Another possible Hail Mary pass is drop Palin from the ticket. If she loses the debate with Biden, I wouldn't be surprised if McCain drops her in favor of Romney, goes on TV to make a dramatic apology to her and the nation, and his campaign argues that it shows what a great President he would be that he's willing to admit his mistakes and do what's right for the country.

It wouldn't work, of course, but it's the kind of thing that would appeal to him.

Obama is just playing the rope-a-dope. He keeps giving the dope more rope, and mixing a metaphor here, waiting until the wheels fall off.

Normally one would say: No effin' way. But after what we've seen so far...

And, if necessary, there should be enough time between the wedding and the election for a Sarah Palin spread in Maxim.

Who doesn't enjoy a shotgun wedding?

If Sarah weren't the type to use her kids as campaign props then she would have done it post election.

Can't really have things both ways here. Can't cry about family privacy while using your teenaged daughter's shotgun wedding as a campaign prop. Sarah's definitely the type to eat her young given the chance.

The interesting thing to me here is that a McCain insider believes that shutting down the race for a week would be a good thing. Ostensibly this would prevent McCain from ceding even more ground to Obama.

Still, it's sort of tough to escape the way the McCain campaign increasingly seems to strive to resemble a bad Reality TV show.

It would be interesting to see how it played. She couldn't excuse herself from the campaign for it, because that would undermine the idea she can do both. But for them to have a wedding and her not to be involved in the planning would undermine the mom image, wouldn't it? yes, it would shift the campaign, but I'm not sure the story book meme would prevail.

I'm not sure whether they're dumb/desperate enough to try this. America might be riveted, yes, but in appalled fascination, not joy and awe.

If America was pretty sure that McCain's antics from last week were purely politically motivated and didn't care for them, what are people going to think about hustling two teenagers down the aisle at a time when everyone clearly should have more important matters on their minds? "Shut down the race for a week"?! Insane, not least because the country wants the race to continue.

And let's be frank: this is not the idyllic Charles and Diana wedding we're talking about, where Americans were all daydreaming that they were still under the monarchy. This is Britney/K-Fed territory.

That it's nearly impossible to dream up a stunt that the McCain campaign wouldn't try shows how completely detached from reality it has become. You could start a rumor that McCain and Palin plan to divorce their respective spouses and then marry each other on November 3rd and no one would raise an eyebrow.

Gak!

at 1:30 PM was me.

Remember the cartoon character Rocky the squirrel and Bullwinkle the Moose? Well here we are with McCain and Palin.

Hey Bullwinkle we gota get outa this political mess, Bullwinkle got any ideas?

Yeh Rocky lets throw a party, everyone like parties.

Bullwinkle who we gona invite?

Ya know, Putin, Natasha, and Boris all those friendlies across the straights. Huh and my Moose friends.

Ya mean all those moose friends with Steven ear marks.

No just German Marks and Japanese yen. Yep.

The media has to man up and say, "We respect the right to privacy for the family of all Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates, especially their children, and we would not stoop to turn a religious and family celebration into a media circus. To both families, and especially the bride and groom, we will say only, "Best wishes for your future from all of us."

Somewhere, George S. Kaufman is kicking himself for not putting this scenario -- dimwit vice presidential candidate's pregnant daughter gets married before the election -- into "Of Thee I Sing."

WOOOOOO! BRISTOL GONNA MARRY LEVI! WOOOOOOO!

Now if Bristol releases a single with a HOT beat, I'm DEFINITELY gonna vote for Sarah an' whatsisname!

Unless the video sucks.

I think Palin will "withdraw for family reasons" before Thursday's debate. I wouldn't be surprised if it's announced about an hour before the formal economic bailout details are released so that its impact is mimimized.

Stay tuned!

PS: What's up with the Liebermans having dinner with the McCains last night anyway???

Maybe Bristol's wedding will get sabotaged by Ross Perot.

what planet is the McCain campaign on? do they really think a obviously thrown-together-for-political-purposes wedding like this would keep the electorate fascinated for A WEEK?

i (sorta) feel bad for the guy who knocked Bristol up--he's found himself in a whole other world of attention, all because of McCain's recklessness.

can anyone say "Runaway Groom"?

This is just what's needed to cancel the VP debate. "I'm sorry, but I have to shop for a wedding dress with my daughter that day." If not this, I can almost guarantee something will be attempted.

I beg them to do this. Please!

GOVERNOR PALIN: EXPLOIT THOSE KIDS FOR POLITICAL GAIN!!!

(Yes, a lot of people would watch. And when they were done watching, they would be disgusted -- and looking to attach that disgust to something or someone. Like, say, a presidential candidate....)

Who cares? Who cares if Bristol marries Levi? And --why would it take a week of media time to show the nuptials? White House weddings don't get this much attention.

Also, isn't Sarah too busy running for vice president to be involved with planning a wedding? Weddings take a lot of work, even if you have a wedding planner. Wouldn't even the dumbest right winger see through this?

Hard to imagine a stunt like this would do anything to reverse Palin's slide in the polls. If anything, this kind of shameless exploitation of an unplanned teen pregnancy -- combined with Palin's conspicuous absence from all but a few pitiful press avails -- would pretty much completely destroy whatever favorability ratings she has left, even among some of the diehards. Certainly don't mean to suggest they're above something like this, but it looks politically suicidal.

I'm sure the media would play along gladly.

I agree with bicmon, among others, that she'll be dropped:
I think Palin will "withdraw for family reasons" before Thursday's debate. I wouldn't be surprised if it's announced about an hour before the formal economic bailout details are released so that its impact is mimimized.

"But Uncle McPOW, I don't want a bunch of people at my wedding!"

"Shut up you c^nt! If you hadn't been such a trollop you wouldn't be in this mess! Now let's see you blush like a bride. BLUSH DAMN YOU!!"

P.S. THAT PROBLEM I'VE BEEN CARPING ABOUT IS STILL A PROBLEM.

Not thinking big enough.

On Thursday morning, Palin announces that the wedding will take place November 1, and that she's dropping out of the race to spend time helping her daughter plan, but invites all of America not only to the wedding, but to help with the planning in conjunction with a special four-week reality show on Fox.

On Friday morning, McCain announces his new running mate: Jesus Christ. McCain surrogates immediately go on TV daring people to claim that Christ doesn't have the qualifications or isn't "American." News networks immediately note that, of course Christ is a Republican and so is a fine choice for V.P., but spend hours debating residency requirements and noting that this is bad for Obama since he will now have to convince people to vote against their Lord and Savior.

McCain begins adding "and my running mate agrees with me on this" to every policy statement.

On November 1, the wedding is broadcast throughout the world, with two special places set in front of the church for McCain and Jesus.

On November 2, the real Jesus Christ, finally fed up with all of this, calls McCain home. Obama subsequently wins in a landslide over the dead guy/unseen Lord ticket.

[I may be off on a couple of details...]

A Bristol and Levi wedding would be a great risk.

Anyone with a 17 year old would be appalled. I have raised four children and I have had hoards of 17 year olds in my house multiple times. I know none who were near ready for the responsibility of marriage.

Besides, has anyone seen Bristol lately? Is she really pregnant?

I hope that the McCain campaign actually goes through with a big media pregnancy wedding. It would be so repulsive and vulgar that even this country would say "enough already" Sorry- the image of the very pregnant daughter waddling down the aisle to the waiting Joad groom. Too much. Not gonna happen, unfortunately.

I've concluded that the entire McCain campaign is actually a scientific experiment being conducted by some superior intelligence in order to determine the exact percentage of the American people who are hopeless morons. So how many would be unable to recognize that "Alaska shotgun wedding, so vote for McCain" is a bit of a non sequitur? It would be helpful if that could be factored into the equations.

we're all supposed to line up and congratulate bristol and levi for acceding to the demand that they get married to "take care of the problem" caused by sarah palin's failures as a parent.

we are expected to cheer as her daughter is made to suffer the consequences twice over, not to mention the poor child yet to be born into this disaster.

is this wedding any more a choice of bristol or levi than it was bristol's choice not to have an abortion?

P.S. THAT PROBLEM I'VE BEEN CARPING ABOUT IS STILL A PROBLEM.
Posted by: tAwO

tAwO, you may want to get the "no script" add-on if you're using firefox, at least until they fix it. Worked for me.

Their desperation to show Caribou Barbie in any kind of positive light makes this believable. There would be no policy questions asked in such a setting. It would be her daubing tears of joy and hugging her baby. There would be almost zero opportunity for her to insert a moose hoof in her mouth.

Everyone is forgetting the bigger issue:

Who is going to play young Levi on SNL?
And yes I agree, John Belushi would have been perfect for the role....

I think it would be a great idea as long as Katie Couric can ask Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston if they're going to look for Russia on their honeymoon. But, really, shouldn't let's-roll-the-dice McCain challenge Obama to eat live worms with him and swim the Yangtze during the next debate? And then Palin can give John CPR on national TV...proving she's ready. Let 'er rip, John. Ready. Fire. Aim. You've got nothing to lose.

I love the quote by an insider who says, "What could be the downside?"

Oh, gee, I don't know - exploiting a young couple's lives for political gain, maybe?

I seriously thought this was a story from the Onion when I first saw it.

What does it say about the moral character of someone who would even come up with this idea?

I don't believe this story. McCain might go for it, but the fact that he hasn't self-destructed yet shows that there are some adults on his campaign staff. Con men on the take, but adults nonetheless.

What's scary is that I had to think about it for a while before dismissing it.

A wedding would backfire big time. It would be seen totally as a political stunt and demean the entire campaign.

The next hail mary may be something dealing with National security since this is where McCain thinks he is more an expert (he's not anything but a screw up). But Palin may resign herself for personal reasons with McCain making a more pragmatic pick.
Still, McCain has such bad judgment and everything he's tried so far as blown up in his face so predicting what lengths he might go to to win this election requires defective skills.

But McCain's pattern of self destruction comes with his presumption that American voters are ignorant and easily manipulated. He thinks we are just too dumb to see through him so he tries to convince us that he's a grocery shopping, gas buying everyman consumer hoping we'll forget about his 12 houses or his $500 pair of shoes.

Would she wear her beaded mother of the bride gown to the innaugural ball?

I don't see it happening, but it might. I have a feeling there will be no wedding if McCain/Palin lose.

Sarah Palin will lose the debate horribly and then make the rounds of all the talk shows...and crie. That's what we'll see.

They will continue with non stop foolishness until election day, but I think the public has tired of it. The economic situation hit home for everyone. People are worried about their jobs, their homes, their savings. McCain had a horrible two weeks simply because people don't have the luxury of indulging this silliness. Sarah Palin just looks stupid now, not new and different. McCain seemed nasty and out of touch in that debate, and rushing back to DC to have a swanky expensive dinner with Miss Money Bags and the Liebermans makes his "concern" over the bailout look rediculous. At this point I think its too late for him to turn it around. He CAN'T dump Palin,. the Christian freaks would revolt.

I think a wedding would ultimately backfire. It would look really out of touch considering all that's going on. Watching them indulge themselves in a big high profile wedding while people are really concerned about they're very survival would look good at all, but they seem to be somewhat tone deaf. But I still say, that wedding will never happen if they lose.

This post is just a total rehash of Josh Marshall's post.

Well I for one would not doubt it for one minute , the way they use that baby as a prop dragging it all over the place. I fully expect her to show up at the debate with a bassinet at her side.

I can picture it. Father Todd walks daughter Bristol down the aisle while Republican Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska enters stage right with her moose hunting rifle firmly positioned against the back of prospective son-in-law, Levi Johnston.

Come on, Sarah! Stay in Alaska! You're not ready for the big time. You and John McCain have made the Republican campaign the laughing stock of the whole world. Put COUNTRY FIRST and take your embarrassing and unprepared self out of the race.

Growing up in the rural South, I saw more than my share of these shotgun affairs with a teenage bride and groom "doing the right thing". I can't think of one offhand that didn't end in divorce.

If one can celebrate a political stunt pre-election shotgun wedding, can one also imagine McCain suffering a stroke in 3 years and President Palin's press conference explaining the nasty divorce between Levi and Bristol, who now have 3 kids? And announcing that Track has come home from Iraq under charges he impregnated an Iraqi girl.

Might be a lot of fun to vote in these clowns if you're a fan of soap operas.

Here's one:

Three days before the election, Palin's son, serving in Iraq, is mysteriously KIA.

Military officials pledge a full and transparent investigation.

Breaking with six years of Bush policy, Track's flag draped coffin is greeted by the Palin family and the McShame campaign with CNN, ABC, NBC, and FOX all beaming live coverage into America's living rooms.

The NFL allows all of its games to be pre-empted so that they can bring coverage of the teary-eyed Palin being comforted by McSame.

From the tarmac McCain't offers a heart-felt eulogy and pledges that the troops will come home with victory and with honor.

Free Levi.

In a ploy to secure support from the NRA, the wedding will no doubt feature real shotguns.

And the wedding cake can be something shot and field-dressed by Sarah.

I dont think will help and the media is not happy with McCain and wouldnt make an issue of a teen pregnancy.

He should call the national enquirer.

No one gave a hoot when Jenna Bush was married last spring. It barely registered. And Jenna, whatever you think of the Bush twins, is at least a college graduate with something like a career path, and her finance was some kind of Republican Washington insider type. Not my cup of tea, but at least they're perfectly respectable.

I'm not sure that even the Republicans would think it's good idea to shine too bright a light on the marriage between a 17-year old pregnant drop-out and her 18-year old drop-out boyfriend. Both apparently gave up on formal schooling sometime during their junior years of high school. The whole thing, far from some fairy tale wedding, is just sad.

I actually think that Palin, as a mother, would draw the line at making her daughter's wedding the next shot of adrenaline. It's also pretty clear to me that she's pissed as hell at the McCain campaign for squeezing her between their idiocy and the American media circus. So putting her family on the line for them when she's already committing political suicide for them would be too much.

I would not be surprised if she decides she wants to spend more time with her family, though. That would be mutually beneficial for her and the campaign.

I think McCain's next move is to enlist Flavor Flav and Rock of Love's Bret Michaels to find McCain's next VP selection. There will be no announcement of Palin's departure as McCain will do what all reality stars do when the new season begins and pretend as if Palin just stopped returning his calls and that it's not a big deal.

To juice up the excitement, McCain will send the top five finalists to debate Biden during the VP debate, and the one with the worst performance will be asked to leave the house that night. His final VP choice will be made on election day, with voters from all fifty states deciding among the top three which one they want. This way, people will show-up to vote for McCain, just so they can pick their favorite. This is guaranteed to work and will surely put Obama on the ropes.

Oh, and just to give away the surprise: MTV's Tila Tequila will win.

Palin isn't going to drop out or get kicked off the ticket. This is just a fantasy like the Obama-Hillary dream ticket.

People really like weddings, even shotgun weddings, and are willing to entertain the idea of the couple as a couple joined by God for eternity. Chances are they will be divorced after the 2nd kid, but unril then, it's a marriage made in heaven.

The wedding will not increase the electoral prospects of McCain-Palin though it would somewhat relieve Palin's downward slide in the polls. The most that could be accomplished by this October "Surprise" is to dominate the news cycle for a day or two during which time the Obama campaign would be unable to make further gains in the polls.

Next hail mary pass? Palin will withdraw before Thursday. THEN:
McCain/Lieberman
or
McCain/Hannity (lol, just kidding; I think)
or
McCain/Romney (for his christian base, LOL, LOL,LOL)
or
McCain/Chaney (scary; but Chaney demands it)
or
McCain/Tina Fey

I actually think that Palin, as a mother, would draw the line at making her daughter's wedding the next shot of adrenaline.

I'm sorry to say that I don't think that's the case. Were she to have that sort of thinking, she wouldn't have agreed to be McCain's VP selection. Or at least, she would have blinked a few times before agreeing to it. But she's one of those people with far more ambition than brains and think she'd be happy to turn her daughter's wedding into a circus if she thought it would help.

The reason she got as far as she did is because she has an instinctive ability to know how to manipulate people to get what she wants. And then she had the First Dude to help her with much of the planning and enforcement. But none of this is really thought-out by her. She's like a shark, it's all reflex. But there is no self awareness in any of this. That's why she allowed the McCain people to believe in all the lies she told about how she did things in Alaska. She told them what she needed them to believe, and now every passing news story on her just blows up in her face even more. But I'm sure she couldn't help it. If she had told them the truth, they really would have said "Thanks, but no thanks." Palin was only a good choice if she had the record she pretended to have. The fact that the McCain people believed her just shows their own level desperation.

And in this case, if she thought exploiting her daughter's life would help her win, she will convince herself that it was the right thing to do. Remember, these are people who can justify the murder of millions of people they never met, simply to sooth their own egos. What's a shotgun wedding in comparison? No, I think the only way this won't happen is if McCain's handlers realize how much it will blow up in their faces. If anything, I suspect this was a trial balloon that will be shot down before it gains any traction. I don't think it's going to happen.

It seems to me if the McCain campaign really wanted to back out of the VP debate, then all they'd have to do is announce that Sarah Palin is returning to Alaska to work on her daughter's wedding. That would certainly raise some eyebrows, but it would be almost impossible to fault Palin for her choice.

Palin drops out of race claiming rabid sexism. John McCain replaces her with Hannah Montana for the sake of the country. Hannah Montana immediately gives huge international press conference railing against liberal media inthetankedness.

Is this clip - as some are saying - McCain mumbling "horsesh*t" twice as Obama is winding him up about not being willing to speak to Zapatero, President of the Spanish Government?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Cj7reiFaaM

You quote: “It would be fantastic,� said a McCain insider. “You would have every TV camera there. The entire country would be watching. It would shut down the race for a week.�

It truly would be fantastic. Just think: A chance for the United States of America to celebrate unwed teenage pregnancy and old-fashioned shotgun weddings. The happy consequences of not worrying about birth control. Traditional family values, Republican (meaning American) values. And it would take our minds off of Iraq, Afghanistan, debt, bailouts, energy, and health care.

And don’t forget, John McCain was a POW. For several years, he couldn't even go to weddings. You could tell where this was going when McCain enthusiastically welcomed the young man to the Republican convention. Of course, I'm sure McCain told him he would get a do-over at 40 if things don't work out.

Hey, speaking of shutting down the race, wonder if they will invite Barack and Michelle? That would put Obama in a difficult position, wouldn’t it? He could keep campaigning and look like a snob, or go and waste valuable time. Of course, he could regain some momentum by portraying his trip to Alaska as giving him foreign policy experience — he will be close to Russia, after all. Maybe Barack will come face to face with the great head of Putin! Considering his dilemma from all sides, I think he will probably go.

I'm sorry, but turning a shotgun wedding into a media circus would instantly turn Bristol and Levi into celebrities, and we know how much the base hates celebrities. And having your first wedding covered by all the major news outlets, isn't that a bit elitist? I mean how many other "fairy-tale" weddings have generated a lot of media attention? Outside of Charles and Diana, none.
Bristol will suffer a miscarriage (because she's not really pregnant at all, this story was concocted to cover up baby Trig's parentage) soon, it will be blamed on the intrusive liberal media, and Sarah Palin will leave the campaign, disgusted that this kind of thing can happen in God's America. Preferably before Joe Biden eats he alive in front of the whole country.

Gleeful McCain Insider: "It would shut down the race for a week."

Um, feeling the desperation much? Hey, maybe there'll be a big snowstorm and they'll put the election off until next term! It could happen!

I think McCain will discover his "inner fiscal conservative" and will come out strongly and definitively against the bailout saying something like: "I tried to get them to do something responsible but all the Democrats understand is tax-and-spend. With my friends on the right wing of the Party, who understand fiscal responsibility, we tried to do what the American people wanted and stop this misbegotten plan.

Even though it meant going against the White House, I did it because it was The Right Thing To Do. And, my friends, it's time to get out the old pitchforks and torches and burn Wall Street to the ground!"

OK, so maybe (given his lobbyist friends) he won't say the last line, but I think he will suddenly become "populist" after the bailout is safely in place and everyone starts having buyer's remorse.

I'm not sure how a wedding, no matter how publicized, would translate to a boost for the ailing McCain/Palin campaign. Someone please explain the benefit. It will make for some cheesy reality t.v., but I just don't see that anyone would subsequently think McCain and Palin would be a better option for the country because of it.

I find the McCain campaign's stunts less like a reality show and more like a sitcom where the characters are always trying out a new get-rich-quick scheme.

Gleeful McCain Insider: "It would shut down the race for a week."

I don't understand this. I thought McCain wanted to campaign for and be elected president of the United States. How does shutting down the campaign further this end?

The only way this makes any sense is if McCain really beleives he should not have to campaign and he is in some way owed the presidency because it's his turn.

Utube gets Obama - why do we need a bailout? Heres why...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5tZc8oH--o

Push "Why kind of parental leadership did her mother provide" to the religious crowd.

"Straight Talk Express" is just so funny it's insane. SNL needs to toss that into the mixture.

Only an uber-righteous, "Values-Voter" Republican can imagine the propaganda value of getting a minor pregnant and turning it into a monarchical event. Didn't we have to fight a couple of wars to get rid of our pompous royalty.

Here's one:

Three days before the election, Palin's son, serving in Iraq, is mysteriously KIA.

of course, Track for real is moved to Paraguay, where he sets up an export-import business under an assumed name.

No one gave a hoot when Jenna Bush was married last spring. It barely registered. And Jenna, whatever you think of the Bush twins, is at least a college graduate with something like a career path, and her finance was some kind of Republican Washington insider type. Not my cup of tea, but at least they're perfectly respectable.

I generally don't give George W. credit for much of anything, but at least he didn't try to garner cheap publicity by holding the wedding in the White House. Of course, that might be due to his antipathy to Washington.

"Wouldn't even the dumbest right winger see through this?"

No.

Remember, you're talking about people who think humans walked among dinosaurs. There is literally nothing these people won't believe, as long as it reaffirms their worldview. If Hagee or Parsley or Dobson declared that gravity is a myth, and that things fall down due to insufficient faith in God, these people would be clamoring to have that added to school science textbooks in short order.

The GOP is all about theatricality. Nothing that challenges you to think, but lots of theatrics and emotional fluff. No subsance to GOP's "deep thinkdrs."