It's important to note that there are a few misleading assertions in the ad. For one, the "Journal" that's cited is the conservative and partisan Wall Street Journal editorial page. Two, to call Obama the Senate's most liberal senator is dubious. (The charge comes from the National Journal ranking Obama as having the most liberal Senate voting record of 2007, but he was nowhere near the top in 2005 and 2006; it's also worth noting that Obama missed many Senate votes in 2007, so that ranking is a bit skewed.) And three, the charge that Obama "gave big oil billions in subsidies and giveaways" is misleading. (According to nonpartisan fact-checkers, the 2005 energy bill the McCain camp is referring to actual resulted in a net tax INCREASE on oil companies.)

Another great line from the MSNBC analysis:

"The campaign says the ad will air in "key states" (read: there probably isn't much money behind the ad)."

You will want to listen to this interview which aired this morning of an Alaskan talk show host who follows palin closely.

Now, the media has to do fine as well, and not stop investigating this woman because the McCain campaign stomps its feet and holds its breath.

I wonder how McSame's many independent and moderate supporters from 2000 are feeling now?  In fact, I wonder if even the MSM is finally going to get disgusted that this is not the "ironic" hip kewl kid from the Straight Talk Express that they grew to love so much.

And talk about flip flops.  Well, may let's not because that would fill a book.

"Two conservative commentators on MSNBC, after they're off the air, say what they really think about the veep choice."

That said, the real long-term worry for Crystal City is that when even a former adviser is seeing cynicism in your candidate's biggest decision to date, a bunch of average, everyday moderates are probably seeing it, too. These are the voters--independents, soft Democrats--who privilege personality over policy. They're also the voters who will decide the election. They won't reject McCain because his No. 2 is further to the right than he is; in fact, they're likely to find her whole "Mooseburger Hockey Mom" persona pretty appealing. But the danger is that if Palin doesn't prove herself to be more than a "bullsh**t" political narrative over the next 60 days, she may become for these voters a living, breathing negation of what they once considered "the greatness of McCain": his "no cynicism" brand.

She is very capable of reading text..and just like W, will be able to spit out the script she is given and smile while doing it. She will repeat words that will strike a chord with her base:"reformer" "pro-life" "patriot","pro-family""faith" while taking jabs at the "left".    

Another thing:
Why is there so little coverage (or even much of a mention)  of the violent police overreaction in MN.  They rounded up reporters and camera persons.  Personnel from Newsday, the AP and Democracy Now were all rounded up, handcuffed and charged with various charges.  Amy Goodman, who never did a violent thing in her life, was accused of something ridiculous like "intention to riot" because she was running down the street trying to locate her producers who had been arrested under false pretenses roughed up, stomped on while on the ground, and bruised.  She heard that one of them was bleeding from the face.  So she was trying to locate them and reaffirm to the police that they are media.  The police stole their press passes.  Even Goodman's so she cannot report from inside the convention anymore.  Though who would want to?  They only got out of jail quickly because 1,000 people of influence called the St. Paul police.  What about innocent people, exerting their constitutionally protected rights.

Personally, I would not have wasted my time going there to protest.  I do not know what good it would do.  And, unfortunately, this overreaction was predictable.  Still, this is America.  And another piece of the Constitution was demolished this week.

Police encircled homes of those who were planning to peacefully protest (that's not even allowed now).  A very small number of people were out of control.  But the police arrested hundreds and were out of control themselves.  The staff of I-Witness TV found storm troopers encircling the house they were in.  They were told if they left to take pictures they'd be arrested.

My attitude toward the press is more wait and see.  A campaign can only scream "bias" so many times.  The charges ring especially hollow when the VP pick refuses to answer questions about her candidacy -- especially in a case like this one where there are a lot of questions and the VP is a virtual unknown.  McCain is alienating his political base -- e.g. the Washington press corp -- when he and his people whine and whine about the coverage.

Rgister your opinion here.

We cannot allow the GOP and the media to act as though she nails this and is therefore "qualified."

We must push back on this loudly.

This party has been in the White House the last 8 years and had control of Congress 6 of the last 8 years.  So, what have we seen since 2001:

a weaker economy
job losses
declining stock market
stagnant wage growth
higher gas prices
Katrina debacle
Rumsfeld as SECDEF (ugh!)
a misguided war in Iraq
lack of attention to the real war on terror in Afghan
billions wasted to war profiteers
no advancement on entitlement reform
no universal health care
lack of diplomatic breakthroughs
no advancement in energy reform
lack of funding for education
more debt run up than all previous Presidents combined

But, who cares about all that, we got tax cuts!  

For all this they deserve another turn?  The audacity!  When do people stop rewarding failure?

you really want to listen to this interview which aired this morning.  Radio talk show host in Alaska who has followed palin closely.

Community organizing is a process by which people are brought together to act in common self-interest. While organizing describes any activity involving people interacting with one another in a formal manner, much community organizing is in the pursuit of a common agenda.

That's the whole point, conservatives don't believe in "common self-interest" or a "common agenda" for the common good.  They believe in private self-interest only, preferably for the most wealthy and powerful individuals and corporations, and definitely NOT for the common good.  Why would anyone vote for this party?

Yes, I said bastards. I'm specifically referring to Mike Huckabee and Rudolph Giuliani. Absolute bastards. If they apologize for trashing community organizers, I'll apologize for calling them bastards.  

http://www.law.uchicago.edu/ne...

Seriously though - what about Palin's babies ;-)  How could a mother do that!!!  Lol.  

OK, here comes the former mayor from Wasilla.

She knows what she just stepped into.  This is the big league, not the Wasilla city council or Juneau.  She is in way over her head.  

Sure she can read a teleprompter and give us a pretty smile - just like she did when she was a reporter.  I can't wait until the debates.  The only think Biden needs to worry about is making her cry - that probably wouldn't be good.

awesome!

Oh, and bash the "liberal" media.

Oh, and mention 9/11, Iraq, "shining city on a hill."

Yay! Cheer! Rah rah, kill some A-rabs!

What does she know about the law, about the Constitution, and about what the VP actually does?

No offense to those without one, but we are talking VP here.

In 1984, Palin won the Miss Wasilla Pageant (playing the flute),[7][8] then finished second in the Miss Alaska pageant,[9] at which she won a college scholarship and the "Miss Congeniality" award.[6] Palin admits to smoking marijuana as a youth, during the time when possession was legal in Alaska, though she says she did not enjoy it.[10]

Palin attended Hawaii Pacific College-now Hawaii Pacific University-in Honolulu for a semester in 1982, majoring in Business Administration. She transferred in 1983 to North Idaho College.[11] In 1987,[12] Palin received a Bachelor of Science degree in communications-journalism from the University of Idaho, where she also minored in political science.[13][14]

I would also point out that she played the flute.  I went to college in Hawaii so I give her props for that.  Unfortunately she left after one semester and transfered to Idaho.  Loser!!! ;-)

Palin admits to smoking marijuana as a youth, during the time when possession was legal in Alaska, though she says she did not enjoy it.[10]

She enjoyed it.  She probably grows it and makes brownies for all the other hockey moms.  This is Wasilla people.

I lived in Alaska when pot was legal.  It was the least productive years of my life ;-)

Nuff said.

How many different people have held that poor little baby tonight? He's been passed around like a prop.

http://beltwayprogressive.blog...

These folks are trying to make a mockery out of something serious.  Our country's at stake and they demean the presidency this way.  

I'm thinking much of America tuned out around 9:35 EDT.

Well, anyway, we now know she can read, at least.

Bill Kristol: Tough for Sen. McCain to top that tomorrow night.

But, she cautions, now she will have to go out and answer questions.

Uh-oh.

Fred Barnes: She's a natural.

He cited the part of the speech where she mentioned the Caucuses and the Saudi refinery that was attacked.

I'm guessing she was just reading those lines.

Sheesh.

Besides that, who is going to pay for the Iraq War?  Oh wait, that's Trig's job.

Of course, all she did was deliver a speech decently. I thought that just delivering a speech didn't mean anything.

Oh, never mind -- I can't stand anymore.

Anyway, my sense is that they are a way too effusive in their praise. I suspect this played differently in living rooms than in the Xcel Center.

[Giuliani] positively dripped with a kind of curdled anger, the origin of which is difficult to grasp. But he actually seemed to get angrier and angrier as the speech progressed -- off chopping his hands around, bearing his teeth. I know the people in the hall loved it. But I think a lot of people will see it as whacked. Rancid. Curdled. Palin's speech ended up being much more partisan than I expected. But that was added to by the fact that she had to start her speech while the auditorium was still awash in the teeth-gnashing froth ginned up by Rudy's speech. I've seen political events that I totally got and others that I thought I got but was totally wrong. So who knows? But take this as a sign that the McCain campaign has abandoned an effort to compete for swing voters and go back to the base energizing strategy that worked for President Bush in 2004. The numbers make that look like a tough proposition. But I think a few months from now, everyone will agree this was a mistake.

On the one hand, they spent yesterday talking about bi-partisanship, and today hurling insults at Obama, Biden, Reid and Michelle Obama.

Insults -- not argument. It is one thing to state a case againt Democrats, but quite another to just insult. If you make a case, I think people listen to you, but if you insult, I think it strikes people wrong.

Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden said he does not question Sarah Palin's credentials. "She was the governor of a state. She warrants respect," Biden said during a townhall meeting at a Sarasota High School today. "I assume that she's qualified."

There's more in the story.

Notice how there's no talk about the economy (except Huckabee) or McCain's 20+ year record in Congress.

"I was most impressed by her ability to stick a knife in Obama with a smile."

"Her family on stage was priceless"

"Democrats should be worried."

Finally, Chris Wallace says, "We have you on to say something critical. Can you say something critical?"

I have lost all respect for Wolfson. For whatever reason, he has opted to forego any future in the Democratic Party for a career of fetching coffee for Karl Rove in the Fox Newsroom.  

Meanwhile, Tom Brokaw does not seem too positive on this speech. I suspect he is a better read on how it went over outside the hall than anyone on Fox.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200...

Talked a lot about taxes and terrorists

-She likes to veto

-As mayor of Wasilla didn't need focus groups or voter profiles (but was most likely selected V.P. by those methods)

-shes not a "Washington Elite", and John McCain doesn't "run with the Washington herd"...he walks

She seemed friendly enough-certainly a little nervous ...but no heavy policy discussion.

Overall, her delivery was o.k., but she seemed more bent on cracking jokes and "jabbing" democratic ribs;    

The camera panned the audience and many in the audience were flat faced...not really responding.

Also, her voice has a slight twang- reminded me of a midwestern accent..though she is from Alaska.

For all the talk about her being down to earth, she seems more like a performer to me than someone I could imagine sitting down to have a beer and mooseburger with.

I agree - she has the news anchor look.  She doesn't look like a leader to me.  I'm not sure how she acts - because well she hasn't been in the national spotlight long enough for me to judge that.  I have a good feel for her experience.  That is the most troubling thing about her.  

I'm sorry, but I don't want a hockey mom being one heart beat away from the presidency.  No, I'm not sorry.  This is a serious job that requires serious experience.

• 
  John McCain is 72 years old.
• His father died at 71.

• His grandfather (right) died at 61.

more at http://beltwayprogressive.blog...

I would decline.  My ego would say yes, but the fact is that I'm not qualified so my concience would say no.  If elected, I would make poor decisions which could result in the death of innocent people or disaster for our country.

Palin isn't much more qualified than I am to be the Vice President.  Out of concern for our nation's well being, she needs to do the right thing and respectfully change her mind.

The health of our nation is just way too important for someone of her (or my) caliber to be Vice President.  It has nothing to do with her being a woman - it is that she simply is not qualified.  She would need to make foreign policy decisions, decisions of trade, etc.

She may know which way the political winds are blowing on these issues - but putting your finger to the air and measuring the political winds is no way to lead a nation.

Now, if someone needs a new trade or labor czar - I'm your guy ;-)  NAFTA look out ;-)

I have faith that the people of this country, 80% of whom say the country is going in the wrong direction, aren't going to swallow heaping mounds of bullshit from Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin. These people are completely detached from reality. I actually heard Mike Huckabee talking about Republicans wanting to protect our liberties!!!!

And what an old, white horror fest inside the Xcel Center, dancing and prancing and carrying about with utter spite and derision for anyone that doesn't drink their Kool-Aid.

The media may fawn and fall for this crap, and the Republican base may finally all come home, but I think any independent watching tonight would be utterly shocked by how out of touch these bastards are.

All Ms. Palin did was act small, act snarky towards Barack Obama (without actually explaining her actual qualifications for the office), and lie through her shiny teeth about the famous road to nowhere earmark. The hubris it takes to lie about a story, on camera and in front of the country, that has already been thoroughly debunked is utterly amazing.

We're not in 2004 anymore. The American people aren't going to be fooled, and one night of speechifying and saying the sky is green isn't going to fool 'em.

All the Republicans have is cheap talk, and they're going down hard in November. They deserve it.  

I hope that type of attitude drives more Repubs to either the Dems or the Libertarians.

I did take real offense at her line about being mayor of Wasila and the real responsibilites if brings.

I hope I'm not the only one who has no idea who Cowboy Troy is.  I'm not sure I even want to know.

Baffling if this is true.

Legally registered member or not, her husband is part of a group that could be considered a traitor group and she attends their meetings and speaks at their conventions.

I think a fair question in the debate is "Sarah Palin, you have been associated with the Alaska Independence Party which, as a party, wishes that Alaska would succeed from the United States.  Do you support the succession of Alaska from the United States?"

Will the Confederacy too rise again under Palin? If so, I'll defend Virginia but I am not fighting anyone outside of my state.

If I called myself a "cub scout dad" and you found out that my son is in college, what would you think?

That post suggests that Palin's claim to be a "hockey mom" was "true for a few years".  Which is what I suspected.