The Diplomatic Times Review

Will Palin Endorse Ted Stevens?

"It’s clear who Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will be supporting when it comes to the presidential race, after all she is on the ticket. The bigger question is who will she vote for in the Senate race in her home state," writes ABC News' John Berman and Ursula Fahy in an August 31, 2008, post at Political Radar. Steven is currently under indictment "on seven counts of filing false financial disclosures."

According to Politico, Stevens endorsed Republican Presidential contender John McCain's pick of Palin as his running mate. See "Indicted Sen. Ted Stevens endorses Palin pick by McCain."

Berman and Fahy note that, "Embattled Republican Sen. Ted Stevens faces a tight race against popular Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich. And as of now, McCain campaign aides will not guarantee that she will endorse the senior Senator. Of course, perhaps more telling is that they won’t promise she won’t endorse him either.though the antithesis of reform, is an icon in Alaska politics."

If you want to read more, see "Indicted Hometown Senator Poses Problem for Sarah Palin."

Technorati Tags: Senator Ted Stevens,Sarah Palin,John McCain

Some Domestic and Foreign Opinion on Sarah Palin

McCain talks Palin on Fox News Sunday, Fox News

US politics: McCain defends running mate's experience, Guardian Unlimited, UK

Indicted Hometown Senator Poses Problem for Sarah Palin, ABC News

McCain's maverick style a hit, Detroit Free Press

A woman changes the game, Chicago Tribune

McCain's choice of running mate heads off potential rebellion, The Independent, UK

Palin: Surge? What Surge?, Atlantic Online

McCain Says Palin a Better Leader than Obama, ABC News

McCain Surrogates Tout Palin As More Experienced Than Obama, Wall Street Journal Blogs, NY

Nicola Lamb: Palin has glamour but lacks the weight, New Zealand Herald, New Zealand

A look at Sarah Palin, fundraiser, Los Angeles Times

Where Palin Made Her Name, Time

A bold gamble, La Opinion

6 things Palin pick says about 'maverick' McCain, Arizona Republic

Israel's view of McCain unchanged by VP choice, Jerusalem Post, Israel

McCain's Pick Palin Gets Mixed Review From International Media, Deutsche Welle, Germany

Technorati Tags: Sarah Palin,John McCain

George W. Bush's 'Final Days'

New York Times magazine contributing writer Peter Baker takes a look at U.S. President George W. Bush's final days as leader of the most powerful nation on earth in the August 31, 2007, edition of The New York Times magaize. If you are interested in reading it, see "The Final Days." May require an account.

Technorati Tags: George W. Bush

Kilpatrick Agrees to Resign in Exchange for No Jail Times

David Josar and Jennifer Mrozowski of The Detroit News reported August 31, 2008, that, Detroit " Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is offering to plead guilty to one or two felonies, leave office, pay a fine and restitution and perform community service -- so long as he doesn't go to jail, a source close to his legal team said Sunday [August 31, 2008]. See "Detroit mayor offers to quit, pay fine, but jail time snags plea deal."

According to The News, Kilpatrick's lawyers are"Frustrated by what they consider stubbornness by Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy in ongoing plea talks." They "have offered to bring in facilitators -- perhaps a judge or well-respected legal figure -- to review the offer, the source said," The News reported.

Like many powerful men before him and men to come after him, Kilpatrick's succumbed to "P" power, which clouded his judgment.  He lied to conceal an affair with his chief of staff, which led to an indictment for perjury, among other things. 

Technorati Tags: Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick,Detroit

Did Obama Outwit the Pundits During Democratic Convention?

Recommended: New York Times Op-Ed Columnist Frank Rich's August 31, 2008, column headlined "Obama Outwits the Bloviators." This is the money quote for me:

No major Obama speech — each breathlessly hyped in advance as do-or-die and as the “the most important of his career” — has been a disaster; most have been triples or home runs, if not grand slams. What is most  surprising is how astonished the press still is at each Groundhog Day’s replay of the identical outcome. Indeed, the disconnect between the reality of this campaign and how it is perceived and presented by the mainstream media is now a major part of the year’s story. The press dysfunction is itself a window into the unstable dynamics of Election 2008.

Rich said, "At the Democratic convention, as during primary season, almost every oversold plotline was wrong. Those Hillary dead-enders — played on TV by a fringe posse of women roaming Denver in search of camera time — would re-enact Chicago 1968. With Hillary’s tacit approval, the roll call would devolve into a classic Democratic civil war. Sulky Bill would wreak havoc once center stage."

Technorati Tags: Frank Rich,Barack Obama,Mainstream Media

Will Gustav Save RNC From Bush, Cheney Speeches

The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza asserts in an August 31, 2008, post at The Fix: "The news that neither President George W. Bush nor Vice President Dick Cheney will speak on the opening night of the Republican National Convention will be greeted -- privately, of course -- with a huge sigh of relief by most party strategists." See "The Bush-Cheney Conundrum."

Damn! Are things that bad among the Republicans? Did Bush and Cheney screw up that badly that their own party view them as toxic waste?

Technorati Tags: 2008 Republican convention

John McCain's 'Hail Mary Pass'

Arriana Huffington at The Huffington Post contends in a August 31, 2008, news roundup that, U.S. Republican Presidential nominee John McCain's decision to pick Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate "was clearly a Hail Mary pass. But the McCain campaign is tapping into an archetype that resonates deep in the human psyche," she writes. That of the unknown innocent plucked from obscurity and magnificently rising to the challenge." See "Arianna Huffington: Sunday Roundup."

Technorati Tags: Sarah Palin, John McCain, The Huffington Post

Michael Sneed: 'The Hillary Factor'

Chicago Sun-Times columnist Michael Sneed: "Hmmm: Will John McCain's selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as veepmate energize Hillary Clinton's supporters to cross party lines . . . or have the opposite effect?"

See "The Hillary factor . . ." for more of Ms. Sneed's column.

Technorati Tags: Hillary Clinton,Sarah Palin

The Obama Campaign's Post Palin Ad

The Obama campaign released a new 30-second TV ad, August 30, 2008, in response to Republican Presidential contender John McCain's August 29, 2008, decision to choose Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential running mate. See Sam Graham- Felsen's "New Ad: 'No Change'"

Technorati Tags: Obama Ad

Is She Ready to Lead?

Jimmy Orr at The Vote Blog over on The Christian Science Monitor's website, notes: "At the end of so many John McCain commercials the narrator asks of Barack Obama, “Is he ready to lead?”

"Tables are turning now that McCain has selected Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be his running mate," Orr contends.  "The very popular Governor from Alaska (approval ratings at 80 percent) has served in this capacity for less than two years."

Indeed, is she ready if McCain becomes president and has a heart attack a few minutes late?  Read Orr's opinion here.

More Opinion on Palin

Choice Stuns State Politicians, Sean Cockerham & Wesley Loy, Anchorage Daily New

The story behind the Palin surprise, Jonathan Martin, Politico

McCain Was Right To Take a Risk, But Was Palin the Right One?, Nate Silver, The New Republic

Top McCain Adviser: Palin Will Learn National Security From McCain Before He Keels Over, Greg Sargent, TPM Election Central

Let Palin Be Palin:Why the left is scared to death of McCain's running mate, William Kristol, The Weekly Standard

Sarah Palin: McCain's Insult to Women, Madeleine M. Kunin, The Huffington Post

Palin VP Pick Not Guaranteed to Earn McCain Female Voters, Cristina Corbin, Fox News

McCain's Palin surprise has journalists abuzz, James Rainey, Los Angeles Times

Technorati Tags: John McCain,Sara Palin. Barack Obama