Sarah Palin’s Foreign Policy credentials, based on Alaska’s proximity to Russia and Canada:

Watch CBS Videos Online

Yeah, yeah … it’s an old joke at this point. But the interview with Katie Couric is still important. Watch it. Listen to what Sarah Palin says. Do you really want this woman to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency?

Don’t forget to go read the transcripts of the full interview (and/or to watch the entire video):

Transcript, day one - economy
Transcript, day two - foreign policy

Palin to field voters’ questions for first time - CNN.com

GOLDEN, Colorado — After several joint campaign appearances with Sen. John McCain, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin ventured off last week into solo campaign territory that was tightly controlled — no questions taken.

But for the first time since becoming McCain’s running mate, Palin will take questions in an open forum from voters alongside the Arizona senator on Wednesday.

But Palin’s solo debut is a case study in her appeal and in the McCain campaign strategy to keep her on a careful script.

What’s the matter, John? Are you afraid that if you actually let her speak for herself, that she’ll expose herself for the inexperienced nobody that she really is? That she’ll prove that not only is she not ready for the job, but that you showed extremely poor judgment in selecting her in the first place?

Palin’s two rallies out West were tightly controlled events. In Carson City, Nevada, on Saturday, Palin furiously signed autographs longer than she spoke.

In Golden, Colorado, on Monday, signs that voters brought to the rally were not allowed in. But yellow signs in the crowd were distributed by the campaign.

But John, when you’re elected, you’ll have to take an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America. What about people’s First Amendment right to freely express themselves? Why are you preventing them from doing so at your campaign stops? Are you afraid that it will show that you really have very little support amongst the real America?

By “real America”, of course, I am referring to the everyday working man and woman … the ones who know that the economy is not strong; the ones who fear for their jobs as you and your Republican cohorts keep exporting jobs overseas in the interest of “free trade” and “deregulation”, the ones who don’t understand how a man can not know how many houses he owns, who thinks that you’re not rich until you’re making $5-million/year.

John … may I call you John? The fact is that you are old and out of touch. We honor your service, but we don’t want you as our President, and we certainly don’t want a gun-toting, evangelical poodle a whisper away from the Oval Office. Sara Palin is Dick Cheney in high heels, but without the knowledge, experience or brains to handle the office. She’s George Bush in lipstick. She scares people who can actually think for themselves.

I know a lot of people are worrying about whether or not Obama is going to be able to pull it off come November …

As things continue to deteriorate, and Sarah Palin continues to act like Dick Cheney with regards to keeping things secret and refusing to cooperate with investigators, the bloom will come off the rose.

I still have faith that Obama will take it.

Not in Utah, of course, but I think he’ll bring enough Dems to the polls to help shift things a little further in certain parts of the state (baby steps!)

I’m still pissed about the Edwards thing … I wanted him for Attorney General and possible Supreme Court Justice.

Having lived so much of my life in NorCal, I know that it may seem that your vote doesn’t count in Utah, but one of the things I like about living here is that I feel like my vote does matter. Oh sure, I’m on the losing side more often than not, but every election it seems like its getting closer and closer.

While I couldn’t vote in 1980, I was aware of what was going on, and supported Jimmy Carter. The first election in which I was able to vote was 1984; and for President, I was on the losing side. Same thing in 1988. I was ecstatic in 1992 when the Dems finally took back the White House.

I felt like I mattered; like I was a party to change.

The same thing is going on now … we’re poised, and we just need to keep pushing and keep pushing.

And when you get gaffes like “McCain is responsible for the Blackberry,” how can you not feel that the McCain campaign is out of touch. This is as bad as what the Repugnanticans said about Al Gore with regards to the Internet. I would be surprised if McCain even know how to USE a Blackberry.

McCain is seriously out of touch with the economy, as evidenced by comments he made as recently as yesterday that the fundamentals of the economy are still strong. Excuse me?

I work for a Wall Street firm … I know we need more regulation; not less, like McCain has proposed. My industry screwed up big time, and 3 of the big 5 are now gone or on their way out. Goldman is feeling a lot of pain, but will recover. And my firm? Morgan Stanley’s net income for 3Q’08 is only down 7% from the same quarter last year. Goldman’s net income was down 70%. Looks like my firm might actually squeak through this mess okay, which has me mentally writhing in ecstasy.

And did you hear Carly Fiorina’s comments today? The former Hewlett-Packard CEO told two separate interviewers that neither member of the Republican ticket would be capable of running a company.

Of course, she did say the same thing about Obama and Biden, but it helps takes the “executive experience” aspect out of the equation …

After all, technically, Sarah Palin has more executive experience than John McCain. Should the other party reverse their ticket?

I have to concede one point to Carly Fiorina, however. Running a country IS nothing like running a company. It’s far more complex.

To put it in terms that the Utahns I know will understand: This is just the washboard on the downhill before you get into the tight, tacky singletrack; the early season snow and ice before the deep fluffy powder …

It’s gonna get better. So what are you supposed to do? Vote your heart. But vote. Don’t stay at home.

McCain taps Alaska Gov. Palin as vice president pick - CNN.com

(CNN) — Sen. John McCain announced Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential candidate Friday, calling her “the running mate who can best help me shake up Washington.”

“She’s exactly who this country needs to help me fight the same old Washington politics of me first and country second,” the presumptive Republican nominee said at a Dayton, Ohio, rally of about 15,000 supporters, who welcomed the surprise pick of the relatively unknown politician with cheers and flags.

“She’s got the grit, integrity, good sense and fierce devotion to the common good that is exactly what we need in Washington today,” McCain said.

What she doesn’t have is a solid education or experience … if people think that Barack Obama is a lightweight, then what, pray tell, is Sarah Palin, other than a former beauty queen, with even less experience in matters of national and international concern than Barack Obama, and who is under investigation for abuse of power? Note that the dateline on that story is July 28; yes … a month ago.

In a January 208 interview with the Associated Press, John McCain said:

“Seriously, can I say, right now, we need judgment,” McCain said. “We need judgment. We live in a very, very dangerous and challenging world. I’ve been involved in every major national security issue facing this country, including having the pride of raising my hand at age 17 that I would support and defend the constitution of the United States.”

With his age and questionable health (having battled cancer on four occasions), there is a very good possibility that John McCain will not serve out his entire term … how is choosing someone this inexperienced showing good judgment?

Yet another reason why I will proudly be supporting Barack Obama in November; the man who showed the good judgment of choosing a running mate whose credentials are strong where his are weak.

“For it is not inertia alone that is responsible for human relationships repeating themselves from case to case, indescribably monotonous and unrenewed: it is shyness before any sort of new, unforeseeable experience with which one does not think oneself able to cope. But only someone who is ready for everything, who excludes nothing, not even the most enigmatical, will live the relation to another as something alive and will himself draw exhaustively from his own existence.”

  — Rainier Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), German poet.

I’ve said it before; if not on this blog, then elsewhere …

I love chick flicks, especially of the romantic comedy sort. Perhaps it comes from being raised by women; or perhaps I just have a keenly defined sense of the aesthetic and am not afraid to let my self experience emotion (except in terms of my own relationships, in which I’m deathly afraid to do so).

I just finished watching The Jane Austen Book Club. The Netflix blurb has this to say about the film:

Six book club members find their lives resemble a modern-day version of Jane Austen’s novels in this drama. Sylvia’s (Amy Brenneman) husband of 20-plus years has walked out; Jocelyn (Maria Bello) breeds dogs to escape loneliness; Prudie (Emily Blunt) dreams of other men; Bernadette (Kathy Baker) hopes to find Mr. Right; Allegra (Maggie Grace) has issues with her girlfriend; and Grigg (Hugh Dancy), the only man, wonders why he’s even in the club.

It’s so much more, actually … for one, it’s not truly a drama, although it has a few dramatic moments, the film is presented with much more of a light note, showing the humor that can be found in even the most difficult of situations.

It’s a complex exploration of relationships, not only romantically, but betwixt the characters of the film itself. The sole male member of the club cannot make the first move on the woman with whom he is in love, even though she (in complete denial of her own feelings towards him) pushes him towards another member. A teacher, whose own marriage is falling apart, finds herself falling for a student … will she be able to resist the temptation?

Perhaps I should pick up one or two (or all six) of Miss Austen’s novels to find out what so captivated the characters in the film, as well as the novel on which it was based.

I’m sorry, but my dislike of Hillary is visceral. Oh … I’d vote for her come November if she is the candidate, but I’d rather have a less-experienced President whom is actually inspiring.

After the last 20 years of Bush/Clinton/Bush politics, the last thing this country needs is another President who is as divisive as Hillary would be.

I think that Barack Obama could actually bring the country back together, which to my mind is far more important than anything else; and if he chooses his Vice President and Cabinet wisely, he could be an incredible President on top, which would be a bonus!

Hopefully, this doesn’t make me a “Yes We Can” drone.

At least one of my friends disagrees, stating:

I would rather have experience rather than the empty shell of inspiration. Inspiration can’t lead a country. Divisive or not — the woman is intelligent and knows whose buttons to push and when. All of politics has to do with divisiveness.

I certainly respect that opinion, but I disagree … not about Hillary’s intelligence, because she is definitely an extremely smart woman; but in my mind, good politicians know how to navigate the divisiveness to build something approaching a consensus. They know how to compromise.

That’s the difference between people like GWB and Ronald Reagan … I was never a Reagan supporter — I am a good little Democrat, after all — but he had a way of appealing and reaching across the aisle … and that helped him accomplish his agenda.

Bill Clinton had this ability as well, which is how he managed to balance the budget and build a budget surplus, even with (for 6 of his 8 years) a hostile Republican majority Congress; a budget surplus which was completely squandered (and then some), by the current Republican administration (and the Republican majority Congress for the first 6 years of GWB’s presidency).

I don’t think Hillary would be able to accomplish the same thing, even with a friendly Democrat majority Congress.

But we’ll see. The best part about this year’s electoral process is that it is encouraging people to think and to get involved. People are excited about participating again … and that bodes well, no matter who is the candidate on either side, and no matter who is ultimately elected.

My opinion, anyway.