This is why it is so important to let expose the truth about Sarah Palin:

http://whatissarahthinking.blogspot.com/2008/09/9-questions-from-anchorage-daily-news.html

I was curious so I checked... Anchorage to Moscow is 4,365 miles, while D.C. to Moscow is 4,835 miles.

>> ^deedub81:
The fact that Obama has campaigned longer doesn't mean he has more experience.


Obama 1985-1988: Served as the director of the Developing Communities Project (DCP), a church-based community organization originally comprising eight Catholic parishes in Greater Roseland (Roseland, West Pullman, and Riverdale) on Chicago's far South Side. During his three years as the DCP's director, its staff grew from 1 to 13 and its annual budget grew from $70,000 to $400,000, with accomplishments including helping set up a job training program, a college preparatory tutoring program, and a tenants' rights organization in Altgeld Gardens.

Palin 1984-1988:In 1984, Palin won the Miss Wasilla beauty contest (playing the flute), then finished second in the Miss Alaska pageant, at which she won a college scholarship and the "Miss Congeniality" award. Palin attended Hawaii Pacific College — now known as Hawaii Pacific University — in Honolulu for a semester in 1982, majoring in Business Administration. She transferred in 1983 to North Idaho College. In 1987, Palin received a Bachelor of Science degree in communications-journalism from the University of Idaho, where she also minored in political science.

Obama 1988-1996:Attended Harvard Law School, graduating magna cum laude in 1991. During that time he was also the editor of the Harvard Law Review. In his sophomore year he was elected president of the Law Review, supervising a staff of 80 editors. Between 1992 and 1996, he taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School.

Palin 1988-1996:1988, she worked briefly as a sports reporter for KTUU-TV in Anchorage, Alaska. She also helped out in her husband’s family commercial fishing business. Ran for Wasilla city council in 1992, won and served two terms from 1992 to 1996. Ran for mayor of Wasilla (pop. ~8000) in 1996 and won.

*****

Quick outline. Source: Wikipedia.

I might continue on another post, Deedub, but I just wanted to make something clear here:

Do you consider the two outlines above to be equal in measure and weight?

If yes, why?

If no, which would you consider more qualified for a career in government?

^ Sarah Palin didn't announce her pregnancy to the state until her fifth month. I never once saw a picture of her [in any Alaskan newspaper or elsewhere] where she looked remotely pregnant. The papers all said she waited to announce it so no one would suggest she step aside earlier.

As for the flight while she was in labor, the flight from DFW to Anchorage is 8 hours minimum, and that's without a stop to refuel in Seattle. I'd like to see her speech when she was in labor - I'm sure that would be pretty telling. A keynote speaker is bound to have a fairly lengthy speech. If she got through her speech without a contraction, I'd be impressed. I remember at the time being irritated that she had gone through with the flight - especially after having popped out four kids, she wouldn't have been in labor for long. And you would think flying could cause serious complications, particularly if the baby were to be born halfway between Seattle and Anchorage, which would be extremely likely. [Even for a new mother, the average labor time is 8-14 hours. It only decreases the more children you have.]

I never thought twice about it before. The more I think about it now, the more it seems possible. Then again, I don't care enough to worry about it.

>> ^BicycleRepairMan:
I dont see how this made her look stupid, Alaska IS closer to Russia,...


Living a thousand miles from Siberia in Anchorage (vs. something less than 10 thousand miles for the rest of the U.S. to Siberia) is not a rational equivalent to having experience interacting abroad as a U.S. representative.

It is a ridiculous point to make. Next time they should just say, "well, John's healthy... and Palin's a fast learner" and not try to bullshit around.

Here's the e-mail being sent out to the MoveOn-a-nites:

"Yesterday was John McCain's 72nd birthday. If elected, he'd be the oldest president ever inaugurated. And after months of slamming Barack Obama for "inexperience," here's who John McCain has chosen to be one heartbeat away from the presidency: a right-wing religious conservative with no foreign policy experience, who until recently was mayor of a town of 9,000 people.

Huh?

Who is Sarah Palin? Here's some basic background:


She was elected Alaska's governor a little over a year and a half ago. Her previous office was mayor of Wasilla, a small town outside Anchorage. She has no foreign policy experience.1

Palin is strongly anti-choice, opposing abortion even in the case of rape or incest.2

She supported right-wing extremist Pat Buchanan for president in 2000. 3

Palin thinks creationism should be taught in public schools.4

She's doesn't think humans are the cause of climate change.5

She's solidly in line with John McCain's "Big Oil first" energy policy. She's pushed hard for more oil drilling and says renewables won't be ready for years. She also sued the Bush administration for listing polar bears as an endangered species—she was worried it would interfere with more oil drilling in Alaska.6
How closely did John McCain vet this choice? He met Sarah Palin once at a meeting. They spoke a second time, last Sunday, when he called her about being vice-president. Then he offered her the position.7
This is information the American people need to see. Please take a moment to forward this email to your friends and family.

We also asked Alaska MoveOn members what the rest of us should know about their governor. The response was striking. Here's a sample:

She is really just a mayor from a small town outside Anchorage who has been a governor for only 1.5 years, and has ZERO national and international experience. I shudder to think that she could be the person taking that 3AM call on the White House hotline, and the one who could potentially be charged with leading the US in the volatile international scene that exists today. —Rose M., Fairbanks, AK

She is VERY, VERY conservative, and far from perfect. She's a hunter and fisherwoman, but votes against the environment again and again. She ran on ethics reform, but is currently under investigation for several charges involving hiring and firing of state officials. She has NO experience beyond Alaska. —Christine B., Denali Park, AK

As an Alaskan and a feminist, I am beyond words at this announcement. Palin is not a feminist, and she is not the reformer she claims to be. —Karen L., Anchorage, AK

Alaskans, collectively, are just as stunned as the rest of the nation. She is doing well running our State, but is totally inexperienced on the national level, and very much unequipped to run the nation, if it came to that. She is as far right as one can get, which has already been communicated on the news. In our office of thirty employees (dems, republicans, and nonpartisans), not one person feels she is ready for the V.P. position.—Sherry C., Anchorage, AK

She's vehemently anti-choice and doesn't care about protecting our natural resources, even though she has worked as a fisherman. McCain chose her to pick up the Hillary voters, but Palin is no Hillary. —Marina L., Juneau, AK

I think she's far too inexperienced to be in this position. I'm all for a woman in the White House, but not one who hasn't done anything to deserve it. There are far many other women who have worked their way up and have much more experience that would have been better choices. This is a patronizing decision on John McCain's part- and insulting to females everywhere that he would assume he'll get our vote by putting "A Woman" in that position.—Jennifer M., Anchorage, AK

So Governor Palin is a staunch anti-choice religious conservative. She's a global warming denier who shares John McCain's commitment to Big Oil. And she's dramatically inexperienced.

In picking Sarah Palin, John McCain has made the religious right very happy. And he's made a very dangerous decision for our country.

In the next few days, many Americans will be wondering what McCain's vice-presidential choice means. Please pass this information along to your friends and family.

Thanks for all you do.

–Ilyse, Noah, Justin, Karin and the rest of the team

Sources:


1. "Sarah Palin," Wikipedia, Accessed August 29, 2008
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Palin

2. "McCain Selects Anti-Choice Sarah Palin as Running Mate," NARAL Pro-Choice America, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17515&id=13661-7654869-irR0vsx&t=1

3. "Sarah Palin, Buchananite," The Nation, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17736&id=13661-7654869-irR0vsx&t=2


4. "'Creation science' enters the race," Anchorage Daily News, October 27, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17737&id=13661-7654869-irR0vsx&t=3

5. "Palin buys climate denial PR spin—ignores science," Huffington Post, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17517&id=13661-7654869-irR0vsx&t=4

6. "McCain VP Pick Completes Shift to Bush Energy Policy," Sierra Club, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17518&id=13661-7654869-irR0vsx&t=5

"Choice of Palin Promises Failed Energy Policies of the Past," League of Conservation Voters, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17519&id=13661-7654869-irR0vsx&t=6

"Protecting polar bears gets in way of drilling for oil, says governor," The Times of London, May 23, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17520&id=13661-7654869-irR0vsx&t=7

7 "McCain met Palin once before yesterday," MSNBC, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=21119&id=13661-7654869-irR0vsx&t=8"

Well Obama is from Hawaii, and that's close to Japan. Anchorage vs. Pearl Harbor. hmmmmmm.

Dag, any overlap? (Note: DC and dag were '87) (I think she is older)..

Palin was born in Idaho but grew up in Alaska, and her hobbies — moose hunting, ice fishing, hiking — indicate a typical Alaskan upbringing. But it was her performance on the Wasilla High School basketball team that earned her the nickname "Sarah Barracuda"— supposedly because of her fiercely competitive nature. Palin, who played point guard, was the team's captain her senior year, and scored the final point — a free-throw — of the 1982 state championship game that Wasilla won against Anchorage. Two years later, in 1984, Palin, then 20, entered a local beauty pageant to earn college scholarship money. She was crowned Miss Wasilla — and Miss Congeniality — and went on to compete in the Miss Alaska contest, where she came in second. She graduated from the University of Idaho in 1987 with a degree in journalism

>> ^deathcow:
You're an Alaskan and you don't know that Palin came from Wasilla? What rock do you hide under? Town of 9000? Got your news from liberalBias.com? There are 60,000 people + in the valley.
> ...Somewhere out there
Oh you mean the suburb of Anchorage were 30,000 people a day commute from into the biggest city of Alaska.
Believe me, I'm no republican, I just think your message reeks. As for experience she is the only name on any ticket with any executive experience at all.


No, I don't know Palin is from Wasilla. I thought she was from Palmer, which is considerably smaller. Does it really matter? The entire Mat-Su Valley is relatively small. It takes five minutes to get from Palmer to Wasilla. They might as well be the same.

Alaska is the second smallest state in the nation (population-wise, obviously), and Anchorage accounts for half the population of the state. She couldn't get her experience as mayor of a decent sized town?

Ok, so HAARP is everything and more that you're scared of. Now what? Fly up to Anchorage and sabotage it? Good luck! If it is what you suggest, you won't get within 20 miles of it.

It's like decrying the horrors of all those poorly protected nukes in the former Soviet Union. Yeah, it sucks, but there ain't goddamn thing you're going to be able to do about it, is there?

<drunken disclaimer>

Seriously - Alaska is certainly not lacking in land.
The 1002 area - the part they want to drill - is 0.35% of Alaska's total land area.
Opponents always scream "Won't somebody think of the Caribou?!"

I got news for ya: Pretty much the only thing that means is that only Alaskan natives are allowed to hunt there. It's not like taking a 2,343 square miles from over 663 thousand is going to really make a huge impact. After my trip to Alaska in may, (more specifically the road trip from Anchorage to Fairbanks) I was just blown away by how much nothing there is up there.

Drill, the caribou can live elsewhere. Like, ten feet over. Or a hundred miles. Same landscape.

Innsbruck? My cousin's family is from Mayrhofen. I spent some time there a few years ago--passed through Innsbruck proper a few times. Great country. Why do you want to go there?

In reply to this comment by LittleRed:
My name is Brianna. The screen name was prompted by my short stature and red hair.

I am a reformed sorority alcoholic. (Moved out and dropped back down to a size 2.) I'm 19 years old and a senior in college, but I haven't stayed anywhere long enough to be remotely close to graduating. Born in Escondido, CA, my parents decided to relocate the family to the frozen north when I was two. I've been in Anchorage ever since, with the exception of a few college stints "Outside."

I started my college career at 16 with majors in Electrical Engineering and Music History, with minors in Dance, Math, and German. I was feeling ambitious. Now I'm a Bioengineering major, with minors in Math and German.

My dream job is to practice medicine in Innsbruck, Austria.

I'm moving to Tempe in August to attend school. If anyone has any ideas on how to finance an education in that area without having a job, suggestions would be much appreciated.

My name is Brianna. The screen name was prompted by my short stature and red hair.

I am a reformed sorority alcoholic. (Moved out and dropped back down to a size 2.) I'm 19 years old and a senior in college, but I haven't stayed anywhere long enough to be remotely close to graduating. Born in Escondido, CA, my parents decided to relocate the family to the frozen north when I was two. I've been in Anchorage ever since, with the exception of a few college stints "Outside."

I started my college career at 16 with majors in Electrical Engineering and Music History, with minors in Dance, Math, and German. I was feeling ambitious. Now I'm a Bioengineering major, with minors in Math and German.

My dream job is to practice medicine in Innsbruck, Austria.

I'm moving to Tempe in August to attend school. If anyone has any ideas on how to finance an education in that area without having a job, suggestions would be much appreciated.

Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich’s spokeswoman commented: "While Alaskans can understand why Bob Schaffer would promote our beautiful mountain, I hope he doesn’t expect Alaska to cede North America’s highest peak to the State of Colorado."

There's a hill in Anchorage, AK that has the same effect. Either the force of gravity is being modified in these places, or its an illusion of perspective. I'm casting my vote on the latter.