I thought y’all might want your attention drawn to the Kathleen Parker column on today’s page (our first syndicated column in the hallowed space previously reserved to editorial board members) in which she concludes:
What to do?
McCain can’t repudiate his choice for running
mate. He not only risks the wrath of the GOP’s unforgiving base, but he
invites others to second-guess his executive decision-making ability.
Barack Obama faces the same problem with Biden.Only Palin can
save McCain, her party and the country she loves. She can bow out for
personal reasons, perhaps because she wants to spend more time with her
newborn. No one would criticize a mother who puts her family first.Do it for your country.
But you should really go read it and see how she gets there. Wanting to make sure readers did that, I didn’t put the slam-bang conclusion in the headline. I DID put it in THIS headline, on account of the blog being all about provoking discussion.
An interesting thing about the column: Like Nixon going to China, you sort of needed a "conservative" (which I put in quotes because that oversimplifies Kathleen, but in this context it’s about widespread perception) woman to say this, assuming it needed saying. Sort of like nobody but fellow veterans could have criticized John Kerry’s service in the war.
Kathleen is able to cite her initial defense of Sarah, then her breathless tension watching her and hoping she wouldn’t screw up. And that’s something I can’t possibly identify with — worrying about someone’s performance because I’m a member of the same demographic. Maybe I’m too self-centered. But I have had to accept that black folks do that with Obama, and women do that with Hillary Clinton and/or Sarah Palin, depending on their proclivities. When I see a white guy out there succeeding or failing, he’s on his own as far as I’m concerned. I might agree with him or I might not, but it won’t have anything to do with which restroom he uses or what boxes he checks off on a census form.
That’s why it took Kathleen to write this piece. For my part, I haven’t had any particular expectations of Mrs. Palin. Y’all know what I thought when I first saw her, and all she had to do was give a reasonably competent convention speech to exceed my expectations.
But that’s me. What do you think?
Related Posts
Who is Kathleen Parker and why would her opinion matter?
Then Obama should drop out, because he has much less experience than Sarah Palin in every area.
Palin is not ready to be President today, but after a few months on the job as VP, her proven abilities to step up to the next level quickly, will make her a very able VP and, eventually, President.
She doesn’t fit the stereotype of what all the female pundits expected. They are all thinking the female VP or President would be like them. Wrong! They turn off most Americans.
Have you watched the interviews, Brad? Reading the transcripts is even worse as Palin’s fractured syntax and run on sentences are like the worst combination of George Bush and Joe Biden.
Or how about when she claimed the other day that she watched the Tina Fey skit with the sound turned off but found it hilarious?
And, please, Lee, I know you’re out there. For once, if someone criticizes a Republican can you address the criticism without referencing Obama or some other Democrat? Tell us what you think specifically of Sarah Palin.
Kathleen is a conservative syndicated columnist from South Carolina.
Can’t we all finally admit this is turning very ugly, her being selected was a choice clearly only for political purposes. I feel bad for her, she clearly looks incredibly uncomfortable and has lost her confidence. Let’s just hope she has the courage to step down sooner rather than later.
Kathleen is a conservative syndicated columnist from South Carolina.
Can’t we all finally admit this is turning very ugly, her being selected was a choice clearly only for political purposes. I feel bad for her, she clearly looks incredibly uncomfortable and has lost her confidence. Let’s just hope she has the courage to step down sooner rather than later.
Dang! He beat me to it! 🙂
Lee – watch the interviews. Without talking about Obama, how would you rate Palin in the context of the Republican presidents and vice presidents and nominees of the past two decades?
Would you take her over any of Cheney, Bush I, Bush II, Dole, Quayle, Reagan?
Here is another article questioning her readiness http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/02/AR2008090202441.html
“The man who would be the oldest to embark on a first presidential term has chosen as his possible successor a person of negligible experience.”
Here is another article from Conservative
David Frum on Palin http://www.nationalpost.com/nationalpost/story.html?id=756704
I agree with Bart. I’ve started to really feel sorry for Gov. Palin. Rather than getting a chance to continue the work she had started to do in Alaska, being chosen for what she symbolizes rather than on the merits has doomed her political future. By the time this election is over Sarah Palin will be no more a rising national star of the Republican party than Dan Quayle was (or Geraldine Ferraro was for the Democrats after 1984 for that matter).
It’s becoming more and more embarrassing and uncomfortable to watch, and I have a feeling it’s only going to get more so. Even though it all bounces back to Obama’s benefit in the election which is for the good of the country, I still feel sorry for her.
Well, look at the bright side. She’ll make a great contestant on Dancing with the Stars.
The only thing that even remotely keeps Palin in the game at this point is Joe Biden’s offsetting miscues. Since the 2 are running against each other for the same job I think that comparison is valid. But folks are more likely to cut Biden some slack since he has a very long resume to fall back on. Clearly Palin is having a toughest time right now of any of the 4 POTUS/VP contenders. All have stumbled at times but Palin is simply disintegrating. If she pulls an Admiral Stockdale in the debate this election is over whether McCain keeps her or not. McCain rolled the dice and it looks like boxcars have come up. Essentially he’s boxed into his VP selection with no place to go.
Palin’s out of her league? But Biden thinks FDR was president when the crash of ’29 happened and he made a speech on TV about it?
Biden should pull out. He’s senile. Kathleen Parker should resign, because Palin’s out of her league.
A little down-to-Earth common sense, of the Palin variety, in these wonderful times of high finance flailing about like a fish flopping on the beach, would make perfect sense.
We need to get back to our roots.
And our roots aren’t Chicago politics, Kenya, Bill Ayers and Jeremiah Wright.
You Palin haters are mad because she is not on your team. You are really showing your desperation. You folks don’t even have any hope left. All you have is wishful thinking. Desperate people make bad decisions.
Right p.m.
Governor Palin believes the right things and has the right core values. These things are what are important, as opposed to looking good on TV and being glib.
Being glib doesn’t help an idiot like Biden much.
Palins’ outstanding core values will lead her to make right decisions.
David
Joe Biden will say goofy, cringe-worthy stuff at times, no doubt.
But if you ask him a serious foreign policy question, I think he’s going to give you a really thoughtful and smart answer.
Asked about Russia and Israel, Sarah Palin appeared quite clueless.
Clueless absolutely does not describe Joe Biden.
Doug is correct on this. You folks who insist on defending Palin go ahead, but do so without falling back on the same old discredited attacks on Obama. What is it about Sarah Palin that gives you confidence? Is it her failure to understand what the Bush Doctrine? Is it her inability to answer a simple question about McCain’s history for reforming the financial system? Is it her long resume (about 2 days) in dealing with foreign leaders? Is it her lies about the bridge to nowhere? Is it her failure to deal with the troopergate issue after she said she wanted to cooperate fully? Is it her preacher’s quest to root out witch doctors in Kenya? What is it exactly that inspires a person to feel comfortable with this blatantly unqualified woman to be a 72 year old heartbeat away from the presidency? These are scary times and Sarah Palin is a very scary and not-so-bright woman.
You folks don’t even have any hope left.
-Ish
The latest Rasmussen Poll has Obama up by 5 points in true red Virginia. That seems like hope to me.
Palin’s outstanding core values huh. Like going back to work 3 days after giving birth to a special needs child. Seriously, that was a pretty non-family values stunt if ever there was one. And now, just 5 months later, she’s abandoning that same child to run around the country making a fool of herself on national TV. Some “core values”.
Exactly, “some guy”. A good example comes from 2006…I was driving and listening to Fresh Air on NPR when I heard this interview with Joe Biden. It was a perfect demonstration of the breadth of knowledge Biden possesses, especially on international issues. Very impressive. He can be a loose cannon and is not immune from saying incorrect factual things, but listen to that interview and imagine Palin trying to have that same conversation.
We are not “Palin-haters,” Ish. She may well be doing a very good job as Governor of Alaska and sadly is having her long-term political future possibly sabotaged by being put in an unfair situation. (Of course she acquiesced, so she bears responsibility, too). And what “team” are we talking about?
And David, isn’t it possible to have the “right core values” (as you define them, of course) and be of a level of knowledge and experience to be justifiably considered a potential president? Any one of the other GOP contenders for example are much more conversant with world affairs. Or how about Newt Gingrich? He’s a very smart guy even if he is on the wrong side often in my opinion. Mike Cakora would sound more convincing in an interview on foreign policy than Sarah Palin. So would Brad Warthen. So would I, which is in the end the thing that frightens me the most. I don’t want a possible president that knows less than I do about the world. Yikes!
In the end, only the far right extremist partisans like our friends here on this blog will be the last defenders of the Palin pick. We already see more rational conservatives who care about the sake of the cause distancing themselves.
How far are we willing to carry our anti-intellectualism, our anti-knowledge, our anti-education attitude in this country? I don’t wish any ill will towards John McCain, but is it possible this country actually deserves to end up with Sarah Palin as President? Would this be the ultimate poetic justice for this American-Idol-obsessed short-attention-span culture?
I think the Palin pick is starting to backfire as well. Everyone really looses in this one. Palin would have probably been a great governer in Alaska – but now she has been exposed.
I’m also not even trusting McCain for his “clever” pick. It seems he will do anything to win – even when it is obvious it is not for the good of the country.
Fun while it lasted. But … its not even funny anymore. She has got to go. Country First!!!!
, Parker is director of the School of Written Expression at the Buckley School of Public Speaking and Persuasion in Camden, South Carolina.
I am going to give you a dose of written expression, speaking and persuasion of my own. The lady cannot think for me. I am expressing and speaking for myself and she is not persuading me of anything.
Whatever she was paid to write the article was way too much.
Biden is a joke on foreign policy. The news media likes to set the rules and standards to fit their agenda. That is not going to work again this time. Love your country more than you do yourself, have the correct ideology, be able to lead and organize will take care of foreign decisions. What is foreign policy experience anyway?
Ignoring all the writer-criticism, Palin is an example of why ‘politics’ SHOULD NOT BE A “CAREER”—because IT becomes your occupation, when hers should be ‘mother.’ “You cannot serve two masters, for you will smite one down to serve the other.” I don’t want her to ‘smite down’ her child, which she will if John McCain is voted-President with her as VP. If John McCain is a Pedo-Masochist, that’s good for him ON HIS OWN TIME … NOT ON MINE!
Sarah Palin should stay in. Kathleen’s assessment is wrong. Give the Governor of Alaska a chance. Let’s see how she does in her debate with the “gaffe prone” Biden. It has been said that she is an expert debater. Let’s see how she does. Palin is capable. Obama and Biden are far from perfect. But, they are men, we don’t scrutinize them as closely. And Obama is The Chosen One, so whatever mistakes he makes is just glossed over.
Ish, you are the very definition of an internet troll. You’re just spouting nonsense. Cue Monty Python: “That’s not an argument, it’s just contradiction!”
“What is it about Sarah Palin that gives you confidence?” – bud
No pathetically visible ulterior motives, unlike every Democrat I have seen and heard for the last 40 years.
“Palin’s outstanding core values huh. Like going back to work 3 days after giving birth to a special needs child. Seriously, that was a pretty non-family values stunt if ever there was one.” – bud
Gee, and I thought Democrats wanted that glass ceiling burst. I thought Democrats believed in women having careers.
Oh, I get it, just not women who aren’t Democrats, the party that profits from single motherhood.
“She talks in circles, spews standard rhetorical BS , and openly avoids answering many questions.” – K
Sounds like Barack Obama to me. When did he change sexes? Or is that what he meant by change?
Palin can’t drop out. Too much pure comedy lost to the banality of presidential elections. She must keep on keeping on so McCain will be screwed and we can all have a good hearty laugh about moose burgers: http://www.236.com/news/2008/09/26/sarah_do_not_listen_to_those_b_9168.php
It’s for the good of the country.
Doug,
I rate Sarah Palin very high compared to Republican VP candidates of the past, and even higher compared to Democrats of the same years.
But that is a silly comparison. All that matters is Obama and Biden versus McCain and Palin.
I am not a Republican. I never was a fan of McCain, and I have spent 30 minutes talking with him, just the two of us, as I have with Dan Quayle, which I think gives one more respect than you have just watching them on TV. I think McCain has tightened up his game in and concentration in the last 4 years, and I think Palin is a very fast learner. Most of all, Sarah Palin is not a career politician.
The problem for the Democrats is that Obama is an empty suit, an airhead who talks in circles, takes a positions, is proven wrong by the events, then claims to have actually had a different position. Like Clinton, he is just a liar.
Keeping Palin would be like boxing with only one arm. While Biden is able to go off on his own and attend rallies and do interviews, the McCain team keeps Palin under tight wraps and limits the power of the campaign. The more they hide her, the bigger the void.
Biden get a pass on his gaffs the same way McCain does on his. Both men have over 25 years of experience and this experience buys the room to misspeak now and then. They’ve earned it. Palin has neither and has done neither. She has no experience and no credit to draw upon for when she gaffs. She couldn’t handle the softballs tossed at her by Hannity & Couric and its only going to get harder, not easier as the days tick on.
Palin has been a slow leak from day one and is only getting worse no matter how much she laughs and smiles into the camera.
McCain is stuck and he knows it. Yet another bad move he can’t undo.
As Col. Troutman said it so eloquently in “First Blood” to Rambo….”It’s over Johnny.”
I wonder just how badly Kathleen Parker would have trashed Palin if she had stated how “President Roosevelt” reacted to the 1929 stock market crash on TV, when Roosevelt wasn’t yet president and TV wasn’t yet in general households.
I wonder if she is going to write a similar column about Biden.
Economy is ‘Fundamentally Sound’
Economy is ‘Fundamentally Sound’
Economy is ‘Fundamentally Sound’
Economy is ‘Fundamentally Sound’
Economy is ‘Fundamentally Sound’
Economy is ‘Fundamentally Sound’
Economy is ‘Fundamentally Sound’
Economy is ‘Fundamentally Sound’
Economy is ‘Fundamentally Sound’
Economy is ‘Fundamentally Sound’
Economy is ‘Fundamentally Sound’
Economy is ‘Fundamentally Sound’
We’ll be treated as liberators.
Iraq’s oil will pay for the war.
Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq.
Iraq-Pakistan border.
Al-Qaeda is going back into Iran and receiving training and are coming back into Iraq from Iran
Yup. Biden sure has a lot of catching up to do if his gaff count is to ever catch up with Johnny Mac’s.
Well if nothing else, I’m convinced that bud is an idiot from reading his posts tonight. I just haven’t quite figured out if bud is really Bob Coble or Sam Tenenbaum.
Nice column, Kathleen. Somebody had to say it – loud and clear. Let’s hope McCain has ears to hear … btw, I’m betting on Reese Witherspoon for the Evangelical Lifetime Cable World Premiere of: Palin? – followed by the doper comedy: “Levi and Kumar Escape from Wasilla,” with cameo appearance of wife-stealing Neil Patrick Harris as the “Second Dude.” Expect lots of stoner snowmobile action, at least one dead moose in the road, a sharp-shooting flyover of dancing polar bears on icebergs. … Dude, I can see Russia from here. Coming soon to a big screen near u.
Kathleen Parker turns on her friends often. Sadly, when she doesn’t get sufficient attention, she eats her young.
And don’t forget who writes her paycheck:
The Washington Post.
Follow the money. Mystery solved.
Quick correction. I am not the Bart who posted earlier. Just to set the record straight.
Is Palin experienced enough to be the POTUS? No, she is not. Is Obama experienced enough to be the POTUS? No, he is not. Is McCain experienced enough to be the POTUS? No, he is not. Is Biden experienced enough to be POTUS? Again, no he is not.
Truth is, no one who hasn’t served at least one term as POTUS is experienced enough to be the POTUS. It is a job that requires the ability to make decisions on a daily basis with common sense, integrity, honesty, and the toughness to make the hard decisions. It is easy to govern during times of peace and prosperity, difficult in times of unrest, war, and economic uncertainty. A true POTUS will be able to navigate the waters of international affairs with a clear understanding of what the stakes really are and who our enemies, friends, and allies will be in times of crisis. The POTUS must be able to lead in times of difficulty at home when the economy is in trouble, when disasters strike, when leading on energy issues, etc. The POTUS must be able to inspire confidence and instill some degree of hope in us or that person is of no use at all. However, the hope and confidence must be inspired by actions and deeds, not hollow words that sound good on the campaign trail.
We have seriously lost much of that in the past few years and whether it is Obama or McCain, leadership is key at this juncture in time. The POTUS has the luxury of training wheels for a few moments in time but once entrenched in the White House, they must come off. Palin and Biden don’t need training wheels just yet. That time will come if anything should happen to Obama or McCain, depending upon who is the winner on November 4th.
Does Palin have that ability at this point? No. Can she learn and gain the experience and qualities necessary to do the job? Yes, I believe so.
I too have been a little uncomfortable watching her as she winds her way through the media crush and fascination of her newness and novelty of the moment.
Did McCain make a mistake in choosing Palin as his running mate? I am not McCain and don’t have all of the information he had when he made his choice. Is this a Harriet Meirs moment? It may well be but this is what it is and will remain so until it is all over. The only thing we have left to guage her by will be the debate coming up.
That will be the final test for her and if I had to give her a grade to date, it would be a C- to a D+. Maybe she can study and pull it up as the contest goes on.
I think Palin should stay in. She’s the best thing the Obama campaign has going for it.
Putin flying over Alaska gives her foreign relations experience. Give me a break.
Kathleen Parker’s artilces do not belong on the pages of
National Review. With her anti-Palin article, Ibelieve she should be on staff at Dailykos.
When Parker runs a city and a state … and,
successfully fight’s corruption … and gets a 9 billion dollar energy project for her state,
maybe then her credibility, and opinion would be worth something.
Instead, she is merely a critic, who from the sidelines,
has betrayed the readership of Nationalreview.
Someguy sez Biden will give a well thought out foreign policy answer.. you’re for real?!?!
Biden is the guy who wanted to partition Iraq into three against their wishes and who thinks Iranians are Arab.
My blood boils while reading the article from Ms. Parker and the comments to this blog. These comments show, without a doubt, how far some Americans have slipped in the ability to THINK! I consider myself an independent. This election is sickening in the way that there is no in the middle anymore. One is considered either “liberal” or “conservative”. As an independent FEMALE- (that’s right, go ahead make those nasty defensive comments – you show your ignorance, go ahead- the world awaits your insights with baited breath…) Sarah Palin represents the kind of woman I have grown to be. I’ve grown old enough to have “some sense”, as my mother would say. I have worked ten times harder than any male I know and have not reaped near the benefits that they have. It is what it is. I have lived my life doing what I have to do. Did I always know what I was doing? No! Do I now? Are you kidding me? I have a teenager – please! What parent does? So, that is a resounding No! But, I do the best I can. I do what I HAVE to do – for the betterment of my family, my country and myself. Sarah Palin is the mother of five. Hello?! That makes her more qualified than any of the Presidential Candidates. She represents me: she will do what she has to do to keep her family and her country safe. Don’t get me started about substance in sentences. We don’t know what Obama believes. He changes his mind as often as some change socks. And its mired in big words. Did she use a bunch of adjectives? Yes – so what. Is she perfect? No – so what? She’s my kind of woman. Go Sarah – don’t give in and dismiss the comments of these nasty people who will never understand what you and I have lived thru and continue to live thru each and every day. They don’t get it – they won’t get it. They would rather whine and have someone else fix it. Whatever. I do what I have to do – And Sarah will to.
Yeah, but how does she spell “potato”?
Diana says many of us have “slipped in our ability to think.” Here’s “thinking”, Diana-style: “Palin is the mother of five…that makes her more qualified than any of the Presidential candidates.” Because they aren’t moms? So…just to take GOP women leaders for example, Palin would be more qualified than, say, Elizabeth Dole or Condoleezza Rice, neither of whom had children?
Diana, you’re confusing two issues here. The criticism of the choice of Palin (from both Republicans now as well as Democrats) is not just for the sake of bashing a mother of five. Look, anybody who doesn’t salute any mother, of one or of ten children, is just nuts. But it is an ENTIRELY separate issue from possibly being the most powerful leader in the world. There have been plenty of moms who no one of any ideology could challenge in terms of their qualifications for national leadership. Margaret Thatcher was one. Another example was Jeane Kirkpatrick, mother of three.
If you’re on the operating table for brain surgery, and you’re told that Sarah Palin was just named head brain surgeon and is going to do the procedure, would you refrain from pointing out that she is not qualified to be a brain surgeon, just because she’s your “kind of woman”????? This is carrying identity politics to the suicidal point.
For Diana and others who feel Palin is being unfairly bullied, here’s an eloquent elaboration of some of the points I was trying to make above, most notably that—yes—Palin has been unfairly treated—by the McCain campaign, in the very act of choosing her. As Ta-Nehisi Coates puts it, “For one last run at the White House, [McCain] risked a future star of the party he claims to call home.”
Diana, if Palin is “your kind of woman” does this qualify her to be VP? If so, why? How is she qualified to be one more cancer cell away from being president? Is work ethic sufficient to qualify one to be president? Is a certain life experience enough?
I have two young kids who will live through the effects of this economic crisis, the turmoil in the Middle East, the degradation of our infrastructure, and our pathetic economic situation. If a candidate for VP can’t support her positions, babbles through explanations, and relies on standard republican rhetoric I will most certainly take issue with said candidate. To dismiss such concerns as simply being “nasty” is terribly simplistic.
Give some specifics. Why should she be VP? You and Lee try to answer that without having to tear down Obama. (My bet is neither of you can).
McCain and Palin aren’t running against brain surgeons.
Far from it.
They are running against a do-nothing socialist, Obama, and his do-nothing career politician Joe Biden.
Those are the choices we have have. McCain and Palin do not have to be perfect – Obama is a racial bigot, a socialist, and a sympathizer of radical Islam. Joe Biden is a toadie for the credit card industry who has spent his entire life in the Senate without accomplishing one thing for this country.
McCain and Palin are the only patriotic, sincere candidates.
Kathleen — Can you tell me Obama’s position on domestic issues? Oh, you had to ask for clarification. In Palin’s case, the questioner, one of your colleagues, ambiguously (and was confused} about the Bush Doctrine. Palin asked for clarification, and answered the question. Does she interview well? YOU BET SHE DOES. And why? She will not let herself be trapped by semantics, and will not pretend to know more than she does. She gives an honest answer. So, lot of politics in Camden these days? By the way, I am a former Obama supporter, but ACORN and Ayers made me change my mind. What are your thoughts on the ACORN earmark?
Looks like Bob Herbert of the NYTimes agrees with Kathleen’s drift:
“If, on the other hand, it becomes clear that her performance, so far, is an accurate reflection of her qualifications, it would behoove John McCain and the Republican Party to put the country first — as Mr. McCain loves to say — and find a replacement for Ms. Palin on the ticket.”
…Or maybe Diana’s right, and Ms. Palin will reach down deep within that liberting Cargo handbang of hers and find something worth saying – perhaps even in the form of a complete sentence.
Haskell, Palin’s rambling responses, especially in the Couric interview, explains why Palin was hidden away after the debate. If McCain doesn’t trust her to speak on his behalf, your defense of Palin is meaningless. Enjoy the kool-aid, but don’t bother to offer it to others.
Obama does a lot of mumbling and stumbing without his teleprompter. Instead of answering questions, he goes into canned speeches.
If some journalist had the guts to ask him about his socialist entourage, we really would hear some mumbling from Obama.
Kathleen Parker has careened from having little credibility to the perfect zero. For her to put McCain’s bad decision anywhere other than squarely on his shoulders is asinine.
But Obama, with all his swindlers, terrorists and Muslim backers, is just fine with you guys!
President Palin: The Hates Keep Coming Out of the Woodwork
Looks like I’ve found another cache of Palin-haters. Only one poster made sense: Is Palin experienced enough to be the POTUS? No, she is not. Is Obama experienced enough to be the POTUS? No, he is not. Is McCain experienced
President Palin: The Hates Keep Coming Out of the Woodwork
Looks like I’ve found another cache of Palin-haters. Only one poster made sense: Is Palin experienced enough to be the POTUS? No, she is not. Is Obama experienced enough to be the POTUS? No, he is not. Is McCain experienced
You’re all going to be surprised by President Palin. She’s better than all of you think. The Republicans should boot McCain and let Sarah run for president. Don’t you think she’s become better since this all started? Have a look at the videos of her recent interviews! http://blog.tb12.com
Palin has had some missteps but were they actual missteps or simply the result of some heavy editing by CBS and ABC? I caught myself almost buying into the Kathleen Parker thinking but then something interesting happened. I read one of my favorite blogs and there were more links to the full length videos of both interviews. Wanting to see for myself, I watched the interviews before reaching a final conclusion. Lo and behold, the actual interviews and what was shown were so far apart, you couldn’t even see Russia from Alaska anymore.
The dense fog of lies created by purposeful omission of critical segments and words by CBS and ABC was so heavy that even Palin’s most ardent supporters could have been tricked into believing she was shallow, incompetent, and unprepared. While it may be true that she is not as polished or sophisticated as Biden and Obama, her grasp and understanding of world events are pretty sharp and the “I can see Russia from Alaska” comment was so far off base as to the truth of what she said, if she chose to file a lawsuit against the networks for slander, all she would have to do is present the full video vs what was shown in court. A jury wouldn’t have to deliberate but for one minute. Verdict for the plaintiff, Sarah Palin. On almost all of the other subjects the media, liberals, Democrats, and Obama supporters have ridiculed her about, once the entire interviews are watched, there is only one word to use – debunked.
There is an unedited video making the rounds on the internet and media showing a prayer for Palin by a visiting minister from Kenya that has become another source of delight and derision for the more sophisticated and enlightened liberals, Democrats, media elites, and secularists. Apparently none of these intellectual giants took the time to conduct even the slightest bit of research about the minister or prayer shown in the video. The minister is from Kenya where witches are not so unusual and witchcraft is still practiced. Missionaries and ministers actually do have to fight them for the minds of many Kenyans even today. Superstition is still strong and difficult to uproot. So, doing battle with a witch is not unusual in many areas of Kenya. Of course it’s not necessary here in the USA unless you are referring to Hillary according to Obama supporters, but this is not Kenya. So, when the minister prayed for Sarah, he invoked protection against witchcraft which would be normal in his own land. What was she to do when a guest called her to the front of the church? Run away screaming “Heathen” and embarrass him? When the two men from the church laid hands on her during the prayer, that is as old as the Bible. Laying on of hands is Biblical. Check it out for yourself by asking a minister from a Pentecostal, Holiness, Evangelical, or Charismatic church. Even some of the moderate conservative churches like the traditional Methodist and Baptist churches still believe in the practice. Turning your palms upward during a prayer of blessing is an act of being open to and receiving God’s blessings. This too is a common practice in many churches and is not indicative of a fanatical cult.
Making light of and ridiculing Palin over a video of a prayer of blessing by a black Kenyan minister is an act of religious and racial bigotry emanating from liberals, media, and some Democrats who are supposed to be open and tolerant of religion and other cultures. Guess it depends on which side of the aisle you stand doesn’t it? By the way, wasn’t Obama’s father Kenyan? Wonder what Obama thinks about his supporters using the video to help his campaign? Oh well, a vote is a vote is a vote. How he gets it doesn’t matter does it?
The minister is from Kenya where witches are not so unusual and witchcraft is still practiced.
-Bart
I quit reading after that sentence. You totally lost any credibility whatsoever.
O.K. bud, do some damn research and then come back to me. If you don’t have enough intellectual curosity to even check truthful facts, quite posting. Your ignorance is telling in that you have no apparent idea of what life is like outside your comfortable little world where such things like witchcraft is still practiced. To many people in Kenya, witches do exist and to them they are very real. If you had any freaking idea of what the hell goes on in other countries, you wouldn’t make such a jackass statement. But this is usual for the “enlightened and civilized” class of liberals and faux intellectuals.
I do my research jerk, do yours. Maybe you should spend some time in the outback of Kenya and run into one of the local “witches”, then make your freaking dumb ass comment. Your cultural ignorance is pretty evident.
Better yet “bud”, ask a missionary who lives in Kenya or Nigeria, and works in the areas outside of the large cities about “witches”, that is if you know what a missionary is.
Are they good witches or bad witches in Kenya? If Kenya is occupied by Samantha Stevens and Glenda (from the Wizard of Oz) why would we want to eradicate them? Is the witch issue more important than say the evil fairies? I understand they’re responsible for some of the crop shortages in parts of Africa. Maybe the pixie dust takes a lot of corn-based ethanol.
I tried to make a point about another culture and how some superstitions are integrated into their belief system. How those beliefs carry over when they are not at home. Apparently, in your desire to find fault, you chose to close your mind and make a snap judgment about my credibility. So, in my haste, I made the mistake of posting an uncivil reply. I apologize for that because under normal circumstances I refuse to engage in useless banter or smart a** comebacks. I made the mistake of thinking people actually cared about the why of something other than using it to attack another person without an understanding of the subject. I thought the video was used in an ignorant manner, attacking something foreign to the average American thus the reason for my comments. I believe it is being used for bigoted and racist purposes for political gain – nothing else.
I will give you this and then the subject is closed for me. I was raised in a church where support for missionaries was the primary mission. We had several missionaries and their families visit our church each year when on hiatus. We learned about other cultures first hand. One of the main obstacles facing missionaries was a strong belief in witches and witchcraft by villagers and locals. It was a little more prevelant in African countries for whatever reasons. Much like voo doo that is still practiced in parts of this country, the Caribbean, and many island nations, witches were and still are very real in many cultures. Even in this country, the practice of witchcraft and self-professed witches has grown over the years. Walk the streets of most major American cities and take time to visit a store specializing in witchcraft items and supplies. The burroughs of New York have a plentiful supply.
To the practitioneer, it is a very real craft. Do I believe in witchcraft? Personally, no I do not. Do others believe in witchcraft, absolutely and that was the point I was trying to make. If one would take the time to do as I so eloquently suggested, research, you can find more than enough information to prove the existence of the belief in witchcraft and numerous instances where women claim to be witches. Closing point, some cultures believe Satan controls witches and the practice of witchcraft. Therefore, invoking God’s protection on one from witchcraft is not foreign to the practitioner or minister in this case. The most powerful and susceptible part of the human experience is the mind. It is capable of the most intricate thought process and at the same time, entertain the most ridiculous of superstitions. The practice of turning one into a zombie seems ludicrous to me but in the culture that believes in zombies, it is very real.
If I failed to get my point or intent across initially, I apologize. If now, you fail to understand my point and accept it for what it is, an attempt to provide some understanding, the failure is yours, not mine.
Bart, you can’t convince the ignorant. Most likely he’s not even Christian, so he has no clue what he’s talking about. Just about anybody who goes after Sarah for being prayed for must be a non-Christian. Pray is what Christians do! I just don’t understand how some people can be so incredibly ignorant.
To the Atheist Left, all religion is the same, incomprehensible.