McCain picks Alaska Gov. Palin as running mate

(CNN) -- Sen. John McCain has picked Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, a senior McCain campaign official told CNN on Friday.

Palin, 44, who's in her first term as governor, is a pioneering figure in Alaska, the first woman and the youngest person to hold the state's top political job.

She catapulted to the post with a strong reputation as a political outsider, forged during her stint in local politics. She was mayor and a council member of the small town of Wasila and was chairman of the state Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, which regulates Alaska's oil and gas resources, in 2003 and 2004.

The conservative Palin defeated two so-called political insiders to win the governor's job -- incumbent Gov. Frank Murkowski in the GOP primary and former two-term Democratic Gov. Tony Knowles in the 2006 general election.

Palin made her name in part by backing tough ethical standards for politicians. During the first legislative session after her election, her administration passed a state ethics law overhaul.

Palin's term has not been without controversy. A legislative investigation is looking into allegations that Palin fired Alaska's public safety commissioner because he refused to fire the governor's former brother-in-law, a state trooper.

Palin acknowledged that a member of her staff made a call to a trooper in which the staffer suggested he was speaking for the governor.

Palin has admitted that the call could be interpreted as pressure to fire state trooper Mike Wooten, who was locked in a child-custody battle with Palin's sister.

"I am truly disappointed and disturbed to learn that a member of this administration contacted the Department of Public Safety regarding Trooper Wooten," Palin said. "At no time did I authorize any member of my staff to do so."

Palin suspended the staffer who made the call.

Palin has focused on energy and natural resources policy during her short stint in office, and she is known for her support of drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, a position opposed by McCain but supported by many grass-roots Republicans.

More of the article here: Link

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Hmm... Interesting choice for sure.

Watch all the idiots who were only going to vote for hillary because she's a woman flock to mccain.

That'll help out a lot since the dems went with two men.

Palin is strongly pro-life and belongs to Feminists for Life
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Palin


I don't know much about her... This is helping her case though...

She hunts, eats moose hamburger, ice fishes, rides snowmobiles, and owns a float plane.[10][11] Palin holds a lifetime membership with the National Rifle Association. She admits that she used marijuana when it was legal in Alaska, but says that she did not like it.[12]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Palin

You surely do throw the insults about. Are you happy in life?

Yikes!

Isn't there a prophecy that says that a woman will be President during the next world war (by Nostradamus or Cayce)? Everybody that knows the "prophecy" assumed it was Hillary, but what if McCain wins and croaks for some reason while in Office, she automatically becomes the Prez

It's been a pattern really with most Republican Nominees when it comes to VP, seems like popularity is not the agenda. Bush Sr. /Dan Quayle, Bob Dole/Jack Kemp, Bush W/Cheney and now Palin.

Who cares? What are her policies? I don't care if she has a full sleeve of rock and roll tattoos and -snip-. I want to know what her policies are.

Only stupid people vote for people based on how they look or sound or what their hobbies are. But then again, so very many of my countrymen are stupid, lazy, apathetic sheep. ( not necessarily YOU, Kratos. At least you seem to want to know about her policies.)



Because I called people who supported Hillary that will now vote McCain because his VP is a woman "idiots?"

Let me be absolutely clear...if you were going to vote for hillary, who's platform is very similar to Obama's, and now you are going to vote for McCain, who's platform is very dissimalar to Obama's, simply because you want to vote for a woman...you are an idiot wholely undeserving of the right to vote at all. One of the necessary evils of our system is that we can't require people vote according to political belief...we have to let morons who vote based on hair style, dress, hobbies, singing voice, and now gender, into the voting booth. Then we sit around scratching our heads and wonder why we elect equally selfish and stupid people into high office.

Aother big oil person... what a shock.

To be a feminist you'd pretty much have to be pro choice.

She's not vp material at all.

She's smoking hot for a republican.

A big oil pro-lifer. More of the same.

Oh no, McCain's got the drunken frat boy vote sewn up! She's a hot MILE (Mother I'd Like to Elect)!

What a flippin' mockery of our democratic process when the GOP stoops to stunt casting the VP.

So, any one that was ever involved in the energy industry, even on a regulatory basis, is "big oil" to you?


http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/ob..._oil_spill.html



NEWS FLASH! THEY ALL LIE AND TAKE MONEY FROM ANYONE!

Any bets on how long it takes for drunken-college/wet-t-shirt pics to pop up?

She has more experience than the freshman senator from Illinois.

She has more experience then Obama. Neo you need to chill.

I think it's a smart move (whether you like McCain or not).

Plus an 80% approval rating.

LOL!

What's smart about it, in any but the most cynical, pandering sense?

Smart move for McCain.

Seriously though, I HATE this woman.

Lets take a look.

Wants to ruin one of our most beautiful national parks? Check.

Wants more oil, oil, and oil? Check

Claims that it wouldn't be bad if "alternatives to evolution" were taught in school? Check.

Anti-abortion rights? Check.

Anti-gay Liberties? Check.


Disaster disaster disaster.

Just sayin', he wants to be elected, and I think this choice might help him. Maybe cynical and pandering, but smart.

Sounds like a conservative republican to me. Nothing shocking in that list. I do wish she would support gay rights, but nobody's perfect.

I'm just seeing this now on the net... This is going to be bad. A hard bible thumper with less experience then Obama has.

All I'm thinking now is South Park... It's between a giant douche and a turd sandwich.

IT was a good choice for McCain to win the race.

It was a VERY, VERY BAD choice for America.

Funny!

Really though, she has less experience than Obama? She's the only one out of all four of them with any Executive experience and they love her in Alaska.

Joe Biden is going rip this woman apart. She's lucky they only debate once.

In her speech, just now, she heaped praise upon Geraldine Ferraro and Hillary Clinton. Smart cookie.

How do we know that yet? Biden will be so easy though. He voted for the war, he said Obama was too inexperienced. I think Palin will have some ammo. I don't know enough about her yet to know if Biden will have ammo as well.

Palin hasn't exactly been a pal of McCain's either. She's endorsed Obama's energy plan, and disagrees with McCain on a few issues.
http://sefermpost.typepad.com/sefermpost/2...lican-alas.html

Namely, drilling in ANWR.

The conspiracy theorists will have fun with this.

The illuminati...or reptilians or whatever...now get control of the oil state.

ROFL!!!

I disagree with her on many things. But I admire her diligence when it comes to wanting to make government smaller. She is noted for cutting waste and spending. Where after hearing Obama's speech, you needed a calculator to keep count of the number of new government programs he wants to put in place.

Ah, see I have alot to learn. But are these really bad things? I don't know if Biden can really tear her apart. She sounds like an independent thinker.

Or more rightfully put:
Destroying the economy, environment, and one of our most beautiful national parks while at the same time making it easier to pollute and delaying the energy crisis!

What's smart about it? You can count the pro-life Hillary supporters on one hand! Seriously, I think this whole "disgruntled Hillary supporter" thing is gonna blow over before the election. Before they were Hillary supporters they were Democrats and they'll be Democrats in the voting booth.

All the Republicans have been able to use against Obama is his inexperience. Now that's off the table. And this less than single term governor would likely be President if McCain's health continues to deteriorate. Of course, she's got a high approval rating! She just replaced a corrupt Republican a year and a half ago--she's still in the honeymoon phase! If Obama isn't "ready to lead," how is this freshman governor gonna be "ready?"

But that's how the Republicans play it nowadays, no convictions, just opportunism.

This appointment is right in line with the current Admin's corrupt appointment policies. Instead of "Good job Brownie," it'll be "Good job, Paly!"

I categorically disagree. The drilling area is minuscule, and far from the natural beauties of the park.

"Delaying the energy crisis!" What an odd, Obamaesque statement. Like delaying the energy crisis is a bad thing.

Cheers to you, too.

Holy cow! I actually agree with you!!

Now I have to call a priest to see if Hell has frozen over.

The drilling in ANWR will be equivalent to the size of a postage stamp on a football field. Nothing to get all excited about.

I think we can all agree that fixing the energy crisis is far better then delaying it, no?
Especially when delaying it might create a REAL crisis in the future.


The park and other wild areas around the world have already been destroyed by oil, even though they were not close to the drilling sites in general.

Heard of Oil spills? Perhaps pipeline leakage?

Besides: Who's to trust corporations to do the right thing if granted access to the parks? Corporations don't give a **** about the environment, and they are going to do what is cheapest, ethical or not.


I think this picture exemplifies another important point:


In addition, you accidentally forgot to address the fact that more oil drilling will just mean continual pollution.

Well I'm pro-life but good god... she's a Bible thumper...

Funny, when I go interviewing for a job it's all about my experience, achievements, qualifications and references to be in that position.

How silly to expect the same of the President.

I think you're mistaking real experience, rightly measured in "achievements, qualifications and references," for the Republican talking-point version of experience, based solely on time in office--heretofore, anyway. Now they'll be singing a different tune.

Your photo seems to make my point, that the drill area is minuscule.

How much oil spilled in the Gulf of Mexico when Katrina hit?

I'm confused.

What sort of experience is there besides on the job ("time on office") experience?

When I go for a job all the postings say "Must have 5-7 years direct experience with ABC", "Must have 7-10 years hands-on experience with XYZ", "Must have N-years experience in the <whatever> business field", etc etc etc.

Is there another source of 'experience' I don't know about?



How so?

Gov. Palin has more executive buck-stops-here/make-the-hard-choice experience in her little finger than Obama hs in his whole body.

I guess there's two ways we can account experience.

1) Number of years in office. In this case, Obama is more experienced than her but, of course, McCain is more experienced than Obama.
2) Substantive legislative (or executive) accomplishments. I doubt we'll use this metric, as it allows Obama to come in as more experienced than McCain.

So yeah, she has less experience than Obama.

Which Obama has quite a bit more of then McCain.
"Well, Abraham Lincoln served two years in the U.S.House, and seemed to do all right." (Meet The Press 12/17)

Barack Obama: Total of 12 years experience in government, both state and federal.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt: At time of his election in 1932, total of 14 years experience in government, both state and federal.

Ronald Reagan: At time of his election in 1980, total of 8 years experience in government, all state.

John F. Kennedy: At time of his election in 1960, total of 12 years experience in government, all federal.


The thing is, not only have many great presidents been less-experienced then Obama, but Obama is QUITE experienced!

I don't want to copy and paste everything, but there is quite a lot of info. on Obama's experience here:
http://www.obamapedia.org/page/Does+Barack...ident%3F?t=anon


And how exactly qualified is McCain?

1. His class rank at the U.S. Naval Academy was 894 out of 899. In other words, fifth from the bottom.
2. He cheated on his sick and disfigured wife, and eventually divorced her.
3. He was part of a major political scandal.
Charles Keating ran a savings and loan in Irvine, California. He made over a million dollars in contributions to five Senators, asking for their help in getting federal regulators off his back. McCain's wife invested in a shopping center of Keating's, they borrowed Keating's private jet for trips to Keating's private retreat, and McCain received over $100,000 from Keating and his associates.[3]

Keating's financial empire exploded, resulting in charges of fraud and racketeering, helping to usher in the great savings and loan scandal in the late 80s. McCain's efforts on Keating's behalf helped light the fuse.

4. He owns 7 houses, and has ployed his tax plan so he will save 300,000$.

5. According to a Republican Senator from Mississippi, during a 1987 sit-down with representatives of Nicaragua's Sandinista government, McCain became so enraged at the man that he physically assaulted him. These concerns have been echoed by some of McCain's Democratic colleagues, who indicate that he is quick to "explode".

It seems that all McCain is experienced in is divorce, war, arguments, temper, elitism, scandals, and failing college.

Cheers,
SQLserver

Do you truly find this to be an issue?

The Obama family's earnings, last year was $4,000,000. Do you find that offensive? (I don't.)

He has 140-something days as a U.S. Senator.

In terms of the business world that wouldn't even count as barely be above "entry-level".

Sorry, but what are you smoking?

Obama was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1996, succeeding State Senator Alice Palmer as Senator from the 13th District, which then spanned Chicago South Side neighborhoods from Hyde Park-Kenwood south to South Shore and west to Chicago Lawn.

Obama was sworn in as a US senator on January 4, 2005.

Funny how your only reply to my response was a flat out lie!

Cheers,
SQLserver