Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s highly anticipated speech at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday night nearly matched the record-setting numbers of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

Palin pulled in 37.2 million viewers across broadcast and cable networks, according to Nielsen Media Research. That’s 55% higher than Day 3 of the DNC, when her Democratic counterpart, Joe Biden, and President Clinton took the stage (24 million).

It’s also up a sharp 99% from the Republican convention’s third day in 2004 (18.7 million). In fact, it came close to upsetting Obama’s historic address on Thursday, the most-watched convention speech in history (38.4 million viewers).

I knew that the Democrats’ criticisms would work against them. Their constant criticism caused people to judge Gov. Palin for themselves. I’m betting that they came away liking her. ALOT.

This number also has to worry Democrats. In January, February and March, Democrats were drawing far more voters to their primaries than Republicans were drawing to their’s. The term “enthusiasm gap” became the journalists’ buzzword. Based on those numbers, pundits started talking wildly about a Democratic clean sweep: Democrats retaking the White House, building a bigger majority in the House and reaching a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.

I was skeptical throughout.

It wasn’t that I thought it’d be a great year for Republicans. It’s just that I’ve never believed in the Belway punitocracy’s conventional wisdom. More often than not, I’ve sided with the opposite of the CW because the CW is usually wrong.

Now that Gov. Palin has joined the ticket, excitement is running high in GOP circles and the enthusiasm gap has essentially disappeared. This isn’t going to be the year that Democrats thought they were getting into. In fact, I’d be surprised if Republicans don’t win back some seats in the House. As I’ve said all along, I think that they’ll still lose seats in the Senate, though not nearly as they’ve been predicting.

In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if there might not be a couple of surprises come Election night.

Technorati Tags: Sarah Palin, TV Ratings, Barack Obama, Acceptance Speech, Conventional Wisdom, Senate, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

Here’s the official statement from the Reid camp:

“Anyone who knows Sen. Reid knows he never backs down when he’s fighting for what’s right and that he always stands up to John McCain when he is wrong,” Manley said. “Shrill and sarcastic political attacks may fire up the Republican base, but they don’t change the fact that a McCain-Palin administration would mean four more years of failed Bush-Cheney policies.”

Sticking with the tired McCain-Palin is another term of Bush-Cheney policies line is utterly predictable and totally unimaginative. This is what happens when someone of Reid’s or Manley’s intellectual heft tries hitting back at a lipstick-wearing pit bull. It’s gonna get ugly pretty quick. I just feel sorry for Dingy Harry. I hope Sarah doesn’t beat him up too bad.

Forget that. I was just being polite. I hope she beats him bloody with her words. (I would’ve said I hope she beats him senseless with her words but it’s obvious someone’s already beaten her to that.)

Reports are that 30 million people watched Gov. Palin’s speech last night. They saw with their own two eyes that Gov. Palin is a substantive, intelligent, witty lady. I’d bet the proverbial ranch that people have noticed the difference between Gov. Palin and Dick Cheney.

I’m also betting that the Obama campaign is privately telling Harry Reid to shut up, that any day that he’s the face of the Democratic Party is a losing day for Democrats. Personally, I’m just hoping Harry stays in the spotlight. Every slip of the lips is worth a bunch of votes for Republicans.

Technorati Tags: Harry Reid, Jim Manley, Barack Obama, Democrats, Sarah Palin, Republicans, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

So much for being nervous on the national stage. If she was nervous, she sure didn’t show it. She may be new to the national stage but I have a feeling she’s not leaving that stage for a long, long time. And the Republican crowd inside the Xcel Center in St. Paul was in such a frenzy that they didn’t want her leaving that stage tonight.

This speech was part mom, part Pit Bull and part policy wonk. I mean she went after Obama as hard as anyone. She basically ripped him to shreds but she didn’t do it in a way that looked mean or vindictive. That’s hard to do but she pulled it off. Instead, she did it in a way that playfully poked fun at his expense. There was no reason for her to deliver her lines in a mean, terse way. Rather, she let the crowd take care of the wild and raucous reaction. They were eating it up.

As Mr. Brody points out later in his article, “Democratic Party, especially the Obama campaign has a problem on its hands.” I’d modify that statement this way:

The Democratic Party, especially the Obama campaign, has big and growing problem on its hands.

John Fund also praised Gov. Palin’s speech:

Twenty years after Ronald Reagan left office, Republicans who have long missed him may have found a future Margaret Thatcher. If John McCain wins, conservatives may find one of the most enduring accomplishments of his term will have been what he did before it started: helping to fill the Republican Party’s future talent bench with such a fresh and compelling figure.

Sarah Palin is a conviction politician, a naturally compelling speaker and someone who can relate to her audience on very human terms. America has just learned why Mrs. Palin enjoys the highest approval ratings of any governor in America.

This isn’t a happy, cheerful morning for Democrats.

Here’s part of Dan Henninger’s reaction:

Attribute the surge in the GOP base, if you wish, to Rush Limbaugh’s concise Friday afternoon summary: “Sarah Palin: babies, guns, Jesus. Hot damn!” But even that probably won’t get you 270 electoral votes.

The really interesting reaction to Sarah emerged just beyond the base. A lot of us picked up real enthusiasm Friday from people, notably women, who’ve never spent one moment with Politico.com or talk radio.

People who thought that Gov. Palin was picked to go after Hillary’s voters are misunderestimating her. Gov. Palin is a multifaceted, complex person. She doesn’t fit neatly into one box. She’s hard-hitting but she’s also compassionate. Witness her statement about special needs children:

I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House.

How many parents of special needs children will hear that and feel like they’d have an advocate in Washington with a McCain ticket?

Here’s how TNR’s John Judis’ reaction to Gov. Palin’s speech:

There is no question that Sarah Palin did well tonight. She spoke well, and the speech she read was very effective. The strongest section was the middle when she was responding to the Obama campaign’s dumb attack on her for being the mayor of a small town. Let me quote it in full:

And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves.

I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a “community organizer,” except that you have actual responsibilities. I might add that in small towns, we don’t quite know what to make of a candidate who lavishes praise on working people when they are listening, and then talks about how bitterly they cling to their religion and guns when those people aren’t listening.

We tend to prefer candidates who don’t talk about us one way in Scranton and another way in San Francisco.

I thought that section of her speech combined her biography with her political appeal and turned it into a criticism of the Democrats and Obama’s indifference to the white working class and small town voter. I was less impressed with the rest of the speech. Her recitation of her own accomplishments–and her critique of Obama’s proposals–was less effective and less effectively delivered, but it was good enough not to raise questions about her suitability as vice president.

It’s understatement that TNR isn’t exactly a bastion of conservatism. Nonetheless, John Judis gave Gov. Palin’s speech a pretty strong review. For him to say that she hit Sen. Obama hard in parts is praise indeed for Gov. Palin.

That said, some crusty clueless commentators still can’t see what’s obvious to most Americans. Jonathan Alter fits that description perfectly. In fact, he’s the embodiment of crass cluelessness:

Faced with a shaggy, seat-of-the-pants convention, Republicans are determined to get back on message. So now their new, more disciplined line is about experience. That’s right, after John McCain selected a vice presidential candidate who is clearly unprepared to be president, his aides—and any other Republicans who want a future in the party are singing from the same choir book. In speeches, interviews, a new ad, and even off-the-record sessions with reporters, the line is that Sarah Palin is more prepared than Barack Obama to be president.

I know it’s impossible for Alter to wrap his head around the fact but, yes, Gov. Palin is more qualified than Sen. Obama. To this day, I still haven’t seen supporters tell me what corruption he’s took on and demolished. I haven’t found anyone who’s able to talk about major legislation that Sen. Obama’s gotten past. And I damn sure haven’t found anyone talking about his executive experience. I haven’t heard anyone offering proof of his decisionmaking abilities, either.

If Alter would put his thinking cap on and discard his partisan blinders, he’d notice that those are important qualifications to being a chief executive. Of course, Alter putting his thinking cap on and discarding his partisan blinders is less likely than hearing that Hillary has suddenly and sincerely become a pro life lady. In other words, it ain’t gonna happen.

UPDATE: Mark Halperin’s given Gov. Palin’s speech an A+:

Sarah Palin
Grade: A+

Mother, fighter, small town girl, patriot, reformer, energy expert, hockey mom, McCain attack dog, America’s political sweetheart; she did everything she had to do, and more. The Alaska Governor was poised, stirring, charming, confident, snarky, cozy, well-rehearsed, biting, utterly fearless, unflappable, and self-assured. She read the teleprompter like a champ, with fine, varied pacing and conversational projection. Touched on her family story and then veered into a forceful political presentation, going hard after Barack Obama and selling John McCain with flowing admiration. She rocked the hall (and likely the country) with a tough, conservative message, steely offense, glowing optimism, and boundless charisma. The start of something truly big, or the best night of her candidacy.

— by Mark Halperin

Technorati Tags: Media, David Brody, John Fund, Dan Henninger, John Judis, Jonathan Alter, John McCain, Sarah Palin, Barack Obama, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

Then he ran for…then he ran for the state legislature and he got elected. And nearly 130 times, he couldn’t make a decision. He couldn’t figure out whether to vote “yes” or “no.” It was too tough.

He voted — he voted “present.”

I didn’t know about this vote “present” when I was mayor of New York City. Sarah Palin didn’t have this vote “present” when she was mayor or governor. You don’t get “present.” It doesn’t work in an executive job. For president of the United States, it’s not good enough to be present.

You have to make a decision.

The job of most lifetime senators is to pontificate. The job of mayors, governors and presidents is to make decisions. I want someone who isn’t afraid of making decisions. I want someone in the Oval Office who makes the best decision even if there isn’t a good solution to a sticky problem. It isn’t the president’s responsibility to ignore a problem or to ‘vote present’.

There’s nothing in Sen. Obama’s resume that says he’s a great decisionmaker. The only decision he’s made that I’ve noticed was his deciding to dump Jeremiah Wright after Wright dissed him at the National Press Club.

Here’s another great section of Hizzoner’s speech:

But he’s never…he’s never run a city. He’s never run a state. He’s never run a business. He’s never run a military unit. He’s never had to lead people in crisis.

He is the least experienced candidate for president of the United States in at least the last 100 years.

Not a personal attack, a statement of fact. Barack Obama has never led anything, nothing, nada.

This reminds me of the old cliche that “after everything is said and done, more is said than done.” Hillary put it best in this quote:

“I know Sen. McCain has a lifetime of experience that he will bring to the White House. And Sen. Obama has a speech he gave in 2002.” — March 2008 campaign commercial

As good as those prior sections were, this is my favorite:

We agree. We agree with Joe Biden…one time, one time, when he said that, until he flip-flopped and changed his position. And, yes, being president means being able to answer that call at 3:00 in the morning. And that’s the one time we agree with Hillary.

But I bet you never thought Hillary would get applause at this convention. She can be right. Well, no one can look at John McCain and say that he’s not ready to be commander-in-chief. He is. He’s ready.

There’s nothing like sticking a finger in Sen. Obama’s eye with the words of another Democrat. Expect this type of attack to continue. In fact, I’m expecting there to be a back-and-forth game with McCain-Palin advertising, alternating between ridiculing Sen. Obama with Democrats’ words and touting the McCain-Palin agenda to lay out a positive agenda that people can vote for.

Rudy will be an invaluable asset this campaign. He’s great at highlighting liberals’ ineptitude and questionable logic in a humorous light. The best thing about doing things that way is that you don’t leave your target anything firm to lash back at.

Expect Democrats to get increasingly frustrated with this pattern. They can’t unload with both barrels but they can’t do nothing either. It’s east of the rock, west of the hard place type of territory.

Thanks to Rudy’s speech, Obama-Biden will spend the next couple of days figuring their way out of that predicament.

Technorati Tags: Hizzoner, Rudy Giuliani, Convention Speech, Attacks, Sarah Palin, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

For instance, she landed this shot at Sen. Obama’s career as a community organizer:

“And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves. I guess, I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities.”

That’s a straight right to Sen. Obama’s chin.

Tonight, America got to see that Gov. Palin isn’t just another pretty face. America didn’t just find out that Gov. Palin is proud of her lengthy and impressive list of accomplishments. America didn’t just find out that she cut wasteful spending. They also found out that she cut waste by putting the governor’s luxury airplane for sale on eBay.

They found out that, rather than spending the extra revenue that came pouring in when the oil companies started making the big profits, she sent the money back to the Alaskan citizens so they could afford to fill up their cars and heat their homes.

They also heard her in full pit bull mode tonight. This isn’t a lady who’s hoping to come to Washington to hear Washington’s elites speak glowingly of her. She’s hoping to come to Washington to make America work for the people again.

Aside for this being a well-written speech, it was a well-delivered speech, too. The only question I have left is about how many people watched the speech. If it was 30+ million people, which it had the chance to do, then Sarah Palin took a huge step in winning over the people.

Tonight she nailed the landing. For the rest of the campaign, I’m betting that she’ll be nailing Sen. Obama with lots of right-left combos. I’m betting that Sen. Obama will soon find out why her high school teammates nicknamed her Sarah Barracuda.

Tonight a new star was born in the Republican Party. Let there be no doubt but that Sarah Palin is the real deal.

Technorati Tags: Sarah Palin, GOP Star, John McCain, Reforms, Fiscal Restraint, eBay, Tax Refund, Sarah Barracuda, Community Organizer, Obama, Pit Bull, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

9:32: The Standing ovation ends. Sarah accepts the nomination and another standing ovation starts.

9:33: “It was just a year ago” that the pundits wrong our candidate off. “They just overlooked one thing: the caliber of the man named John McCain.”

9:34: Victory in Iraq is within sight. “And as the mother of one of those troops, that’s exactly the type of man I want as commander-in-chief.”

9:35: Son Track to deploy to Iraq on Sept. 11. Nephew also deployed in the Gulf.

9:37: Talking about family. Families with special needs babies inspire special blessings. to the families who’ve welcomed special needs children into the world, “I promise that if you elect Sen. McCain and I to the White House, you’ll have an advocate in the White House.” (I’ve gotta believe that that’s gonna endear her to those families.

9:41: Those families are always proud of America.

9:42: “You know they say the difference between a pit bull and a hockey mom? Lipstick.”

9:43: Let me explain the difference between a small town mayor and a community organizer. The difference is that mayors have real responsibilities.”

9:44: “We like candidates that talk the same way in Scranton as they do in San Fransisco.”

9:45: “I’m not a member of the permanent political establishment. And I’ve learned quickly, these past few days, that if you’re not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone. But here’s a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I’m not going to Washington to seek their good opinion; I’m going to Washington to serve the people of this country.”

9:47: “With the support of the citizens of Alaska, we put government back on the side of the people.” “I got rid of the luxury jet. I put it on eBay.”

9:50: Nearly half a billion dollars in vetoes. “If we wanted a bridge, we’d build it ourselves.”

9:53: “Take it from a gal who knows the North Slope: We’ve got plenty of both.” Starting in January, a McCain-Palin administration will get to work opening up our oil reserves and build nuclear power plants.”

9:57: “Terrorist nations want to develop nuclear weapons and he wants to meet with them without preconditions.” “Taxes are too high but he wants to raise them.”

10:00: “Here’s how I look at the choice Americans face in this election. In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers. And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change.”

Technorati Tags: Sarah Palin, John McCain, Reform, Ethics Reform, Barack Obana, Washington Elites, Agenda Media, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

The campaign announced: “The McCain campaign will launch a television ad directly comparing Gov. Palin’s executive experience as a governor who oversees 24,000 state employees, 14 statewide cabinet agencies and a $10 billion budget to Barack Obama’s experience as a one-term junior senator from Illinois.”

The McCain campaign shouldn’t have waited this long to take the offensive. The Agenda Media is hateful. As hateful as the Agenda Media is, it’s more afraid than it is hateful. The Agenda Media know that Sarah Palin is the mortal enemy of the Left’s agenda. If she gets elected and helps Sen. McCain accomplish his agenda, that will give rise to a new generation of conservatism.

One of the objectives of this media storm is designed to deflect people’s attention away from Sen. Obama’s thin resume and his weaknesses. The hatemongers in the Agenda Media know that the minute that people compare Gov. Palin’s accomplishments in taking on corruption with Sen. Obama’s ‘Sweet Nothings’ speeches is the minute that this race reaches its tipping point.

Here’s a portion of Steve Schmidt’s statement:

“Gov. Sarah Palin is an exceptional governor with a record of accomplishment that exceeds, by far, the governing accomplishments of Sen. Obama. Her selection came after a six-month long rigorous vetting process where her extraordinary credentials and exceptionalism became clear. This vetting controversy is a faux media scandal designed to destroy the first female Republican nominee for vice president of the United States who has never been a part of the old boys’ network that has come to dominate the news establishment in this country. Sen. McCain picked his governing partner after a long and thorough search. Gov. Palin looks forward to addressing the nation and laying out the fundamental choice this election represents for the American people.

This is the pivot point. This is where the McCain-Palin ticket starts taking it to the Obama-Biden ticket. This is what Sen. McCain told a gathering this afternoon:

“They’re not doing right by our vice president, they’re not doing right by the American people,” McCain said, according to a source in the room. “We’re gonna fight back, we’re gonna get ‘em.” McCain pounded his fist into his hand as he spoke, the source said, and made clear that he would be aggressively challenging those who are attacking Palin.

All I can say is this: don’t rile the measured man. That’s what the media has done. They’ve incurred the wrath of John McCain and Sarah Palin.

God pity those fools.

Technorati Tags: Sarah Palin, Media, John McCain, Political Attacks, Agenda Media, Ad Campaign, Barack Obama, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

According to his campaign bio page, here are some of his accomplishments:

In transportation, www.TotalSecurity.US has written the Anti-terrorism Action Plans for both the American Trucking Associations and the American Bus Association. Further consulting support has been given to 25 major US cities and the FMCSA, FTA, WMATA, MBTA and MASSPORT.

On a Global scale Mr. Beatty and www.TotalSecurity.US worked on major international meetings and special events like the Rose Bowl and Rose Parade, Superbowl, Asian Development Bank, BIOTECH and 4 Olympics.

In other words, his resume suggests that he’ll be more than able to hold his own on these issues with Sen. Kerry.

I’d be doing Mr. Beatty a disservice, though, if I left the impression that he’s a one issue candidate. He isn’t. The first question I asked was intentionally a softball. What I asked was why he’d be a better senator than Sen. Kerry. His response was measured but to the point. He said that he’d “protect Massachusetts’ families, protect our country & protect Massachusetts’ jobs.”

He said that he’d protect Massachusetts’ families and Massachusetts jobs by not raising their taxes. He said that Massachusetts’ families already have too much of an financial burden, that they don’t need a higher tax burden.

Mr. Beatty said that he’d favor an aggressive pro-drilling energy plan. Mr. Beatty also agrees with Sen. McCain that we need to build nuclear power plants.

Mr. Beatty said that he’d give our law enforcement and intelligence agencies all the tools they need to protect us from future terrorist attacks.

The next thing caught me off guard but it makes perfect sense. He said it’s in our interest to build nuclear power plants overseas. That way, we know that they aren’t being used for nuclear weapons. We’d also make a nice profit, too.

He stressed the fact that he’d made numerous decisions in his various security-related jobs, something Sen. Kerry wasn’t required to do in his time in the Senate. His running a company certainly gave him lots of additional executive experience.

The last question I asked was about the threat Iran poses. He called it significant and that we can’t let the mullahs get nuclear weapons. He said that the best way to do that would be to appeal to pro-democracy factions inside the country. According to Mr. Beatty, this is a highly viable option as people there don’t like the oppressive nature of the mullahs.

I’d like to thank Jeff Beatty for granting me this interview. I found him to be a man of sound judgment, someone who is certainly grounded in national security matters at a time when those credentials are important in the Senate.

Finally, we hear each election cycle about a challenger who has a shot at unexpectedly knocking off an incumbent. Rarely does the incumbent get defeated. This isn’t one of those times. Jeff Beatty is very competitive in the polls right now. Here’s a question from a Zogby International poll:

Jeff Beatty recently entered politics. He is 54 years old and is a national security consultant/small business owner. He made 200+ nat’l security ‘appearances on TV. He is a US Army Combat-wounded veteran and former FBI Agent/former CIA Counter-terrorism Officer. Has a home in MA, and opposed the recent Immigration Reform Bill. Who would you vote for, John Kerry or Jeff Beatty?

Kerry 48%, Beatty 45%

I’ve talked with a couple friends living in Massachusetts. They said that Massachusetts think poorly of Kerry’s constituent service record, adding that Kerry isn’t well liked within his own party.

Based on that information, I’d consider this a prime opportunity for the Republicans.

Technorati Tags: Jeff Beatty, John Kerry, Drilling, Energy Policy, Taxes, Small Business, Iran, National Security, Polling, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

In a way, the perfect storm of a rapidly changing population…old white people aren’t going to be in the majority very much longer (and isn’t that who most of the Republicans are?)…has combined with the total abdication of principles, Republican or otherwise, of arguably the worst president in the nation’s history to mark the beginning of the end of the Republican Party as we know it.

I can’t wait for election night when the returns start rolling in. I really can’t. Despite the best efforts of the Agenda Media, America is falling in love with Sarah Palin. In case the Agenda Media didn’t notice, she’s smart and confident. Her answers are straight to the point, not vague or evasive. She has a story that’s the ultimate in Americana. (How many women can relate to Gov. Palin’s life as a hockeymom, balancing career and family, raising children in addition to being involved in the PTA?)

It’s also laughable to hear Cafferty say that the GOP is mostly old white people. He obviously hasn’t paid attention to the fact that the House Oil Rebellion is appealing to suburban voters, farmers and truckers. When it comes to high gas prices, everyone’s agreeing with the GOP.

It’s all the more laughable because I’ve seen the next generation of conservative leaders jump into action this summer. I’ve watched Mike Pence, Jeb Hensarling, Tom Price and other Young Turks grill Nancy Pelosi’s Democrats for ignoring the gas crisis. I’ve watched Tim Pawlenty, Mitt Romney and Charlie Crist get involved in the McCain campaign. I’ve watched Tom Coburn, Norm Coleman and John Thune make their mark in the Senate, though Coleman and Thune should’ve stayed away from the Gang of 16.

That Cafferty didn’t notice this i largely due either to his partisan blinders or to his willingness to ignore verifiable facts to make his storyline fit together.

Rush said today that Democrats, like Mr. Cafferty, haven’t figured out that Gov. Palin is expanding the base of the GOP. (For that matter, neither has a certain liberal blogger here in St. Cloud but that’s another matter.) Everyone keeps talking about the goal of picking Gov. Palin was to pick of disenchanted Hillary voters. I’m guilty of thinking that myself. I still think that alot of women that supported Hillary will vote for McCain but that’s only part of Gov. Palin’s appeal.

She’ll appeal to working mothers from Maine to Massachusetts to Michigan to Minnesota to Missouri. She’ll especially appeal to suburban voters. She’ll also appeal to the pro-life Catholic and evangelical Christian base of the GOP. Sarah Palin guarantees an energized Christian base this fall. Don’t think that that doesn’t matter, either.

In 2004, evangelical Christians made up the majority of the doorknocking, litdropping and phonebanking volunteer army that President Bush rode to victory. Let’s remember that President Bush lost the popular vote in 2000. After looking at the data, the Architect determined that approximately 4 million Christians stayed home. That’s why he devised his plan to speak to the Christians’ priorities throughout President Bush’s first term. He wanted to guarantee their active participation.

Sen. McCain doesn’t need a plan to energize Christians. He accomplished that by picking Gov. Palin.

Check out this blast of bovine excrement from Cafferty:

Watch for the signs this November. Republicans stand to be turned out of office at every level, from the U.S. Congress to governors’ mansions and state legislatures. Republicans who remain in office will be rendered impotent by their shrinking numbers.

Mr. Cafferty is to political strategery what Saddam Hussein was to military planning: They talk smart but they don’t have a clue. Here’s what Gen. Schwarzkopf said about Saddam in his final press conference before signing the ceasefire with Iraq:

“As far as Saddam Hussein being a great military strategist, he is neither a strategist, nor is he schooled in the operational art, nor is he a tactician, nor is he a general, nor is he a soldier. Other than that he’s a great military man-I want you to know that.”

In other words, Saddam was a loud-mouthed blowhard. There aren’t any differences between Saddam’s skills as a military strategist and Jack Cafferty’s skills as a political analyst.

Here in Minnesota, we didn’t ball up in a fetal position following the midterm disaster. Instead a group of blogger/activists thought out a roadmap that put us on the road to relevance. This November, that blueprint will help us regain a number of seats in the state legislature.

What Mr. Cafferty hasn’t noticed is that the Democratic Congress isn’t particularly well-loved or respected. They’re seen as on the wrong side of the energy issue. While Nancy Pelosi digs in her heels on drilling, people are understanding that Republicans are the party with solutions. If Mr. Cafferty thinks that people won’t notice the difference, then his observation skills are as limited as his intellect.

Technorati Tags: CNN, Jack Cafferty, Agenda Media, Saddam Hussein, Norman Schwarzkopf, GOP, Jeb Hensarling, Mike Pence, Tom Coburn, Tim Pawlenty, Mitt Romney, Charlie Crist, Gas Crisis, Nancy Pelosi, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

I’ve been here a long time. Not a prolific poster, but a prolific reader. And from what I’ve read today, I don’t belong here anymore.

Women being bashed for their right to choose having a family and a career with the support of their spouse.

Women being called sluts, bimbos and brood mares.

Women having their appearance dissected and witchhunts for compromising photos.

Innocent young girls being slandered with rumors & innuendos.

Enough. I want to win. But I don’t want to win this way. And if you do, then I don’t want any part of it.

It’s easy to rip the Fever Swampers. They’ve made tons of outlandish comments. They’ve spewed tons of conspiracy theories that weren’t just outlandish; they were beyond what intelligent human beings could believe.

I suspect that there are more DU diarists out there that are appalled with the filth that’s posted on DU. I suspect that they’re much like Brendan Loy. Here’s what Loy said in August, 2006:

But regardless of all that, the hard reality is that the voters have spoken, and their message was loud and clear: there’s no longer room for Joe Lieberman in the Democratic Party. And alas, tonight’s result will reverberate through the November elections and into the 2008 presidential campaign. It’s really much more than just a single primary in a single state; it’s a shot across the bow of moderate Democrats everywhere. And so, whatever further ramifications this result might have, there’s one thing it definitely means, one result that is officially cast in stone, as of today:
I am no longer a Democrat.

Brendan Loy is the embodiment of what I’m calling Lieberman Democrats. Don’t be surprised if there’s an exodus of these voters to the McCain-Palin ticket.

What Fever Swampers don’t get is that their hate-filled diatribes are driving people away from the Democratic Party. They haven’t figured out that hate doesn’t sell. They haven’t figured out that people want common sense leaders with a positive agenda. The Swampers haven’t figured out that most voters have higher decency standards than the Swampers have.

All I can say to lunatics on the DU fringe Left is this: Keep it up. You’re part of our victory strategy.

Technorati Tags: Fever Swamp, Brendan Loy, Lieberman Democrats, Democratic Underground, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

The U.S. Senate, including Sen. John Kerry, could have acted recently to resolve our current fuel crisis by voting for a comprehensive energy plan.

Instead, Kerry characteristically shirked his responsibility to the people of Massachusetts. He and the Senate leadership ducked for cover, allowing a comprehensive energy reform bill, which included lifting Congress’s moratorium on offshore drilling, to die.

Kerry and others then exited the U.S. Capitol for the August recess, a five-week vacation most of us cannot afford, leaving a steadfast few who demanded a vote on this issue literally standing in the dark of the House chamber with the American people left in the lurch.

The citizens of Massachusetts would be wise to pick Jeff Beatty because he has a plan to improve their lives. Compare that with Sen. Kerry. He’s been in the Senate sin 1984. Since then, he’s been wrong on almost every foreign policy issue. His accomplishments are thin to nonexistent. That begs the question: Why vote for someone who’s had a remarkably mediocre career when you can pick someone whose policies would help his constituents and who brings a wealth of experience on homeland security matters?

This paragraph is another reason why Massachusetts needs Jeff Beatty’s leadership:

This is a start, but I want faster relief for the “gas pains” America is suffering now. As a founder of a business and a former Delta Force officer, FBI Special Agent and CIA counter-terrorism officer, I have the solutions-oriented leadership skills to take immediate action.

Jeff Beatty wouldn’t just be a senator. He’d be a leader in the Senate. Massachusetts voters can’t afford to miss this opportunity.

If Massachusetts voters elect Jeff Beatty, they will have made the most of a great opportunity.

Technorati Tags: Jeff Beatty, CIA, FBI Special Agent, Delta Forces, National Security, Energy Policy, John Kerry, Gas Prices, Gas Crisis, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

McCain aides whose judgment I trust are impressed by Sarah Palin. One was particularly amused by this exchange: A nervous young McCain staffer took it upon himself to explain to Palin the facts of life in a national campaign, the intense scrutiny she’d be under from the media, the viciousness of the assault that she’d be facing, etc.:

Palin: “Thanks for the warning. By the way, do you know what they say the difference is between a hockey mom and a Pit Bull?”

McCain aide: “No, Governor.”

Palin: “A hockey mom wears lipstick.”

I’d simply add that, in this case, that hockey mom wears it well. BTW, there’s a reason why her teammates nicknamed her Sarah Barracuda in high school.

Technorati Tags: Pit Bulls, Hockey Moms, Sarah Palin, Media Spotlight, John McCain, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

There was much talk about change last week at the Democratic convention. But are the Democrats really offering any substantive change?
To find out, I pulled out John Kerry’s 2004 Democratic national platform and compared its fiscal policy with that contained in today’s Barack Obama-inspired missive.
The documents are so similar it’s creepy. While there are a number of new minor policies, and fresh details on old targets such as health care, the big picture has stayed the same.

If they take the time, that’s the type of change that voters will reject. To be fair, Mr. Hassett did notice some change between 2004 and 2008:

Both platforms promise to extend the Bush income-tax cuts for the middle class, but repeal them for the rich. In 2004, Kerry defined rich as those making more than $200,000. Today, Obama promises not to increase taxes on anyone making less than $250,000. So the definition of rich has increased from $200,000 to $250,000. That’s change you can believe in that will be especially appreciated by everyone making between $200,000 and $249,999.

Then there’s this section of the Democratic Platform:

This convention’s plan has ditched that carrot, and replaced it with the silliest passage in platform history: “We will bring together government, private industry, workers, and academia to turn around the manufacturing sector.” Obama’s plan to help the manufacturing sector appears to be, “Unleash the bureaucrats and professors.”

If ever there was something that’ll scare businesses into leaving America for foreign soil, that’s the ticket.

Other than increasing taxes and implementing the Fairness Doctrine, can any liberal tell me what substantive changes Sen. Obama would make? If those are the only changes, then I’m fairly certain that that’s change the American people will reject. People, generally speaking, like more money in their wallets. They also like the First Amendment. In fact, they insist on being able to speak their minds.

Compare that status quo change with Sarah Palin’s list of change accomplishments. As I said here, the difference is stark:

Now that people are finding out how Sarah Palin took on the powers-that-be within the Republican Party of Alaska and how she ran out the Republican Attorney General before thrashing the sitting Republican governor in a GOP primary, people are taking a second look at Sen. Obama’s reformer’s credentials.

The American people have a simple choice. They can vote for a pro-drilling ticket with a lengthy history of eliminating corruption or they can vote for a ticket that’s long on windbagism and short on implementing change.

I’m confident I know which option informed voters will pick.

Technorati Tags: Change, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, John Kerry, Tax Increases, Fairness Doctrine, First Amendment, Sarah Palin, John McCain, Reform, Corruption, Drilling, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

The television networks and national cable news outlets Sunday shifted their top talent and reporters from the Republican National Convention here to the Gulf Coast to prepare for Hurricane Gustav’s landfall. That means John McCain and his campaign will not receive the uninterrupted attention that Barack Obama did during last week’s Democratic National Convention.

But news executives, much like the presumed Republican presidential nominee himself, said they had no choice but to follow the potentially damaging events in the South, three years after Hurricane Katrina caught some news organizations flat-footed. “I don’t even look at it as a matter of fairness,” said Jay Wallace, vice president of news at Fox News. “The prevailing story right now is this storm.”

This is a bunch of crap. The storm shouldn’t be “the prevailing story right now.” It was a Cat-2 when it made landfall, which isn’t a devastating storm. Katrina, by comparison, was a Cat-5 that left a massive trail of destruction.

This is a story that can be covered with a team of correspondents. Sending the anchors is overkill, especially after waiting a day after it made landfall. If this was such a pressing story, why haven’t we seen wall-to-wall coverage of Gustav thus far? It seems that coverage hasn’t been that big a focus.

You’ll remember that coverage of Katrina was practically nonstop, with the networks suspending their regular schedules to provide coverage. Gustav coverage? Not so much, which says that this isn’t the big deal that the networks and cable are making it out to be.

The good news is that we won’t be subjected to hearing the anchors’ biased opinions during Convention coverage. The bad news is that we’ll be subjected to lesser known people spouting essentially the same nonsense. The better news is that Sen. McCain’s picking Gov. Palin ensures that millions of people will be tuning in Wednesday night to hear her speech. The American people will be able to size her up for themselves. (BTW, expect Wednesday night’s audience to be large.)

The best news is that I suspect that they’ll be greatly impressed, which should get Democrats everywhere depressed.

Happy days are here again.

Technorati Tags: Media, Republican Convention, Gustav, Media Bias, John McCain, Sarah Palin, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

The first day of the RNC was fun but muted. One group, though, wasn’t deterred from pursuing its agenda by events in the Gulf. The Communist/anarchist/truther/pro-Obama protesters were out in force, committing various crimes and attempting to disrupt the proceedings.
The most shocking events are described by Jim Hoft, who was on a bus that was attacked from above when a group of protesters dropped sand bags on to the top of the bus. This is attempted murder: if the protesters had succeeded in hitting the windshield, a sand bag would have crashed through and killed the driver. The resulting accident would have killed or injured others on the bus. To my knowledge, the left-wingers/would-be murderers were not caught.
A little later, a busload of Cub Scouts were en route to the convention, where they were to present the colors to open the convention. A group of protesters–liberals, Obama supporters, or whatever–blocked the road, surrounded the bus, and attacked it, rocking the bus back and forth, denting and scratching the sides, and generally terrifying the children trapped inside. The left-wing protesters attacked a number of buses in the same way, but there is something especially despicable about attacking a group of Cub Scouts.
Among us conservatives, it’s pretty much an article of faith that people of all political persuasions are good folks who should be treated with respect; we just disagree about issues of public policy. (Liberals generally don’t adopt that view, although there are some honorable exceptions.) But sometimes that model doesn’t apply. The liberal/anarchist/Communist/pro-Obama protesters we have seen today in St. Paul are terrible people who, in many cases, should be subject to long prison terms. Let’s hope that a few of them, at least, are prosecuted.

Seeing as how John’s one of the best lawyers in Minnesota, I take notice when he uses the term attempted murder. I join with John in expressing my disgust with anarhists like this. The First Amendment doesn’t protect acts of violence, which this certainly is.

What’s worse is that this isn’t the only case of anarchists doing the despicable. Here’s another instance of violence:

When Chairman Healy’s mother Lila was spat upon by a protester, former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons stepped between the elder Healy and the crowd. He was doused with a liquid substance that was later determined to be a mix of clorox and water. At least 10 other delegates also were hit with liquid.

With police assistance, the delegation managed to break through the crowd and slip inside the security perimeter. The police quickly responded to the altercation and were able to prevent it from escalating further.

Let’s hope that the people responsible for these hideous actions are put away awhile. It’s also worth commending Rep. Simmons for responding to the anarchists’ attacks. That showed alot of bravery.

Demonstrations are one thing. Acts of violence aren’t tolerated. Acts of violence should be stopped with as much force as is necessary.

Technorati Tags: Anarchists, Protesters, Attempted Murder, Violence, First Amendment, Rob Simmons, Republican Convention

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

“We have been blessed with five wonderful children who we love with all our heart and mean everything to us. Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. We’re proud of Bristol’s decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents. As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support.

“Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family. We ask the media to respect our daughter and Levi’s privacy as has always been the tradition of children of candidates.”

Here’s what Dr. Richard Land, President of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, said in his official statement:

“This is the pro-life choice. The fact that people will criticize her for this shows the astounding extent to which the secular critics of the pro-life movement just don’t get it. Those who criticize the Palin family don’t understand that we don’t see babies as a punishment but as a blessing. Barack Obama said that if one of his daughters made a mistake and got pregnant out of wedlock he wouldn’t want her to be punished with a child. Pro lifers don’t see a child as punishment.”

Here’s Tony Perkins’ reaction to the news:

“Unfortunately, teenage pregnancy has become all too common in today*s society regardless of a family*s economic or social status. It is problem that we remain committed to reducing through encouraging young people to practice abstinence.

Fortunately, Bristol is following her mother and father*s example of choosing life in the midst of a difficult situation. We are committed to praying for Bristol and her husband to be and the entire Palin family and they walk through a very private matter in the eyes of the public.”

I’ll update this post as more reaction rolls in.

Technorati Tags: Sarah Palin, Todd Palin, Bristol Palin, Teen Pregnancies, Tony Perkins, Richard Land, Pro-Life, Personal Privacy

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

The McCain campaign raised more than $10 million in the two and a half days after Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was named as the vice presidential running mate, bringing the total raised in the month of August to more than $47 million, campaign officials tell ABC News.

The final, official figures are expected to be reported in the next few days, but the amount appears to be a record for the McCain campaign, almost twice as much as it has raised in any other single month.

“We’re still counting,” said campaign spokesman Brian Rogers.

Rush was right. A couple months ago, Rush was talking about the NRCC’s and NRSC’s anemic numbers, as well as McCain’s fundraising numbers. His opinion: When Republicans start acting like Republicans, the money will start flowing in. They did, starting with the House Oil Wars Rebellion. Donations have been improving ever since.

When Sen. McCain picked Gov. Palin, the floodgates flew open. Like Brian Rogers says, “We’re still counting.” That must bring a smile to Sen. McCain’s face. Following his acceptance speech Thursday night, he’ll get a check for $84 million. The good news is that Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin will be doing fundraisers for the RNC, which can spend the money on whichever race they choose.

Technorati Tags: RNC, John McCain, Sarah Palin, Fundraising, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

First lady Laura Bush said today that sexism aimed at Sarah Palin was a very real prospect and suggested Democrats watch what they say about the Alaska governor and John McCain’s ticketmate.

“The other side will have to be particularly careful,” Bush said in an interview on Fox News from St. Paul, “because that’s something we all looked at.” Questioned about whether Palin may face sexism from the media in the way Hillary Rodham Clinton supporters claim she did, Bush said: “I think that’s a possibility.”

The first lady, who had been planning to speak to the GOP convention tonight before Gustav scrambled the schedule, expressed pride in Palin.

“I’m going to get what I wanted, which is to be able to vote for a Republican woman,” Bush said. “People, as they get to know her, are going to be so impressed with her grit and her sensible judgment.” “She has shown how terrific women can be, and how strong women can be, in office.”

The Left’s smear websites have already thrown alot of conspiracy theories out there. None have stuck. In fact, Kos has retreated from the story that Sarah Palin didn’t give birth to Trig, that it was their daughter’s illegitimate child.

The more conspiracy theories that the Left tries throwing at Gov. Palin, the bigger the backlash against the Left will be.

Mrs. Bush is right, though. The more people get to know Gov. Palin, the more they’ll love about her. I can’t remember where I read this but someone was making the point that Sarah Palin doesn’t fit nicely in a box of any sort. She’s unabashedly conservative. Her husband is a proud member of a union but he isn’t a registered Republican. She’s staunchly pro-life and an evangelical Christian who won a local beauty pageant. She’s a picture of femininity and an avid outdoorsman. (That fits the description of a tomboy, doesn’t it?)

Any attempts by Democrats to smear her will hurt the Obama-Biden ticket almost as much as Biden hurts the Obama-Biden ticket.

Technorati Tags: Laura Bush, Sarah Palin, Christian, Outdoorsman, Beauty Queen, John McCain, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

You can listen to PRR here:

This morning, Kevin has a new post up. It seems that last night’s callers have given Kevin a new perspective.

Many thanks to Kevin. If you aren’t listening regularly to PRR, I strongly encourage you to start. You’ll be glad you did. It’s worth noting that PRR relies heavily on the blogosphere for its information. Kevin frequently gets great guests like Col. Ralph Peters, Michael Yon and other top names.

Make sure you bookmark PRR’s blog, too. It’s always great reading.

Technorati Tags: Sarah Palin, Talk Radio, Pundit Review Radio, Ralph Peters, Michael Yon, Blogs, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

“Israel will have to reconcile itself with the nuclearization of Iran,” Army Radio quoted Biden as telling the unnamed officials. “It’s doubtful if the economic sanctions will be effective, and I am against opening an additional military and diplomatic front.”

If these reports are accurate, then Sen. Biden has just told Israel to accept a death penalty. It’s obvious that Sen. Biden doesn’t take Iran’s threats to blow Israel off the map seriously.

It won’t take long before Obama-Biden will be backtracking from Sen. Biden’s statement. They should be embarrassed. We started the weekend worried that Sen. Obama didn’t have the national security/foreign policy credibility. Serious people thought that Sen. Biden would bring that credibility to the ticket. (I wasn’t one of them but serious people thought that’s what he’d bring to the table.)

That myth was just shattered.

Don’t think that Jewish voters, whose support was already tepid, won’t notice. Don’t think that they won’t be repulsed by Sen. Biden’s statement. Don’t think that that won’t cripple the Obama-Biden ticket in Florida. It certainly will. Initially, Florida’s Jewish community had their doubts about Sen. Obama. It was thought that Sen. Biden would shore up Sen. Obama’s credibility.

This report destroys that.

This dispels the myth, too, that Sen. Biden is a great foreign policy guru. He isn’t. He’s a foreign policy disaster. Let’s remember his presumptuous plan to tell the sovereign Iraqi government to split into three independent countries. This was a stupid plan right from the start. It hadn’t dawned on Sen. Biden that an independent Kurdistan would quickly become rich and would destabilize the region.

His plan also would’ve given Anbar Province to AQI and forced southern Iraq into a strong allegiance with Iran.

Prior to Sen. Biden’s most recent gaffe, Democrats planned on telling voters that they couldn’t risk voting for someone as inexperienced as Gov. Palin. That argument just disappeared. When the American people hear about this, I suspect that they won’t put a high priority on experience. I suspect that they’ll put a higher priority on judgment.

Technorati Tags: Israel, Iran, Nuclear Weapons, Joe Biden, National Security, Jewish Vote, Florida, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

Energy Plan
We must control our own destiny, our own future. The world is a volatile place and we cannot rely on foreign suppliers of energy. We must become more self reliant. With that in mind Jeff will push to bring online more sources of energy, not just for tomorrow, but for the next 20 or more years it will take to bridge the gap to advanced Hydrogen Cars and other new technologies.

Oil. We must access the oil we have by increased drilling. That includes Oil Shale, ANWR and Offshore. Strategically, we need to increase our refining capacity.

Clean Coal. This resource can carry a large part of the electrical generation needs and we must continue to use it extensively.

Natural Gas. In addition to power generation, as an interim measure, Natural Gas can be also used as fuel for our Cars. It is a resource we are rich in.

Nuclear. We must increase Nuclear Power use. Not only can we use it here but it is an outstanding potential export. Land based US Technology Nuclear Plants need to be exported to help reduce worldwide demand for oil. Nuclear Power Barges (like the Army’s Sturgis) show how we can create, sell and deploy Nuclear Power while still maintaining control of the technology.

Solar. This technology has made advances that can reduce fossil fuel consumption on a local household and business level

Wind. Wind energy is an outstanding American opportunity. In the Rockies and on the Coast of Massachusetts, Wind is a money maker. We can build wind turbines here in our abandoned industrial base, providing much needed good manufacturing jobs as we reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Cities and Towns are using wind power for their schools and municipal buildings reducing need for fossil fuels and saving taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in fuel costs in their communities.

Hydroelectric and Tidal Energy. These sources are underexploited, particularly Tidal. Advances in these technologies will soon harness ocean and tidal currents to supplement rivers and relieve our dependence on foreign oil. Here too, we have the potential for new, good paying, manufacturing jobs.

All of these measures, and more, are part of a comprehensive energy plan that will start reducing the cost of oil in the near term and will allow America’s families to minimize the effects of skyrocketing oil prices as we work towards new supplies and new technologies that will come online in the next 20-30 years. Jeff knows that we must control our own energy future and he will make sure we do.

Let’s be realistic: Jeff faces an uphill fight. Like William Russell running against John Murtha, this won’t be easy. Running against an incumbent always is.

Let’s be clear, though: Defeating JFK II is doable. I don’t think his record of supporting radical environmentalism will be particularly appealing with gas this expensive.

Jeff’s energy policy isn’t the only appealing part of his agenda. Based on his taxes issue page, it’s clear that Jeff believes that taxpayers should keep more of their money. Massachusetts is one of the hardest hit states in terms of taxes, which is why many former Bostonians now reside in New Hampshire. Here’s Jeff’s position on taxes:

Jeff’s stance on taxation has and always will be firm: we need to cut taxes. This is the fastest way to give every American worker a pay raise and part of a comprehensive package to get our economy moving again. When your taxes are lower, you have more money to take care of what matters most, your family. It’s that simple. Jeff believes government needs a strong dose of fiscal discipline. Only by controlling spending and making government smaller can we accomplish the healthy and growing economy we expect. It’s your money, and Jeff wants to help you keep more of it.

Jeff throws in a great shot at Sen. Kerry. Here’s that shot:

Jeff has been hit by high taxes the same way many of you have. He paid for college by working as a Teamster and met a payroll as the founder of a successful homeland security company. Unlike John Kerry, who has never created a business and has long abandoned the needs of regular people, Jeff understands the financial burdens we all face with, from the grocery store to the gas pump.

Isn’t it time we all chipped in and helped retire Sen. Blowhard? Isn’t it time that we helped put someone with a feel for the real world in Washington? Nobody can seriously say that Sen. Kerry has a clue about what the average person deals with on a daily basis.

Having run a company, complying with the regulations and paying taxes, it’s safe to say that Jeff Beatty knows plenty about real life. It’s time that we did everything we can to get Jeff elected. Follow this link to contribute to Jeff Beatty’s victory.

Technorati Tags: Jeff Beatty, John Kerry, Energy Policy, Environment, Drilling, Alternatives, Tax Cuts, Fiscal Restraint, Small Business, Regulations, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

Hmm: Palin isn’t running for president; she’s running for vice president. Last time I checked, John McCain isn’t dying. And if experience is your worry, there’s plenty to worry about on the opposing ticket if, God forbid, something happens to Joe Biden.

AMEN, Kirsten. That thought should scare the living bejeebers out of thoughtful voters all across the nation. It’s impossible to forget Sen. Obama’s deer-in-the-headlights look when Russia invaded Georgia. If not for that, Obama likely would’ve picked Kathleen Sebelius as his running mate:

“He really wanted [Kansas Gov. Kathleen] Sebelius,” says one Obama insider with knowledge of the Democrat candidate’s vetting process. “And if our European tour had played better here at home, she might have been the pick.”

But, says the insider, the campaign’s internal polling indicated what the public polling indicated, that Obama failed in his European sojourn to build out his foreign policy credentials. “We needed the foreign policy on the bottom of the ticket more than we want to admit,” says the insider.

That isn’t the only wisdom found in Ms. Powers’ column. Here’s another great tidbit of wisdom:

Palin’s challenge is to avoid any major gaffes that give the media the excuse to expand on its narrative-in-the-making that she’s a ditzy beauty queen from Nowheresville who was only chosen because of her ovaries.

Yes, being a woman was a factor in the choice, but fully in keeping with the way smart veep picks are always made: She energizes the ticket with the whiff of change and could attract disgruntled Hillary voters. And now the Democratic ticket isn’t the only one that can lay claim to making hsitory.

Yes, her being a woman played a significant role in Sen. McCain picking her. So what? That isn’t her only qualification. The fact that she took on the corrupt Alaskan GOP old boys network and beat them is impossible to ignore. There isn’t a reform-minded conservative that doesn’t think that that’s an important quality. It’s obvious that it meant alot to Sen. McCain.

There’s good reason to pick a proven reformer: people see Washington as being badly broken. That shows up in the right track/wrong track number shows that 80+ percent of Americans think we’re heading in the wrong direction. Status quo politics won’t cut it this year. Sarah Palin is a genuine anti-status quo candidate. In fact, the McCain-Palin ticket is the only one committed to reforming Washington.

Yes, I know that Sen. Obama has talked endlessly about changing Washington but he’s never mentioned a single specific what he’d change. As I said last night, change and reform aren’t the same thing.

In light of the Obama campaign’s attempt to silence investigator Stanley Kurtz, it isn’t impossible to make a case that Sen. Obama would abuse the federal government’s powers to silence his critics.

The rest of her personal story is just as compelling: a working mother with five kids (one on the way to Iraq) and a husband in the Steelworkers Union. She’s gorgeous and feminine but she hunts and fishes. She’s charismatic and a good speaker. She’s the kind of woman you’d like to have a beer with.

Don’t think that she won’t sell in blue collar Michigan and in churches across Ohio and Pennsylvania. The fact that she views her Down’s Syndrome infant as a “gift from God” screams “I walk the walk” to pro-life Catholics and evangelicals. It’s even enough to make Dick Morris get a little mushy. You can’t get more pro-life than that.

Don’t think that that won’t matter in Virginia and North Carolina, too.

The fact that she’s proudly identified herself as a hockey mom gives her a distinct advantage with suburban women, too. (Can you picture Joe Biden appealing to these women? I can’t.)

Finally, there’s this observation:

I actually buy the Obama camp’s original argument that Washington experience isn’t the only thing that matters. Life experience, thoughtfulness, intellectual curiosity, a willingness to listen and learn, shared values and an ability to inspire and communicate, all count as much.

I’ll finish this post where I started it. I agree with Kirsten on this. How can I not when I’ve argued that critical thinking ability is more important than experience? Sarah Palin’s authenticity shines through whether we’re talking about her taking on corruption within her party or whether we’re talking about her living out her pro-life convictions.

Unless I’m misreading the polling, I’d say Sen. McCain has made a potentially brilliant choice.

Technorati Tags: Sarah Palin, Pro Life, Hockey Mom, John McCain, Reformer, The Base, Christians, Suburban Voters, GOTV, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

Here are a couple of concerns Kevin raises:

McCain turns 72 years old today. When thinking about a VP, I believe voters look at them and think, “can I imagine this person as president”. For all his flaws, Joe Biden passes that test. Will Sarah Palin? I don’t know?

Can she hold her own against a hostile press corps? How about against Joe Biden for that matter? The only honest answer is that nobody knows. I saw her about a month ago on Larry Kudlow’s TV show and I thought she did ok, not great, just ok. If that was my impression watching her in friendly territory, how will she do when really pressed?

With all due respect to Kevin, Joe Biden only passes the test stylistically. That isn’t nearly good enough for me. It’s why I ignored statements like this or that candidate “looks presidential.” When Sen. Obama took his overseas trip, especially after his meetings with President Sarkozy and PM Brown and in his ‘Citizen of the World’ speech in Berlin, the press practically wet their pants in talking about how presidential he looked.

Back then, I told a friend that it only took an expensive suit, a fresh haircut and a manicure to look presidential. I said that it’s another thing to be presidential.

People noticed the difference when Russia invaded Georgia. That’s when people saw Sen. McCain looking and acting presidential.

Kevin cited Gov. Palin’s interview with Larry Kudlow, saying that she looked ok, not great. I didn’t see the interview so I’ll take Kevin’s word on that. The Sarah Palin that addressed the frienzied crowd in Dayton looked absolutely poised. Yes, she was introduced to a friendly crowd but she was also making history. I’d be surprised if there weren’t a ton of butterflies loose in the pit of her stomach. She nailed that speech.

Allahpundit raises other serious concerns:

Whatever you think of Barry O, he’s got intelligence to spare to handle the job; a voter worried that Obama doesn’t know what he’s in for can console himself with the fact that he’ll be a quick study. That may be true of Palin too but she doesn’t have much time to show it, which is why every last mistake on the trail will be magnified to “prove” that she’s a hick who’s out of her depth.

I don’t buy that argument in this sense. If she makes a tiny error, Keith Olberman, Chris Matthews, the Agenda Media and the Nutroots will cite this as proof that she isn’t fit to be vice president. Big deal. Conservative naysayers like David Frum and Ramesh Punnuru likely will too, mostly to make the case that they were right.

Now let’s get to the heart of the matter. I’ll cede the point that Sarah Palin’s Rolodez isn’t filled with the names of every world leader. Neither is Sen. Obama’s, which brings me to this point: There’s a tradeoff this election.

Do we want an inexperienced man as commander-in-chief or an inexperienced woman as a heartbeat away from being commander-in-chief?

Another legitimate question is whether Sen. McCain could’ve picked someone else that would’ve had more experience. The answer is yes. He could’ve picked Joe Lieberman but that would’ve caused trouble with the GOP base. It also would’ve said that McCain was bringing in another traditional inside-the-Beltway thinker. With this being a change election, that pick would’ve been a disaster.

Now let me make the case for Sarah Palin.

It’s true that Sarah Palin isn’t the polished old pro on national security matters. I’ll defy anyone to prove that she isn’t a quick learner, though. Her son leaves for Iraq in 10 days. Anyone think that she won’t be paying attention to everything that’s happening there? I’m betting that she’ll become real familiar real quick on foreign policy matters.

Wh