During this weekend's blogfest I invoked the Richard Jewel rule. He was the security guard who became a suspect in the Atlanta Olympics bombing and was pilloried on the comedy shows as well as in the mainstream media. Of course later it turned out that what he said was true and he actually saved people's lives by notifying authorities that he had found a suspicious package. I didn't joke about him because I didn't know what to think.
Ditto for Patsey Ramsey. I did sell jokes about the Boulder police department - that's the component in the story you go after. This thing with Sarah Palin's daughter? I just imagined the world coming down on her and something bad happening. Who needs to be a part of that?
Since then I see the story has settled and Sarah is definitely in play, but I think the key is the hockey player. I mean of all the teenage boys who've tried to have sex and this guy lands in a presidential campaign? That's off the hook.
I'm mainly concerned that all these moves are going to give us a McCain victory, or at least put the Republicans close enough to steal it again. I've been keeping a mental list of people who have worried me lately: Scarlett Johansson, for her email-pals story about Barack, Jesse Jackson for his ball-ripping comment when Barack is already under great threat for his personal safety. Michael Moore for his ridiculous comments about Hurricane Gustaf proving that there is a God. These are all things that could let the Bush administration slink out with a replacement to cover their tracks.
This thing with Sarah Palin is a disaster because it's turned the campaign into something else. As one of McCain's spokesmen put it, "This campaign is not about the issues."

Let's not fall for it. My biggest question is how - after we were lectured to for years about timetables in Iraq - President Bush can do a 180? Either he doesn't believe it would harm our troops anymore, or he's willing to harm them in the interest of political expediency. Where's that discussion? All those years of cut and running timetables and we're now supposed to let President Bush change on that? And the loyal sheep just nod their heads, and baa out, "Timetables not bad. Timetables good." They don't even know how little intelligence their leaders give them credit for.

Putin says we were behind the Georgia attack for domestic campaign reasons. The Building 7 report finally came out and nobody has discussed it. They literally invented a new theory of building physics to try and make this work. Why wasn't that obvious load of BS not addressed by the MSM? Because Sarah Palin is sexy? We cling to the false security of ignorance at our own peril.

Lately, I see something even more ominous. It's like the American Public is so worn down by the spin machine that they don't even bother trying to think for themselves. Why waste the effort? You'll just be manipulated into what to think later so why not just wait for the assigned opinions to come down from the talking points machine? It saves time.

I was really disheartened by the Palin debate, especially the way the right wing trumpeted her qualifications so loyally when you KNOW many of them hadn't heard of her 48 hours before. Yet, they were right there jumping through the hoop for their corporate masters and now this election comes down to defending Sarah Palin. It's ridiculous. Last night Fred Thompson said she was able to field dress a moose. Maybe those skills will help in Washington, especially when she has to cut John McCain's meat up for him. There's your joke, Jack, but now my attendant has spotted me and it's back to blogger rehab.

At least it was a good joke - "heavy petting and heavy vetting" LOL!

Jack, I take back what I said about you being a crumudgeon. Anyone who can draw the kind of heat from the R's that you have recently, must be an enemy of my enemies.

I agree that "Sarah Palin showed extremely poor judgment flying from Dallas to Anchorage after her water broke. And the story of her pregnancy and delivery with Trig is hard to believe."

Bizarrely, she resonates with American voters. American politics and entertainment appear to be merging. If only law school and journalism classes were as easy and entertaining.

Thanks for keeping it real, Jack.

Dude, if you ever need a friendly ear, I'm there for you.

I totally understand about being shunned, scoffed-at, and ignored.

Palin looks and acts like a white trash version of Tina Fey. When I first learned she was the pick I was joyous.
(1) Transparent attempt to pander to the Hillary malcontents but they are smarter than that.
(2) Pissing off the creaky, right wing old guard who are none to happy with any woman on the ticket, much less Palin.
(3) Severely compromising the ability to play the "experience" card by bringing in a young, poorly qualified candidate who Biden will eat for lunch.

Since then the whole thing has taken so many crazy bounces I'm a little afraid of where the ball will come to rest. The American electorate is, collectively, an idiot. Idiots are easily misled and manipulated and base decisions on irrational factors. There are a host of legitimate serious questions about Palin's past. And it is crystal clear that having her one skin malignancy away from the oval office is a horrific proposition. My concern is how to pursue her problems while not turning her into an underdog victim and having her victimhood trump the 25 reasons why she should never be elected.

I'll give you this Jack: the RNC just played the worst rendition of America the Beautiful ever broadcast on National T.V.

That said, I think Palin's speech will resonate like a grand slam on the first pitch of the World Series.

And the hypothesized babygate will be a mere footnote to the McCain/Palin victory.

Vice presidential candidate? I thought she was McCain's granddaughter.

a grand slam on the first pitch of the World Series.

What are we to make of this sports-based oxymoron? Sarcasm? From MrT? I don't think so.

"That said, I think Palin's speech will resonate like a grand slam on the first pitch of the World Series."

I'm pretty sure there need to be runners on base in order to hit a grand slam.

My mistake: I'm not a huge baseball fan.

But she did hit it out of the ballpark.

I really enjoyed the Huckabee line: she got more votes running for Mayor of Wasilla than Joe Biden got running for President of the United States.

Palin's charisma: let me show it to you.

Never heard it called a charisma before ...