A new rumor makes the rounds

Apparently the AIP (Alaska Independence Party), is now claiming that Palin was a member of their group back in the 1990s.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/09/members-of-frin.html

McCain's camp is denying it, naturally. It already seems like McCain's camp is spending quite a bit of time putting out fires about Palin's life/credentials.

Ah, and on the Biden front, he apparently received 5 student deferments during Vietnam, before being declared ineligible due to asthma.

http://www.courant.com/news/politics/ats-ap-cvn-biden-vietnamaug31,0,2934547.story

A reflection on McCain's decision making process

The controversy surrounding Palin's choice gives us an interesting opportunity to examine McCain's decision making process. This thought has nothing to do with Palin's daughter being pregnant because I could absolutely care less. However, this does relate to the fact that McCain's choice seems to have been made hastily and purely for political reasons. They seemed to have missed her entanglement in ethics investigations, and were willing to overlook an extremely slim political resume. Furthermore, McCain has almost a non-existent relationship with Palin. Current reporting says that McCain first met Palin in Feburary, held one phone call a week later, and then didn't speak to her again until days before offering her the VP. In what seems to be a continuing pattern, the Republican party seems overly willing to settle for short term political gains (the shock of selecting a woman) that may jeopardize future political situations (her complete lack of experience). Seeing our current political situations domestically and abroad, a president's decision making process is all the more important. I may be looking too far into this, but given the lack of substantive reporting, I find myself analyzing anything I can. 

George Lakoff's take on the Palin pick

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/george-lakoff/the-palin-choice-and-the_b_123012.html

"[The] Palin nomination changes the game. The initial response has been to try to keep the focus on external realities, the "issues," and differences on the issues. But the Palin nomination is not basically about external realities and what Democrats call "issues," but about the symbolic mechanisms of the political mind -- the worldviews, frames, metaphors, cultural narratives, and stereotypes. The Republicans can't win on realities. Her job is to speak the language of conservatism, activate the conservative view of the world, and use the advantages that conservatives have in dominating political discourse."

It seems we can put one rumor to rest

Bristol Palin (Gov. Palin's 17 year old daughter) is currently pregnant:

  

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080901/pl_nm/usa_politics_palin_dc

The Republican Party and the Red Cross will get us through Gustav

Here's my favorite link of the day (so far, the day's still very young):

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/31/rnc.gustav/index.html

I'm telling you, Gustav is a conspiracy! With a name like that...

Palin's Experience: PTA President (...) Close Proximity to Russia

http://www.crooksandliars.com/Media/Play/32356/1/TW-Cindy-PTA-Russia-083108.wmv/

"Foreign policy experience," who knows what this term of art means these days, is apparently learned through the process of osmosis. This statement could easily be an ironic joke if Mrs. Cheney didn't actually believe what she was saying. I wonder how many citizens are persuaded by this message. Following her line of logic, does this mean Obama, as a Hawaiian native, has expansive Pacific nation foreign policy experience?

Obviously the better line of comparison, as John McCain has been using quite often, is "executive experience" (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/31/politics/animal/main4401349.shtml).

Palin

I feel like this article finally gets the real point and impact of the Palin selection:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/13016.html
McCain seems to have found a way to energize the evangelical wing of the Republican party. It's about guns in the rust belt and abortions in the south. Will McCain dispense with his moderation on these issues to compliment Palin or are social conservatives going to have to ignore the presidential debates?
One other thing interesting about this article, what's with social conservatives using the F word in sound bites?