Democratic Party

One view of the Democrat's reaction to McNasty's Veep choice.

McCain's Miss Congeniality

In a remarkably transparent effort to appeal to former Hillary supporters, John McCain actually selected a woman he has never met before to be his running mate.

Sarah Palin has been governor of the exotic, foreign state of Alaska for only 18 months. Perhaps McCain has personal memories of Alaska as former Russian territory and thought he was standing up to Putin.

Born in 1964, Palin is approximately half John McCain's age. Before becoming governor, she was mayor of a town you've never heard of.

"In 1984, Palin was first runner-up in the Miss Alaska beauty pageant after winning the Miss Wasilla contest earlier that year, winning a scholarship to help pay her way through college. In the Wasilla pageant, she played the flute and also won Miss Congeniality."

That is remarkably good training to be one fluttering heartbeat away from the presidency.

UPDATE: McCain's camp now says he met Palin -- once -- before picking her for the ticket.

BEST COMMENT: After listing Palin's ultra-conservative positions: "Basically, she's Tom Coburn with boobs."

Obamania

The only way Dubya or McCain could draw a crowd of 84,000 would be if they promised to renounce their citizenship and leave the country if more than 10,000 people showed up.

Why Vote?

War is merely the continuation of policy by other means.

-- Karl von Clausewitz

It is well that war is so terrible - otherwise we would grow too fond of it.

-- Gen. Robert E. Lee (1862)

Never, never, never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter. The statesman who yields to war fever must realize that once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events.

-- Sir Winston Churchill