ÿþ<html> <head> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1"> <title>OnlineColumnist&reg;.com: Putin Punishes Georgia</title> <meta name="generator" content="Adobe GoLive 4"> <style type="text/css"> .style2 { font-size: large; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial; } .style3 { height: 58px; } .style4 { font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold; } </style> </head> <body bgcolor="white" vlink="black"> <center> <table cool width="624" height="2719" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" gridx="16" showgridx gridy="16" showgridy> <tr height="79"> <td width="133" height="118" rowspan="2" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"><a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"><img height="110" width="62" src="images/discobolos.logo.transp.gif" border="0"></a></td> <td width="7" height="118" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="482" height="79" colspan="2" valign="top" align="left" xpos="140"><img height="75" width="450" src="images/banner.GIF"></td> <td width="1" height="118" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="1" height="79"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="79"></td> </tr> <tr height="39"> <td width="182" height="39"></td> <td width="300" height="39" valign="top" align="left" xpos="322"><a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"><img height="14" width="267" src="images/divisionofNEW.GIF" border="0"></a></td> <td width="1" height="39"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="39"></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="624" colspan="6" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0" class="style3"> <table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="black" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td> <table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="#99ffcc" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4"> <tr> <td align="center"> <div align="left"> <a href="index.html"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong>HOME</strong></font></a><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> &#149; <a href="articlesindex.html">ARTICLES</a> &#149; <a href="books.html">BOOKS</a> &#149; <a href="teflon.html">THE </a><a href="teflon.html">TEFLON</a><a href="teflon.html"> REPORT</a> &#149; <a href="mailto:letters@onlinecolumnist.com">REACTIONS</a> &#149; <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html">ABOUT DISCOBOLOS</a></strong></font></div> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr height="2"> <td width="133" height="2">&nbsp;</td> <td width="489" height="2576" colspan="3" rowspan="2" align="left" xpos="133" content valign="top" csheight="2573"> <p class="style2">Palin&#39;s Last Stand</p> <p><b><font face="Arial,Geneva,Helvetica">by John M. Curtis</font></b><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><b><a href="books.html"><br> </a></b></font><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><b>(310) 204-8700</b></font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><i>Copyright October 1, 2008<br>All Rights Reserved. </i></font>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="style4"> A</span>ll eyes will be on GOP VP nominee Alaska Gov. Sara Palin, when she debates Democratic VP nominee Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) Oct. 2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Since delivering her spunky acceptance speech Sept. 4, Palin has only granted four media interviews, preferring carefully scripted stump speeches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Her acceptance speech was noteworthy for its well-manicured taglines, blasting Democrats for everything under the sun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Since accepting the nomination, Palin has been roundly criticized inside the GOP for being woefully unprepared for VP, certainly president.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) laughed off her claim of foreign policy expertise because she can see Russia from an island in Alaska.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Palin s interview with CBS News anchor Katie Couric left viewers scratching their heads, especially her inability to name a Supreme Court case other than 1973 Roe v. Wade, legalizing abortion.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Palin told ABC News anchor Charlie Gibson Sept. 11 that she thought it was a good thing to hunt down terrorists in Pakistan, despite GOP presidential nominee Sen. John McCain s (R-Ariz.) strong criticism of Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama. (D-Il.) for suggesting the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Palin s Sept. 4 acceptance speech demonstrated a flair for the dramatic, delivering a well-prepared partisan diatribe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> The expectations are set so low for her, she could fake everyone out, said Scott Reed, former 1996 campaign manager of Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.), believing the pressure was on Biden, not Palin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Despite keeping Palin away from the media since her acceptance speech, her limited interviews raised many questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>She told Couric in segment aired Sept. 30 that she couldn t recall one publication from which she gets the news on a regular basis. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Polls show a steady erosion of support for Palin since her Sept. 4 acceptance speech, when 75% of Republicans found her experienced enough for VP.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>A new CNN poll indicated that only 47% of Republicans viewed Palin s experience as sufficient to be VP.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Depite cloistered by the GOP establishment, Palin s limited interviews have produced plenty of gaffes, leading to her erosion in the polls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Palin needs to clear the bar and reframe the debate around Barack Obama and his tax and spend record, said Reed, a favorite GOP line of attack against liberals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>McCain lost his cool Oct. 1 talking to editors at the Des Moines Register, asking tough questions about Palin s lack of experience. Insisting that she had plenty of experience, McCain got surly, touting Palin s credentials as a reformer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>He bristled at suggestions that he picked someone wholly unqualified to be VP or president.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Palin s best hope at her debate with Biden Oct. 2 would be to provoke him into a rage, witnessed by 50 million viewers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Shifting attention away from policy to family, patriotism and military service should take Biden off his stride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>If she accuses Biden or Barack of hiking taxes and weakening the military, he could provoke Biden into a confrontation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> My friend Joe Biden has a tendency to talk forever and sometimes say stuff that s kind of stupid, said Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), trying to lower expectations heading into Thursday s debate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Biden needs only to show good manners while he points out Palin s flaws on foreign and domestic policy, causing more doubts in voters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Her tough talk on Iran and Russia and disdain for public education and social programs like Medicare and Social Security should cause more worry in already rattled voters.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Palin will try to make Biden and Obama look unpatriotic for placing a timetable on withdrawing from Iraq.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> She ll paint both as  tax-and-spend liberals, further endangering the economy and U.S. foreign policy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Biden must point out Palin s extreme views on social issues and point to the White House track record on the economy and foreign policy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Recent economic problems, including the proposed $700 billion bailout, have driven undecided voters away from McCain-Palin to Obama-Biden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Whatever edge McCain had on foreign policy before the Sept. 26 debate, he lost it watching Obama in action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Since the debate, Barack has opened up an aggregate 5.3% lead in national polls, a 10% reversal in just over a week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>If Palin trips at her debate with Biden, it could throw the campaign into a freefall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Palin must prove she s got more substance than current media portrayals. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Palin s big challenge is to demonstrate, like Barack did with McCain Sept 26, that she can go toe-to-toe with Biden on foreign and domestic policy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Her disarming personality presents problems for Biden who must, above all else, show grace-under-pressure, not lose his cool while showing off his many skills in foreign and domestic policy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Biden needs to do nothing more than let Sara do the talking, answering complex questions with platitudes and predigested one-liners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Biden need only be himself to show a great contrast with Palin, whose claim-to-fame involves delivering a cleverly worded script at the Republican National Convention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>To escape unscathed, Palin would have to take the Fifth starting with the first question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Her answers will do more to impeach her credibility than anything Biden could possibly say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Biden needs to sit back and let the debate come to him.</p> <p><b><u>About the Author</u></b><br> </p> <p><b>John M. Curtis </b>writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He&#x2019;s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of <a href="books.html">Dodging The Bullet</a> and <a href="books.html">Operation Charisma</a>.<br> </p> <p></p> </td> <td width="1" height="2576" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="1" height="2"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="2"></td> </tr> <tr height="2574"> <td width="133" height="2574" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"><img height="172" width="111" src="images/johninframe3.jpg"></td> <td width="1" height="2574"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="2574"></td> </tr> <tr height="1" cntrlrow> <td width="133" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="133" height="1"></td> <td width="7" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="7" height="1"></td> <td width="182" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="182" height="1"></td> <td width="300" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="300" height="1"></td> <td width="1" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="1"></td> <td width="1" height="1"></td> </tr> </table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2" width="597"> <tr> <td><font size="1" face="Arial,Geneva,Helvetica"> <hr noshade size="1"> </font><a href="index.html"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong>Home</strong></font></a><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> || <a href="articlesindex.html">Articles</a> || <a href="books.html">Books</a> || <a href="teflon.html">The Teflon Report</a> || <a href="mailto:letters@onlinecolumnist.com">Reactions</a> || <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html">About Discobolos</a></strong></font> <div align="left"> <p><font size="1" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular">This site designed, developed and hosted by the experts at</font><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"> <a href="http://www.cmeonline.net" target="_blank"><img height="30" width="138" src="images/cmelogoANIM.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"></a></font></p> </div> <p><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular">&copy;1999-2005 <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html">Discobolos Consulting Services, Inc.</a><br> (310) 204-8300<br> All Rights Reserved. </font></td> </tr> </table> </center> </body> </html>