I hope you're a pessimist. Don't you think people are really, finally, tired of this crap?

The possiblity that this kind of ugly, small-minded incompetent nastiness will win another election boggles the mind.

Eight weeks?  How about 4 years if enough of the public is stupid enough to believe it.  And my fear is the public is stupid enough to believe it.  I hope I am wrongwrongwrong.  It proves what I've been saying for months now, negative campaigning works and wins elections.  If McLiar is as negative as I expect him to be, Obama's campaign better be more nasty and negative. And go after the personal stuff too; McLiar's campaign did it so game on.

Did anyone actually doubt that it would get ugly? ANYONE? These folks have fed the country a steady diet of guns, god and gays for 25 years. Backlash politics for 25 years. Free markets for 25 years. They couldn't let it go if their lives depended on it. And we have all bought it in some way shape or form. So of course it will work unless we all finally give heed to the things that really has produced the Obama candidacy...the sinking feeling most of us have that something is wrong with the world and that maybe all the silly republican bromides we have absorbed for 25 years aren't true.

Honestly, did you think Republicans would run, could run, any other sort of campaign, now or any other times?  Do you think that when Hillary was talking about being able to take on the Republicans, she meant taking on the Vienna Boys' Choir?  

Bush and Cheney have been raping the US Constitution for the past eight years - why would they stop now?  If they could get away with it, the Republicans would be burning crosses in the streets of Minneapolis and not so much as bat an eyelash.

Sinking feeling is right - and it will be ugly.  I have no doubt in my mind Obama and his campaign will rise to the challenge.  The campaign will be about issues; it will be about McCain's judgement; and now that they have opened the door, it will be about his age and mental capacity.  Her?  She should be ignored throughout the campaign.

This was a nasty, condescending, character assassinating, convention, including Palin's speech. Of course, this was to be expected. Meanwhile, last week, every Democrat got up and babbled on about how they're all such great friends of John McCain the war hero. And for goodness sake, will someone please tell Democrats that character assassinations work! This was upsetting, for all the reasons Frank Foer has just suggested.

I found her insufferably smug, and her demeanour reminded me of no one so much as W at his swaggering worst.  McCain, who once detested W., has now chosen a feminine version of him as his running mate.  I suggest that, rather than concede to the Republicans and fight another kulturkampf, Democrats just tie Ms. Palin to W. just like they're doing with McCain.

The encouraging thing was that Gov. Palin didn't really say ANYTHING about the economic hurt that the middle class is feeling, outside of one reference that involved taxes.

I guess that isn't really that surprising, because they have no policy legs to stand on.  But a "feel your pain" moment would have been much more effective than talking (with little obvious knowledge) about rogue states and loose nukes.  

Somewhere a news room should be writing the headline "hockey mom to hatchet mom." She does though so look like Dana Carvey's church lady the way she scrunched up her face when she went in for the attack. I feel like though she does lie quite a bit. You'd think one couldn't sustain it, but we'll see. I noticed no bridge to nowhere claims though. We'll see if the press give her a pass on that initial whopper at the announcement. In many ways, I think Democrats and Republicans knew should we be fine at this. I'd be interested to see her first meeting with a backboned press. Do you think it might happen?

Disrespectful? Really? This from the editor who described Hillary as a "thief" for running a "kamikazee" campaign in the primaries? You really do need to get a look at yourself.

Hang on to  that sinking feeling Franklin.  To paraphrase the great Democratic president president Ms. Palin cited, they're going to give the other party hell and make them like it. All that was missing was a direct reference to an incumbent do-nothing congress.

Great post. Palin gave a great, rousing, right-wing speech, positing that conservatives are both victims of a precious elite class and champions of rock-ribbed Americans not unfortunate enough to live in depraved metropolises like NY, LA, and Chicago. It was bitter and brutal. Her line about hockey moms and pitbulls was great and will be repeated.

Everyone knows that this stuff can work. Obama and Biden have to peel back the b.s. rhetoric and point out that there is no policy profile behind it to win over a majority of Americans.  If the primary policy at their disposal is summed up by the chant "drill, baby, drill!", then the Republicans have problems.

Also, McCain finishes this convention and there is no way he can give a speech as good as Palin's. So we shall see how long the fervor lasts. But I have to say that Palin impressed tonight.

McCain will win. He knows what fighting dirty is. Obama was dirty enough with Hillary, but Hillary's an angel compared with the major league bastards like Sarah Palin. Good luck with that!

"All that was missing was a direct reference to an incumbent do-nothing congress."

it was there:  "a do nothing Seante," said the lady.

Told you, the dumbos should have nominated Hillary. Too late now!

"Also, McCain finishes this convention and there is no way he can give a speech as good as Palin's. So we shall see how long the fervor lasts. But I have to say that Palin impressed tonight. "

propjoe,

wait and see joe, wait and see.

Palin gave an effective speech, which was to be expected since she is a former newscaster.  Timothy Noah perfectly forecast the "a star is born" reaction from the pundits in Slate.

www.slate.com/.../2199322

The Obama campaign had the right response to Palin from the start: Don't disrespect her.  Paint her as a right-wing extremist (which happens to be the case).

Show as many pictures as possible of her snarling-upper-lip-and-wrinkled-nose expression.  Embrace her nickname "Sarah Baracuda".  Most of all, constantly remind the public that she doesn't believe global warming is man made, doesn't believe in sex education, tried to ban books from the public library, has ties to a party that wanted Alaska to secede from the US, etc.

Let the media run story on her familial chaos.  

"Also, McCain finishes this convention and there is no way he can give a speech as good as Palin's. So we shall see how long the fervor lasts. But I have to say that Palin impressed tonight. "

propjoe,

 wait and prick up your ears, joe, wait and see; you ain’t seen nothing, yet.

"Also, McCain finishes this convention and there is no way he can give a speech as good as Palin's. So we shall see how long the fervor lasts. But I have to say that Palin impressed tonight. "

propjoe,

 wait and prick up your ears, joe, wait and see; you ain’t seen nothing, yet.

I don't think we have anything to worry about. Folks who would respond to that speech are already against Obama. Because Giuliani went on too long, we missed the introductory video. We learned little about her besides her ability to read off a teleprompter. One of the things we already knew about her was that she has newscasting experience.

Last night Lieberman appealed to Democrats and Independents, talking about putting Country First. Well, after tonight's hardline positions, it's going to be harder for them to go after those voters. The tone of the attacks went beyond attacking Obama tonight and moved into purely GOP vs Democrat stuff that people are tired of.

The poll numbers are clear.  If history is a guide, Obama would lose this race by a wide margin - even if there's not a Bradley effect. (And there will be, five points, write it down).  Carter needed a 33 point lead to beat Ford by 2.5 points.  Dukakis couldn't pull it off with an 18 point lead over the summer.  Clinton had Ross Perot pulling nearly 20 points and 10 points in 1992 and 1996 to allow him to win, and there's nothing comparable to that this time around.

My dad is a blue collar Michigan independent.  He liked Hillary and Edwards.  When Obama won, I asked him what he thought.  He said "I have no choice.  I have to vote for McCain."  He didn't want to vote for McCain because he viewed it as a third Bush term.  After Palin was picked, I called him and asked his thoughts.  He said he loves her and she's the best pick for veep in 25 years.  (Not sure who he was referring to by that.)  I can only imagine how much he loves her after this speech.

I hope the pundits step up to deflate this bloated elephant for the next sixty days.

jackson, you appear to be pointing and clicking the submit button repeatedly.

jackson, you appear to be pointing and clicking the submit button repeatedly.

jackson, you appear to be pointing and clicking the submit button repeatedly

and we ain't seen nothing yet.

Democrats respectfully discussed McCain's shoes and houses

Once again media and bloggers like to think that they have their finger on the pulse of America and time again they are proven wrong.

Sarah Palin speech was Terrible her delivery sucked yes she will energize her base because of her values and what she wants to do. But thats just her base. The woman is FRIGHTENING to indepdents and people who can think she is a RIGHT WING CORRUPT Anti Abortion Anti Birth control FREAK. Pat Buchanan  loves her that should be your first clue right there. She has NO FOREIGN policy experience. Obama was on the Senate foreign relations committee, Obama as been tested as far as Foreingn policy in the debates he travelled overseas spoke with with world leaders impressed many of them. With his command of the issues. Did an interview with a Jewish newspaper that earlier did interviews with McCain and Bush and during the McCain Bush interviews they had people there coaching them telling them what to say. Barack Obama answered complex middle east questions without being coaxed by anyone or told what to say. He spoke it came from his mouth. I know many buy into the republican myth that he has no foreign policy expiernece but keep believing that. But thats not going to sell because the American people was there 19 months with Obama. He was vetted for 19 months.  

Carol

"They will respond to the Democrats' economic populism with cultural populism"

Funny how foreign policy seems to be an afterthought for both parties. Obama doesn't want to talk about Iraq, because we're winning and it's almost over, and McCain-Palin doesn't want to talk much about Iraq, because due to Bush's incompetence we nearly lost it, and have squandered many billions and thousands of lives that could have been saved had we prepared properly for the postwar.

So now each side will try to out-populist the other. A slight problem: while we were sleeping, Putin his endgame for Ukraine. Looks like the goal is to split the pseudo-reformer Tymoshenko off from Yushchenko and gather support for impeachment of the latter. In other words, stage what Yushchenko appropriately deemed today a Kremlin-inspired coup d'etat. Again, this is yet another act of aggression by what is now not just a criminalized but an outright fascist regime bent on making its European neighbors into corrupt, autocratic satellites of the Kremlin.

Does either party have an intelligent strategy for handling Putin and bucking up Germany and France?

Before most of the gains of 1989 are lost?

"This election is not about issues. This election is about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates."

-- McCain campaign manager Rick Davis

American presidential races are really sad affairs. And it is the fault of both parties.

yukon -may I ask where in MI your dad lives? Sterling Heights or another Macomb County 'burb? What's your take on this Greenberg-Carville study of the blue collar Macomb County Reagan Dems?

Read the first .pdf here, listed before the exec summary.

www.greenbergresearch.com/index.php

Excerpt: "...race, while not unimportant, is not definitive for these voters. Their hesitation is based * * * primarily * * *  on two other issues.

"First, Obama has yet to connect with these voters’ anger at the elites of business and politics who have sold out the American worker and middle class. His inability so far to convince these voters that he shares their passion is leaving votes on the table.

"Second, the Reagan Democrats and Democratic defectors of Macomb harbor doubts about Obama’s  * * * national security credentials * * * ; many refusing to dismiss their worst fears - that he does not love America or even might harbor a secret agenda. ..."

thanks in advance,

T

The Plank Disrespectful, Angry, and Effective , by Franklin Foer Why So Down on the Community? , by Sacha

Eos, will you please out yourself.  We've got it narrowed down to two.  Are you Sean WIlentz, or Sidney Blumenthal?

Yes, Obama talks about "one America".  But, in many ways he represents an alien, cosmopolitan, post-modern, cynical America.

A lot of people like Sarah's America better.

lsernoff writes, "...they're going to give the other party hell and make them like it. All that was missing was a direct reference to an incumbent do-nothing congress."

Not true, Isernoff.  She referred to Harry Reid leading a do-nothing Congress.

Sarah Palin’s speech was a home run.  It wouldn’t surprise me if some day she becomes president.  The Democrats are terrified to be exposed for that they are, weak and vacillating in foreign policy and advocates of socialist policies at home that are utterly alien to everything that has made this country great.  So of course they smear her and lie about her.  How could such common white trash presume to run for vice-president?  That this essentially the Democratic line.  My guess is that that line will backfire.

But the Democrats promise a free lunch, and there are many people who don't understand that there ain't no such thing.

This election is a test of the moral character of the American people. In domestic affairs they need to decide whether they are free citizens or welfare clients.   In foreign affairs they need to decide whether our free way of life is better than Islamofascism, and whether it is worth fighting for.

The Republicans believe that western civilization is worth defending.  The Democrats aren’t sure.   The Republicans believe that the US, for all is faults, is the last best hope of mankind.  The Democrats believe that our leftist critics abroad are our moral superiors. The Republicans believe that Israel, a proud free democracy in a sea of tyranny and stupidity, deserves our love and support.  The Democrats pay lip service to the support of Israel but the anti-Israel left wing of the Democratic Part is increasingly influential.  That is why I have changed registration after over 40 years as a Democrat and become a proud Republican.

I'll be curious to see the breakdown by gender this morning on what people think of her.

The women I know across the political spectrum loathe her. Admittedly, I don't know many far right people, but I have close family that counts and even my right wing Texas evangelical Aunt Linda thinks she's a total creep. I'm going to call her today and see what she thought.  She's already voting for McCain, but I'll be curious if the speech changed her mind on Palin personally.  

From the liberal to the wacko, the loathing revolves her ghoulish behavior with her family, rather than her jack-booted ignoramous views, her compulsive lying about record of bullying and corruption.  

I wouldn't dream of watching this of horror show, so I won't comment any more, but it looks like it did what it was supposed to do - stoke division, ignorance and hate while parading around a disabled three month old that should have been in bed. Standard disgusting far right values.  The clip I did watch she looked like Mrs Hitler Prom Queen.  I can't wait for the drag queen shows to get awhole of her, she IS a drag queen.

Wnadreycyer1:

You're foaming at the mouth again. Be careful that the spittle doesn't short out your keyboard.

Ah, another morning, another bedwetting at TNR. Foer, maybe you can give Crowley a run for his money. A convention that never mentions the economy and runs against the Republican Party isn't going to work. These are not serious people with serious ideas. The tired Republcian playbook is played spent and Obama will cruise to victory, the Dems will pick up seats in the House and Senate and the Republicans will have to reconfigure their party to resell themselves to the American public. Quit freaking out. Just look at the comments from the righties above. They're still talking about socialism - these are not serious people.

Yep - expect more toady man, she is loathed, I assure you.  She wants trench warfare?  No problem.  She's so awful its easy.  

"Obama doesn't want to talk about Iraq, because we're winning and it's almost over"

I love it. Just like a Jerry Bruckheimer movie, everything will end with a happy ending and the history of Iraq will stop with The Surge. Problem being that the final disposition of Iraq has not been decided. And it could never be decided by American power. What you're witnessing is a temporary lull before the empowered Iraqi government decides to settle the power sharing agreements with the Sunni and Kurds once and for all. They'll ask us to leave first. Then we will see what "winning" looks like. I suspect it will look like an illiberal democracy that doesn't respect the rights of minorities, concerns itself primarily with the dispensing spoils, uses violence to maintain power and aligns itself closely with Iran. That's your victory.

McCain and Obama are speaking together at Columbia University soon, on the importance of public service.  

After last night's performance, perhaps McCain can take questions on how he squares this commitment with his attacks on highly professional, highly underpaid people doing just that.  It's almost better if he *doesn't* take questions, it will underscore his cowardice to intellectually defend his candidate and views once again.  We're not Larry King.

I wonder how the community organizers and like minded people who keep this country going (with New York feeding more tax dollars per capita than any other state - to parasites like Alaska) feel about this latest hypocrisy, hate mongering and provocation.  I wonder if the press will do its job.

I know the Columbia community is on fire, but we belly of the beast types would be, wouldn't we.  Come on up McCain, can't wait.

mpatrick - you're right of course.  Crowly and I need to be stopped.  Crowly?  Let's think about bunnies and unicorns for a few hours?  

Geez, tep, you just noticed that foreign policy and your various other policy concerns,are not the drivers of US presidential elections?  I've been trying to tell you that for months.

Whoever said "game on" up there was spot on.  When the Republicans get going with their typical nasty campaign of juvenile lies and smears, Obama had better bring it (through surrogates of course)  If he does, he will crush McCain, and I mean crush, as there is nothing else to prop McCain up.  If Obama sticks to the high road, he might lose or win in in a squeaker given all the liabilities of the Repugs.

FRAME MCCAIN NOW!   A doddering old man, a completely unprincipled flip-flopper, an irresponsible, intemperate hip-shooter, completely out of touch with the lives of ordinary Americans, and just more, more, more Bush.

To frame him is to destroy him.  Let's go get 'em.

And I know about Eos, but I can't help it - you're growing on me Eos. You're like the nerdy narc at the party, I like to blow pot smoke in your face.

OK. Palin has had her moment in the sun. But she's just a blip on the radar. Time to send her back to the "Bush leagues" where she belongs and focus on the utter emptiness of McCain. It's about McCain, McCain, McCain.

Disrespectful?  Seriously?  After a widespread liberal blog fest that accused her of taking credit for being the mother of a Down's Syndrome child that was not her own?

I thought Palin did well last night - I didn't realize how well until I came here and read the hysterical overreaction of the vast left-wing liberal conspiracy.

It's a good time to sell oil futures and start buying McCain futures.

Wandreycer,

My above comments were directed at Franklin Foer and Michael Crowley, not you, unless you're Crowley's socket puppet. If you remember, Crowley has thrown dirt on Obama's career at least five times: Reverend Wright - over. Gutter balls - over. Gods and Guns - over. He has been wrong each time - that's why I call him the resident bedwetter.

Every election the writers for this magazine and the posters on the blog go into an unmitigated meltdown. Every misstep, every blip in the polling, everything is cause for hysteria. Fundamentals be damned, it's a full freak out mode whenever there's a bad news cycle or inartful statement. Similarly, you count on the righties to gloat at every opportunity - buffaloboy for instance - whenever anything something goes their way. It's pure fantasy. The American public has seen this playbook before. It's not going to work.

Picking Palin in proof enough that McCain knows the fundamentals are breaking in Obama's favor. Teams playing ahead don't throw hail marys.

What is especially telling is that the media and the Democrats are using the same "she's trailer trash" tactics against Mrs. Palin that they used against Clinton's sexual harassment victims.

And the Democrats (plus so many posters here) have the nerve to decry the Republicans' alleged chronic use of dirty tricks.

Bulbman1066, excellent post.  You have succintcly laid out the deserved indictment against the modern Democratic Party.

You didn't leave it.  It left you.

Wandrey, what nerve of yours has been hit?  I've never seen you write in this tone of over the top contempt.

And refusing to even watch her speech?  Surprisingly close-minded of you.

I watched every major speech of the Democratic convention.  How can you know what you concur with or oppose if you put your hands over your ears?

mpatrickhendri writes, "...They're still talking about socialism - these are not serious people."

What, because you've swallowed socialist ideas and principles others should acquiesce as well?

I think that Rudy was even more effective than Palin. I particularly liked his reference to 132 "present" votes and his accurate statement that an executive has to be more than present. I also enjoyed Rudy calling him on his "undivided Jerusalem" hypocricy. The attacks last night were not pretty but they were fair.

Channy - lame response to patrickhenri, you're living in the past with the rest of them, nothing concrete to say about issues in the least.  McCain's campaign said openly the other day that this campaign is not about issues, you're in good company.

You are right, I am filled with contempt.  Not proud of that, but I'm not cowed either.  This is hand to hand combat for the soul of this nation.  Either we solidify our slide into a religio-idiotic republic straight out of Orwell meets Iran, with mullhas in dresses here, or we will not.  For now.

Why watch?  And add to my contempt? I knew exactly what was going to happen - McCain has one shot and that's to ignite the culture wars - toxic, dishonest, hateful, irrelevant garbage used to divide people to gain power.  

I have no need to watch another display of this dynamic, I've been watching it foul our culture for years now, since Fallwell and the boys made their debut, and it only gets worse.  Its shameful stuff, beneath my eyeball juice.  

No abortion even in cases of rape and incest alone is a ghoulish, mono-maniacal mindset, let aone the rest of this person's gruesome resume.  Thanks but no thanks.  I would have rather eaten glass.

The addicts that are the Republican Party have now gone to the last ace in the hole they have....the victim card.  They are victims of the media, victims of the lib-ruls, victims of a society that is changing demographically, victims of foreigners, victims of feminism, victims of envronmentalists, victims of secular humanists, victims of progressives, you name it.

In true addict fashion, they take NO responsibiility for the results (read: record) of their 12 straight years in total control of our country (1994-2006), but put all the "blame" for their failure on the aforementioned group of abusers.  

What's so unbeleivably pathetic and depressing about all this is it may well work.  Unfortunately, many low-information, working class voters do identify with this biography and fall for the ruse.  It's identity politics at it's worst.

I need a stiff drink!

worry not all of you south of the 48th, sarah palin self evidently self destructed last night politically. as noted last night by keith olbermann, "she just lost the community organizer vote."

Yes, the problem is that, as ChanRobt said above, Obama's speech on "one America" was cruched yesterday by a clear division of "Sarah's America" vs. "Obama's America". A master play that turns Obama's "one America" into something as phoney and unsubstantive as it always was....

Too bad that, as Icasrur said, Democrats forgot that Republicans wouldn't use any other sort of campaign (and why should they, considering that this sort has been so effective?).

So Democrats find themselves stuck with unsubstantive personality, found by those it should conquer as "cosmopolitan", "postmodern" and not really "American"... against the rallying "all American girl"...  Sarah, the all American girl, the small town mother, the war mother, the PTA leader, the personally commited champion of children with special needs... Against the Law School boy that likes to say that "they're not ready for gay marriage" (as he, the idealist, though pragmatic, is...). It's the "woman of the people" vs. the man for which the "people is not ready"...

By the way, if someone was going to run on a "one America" speech, you should at least have checked what exactly that "one America" substantively meant, if it ever meant something (instead of shamelessly being for Obama as everyone making "more than 100 000" was at the moment...). Or did you think that by proclaiming "one America" without proclaiming a substantive value or agenda that actually mobilized everyone, that "one America" would emerge out of itself and by itself?

Well, as Jackson said. It's too late now.

and let me repeat what i said here before, loss of community organizers to the contrary notwithstanding:

...From what I gather these are some of the arguable political case for Palin:

1. she generally jacks up McCain’s candidacy;

2. she jacks up McCain’s image as a maverick;

3. she jacks up his image as rootin' tootin' reformer;

4. she jacks up his appeal to independents, suburban and working class white women and men too;

5. her having her last baby is a terrible *political* contrast with Obama being painted as a guy who voted against Illinois legislation recognizing babies born of botched abortions as persons;

6. she jacks up McCain’s appeal as a doer;

7. she makes Biden and Obama look like more typical inside liberals who love to talk rather than do—Obama as Hamlet; Biden as Polonious—straight talk versus nuance and run of the mouth foolishness parading as wisdom;

8. she jacks up the knock on Obama as a triangulating politico, who said “present” in Illinois  more often than a year of a class of kids having their attendance taken;

9. she makes McCain look bold and imaginative;

10. she steps on Obama’s bounce;

11. she energizes McCain and his base—he needs them for his ground game;

12. she cuts into Obama’s appeal as the first black president;

13.  she and her family are attractive and admirable and will be very appealing to similarly situated Americans and others;

14. she revs up conservative inclined youth;

15. She highlights and disproves “bitter clinging”;

16. she cuts into the Bush McCain connection;

17. her roll out showed her to be utterly self possessed and confident and she was electrifying—in her won way—when she spoke, especially about shattering ceilings and so forth;

18. She bucked pwer in Alaska by not not voting and instead  saying “present”;

19.  she’ll cause the democrats and their commentariat –see for instance  Maureen Dowd on her—to trip over their own smugness and elitism;

20. she’s tough, smart and accomplished relatively speaking;

21. she may prove the exemplification for many who perceive themselves dissed for being  conservative or Christian or traditional;

22. she exacerbates any lingering consequences for not choosing Hillary for veep;

23. she is an antidote to Michelle Obama that Cindy McCain can not be.

And other such things.

Time will tell.

As for the cynicism and political bad faith of the pick I’d quote Posner on Machiavelli: “People… have difficulty grasping the distinctive and essential components of political morality, comprising the qualities necessary in a statesman or other leader. Those qualities are strategic and interpersonal (manipulative, coercive, psychological) in character. They are quintessentially social. They constitute the morality, misunderstood as cynicism, expounded by Machiavelli, the morality that Weber contrasted with an ‘ethic of ultimate ends’, his term for the uncompromising absolutist ethics that one finds, for example, on the Sermon on the Mount. The ethics of political responsibility implies a willingness to compromise, to dirty one’s hands, to flatter and lie, to make package deals, to forgo the prideful self satisfaction that comes from self-conscious purity and devotion to principle. It requires a sense of reality, of proportion, rather than self-righteousness or academic smarts. The politician must have an ‘ability to let realities work upon him with inner consciousness and calmness.’”

For myself I wouldn't vote for or against Mccain because of her....

Geez I should go into the oracle business, the way things are looking right now.

basman,

The only thing your post proves is that she's a typical Republican. Unfortunately for you, that brand is in the shitter. McCain is going to be obliterated in general, I'm guessing by 4 points. His gimmick will return to Alaska and be relegated to VHI's "The 2000s" and bar trivia.

The times have changed. The demographics have changed. The Dems control the House and Senate, the Dems have taken the popular vote in 3 out of 4 presidential elections (one you won by the butterfly ballot, the other by terror alerts and scare tactics) and this election will comfortably go to Obama.

The Republicans are finished in their current configuration. America has changed. You represent about 30 percent of the electorate. Your time has passed and you don't even know it.

Is it too late to put our ticket right? Let Obamalin debate Palinama, and have Biden debate McCain.

Obamalin can run against Palinama for POTUS in 2012 or 2016.

"Thanks but no thanks.  I would have rather eaten glass."

Wow.  You're *very* lucky they didn't ask you, then.  Glass is nasty stuff.

Bulbman, leave Israel out of this debate. Your assessment that Republicans are somehow better than Democrats at supporting Israel is a lie. The current fucking Republican president put Condoleezza Rice im charge as a secretary of state. Condoleezza is certainly not pro-Israel in her policies and has been praising Iran more than once. This is not the first Republican secretary of state that is hostile to Israel. That crook called James Baker was a Republican secretary of state and was hostile to Israel. Then he got busy with doing what Republicans do best - stealing.

So keep your lies for yourself and leave Israel out of it.

luispc, your One America critique was a superb post.  I'm saving it.

Sarah Palin, like it or not, gave a cinematic performance last night.  A Reese Witherspoon brunette.  Mrs. Palin going to Washington to take on corruption-- just like Jimmy Stewart, but with great legs.

Obama's international celebrity is now being faced by an All American celebrity.  Not to mention, a genuine American war hero.

I know it's galling, but sometimes Americans prefer unambiguous Americans in their White House.

One Worlders may have to wait another 8 years.

mpatrickhendri : you misread me. I am not a notional republican--I'm Canadian--but an interested observer of your politics who thinks I have a stake in what happens in your country politically. My comments were observational and not judgmental in any way.

Where I am at beyond observation is that I am a third way type liberal. I liked viscerally and intellectually Hillary, like intellectually Obama but don't like him chemically, don't like Biden much at all, enormously like John McCain though not so much intellectually, think Sarah Palin has anachronistic policies, but find myself utterly moved by her story, her family, her living her values, the absurd elitist pounding she has taken by shits like Maureen Dowd and Andrew Sullivan, and by her great speech last night in which she put the creeps in their places and was an exercise in brilliant political theatre.

I ilke people who speak the same way about other people in Scranton and in San Francisco.

Your election has my head and my heat pitted against each other: my head says Obama; my heart says McCain; and right now I'm pulling the notional lever or puncturing the notional chad with my heart.

Not really much of an analysis, but what can I tell you? No profundity here!

What is an "unambigous American"? As opposed to what? Half an American? A Euroesque panty waste? Give me a break. That's the clearest sign yet that the current Republican Party is totally out of step with reality. The country has changed. Catch up or be relegated to minority status for a decade. Come to think of it, don't catch up.

Thanks Chan.

But make no mistake. I made that critique with a broken heart. If I were an American I would definitively vote Democrat. Obama may not be FROM the people (and believe me, I dislike the character and type deeply). But I'm sure he is much more FOR the people than Palin (as cinematic as she is) and her pals.

Chan, you and I have interacted very little on these boards. I find you a plain spoken, cogent and incisive poster.

Thanks, basman.  And you really covered the bases on what Palin seems to be bringing to the Party.