very well said….thanks!

you are welocome it boggles my mind that this information is out there and no one avails themselves of it. or pays attention I wrote to our paper and just asked people: please educate yourselves

Just because we are the same gender does not mean we have to share the same views or agree on all policies. Sarah Palin can do whatever she wants, and has, as long as it does not negatively impact me and the people i love and our country. She has done a lot, I just don’t happen to agree with views. She scares me because I do not think she is qualified to be VP, she did work toward this position, it was handed to her. She is like the ‘affirmative action candidate”..at least Hillary,whom I did not support either, worked hard to get where she was.. From the beginning I felt McCain’s choosing her was a gimmick, as if to trick women into voting for her/them just becasue she is female. But we are smarter than that..and the many posts here prove that. Palin’s ultra conservative, narrow , judgemental views do not coincide with mine. nor do some of her decisions

Every time I see McCain and Palin together, I think it is a Saturday Night Live skit! if only….sigh Talk about incongruous! but let’s talk about issues!! Wait…they didn’t do that either! and they won’t let Palin be interviewed..why?

I agree: they seem to want it both ways: 1. family is off limits/private/you can’t say anything UNLESS 2. we want to parade them in public for our own benefit

john McCain himself has been disrespectful to women this site has a list: http://www.mccainnotfit.com/mccaindisrespectswomen.shtml

in case you didn’t get them Steven colbert http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/09/04/colbert-slams-liebermans-bipart… Jon Stewart http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/09/04/jon-stewart-exposes-rove-hannit…

Margo, thank you for your down-to-earth, common sense observation of this bizarre sideshow. You are correct that the conservatives would have had a field day with this if it had been Chelsea Clinton…or can you imagine if Obama had a teenage daughter in similar circumstances. the word “hypocritical” keeps coming to mind… Seems you have inherited your dear mother’s great abilities.

wow,,not nice,JH…people are entitled to their opinions, intelligent or otherwise, personal attacks are out of line..I have always found Whoopi intelligent, compassionate and a peace-maker. I respectfully request that you “play nicely” and speaking about “playing nicely” you might want to do a little research on how Palin and McCain treat their colleagues and coworkers. I am too tired to find you the sites..but anyone with half a brain can google it

why, thank you very much! I wanted to make a very informed decision in this election, feeling it was so important

Ah,Tee Zee…you have really done your homework on this…I wish more people knew this…it just breaks my heart..I live in a very poor county…in fact he turned down some federal funding for a museum here without knowing howing badly jobs are needed in our area…(the museum was created with state funding and help from a local billionaire, it is the famous “Woodstock Museum”, McCain’s turned it down citing he was a POW then) as I said in another post somewhere about McCain collecting Social Security..”I suppose he is entitled”…hmmm “entitled”….Seems he feels entitled to a lot.

Jimeka..very good question..what is a real American?? I think I am a “real American”…and, like obama, first generation on my father’s side..my dad became a citiizen in Hawaii while fighting for the US in WW2, like Obama’s grandpa..you could not find a more patriotic man…I always loved the diversity of the US…like the restaurant in the town I once lived in “The Shamrock-Italian and Chinese cuisine”!! My dad fostered in me a love of languages, which I ended up turning into a career as a foreign language teacher. It enabled me to meet not only people from other countries, but work with students from all levels of the economic scale..but mostly low or middle class., and all sorts of races and ethnic groups. Once , while explaining the movement of people around the world throughout history, I told them:’now that we have DNA, we can trace everyone back to one woman in Africa’ Some wise guy asked “Does that mean we are all black” Equally wise I said :”yes, some of us are just lighter than others” I would agree with you on not liking the term “Real American” if it is meant to be exclusionary but perhaps the Palins are, but no more (or less than Michelle and Barack) I would like more than anything if we could all just get along! But there are a lot of differing opinions out there, a lot of different agendas. I would like to know more about Palin…but so far…well, I wouldn’t want her for our next president And, yes, if they belonged to a secessionist group….not very American..but all the facts aren’t in yet on that I think but..would love to hear Elisabeth answer your question!!

mary lou thank you for that link..what an awesome article..good information, good source…what I fear is few people will be able to really understand it…like your wonderful word “chimera”,,,I find most are happy with a simplistic answer.. like Bill O’reilly trying to make Obama “admit the surge worked”

willow..I agree with you..we have said it here at home, and I have friends who agree with us…can there be that many people who believe and like that?? you are right..very scary…and now the McCain campaign won’t let her be interviewed..why is that??!!

Maizie..well written, intelligent observation you have made..I agree. We think Sarah Palin does not even realize she is in over her head…which is scary in itself. I was a teacher for 33 years…and called it a “family friendly” job. I was able to do both: mother and professional. but it still sometimes called for some “tricky manuevering” to make it work. My children also had their father at home at least until their early teens to help. I am sure Palin will be able to afford help….but still….if she is supposed to be representing family values..seems contradictory