I alternately enjoy and depise John Kass but he hates all politicians equally. Since Chicago is largely devoid of any potent GOP presence, he most often hacks away at Democrats.


Palin's small-town ways will play big across U.S.
John Kass - Chicago Tribune
10:37 PM CDT, September 3, 2008

ST. PAUL — Sarah Joan of Arc isn't as catchy as Sarah Barracuda, yet even so, the throng called for her to lead them, an unknown from the edge of nowhere, a woman with no experience in the great city of light.So Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the conservative running mate for Sen. John McCain, hit the necessary themes in the most anticipated speech of the Republican convention: pummeling the high priests of the Washington media establishment, pushing for oil drilling in the wilderness even though the Democrats don't like it, and promising political reform while reveling in her small-town ways."I'm not a member of the permanent political establishment," Palin told the delegates. "And I've learned quickly these last few days, that if you are not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone. But here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion. I'm going to Washington to serve the great people of this country."

Despite the Republican spin, Palin is a political animal, a real human with the capacity for ambition and revenge and all that comes with it, including all the flaws. As I mentioned a few days ago, she is not some plaster saint to be venerated, not a Mother Teresa with a Buck knife. Her record and her background must be fully investigated if she is to be a heartbeat from the presidency, and her conflicts examined, like those of Joe Biden and his son the lobbyist.

But there's been a zeal to the Palin media vetting. Reporters here have acted like perturbed clerks, snippy that established procedure wasn't followed when McCain surprised them with Palin. Perhaps he should have gone to a party at Sally Quinn's house and asked for opinions. Years ago, McCain might have done so, back when he shamelessly sucked up to the press, but they've left him for Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama and they're not coming back. So McCain had no obligation to go through that ridiculous pantomime expected by some in my business, who think politicians actually give a rat's ears about sitting down and consulting with journalists.

And there's that family issue with Palin. Her 17-year-old daughter is unmarried and pregnant. Palin herself has a 4-month-old infant with special needs. The suggestion has been made that if she's such a good mom, she should stay home with her family rather than run with McCain. If Palin were a Democrat, such talk would be grounds for serious shunning. But Palin is a conservative. She receives no such protection.

She also poses the greatest threat yet to the Obama reform narrative. The cynical epic has become the establishment media bedtime story, with Obama as the young King Arthur riding forth to promise change. In this, the Washington Beltway media colony has been his eager Merlin, hoping to guide him, cleaving desperately to the theme that he's some kind of reformer, even though Obama is a politician backed by Chicago's Daley machine and never once challenged the political corruption in Chicago and Illinois. Not ever.

The contrast with Palin—who actually went after the Republican Party bosses in Alaska on the corruption issue—is profound and challenging for the Obama-friendly media that willfully ignore his lack of leadership on the reform front, yet are consumed to find out if Palin has an overdue library book.In her speech, Palin also pulled an old political trick, publicly reveling in what is considered a deficit—that she's from a tiny town, almost as far as geographically possible from the sophisticated salons of Washington. Electoral vote-rich Pennsylvania and Ohio don't have salons either, but they do have small towns.The Republicans will remind them relentlessly in the weeks ahead that former community organizer Obama—in a foolish display of ego—said that small-town folk deal with an uncertain world by clinging to their guns and their religion."I had the privilege of living most of my life in a small town. I was just your average hockey mom, and signed up for the PTA . . . because I wanted to make my kids' public education better," said the former mayor of Wasilla, Alaska (population 8,471). "And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves. I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities."

Expect Palin to knock squirrels out of trees across Ohio and Pennsylvania, along with other critters, fur and feathered. Unlike other candidates, she'll probably do her own shooting and skinning, and maybe roast them on sticks, with a pinch of salt, demanding reporters eat some, so they can say it tastes like chicken.St. Joan was a threat to the established order, and Palin is being positioned as a threat.

Unfortunately, the French handed Joan over to the English, and she was burned. I don't think we know yet what happens to Sarah.

The ProConPundit Was Wrong

If I were a flip flopper, I would remove my previous harsh posts about Sarah Palin.
I’d rather stand by those remarks and admit I was wrong.

I am not go to rehash her speech. If you didn’t see it, watch it online.
No matter who you support, you should hear what she had to say.

She was strong and sharp and crisp and tough and funny and sarcastic and touching.
I will reflect more later on some points she raised.

For now, let me tell a couple of people said about her:

“The Dems got a buzz saw to deal with.” Marc Jaeger
“We presumed she was
the alternative to Hillary Clinton.
Sarah Palin is not an alternative to Hillary Clinton.
She is a torpedo
aimed directly at Barack & Michelle Obama.”
Chris Matthews

“She is Dick Cheney with a good butt.” Anonymous

Mike Huckabee observed that more people voted for Palin as Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska than voted for Biden as President. Biden has met his match.

McCain is brilliant.

Former Opponents Go To Bat for Mac
Redmeat Romney. Mitt Romney gave a good red meat speech tonight. He fancies himself as Ronald Reagan who lost to Gerald Ford in 76, began his campaign the day after Ford lost and became the new face of the GOP and President in 1980. He’s worked hard for McCain and has been a team player. I still don’t see him being presidential timber.
Preacher-In Chief. Mike Huckabee is great. He began by saying he wished he was speaking Thursday night in an acceptance speech. He thanked the liberal media for doing what non one thought could be done: unifying the GOP and America behind McCain. He said the media was tackier than a costume change at a Madonna concert in its disgraceful treatment of the Palin Family. Regrettably, I missed most of his speech. He’s a team player with future vice-presidential or presidential aspirations.

America’s Mayor. If Fred Thompson and Joe Lieberman burned the barn last night, Rudy Giuliani blew the roof off and sent the place into orbit.

Giuliani stirred them up like no one before in this convention. He was entertaining and adds an ethnic, urban grit that the GOP needs. He also adds the moderate/liberal influence that is ever so rare and needed if the GOP wishes to stay in power.

His remarks about Obama were stinging, cogent, articulate, specific in contrasting a McCain vision and deconstructing the liberal argument of “more of the same.” He was funny and laughed with the building energy and enthusiasm be effected.

Observed that the Democratic National Convention never used the word Islamic terrorism or terrorism.

Here are some of his memorable lines:

“Barack Obama is the least experienced candidate for president in at least 100 years. On his experience, just this once we agree with Joe Biden.”

“He is not ready for that 3 a.m. phone call. And just this once, we agreed with Hillary.”

“Barack Obama has never led anything, nothing. Notta. Notta.”

“Change is not a destination just as hope is not a strategy.”

“Sarah Palin’s been a mayor. I love that.”

“I am sorry that Barack Obama thinks Sarah’s town wasn’t cosmopolitan enough. Wasn’t flash enough. Maybe they cling to religion there.”

“She’s got an 80% approval rating. You’d never get that in new York City.”

“How dare they question whether Governor Palin can be a mother and the Vice-President? When do they ever ask a man that question?”

Carly Fiorina: “I Know John McCain”

The former Hewett-Packard Board Chair and CEO just gave her speech at the RNC. She is a bright, smart, savvy business person. The line she kept peppering her speech with was, “I Know John McCain.”

I couldn’t help but recall Lloyd Bentsen’s lines in his 1988 debate with Dan Quayle that began with “I knew Jack Kennedy” and finally ended with, “You’re no Jack Kennedy.” I intuited, perhaps insanely, that the subliminal message was, “I know John McCain. Barack Obama is no John McCain.”

I’m a mess.

ProConPundit Appalled At Treatment of Palin


Has the media treated Sarah Palin unfairly? You better believe it. She is not my choice. Frankly, I think she is as experienced as a Vice-President would need to be if the President would not be the oldest president ever. That said, Barack Obama’s lack of experience has not been scrutinized in two years as much as Sarah Palin has in the last five days. Not only that, the same media that intentionally kept quiet for over a year the bastard love child of John Edwards, as well as the devious plot of John and Elizabeth Edwards to buy off the bimbo and deceive the American public has disgustingly broadcasted the pregnant teenage daughter of Sarah Palin. By media, I mean the New York Times, NBC and MSNBC. Other media outlets have also cruelly said that Sarah Palin’s four month old son is actually her grandson–that she is pretending it is her son to have kept quiet that her same daughter had a prior teenage pregnancy.

Consequently, Sarah Palin will come out swinging in her speech tonight. She will charm the country tonight, on the one hand, in no small part by declaring war on the media. This hot woman who could strangle a moose with her bare hands is going to let the media know that she is perfectly fine with their wrath and rejection–that she is going to Washington to work for the rest of the people the elites look down on. These are the embittered, religion and gun clinging people, many in Pennsylvania who Obama referenced in the primary. She is also going to proverbially ring the necks of those who have doubted her experience, this would include a “just-kidding, Madame Governor” ProConPundit and slap Obama when she says, "Being a mayor is a lot like being a community organizer except that it has actual responsibilities."

I just finished watching Sally Quinn of the Washington Post skewering McCain and Palin. The far-left Quinn thinks Palin should stay home and raise her kids. She also presumes to have knowledge she, in fact, could not have in saying McCain did not properly vet Palin. Again, she was not my choice but she was McCain’s and it was his right. That he didn’t vert Palin in advance at the altar of the media is not a serious factor to me.

In 1984, then Vice-President George Bush got in a little trouble when saying after debating Geraldine Ferraro, “Well, we kicked a little ass last night.” The presumed referencing of Ferraro’s ass as little was considered sexist. No sexism here, fasten your seat belts, this smart, sexy, moose hunting, giant killing Alaskan is going to kick a lot of ass here on in. Note: she won’t be a victim.
Bill Kristol said something interesting tonight. Kristol, who is Editor of The Weekly Standard, a neo-con, and who, incidentally, was Chief of Staff to Vice-President Dan Quayle. He also worked on the staff of Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan in the seventies as Deputy Issues Director. Kristol has never been a fan of McCain and predicted a couple of months ago that McCain would and should pick Palin. Kristol said that John McCain, in picking Palin, has decided he will not lose this election as a courtly old Republican, like Bob Dole. Dole picked Jack Kemp and lost without surprise and without ever stirring up the race. Maverick McCain has bet the dream of his lifetime on stirring things up. He has done that. Sarah Palin has done that. A week ago, no one thought this convention would be exciting. McCain will probably win. If he loses, he will lose in his own, maverick/maddening way, making a splash and making history.

I must admit, as much as I would have favored Lieberman or Ridge, putting aside any controversy their selection would have brought, the only excitement would have been the criticism by Republicans. A unity ticket of McCain-Lieberman would have had some excitement but not much. McCain and Lieberman are both great patriots and bright leaders, but boring.

The media: NBC and MSNBC, in particular, are furious that McCain picked someone who surprised them. The larger liberal media is Clarence Thomasing her. How dare President Bush (Sr.) name a black supreme court justice who is not a totey for Jesse Jackson and the liberal left. Likewise, the liberal media and the far left is furious and running scared because John McCain had the audacity to name a woman who is not a left winger. This was expressed today on The View by Joy Behar, who said, “You Can’t Exchange One Vagina For Another.” Behar is a pig...Palin is on her way. For the record, I didn’t watch The View.

Meanwhile, Barack Obama has finally agreed to be interviewed by Bill O’Reilly tomorrow night.

Thompson and Lieberman Deliver Barn Burners

President Bush:

"If the Hanoi Hilton couldn’t break him, the angry left never will."

"John McCain is not afraid to tell you when he disagrees with you.

Believe me, I know!"

Fred Thompson:

"God Bless America and God Bless John McCain!"

Joe Lieberman:

"Country Matters More Than Party!"
"God Only Made One John McCain and He is His Own Man."
"If John McCain Is Just Another Republican,

Then I am Michael Moore’s Favorite Democrat."
"Barack Obama, in three years in the United States Senate, has never reached across the aisle to accomplish anything significant."
"John McCain will be a President

our allies will trust and our enemies will fear."

The GOP convention started with some touching tributes to Presidents Reagan and Bush I. Our beloved First Lady graced us with some self-described "Straight Talk" giving touching remarks about John McCain and pointing out her husband’s many and seldom heard, even here, accomplishments these past eight years.
President Bush gave a great speech via satellite from The White House. Our President spoke touching words to his parents and spoke convincingly of John McCain. He went on to say of McCain, President Bush began the process of passing the torch from the Bush Family to the McCain’s–if they win.

Fred Thompson gave an inspiring, barn burner of a speech. Thompson said, "We need a President whose doesn’t think protecting the unborn is not above his pay grade." Thompson also got cheers for his defense of Sarah Palin in view of her being ridiculed for not being a Sunday talk show regular and Washington cocktail party hound. I agree with him. My criticisms of her are not about her being a Washington outsider.

Joe Lieberman gave a credibly incredible speech. I don’t think Republicans appreciate the hits he has taken to stand up for President Bush and now John McCain. His speech and Thompson’s, along with President and Mrs. Bush, were candidate based not party based. An ad lib addition to Lieberman’s speech were his subtle remarks that McCain will do better than Bush in dealing with other countries.
It was a great night.

Jury Out On Palin-Biden Debate

Joe Biden is arguably one of the best debaters in the U.S. Personally, I think Joe Lieberman was uniquely best qualified in this respect as a potential running mate to McCain. Lieberman has ably debated Biden before on the Sunday shows, is in the same league as Biden as a debater, above and beyond him in stature and, as a Democrat would have really dealt a unique punch.

We’ll know more Wednesday after Sarah Palin delivers the speech of her lifetime at the Republican Convention and, frankly, most of America meets her for the first time. My hunch is that she’ll do much better against Biden than we are being led to believe for three reasons:
1. The bar is set low. If she doesn’t have a Quayle moment, "You’re no Jack Kennedy," she’ll be given a passing grade.
2. She’s no patsy. She may kick Biden’s ass.
3. Biden may pull a Rick Lazio and be perceived as bullying her or disrespecting her.