I've been watching clips of Obama taking on Sarah Palin all day long today. (He says, for example, it seems she wants to be treated like a guy -- huh? was that ever in doubt? -- so now they'll be looking into her record -- wha? you weren't doing that already?).

I don't have clips of that but I have this from a couple of days ago, where Obama insists that running his campaign is harder than running a state:

Actually, I guess, he doesn't insist that running a campaign is harder than running a state, because he ignores the fact that she's governor; he chooses instead to talk about her mayorship of Wasilla (or, as he calls it, "Wasilly," and don't take that as sexist, sweetie).

Without belaboring the obvious differences in managing a campaign were everyone agrees on all the big points and, further, in Obama's case, having what is in effect a virtually unlimited budget requiring almost no difficult decisions about resource allocation (standard answer to the question should we spend money in state X or state Y? "Both"), let's just enjoy the trap I'd hope he'd find himself in.

Their Number One is now in a running (and kinda deadly) feud with our Number Two.

He is elevating her. Front-running candidates never want to acknowledge lesser competitors by name, or get into a direct argument with them, as that elevates the competitor and diminishes the front-runner.

And presidential candidates never want to engage vice presidential candidates. The reverse is completely untrue; a vp's job is to go after the other's sides top guy.

And yet here we are. The One, the Lamb of Chicago, the man who will clean the oceans and heal the world, is actually having a running argument with the little bumpkin beauty queen from "Wasilly," Alaska.

And no matter how much he struggles, he loses. Even if someone were to conclude Obama is better prepared to be president, if they're being honest with themselves, they have to concede that he is barely better prepared, or merely arguably better prepared.

And meanwhile, no one seems to have any questions about John McCain's fitness for the office. He gets to skate above it all while his nominal counterpart snipes at and squabbles at his junior officer.

I love it.

Posted by: Ace at 04:46 PM | Comments (53)
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I'm just totally "airing questions" here, guys.

I don't know if Obama's campaign, possibly in collusion with the Freep, juiced the group with Code Pink wackadoos.

I do know, however, his people were busy little beavers emailing the article around, which just so happened to have juicy, negative quotes about Palin served up by "undecided" voters who decided to vote for Obama around 2004.

Thanks to Riehl.

Posted by: Ace at 04:06 PM | Comments (20)
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I guess she didn't get the memo about "The New Politics."

Or the memo about Pilates.

It's so funny... Obama keeps making these lofty, good-guy pronouncements about a "new civility" and "leaving the Palin family alone" and yet his surrogates, supporters, and media allies just don't seem to believe he means it...

Hm. Can't seem to lead his own people, never mind an entire country.

Maybe you should try organizing this community, Bucko.

That's right, I said it. Bucko.

Thanks to Manuel, or as I know him, "a threat to the traditions and fear of strangers I bitterly cling to."

Posted by: Ace at 03:33 PM | Comments (67)
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Asked if he would vote for Palin:

...But does he plan to vote for her and McCain over Democrat Barack Obama, who Begich met with in June?

"We'll see", he said...

Posted by: Purple Avenger at 03:16 PM | Comments (12)
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Is Lindsey Graham going to tell us bigots to shut up tonight?

Maybe not, but... Mel Martinez? Tom Ridge? Just looking at this evening's speaker lineup makes me queasy.

I hope I'm wrong, but the only conservatives close to McCain seem to be Sarah and Fred. Sure, the VP is big, but...

UPDATE: OK, via the Jawas, here's a more optimistic report:

Palin Pick Shows Lost Clout of Republicans' Old Establishment

Posted by: Open Blog at 03:06 PM | Comments (39)
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Here's Megyn Kelly slapping up an Obama spokesclown.

Not as great as yesterday's decimation, but more important, so every hit she lands is quite a bit deadlier for Barack "I Organize the Shit Out of Communities" Obama.

Already a Wikipedia Edit War! Check out the liberal trying to put lipstick on this pig. (Note the paragraph is hopelessly nonsensical as feuding partisans are attempting to edit this to their own satisfaction.)

But he was completely weak on Fox News as interviewed by Megyn Kelly on September 4, 2008, according to a Fox network supporter and most likely Megyn Kelly herself. Eaton replyed to Megyn Kelly's persistent, biased and narrow minded talking points with thoughtful, comprehensive answers that seemed beyond Ms. Kelly's ability to grasp. A likely response by the Fox network goes as follows. He showed he was the consummate politician as he was unable to give Megyn a direct answer to any questions asked of him. Eaton instead appeared as a level headed, no nonsense gentleman with some excellant points regarding a most distressing and taxing issues in America's history.

Wikipedia. Also goofs. I guess I like them, but I don't like-like them.

Thanks to IllTempered Cur.

Posted by: Ace at 03:05 PM | Comments (22)
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As you may have noticed, I'm enjoying blogging again. You seem to be enjoying yourselves too.

This is what makes those long boring weeks of bad news or lame news worth it. There's always a comedy bonanza coming at some point.

And the gloating. Oh Dear Lord, the sweet sweet gloating.

I'm not in this for analysis. I'm in for gloating. And I need to be winning to be gloating.

You ever try gloating when you're getting your ass kicked? It doesn't play.

It's been a while since I could really, genuinely, deeply gloat.

Thank you, John McCain and Sarah Palin, for once again letting me laugh again.

And thank you, too, liberals. DKM (Daily Kos Media). Barack "Community Organizer" Obama. Power Glutes Andi. Keef Olbermann. You have played no small role in elevating my spirits and bringing joy into my life again.

In fact, to be honest, it has relatively little to do with McCain or Palin and almost everything to do with you.

You shit-for-brains clown-nosed jerkoffs are just about the best thing I've got going on in my life.

You are the wind beneath my wings. I... I think I love you guys.

Was that too forward? I don't want this to get weird. Let me take back the l-bomb and just say: Don't change. Don't change a blessed thing.

more...

Posted by: Ace at 02:57 PM | Comments (74)
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The list of things it's allowable to talk about concerning Barack Obama might be getting smaller.

The four mocking mentions last night of Barack Obama's service as a "community organizer" have ignited a metapshereic debate about whether the term has racial connotations.

...But community organizers tend to work with poorer folks, and there's some chatter among Democrats that it's a subtle way to highlight Obama's urbanity. Some Obama aides see it as a knock against the poor and their material needs.

I think it's a cultural trope, like when Rudy Giuliani (lacking, I might add, any sense of irony or awareness of his own life), referred last night to Obama's "cosmopolitan" background. It stirs up resentments. It makes elite Republicans feel comfortable with themselves. The audience repeatedly laughed; they got the joke. The question is: what was the joke?

Um, the joke is that Obama constantly cites his time as a 'community organizer' as one of the main points of his resume. Now that we aren't in the middle of a Democratic primary where people are impressed with that nothing burger of a job description, it's becoming a punchline because in the real world being a 'community organizer' has nothing to do with being President. There's also the little fact that we only hear about how that's the job he had, not what (if anything) he accomplished while doing it.

As The Weekly Standard Blog points out, Palin got her start as a community organizer of a sort. She just didn't get paid for it and she certainly hasn't listed it as a point of experience in her campaign to be Vice President.

Isn't it amazing how when things work for Obama they are find and dandy but the second someone dares to turn that talking point around there's a lot of soul search about whether or not it suddenly has "racial connotations"?

By election day the only things you will be allowed to say about Obama without fear of "racial connotations" will be that he is a Senator and believes in Hope and Change. Go beyond that at your own peril.

Posted by: DrewM at 02:46 PM | Comments (40)
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Really?

That's good to know.

And not just Jesus. Jesus. Al Sharpton. Jesse Jackson. All workin' to organize that community and/or wear velvet jogging suits and/or accept the stain of man's Original Sin and die to redeem him.

You know what being the Lamb of God is like? I guess it's like being a community organizer... except it involves real responsibilities. Like, you know. Absolving all of humanity of its sin. And also, some light bookkeeping and clerical work. Also: C++ preferred.

(Headline stolen right from Hot Air, as it can't be improved upon, and I'm laughing so hard at it I had to share... so link points right there too.)

This is insanity. I feel like I've just been skull-fucked with the crazy-stick.

Posted by: Ace at 02:40 PM | Comments (56)
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42-42.

I have to say I don't believe this poll, though I'd like to. Numbers can't change this quickly.

But I got Palinmania, so up it goes.

Thanks to Dusty Bottoms.

Andrew Sullivan: Palin Failed to Discuss Anything Important to the American People, Focusing Instead on Victory in Iraq and High Energy Prices: Seriously?

That's so stupid.

I hate it when politicians avoid the "tough issues."

(That's a link to someone smacking Power Glutes, not Power Glutes himself, so it's safe to click.)

Why not one from the sidebars?

Andrew Sullivan: Christianists Are So Obsessively Judgmental About My Ecstasy-Dosing They Completely Fail to Notice Sarah Palin Was the Mayor of Methopolis: No shit?

God, that's wack.

I wish people could just learn to leave each other alone.

(One more, because I just can't stop beating a joke like it owes me money.)

Keith Olbermann: Americans Must Learn to Rise Above Partisanship and Expose Republicans for the Vicious Monsters They Are: Glad someone finally said it.

I hate partisanship.

And the traitorous Republican war criminals responsible for it.

(Sir.)

H/t JackStraw.

H/t for the "beating" joke to someone last night in the live blog, forget who. Huge laugh when he said during Rudy's speech (let's say...) "I'm beating my dick like it owes me money."

Posted by: Ace at 02:08 PM | Comments (48)
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