Closing out the week....

Closing out he week's review of events, here's a few interesting opinions that you might be interested in reading....


But, in addition, a quick comment.  The more that I've thought about the unusual amount of positive reaction that's been accorded Gov. Palin, and attempted to understand why she has seemingly been so emotionally embraced by so many people, I've come to a simple conclusion.  She really is what she seems to be, and that is rare.  And like  all things rare, highly valued and treasured.


In a very existential way, she is a highly and innately talented woman without artifice.  She has not scripted her life, as many others have, to seek high office (such as Al Gore, John Kerry, Bill and Hillary, John Edwards, and now possibly Barack Obama).  She's like the British Postal worker who sings opera, and gets plucked out of obscurity on Star Search.  Although I don't believe that she is like the maiden, Joan of Arc, she may in fact come to be considered by some in the Republican Party, to be just that.


I've spent the weekend perusing videos of her; watching her debate for the 2006 Alaska Governor's election and other interviews.  There is something about her that reminds me of watching Margaret Thatcher, Golda Mier, or Indira Ghandi.


The investigators are on the trail, and I'm sure that over the next few weeks we'll be treated to more than we ever wanted to know about her.  And if the minions of the press are unable to discover a fatal flaw, I'm sure that we'll be hearing about Sarah Palin for a long time.........


Giving Credit Where It's Due for Palin - William Kristol, Weekly Standard
The editors of THE WEEKLY STANDARD believe in giving credit where credit is due. The presidential race looks a whole lot better today than it did two weeks ago. For this, thanks are owed to two men--Barack Obama and John McCain--and to that herd of independent minds, the liberal media.
First: Thank you, Barack Obama. He lacked the confidence or the strength to ask Hillary Clinton, recipient of some 18 million votes, to join him on the ticket.
Second: Thank you, John McCain. He showed guts with his pick of Sarah Palin. 
Third: A special thank you to our friends in the liberal media establishment. Who knew they would come through so spectacularly? The ludicrous media feeding frenzy about the Palin family hyped interest in her speech, enabling her to win a huge audience for her smashing success Wednesday night at the convention..........


Palin's Story is Our Story - Jim Wooten, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Country music legend Loretta Lynn, the coal miner’s daughter, captured the America that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin touches in Lynn’s 1971 hit, “One’s on the Way.”

The song contrasts the glitzy world of celebrities with the routine of the ordinary life of a woman in Topeka where: “The rain is a fallin’. The faucet is a drippin’ and the kids are a bawlin’, one of ‘em a toddlin’, and one is a crawlin’. And one’s on the way.”


The Referendum on Sarah Palin - George Jonas, National Post
The U.S. election of 2008 is shaping up as a contest about a vice-president — possibly a first in America. In most American elections, few things matter less than the second-in-command. In this one, judging by the media attention, few things matter more.


The Battle of Party Themes - Michael Barone, RealClearPolitics

The national conventions are political shows staged to influence voters.Soon, we can measure the bounce that the two tickets have received from their gatherings. One of the themes hammered home at Barack Obama's convention was McCain equals Bush. That never struck me as sustainable and was pretty well demolished on the first full day of McCain's convention.......The Republican convention's premise is that McCain is the maverick reformer -...............We'll see if that argument is sustainable.

McCain Offers Reality vs. Obama's Empty Promises - Simon Heffer, DT

The Democrats have a world view based (as Dr Johnson might have put it) on the triumph of hope over experience. The Republicans’ is rooted firmly in reality.

Obama: The Disillusioned Activist - John Judis, The New Republic
What Barack Obama won't tell you about his community organizing past........To win their votes, Obama needs to do precisely what he once taught organizers to do: speak to the self-interest of ordinary people.  So far, this has not been Obama's strong suit as a presidential candidate. To his credit, he has certainly talked about gas prices and health insurance. But, as Obama would have told his trainees 20 years ago, conveying concern requires more than saying the right thing; it involves seeing the world from the vantage of those you are trying to win over--and convincing them that your empathy is sincere.

Russia's Role in the Iran Crisis - Takeyh & Gvosdev, Boston Globe
.......Moscow feels that as long as the diplomatic process remains in play, America is in no position to launch a military strike that could destabilize the Middle East. At the same time, the theocratic regime has increasingly adjusted to a sanctions policy whose impact is negated by increasing oil prices........For its part, Russia is happy with the standoff between Iran and the United States. Not only does it destabilize international oil markets - keeping prices higher than they ought to be - but Iran's large natural gas reserves are effectively off-limits for European use, reinforcing the continent's dependency on Moscow. At the same time, as Iran strengthens its economic links with key Asian powers, it makes it more dependent on Russia and China for its critical trade and investments. Russia can only benefit from Iran's gradual reorientation toward the East.


Palin Inexperienced? Not Really - Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
Greta van Susteren took a look at the “inexperienced” criticism of Sarah Palin by interviewing people who worked with Palin in Alaska.  She spoke with the current mayor of Wasilla, which is — surprise! — one of the five largest cities in Alaska, and with the commander of the Alaska National Guard.  Greta also gets to the bottom of her battle with oil companies in her state in this lengthy video from Fox News last night: VIDEO