McCain's VP

[Fairweather]

I think it's a great choice. She seems forceful, articulate, and has a record that shows she's not a push-over and will stand up for justice within her own party. Additionally, I like her outdoor credentials.

[Fairweather]

For how long? She's governer of one of the LEAST populated states ...

 

Think Arkansas.

[OrygunJim]

Read the comments from that link. Seems the Rs may have a no-experience relief pitcher to fill a dead McCain spot. But the Ds are putting in a no-experience man as their starting pitcher.

 

 

...with a strong "relief" to consult in Biden, rather than a dead president and...on the Republican side? Colin Powell wouldn't touch this admin with a ten-foot pole, Condoleezza says she's done. And I would love to see the dream team in the Rs situation room. It's not the president, but the cabinet that yields the influence. Hilary will reign at that table.

[Fairweather]

Besides...Didn't Luke Skywalker defeat both Darth Vader and The Emperor despite his incomplete jedi training?

[olyclimber]

The dead horse has excellent outdoor credentials as well.

 

Well, I'm glad you found stuff to like in her. Personally, I don't agree with some of the key issues that might enthrall key voters to her, but more importantly I still find her resume too thin (and I think Alaska is one of the coolest states in the union too).

 

There are reasons why I can see her as a good choice (if you oppose Roe vs. Wade, if you love your guns, etc) that are indeed very powerful in this country. Time will tell if this was a good pick, but I find it an odd gamble.

 

 

[olyclimber]

For how long? She's governer of one of the LEAST populated states ...

 

Think Arkansas.

 

You mean this guy? She's not even an 1/8th as interesting!

 

Is an avid coin-collector.

 

Graduated from Hot Springs High School in Hot Springs, Arkansas in 1964.

 

Listed in "People Weekly"s "Most Intriguing People" list. (December 25, 1995/January 1, 1996 issue)

 

Graduated from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and received his law degree from Yale Law School, where he met his wife Hillary.

 

Enjoys playing golf and the saxophone.

 

Daughter, Chelsea Clinton, born 27 February 1980.

 

Impeached (the equivalent of indicted) by the U.S. House of Representatives, Dec. 1998, for "high crimes and misdemeanors" on a strictly party-line vote (all Republicans voted for it, all Democrats voted against it; since the Republicans controlled the House, the impeachment was approved). He is the second president to be impeached; the first was Andrew Johnson in 1868 (Richard Nixon would likely have faced impeachment, but he resigned before it came to that).

 

Admitted to having an affair with Monica Lewinsky. [August 1998]

 

Left-handed.

 

Named Time magazine's Co-Man of the Year (with Ken Starr) in 1998.

 

Ranked 21st (out of 41) in a survey of the best U.S. presidents. Some historians also rated him last in "moral authority", largely stemming from the Monica Lewinsky scandal and numerous rumored affairs. [February 2000]

 

Has said that Comedian Harmonists (1997) is the movie that moved him the most deeply, and that High Noon (1952) is his favorite movie of all time.

 

Became the second youngest U.S. President to leave office, after Theodore Roosevelt. (January 20th 2001).

 

Was the third youngest person ever to serve as president, after John F. Kennedy and Theodore Roosevelt.

 

Named Time magazine's "Man of the Year 1992".

 

Collects saxophones, both miniature and life-size.

 

Left the presidency with an approval rating of 65%, higher even than former President Ronald Reagan.

 

Pardoned his half-brother, Roger Clinton, thereby erasing his criminal record shortly before leaving the White House in January 2001.

 

On January 19, 2001, agreed to admit that he gave misleading testimony in connection with the Monica Lewinsky scandal. He was also fined $25,000 and agreed to have his Arkansas law license suspended for 5 years. In exchange, he will not face criminal charges after leaving the White House.

 

Is fluent in German.

 

Became the first sitting U.S. president to be sued. Paula Jones sued him after claiming he sexually harassed her six years previously. [1997]

 

Had a 12-year affair with Gennifer Flowers from 1980-1992 while he was governor of Arkansas.

 

After leaving the White House, he established his new office in the Harlem section of New York City.

 

Since leaving the White House, he has made his living mostly giving speeches before various political and business organizations, both domestically and worldwide, averaging $100,000 per speech. That doesn't compare to former President Ronald Reagan, whose first speech after he left office, to a group of wealthy Japanese businessmen, netted him $3 million. [2001]

 

In August 2001 he signed a book deal with publisher Alfred A. Knopf, for a $10-million advance.

 

Attended a national prayer service for victims of the terror attacks of the World Trade Center, at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. Also in attendance were former Presidents George Bush, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, former Vice President Al Gore, former Senator Bob Dole and all their wives. [september 2001]

 

Was portrayed on "Saturday Night Live" (1975) by Phil Hartman, Chris Farley (once), David Spade (once), Chris Elliott (once), Michael McKean, and Darrell Hammond.

 

Was the first Rhodes Scholar to be elected President of the United States.

 

Secret Service codename was Eagle.

 

Inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame, October 2002 (honorary induction).

 

Has his look-alike puppet in the French show "Guignols de l'info, Les" (1988).

 

The producers of "60 Minutes" (1968) originally wanted to pair Clinton with right-wing talk-show host Rush Limbaugh in their (now failed) Point/Counterpoint segment, but Clinton's people nixed the idea. They also rejected former Republican Congressman Newt Gingrich, conservative author William J. Bennett, former Christian Coalition executive Ralph Reed and conservative businessman and former Republican presidential candidate Steve Forbes as possible adversaries in debate, before settling on former Senator/Republican Presidential candidate Bob Dole.

 

At the 1988 Democratic Convention, Gov. he gave the introduction for Michael Dukakis, it was the longest keynote speech in the history of American politics. Throughout the speech people were screaming for Dukakis, and wanted him off the stage, after 48 minutes, he said, "In closing..." The entire audience stood up and went crazy. Shortly thereafter, he appeared on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" (1962), where he received a three-minute, 48-second introduction from Johnny Carson, it was multiple pages long, and was Carson's longest introduction for a guest. When Clinton finally came out, Carson, said, "Well, governor, I thank you for coming here tonight. And my first question is, how are you?" With that, Carson placed an hour glass timer on the desk.

 

Video exists showing a young Bill Clinton shaking hands with President John F. Kennedy. The video was aired on television during his 1992 presidential campaign on CBS News.

 

His terms in office made him the last US president of the 20th century as well as the first president of the 21st century.

 

Shares a birthday with Tipper Gore, wife of his former presidential running mate, Al Gore.

 

42nd President of The United States of America (1993-2001).

 

Son of Virginia Clinton Kelley (1923-1994).

 

Underwent emergency quadruple heart bypass surgery in September 2004 after experiencing an episode of angina. The former President had not suffered a coronary infarction, but some of his arteries were more than 90% clogged up. He later underwent corrective surgery for a partially collapsed lung in March 2005.

 

Considered becoming a jazz musician early in his career.

 

Attended the state funeral of Pope John Paul II at the Vatican, along with incumbent President George W. Bush and former President George Bush. This was Clinton's first public appearance since undergoing corrective surgery at a New York hospital. (April 8th 2005)

 

As of 2005, is only the second United States President who has been adopted. The only previous President who was adopted was Gerald Ford.

 

Brother of Kappa Kappa Psi, Inc. Fraternity.

 

Attended the state funeral of former President Ronald Reagan at the Washington National Cathedral with former U.S. Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, George Bush, incumbent President George W. Bush, and all their wives. (11 June 2004)

 

He was not adopted by Roger Clinton. He used the name "Clinton" when he started school. When he was a teenager, and his younger brother Roger Clinton was going to start school, Bill went to court to have his name legally changed to "Clinton". The future President wanted to have the same name as his brother, to avoid confusion in the Arkansas school system.

 

Cousin of Congressman James A. Lockhart.

 

Left the Presidency with a substantial budget surplus, the only president in more than 50 years to do so.

 

Is mentioned in the lyrics to the theme song of the cartoon series "Animaniacs" (1993) ("....Wakko packs away the snacks, while Bill Clinton plays the sax.").

 

On November 3, 1992, Clinton was elected the 42nd President of the United States by a wide margin in the Electoral College, despite receiving only 43% of the popular vote. The 1992 election was the first time since 1968 that a candidate won the White House with under 50% of the popular vote. (Neither Clinton in 1996 or George W. Bush in 2000 garnered 50% of the popular vote, though he did in 2004.) Clinton's home state of Arkansas was the only state in the entire country that gave the majority of its vote to a single candidate; the rest were won by pluralities of the vote. Clinton came in third in Utah, behind President George Bush and third party candidate Ross Perot, while Bush came in third in Maine, where the Bush family maintained a summer home in Kennebunkport.

 

Despite their numerous political and personal differences, he and former President George Bush, his opponent in the 1992 Presidential election, have actually become friends in recent years. The two have made several commercials together on behalf of the victims of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. As cited in "Time" magazine, former First Lady Barbara Bush even called them "The Odd Couple".

 

Huge fan of Elvis Presley.

 

In 1972, he was hired as a non-tenured professor of Law at the University of Arkansas at a starting salary of $14,706 per year.

 

In 1976, he was elected Attorney General for the State of Arkansas at a salary of $26,500 per year.

 

His allergies include chocolate, dairy products, and flour.

 

When he left the White House in 2001, he had legal bills in excess of $12 million as a result of campaign financing, the Monica Lewinsky trial, and Whitewater.

 

In 2006, he earned between $9-10 million on the lecture circuit. He gave 352 speeches, only 20% for personal income. His speaking fee, is approximately $150,000 per speech unless it is for one of the many Clinton causes or organizations, in which case he speaks for free.

 

In 2007, Forbes Magazine estimated his earnings for the year at $7 million.

 

Became the first serving US President to visit Northern Ireland. [November 1995]

 

Nominated for a 2008 Grammy Award for "Giving: How Each Of Us Can Change the World" [best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Story Telling)].

 

Prior to the 2008 election, he is the youngest of the four living US presidents, born 44 days after current president George W. Bush.

 

[OrygunJim]

I think it's a great choice. She seems forceful, articulate, and has a record that shows she's not a push-over and will stand up for justice within her own party.

 

Wow. I think I read that same quote on the McCain website following the announcement...

 

If you don't think she's a starry-eyed pretty girl appealing solely to the far right you are definitely a republican.

[Fairweather]

80% approval rating among AK residents. She flies a float plane. As governor, she disbanded her personal security detail. She eloped.

[TrogdortheBurninator]

I think the Pilan choice is pretty damn interesting from a strategy standpoint. It is analagous to final jeopardy. Often situations arise where playing safe guarantees a loss, while a big gamble might result in a bigger loss, but also gives a chance for victory. Given the choice between a guaranteed loss, and a chance of victory, you have to gamble for victory (duh). I suspect the McCain campaign acknowledged that a more conventional GOP running mate would virtually guarantee his loss. Pilan could very well make that loss bigger (hopefully ), but it might be the best chance he has to build excitement around an otherwise comparatively dull campaign.

[olyclimber]

Being from AK and being a reformer is natural (anyone want a bridge to no where?) at this point in time.

 

on the positive side for McCain, having Palin on the ticket almost guarantees that he will carry Alaska.

[olyclimber]

anyway, what am i worried about. Palin or a dead horse would be smarter than this guy

 

[AlpineK]

I never really bothered to pay much attention to politics in AK, so there's a lot of unknown in her. On first impression what I see is:

 

Good Points:

 

Clearly better than Dan Quayle, UI graduate.

 

Bad Points

 

Anti abortion, In love with solving energy problems by drilling more oil.

 

 

 

The whole beauty queen thing is funny, but it isn't a + or -

 

In the bigger picture I ain't voting for Bush #3.

[korup]

pasted from salon.com

 

In an interview with Alaska Business Monthly shortly after she took office in 2007, Palin was asked about the upcoming surge. She said she hadn't thought about it. "I've been so focused on state government, I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq," she said. "I heard on the news about the new deployments, and while I support our president, Condoleezza Rice and the administration, I want to know that we have an exit plan in place; I want assurances that we are doing all we can to keep our troops safe."

 

Seven months into the surge, she still either had not formed any opinion on the surge or the war or just wasn't sharing. "I'm not here to judge the idea of withdrawing, or the timeline," she said in a teleconference interview with reporters during a July 2007 visit with Alaska National Guard troops stationed in Kuwait. "I'm not going to judge even the surge. I'm here to find out what Alaskans need of me as their governor."

 

[XXX]

Its not hard being a mavrick in Alaska, a state known for more then one corrupt politician.

 

Running a town of 8300, running as a beauty queen, and having 5 kids, and less then 1 year of running one of the smallest states population wise hardly qualifies her to be commander in chief.

 

Not to mention her complete utter lack of thoughtful responses on U.S. policy before she was selected. Another GW Bush in the making

 

 

[prole]

 

US President George W. Bush said Friday he was excited by Republican White House hopeful John McCain's surprise choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate.

 

"I applaud Senator McCain for selecting Governor Palin. This decision is yet another example of why the American people can trust him to make wise decisions and to confidently lead this country," Bush said in a statement. ---from "Bush 'energized and excited' by McCain VP choice" AFP 8/30/08

[KaskadskyjKozak]

80% approval rating among AK residents. She flies a float plane. As governor, she disbanded her personal security detail. She eloped.

 

didn't W have like a 70% approval rating as governor of Tejas?

 

just saying

[KaskadskyjKozak]

Its not hard being a mavrick in Alaska, a state known for more then one corrupt politician.

 

Running a town of 8300, running as a beauty queen, and having 5 kids, and less then 1 year of running one of the smallest states population wise hardly qualifies her to be commander in chief.

 

Not to mention her complete utter lack of thoughtful responses on U.S. policy before she was selected. Another GW Bush in the making

 

 

I think Palin is smarter than W.

 

We'll see. Bring on the debates, bishes.

[Choada_Boy]

Pre-Announcemnet Wikipedia Upgrades

 

Hmm...

[No. 13 Baby]

I think Palin is smarter than W.

 

Way to set the bar way up high, chickenhawk boy.

 

If that's your criteria, I have two dogs and a geranium that qualify as mccain's veep.

[willstrickland]

As someone who was in AK during her rise:

 

Governorship was going GOP period. Incumbent Murkowski was going to lose the primary because the entire state hated him for his cozying up to the oil and gas industry while negotiating for a gas pipeline as well as the nepotism of appointing his daughter to the senate seat he vacated upon becoming gov. Additionally, the entire GOP in AK was undergoing alot of corruption investigations. She won more by default than being some inspiring, accomplished politician.

 

No foreign policy credentials, staunch anti-abortion even in cases of rape or incest, denies anthropopgenic global warming, fought placing polar bear on the engangered list, husband tied to the oil industry, govern a tiny state that runs entirely on oil royalties.

 

Can you honestly tell me this is the best the GOP has for 2nd in charge? Even if you were adamant about adding a woman...what about Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Olympia Snowe, or anyone with the stature and understanding of international issues...hell even Condi I could respect as a choice or his surrogate Fiorina. This is a laughingstock joke. The guy claims to put country first and as a 72yr old with multiple cancer occurences and a real chance at dying in office he trusts a woman he met ONCE before offering the job with the most powerful job on earth? Are you kidding me?

 

We know his first choice was Lieberman but the base put the kibosh on it, presumably internal polling is showing base/turnout problems. You have to assume Romney turned him down for fear of being on a losing ticket, or the base wouldn't turn out with a mormon on the ticket. Hutchinson has designs on running for Gov of Texas, so she's out. Stunning. I can't get over the fact that he'd only met her once...would you even let someone babysit your kids that you'd only met once? Nevermind putting them a heartbeat away from a nuclear arsenal, supreme court appointments, and the future of the world? McCain's decision making here is incredibly cavalier and reckless.

[prole]

CC.com Sprayer Gets Palin the Job!

 

The hype can probably be traced to the Web site of a 21-year-old college senior majoring in political science at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs. Adam Brickley, a political buff who will graduate in May, started a "Draft Sarah Palin for Vice President" blog last year and has relentlessly promoted the idea ever since.Brickley (aka "Elephantman") supported Rudy Giuliani in the primaries, according to his blog. According to his "Blogger" profile, Brickley's interests include politics, Zionism, and "fighting socialism."

[No. 13 Baby]

Just wondering if the neocon boys still have a (literal) hardon for the VPILF now that we know she's a grandmother?

[prole]

Get ready. Palin's going to bail out.

Edited September 1, 2008 by prole

[dmuja]

 

I was thinkin that too, I hope she stays b'cuz she'll win it for Obama.

[dmuja]

 

It all depends on how shes "polling" right now