The Opinion Blog

If Palin's not brilliant all 9 weeks, McCain is gone

Ripped from the wires ... Not only the liberal pundits fault McCain for his Palin pick; now, conservative Charles Krauthammer weighs in:

By CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER

"There are two questions we will never have to ask ourselves, 'Who is this man?' and 'Can we trust this man with the presidency?'"
-- Fred Thompson on John McCain, Sept. 2.

This was the most effective line of the entire Republican convention: a ringing affirmation of John McCain's authenticity and a not-so-subtle indictment of Barack Obama's insubstantiality. What's left of this line of argument, however, after John McCain picks Sarah Palin for vice president?

Sarah to John: We WILL drill in the ANWR

From the morning e-mail ... The conservative Daily Editorialist blog notes one powerful policy difference between John McCain and Sarah Palin:

“[W]e 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.”—Governor Sarah Palin (R-AK), delivering her vice-presidential acceptance speech to the Republican National Convention.

Sarah Palin is a natural advocate for drilling for oil, natural gas, and generally increasing domestic energy production. And in a McCain administration, she proclaims, drilling in Alaska is on the table.

Don't they have birth control up in Alaska?

Ripped from the wires ... Froma Harrop wonders why John McCain would pick a running mate who jerks the focus of his campaign away from national security and foreign policy:

By FROMA HARROP

I had dinner last night with a Republican-leaning independent who was despondent over John McCain's choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. She had been looking forward to supporting McCain as a fiscal conservative with a deep understanding of foreign relations. But all she could now see was that picture of Palin's pregnant 17-year-old looking defiant and stupid as she held mom's fifth baby.

What happened to 'Change you can believe in'?

Ripped from the wires ... Another take on the Biden pick from columnist Cal Thomas:

By Cal Thomas

DENVER -- In selecting Sen. Joseph Biden as his running mate, Barack Obama gains some needed foreign policy expertise, but loses some credibility. If Washington is as bad as these two say it is, was Biden a contributor or an enabler during his six Senate terms? If 36 years in the Senate doesn't make you an "insider'' and part of the problem, what does?

I'll see your Joe and raise you a Joe ...

Ripped from the wires ... William Kristol says another Joe is McCain's best VP counter to Obama's Joe Biden running-mate choice:

By WILLIAM KRISTOL

DENVER -- The anguished cries of Hillary supporters pierced the midday calm here on Saturday, as Barack Obama confirmed that his vice presidential choice was not Clinton, who got about 18 million votes this year running against him, but rather Joe Biden, who gained the support of a few thousand caucusgoers in Iowa before dropping out of the race.

Why Biden would be ideal Obama running mate

Ripped from the wires ... Here's a David Brooks piece, written BEFORE Obama's VP pick was announced, on the vice presidential virtues of Sen. Joe Biden:

By DAVID BROOKS

Barack Obama has decided upon a vice-presidential running mate. And while I don't know who it is as I write, for the good of the country, I hope he picked Joe Biden.

Biden's weaknesses are on the surface. He has said a number of idiotic things over the years and, in the days following his selection, those snippets would be aired again and again.

You expect me to keep track of ALL my homes?

From the afternoon e-mail ... Barack Obama's S.C. campaign gigs McCain for a memory lapse earlier this week, illustrating that the Democrats are still the undisputed masters of the politics of resentment:

McCain Can’t Remember How Many Homes He Owns – Can You?

COLUMBIA – This morning (Aug. 21), Barack Obama’s Campaign for Change is asking South Carolinians if they, like John McCain, have so many homes that they just can’t keep track of the number. 

Democrats going after your wallets -- again

Ripped from the wires ... Michelle Malkin picks through a document most of us will never read -- the 2008 platform of the Democratic Party and dislikes what she finds:

BY MICHELLE MALKIN

The Democratic Party platform is like a bag of pork rinds. You never know what high-fat liberal government morsel you're gonna get.

Buried in the 94-page document is a noble-sounding proposal to create a "Social Investment Fund Network.'' The program would provide federal money to "social entrepreneurs and leading nonprofit organizations that are assisting schools, lifting families out of poverty, filling health care gaps, and inspiring others to lead change in their own communities.''

Seize control of the presidential campaign, candidates

Ripped from the wires ... Conservative columnist Cal Thomas proposes a way to dispel the partisan cynicism that thus far has ruined the presidential campaign:

By Cal Thomas

Last Monday at a trade show for people who are part of the Florida tourist industry, I asked the 750 assembled for lunch how many were happy with the tone of modern politics? Not a hand was raised.

Edwards' political demise generates few tears

Ripped from the wires ... Froma Harrop explains why John Edwards' public esteem sank like a rock after he admitted to an affair:

By FROMA HARROP

It's hard to recall a political burial as fast and cold as that of John Edwards. After all, the former North Carolina senator had been a serious contender for president until a few months ago and possibly for VP until last week. Had his cheesy affair not surfaced, he would have commanded a choice speaking slot at the Democrats' convention.