Why don't you provide us some financials to support your contention that the undeserving and the uppity with an assist from bleeding heart liberals caused the financial crisis? Should be pretty cut and dry. Just shred a few balance sheets. The sad truth is the average American did a lot of the heavy lifting. They were the ones that decided it was risk free to flip houses and treat them like an ATM. The mortgage industry didn't need any arm twisting to package and sell mortgages for massive fees to investors worldwide looking to make a killing.

After that, you can explain how the poor blew up the Credit Default Swap market.

And last time I checked tax distributions, the coastal blue states where paying more than their fair share of taxes. They may take you up on your offer to go your own way.

has the highest percentage of moronic, racist, and just flat-out illiterate posts I can remember in a while. In a karmic way, I guess you've all proved Joe's point!

Common sense is an oxymoron...

By now everyone has become aware of the effort that ABC's snooty and supercilious Charles Gibson made to disparage Sarah Palin under the guise of conducting an interview of her. It clearly was not an interview as Mr. Gibson sought merely to ridicule her rather than to elicit any meaningful information from her.

How did he ridicule her? He merely asked her questions. She smiled at him. He didn't smile back much. He merely asked her questions. She oozed charm at him. He didn't ooze back. He merely asked her questions. She called him Charleeeeee repeatedly. He properly kept it formal. She winked. He looked startled. He did not seem to want to jump her bones.

Maybe he just doesn't find her attractive. Sarah Palin cannot expect every man to go all gooey and non-objective when assaulted by her persistent charms. Maybe she just isn't his type.

Instead, he kept it professional. I was quite heartened by this. I would like to see more distance and objectivity displayed by journalists.

Ms. Palin did just fine, thank you.

Well, I suppose that depends upon one's perspective. Was she in the running for Miss Alaska again, interview portion? She should have prepped more.

On the other hand the ABC snot showed himself to be a haughty ignoranus (sic) further debasing -- if that is still possible -- the profession of journalism.

Ignoramus has an a letter m in it. Being crude does not lift your argument.

He didn't debase journalism; he practiced it -- for once. That he suddenly chose to do it with Governor Palin is her misfortune. Maybe he did not want to appear vulnerable to a pretty face.

Why did the usually bland talking head attempt the hit on the estimable Ms. Palin?

I think your greater objection must be that he didn't desire to hit on her.

The very intelligent and highly perceptive blogger who publishes the Gunslingers Journal believes -- correctly, in my opinion -- that Mr. Gibson was trying to raise his professional standing and esteem with his BOM (Big Old Media) cohorts and those with whom they mingle and identify.

Why yes. I actually agree. He needed to.

And that, in turn, raises the larger question of why these smug, sanctimonious elitists harbor so much rage toward Ms. Palin.

Why did Kathleen Parker write that intial article suggesting that Palin withdraw? Same reason. Now that Parker has been taken to the conservative woodshed, she must whistle a different tune, a less honest one.

We in America also have among us those who consider themselves superior to, and entitled to rule their ordinary countrymen.

That would probably be Bush's friends, the Mores and the Have Mores.

The eltists among us are embarrassed by this. They identify with and seek to emulate European patricians -- to be gentler, more sophisticated, never violent no matter how great the provocation, certainly less enterprising, and of course more refined.

I indeed find Bush's elite friends very violent. They seem to want to torture people. Why this should be a positive thing, I don't know.

Just curious: Do you physically discipline your children? I am trying to get a sense of this admiration for violence that you seem to have.

Sarah Palin is a threat, and a potentially lethal one, to the un-American and often even anti American dominance over our institutions enjoyed by those who hold such attitudes.

Oh really? She didn't seem lethal to me. Betcha she isn't, dontcha know. Wink, wink.

Republican voters have made a stunning discovery: what Palin does or does not have up-top doesn't matter one way or another.

And McCain never selected her because of her smarts.

Instead McCain just completed his ticket in the most calculating way possible. McCain is an elderly male? Get a young female. McCain is a long-term senator? Get a total outsider. Public sentiment is anti-Washington and anti-establishment? Get someone who can claim to have stood up to vested interested (in this case Big Oil). The result? Palin!

And make no mistake: policy will be set by Republican policy specialists. All they need is a loud mouthpiece. Within the McCain administration, Palin will be simply be "launched" at certain pre-set targets. I.e. those where the job requirements are either to have a folksy sound while looking good on-camera or to have a take-no-prisoners fight where maintaining a good working relationship with the opposite party is not desired.

And we ought to be grateful for that. Whatever Palin's qualities, thinking or formulating policy aren't among them. But that's all-right. If the current president is anything to go by, a surfeit of intelligence is not a job requirement.

So all in all a solid choice by GOP voters.

She beat expectations?!?! Why is anyone still taking this person seriously? From the moment she came out and blew a beauty pageant style kiss to someone (Gwen? Mom? Baby Trig?), she was in full wannabe beauty queen mode. She hammed and mugged and said "by golly gee willigers, I'm just like you! 'Cept you're not a governor, and your daughter ain't knocked up, doggonit!" Just watch this debate with the sound turned off, and her insincerity blasts through the screen. With sound up, she becomes a stream of consciousness throw-together of Cheney talking points crammed in to her faux-folksy rap, whether appropriate or not. "I've only been at this, like 5 weeks.." No, apparently you've been at this since the '80's.

As a 'small town person', I find nothing remotely appealing about her. She reminds me of the pretty girl running for school president, trying to get all the 'regular' people to back her on the pretty train.

And will someone please tell me, with the country going down the tubes, why is she smiling so much?