It seems with Election Day creeping ever closer that all talk has turned to Sarah Palin. Who is she? What has she done in and out of office? What does she bring to the Republican ticket? Her family has fallen under attack, but let’s face it: the only thing that should matter is platform. And while Palin stood up recently and outlined her platform at the Republican National Convention, she seems to have forgotten to mention some of the more extreme positions she has held over the years.
First off, while Iraq is a real war and the lives of American soldiers and Iraqi soldiers taken were real lives, to Palin, the Iraq War is simply ‘God’s task.”
Now, I thought that the Crusades were over, but apparently Palin still sees America as some entity divinely appointed to dispatch justice all over the world. I’m not sure what god she prays to, but after years of going to Church and eight years of Catholic school, I have never heard a Biblical passage praising oil-driven war with your neighbor I must have forgotten to read the ‘Gospel According to Cheney.”
She has even admitted that she hasn’t thought about the war much just last year she was quoted in an interview with Alaska Business Monthly saying, ‘I’ve been so focused on state government, I haven’t really focused much on the war in Iraq.” She did, however, mention the war briefly in her speech, claiming that ‘victory in Iraq is in sight.” Must be the same victory that Bush declared years ago. Palin clearly adds little in terms of foreign policy experience to the McCain camp.
Oh, and for those of you who were worried that the connection between the vice presidency and big oil would end with our current VP, there is good news to be heard. Palin herself has the same ties to big oil that all of us Americans love to see her very inauguration was sponsored by the energy giant, Beyond Petroleum. Good thing, too, because I was afraid that we would see a Republican ticket with pockets that aren’t lined with oil.
Palin sees no connection between global warming and humans. Speaking about climate change, she said, ‘I’m not one though who would attribute it to being manmade.” So, if it’s not manmade, then how do we account for global warming? I can’t say I saw Bambi building a chemical production plant the last time I was in the forest or Bullwinkle driving a car around, but according to Palin, who seems to be an expert on at least the hunting aspect of moose, I must be wrong. Poor Bullwinkle.
And, near and dear to my own journalistic heart, I found that, as mayor, Palin tried to ban books from libraries because of inappropriate language. This action shocked Mary Ellen Baker, the librarian whom Palin later threatened to fire for her lack of support in banning the books. I mean, hell, a little bad language and Palin is ready to ban books?
The other interesting fact is that McCain, who has repeatedly used Obama’s lack of experience against him, picked Palin to be his running mate she didn’t even have a passport until 2007.
Her foreign policy experience: a trip to Kuwait and Germany to visit Alaskan troops and then another trip to the documented war-torn area and likely world hot spot that we know as Canada. Good thing she has the foreign policy credentials that Obama lacks I would hate to have a vice president who has never been to Canada.
Again, it might just be me, but these seem to be several important points that Palin somehow forgot to include in her speech. Did I mention the speech was written by one of President Bush’s own speech writers? I think that says it all loud and clear.
Choosing Palin is simply McCain’s way of trying to make friends with the ultra right of the Republican Party but do even the strong conservatives dance this far right on the political spectrum?
It seems like Sarah Palin must have accidentally left some minor topics out of her speech.
What a shame indeed.
Clark is a member of the class of 2012.
