National Review editors are RomneyBOTs.
Gay-marriage-enforcer, ObamaCARE/RomneyCARE-fascist,
backstabber Romney is behind this weeks endless attacks on Gov. Palin.
Posted on 06/08/2011 6:02:28 AM PDT by Servant of the Cross
I’d like to say something about Sarah Palin — but I first need to say something about Shirin Ebadi, the Nobel peace laureate who was the subject of my column on Monday. I promise that my point about Ebadi will relate to my point about Palin.
About a year ago, I was talking to an Iranian friend of mine, an exile journalist. We were talking about his countrywoman, Ebadi. I was kind of griping about her. I said, “You know, if she wants to oppose the Afghan and Iraq wars, fine. She can denounce them if she wants — plenty of respectable people do. But why can’t she say one word for the people who suffered terribly, for years, under the Taliban and Saddam Hussein?”
I think I went on this way for a while. When I was done with my little rant, my friend said, “But then she wouldn’t be Shirin Ebadi, she would be Jay Nordlinger.” In other words, she has the right to be the kind of person she wants to be, rather than the kind I would have her be.
A few nights ago, I was having dinner with another journalist friend of mine — an American, a conservative, like me. We were talking about Sarah Palin. And we were saying what we had both wanted for her: We wanted her to go back to Alaska following the 2008 presidential election. Be the best governor she could be. Bone up like crazy, on issues national and international. Emerge for the 2012 presidential cycle informed to the gills, but still with her lovely, fresh, irreplaceable charisma. Then sweep the world.
That’s what my friend and I wanted for Palin (and us). But she wanted the TV reality show, the move to Arizona, etc. Fine. Her life, not mine. But . . .
Don’t you hate it, sometimes, when people aren’t what you want them to be? When they are, instead, what they want to be?
Do you think Anthony Weiner will survive his scandal? Brazen it out? He certainly could. He could be holding public office for decades to come.
During “Lewinskygate” and impeachment, a lot of us said that this was a test of America, as much as a test of a particular man, Bill Clinton. The president used a 21-year-old intern for sex in the Oval Office (as I remember). There followed perjury, subornation of perjury, abuse of power, obstruction of justice, witness tampering, etc., etc., etc.
And the American people were basically cool with it. Oh, yes they were. Those of us who were not cool with it were denounced as squares, prudes, killjoys, shredders of the Constitution. Clinton seemed to get ever more popular. His party had a field day at the polls in 1998, the sixth year of his presidency, a year that should have been terrible for Democrats. And make no mistake: If not for the Twenty-second Amendment, he would have been elected to a third term. Hell, he might still be president today.
The American people are a lot like Weiner and Clinton: They just wanna get they freak on. And they don’t really mind whether public servants do. Such is life in a “post-moral” society. The “Sixties” — to use a broad, metaphorical term — have won.
I’m sorry, dear readers: I’m just not very gooey about “the American people,” sometimes. I think I’ve met too many of them — and that does not exclude those who travel in conservative circles, believe me. I might be in a cynical mood just at the moment. I’ll let you know when it passes . . .
Last week, I had a blogpost, titled “Wives.” It was a little reflection on Mrs. Anthony Weiner and Mrs. Bill Clinton. I said,
Many of us said, during 1998, that much depended on how the wife reacted. What would Hillary do? Would she stand by her man, or declare that she had had enough? She chose to do the former: making accusations of a “vast, right-wing conspiracy.” That saved him (although Ken Starr saved him too, by tipping him off about the dress). (For chapter and verse on this affair — all of Lewinskygate and impeachment — see Susan Schmidt and Michael Weisskopf’s Truth at Any Cost. It is the definitive book, so far as I know.)
A reader wrote me,
Jay,
The mom of that girl out in Seattle has just called Weiner out on the carpet. She said, “I’m really upset. I feel like he’s a person of power and influence, who can make a statement and make all this go away.” Another quote: “As her mother, I’m really upset.”
That reminded me of what I often thought during the Lewinsky scandal of 1998: Where’s the dad? If it had been me, I would have marched to the White House and demanded to see the president so I could punch him in the nose. I wouldn’t have gotten in. But I would at least have let the press know what a lowdown, no-good, rotten guy I thought Clinton was.
If that had happened, I think Clinton doesn’t make it past a week. What do you think?
I don’t know. Interesting point.
Note the contrast between the behavior of former congressman Chris Lee and the behavior of still-congressman Anthony Weiner. The first gets caught in a “social media” scandal, and immediately resigns. Weiner lies for a while, until it becomes impossible: and then determines to brazen it out.
The next House election is a long way off. Year and a half. Will people remember Weiner’s scandal at that point? Will it lend him cachet? “Edginess”?
This is perfect: “NBC News is hiring former National Public Radio chief Vivian Schiller, who left this year in the midst of a political controversy . . .” (Rest of the story here.) NPR, NBC, ABC, XYZ — does it really matter? Is it not all one club, so to speak?
(excerpt) [the rest is about music ]
National Review editors are RomneyBOTs.
Gay-marriage-enforcer, ObamaCARE/RomneyCARE-fascist,
backstabber Romney is behind this weeks endless attacks on Gov. Palin.
I happen to agree with Jay, but quite possibly Sarah is on the cutting edge, not me.
I would be quite happy to be wrong in this case.
Like any candidate, Palin has pros and cons..but i don’t get this constant criticism that she has some sort of deficiency on issues. She is crystal clear on issue after issue. As Alaska governor she was more in tune with foreign issues than any other governor running now or in any recent election with regular briefings on Russia.. She is the most advanced governor on energy policy of any candidate in history. This criticism. Is totally bunk. Where is Pawlenty or Romney more advanced on policy issues? Both championed terrible positions as governor. if huntsman enters, is Utah some major breeding ground for white house preparation? Was Arkansas major league training for president 20 years ago. This is such a faulty argument against Palin. In addition, how do all these experts know what she did or didn’t do in policy study the past two years. She seems to have a grasp on things to me. She has made policy opinions in real time in the past year and a half and her views have proven to be right on time and again.
You paint NRO with too broad a brush - Andy McCarthy, Jay Nordlinger are conservatives through and through.
Ahhh
The politically coorect "homage" to the Soviet Politburo's clean and buff "Hero of the Revolution" directing his penetrating gaze to the bright future just over the horizon,
Ecce Homo Novus Willardius!
It seems more like a criticism to me.
She has boned up on issues! It’s just that most choose to ignore them! Have any major or potential candidate including President Obama come out with a 5 point approach to military intervention? Has any talked in a major speech and op-Ed about the ill effects of QE2 and the role of the Federal Reserve? Mitt? Tim? Bachmann? Has anyone dissected Obama’s energy plan like Sarah? Well? Who gave a warning about coming inflation and the falling dollar among the potentials 2 years ago? Anybody other than Palin? I rest my case!
Worth repeating! (But louder ;>).....)
With regard to Sarah Palin, I see two common types of posts (neither being 'good' IMHO): 1) she can do no wrong and is our ONLY hope (um, no); and 2) she can do no right, will never be able to win, blah, blah, blah (could have come straight from DU). FR is better than this.
bttt
From the statements I’ve heard her make, I would say Palin has a very good grasp of foreign issues. She is a strong supporter of defense and Israel. And she wouldn’t be returning busts of Winston Churchill. Of course, the only source of legitimate comparison is with other conservatives because virtually all Dems are morons on both domestic and foreign issue. With every utterance, Mitt Romney sounds more and more like a RINO. His support for AGW might make it very difficult for him to get traction mext year. That with Romney-care a disaster makes him far from the best candidate. Palin is looking better and better.
Yes, she is! The meme that she needs to get serious about the issues is an intentionally misleading narrative designed by her detractors to influence the minds of the average Joe who doesn't take the time to actually listen to what Palin says. Let's face it, it's not like the MSM highlights her policy positions - they're too busy try to find any little nit they can hold up as evidence that she's not ready for prime time.
Diogenesis -=> Gay-marriage-enforcer, ObamaCARE/RomneyCARE-fascist,
backstabber Romney is behind this weeks endless attacks on Gov. Palin.
You forgot “gun grabber” — this “conservative” signed an “assault weapons” ban.
As bad as the fascist in the White Hut is, I’d still sit out the election or vote write-in if this two-faced slimball is the pubbies nominee...
Thanks. You did it the better way. Team work!
The thing is, she didn’t just wake up one morning of a normal, routine gubernatorial term and say, “Hey, I’m tired of this. I want to go make money and do reality shows and buy a place in Phoenix.” That’s not how it happened. That’s about as far as it can be from how it actually happened. The gov pulled the plug on her term early for a reason and it wasn’t just because she wanted to. It’s incredibly irritating that I and many others saw that at the time, and still do, and others, some ostensibly as well or better situated to follow the story (like, let’s say, a senior editor of the American conservative movement’s magazine of record) still don’t. Or are willing to gloss over it.
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