side of fries

More speeches like this, please.

I’ve been grouchy lately so today I scaled my political news peruses waaaaay back to gain some perspective.   Here’s what I know today:  I get that people see the world differently and have many and varied experiences which lead to a preference for one candidate over another.  Fair enough.  What tees me off is the LYING.   Hilzoy explains why it’s so damaging and cynical here. They’re peeing on our legs and telling us it’s raining.  Time to call BS.

My favorite live blogger responding to an excerpt of Palin’s speech.  Starts at 8:26 ..

How can Sarah Palin be Vice President if she lacks the interest and background in foreign policy to help lead America into an intractable, unnecessary war?  A compelling personal story just isn’t enough, sister.   On the other hand, if she can field dress an 80-year-old Texas lawyer that she’s just shot in the face, she might have the chops after all.

Having once mistaken a baby goat (goatling?) for a baby cow (calfling?), I am not what one would call an animal expert.  So color me super impressed to know that Sarah Palin can field-dress a moose.  Woohoo!  Now if she only knew what a Vice President does everyday.

Here’s a live-blog of last night’s events full of good humor and critique.

Her speech will be energetic and forceful.  The crowd will adore her.  She’ll spend some time on biography, some on her alleged reforming/mavericking ways and will remind everyone that McCain was a POW.  She’ll come across as a tough, (but likable) chick and everyone will ooh and awe at her just-like-us-ness.  What I don’t know is if she’ll go after Obama directly.  If she does, many in the convention hall will wet their collective pants with glee.   I hope Sean Hannity brings a second pair of dockers, just in case.

That’s all.

I can’t really say I called it, but a one-time commenter at side of fries had Palin in his sights two months ago.  He was dead right about the energy that would surround this pick.  

Some quick thoughts … She seems like a nice person and she adds some oomph with her energy and big hair.  She has that “regular Jane” sort of persona which appears genuine and I don’t doubt that she is quite capable in her current position.  A reliable conservative on social issues, her selection has pacified the religious right who have always been less than enthusiastic about McCain.  Not much to be said about her foreign policy positions because near as anyone can tell, she doesn’t have any.  She’s a blank slate and will likely say whatever they want her to say on those issues because she has no record (or opinion) of her own. She’s got some personal stuff going on … a pregnant 17-year-old daughter and an accusation that she used her position as governor to bully an employee to fire her ex brother-in-law.   And I thought my in-laws were tough.