There's a video of Palin welcoming the secessionist Alaska Independence Party's convention. The thing that's immediately striking in the clip is the sight of Palin speaking, not speakin', standard tv-anchor English. None of the "folksy" cuteness she so cloyingly affects since her nomination is in evidence. In short, Palin is a phony playing a character designed by marketers to con the gullible into believing "she's just like us". Condescending to the working poor? Mocking the unsophisticated? You betcha.

The content of her little welcome is mostly standard convention & tourism boilerplate, except when she commits to the AIP's political "vision". This is the party hubby Todd belonged to for 7 years. According to Newsweek,

The party's founder, Joe Vogler, has said (as the party still proudly quotes on its website) that he is "not an American" and "I've got no use for America or her damned institutions." Vogler also renounced allegiance to the United States and "their damned flag."

Is this why McCain has apparently decided to lay off Rev. Wright in his ads? We don't really want to open that door? Bottom line is, they might do well to forget about the Ayers crap,and the rest of the guilt by association scams, too, before the Dems start making Todd and Sarah's "associations" with America-haters -- and the nutbag church associated with it -- the gift that keeps on giving.

Bush is "the first President to admit to an impeachable offense." --Former Nixon counsel John Dean

is really unbelievable. When she was first selected, I had a hard time believing that based on her total lack of experience, that she could ever be a good attack dog.

But her convention speech, her stump speeches, and her debate performance have indicated otherwise. She has become a condescending, smug, vile, wretched, lying cretin when it comes to Obama.

Who is she to question Obama's experience or patriotism? I mean really, who the fuck is she? Does McCain think he can pick some city councilwoman from out of the blue, introduce her to the country, and have her be his top attack surrogate against Obama? And he thinks it will work?

If Palin had gone the nice girl route, presenting herself as an optimistic fresh face who may not have all the experience but thinks we face a bright future with McCain, she might have made inroads. Own up to your shortcomings and don't become a mud-slinger.

But somehow, probably because of her lack of a soul, Palin allowed the McCain folks to convince her to become a cruel monster. She's not only flushing away this election, she's flushing away her future electoral prospects.

I really hope Branchflower's report is a good one.

After 8 years of Dubya mangling the English language, I DO have time for that, Sarah.


On such meetings do fates of nations turn.

"She's not only flushing away this election, she's flushing away her future electoral prospects."

I hope you're right on both counts. I have had the ominous feeling the last several days that she will be back, and next time she will do better. I surely am hopin' that feelin' is wrong!

And oh, by the way, in that infamous speech in her church in which she talks about Eye rack bein' a task from God, she DOES use that annoyingly faux folksy, small town hick facade, so it seems she has been able to turn that on and off at will for some time.

""People say that I speak too simply, or don't have quite the - I don't have my Thesaurus in my back pocket "

Hmmmm - I don't think that is what people are sayin' at all. I think what people are sayin' is that she can't seem to put together in a coherent way the words she DOES know.

In my experience, when I can't talk about something in a coherent way, it almost always means I don't know or understand enough about it to think about it in a coherent way. And I think that is generally the case with most people.

How did she pronounce "Thesaurus"?

But she does have time to read all the papers.

Fear will keep the local systems in line. -Grand Moff Tarkin -SLB-

How does that poem of W H Auden about Hitler go? "The poetry he invented was easy to understand" I think.

Oh, here's somethin' kind a fun. Anybody notice that before the Convention she said "nukyular", during her speech at the Convention she actually said nuclear, and Thursday night she was back to nukyular again?

Well, it seems that they coached her on the correct pronunciation for the Convention, and spelled out the word phonetically on the teleprompter so she wouldn't forget. Unfortunately, despite Laura Bush's insistence that she is a quick study, she doesn't seem to have very good retention, does she?

This afternoon I took my camera and went back to the jazz, wine, and art festival I visited yesterday where I took some photos of the Sarah Palin life size paper doll the Republicans had at their registration table. People were actually having their pictures taken with this cardboard cutout - amazing! I would LOVE to post one or two of the photos here for everyone's amusement, but I don't know how to get anything but text on the page. If anyone can advise me how that's done I'll post 'em.

As the Republican Party sinks deeper and deeper into the morass of depression regarding their electoral prospects in November, they become increasingly more and more desperate.  They are now hitting the Democrats and Obama, in particular, with the jawbone of an ass.  Honestly, what else can you call this arrogant bubble head  who thinks a thesaurus is a symbol of shame and ridicule.

My god, the governor of Alaska is elevating ignorance and a lack of linguistic ability as methods to appeal to a non thinking part of the electorate.  She has no decency, no honor, and, what is really scary, no morality. One reason why she flaunts her pregnant unwed daughter on the national stage.  Apparently, she will use any person and any technique (character assassination) to further her political ends.  

I agree she is a monster already.  What has America come to when such a personality can run for national office with the endorsement of then Republican Party? I conclude the Republican Party is a monster also.

God help the Republic.

All members of the frog pond are special.