McCain the sexist?

Obama's lipstick on a pig comment was not a reference to Palin but was a direct attack on McCain's Bush-like policies. It was the McCain camp that somehow got Palin involved. So isn't McCain the sexist for assuming the comment was referring to Palin? And isn't it worse when McCain used this phrase to refer to a woman (Hillary), thus negating his (false) criticism of Obama? (If that was true then Palin should negate McCain's experience argument and McCain's decades of work in Washington and team of lobbysists should negate Palin's outside the Beltway argument).
And isn't selecting Palin from all of the competent and experienced women politicians in our nation the ultimate insult towards women? Sure, I will let you have the first woman VP except that she will be an embarrassment and be against values like basic reproductive rights that a majority of women support. Fair compromise, right?
Highlights from the Palin interview:

• Not knowing what the Bush Doctrine meant.
• Claiming she was unable to judge whether homosexuality was genetic or environmental. Science has judged and if you read a newspaper you would know. And then she inexplicably started talking about how diverse Wasilla is. I am going to go out on a limb here and say I doubt Wasilla is a melting pot of diversity.
• Never providing a SINGLE satisfactory answer to any of Charlie Gibson's policy questions.
• Arguing she can see Russia from Alaska, thus she has foreign experience. Unfortunately, this did not help her answer a question involving Georgia.
• In response to never having met with a foreign diplomat, she argued that she could have spent decades in Washington building up a big portfolio of experience but the American people want her to change Washington. Swipe at Biden or McCain? End the double standards of your criticisms McCain/Palin!
  
• Equating 9/11 with Iraq.
• Saying in her church speech regarding our war in Iraq as God's plan that she was actually referencing a speech by Lincoln. Right.
• Extremely nebulous response to Bridge to Nowhere and earmarks. I was against the bridge when it was unpopular. I am for earmarks if they are not done by lobbyists and are not hidden. All that matters is the bridge was canceled (though I kept the money).
  
• Conclusion: Primary goal: don't look stupid. Secondary Goal: add as much filler to pass the time of this short interview so you can complete the primary goal.
  

The Most Effective/Evil Rove Policy Returns

    Back in 2004, I believed if anything John Kerry's service in Vietnam would be a huge asset. On both sides we have Yale graduates born into prosperity (Bush more so); however, Kerry choose to serve whereas Bush, although for the war, took the easy road. Rove knew this too. He released the most evil and probably effective October Surprise eva, the Swift-Boat Attack. There is minimal to no truth to these swift-boat ads. However, the genius of it is that it created doubt in the voters mind.

    McCain, the Maverick(TM), has used the swift-boat on Obama multiple times with success. Putting on my Vaderesque Rove thinking helmet, I take one of Obama's best attributes, his ability to raise enthusiasm and hope in American democracy, and use it against him. He did this with the vapid celebrity ad featuring Hilton/Spears making Obama's so-called "cult of personality" a negative.

    Next, they took on change. McCain cannot win if the public perceives him as the third term. The Rove strategy also works the other way, fixing a candidates weakness. In McCain's case, the reality that he sides with Bush on every major issue. So at the RNC you kept hearing about change. Details about what change other than "shaking up washington" and cutting pork were nonexistent. This neutralizes Obama's message of change because the voter begins to believe that maybe McCain really is a Maverick(TM) who is just as much for change. This strategy is not about making people think McCain is the better agent for change as much as destroying the other candidate, the Roveian way.

    And now to my point. With Palin, the Roveian spawn knew Obama would go straight after her support for the Bridge to Nowhere. It would be a disaster if it was revealed McCain's running mate supported the most infamous piece of pork probably in the history of our country. So they pre-emptively have Palin at the RNC claim she said "no thank you" to the bridge proposal, except when she was and then when she wasn't and still took the money. Uh oh, the media is reporting the truth! Better have Palin keep repeating her criticism of the Bridge in every speech to keep the public in doubt. To have the gall to keep repeating a complete distortion of the facts is impressive even by Rove standards. The worst part is that it is working! There is no outrage on this hypocrisy. Truthiness at its finest.

Some other fun tidbits from the campagin:

• McCain ad accuses Obama of wanting to teach sex to Kindergartners, when Obama wanted to teach molestation awareness.
• Biden suggests that Palin may not be the best candidate for the impaired since she does not support stem cell research. McCain's camp laments Biden for playing politics on this issue. Didn't Palin play politics first by parading her baby and making an empty gesture with no policy to back it up? Stem cell research is not playing politics but real and something that most Americans support and is certainly worthy of discussion.
• Michelle Obama's cousin is not only Jewish but also a rabbi. That should win the Jewish voters! Except that my gut tells me Obama is not good for Israel, better make the safe bet with the neo-cons who we know will defend Israel without regard to morality or what is truly best for Israel.
• Lipstick becomes an issue but Obama fights back!
• Palin is a huge success defying all logic! I formally retract any criticism I had before for McCain's gut decision to pick her. I guess the gut really has more nerve endings than the brain.

The G.O.P. Convention

U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! DRILL BABY DRILL! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! ISLAMIC TERRORISM! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! MAVERICK(S)! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A!

Bay Bridge

Ferry Building

Redwoods

Bodega