Point of Fact

It is now less than a week until the election, and Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin has still never held a press conference. And it is clear that the McCain campaign has no intention of ever having one.

Someone potentially a heartbeat away from becoming leader of the free world has never faced unscripted questions from reporters. Fluff interviews (Hannity, etc.) and slightly-less-than-fluff one-on-one, pre-taped interviews (Couric, Gibson) do NOT count.

Four or five weeks ago when people like Andrew Sullivan were complaining about the same thing it seemed improbable that McCain/Palin could get away with it.

They have.

Just thought I'd point that out.

Live from New York...

Just saw the Palin cameo on SNL...She didn't really do much but walk on set and let Amy Poehler take over, and she was pretty funny—her Palin-mocking rap took balls, and Palin showed she was a good sport for participating...but, as I said to Mrs F (ie: talking at the tv) when it was over, "Too bad I have to fucking hate you. You pathological liar and asshole."

Rogue

HuffPo:

In an interview with conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin explained her reasoning in going on the attack against Barack Obama. Asked why she was more "forceful" than her running mate, she said: "Rush, I've got nothing to lose in this and I think America's got everything to gain by understanding the differences, the contrasts here between Obama and McCain."

"Nothing to lose..." Pretty much. The electoral chances of the McCain/Palin ticket are swirling in the bowl as we speak, but Caribou Barbie has a much softer landing place than McCain. She gets to go back to her day job: handing out oil checks and "Earning" her 80% approval rating. She's the new darling of the FOX Right, and the fundies want to groom her for 2012.

Five weeks ago she was a relative unknown. Now she is a few weeks from either becoming Vice President or a high-profile martyr for next to no effort or investment—it's really win-win for her. She has absolutely no reason to restrain herself, tell the truth or do anything honest or ethical. She owes McCain nothing and in a way probably benefits as much if not more from a loss.

I'm sure McCain wakes up every morning ecstatic about his choice...

Quote of the Day

John Cole:

Who could have imagined that if you take an ethically challenged know-nothing religious nut from backwoods America, have Bill Kristol and the Rove 2000 team whisper in her ear for weeks, that she would turn into a vicious political opportunist with no regard for the country and an eye on her personal future?