http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald....html?id=860fbf57-4af4-4667-9586-74ccfbd82d81 Rod Love, Calgary Herald Published: Sunday, September 14, 2008 Mark Milke's recent attempt to defend the choice of Sarah Palin as John McCain's vice-president came straight out of the Republican Talking Points memo, which is why it made so little sense. Trying to frame this debate as another battle in the ongoing culture wars south of the border is a pathetic attempt at distraction. The criticism of Palin's selection has nothing to do with the gang-up of an "old girl's club," or the radical left. It has to do with a joke McCain told time and time again over the past 18 months on the campaign trail. He often said that the job of vice-president is to "break tie votes in the Senate and to inquire daily as to the health of the president." That line always got a good laugh. Nobody's laughing now. For purely wedge-driven political calculations, the most inexperienced vice-presidential nominee in history was selected to be next in line to the oldest man ever elected to the presidency, should McCain win. It is in no way morbid to assume that a 72-year-old multiple cancer survivor in the toughest most demanding job in the world will not be a hale and hearty 76 when his re-election rolls around. The person he has chosen to step in should he falter was, two years ago, the mayor of a town of 6,000 that is actually a suburb of Anchorage, Alaska. When Republicans say with a straight face that she has the experience to be vice-president, they are referring to her brief stint as governor of Alaska, population 670,000; roughly the same as Hamilton, Ont. But she's ready to take over the global superpower of 320 million souls. On Day One. Really. Her year-and-change as the governor of this small state has been accomplishment-free on any major public policy agenda, save for a deal to build a natural gas pipeline that may be years off. Yet, they cite this as the "executive" experience so necessary in a candidate. The fact that the guy at the top of the ticket has never had ANY executive experience is mere quibbling. So, Milke and his Republican soulmates scatter the red herrings around like so much confetti. People are attacking her because she is a woman, because she is a conservative, because she is a working mother, because she is a social conservative, because she said the war in Iraq was "a task, given by God" because she is an evangelical, and on and on. Wrong on all counts. The defenders of Palin know that these cultural and political diversionary tactics are necessary distractions to keep American voters from focusing on the one question they fear most: if God forbid McCain was elected, but could not serve out his term for whatever reason, are they willing to gamble on President Sarah Palin from Wasilla, Alaska? I don't know about you, but in a showdown between Prime Minister Putin and President Palin, I'm thinking the Russians might be a little more up to speed on the way the world works. And oh yeah, I forget: it's the media's fault. The Republicans spring a complete unknown person onto the world stage, and when news organizations from across the continent scramble to find out more about her in order that they might better inform their listeners, viewers, website visitors and readers, they attack the media in order to better fire up the base. Milke's complaint about the "all too common bias in newsrooms across the country" I assume would exempt Fox News, the Wall Street Journal and right-wing talk radio, whose bias on the right is more comedy than comment. In her first 10 days as the nominee for vice-president of the United States, she was not allowed to field a single unscripted question. So unready for the job is she that she is being shielded from the media lest they ask questions that would expose her for what she is: unfit for office. Let us tell the truth. John McCain was a weak candidate, running a poor campaign, unloved by the core of the Republican party and needing something to energize conservatives. His "Hail Mary" -- as it was rightly described by most commentators -- was the answer, and in doing so he potentially puts the nation in peril. This has nothing to do with an "old girls' club," much as Milke flails away trying to change the subject. It has to do with actuarial tables. Rod Love is a Calgary political consultant and the chief of staff for former Alberta premier Ralph Klein.
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lhuoERT3tbA&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lhuoERT3tbA&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hGtQYDFvFuzQ-OkSxVd2yYvCjfwwD9343JVG0 TORONTO (AP) â Matt Damon says the selection of Sarah Palin as the Republican nominee for vice president could end up "like a really bad Disney movie" if John McCain wins the November presidential election. "You do the actuary tables, there's a one out of three chance, if not more, that McCain doesn't survive his first term, and it'll be President Palin," said Damon, who was in town to promote ONEXONE, a Canadian children's charity expanding to the U.S., during the Toronto Film Festival. "It's like a really bad Disney movie, "The Hockey Mom.' Oh, I'm just a hockey mom from Alaska, and she's president," said Damon. "She's facing down Vladimir Putin and using the folksy stuff she learned at the hockey rink. It's absurd." Damon said the public needs to know more about such things as her views on creationism and censorship. Maria Comella, a spokeswoman for Palin, called the comments "name-calling." "It's not surprising that the Barack Obama and his celebrity supporters continue to tear down Governor Palin with little more than blatant name-calling," she said. "It's clear they're threatened by a candidate who actually has a record of achieving reform and change, while Barack Obama just talks about it." Damon is currently appearing in a TV ad titled "Voices," by the bipartisan, anti-poverty group ONE and its Vote '08 project. The voices of others are superimposed as the actor speaks, including Cindy McCain, wife of Republican nominee John McCain; and Michelle Obama, wife of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. "In this election year, please join the millions of Americans from every party â Democrat, Republican and Independent, who are working together," goes the ad. "We welcome your voice."
Palin is inexperienced. Then again, so is Obama. In any case, experience is unnecessary. Pitt the Younger became British Prime Minister at age 24, during a time of foreign wars and financial crises, and did a reasonable job. Alexander the Great was ruling the world in his 20s - anyone care to dispute his generalship? Experience is not the issue so much as talent, ability, and sound judgement. On those counts Palin is a bit of an unknown quantity, then again so is pretty much any candidate. She seems to be a bit lightweight, but she is a VP-elect, not a presidential candidate. Joe Biden is not exactly a political giant either, plus he's an old, hack establishment candidate. If McCain wins then dies, the maximum Palin can rule for is 4 years before facing re-election. If the country can survive 8 years of GWB's blundering, I doubt Palin is going to start WWIII or bankrupt the country overnight in half that time. N.B. Matt Damon's comments are blatant sexism. If being a politician doesn't make you fit for office of President, then surely being an actor doesn't give you any grounds to criticize a politician's competence or ability to do a political job. How would he know? Someone should send him round to Margaret Thatcher's house so he can get a good handbag-whipping and see what a woman leader is capable of.
Matt Damon is a celebutard... besides this election thingy is getting old. The politics and religion section is plastered by cut and paste artists from Air America or somewhere, they are desperate Stalinists, as always... just shut down the oppostion like Stalin, that's their idea of "creative thinking"..... For some reason McCain is ahead in all the polls, voters, likely voters, etc.. historically whoever leads the first week of September wins so there 'ya go... I'd not be donating any money to Democrats at this point, and the smart money is not, only the individuals.....
Since apparently, a low intelligence moron such as yourself has self-appointed to be Obama's campaign manager here on ET - constantly starting pro-Obama threads Obama will be the most inexperiences PRESIDENTIAL nominee in history. Dems claim that McCain is the only one on the Republican ticket qualified to be President. The real problem is, that Biden is the only one qualified on the Dem side to be President. After all, wasn't it Hilary who earlier said that McCain was qualified, and all that we have from Obama is "a speech"????
Did America really survive the Bush years? The system is insolvent. McCain's chief economist saying its time to raise taxes as: Federal spending: 20% of GDP Federal revenue: 18.8% of GDP and spending could hit 27% by 2020 due to healthcare costs. You Americans need to get the currency back to par with the Euro so some of us can jettison out.
insolvent? lol, that is an under statement. It is BANKRUPT. Once the global economy slows down next year, american sovereign debt will be used as toilet paper. because even toilet paper will cost more. up till now, the arabs have been keeping the american sovereign debt markets steady. Once oil goes back below 80, the arabs will begin to cut back.
The religious extremists in america are blinded with hatred. Only in say saudi arabia or israel do you also see this kind of violent, closed-minded isolationism: --------------------------------------- Obama, McCain, and Palin comparison: From another board, not mine: " I'm a little confused. Let me see if I have this straight..... * If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're "exotic, different." * Grow up in Alaska field dressing and eating moose, a quintessential American story. * If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim. * Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're a maverick. * Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable. * Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded. * If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience. * If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive. * If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian. * If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian. * If you want to teach children about sexual predators, you are irresponsible and eroding the fiber of society. * If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system, your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible. * If your wife is a Harvard graduate laywer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America 's. * If you're husband is nicknamed "First Dude", has at least one DWI conviction and no college education, didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a political movement that hates America and advocates the secession of Alaska from the USA, and you video taped a greeting for this group, telling them to "keep up the good work" your family is extremely admirable. OK, much clearer now