"Stock Answers And Stick To The Talking Points" v. "Run With Momentum And Emphasize Strengths."
That pretty much sums up performances by Sarah Palin and Joe Biden respectively in last night's debate.
Look, I'm not beholden to any network or news conglomerate. No one's going to fire me for media bias. Do I support Barack Obama in the 2008 election? Of course. Does that make me incapable of speaking the truth? I think not. Despite what the political nemesis masquerading as my husband claims, I am not predisposed against Sarah Palin.
Well, at least not because she's John McCain's running mate. Truth be told, I like and admire John McCain. He's a decorated war hero and an upstanding member of the U.S. Senate. I'm not too keen on his lobbyist ties, but what Senator doesn't scratch the back of someone else to benefit constituents? At least he's never been the subject of scandal.
Not yet, anyway.
But McCain's pick of Governor Sarah Palin as second in command has to be one of the all-time boneheaded moves of anyone who has ever run for president. This debate did nothing to resolve my own lingering doubts about his judgment or ability to lead. Our country is on the brink of social and economic collapse and this is the best rabbit he could pull out of his misshapen hat?
For thinking and intelligent women everywhere, "Sarah Barracuda" is an insult to the office of vice president. She looks and acts like Wall Street Investment Banker Barbie.
With looks that could kill and ability to bat those baby browns, Palin could charm her way into just about anything. I'm certain that's the reason for her meteoric rise to Governor of Alaska -- a state about the size of Baltimore City -- putting her executive experience on par with Baltimore's current mayor, Sheila Dixon. Not to knock Mayor Dixon (she has enough trouble brewing underfoot), but I wouldn't seriously consider sending Dixon to Pennsylvania Avenue.
Oh, but Palin is likable, she's so darn likable, ya just gotta like 'er.
Yeah, well Kathleen Kennedy Townsend is so darn likable too and I wouldn't want her running the country. Heck, I didn't even want her running the State of Maryland.
After the debate, I sat and listened to the pundits but finally had to switch FoxNews because they didn't have the guts to invite a liberal commentator. Each pundit patted their own well-tailored back, complimenting Palin on her ability to avoid a "deer trapped in the headlights" look as well as answer each question without a major gaffe. Bleh. The incessant hand holding made me nauseous.
Grow a pair you spineless dimwits.
First of all, Palin made at least two major gaffes. Her refusal to characterize the Bush Administration's Middle East missteps as failed foreign policy was so far off the charts dead wrong I started screaming at the TV screen. What is it about the proliferation of Hamas and Hezbollah -- two groups on our State Department's terrorist watch list -- that don't qualify as security threats to our only democratic ally in the Middle East? Biden briefly explained how these policies helped Hamas and Hezbollah rise to power and he was right.
And clearly Palin pandered to Jewish voters by suggesting McCain would move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. No presidential candidate has ever made such a representation and for good reason. As the only foreign embassy in Israel's capital, the mere hint of a U.S. presence would spark riots and be a magnet for terrorist attacks.
Dumkopf. The woman has absolutely no grasp of foreign policy.
Palin's second major gaffe concerned the office of vice president. Palin agreed with Dick Cheney's interpretation of vice presidential power and duties. Yet, anyone with any comprehension of the U.S. Constitution knows our government is divided into three branches and the duties of vice president reside solely in the executive branch. Unlike the poppycock propounded by Cheney, the vice president does not derive power from both the executive and legislative branches. Towing the party line on this issue cost Palin credibility and pegged her as a talking head puppet.
As for Biden, maybe I am prejudice. He was utterly amazing.
Every opening she gave him, and there were many, he shot down McCain. Like an artist on a large swath of canvas, he deftly painted McCain as McBush by emphasizing repeated mistakes, all the while carefully avoiding direct criticism of his immediate opponent. It was masterful, really, and practically undetectable. I doubt even Palin realized being painted into a corner by the big guy.
Why, she barely moved a muscle to get out. Just kept repeating those Stepford Wives talking points.
I could go on and on about her grating annoyances, like bangs she refused to move for what seemed like an eternity so that they fluttered like caterpillars crawling down her forehead every time she blinked.
Or the way she came out and immediately asked Biden if she could call him "Joe" then proceeded to call him "Senator Biden" or "you" throughout the debate.
Or the number of times she referred to McCain as "maverick" and the State of Alaska as her "energy rich state."
Or the "god bless him" references and frozen smile as she listened to Biden's counter-attacks.
Or how she argued with Biden about the meaning behind his Senate vote on the Iraqi War and refused to acknowledge or explain why McCain had voted the same way.
Or how she artfully dodged most of her questions by regurgitating well rehearsed talking points.
If this is who y'all want a heartbeat away from the presidency, then so be it. I'm done trying to persuade the unmovable. All I know is this woman is woefully unprepared for a job she has no intention of relinquishing of her own volition. She'll need the American people to make her step down.
On November 4th, please make Sarah Palin step down.