All About Sarah, some more

Hey There -

I'm unsure of how Alaskans greet one another. Perhaps they issue forth moose calls or grizzly bear grunts. Maybe a "bonjour" or "hola" or "salmon" or such. Brandish a hunting knife?

One thing is known: we Lower-48-ers are learning more than we ever thought we would about Seward's Folly. Yesterday I began what I hoped would be a dispassionate look at how Sarah Palin stands on Issues. But I just can't do it; after reviewing some of the statements she has made over the last couple of days, I hereby throw away objectivity. Hear it now: Governor Sarah Palin would lose in a Loudoun County school board election.

First some objective facts for those interested in things like that. Here is a link to a nice non-partisan website that specializes in gathering positions and supporting quotes of various candidates and parties. It's a good resource and really comprehensive:

OnTheIssues.org - Candidates on the Issues

We all know that Sarah Palin has been shielded from the press by her handlers. I now understand why. Today she was touring the Ground Zero site in New York City. She was allowed to answer a couple of questions from reporters there. Here is what was said:

"CNN: On the topic of never letting this happen again, do you agree with the way the Bush administration has handled the war on terrorism, is there anything you would do differently?
A: I agree with the Bush administration that we take the fight to them. We never again let them come onto our soil and try to destroy not only our democracy, but communities like the community of New York. Never again. So yes, I do agree with taking the fight to the terrorists and stopping them over there."

And then she said this:

POLITICO: "Do you think our presence in Iraq and Afghanistan and our continued presence there is inflaming Islamic extremists?
A: I think our presence in Iraq and Afghanistan will lead to further security of our nation, again, because the mission is to take the fight over there. Do not let them come over here and attempt again what they accomplished here, and that was some destruction. terrible destruction on that day. But since September 11, Americans uniting and rebuilding and committing to never letting that happen again."

Do these responses seem vaguely reminiscent of this:

YouTube - Miss Teen USA 2007 - South Carolina answers a question

And then there is the interview with the rough 'n' tumble Katie Couric. It becomes quickly and painfully clear that for any followup questions, Palin is ready to pounce with a repeat of her first response. It's all fairly awful, but the real howler, the shrieker supreme, is when Palin tries to portray McCain as an enemy of regulation (a deathbed convert?):

YouTube - Sarah Palin Interview with CBS News' Katie Couric- Day 1

Get this woman a teleprompter!! Seriously: I fear for our country if this person becomes Vice President.

Truly, what could John McCain have been thinking? If this is his "soul mate and partner" to move America forward, then we all need to look more closely at him!! Yes, he didn't know her, but someone in his campaign did. Did they really think she would be a rock-solid back-up? The man has had melanoma twice; when it returns, and it does, it comes back far worse than before.

Ugh. Let's get away from all that. Here is a very poignant clip featuring Peter Gabriel singing "Mercy Street" accompanied by actual images and spoken words of the late, great poet, Anne Sexton. This is top-shelf rock poetry melded with prize-winning confessional-movement poetry. It gets me every time. Interestingly, Sylvia Plath's poem, "Daddy" seems to share its place in the proceedings:

YouTube - Peter Gabriel & Anne Sexton: Mercy Street - All my Pretty...

And the Quote of the Day:

"Just cause you got the monkey off your back doesn't mean the circus has left town." -- George Carlin