Barracuda - an inferiority complex waiting to be US Vice-President?

I recommend this article by Noam Scheiber from The New Republic on Sarah Palin. It is a very absorbing and beautifully researched story about Sarah Palin's rise in Wasilla.

The overall impression is of someone who resents those she sees as of a "higher class" and of "higher intellect", hold grudges, pursues vendettas and is unlikely to change:

Kilkenny (a local activist whose email about Palin has become famous) initially supported Palin. But, once the mayor bludgeoned the town librarian about book-banning, Kilkenny and a group of concerned residents held a meeting to mull a possible recall. After much debate, they decided to help Palin become a better mayor instead.

The group's efforts reflected a kind of establishment delusion--the hope that if you just surround the rough-hewn outsider with the right advisers and submerge her in the proper environment, she'll eventually assimilate. It's a delusion that's playing out all over again on the McCain campaign, amid all the briefings with the likes of Henry Kissinger and Joe Lieberman. Give Palin a few months in the Old Executive Office Building, the thinking goes, and she'll become Adlai Stevenson. But it never quite works out that way.

As Nixon demonstrated, the forces of class resentment can be allconsuming and elemental.

New ad about McCain: Erratic in a crisis

One of the great sadnesses of watching the Kerry campaign in '04 was that he'd take five days to respond - badly - to attacks on his character. So it's great to see the Obama campaign getting their retaliation in first. McCain's campaign say there will put out loads of ads after Tuesday, linking Obama, falsely say CNN in at least the main case, to some dodgy boys in Chicago. So the Obama campaign are heading this off at the pass with an ad attacking McCain, calling him "erratic in a crisis". Click below to see it.

That Palin-Couric interview in full

I've assembled all the CBS embedded videos of the Katie Couric interview with Sarah Palin. Each video starts with a brief ad.

Segment 1 - Foreign Policy:



Segment 2 - Alaska's foreign policy role


Watch CBS Videos Online

Segment 3 - The financial crisis


Watch CBS Videos Online

Segment 4 - The Bail-out bill


Watch CBS Videos Online

Tina Fey does Sarah Palin being interviewed by Katie Couric

I'm catching up. Here's the Saturday Night Live take-off of the Sarah Palin interview with Katie Couric. It's hilarious. There's a bit where she asks to use "phone a friend". That had me in stitches. Tina Fey, who "does" Palin, is carving out quite a reputation for herself - The Independent on Sunday has a profile of her here entitled "Queen of Satire".

Palin v Biden debate on Saturday Night Live

"Hey can I call you Joe?"

"Of course"

"Okay, cos I've practised a few zingers where I call you Joe"

Here's the Palin/Biden sketch from Saturday Night Live last night:

No way to treat a member

I'm grateful to Gavin Webb for sending me an update on his situation. After being suspended as a member of the LibDems, he was automatically reinstated when no charges against him were presented before the constitutional time limit. He was then elected Burton PPC by the local party and, a few days later, suspended as a party candidate.

It is always difficult to comment on affairs in another area, especially when there does not appear to be clear explanation forthcoming about the "party's" actions. It does seem that the "party" has handled this whole affair with all the elegance of a rhinoceros on heat. Why on earth suspend someone without sufficient "charges" ready to present against them? Why on earth allow someone to be put up for election and be elected by party members if the "party" did not have sufficient confidence in that person to be a candidate? It's insane.

Apart from anything else, this is no way to treat Burton party members who made the selection. And above all, it is no way to treat a fellow human being (namely Gavin Webb), particularly one who has gamely held on as a member of the party despite all this.

Coming soon - W by Oliver Stone

Back in January I mentioned that Josh Brolin was going to play George Bush in an Oliver Stone movie about the great chimp. The film was then scheduled for release in January 2009.

In today's Guardian Weekend, Oliver Burkeman writes a long article on the film based on an interview with Mr Stone. The movie's release has now been brought forward to October 17th.

There are some interesting cast members in the film. Richard Dreyfuss will play Dick Cheney.

Apparently, Stone was influenced by "The Queen" starring Helen Mirren. Interestingly, the fellow who played Prince Phillip in "The Queen", James Cromwell, will play a similar role of an ageing patrician - George Bush senior.