They don't care. And there's no double-standard, as far as they're concerned.

There are Good people, whose word can be trusted and whose judgement can be relied on, and Bad people who need to be watched and marginalized.

If you're a Good Person, like President Bush or Governor Palin, you can't be questioned, because everything you do is for the right reasons. Rules are applied differently depending on your moral standing.

From Palin's perspective, Wooten was a bad person and deserved to be fired. It can't be that she abused her powers as Governor if she was doing the right thing.

It was very very brazen because she is a maverick. Aren't you paying attention?

She can say these things because she's so sheltered from the media. She can't be asked follow up questions from her speeches so she just says what ever can fire up the base.

Palin is an empty vessel. She mindlessly repeats whatever talking points are drummed into her. A parrot repeating "Polly wants a cracker," puts more thought into its utterance than Palin has put into the totality of her campaign speeches.

Count this post as "1 vote in favor of brazen." These dolts have no sense of right and wrong; they commit crimes at leisure, daring anyone to get in their way, and employing the mechanism of thugocracy to overwhelm their critics.

But---the mechanism hasn't served them at all well recently, because there just aren't enough fingers in all of Palinism to plugs the unfathomable leaks in the levee of lies....

Z. Mulls is correct, there is no double-standard. The inherently
Good cannot abuse their power, because they use their power for Good. And conversely, the Bad cannot legitimately exercise power.

Remember that distinction, cause it's gonna crop up everywhere on the right after Obama wins.

It may be a bit off topic, but William Jefferson's 97 page indictment was full of allegations that he broke House Rules. To my knowledge he was never "found" guilty of these by the House Ethics Committee, which leaves me wondering is there a single process for deciding guilt on these ethics rules? Was Branchflower's finding an actual conviction? or just a legal opinion?

I could never vote for Obama. He says he only owns one house, but how can we be sure? I know I don't trust him. I can tell just by looking at him that I can't trust him. Tiger Woods too.

"See, as a senator, John has confronted the corrupt ways of Washington and the wasteful spending and the abuses of power. As president, he's gonna end those once and for all."

Even without the Branchflower report, this claim is ridiculous. Does anyone truly believe McCain can eliminate wasteful spending and abuses of power for good? Let's just redefine homo sapien while we are at it.

Remember that distinction, cause it's gonna crop up everywhere on the right after Obama wins.
Damn straight. He'll be viewed as an illegitimate president - just like Clinton. Remember how the Republicans vilified him even as he was signing all of their bills into law?
The Republicans will suddenly rediscover the Rule of Law, the Separation of Powers and they'll even recover the Constitution from where it now resides as a White House doormat.

Palin's speechwriter wrote it because experience has demonstrated that they can get away with it.

If a Democrat in the same situation had made the same statement, the hypocrisy would have been blared from Drudge, Limbaugh, Coulter, Hannity, Hewitt, Malkin, et al within minutes, and the blare would last for hours, if not days. GOP office holders like Boehner and McConnell would reinforce the story. The Democrat would be made to look like a fool, and rightly so.

Conversely, Palin's hypocrisy is unlikely to get much attention, because apart from Air America, Rachael Maddow, and perhaps Olbermann, no prominent media are likely to mention it. They certainly won't emphasize it the way the right-wing noise machine would, and it's unlikely you'll hear Obama, Clinton, Reid or Pelosi mention it, either (Biden might).

As long as they can get away with such blatant hypocrisy, they'll keep doing it.

Repugnuts have no sense of irony. The other day on NPR some spokes-idiot extolling the wonders of Palin and what a perfect choice she is: "She's pro life, pro death penalty...."

They can put these things right alongside one another and still not see it.

And you want any of these idiots close to the levers of power or legislating for us?

Does anyone truly believe McCain can eliminate wasteful spending and abuses of power for good? -John Henry

Especially after he voted for the pork-filled bailout, and didn't even bother to "make them (the sponsors) famous".

If you're a Good Person, like President Bush or Governor Palin, you can't be questioned, because everything you do is for the right reasons. Rules are applied differently depending on your moral standing.

Which is why, even though we admit doing the same things that we labeled "torture" and "war crimes" when Japanese, Germans or North Vietnamese did them, Bush can say with a straight face that "America doesn't torture." Because America is Good and nothing a Good Country does can be Bad, by definition.

Didn't McCain say he was against torture? Palin's hosing is nearing water boarding territory! Please, please, please, YES, I'll talk! NO MAS! NO MAS!

In the picture, I see Cindy McCain standing on the platform behind Palin. I don't recall her being anywhere near as visible in the earlier days of the campaign as she has become since her husband tabbed a much younger, and much more babe-like woman as his running mate. Meow.

In the picture, I see Cindy McCain standing on the platform behind Palin. I don't recall her being anywhere near as visible in the earlier days of the campaign as she has become since her husband tabbed a much younger, and much more babe-like woman as his running mate. Meow.

Didn't she also mention in a speech that "John McCain knows what to do with people who claim to be against a pork project and are later proven to have been for it."?

And she said, "Nepotism has no place in my...uh...Tod--...I mean...John McCain's administration."

And "We're going to take all these inexperienced lifers in the old boy's club who've never held a national office or won a beauty pageant and, because of freedom and my readiness, to do the, when you look at our flag, what does it mean, you betcha!"

anyone see that youtube footage of the guy walking into a GOP rally with a curious george doll dressed to "look like" Obama? He was waving it at the protestors on the other side of the street, chuckling, having a grand old time pissing off them dumb old libtards etc etc ad nauseum.

This is SOP for the GOP. Piss of liberals. Flaunt what you do wrong and drive 'em crazy. Make 'em look unhinged and chuckle to yourself. It's fun! And a helluva lot easier than actual governing, I'll tell you that much for free.

In a way we can take solace in the fact that Republicans spend os much of their time thinking of ways to piss us off, rather than actual governance. If they invested that sort of time in running the country, we'd really be screwed.

You are reading that with the wrong emphasis - she was not addressing "corrupt ways" as much as "of Washington". They're intending to overhaul the corrupt ways of Washington and replace them with the corrupt ways of Alaska.

More seriously, I agree with Z. Mulls & the anonymous comment. IOKIYAR, because Republicans are by definition good, whereas (according to the right, INOKIYAD, because Democrats are by definition evil traitors.

Abuses of power-schmower! She's a hockey mom.

Well, if McCain were to become POTUS, he would end Governor Palin's abuse of power in Alaska by bringing her to Washington as VP. That's probably what she means.

Yes Jim Strain (3:20), Cindy is fading and John's ego was calling out to be stroked.

Does it count as brazen if you know you will get away with it, that it is a lock, a surething? They OWN this system, as far as they are concerned, and all they have to do is keep repeating the lie "Sarah Palin was exhonerated" over and over again. Though in truth, they only had to say it once. Their followers are ready to believe whatever.

I wish Sarah would have the decency to get them all to drink the special Kool aid so God would take them to the great McMansion in the sky.

Two Questions for Palin:

Why would an investigation under total control of the Obama campaign totally vindicate you in their report?

Since you have been totally vindicated, do you plan on continuing your efforts to get Wooten removed from his job, or will you use your staff and husband to get other state employees fired if you think they don't represent the state?

Just asking.

Didn't she also mention in a speech that "John McCain knows what to do with people who claim to be against a pork project and are later proven to have been for it."?

If so then we can add that to the list of things that John McCain knows:
"I know how to capture bin Laden."
"I know how to win wars."
Too bad he hasn't shared that knowledge with the rest of us. He might be doing better in the polls if he had. What's next?
"I know how to conquer all diseases."
"I know how to get a manufacturer's rebate."

If he only knew how to win an election.

I vote for brazen, given how NPR (Nice Polite Republicans) over the weekend reported on Palin's abuse of power without actually mentioning that phrase.

as a senator, John has confronted the corrupt ways of Washington

As if Keating 5 NEVER happened...

How would McCain end the corrupt ways of Washington, the wasteful spending and the abuses of power? With fairy dust? Or would the awesome might of his sheer dang Maverickyness just force those black hatted desperadoes to run out of town, quaking in their boots? Or would he start by just firing her?

I've said it before, + I'll say it again: never ascribe to anything else that which can be explained by human stupidity. This goes triply whenever Caribou Valley Girl is involved.

-Z

As if Keating 5 NEVER happened...
John McCain had the Keating 5 right where he wanted them.

Greg calls it Brazen, I call it Typical.

Of course it is brazen, but no moreso than McCain this morning in his "comeback" speech talking about how, in these trying times, it is critical to have a leader with experience.

Surely someone has to ask him at some point today why, if that is so important, he chose Palin to be a heartbeat away.

But I wont hold my breath.

Why is their Democratic silence on Palin?

Why aren't we hearing some mildly folksy push back from the likes of Tesler or Baucus of Montana, Cantwell or Murray from Washington, or Ken Salazar of Colorado???

Just curious about the silence of Democratic surrogates.

Why aren't we hearing some mildly folksy push back from the likes of Tesler or Baucus of Montana, Cantwell or Murray from Washington, or Ken Salazar of Colorado??? Posted by: John

What could they possibly say? It really is a local Alaska matter. The real question is what the Alaska legislature plans to do? Censure? Charge? Impeach?

Just see how much her husband was entwined into her operations -- amateur hour in the extreme and a disgrace to the State of Alaska. Every American worthy of the name should be outraged that this woman who will be in line to become President of the United States of America should something befall a man in his mid-70s is refusing to sit down and answer questions from reporters -- as many questions as they want to ask her. We know virtually nothing about her. What we do know indicates shocking, world-changing, extremely dangerous lack of qualification to lead the most powerful country on earth. It is utterly appalling that the press is not demanding non-stop press conferences. It is equally appalling that Democratic leaders are not demanding loudly that the press do its job.

Am I the only who DOESN'T think Palin is "a babe?" If she was at the other end of the bar I wouldn't give her a second look, even if I didn't know she was a vapid, corrupt, lying, self-adoring harridan. (Otherwise, I love her. )

Standard operating procedure for McCain's campaign includes total and complete hypocrisy, such as was demonstrated by Palin. In a sensible world, the mainstream media would hammer down hard on such hypocrisy, but we live in a world in which the media are far from responsible.

McCain and the rightwing have continually tried to portray their opponents strengths as their own, and tried to portray their own weaknesses as their strengths.

Sarah Palin is simply one of the most shameless human beings ever to walk the earth.

They do this on purpose to corrupt the meaning of language, especially the term "abuse of power." It's the Rovian way and they find it both funny and useful.

Definitely brazen.

Palin started saying the Branchflower report confirmed she did was within her rights to fire Monegan and that it had to stretch the facts to fit the abuse of power law. From there it took only a day or two for her to go to stating that the report completely cleared her of any wrongdoing or ethical lapses.

The extreme right wingers at my place of employment think Palin "is a babe."
More reasoned, thoughtful types like liberals view her as a caricature. The absolutely magnified close up of her on last week's Newsweek showed every flaw, including the hairs on her famous lips.

Matt Taibbi has called her a two bit caricature culled up from some cutting room floor episode of ROSEANNE....Palin as the tawdriest, most half-assed fraud imaginable, a character too dumb
even for daytime TV, a new low in reptilian villlany giving dog-whistle crap to the base.He nails it.
I personally am horrified with Palin and her presentation, and especially with the intellectual Senator Hillary Clinton out of the mix.

It really is a local Alaska matter. The real question is what the Alaska legislature plans to do? Censure? Charge? Impeach?

I have a hard time imagining the Legislature doing more than censure. In any event, nothing is likely to be done until after the election.

Am I the only who DOESN'T think Palin is "a babe?"

Where real women have breasts, she has a spare set of elbows.

What does the TRUTH matter to corrupt Republicans who believe that they've got the election in the bag?

(via Sadly, No!)

"While all the polls suggest that Obama could win the election, I’ve interviewed several GOP operatives who shockingly say that he’s going to lose big-time."

Karl Rove resigned from the Bush administration for a reason...to go undercover before this presidential election, keeping his extensive travels off the public records, while he scurries around our nation in the shadows, working on "the math," which is Republican "code" for trying to steal another election, by whatever means possible, legal or illegal.

Which means that if Rove's "math" involves gaming the electoral college in some way, disenfranchising enough Democratic Party-leaning voters and "fixing" enough electronic voting machines, then McCain and Palin will win by a landslide...and civil war will break out in America the day after the election in November...especially if Obama and Biden enter election day with a commanding lead in the polls...and if exit polling indicates that they won handily.

Which may explain why the Bush/Cheney administration has been putting a police state in place, in preparation for the outrage of American citizens at so blatant a stealing of the White House occurring.

Hopefully, I'm wrong, but since Karl Rove and so many other "non-reality based community" Republicans are certifiably insane, I wouldn't put anything past these corrupt, anti-American election stealers and neo-fascist police state pushers.

. . . John has confronted the corrupt ways of Washington and . . . CASHED IN!

The Keating Five scandal has apparently been blotted from Sarah "Hair America" Palin's brain with one of those Men In Black memory erasers.

Such willful ignorance moves me to poetry:

How can the Good Sarah know
Things that happened so long, long ago
When she won't read "bad books"
And gives nary a look
At the Keating Five probe's video?

As Greg Sargent noted, "Whoever didn't cut that line from her speech today is either incompetent or very, very brazen."

Christiane Amanpour, speaking on Bill Maher the other night said that Palin has big brass ones...I'm agreeing with that assessment.