McCain source to Lowry: “Look, she wasn’t ready for this, obviously”
posted at 8:25 pm on November 13, 2008 by Allahpundit
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A few more handfuls of dirt chucked at the ‘Cuda via the Corner, and one last shot at piecing together who the leaker(s) might be:
The split over Palin, of course, poisoned everything at the end. One of the dividing lines was between her communications team and the policy advisers. The communications team seemed to consider her a dolt, while the policy people—like Steve Biegun and Randy Scheunemann—were impressed with her and her potential. As one McCain aide told me, “It’s the difference between considering her someone who lacks knowledge and someone who is incompetent, and they [the communications aides] treated her as the latter.”
By many accounts, the relationship between Palin and the staff assigned by the campaign to travel with her on her plane was dysfunctional and even hostile from the beginning. “She would have been better served if she had asked a couple of people to be removed from her traveling staff,” says one McCain aide.
Some McCain loyalists think the Bushies assigned to Palin let her down and then turned on her. This is a representative quote from someone from McCain world holding that view: “Look, she wasn’t ready for this, obviously. Their job was to make her ready for this and they failed. So they unloaded on her. If they had an iota of loyalty to John McCain, they wouldn’t have done it.”
Were there any Bushies assigned to Palin? Indeed there were. Were any of them communications people? Indeed: Tucker Eskew and … Nicolle Wallace, who was absolved by Chris Wallace but accused by more than one Palin ally of backbiting. Another possibility is Tracey Schmitt, who’s not a Bushie as far as I know and who spoke up in defense of Palin recently (as did, er, Wallace), but who fits the profile of a communications person whose confidence in the ‘Cuda seems to have been less than optimal:
Reporters really began to notice the change last Sunday, when Palin strolled over to a local television crew in Colorado Springs.
“Get Tracey,” a staffer called out, according to The New York Times, summoning spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt, who reportedly “tried several times to cut it off with a terse ‘Thank you!’ in between questions, to no avail.” The moment may have caused ulcers in some precincts of the McCain campaign, but it was an account Palin’s admirers in Washington cheered.
Exit question: Time to stop blogging this soap opera? We’re never going to get closure so we might as well stop watching.
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Oh, it is not. She was asked to do some post-election interviews and she did. She went to the Governors Conference just like she did last year. It’s the media that still feels the need to seek her out, for good or ill.
nyrofan on November 13, 2008 at 9:13 PM
Absolutely agreed – TeamSarah.org is the logical starting place for this. I’ll contact them, too – let’s get all the Cudaphiles on board.
Jim62sch on November 13, 2008 at 9:13 PM
who cares?
rob verdi on November 13, 2008 at 9:13 PM
Balderdash! All one need do is compare her performance as VP candidate with the performance of Joe Biden, a seasoned political veteran. She did much better than him and I might say she did better than McCain out on the hustings.
JonPrichard on November 13, 2008 at 9:14 PM
I think that the only thing, unless something else really crazy comes out, out of all these smears that could stick long term is the clothes. All the other stuff has been pretty solidly debunked, though the corrections didn’t get as much attention (of course). But the clothes thing still seems a little iffy.
Either whoever did it has convinced senior staff that it was the ‘Cuda (or I guess it could have been one of them, either way, they certainly haven’t vigorously defended her on it), or it really was Palin. I’m still not clear on why she would send out staffers to buy tons and tons of clothes though. Stress relief? Arrogance? I don’t know.
The story seems especially odd when you go back and look at the pictures from the trail taken between the convention and when the story broke. It’s clear that she (and Todd and the kids) wore the same jackets, shoes, and outfits numerous times. You can also pick out her clothes from home that she wore multiple times. So, she was keeping the others clean in the belly of the plane so she wouldn’t have to dry clean them after the campaign?
I don’t know. Maybe the RNC or the FEC (who could be spending their time auditing Obama’s overseas donations instead) will find out for sure.
meltenn on November 13, 2008 at 9:14 PM
that nicole wallace looks like a liar to me. don’t care what chris says. this is all about destroying her with the hopes that they will ruin her for good. what a disgrace to the american dream of hard work and wanting to be a public servant. i myself think she’s too good for washington. i would rather see her stay gov, get re-elected, then maybe do the inspirational talk circuit, work with special needs kids, write a book, cash in….cachiiiiiiiinnnnnggggg!!!
sandlin71 on November 13, 2008 at 9:16 PM
Hey, Benny – is Axelrod still paying you guys? I thought the paychecks were drying up now that Soros is getting yanked to testify in front of Congress.
Jim62sch on November 13, 2008 at 9:16 PM
I’m not fiddling.
I just think this is petty and counterproductive. And boring. And it’s not going to translate into electoral victories. Ever.
So there’s some douchenozzle that doesn’t like Palin. There are a lot of people who don’t like her.
So just brush the dirt off your shoulder and move on.org.
Good Lt on November 13, 2008 at 9:16 PM
You are right on target, JonP !
Red State State of Mind on November 13, 2008 at 9:16 PM
Zzzzzzzzzzzzz
rockmom on November 13, 2008 at 9:17 PM
I think you’re probably right. We females are often brutal to each other.
The anonymous ones are counting on the fact that all of this will be forgotten. Brings to mind the quote..
I’d personally not relive this bit of history. It’s not a proud moment for the Republicans.
SassyDarlin on November 13, 2008 at 9:17 PM
+1 for using Balderdash. :-)
The debate showed us what a quick learner she is, and that she’s definitely got the ability to destroy senate lifers like Biden. I think 2016 is a better bet for her – but maybe not for the same reasons that you all do. I’d hate to see her run against Obama again. Because let’s face it, she’s already played that game and lost – this election was so not even a little bit about McCain.
pinkelephants on November 13, 2008 at 9:20 PM
The really important and quite interesting part is this:
Now it was obvious from the beginning that Sarah could connect to crowds and was a great speaker.
Why were the communications people upset? She wouldn’t follow their lead and do things the way they wanted her to?
The policy people were impressed. That says something.
INC on November 13, 2008 at 9:23 PM
Please stop blogging this..It’s getting tiresome to say the least!
Pam on November 13, 2008 at 9:23 PM
Steve Biegun = Put her on the phone with the fake DJs
Randy Scheunemann = Neo-con trying to get on her good side
Biegun = Guy who put her on the phone with fake Sarkozy
Scheunemann = Debate prepper(good job), but also neo-con butter upper….
ex-Bush Communication Staffers = Self refuting…
Palin would have been a good pick if she was given a few months headsup and if she had a “narrator” like Axelrod to bat things down and deal with the media… but she blew up the ad hoc McCain campaign… I think Bloomberg would have been the best pick
ninjapirate on November 13, 2008 at 9:23 PM
O/T: Michael Steele on H&’C saying, “I’m ready to lead this party.”
Chewy the Lab on November 13, 2008 at 9:24 PM
Of course all stops will be pulled to tear her down. They can’t have her staying on the national scene hale and hearty, because she’s a threat, pure and simple. They can’t compete in the free market ideas, so they resort to this. That was the theme of the whole BO campaign, and it obviously works.
Too.obvious.
Bob's Kid on November 13, 2008 at 9:25 PM
I’m beginning to think that there could be some truth to the “she wasn’t ready” meme.
After all, if she’d truly been ready, she could have vetted the McCain campaign much more thoroughly and declined to be associated with such a bunch of losers.
I doubt it’s a mistake she’ll make twice, however.
cthulhu on November 13, 2008 at 9:26 PM
That’s exactly what we need: a crowd drawing orator.
Hopefully nobody will run ads against her criticizing her as a celebrity.
e-pirate on November 13, 2008 at 9:28 PM
Slightly off topic… Greta reports that Billy Graham is a big fan of the ‘Cuda.
meltenn on November 13, 2008 at 9:30 PM
I think I just had a stroke from laughing so hard…ninjapirate, why do you even bother?
Jim62sch on November 13, 2008 at 9:30 PM
It’s sort of a game, no?
…”I’ll raise your Hillary and raise you someone younger and hotter!”
…”I’ll see your bi-racial candidate and raise you a black one!”
pinkelephants on November 13, 2008 at 9:30 PM
So we should believe the media insiders because they say she’s a dolt? These are the same McCain people who said “Country First”? Fight with me!? I’ll name names??? The same Bush people who drudged through eight years of “Bush is an idiot” and other unhinged lies? And the MSM elite who downplayed Ayers and his relationship with Obama? The same truth bearers who dismissed the plebs’ (that would be us) outrage at Obama’s contact and beginnings with an unrepentant domestic terrorist and other questionable associations?
Excuse me for my skepticism on what the media tells me to believe about Sarah Palin.
conservative pilgrim on November 13, 2008 at 9:31 PM
The Palin the stupid leakers are portraying and the Palin I saw in the debate as well as on the stump are two different people…and the latter is the real Palin.
Frankly, McCain needs to be purged from the GOP for allowing this to happen. He spoke out against what he thought were unfair attacks against Obama…but he’s mute when it comes to Palin. Guess that Senator’s Club relationship is thicker than blood OR water.
JohnTant on November 13, 2008 at 9:31 PM
Can we apply this rule to all of them? That’d be great.
pinkelephants on November 13, 2008 at 9:32 PM
I read on the wowowow website that the 2 stylists were also Katie Couric stylists. The article also described Katie and Nicolle as very good friends.
tanmany2k on November 13, 2008 at 9:32 PM
BTW, right after the Palin pick and I read that she was going to be given “bush staffers”… i said “Oh shiat”… first of all, it was a bad headline to have been put out right at the beginning…
Here’s frum talking about what went wrong with Bush with regard to communications…
http://frum.nationalreview.com/post/?q=Y2ZiYzllODgxNTY2YjMzNzQxZDQwYjI1Y2JhMTFmNjM=
ninjapirate on November 13, 2008 at 9:33 PM
This is soon to be offered as proof that Sarah is a snake-handling loon…Graham’s advice to JFK, LBJ, Jimmah, and Bill Clinton will disappear into the “We have always been at war with Eastasia” memory hole.
Jim62sch on November 13, 2008 at 9:33 PM
They are all lying and they are all scum, including the people like Lowry at the crappy pretentious boring NRO and the miserable people who link it.
Blake on November 13, 2008 at 9:35 PM
Yes. I have no doubts about it being a woman or women. This has jealous envy written all over it.
It’s Nicole Wallace or another woman who had working contact with Palin. They also probably had an abortion too. Did you all know that Nicole went to UC Berkeley? She worked with Couric? It’s at least her and/or other women. I cannot imagine a Berkeley graduate that worked for CBS being in a Republican presidential campaign. Simply amazing. Like letting a Nazi run a synagogue. McCain and/or Davis were completely out of their element. Sarah probably saw the disorganization and was not impressed comparing it to the way she ran for Governor in Alaska. She was probably thinking, “Going national, you’d think these people would be experts in this field.”
Sapwolf on November 13, 2008 at 9:36 PM
Please stop blogging this..It’s getting tiresome to say the least!
Pam on November 13, 2008 at 9:23 PM
Saying this only partially sarcastically: Spent the last dozen or so years in a culture of Brittany, Lynsey, Whatsey, Whotsey and so, so sorry I’m psyched to finally have someone in the limelight that means something other than a “hair flip.” I am not implying that the Governor has anything, anything in common with said airheads, but my point is that the people that like/love her have much more rational reasons than the robots that follow celebrities for the sake of their celebrity.
However, I am worried.
I am an unabashed Sarah groupy. I think I may may need help for this, and I am appealing to the Federal Government as I clearly can’t afford it myself. Will you all help me? Will you wear placards, pass little tin cups? Huh, will ya, will ya….(crickets chirping.) Dang, I thought not. Guess I’ll have to do it myself. Sigh. Man, Self-reliance sucks.
I won’t ask you to get over it, but don’t ask me to get over it.
Chewy the Lab on November 13, 2008 at 9:37 PM
That was a good read. Thanks.
INC on November 13, 2008 at 9:38 PM
I got closure: Any politician or aide who was involved in this or sat mute, is scum and I will actively work against them.
Blake on November 13, 2008 at 9:38 PM
I still think Wallace or a Romney person on McCain staff is behind all this.
KBird on November 13, 2008 at 9:44 PM
John McCain, You Don’t Deserve Someone of Sarah Palin’s Class & Calibre
Shame on you. You can’t stand up for a woman who has done nothing but take all this trash-talking with complete class and 100% loyalty to you? Screw you, John McCain.
I kind of pushed aside some of the nasty stories about how you talk to your wife, to whom you owe ($$$) so much, along with those beautiful children she gave you. But, now? I believe those stories — I always did — but thought, well, maybe he was in the most foul mood imaginable and it was a very bad moment. We’ve all had those. But now I see how you are blowing off the attacks on Sarah Palin, and I am profoundly disappointed in you.
Clearly, Mr. McCain, you have a pattern of behavior towards women that is reprehensible. You, sir, have no decency.
will13smith on November 13, 2008 at 9:45 PM
This whole thing shows one of the biggest reasons the Republicans lost. they have a sh!t team behind the scenes. They really need new blood. Palin is the new blood up front, but they need to clear a lot of dead weight when it comes to “advisers” and “staff.”
It really just says more about how juvenile the staffers are than anything.
Ampersand on November 13, 2008 at 9:45 PM
As a subscriber to NR, I explained to Rich that his piece was not better than the anonymously sourced crapola being spun from certain people in the dysfunctional former McCain campaign.
Just how does Lowry further the story when he will only name the names of supportive McCain campaign members but not those of the backbiters?
NR used to be a respectable publication. Today, it is becoming a center of rumors, gossip, and innuendos.
Captain America on November 13, 2008 at 9:45 PM
Oh man, one two many glasses of wine here. I’m ONLY REPEATING something I heard the day McCain announced Sarah (Whom you all know I love)the quote I overheard, “I see your Negro and raise you an Eskimo.” Sorry, LMAO. I’m a bad, bad person.
Chewy the Lab on November 13, 2008 at 9:47 PM
Why are women so mean to other women? I bet it is Nicole Wallace, who is also the genuis who set up the Couris interview. You women are rough on each other sometimes, and it appears as if there is some petty jealousy going on.
What an incometent bunch of idiots that ran this campaign. They kept her away from Rush and Levin and others for the longest time, and even O’Reilly and others forever who could have helped her form her own image, as opposed to doing ABC and NBC, who tried to make her look foolish.
She did fine and I lover her to death and what she stands for.
ReaganConservative3 on November 13, 2008 at 9:54 PM
I think there is one person making all these claims. The media is producing their own “deepthroats” to keep this thing going. If I may use a pop culture reference, Journalism has boiled down to this:
REPORTER: Palin? Palin? Palin?
MCCAIN STAFFER: Um, she’s incompetent. My best friend’s sister’s boyfriend’s brother’s girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who’s going with the girl who heard Sarah Palin not know Africa was a continent at 31 Flavors last night. I guess it’s pretty serious.
REPORTER: Thank you, NICOLE
MCCAIN STAFFER: No problem whatsoever.
portlandon on November 13, 2008 at 9:58 PM
The McCainiacs are in full panic. Palin emerged from this week as the de facto front runner and spokesman for the party, despite the best efforts of these totally incompetent ‘communications experts.’ (for other examples of their handywork, see the smoking rubble of the Bush Presidency.) They know full well that if she is the leader, they are screwed. So they are fighting for their professional lives, in the only way that “communications experts” know–anonymous smears. Despicable cowards.
At this point, anyone affiliated with this disaster of a Campaign is completely untrustworthy and should be shunned. Palin herself and Scheunneman excepted.
james23 on November 13, 2008 at 10:01 PM
And Rich Lowery. So I hear you’ve been getting together for beers with Campaign Carl….
james23 on November 13, 2008 at 10:02 PM
Before Palin was picked I was going to sit out this election.
-
McCain is a man with little “understanding”, and that’s putting it as mildly as I can.
-
I think Sarah is terrific, but I don’t see her running in 2012.
She could and should be the template for someone to run in the Reagan pattern.
-
But who that would be is unclear at this time.
-
All dogs go to heaven, most politicians go elsewhere.
esblowfeld on November 13, 2008 at 10:04 PM
McCain never had intentions of winning. At least that is how I see it. Wish he did win. But, only time he had that glow, was election night. It sucks. And I miss Palin. Hope she does run in 2012.
sheebe on November 13, 2008 at 10:06 PM
Democrats hate her because she represents everything they hate about America, and they know she could win. Entrenched Republicans hate her because they know she doesn’t play by their rules, and has accumulated quite the “body count” back home in Alaska of disgraced or jailed Republicans who were corrupt. Think about it, the thought of Sarah Palin cleaning house in Washington D.C. like she did in Alaska has got to scare the crap out of a lot of Washington old timers. None of them, from either party, want her to show up in Washington.
Buford on November 13, 2008 at 10:07 PM
Jamson64 on November 13, 2008 at 10:08 PM
at least we don’t have to hear “my friends” anymore
joey24007 on November 13, 2008 at 10:08 PM
good point.
And also, lets get this Sarah PAC up and running. Do exactly what the anonymous chickensh*ts are afraid of.
james23 on November 13, 2008 at 10:10 PM
Nay I say, nay. Stay on top of it, for the sake of accountability. I don’t fear the truth. While Governor Palin isn’t a forgien policy expert… yet, she certainly isn’t the idiot disgruntled staff are painting her to be. Besides, what she lacks in forgein policy chops she will make up for in her “America first” mindset, and I’m more than OK with that.
The woman went from city council member to Governor to VP candidate. I’ll trust my own eyes over what I hear from campaign advisors of a lost campaign every day of the week.
Hog Wild on November 13, 2008 at 10:14 PM
If she was as daft as her enemies try to pretend they would not be trying so hard to bury her. That is quite evident. She does threaten the status quo and those in the party that want to make it Demoncrat Lite.
Jamson64 on November 13, 2008 at 10:15 PM
Campaign Carl flew back to the Island of the Amazons in his invisible jet after being injured trying to deflect bullets with his bracelets.
Jim62sch on November 13, 2008 at 10:17 PM
That’s interesting. That had not ocurred to me. Excellent observation.
Mr_Magoo on November 13, 2008 at 10:19 PM
You know what? How many times did we all hear, with our own two ears, Sarah Palin on the campaign trail, whompin’ it up, getting people excited, DOING HER JOB as the VP candidate? Every fricking member of John McCain’s staff as well as the old cruster himself can tell me that she was a big loser and I’m not going to believe it. I saw what she did with my own eyes, I heard what she said, I got to understand where she was coming from and given what we know for FACT about 99% of the dirtbags in D.C., I think I’ll be keeping my good opinion of Sarah Palin regardless of whatever gossip Carl Cameron or his pal, Rich Lowry have to say.
anniekc on November 13, 2008 at 10:19 PM
I like many conservatives were going to hold my nose a pull the lever for Mcain untill Sarah came along. I immediately sent $200 to the campaign and followed up later with $100. If it wern’t for Sarah I would not have contributed one cent to the GOP ticket. I saw Krauthammer tonight on Hume’s show and he said that she should go home and spend two years on learning things like the expansion or contraction of NATO or the Tiawan policy. Bullshit! No one can answer these questions. Bill Clinton and all of his minions and GWB and all of his minions have never had to answer these questions. It is the deliberate thought process that is important and not the answer. Think of a trial defense lawyer who is not allowed to research the precedents and prior trials before he enters the court room but is expected to know all the issues from memory. Would you want to have him for your lawyer?
inspectorudy on November 13, 2008 at 10:25 PM
When Sarah said it was too early to Pull out of Michigan. I knew She was a winner, unfortunately her running mate is not. It’s too bad, I respect McCain more than I can say, but he was not in it to win it. Sarah was.
BiasedGirl on November 13, 2008 at 10:25 PM
What really gets me angry about these leakers is how they could go to the media and put stuff like this out there and distract and hurt the campaign and the future of the Republican party? They need to purge and prevent a lot of these people from being involved in future Republican political campaigns and stuff. How many former Bush aides is it now that have gone against the interests of the Republican party?
1) Steve Schmidt
2) Nicolle Wallace and Mark Wallace
3) Scott MCcLellan
4) Matthew Dowd
Who else?
The Republican party needs to find people who have a sense of loyalty and who at the very least won’t turn on you and bash you in the media even if they disagree with you on something.
gumble on November 13, 2008 at 10:27 PM
Journalists and their unamed sources is an exercise in hypothetical constructs; that is, constructing hypotheses from their own thoughts and never testing them. “Why are you so angry, Frank, you’re pacing up and down the hall…why are you SO ANGRY? “I’m not, you stupid twit, I am bored shitless.”
rlwo2008 on November 13, 2008 at 10:27 PM
Hah…. I had this figured from the get go…
Goober did the leaking. Lindsay “goober” Graham. McCain can’t go anywhere without him. He was jealous.
Poor Cindy.
I love Sarah and I want a Mitt/Sarah ticket.
suzyk on November 13, 2008 at 10:28 PM
McCain was “supposed” to be the leader and in charge of this campaign and the staff.
The fact that he did not come out immediately to kill this bogus crap and defend Palin speaks volumes.
Palin will come out looking stronger and wiser after this full court press against her from democrats and Republicans.
When the campaign let Palin be Palin,she left McCain and Obama in the dust.
With Palin getting overwhelming support from the GOP base, Steele on the rise,and Obama already having to kick his bogus “hope and change” mantra to the curb by admitting he is not going to be able to keep his campaign promises,I like the prospects for the future.
I am looking forward to a Palin/Petreaus ticket in 2012.
Baxter Greene on November 13, 2008 at 10:45 PM
uh this means nothing. Who knows if any of this is even true. But I MIGHT have been a tad concerned if these were her policy advisers saying she wasnt ready. But if they said she was impressive and has a GREAT future ahead, then I definitely take them at their word. It looks like there are just alot of jealous bush loyalists who know they could never hold Palin’s water.
ousoonerfan15 on November 13, 2008 at 10:49 PM
Baxter: I love that, but Petreaus won’t do it. He would be the best Secretary of Defense there would ever be. We need Sarah for Conservatism, Mitt for Economy and Petreaus for Defense. Forget the rest. Just stay positive, we can do this.
suzyk on November 13, 2008 at 10:50 PM
This is all, as it was during the election, part of Osama Obama’s plan not only to win the presidency, but destroy anyone who stood in his way. “Anonymous source?” That’s a NY Slimes trick, and I used to think Lowry was better than that.
Now I see that he, like other so-called “conservatives,” is beginning to toe the lefty line. I suppose it’s “loyal opposition” or some such nuanced crap.
But the end result of the post-election dishing campaign has been to discredit John McCain — who is more honorable and decent on his worst day than the entire Obama/Biden ticket — and Sarah Palin, who showed common sense and class.
We’ll be seeing various versions of this attack mode through the next four years if anyone dares oppose The Messiah as he turns America into Red China.
Ask not for whom the Obama tolls…
MrScribbler on November 13, 2008 at 10:52 PM
Charles Krauthammer can kiss my butt. I lost all respect for him over this election and his nasty attitude towards Palin; He put down her “lack of intellect” every chance he got. I used to be impressed by the elite left coast media, but they’re a bunch of crusty old phonies! Example: Everyone of them had a dire prediction about how we HAD to have the bailout and Paulson knew what he was doing- HA! And I will relish watching them all come up with excuses for why the Obama administration is going to fail. I say- think for yourself, these people know nothing.
anniekc on November 13, 2008 at 10:55 PM
ALLAH CAN WE HAVE ONE JUST ONE POSITIVE STORY ABOUT PALIN OR ARE YOU GOING TO WORK FULL TIME TO DO THE LEFT’S AND RINO’S HATCHET JOB…IF YOU DO THIS CAN YOU AT LEAST GET A NON-ANONYMOUS SOURCE SO AT LEAST THE BILE BEING SPREAD ISN’T LIES WE’RE HELPING GET ASTROTURFED…I’M SICK OF THIS!
CCRWM on November 13, 2008 at 11:00 PM
She had the class and self discipline to play with the hand she was dealt. She agreed to run on such short notice that she didn’t have staff of her own to bring along, and only a few weeks on the campaign trail.
Sarah Palin emerges from this episode with her head held up high. I am holding my head high too. Sarah Palin is the reason Conservatives will survive our short term campout in the wilderness shame-free, with our honor intact and our spirits excited!
RushBaby on November 13, 2008 at 11:09 PM
Sara Palin will not run in 2012. She will run in 2016. She knows that in 2012 Obama will still be black, 99% of blacks will still vote for him, 70% of Hispanics will still vote for him, and she understands that sexism is the next big hurdle of bigotry and it starts with white older conservatives who won’t say it out loud. They will still stay at home in 2012.
Robb on November 13, 2008 at 11:17 PM
So McCain decides to fight… Palin?
And Obama’s terrorist buddy Ayers is now outing the Liar-In Chief.
Can we throw them both out and draft Sarah?
profitsbeard on November 13, 2008 at 11:24 PM
Yup. Actually, I think the best ‘postmortem’ about McCain’s loss was written before the election.Slublog on November 13, 2008 at 8:38 PM
I never saw that piece, thanks for linking it. John McCain, gadfly, indeed. And the summation was so dead on. Props to Rich Lowry.
RushBaby on November 13, 2008 at 11:29 PM
We shall see. I think she’s running.
Chewy the Lab on November 13, 2008 at 11:31 PM
I hope you’re right. She’s too promising to potentially lose to Obama. 2016 would be smart.
V15J on November 13, 2008 at 11:33 PM
I cannot believe this crap. I thought the whole thing was a hoax from that Eisenstadt nut.
Now we find out people within the campaign where in fact smearing her? That these people are real?
Disgusting. She wasn’t someone I thought was a good choice, but this back biting is so unprofessional and shameful to the GOP.
AprilOrit on November 13, 2008 at 11:34 PM
it all depends on how Obama does
joey24007 on November 13, 2008 at 11:35 PM
I think it’s probably better for Sarah Palin that the McCain-Palin ticket did lose. If they had won, the media would have just doubled down on their efforts to destroy her, and McCain wouldn’t have done a damn thing in her defense.
ddrintn on November 13, 2008 at 11:42 PM
BS……..
DL13 on November 13, 2008 at 11:44 PM
Yes, it’s only keeping the story alive.
The bottom line remains as it has all along; in a situation like this it’s easy to tell which side is lying – they get desperate and end up making outlandish charges like the comments about africa and say petty things like the comment about her in a towel.
Either that or the media is just running with comments tht were made in a moment of anger or stress.
kcewa on November 13, 2008 at 11:46 PM
This shows me what a bunch of dirt bags the people at McCain staff are.McCain himself knows who,s doing this.This also shows what a inscure little man McCain is .He should move to the dems side were he can be close to his good friends.
thmcbb on November 13, 2008 at 11:49 PM
By 2012 voting for an african-american will be passe. It wasn’t the balcks who elected him; it was the trendy whites who normally sit out an election because “it’s boooring.”
kcewa on November 13, 2008 at 11:51 PM
You gotta think that insiders will know who did the leaking of this BS and hopefully what they were trying to do will have the opposite affect and they will not work on another campaign ever again. The whole thing disgusts me.
crazywater on November 13, 2008 at 11:51 PM
A sign I saw during the campaign said it all for me, “Sarah killed my apathy” (appropriately illustrated with a shotgun). On the other hand McCain’s Leno appearance has just about killed any shred of lingering respect out of me. The campaign gossipers need to be outed and remembered!
lilfrybread on November 13, 2008 at 11:52 PM
Man, this woman just cannot win.
McCain ASKED HER to run with him. Had she said no and he lost, which he would have, she would be blamed for not accepting the offer.
How many stories have there been about McCain’s failure versus Palin’s supposed inadequacies?
Elizabetty on November 14, 2008 at 12:04 AM
Ok,I can do that.
I’m in.
I would like to see the Congresswoman from Tennessee(Marsha
Blackburn) in the mix also though,she is pretty sharp and handles herself well against liberal idiots.
Baxter Greene on November 14, 2008 at 12:05 AM
Reading some of this makes one wonder that half of palins critics are part of the Republican Good Ol’ Boy network who have a stake in her demise.
This is from the very same people who took us from the White House to the out house.
Palin aint the problem…
You are.
As long as those who think Palin is the problem the Republican party is doomed.
Well done fellas.
mikkins on November 14, 2008 at 12:08 AM
Hasn’t Rich Lowry written an article in Post recently saying the GOP needs to become more centrist and get rid of the Right compeltely?
Palin must scare the hell out of him because as long as she stands that possibility will evaporate and Rich is acting like any sucker out there trying to smash the party in order to rebuild it.
promachus on November 14, 2008 at 12:09 AM
McCain was a drag on this ticket, and everyone knows it. Without Palin to bring out the base, his ground game would be even weaker than it was. 10% loss, easy.
BKennedy on November 14, 2008 at 12:23 AM
Rich Lowry …he looks like the kinda of dude who got “thrown around” by the football team in high school
what a punk
he has that “Cameron look” to him
joey24007 on November 14, 2008 at 12:31 AM
I would like to boycott “journalists” and so called “pundits” who publish/link articles dependent on anonymous sources. It’s gotten to be like high school around here.
Blake on November 14, 2008 at 12:45 AM
Simple:
If you can’t reveal the names of Palin backstabbers, STFU!
Captain America on November 14, 2008 at 1:00 AM
I have come to wonder if McCain was a planned foil to Obummer and Sarah was a handy way to make it close and “discredit” the right (both meanings) wing of the party.
*adjusts tinfoil hat and checks the sky for black helicopters*
olmojoe on November 14, 2008 at 1:41 AM
It’s absolutely stupid to react to any story based on anonymous sources. PERIOD.
Borat on November 14, 2008 at 1:48 AM
Why Romney? Why not Pawlenty? Jeb Boy Bush? And (he says, putting on his asbestos pants) why not Huckabee?
This is about 2012 to be sure, but pointing fingers without evidence other than our personal dislike of a political figure is not useful.
Go Sarah!
olmojoe on November 14, 2008 at 1:50 AM
The alternative to blaming her would be for these “someones” to admit that they ran a crappy campaign. Of course they’re not going to throw themselves under the bus.
Ronnie on November 14, 2008 at 2:38 AM
I can’t believe how these mystery people are trying to trash Sarah. She must have a lot in fear. Why else are they doing this crap for? I am in bummed. Santa Barbara is on fire, and I can’t get a hold of some friends. But Sarah is a wonderful, honest woman. She kicks ass and she would clean some house. Love how I read that Fannie and Freddie need a bailout. How dare these B@stards in Washington DC. Why can’t they have the Banks lower the interest rates? And why did they refuse the other day to let the credit card companies give Debt forgiveness? I am flaming pi**ed. Fire is coming out my nose. Then there was an article about The US Treasury again. How they want to deal with Saudi money. WTF? I think I will try to call them. I am not happy about this. Then, finally, on MSN, they say that there was Yellow cake they found in Iraq. They didn’t say anything because they had to move it out. That is used for Nuclear bombs! So, Bush didn’t lie! Which I didn’t even care. I thought we needed to go there any way. Sorry am rambling.
sheebe on November 14, 2008 at 3:50 AM
Track ‘em down and put ‘em out of their misery. Let them do gardening, or go work for the Dems. If we don’t figure out who this is that is trading media access for a knife in the back of Palin, they will cause serious damage in 2012. At least make ‘em really worried.
That doesn’t mean it has to be blogged about every day, but I hope we can keep digging and sniffing around and figure out who needs to be permanently off the Republican Campaign circuits in the future. Sorry but I don’t consider this kind of crap to be minor. Next time our candidate will be losing momentum trying to explain why they were alleged to bite the heads off kittens in the middle of the final week of a critical campaign.
DaMav on November 14, 2008 at 4:02 AM
“Nicolle Wallace, who was absolved by Chris Wallace”
One Wallace absolves another Wallace – Any realtionship?
davod on November 14, 2008 at 4:06 AM
The night we waved goodbye to America… our last best hope on Earth
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1084111/PETER-HITCHENS-The-night-waved-goodbye-America–best-hope-Earth.html
Geochelone on November 14, 2008 at 4:25 AM
Well you go to war with the army you got , and Palin showed up to fight the war against the cut’n'run socialists.
Some party members didn’t.
She’s a team player among backstabbers.
the_nile on November 14, 2008 at 5:30 AM
Grain of salt. The Corner, NRO have their own agenda.
And by the way, I do not doubt that inside the campaign there were people who wanted Romney, and people who wanted Pawlenty or even Ridge as well as Palin. And when she got the nod, I am sure some of them were miffed. That is only human nature. When the financial meltdown happened and then McCain’s numbers went down I think a lot of those people got upset and frustrated. But I am still not sure how much of this I believe. It seems to me that the press {and that includes conservative pundits at places like NRO} are spreading around a lot of gossip without anything to really back it up.
But Palin has been out there in that national spotlight now. She knows what jackals the media people can be and just how cruel some folks can be.
Terrye on November 14, 2008 at 6:44 AM
she wasn’t ready. she was utterly unequal to the office for which she was picked. and the fact that she’s good at serving boilerplate doesn’t negate that she cannot answer extemporaneous questions on serious topics.
get over her.
or, really. what the hell do i care?
eh on November 14, 2008 at 6:44 AM
Well from my vantage point, Gov Palin looks a whole lot ‘more ready’ for this than did old Yosemite Sam. Old Yosemite, hardly seemed to know what he was doing or why. Yosemite ran the dumbest campaign i had ever seen. If we had been able to duck tape Yosemite and stuff him in Biden’s closet, Gov Palin would have probably won.
The alternative to “blame Sarah” would come down to blame Yosemite. I vote we go with Yosemite, and his minions, who ran a pathetic campaign — no theme, no focus, no plan. How vacant is that? ‘Maverick’, yeah sure, that will draw in the independent votes, right?
The other guy, well that just proves it’s really easy to make moron voters out of ignorant people.
Cancel your NR subscription, save the trees.
tarpon on November 14, 2008 at 7:11 AM
The thing that pisses me off the most about this whole vote opera is that the McCainiacs are somehow acting as if Palin picked herself. She didn’t campaign for the job (hello, Mike Huckabee) and wasn’t even in the rumor mill until hours before her announcement.
If she is the train wreck they allege, it speaks not only to McCain’s poor judgment in choosing her, it speaks to his poor judgment in hiring THEM.
L.N. Smithee on November 14, 2008 at 7:12 AM
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