Sarah Smile

Who knows, maybe Hall and Oates were onto something early. Prescience, however, should be reserved for the folks at Real Clear Politics, because they were definitely onto something almost three months ago.

In a June article, the headline was

McCain Should Pick Sarah Palin for VP

And yet, the whole country, including myself, was stunned by her pick by John McCain. And the McCain campaign did a fabulous job at clandestinely bringing her on board, stymieing even the most intrepid news hounds. How did this happen? Perhaps the members of the ticket will one day tell us, but for now, there is the business of getting to know Gov. Sarah Palin.



According to the RCP article, Palin is the most popular governor in America, with an approval rating hovering around the mid-80% range. That's a good start. She's fought corruption in her state, in both parties, and won the gubernatorial seat through sheer grit and determination. And with little backing. Not too shabby. And, the article states, her popularity is

mostly because she's been a crackerjack governor, a strong fiscal conservative and a ferocious fighter of corruption, especially in her own party.

One of the things we hear from the left quite often is that politicians who send kids off to war never send their own kids. Well, that one is down the tubes now, too. On September 11th, Governor Palin's son, Track, will deploy to Iraq. The only things the opposition has to go on now are the ridiculous rumors that Palin's youngest child is really her grandchild, born by her 16-year-old daughter, and that she is under investigation by the Alaska Legislature for abuse of power.

The abuse of power allegation stems from the firing of one of Palin's cabinet members who would not fire a State Trooper who was drunk with power (literally, he drank beer in his cruiser), threatened to kill his father-in-law, and tased his own 10-year-old step-son. Oh, the trooper was married to the governor's sister. I guess the most powerful woman in the state should have left the matter alone until the trooper actually did kill her father.

The democrat campaign will also try to paint her as a shill for "big oil", but that tactic will fall flat, as well. Palin got the giant natural gas pipeline project up and running, bucking "big oil", and telling the industry that it would receive no sweetheart deals from the state.

This campaign season is shaping up to be quite the exciting ride. I also have it on good authority from someone familiar with Palin, that she is a skilled debator, and that she'll drink Biden's milkshake. Time will tell. Get the popcorn ready. it's going to one hell of a show.

-Woody

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Memo To Ray Nagin

Ahem...Ray? Eli may not be coming, but Gustav certainly may be. Just how good is your memory, Ray? Do you remember high-tailing it out of your "chocolate city" for high ground when Katrina was about to hit? Do you remember how much advanced notice was given to evacuate your people? Here's a news flash, Ray: no greyhound buses are rolling your way. Get the big yellow things on wheels gassed up and ready to roll now.

Gustav is heading your way, in case you've been too busy licking your wounds from 2005 to have noticed. The good news is that Kathleen Blanco is no longer your governor. While Blanco is free now to help people iron clothes, or whatever it is she was crying about in 2005, you have a very capable and intelligent governor in Bobby Jindal who will not hesitate to ask the federal government for help. But you've got to start mobilizing right now, Ray. Don't wait until the last minute again and then blame everyone but yourself for a would-be disaster.

The last thing America needs to see again is this.

So Ray? According to the current models, you have roughly until Tuesday to start making preparations. Don't be ashamed to ask Jindal for help, because he will certainly have no qualms in asking Bush for help. Just take this opportunity to do the right thing and save your citizens from another Katrina. You don't get too many chances to atone for past mistakes. Use this one wisely.

-Woody

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Obama Files Stolen Thunder Report

John McCain picked his VP today under a cloud of secrecy the likes of which seems impossible in today's society. The speculation swirled around the "usual suspects", men who were vanquished in the campaign and more men who seemed like good choices for vice president based on credentials of leadership. McCain surprised all of them, and all of us, by picking a running mate with all of those qualities, only in the body of a woman. Take that, Obie and Hill.

Joe Biden was brought on as Obama's running mate not only to lend some foreign policy experience to the ticket (since the Candidate himself has none), but also to serve as the crust on the bread of Obama. Biden was chomping at the bit, eager to attempt to eviscerate his male counterpart in any debates. He now faces a conundrum in that he must be gentle with the "lady", at least if there is any modicum of consistency in how the main stream media views men attacking women. It was that very perception that shielded Hillary through much of her solo career, despite her auto-biographical image as tougher and smarter than anyone else.

The really good news is this, however; Sarah Palin brings much more to the plate than merely being McCain's "beard". She has much more to offer than simply neutralizing Biden. She's smart, she's tough, she's self-made and she's more of a man than most inside the Beltway, in a strictly colloquial sense, of course. And most important of all, she's already more qualified on her own to be President than the Democrat's nominee. Which is why there is such delicious irony in the attacks already emanating from Camp Obama.

That camp is, with straight faces, already saying that McCain's pick is a bad one because Palin has only been the Governor of Alaska for two years. That's two more years of executive experience than the combined Democrat ticket. Further, before being Governor, Palin was the Mayor of Wasilla, AK and was later elected as President of the Alaska Council of Mayors. It seems she knows a thing or two about being in charge. So for the Obama Camp to complain that McCain essentially put an inexperienced person a heartbeat away from the Presidency is more than feeble, it's pathetic.

McCain has the edge over them all in foreign policy experience, and he's the candidate for President, which would make the ticket properly top-heavy. The Democrat ticket more closely resembles Hillary Clinton's figure, and the top man on that ticket is young enough to stick around for a full two terms. Maybe he'll learn a bit on the job, but that would depend on how quick our enemies are to curtail his education.

Sarah Palin would be ready to take the reins if, God forbid, something were to happen to President McCain. The fact that she already has executive experience thus lends more balance to the Republican ticket than the bowling pin that is the Democrats'. And, as someone I know who is personally familiar with Ms. Palin said, she will tie Biden up in knots at the debates and stand him on his head in the corner. (Kudos, AK).

This campaign season just decked the halls and I am ready to party.

-Woody

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