Sex, Lies, and Photoshop
It always amazes me what some people will do to damage a person's reputation. In the case of Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, it has gotten more than ugly. From the moment she stepped on stage when John McCain announced her as his running mate, the vitriol started. In addition, it has not and probably will not end until Election Day. She will probably be one of the most investigated and examined candidate's by the media since George H. Bush nominated Dan Quayle.
Why? Because the main stream media was caught off guard. They did not have a say in McCain's choice. Her name came up in casual conversation at times. However, no one gave her a second look, not even a glance. To this writer's credit, I made a casual bet with my wife in early July that she would be the pick of the litter. When it was announced, my wife simply said two things to me: "You called it." and, "How did you know?"
It was simple, the most important issue facing the American voter turned from the War in Iraq, because the surge worked and the violence has dramatically decreased. Not only that fact but also every week we are turning over another piece of real estate to the Iraqi people.
Secondly, according to the mainstream media, the economy seems to be heading downtown. In spite of the better than three-percent growth in the GDP last quarter and the fact we are not in a recession. All we keep hearing is how many homes are going into foreclosure. They will not report the reality that most of these foreclosures are because people were stupid enough to sign on the dotted line purchasing a home they knew they could only afford until their first mortgage interest rate adjustment. Even in Vegas a Come Bet on the crap table is a sucker bet.
What they have not reported is 98% of all home owners are paying their mortgage every month on time. It is that the 98% that know how much more it cost them each month, is not for their house payments, but to fill their gas tanks.
Therefore, with that in mind 74% of American's are screaming Drill, Drill, and Drill.
Who better to run for Vice-President than the person who has more oil under her state than the U.S. has used since the first oil derrick was erected in 1859 in Pennsylvania; Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska; a Hockey Mom, Mayor of a small town, Governor of the largest state in America, the person who took on the big oil companies, a Washington outsider and a breath of fresh air. FYI Alaska has the same number of Congressional Representatives as Delaware and ranks second to Delaware in Population.
As for her only having served as Governor for a year and one-half, her executive experience as Mayor and Governor is much greater that that of Jimmy Carter, who only had three-years of executive experience as Governor of Georgia and Teddy Roosevelt who was Governor of New York for only one-year. During that year, he spent most of his time running for President. Let us not forget the current Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama. How much executive experience does he have?
So what has happened since Sarah, as everyone in Alaska calls her, was chosen by John McCain as his running mate? The Bloggers and Main Stream Media have been slandering and maligning her with lies and innuendos that have only proven one thing; she is bigger and tougher than they are. She seems to be letting the innuendos and rumors roll off her back. Let us look at some of the accusations that have surfaced and let us look at the truth.
Congressman Robert Wexler, the self-proclaimed "Fire Breathing Liberal," (D-19 FL) said publicly that, "she is a Nazi sympathizer and anti-Semitic." He claims his remarks are true because she supported Pat Buchanan for President. The facts are that she is a big supporter or Israel. An Israeli flag is on the window of her office. She was not a Buchanan supporter. She served on the board of Steve Forbes' campaign in Alaska.
It is her baby, not her daughter Bristol's. To believe otherwise is to defy all medical science or in other words believe in Immaculate Conception.
Yes, she did fire the state Public Safety Director - but he said in the Anchorage paper that, for the record, she never, and no one else in her administration ever, tried to make him fire her ex-brother-in-law, who was suspended for using a "Taser" on his ten-year-old stepson and driving a state police car while intoxicated. He also threatened to murder her sister and father if they dared to hire an attorney to help with her sister's divorce.
She was an Assembly of God parishioner. However, she does not attend an Assembly of God church now. She left when the services were getting a bit weird. Not like Obama who spent 20-years listening to vial sermons.
The Washington Post claims she cut funding for unwed mothers. The truth is she increased it by 354% as part of a multi-year capital-spending program. The Washington Post does not appear to have corrected their story. Even after this was pointed out in the comments on the story.
No, she did not cut special needs student funding; she actually raised it by 175 percent.
She did finally turn down the money for the bridge to nowhere. Yes, that meant she changed her mind about it after discovering how much more it would cost the state of Alaska.
Yes, a speechwriter wrote Sara's acceptance speech. None of Obama's, McCain's, or Biden's speeches were impromptu off the cuff either. The difference with her speech is, in the middle of her address the TelePrompTer broke down. She was forced to present it without the aid of notes. Let us see Obama do that trick.
Thirty lawyers and investigators ascended upon Alaska to try to discover some dirty laundry she may have left lying around. So far, the only thing they could discover is that she once discussed with a librarian if there were any inappropriate books in the library. She never banned or asked to have banned any books. The one book that the investigators claimed she wanted banned was not even published at the time. It was Harry Potter.
Finally, the photo of her dressed in a bikini holding an assault rifle was photo shopped. Too bad, it was not real. That photo alone would make any man vote for her.
Now that Sarah seems to be more popular than John McCain, Obama is changing his tactics and returning to attack his Presidential rival. In his latest commercial, in an attempt to align McCain with George Bush, he states that McCain voted with George Bush 90% of the time. Guess what Sen. Obama, so did you.
And, that is my opinion.
Michael Solomon
Author of "Where Did My America Go?"
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