John McCain did not help his presidential aspirations by selecting Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate.

By a unanimous bipartisan vote, the Alaska Legislative Council released a 263-page report on October 10, 2008 that concluded that "Governor Sarah Palin abused her power by violating ... the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act. "

Los Angeles Democratic Party Chair Eric Bauman spelled out my thoughts perfectly with his statement:

"The American people want change. This abuse of power proves a McCain-Palin Administration would just be more the same.

"Not only does this call into question Palin’s ability to govern, it calls into question McCain's judgment in picking Palin knowing full well she was under investigation.

"Where is the ‘straight talk’ now? The American people deserve better."

How did Gov. Palin react? With an apology? With transparency and contrition? With a statement about lessons learned?

Sadly, none of the above. Instead, per the Washington Post, Palin told reporters the next day, "I'm very, very pleased to be cleared of any legal wrongdoing, any hint of any kind of unethical activity there."

For this obvious dishonesty (and personal denial?), the Washington Post awarded her its highest "four Pinocchios" rating, writing "What is not debatable is that the report clearly states that she violated the State Ethics Act."

Now comes word that McCain tussles with Palin over whipping up a mob mentality. Reports the London Times:

"McCain has become alarmed about the fury unleashed by Sarah Palin... Cries of 'terrorist' and 'kill him' have accompanied the tirades by the governor of Alaska against the Democratic nominee at Republican rallies.

"... McCain believes the attacks have spun out of control."

The London Times also reports:

"However, Palin is no longer helping to attract women and independent voters to the Republican ticket.

"A poll for Fox News last week showed that while 47% of voters regard the Alaska governor favourably, 42% now have an unfavourable opinion of her."

And it makes me wonder... if these unsavory attacks were helping McCain's poll numbers, would he still be belatedly insisting, "I want everybody to be respectful..."?

I hope that, after the election, assuming that Obama/Biden prevail, Sarah Palin goes back to Alaska, never to be heard from again on the national political level... unless and until she resolves her tenuous relationship with objective truth and reality.

And until Palin learns to communicate in anything other than sarcasm, slander and smug, vicious sneering at people not exactly like her and her family.

UPDATE - The Anchorage Daily News writes on Oct 13, 2008: "Sarah Palin's reaction to the Legislature's Troopergate report is an embarrassment to Alaskans and the nation." Read the rest at Palin vindicated? Governor offers Orwellian spin

Related Reading

• What's Wrong with Palin Sneering at Community Organizers?
• 2012 Ambitions? Palin Helped Herself More Than McCain at VP Debate
• Washington Post, Oct 13, 2008: Alaska's Family Feud: Meddlesome Sarah Palin does not come off well

(Photos by Getty Images: #1 taken on Oct 13, 2008 by Chip Somodevilla; #2 taken on Sept 3, 2008 by Alex Wong)

While John "I don't really understand economics" McCain and his supporters continued today to desperately scour for dirt to distract voters from the imploding U.S. economy, Barack Obama rolled out a smart new $5 billion Small Business Emergency Rescue Plan to help small business through this ongoing historic meltdown of the American economy.

Observed Obama, "The financial crisis is threatening the viability of America’s small business. Thousands of small firms are unable to access the credit they need to pay their workers, produce their products, or finance their inventories... They are facing the prospect of having to lay off workers, cut back operations or close their doors altogether... "

The main purposes of this smart rescue package are to quickly aid U.S. small businesses, which are responsible for more than two-thirds of new job creation, to:

• help small firms obtain the loans the need to meet day-to-day operating expenses,
• make important short-term investments, and
• meet payroll expenses.

Take a few minutes to read through my summary of Barack Obama's Small Business Emergency Rescue Plan, which is an interesting, well thought-out mix of tax incentives and cuts, increased availability of small business loans, and restoration of Bush administration butchering of small business counseling offered by the Small Business Administration.

Once again this week, Barack Obama was a leader, calmly responding to this unprecedented financial crisis by offering constructive, full fleshed-out plans to respond to the emergency and to directly help Americans.

And once again, John McCain and runing mate Sarah Palin played politics, ignored the devastating crisis, and slung ugly, vicious political mud... and they ignored the pain, confusion, and heartfelt financial fear of Americans.

At this point in time, after eight years of abject failures under Republican fiscal policy, there is only one rational, reasonable choice for President of the United States: Barack Obama.

(Photo taken on Oct 10, 2008: Mark Lyons/Getty Images)

Related Reading

• McCain and Republicans as Fox, Financial Markets as Chicken Coop
• Obama's Plan for Financial Markets Reform
• Obama's 12-Point Plan to Repair the U.S. Economy

To an online CNN poll yesterday, 85% of respondents said that "I have never had my mind changed about a candidate by a debate."

The second presidential debate of the '08 race was no exception: few voters likely changed their minds about either Obama or McCain, which is not good news for the beleaguered McCain campaign.

NBC News moderator Tom Brokaw's control-freak bids to be center of attention and to curb bona fide debate, though, probably cost him a few million fans.

Demeanor and Debate Format
The debate was held in a more casual town-hall format with questions from the audience, the format John McCain regards as his best venue.

McCain forgot, though, that unlike his town hall-style campaign stops, the official presidential debates aren't packed with only his cheering supporters. And he forgot that at this bipartisan town hall, the audience was oddly asked to display no human reactions or emotions whatsoever.

Perhaps due to flak over his last seethingly hostile debate performance, McCain made five or six strange attempts at apparent humor ( "hair transplants," "That one..."), only to be met with awkward silence that highlighted McCain's weirdness factor.

Jolhn McCain spoke almost constantly in snide, graceless tones and disdainful words, even dismissively assuming a under-40, African-American questioner had never heard of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

It made me wonder: do Republican strategists really believe that anger and snark are winning attributes to attract an electorate desperately looking for hope, help and leadership?

In contrast, Barack Obama's fresh earnestness and total lack of a funnybone played well in this response-free venue. And exercising self-discipline, Obama rarely strayed into his windbag professor persona.

Both candidates looked directly at questioners, moved easily on the forum floor, and responded semi-directly to most audience questions.

Bottom line: Obama came off as normal, calm, smart and well-informed, while McCain came off as cranky, odd, smart and well-informed. Neither seemed particularly warm or electrifyng.

Thankfully, both candidates deftly sidestepped Tom Brokaw's many ridiculous gotcha questions. ("This requires only a yes or a no... Do you think that Russia under Vladimir Putin is an evil empire?")

Indeed, Brokaw did everything in his power to drag down the intelligence of the debate. Blessedly, he failed.

Confronting the Issues
While both candidates had their strong moments on important issues, Obama's strong moments outnumbered those of McCain, especially on health care, income taxes and the Iraq War.

• Health Care - Obama probably "won" the debate when he responded that health care is a "right," as opposed to McCain who reluctantly dubbed it a "responsibility."

  Obama explained the basics of his health care plan, dissected McCain's mischaracterizations of his plan, and he rightfully called out McCain's hypocrisy on health care for children, stating: Read more...

A week ago, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered a short speech just before the first House vote was taken on the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.

That first House vote failed by a slim margin because, in part, a handful of Republicans whined that Pelosi's speech was "partisan" and supposedly offended their fragile sensibilities.

("Because someone hurt their feelings, they decided to hurt their country?" mocked Barney Frank, Chair of the House Financial Services committee.)

After a close reading of Pelosi's remarks, I can find exactly one sentence that might be construed as "partisan," but certainly not inflammatory:

"Democrats believe in the free market, which can and does create jobs, wealth, and capital. But left to its own devices, it has created chaos."

In fact, Pelosi's speech brilliantly, and quite objectively, summarized the obvious causes of the U.S. fiscal crisis, as well as why this exorbitant bill had inevitably to be passed by a reluctant Congress.

Take a couple minutes to read Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Controversial Bailout Speech. I think you'll agree with me.

(Photo taken as Speaker Pelosi signed the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 on Oct 3, 2008: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Related Reading
Profile of Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House
Middle-Class Says NO to Flawed "Welfare for Wall Street" Bill