Well as an American living abroad, all I have to say is that she embodied everything negative that the world thinks about America. Now I am sure I will get a lot of responses to this say who cares what the world thinks, but that is what has gotten us to this stage in the first place! The US cannot high hand its way to the top all the time. You need to the world to buy in, and she did not say one word last night that would get the world to buy in. America may still marginally be the leader of the free world, but if we get 4 more years of this, God help us!

Watching Palin speak was like watching a bad movie, NO SUBSTANCE, JUST LOAD NON SENSE.

Unbelivable!
As a German that is interested in U.S. politics, since it impacts our life too, i am shocked and totally scared that there is a Chance that such a Person as Mrs. Palin will probably becomes the next Vice President of the United States.
Especially after watching the speech that she held on the Assembly in the Church.
Are Americans that much Religious-Fanatic that no one realises what she said there, what she stands for?
To say that the Iraq War is "a task that is from God" is utterly insane and makes me think that this Woman really needs help, some kind of alienism treatment.
How can anyone say that God would make such a task?
Killing tens of thousands innocent civilians (not to mention the thousands of US troops), displacing millions of people for a War that was based on lies, how can anyone call himself a Christian and agree with this?
I know that in the United States people think different about Religion, but this statement brought from Gov. Palin shows that she is not just a Fanatic but she is extremely dangerous too!
In Europe, and in the World people will face serious dangers if she will be ever in a position that gives her Power to put her bills trough, and, i personally are scared of what she would create.
Not to mention her backwars oriented Energy policy, denying that Mankind has an impact on Global warming just shows again that this Woman needs help.
I am hoping that the American voters will see trough this ancient ideas, unfortunately i have no Faith in the Voters when i remember the 2004 election.
America, wake up and start using your common sense!
The people of your beautiful country and the World deserve better!
With kind regards
Thomas Naveen Rüb, Hessen, Germany

Sarah Palin counters any feminist appeal Hillary Clinton might have

You want family values? She has it.

You want patriotism? She has it.

watch out she is going to take all attention of the media

Sarah Palin certainly is some lady! And she can certainly lash out at Obama and the Democrats (but really, that certainly is "more of the same").
And while I admire her showing her backbone, I'm quite bewildered at Mc Cain's choice of VP. He has been lashing out at Obama's inexperience at foreign affairs. So how could he possebly chose a VP with no experience in this field at all???
Especially when there might be a real possibility that she may become the president (if something should happen to Mc Cain, wich God forbids).

Mc Cain might have hoped to attrack women-voters with his choice, but Sarah Palin is no comparison at all to Hillary Clinton in way of experience.

Elske Uildriks, the Netherlands

I respect and subscribe the CNN Comment Policy
Elske Uildriks

Yes she is a good pit bull no doubt, but as the a holder of a pit bull one needs to make sure that the pit bull attacks the right person for defens purposes, other wise the law will come after you. What does that mean? Well here is a fact check of some of the statements Palin and other republicans made in the past 24 hours.

Since the below is the truth which can be looked at all the public recordes, I am kind of surprised that in some case the the truth was more than just bent.

By JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press Writer

In some cases, the reproach and the praise stretched the truth.
Some examples:
PALIN: "I have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending ... and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. I told the Congress 'thanks but no thanks' for that Bridge to Nowhere."
THE FACTS: As mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired a lobbyist and traveled to Washington annually to support earmarks for the town totaling $27 million. In her two years as governor, Alaska has requested nearly $750 million in special federal spending, by far the largest per-capita request in the nation. While Palin notes she rejected plans to build a $398 million bridge from Ketchikan to an island with 50 residents and an airport, that opposition came only after the plan was ridiculed nationally as a "bridge to nowhere."
PALIN: "There is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform — not even in the state senate."
THE FACTS: Compared to McCain and his two decades in the Senate, Obama does have a more meager record. But he has worked with Republicans to pass legislation that expanded efforts to intercept illegal shipments of weapons of mass destruction and to help destroy conventional weapons stockpiles. The legislation became law last year. To demean that accomplishment would be to also demean the work of Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, a respected foreign policy voice in the Senate. In Illinois, he was the leader on two big, contentious measures in Illinois: studying racial profiling by police and requiring recordings of interrogations in potential death penalty cases. He also successfully co-sponsored major ethics reform legislation.
PALIN: "The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes, raise payroll taxes, raise investment income taxes, raise the death tax, raise business taxes, and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars."
THE FACTS: The Tax Policy Center, a think tank run jointly by the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute, concluded that Obama's plan would increase after-tax income for middle-income taxpayers by about 5 percent by 2012, or nearly $2,200 annually. McCain's plan, which cuts taxes across all income levels, would raise after tax-income for middle-income taxpayers by 3 percent, the center concluded.
Obama would provide $80 billion in tax breaks, mainly for poor workers and the elderly, including tripling the Earned Income Tax Credit for minimum-wage workers and higher credits for larger families.
He also would raise income taxes, capital gains and dividend taxes on the wealthiest. He would raise payroll taxes on taxpayers with incomes above $250,000, and he would raise corporate taxes. Small businesses that make more than $250,000 a year would see taxes rise.
MCCAIN: "She's been governor of our largest state, in charge of 20 percent of America's energy supply ... She's responsible for 20 percent of the nation's energy supply. I'm entertained by the comparison and I hope we can keep making that comparison that running a political campaign is somehow comparable to being the executive of the largest state in America," he said in an interview with ABC News' Charles Gibson.
THE FACTS: McCain's phrasing exaggerates both claims. Palin is governor of a state that ranks second nationally in crude oil production, but she's no more "responsible" for that resource than President Bush was when he was governor of Texas, another oil-producing state. In fact, her primary power is the ability to tax oil, which she did in concert with the Alaska Legislature. And where Alaska is the largest state in America, McCain could as easily have called it the 47th largest state — by population.
MCCAIN: "She's the commander of the Alaska National Guard. ... She has been in charge, and she has had national security as one of her primary responsibilities," he said on ABC.
THE FACTS: While governors are in charge of their state guard units, that authority ends whenever those units are called to actual military service. When guard units are deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, for example, they assume those duties under "federal status," which means they report to the Defense Department, not their governors. Alaska's national guard units have a total of about 4,200 personnel, among the smallest of state guard organizations.
FORMER ARKANSAS GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE: Palin "got more votes running for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska than Joe Biden got running for president of the United States."
THE FACTS: A whopper. Palin got 616 votes in the 1996 mayor's election, and got 909 in her 1999 re-election race, for a total of 1,525. Biden dropped out of the race after the Iowa caucuses, but he still got 76,165 votes in 23 states and the District of Columbia where he was on the ballot during the 2008 presidential primaries.
FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOV. MITT ROMNEY: "We need change, all right — change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington! We have a prescription for every American who wants change in Washington — throw out the big-government liberals, and elect John McCain and Sarah Palin."
THE FACTS: A Back-to-the-Future moment. George W. Bush, a conservative Republican, has been president for nearly eight years. And until last year, Republicans controlled Congress. Only since January 2007 have Democrats have been in charge of the House and Senate.

Elske,

How can you say that Palin has no foreign policy experience??? She is governor of the U.S. state that is closest to Russia!

Haven't Democrats ever played the game "Risk" and marveled at the strategic importance of the Alaska–Kamchatka corridor?!

Of course, I'm just being sarcastic. I actually appreciated your comment very much.

PALIN FICTION: WHEN THE TRUTH IS A FIGMENT OF YOUR IMAGINATION

See article By JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press Writer , http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080904/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_fact_check

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her Republican supporters held back little Wednesday as they issued dismissive attacks on Barack Obama and flattering praise on her credentials to be vice president. In some cases, the reproach and the praise stretched the truth.

Some examples:

PALIN: "I have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending ... and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. I told the Congress 'thanks but no thanks' for that Bridge to Nowhere."

THE FACTS: As mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired a lobbyist and traveled to Washington annually to support earmarks for the town totaling $27 million. In her two years as governor, Alaska has requested nearly $750 million in special federal spending, by far the largest per-capita request in the nation. While Palin notes she rejected plans to build a $398 million bridge from Ketchikan to an island with 50 residents and an airport, that opposition came only after the plan was ridiculed nationally as a "bridge to nowhere."

PALIN: "There is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform — not even in the state senate."

THE FACTS: Compared to McCain and his two decades in the Senate, Obama does have a more meager record. But he has worked with Republicans to pass legislation that expanded efforts to intercept illegal shipments of weapons of mass destruction and to help destroy conventional weapons stockpiles. The legislation became law last year. To demean that accomplishment would be to also demean the work of Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, a respected foreign policy voice in the Senate. In Illinois, he was the leader on two big, contentious measures in Illinois: studying racial profiling by police and requiring recordings of interrogations in potential death penalty cases. He also successfully co-sponsored major ethics reform legislation.

PALIN: "The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes, raise payroll taxes, raise investment income taxes, raise the death tax, raise business taxes, and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars."

THE FACTS: The Tax Policy Center, a think tank run jointly by the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute, concluded that Obama's plan would increase after-tax income for middle-income taxpayers by about 5 percent by 2012, or nearly $2,200 annually. McCain's plan, which cuts taxes across all income levels, would raise after tax-income for middle-income taxpayers by 3 percent, the center concluded.

Obama would provide $80 billion in tax breaks, mainly for poor workers and the elderly, including tripling the Earned Income Tax Credit for minimum-wage workers and higher credits for larger families.

He also would raise income taxes, capital gains and dividend taxes on the wealthiest. He would raise payroll taxes on taxpayers with incomes above $250,000, and he would raise corporate taxes. Small businesses that make more than $250,000 a year would see taxes rise.

MCCAIN: "She's been governor of our largest state, in charge of 20 percent of America's energy supply ... She's responsible for 20 percent of the nation's energy supply. I'm entertained by the comparison and I hope we can keep making that comparison that running a political campaign is somehow comparable to being the executive of the largest state in America," he said in an interview with ABC News' Charles Gibson.

THE FACTS: McCain's phrasing exaggerates both claims. Palin is governor of a state that ranks second nationally in crude oil production, but she's no more "responsible" for that resource than President Bush was when he was governor of Texas, another oil-producing state. In fact, her primary power is the ability to tax oil, which she did in concert with the Alaska Legislature. And where Alaska is the largest state in America, McCain could as easily have called it the 47th largest state — by population.

MCCAIN: "She's the commander of the Alaska National Guard. ... She has been in charge, and she has had national security as one of her primary responsibilities," he said on ABC.

THE FACTS: While governors are in charge of their state guard units, that authority ends whenever those units are called to actual military service. When guard units are deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, for example, they assume those duties under "federal status," which means they report to the Defense Department, not their governors. Alaska's national guard units have a total of about 4,200 personnel, among the smallest of state guard organizations.

FORMER ARKANSAS GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE: Palin "got more votes running for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska than Joe Biden got running for president of the United States."

THE FACTS: A whopper. Palin got 616 votes in the 1996 mayor's election, and got 909 in her 1999 re-election race, for a total of 1,525. Biden dropped out of the race after the Iowa caucuses, but he still got 76,165 votes in 23 states and the District of Columbia where he was on the ballot during the 2008 presidential primaries.

FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOV. MITT ROMNEY: "We need change, all right — change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington! We have a prescription for every American who wants change in Washington — throw out the big-government liberals, and elect John McCain and Sarah Palin."

THE FACTS: A Back-to-the-Future moment. George W. Bush, a conservative Republican, has been president for nearly eight years. And until last year, Republicans controlled Congress. Only since January 2007 have Democrats have been in charge of the House and Senate.

You've got to be kidding me America. I just can't believe anyone would actually sit and listen to this Bull. She is a disgrace, She can't even controll the leadership of her own home. Where was she when her daughter was having sex and getting pregnant.? How is she going to keep an eye on the country? I am disgusted that your nation is willing to sink so low rather supporting a half white candiate. She has no right being there. And she is no Hillary Clinton. If America was ready for a female president, they would have voted for Hillary chilton over Barack Obama. Come on, this is just a smear to try and prevail History from being made. America just prove how raciest they still are. this is a crying shame. no way can you put the Dem and the Rep in the same catogary. Just look out in the audience at there convention. instead of wearing there normal white rag with eye holes they wore their big white hats. Disgusting! More than half of the world are people of color. if we would only stand together instead of tearing each other down. Disgraceful.

I am a mother of 4 and a career woman who can relate to Palin and Michelle Obama because they are mothers as I can relate to any woman who is a mother and loves their children. I felt that she was very proud of her family but she fell short on her message to the American people because she didn't speak to the real issues and concerns that I feel as an American needed to be answered. For example; health care, economics, and the hardships that I am having right now in my everyday life. To me she is making this more of a cultural war than anything else. As far as I am concerned she is more of the same and a woman version of Mccain there are no real differences and I don’t agree with her stance on the issues at all. Yeah her speech was okay, but very, very sarcastic and smug at times, and the experience stuff should come on off the table since she doesn't have that much experience herself and that's just the truth about it. So what she was mayor of a small town and now governor or Alaska, what does this tell me? NOTHING! Her message fell by the waste side and came up way to short for me. I want real answers to what this GOP party plans to do to help me and my family out, not give me a hand out but fix the problems they made for us! Obama laid out what he plans to do to help us, now it's time for the Mccain's camps to do the same, it’s your turn!!!! As far as I am concerned we DON'T NEED TO ELECT MCCAIN OR PALIN they are both liars and they are both corrupt!!!!

I am a mother of 4 and a career woman who can relate to Palin and Michelle Obama because they are mothers as I can relate to any woman who is a mother and loves their children. I felt that she was very proud of her family but she fell short on her message to the American people because she didn't speak to the real issues and concerns that I feel as an American needed to be answered. For example; health care, economics, and the hardships that I am having right now in my everyday life. To me she is making this more of a cultural war than anything else. As far as I am concerned she is more of the same and a woman version of Mccain there are no real differences and I don’t agree with her stance on the issues at all. Yeah her speech was okay, but very, very sarcastic and smug at times, and the experience stuff should come on off the table since she doesn't have that much experience herself and that's just the truth about it. So what she was mayor of a small town and now governor or Alaska, what does this tell me? NOTHING! Her message fell by the waste side and came up way to short for me. I want real answers to what this GOP party plans to do to help me and my family out, not give me a hand out but fix the problems they made for us! Obama laid out what he plans to do to help us, now it's time for the Mccain's camps to do the same, it’s your turn!!!!

I love Sarah Palin. A breath of fresh air. She embodys everthing I believe in which includes get the government out of the Market place; placing duties before self; very pro-life and we need to drill.

McCain is in. Obama done a good job but it is too early for him.

As for the war in Iraq, it is almsot over; the military has won against the odd.

don

As a matter of fact ,the point with Hillary was ,that a lot of male politicians in the White House were afraid that she would literally clean the "whorehouse" .So secretly they voted ,as a republican,for Obama,to make sure that an unexperienced male president would take seat at the Whitehouse,even when he's black,to avoid a lot of scandals that Hillary might have stumbled upon as a revenge what they did to Bill.By the way,now that i'm saying it any way , i didn't get the chance to say it then:Dear bill ,i sincerely believe you're innocent of the charges.when i only look at the Economy,it was the strongest Economy ever.when i look to your role as a commander in chief in former yougoslavia ,he was merciless to the enemy ,but mercifull to the allies,not a moment of hazartation,fully determined and absent at the same time.It's clear that the only reason to chase him like the republicans did was because of jealousy,and how they did it i compare often with the condemnation of Christ under pontius pilatus ,who made it look like the jewish people convicted jesus and not the Roman oppressor.while in reality it were the highpriests (pharisians) who were behind it.So its clearly why Hillary wasn't the one ,another episode of high-conjucture Clinton-democracy would have been lethal for the republicans,that know only how to play mean and dirty.But nothing against mcCain though,I think he would have shown the republican party that it doesn't necessarely has to be mean and dirty,and still be a proud American patriot.It's such a pity that the republican party is anticipating on this.But you cannot blame them for having no talent themselves,other then to use other peoples talent.

As an American living abroad in Europe, I am utterly dumbfounded at what has become the GOP. Now I am not an unbiased individual, a life long Democrat, but I understand and believe that the way to solve problems is to negotiate and compromise, making the Republican party a necessary and vital part of our goverment.

But what can one say about the direction that it has taken in the last 8 years..overrun by power hungry, self righteous, individuals filled with hatred and disrespect for anyone not in their line of thought. The manner in which they chose to appeal to their base through scare tactics, claiming the "high ground" while spewing vicious attacks at their competitors is nothing less than nauseating.

I previously had held McCain in high regard as one of those Republicans who was an intelligent negotiator, truly beneficial in the ideal of balance of power betwen left and right. What a disappointment.

If this ticket wins in November, I am sure that I will feel like a foreigner in the land that once was my home.

Palin had no substance and quite frankly I was surprised by the fact that some people thought she "hit it out of the park". The reaction of the Republicans seems to say "Even though we know that John McCain is weak, at least we will have Sarah Palin! Are they forgetting that if McCain wins then he will be Sara Palin's boss which means that the Bush's will still control and run everything, but this time around also Alaskan oil?! What is wrong with these people?!

I found her speech, though very well crafted and brought, a bit fanatic...

Especially the part where she accuses of being a wimp basically when it comes to fight terrorism and the spread of nuclear weapons...

But...you got to hand it to her...She's one tough cookie...

But even tough cookies tend to crumble...over time...

I'm curious to see how she' gonna hold up now that she has introduced herself to the general public...

But if this newcomer can put her money where her mouth is, the democrats are gonna have a heck of a job keeping her from steeling votes...

I am a Clinton supporter. I watched Sarah's speech last night and came to this conclusion.

Sarah Palin is just another tough talking liberal with a message that goes no where. Just like the no where bridge she said no thank you to in Alaska, I will say no thank you to the speech she gave last night. Give me some substance. I want to see her interviewed with some tough questions. I want to see her answers with out any help from a speech writer.

She is middle America with her ability to dress a moose, shoot a gun and root for a hockey team, but if these are the requirements to achieve the 2nd most powerful job in the world then God help us all.

Was I watching the same speech. Sarah's soccer-mom next door makes me want to vote for her for PTA not leader of the free world.
I'm sorry about her dysfunctional family and I agree that it makes her a regular person but I don't want a regular person as my elected leader. I want someone who I think is smarter than I am or else I would just vote for myself!!

Nothing about the plans she and McCain have to improve the economy or foreign policy. All she and the rest of the republicans did was poke barbs at the democrats. She stated that she is going to Washington to work for us, but failed to mention what she will do.

I still wonder, by the way,how could you just let it happen,how the modern political pharisians made you feel responible and convict Bill Clinton for lying to the American people.First then i realized that Bill might have always been telling the truth to the American people?But anyway,and you impeached him for just such, a small Lie actually because they forced him to admitt ,something with a sigar?what were you thinking that moment you heard it,other than smoking a sigar "if you know what i mean" you see !now i doing the same :toggling your imagination ,and at the same time make you feel responsible for what you, yourself are thinking or imagening,and might let you even feel ashamed or feeling guilty and convict the object of your shame or guilt and remove it.Shame for what?you are not responsible for what others try to plant in you imagination. This the Phrase that you as American People should have used:" How dare you to throw smud over our president that did never anything wrong. Brought prosperity to U.S .nationwide ,and in sports and science America was one of the best in the world,there was mainly peace in the world,we had good movies ,good music and so on".

And although i 'm absolutely convinced that you all (well, except of some ,of course)loved the guy ,and saw him more like a friend than an enemy ,be hounest !.But then the shadow came.Of fear, of corruption, of play mean and dirty.of graffeling and greed,of betraye,of killing and stealing ,of injustice and injustment and so on.You let it happen because of the feeling guilty or ashamed over what others have done with you imagination,and it feel right to be punished and it happen.that 's the modern variant of "pharisian mass manipulation"that goes back to our far ancestors ,the time of human sacrifice.Under the deity's of Baal or Moloch that according to the priests demanded more and more human sacrifice,so they learned over time to "hit 'm up, and move'm out and killed Jesus and many others,and impeached Bill "the Buffalo" Clinton.

Just two words about that speech: arrogant and baseless...

Quite frankly, I hated her speech. She is a woman climbing up the backs of all the truely revolutionary women who went before her. For her to claim the final crack in the "glass ceiling" as her own is offensive. Hillary Clinton earned those cracks through a tough and well fought campaign and votes. Sarah Palin was hand picked by John McCain, not the American public.
I am more afraid of her complete lack of international experience than anything else. The woman has barely traveled outside of Alaska. She just got a passport in 2007. She is an embarrassment to we Americans who live abroad. I do not know how to defend the USA any longer at my weekly coffee mornings in a Paris cafe. I do not understand my country and I am ashamed.

Are there just not any conservative viewers or readers on any of these blogs. Sarah Palin is a stong speaker and is going to be a force the liberal will have to recon with.
I also find it somewhat humorous that alot of the same attributes that liberal say is week about Palin, a VP canidate, are the same as the weak charactistics as the democratic Presidential canidate.
Plainly put, Palin has more experience then Obama and Obama is simply not ready to head a large company, let alone, the most powerful nation in the world.

As new as she is on the national political scene, she ought to have learned from Obama's 04 keynote speech. She should have made statements that will unite the party so that she can win the independents. Then she could start attacking later. But I think she fell into the trap of the republicans of attacking first before thinking about real issues. That will be her downfall. No one even knows her and yet she got the gut to attack obama just 5days after she was introduce to the world as a VP. Thats divisive enough for her to lose more votes.

Sarah is using her "executive" experience as a reason why she is a better choice for VP. Mayor of a small town is laughable. Govenor of Alaska is acceptable. We all have to remember though, G W Bush was also a Govenor and alot of good that experience did him.

As a long time working mother, I detest the slant given to Palen's family situation. We do not question the right of a working mother to seek this position; it is only her political stances on issues of choice, sex education or the lack of it in the schools (and her family's situation) that makes these aspects of her life worthy of examination.

Go McCain/Palin! I miss the hardlines of what's right. Too much gray and greed in the government these days.

Some things my friends and I would like to share:
1. Freedom is not free.
2. Charity is NOT the responsibility of the Government (whether led by a Democrat or a Republican).
3. General welfare does not mean it is OK to sit on your backside and let the Government take care of YOU with OUR money. The money WE worked for - you know, the TAXPAYER.
4. What kind of math is the Democratic ticket using to figure out their economics plan? You FORCE more taxes on the businesses that provide jobs (large businesses or small businesses) and you'll REDUCE the number of jobs available. Quit penalizing the rich. They don't owe us anything for their lot in life.
6. Some women are not threatened by their femininity or a harmless, affectionate reference to it. Not every woman perceives a compliment as a lawsuit.
7. And we need to know about childcare arrangements, why? I know this is may be hard for some of you to believe, but this is not the first time that children will be in the Vice President's residence and I'll bet that since this isn't Palin's first executive role, that the topic has already been discussed and settled, and, it's none of our business.
8. Some of us like our guns, and while we don't look forward to ever having to use them, it reduces our stress level to know that if one of the bad guys tries to invade our little space in the universe, that we can try to defend ourselves.
9. We don't think that the media is totally unbiased, but maybe that's because more Democrats on the media seem to whine about a lot more stuff than the Republicans (the Squeeky Wheel thing).

OK, I'll stop...

I agree with most of the comments made in here, but disagree with some. Jon, did you really read your comment, the United State is not a company, it's a government. We are not voting for a CEO, we are voting for a leader of the free world. And Wally, pleeeease, don't insult the tough cookies out there by calling palin a tough cookie, she was reading a speech, that someone wrote for her, anybody can read such speech, and apear tough, please!. And Don Sanders; what war is won against all odds? you might be talking about your war, not the one i have been part of, with 3 deployments to iraq. Have you been to iraq, if not, i advice you to stop listening to these republicans that know nothing. They forced this war on us, so off course they will say anything to make it look like it was a success. Am presently on my 4th deployment. When you get to my level and have seen it all, then i can attempt to listen to what you have to say. Call me what you want, the fact is the fact. I have been here 4 out of the 5 years of this war. SUDHEER; Please please please stop it. what family values, apparently, not enough to stop her 17 year old daughter from getting pregnant. Patroitism; what has she done, she is the example of the republicans double standards, they say obama is unpatriotic because he does not wear the lapel pin with the American flag, boowho, i don't, does that make me plus more than half of the American population unpatriotic, i guess. Some of you people have no idea of what you are talking about.

Just as person watching the political scene in the US, the speech given by Sarah Palin last night was shameless, baseless and pointless other then to foment political divisions already existing in the US. So she went after the democrat’s presidential candidate but what is she and McCain all about and what are her plans to solve the present social and international problems that the US is encountering at this point in time? I think of what I would tell persons that I work with..."Always have a solution before you critize another’s persons position”. At this time she has not done this and I think, a lot of other persons may be thinking at this time “What was her point?”

We need a President who will listen to the people and put America first.
1st in EDUCATING our children from first grade through college.
1st in providing JOBS for blue & white collar workers
1st in HEALTH CARE for everyone.
1st in DIPLOMACY and NOT WAR around the world

Some leaders are created and some are born. I believe we have
both in OBAMA who is analytical, methodical, a good communicator,
confident, sensitive to what the American people want and comes
from a working class family like 95% of Americans. NO WONDER MCCAIN IS JEALOUS AND SCARED. HENCE PALIN AS HIS VP!
His FIRST DECISION was INSENSITIVE and a INSULT to ALL OBJECTIVE THINKING women and to FAMILIES who are trying to teach their teenage daughters the right values.

MCCAIN IS ALL ABOUT MCCAIN AND POWER. AFTER ALL HE'S
ALREADY RICH!!!

All the speakers bent the truth and if a politician does that he or she at least should make sure they do not get caught. So the main message I take from the GOP speakers is that bend the truth to fool voters.

The below part was not written by myself but I checked some of it and it is true.

Researched by am member of the associated press

In some cases, the reproach and the praise stretched the truth.
Some examples:
PALIN: "I have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending ... and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. I told the Congress 'thanks but no thanks' for that Bridge to Nowhere."
THE FACTS: As mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired a lobbyist and traveled to Washington annually to support earmarks for the town totaling $27 million. In her two years as governor, Alaska has requested nearly $750 million in special federal spending, by far the largest per-capita request in the nation. While Palin notes she rejected plans to build a $398 million bridge from Ketchikan to an island with 50 residents and an airport, that opposition came only after the plan was ridiculed nationally as a "bridge to nowhere."
PALIN: "There is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform — not even in the state senate."
THE FACTS: Compared to McCain and his two decades in the Senate, Obama does have a more meager record. But he has worked with Republicans to pass legislation that expanded efforts to intercept illegal shipments of weapons of mass destruction and to help destroy conventional weapons stockpiles. The legislation became law last year. To demean that accomplishment would be to also demean the work of Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, a respected foreign policy voice in the Senate. In Illinois, he was the leader on two big, contentious measures in Illinois: studying racial profiling by police and requiring recordings of interrogations in potential death penalty cases. He also successfully co-sponsored major ethics reform legislation.
PALIN: "The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes, raise payroll taxes, raise investment income taxes, raise the death tax, raise business taxes, and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars."
THE FACTS: The Tax Policy Center, a think tank run jointly by the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute, concluded that Obama's plan would increase after-tax income for middle-income taxpayers by about 5 percent by 2012, or nearly $2,200 annually. McCain's plan, which cuts taxes across all income levels, would raise after tax-income for middle-income taxpayers by 3 percent, the center concluded.
Obama would provide $80 billion in tax breaks, mainly for poor workers and the elderly, including tripling the Earned Income Tax Credit for minimum-wage workers and higher credits for larger families.
He also would raise income taxes, capital gains and dividend taxes on the wealthiest. He would raise payroll taxes on taxpayers with incomes above $250,000, and he would raise corporate taxes. Small businesses that make more than $250,000 a year would see taxes rise.
MCCAIN: "She's been governor of our largest state, in charge of 20 percent of America's energy supply ... She's responsible for 20 percent of the nation's energy supply. I'm entertained by the comparison and I hope we can keep making that comparison that running a political campaign is somehow comparable to being the executive of the largest state in America," he said in an interview with ABC News' Charles Gibson.
THE FACTS: McCain's phrasing exaggerates both claims. Palin is governor of a state that ranks second nationally in crude oil production, but she's no more "responsible" for that resource than President Bush was when he was governor of Texas, another oil-producing state. In fact, her primary power is the ability to tax oil, which she did in concert with the Alaska Legislature. And where Alaska is the largest state in America, McCain could as easily have called it the 47th largest state — by population.
MCCAIN: "She's the commander of the Alaska National Guard. ... She has been in charge, and she has had national security as one of her primary responsibilities," he said on ABC.
THE FACTS: While governors are in charge of their state guard units, that authority ends whenever those units are called to actual military service. When guard units are deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, for example, they assume those duties under "federal status," which means they report to the Defense Department, not their governors. Alaska's national guard units have a total of about 4,200 personnel, among the smallest of state guard organizations.
FORMER ARKANSAS GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE: Palin "got more votes running for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska than Joe Biden got running for president of the United States."
THE FACTS: A whopper. Palin got 616 votes in the 1996 mayor's election, and got 909 in her 1999 re-election race, for a total of 1,525. Biden dropped out of the race after the Iowa caucuses, but he still got 76,165 votes in 23 states and the District of Columbia where he was on the ballot during the 2008 presidential primaries.
FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOV. MITT ROMNEY: "We need change, all right — change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington! We have a prescription for every American who wants change in Washington — throw out the big-government liberals, and elect John McCain and Sarah Palin."
THE FACTS: A Back-to-the-Future moment. George W. Bush, a conservative Republican, has been president for nearly eight years. And until last year, Republicans controlled Congress. Only since January 2007 have Democrats have been in charge of the House and Senate.

Jon if you are an example of the depth & width of education that a Repulican has, then God help us!
If Palin appeals to you with her hypocritical policy vis-a-vis family values, abuse of power, lies (check who supported the bridge to nowhere before being elected & cuts to special needs budget as Governor) and ignorance of world class engagement, then you are the sorry state the party is in. She says she's a pit bull with lipstick! So what do you call a female dog? Not only does she put one foot in her mouth, she manages to pull in the other!
Watching the RNC is like watching a '60s circus! The clowns & jugglers are playing with our future. And what is frightening is that everyone is self-congratulating & fear-mongering!
Remember 9/11 happened during Bush's watch! If the Republicans continue with fear-mongering & hate, not engagement & negotiation, then we are exposing ourselves to more of the same!

Everyone needs to copy and paste Ramsi's email and send it to everyone of their contacts. Thanks Ramsi, this is what people need to see to weigh their decisions come November.

I found the sight that agrees with my thoughts......I could listen to Gov. Palin's speech only a little after her comments about Obama's experience as a community organizer (a career which I wish I could have accomplished). I did not expect her coming over to some of the democratic strong holds, ie. special needs children services. I wasn't an Obama supporter, but a Clinton supportor. She has a great deal of experience and her "bumps in the road" over the years have made her greater. As a 57 year old female who has voted on both sides of the ticket, I can not see Gov. Palin as representing women in their views of the many social ills of this country...she has no experience at much of anything. Nor does she have any foriegn relations experience. Give ME A BREAK. WE NEED CHANGE, similiar to the social revolution seen in the 1970's with today's issues. Keep this Gov. in her homestate of Alaska.

McCain has brought someone to his ticket who is youthful, vivacious, and has 'celebrity' qualities if you will – meaning, she will turn the cameras toward her, not because she's appealing necessarily, but because she'll make it interesting with her nonsensical and venomous rhetoric. McCain is also bringing into his own campaign, the concept of change.

Imitation is the highest form of flattery.

Lynn, Ramsi's post was quoting an article from the huffington post. you can find the link here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/04/ap-attacks-praise-stretch_n_123771.html

If this train wreck of a republican ticket actually gets voted in, I will consider forfeiting my citizenship. As an American living abroad, I feel like I constantly have to explain why my fellow citizens continue to elect morons into office; I cannot possibly think of an appropriate excuse if it happens again.

I am a Democrate. I will vote republican because first of all it won't make any differance and second of all I think that the republicans should clean up their own mess for a change. Vote for John (SS) Mc Cain and the Barracuda.

Wake up and step into reality folks,the only countries worried about Palin are the ones that have never stood for freedom or democracy,without the United States Germany would still be behind a wall,along with many others that have suffered.Obama will appease this idiots and we will suffer another major attack on us or our allies,so don't be fooled.The democratic nominee's want to talk,why? Do they really think that they, after all that who tried,can change the mindset of muslims or islamists?These people have had these same beliefs for centuries and to think Obama can change that is ludicrous.THEY HATE US,THEY HATE FREEDOM,THE DON'T ALLOW CIVIL RIGHTS. VOTE FRO MCCAIN / PALIN FOR ANY KIND OF FUTURE.

What is missing from these commentaries is that the government has 3 branches. It was set up this way for checks and balances. No single politician, be it the president or a member of congress has the ability to control the direction this country goes by him/her self. Many of the accomplishments of Bill Clinton were done on the momentum created by Reagan and fueled by a conservative congress (do not forget that congress controls the money.) Our current woes really began when Democrats took over congress. To lay the blame for economic woes at the feet of the current administration without acknowledging the part played by a Democratic dominated congress is folly. There is an old saying, "Be careful what you wish for–you may get it. Only after you have a Democratic president and a rubber stamp congress will you figure out what you have done. There will be no checks and balances. Of course 8 years from now, even with all that power–liberals will be blaming all their woes on something George Bush did years ago.

A Leonard,

I realize that. I say copy and paste this comment because as soon as my Republican friends see anything come from a Libral source that delete it.

Being an Alaskan, I can tell you why she's so popular. She is giving every Alaska citizen a $1200 fuel rebate. Easy to do because we have huge revenues from the plundering oil giants of our country. Note, that despite actively campaigning for her own Lt. Governor for US Congress, he just lost the primary. Alaskans really have learned a lot about her.
Her speech was filled with her typical shrill, mean and empty words. Example, watch her debates with Tony Knowles in the Governor's race and you will know for sure that Bristol did **not** make the decision to keep that baby. Rather, Sarah Palin did. All of our treasured privacy rights will be eliminated with her in the VP seat. She knows absolutely nothing about running anything. Why isn't anyone talking about her incredible turnover in her staff over the past 20 months. It's a disaster.

I watched Sarah Palin's acceptance speech and am startled at the untrue statements/claims of glory made. The media especially CNN (which happens to be my favourite channel) should be scrutinizing her claims and revealing the truth to the Americans in order to enable them to make the right decision as to whom they should vote for instead of making her look like a super star/maverick. For false statements made and the kind of media coverage given, CNN is not doing justice to the Americans. Please do the right thing!

Missile Issue More Important

One subject which may affect US and international stability and result in more serious consequences than Iraq or Afghanistan, is the stationing of US missiles and radar systems in Poland and in Czech Republic. If implemented, this could be considered tantamount to Russia’s stationing its missiles in Cuba or Venezuela. How would we react to Russia taking such action? Stationing ten missile launchers on Russia’s doorstep, supposedly to protect Europe from Iran’s and North Korea’s missiles, is unrealistic, unnecessary, expensive and counter productive. It will not make Europe any safer.

On the contrary, the stationing of our missiles on Russia’s doorstep could provoke Russia to react. They could very quickly reactivate their old European target list and again point hundreds of Russian missiles at major European cities and military/industrial targets. Would such scenario make Europe any safer? I do not think so. We already see the increase in tensions between the Western nations and Russia, and Russia’s behavior in the Republic of Georgia, partially as reaction to the missile issue. As we speak, Russia has announced that its’ first contingent of military aircraft has arrived in Venezuela to be followed by its’ warships for the purpose of conducting joint military exercises with Venezuela’s military in the Caribbean .

This subject should be of interest to American public, especially during the run up to the elections in November. Yet, there is a total absence in our media and in the political debates where the presidential candidates stand on this important subject. I believe that the American public is not sufficiently informed, therefore not knowledgeable or not interested on the missile issue. I think the media should take lead to inform the public on this subject because media are in the best position to do so. But where are the TV networks, the radio, the newspapers and magazines? Where are the Gallup pollsters?

I, for one, would like to know where the presidential candidates stand on this issue before I cast my vote. I hope that this subject is included in the forthcoming debates. We do not need another arms race or to renew the cold war which we worked so hard to eliminate. My vote for president will not be based so much on the abortion or gay rights issues, and although those are also important subjects, they would not have a direct impact on our national security, one way or another. My vote will be based on where the candidates stand on the missile issue. The difference in where they stand on this subject could probably spell the difference in a more or less secure United States and international stability.

Robert Aleksiunas
LTC USA (Ret)
Heidelberg, Germany