I survived the McCain/Palin campaign event in Colorado Springs. While I'm writing up an article about it for Salon, here's an open thread for you.

I'm humming, With G-d on our side.

What else is going on today?

This is an open thread.

The religious right's love affair with Sarah Palin didn't prevent Leslee Unruh, president of the National Abstinence Clearinghouse, from questioning whether Palin has strayed too far from a centerpiece of religious right orthodoxy.

John McCain and the GOP platform say children should be taught that abstinence until marriage is the only safe way to avoid pregnancy and disease. Palin's position is less clear. In a widely quoted 2006 survey she answered during her gubernatorial campaign, Palin said she supported abstinence-until-marriage programs. But weeks later, she proclaimed herself "pro-contraception" and said condoms ought to be discussed in schools alongside abstinence.

Unruh hasn't exactly accused Palin of flip-flopping on abstinence-only education, but she criticized Palin for suggesting that kids should learn that contraception is an alternative way to avoid pregnancy. Unruh said Palin's mixed message is "disjointed" and unclear and urged Palin to get on board with a "clear and concise" abstinence-only philosophy. Two days later, perhaps having received a "shut up" memo, Unruh dismissed Palin's pro-contraception comments as "old" and said she supports Palin in every way. Yet Palin's spokesperson says Palin stands by her remarks. [more...]

Greg Sargent, while reporting on Obama's strategy vis a vis Palin (Obama agrees with me, do not focus on Palin), comes up with an interesting idea:

One idea that's being kicked around by Dems: Because huge amounts of media coverage of Palin are inevitable, why not start pushing the idea that she's upstaging the guy who's supposed to be at the top of the ticket? The idea here is that her speeches will energize audiences more than his will, and she'll prove a stronger fundraising draw than he will -- facts that Dems can point to in order to portray McCain as being diminished and overshadowed by his more-charismatic and energetic number-two.

(Emphasis mine.) I am not sure I buy it, but it is certainly a better idea than acting as if Palin is the top of the ticket.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

Here's a comparison of Gov. Sarah Palin and President George W. Bush, demonstrating their similarities.

In Gov. Palin, the GOP has its new Bush, same as the old Bush, but more polished, more presentable, more user-friendly than the original ever was -- and, they hope, still fresh and unencumbered enough to run as a "maverick" against the legacy of Dubya 1.0's failures.

The examples on the second page of the article are striking:

If there's a common cause for Bush and Palin's less-than-complex worldview -- one that should disturb the security minded of both parties -- it's their profound disinterest in understanding or even experiencing other countries and cultures.

The mastermind behind both: Karl Rove. [more...]

The Alaska Daily News takes Gov. Sarah Palin to task for stonewalling the TrooperGate investigation.

The paper outlines details of the investigation into allegations of Palin's, her family and staff's misuse of office and says:

She should be practicing the open and transparent, ethical and accountable government she promised when running for governor and boasts about now that she's on the national stage.

The paper reminds her that she once said she welcomed an investigation and said "Hold me accountable" but instead of complying with the independent investigation launched by the legislature, is trying to move it to an agency within the executive branch which she controls.

[More...]

It's a relatively quiet schedule in college football today. The game that will get the most attention is the renewal of the haphazardly played Florida- Miami matchup. Miami has won the last 6 times the game was played, but that has been over the course of 25 years. Today the Gators are 3 touchdown favorites in in The Swamp. Last week the Gators beat Hawaii 56-10. Miami beat Charleston Southern 52-7.

Go Gators!

This is an Open Thread.

Imam Mohammad Qatanani is fortunate that his case wasn't heard by an immigration judge selected by Monica Goodling on the basis of fealty to a right wing ideology. Alberto Riefkohl began working as an immigration judge before George Bush took office. He has a reputation for fairness. Yesterday Reifkohl denied the government's deportation request, a decision that will allow Qatanani to become a permanent resident of the United States.

Immigration authorities argued that Qatanani, the spiritual leader of the Islamic Center of Passaic County, New Jersey, failed to disclose on his residency application an arrest and conviction in Israel for assisting Hamas. Qatanani argued that he was administratively detained for three months but never convicted.

Via Crooks and Liars:

Asked in 1996, her first year in office, about her ability to “effectively run” the city, Palin claimed:

“It’s not rocket science,” Palin said, “It’s $6 million and 53 employees.”

This is an open thread.

You don't win elections with one hand tied behind your back. The Democrats need to come out swinging against Sarah Palin, the unqualified, radical right choice of John McCain to occupy the nation's second most powerful leadership position. The fact that she's under investigation for abuse of power alone should be enough to disqualify her. Tell her to come back after she's been cleared and has shown she brings something other than tokenism to the job.

The Democratic strategists and pundits who think Obama should ignore Palin and stick to debating the issues are the best example of why the Democrats lost the last two elections.

Steve Hamm, a senior writer at Business Week, worries about the nation's diminishing role as a world leader.

Over the past eight years, the United States has lost a tremendous amount of influence on the world. The Bush administration's stance on global warming, its bullying style, the war in Iraq, and lack of leadership on fair trade have left the country as an outlier in the global community of nations rather than a true leader. So one of the most important tasks of the next president will be to fix that.

Hamm views John McCain as "positively enlightened" compared to Bush. McCain talks about the need to lead "by demonstrating once again the virtues of freedom and democracy, by defending the rules of international civilized society and by creating the new international institutions necessary to advance the peace and freedoms we cherish." But Hamm quite rightly worries that McCain undermined that position by selecting a vice presidential candidate who counteracts his message. [more ...]

More than three years ago, TalkLeft asked whether Bruce Lisker, who was convicted of killing his mother, is innocent. Some of the jurors in his trial, having heard about new evidence in his case, were questioning his guilt, as was the prosecutor who tried the case.

Lisker was convicted a quarter of a century ago. Two years ago, a federal magistrate held a hearing, listened to evidence, and produced a 57 page report concluding that Lisker's evidence of actual innocence was so strong that he should be granted an exception to the one year period that inmates have to pursue federal habeas corpus after a state conviction becomes final. The magistrate decided that the evidence against Lisker was so weak that no reasonable jury, hearing all of it, would find Lisker guilty. The strongest evidence against him -- multiple confessions given by the frightened teenager during prolonged interrogations -- had little probative value. [more ...]

Politico:

Hillary Rodham Clinton has no intention of becoming a Sarah Palin attack dog — but has no qualms going after John McCain, people close to the former first lady say. “She’s not the answer when it comes to winning conservative women — she never was — and we’re not going to be anybody’s attack dog against Sarah Palin,” said a Clinton insider. “To be fair to Obama’s people, they haven’t asked us to do that.”

Slamming Palin to win back women already hostile to Obama is pointless, the insider said, because Clinton’s most loyal base is working-class voters, not women in particular. “Attacking Palin is checkers, attacking McCain on the economy is chess.” Clinton will continue to yoke McCain and Palin to President Bush on pocketbook issues.

(Emphasis supplied.) Everyone got the memo except the Left blogs it seems.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only