Also, see this. Maybe only double, but remember, the buck stops at the top.

I find devil's advocacy deliciously stimulating of the little grey cells, but anyone who wants to assert any President of the United States had – or even could – "single-handedly treble the US national debt" needs to take that first year US politics again. And show up to a…

The only thing Reagan had going on was a very public face, a career of public performance and (sad to say) Alzheimer's.

Not fair. Ronnie had two glorious assets beside which those you've listed count for next to zilch:
1. Nancy
2. The best hot-buttered-yak-wool quiff ever (not counting Elvis).

Yes, but don't go attributing all the "good" stuff (e.g. the fall of Communism) to St Ronnie if you're not prepared to hear from the Devil's Advocate.

Maybe the Alzheimer's partly explains how he managed to single-handedly treble the US national debt.

DeepRed: Could we leave the wholesale re-writing of history to dishonest poo-lines for Governor Palin?

The only thing Reagan had going on was a very public face, a career of public performance and (sad to say) Alzheimer's.

Maybe the Alzheimer's partly explains how he managed to single-handedly treble the US national debt.

Granted, but I'm sticking with my gut feel that middle America will have eaten Palin up (quiet, Craig!).

Well, John, Palin's Hee-Haw routine might well be playing, but I'm not seeing any evidence of it. Anyone who thinks she's Ronald Reagan with a twat, would do well to remember that…

They're now officially going evil

yep

They're now officially going evil.

I actually don't think it will work beyond the Malkin/Instapundit crazies, but it's pretty telling that a month out they've got nothing else to say.

When they lose, I…

Glenn Reynolds and Malkin seem happy to let their reputations go down with the party.

A quick browse of the Beeb had this under Experts Score the Debate from Michelle Malkin:

Sarah Palin is the real deal. Five weeks on the campaign trail, thrust onto the national stage, she rocked…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XFHNgve97w

Via: Instaputz.

If Nate Silver's right then the fear that this person could one day be at the heart of power is receding pretty fast and probably not worth wasting too much more energy on.

This first-hand report of the McCain ground game, or lack thereof in Missouri, makes me think "landslide"…

Having been given the raspberry by a judge, they're now going to the Alaska Supreme Court to try and stop the report being released next Friday, as scheduled.

That's just not going to be good.

Sarah Palin questioned Republican presidential candidate John McCain's decision to abandon efforts to win Michigan, a campaign move she only learned about Friday morning when she read it in the newspapers.

In an interview with Fox News Channel Friday, the Alaska governor said…

Granted, but I'm sticking with my gut feel that middle America will have eaten Palin up (quiet, Craig!).

But there's just no evidence that Palin broke through to anyone who wasn't already locked in to vote for her anyway. The poling says independents and committed voters went for Biden quite…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxGKlrS9SxE

There doesn't seem to be any overt warmth between Sarah and her children.

Isn't this getting just a little hairsplitty? I mean, the Palin camp may be attempting to reap political capital from parading her Downs child in the media, but half-baked analysis at this level of detail (attempting to…

Several times I've found…

... it’s as simple as the distinction between a comic (even an admirably hard-working one) and an old-fashioned broadcaster, predicated on Letterman’s ability to create his show at the desk in a manner Leno — still…

she's a former newscaster, and she knows how to be on camera)

Which of course makes reporters hate her more. (One of their own, etc.)

Thanks, for the music links RB!

I thought Biden was by some stretch the best of the four candidates in the debate format. He said stuff in a way that let you know he really knew it.

I completely agree. He's a substantive character worthy of his position on the ticket and reassuring to anyone who's…

The pundit roundup favours Biden also.

In sum, Palin didn't fall on her face (I think anyone who'd looked at her form would have expected that to be the case — she's a former newscaster, and she knows how to…

Agreed, Biden came across as a very smart, very upright guy. I hadn't seen much of him before, and I now want to see more.

I thought Biden was by some stretch the best of the four candidates in the debate format. He said stuff in a way that let…

SEE! SHE DIDN'T BALLS IT UP! is probably enough of a headline for her anyway...

Indeed. I believe this is an example of what someone was calling "the soft bigotry of low expectations" eight years ago. She's can competently deliver talking points and rather cringe inducing laugh lines after three…

And since it's beer o'clock, doesn't he have a nice smile? If the contest were decided on smile-wattage alone, I think Obama & Biden would beat…

Palin just sounded horribly insincere.

I almost expected him to show up, Hamlet's-dad-like, but I guess she forgot to draw the necessary pentacle on the stage...

That's laugh out loud funny, but it is nearly beer o'clock NZ time...

Did you also catch "Say it ain't so, Joe, there ya go again!"

Isn't "there you go again" an attempt to rehash Reagan's "there he goes again..." from the 84 presidential debates. (that's not from memory, just a half remembered comment elsewhere).

And instead of pausing and acknowledging it, Palin just chirped on with her next prepared answer.

I just want to note that she used the phrase 'back in the day' in her closing statement.

Christ. :)

Did you also catch "Say it ain't so, Joe, there ya go again!"

And she winked at the audience. Twice.

Winking during a televised job interview for VP is like...…

Actually, I think we all know how that would play out.

No, Paul, I'm with you too. She debated well. Mainly because she has done little but prepare for it for the last 3 weeks.

Oh Jolisa, I was so hoping you'd tell me I was totally wrong.

I did notice the decline in confidence and fluidity on questions but she…

Christ. :)

You could tell precisely which questions came as surprises, too, because her syntax fell apart and she muffed her answers (the questions about Dick Cheney, and…

Judge refuses to halt Troopergate probe
Published: October 2nd, 2008 05:26 PM

An Anchorage judge today refused to halt the Legislature's investigation of Gov. Sarah Palin and denied the state attorney general's attempt to throw out legislative subpoenas.

Superior Court Judge Peter Michalski…

I have yet to master the dark art of link embedding so can one of you maestros do me a solid?

This is the method I use. I’m sure there are slicker ways.

1. From the column to the left of the ‘Post a reply’ window copy and paste the…

Palin / Biden is on Triangle, 10 pm tonight.
(I confirmed with the station this time).

http://punditkitchen.com/2008/10/02/political-pictures-sarah-palin-palindrome-forward-backward/

And there are actually legitimate concerns, that are no less legitimate because the born-again fiscal conservatives raising them aren't exactly free of electoral self-interest.

I think you're right to say that there are legitimate concerns about the bill, but you might agree they are not being articulated by the people…

A PAC called Human Rights Campaign went up to Wasilla to ask the town's gay folk (the ones who weren't too scared to appear on camera) about Sarah Palin. It's just under six minutes long:

Oh, Jesus, Mary and Joseph... couldn't someone at the HRC find some banjo-free hick-hop music?…

Yes, but that's all just code for Neo-cons/Religious Right. Because they know they can't win by overt means they try to win by stealth.

John: What exactly is "covert" about standing for elections to school boards, running campaigns on issues, and actually bloody organising to get ballot initiatives passed? Sorry…

A PAC called Human Rights Campaign went up to Wasilla to ask the town's gay folk (the ones who weren't too scared to appear on camera) about Sarah Palin. It's just under six minutes long:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfL2l1dk8nA

It appears that one of the books she wanted to ban…

The mighty Wikipedia notes that there is this newish conception of 'federalism' in the US, and to new federalists this means that the federal government gives grants to different states to do with as they will, so they're more powerful and separatist.

Similar confusion is occuring in Australia too -…

Not even those who etc...?

She didn't have to accept the nomination after all.

No person deserves to be held up to this sort of ridicule.

Even those who believe they have the ability and right to rule over the masses?

I'm, in that sense, a federalist, where I believe that states should have more say in the laws of their lands and individual areas.

Isn't that the EXACT OPPOSITE of federalism?

Well er, yup. One presumes she means 'state-ist'.

I mean really, if you're running for VP, how important can…

No person deserves to be held up to this sort of ridicule.

The…

Oh, I see; your question 3.

That I didn't actually number... :)

Well why not, if it turns out that change poses a threat to us

Hmm. Perhaps you're right. I'll think on that.

CBS has the 'Supreme Court' question to both candidates up on their site now and it does Look like Palin couldn't name anything but Roe v. Wade.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/01/eveningnews/main4493062.shtml

The thing about Palin is that, despite having some principled and predictable positions, her range is so narrow. She'd struggle to fill…

So Palin supports efforts to counteract the Earth's natural climate changes?

Well why not, if it turns out that change poses a threat to us. I've long thouight that the only relevant questions about climate change are:

Is it happening?
Is it bad?
Can we do anything about it?

Apportioning…

oh and this!

Here's one that slipped by yesterday:

Couric: Is [climate change] man-made, in your opinion?

Palin: You know there are – there are man's activities that can be contributed to the issues that we're dealing with now, these impacts. I'm not going to solely blame all of man's…

Isn't that the EXACT OPPOSITE of federalism?

useful flow-chart

Everything I need to know about the American lawmaking process is handily on YouTube, in song form, via the wonderful Schoolhouse Rock:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEJL2Uuv-oQ

Palin, c'mon. Brown v. Board of Education? Plessy v. Ferguson? Bueller v. Principal Ed Rooney? (OK, I made that one up.)

In response to a question, Ms. Palin also said that she believed there is an inherent right of privacy in the Constitution. She did not explain how she could believe in a right of…

a flaming Maoist

Now THAT sounds like a delicious cocktail...

Palin couldn't name anything but Roe v. Wade.

__Asked what other Supreme Court decisions she disagreed with, Alaska's governor couldn't name any.

"Well, let's see. There's, of course, in the great history of America rulings there have been rulings, that's…

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/01/eveningnews/main4493062.shtml

There's also some stuff about funding for rural schools put in by the Republicans. Is there any other major democracy where laws get made like this?

To an extent they all do, but I totally get your point.

Westminister systems don't generally permit anything like the level of member-sponsored, public…

Sullivan also pointed to a similar column by another Palin critic, Kathleen Parker:

Bloody hell with sprinkles on... And the simply bizarre thing is that people like Dreher and Kathleen Parker (who is a columnist on a paper that's hardly Chicago's answer to The Guarniad) make me look like a…

With each permutation, the bill has steadily grown in size. Treasury’s initial plan was about three pages long. The House version, which failed, stretched to 110. The Senate substitute now runs…

Are these the people you'd want making your financial decisions?

I think you get what you vote for. Sadly in these instances.

And probably no better than the Wall Street types who went along with the whole crazy sub-prime mortgages in the first place. Those are the ones that have…

Are these the people you'd want making your financial decisions?

WH: To be fair, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson (the former CEO of Goldman Sachs!) shouldn't have expected universal acclaim with his cries of "give me a trillion dollars, and trust me, or else". You can say some kind of bailout,…

This from yesterday's WaPo:

The new [far left/far right] majority isn't worried about ephemeral things such as 700-point drops in the Dow. "No, I'm not," Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) declared…

and just to make the point. mccain is a senator. Passing the law did require votes from the senate as well as congress. so him being there was doing his job

Sage: I guess we should be thankful there's one bill we can be reasonably confident McCain is actually going…

and just to make the point. mccain is a senator. Passing the law did require votes from the senate as well as congress. so him being there was doing his job

There is…

The point I was making is that mccain is spending his personal political capital on leading

... and he should have invested it in AIG stock, for all the good it did. Sorry to sound like a broken record here, but __over two thirds of House Republicans voted against the…

this paper was written in 2004, revised in 2005, and online in 2006:

This situation is exemplified through two case studies documenting an extraordinary recurrence…

McCain is denying he blamed the Democrats for the bailout failure
When asked whether he blamed Dems and Obama for the bailout collapse yesterday, McCain said "no."

But yesterday McCain said: "Senator Obama and his allies in Congress infused unnecessary partisanship into the process."

That is a slightly different statement…

HH: Governor, let’s close with some foreign affairs. It is reported that you had an Israeli flag in your governor’s office. You wore an Israeli flag pin occasionally. One, is that true? And two, why your…

John McCain’s got some great ideas on granting authority, for instance, to the FDIC, making sure that our deposits are insured. He wants to increase that deposit insurance cap of all of our money, our…

Couric asks her what magazines and newspapers have helped shape her worldview. Palin flails around and it eventually becomes evident that she can't name a single magazine or newspaper she has read:

Oh, come on Russell that's a harsh too far. I'm sure she could name any number of magazines…

she can't name a single magazine or newspaper she has read:

That's because she has read 'all of them'.

"Porn shocker: Palin gets foreign policy advice from Hustler Magazine"

she can't name a single magazine or newspaper she has read:

That's because she has read 'all of them'.

(see page 6 this thread.)

Couric asks her what magazines and newspapers have helped shape her worldview. Palin flails around and it eventually becomes evident that she can't name a single magazine or newspaper she has read:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRkWebP2Q0Y

voteforthemilf.com

__Erroneous Claims

All of the sites claiming or inferring John McCain’s campaign owns the domains and registered them privately to dodge the possible scandal are making up what they think is news without actually checking the facts. The truth is it could be anyone that…

And so John likes — John, you like to pretend like the war started in 2007. You talk about the surge. Redacted. You were wrong. Redacted. You were wrong. Redacted. And you were wrong.

…

I recall I asked yesterday whether his campaign could get anymore weird and erratic.

Yes. Yes, it could.

Yes, he's crazy alright. But we'll find out soon if he's crazy like a Fox. Just as the leaves fall in Autumn, I always get despondent around election time – wondering if democracy…

Which is precisely what I was trying to explain to Peter.

What part of "cut off state-funding to no-hoping breeders and this will stop" did you fail to grasp Russell?

To be fair, Russell, McCain might have no idea what his own freaking campaign staff are putting in front of that "I'm John McCain and I approve this message" soundbite.

More fool him then.

Which is why we just know the Biden / Palin debate is going to be a blast. She has already started with her "I remember his speeches from 2nd grade" jibes. I bet there is a whole lot more where that came from.

Including her thoughts on the bailout:

""But…

Couric: And when it comes to establishing your worldview, I was curious, what newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped for this to stay informed and to understand the world?

Palin: I've read most of them, again with a great…

McCain is denying he blamed the Democrats for the bailout failure — while he has a campaign ad running that blames the Democrats for the bailout failure.

To be fair, Russell, McCain might have no idea what his own freaking campaign staff are putting in front of that "I'm John…

I recall I asked yesterday whether his campaign could get anymore weird and erratic.

Yes. Yes, it could.

Which is why we just know the Biden / Palin debate is going to be a blast. She has already started with her "I remember his speeches from 2nd grade" jibes. I…

RNZ noon has the cops praising the "It's not OK" campaign for the rise in reported violence, as not an actual increase but an increase in reporting it to the cops and not taking it anymore.

Which is precisely what I was trying to explain to Peter.

For all that…

Well done Russell.

McCain is denying he blamed the Democrats for the bailout failure — while he has a campaign ad running that blames the Democrats for the bailout failure.

I recall I asked yesterday whether his campaign could get anymore weird and erratic.

Yes. Yes, it could.

you call this leadership?

__The Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama urged Congress to get back to work today and renegotiate a massive Wall Street bailout package.

The White House hopeful also suggested raising the limit on bank deposits guaranteed by the Federal Government to $250,000 from its current level of…

you call this leadership?

Yes. Apparently it will deliver the 12 votes that went AWOL yesterday. Of course, McCain is now claiming it was his idea. Liar.

Anyway, if you were really a Mises-worshipping Austrian, like Horwitz, you wouldn't be applauding McCain's ostensible efforts to get a bailout package together. You ought to be disapproving his attempts to interfere in the end of the business cycle.

And while I really had to wearily chuckle at the House…

Oh and for those of you who think the sub prime crisis was caused by greedy bankers, think again.

Nonsense on stilts, sage.

Nobody forced AIG to write risky insurance.

Nobody forced investment banks to buy derivatives of loans they did not write.

Nobody forced ratings agencies to overlook the…

It is an interesting comment on the respective character of each candidate that McCain goes and gets involved in a crisis whilst Obama stands back and offers platitudes

What colour is the sky on Planet Sage? McCain's actual actions since he announced he was "suspending" his campaign are [[http://www.blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/2008/09/29/the-bailout-bill-fails-should-we-blame-mccain.aspx|fairly well…

It is an interesting comment on the respective character of each candidate that McCain goes and gets involved in a crisis whilst Obama stands back and offers platitudes

Sage: And letting the reality back in the room, Sage, you did notice the House Republicans rejected the bailout legislation by a…

http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2008/09/30/palin_pity/index.html

pretty forthright

Apologies if anyone else has already linked to this

Thursdays debate should be interesting

The Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama urged Congress to get back to work today and renegotiate a massive Wall Street bailout package.

The White House hopeful also suggested raising the limit on bank deposits guaranteed by the Federal Government to $250,000 from its current level of $100,000,…

Sorry, what do people object to exactly?

I think both are rude, I think the actions of politicians are 'meh', TV3 is the real disappointment.

In the early 1990s, Congress eased Fannie and Freddie's lending requirements (to 1/4th the capital required by regular commercial banks) so as to increase their ability to lend to poor areas.…

Clark and Key's behaviour, not the best, but not totally surprising. TV3's decision to not run a debate with everyone else – some of whom could be very significant post-election, just sad.

Sorry, what do people object to exactly? The two leaders agreeing the need a head to head or…

For additional perspective on the value of $6 trillion, the Chinese economy reached a GDP of $3.4 trillion in 2007, according to the Chinese news…

If we move smartly, Americans can have a better, more robust financial democracy along the lines of the system envisioned by our first president. The current crisis does not…

Interesting times

yes. Orlov is a very smart character with some very interesting insights.

have to read that book. have to. must read. top of the book list.
starting to sound repetative...

It's an excerpt from the book Reinventing Collapse
Soviet Example and American Prospects
By Dmitry Orlov

Another one to add to the Holiday reading list

And call me an old crank, but I'd rather not see Three outsourcing editorial decisions to the Ninth Floor or the Opposition Leader's office. They're perfectly entitled to decline to appear, but it's rather spineless and disingenuous of Three to pull the plug on the whole exercise.

Yeah, that's what…

This would be funny, if not so damned serious. Wouldn't it?

Barney Frank is the chairman of the House Banking Committee, so at the moment he damn well better be the grown-up in whatever room he's in. I'm no fan of Nancy Pelosi, but if she's got duvh powerful hoodoo…

I think debates with all leaders are important, but not instead of a head to head with Clark and Key.

I don't think it's an zero sum proposition either, but the "one of us is going to be Prime Minister so we aren't going to be seen with these minnows"…

This would be funny, if not so damned serious. Wouldn't it?

I'm glad one of them said it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLPki41U-lE

This would be funny, if not so damned serious. Wouldn't it?

Always fun to see the world through Kerr-tinted glasses for a moment

He needs to take those off & address himself in the mirror before he goes jogging. OT, but the other evening I would have sworn santa (or a giant red panda) was jogging (in a shuffling kind of way)…

Where McCain clearly tripped up, several times, was in saying "Senator Obama doesn't understand..." when, even if you disagreed with Obama, he quite obviously did understand.

He should also resist the urge to call anyone else "naive" – especially today.

Wow. Have you ever seen a more disingenuous bunch than…

I agree with Sage and RB in that I thought McCain had the better of the debate purely in terms of technique.

He did as well as any politician with 26 years experience and one failed presidential bid behind him would do. Nothing special, very professional.

Where McCain clearly tripped…

McCain's got more positions than the Kama Sutra on Ritalin.

HUGE swing-state poll results for Obama.

No wonder Redbaiter is even more upset than usual.

Check out some of the usual suspects on Kiwiblog on the bailout story.

Laugh? Cry? You choose.

Could he get any more weird and erratic?

Yes? I don't want to even imagine how, but as far as weirdness is concerned too much is not enough. :) But I do have a nomination for the McCain-Palin campaign anthem...

http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=FKeQpeDkoGc

NSFW! But soothing words for difficult times, don't you…

"Barack Obama failed to lead, phoned it in, attacked John McCain, and refused to even say if he supported the final bill ...This bill…

The correlation between congressmen voting against the bill and unsafe seats in the upcoming election may surprise you.

Oh no it wouldn't, Jake. :) But to be fair, there are people on both sides of the aisle who cast good faith votes against the bail out — and it is…

Now that it has been convincingly demonstrated that McCain knows more about what is required to lead the US it is obvious that McCain should be president.

Oh, of course. McCain knows how to do everything. Just check out this list. I don't know why the country hasn't fallen in…

Que?

That's Spanish for "WTF?", right?

While the shit hits the fan, MSNBC's Chris Matthews blames McCain for the failure of the bailout vote — "He shouted 'charge' and Republicans retreated"

House Republican Minority Leader John Boehner all been all over National Radio this morning blaming... Nancy Pelosi. I had no idea she had such enormous…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VdwNhACoUs

As far as why does it matter that Obama constantly said he agrees with McCain. The presidency is not a place to learn on the job.

But it is a place for McCain to make up coherent economic policy on the fly? Or Palin to learn to string together three…

As far as why does it matter that Obama constantly said he agrees…

Palin's debate style is simple: She's a master, not of facts, figures or insightful policy recommendations, but at the fine art of the non-answer, the glittering generality.…

A debate's more dynamic, and although she'll be rehersed, I don't expect her to manage it for the full duration.

One suspects they'll have her pumped up with 40 or so 30 second sound bites. She'll probably ignore the question, come out with a sound bite that vaguely matches, and…

She'll have less control over the questions, less time to contemplate…

I'm with Don. Obama's campaign have been circulating a video of Palin debating in the gubernatorial contest in Alaska. Apparently the pitbull with lipstick thing works in the…

But expectations were so low that her high-school-debate styling was greeted as a triumphant performance.

Frankly, that's an insult to high school debaters.

This. She's expected to do so badly that if she doesn't just giggle and fall over, it'll be seen as a win.

They pulled that off with the convention speech. It really was not great. But expectations were so low that her high-school-debate styling was greeted as a triumphant performance.

Cool Hand Luke

Look for yet another "Palin" bounce which, one hopes, will happen far enough away from the election not to matter.

I'd be satisfied if this is the best they achieve, but I'm optimistically hoping that she is revealed for what she is; a hopeless candidate entirely out of her depth.…

The format is structured to just be sound bite exchange rather than actual debate

Exactly. It's fairly obvious why.

the CBS interview was extraordinary. CNN's Cafferty wasn't impressed.

A tie in the Palin / Biden debate will be news (so no doubt the news media will welcome that) and it will be seen as defeat for Biden/Obama

This. She's expected to do so badly that if she doesn't just giggle and fall over, it'll be seen as a…

Putin is rearing his head into Alaskan airspace

There's more.

If stringing together random snippets of English counts as talking.

Have a dig around for older, pre-VP, interviews. A different Palin emerges.

Whilst the current crop of interviews make Palin look like an idiot the debates will be different. She won't even be asked ... "give me some examples of...".…

Whatever Palin's credentials she isn't that stupid (really) and she can talk.

If stringing together random snippets of English counts as talking. I mean, really, you've seen the Couric interviews? (And the SNL take on them, which uses verbatim quotes).

That will not happen. Whatever Palin's credentials she isn't that stupid (really) and she can talk.

OTOH, every time she's been interviewed in an even vaguely unscripted manner it has not gone well, which is why she has been shielded from the press so much. She got pretty incoherent at…