He's either an idiot or a liar....or quite possibly both.

I've got to hand it to McCain for not taking the easy way out and blaming Palin since his lost in part was due to his own betrayal of his own principles by trying to appease most everybody the last few years.

Palin was the main reason he got as many votes as he did and if he continues doing this (not blaming Palin) I for one will have some of my great respect for him restored.

Now if only he reverses himself on amnesty for illegals and the Wall St Handout the circle will be almost complete.

What bull shit, mccain waited until the damage was done and then steps out to protect his own ass.

What a loser.

John McCain said Tuesday that Sarah Palin did not damage his presidential bid,...

Took him long enough to man up.

The press and the left (I know, redundant) want so desperatly to discredit Palin. I am not sure what they are afraid of. If she is as dumb as they want people to believe she is, then she is a self-correcting problem.

She is who she is. I think most would agree with that. There are those on the left who would never vote for her. There are those on the right who would defend her no matter what. Just as with McCain, Clinton or Obama. The issue is whether there are people in the middle who share her view of the world.

As I said, I am not sure what the press is afraid of. Why they cannot just report the facts, let the woman say her piece and let the people decide concerns me.

I think it is a bit like the parent who has raised their kid in a certain way, but is not sure the kid will do as they want, so they do not trust the kid to go out on their own. They have to be involved in every decision, etc.

The press is insecure in their beliefs. So they need the rest of the people to agree with them to feel more secure. Their insecurity causes them to be dishonest in their reporting so they can feel validated. Too bad we cannot find people of character to become reporters.

If he blamed Palin, he would be blaming himself, since he selected her.

"Too bad we cannot find people of character to become reporters.

#5 | Posted by sawdust "

Considering the multi-national corporations that own newspapers are laying off staff at a record pace, I think anyone who had aspirations of being a reporter has changed gears.

It's hard to say.

On the one hand, she turned off moderates, independents, etc...

On the other, she sure rallied the base for McCain.

I don't think she helped or hurt him really. That makes her a bad choice though, since he needed to do more than just rally the base.

"""As I said, I am not sure what the press is afraid of. Why they cannot just report the facts, let the woman say her piece and let the people decide concerns me. """

Seems to me st sarah was the one afraid of the media, she was kept away from any real interview after the kouric disaster. Now she's doing a PR tour with friendly interviewers. If you really want to test her mettle, sit her down with for a real grill session and see how she does. For the time being, she's doing fucking fluff interviews with sycophants.

Well good!

Maybe Palin can be the new Moses of the republican party and lead them into the desert for 40 years.

TeeHee!

What bull shit, mccain waited until the damage was done and then steps out to protect his own ass.

What a loser.

#3 | Posted by moneywar

Exactly right. Thank God he's too old to ever pull a stunt like this again.

I don't think Sarah Palin hurt the campaign herself. John McCain hurt it by selecting her without considering the reality what her experience really measured up to be.

Sarah needs to run for senate and get the fuck out of Alaksa for a few years.

I don't think Sarah Palin hurt the campaign herself. John McCain hurt it by selecting her without considering the reality what her experience really measured up to be.

Bright comment. I concur.

Palin/Bachman 2012!!!

"Humans walked with dinosaurs. I've seen the footprints."

-Sarah Palin

'If she is as dumb as they want people to believe, she is a self-correcting problem."

I doubt that anyone will write odes to Sarah's IQ. That agreed to, she probably is a capable PTA leader, but the "self-correcting problem" wanted to be the very probable leader of the free world.

"I am not sure what the press is afraid of. Why they cannot just report the facts,.. The press is insecure in their beliefs. So they need the rest of the people to agree with them to feel more secure."

Sawdust, the press has no psyche of its own. This image just doesn't work.

"Too bad we cannot find people of character to become reporters."

As a retired reporter, I might start with offering "professional" wages. herm

PS: I'm willing to accept Sarah as a victim, a mere mindless pawn in a desperate Rovian gambit to retain power. I hope she enjoys her wardrobe. She paid dearly for it. herm

McCain wanted Lieberman,but the evanjihadists who run the GOP wouldn't allow it. If John had chosen Ridge or Romney, he might have won. Instead, he cuckolded himself to the Dobsonites and screwed himself royally.

If the GOP is unwilling or unable to move beyond the culture war as campaign platform, they're toast. 2/3 of Catholics told their bishops to f**k off and voted Obama.

"As I said, I am not sure what the press is afraid of. Why they cannot just report the facts, let the woman say her piece and let the people decide concerns me."

It's not beyond me. We have so many impressionable, uneducated voters out there that allowing Palin to campaign on "star quality", avoiding issues of experience and judgment, would be very dangerous. Palin is a woman who presents rather well at first glance. She is attractive and has a decent dress sense; she looks like a sitcom mom. That gets her a long way down the pike with a certain kind of voter. But when you break what she says down, and dissect her record, and ask her tough questions, it all falls apart, rather as if you asked a sitcom mom actress to take over the actual responsibilities of a mom instead of just looking good with the help of writers and makeup men.

These are serious times, we need serious people, and the Wonder of Wasilla ain't one. The New York Times recently spoke of the "breathtaking presumption" that comes out in the fluff interviews she's doing these days. That's exactly what we need to be wary of.

She cannot commit to a complete sentence. She uses "progress" as a verb. She uses "like I" way too many times. She started building a sports center before the land was legally owned by the town. She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it with indebtedness of over $22 million. She was found guilty of abuse of powers (and by the bi-partisan committee, not the committee she hired). She increased a regressive sales tax which taxed even food.

BIG TIME HINT: During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had given rise to a recall campaign.

Stupid is as stupid dose.

"PS: I'm willing to accept Sarah as a victim, a mere mindless pawn in a desperate Rovian gambit to retain power. I hope she enjoys her wardrobe. She paid dearly for it. herm"

bullshit, she is an adult and a professional politician. She is no victim just a sleazy opportunist who will jump at any chance whoring up her family along the way.

I can't wait till Palin runs in 2012. It is quite amusing how she gets under the libbies skin.

Tim

You didn't have long to wait.

She's already running.

"On the other, she sure rallied the base for McCain"
#9 | Posted by LIVE_OR_DIE at 2008-11-12 02:15 PM | Reply

This is exactly correct, and it's exactly what she was brought in for. It was McCain's job to attract the moderates and the undecideds, and at the advice of his strategists, he went off that track and moved to the right himself. That's what screwed it all up, and I can't help but notice that it's those very same strategists who are launching all the Palin attacks. They don't want to admit that they cost the ticket the election; they have to get jobs screwing up other candidates now.

"On the other, she sure rallied the base for McCain"
#9 | Posted by LIVE_OR_DIE at 2008-11-12 02:15 PM | Reply

This is exactly correct, and it's exactly what she was brought in for."

What to rally the religious idiots and scare everyone else off?

"What to rally the religious idiots and scare everyone else off?"
#26 | Posted by furio at 2008-11-12 03:51 PM | Reply

Essentially, yes. There was no one McCain could have picked that would sway the solid Democrats; and he was the one that would draw the undecideds if he played it right. His thing was, there was no way he was the choice of the hard-core Republicans; but a gun-toting, bible-thumping, pro-life poster girl would have them flocking to the ticket. And they did.

I hope she enjoys her wardrobe. She paid dearly for it. herm

I thought she told Greta that she gave it all back.

"I thought she told Greta that she gave it all back."

Oh gosh, if Sarah said it, it must be the truth. She is a good christian pentacostal. All them's good people.

I don't know furry. I have never supported her. But I believe she said she gave it back. If she didn't them I'm sure that will get caught.

"But I believe she said she gave it back. If she didn't them I'm sure that will get caught."

of course she said she gave them back. that's the positive message she wants to get out. if this is not the case then she just says "oh those, simple mistake, forgot about them. why are you news people attacking me?"

"I can't wait till Palin runs in 2012. It is quite amusing how she gets under the libbies skin.
#23 | Posted by timbci at 2008-11-12 03:46 PM"

I think this (and similar) comment(s) miscontrue the attention Gov. Palin is receiving as attacks.

For myself, and many others, the reaction/feeling is more akin to watching a political version of Chevy Chase or Charlie Chaplin doing pratfalls.

Rather than being intimidated by Gov. Palin, it's seen as political slapstick that (for a time)provides comedic release. However, even that "shtick" loses its punch after awhile.

I can't wait till Palin runs in 2012. It is quite amusing how she gets under the libbies skin.

Us too! can you imagine a Palin/Obama debate? She'd be schooled by him so badly,she'd be calling for recess within 20 minutes.

What to rally the religious idiots and scare everyone else off?

#26 | Posted by furio

Are you playing dumb, or are you really this retarded?

Everyone knows that prior to this election, McCain wasn't THAT well liked by republicans, especially the Christian right. He was kind of the GOP Lieberman. He had a fairly solid pro-life record, but you'd have Dobson acting like he was some kind of champion of abortion. Don't forget the illegal immigration issue. (which he deserved to get hammered on)

Palin was there not only as part of a cynical ploy to get women voters on McCain's side in light of the democratic primary, but to rally the religious republican base, which prior to Palin hadn't really fallen behind him.

Everyone missed the boat on Caribou Barbie. Oh sure, Tina Fey and SNL made a killing but to me she was pure Peggy Bundy. Every time I see her, the theme song to 'Married with Children' plays in my mind. As far as McSame, he was Hank Hill's Dad personified. In case you're missing the point, the whole lot of them were little more than fodder for a weekly political cartoon. The scary part is stuff like that can occasionally back-fire on you and thank God it didn't...this time. Still, I can see enough material there for a weekly TV show that could run for years. The free material during the past three months or so could fill two or three seasons. And that, "My Friends" is what the Repukes have turned themselves into...a weekly sitcom with endless repetitive gag lines ala McSame/Palin.

How dare You!!!!!!!!!!! Peggy Bundy has Class and style.

"Are you playing dumb, or are you really this retarded?"

It's called being sarcastic fuckmeat.

thanks for the political summary of McCain we would have never figured it out without your brilliant analysis.

That's not a compliment it's more sarcasm fuckmeat.

No thanks needed, Furio.

I'm always happy to point out the obvious to the less astute.

"but to rally the religious republican base"

You'd think Repubs would do some real soul searching when the candidate chosen to please their base causes the majority of the country to recoil en masse. It can't possibly be that we don't want loons of this caliber running our country.

If Sarah goes again, I just wonder if she will carefully recite whatever the corporate PR guys program her to parrot, or if she will go off on her own with a litany of Pentecostal you-betchas. herm

Loons what are you talking about. America elected a loon

"America elected a loon"

Posted by timbci

Five times at least; Two Reagan, three Bush.

"America elected a loon"

But look on the bright side: He'll be out of office in 2 months 9 days 19 hours 29 minutes 23 seconds.

Once an egg is broken, can you break it further?

Can you imagine what the election woulda looked like with Romney? Guliani? Even Lieberman? THAT woulda been a blowout!

Is there ANYBODY McCain could've done better with, if everything else was the same?

Maybe Huckabee. He would have energized the far right of the G.O.P. like Palin did, but without scaring the shit out of moderates. Most voters could not see Palin as qualified for the presidency. They would not have had the same qualms about Huckabee.

I still think McCain should have begged Colin Powell to run with him early on. Remember, Powell
did not endorse Obama until he heard the tone of the campaign. Could have been much different with a McCain/Powell ticket. The best argument Mc had was that Obama was inexperienced. He gained traction with it until he picked Palin. He rendered his own argument moot with her selection.

Would another vp for McCain have done him in? Naa Mccain wasnt that bad of a candidate... He would have beaten obama I think, had it not been for Palin. I do have to say gratz, for not blaming palin, but really I think if he took Mitt Romney or Huckabee he would have done much better

John McCain is the reason John McCain lost. He ran a horrible campaign. No focus and refused to attack until it was too late. What a doofus! Palin helped John McCain. Her rallies were far larger than his and she energized the conservative base. Notice how Palin continues to be in the news while McCain has virtually disappeared. McCain should have never made it through the primaries.