WE Blog

John McCain is no great orator, but his relaxed, unvarnished remarks from the GOP convention stood out for the way they set out the principles of the Republican Party, called Americans to service, appealed for bipartisanship and avoided partisan cheap shots, our editorial today says.
He was at his most moving when discussing his captivity during the Vietnam War and his most persuasive when discussing his commitment to national security. Overall, his speech was an effective and at times inspiring statement of his values and mission, though it left many questions about how another four years of GOP control of the White House could be the proper response to the past eight years.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius was part of the Democrats’ counterattack Thursday against GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin. “She did a good job delivering a speech in a tough arena,” Sebelius said in a conference call to reporters. “She mastered the words written by the Bush speechwriters.” But Sebelius criticized the speech for its “partisan attacks and no real solutions” and questioned how she lobbied for federal money as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska. “I don’t know any mayor in any small town in Kansas who hires a lobbyist and goes after (federal money) the way Sarah Palin did,” Sebelius said. As for the idea that Palin could pick up some votes from Hillary Clinton supporters: Sebelius put Palin “on the radical fringe of even the Republican Party on reproductive issues and privacy issues.”

If a vice presidential nomination can be measured by the humor it inspires, McCain-Palin could start measuring the drapes:

“Here’s good news, ladies and gentlemen. The Palin family crisis that we were talking about on Sunday and Monday, that has been solved now. And today the baby is being adopted by Angelina Jolie.” — David Letterman

“Gov. Palin announced over the weekend that her 17-year-old unmarried daughter is five months’ pregnant. And you thought John Edwards was in trouble before! Now he has really done it.” — Jay Leno

“John McCain’s VP pick is the governor of Alaska, an unknown hockey mom named Sarah Palin that no one ever heard of. The only other job she had in politics was the mayor of a small town known as Wasilla, Alaska, and now she has the opportunity to be on a ticket opposite of Barack Obama, the first black man she’s ever seen.” — Bill Maher

“And you’ve got to love this: Sarah Palin is an avid hunter. An avid hunter. A vice president who likes guns? Well, what could go wrong there?” — Letterman

“And how are you going to be the vice president of the United States with five kids to take care of? She’s got a 4-month-old of her own, she’s about to become a grandmother, and she’s partnered with John McCain. How many diapers can one woman possibly change?” — Jimmy Kimmel

“Palin and McCain are a good pair. She’s pro-life and he’s clinging to life.” — Leno

After a clip of Fox News’ (and former Wichitan) Steve Doocy assuring that “she does know about international relations because she is right up there in Alaska, right next door to Russia,” Jon Stewart observed: “When you think about it, Alaska is also near the North Pole, so she must also be friends with Santa.”

“Are you kidding me, the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska? Yeah, that’s who you want in the White House during a time of crisis. When she got a phone call at 3 in the morning, it was because a moose had gotten in the garbage can.” — Maher

“Here’s the amazing part: Back in 1984, Sarah Palin actually came second in the Miss Alaska beauty pageant. Now she could be vice president. You know what that means? For the first time in history, a beauty pageant contestant might actually bring about world peace. They’ve talked about it for years; here’s one that could do it!” — Leno