Professor Bainbridge...on law, politics, religion, culture & food

C’mon prof - let’s be honest about what the problem is here, namely that McCain didn’t do his due diligence in vetting Palin, unless, of course, you’re will to argue that he knew about the baby (the least relevant revelation, by the way), troopergate, her support for the bridge to nowhere and earmarks, etc., etc., etc.  If McCain knew all of this and went ahead anyway, he’s an idiot as he had to know the firestorm that would result.  If he didn’t he’s so reckless he’s got no business running for President.  Either way, he’s go no one but himself to blame for it.

Quoting Michelle Malkin is, like Godwin’s Law, a sign that you have lost.

tbogg--I guess that’s one way to avoid dealing with inconvenient facts, but Jann Wenner, the publisher of US Weekly, IS a prominent Obama supporter and that datum is obviously relevant to Rick Klein’s speculation.  It’s called context.  In this case, the additional context undermines Klein’s entire speculation.  But don’t let facts get in the way of your axe-grinding.

I think Rickm has a point when he says the McCain camp weren’t prepared for the firestorm.  The majority of the mainstream media is hopelessly and transparently biased, which doesn’t help, but mainly they’re like a guard dog that doesn’t like surprises, and wakes up barking and snarling.

Their natural inclination to any surprise is to find somebody to attack--usually the nearest Republican.  (See:  Katrina--the real buffoon of that disaster was the hopelessly inept Democrat Governor Kathleen Blanco, whose utter incompetence in the face of the disaster went largely unnoticed by the media in their stampede to blame President Bush.)

You’re nuts, filbert.

Quoting the Wall Street Journal, is, like Godwin’s Law, a sign that you have lost.

re: roly on 09/03 at 04:41 PM

Thanks for noticing!  <grin>

I predict Sarah Palin will give a very good speach tonight and the next major hurdle for her will be the debate with Biden.  Of course, she will be out on the road inbetween.  Nevertheless, I am sure we will be treated with on going lessons from Andrew Sullivan on why McCain is so incompetent and reckless, Barack is so good and intelligent, and Sarah Palin is so pathetic, liar, unvetted, etc.  I don’t care about the press investigating Sarah Palin, it should, but to say this current process is the least bit fair or balanced on the part of the MSM and the left is insane.  It is so OTT and mean spirited that I predict it will help McCain and Palin in the long run. 

Fortunately, selection of the president still goes to the voters.  Andrew does not even get a vote.

I have yet to hear any conservative give satisfactory answers to the following:

1) Why McCain’s background-vetting staff didn’t even arrive in Alaska until the day before he announced the pick (reported by NYT, not disputed by McCain);

2) Why no one in the Alaska Republican Party, and none of Palin’s neighbors or co-workers, report being questioned by McCain’s people (again reported by NYT, not disputed by McCain);

3) Why, if McCain knew that Palin’s daughter was pregnant, he didn’t let the story leak BEFORE announcing the pick (which would have seriously reduced the public damage here).  Why, for example, Palin herself didn’t call a press conference 2-3 days prior to the announcement to tell Alaskan media about the pregnancy;

4) Why Palin and McCain are both refusing to talk to reporters, which would seem to be the most necessary and obvious step for damage control after the disastrous weekend they’ve had;

5) Whether Palin believes or doesn’t believe that Palestinian terrorism is sent by God to punish Jews for rejecting Christ (as was preached to her, without apparent disagreement, on Sunday 17AUG).

Joel--I have yet to hear a satisfactory explanation as to how the pregnancy of Palin’s daughter has any relevance to Palin’s competence to be Vice President.

And if you believe that her pastor’s reported remarks are fair game and require a public response from Palin, I assume you are just as eager to make sure that Sen. Obama gives a specific response to each and every sermon or stupid remark Rev. Wright has ever delivered, right?  Of course, I haven’t seen any evidence that Palin’s pastor has the sort intimate spiritual advisor role in her life that Rev. Wright indisputably has occupried in Sen. Obama’s life.  Have you?

Ed, I thought R’s were supposed to be better than D’s.  If your only response is that “Obama is worse” then you have already lost.

Can you answer any of my questions WITHOUT referencing Obama, Democrats, or people who hate America?  What, in the end, was McCain thinking?

Watching the convention it is painfully obvious that the republican party is running a campaign against the republican party.

Joel: Some answers:

1) Why McCain’s background-vetting staff didn’t even arrive in Alaska until the day before he announced the pick (reported by NYT, not disputed by McCain).

Actually, the NYT got this wrong.  Culverhouse (the lead vetter) was in Alaska months ago.  See:

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/mccain-didnt-vet-palin-meme-has-serious-holes/

And the McCain camp has disputed this (the team arriving the day before was not a vetting team). See: 

http://www.johnmccain.com/McCainReport/Read.aspx?guid=5f9faddd-4d87-4b78-a1e9-ef2826498d31

3) Why, if McCain knew that Palin’s daughter was pregnant, he didn’t let the story leak BEFORE announcing the pick (which would have seriously reduced the public damage here).  Why, for example, Palin herself didn’t call a press conference 2-3 days prior to the announcement to tell Alaskan media about the pregnancy;

First – not sure there is any damage.  This makes Palin seem more like an average voter and therefore probably helps more than hurts.  Anyway, a pre-announcement press conference would not have prevented the national media from eventually running with the story, on the grounds that it is supposedly relevant to issues like abstinence education and evangelical judgmentalism.  And having it come out in the way it did certainly fueled the fire of the party’s base.

4) Why Palin and McCain are both refusing to talk to reporters, which would seem to be the most necessary and obvious step for damage control after the disastrous weekend they’ve had;

Palin needed to make a great first impression, and she stood a much better chance of doing that on her terms in her acceptance speech than in front of hostile reporters.  So no interviews until after the convention.  The speech was pretty effective “damage control”.

5) Whether Palin believes or doesn’t believe that Palestinian terrorism is sent by God to punish Jews for rejecting Christ (as was preached to her, without apparent disagreement, on Sunday 17AUG).

She has made it clear she does not believe this.  See: 

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0908/Palin_spokesman_disavows_Brickner.html?showall

Tracy, it’s odd that you skip question 2, since it would seem to disprove your response to question 1.  Perhaps you should try again.

On 3 - You’re really not sure there was any damage?  Come again?

On 4 - I’ll give you that, though it seems to prove that she is, after all, not ready for prime time.  Biden met the press repeatedly before the D convention.

On 5 - Glad to hear it.