Bookworm

Brief Review of 2 Graphic "Novels"

Review of Blankets by Craig Thompson and American Widow by Alissa Torres can be found here.

Palin Calls Criticism by McCain Aides ‘Cruel and Mean-Spirited’

“So, no, I think that if there are allegations based on questions or comments that I made in debate prep about Nafta, and about the continent versus the country when we talk about Africa there, then those were taken out of context,” Ms. Palin said. “And that’s cruel and it’s mean-spirited, it’s immature, it’s unprofessional, and those guys are jerks, if they came away with it taking things out of context and then tried to spread something on national news. It is not fair and not right.” Ms. Palin fought back after the infighting had made its way up to Senator John McCain, who made it clear that that he was upset by the back and forth, and ordered his campaign workers to stop it, aides said. Some in the staff worried that questioning the qualifications of the woman Mr. McCain had chosen as his running mate was damaging his reputation." [NYTimes.com]

I know this is snarky and overkill, but:

• questions or comments "taken out of context" -- Because you'd never ever distort facts or take things out of context, even if it was your opponent, right Governor Palin?
• "the continent versus the country when we talk about Africa" -- Governor Palin, there is no country called Africa.  There's South Africa -- is that what you're thinking of?
• "questioning the qualifications. . . was damaging his reputation" -- The barn door has been open on that issue for months -- the only difference is that this was McCain's own staffers questioning the Palin pick openly, instead of millions of Americans.

QDN: Yes, we did!

QDN: Yes, we did!.

"First, Don Young (definitely) and Ted Stevens (probably) are returning to Washington, DC to represent the Great State of Alaska as its Congressman and Senator. Don Young has been Alaska’s sole Congressman since before I was born, and is almost certainly going to be tried and convicted of taking bribes; he’s also the one that faces Justice Department investigation for violating the Constitution by changing the text of a bill after it had passed Congress but before it reached the President’s desk for signing. Ted Stevens is a convicted felon, the fifth sitting Senator to ever be convicted of charges, and is almost certainly going to be evicted from Congress. If these are the people that Alaskans feel are their best representatives to the federal government, then perhaps Sarah Palin really isn’t out of the norm up there… and the state is being openly mocked by the lower 49 this morning."

I hadn't read about this yet, so thanks for the information, Jason.

I Voted

My crappy camera phone was not enamored of the lighting conditions, but you can get just enough to see for whom I voted. 

What We Need in our Next President

Excerpted from: Thomas Friedman - Vote for ( ) - NYTimes.com

"I. . .suggest is that you vote for the candidate with these character traits:

First, we need a president who can speak English and deconstruct and navigate complex issues so Americans can make informed choices. We have paid an enormous price for having a president who could not explain and reassure us during this financial meltdown. . .  Depositors who told their congressmen to just let that greedy Lehman Brothers fail were shocked to discover this meant that their own money market would be frozen. . .

Second, we need a president who can energize, inspire and hold the country together during what will be a very stressful recovery. We have to climb out of this financial crisis at a time when the baby boomers are about to retire and going to need their Social Security and eventually Medicare. We are all going to be paying the government more and getting less until we grow out of this hole.

Third, we need a president who can rally the world to our side. . . Everyone is interconnected, and everyone is still looking to America to lead. . . 

Vote for the person you’d most like at your side when you ask your bank manager for an extension on your mortgage. Vote for the candidate you think has the smarts, temperament and inspirational capacity to unify the country and steer our ship through what could be the rockiest shoals our generation has ever known. Your kids will thank you."

Call Him John the Careless

George F. Will - Call Him John the Careless.

Perhaps Palin's confusion about the office for which she is auditioning comes from listening to its current occupant. Dick Cheney, the foremost practitioner of this administration's constitutional carelessness in aggrandizing executive power, regularly attends the Senate Republicans' Tuesday luncheons. He has said jocularly that he is "a product" of the Senate, which pays his salary, and that he has no "official duties" in the executive branch. His situational constitutionalism has, however, led him to assert, when claiming exemption from a particular executive order, that he is a member of the legislative branch and, when seeking to shield certain of his deliberations from legislative inquiry, to say that he is a member of the executive branch.