Bill Maher on Sarah Palin

[Mosiah]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6khOeOGcxSA&NR=1

[Sir X]

Sarah, we still hardly know you


John Diaz
Sunday, October 5, 2008




Say this for Sarah Palin: The Alaska governor knows how to shelter herself from public scrutiny, even when debating on national television. Early on, she turned to Sen. Joe Biden and brazenly announced: "I may not answer the questions the way you or the moderator want to hear. ... I'm talking directly to the American people."



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In case you missed it, "talking directly to the American people" meant deflecting direct questions by retreating to the comfort of talking points about Democrats raising taxes, the detachment of the Washington elite from the concerns of Joe Six-Pack and repeated reminders that she and John McCain were the true "mavericks" of this race.
If the "mainstream media" that Palin so deplores were grading this debate straight-up, she would be the clear loser. Biden demonstrated a far greater mastery of the issues and the ability to engage questions - and to think on his feet - that might be required of a multitasking leader of the free world.
Palin may not like the "filter of the mainstream media telling people what they just heard," but on Thursday night it worked to her advantage. The instant consensus of the cable TV pundits was that she greatly outperformed expectations and thus had a successful debate. The bar was outrageously low. She wasn't being measured against Biden. Her performance was being judged against the "Saturday Night Live" caricature of her by Tina Fey.
Interestingly, it was Palin, not Biden, who made a point of her recent arrival to national politics. It came in response to moderator Gwen Ifill's question about which campaign promises she might have to reconsider in light of the financial crisis. "How long have I been at this - like, five weeks?" Palin replied.
One of the reasons Palin has had so little opportunity to make any promises - or clarify some of her past positions, for that matter - is that the 44-year-old governor's interaction with the news media has been so carefully rationed. As of Friday, she had not given a single news conference. Her exposure has been limited to stump speeches and interviews with TV journalists Katie Couric, Charlie Gibson and Sean Hannity. Even in those selected settings, her freeze-up at seemingly straightforward questions - What newspapers and magazines does she read? Which Supreme Court decisions does she disagree with? - and her accentuating her state's proximity with Russia as a foreign policy credential did not suggest the depth or confidence of someone who was ready to become leader of the free world.
Her debate performance did not assuage those doubts. Time and again, her answers were incomplete or outright evasive.
Even on energy policy, which she claims as an area of expertise where she would have great influence in a McCain administration, her answers never went beyond sound bites. She corrected Biden about the campaign-rally chant (it's "drill, baby, drill" not "drill, drill drill," she noted) but her commitment to slowing climate change remains an open question. In the past, she has questioned whether human activities were responsible for global warming. While she acknowledged on Thursday "it's real, we need to do something about it," she also said, "It kind of doesn't matter at this point in the debate what caused it."
It does matter. The specific strategies and level of urgency about a reduction in the use of fossil fuels are guided by the scientific evidence that human activity, not cyclical weather patterns, is posing this threat to the planet. A commitment to climate change requires identifying and addressing its causes - not merely dealing with its effects.
Americans should not have to wait until after election day to know more about Palin's vision for a national energy policy - with follow-up questions - or myriad other matters in this period of economic crisis and overseas wars.
We know what's on the cue cards, and we know that she can deliver those points with winks and zing. Palin has said McCain never asked her to "check my opinions by the door."
It's time to let them out.
John Diaz is The Chronicle's editorial page editor. You can e-mail him at jdiaz@sfchronicle.com.
This article appeared on page G - 9 of the San Francisco Chronicle

[Sir X]

Matt Damon ..terrifying, absurd.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anxkrm9uEJk

[Mosiah]

Karl thinks she did well.

[Mosiah]

Cyaan stop laff! Matt just lost a fan (Palin) and gained one (Mosiah)!