Sarah Palin & Katie Couric interview

Wow...how else can I even start to vocalize my reaction to this? Utter disbelief? Disgust? Horror? How is it that a woman who can not even string a coherent sentence together get nominated to be this country's vice president? How is it that she still apparently knows almost nothing about McCain? Does she not care enough? Is her life to busy to research the past of the person she presumes to run with in this election? It very much seemed that Palin was not at all prepared for this interview: (Questions and answers quoted and paraphrased from transcription of interview found at: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/24/eveningnews/main4476173.shtml?source=RSSattr=HOME_4476173)

Couric Question 1: What was her reaction to Sen. McCain's campaign manager recieving payments from Freddie Mac last month?

Palin Answer: "It is my understanding that he recused himself from the dealings of the firm" and I hope he's not doing that anymore.

Couric Question 2: "But he still has a stake in the company, so isn't that a conflict of interest?"

Palin Answer: "Again, it is my understanding that he (Davis) recused himself from the dealings with Freddie and Fannie..." Again, I hope not because John McCain and I are rallying against "the undue influence of lobbyists in public policy decisions being made."

My translation of what Palin said: I really have no clue about what really happened, so I am just going to say the same thing twice and then change the subject by talking about what McCain and I are doing to "change" Washington.

When Katie Couric asked her if she supports the bail-out, again, she skirts around the issue saying that she is "ill" about it, and that the people won't support it, so John McCain and she won't support it. Then, once again, she changed the subject, this time to the country having its "eye" on what John McCain would do, but not what Sen. Obama would do. Couric asked her why she thought this and then countered with the fact that Obama's poll rating are increasing during this economic crisis. Palin's reaction - "I'm not looking at poll numbers." WHAT?!

Katie asked Palin about the pros and cons to declaring "a moratorium on foreclosures to help Americans keep their homes" after Palin stated that she was not decided on her position on the issue. Palin's "pros and cons" - "Oh, well, some decisions that have been made poorly should not be awarded, of course." (Huh?) And again she finds a way to change the subject to what she and McCain are doing to "change" Washington.

This was not the whole interview, and it was not all that I found objectional about the interview (I hate the use of "good guys" and "bad guys" when talking about foriegn countries and their leaders...I mean, what are we in, a cowboy movie?). If I were McCain watching this interview, I would have put my head in my hands and cried my eyes out. I hopes this makes women who are on the fringe (you know who you are...wanting to vote for McCain so you can see a woman in office, but not entirely alined with his ideals) see that this is not a woman we want to step a foot into the White House on a tour, let alone to help lead this country. And I don't even want to think about if they do get eleted and something (God forbid) happens to McCain!

On a lighter note, Saturday Night Live did an EXCELLENT spoof of the whole interview! Tina Fey and Amy Poehler ROCK!

Tonight's Debate and why I'm Horrified

After watching tonight's debate I am horrified at the possibility that McCain might be our next president. I have to admit that before tonight I was a little optimistic about the fact that no matter what we were getting it would be better than Bush, but I have lost that optimism tonight.

There were two things that were particulary scary to me about what McCain said during the debate:

1. That we can "win" the war in Iraq, and that if we do not win, soldiers will have died in vain. It seemed to me that "winning" to McCain is his primary objective and that he would "win" this war no matter what the costs. He continually ignored Obama's assertions that we needed to turn our efforts to Afghanistan and the Taliban, and he kept repeating his false presumptions about Obama's opinions. To me, McCain is still the soldier who can not or will not question the decisions of the chief. Sure, he questions it when it has to do with other things, but not the military or war.

2. McCain wants to start a League of Democracy...to take over the world? At least that was how I understood it. Let's get together all of the democratic nations and make everyone else do things the way we want them done! This was the scariest idea he brought to the debate tonight and (not to be redundent) it scares the bejeebers out of me.

For both of these points, I thought that Obama held himself very well. I especially liked his assertion that we need to get non-democratic countries involved. I am not saying that I have no questions about Obama (for instance, why hasn't he been to Afghanistan?), but if McCain is elected, I see another 4 years of war with no end in sight. I see rich continuing to get richer at the expense of the poor. I see our children continuing to get sub-par education and expected to compete in the global economy. I see the United States dropping further in the world view. I ask McCain, if you "know" all of these foreign leaders and have been to all of these places, why is it that foreign polls show that Obama is favored over you?

And I just want to leave off with this. Why is it that Obama could directly address, look at, and talk to McCain, while McCain could not even make eye contact with Obama, let alone address him by name? Obama spoke directly to McCain on numerous occasion and McCain not once even used Obama's name in a direct address. McCain constantly put down Obama with "I don't think Senator Obama understands" this, or "his naivete" about that. You go Barack Obama for not stooping to McCain's level and slinging mud at him! This was why I liked you in the primary debates. Hilary would sling and you would not give it back. You hold yourself to higher standards and I admire that!