VP Debate

First impressions: No major gaffes on either side, except maybe the part where Palin endorsed Cheney’s view on the role of (and rules governing) the VP.  I don’t think she really understood the question.  No totally obvious deer-in-the-headlights moments, though.  I thought the times when Palin called Biden naive just made her look silly.  Biden [...]

Girl power

The networks should have only female journalists interviewing Palin.  Katie Couric was competent and tough and clearly more knowledgeable than her interviewee–without ever having to worry that anyone could even claim she looked sexist.  She rocked it.
A few responses to the interview(s):  James Fallows feels sorry for Palin, and notes the very-rookie mistakes she’s still [...]

Donations to Planned Parenthood in honor of Palin

This is awesome:
One e-mail making the rounds on the Internet says: “Instead of (actually, in addition to) all of us all sending more e-mails about how absolutely horrible she is, let’s all make a donation to Planned Parenthood in Sarah Palin’s name.”
Katie Groke Ellis, field manager for the Planned Parenthood of the Rockies Action Fund, [...]

Palin and Kissinger

Possible reasons that Palin and Kissinger met for 1.5 hours instead of their scheduled 30 minutes:
1. Kissinger had to speak extraaaaa… slooowwwlyyyy….
2. Kissinger kept trying to get Palin to share all the latest gossip that Alaskans have heard about Russia.  (She did not have any.)
3. Palin insisted they discuss world affairs without blinking; made Kissinger [...]

Online PBS poll

The GOP has been sending people to vote “Yes” in this online PBS poll asking if Sarah Palin is qualified to be Vice President.  Let’s not give them the satisfaction of winning this tiny, utterly meaningless battle.

For that healthy, Alaskan glow

She installed a tanning bed in the Governor’s Mansion.
Does she not believe in skin cancer, either?

Katha doesn’t care

Katha Pollitt’s latest, on (what else?) Sarah Palin:
John McCain chose the supremely under-qualified Sarah Palin as his running mate partly because she is a woman. If you have a problem with that, you’re a sexist. She talks incessantly about being a mother of five and uses her newborn, Trig, who has Down syndrome, as a [...]

Showing Obama the money

There it is: Obama raised $66 million in August.  (August!  When everyone is on vacation!)  That’s a record, by a lot, and much more than the (mere) $47 million McCain pulled in.
It looks like the RNC is beating the DNC, so it’s unclear who will have the overall financial advantage, but this at least tells [...]

Inseparable

On this week’s Friday News Roundup on the Diane Rehm Show, the panelists talk a bit about McCain’s strategy to campaign primarily with Palin from now on.  Apparently this is (a) so that his staff can babysit her, and (b) so that she doesn’t embarrass him by drawing larger crowds than he can alone.  The [...]

Last night on SNL

Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton, denouncing sexism on Saturday Night Live:

more about “Last night on SNL“, posted with vodpod

(Update: Sorry, the earlier clip must have been taken down from YouTube. This new one should work.)