http://www.gulfeast.com/index.php Clarion Caller en jefoster1@bellsouth.net Copyright 2008 2008-09-05T13:39:00-06:00 http://www.gulfeast.com/index.php/OAN_Political_Blog/more_on_palin/ http://www.gulfeast.com/index.php/site/more_on_palin/#When:12:39:00Z While I wait for your subject suggestions, there are three items of interest regarding Sarah Palin: According to the Drudge Report, there’s trouble brewing in Oprah’s world, and it all has to do with the Alaska governor and her meteroic rise to fame: Oprah Winfrey may have introduced Democrat Barack Obama to the women of America—but the talkshow queen is not rushing to embrace the first woman on a Republican presidential ticket! ... “Half of her staff really wants Sarah Palin on,” an insider explains. “Oprah’s website is getting tons of requests to put her on, but Oprah and a couple of her top people are adamantly against it because of Obama.” Drudge adds that one TV exec is warning Winfrey that any “Palin ban could ignite a dramatic backlash!” In those eloquent words of the teen poets of the 1980s ... DUH!! I was talking with some folks yesterday about Palin’s debut Wednesday night, and one was of the opinion that, rather than attack Palin himself and run the risk of being perceived as being sexist, Obama will allow women to take the lead on attacking her. Could Oprah be leading the way? Also, a new Survey USA poll out this morning shows us why so many women are clamoring for Oprah to host Palin: Fully 60 percent of those who saw her Wednesday night speech gave it an ‘A.’ But more importantly is Palin’s apparent appeal to independents: 24 hours ago, independent voters nationwide were split on whether Palin was an asset or a liability to McCain’s campaign. Today, by a 2:1 margin, independents say Palin is an asset. Overnight, the percentage calling the Alaska governor an asset to the campaign climbed 13 points; the percentage calling her a liability fell 17 points. The numbers are similar among moderates, who 24 hours ago viewed Palin as a liability by an 11 point margin; today, Palin is seen as an asset by an 18 point margin. That last point is interesting given that the Democrats are portraying her, as Paul Begala did, as “the new superstar of the religious right.” Apparently, independents and moderates don’t see things Begala’s way. One final note on that survey: Check out the number of independents who say they believe the media is “rooting for Barack Obama.” It’s more than half. And how many people did see Palin’s speech, anyway? Here’s a hint: Her audience was 55 percent larger than Joe Biden’s a week earlier and only 1.2 million viewers fewer than watched Barack Obama’s acceptance speech last week—and that audience had set a new record for a convention speech. But her audience might have even eclipsed Obama’s. Read more here. One more note on those ratings: MSNBC’s experiment into hyperpartisan coverage? Yeah, that isn’t going so well: TV VIEWERS FOR PALIN, 10 PM ET FOXNEWS 9,038,000 NBC 7,720,000 CNN 6,114,000 ABC 5,050,000 CBS 4,630,000 MSNBC 3,277,000 National 2008-09-05T12:39:00-06:00 http://www.gulfeast.com/index.php/OAN_Political_Blog/friday_morning/ http://www.gulfeast.com/index.php/site/friday_morning/#When:12:02:00Z Heads up, everybody ... there’s a new poll question below. Now that the conventions have wrapped up, I’m asking you: Which party do you think had the best party? Scroll down to vote. Also, let’s try something new this morning. Let me know in comments what you’d like to read about here today. I can’t call it an “open thread,” but if it catches on, perhaps we’ll call it “Town Hall Friday” or “Open Mic Soapbox” or something like that. No topic is off-limits, so let’s go! Misc. 2008-09-05T12:02:00-06:00 http://www.gulfeast.com/index.php/OAN_Political_Blog/mccains_speech/ http://www.gulfeast.com/index.php/site/mccains_speech/#When:04:28:00Z John McCain wrapped up the Republican National Convention tonight with an acceptance speech that I would say got him on and off the stage without any major problems, but not much else. CNN’s Jeffrey Toobin must have paid a visit to the MSNBC booth and helped himself to a little bit—OK, a lot—of Keith Olbermann’s special Kool-Aid; although the general consensus was that McCain delivered an average speech, I didn’t really hear anyone else describe McCain’s speech as Toobin did: In the hyperbolic fashion that typifies his analysis, he called it the worst convention acceptance speech in history. I give it a C-minus. To my way of thinking, the address itself was an average McCain offering. It wasn’t remarkably good, but it wasn’t memorably bad, either. McCain did do a good job of something he’s not entirely comfortable with doing, and that is talking about his POW experience. But it was important for him to cover it—not to establish the facts of his captivity, as so many speakers (most notably, Fred Thompson) had done throughout the week, almost ad nauseum—but to articulate the extension those experiences had in his post-captivity life, his public service career and his decision to seek the presidency. No one could have voiced that connection like McCain himself, and that’s why the strongest part of his speech, in my opinion, was the section in which he described when he “fell in love” with America: I fell in love with my country when I was a prisoner in someone else’s. I loved it not just for the many comforts of life here. I loved it for its decency; for its faith in the wisdom, justice and goodness of its people. I loved it because it was not just a place, but an idea, a cause worth fighting for. I was never the same again. I wasn’t my own man anymore. I was my country’s. I’m not running for president because I think I’m blessed with such personal greatness that history has anointed me to save our country in its hour of need. My country saved me. My country saved me, and I cannot forget it. And I will fight for her for as long as I draw breath, so help me God. He followed that segment with a direct appeal for Americans to take up some manner of public service. More on that in this weekend’s print column. I’m sure the pundits will make a lot of hay about the protesters who repeatedly interrupted McCain in the early goings of his address. Again, more on that in my print column this week, but for now, suffice it to say that I was annoyed that CNN kept cutting to them, and then I was annoyed that they were even in the building to begin with. I thought conventions were wholly credentialed events. How did the protesters gain access inside? Finally, Anderson Cooper noted that McCain offered several policy specifics in the speech—“arguably more than Barack Obama” did in his acceptance speech last week, Cooper said—so if the pundits focus on those, McCain’s address, if not one for the debate vault, will at least be a success in that it will function as a jumping-off point for the general election campaign. But it’s safe to say, McCain is no Sarah Palin in the speech delivery department. All things considered, CNN pundits seemed to agree that the convention left the Republicans not only united behind McCain, but excited and energized about the two months between now and the general election. How much of that is a function of the convention itself and how much is a function of Sarah Palin’s explosive emergence on the national scene is debatable, but I don’t know whether it will matter—at least, not for the next 60-some days. And so, the general election begins in earnest tomorrow morning: The GOP’s partisan faithful join their counterparts back at home in their hamlets across the country, where they’ll man phone booths, walk door to door, wave signs, mobilize supporters, write letters to the editor, spend their days spreading their messages on talk radio and throughout the blogosphere and do all they can to get their ticket elected. In the words of the South’s most famous belle, “Tomorrow is another day!” See also: The transcript of McCain’s address, as prepared for delivery The video of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s acceptance speech National 2008-09-05T04:28:00-06:00 http://www.gulfeast.com/index.php/OAN_Political_Blog/palin_power/ http://www.gulfeast.com/index.php/site/palin_power/#When:06:14:00Z [Editor’s note: Long post alert!  Don’t try to read this while you’re waiting for someone’s voicemail to pick up.] Holy smokes. If there were any questions about Sarah Palin’s ability to go toe-to-toe with the big boys in Washington, Palin answered them tonight. Palin’s speech was much anticipated, partly because she is such an unknown figure and partially because of all the scrutiny of her family since John McCain announced her selection last week. Everyone wanted to know: Who is Sarah Palin, and why did McCain pick her? She answered both questions tonight. Who? A hard-nosed, straight-talking mom who happens to be a governor. Why? Because she is hard nosed, because she is a straight talker, and because – as she proved tonight – she can hang with the big boys, even if she isn’t one of them. Over the last five days, the media has drubbed into our heads a handful of things about Sarah Palin: One of those things (a distant fourth or fifth to her daughter’s personal life) is that as a high school basketball player, Palin earned the nickname “Barracuda” for her tough demeanor. That tough demeanor was on display tonight. It would be impossible for me to list for you all the one-liners that Palin delivered. About halfway through the speech, I turned to my husband and remarked that this is the second time in recent memory that a relatively unknown politician would leave a convention stage with a “Greatest Hits” album already recorded. The first, of course, was Barack Obama in 2004. Just as remarkable as Palin’s speech was the manner in which she delivered it – with the ease and confidence of someone who has been on the national stage for years. She looked just as cool and collected as did Rudy Giuliani, whose address she followed, and she seemed just as at home in the attack-dog role as her counterpart, Joe Biden, did last week at the Democratic National Convention. About the speech itself: On her family: Palin covered them right off the bat. No doubt there were plenty of media types who were disappointed that she didn’t get into the specifics of her daughter Bristol’s pregnancy, what with all the – GASP! – scandal! over the past five days. On her family, Palin said, “From the inside, no family ever seems typical. That’s how it is with us. Our family has the same ups and downs as any other … the same challenges and the same joys. Sometimes even the greatest joys bring challenge.” For those waiting to hear her address the “scandal,” that was simply that. Palin did deliver a nod to families with special-needs children, an oft-overlooked – but growing – group in America. Palin’s four-month-old son, Trig, has Down syndrome. And children with special needs inspire a special love. To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters. I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House. On her husband, Todd: He is “a story all by himself,” Palin said. His interests and background “all makes for quite a package,” she said, adding, “We met in high school, and two decades and five children later, he’s still my guy.” Throughout the speech, cameras cut to Palin’s family, seated in the VIP box. At one point, they caught 7-year-old Piper Palin licking her hand and wiping baby Trig’s hair down with it. All over the country, moms of all political stripes put partisanship aside ... and cringed together. As I mentioned earlier, the GOP was ready to rumble tonight, and Palin proved she was no exception. She came right after Barack Obama, though she never mentioned him by name, deriding his experience as a community organizer (NOT community organizers themselves, as CNN pundit Roland Martin – whose parents are community organizers in Houston – indignantly accused her of doing) as preparation for the presidency. She came after the media and the Washington elite, whose “good opinion” she shunned. And she came after those who say her experience isn’t what it should be for her to be on the ticket. Palin offered a glimpse into how she will handle questions about her lack of foreign policy experience in the section of her speech on energy independence. Pundits said off the bat that her selection would buttress McCain’s energy platform, since Palin has spent a good portion of her public career involved in oil and natural gas policies (and her husband works in the North Slope oil fields). No one expected that she would parlay that into foreign policy, but she did, rattling off a veritable geography bee worth of oil-rich areas throughout the world: When a hurricane strikes in the Gulf of Mexico, this country should not be so dependent on imported oil that we are forced to draw from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve. And families cannot throw away more and more of their paychecks on gas and heating oil. With Russia wanting to control a vital pipeline in the Caucasus, and to divide and intimidate our European allies by using energy as a weapon, we cannot leave ourselves at the mercy of foreign suppliers. To confront the threat that Iran might seek to cut off nearly a fifth of world energy supplies … or that terrorists might strike again at the Abqaiq facility in Saudi Arabia … or that Venezuela might shut off its oil deliveries … we Americans need to produce more of our own oil and gas. And take it from a gal who knows the North Slope of Alaska: we’ve got lots of both. One pundit described this section as Palin’s “substantive grounding” as a vice presidential candidate. Near the end of the speech, when it was clear that Palin had delivered and met the expectations of the media’s glowering eye, the cameras cut to Cindy McCain. She was downright giddy. The only quibble I had with the speech was Palin’s repeat of her comment she made last week about opposing the so-called “Bridge to Nowhere.” She actually lobbied for the Gravina Island Bridge as a gubernatorial candidate, but as governor, she decided to use the federal funds designated for the bridge for other purposes. Palin should have left the reference out. Not only is it disingenuous, but it also gives the Obama campaign, journalists and the chattering class at large the opportunity to say, “Palin was actually for the Bridge to Nowhere – before she was against it.” The speech wouldn’t have hurt in its absence. It was the only real blemish – and it’s a significant one – on the address. That aside, the postgame analysis of the speech was almost as entertaining as the speech itself. You know I watch CNN, and for nothing else than for my two favorite pundits, Gloria Borger and James Carville. I was disappointed that we didn’t get to hear Carville’s take on Palin; instead, we had to settle for Paul Begala, who definitely had his pants in a twist after that speech. Anyway, the normally stuffy CNN panelists – SIDEBAR: Incidentally, CNN’s punditry has grown to the point that it’s bordering on qualifying for its own congressional representative in the next census. Come on, CNN: Big tent, yes, but this is ridiculous. Upwards of 15 people over four platforms participating in these panels? That’s just too much. And anyway, more of anyone else means less Gloria, and that’s a bad thing. END SIDEBAR – were beside themselves after Palin’s speech. Republican strategists were, understandably, elated. Alex Castellanos described her as “unflinching,” even evoking one of my very favorite movies – “The American President” – in his analysis. David Gergen said a Democratic friend of his had told him that Palin reminds him of former Texas governor Ann Richards. And Leslie Sanchez said Palin showed “compassion, intelligence and strength. “Finally we stopped thinking about gender and saw her as a leader,” Sanchez said. “There are a lot of people who are going to be excited about this ticket for the first time.” Amy Holmes, the self-styled Independent who used to write speeches for former GOP Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, said Palin proved how she earned that high school nickname, balancing “toughness and femininity very well. “She hit it pitch perfect,” Holmes said. Even the CNN anchors were seeing stars. Ed Henry described reaction this way: “If it had been a fight, it should have been stopped early.” Anderson Cooper interjected that Palin was “authentic” and repeated Palin’s line about lipstick being the only difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull. On the smile with which she delivered some of the strongest attacks against Obama, “She puts the knife in, and you don’t even know it’s been done,” Cooper said. Wolf Blitzer was similarly stricken. “Whatever you think about her politics, clearly a star has been born here in the United States,” he cooed. Ah, love. It’s a many splendored thing. It’s the April rose that—apparently—grows beyond the early spring. So it was clear why the Democrats were uneasy. But their discomfort led them to curious, and surprising, lines of attack. Palin has been called a “game-changer.” By definition, that term means someone who changes the game. (Hey, I’m not a writer for nothing.) The presidential game to this point has been the Republicans attacking Barack Obama for being basically an empty suit, someone full of high-minded speeches but who lacks the experience and judgment needed to be president. After Palin’s speech, Obama’s surrogates suddenly found themselves in the strange position of having to cast Palin’s speech as – dare I say it? – just words. “The American people prefer substance over style,” Democratic strategist Donna Brazile said. Obama supporters downplaying the efficacy of a speech? Game-changer. In addition to the partisan split on the panel, a gender rift developed between Brown and Borger in Minneapolis and Paul Begala in D.C. on the issue of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s response to Palin’s address. Reid had described as “shrill” Palin’s attacks on what she called the “do-nothing Congress.” The word met with marked disapproval from the ladies on the set. Brown argued that Democrats have to be careful in hitting back at Palin, since a word like that – “shrill” – has sexist overtones and could be construed as an insult. Borger nodded away in agreement (as I was doing on my couch). In defending Reid, Begala was reduced to comparing the word choice to some people who referred to Hillary Clinton as “the b-word” during the primary campaign. You’ve heard of apples and oranges? That comparison was like apples and hydraulic roof drives. Brown, who continued to demonstrate the undignified argumentative streak she has developed this week, argued that the word is almost never used to describe men’s speech and reiterated that Democrats risk alienating women if they use language like “shrill” in attacking Palin. Brazile agreed with Begala, though almost reluctantly, before Blitzer broke up the fun. I couldn’t get a read on Brown. She was all over Palin earlier this week, but tonight, she seemed like her biggest fan. Game-changer. And then there was the whole line of conversation about whether Palin was kicking off a new culture war. Carl Bernstein delivered some predictably partisan and barely-intelligible remarks about how “Palin would make a great Republican secretary of the interior: ‘Drill, drill, drill,’” while Gergen, Brown, Borger, Begala and Brazile hammered away on the class warfare idea. Brown argued over that Palin’s speech was aimed at rural voters, while Gergen argued that it was meant for the base. Inexplicably, no one pointed out how much of rural America is the GOP base. But CNN demographic oracle John King reminded the panel that if Al Gore had won “in small-town America” – or even in his own state of Tennessee – in 2000, no one would have noticed what happened in Palm Beach County, and he would have been introduced as “President Gore” last week in Denver. Game-changer. One thing’s for sure: Tomorrow on the morning talk shows, for the first time in four days, there won’t be much – if any – news about Bristol Palin. Game-changer, anyone? The job for the Obama campaign is to figure out how to proceed with Sarah Palin. Do they ignore her and risk being perceived as minimizing her? Or do they engage her and risk coming across too strong in doing so? If they do engage her, do they make her experience an issue, running the risk of highlighting Obama’s own short career in the U.S. Senate against the experience of a war hero? Or do they give her a pass on what is undoubtedly her weakest point and give up what may be their best opportunity to weaken her—and, by extension, the GOP ticket? Tonight in a cluttered office somewhere, the Obama campaign is trying to figure out how to handle what has become, in the last four hours, its very big Palin Problem. You guessed it … Game-changer. National 2008-09-04T06:14:00-06:00 http://www.gulfeast.com/index.php/OAN_Political_Blog/home_folk_on_tv/ http://www.gulfeast.com/index.php/site/home_folk_on_tv/#When:02:58:00Z State Rep. Mike Hubbard got some good face time on national television tonight at the Republican National Convention. CNN’s camera cut to the floor as the GOP began its “roll call of the states,” the procedure by which states dole out their delegates to nominate the party’s presidential candidate. And there stood Hubbard, by virtue of his position as party chairman of the first of the 50 states in alphabetical order. But face time isn’t full coverage: As Hubbard did his duty, Wolf Blitzer talked right over him throughout the 20 to 25 seconds he was on screen. Also, Alabama Attorney General Troy King was seen peeking his head right over Hubbard’s left shoulder.  Local, State, National 2008-09-04T02:58:00-06:00 http://www.gulfeast.com/index.php/OAN_Political_Blog/republican_rumble/ http://www.gulfeast.com/index.php/site/republican_rumble/#When:00:44:00Z The GOP came ready to rumble tonight. Two former governors and presidential candidates themselves—Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and Mike Huckabee of Arkansas—came out swinging against Barack Obama, Joe Biden and the Democratic Party. More on those speeches later, but they each had memorable sound bites. Rudy Guiliani is next. Expect him to set the stage for Sarah Palin by laying the framework for her argument about experience; expect her to demonstrate in her speech that she, too, is ready to rumble.  National 2008-09-04T00:44:00-06:00 http://www.gulfeast.com/index.php/OAN_Political_Blog/tuesday_night_rnc/ http://www.gulfeast.com/index.php/site/tuesday_night_rnc/#When:20:34:00Z Let’s talk quickly about the RNC’s festivities last night. Joe Lieberman’s appearance was the most anticipated of the evening, what with him having been a vice presidential candidate—and on the Democratic ticket—just eight years ago. My, how time flies. At the I-70 interchanges in Kansas City, ol’ Joe decided to take I-35 north to Minneapolis instead of I-70 to Denver. More on that in a minute. Lieberman’s speech might have been the most anticipated of the night, but it was Fred Thompson who stole the show. Thompson, whose own presidential campaign faded away before it ever really took off, showed no qualms about getting after the Democrats, their nominee, their political philosophy, their “friends in the media” and pretty much anyone and anything else out there. But in addition to lowering the boom on liberalism, Thompson spent a great deal of time in storyteller mode, detailing in terms rarely heard before the life—and especially the years as a prisoner of war—of John McCain. His language was vivid, his sentences simple and short, and the room was transfixed as Thompson detailed the torture that McCain withstood for five and a half years. One newswriter used the term “mesmerized” to describe the atmosphere in the hall. Thompson’s strategy was apparently to use those experiences to buttress his argument: If five and a half years in a prison camp couldn’t break John McCain, we won’t need to worry about him in Washington. You can see the speech here or read the text here. It was interesting to me that the Democratic pundits on CNN seemed appalled at Thompson’s partisan tone and the swipes—and they were sharp swipes—he took at Barack Obama. But last Monday night, after Michelle Obama and Ted Kennedy had spoken, Paul Begala had his shorts in a twist that the Democrats weren’t being partisan enough. So I was amused to see them all in a what’s-good-for-the-goose-isn’t-good-for-the-gander lather. Then came Lieberman. In case you missed it, Lieberman lost a Democratic primary challenge for his Senate seat based on his support for the Iraq war. He left the Democratic Party and registered as an independent, beating the Democratic nominee in winning re-election. He retained his independent affiliation but caucuses with the Democrats; as a result, he has been allowed the chair the Homeland Security Committee during the last Congress. It probably won’t be that way in the next Congress. Lieberman not only delivered the expected—which was a full-throated endorsement of his good friend, John McCain—but he “went out of his way,” as CNN pundit Gloria Borger put it, to praise Sarah Palin, a woman with whom he disagrees on nearly every social issue—if not every social issue—in the book. The pundits noted that Lieberman had spent time with Palin since she was announced as the VP pick, and that he had shared advice with her about running as the No. 2. But it was curious to hear him extend his remarks to include her. As for his endorsement of McCain, Lieberman was gracious and conversational in comparing John McCain with Barack Obama. For example, he said, the former had crossed party lines on issues like immigration and campaign finance reform; the latter hadn’t attempted any reach across the aisle on any issue of substance. Near the end of his remarks, Lieberman spoke directly to the so-called “security Democrats” and Independents whose votes might be attracted by McCain’s “maverick” reputation. Lieberman appealed to them to vote for McCain, a move that seemed to push already-irritated Democrats over the edge. See Lieberman’s speech (available in parts at YouTube) or read the text of it here. I’m out for a couple of hours, but I’ll be back to share some more things about Sarah Palin with you as she gets ready to address the convention tonight. ... Speaking of highly anticipated speeches!  National 2008-09-03T20:34:00-06:00 http://www.gulfeast.com/index.php/OAN_Political_Blog/daily_gross_kos_post_re_trig_palin/ http://www.gulfeast.com/index.php/site/daily_gross_kos_post_re_trig_palin/#When:20:07:00Z It’s been a busy afternoon here at the Foster Family Compound, and it’s going to be a busy evening, but I have a few minutes to try to catch up with you on some things that have happened over the past day or so. First, I promised you the text of the Daily Gross I mean, Kos web page written by some brilliant genius calling himself “ArcXIX.” This person accused Sarah Palin of covering up the “true” maternity of Sarah Palin’s four-month-old son, Trig, insisting that Bristol Palin was really Trig’s mother and that Sarah Palin was actually his grandmother. Of course, as we know now, Bristol Palin couldn’t have had Trig in April, because she’s five months pregnant now. For all his or her perceived knowledge about human growth and development, the female body, pregnancy, chromosomal disorders and human ethics, ArcXIX lacks what Bobby Boucher would call “the counting skills.” I was never an outstanding math student, but even I can figure out that a woman who delivered a baby in April cannot be five months pregnant four months later. Anyway, here it is, with the exceptions of the pictures and video clips that were embedded on the page. (If you’re interested in seeing them, check Google cache; it was still there yesterday. Incidentally, pay particular attention to that last paragraph. ArcXIX is right about one thing: Bristol Palin should rightfully be able to embrace her child in public as her own, with no shame, and no quarter. But I would make one correction: It is the readers of the Daily Kos and other like-minded individuals who should be just as accepting. Sarah Palin Is NOT The Mother [Photos+Video] by ArcXIX Sat Aug 30, 2008 at 01:12:31 PM PDT Yesterday, with the news of Sarah Louise Heath Palin inexplicably being chosen as a Vice-Presidential nominee, the attentive American public was also introduced to her character. Unfortunately for all of us, it was filled with multiple instances of backtracking and outright lies. While Alaskans had been giving her an 80% approval rating, recently 87% of Alaskans polled on the subject of TrooperGate believed she was lying. Now, I’ve known liars in my life. Their single core problem is not with themselves, but those around them. If they’re never called out on their twisting of truths and fabrications, they simply continue to make larger lies. Well, Sarah, I’m calling you a liar. And not even a good one. Trig Paxson Van Palin is not your son. He is your grandson. The sooner you come forward with this revelation to the public, the better. ArcXIX’s diary :: :: The story begins on March 6th, when Sarah decided to come forward and announce to the world that she was pregnant, a monumental occasion for an acting Governor. Republican Governor Jane Maria Swift of Massachusetts was the first sitting Governor in United States history to give birth in office just seven years before, and now here we were once again. Yet, no one could believe the news: JUNEAU—Gov. Sarah Palin shocked and awed just about everybody around the Capitol on Wednesday when she announced she’s expecting her fifth child. ... Palin said she’s already about seven months along, with the baby due to arrive in mid-May. That the pregnancy is so advanced astonished all who heard the news. The governor, a runner who’s always been trim, simply doesn’t look pregnant. Even close members of her staff said they only learned this week their boss was expecting. “I thought it was becoming obvious,” Palin said. “You know, clothes getting snugger and snugger.” But people just couldn’t believe the news. “Really? No!” said Bethel state Rep. Mary Nelson, who is close to giving birth herself. “It’s wonderful. She’s very well-disguised,” said Senate President Lyda Green, a mother of three who has sometimes sparred with Palin politically. “When I was five months pregnant, there was absolutely no question that I was with child.” ... Palin said she’s not aiming to take any time off from her job as governor, assuming all goes well with the pregnancy. ... With Palin riding extraordinarily high popularity ratings, pundits have mentioned her as a potential vice presidential candidate. But she said Wednesday night she’s “not pursuing or perpetuating it,” adding, “I have no desire to leave my job at all as governor.” ... She’s known as a fashion plate, but said she hasn’t been dressing differently to cover her barely perceptible bulge. Funny quote on her having no desire for the Vice-Presidency aside, the article is direly clear. No one knew she was pregnant, not even her own staff. Quite a feat. Why the secrecy? Sarah has never given an answer, and upon further reading, no one has bothered to ask. Seven months into a pregnancy, and no one noticed. Even Harry Houdini would be impressed. And how could anyone tell? Sarah’s waistline never changed. Her wardrobe still remained tight and professional. In a video posted in February (nearing five months of pregnancy at the time), Sarah is seen trim, and walking around all of Juneau, Alaska. (VIDEO CLIP) @5:50 ..."I like running the hills, it kills me, that’s why I like it, I mean it thrashes your guts...” Not exactly terminology said by a pregnant mother. Six months into pregnancy, she attended the National Governor’s Association at the White House: (PHOTO) (Full Hi-Res, Far Left) The Associated Press provides two photos in this timespan, one three days later on February 28th: (PHOTO) And another three days before the announcement, on March 3rd: (PHOTO) Here she is, seven months pregnant, three days after her official announcement: (PHOTO) And one week later: (PHOTO) And that infamous video in which Sarah trashes Hillary Clinton? That was at the Newsweek Women & Leadership Event in Los Angeles, in March: (VIDEO CLIP) After previous pregnancies (in this case, four), and at later ages, the female body is meant to adjust and show changes earlier, not later as in Sarah’s unprecedented case. On Friday, April 18th, 2008, Sarah and her husband Todd were in Dallas, Texas for a Republican Governor’s Convention. They had been in town for three days already, but Sarah had yet to give her keynote speaker address on energy policy. Then early Friday morning at 4:00am, Sarah began leaking amniotic fluid. Instead of checking into a hospital, she instead made a call to her doctor, and delivered the keynote speech. “I was not going to miss that speech,” she says. She rushed so quickly from the podium afterwards that Texas Gov. Rick Perry nervously asked if she was about to deliver the baby then. The oddities only grow from here on, as instead of rushing to a Dallas medical facility that could treat a mother who’s amniotic fluid has been draining for hours on end (made even more crucial due to the fact that this is occurring a full month prematurely), Sarah & Todd instead opted to… Fly all the way back from Texas to Alaska. A dangerous choice, as with each pregnancy (once again, in this case after four previous), a mother’s window of labor to delivery grows shorter and shorter. Aboard Alaska Airlines, the flight lasted for eight hours, with an additional landing in Seattle. The majority of commercial airlines require mothers seven months pregnant to provide a doctor’s letter to fly, but Sarah did not inform the airline of her condition. Alaska Airlines is one of the few airlines that do not require such a notice, despite the possibility of an emergency landings being required in such scenarios. That said, no one on board noticed that Sarah was going into labor: “We leave the decision to fly up to our customers and their medical advisers,” according to Alaska Airlines representative Caroline Boren. ... “Governor Palin was extremely pleasant to flight attendants and her stage of pregnancy was not apparent by observation as she didn’t show any signs of distress,” Boren said. Eight months pregnant. A 6.2 pound fetus. No one notices a visible trace. By the third trimester, a perfectly fit woman not wearing anything less than a space suit should be easily spotted as pregnant. Not in Sarah’s case. The plane then made a landing in Anchorage, Alaska. Does Sarah then visit a medical facility that can accommodate a premature birth in Alaska’s most equipped city? No. She drives 45 minutes away, to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, right outside the small village she used to govern as Mayor, Wasilla. Trig Palin is then delivered one month premature, Friday night. Sarah returned to work after three days. The inherent need to absolutely have Trig delivered in a remote and possibly ill-equipped facility for premature deliveries, where Sarah would likely have numerous contacts and pull, does not sit well. The doctor, Cathy Baldwin-Johnson, approving of all of these actions borders on malpractice. Not treating leaking amniotic fluid causes infections, and time is of the essence after water breaks. Husband Todd Palin simply delivers this winner of a line: “You can’t have a fish picker from Texas,” said Todd. A poor motivation, to be sure. Another motivation began making its rounds in the Alaskan legislature, where everyone was initially shocked to hear the news. Sarah Palin was not pregnant with child. Her sixteen year-old daughter was. Checking with the Anchorage High School that Bristol Palin attended, reporters were given word that her family had taken Bristol out of school due to contracting infectious mononucleosis. The amount of time Bristol was absent shifts from five to eight months. Mono can last anywhere from two weeks to three months, but an eight month infection is a freak oddity. Yet it remains a common excuse given by girls in private & Catholic schools around the nation when pregnancy comes into play. Not the first time, not the last time. The following photograph of Bristol has been dated late 2007: (PHOTO) (Full Hi-Res, Right) And the following photograph was printed in the Anchorage Daily News, on March 9th: (PHOTO) Bristol is pregnant in these pictures. She is not carrying belly fat, which grows outwardly wide, and does not become dome-shaped. That’s because fat is generally evenly distributed around the abdomen and a fetus is not. Bristol’s chest is sticking out, a normal body reaction when sucking in stomach muscles. Yesterday, the State of Alaska has also moved Sarah’s photo page three different times from http://gov.state.ak.us/… to http://www1.gov.state.ak.us/… to http://gov.state.ak.us/… ... With losses of photos from January & April. The final point of interest is that Trig Palin has been diagnosed with Down’s syndrome (aka trisomy 21). This is an interesting point, as chances of having offspring with Down’s Syndrome increases from under 1% to 3% after a mother reaches the age of 40. However, 80% of the cases of Down’s Syndrome are in mother’s under the age of 35, through sheer quantities of births in this age group. People like to think the vetting process is secure, and completed months ahead of time, but ABC News has reported otherwise, painting a picture of a quick vetting process for Sarah by a small, but secretive group of McCain’s legal staff. A proper vetting process under those circumstances would only go so far, and the true media vetting process has just begun. It doesn’t come as a surprise that this story was never properly researched. Palin was never on the National scene for more than a few minutes at a time, and local reporting only goes so far on a governor with an 80% approval rating. However, the motivation to cover daughter’s pregnancy aligns with her political standings. She valiantly did not perform an abortion, but fell into the fundamentalist way of thinking, and covered up for the illicit (but natural) action’s of her daughter. There could be calls below to delete this information. Calls that this type of information is muckraking and ‘below us’. The truth is not below any progressive, nor any citizen of the world that is one heartbeat away from having Palin as leader of the free world. We simply ask that she be forthright, honest, and not waste our time with such juvenile games that anyone with eyes can see as fabrication. Bristol Palin rightfully should be able to embrace her child in public as her own, with no shame, and no quarter. And a mother should be just as accepting. National 2008-09-03T20:07:00-06:00 http://www.gulfeast.com/index.php/OAN_Political_Blog/more_anarchy_in_minneapolis/ http://www.gulfeast.com/index.php/site/more_anarchy_in_minneapolis/#When:13:43:00Z An investigation into one anarchist group involved in protesting the Republican National Convention has revealed that the group discussed, among other things, kidnapping convention delegates. From the St. Paul Pioneer Press: The self-described anarchist group — whose main goal was to “crash” the Republican National Convention,” according to its Web site — traveled to or communicated with affinity groups in 67 cities to recruit members and raise money. Group members discussed the possibility of kidnapping delegates, blockading bridges, using liquid sprayers filled with urine or chemicals on police and throwing marbles to trip police and their horses. At an “action camp” held from July 31 to Aug. 3 in Lake Geneva, Minn., one member talked of concealing inside giant puppets “materials” that could be used on the street. Others discussed the need for Molotov cocktails, paint, caltrops (devices used to puncture tires), bricks and lockboxes for protesters to lock themselves together. Erik Oseland, one of the six group members arrested here, produced a video called “Video Map of the St. Paul Points of Interest.” It included such major companies as Travelers Insurance and Qwest, hotels such as the Embassy Suites and the Crowne Plaza. Also included: the Pioneer Press building. You know, it just makes me mad to read about things like this and know that these sorts of people dare to claim the sacred protections of the First Amendment for their nefarious deeds. Americans have fought and died for more than 200 years for the people’s right to peaceable assembly. These idiots make a mockery of that sacrifice.  National 2008-09-03T13:43:00-06:00 http://www.gulfeast.com/index.php/OAN_Political_Blog/the_media_hearts_obama_part_2/ http://www.gulfeast.com/index.php/site/the_media_hearts_obama_part_2/#When:16:06:00Z If you watched Barack Obama deliver his acceptance speech on Thursday night, you might have noticed some folks in the front who were clapping and cheering. Or maybe you didn’t notice. After all, it was a terrific speech, and everyone was cheering! Well, surprise! As it turns out, those folks in the front were journalists there to cover the Democratic National Convention for their respective media outlets! As The Hill’s Andy Barr points out: Two members of the foreign press exchanged opportunities to take each other’s pictue [sic] while wearing an Obama hat and waving a flag. Several others nearby screamed “woo” during some of Obama’s biggest applause lines. Woo!!! Woo-hoooooo!!!! You can see in comments at the link above that several readers ask Barr for the offenders’ names—or at least, their media outlets. In case you’re one of those interested in who the woo-wooers were, one was Allison Payne from WGN-Channel 9 (second item). I’m guessing plenty more are plainly visible in the tape of the speech. Anyway, this has touched off a debate on both sides about the media’s participation at events like these. Some of them are apparently OK with wooing for Obama, but as a matter of practice, they won’t stand for the National Anthem. What do you make of that? National 2008-09-02T16:06:00-06:00