SHORT(?) NOTE ON TONIGHT

More tomorrow, but she gave a great speech—and Rudy's wasn't bad either—in terms of speechmaking, not truth or keeping McCain's promise to not throw mud—but both were, as usual with the Republicans, but especially the rightwing that is represented in McCain's new positions and the people now running his campaign, full of snide condescension dressed up as its opposite (standing up to the elites etc.), as well as misinformation and misdirection, outright lies, and characterizing any criticism of the fat cat Republicans that have been in power in Washington for many many years now, and their faithful, as criticism of "America."

If the Democratic strategists are on their game, as the Republicans are obviously on theirs again, they should have ads and press statements immediately out there debunking all the lies etc. starting with trying to cast McCain as a "maverick" against Washington when he has been part of the Washington establishment for half his life and has sided with Bush and his failed administration over ninety per cent of the time.

And ads that show Palin has stood up for big oil and for "earmarks" (i.e. DC pork) for Alaska if it benefitted her contributors and her career, "standing up" to big oil and the Alaska Republican Party only when those entities got in the way of the oil interests backing her or interfered with her career.

She's good, and recasting McCain's candidacy as all about his P.O.W. experience and "war hero" status and Palin's as the down home mom from smalltown "America" (they should have an ad out immediately also on how she and her husband have supported the party in Alaska that is for seceeding from "America" and whose founder and leader stated his "hatred" for "America" and died in a botched illegal explosives buy (hmmm, wonder what someone who stated he hated America wanted with explosives etc.)) is a clever way of deflecting criticism.

Like my rightwing commentors on this blog who only see "hatred" when it's aimed at those who have come closer to destroying this country than any administration in history but seem oblivious to it in their own spewing of lies and mud slinging (accusing me of mudslinging when I listed FACTS about Pallin's actual record, but I'm sure they won't accuse Palin and Rudy and McCain's campaign of mudslinging for telling LIES about Obama and his proposals and record (like that he has never accomplished anything in all his years of service to "Americans"—oh and by the way if McCain has proven he can "fight" it's mostly been with his friends and fellow servicemen and fellow elected officials, there's plenty of videos from other P.O.W.s stating how they think he's unfit to be president because of his uncontrollable temper etc.. Maybe I'll put some links to them tomorrow, just to clear the air).

But Pallin is attractive, gives a good speech, and knows how to twist a lie into a palatable sound bite.

Let's give them credit, they managed to make the Democrats who have had no power in Washington in 8 years (and still don't since there aren't enough of them in the Senate to override a veto or a Republican standoff) as the Washington establishment, and themselves, who have run just about everything in Washington and the rest of "America" for way too long now, as the outsiders.

(And as always, i take special umbrage at their always linking "Hollywood" and "celibrty" to the Democrats, when they're the party that ran a Hollywood actor for president and has a Hollywood actor as governor and had a Hollywood actor running for president this time who spoke at the convention the night before et-endlessly-cetera.)

But if I know my right wing controlled and owned media, which is almost all of it, there will be few challenges to the most blatant lies that were thrown around that convention tonight. (Oh and did anyone else notice how much more the cable news shows stopped talking while various seemingly unimportant events occurred on the convention stage but during the Democratic convention when Republicans of all kinds, from Ike's granddaughter to a column of retired generals and admirals most of whom voted for Junior and are Republicans as well as war heroes spoke of their support for Obama as commander-in-chief they were talked over or totally ignored? As Shakespeare said "Let me count the ways"...but not tonight, I'm going to bed after I pray for our country and for the truth to win the day. Though it'll take a lot more than prayers.