Hear From The Great Palin Anytime

Can't get enough of the wisdom of The Great Palin, the messiah, zealous leader, and savior, that John McCain and this country need in these frightful times. Then visit the Sarah Palin Quotes Generator 24/7, and hear insightful comment and analysis almost as inspirational as the real thing.

All Hail The Great Palin!

Many Doubt The Great Palin

A pox on ye of little faith. Some say The Great Palin has simply never given much thought to many important national and international issues. They say that she spits out tired cliches, random jargon, and catchphrases she has been coached to repeat, often resulting in nonsensical answers, gibberish really. And who are the doubters, see the bad reviews and commentary about The Great Palin’s readiness to be vice president and perhaps even president:

• Washington Post, Impulse, Meet Experience by George F. Will
• Washington Post, Palin's Problem by Charles Krauthammer
• New York Times, Why Experience Matters by David Brooks
  
• National Review, Palin Problem by Kathleen Parker
  
• Washington Post, Palin Is Ready? Please. by Fareed Zakaria
• New York Times, Palin’s Words Raise Red Flags by Bob Herbert
  
• New York Times, The Caucus: Curbing Their Enthusiasm by Kate Phillips
• New York Times, The Caucus: Palin’s Perils by Kate Phillips
• CNN, McCain's VP decision is 'fundamentally irresponsible'
  
• New York Times, Concerns About Palin’s Readiness as a Big Test Nears by Adam Nagourney
• Washington Post, Palin's (Conservative) Problem by Chris Cillizza
• Time, Sarah Palin's Foreign Policy Follies by Romesh Ratnesar

And let us not forget the heretics at Saturday Night Live, mocking The Great Palin, not once, but twice.

They are all Unbelievers. I say The Great Palin is divinely inspired. Her likeness should be carved into Mount Rushmore today, why wait. I know she has the answer to the great crisis(es) now facing this country.

On Thursday, The Great Palin will rise from the stage and smite the unbelievers and doubters. Then she will save us all with her wisdom.

All hail The Great Palin!

The Great Palin Speaks Again, This Time About the Economy

McCain will not share The Great Palin with us all. CNN anchor Campbell Brown has accused the McCain camp of treating Palin like "a delicate flower" for refusing to allow Palin to hold press conferences or field questions from reporters. Nevertheless, The Great Palin has honored us with her insight into the financial crisis. Here is the exchange between The Great Palin and CBS anchor Katie Couric:

COURIC: Why isn't it better, Governor Palin, to spend $700 billion helping middle-class families who are struggling with health care, housing, gas and groceries; allow them to spend more and put more money into the economy instead of helping these big financial institutions that played a role in creating this mess?

PALIN: That's why I say I, like every American I'm speaking with, were ill about this position that we have been put in where it is the taxpayers looking to bail out. But ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the health-care reform that is needed to help shore up our economy, helping the--it's got to be all about job creation, too, shoring up our economy and putting it back on the right track. So health-care reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions and tax relief for Americans. And trade, we've got to see trade as opportunity, not as a competitive, scary thing. But one in five jobs being created in the trade sector today, we've got to look at that as more opportunity. All those things under the umbrella of job creation. This bailout is a part of that.

Some might call this "nonsense--a vapid emptying out of every catchphrase about economics that came into her head. . . the more Palin talks, the more we see that it may not be sexism but common sense that's causing the McCain campaign to treat her like a time bomb."

Not I, I eagerly await the next great pronouncement of The Great Palin.

How about you?

The Bailout is a Bad Idea, Part V

The following article explains that the financial crisis was not caused by subprime mortgages, but by the enormous liability that insurance companies and financial institutions have for credit default swaps.

• New York Times article
  Behind Insurer’s Crisis, Blind Eye to a Web of Risk
  An exploration of A.I.G.’s demise offers insights into the virally connected financial world that is now imploding.

It also appears that Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. is trying to bailout his former firm Goldman Sachs. From the article:

"Although it was not widely known, Goldman, a Wall Street stalwart that had seemed immune to its rivals’ woes, was A.I.G.’s largest trading partner, according to six people close to the insurer who requested anonymity because of confidentiality agreements. A collapse of the insurer threatened to leave a hole of as much as $20 billion in Goldman’s side, several of these people said.

Days later, federal officials, who had let Lehman die and initially balked at tossing a lifeline to A.I.G., ended up bailing out the insurer for $85 billion."

Can you say conflict of interest.

Don't forget that in the first draft Paulson demanded that Congress forbid judicial review of his decisions on use of the money in the bailout. Not only would his decisions be beyond review but so would the actions of his pals in the banking world.

Paulson should be removed from office. And there should be no bailout until he is removed.

The Great Palin Makes Former Beauty Queens Proud

The National Review was founded by the late author William F. Buckley, Jr. and describes itself as "America's most widely read and influential magazine and web site for Republican/conservative news, commentary, and opinion." It is usually considered the center of intellectual activity for the American Conservative movement in the twentieth century. But on Friday,Kathleen Parker, a nationally syndicated conservative columnist, suggested that The Great Palin quit. How dare she!! Parker wrote in her op-ed found at the National Review:

"As we've seen and heard more from John McCain's running mate, it is increasingly clear that Palin is a problem. Quick study or not, she doesn't know enough about economics and foreign policy to make Americans comfortable with a President Palin should conditions require her promotion. . .

Palin didn’t make a mess cracking the glass ceiling. She simply glided through it.

It was fun while it lasted.

Palin’s recent interviews with Charles Gibson, Sean Hannity, and now Katie Couric have all revealed an attractive, earnest, confident candidate. Who Is Clearly Out Of Her League.

No one hates saying that more than I do. Like so many women, I’ve been pulling for Palin, wishing her the best, hoping she will perform brilliantly. I’ve also noticed that I watch her interviews with the held breath of an anxious parent, my finger poised over the mute button in case it gets too painful. Unfortunately, it often does. My cringe reflex is exhausted.

Palin filibusters. She repeats words, filling space with deadwood. Cut the verbiage and there’s not much content there. Here’s but one example of many from her interview with Hannity: “Well, there is a danger in allowing some obsessive partisanship to get into the issue that we’re talking about today. And that’s something that John McCain, too, his track record, proving that he can work both sides of the aisle, he can surpass the partisanship that must be surpassed to deal with an issue like this.”

When Couric pointed to polls showing that the financial crisis had boosted Obama’s numbers, Palin blustered wordily: “I’m not looking at poll numbers. What I think Americans at the end of the day are going to be able to go back and look at track records and see who’s more apt to be talking about solutions and wishing for and hoping for solutions for some opportunity to change, and who’s actually done it?”

If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself.

If Palin were a man, we’d all be guffawing, just as we do every time Joe Biden tickles the back of his throat with his toes. But because she’s a woman — and the first ever on a Republican presidential ticket — we are reluctant to say what is painfully true.

What to do?

McCain can’t repudiate his choice for running mate. He not only risks the wrath of the GOP’s unforgiving base, but he invites others to second-guess his executive decision-making ability. Barack Obama faces the same problem with Biden.

Only Palin can save McCain, her party, and the country she loves. She can bow out for personal reasons, perhaps because she wants to spend more time with her newborn. No one would criticize a mother who puts her family first.

Do it for your country. "

This column is conservative heresy. (NOTE: Heresy means dissent or deviation from a dominant theory, opinion, or practice, an opinion, doctrine, or practice contrary to the truth or to generally accepted beliefs or standards.)

I know you agree with me that The Great Palin is making former beauty queens everywhere very proud!

Dopey Endorses McCain-Palin

Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs

The seven dwarfs always left to go work in the mine early each morning. As always, Snow White stayed home doing her domestic chores.

As lunchtime approached, she would prepare their lunch and carry it to the mine.

One day as she arrived at the mine with the lunch, she saw that there had been a terrible cave-in. Tearfully, and fearing the worst, Snow White began calling out, hoping against hope that the dwarfs had somehow survived.

"Hello!...Hello!" she shouted. "Can anyone hear me? Hello!"

For a long while, there was no answer.

Losing hope, Snow White again shouted, "Hello! Is anyone down there?"

Just as she was about to give up all hope, she heard a faint voice from deep within the mine, singing . . .

"Vote for McCain/Palin!! - Vote for McCain/Palin!!"

Snow White fell to her knees, crossed herself and prayed, "Oh, thank you, God! At least Dopey is still alive!"

The Great Palin Speaks Again

When asked this week about her foreign policy experience and Alaska’s proximity to Russia by Katie Couric of CBS News, The Great Palin explained:

“That Alaska has a very narrow maritime border between a foreign country, Russia, and on our other side, the land — boundary that we have with — Canada. It’s funny that a comment like that was kind of made to — cari — I don’t know, you know? Reporters ...”

“Mocked?” said Couric.

“Yeah, mocked,” said Ms. Palin. “I guess that’s the word. Yeah.”

Actually, I think the word that she was trying to say was caricature. It means to depict by exaggerating the person's unusual or distinctive qualities. I think The Great Palin's foreign policy experience is particularly unusual. Don't you agree? But I digress, asked to explain the geographic point, The Great Palin honored us by saying:

“Well, it certainly does, because our, our next-door neighbors are foreign countries, they're in the state that I am the executive of.”

And thus was born a Great Palin Proverb -- To see is to know. Whatever The Great Palin sees, she knows. But the doubting Couric continued and asked Our Great Palin if she had ever been involved in negotiations, for example, with her Russian neighbors. And The Great Palin responded to the doubting Couric:

“We have trade missions back and forth. We — we do — it’s very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia as Putin rears his head and comes into the airspace of the United States of America, where — where do they go? It’s Alaska. It’s just right over the border. It is from Alaska that we send those out to make sure that an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia, because they are right there. They are right next to — to our state.”

And so it came to pass that The Great Palin proclaimed that she would save us from the Evil Putin.

Did I say that her running mate is 72-years old?

All hail The Great Palin!

The Bailout is a Bad Idea, Part IV

Too stressed out to read, then listen to this story why the bailout is bull:

• NPR Interview
• Economist: Bailout Makes Little Economic Sense
  Morning Edition, September 26, 2008 · One opponent to the $700 billion financial rescue plan is Allan Meltzer, a former Fed economist and a professor at Carnegie Mellon university in Pittsburgh, Pa. Meltzer tells Steve Inskeep he's against the proposal because he thinks if Wall Street created the problem, then Wall Street should solve it.

Want to Know Why McCain has Been Hiding Palin

Read the article if you want to know why McCain has been hiding Palin and wants to cancel her debated with Biden next week:

• New York Times article
  
  A Question Reprised, but the Words Come None Too Easily for Palin
  Gov. Sarah Palin’s answer was surprisingly wobbly when asked what she meant in citing Alaska’s proximity to Russia as foreign affairs experience.

Soon To Be Infamous Statements

Remember these:

"I have great, great confidence in our capital markets and in our financial institutions. Our financial institutions, banks and investment banks, are strong. Our capital markets are resilient. They're efficient. They're flexible." -- Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, March 16, 2008

"Our policy in this administration -- laws shouldn't bail out lenders, laws shouldn't help speculators." -- President Bush, May 19, 2008

"Our economy has continued growing, consumers are spending, business are investing, exports continue increasing and American productivity remains strong. We can have confidence in the long-term foundation of our economy...I think the system basically is sound. I truly do." -- President Bush, July 15, 2008

Got any others?

Republi-Con Reality

9/11, Iraq, secret prisons and torture, Katrina, North Korea, Iran, budget deficits, etc., no matter, it is always someone else's fault. Is it just me, or are Republi-Cons (members of a group formerly known as the GOP) delusional?

My favorite quote is by Ayn Rand:

"We can evade reality, but we cannot evade the consequences of evading reality."

Reality is catching up with the Republi-Cons.

The Great Palin Has Spoken

In just her third interview in three weeks (hope she's not breaking a sweet), Palin, who I predict will dubbed the Accidental President if something should happen to her 72-year old running mate, said this about the bailout rescue bill:

"Not necessarily this, as it’s been proposed, has to pass or we’re gonna find ourselves in another Great Depression. But there has to be action taken, bipartisan effort — Congress not pointing fingers at this point at ... one another, but finding the solution to this, taking action and being serious about the reforms on Wall Street that are needed.”

Did this women graduate with a degree in communications-journalism? Has anyone actually seen the diploma?

Did I say that her running mate is 72-years old?

All hail the Great Palin!

Would Be Funny If It Wasn't So True

More bailout humor:

• Editorial cartoons:
• Ed Stein, The Bailout, Simplified,
• Ann Telnaes, Robbing Us Blind,
• Pat Oliphant and Bruce Plante on Bush and Cheney's mission accomplished.
• Lat night humor:
• Stephen Colbert on the bailout: "This is one of the most important, irrevocable economic decisions we will ever make. Let's make it in a state of panic."
• Jon Stewart asked John Oliver: "Is this economic icing, then, sort of the turd icing on this administration's [expletive]-cake, if you will?"
• Jay Leno: "Oh, more bad news from President Bush. Remember those rebate checks from a few months ago? He wants them back. Yeah! We need to give that money to rich people on Wall Street. They need it more than you do!"
• Jimmy Kimmel: "President Bush made a farewell speech in front of the United Nations General Assembly. You know, the President is not an eloquent speaker, but I thought he spoke quite powerfully today, especially at the end of his speech when he looked out at all the delegates representing all the nations of the world and . . . said, 'Can we borrow some money?'"

The Joke's on Us

An email (with a few changes) from a friend:

What was the reason given for developing the Department of Energy during the Carter administration? We have spent multi-billions of dollars in support of this agency and I am willing to bet not one person who reads this will remember the reason given. It was very simple:

"Promoting America’s energy security through reliable, clean, and affordable energy."

Don't believe it.... read their mission statement.

Now, haven't they just done a bang up job of fulfilling their mandate??

In 2008 the DOE budget was $24.2 billion. Money well spent, NOT!

Note: For years, I've advocated GRAC, the Government Reform and Realignment Committee, to reform government.

Con Job by the Republi-Cons

Have you received an email claiming that Democrats created the financial crisis and referencing an article at Bloomberg? This is just Republi-Con (new name for the group formerly known as the GOP) propaganda in an attempt to rewrite history.

First, the author of this article is Kevin Hassett, an adviser to McCain's camapign. Hassett, you might remember, wrote a book published in November 2000 titled Dow 36,000, in which Hassett and James Glassman argue that "that stocks have been undervalued for decades and that, for the next few years, investors can expect a dramatic one-time upward adjustment in stock prices. Why? While Wall Street has focused on valuation measures such as P/E ratios, it has virtually ignored how stocks can work as cash engines."

Undoubtedly he was asked to write this piece by Rick Davis, McCain's campaign manager. Davis was paid $180,000 by Freddie Mac, even though Davis did not do much substantive work for the company in return for the money. Guess Davis is trying to earn his pay now.

The S.190 bill was sent to committee in 2005, by, yes, that is right, the Republi-Cons. McCain didn't even join the until 10 months after it was sent to committee. And it was never considered an important bill, only four senators joined in the bill.

Finally, not two months ago McCain said he was for less government regulation.

I once admired John McCain. But he has bought into the main stream Republican hypocrisy, and as typical for Republicans, can't accept responsibility.

UPDATE: Davis was also paid $30,000 a month from 2000 to 2005 by the so-called Homeownership Alliance, an advocacy organization that he headed and that was financed by Freddie and Fannie to fight regulation.

The Bailout is a Bad Idea, Part III

Another idea worth considering:

• Washington Post article
• A Bailout We Don't Need
  

But something needs to be done:

• Washington Post article
• What Keynes Could Tell Paulson
  

McCain is a Whiner

McCain suspends his campaign?!! Why all the whining about the economy, isn't it all just 'mental.' Let's ask Phil Gramm, McCain's former economic adviser.

It's a ploy because McCain is slipping in the polls.

I also suspect that McCain is attempting to cancel or postpone the VP candidate debate because Palin isn't ready. First McCain claims that he must return to Washington and suspends his campaign. Next he wants to postpone Friday's Presidential candidate debate. Finally, he will suggest rescheduling Friday's debate to next Thursday, when the vice presidential nominees are scheduled to face off.

Mission accomplished, Palin stays in an undisclosed location.

UPDATE: Told ya so, McCain wants to cancel the VP debate.

It's Déjà vu All Over Again

Does this economic crisis remind anyone else of the rush to war with Iraq? See

• Washington Post editorial cartoon

Should We Return to the Gold Standard

Should we return to the gold standard? Read:

• New York Times Op-Ed Contributor
  The Buck Stopped Then
  Since 1971, nothing has stood behind the American dollar except the world’s good opinion of the United States. And now, the world is changing its mind.

No Bailout Until They Say Sorry

Good idea, I second it:

• Washinton Post article
• The Words Left Unspoken in the Bailout Debate