I had no intention of writing about the saga of the Palin pick, but when a column begins like this:
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Has anyone noticed that Sarah Palin's central claim to political fame is a fraud? She represents herself as a fiscal conservative who abhors pork-barrel projects and said no thanks to the "Bridge to Nowhere" -- a $398 million span that would have linked Ketchikan, Alaska, to its airport across the Tongass Narrows. But as mayor of Wasilla (pop. 9,780), she hired a Washington lobbyist to bring home the bacon. And as a candidate for governor just two years ago, she supported both the Ketchikan bridge and the congressional earmark that would have paid most of its cost.it is hard not to want to call attention to it.
Robinson's Washington Post op ed today is entitled The Cynicism Express and that title indicates something important - the veneer of straight-talking behind which McCain has been hiding for 8 years may now be peeling off.
Increasingly the choice of Palin is raising questions about McCain, and it is there the focus properly belongs. And it is there that Robinson puts it.
Yes, I know Robinson is considered a liberal. Even worse, he is a regular commentator for MS-NBC, which may incline the McCain campaign and Republicans in general to dismiss what he has to say. But he is also the associate editor of the Post, that bastion of conventional thinking, and while he is certainly more liberal than the editorial page writers, the biting nature of this particular piece leads me to believe that the media worm may be turning. On the Post Website, the title put on this is "Bridge to No Where Good." and at the top of the list of op ed column is a piece by the usually worse than useless Richard Cohen labeled "Republicans Rush In" for which the teaser is "The Alaska National Guard and other foolish arguments for Sarah Palin." The teaser on Robinson's piece is "McCain's choice of running mate is alarmingly cynical or dangerously reckless." And were that not enough, in between Cohen and Robinson is Ruth Marcus, with a piece entitled "Palin Don't Preach" highlighted with a teaser of "Talking about abstinence turns out to be easier than abstaining. "
I of course urge you to read Robinson. I have provided the links for Cohen and Marcus in case you feel impelled to take the risk of destroying your brain cells. But since Robinson is my focus, allow me to whet your intellectual curiosity just a wee bit more. The paragraph from which the tease comes reads like this:
We learned last week that John McCain is not who he is -- not, at least, who he claims to be. The steady, straight-talking, country-first statesman his campaign has been selling is a fictional character. The real McCain is either alarmingly cynical or dangerously reckless.Robinson takes apart McCain's ostensible claim about picking a running mate who is ready to be president, noting the emphasis The Arizonan placed upon the various crises facing this nation, then noting Palin's palpable lack of relevant experience. He also dismisses the idea that such a choice could in any way appeal to disgruntled former Clinton supporters and describes the political rationale for the Palin pick as obviously appealing to social conservatives.
In his penultimate paragraph, he says McCain is being cynical and doing what his party has always leveled as an accusation against Democrats:
He selected a running mate based on her potential ability to appeal to targeted segments of the electorate rather than for her honestly assessed ability to lead the nation should the occasion arise.
This is a powerful piece. It is unfortunate that Robinson does not have the kind of syndication Broder receives, since this is not only far more pointed than anything written recently by the Dean of the Village - it is also far more cogent. But I suspect it will have an important impact. When one combine this with the two other op eds above it, the Washington Post has now legitimized challenging this pick and challenging McCain for having made it.
Or to put it in as blunt of terms as is possible, simply read Robinson 's final paragraph:
The other thing we learned about McCain is that he is willing to take an enormous gamble based on limited information. He only met Palin once before summoning her for a final interview. He realized he needed to shake up the presidential race, and that's what he did. But we are reminded, if we did not realize it before, that the three things not to expect from a McCain presidency are caution, prudence and a willingness to always put the nation's interests above his own.
This is one worth passing on.
Peace.
It's instructive because the real fraud escaped too many people. It was not as TPM claimed being for the bridge before she was against it. The whole thing was a lie. Daily Howler unpacks the whole thing. Read it and weep. I wish I had written that. But then no one dissects chronology like DH. I'm not worthy!
The issue is the Supreme Court. Not only Roe v. Wade, but you can forget your "private" retirement programs if they become a burden to your annuity manager. Finally, corporations will win in all disputes with employees and customers. Add others, I'm emotionally exhausted.