Sarah Palin, too weird.

My view of Sarah - She is simply too shallow and uninformed to be a leader. It might be different if she showed a capacity for growth, but a potted fern shows more potential.

You've just described Reagan and GWB, Edgar.

I'm well aware she is not the only potted plant in politics.

reagan had his share of faults, but shallow and uniformed he was not. Bush is an dry alcoholic, he is consumed with his personal struggles, thus he keeps the world away. He is shallow and uniformed. But the American people elected him at least once, and probably twice, so this is obviously not a deal breaker.

How true! She certainly fits the Rep presidential mold. Goofy, dumb, and ignorant!

What is wrong with making her a target?

To use the military analogy... she is artillery. Part of her thing is to lob bombs at liberals.

Artillery is generally one of the first things you target.

I beg your pardon but I believe Ronald Reagan did wear the uniform of the U.S. Army during WW II. GWB wore the Air Force flight suit on special ceremonial occasions. Other than that, I think I agree with most of what you write here.

Where did you get that nonsensical factoid? While I recognize this isn't much of a descent below your usual low standard for factual argumentation, its stunning impossibility is notable.

Did Palin Put Children and Public at Risk by Favoring Industry Over Environment?
Thursday October 9, 2008
Alaska governor and Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin is fond of citing both her energy expertise and her love for the environment, but the longer Palin is on the national stage the more we learn about her troubling, and in some cases disastrous, environmental record. And the more we discover how often her support for polluting industries and energy producers trumps her environmental concerns"even when it means placing the health of children and the general public at serious risk.Two Sides of Alaska: Unspoiled Wilderness and Toxic Mess
Alaska is home to some of the world’s most pristine wilderness, but it is also a repository for a wide range of toxic chemicals"such as arsenic, mercury, lead and PCBs"that are byproducts of mining, energy development and other industries, and pose serious risks to public health. Alaska also has a birth-defect rate that is twice the national average"nearly four times the national average on the North Slope, an area larger than Minnesota that produces most of Alaska’s oil"and many of these toxic chemicals are known to damage the neurological and physical development of unborn children.

Yet, an investigative article published in The New Republic shows that, as governor, Palin did little to stop the flood of toxic chemicals and all-too-often cleared the way for more pollution.

Palin Opposed Measures to Protect Environment and Public Health
Palin’s administration opposed legislation that would have banned a flame retardant that interferes with brain development as well as another bill that would have given parents 48 hours notice before schools were sprayed with pesticides or other toxic chemicals"sufficient time to make other arrangements for their children.

"She doesn't have a good understanding of the science," said Ruth Etzel, former research director at the Alaska Native Medical Program in Anchorage, in an interview with The New Republic. "What she tends to do is talk about personal responsibility as the key to good health."

Palin Allowed Toxic Dumping by Oil Companies and Mining Operations
Palin also allowed oil companies to dump toxic chemicals in Cook Inlet, the only U.S. coastal fishery where toxic dumping is allowed. And she opposed the Clean Water Initiative, which would have limited the runoff of toxic metals from all mining operations in Alaska. The measure was aimed partly at stopping the proposed Pebble Mine, which is projected to have a serious negative impact on Bristol Bay, site of the world’s largest commercial wild salmon fishery.

Palin’s personal opposition to the Clean Water Initiative, known as Proposition 4, is cited by many observers as the reason it failed to pass. In a television interview less than a week before the vote, Palin said, "Let me take my governor's hat off for just a minute and tell you personally: Prop 4, I vote no on that." Before Palin’s statement, the measure was expected to pass, but Alaska's mining industry used the Palin soundbite in an advertising blitz that turned victory into defeat.

The list of Palin’s controversial environmental actions and decisions doesn’t end there. For the full story, read the article in The New Republic titled “Northern Exposure


--environment.about.com

This is merely the standard stuff put out by single issue advocacy groups - out of context and contrary to facts and science. A case in point is the quoted reference to Palin's emphasis on lifestyle choices, which are indeed several orders of magnitude more significant in terms of disease and moratlity than any of the rather trivial environmental issues cited - a fact which is well-known and thoroughly documented in readily available statistical analysis.

Moreover, if you are looking for examples of serious environmental contamination, you should look first to Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maryland, Louisiana, and West Virginia.

You asserted that the number of births of deformed children in Alaska had doubled during her tenure. This, of course, is a laughable impossibility. You have offered us nothing to support that ridiculous assertion.

You do have a remarkable ability to apparently believe whatever nonsense you may imagine or come across that suits your prejudices. (Either that or you are a chronic liar.)

It appears that the truth is that the alaska birth defect rate is double that of the mainland, and that this has been suspected to be a long term problem, unrelated to Palin. The knock on Palin was that after the study was done, after the truth was known, that she was unwilling to do enough to address the problem.

http://www.adn.com/life/health/story/466924.html

I think that we do not know for certain the source of the problem, is it pollution, is it alcoholism among the Eskimos? Both maybe?? More study is needed, even though the Eskimo drinking problem is well documented.

This is merely the standard stuff put out by single issue GOB1.

So what?? Lot's of people and groups run their mouth and/or put out bulk press releases, it is your job to sift through the noise and find the truth. Something said by a single issue group is not any less true because they say it. Reliance on source is the crutch used by those who are not willing to do the research. I would like to think that most members of a2k are better than that, or at least aspire to be.

George, you and your fellow conservatives have a remarkable ability to reject anything negative (and there is a lot of it) that comes out about your right-wing heroes. Btw, the piece I posted is from The New Republic Magazine, a very prestigious publication. Do a little further research and you see the information is accurate (and that Palin is a an ignorant, stupid, pig (but cute)).

I have to agree with Georgeob here. Advocate's single issue rants have nothing to do with Palin's overall performance as either governor or candidate. And the contention that during her watch infant birth defects doubled is absurd on the face of it.

As I think I've indicated before my only objection to Sarah Palin is that she's a total airhead. I don't dislike her for this; in fact, in some females that can be rather charming. I just don't think she should ever be allowed to attain any position of authority or governmental responsibility.

Merry's single issue rant:

Before becoming governor, Palin served on an environmental commission that made important decisions involving the dumping of waste. She had a record on that commission that, by anyone's judgement, and anti-environment.

What is the single issue to which you refer?

Palin approved the dumping of billions of gallons of toxic waste in Cook Inlet, endangering whales.

http://progressivepatriots.com/sarah-palin-cook-inlet.html

I am more concerned about what the gold mining companies may be dumping illegally.

That would be fine if the thread was about gold mining companies. It is not. It is about Sarah Palin.