Talking Points Memo

Echoes of Bush

2008-08-29T21:19:00Z

I mentioned earlier that Gov. Palin is in the thick of her own very Bush era scandal over her attempts to have her ex-brother-in-law fired as a state trooper, using her clout as governor. Now we've learned she's invoked the Alaska version of executive privilege to withhold emails dealing with the case. Our report on the latest on the case will be coming up shortly.

Playing Defense

2008-08-29T20:51:40Z

McCain campaign, GOP significantly expanding ad buy into once-safe red states.

2008-08-29T19:56:07Z

Ruth Rosen takes a look at Sarah Palin's group (she's a prominent member) Feminists for Life.

Considered Judgment

2008-08-29T18:42:50Z

I noted below that Palin comes in with bubbling scandal in her home state. And with her choice, McCain, with one stroke, undercuts the best argument of his campaign: Obama's purported lack of experience for the job. But there's another part of this. Andrew Sullivan captures it ...

One more thing: this was a bit of a F-U pick, a personal, totally idiosyncratic, gut-level, aggressive piece of opportunism. Yes he can! And yes, it does underline his maverick, out-of-the-box brand. It makes me like his empathy for gutsy young women, even former beauty queens (is there footage of her contest out there?). But it also makes me less comfortable with the idea of him as commander in chief. It seems a less steady choice than Biden.

Along with experience, the intertwined claim of superior judgment has been McCain's central argument for his candidacy. I've heard dozens of prominent Republicans making this argument over recent weeks. I'd be very curious to hear their off the record thoughts on McCain's job at this moment.

What does this say about John McCain's judgment? Steadiness in key decision-making moments?

Leave No Self-Parody Behind

2008-08-29T18:40:31Z

Fournier's take on Palin: "Analysis: Palin's age, inexperience rival Obama's"

Scrubbed

2008-08-29T18:08:59Z

Ad featuring scandal-plagued Ted Stevens endorsing Sarah Palin for governor in 2006 mysteriously vanishes from her campaign Web site.

Palin: A Scandal We Can Believe In!

2008-08-29T16:56:48Z

As mentioned earlier, Gov. Palin is embroiled in her own trooper-gate scandal up in Alaska. In short, she's accused of using her pull as governor to get her ex-brother-in-law fired as a state trooper. The brother-in-law is embroiled in an ugly divorce and custody with Palin's sister. And after his boss wouldn't fire the brother-in-law, she fired the boss. Palin originally insisted there was nothing to the story. More recently, she was forced to admit the one of her top deputies had pushed to get the guy fired.

Here's one our recent reports on the story. And we'll be bringing you an updated report shortly.

Here's the local TV news report ...

Fox: Alaska is Next to Russia!

2008-08-29T16:28:51Z

Yes she does have foreign policy experience, says Fox's Steve Doocy. Alaska is right next to Russia!!!

Palin's the One

2008-08-29T14:42:42Z

So now we've learned that Sarah Palin is McCain's choice for vice presidential nominee. I have to say, it's a daring pick but I think a very weak one. I'm perfectly happy with it. Palin is in the midst of a reasonably serious scandal in her home state. Her brother-in-law is a state trooper who is in the midst of an ugly custody battle with her sister. And she's accused of getting the state police to fire him. Recently she was forced to admit that one of her aides had done this, though she insists she didn't know.

Next, John McCain's central and best argument in this campaign is that Barack Obama simply lacks the experience to be President of the United States. And now John McCain, who is a cancer survivor who turns 72 years old today, is picking a vice presidential nominee who has been governor of a small state for less than two years and prior to that was mayor of a town with roughly one-twenty-seventh of the constituents that Barack Obama represented when he was a state senator in Illinois.

Whatever you think of Barack Obama's qualifications to be President, Palin is manifestly less qualified. And that undermines the central premise of McCain's campaign.

Punctuation We Can Believe In!

2008-08-29T13:55:45Z

From the McCain Store ...

(ed.note: Special 'Is Our Children Learning' edition.)

Late Update: The McCain folks appear to have corrected the punctuation.

Knocking Down Other Possibilities

2008-08-29T13:40:09Z

Seems pretty clear now that John McCain is about to pick an outside the box contender for veep. At least if it's true, as now appears to be confirmed that it's not Pawlenty or Romney. Earlier in the week we picked up a supposedly good tip that Colin Powell was being actively vetted. The rumor got mentioned on CNN as well. But Powell's spokesperson told us definitively it wasn't true.

Late Update: ABC seems to have it confirmed that Sarah Palin is still in Alaska. And that's a long plane ride unless they're going to go supersonic from Achorage to Dayton.

Later Update: On second thought, the ABC report strikes me as soft.

Election Central Morning Roundup

2008-08-29T13:01:38Z

John McCain's running mate will be announced today -- and it isn't Romney or Pawlenty. That and other political news in today's Election Central Morning Roundup.

Obama's Speech

2008-08-29T06:29:59Z

Josh Marshall http://talkingpointsmemo.com/joshmarshall.php

Where It Started

2008-08-29T06:05:37Z

I'd forgotten writing this. But TPM Reader MU just sent me this post I wrote on July 28th, 2004, describing watching Barack Obama's keynote address from the convention floor.

Strong Stuff

2008-08-29T04:19:29Z

This is the last reaction clip we're going to post tonight. It's Alex Castellanos' response on CNN. To understand the significance, you've got to know a bit about who Castellanos is -- a longtime, street-fighting Republican political consultant with a reputation that compares to Lee Atwater's in terms hard-edged political warfare. I believe he's also informally working with the McCain campaign this cycle, as a sort of outside advisor.

Chuck Todd said below he thought Obama's speech had left the McCain camp speechless. My own take was that the tone of the statement from the McCain campaign was like someone who'd had the wind knocked out of them.

In that context, Castellanos' response was very telling. He made no attempt to put the speech in any positive context for McCain. Midway through this clip he sounds like an Obama surrogate. And he concludes by saying that "whoever didn't get picked for Republican VP today may be a lucky Republican."

In case, you're tuning in late, here's my initial reaction.