2008 Presidential Elections

[American Patriot]

Ayers’s Soulmates Planned GOP Kidnappings: Police
Capital Research Center ^ | September 3, 2008 | Matthew Vadum The Pioneer Press reports that the Ramsey County, Minnesota, Sheriff's office investigated an anarchist group that was considering kidnapping delegates to the Republican Party's convention in St. Paul.


The would-be terrorists, who called themselves the "Republican National Convention Welcoming Committee," planned to shut down the convention. The group bears a striking resemblance to the Weathermen, a violent terrorist group founded by Barack Obama's unrepentant terrorist associate William Ayers.
According to the news report:

# The self-described anarchist group - whose main goal was to "crash" the Republican National Convention," according to its Web site - traveled to or communicated with affinity groups in 67 cities to recruit members and raise money.

# Group members discussed the possibility of kidnapping delegates, blockading bridges, using liquid sprayers filled with urine or chemicals on police and throwing marbles to trip police and their horses.


# At an "action camp" held from July 31 to Aug. 3 in Lake Geneva, Minn., one member talked of concealing inside giant puppets "materials" that could be used on the street. Others discussed the need for Molotov cocktails, paint, caltrops (devices used to puncture tires), bricks and lockboxes for protesters to lock themselves together.


# Erik Oseland, one of the six group members arrested here, produced a video called "Video Map of the St. Paul Points of Interest." It included such major companies as Travelers Insurance and Qwest, hotels such as the Embassy Suites and the Crowne Plaza. Also included: the Pioneer Press building.

Not surprisingly, the communist National Lawyers Guild is representing many of the accused. Incidentally, Amy Goodman, the far-left host of the independent news program "Democracy Now!," who, judging from her previous coverage of news events just might be sympathetic to the group, was arrested outside the convention.

Goodman and her media outlet were profiled in "Inside the Disinformation Machine: A Look at the Left's New Media Operation," by Matthew Sheffield and Noel Sheppard, which appears in this month's Foundation Watch.

[American Patriot]

Two Very Different Tickets
The New Media Journal ^ | Sept 2, 2008 | JB Williams

With a multiracial candidate on one ticket and a female on the other, no matter what happens this November, history will be made in this election cycle. But these two tickets could not be any more different than they are - and as a result, the two campaign strategies are equally different.

The only similarity found between the McCain-Palin ticket and the Obama-Biden ticket is the fact that both offer something old and something new, someone with experience and someone fresh. That’s where the similarities end...

For McCain-Palin, experience is found at the top of the ticket in long time Senate maverick John McCain. At 72 years old with everything from truly heroic war service, POW experience, decades of bucking the system and even his party on his résumé, there is very little John McCain hasn’t seen or done. He’s a time tested political figure to be reckoned with and he has been deeply admired by both friend and foe for years.

McCain is an inside the system reformer who has bucked the system and his own party so many times that he has earned the title of maverick on Capitol Hill. Most would agree that McCain-Feingold was a horrible outcome to a grand idea. Few Americans believe that campaign finance is an honest above board ethical system and most believe it needs to be cleaned up. But Washington compromise often makes crap out of caviar by the time a good idea becomes bad law via corrupt partisan compromise.

(Excerpt) Read more at newmediajournal.us ...

[American Patriot]

OH NO!!!!!!LOL.....

(2002) Sen. Biden’s Daughter Arrested in Altercation
Los Angeles Times ^ | August 4, 2002 | Staff

The daughter of Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.) was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of obstructing a police officer outside a Chicago bar.

Ashley Blazer Biden, 21, of Wilmington, Del., was with a group of people on a North Side street where several bars are located when someone else threw a bottle at an officer, police said.

snip

(Excerpt) Read more at articles.latimes.com ...

[American Patriot]

New Palin smear: She “slashed” funding for pregnant teens by, um, expanding it
hotair.com ^ | September 3, 2008 | Allahpundit Daily Kos up to no good again? Nah — this one comes from WaPo, doing the hard work of ignoring primary sources that are reproduced right in the piece. The boss, Laura W., and Anchor Rising did the heavy lifting so read them for the details; if you think expanding a program by $3.9 million instead of $5 million counts as cutting funds, you’re qualified to work for one of America’s most esteemed newspapers. The point, of course, is to use the left’s eternal fig leaf for demonizing Republicans, i.e. hypocrisy, to argue that Palin is callous about the plight of girls in the same position as her daughter. It can’t be that she wanted to save taxpayers money and thought the program could work with a million dollars less. Only the Cruella de Vil narrative’ll do. In fact, I’m surprised WaPo focused on Covenant House’s services for pregnant girls when its actual mission extends to all wayward teens, a much larger group for Palin to hate on by not showering cash on it to quite the full extent deemed necessary by our progressive superiors.



That’s not the only big media Palin smear circulating right now, either. Exit question: Which is more nuanced, the Covenant House nonsense or the fact that the NYT reporter who pushed the story about Palin being a member of the Alaska secessionist party is still standing by it even though the Times itself has now retracted it? (On its blog, of course, not in the paper itself.)


Update: “It’s never big enough for some lawmakers, it’s never big enough for some local officials.”

[American Patriot]

Sarah Huckabee On CBS' The Early Show (shows up Sally Quinn's own misogyny over Sarah Palin)

mikehuckabee.com // YouTube // CBS Early Show ^ | 9-3-2008 | Sarah Huckabee

Sarah Huckabee on whether Palin is neglecting her family:
"I think it's a disgrace that the question is even being asked."


"I think it's time the media stops asking the question and follows the rest of America's lead in moving forward and seeing that women are capable to lead this country."


"...I never felt like my dad was any less of a parent because he was a governor. If anything I felt like he was a better parent and more involved, because he was a governor -- because he was doing more for my future and more for my every day than just making sure I was in bed on time every night."


(Excerpt) Read more at mikehuckabee.com ...

[American Patriot]

Someone is Distributing Talking Points About the Attacks on Palin and Her Family
Marble Wallet ^ | September 3, 2008 | Stayfree

Posted on Wednesday, September 03, 2008 10:45:00 AM by Stayfree

Someone is distributing talking points to all the liberal media and their allies in the evil attacks on Sarah Palin and her family. All of the liberal media have been asking the same question in response to any inquiry as to why Palin's family are acceptable targets, "...anything discovered about her family that wasn't disclosed raises questions about whether or not she was properly vetted." This proves a conspiracy which is probably being orchestrated by David Axelrod in Obama's campaign or someone at the DNC. Either way, it proves that both the DNC and Barack Obama do not deserve a single vote because they are despicable, un-American scum!!!


(Excerpt) Read more at marblewallet.com ...

[American Patriot]

Stand By Sarah: She's Still a Winning Pick
townhall.com ^ | September 3, 2008 | Dick Morris and Eileen McGann

The dominant question at the GOP convention is: Will John McCain make the huge mistake of abandoning Sarah Palin?


Some claim he made a mistake in choosing the Alaska governor. My bet is the reverse - that she'll turn out to be a big win.


Even if I'm wrong, dropping her now would doom him in November. If McCain lets baseless, sexist smears set his course, he'd turn all the good Palin has already done for him, and should do in the weeks ahead, into a negative - demoralizing the GOP base and losing independents.


Understand: Palin is under attack because she was such a good choice.
Remember the Democrats' central charge on McCain - "He's a Bush clone." By choosing Palin, something George Bush would never have done, McCain showed how really different he is.


The old ground rule for picking a running mate was to help the ticket carry a particular state. But Bill Clinton changed the rules when he tapped Al Gore in 1992. Clinton likely would've carried Tennessee anyway, but the choice of Gore emphasized the most important feature of Clinton's candidacy: He was from a new generation and represented a new outlook.


And so Sarah Palin reinforces the most important aspect of the McCain candidacy: Despite 30 years in Washington, he's an outsider and a dedicated foe of corruption and conflict of interest in government. He's the one who stands up against pork, earmarks and lobbyists and backs campaign-finance reform.


(Excerpt) Read more at townhall.com ...

[American Patriot]

Obama's Concealed Weapon - Gun Control
havegunwillvote.com ^ | 08.31.08 | John Caile Gun owners, beware. Hidden in Barak Obama's MTV style acceptance speech was a message that should send chills up the spines of everyone who values, not just the right to own a gun, but the very right of self-defense.


Like most of Obama's carefully crafted statements, it sounds innocuous enough:
"The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than for those plagued by gang-violence in Cleveland, but don't tell me we can't uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals."


Who could be against keeping guns away from criminals, right? The only problem is, after 40 years of gun control experiments, the data show that no law, whether Federal, State, or local has ever done anything to keep thugs from getting guns. In a recent FBI study, the gang members interviewed reportedly "just laughed at the idea."


More to the point, remember that Obama publicly endorsed Chicago's total ban on handguns, which leaves the city's innocent citizens helpless, while doing nothing to keep guns "out of the hands of criminals" - Chicago gang members continue to commit 600 murders a year, most of them with, you guessed it - handguns.


Obama does however, believe in keeping guns out of YOUR hands. He has openly stated that he wants to eliminate the Right to Carry laws that now protect more than 80% of the nations citizens. Like Rosie O'Donnell, Obama sees nothing wrong in surrounding himself with a team of armed bodyguards to protect HIS life - but you shouldn't be allowed to carry a gun to protect yours.


But what about those "AK-47s" anyway? Aren't they "more dangerous" than other guns? Well, ignoring the obvious fact that such military-style rifles are used only in rare instances, the reality is that a gun is a gun. Any 12 guage pump shotgun is far more deadly (in the wrong hands) than ANY so-called "assault weapon," and after ten years of banning such "scary-looking" guns, even the anti-gun types have admitted that it had "no discernible effect on violent crime."


Besides, exactly what difference does it make what kind of gun some gang-banger (or homicidal dingbat) uses? Virginia Tech shooter Seung-Hui Cho used an ordinary Glock pistol, and he killed more than 30 people, including himself. What allowed him to do that was not the kind of gun he had - it was that political correctness ensured that no one on the campus was allowed to have a gun to fight back.


But if he is elected, don't hope that such harsh realities will stop Obama from knuckling under to the heavily funded anti-gun lobbying groups that are pouring MILLIONS into his campaign. They are looking at your guns and licking their chops.

Oh, and you "hunterbators" (you know who you are, the "I'm just a hunter-they'll never bother MY guns" types), you can keep deluding yourselves - while throwing your fellow gun owners under the bus by voting for anti-gun candidates who promise you "free" health care.


Just remember that there is still the matter of Supreme Court Justices. And what kind of justice do you honestly believe a President Obama will nominate?


Be afraid. Be very afraid.

[Aplomb]

http://www.redstate.com/diaries/reds...ah-palins-soc/

BREAKING: Democrats Release Sarah Palin's Social Security Number


Posted by: Erick Erickson
Tuesday, September 2, 2008 at 04:40PM


The Politico has received an opposition research file from the Alaska Democrats. You can read it in PDF here.
In the file, the Democrats have released Sarah Palin's social security number minus the last four digits. Also tied to the information are her various home addresses.
Back in 2005, Democrats used Michael Steele's social security number to get his credit record.
It is atrocious that the Democrats would not only seek out Sarah Palin's social security number, but release it in opposition research to the press.
We need to know who did this. We also need to know what happened. We also need to know if it was used to bolster the Democrats' opposition research.
When it happened to Michael Steele, it turns out the Democrats knew about it and did nothing.
They cannot not take action now.

---

UPDATE:

The Alaska Democratic Party says it did not release the information. From Ben Smith, at the Politico, I got this:

Our story doesn't say that "Alaska Democrats" gave us that document. It was a document prepared for Tony Knowles two years ago. We haven't revealed our source.
You should also note that it's a partially REDACTED social security number. That seems relevant. If less sensational. It's missing four digits.

Here is the key take away: Yes, the SSN is redacted and people can pay for themselves.
Now, here are additional points:

1. If the AK-Dems didn't do this, who did? Obama? The DNC? Who? They're releasing the whole thing now and letting the media make hay of it.
2. Why didn't the SSN get fully redacted?
   
3. It's ironic the party that thinks only Republicans invade privacy, invaded the privacy of Sarah Palin enough to learn her social security number and distribute it to the media.

[Ryan Ruck]

I hope she has

[Aplomb]

http://news.aol.com/political-machin...alin-pushback/

GOP Begins Palin Pushback

By Mark Impomeni
Sep 3rd 2008 2:00PMFiled Under:eRepublicans, Featured Stories, 2008 President, Republican Convention, Floor Fight


It's Palin pushback day here at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. Republican operatives are hopping mad over what they characterize as a spate of false, misleading, and baseless attacks in the mainstream press aimed at GOP Vice-Presidential nominee, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Palin will deliver her acceptance speech to the convention in prime time tonight.

A full day of activities is planned by the McCain campaign to make the case that the media treatment of the first female nominee on a Republican ticket has been over the top in its negativity. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani will make the rounds of the cable networks to defend Palin, and Sen. Joe Lieberman will hold a press conference in which Republicans say that he will call on Sen. Barack Obama to denounce some of the charges being leveled at Palin by Democratic operatives. The McCain campaign will also release a television commercial today that compares Gov. Palin's experience in government to Sen. Obama's

A GOP operative tells Political Machine that the treatment Gov. Palin has received in the mainstream media has led to a virtual state of war between the party and the press.

"The liberal media is engaged in a disturbing sexist double standard against Gov. Palin. This is a clear effort to smear a conservative female star because she does not adhere to the liberal ideology of the elites who run the media. And this is one of the reasons why the American public has lost faith in the media. We predict a backlash."

At a press conference held today at the Xcel Arena, Republican women made the case that Gov. Palin is actually more qualified to be president than Sen. Obama.

Former Massachusetts Governor Jane Swift said that the focus needs to be placed on Gov. Palin's accomplishments in comparison to Sen. IBM's.

"Gov. Plain has a record of accomplishment. She has taken on the corrupt special interest in Washington and in Alaska. And she has a record of achievement. In fact, she is more prepared to be president than Sen. Obama. Palin ran a state, Obama ran a campaign."

Carly Fiorina, former head of HP and Chairman of the GOP Victory 2008 Campaign, said that Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign in the Democratic primaries has some similarities to the current campaign. "There has been a great deal of sexism exhibited against both Sen. Clinton and Gov. Plain. American women's ears are highly tuned to sexist attacks, and they aren't going to stand for it."

The press reporting on Plain has clearly gotten under the skin of the GOP and they are making every effort to turn the tables back on the Democrats and the press. Gov. Palin's speech to the convention tonight will go a long way toward determining how successful those efforts ultimately will be.

[Aplomb]

http://www.startribune.com/politics/...tml?page=1&c=y

Affidavit outlines plans for chaos

An anarchist group allegedly discussed ways to "shut down the RNC," including kidnapping delegates and blocking bridges.
By PAT PHEIFER, Star Tribune
Last update: September 3, 2008 - 5:17 AM


Almost a year to the day before the Republican National Convention began, members of a self-described anarchist group gathered to talk about ways to disrupt it, including kidnapping delegates, sabotaging air vents at the Xcel Energy Center, blocking bridges and "capturing federal buildings" in Minneapolis and St. Paul.


Unbeknown to the RNC Welcoming Committee, two police informants and an undercover investigator had infiltrated their ranks, according to an affidavit and search warrant application filed Tuesday. The informants and investigator accessed group e-mails, attended meetings, talked strategies with members and participated in camps and workshops.


The 17-page document, signed by Ramsey County District Judge Joanne Smith, laid out the evidence that led the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department to raid a St. Paul business and three Minneapolis homes Friday night and Saturday morning.


The affidavit paints a picture of a group that recruited participants from 67 cities and was intent on creating havoc.


According to the document:
The RNC Welcoming Committee held two "pReNC" gatherings, one from Aug. 31 through Sept. 1, 2007, and another on May 3. At the first, 150 to 200 people -- including one of the informants -- talked about tactics to "shut down the RNC."


At the second, St. Paul was divided into seven sectors for various anarchist groups to claim.


The affidavit also talked about an "action camp" held July 31 to Aug. 3 at Lake Geneva, Minn.


"An individual by the name of 'Henry' told the action camp group that he was throwing a liquid-filled balloon and that members of the group should stay away from the area ... because it would be very dangerous," the document said. "Henry stated the balloon was filled with a chemical that would be very dangerous and if caught, he would go to jail for a long time."


Another person talked about using large puppets to conceal and transport Molotov cocktails, bricks, caltrops (devices used to stop buses and other vehicles), shields and lockboxes, the affidavit said. They also planned to throw marbles under the horses of mounted police to trip the horses.


Participants did role-playing and attended demonstrations on how to use a large barrel filled with concrete and steel pipes to help protesters block streets.


The affidavit also said that group e-mails from the Welcoming Committee talked about leaving abandoned or overturned vehicles at intersections, pulling a single officer from a police line and beating them, using liquid sprayers filled with urine or chemicals, "unarresting" techniques to free people arrested by police, obtaining fake credentials and dozens of other tactics.


The sheriff's investigation culminated in raids of the RNC Welcoming Committee's "Convergence Center" in the 600 block of Smith Avenue in St. Paul, and homes in the 3200 block of 17th Avenue S., 3500 block of Harriet Avenue S. and 2300 block of 23rd Avenue S. in Minneapolis.


Seven people were arrested in connection with the raids. Six are being held in the Ramsey County jail; a seventh has been released pending further investigation.


On Tuesday, District Judge Kathleen Gearin denied an emergency motion brought by eight plaintiffs -- including at least one of those arrested -- to have some of the items seized by police returned to them.


"Who should we return the urine to?" Gearin asked.


In addition to buckets of urine, investigators seized homemade devices used to disable buses and other vehicles, weapons, gas masks, flammable liquids and rags that could be used to make Molotov cocktails, computer storage devices, documents, pamphlets and banners. Some materials, such as banners and signs, were returned Monday for demonstrators to use during the protest marches. Albert Goins Sr., attorney for the plaintiffs, said they are likely to file an emergency appeal to get the rest of it back.


Goins argued that the seizure of the materials violated the plaintiffs' First Amendment rights. But Gearin said the search warrants were signed by judges with a good grasp of constitutional as well as criminal law who found probable cause exists to authorize the searches.


At Goins' request, Gearin sealed affidavits detailing the "probable cause to detain."



Authorities said that document is nearly identical to the application for search warrant and supporting affidavit, which was filed late Tuesday.


Pat Pheifer • 651-298-1551

[American Patriot]

If I read you correctly, Rick, then Obama will not surround himself with people who will guide him into the right direction?

Had an interesting discussion with another independent. He felt that, so far, Obama has been advised by too many "advisors" and ends up looking like a waffle on a hot plate: flip this way and flip that way.

McCain may do just the opposite: not listen to his advisors and just bull his idea through.

I may be paraphrasing--must be paraphrasing something: "The hero does not make the situation; the situation makes the hero."

And, like all of you, I do not want someone who says something; I want a man who will do something.

I did not have much regard for Bush "Jr." when he took office, and considerable less for the opposition. But my estimation of him soared when he took concrete action after 9/11. It was like the "goddess" of America (the image that represented America in the 19th Century) picked the right candidate.

Regardless of who comes out on top in November, I hope the American "goddess" has enough wisdom to pick the person who will best handle the next crisis, which we may not have yet seen or predicted. Oh, and God to.

No you read wrongly. I said a good President WILL surround himself with good, solid people. Obama isn't doing that NOW, let alone thinking about later as far as I can see at this point. He's mostly concerned with his IMAGE and people are feeding him "image" material rather than how to learn from his mistakes, how to be a better speaker (Yeah, we've all seen what happens when his teleprompter goes offline).

I think you might be right about his "advisers" rather than picking one or two good ones, he's got a Congress (ok a committee) advising him and I think your friend probably hit the nail on the head on that one. It's something I considered when listening to him. He is continually misstating things, or contradicting himself for some reason.

I'm not saying that a President can not or should not bull his ideas through either. They are LEADERS, and are supposed to lead, certainly and they do have ideas on how to do things as well. In fact, they ARE the ones that need to push their ideas rather than WAIT on the population to come to some consensus usually. That's really what leaders do.

However, advisers are the folks that put common sense on the ideas and help keep them in a reality setting. That's all.

I think, Wallis, we are all smart enough here to see for ourselves who the right candidate is, and who he/she will be.

I can't honestly fathom why people think Obama will be good for the country when he's such a leftist. I can't understand why people think being LIBERALS is a good idea to begin with. Being a Moderate is certainly a lot better sometimes than leaning in EITHER direction, but Socialism has NO PLACE in America. Period.

While McCain certainly wasn't MY personal choice, I'll go with him because at least he can be conservative on some matters while Obama won't lean that way on ANYTHING, and Biden is worse than useless in my humble opinion because he's a money waster, a man who pushes hard for values that do not belong to most Americans.

[Ryan Ruck]

Wonder when we will be seeing Biden scrutinized as hard as Palin in the headlines. I guess the MSM just so happened to overlook these things...

Biden's Son, Brother Named in Two Suits

By Kimberly Kindy and Joe Stephens
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, August 24, 2008; Page A09

(Front page news for sure!)

A son and a brother of Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.) are accused in two lawsuits of defrauding a former business partner and an investor of millions of dollars in a hedge fund deal that went sour, court records show.

The Democratic vice presidential candidate's son Hunter, 38, and brother James, 59, assert instead that their former partner defrauded them by misrepresenting his experience in the hedge fund industry and recommending that they hire a lawyer with felony convictions.

The legal actions have been playing out in New York State Supreme Court since 2007, and they focus on Hunter and James Biden's involvement in Paradigm Companies LLC, a hedge fund group. Hunter Biden, a Washington lobbyist, briefly served as president of the firm.

A lawsuit filed by their former partner Anthony Lotito Jr. asserts in court papers that the deal was crafted to get Hunter Biden out of lobbying because his father was concerned about the impact it would have on his bid for the White House. Biden was running for the Democratic nomination at the time the suit was filed.

Hunter Biden was made president with an annual salary of $1.2 million, despite his inexperience in the hedge fund industry, the lawsuit said. Before that, he had been part of the Washington law firm Oldaker, Biden & Belair, which earned $1.76 million in lobbying revenue in the first half of 2006, according to Congressional Quarterly's CQ MoneyLine. One of its biggest clients is the National Association of Shareholder and Consumer Attorneys, a District-based group representing law firms specializing in investment and corporate law.

Hunter Biden is one of many children and relatives of prominent members of Congress who have made their careers as lobbyists. He returned to lobbying after less than a year with Paradigm.

Lotito's lawsuit alleges that James Biden called him in January 2006 to arrange a job for Hunter Biden. It says James Biden told him that his brother (Sen. Biden) "was concerned with the impact that Hunter's lobbying activities might have on his expected campaign for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination," and, "Biden told Lotito that, in light of these concerns, his brother had asked him to seek Lotito's assistance in finding employment for Hunter in a non-lobbying capacity."

Lotito does not provide any direct evidence of the senator's involvement and offers no witnesses to the assertion.

The campaign of Sens. Barack Obama and Biden declined to comment on the case, referring questions to Nicholas Gravante Jr., a lawyer representing Hunter and James Biden. Gravante said assertions that Joseph Biden told his brother he was concerned about his son's lobbying are "absolutely false."

"This lawsuit has nothing to do with Joe Biden, and there is absolutely no truth to those allegations," Gravante said. "It is a business dispute between former partners. The suit is baseless."

Brian C. Wille, an attorney for Lotito, said the lawsuit alleges no wrongdoing by Sen. Biden, only that his concerns set in motion the business deal.

"There was a concern that Hunter Biden's role as a lobbyist would have an impact on the senator's proposed presidential run," Wille said. "That's what James Biden told Mr. Lotito. . . . Was it true? Who knows? There is no allegation the senator was involved in any of these events."

In an affidavit, Hunter Biden said his father had nothing to do with the deal and that it is Lotito who swindled the Bidens.

He said Lotito lied about being a "fully licensed and accredited securities professional" with hedge fund experience.

In addition, he said Lotito recommended a lawyer to vet the business deal who was under investigation and was ultimately convicted on several felony charges of conspiracy and wire and mail fraud in a scheme to steal millions from a computer company.

In the hedge fund business deal, Lotito and the Bidens created a company called LLB Holdings USA and together agreed to pay $21.3 million for 54 percent interest in Paradigm.

In the lawsuit, Lotito said that soon after creating LLB, the Bidens crafted a "secret deal" to create their own company that was designed to buy out his shares in Paradigm for a low rate, to which he agreed. He said he knew nothing of the secret deal until later and now believes he was defrauded out of millions of dollars and his share in the company.

In the second lawsuit against the Bidens, which was filed in June, Lotito is also named as a defendant. Stephane Farouze, now an executive with Deutsche Bank, seeks $10 million, saying the Bidens and Lotito promised to buy his shares in the hedge fund company but reneged.

And this...

Biden Tied to Rezko Fraud Figure

Vice-Presidential Candidate's Former Campaign Advisor and Fundraiser Aided Kickback Scheme

Barack Obama's vice-presidential pick complicates the Democratic hopeful's efforts to distance himself from a far-reaching Chicago patronage scandal.

Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., brings to Obama's presidential campaign assets like foreign policy experience and a knowledge of Washington. But he also brings another tie to the Antoin "Tony" Rezko scandal, a mess that has already caused sizeable headaches for the Obama campaign.

Chicago lawyer and onetime mega-fundraiser Joseph Cari has advised Biden and his campaigns on and off since 1984, serving in posts as varied as a Senate adviser on crime to the Midwest Political Director for Biden's aborted 1987 presidential bid. In 2005 Cari helped arrange private meetings for Biden with potential supporters, as the senator explored another run for the White House. He has also worked to raise money for Biden.

Cari never attended those meetings, however. Days before they were scheduled to take place he learned he was under investigation as part of the Rezko probe and excused himself from the events, a spokesman explained Sunday.

Federal prosecutors indicted Cari in August 2005 and in September Cari cut a deal, agreeing to cooperate with the government's investigation and pleading guilty to a count of attempted extortion .

Cari admitt ed that in 2004 he helped a Rezko associate by making calls in what turned out to be a kickback scheme. The deal was an offshoot of a complex corruption scheme wrought by Antoin "Tony" Rezko , whose ties to Obama have vexed the White House hopeful . Cari has maintained he did not know the details of that scheme or any other.

Cari's sentencing is delayed while he cooperates with the investigation. He testified at Rezko's trial earlier this year, in which a jury found Rezko guilty on 16 of 24 corruption-related felony charges. Obama, who entered into a complex real estate transaction with Rezko and his wife in 2005 that appeared to aid the senator, has returned nearly $150,000 in donations he received from Rezko and his associates over the years.

Obama maintains his relationship with Rezko was "above board and legal" but has admitted bad judgment, calling his decision to involve Rezko in the home purchase "a bone-headed mistake."

The Obama campaign told the Chicago Sun-Times it had already shed donations the candidate had received from Cari as well as other figures connected to Rezko. A spokeswoman for Biden referred a reporter's questions to the Obama campaign.

"When you raise millions upon millions of dollars, you're going to end up giving back some contributions," said David Wade, a spokesman for the Obama campaign, confirming it was returning any donations from Cari. Wade noted that Cari had raised money for "many prominent elected officials."

A spokesman for Cari said Sunday that Biden knew nothing of Cari's role in the fraud scheme, and when Cari informed him in 2005 he might be under investigation, Biden cut all ties with his longtime friend.

"From the moment Joe informed Biden there was an investigation of him – that was the last time they ever talked," said Ken Jakubowski of Sirius Enterprises, a crisis communications firm representing Cari. Jakubowski, a friend of Cari's, also worked on Biden's 1988 presidential campaign.

For Cari, the saga was a fast fall from grace for a man who had spent more than two decades as a prominent figure in the Democratic Party as an adviser and fundraiser, to Biden and a host of others.

The longtime Delaware senator in particular received tremendous support from Cari, who has called Biden "a good friend" and a personal hero.

"Joe Biden went through a presidential campaign, and the thing blew up," Cari told the Illinois Legal Times in 1998 . "Joe then had a brain aneurism. He worked his way through that. More than anything I think Joe Biden wanted his reputation back. So what did he do? He got his health back and after all of this, he just went back to work. No press release -- he just started showing up at work every day.

"When you go through a life-threatening event like that, I can tell you from personal experience, when you just show up and do your job, you're a hero. I saw the absolute pain that this thing caused him and I saw the absolute class he handled it with. He didn't make excuses, he just went back to work. That tells me a lot about someone."

In addition to Biden, Cari advised or raised money for just about every Democratic White House hopeful from Jimmy Carter in 1980 to John Kerry in 2004 . His connections and fundraising prowess helped him win spots as finance co-chairman of the Democratic National Committee and finance chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Even after his guilty plea, Cari's influence in Democratic circles was felt. In 2006, the Los Angeles Times reported California state treasurer Phil Angelides had aired a campaign ad accusing his primary foe of taking money from Cari, calling Cari a "corrupt Chicago businessman." At the same time, the paper reported, Angelides and his aides called Cari for fundraising help so frequently it "amounted to 'stalking,'" one of Cari's associates told the Times at the time.

[Aplomb]

Boy, after reading this bs all together it is very understandable why the left thought that McCain would select somebody else and why Governor Palin would disappear away from view, no doubt cowering somewhere in a hole licking her wounds. Hello! We're not gonna take it. It's call out time. In your face. You asked for it, here it comes!:

(this is long but really needs to be seen to be believed)


http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/13111.html

McCain ad: Palin more qualified than Obama


Mounting a ferocious defense of his embattled running mate, John McCain said he is buying a TV ad arguing that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has more experience than the Democratic presidential nominee, Barack Obama.

In an effort to rev up conservatives, a campaign statement issued a list of critical media mentions that it called “smears” of Palin, who speaks in primetime at the convention on Wednesday night.

The campaign announced: “The McCain campaign will launch a television ad directly comparing Gov. Palin’s executive experience as a governor who oversees 24,000 state employees, 14 statewide cabinet agencies and a $ 10 billion budget to Barack Obama’s experience as a one-term junior senator from Illinois.”

The ad is what the campaign calls “a forward-leaning effort to counter the shameless smears that have prevailed during Gov. Palin’s introduction to the American voter.”

Senior adviser Steve Schmidt gave Politico a statement saying the campaign will have no more comment about the vetting process, which was the subject of more critical coverage in Wednesday morning’s papers:

“Gov. Sarah Palin is an exceptional governor with a record of accomplishment that exceeds, by far, the governing accomplishments of Sen. Obama. Her selection came after a six-month long rigorous vetting process where her extraordinary credentials and exceptionalism became clear. This vetting controversy is a faux media scandal designed to destroy the first female Republican nominee for vice president of the United States who has never been a part of the old boys' network that has come to dominate the news establishment in this country. Sen. McCain picked his governing partner after a long and thorough search. Gov. Palin looks forward to addressing the nation and laying out the fundamental choice this election represents for the American people.

"The McCain campaign will have no further comment about our long and thorough process. This nonsense is over. It is time to begin the debate about how to win the two wars this country is engaged in,how to make this country energy independent and how to create jobs for American families that are hurting. The American people get to do the vetting now on Election Day — Nov. 4."

Here is a document the McCain campaign sent to reporters this morning:

MCCAIN ACTIVITIES PLANNED FOR TODAY:

• Mayor Rudy Giuliani will be on all three network and cable television stations defending Gov. Palin’s family and her historic candidacy.

• The McCain campaign will launch a television ad directly comparing Gov. Palin’s executive experience as a governor who oversees 24,000 state employees, 14 statewide cabinet agencies and a $10 billion budget to Barack Obama’s experience as a one-term junior senator from Illinois.

• Former Democratic vice presidential nominee and current U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman and Congressman Eric Cantor will hold a press conference calling on Barack Obama to condemn and/or dismiss his official campaign spokesman who implied Gov. Sarah Palin supported Nazi sympathy because she wore a Pat Buchanan pin on one single occasion.

• McCain-Palin surrogates Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, Former HP CEO Carly Fiorina, U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, former Ebay CEO Meg Whitman, McCain senior adviser Nicolle Wallace, McCain communications director Jill Hazelbaker and McCain senior adviser Nancy Pfotenhauer will do television and radio interviews to demand better treatment for Gov. Palin’s family.

REPORTED FALSEHOODS AND SMEARS AGAINST GOV. PALIN’S FAMILY AND HISTORIC CANDIDACY:

• Liberal Bloggers Questioned Whether Gov. Palin's Fifth Child Was Actually Bristol Palin's Child.
"'Where has Bristol Palin (far right, holding Trig, with a ring on her wedding finger) been for the past year? Has she been attending high school? Or was she absent because of infectious mononucleosis for between five and eight months, as is now being reported on the Internet? Why would a 43-year-old woman, on her fifth pregnancy, with a Down syndrome child, after her amniotic fluid has started to leak, not go to the nearest hospital immediately, even if she was in Texas for a speech? Why would she not only not go to the hospital in Texas, but take an eight-hour plane flight to Seattle and then Anchorage? Why would she choose to deliver the baby not in the nearest major facility in Anchorage but at a much smaller hospital near her home town? Why did the flight attendants on the trip home say she bore no signs of being pregnant?' It strikes me as likely that there are reasonable answers to these questions — more reasonable than the only one given so far" (Andrew Sullivan, "Things That Make You Go Hmmm," The Atlantic's "The Daily Dish" Blog, Posted 8/31/08)

• CNN's John Roberts Questioned Whether Governor Palin Would Be Able To Care For A Child With Down Syndrome As Vice President.
CNN's JOHN ROBERTS: "There's also this issue that on April 18, she gave birth to a baby with Down syndrome. The baby is just slightly more than 4 months old now. Children with Down Syndrome require an awful lot of attention. The role of vice president, it seems to me, would take up an awful lot of her time, and it raises the issue of, how much time will she have to dedicate to her newborn child?" BASH: "That's a very good question, and I guess my guess is that perhaps the line inside the McCain campaign would be, if it were a man being picked who also had a baby 4 months ago with Down syndrome, would you ask the same question? And that might be another way to kind of, you know, close the gender gap in trying to make the point that, yes, she not only has unfortunately a baby with Down syndrome, but she has five children, the oldest of whom is apparently in the Army and is apparently going to head off to Iraq in the fall." (CNN's "Newsroom," 8/29/08)

• The Washington Post's Sally Quinn Questioned Whether A Woman With Five Children And One Having Down Syndrome Would Be Able To Make Her Family A Priority If She Were Vice President.
SALLY QUINN: "And I do think, too, that you have to weigh the situation. It's one thing to have one or two or three children, especially if they are healthy children. And everyone knows that women and men are different and that moms and dads are different and that women — the burden of child care almost always falls on the woman. But I think, when you have five children, one a 4-month-old Down syndrome baby, and a daughter who is 17, who is also a child and who is going to need her mother very much in the next few months and years with her own baby coming, that I don't see how you cannot make your family your first priority. And I think if you are going to be president of the United States, which she may well be, I think that's going to be a real stretch for her." (CNN's "Newsroom," 9/2/08)


• On MSNBC, Headlines Beneath The Live Coverage Included "SOME WORKING MOTHERS WORRY THAT PALIN IS TAKING ON TOO MUCH" And "SOME VOTERS CONCERNED IF PALIN, A MOTHER OF FIVE, HAS TIME TO BE VP."
"Two recent headlines underneath the talking heads at MSNBC: 'SOME WORKING MOTHERS WORRY THAT PALIN IS TAKING ON TOO MUCH.' Moments later, it changed to, 'SOME VOTERS CONCERNED IF PALIN, A MOTHER OF FIVE HAS TIME TO BE VP.' So good of them to express the concern in headline form." ("MSNBC Worries About Sarah Palin's Time Management," National Review's "Campaign Spot" Blog, Posted 9/2/08)

• Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) Said That Gov. Palin Was A Supporter Of Pat Buchanan Who He Called A "Nazi Sympathizer."
"Here's Rep. Robert Wexler of Florida: John McCain's decision to select a vice presidential running mate that endorsed Pat Buchanan for president in 2000 is a direct affront to all Jewish Americans. Pat Buchanan is a Nazi sympathizer with a uniquely atrocious record on Israel, even going as far as to denounce bringing former Nazi soldiers to justice and praising Adolf Hilter for his 'great courage.'" (Ben Smith, "Palin On Israel," Politico, Posted 8/29/08)

• The Obama Campaign Linked Gov. Palin As A Supporter Of Pat Buchanan Who They Called A "Nazi Sympathizer."
"'Palin was a supporter of [MSNBC analyst] Pat Buchanan, a right-winger or as many Jews call him: a Nazi sympathizer,' Obama spokesman Mark Bubriski wrote in an e-mail." (Marc Caputo, "Obama Camp Connects The Dots For Jews: McCain ... Palin ... Buchanan ... Nazis," The Miami Herald's "Naked Politics" Blog, Posted 8/30/08)

• James Carville Claimed That Because Gove. Palin Was A Supporter Of Pat Buchanan She Would Not Be Attractive To Democrats.
CARVILLE: "Again, when they find out, when they find out — I man, when people find out that Sarah Palin supported Pat Buchanan, that she supports teaching creationism, they're not — she's not a person that's going to be very attractive to Democrats." (CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees," 8/29/08)

• James Carville Said That Gov. Palin Would Appeal To "Pat Buchanan Kind Of Republicans."
CARVILLE: "I think, among social conservatives, she's going to be fine. She endorsed Pat Buchanan for president in 2000. And he's a hero to social conservatives. She's for teaching creationism in the public schools in Alaska, something that is sort of No. 1 on the social conservative agenda. So, yes, I think, to the kind of Pat Buchanan kind of Republicans, she's going to have some appeal." (CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees," 8/29/08)

• In Toledo, Ohio, Sen. Joe Biden Said One Of The Differences Between Him And Gov. Palin Was "She's Good-Looking."
"In his introduction of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., just now on the rooftop of the Toldeo Public Library, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., commented on the pulchritude of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Sen. John McCain's newly-named running mate. … 'From our perspective the whole deal is how does the government help you get back up without getting in the way?' Biden asked. 'There's a gigantic — gigantic — difference between John McCain and Barack Obama, and between me and I suspect my vice presidential opponent. And that is that — ' The crowd laughed. 'Well there's obvious differences,' Biden said, beginning to ham it up. 'She's good-looking,' he said, laughing. 'You know there's obvious differences. But there's a whole lot — '" (Jake Tapper and Matt Jaffe, "Oh, That Joe! (Number 4 in a Series) — Biden on Difference Between Him And Palin: 'She's Good Looking'," ABC News' "Political Punch" Blog, Posted 8/31/08)


• CNN's James Carville Said That Gov. Palin Is "Almost Absent Qualifications For The Job."
JAMES CARVILLE: "I just would make the point, is my family — I had five sisters. They're all pro-life to the core. And they all would act in exactly the same way. That's not the question. The question is, why would she be running for vice president? I mean this woman is almost absent qualifications for the job. I mean this is — she is — I'm willing to concede to the whole world that she's a very committed pro-life person, that she's an honorable person, that she's a good mother. But that's not the issue before the American people right now." (CNN's "Larry King Live," 9/1/08)

• Liberal Radio Host Ed Schultz Said That Gov. Palin Was An "Empty Pantsuit" Who Had Started A "Bimbo Alert."
"Liberal radio host Ed Schultz was telling listeners Monday that Palin was an 'empty pantsuit' who had set off a 'bimbo alert.'" (Howard Kurtz, "A Blogger, A Baby, A Cry Of Concern," The Washington Post, 9/2/08)

• Sherrod Brown Criticized Gov. Palin For Being Mayor Of A Small Town.
"U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown urged the pro-Democratic crowd at the Cincinnati AFL-CIO Council’s annual Labor Day Picnic today not to be shy about promoting the Barack Obama-Joe Biden presidential ticket in their personal sphere of contacts. … 'She’s been mayor of a city half the size of Blue Ash and governor of a state with half the population of Hamilton County,' Brown said. 'John McCain failed in his first big decision as a potential president. He chose somebody with no experience to be a heartbeat away from being the U.S. president.'" (Steve Kemme, "At Picnic, Brown Slams Palin," Cincinnati Enquirer, 9/2/08)

• ABC's Jake Tapper Reported That Gov. Palin Was Once A Member Of The Alaskan Independence Party, Which Wanted To Secede From The United States.
"The campaign of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., likes to herald the independence of its new running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Officials of the Alaskan Independence Party say that Palin was once so independent, she was once a member of their party, which, since the 1970s, has been pushing for a legal vote for Alaskans to decide whether or not residents of the 49th state can secede from the United States." (Jake Tapper, "Members Of 'Fringe' Alaskan Independence Party Say Palin Was A Member In 90s," ABC's "Political Punch" Blog, Posted 9/1/08)

• The Washington Post's Richard Cohen Said That Gov. Palin Was A "Sitcom" Candidate And Would Be A "Disaster Movie" If She Became President.
"One of the great sights of American political life — a YouTube moment if ever there was one — was to see the doughboy face of Newt Gingrich as he extolled the virtues of Sarah Palin, a sitcom of a vice presidential choice and a disaster movie if she moves up to the presidency." (Richard Cohen, op-ed, "Republicans Rush In," The Washington Post, 9/2/08)

• Tom Daschle Attacked Palin As Having “Absolutely No Experience” And Being “Extreme Right Wing.”
Daschle: “Three questions: With absolutely no experience, are we ready, if necessary, to place our future in her hands as commander in chief and our premier negotiator with other world leaders? Are we comfortable in having a VP who represents the extreme right wing, including the advocacy of creationism and a denial of any human responsibility in climate change? What happens if Gov. Palin is found to have abused her office in the firing of a police officer?” (“Politico Arena — Palin Edition,” The Politico, 8/31/08)

[Aplomb]

New York city: name one specific accomplishment of Obama

[Aplomb]

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/kyle-dr...ni-sarah-palin

Networks Grill Rudy Giuliani On Sarah Palin


By Kyle Drennen (Bio | Archive)
September 3, 2008 - 13:41 ET

• 
• 

Appearing on all three network morning shows on Wednesday, Rudy Giuliani was inundated with questions about McCain vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, including one question by Meredith Vieira on NBC’s Today: "So, what do you say to the people who are questioning the judgment of McCain in selecting her? He has always been known as a maverick, but also as somebody who can veer towards the reckless side. Some see this as a decision that was made in haste, I.E., reckless."


Meanwhile, on the CBS Early Show, Giuliani criticized the media for questioning Palin’s parenting ability: "They're asking can she be vice president and be a mother. Come on." Co-host Maggie Rodriguez replied: "So you're saying you have no doubt and voters shouldn't either. That she can do it?" Giuliani fired back: "Where are the feminists? I mean, is it just -- there are all these feminist groups. Where are they?"



Then Rodriguez argued that questioning Palin as a mother was fair game: "I think they're fair questions. It's a lot to juggle."


On ABC’s Good Morning America, co-host Diane Sawyer was concerned with Palin’s travel habits: "Has Governor Palin traveled? Where?" Giuliani replied: "I'm sure she has a real knowledge of what's going on in the world. I'm sure she's going to be able to demonstrate that, but all things that, you got to, in fairness, before everybody jumps on her, I mean, when Barack Obama started they certainly didn't all jump on him this way." Sawyer then wondered: "We had heard she that got her first passport in order to go to Kuwait once and then go to Germany and that's the extent of her travel. Bother you?" Sawyer went on to ask: "She's going to be speaking tonight. Everyone says it's high stakes. It is a kind of make-or-break night for her. Should she be nervous?"



On the Early Show, Giuliani also raised the issue of the media not sufficiently vetting Barack Obama after Rodriguez declared: "There are questions about her [Sarah Palin’s] experience, which I know have been raised about Barack Obama as well." Giuliani responded: "No, they haven't...Nobody's looked into his relationship with a foundation he was on. Nobody has looked into -- nobody has looked into the fact that he's never traveled -- never traveled south of the border." Rodriguez dismissed the charge: " I don't think that's true. In fact, I've even reported that...But let me tell you the difference. If Barack Obama...is elected president, it's because voters put him there...If Sarah Palin has to move into that slot, it'll be because God forbid something happened to the president. Do you think she's ready to step in?" Of course, people would have voted for Sarah Palin as well if she becomes vice president.


On Today, in response to Vieira’s suggestion that McCain’s decision to pick Palin for VP was "reckless," Giuliani argued: "I think the fact that there is a woman on the Republican ticket has got the media in a- in a tizzy and they are asking questions they would never ask if there were a man there, including the question that I mentioned about whether, you know, she's going to have enough time to be- to be vice president and be a mother. Never asked a man that, ever. And I think the language they've pried into her personal life, honestly, my own opinion, it's indecent and disgusting and they should leave her daughter alone."

Update:
On CNN’s American Morning, co-host John Roberts stressed Giuliani’s differences with Palin: "Now, she has conservative social views. You're a moderate. Are you comfortable with her pick on that front?" Giuliani replied: "Sure. Look, my part is a broad party. I understand that I'm part of a party that doesn't agree with me on everything. But, I agree on the main principles."


Roberts then turned to Palin’s church: "And she recently gave a speech at the Assembly of God Church in Wasilla, in which she talked about Iraq. And she appeared to talk about the deployment of U.S. forces in terms of carrying out almost a message from God. Let's take a listen to how she put it." A video clip of Palin was played: "Our national leaders are sending them out on a task that is from God. That's what we have to make sure we're praying for. That there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan. So, bless them with your prayers." Roberts asked: "Mr. Mayor, what do you think of that statement, that she seems to suggest the deployment of troops is somehow related to a task from God?" That same clip of Palin was also featured at the top of

NBC's Today on Wednesday.


After broadcasting the clip to the world, Roberts went on to add: "But, as we know, there are a lot of sensitivities particularly in the Middle East, to that sort of talk. Remember when President George Bush talked about a crusade and got us in trouble."

—Kyle Drennen is a news analyst at the Media Research Center.

[samizdat]

beau dacious- if elections are held- dems will be lucky to win DC and Mass

[Aplomb]

This is the speech that I liked the best last night. What Guiliani did that was so significant was to teach the uneducated audience of the nightly news what "present" means. Both in the vote and in Obama's inability to lead the nation. He was awesome and his words hit like lethal punches if you ask me.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/ar...of_experience/

Giuliani slams Obama over lack of experience

By Brian C. Mooney Globe Staff / September 4, 2008

ST. PAUL - Assuming the role of Republican Rottweiler, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, in his keynote address to the Republican National Convention, last night dismissed Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama as a "celebrity senator" without leadership experience or significant accomplishment, ridiculing his years as a community organizer in Chicago.

"He's never had to lead people in crisis," Giuliani said to a roaring crowd at the Xcel Energy Center. "This is not a personal attack; it's a statement of fact. Barack Obama has never led anything. Nothing. Nada."


Giuliani, among the GOP presidential candidates who lost to John McCain in the Republican primaries, cast national security and the threat of terrorism - not the faltering economy - as the top issues in the presidential election. The Democrats' theme of change versus more of the same, he said, "is really a false choice because there's good change and bad change. Change is not a destination and hope is not a strategy."


By contrast, Giuliani said, "No one can look at John McCain and say that he is not ready to be commander in chief." With McCain in the White House, he said, "we will be safe in his hands, our children will be safe in his hands, and the country will be safe in his hands."


Giuliani stressed a bedrock theme of McCain's candidacy - his experience, including his military service and years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam - and contrasted it with a dismissive account of Obama's career.


"On the other hand, you have a resume from a gifted man with an Ivy League education," Giuliani said. "He worked as a community organizer. . . . What?"


Giuliani also lampooned Obama's Illinois state Senate record and the nearly 130 times he voted "present" on legislation. Reprising an attack Hillary Clinton used against Obama during the Democratic primaries, Giuliani said, "He couldn't figure out whether to vote yes or no. It was too tough."


"It doesn't work in an executive job," he said, drawing laughs and cheers. "For the president of the United States, it's not good enough to be present; you have to make a decision."


Obama and others have said voting present is a common practice in the Illinois Legislature, often as partisan strategy or to express objections to portions of bills he would otherwise support.


In the US Senate, Giuliani asserted, Obama "spent most of his time as a celebrity senator; no leadership, no legislation to really speak of."


Obama's ascension to the height of American politics, Giuliani said, is "remarkable in its own right - It's the kind of thing that can only happen in America."


Giuliani vigorously defended McCain's running mate, first-term Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, and said, "She already has more executive experience that the entire Democratic ticket combined."


Giuliani also swiped at critics who have raised questions about Palin's ambitions and her family of five children, including a newborn son.


"How dare they question whether Sarah Palin has enough time to spend with her children and be vice president," Giuliani said. "When do they ever ask a man that question?"


He did not say exactly who he meant by "they," but Giuliani made similar remarks hours earlier to the New York delegation in Minneapolis while criticizing media coverage of Palin.

© Copyright 2008 Globe Newspaper Company.

[American Patriot]

A Star is Born - Palin: New Kind of Woman Pol
nypost.com ^ | September 4, 2008 | DICK MORRIS & EILEEN MCGANN

ST. PAUL

WITH sass and wit, sarcasm and sincerity, courage and strength, Sarah Palin last night showed us a new model of female politician.

Her family stories were genuine and real. Her commitment to special-needs children was moving. Her contempt for special interests was obvious.

And her putdowns of Barack Obama's rhetoric and her praise of John McCain's character and achievements were welcome and well delivered.

Many women look bad when they attack their opponents, too often seeming strident and shrill. But Palin was funny and irreverant, with a biting wit and a joy of combat that was exhilarating to watch.

Sometimes she reminded us of the hockey mom she is. Other times, she was an American Margaret Thatcher - mobilizing humor and biting satire to mock the opposition.

Where Hillary Clinton has but two speeds - full forward and stop - Palin displayed a range of rhetoric, emotion and language that sometimes evoked moving patriotism, at other times hilarious irony - and, frequently, a strong dose of common sense.

If her style in attacking and mocking her opponent was Thatcher-esque, her range of rhetorical style was Rooseveltian. She is, in fact, one of the best public speakers in our politics today.

(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...