Very interesting read. But I'm not sure I'd pick up particularly on this one aspect. ("What aspect, Charlie?")

The overall impression it gives of her is very damning. I was more stricken by her hiring of high-school cronies.

But what comes across most is her pettiness, spitefulness, and vindictiveness. And the secrecy. Very Cheney-esque.

I shudder...

Well this will piss off every librarian in the United States. Guaranteed. LOL

I have never seen such zealous champions for the First Amendment as America's librarians.

It certainly pisses me off - I'm almost a First Amendment absolutelist - and I sure as shit don't believe in any prior restraint, or any of this bullshit book censorship. Under any circumstances. -

This election is turning into something very peculiar.

There's no longer any serious doubt, among people paying attention, that Sarah Palin is unqualified to take over as President if needed. Even right-leaning pundits like David Frum and Ross Douthat are giving up on defending her.

There's no longer any serious doubt that McCain is running a campaign based on lies. McCain's own spokesman came very close to admitting it today, while flipping the media a bird and saying "whatcha gonna do about it?"

The only question that remains is whether any of this matters.

Biden has already recieved enough information on her to just destroy her in the debate. She is a far right neo-con who is as not qualified to be in the White House. Biden doesn't need to attack her but let her destroy herself by asking her the right questions during the debate. Her views opinions and demeaner will reveal just how scary she is...Independents and many pro-choice intelligent republicans will not be voting for this ticket. The breadth of her knowledge and personal experience base is of a gnat! McConJob is a liar and Palin is not qaulified! Both losers.

We are going to win in November and it will not be close.

Saturday Night Live on Palin

I would also suggest that you guys follow this thread to see the "Values" voters that support this lady. Scared the crap out of me.

http://www.governmentalityblog.com/my_weblog/2008/09/can-you-find-palin-values-and-racism-in-one-place-larisa-did.html

Wow. I just saw the ad on TV about her supporting the killing of wolves from planes here in Norther Virginia, devastating.

This article seemed significantly more hard hitting than other MSM coverage of Moosezilla to this point. Straightforward, factual, investigative, lacking the usual punch-pulling blather.

Factor in Sarah Meets Professor Charlie this week, and we're seeing a turning point in the election, an MSM shift toward ... actual journalism?

McCain McCain McCain

Economy Economy Economy

Iraq Iraq Iraq

There are many who think this charismatic Oilbama speaks the truth. They think he cares about the plight of the working class. In truth, whenever the co-opted Oilbama has an opportunity to make a real difference, he marches in stride with the Bush regime. Oilbama has repeatedly waffled on the Iraq war. He refuses to denounce torture policies. Oilbama voted against the Coburn Amendment, which would have provided funds for rebuilding in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. He supports a preemptive nuclear strike against Iran. He does not support universal healthcare.
Oilbama voted for the Bush Cheney Energy Bill that contained 6 Billion in givaways to Big Oil.
Although recognizing that Bush has broken U.S. law, the “Progressive” politician refused to cosponsor a resolution by Russ Feingold (D-Wisconsin) to censure the President. Obama even voted to confirm right-wing Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Oilbama campaigned for Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut (Bush’s closest Democratic ally). Oilbama is working hard, albeit quietly, to block the Progressive movement. If you haven’t guessed yet, Oilbama is a conservative wearing a liberal’s suit. On top of it all, this wolf in sheep’s clothing is a liar and a fraud—a political abomination conning America. Speaking at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, Oilbama brought forth a claim he would later use repeatedly to drum up public support. “My father… grew up herding goats, went to school in a tin-roof shack.” In fact, Obama’s sob story about being the son of a goat-herder is complete bullshit. In his 1995 autobiography Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, Oilbama writes that his grandfather, Hussein Onyango Obama, was a prominent and wealthy farmer who emigrated from Kenya.
Oilbama’s father was actually born into a privileged life, not one of “tin-shack” poverty. Baraka Obama was a well-rounded student with a scholarship at a college in Hawaii when his future-senator-son was born in 1961. The goat herder myth exposes Barack Obama as a charlatan trying to gain public empathy by portraying his family as poor. Don’t buy it, folks!
As a matter of fact, Obama’s lies are rampant. “My parents,” Obama said in his famous 2004 convention speech, “would give me an African name, Barack, or ‘blessed,’ believing that in a tolerant America, your name is no barrier to success.” As it turns out, both his father and grandfather were Muslims, and the name Barack has an Arabic origin. Ultimately, Barack Obama would join the Trinity United Church of Christ, leaving his family’s Muslim roots in the dust. So why did Oilbama lie about his name? Why is he covering up his family’s religious history? Why has he concealed the truth about his Muslim heritage as if it were some evil secret? Most importantly, what other issues has this deceiver been untruthful about?
You’d think Oilbama would be happy to stand up for his Muslim lineage. Apparently not, especially if it means losing the strong support the Senator has received from the Jewish community. Instead of being forthcoming about his roots, Oilbama continually lies through his teeth, all the while hoping that nobody will notice. Well, we noticed, and now it’s our duty to expose the sneaky bastard. By trying to be Mr. Liberal while appeasing the right-wing power elite, Obama has helped shore up the Unitary Presidency. This is not what the Democratic Party needs. By ignoring the will of the people, Oilbama plays lapdog to the Bush Administration. Oilbama's refusal to act on the behalf of America is unforgivable.
Oilbama = 4 more years of Bush.

mccain may hire people who agree with his political opinions, but he did promise to appoint democrats to his cabinet if elected. ah yes! joe liberman. yet another lie in order to get elected.

Hilter banned and burned books.

Musolini banned and burned books.

Pol Pot attempted to wipe the educated from his country.

Reagan defunded the teaching of social sciences in California and nationally.

Bush 43 inflicted the Orwellian 'No Child Left' on our nation.

Palin is Standard Operating Procedure for these bastards (and bastardettes).

Everybody here knows that being a 'book-banner' makes her a hero to the facist plutocrats infesting the Republican Party, correct?

Being a 'book-banner' is only an affront to the sane and the reasonable.

There are folk that want to replace the American goddess, Columbia, with Palin.

BTW the defenders of Palin have finally realized that the moniker "Ministry of Truth" has negative conotations and are calling themselves the 'Truth Squad' now.

Right wing Evangelical Christians WANT the government to ban books. This only makes Palin more of a hero in their eyes. Nothing Obama or the resposible media say can diminish her in their eyes. We have reached the dystopian future predicted in the last century. A huge segment of the population is blissfully ignorant--simply too stupid to vote responsibly. The media is owned by the corporations that devise the government's policies. It's a bit of a pickle.

Except Bess's book was never banned. It kept getting stolen off the shelf but was never banned.

I actually don't think this particular accusation stands out. Before she was mayor, I don't care if she asked the library to remove a book. That's something that an average citizen absolutely has a right to do. It's not censorship until it comes with some official weight.

Wasilla, Alaskas crystal meth capital?

Well that explains the clouded judgement of the voters in Wasilla.

The governor and her top officials sometimes use personal e-mail accounts for state business; dozens of e-mail messages obtained by The New York Times show that her staff members studied whether that could allow them to circumvent subpoenas seeking public records.

Rick Steiner, a University of Alaska professor, sought the e-mail messages of state scientists who had examined the effect of global warming on polar bears. (Ms. Palin said the scientists had found no ill effects, and she has sued the federal government to block the listing of the bears as endangered.) An administration official told Mr. Steiner that his request would cost $468,784 to process.

When Mr. Steiner finally obtained the e-mail messages — through a federal records request — he discovered that state scientists had in fact agreed that the bears were in danger, records show.

“Their secrecy is off the charts,” Mr. Steiner said.

Cheney with lipstick

It's official: Obama raised 66 M $ in August...

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/09/stephanopoulo-1.html

...with half million new donors included.

The Bloom coming off of Palin as Alaska Women Reject Palin Rally is HUGE!

http://mudflats.wordpress.com/2008/09/14/alaska-women-reject-palin-rally-is-huge/

Politicians who lie to the public are engaging in a Betrayal of the Public Trust and it should be deemed unethical and a part of the past as we move toward a more Holistic way of life here in America.

Great Film Exposing John McCain’s Lies — Pass it on!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH0xzsogzAk

Are we finally pulling back the Curtin on the Wizards?

Lastly, Ground Zero is a Symbol and a message of Republicans' failed policies and a gaping Wound, that after 7 years Ground Zero is still a hole, still zero -- that we were unable to lift ourselves out of the ashes and make ourselves whole again. You see, nothing from nothing leaves nothing and that is not Change we can believe in!

The McCain campaign has the Christian wingnuts, the racists, the stupid and the neocons. I question whether they have conservatives particularly since the Democrats are so eager to wrap themselves in conservatism. I mean when was the last time a corporation had anything to fear from a Democrat! And McCain doesn't even have all of the far right since a number of them are backing Paul and Barr.

We should all be grateful that McCain selected Sarah Palin because now it should become clear to everyone that 20-25% of the electorate (the Religious Right) believe that they should impose their beliefs on the other 75%.

The Religious Right are as sure as the Taleban that they are directed to impose their will on us because they talk to God, talk in tongues, and believe we may be in the End Times.

Do you want one of these crazies anywhere near the presidency of the United States? The cynical Maverick McCain has turned to them hoping his Hail Sarah pass will win the election. He has simultaneously thrown the rest of us under the bus.

If I were John McCain I'd hire a food taster; the base obviously prefers Sarah to John.

Awesome. The falsehoods and "fixed" facts are piling up like drifting snow. I would't trust Sarah to give me the correct time.

The next fifty or so days should be interesting.

Tag line for my posts (elsewhere) is:

"I'm John McCain, and I approve of this LIE."

I just don't get the MSM. After all of this, they bring Chuck Schumer on Meet the Press and spend 10 minutes asking him about polls. Huh? Is that what voters need to know? How about pointing out that the McCain Campaign is an orwellian lie: A group of lobbyists saying they're going to get rid of the lobbyists.

And then Rudi G. comes on there, gets confronted with McCain's statement that Palin's top national security credential is energy. So you can hear the follow-up, right? "You have said that we're facing down radial Islamic extremists. Even assuming that Sarah Palin knew more than anyone in the U.S. about energy, how does that prepair her to face down radical Islamic extremists?" But no. He asks whether Sarah Palin knows more about energy than MIT scientist. WTF?

It's all well and good for the Times to publish this, but on CNN, they've been running a "fact check" spot all weekend claiming that the book banning accusations have been "debunked".

They're already pre-seeding this debunking story with low information voters, so that by the time this new information filters its way more visibly to the voters at large, they'll already have heard about and formed an opinion about the validity of the story. This will make McCain's "OMG, teh media is sexist" claims hold that much more water.

I'm honestly not liking the way this election is beginning to shape up. Not one bit. Way too many supposedly impartial voices out there that are helping the Republicans pull another one over on us all.

Far out! Sarah Palin has had an effect on the base to the tune of 66 million. Glad to see I'm not the only one totally freaked out by this clueless Bush clone.

Hey, Dem BillC, how does it feel to ascribe to a political philosophy so odius that you need to sell your position by lying and pretending to be a member of the other side? I hope you're getting paid well for this...

You are right that the ideology of the far right in this country is indistinguishable from the classic definition of fascism. And that is exactly why there is a rise in the use of the word fascism by the right when talking about liberals. This is one of the classic strategies of Rove...if you're doing something, or are something, then accuse your opponent of it. That way they do two things:
1.Confuse people about the meaning of the word.
2.Get the media to report it as a "he said, she said" thing.
The media generally play along and just report that each side is "playing the Hitler card". It would just be biased to tell people what the term actually means and tell people which side actually resembles the term

A classic example of this is shown in this thread by Dem BillC in accusing the Democratic candidate as being sold out to the oil companies. I wonder which side has really sold out to the oil companies...the side wanting to put a windfall profits tax on them or the side chanting "Drill baby, drill!".

Even if you remove Palin from the equation there is still serious problems. She's just a water girl for the big team. She can try and rouse up support with her cheers and body movements but she could never put on the uniform and play for the big guys. So I'm sure that she even recognizes the token she is. She is there to carry a message only. The Republicans will shoulder her with all the emotional issues she can carry. The Republicans need someone who can deflect attention away from the real issues facing the country. If it isn't Palin it will be another political whore. The government is full of them.
Hoa binh

There's a beauty to the Republican strategy of the last few decades. It's completely seamless...

(1) Spend years creating the myth of the "liberal press".
(2) Build on the "liberal press" meme by talking about how the press is in Obama's "pocket".
(3) So anything the press says that disputes their version of the "facts" is just more evidence of the press's bias.

It's like the "Roach Motel" for conservative voters. Voters check in, but they don't check out!

That's what made Brian Rogers remarks so interesting to me (http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/216648.php). He's just so proud of their creation!

The idea that this moronic bitch could be the arbiter of first amendment interpretation ANYWHERE makes me fear that this country has gone fucking mad, allowing the fundamentally stupid to have any right to vote. How the fuck do we rectify this??

Bush and Nixon rolled into an attractive gun toting package. Brilliant marketing.

http://palincounter.blogspot.com/