Do you have a source on this? I'd be interested to read it.

Because it proves that she didn't listen. No one does.

Apparently McCain's been hiring from the remains of the Clinton campaign.

I guess McCain's too afraid to criticize Obama on any real issues.

The Sarah Palin choice has said a lot about McCain's judgment and temperament. There's pretty strong evidence coming out that his team didn't do much research or vetting of her background. McCain wanted Joe Lieberman--because of the headlines it would grab and how "mavericky" of a choice it would be--but his advisors worried that the religious right would revolt. So McCain panicked at the last minute because of the Democratic convention and made a knee-jerk reactionary choice. I mean, he only met Palin once or twice before picking her as a running mate.

It's interesting to see conservatives rally around her, without really knowing anything about her record. I mean, she is at direct odds with some of McCain's supposedly signature positions.

McCain claims that he will veto every bill with earmarks. He's cited the Alaskan "Bridge to Nowhere" as one of the worst ones, even mentioning it in a campaign ad. (Source)

Yet Palin ran on a "build-the-bridge" platform in the 2006 gubernatorial race and was an advocate of the earmark that secured the federal funding. It was only after the project became a national joke did she switch her position to save political face. (Source)

As mayor of Wasila, she hired a lobbying firm to secure a huge amount of federal funding in the form of earmarks for Wasilla: $27 million over the course of 4 years for a town of less than 7,000 people.(Source) and (Source)

McCain on 527 groups: "The 527s need to be eliminated... 527s are a disgrace and they have to be eliminated because they're clearly in violation of the law."

Palin was a director of a 527 group. The name of the group: "Ted Stevens Excellence in Public Service." Senator Stevens is facing criminal charges in a corruption scandal.

I know you were joking but...

Actually, John McCain just hired the GOP operative that smeared him and his family in the 2000 Republican South Carolina primary.

John McCain on Tucker Eskew in 2000: "I believe that there is a special place in hell for people like those."

McCain Campaign in 2008: "He's one of the best and most collaborative talents in Republican politics."

(Source)



Rick Davis, McCain's campaign manager:
"This election is not about issues. This election is about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates."

(mccain picked her because there's no way at this point that mccain can possibly win)

(so he has a scapegoat)

(because nobody else was willing to tarnish their political career by being connected to such an abortion of a campaign)

Oh wow. Does McCain still want to talk about judgment?

I'd screw her.

The vice presidential position is the most useless position in the entire executive branch. Their only jobs are to cast the tie breaking vote in the senate and to protect the space time continuum.

The latter job has gotten somewhat more difficult since the death of Gygax. I wonder who they're going to replace him with.

If he chose Palin to appease the religious right, then Barry Goldwater is spinning in his grave.

I don't know where this belongs

Hahahahaha

I don't know what's more funny. The look of disgust on Obama's face, or that Bill didn't get any.

Hahaha!

NO PLAY FOR BILL!

I was going to respond to this earlier, but I lost my post. Obviously Bristol's situation proves nothing, as it's a single instance and entirely anecdotal. I suspect few in the media are actually saying that this literally proves anything, and clearly those who are saying so are wrong. It's hard not to see this, however, as a poignant illustration of the problems we already know arise from a lack of sex education. Those problems aren't limited to failure to use contraception (as I suppose we can assume was the case for the young Ms. Palin), they also include incorrect use or misuse of otherwise effective birth control methods, and engaging in other high-risk sexual behaviors due to the fear of getting pregnant.

More disturbing is this idea that the child is a 'punishment'.

I love all this talk about how she wasn't vetted. I highly doubt any of this stuff is a surprise to the McCain campaign. They were probably counting on the conservative backlash of support.



These problems certainly aren't limited to the issues you cite as they would also include attitudes such as yours.



As I looked for some credible links on the issue I see that I may have slightly erred. To me, it doesn't change my opinion but you can judge for yourself. In Illinois Senate testimony he said:

"As I understand it, this puts the burden on the attending physician who has determined, since they were performing this procedure, that, in fact, this is a nonviable fetus; that if that fetus, or child - however way you want to describe it - is now outside the mother's womb and the doctor continues to think that it's nonviable but there's, let's say, movement or some indication that, in fact, they're not just coming out limp and dead, that, in fact, they would then have to call a second physician to monitor and check off and make sure that this is not a live child that could be saved." link

So apparently he objected to having another doctor essentially certify that the botched abortion / birthed fetus was indeed non-viable as it was outside the womb and still alive.

What I think I confused was that this: ("His campaign yesterday acknowledged that he had voted against an identical bill in the state Senate, and a spokesman, Hari Sevugan, said the senator and other lawmakers had concerns that even as worded, the legislation could have undermined existing Illinois abortion law. Those concerns did not exist for the federal bill, because there is no federal abortion law.") essentially tells me he voted against it because it undermined abortion law when it clearly didn't.



You're very intelligent but I have a feeling you're going to be proved wrong here. As spotty as the McCain campaign has been there is little chance that such a radically liberal ticket like Obama's will get more votes.

This is the kind of statement that usually comes with a bit of explanation.

You have the situation backwards, Wookie. The legislation didn't require a second opinion if the original doctor deemed the fetus non-viable. The legislation required a second opinion only if the original doctor thought the fetus was born alive.

You're leaving out an important part of the context. He argued that if the original doctor performing the procedure believes the birthed fetus is viable, then the doctor already has an ethical and legal obligation to provide care, which is why a second opinion isn't needed.



Here is the transcript of the legislature's proceedings(pdf file) (pages 30-34 are relevant)

Im curious what people think of this.



Oh also, Sarah Palins son is going to be a few months older than her grandson:
http://alaskareport.com/news48/x61145_trig.htm

Honestly, it's a badly written post on a blog with questionable sources.

I don't believe any 17-year-old is prepared to raise a child. That baby should go to a family that wants it and can care for it properly.

Or else the baby may become a homosexual

You can't force someone to put their child up for adoption just because they're 17.

Why can't you?

You're not old enough to smoke cigarettes until you're 18.

You're not old enough to drive a car until you're 16.

You're not old enough to drink until you're 21.

But apparently you can raise a kid whenever you damn well please?

someone who names their children things like Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper, and Trig should not be allowed to run for office.

Track is a thing you race on
Bristol is a place
Willow is a tree
Piper is either a bird/plane/someone who plays the pipes.
and Trig...is short for Trigonometry?

wtf?

I dunno, there's Diva, Ahmet, Dweezil and Moon Unit but I'd have voted for Frank if he was still alive and was into that kind of things.

>.>

I'd name my kid Moon Unit.

Tell that to Cheney.

Matthew McConaughey's brother, named Rooster, has a son named Miller Light McConaughey.

eh screw it.

Also, Willow is a perfectly fine name for a girl, or for a midget with magical powers.

Yeah, you know, instead of with its actual parents with a loving extended family to mentor and help. God forbid the woman take responsibility for her actions. I thought the governor's statement summed it up well. And that last sentence is so utterly offensive, it's like your brain is wired wrong, or something.



You only seemed concerned with the possible "negative" effects of kids being educated to wait until they are ready to have sex and less with the far more negative effects encouraging them to have "safe" sex may lead to.



I linked to the same transcript in my post. But, sure, I can see how it is perfectly reasonable for the abortionist who botched the procedure to be the only one involved in determining the viability.

What? What is so wrong with ****ing? Kids should be allowed to **** all they want as long as they do it safely.

Virginity is not something to be cherished. This isn't the goddamn Victorian Era.

Wookie I have a guess what might be wrong with your brain. It appears to me that your brain has been washed.

Responsibility for her actions? How is putting it up for adoption NOT being responsible? I don't care what you think, but being raised by 17-year-old parents who only got married because they didn't know how to have sex IS NOT a good situation for any child.

And how the hell is my last sentence offensive? My birth mother was 21, my father didn't want to stick around, she had no money or resources to care for me, and realized that taking on a child wouldn't be fair to either one of us. It would destroy most of the dreams and goals she had in her life, and I wouldn't have two stable parents who actually WANTED a child. Giving me up was the best possible thing she or ANYONE could ever do.

I was in the exact same situation, except my mother kept me. Keeping me was the best possible thing she or ANYONE could ever do.

Get a clue, Vinny. Not everyone is your mother.

Haha, the way you phrased that made it seem like you think you're the most important person in the world.

From my perspective, I am. Incidentally, I copied Vinny pretty much verboten, so your comment also applies to him.

Well, let's see.



The absolute arrogance. I could infer by your words that you look at things through such a prism as Obama. That this child is punishment for the young lady that must have simply made a mistake. That this girl must indeed not want her child because who would? Giving it away would definitely be what she should do but why go there? The trauma of carrying a baby to term and giving it away might also be too much for this poor girl. Abortion would certainly be the best for her emotional health.

Now, I don't necessarily believe you think those things but your words imply that the baby is obviously not wanted by its biological family. Now I don't even believe that you necessarily believe that. But that is what those words imply.

It seems to me that this baby is wanted by the family it will have when it is born. There is nothing wrong with that.



I know nothing of the father's family other than the mother supports her son in this life changing situation but to imply that this mother and father, with the obvious support they will get from the Palin family, will be unable to properly care for the baby is the height of arrogance.

Of course this is going to be a life changing, stressful, and difficult time for these young adults but diminishing their commitment to care for the child as a family is the same type of attitude that has led to many of the problems we now face in our society. In my ever so humble opinion.

By the way, tonight Palin is speaking at the RNC. I'm interested to see if she responds to the attacks and how good of a public speaker she turns out to be.