While Obama completed Harvard Law School with hightest honors, and edited the powerful and premier Harvard Law Review and was voted by his Harvard Law School class as ‘most likely to become US president, and was a community organizer in the Chicago metropolitan area —-population 9.7 million (as opposed the the STATE of Alaska with 606,000)…..and he taught Constitutional Law at the prestigious University of Chicago. AND served 14 years as State Senator with high marks of a state much more diverse and MANY times larger than Alaska…..etc etc etc…. Here’s what the baton twirler was doing TACKY TACKY TACKY TACKY TACKY SCREAMINGLY UNBELIEVABLE TACKY AND A BIG NOTHING; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9HkNkS3jUQ

She “HAS THE REPUTATION OF CLEANINT UP”? —-she’s being investigated for abuse of power….lots of people in her podunk state hate her. She went on a popular radio program and while her opponent—a cancer survior— was called a bitch ”a cancer’ etc Palin LAUGHED—repeatedly. She is a tacky scumball idiot—here’s the tape: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/31/palin-laughs-as-opponent_n_1227… And here she is with that godawful 60s hairdo and HER DEAD BEAR ON HER SOFA IN THE OFFICE. WHAT DECENT WOMAN WANTS A DEAD BEAR ON HER SOFA. SHE IS A RED NECK CREEP. Grandpa is canceling the RNC opening in THE NOTHERN PART OF THE COUNTRY…because of a hurricaine in the south. He is canceling it because he is a joke and the part of the country with brains is furious. http://www.grizzlybay.org/PalinBear.jpg If he’d been so concerned about drowning people before he wouldn’d have been eating cake while New Orleans drowned. HE HAS NO SENSE WHATSOEVER. Two idiots together. And the BEER heiress wife of his said on TV that THE BATON TWIRLER has foreign policy experience because Alaska is near Russia!!! Right, and I guess Miss KMart Special has POW experience because she is standing next to McCain the Fossil.

What power is she speaking to? She is speaking to all of you. -She isn’t speaking to our Founding Fathers—the most brilliant men of the 18th C that risked and lost their lives to create this country on 18thC French Enlightenment Ideals and Rousseau’s “Social Contract”…that was based on Plato’s “Republic”….ideals and values and intelligent thought that created four of the most valiant and vital civilizations in human history. -She isn’t speaking to those millions of US troops that have died horrific deaths on battlefields around the world to protect your freedoms which come with responsibility to honor the Constitution and all that it stands for, and respect the sacrifices made that require due dilligence on the part of the citizenry to have and keep a republic according to the prelates of Jefferson, Washington, Madison, Franklin, Adams etc. -She isn’t speaking to me—-that’s for certain. Because I do not buy this crass, vulgar pop culture that says anything is OK and that America isn’t worth the dignity of a thoughtful choice, a respectful choice for all that went before. Our Founding Fathers are rolling over in their graves that we have devolved into this. Presidential scholars around this country are in a state of shock. What POWER is she speaking to? You idiot women think that a puppet who is being used as PR for the patriarchy is somehow an advancement for you? Don’t you know you are being “Had by a Cad? How dumb can you get? It is really sad to read many of the comments here because I know from these just how dumb the US really is. Not wasting any more time here. When a TV producer can write an idiot piece like this one…..I do not want to be here. It isn’t worthy of my time.

It isn’t “misogyny” it is GROSS stupidity and I do mean GROSS. I’d love to see the profiles of some of the women who post here. Who are you people? Have you ever taken history/civics? Where do you live, where do you work, what have you done? Because you sound as if live in a trailer park in LA and work at the local KMART. It’s truly disgusting the level of ‘thought’ that is going into deciding who is going to run America. And the irony is—-most the red necks here have expressed they have no money and are voting for what couldnt be more contra to their interests. Really pathetic. Can you drag America down a little more? Does it distrub you at all that all of the presidential historians are agahst? Disgusting. Tacky bimbos for president. Do you know you are being played? She is a puppet for the patriarchy—-that NO ONE has you interest in mind LESS than John McCain. What a pathetic joke. Americans are known for their tackiness and stupidty in Europe and are proving it big time. I always have to apologize when I am there. I am not “one of them.”

DeB—Actually 100K+ smaller than SF—i.e a ‘small’ major city. More than 8x smaller than NYC for instance.

You’re right, DeBurca. It is a pathetically sad, horrific, idiotic and pandering choice. There are enough ignorant air-heads in this country devolving any sense of informed diligent and rigorous thought without Shelia Nevins using her platform to affirm the heinously stupid. This will be the last thing of hers I read. Truly disgusting. From David Mark, Fred Barbash at Politico: PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS PAN PALIN PICK Leaving Presidential scholars literally stunned they say she appears to be the least experienced, least credentialed person to join a major-party ticket. said Joel Goldstein, a St. Louis University law professor and scholar of the vice presidency. “Being governor of a small state for less than two years is not consistent with who’s of presidential caliber.” “She is the most inexperienced person on a major party ticket in modern history,” said presidential historian Matthew Dallek. That includes Spiro T. Agnew, Dan Quayle, who had served in the House and Senate for 12 years before taking office, and iGeraldine Ferraro, who served three terms in the House before Walter Mondale chose her in 1984 as the first woman candidate on a major party ticket. “It makes Obama look like an elder statesman. Palin has no experience in national office. Before becoming governor in December 2006, she served as a council member and mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, which had a population of slightly more than 5,000 during her time in office.” Palin is a total “wild card,” said Stanford historian David Kennedy. “The first thing that hits me,” said Stephen Hess of the Brookings Institution,” is that it suggests that John McCain is a gambler. “The next thing you have to ask yourself: Is it worrisome to have a gambler in the Oval Office? That’s an important question,” he said, “perhaps more important than anything else today.”

What Makes Great Presidents: Suzanne de Cornelia 8/30 Leadership organizations like the United Nations and leading presidential historians like Arthur Schlesinger agree on the common attributes of Great Presidents: 1.Intelligence and Clear Vision: In under 20 minutes in President Kennedy’s famous 1962 Rice University ‘Moon Speech’ he articulated a complex context of human history, scientific development, American ideals. He laid out where we were, why we needed to be on the moon first, what needed to be done, in what time frame and with which tools. When he completed his speech, listeners understood the innovative powers of Americans when focused, the size of the goal and the urgency of reaching it. Like a commander of a great fleet he established the destination, charted the course and ordered actions. As leading presidential scholar, Arthur Schlesinger wrote, “Great presidents possess, or are possessed by, a vision of an ideal America. Their passion is to make sure the ship of state sails on the right course.” 2. Influence and Team Building: Great Presidents have clear strategies to build consensus, relationships and coalitions with Congress, the American people and with other nations and across vast ranges of possible key allies and foes. As Historian Elting Morison said of Theodore Roosevelt, “He could get the attention of his fellow citizens and make them think. He knew how to put the hard questions…how to make the search for sensible answers exciting; how to startle the country into informing debate; and how to move people into their thinking beyond short-run self-interest toward some longer view of the general welfare.” 3. Great Communication: The President is the Commander in Chief of the military, the CEO of the Federal government, a global policy maker, an advocate, negotiator, facilitator and mediator. Great Presidents have different styles; Abraham Lincoln showed respect, FDR acted the wise uncle in his fireside chats. JFK was a master of soaring rhetoric and wit. In common, they understood the needs of their time and were in sympathy with the anxieties and dreams of the people. FDR said that all our great presidents “were leaders of thought at times when certain ideas in the life of the nation had to be clarified.” And Woodrow Wilson stated they shared profound insight and for the common man and the common good.

EXTREMELY disappointed in you Shelia. Thank you for helping to dumb down the US as if it isn’t stupid enough. From David Mark, Fred Barbash at Politico: PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS PAN PALIN PICK Leaving Presidential scholars literally stunned they say she appears to be the least experienced, least credentialed person to join a major-party ticket. said Joel Goldstein, a St. Louis University law professor and scholar of the vice presidency. “Being governor of a small state for less than two years is not consistent with who’s of presidential caliber.” “She is the most inexperienced person on a major party ticket in modern history,” said presidential historian Matthew Dallek. That includes Spiro T. Agnew, Dan Quayle, who had served in the House and Senate for 12 years before taking office, and iGeraldine Ferraro, who served three terms in the House before Walter Mondale chose her in 1984 as the first woman candidate on a major party ticket. “It makes Obama look like an elder statesman. Palin has no experience in national office. Before becoming governor in December 2006, she served as a council member and mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, which had a population of slightly more than 5,000 during her time in office.” Palin is a total “wild card,” said Stanford historian David Kennedy. “The first thing that hits me,” said Stephen Hess of the Brookings Institution,” is that it suggests that John McCain is a gambler. “The next thing you have to ask yourself: Is it worrisome to have a gambler in the Oval Office? That’s an important question,” he said, “perhaps more important than anything else today.”

I used to live next door to Arianna Huffington on Riven Rock Rd in Montecito and we shared the same haridresser. I think she is brilliant….admire her completely. As do millions. Her readership is huge, INFORMED, engaged and INTELLIGENT…can’t say the same about most blogs…..

From David Mark, Fred Barbash at Politico: PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS PAN PALIN PICK Leaving Presidential scholars literally stunned they say she appears to be the least experienced, least credentialed person to join a major-party ticket. said Joel Goldstein, a St. Louis University law professor and scholar of the vice presidency. “Being governor of a small state for less than two years is not consistent with who’s of presidential caliber.” “She is the most inexperienced person on a major party ticket in modern history,” said presidential historian Matthew Dallek. That includes Spiro T. Agnew, Dan Quayle, who had served in the House and Senate for 12 years before taking office, and iGeraldine Ferraro, who served three terms in the House before Walter Mondale chose her in 1984 as the first woman candidate on a major party ticket. “It makes Obama look like an elder statesman. Palin has no experience in national office. Before becoming governor in December 2006, she served as a council member and mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, which had a population of slightly more than 5,000 during her time in office.” Palin is a total “wild card,” said Stanford historian David Kennedy. “The first thing that hits me,” said Stephen Hess of the Brookings Institution,” is that it suggests that John McCain is a gambler. “The next thing you have to ask yourself: Is it worrisome to have a gambler in the Oval Office? That’s an important question,” he said, “perhaps more important than anything else today.”

Preview of when Miss Congeniality debates Biden. Or as I like to think of it Howdy Doody in a knife fight with a Ninja. Here’s a preview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj3iNxZ8Dww Bwahhhhhhhhaaa. Going to be so much fun to watch. That is, if she hasn’t been idicted by then for Troopergate. Loved the acceptance speech today by the way. It isn’t often that a newly selected VP candidate takes the entire time on stage talking about her husband’s snowmobiling. I mean—-because after all—nothing else of import going on. What a dummy.

What is going to be hysterical is when Miss Congeniality who admitted that she never was interested in Iraq, didn’t have any International experience whatsoever, she has a degree in journalism from a third rate school, has been selected after one meeting with McSame because she is nothing but a PR prop…and she is going to be debating Biden. She is so clueless that on the stage during the announcement she had nothing to talk about but her husband’s sledding. She is an ignorant dummy who thinks humans have no effect on Global Warming, who wants creationism taught in schools, and is a dominionist—which is to say as stupid as they come—and she is going to be debating Biden. It’s going to be Bambi in a knife fight with a Ninja. Preview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj3iNxZ8Dww It’s going to be soooo much fun to watch.

It is amazing how unsophisticated and just dumb anyone could be not to have figured out Rove’s strategies after 8 years of the same blueprint. Announcing a radical and outrageous and controversial VP selection was done deliberately after Obama’s speech to take the attention off of the issues, and also the fact that he had garnered the largest global TV audience in poltical history….by almost double. He also had a larger audience than the Olmpics Opening in Bejing, the Oscars, and all but a few Super Bowls. Rove’s operating MO has always been, and he learned it from the evil master Lee Attwater of Watergate/Nixon fame—-the Doctrine of Chaos and Distraction. A Beauty Queen, a relative unknown, a neophyte, a woman. Not to mention that Fox is the propaganda arm of the GOP and if they go 24/7 on something the others will follow, and the reality is that most news in the US follows the average Americans attention span, which is to say, not long. “I guess we now know what event is the more newsworthy, if not as historical.” We know what is more sensationalized….including that she may be indicted soon and this spotlight will put her Troppergate more in the news as it was today in the Washington Post. And it is also newsworthly because it is the worst VP selection in the history of the US. “Looks good for the election of John McCain.”….so amusing.

Too bad we don’t have more informed, thinking people like you in the States, Catherine. Love your posts!