For instance, the "facts" of Trig were put front and center at the time of the announcement. Therefore, they are an issue because she made it one. When she's doing that to appear to stand for "family values" and the truth of her family's life is that of most people, rather than an ideal that can preach, the ploy deserves to be knocked down.

Republicans stand from a holier-than-thou position till they get caught with what they do in secret--which is nearly always poetically opposite to their public stands--at which point they try to claim they're just as "weak" as everyone else and so forth.

They use the position they pretend to in order to deny a great deal to the rest of us. They should not be allowed that power.

And it was Sarah Palin who did her family a disservice by so blithely agreeing to become McCain's running mate.

...so we can be sure shotguns will be allowed.

BTW, if Bristol was already going to get married, why didn't they mention she had a fiancee right off? Seems that would have lightened things for the GOP considerably.

Oh right--they just got the idea Saturday. Around when they realized they could send Levi to jail if he didn't go along.

McCain made sure personality and her "private" life, and decisions therein, were the main reason to vote for her. This was a sop to the religious right.

But every detail of the narrative has gone Bizarro at the slightest bit of scrutiny.

They based this on lies, and this is what happens to liars. And if the GOP were on the other end of this, they'd have hammered the Palins till their brains exploded.

So no pathetic, hypocritical, prissy pleas for consideration. This is the political world now. The only way to turn it back into something else is to play dirty till the ones who made it this way, the GOP, are gone. Not to be nice. Tell me what the GOP ever did that deserved "nice" treatment now!

I was born and raised in the south(my family goes back to 1800 there) and half my family is "redneck". I can make as many snarky remarks about the piggy-skinned folk as I like.

I'm beginning to wonder if McCain or Palin made any recent trips to Hawaii. Remember guys, TIKI IS TABOO!

Or maybe if there is a God, he/she/it got disgusted with the GOP around the time of Terry Schiavo and has been giving them wrath ever since. Hmm.

Fair enough. So they found some other way to pressure him into this.

I'm sure it'll be a happy, happy marriage! Marry in haste, enjoy in leisure. Oh wait, that's not how it goes...

And needs no further reply. I don't think anyone has even suggested abuse in that family--well, except throwing them into a spotlight that is way too hot for them for your own ambition(and ruining their Labor Day weekend on top of it).

But what I do still wanna know is why the engagement was kept secret, when it would have pre-empted ALL of this. I know engagements are shameful things people often try to hide, but really...

Even Kerry--in Salon itself--now says he should have gone on the attack when the Swiftboating began. Obama might be wise to wait till the convention is over so that they can blow their whole wad, but for God's sake, the instant it's done, please eviscerate these bastards without mercy. This isn't a school election and the fate of the world is at stake.

McCain doesn't deserve to win and the Democrats have no reason to be nice. It's not like they get credit for courtesy. "Nice" is weakness in this context, and the "high road" may make Democrats feel good about themselves. But being in power would feel better. They didn't spare the attacks in 2006 and they won the Seante. Tell ya anything?

Swear to god, do NOT screw this up, Obama.

...They're only claimed when a practical loss has occurred.

Let's just have a victory, period, for once.

Pasolini's notorious obscene and terrifying indictment of fascism and consumer capitalism is SCREAMING to become a reality show! I almost think it has, but FEAR FACTOR, though like SALO it included people forced to eat foul stuff, never put nails in their food nor raped the contestants, nor had a contest to see whose ass was best, the winner to have their brains blown out.

My favorite part would be the last week, in which all betray the others and are each in turn tortured to death, winner or loser, because they're all the same lower class offal to the four judges. Maybe you could have celeb guest stars from past reality shows! Clay Aiken's tongue getting cut out--you're telling me you wouldn't tune in? C'mon!

Of course, after Abu Ghraib, there's a danger people might think they're watching FRONTLINE and click away.

Stories critical of Palin when you read them, but headlines that extol her? Again, is this Salon the Parody?

And who exactly does Salon think it's fooling with that shit, particularly since you now seem to write about nothing but Palin?

...so why don't you just cut the crap and endorse McCain and Barbie Mooseburger already? You know you want to. Stop being so disingenuous.

Oh right, the purpose of the 25-8 coverage of Barbie and Grandpa is not to get McCain support, it's to demoralize Obama supporters. If you went overtly conservative, it wouldn't work.

How much is Karl Rove paying you, Salon? And how do you feel about the McCain campaign making all charges of sexism look silly form now on? Enable it, go ahead. It'll never be usable again after this year.