memeorandum: The real politics of the Bridge to Nowhere.... (AndrewHalcro.com)

2:20 PM ET, September 3, 2008

Top Items:

Another Controversy for Sarah Palin — Former Police Chief Says He Was Fired for Challenging Palin's Campaign Contributors — Gov. Sarah Palin is already facing ethical questions over her firing of the Alaska public safety commissioner, and now she faces questions over the firing of a longtime local police chief.

Discussion: Confederate Yankee, The Moderate Voice, JammieWearingFool, Three Wise Men, Riehl World View, Political Machine and PrestoPundit

Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:

The War Against the Press — I've talked to many political professionals over the years who were mad at the media, or me in particular. — But I've never quite had a conversation like the one Tuesday night with Steve Schmidt. — He was absolutely furious as he unloaded on the journalistic community …

Discussion: The New Republic, The Daily Dish, Wonkette, Achenblog and PoliticalBase.com Blog

Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:

McCain Strategist Blasts Media — Top Aide Says News Organizations Are ‘on a Mission to Destroy’ Palin — Sen. John McCain's top campaign strategist accused the news media Tuesday of being “on a mission to destroy” Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin by displaying “a level of viciousness and scurrilousness” …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, The Caucus, Think Progress, American Street, NewsBusters.org, TVNewser, Commentary, Media Blog, Tennessee Guerilla Women, Taylor Marsh and Sweetness & Light

Mike Allen / The Politico:

McCain: Palin more qualified than Obama — Mounting a ferocious defense of his embattled running mate, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said he is buying a TV ad arguing that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has more experience than the Democratic presidential nominee, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

Discussion: Yahoo! News, Associated Press, Comments from Left Field, Spin Cycle, Hot Air, Wizbang and Commentary

Washington Post:

Before Speech, Running Mate Gets Some Coaching — Since Sunday night, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has been holed up in her suite in the Hilton Minneapolis while a parade of Sen. John McCain's top advisers have briefed her on the nuances of his policy positions, national politics and, above all …

Discussion: The Caucus, Los Angeles Times, TRAIL BLAZERS, Argghhh!, Newsweek Blogs, Donklephant, TIME.com, PoliticalBase.com Blog, MSNBC and Time

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

FINELY AGED WHINE — There's quite a tear-jerking piece in the Post by Howard Kurtz today about the McCain campaign's wailing about the media treatment of their botched veep roll-out ... Schmidt, by the way, is one of the most hard-boiled GOP operatives and Rove proteges around.

Discussion: The Huffington Post and Commentary

William Yardley / New York Times:

Palin's Start in Alaska: Not Politics as Usual — WASILLA, Alaska — The world arrived here more than a century ago with the gold rush and later the railroad. Yet one aspect of American life did not come to town until 1996, the year Sarah Palin ran for mayor and Wasilla got its first local lesson in wedge politics.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Real Clear Politics, Connecting.the.Dots, The Edge of the American West, Welcome To The PalinDrome, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, No Blood for Hubris, Don Surber, Democratic Strategist and RADAMISTO

Los Angeles Times:

McCain had criticized earmarks from Palin — Three times in recent years, the Arizona senator's lists of ‘objectionable’ pork spending have included earmarks requested by his new running mate. — WASILLA, ALASKA — For much of his long career in Washington, John McCain has been throwing darts …

Discussion: Liberal Values, American Street and Kevin Drum

Wall Street Journal:

GOP Tightens Image Control As Palin Prepares for Debut — ST. PAUL, Minn. — The McCain campaign scrambled to take control of the public debate over vice-presidential pick Sarah Palin, canceling her public appearances and teaming her with high-powered Republican operatives as she prepared …

Discussion: Washington Wire, The Daily Dish, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Washington Monthly, New York Post, Christian Science Monitor, Real Clear Politics and New York Times

Dan Balz / Washington Post:

Aides Say Team Interviewed Palin Late in the Process — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was not subjected to a lengthy in-person background interview with the head of Sen. John McCain's vice presidential vetting team until last Wednesday in Arizona, the day before McCain asked her to be his running mate …

Discussion: MSNBC, Washington Wire, The Moderate Voice, Crooks and Liars, Firedoglake, Us Weekly, unbossed.com, Corrente, Jonathan Martin's Blogs, NY Daily News, Taylor Marsh, democracyarsenal.org, Daily Kos, Emptywheel, Spin Cycle and The Other McCain

Hope Ditto / Political Radar:
Dems Call Palin Experience Ad ‘Ridiculous’

Discussion: Hot Air, Commentary, Post Politics, www.redstate.com and TPM Election Central

Patterico's Pontifications:
Why the Press Claims, Falsely, that Sarah Palin Wasn't Vetted …

Discussion: Legalities

Maureen Dowd / New York Times:
Life of Her Party — For many years, reality was out of vogue with Republicans.

Discussion: Firedoglake, ABCNEWS, Associated Press, The Politico, No More Mister Nice Blog, Not Your Sweetie and MSNBC

Lindsey Ellerson / Live Blogging:
How Palin is Playing in the Supermarket Aisles

Discussion: Not Your Sweetie, Political Radar, Macsmind and Blue Gal

Byron York / The Corner:

What Palin Will Do Tonight — I've been talking to a member of the McCain/Palin team this morning about what to expect from Palin's speech to the convention tonight. These speeches often feature a lot of biographical material, introducing an unknown candidate to the world.

Discussion: Unfogged

Jill Zuckman / The Swamp:
McCain, Palin families greet candidate

Discussion: Jonathan Martin's Blogs

Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
McCain lashes out at press over Palin

Discussion: The Swamp, Associated Press, Top of the Ticket, National Review, Hot Air and Reuters

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
Well, I Did Something Right — Thanks to Stephen Hayes:

Discussion: Sonny Bunch

The New Republic: Are the Attacks on Palin Sexist?

Jack Shafer / Slate:

MCCAIN CREATES A DISASTER STORY FOR THE NEWS-STARVED PRESS. — The news abhors a vacuum. Politicians, public-relations disinformers, media consultants, and other spin artists may think it's wise to suppress the elemental force that is the news. But when the news breaches the container it's been stuffed into, mayhem results.

Discussion: The Anonymous Liberal

Patrick Buchanan / Real Clear Politics:

McCain Pick is Paying Off Big Time — The risk John McCain took last Friday is comparable to the 72-year-old ex-fighter pilot knocking back two shots and flying his F-16 under the Golden Gate Bridge. — McCain's choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his co-pilot was the biggest gamble in presidential history.

Los Angeles Times:
Vetting of Palin is raising questions

Discussion: Jezebel

Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:

Obama Met With Fox News Executives — At a secret meeting with Barack Obama three months ago, Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes says, he tried to clear the air with the Democratic senator by saying that his organization was determined to be fair but would not be “in the tank” for Obama's campaign.

Discussion: The New Republic and NewsBusters.org

Jeff Zeleny / The Caucus:
Obama to Appear on Fox on Thursday Night

Discussion: Outside The Beltway and Don Surber

AndrewHalcro.com:

The real politics of the Bridge to Nowhere.... With all the debate surrounding the Bridge to Nowhere earmark, I offer you a campaign photo from 2006 when the Bridge to Nowhere was considered the Bridge to Somewhere by one candidate seeking votes from the people of Ketchikan.

Discussion: The Daily Dish, Matthew Yglesias, Alas, a blog, The Jed Report, The Politico, Spin Cycle and Balloon Juice

Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:

The Angry Left — I don't have the credentials necessary to go to the actual convention, but according to folks I've talked to it's been low energy in the Xcel Energy Center and a not-exactly-packed house. Indeed, President George W. Bush didn't even bother to show up in person to deliver …

Discussion: Swampland, Outside The Beltway and The Daily Dish

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
Bush: “McCain Wasn't ‘Tortured’”

Discussion: Real Clear Politics

Megan McArdle:

More turnabout is fair play — John McCain made unkind remarks about Chelsea Clinton. My opinion of the kind of man who makes jokes about a young girl unfortunate enough to go through puberty on the public stage is unprintable. That, and his appalling treatment of his first wife …

Discussion: JustOneMinute

Michelle Cottle / The New Republic:

Palin's Handling of Other People's Pregnant Teens — Obviously, from the perspective of a progressive, there is much to dislike about Sarah Palin's politics. But this tidbit in today's WaPo strikes me as particularly offensive: … I'm sorry, but a politician who opposes abortion …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Hot Air, Think Progress, Jezebel, Salon, MoJoBlog and The Reaction

Amanda / Think Progress:

Michael Moore responds to Lieberman. — Yesterday in his address to the Republican National Convention, Sen. Joe Lieberman (R-CT) tried to demonstrate the “maverick” appeal of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) by invoking filmmaker Michael Moore. He said that “if John McCain is just another partisan Republican …

Michael Moore:
Michael Moore Responds to Joe Lieberman

Discussion: TPM Election Central

Spengler / Asia Times:

How Obama lost the election — DENVER - Senator Barack Obama's acceptance speech last week seemed vastly different from the stands of this city's Invesco Stadium than it did to the 40 million who saw it on television. Melancholy hung like thick smog over the reserved seats where I sat with Democratic Party staffers.

Discussion: Bookworm Room and Clayton Cramer's BLOG

Victor Davis Hanson / The Corner:

Why Do We Like Palin? — Much has been written why Palin both brings strength to the McCain ticket and is a gamble at the same time. Why then the growing wave of popular sentiment in her favor? — Various reasons, but one I think is that millions of Americans are simply tired of being lectured at by smug elites.

Discussion: American Power and Dr. Sanity