GIZZI: What was the biggest mistake made in the ’08 campaign?

PALIN: The biggest mistake made was that I could have called more shots on this: the opportunities that were not seized to speak to more Americans via media. I was not allowed to do very many interviews, and the interviews that I did were not necessarily those I would have chosen. But I was so thankful to have the opportunity to run with John McCain that I was not going to argue with the strategy decisions that some of his people were making regarding the media contacts.

But if I would have been in charge, I would have wanted to speak to more reporters because that’s how you get your message out to the electorate.

*TTTTHHHHHWWWWWAAAAAAMMMMMP* (That was the sound of my jaw hitting the floor.)

why did i smash my jaw? because i remember the campaign.

Sarah Palin, along with Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich, and Bobby Jindal,  has emerged from the campaign season as one of these people who seems think that the reason they lost had to do with the GOP’s inability to articulate a true conservative message. I’ll put it to you: do you think that after a 24 month campaign with non-stop coverage from a multitude of sources, and after eight years of front-and-center conservatism, that Americans don’t understand what the conservative message is? Did Americans just take the decade off and stop reading the news? Occum’s Razor tells us it’s the former. so does a whole freaking crap load of Obama voters. So does the shifting demography of the United States.

Sarah Palin’s critique shouldn’t be volleyed at McCain, but rather at conservatism itself as the biggest mistake of her campaign, because voters are all too aware of the detriments of conservatism. Thanks Bush for helping create a TRUE MORAL MAJORITY.

In practice, there will be a group of four or five senators in each party who line up just to either side of the 60-seat threshold and will find that they’re suddenly very much in demand. If Obama’s approval ratings are strong, he should have little trouble whipping the couple of Republican votes he needs into shape, and should clear 60 comfortably on key issues. But, if Obama proves to be unpopular, there remain enough conservative, red-state Democratic senators to deny him a simple majority on key issues, much less 60 votes.

A member of the Pantheon (Poseiden?) getting due recognition for aiding our nation's founding.

Today Jim DeMinit (R-S.C.) lambasted the new visitor center (yes, this guy has time in this economic crisis to comment on that state of the new visitor center on Capital Hill) as “Left-leaning”, and “portray[s] the federal government as the fulfillment of human ambition and the answer to all of society’s problems.” DeMint suggests “This is a clear departure from acknowledging that Americans’ rights ‘are endowed by their Creator’ and stem from ‘a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence.’” Right, because it was God who co-sponsord the New Deal, and it was God who finished that hard work on the Union-Pacific rail road, and oh yeah, wasn’t it God who ended slavery? Listen to this guy:

“The Capitol Visitor Center is designed to tell the history and purpose of our nation’s Capitol, but it (1) fails to appropriately honor our religious heritage that has been critical to America’s success. While the Architect of the Capitol has pledged to include some references to faith, more needs to be done. You (2)cannot accurately tell the history of America or its Capitol by ignoring the religious heritage of our Founders and the generations since who relied on their faith for strength and guidance. The millions of visitors that will visit the CVC each year (3)should get a true portrayal of the motivations and inspirations of those who have served in Congress since its establishment.”

I noticed a few things about this statement, and you can refer to the numerated phrases in the quote.

(1). I don’t think he means our puritan heritage, and one must really ask why it would be appropriate to include a tribute to any deity on capital hill, thanking them for helping our country go from dream to reality. If anything, i assure you it overemphasizes it by replacing critical thought and hard work with devine intervention in some way.

(2) You can’t? Fun fact, Thomas Jefferson wrote his own verion of the Bible that takes out all references to God and any supernatural activity. I wonder if he thinks you could tell the story of America’s heritage by ignoring God. DeMint is one of these guys who thought the founders put Christmas in the constitution, that the pledge always had “under god” in it, and that our money always said “in god we trust”

(3) I think he means we need gigantic statues of John Locke, Rousseu, Hobbes, Weber, and host of others, rather some archaic “old” god that cares more for smiting non-believers that politcal theory. seriously, everything God decreed was plagiarized from the Code of Hamurabi anyway.When will we kick the Jesus freaks from our capitals?

"I'm Jim DeMint, and I believe that secular self determination doesn't exist. Vote for me"

Cue hair-trigger Conservative outrage in 3…..2…..1….(insert poorly written screed from Michell Malkin here). Looks like they are trying to stick to their pledge to count all the votes. Although, i sitll think they should be counting the absentee ballots that Franken challenged to have counted. One must jump through so many hoops already in order to cast a ballot today, why must our votes be dismissed because of a level of incompetence that is out of our hands?