Sarah Palin’s command experience of the Alaska National Guard as it relates to foreign policy amounts to exactly nothing.
She did get to send a plane to Louisiana, though. It was a big plane.
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The thing is, though… it’s no sillier and no more untrue than the claim that George W. Bush had all this experience running companies - that he was the “CEO President”.
And we went right on hearing about Bush’s business acumen through the 2004 election, as I recall.
Any thoughts on Harry Reid’s response that she was “shrill”?
So, what, exactly was Barack Obama in charge of that he has foreign policy experience?
Sharon, I’m hoping by this point you’ve heard of Obama/Lugar.
Oh, I thought you were trying to say Obama did something substantive.
I agree with Nate Silver of fivethirtyeight that she simply is not seen (outside the wingnut base) as having the standing to mock a politician with consistently high positives like Obama’s. And it will backfire further when we get to the debates and a large audience sees for themselves how Obama comes across as much more Presidential than the angry old fart.
I can’t understand why they’re trying to rerun the 2004 energize-the-base strategy. Ain’t gonna work this time. The base has shrunk and moderates are being turned off by their bullshit.
Obama/Lugar was so uncontroversial that it passed on a voice vote and Obama/Coburn passed with a unanimous roll-call vote. So, yes, Obama has engaged in bi-partisanship, but he has never had to take a hard stand on any of his positions. Or it might be more accurate to say that he avoids positions where he would have to take a hard stand. Look at how he caved on FISA. He just goes with the flow.
Ah, yes, nuclear non-proliferation isn’t substantive. Actually, no act of Democratic foreign policy is substantive unless it’s A.) passed by a narrow margin and B.) a Republican act of foreign policy.
Jesse,
Obama/Lugar is an act of Republican foreign policy. Lugar is a Republican and the legislation builds on Nunn/Lugar which I believe were both Republicans. I didn’t say it was not substantive, but the campaign should not pretend that it is an example of Obama making difficult decisions and crossing the aisle…it was so uncontroversial that 99 out of 99 of his fellow senators agreed with him. The only instance I can find of him bucking the “easy way” and taking an unpopular stand is his support opposition to the state version of BAIPA. Other than that it is 100+ present votes and some unanimously passed legislation.
“Actually, no act of Democratic foreign policy is substantive unless it’s A.) passed by a narrow margin and B.) a Republican act of foreign policy.”
I thought no Democratic foreign policy is seen as substantive until many decades afterward when praising it gives the Republicans some talking points to attack present day Democrats.
See for example:
Harry Truman vs. the Soviets during the Berlin Blockade, vs. the “ChiComs” in Korea, etc.
John Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis, at the Berlin Wall, etc.
Of course, everyone of those things was decried by the Republicans at the time…
Gee, I’d think anybody who ever bought anything at Walmart has foreign policy experience by that standard ... a housefull of crap from China qualifies, don’t it?
The folks who live next door to me are Hispanic, and the folks downstairs are from the Philippines. I’m a foreign policy expert!
I’m from Northeast PA so I’m going to start claiming I’m a coal-mining expert.
Obama/Lugar is an act of Republican foreign policy. Lugar is a Republican and the legislation builds on Nunn/Lugar which I believe were both Republicans. I didn’t say it was not substantive, but the campaign should not pretend that it is an example of Obama making difficult decisions and crossing the aisle…
So the fact that Obama was helping to build on a piece of bipartisan legislation is proof that he doesn’t cross the aisle? Huh?
In other news, I guarantee you that Sharon has no idea who Dick Lugar is.
No one has said this yet, and I don’t have a blog: Sarah Palin’s speech was perfect for someone who’s aspiring to be a right-wing radio host/talking head. I thought Ann Coulter was giving the speech last night.
It was decidedly unpresidential. It was even un-vice-presidential.
The folks who live next door to me are Hispanic, and the folks downstairs are from the Philippines. I’m a foreign policy expert!
I have a fuckbuddy from the Czech Republic…and I know that Czechoslovakia doesn’t exist any more. I’m a foreign policy expert.
Palin sold her pit bull son on ebay to the Alaska National Guard, which she commands in Iraq. So there!!!!
McCain==POW
Jeff- congratulations on your upcoming appointment as McGigolo’s Secretary of State! You have clearly mastered the one and only tenet of Republican foreign policy: fucking foreigners in the ass. 
Any thoughts on Harry Reid’s response that she was “shrill”?
Reid is a relic whose idea of subtle political framing is stuck in the ‘80s. As with all things regaring Palin, Reid’s comment wasn’t aimed at the reality-based community, or even with half the Republicans out there.
In his usual misguided way, Reid was attempting to remind the Know-Nothing and Xtian fantasist misogynists of their basic discomfort with the idea of females in authority positions. He tried to do that by using the term that they so often used to describe Hillary. Unfortunately for Reid, it’s a factually inaccurate description of the speech’s tone (I didn’t hear a lot of high-pitched nagging), and in any case his target audience for the comment would reject anything said by a Dem out of hand.
Based on the speech, Palin might more accurately be described as: smug, self-righteous, possessed of a Bush-level amount of unearned entitlement, dishonest, hypocritical, provincial. But those are positives for the Know-Nothings, so Reid would have done better to keep his mouth shut.
Whether or not the Palin experiment works for the Presidency, there is still the issue of house and senate races. Is there any chance that because of her popularity with the base, she energizes voters in red states that democrats were looking to take over and keeps the democrats from getting the type of majority they need to govern unilaterally…if 60 is the new 50 I think Palin’s coattails in red states will keep dems from reaching that level.
No chance at all Robin. None. There’s base left to energize. It’s what it is. What palin definitely does not do is grab any undecided moderates. She’s a strident right winger. That much was very clear to the happy crowd in Minnesota and to those of us watching.
The question you ask could be put like this, “Is there any chance the cheerleaders for the Dallas Cowboys could convert lifelong fans of the Philadelphia Eagles?”
The answer there would also be no.
C’mon, using eBay at least puts her one up on McCain who still uses gramophone cylinders to record Scott Joplin tunes.
I thought Ann Coulter was giving the speech last night.
I’ve been saying the same thing all day. And keep in mind that the cable newsies used to LOVE them some Ann Coulter bringin’ the crazy, so, big shock, they loved this spectacle too. You can see why the wingnut blogs love Palin. I bet that Mike Adams is in a state usually attributable to recreational Levitra overdose.
ice weasel,
my assumption was that in toss up senate and house races in red states, the kind Kos is constantly monitoring (like Hastert’s abandoned seat) that Rep. would all stay home b/c of disgust with the R brand and lack of excitement generated by McCain, effectivey giving the seat to the independent/dem minority in those districts. I wonder if this doesn’t cause red voters to forget their disdain with the R brand, their ambivalence toward McCain, and keep those seats red.
I think a better analogy is whether putting Lebron in MSG as a Knick can cause disaffected Knicks fans to buy season tickets again.
you could also think of Foley’s seat or basically any house seat the dems picked up in a special election in the last term. Those seats were abandoned b/c the R brand sucked. They might be back in play if she just energizes the base like Bush (2000,2004) did.
So, what, exactly was Barack Obama in charge of that he has foreign policy experience?
[Sharon]
So, who, exactly has been saying that he has foreign policy experience? Because several people (including McCain himself) have been saying that about Palin.
Numerous media types argued from the gitgo that Palin was unqualified because she “lacked foreign policy experience.” But no one on the Democrat side worried about this 4 years ago when they were in love with John Edwards. And, in fact, the V.P. doesn’t need foreign policy experience because the ticket already has that. It was the Democrat ticket which thought it needed foreign policy experience, so the ticket of “hope” and “change” picked a 35-year career politician. That’ change!
Numerous media types argued from the gitgo that Palin was unqualified because she “lacked foreign policy experience.”
Because that’s the knock the Republicans used against Obama. Which you know, and are pretending not to know.
Funny, experience wasn’t such a hot topic with Dems a few weeks ago, now that Palin is on the ticket it has become a very important topic to them. Now that experience is so important, I would like to know exactly what Obama brings to the table. I haven’t heard of any yet, at least none that would trump McCain or Palin for that matter. I know there’s that “community organizer thing” but that’s pretty lame. Was it Biden or Hillary when talking about Obama that said the presidency was no place for on the job training? Either way it would seem that there are those in your party that are of the opinion that a “clean” “articulate” “African-American” community organizer is not qualified to become President of the United States.
I know Hillary and Bill did their duty at the DNC by saying they supported Obama but where are they now? Are they showing their support by being silent? Are they showing their support by not talking about Palin? Wasn’t it Jesse Jackson who wanted to cut Obama’s balls off? P.U.M.A.!
You might find it funny but I agree with you on one point. I think DNA testing should be done to find out if that really is Palin’s baby, as long as Obama is willing to do the same with his children. I heard Michelle had an affair and the Obama girls aren’t really his children, I mean that’s how rumors get started right, by some jackass making something up on a blog and pushing it until it makes the headlines of the NY Times or some other liberal media outlet. Now I know the Obama girls are his, there’s no reason to doubt it and there’s no reason to doubt that Palin’s children are hers either.
Hey as long as Dems are wanting to put Palin under the microscope why don’t we put Obama under one to? I’m all about being fair. If we’re going to examine one lets examine them all, lets not half-ass this thing. If he (Obama) has nothing to hide this shouldn’t be a problem with Dems, or are they afraid some dark little secret will pop out. And speaking of secret things coming out, I think in good faith Obama should release the first five digits of his SSN to show that there’s nothing wrong with the public at large knowing part of your SSN.
You see, I really hope that the Liberal Left keeps trying to hang Palin, no really, it only makes Obama look bad. Wacko Libs on the attack in support of Obama, you’re the “left"wingnuts. Keep talking please, you’ll only turn a McCain victory in November into a land slide.
Next time you have a big Lib meeting maybe you could get Biden to stop by Dunkin’ Donuts first, and be sure to tell him to use that slight Indian accent, maybe they’ll give him a discount. And when he gets to the meeting, tell him to give you his opinion of Obama’s plan for pulling troops out of Iraq. Wait, he might lie so I’ll post it for him so it’s clear to everyone.
“We can call it quits and withdraw from Iraq. I think that would be a gigantic mistake. Or we can set a deadline for pulling out, which I fear will only encourage our enemies to wait us out — equally a mistake.”- Joe Biden
Well. I guess I’ll leave now. Just wanted to stop by and be a good troll. Try to be a liitle more inventive with your name calling though, all the old ones are starting to get old.
McCain/Palin 08’
Man, the trolls are getting whiny lately. Do you think That Sinking Feeling is starting to set in for them as they realize that McCain threw away the election to pander to the far-right base?
but Mnem, the trolls are the far right base.
The only “Sinking Feeling” I have is as my butt settles into the coach to watch Dems, Libs, and the media try to figure out what to do next.
So, Jason, I assume you agree with Rep. Lynn Moreland (R-GA) that Michelle and Barack Obama are “uppity”?
Sorry, but once you guys start dragging the racist attacks into the light where everyone can see them instead of relying on code words like “elitist,” that’s desperation.
This is the kind of rethug talking that’s ridiculous on the face of it and so much so that I love to see them push it.
This point and their point about her “foreign policy experience” will help those in the middle see palin for the tool she is.