Posted October 28, 2008 8:42 PM
by James Oliphant
Robert Draper is the political writer who this week penned the behind-the-scenes account of John McCain's zig-zagging campaign for The New York TImes magazine.
Now, Draper, to his apparent horror, has been called upon to blog the last week of the campaign for GQ. (Shades of David Duchovny in "Californication.")
Draper has a post up that looks at the "grim binary choice" presented to the McCain campaign staff regarding Sarah Palin. The choice, as Draper writes, was "whether to make Palin look like a scripted robot or an unscripted ignoramus."
More:
On the other hand, it had to be hard for Sarah Palin--who has achieved all she's achieved with a highly personal touch--to take all this ridicule under an enforced gag order. After being introduced to the world as one of the "Team of Mavericks," she's admonished not to be one. She's being called out by some McCainites for not cleaving to all of the senator's positions. The Republicans who fawned over her superstar looks are now shocked--shocked!--to learn that her much-admired wardrobe has been purchased with RNC funds. I've heard from one well-placed source that McCain has snubbed her on one long bus ride aboard the Straight Talk Express, to the embarrassment of those sitting nearby.
Read the rest of the post here.
Comments
O.K.--Stop it already with the "superstar looks". French First Lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy has superstar looks, Palin does not.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/french-dressing-frances-first-lady-arrives-in-britain-801038.html
Infinitely more important, she doesn't have superstar intelligence and possess below-average knowledge. This is not an American Idol competition, we need the best, the brightest and the most knowledgeable individuals to guide us out from under Bush's "Thunderdome". It's an absolute embarrassment that McCain picked this woman as his running mate, and insult to intelligent, progressive woman everywhere.
Posted by: dt | October 28, 2008 9:02 PM
Was that CQ or GQ???
Posted by: ornery | October 28, 2008 9:20 PM
The tale of two parties is clearly told in the self-appointing titles these people give themselves.
Palin is; hockey mom, reformer, maverick and now diva..well ok, she didn't call herself the diva, but someone in the party did.
On Obama side....well, they haven't yet but McCain and Palin have been adding titles to him like, redistributor.
Maybe it's a Republican thing like the time GW called himself "The Decider".
And these people are suppose to lead the country? What kind of diplomacy can you expect from arrogant name callers?
Posted by: Terry | October 28, 2008 10:36 PM
As an antidote to the "superstar looks", type Sarah Palin into flickr.com and have a look at some of the offerings there. The most telling one is the one where she's next to a Caribou she's just 'offed' with a semi-automatic. The thing that hit me was her little daughter (about three at the time) stood next to her looking traumatised.
Yeah, Palin's a babe!
Posted by: Jez Hemming | October 28, 2008 10:49 PM
Geez James...I wonder how much Michelle Obama's clothes cost? Her clothes were designed by Oprah's designer at a cost of what?
Who paid for Joe Biden's hair plugs and botox treatments?
I saw on The Drudge Report that the Chicago Trib is going down in flames....I wonder why?
Paulo
Posted by: Paulo | October 29, 2008 12:12 AM
Ie seems that the "BRAINS" who are in charge of being Sarah Palins keeper forgot where she came from. They are use to dealing with the "Washington GOP Elite" they forgot that the real Republicans and others are more like Sarah Palin. We need to take back the RNC and throw out all the GOP ELITE"
VJ Machiavelli
http://www.vjmachiavelli.blogspot.com
Posted by: VJ Machiavelli | October 29, 2008 12:52 AM
McCain would have been smoked early without Palin. But he might have been able to mount a comeback with a more respected candidate.
But who?
Who could energize the public while at the same time give the ticket Main Street cred?
Answer: Frankly, I can't think of anyone.
So maybe McCain made the right choice. But if he did, then the Republican party is in worse shape than I thought.
Posted by: Jorge from Bloomington | October 29, 2008 1:34 AM
The saddest part is that now she thinks she can run in 2012 for the office of the president. Will the RNC help her in that endeavor? I guesss we'll have to wait and see.
Posted by: lochnessmonster | October 29, 2008 6:58 AM
nessy,
You betcha she will run in '12.
She is very ambitious, and wants power. Now that she's seen the brights lights and the big city she's not gonna stay up on the iceberg with the hockey moms and Joe 12 packs.
Posted by: C.Morris | October 29, 2008 8:30 AM
I keep going back to the song: "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" when I think of her and her family.
Posted by: lochnessmonster | October 29, 2008 8:40 AM
Paulo -- as has been mentioned again . . . and again . . . and again . . . Barack & Michelle Obama and Joe Biden purchase THEIR OWN clothes. They didn't have the campaign try to play dress up.
But you'll ignore this post just like all the countless others.
Posted by: SouthSideD | October 29, 2008 6:41 PM
VJ, if Palin represents "real" republicans, then what happened to the real conservatives? Palin might be a social conservative, radically so in fact, but in no other sense is she a true conservative at all.
Honestly, I would gladly let people like Palin overrun the republican party so the remaining real conservatives will split off and form a new party while the GOP falls to dust.
For reference, I'm a fiscal conservative, social liberal (except on gun rights), and major supporter of freedoms that cover not just the first amendment, but the entire bill of rights.
Posted by: Jason Miller | October 30, 2008 4:11 AM