Who chose Palin?

By Tristan Snell
Sunday August 31, 2008


Well, it certainly wasn't John McCain.

McCain only met Palin once, six months ago. Unlike every other major party VP nominee in recent memory, Palin did not meet McCain for a final interview before her selection. A few weeks ago, she wasn't in the running at all. The scandals and unorthodoxies involving Palin -- she flip-flopped on the Bridge to Nowhere and even raised sales taxes on her small town to pay for an overpriced boondoggle -- show that the McCain campaign didn't vet her. The McCains and Palins looked visibly awkward together, not even speaking as they went their separate ways on a brief shopping trip in Ohio yesterday. McCain is on record as saying he wanted a running mate with whom he had a strong personal relationship -- and who was ready to be president.

This was clearly not his pick. So again: Who chose Palin?

Was it Dick Cheney? Or Karl Rove? Or maybe James Dobson?


Source: Open Left

Grav!ty wrote:

The McCains and Palins looked visibly awkward together, not even speaking as they went their separate ways on a brief shopping trip in Ohio yesterday.

He has enough shoes.

There's definitely something unusual about it. Watch McCain's face when she talks about Clinton at the introduction speech.

Grav!ty wrote:

Was it Dick Cheney?

When Dick Cheney was in charge of Bush's VP search he chose himself! Cheney had nothing to do with McCain's selection.

It wasn't Karl Rove... if it was we'd know because he's doing all of his advising to the McCain campaign via Fox News

James Dobson's no fan of McCain (and vice versa), so I doubt McCain was influenced by anything he would have to say.

My opinion is that McCain would have much rather chosen somebody like Tom Ridge or Joe Lieberman (both of which he does have a personal relationship with) however the base reaction to those names were poor. So I envision that he had to go back on his word to find somebody that would appeal to the base and also had the potential to pick up independent votes.

Sarah Palin fills both roles in my mind. She's conservative enough to make the party base happy and the fact that she has an ability to relate to the "commoner" make her an attractive pick as well.

I dunno hey Will. If it wasn't one of the above then who actually selected her?

It sure doesn't look like it was McCain. He's lost control of his campaign and his campaign managers are pulling the strings as can be seen from the facts he's no longer permitted his off the cuff media interviews, and although he vowed to keep the campaign clean, ads he's supposedly approved have been vicious and below the belt.

Now the real question is, if he can't control and manage his campaign, how on earth can he manage and control a Presidential administration and more important, who is going to be pulling the strings of the President if he is elected?

Is he just going to be a puppet President? Whose interests will he be serving?

I'm concerned about that too now; the puppet note. That's the last thing we need. Bush was certainly a puppet at times to the likes of Cheney, Rumsfield, and Rove.

So now we know who jerks McCain's chain: Secretive Right-Wing Group Vetted Palin

Quote:

The members of the Council for National Policy are the hidden hand behind McCain's Palin pick.

Council for National Policy

Quote:

The Council for National Policy is a secretive forum that was formed in 1981 by Tim LaHaye as a networking tool for leading US conservative political leaders, financiers and religious right activist leaders. The group, which meets three times a year, promotes "Educational conferences for national leaders in the fields of business, government, religion and academia to explore national policy alternatives. Weekly newsletters are distributed to all members to keep them apprised of member activities and public policy issues. A semi-annual journal is produced from membership meeting speeches." In 2001, ABC News reported: "The CNP describes itself as a counterweight against liberal domination of the American agenda." Others are not so kind to the organization and its motives. Mark Crispin Miller states that the CNP is a "highly secretive... theocratic organization -- what they want is basically religious rule" (A Patriot Act). Barry W. Lynn, the executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, told the New York Times about the CNP meeting ahead of the 2004 Republican National Convention, "The real crux of this is that these are the genuine leaders of the Republican Party, but they certainly aren't going to be visible on television next week.