immediately inexperienced, her only experience being the mayor of a small population.

Afterward the Obama campaign backed off the tone, choosing to issue a second statement from Biden and Obama taking a higher road, saying the Palin pick is an encouraging sign that barriers are falling in politics.

August 30, 2008 in Vote 2008: Democrats | Permalink | User Comments (407)