Not to be a cheap advertisement for Digby again, but she mentions something this morning that may be at the heart of why McCain is shielding Palin – her potential skeletons. If Americans really, REALLY get to know her, that might not be so good, and McCain may have discovered why. Nothing dominates the news like a tawdry sex scandal – and when you choose a woman based solely on her gender and appearance, her skeletons may be more juicy & interesting to voters than whether McCain’s campaign manager has been on Freddie Mac’s payroll. It's sleazy, but true... Bush had no trouble hiding his true thoughts (“I don’t believe in nation building”), and I’ll give her the benefit of any doubt that she could run circles around Bush intellectually.

Glenn says that Palin may be “completely ignorant about the most basic political issues -- a vacant, ill-informed, incurious know-nothing.” I actually don’t think that would be something McCain would try to cover up because (1) It makes him look that much smarter-- just like Bush/Quayle in 1988, and (2) wasn’t that considered Junior Space Cadet’s (“wouldn’t you like to have a beer me?”) greatest asset 8 years ago?

I agree. I usually find myself in agreement with Keillor's point of view, but he slipped up on that little nugget. One of those accepted ‘bits of wisdom' that has no basis in reality.

Theists seem to need, not only to believe in a deity, but also to believe deep down that everyone is equally driven by fear ... I mean, a belief in a god.

Personally, I find it sad that such an obviously fictional creation (our sky ghost) is a firm belief by an overwhelming majority of my species.

Between having more military power than brains AND believing in a deity, it's hard to imagine our species not obliterating itself before another century passes... and still we hear time and again how we need more god in our lives not less.

"If you were an al-Qaida leader . . . and you knew about what they were able to do, you’d get your ass outta town."

-- Bob Woodward

AWESOME!!

I wonder if the Iraqi civilians (better known in Washington as the "insignifcants") should also get their "ass outta town?"

I'm thinking neutron bomb - turn every man, woman, and child into dust. Considering Baby Huey only has less than 4 months to play with his toys -- 4 more months and then never, ever again be able to commit mass-murder -- I'm sure he's prudently biting the side of this face, asking Jesus to guide him, and planning one last genocidal blast to look back on in retirement, giggling like the little bitch that he is.

AWESOME!!!

Digby had a post yesterday that perfectly illustrates the alarming save-us-daddy mentality being espoused by the media talking heads (which is very similar to their belief 5 years ago that Captain Codpiece could save us all from evil-doers). Just a snippet of the conversation below between Chris Matthews, Richard Wolf and Lynn Sweet, captures their fear, ignorance, and daddy-craving perfectly.

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Matthews:THANK GOD this president has this secretary of treasury and not the one other ones he had before, perhaps. But Richard, the people can't vote on things like this.

Wolf: (nods sagely)

Matthews:We can't understand it. I'm one of them. I don't get it. What are all these derivatives and all this short selling and all this complicated financial ... skigamadoo or whatever you call it. What is it?

Wolf: Even the candidates have problem getting through this alphabet soup. I mean, they've both mangled the players and the key terms of those involved here. Are they talking about firing the right person when he talks about Chris Cox? Is it Fannie Mac or Freddie Mae?

Matthews:I'm just wondering if it's above our pay grade? I think Carly Fiorina may have been right. These guys can run for president but they can't be Secretary of the Treasury.

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http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/financial-skigamadoo-by-digby-ok-i-just.html

It's interesting to note that there doesn't seem to any of the fire-breathing, rightwing idiocy tonight over this post like there was last week over the Sarah Palin post (‘What does Sarah Palin have to hide in her Yahoo e-mails?’). To me it seems largely the same issue at stake – rightwing hypocrisy.

I have to wonder if when Glenn titled this piece he wasn’t thinking how irony-challenged the rightwingers proved to be last week and decided to spare himself their clueless vitriol.

Personally, I like watching the rightwing froth at the mouth, completely unaware of their shocking stupidity. But, as when Homer Simpson lies on the floor chasing after himself, at first the family laughs -- only to become sad and uneasy when he continues.