She will haunt him for the rest of his life.

/sad, really

Yeah, country first, Mr. McFailure

He needs to shut up on this issue. Any attempts to AW the 2012 election will end badly.

Kind of like his 2008 campaign.

2008 was sad. McCain had to suck up to the Party to get the nomination. And they buried him. On platform, on talking points, on running mate... everything.

I'm not sure if they didn't do it intentionally - he's certainly pissed them off enough over the years. At the beginning of the campaign, I was thinking that - the GOP knew they had a snowball's chance in hell for 2008. Why not let McCain wear it?

What's even sadder, though, is the Palin factor. Something tells me she was intended to be the last nail in McCain's coffin - but she's still in the damn spotlight and they can't seem to shake her no matter what they do or how much they badmouth her. She'll haunt both McCain and the GOP for a long, long time.

I saw that, and I was pretty amazed at how he wiggled out of answering the question. He named a few names, and laughed at how "he always forgets someone", and then talked about how much he had for Palin and her family.

It's pretty clear that he now realizes that picking her was the worst thing he did during the entire campaign.

what_now: I saw that, and I was pretty amazed at how he wiggled out of answering the question. He named a few names, and laughed at how "he always forgets someone", and then talked about how much he had for Palin and her family.

It's pretty clear that he now realizes that picking her was the worst thing he did during the entire campaign.

I don't think he picked her. The party pretty-much had him by the balls.

Benevolent Misanthrope: I don't think he picked her.

Oh I agree. I said at the time that the party wrote of 2008- even before the economic meltdown- because Obama was unstoppable and Bush was such an albatross. The "smart" people in the GOP figured they could get Palin some media exposure and fine tune her for four years. The problem was, they underestimated how stupid she is. She's not just politically inexperienced, she's is simply not a smart person. And that can't be fixed.

I think the GOP lied to McCain and told him that Palin would shore up the base even after they had mentally written off the election.

The article: Sen. John McCain isn't committing to supporting his vice presidential pick, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, if she runs for president in 2012.

The truth: Sen. John McCain is about as relevant to the 2012 race as Bob Dole was to the 2000 race.

ZAZ:

The truth: Sen. John McCain is about as relevant to the 2012 race as Bob Dole was to the 2000 race.


So we can expect McCain's Erectile Dysfunction ads to start soon?

McCain needs to retire.

Stat.

namegoeshere: So we can expect McCain's Erectile Dysfunction ads to start soon?

......that's not ok man.

Somebody irrelevant talking about somebody else irrelevant. How irreverent.

nvmac: She will haunt him for the rest of his life.

Good. He should be haunted. He tried to make her our Vice President. I know a lot of people think she was forced on him by the party leaders. That could very well be true, but it doesn't exactly make me reconsider my opinion that he's unfit to lead our nation.

Meh, doesn't surprise me. Most politicians don't endorse until they find out what's in it for them.

Benevolent Misanthrope: 2008 was sad. McCain had to suck up to the Party to get the nomination. And they buried him. On platform, on talking points, on running mate... everything.

I'm not sure if they didn't do it intentionally - he's certainly pissed them off enough over the years. At the beginning of the campaign, I was thinking that - the GOP knew they had a snowball's chance in hell for 2008. Why not let McCain wear it?

What's even sadder, though, is the Palin factor. Something tells me she was intended to be the last nail in McCain's coffin - but she's still in the damn spotlight and they can't seem to shake her no matter what they do or how much they badmouth her. She'll haunt both McCain and the GOP for a long, long time.

With nothing left to try they had to figure they could milk the hell out of the POW thing and get someone in there at least. Palin was going to be the insurance to make sure McCain didn't become a problem if he actually pulled off a miracle and won.

Ask any of the "conservative" filth in threads like this what they were doing in 2000... if they have to balls to be honest they'll admit they were trashing McCain as hard as they could.

Well to be fair, no one has a damn clue who is going to come out of the complete clusterfark that is going to be the Republican nomination in '12

/If I had to guess, it Crist will get the nod, if he wants it

Benevolent Misanthrope: she's still in the damn spotlight and they can't seem to shake her no matter what they do or how much they badmouth her. She'll haunt both McCain and the GOP for a long, long time.

...the GOP is acting as if Jindal, Palin, and 'conservatives' of similar mindset (i.e. Rush and Co.) are their last, best hope of retaking power in 2010/2012. They most certainly aren't "trying to shake her", and are in fact doing everything they can to get rid of anyone who might disagree with the social conservative aspects of the party platform.

Benevolent Misanthrope: what_now: I saw that, and I was pretty amazed at how he wiggled out of answering the question. He named a few names, and laughed at how "he always forgets someone", and then talked about how much he had for Palin and her family.

It's pretty clear that he now realizes that picking her was the worst thing he did during the entire campaign.

I don't think he picked her. The party pretty-much had him by the balls.

rumor was he wanted Lieberman

ZAZ: The article: Sen. John McCain isn't committing to supporting his vice presidential pick, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, if she runs for president in 2012.

The truth: Sen. John McCain is about as relevant to the 2012 race as Bob Dole was to the 2000 race.

This is why I hope he runs again.

what_now: Benevolent Misanthrope: I don't think he picked her.

Oh I agree. I said at the time that the party wrote of 2008- even before the economic meltdown- because Obama was unstoppable and Bush was such an albatross. The "smart" people in the GOP figured they could get Palin some media exposure and fine tune her for four years. The problem was, they underestimated how stupid she is. She's not just politically inexperienced, she's is simply not a smart person. And that can't be fixed.

I think the GOP lied to McCain and told him that Palin would shore up the base even after they had mentally written off the election.

I think you two are seeing more intent in the whole thing than there actually was, although your ideas do sound plausible. I think the Republicans really believed that Palin could bring McCain just enough votes to win the election. Thinking about it simplistically (which is the way Republicans tend to think), it makes sense: she's a woman, so that should bring in a lot of pissed-off Hilary voters, and she's very socially conservative, which should (and did) bring in the wing-nuts that thought McCain was too liberal.

Problem was, Hilary voters were too informed to vote for just any candidate with a vajayjay, and Palin's stupidity and radicalism drove off pretty much every remaining moderate in the party.

On a side note, I'm totally supporting Palin for the 2012 nomination. We can't get any good policy out of this party; we might as well get some good television.

what_now: I think the GOP lied to McCain and told him that Palin would shore up the base even after they had mentally written off the election.

The truly sad and sickening thing is that if he hadn't picked her then he would have lost by a far larger margin. He may have kept some of the "on the fence" moderates or small government types that switched to Obama or Barr because of Palin, but he'd have also lost the considerable number of party-line voters who (ignorantly) feel he is just a RINO.

Murkanen: Benevolent Misanthrope: she's still in the damn spotlight and they can't seem to shake her no matter what they do or how much they badmouth her. She'll haunt both McCain and the GOP for a long, long time.

...the GOP is acting as if Jindal, Palin, and 'conservatives' of similar mindset (i.e. Rush and Co.) are their last, best hope of retaking power in 2010/2012. They most certainly aren't "trying to shake her", and are in fact doing everything they can to get rid of anyone who might disagree with the social conservative aspects of the party platform.

You think? From what I've been seeing, Palin is not on the GOP official parry line generally. Jindal, yes. Cantor, yes. Palin - not so much. That, combined with the leaks from the campaign workers abotu her idiocy on the road, the clothes thing, the current stuff about her continuing problems and so forth lead me to believe that the GOP would rather she fade back into obscurity.

Well, here's my perspective.

Last year at my other board, Penny Arcade, I sorted 30 of Obama's potential VP's into a Veepstakes- qualifying rounds, a wild-card round and a final.

Wesley Clark was PA's pick, Biden came in 2nd. I believe Kathleen Sebelius came in 3rd.

I've been kicking around doing it again with the Republican leadership, and I slapped together 50 names earlier today. The list of 50- FIFTY- names I came up with is a testament to just how shallow the Republican bench is. (Please note that Limbaugh, Steele, Snowe, Collins and Specter are out for their own obvious reasons-- Rush is a useful idiot for Obama, they're already going to kick out Steele, and the other three are of a direction the GOP is decidedly not going and we can only work within the framework they set.)

Here is the Republican bench:

Bob Riley, Alabama
Richard Shelby, Alabama
Sarah Palin, Alaska
Jeff Flake, Arizona
Jon Kyl, Arizona
Mike Huckabee, Arkansas
David Dreier, California
Dan Lungren, California
Charlie Crist, Florida
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Florida

Newt Gingrich, Georgia
Jim Risch, Idaho
Aaron Schock, Illinois
Richard Lugar, Indiana
Mike Pence, Indiana
Mark Souder, Indiana
Chuck Grassley, Iowa
Mitch McConnell, Kentucky
Bobby Jindal, Louisiana
Mitt Romney, Massachusetts

Saul Anuzis, Michigan
Peter Hoekstra, Michigan
Tim Pawlenty, Minnesota
Haley Barbour, Mississippi
Thad Cochran, Mississippi
Roy Blunt, Missouri
Kit Bond, Missouri
Dave Heineman, Nebraska
Mike Johanns, Nebraska
John Ensign, Nevada

John Hoeven, North Dakota
John Boehner, Ohio
Tom Coburn, Oklahoma
Jim Inhofe, Oklahoma
Katon Dawson, South Carolina
Lindsey Graham, South Carolina
Terry Sanford, South Carolina
John Thune, South Dakota
Lamar Alexander, Tennessee
Mike Duncan, Tennessee

John Cornyn, Texas
Jeb Hensarling, Texas
Kay Bailey Hutchison, Texas
Ron Paul, Texas
Rick Perry, Texas
Ted Poe, Texas
Jon Huntsman Jr., Utah
Eric Cantor, Virginia
Paul Ryan, Wisconsin
Mike Enzi, Wyoming

Murkanen: Benevolent Misanthrope: she's still in the damn spotlight and they can't seem to shake her no matter what they do or how much they badmouth her. She'll haunt both McCain and the GOP for a long, long time.

...the GOP is acting as if Jindal, Palin, and 'conservatives' of similar mindset (i.e. Rush and Co.) are their last, best hope of retaking power in 2010/2012. They most certainly aren't "trying to shake her", and are in fact doing everything they can to get rid of anyone who might disagree with the social conservative aspects of the party platform.

This right here. I listed to Rush sometimes (morbid fascination, I know) and they are convinced that they weren't conservative enough. And what's worse is they don't feel the need to revisit ideas. They didn't lose because of their ideas, it was the media, or Acorn, or voter fraud, or any other number of things.

The Name:
I think you two are seeing more intent in the whole thing than there actually was, although your ideas do sound plausible. I think the Republicans really believed that Palin could bring McCain just enough votes to win the election. Thinking about it simplistically (which is the way Republicans tend to think), it makes sense: she's a woman, so that should bring in a lot of pissed-off Hilary voters, and she's very socially conservative, which should (and did) bring in the wing-nuts that thought McCain was too liberal.

You're probably right and I'm reading too much in. But it does make one wonder.

On a side note, I'm totally supporting Palin for the 2012 nomination. We can't get any good policy out of this party; we might as well get some good television.

You and me both. Palin/Jindal in 2012 would be EPIC.

Gosling: and the other three are of a direction the GOP is decidedly not going and we can only work within the framework they set.)

Which is a problem. I don't like Spector, but I would give the Maine senators a serious look. Encouraging that wing of the party is the ONLY way they will ever get back the moderates.

Benevolent Misanthrope: The Name:
I think you two are seeing more intent in the whole thing than there actually was, although your ideas do sound plausible. I think the Republicans really believed that Palin could bring McCain just enough votes to win the election. Thinking about it simplistically (which is the way Republicans tend to think), it makes sense: she's a woman, so that should bring in a lot of pissed-off Hilary voters, and she's very socially conservative, which should (and did) bring in the wing-nuts that thought McCain was too liberal.

You're probably right and I'm reading too much in. But it does make one wonder.

On a side note, I'm totally supporting Palin for the 2012 nomination. We can't get any good policy out of this party; we might as well get some good television.

You and me both. Palin/Jindal in 2012 would be EPIC.

I shudder to think of having to hear those two voices for two years straight.

that's nothing compared to Democrats who on the one hand, were so afraid of Al Gore being President sold their souls and justified presidential perjury in Federal court just to keep Clinton in.....but then......tried to tell us all that he was all of a sudden the right man for the job in 2000...

no bigger fail than that.

what_now: Gosling: and the other three are of a direction the GOP is decidedly not going and we can only work within the framework they set.)

Which is a problem. I don't like Spector, but I would give the Maine senators a serious look. Encouraging that wing of the party is the ONLY way they will ever get back the moderates.

I know. If I were telling the GOP who to put up in 2012, I tell them it's Olympia Snowe and don't they dare farking argue with me.

But they want to primary her instead. Fine. Be like that.

libbynomore2 [TotalFark] (favorite: WANTS TO BE SPANKED) Quote 2009-03-29 05:19:48 PM

Suuuuure, libby...anything you say.

libbynomore2: that's nothing compared to Democrats who on the one hand, were so afraid of Al Gore being President sold their souls and justified presidential perjury in Federal court just to keep Clinton in.....but then......tried to tell us all that he was all of a sudden the right man for the job in 2000...

no bigger fail than that.

...but CLINTON!!!

Yaaaaaaaaaay!!!1!!1

The Little Ball of Hate^TM has shiatted graced the thread.

Benevolent Misanthrope: You think?

I think they want her to pull a Nixon and stay out of the spotlight for a while so they can polish her up in a way that would make it easy to pass off her 2008 gaffes as mere political inexperience (granted her ego won't permit her to do that). However, with the hero worship that she gets from the base I think that the GOP is going to be making use of her as a party symbol to rally whoever remains after their purging of the moderates and free thinkers within the party.

libbynomore2: that's nothing compared to Democrats who on the one hand, were so afraid of Al Gore being President sold their souls and justified presidential perjury in Federal court just to keep Clinton in

Murkanen: so they can polish her up in a way that would make it easy to pass off her 2008 gaffes as mere political inexperience

won't happen. She isn't politically inexperienced, she's dumb.

Stupid doesn't wash off.

Really was there something else McCain could have said? Not only is it the politically safest response, it also happens to be true. In 1988 Bill Clinton barely existed on the political spectrum, in 2000 John Kerry wasn't a name people were throwing around. The political world changes fast, so just because he thought (or was pressured,or whatever) that Palin was the best pick last August doesn't mean that she will be the best pick in four years. I didn't like McCain during the campaign, and I can't wait until Palin is just a Trivial Pursuit question, but this isn't really a surprising event.

Murkanen: Benevolent Misanthrope: You think?

I think they want her to pull a Nixon and stay out of the spotlight for a while so they can polish her up in a way that would make it easy to pass off her 2008 gaffes as mere political inexperience (granted her ego won't permit her to do that). However, with the hero worship that she gets from the base I think that the GOP is going to be making use of her as a party symbol to rally whoever remains after their purging of the moderates and free thinkers within the party.

Nixon actually got to be VP though, so he had that going for him. Nixon also had some semblance of talent, Palin's ambition far exceeds her ability.

It's going to be Newt, not Palin. She's done.

Of course, so was he. But now he's back.

But he won't beat Obama.

libbynomore2: no bigger fail than that.

You don't exist anymore, nothing you say matters to anyone.

Think about that for 4 years.

brainiac-dumdum: Benevolent Misanthrope: what_now: I saw that, and I was pretty amazed at how he wiggled out of answering the question. He named a few names, and laughed at how "he always forgets someone", and then talked about how much he had for Palin and her family.

It's pretty clear that he now realizes that picking her was the worst thing he did during the entire campaign.

I don't think he picked her. The party pretty-much had him by the balls.

rumor was he wanted Lieberman

According to this newsweek article McCain initially wanted Lieberman but after being shot down by his advisers he chose Palin over Romney or Pawlenty because she was more mavericky.

libbynomore2: were so afraid of Al Gore being President sold their souls and justified presidential perjury in Federal court just to keep Clinton in

I think you mistook "fear of Gore" with shock that anyone would be so stupid as to thinking that a blowjob justified impeachment procedings regardless of the circumstances surrounding it. The GOP had been throwing anything they could at Clinton to get him out of office, and their abuse of the impeachment procedings, by turning it into a political laughing stock, has effectively squelched that power of Congress from being a potential tool in checking executive abuses for a good 20 years (if not longer).

Murkanen: and are in fact doing everything they can to get rid of anyone who might disagree with the social conservative aspects of the party platform.

Can those shaken elements please form a party based on a socially progressive and fiscally conservative platform?

so how does this make McCain different from any other "conservative"?

They have the courage to know that the left is always wrong, but they're cowards when someone asks them to raise their hand and admit that they back Sarah Palin, now that the shine is off

cowards

flup: It's going to be Newt, not Palin. She's done.

Of course, so was he. But now he's back.

But he won't beat Obama.

Newt won't run, he doesn't want the pay cut. Any rumblings you hear are simply self-promotion for his new book/radio/tv show.

/Same goes for Chris Matthews, Limbaugh, Kudlow, etc.

brainiac-dumdum: Nixon actually got to be VP though, so he had that going for him. Nixon also had some semblance of talent, Palin's ambition far exceeds her ability.

Point with regards to Nixon, but people's ambition exceeding their talent doesn't really stop them from going places. Almost the entirety of DC is filled with people who would be lucky to make it past being a desk clerk if they had gone into any other field than politics.

what_now: won't happen. She isn't politically inexperienced, she's dumb.

I know this.

Stupid doesn't wash off.

We're talking about a party whose current policy base is centered around empty feel-goodism and attacking scientific progress/understanding as an abomination unto the Lord. I really don't think her being stupid is really going to influence their core base of support, especially when it didn't hurt them in 2000 and 2004.

I want Jindal to run and win in 2012, solely for the purpose of having a Bollywood-style song and dance number for the inauguration.

Gosling:
I've been kicking around doing it again with the Republican leadership, and I slapped together 50 names earlier today. The list of 50- FIFTY- names I came up with is a testament to just how shallow the Republican bench is.

In fairness, go back to 2005 and put something like this together for the D's. Would you have had Barack Obama as a serious contender then? I'm guessing if he was top 50 you'd say the Democrats were in serious trouble....but he developed a cult of personality and W's second term was full of fail, so here we are.

As far as the headline is concerned, I haven't heard Obama endorse Biden's 2016 candidacy either.

In fairness, go back to 2005 and put something like this together for the D's. Would you have had Barack Obama as a serious contender then? I'm guessing if he was top 50 you'd say the Democrats were in serious trouble....but he developed a cult of personality and W's second term was full of fail, so here we are.

He might have slipped into a Top 50 list, as that's right after his star started rising.

Bestbank Tiger: As far as the headline is concerned, I haven't heard Obama endorse Biden's 2016 candidacy either.

Is that supposed to mean something? I mean beyond illustrating your utter lack of any understanding with regards to who a 1st term President plans on supporting during his re-election.

odinsposse: brainiac-dumdum: Benevolent Misanthrope: what_now: I saw that, and I was pretty amazed at how he wiggled out of answering the question. He named a few names, and laughed at how "he always forgets someone", and then talked about how much he had for Palin and her family.

It's pretty clear that he now realizes that picking her was the worst thing he did during the entire campaign.

I don't think he picked her. The party pretty-much had him by the balls.

rumor was he wanted Lieberman

According to this newsweek article McCain initially wanted Lieberman but after being shot down by his advisers he chose Palin over Romney or Pawlenty because she was more mavericky.

I think they really thought that Democratic Convention was going to be this big clusterfark because of Hillary. It wasn't and the convention went great. He panicked and went with Palin (and who put the bug in his ear about Palin, see a few threads down) to get some media focus back on his campaign. Yes, it probably kept his campaign alive for a few weeks longer than it would have had he gone with Lieberman. But in the end what saved him, albeit however briefly, eventually doomed him as well.