Media Bias?

[Primula Baggins]

I'm looking at it politically, solicitr. I too can imagine several logical reasons why he might not know the answer off the top of his head. But it was unfortunate for him that he didn't, and I don't think the Democrats are wrong to exploit it, any more than I think the Republicans are wrong to do their best to play up Obama's relative lack of experi—

Ooops. Well, I'm sure they'll think of something else.

[solicitr]

Oh, no, Prim. The GOP will be thrilled to discuss experience. Let the Dems belittle and underestimate Sarah Barracuda at their peril. Gov Palin has a record of success: does Obama? Rather embarassing to realize the opponent's No. 2 is better qualified than your own No. 1. A little sheepish, perhaps, that the VP nod of the Change ticket is an uninspiring old pol thoroughly marinated in the Washington Way of Doing Things.

Did not the Democratic nominee just tell us Thursday that "Change doesn't come from Washington. Change comes to Washington"?

Senator Obama, meet Change. Her name is Sarah Palin. She has already smashed machine politicians many times more seasoned than you. I would advise you not to sneer too hard at small towns.

[Primula Baggins]

He hasn't sneered, soli. (The article you yourself linked in the VP thread, the one with the Camille Paglia quote, quotes Obama as saying Palin "seems like a compelling person . . . with a terrific personal story.") I was not at all suggesting that the Democrats would be wise to attack Palin on that point.

I was suggesting that the Republicans must now reconsider attacking Obama on that point. As many Republicans themselves have said since the announcement, with more than a bit of regret.

[solicitr]

Prim, this was Obama's spokesman's response to the Palin pick:

Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency.

It took twelve hours for Obama to backtrack and try the courteous route.

(BTW, if you parse that sentence it looks as if Obama's spokesman is conceding the election. )

[sauronsfinger]

I do not think this is a matter of spin at all. Regarding the housing gaffe - I never ever saw it as rich man has so much he just cannot keep it all straight.

Right from the start, the first time I heard it, I said there is a man who cannot remember if he put his boxer shorts on first or his trousers. He sounded for all the world like Grandpa Abe Simpson in training. When you combine this with the inability to remember basic facts about Iraq - something he trots out as being expert on -and all the other gaffes he has made, you have to wonder if the man is burning up brain cells that are simply not being replaced.

His mental state would be off limits if this kind of thing had not happend again and again. But given the mans age, and his comments, and his poor memory skills, you have to wonder.

One other thing about Senator McCain that people should be more understanding of before they criticize his memory. The man spent five and one-half years in a terrible North Viet Namese prison camp. He was subjected to all kinds of terrible physical, mental and emotional tortures that obviously took a toll on the poor man. He should have gotten a medal for what happened to him.

We have a 72 year old man, with a history of being abused physically, mentally and emotionally, undergoing a very high stress political campaign where he has to be on his toes 18 hours a day, and is the constant target of attacks from opponents. Its no wonder he shows signs of memory loss and other concentration problems.

[Primula Baggins]

The Obama campaign was, frankly, caught with their pants down on the Palin selection. They had reams of information on Romney and Pawlenty, and about two pages on Palin. So I am not surprised that their initial reaction was . . . less than nuanced, shall we say.

I'm sure they'll do better now.

[solicitr]

McCain continues to hold the tactical initiative.

[Lurker]

We have a 72 year old man, with a history of being abused physically, mentally and emotionally, undergoing a very high stress political campaign where he has to be on his toes 18 hours a day, and is the constant target of attacks from opponents. Its no wonder he shows signs of memory loss and other concentration problems.

Let me refresh your memory.
The next President of the United States....... Vice President? (Obama referring to Biden)

What do you call that then? Maybe he can't take the heat.... nah... I think it's the stress.

A rich person not remembering how many houses he has esp. the ones he doesn't own is normal but not remembering what position he is running for is really, really, scary.

[Primula Baggins]

McCain continues to hold the tactical initiative.

Yes, well into Hour Thirty. So far, so good.

Actually it's convention bounce time, so he will be the focus of the news for some days, as Obama was earlier this week. And his poll numbers will go up . . . and down again.

The question of the tactical initiative will be resolved after that. I mean, it is possible to seize the "tactical initiative" and surprise everyone by blowing up one's own artillery. Whether that's a great idea for the long term may not be immediately apparent.

[vison]

Hoist 'pon his own petard, so to speak?

*sigh*


I wish I could ignore all this. But I just can't. American politics = fun.

I know it hurts you guys and, of course, it has the potential to hurt us Canuckians, too, but in the meantime, I love the spectacle.

[Lurker]

Vison, should we be talking about the "snap" elections Harper is calling for? I think we should start our own thread have some fun, too.

[solicitr]

BTW, Canadians- would it be possible for a backbench MP with an attendance rate in the Commons below 50% to become party Leader?

Just askin'.


BTW, Our boys are helping out your boys in Kandahar. Link. Here's to a fruitful collaboration.

Gaffes. Let's see- 57 states? 10 years in office? But the best of all, since it plainly wasn't a slip, was "we need to send Arabic translators from Iraq to Afghanistan." There's a brilliant Harvard-educated mind. Of course, Dubyuh was a Harvard product too....

[Lurker]

BTW, Canadians- would it be possible for a backbench MP with an attendance rate in the Commons below 50% to become party Leader?

Just askin'.

I just know I didn't vote for Celine Dion. I voted for the Harvard prof, though.
*Hides autographed picture taken with a certain Quebecois. Starts shredding Liberal card. Nah, maybe not....dreams of becoming party leader...cough...cough* Maybe I should start campaigning now, eh!

[Primula Baggins]

solicitr, are you sure you want to play this one? Sunnis and Shiites confused, multiple times. Czechoslovakia mentioned, multiple times. Al Qaeda in Iran, multiple times. The dangerous (so dangerous!) border between Iraq and Pakistan. And many, many more.

Here's a link to a long list.

[solicitr]

Al Qaeda is in Iran. Czechoslovakia is a common slip, including by me (and Sam Nunn). Big deal. Iraq/Pakistan was a mere slip for Afghan/Pakistan. So what.

Compare that with "Iran is a tiny country which poses no threat." And the call for the UN Security Council to act on the Georgia crisis. The problem with Obama's 'gaffes' is that they aren't slips. They're deliberate.

Better than that is Obama's apparent belief that you can extract natural gas without drilling oil wells. Which leads into this consideration- with Iraq winding down, foreign policy (the basis for the Biden pick and the Berlin triumphum) barely registers on the voters' radar screens (as in most elections, actually). What leads in the polls? Economic matters, especially energy policy and the price of fuel.

So Biden gets to debate Sarah Palin about oil and gas. That oughta be good.

EDIT: Especially if Biden is drunk: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TBNeNHHXEY

Media Bias Relevancy: Note that CNN broadcast it live, with nary a mention of the fact that Joe was obviously loaded.

[Primula Baggins]

Energy policy and the price of fuel? Sure, that's important to voters, but so are stagnant wages, rising prices of food and everything else, the mortgage crisis, unemployment, health insurance, ending the war . . . there's really a lot more involved than discussing Stuff They Have Lots of in Alaska Besides Moose.

I'm eager see how it plays out. It should be fun to watch.

Oh, and "Iran is a tiny country which poses no threat" is quite an editing job. Here's what Obama actually said.

Strong countries and strong presidents talk to their adversaries. That's what Kennedy did with Khrushchev. That's what Reagan did with Gorbachev. That's what Nixon did with Mao. I mean, think about it. Iran, Cuba, Venezuela -- these countries are tiny, compared to the Soviet Union. They don't pose a serious threat to us the way the Soviet Union posed a threat to us. And yet, we were willing to talk to the Soviet Union at the time when they were saying, "We're going to wipe you off the planet."

And ultimately, that direct engagement led to a series of measures that helped prevent nuclear war, and over time, allowed the kind of opening that brought down the Berlin Wall. . . . Now, that has to be the kind of approach that we take. You know, Iran, they spend one-one hundredth of what we spend on the military. If Iran ever tried to pose a serious threat to us, they wouldn't stand a chance. And we should use that position of strength that we have, to be bold enough to go ahead and listen. That doesn't mean we agree with them on everything. We might not compromise on any issues, but at least we should find out other areas of potential common interest, and we can reduce some of the tensions that has caused us so many problems around the world.

YouTube video

If I edited anything so extremely and in a way that so completely distorted the sense, I'd rightly be thrown off the project and never hired again. Though I could probably go to work for the McCain campaign.

[solicitr]

The full statement is even worse, really. We negotiated with the USSR because our position was relatively weak. There is no need to negotiate with enemy nations we can destroy with impunity.

But what else should we expect from Obama's FP advisors: ex Carter hands Zbig, Tony Lake and now Biden. More weakness and pusillanimity. Oh, goody. You realize that the whole bloody chain of events since then is largely their fault? Good job, guys.

[Primula Baggins]

That's rather rich; I don't recall the Carter administration invading Iraq.

Sometimes powerful nations can get what they want without destroying entire countries, you know. We used to be rather good at that, but it's not been a skill in much demand; blowing things up is better TV.

[solicitr]

Where would militant Islam be if Carter had done the right thing and pulverized Iran in 1979? That demonstration of weakness (and Vietnam, and Beirut, and Mogadishu, and Iraq if Obama had his way) is the fuel that inspires the jihadis. Don't take it from me: read their own sites. "America will fall, God willing, because it is weak and cowardly and afraid to fight." "Americans cannot take losses; kill just a few of their soldiers and they run away."

In general, though, I'm of course not saying that we *should* destroy enemy nations; merely that when we have that power, we hold the whip hand, and don't need to offer them concessions.

Except Iran. Them, we destroy. Persica delenda est.

[ToshoftheWuffingas]

There is no need to negotiate with enemy nations we can destroy with impunity.

Is there a nation on earth that can be destroyed with impunity? Without consequence? Thank you for showing your political philosphy so clearly though.