Here are the Iowa Straw Poll results. Try to act excited.

Courtesy of the LA Times:

1. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (4823, 28.55%) 

2. Congressman Ron Paul (4671, 27.65%) 

3. Governor Tim Pawlenty (2293, 13.57%) 

4. Senator Rick Santorum (1657, 9.81%) 

5. Herman Cain (1456, 8.62%) 

6. Governor Rick Perry (718, 3.62%) write-in 

7. Governor Mitt Romney (567, 3.36%) 

8. Speaker Newt Gingrich (385, 2.28%) 

9. Governor Jon Huntsman (69, 0.41%) 

10. Congressman Thad McCotter (35, 0.21%) 

Well Michele Bachmann won which should come as no surprise to ANYONE. She is the flavor of the moment and she is a fellow Iowan, which gives her an advantage.

And that was BEFORE everybody watched her eat her corndog.

I have to say that I am somewhat surprised that Tim Pawlenty and Rick Santorum (Or as I call them Dweedle dipshit and Dweedle Dumbass), came in third and fourth, right after Ron Paul's second place showing.

I find it amazing that the press gives this stupid poll so much attention when the top five winners don't even have a snowball's chance in hell of getting the nomination.  

What I think might be somewhat newsworthy is that Rick Perry, who was not an official name on the poll and only declared his candidacy this morning, was able to win a sixth place position as a WRITE IN. That should really cause the eventual nominee Mitt Romney some sleepless nights.

All of this media attention these candidates are getting must be driving Palin CRAZY, I wonder what she could possibly do to get them to look in her direction?  

 
Of course, what was I thinking?

Like a Herpes infection that is never really under control, Sarah Palin bursts back into view.

Get a load of this patented Palin moosecrap courtesy of the LA Times:

Palin said the timing of her visit was coincidental, that she had been invited to the fair for a couple years and was able to incorporate it into her "One Nation" bus tour that she has been sporadically conducting this summer. But she noted that it was important for candidates to spend time in the early-voting states. 

"I am here as an invited guest of people who have asked me to come [to the fair] the last couple years, part of the 'One Nation Tour,' getting to highlight an all-Americana historical venue we have here at the state fair, but at the same time getting to learn a lot more about what's important to Iowa and that's helpful too," she said, after touring the cattle barn. 

(Yes just like it was a "coincidence" when she showed up in New Hampshire as Romney announced the beginning of his campaign back in June.)

Palin said she did not plan on attending the Straw Poll. 

"I don't want to step on anybody's toes, so we won't be in the state tomorrow," Palin said, smiling. "We'll already be on the bus heading out." 

 (Yeah "heading out" all the way back to Wasilla I would imagine. She has Piper with her, and Piper starts school on Tuesday. Plus let's face it NO camera crews, means NO Sarah Palin!)


Palin laughed and didn't answer when asked if supporters should write in her name at the contest at Iowa State University. Palin declined to say who her supporters should cast ballots for in her place, and said it is too early for her to decide who to support if she doesn't run. 

"I'm a believer in ABO – Anybody But Obama," she said. "There's still a long time in this process to hear everybody's ideas, to more fully understand what their experience is before I would jump out at this early date and say I would support any of them over anybody else." 

(Translation: "That SarahPAC golden goose is not done dropping eggs quite yet! I am going to keep right on playing the political prick tease until the donations run dry and the last reporter walks off in disgust. CHA-CHING, CHA-CHING, baby!")
 
Palin pledged to run a different kind of campaign if she jumps in. 

"Each campaign that I've ever run in these 20 years of elected office has been kind of unconventional, right, Todd?" Palin said, turning to her husband. "I've always been outspent 2:1, 5:1, 10:1. I never won any polls heading into election night but usually won the election." 

("Usually won the election?" Well I guess that explains Palin's time spent as Murkowski's Lt. Governor, and that she is currently serving as our Vice President. Oh, I guess "usually" actually translates into "occasionally.")


"It would be unconventional and very grass-roots, very grass-roots," she said. "I wouldn't be out there looking for hires out of that political bubble that seem to result in the same ideas, same old talking points, the things that Americans get so sick and tired of hearing and kind of suffering through. We want new! We want new energy, we want conviction and passion and candidness, even if through that candidates make mistakes."

You know I hate to speak for Americans, and don't think anyone else should either, but what I think they are looking for is less "conviction" and "passion," and more "sanity" and "intelligence." But hey, that's just me.


By the way it should come as no surprise to any of us that Palin has only been in Iowa for less than a day and has also stuck her high heeled foot in her mouth.


That's our Klondike Kardashian for you, if somebody says something stupid she has to rush over to double down on it.

By the way I really think my Herpes reference might actually be more than just a metaphor.  I would pay big bucks to see somebody run up and rub Zovirex on her forehead just to see if she shriveled up and shrank from sight.

Now that would be worth the national coverage!

Talking Points Memo has a MUST SEE highlight reel of the Republican debate from last night.

Just in case you thought I exaggerated with my earlier post.

By the way I just have to say I that I think Bachmann won the debate when she reminded the panel that SHE introduced the "Lightbulb Freedom of Choice Act."  I mean seriously, which one of THEM has done anything even remotely as important?

(I know a lot of you have asked me to post the bit from the Daily Show about this Ames poll, and I will later, but I really thought that this video was actually funnier and more entertaining. Which is especially humorous because this bunch of nincompoops actually thought they were convincing Americans that they could be President.)

"I'm the worst possible choice for this country! No, I am! I hate this country! I hate it more!" Last night's GOP debate in a nutshell.

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I was only able to watch a little of this three ring circus, because I have a doctor's note that excuses me from watching too much Fox news since it dramatically impairs my ability to engage in rational thought.

However what I did see was MORE than enough to convince me that we need to work our little progressive asses off to make sure that President Obama gets reelected, and that not ONE of this simple minded douchebags should be allowed anywhere near the White House!

Seriously I don't care HOW disappointed you are in this President, or how frustrated you are that he did not wave his magic negro wand and solve all of the nation's problems like you convinced yourself he would, from what I saw last night he is this country's only hope of not ending up looking like a real life version of a "Mad Max" movie.

These are the scariest bunch of lunatics I have seen gathered on one stage since I watched patients at the Alaska Psychiatric Institute put on their version of a "Midsummer Night's Dream." (Not bad really.  I especially enjoyed the part where the actor playing Puck forgot his lines and kept asking if anybody in the audience had a copy of Shakespeare with them.)

Hearing these slack jawed candy asses claim that they would NOT raise taxes even if they were promised ten spending cuts for each tax hike made my frontal lobe scream for mercy.

I know these people are smarter than that (except for Michele Bachmann who is only about six brain cells away from having to have a cork stuck to the end of her fork) and yet they refuse to stand up to Grover Norquist and the Teabaggers, and tell the voters the truth about what it will take to fix this nation's economy.  That was a shameful display.

There were a FEW glimmers of intelligence, such as Jon Huntsman saying that he would repeal NCLB, but for the most part this appeared to a contest to see who could act like the most ignorant man on the stage.

In fact these wannabe leaders of the free world had dumbed themselves down to such a degree that having Sarah "all you need is common sense" Palin and Rick "I can't figure it out so let's pray for a solution"Perry join them onstage might actually have RAISED the combined Intelligence Quotient.

Yeah, it was THAT bad! 

Now if you will excuse me I have to write a check to the Barack Obama reelection campaign.

Why Mitt Romney would make a crappy president

Mitt had the worst job creation record in the country during his tenure.

Mitt also said his sons helping him get elected president was the most patriotic thing they can do.

Mitt also committed voter fraud

He is also a colossal flip-flopper who will say and do anything to get elected president.
Not a guy I want as president

Despite the rhetoric coming from the GOP not ONE current Republican candidate, or potential Republican candiate, has a snowball's chance in hell against President Obama in 2012.

In a side by side match up with each of the potential Republican Presidential candidates for 2012, essentially Obama eats their lunch for them according to Real Clear Politics.

Here is the breakdown.


Against Mitt Romney, who will surely emerge from the primary much more battered, bruised, and politically damaged than he is right now, President Obama polls at 4.3% higher in a potential 2012 election match up.

(By the way, Romney is in fact the GOP's best hope.)

Against Libertarian favorite Ron Paul, President Obama enjoys a 9.8% lead in the polls.

(But believe me the American people do NOT yet know about the racism, crazy conspiracy theories, and batshit crazy ideas.  Once those come to light, Paul's chances shrink to somewhere between "slim," and his buddy "none.")

Against "Let God handle it" Rick Perry, President Obama maintains a very comfortable 11.6% lead.

(The thing about Perry is the farther away from him you are, the better he looks politically.  But up close?)

Tim "TimPaw" Pawlenty is nowhere even close to providing a challenge with Obama leading him at 12.3%.

(You know I was going to write more about Pawlenty, but I kept nodding off.  I understand that when sheep suffer from insomnia they count TimPaw's boring public statements until they fall asleep.)

Michele Bachmann is trailing right behind Mr. Ho-hum with the President enjoying a 12.4% lead over the batshit crazy, "pray away the gay" lady.

"I can't believe my numbers are that high. Maybe batshit is the new black."

Now Jon "The other Mormon" Huntsman is trailing behind Obama by about 14%.

(You might as well get used to seeing the picture above, because if Huntsman looks like he is actually presenting a challenge to any of the other GOP candidates, you will see it showing up in third party TV ads over and over again.)

Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich share the seventh spot, both trailing the President with an embarrassing 14.7%.

(After over thirty years in politics, I can only imagine how thrilled Gingrich is to be tied with the Godfather's Pizza guy!)

Okay well that is just about everybody, and NOBODY (With the possible exception of Mitt Romney) has any real shot against our President in a head to head match up.

Wait! Somebody IS missing. (Oh my God, who could possibly be lower than 14.7% this early in the polling?  They must have ZERO name recognition or something!)

In fact it is lower. MUCH lower.

In a match up with President Obama, everyone's favorite teabagging reality star, trails by a whopping 20%.

That's right Palin-bots, your idol trails the President by 20% and is in absolutely the LAST place on the list of potential GOP Presidential contenders for 2012, when it comes to viability.

You know somebody, the person's name escapes me right now, said that "2012 can't come soon enough."

I could not agree more.

(P.S. I just noticed that Santorum is not even on the list so I am guessing that he polled even lower than Snowdrift Snooki.  Ouch, that has to hurt!)

Sarah is left out of the Iowa Straw Poll...too bad!

From CNN

(CNN)-Former governors Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman announced they wouldn’t compete at the Ames straw poll in Iowa, but the state GOP added them to the ballot anyway, along with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

But former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Texas Gov. Rick Perry – who haven’t yet decided on a presidential bid – were left off.

The Iowa GOP state central committee named nine candidates to the final straw poll ballot announced Saturday.

Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, businessman Herman Cain, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, and then-unannounced Michigan Rep. Thaddeus McCotter secured a spot on the ballot in June by reserving space at the straw poll. Each paid a minimum of $15,000 to rent space outside the arena where the August 13 straw poll will take place.

The Ames straw poll is an early test of candidate strength in the first-in-the-nation caucus state, with the ability to elevate, solidify, or break a candidate’s rank in the GOP field. It is also considered an indicator of who may win the first significant presidential contest.

Critical members of Gingrich’s Iowa campaign resigned shortly before the bidding process for straw poll lots, hampering an already financially-strapped effort to win big in Iowa. Gingrich did not reserve space with other candidates in June.

Huntsman announced he would not compete in Iowa, choosing to focus instead on the first-in-the-nation primary state of New Hampshire

Romney, who also sought the GOP nomination in 2008, also stated he'd sit out the straw poll in Ames. Though he won the contest in 2007, Romney fell short of winning the Iowa caucus, which went to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Romney’s straw poll runner-up.

Palin stated she would announce her intention to run–or stay out of the race–in late August or early September. Perry said Friday that he'll make his decision known in the next three to four weeks.

Americans for Rick Perry, an independent group supporting the Texas governor, told CNN that its efforts to get Perry onto the Ames ballot failed. The group's leader,Bob Schuman, told CNN,"The other candidates sure seem to fear Gov. Perry."

Palin and Perry may have been left off the ballot, but straw poll voters will be able to write in their pick for president.

The addition of Romney, Huntsman, and Gingrich to the straw poll ballot is no special practice. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson and Arizona Sen. John McCain all chose to skip the contest in 2007, but were added to the ballot.

And though he placed 10th, McCain went on to win the 2008 GOP nomination for president, proving that results of the straw poll may not necessarily predict who ends up on top.

Not gonna be much of a straw poll. Romney and Hunstman are too chicken to participate. And the rest suck. Tickles me to see Perry and Palin left off, even though they haven't declared. Good job Hawkeyes!

The return of the "Vaguely Bearded One."

Courtesy of Boston.com:

Joe Miller, a former US Senate candidate from Alaska, has been spending his days in his law offices in Fairbanks with an almost singular focus: making sure fellow Republican Mitt Romney does not win his party’s presidential nomination.

Miller, through a little-known group called the Western Representation PAC, is planning a $500,000 ad campaign with a chief goal of dirtying up the national front-runner - in terms that are far more personal and aggressive than Romney’s rivals for the nomination have used.

“Right now [our focus] is making sure that Romney, who’s very clearly a RINO, doesn’t walk away with the nomination,’’ said Miller, using the acronym for Republican In Name Only. “We’re trying to save the country. And with Romney at the helm, it’s not going to get saved. Romney is just going to be a disaster for this country.’’

Interesting, Miller seems to believe that President Obama is the worst thing to happen to this country since they cancelled Hee-Haw," so he attempts to sabotage the potential candidacy of one of the few politicians in the GOP who might actually have a chance against him in the general election.  Brilliant.

You know this is not the first time that Miller has used dirty tricks in an attempt to subvert the will of the Republican party.

Back in March of 2008, Miller did something similar in Alaska:

Whitaker, a former Republican state legislator, said Miller got in trouble in March 2008 for misusing borough computers. Miller was the Interior regional chairman of the Republican Party at the time and, along with then-Gov. Sarah Palin, was trying have Randy Ruedrich replaced as party chair at the annual GOP convention.

Those revelations, and others like it, cost Miller the election in 2010, and sent him scurrying back into the shadows of political oblivion.  (Well except for a gig as a speaker on a birther boat trip to Batshit-ville that is.)

By the way it is worth remembering that Miller's attempts back in 2008 to oust Republican chairman Randy Ruederich met with abject failure.  And that was WITH the help of the then popular Governor Sarah Palin.

Personally having the Republicans viciously fighting amongst themselves does not bother me one little bit.

After all, not one of them has any real chance against the President in 2012, but if they want to weaken their party so substantially that it will only end up with 30% of the vote, who am I to argue with them?

What makes you think that Michele Bachmann is trying to steal Sarah Palin's mojo? I mean besides everything?

The idea that Michele Bachmann is ACTIVELY trying to supplant the Grizzled Mama in Teabagger hearts is simply ridiculous.  Bachmann even said so herself a  few days ago.

"They want to see two girls come together and have a mud wrestling fight, and I am not going to give that to them," Bachmann told a voter Wednesday who asked about her relationship with the former Alaska governor.

See media? No mud wrestling! (Even though from a purely male perspective that would be pretty AWESOME! Sorry, had a little testosterone surge there.)

So get over it media.  Just because they sound alike, screw up historical facts alike, and dress alike,

sometimes exactly alike, it does NOT mean that Michele is trying to rip Sarah Palin off.

So just relax and enjoy watching Bachmann launch her Presidential campaign with her bus tour, and....

what?

Oh come on!  ALL candidates have a bus that they ride around on to meet the voters.  Why must we compare Bachmann's bus to....

Wow, they are similar aren't they? Are those even different buses, or did she actually steal Palin's bus and repaint it?

Well forget about the buses, because beyond that they have very little in common. And I am sure that most political observers would agree with me on that.

I'm sorry Sarah Jones, of Politicususa, what is that you are saying?

Both Bachmann and Palin are GOP puppets; religious extremists dressed up, puffed up and pushed out, sold to the highest bidder to put a pretty face on ugly ideas. Both women seem nice enough from afar, both are ostensibly good mothers from afar, both are absolutely hypocritical on almost every issue they purport to stand for and too ignorant to know it. Both are wildly over-confident, in the way that can only come from a small mind that cannot conceive of larger issues beyond the self-aggrandizing, unregulated id that drives them.

Both women bring out the worst in our culture. Both appeal to the lurking sexism, hooking it with a wink and bringing all women down into the mud with them if we dare call them out on it. Yes, if we dare say a word, we are then labeled ugly haters or “fat”. It’s as if we are back in Junior High, only I never knew anyone so shameless and tawdry as either of these two women in Junior High. It offends me to even address their vulgar cries for attention via their sexuality.

Oookay, well perhaps I misspoke. 

Fine, I guess Bristol IS right for once and Bachmann is copying her mother (And doing it better by the way), but SURELY Sarah Palin is a big enough person to let it slide and simply enjoy what she has going for her. 

You know like Bristol's very successful book tour.  Oh that's right.

Well how about her new film?  It's not like her supporters have to fake attendance numbers in order to make it seem more pop...oooh that's going to leave a mark.

Okay well Sarah Palin has "tough skin" so I imagine like any Mama Grizzly whose life is in the shitter she is taking all of this in stride, right?

Did anybody else just lose the feeling in their testicles? (Look away, Gryphen, look away!)

Yeah somehow I think that things might be a little chilly at Casa De Grizzly for he next several weeks.

Now if only no OTHER potential candidates do anything to piss her off, or make her feel like even more of a loser, things might just settle down.

From Politico:

Mitt Romney is slated to have private sit-downs with top officials while he's fundraising in London next week, potentially including Prime Minister David Cameron, per the Globe.

The story raises the possibility of a get-together with Margaret Thatcher, which would be noteworthy on a few levels - including her recent reported refusal to take a meeting with Sarah Palin. (Thatcher's office reportedly denied two British papers' stories that there was an intended snub by the elderly former politician) .

Somewhere in Wasilla a refrigerator just screamed in terror.

Is Mitt Romney too socially awkward to be the President?

Reporter Dana Milbank spent the other day following Mitt Romney around and reported on his strained attempts to connect with the little people.

Mitt Romney, the leading contender to become President Obama’s Republican opponent next year, had just finished working the room at Blake’s Creamery here when he paused for a photo with the restaurant’s owner, Ann Mirageas, and decided to tell her a joke.

“I saw the young man over there with eggs Benedict, with hollandaise sauce,” he said. “And I was going to suggest to you that you serve your eggs with hollandaise sauce in hubcaps. Because there’s no plates like chrome for the hollandaise.”

The proprietor laughed weakly. “Good luck to you,” Mirageas said.

WTF? Is this guy running for President, or is he a contestant on "The Gong Show."

And it did not get much better for Romney after that.

He talks about the weak economy with the proprietors of a feed shop, then abruptly pivots: “Okay, so what do you do about mosquito control? . . . This has been a mosquito-infested year with all the moisture. They flew away with my dog.”

At Mary Ann’s, a retro diner in Derry, N.H., the slogan on the owner’s shirt is “A blast from the past” — and the description suits Romney, too. He admires the Texaco “Fire Chief” gas pump and a jukebox (“You guys hear this music? ‘I want a caveman, I want a caveman.’ ”). Posing for a photo with his arms around the waitresses, he suddenly jumps forward, pretending somebody pinched his bottom. “Oh my goodness gracious!” he exclaims, then, “Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.” He later says the gag is “kind of fun to do.”

This last exchange, unfortunately for Romney, was caught on camera and broadcast on Hardball yesterday.

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Perhaps this kind of thing plays well with the GOP base, who must still set bags of dog poop on fire on their neighbors doorstep before ringing the doorbell and running away, but this guy is looking to land a job representing ALL Americans.  And some of us are not uptight humorless mannequins.

Rachel Maddow covers the implosion of Newt Gingrich's candidacy.

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So who do we think is the next Republican Presidential candidate to self destruct?

Santorum? Romney? Pawlenty? Bachmann? (You know after she declares of course!)

Wednesday Humor

Palin's Chris Wallace interview. Venom, viciousness, and vindictiveness, all on display.

I just finished watching Palin's interview with Chris Wallace, and I am currently taking my usual anti-venom shots to recover. Wow, was she on a rampage or what?

She went after the President, Frank Bailey, Mitt Romney, and everybody who dares questions her intelligence. Which, I guess is everybody.

That was even uglier than usual!

I need to ask for your help in locating the video and transcript of this interview so that I can post all of it.

Thanks ahead of time.

Update: Here is the video.



(H/T tip to Bree Palin for the clip. Thank you!)

And here is the transcript. Thanks for the assist gang!

I will be adding to this post as time permits.

Update 2:

WALLACE: I got to ask you real quickly about that, though. You realized that you messed up about Paul Revere, don't you?

PALIN: You know what? I didn't mess up about Paul Revere. Here is what Paul Revere did. He warned the Americans that the British were coming, the British were coming, and they were going to try take our arms and we got to make sure that we were protecting ourselves and shoring up all of ammunitions and our firearms so that they couldn't take it.

But remember that the British had already been there, many soldiers for seven years in that area. And part of Paul Revere's ride -- and it wasn't just one ride -- he was a courier, he was a messenger. Part of his ride was to warn the British that we're already there. That, hey, you're not going to succeed. You're not going to take American arms. You are not going to beat our own well- armed persons, individual, private militia that we have. He did warn the British.

And in a shout-out, gotcha type of question that was asked of me, I answered candidly. And I know my American history.

I see that her minions, and researchers, tried to dig up answers for her to use so that made she did not seem so ignorant, but it is much too late for that.  Everybody who saw that clip KNOWS she did not have any idea what she was talking about, and trying to change history (Which apparently her people are literally doing by trying to edit Revere's Wikipedia page.) will never make her seem intelligent.

WALLACE: All right. I want to talk about a controversy because this week, Alaska officials, as you well know, are going to release thousands of pages of your e-mails as governor. Are you worried that some of those emails could be damaging?

PALIN: No, because, you know, I think every rock in the Palin household that could ever be kicked over and uncovered anything, it's already been kicked over. I don't think there's anything private in our family now. A lot of those emails obviously weren't meant for public consumption. They are between staff members. They're probably between family members.

So, you know what, I'm sure people are going to capitalize on this opportunity to go through 25,000 emails and perhaps take things out of context. (In Palin-speak that means to tell the truth about them.)They'll never truly know what the context of each one of the emails was, or each one of the issues were that I was working on that day, or in that time period.

But whatever, Chris. It's like nothing surprises me anymore. We'll keep doing what we're doing. I'm going to keep going forward with solutions that I want to see applied to this great country, the challenges that we're facing. And things like that are going to be perhaps a distraction for others. They won't distract me.

Especially since Palin is confident that the really damaging stuff has been redacted or is contained in of those 2,415 e-mails that will never see the light of day.  Remember it is HER people who are combing through these e-mails.

WALLACE: Let me just ask one follow-up in that regard, because one of your former advisers, Frank Bailey, has written a book. And in it, he says, and he uses some of your e-mails because he was the recipient of them, he says that there were times when you were unethical, that he was told to write fake letters to the editor under false names or to spend hours manipulating TV polls by voting on the phone over and over again.

PALIN: Those are complete lies, Chris. And I say it unequivocally that Frank Bailey has some ethical problems of his own. In fact, out the 25,000 employees that I was in charge of, 24,000, in Alaska, and in our large administration, and with the $14 billion that we were working on, heady things, big things were working on, only one person in the entire administration had to undergo ethics training. And it was because of blunders that this individual, Frank Bailey, would engage in, and result in.
It was Frank Bailey who still under investigation today, but making money off of taking private emails from somebody after having hoarded them for some years. It was only Frank Bailey who was ordered to undergo ethics training. So, he's got some issues.

Frank Bailey has ethical problems because he lied and broke rules ON PALIN'S BEHALF! Palin took a church going, highly ethical man, and poisoned his mind until he did things that were totally out of character for him. Which by the way, is the fate of ANYBODY that gets too close to Sister Sarah. Remember Meg Stapleton? Bill McAllister? Rebecca Mansour? Ever wonder why her kids act the way that they do?

What? Do you think all of that is just a coincidence?

And as for telling lies?  Frank Bailey has un-redacted e-mails to back up HIS version of events.  I wonder if this hypocrite is willing to put up HER e-mails, completely un-redacted, to show where Bailey lied in his book? Don't bother holding your breath.

This woman horribly damages the people that she directly comes into contact with, and she will do the same to our country.  In fact, she already has.

Debate? I don't need no stinking debates!

Courtesy of The State Column:

Sarah Palin, a former Alaska Gov. and reality TV star, turned down an invitation today to the New Hampshire primary debate on June 13. In her place, seven declared or soon-to-be declared candidates for the Republican presidential nomination will take to the stage for a debate hosted by CNN’s John King. The debate will feature Ron Paul, Michele Bachmann, Tim Pawlenty, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum. Although Santorum and Bachmann have not yet declared their candidacy, they are expected to do so soon.

An invitation to the debate was given to Mitch Daniels, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, Jon Huntsman, Palin and Donald Trump. However, Huckabee, Daniels, and Trump have already dropped out of the 2012 presidential race and will not be attending the debate. Palin, who is currently on her “One Nation” bus tour, turned down the invitation to the debate. In response to the invitation, Palin said: “That’s quite soon. So, no I don’t think I’m going to be there. Thank you for asking though,” reports WMUR.

"No I don’t think I’m going to be there."  I think that just about sums it up, don't you?

We can all disagree about whether Palin will run, or not run, and how long she will stay in if she decides the former, but what is NOT up for discussion is whether or not she will debate.

She will not!

In fact, she cannot!  The ONLY way she can maintain her quickly dissolving facade of competence is to stay as far away from those actually qualified for the job of President as humanly possible.

Getting on a stage with all of them would be the end of her scam, and she knows it.

Here is your early morning giggle this Friday morning.

Of course I have to imagine that if you are Mitt Romney you are not finding this at ALL funny.

Of course Romney has been doing oppositional research on Palin for years, and she knows it.  Why do you think all of the Palin's Teabagger friends are going after him so hard?

Psst, Republicans are you SURE any of you want to run against this guy?

President Obama at G8 Summit. Courtesy of The Only Adult in the Room.

According to Gallup President Obama's approval ratings are at a 16 month high:

President Obama’s current job approval rating for May 22-24 is 53%. That’s his highest since Feb. 12-14, 2010 -- more than 16 months ago. His previous high this year was 52%, reached at several points earlier this month after the May 1 announcement of the successful raid in Pakistan that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden.

Not only that but according to The Hill Obama's health care reform is really starting to take hold:

Some 600,000 young adults have taken advantage of a healthcare reform provision allowing them to stay on their parents’ insurance policies, according to a new report from the Commonwealth Fund.

The liberal think tank said young adults are increasingly delaying care because they can’t afford it and praised the healthcare law’s coverage expansion.

Close to half of all currently uninsured people between 19 and 29 will gain coverage under Medicaid once it expands in 2014, the report says. About one-third will be eligible for subsidies to buy private insurance through a newly created health exchange.

But hey it's not ALL bad news for the Republicans.  I mean Tim Pawlenty has those totally-not-a-joke Jerry Bruckheimer inspired political ads, Mitt Romney is currently taking credit for Obama's auto industry bailout, and I understand that, just like Jesus, Sarah Palin is having a mythological movie made about her.

Okay, well maybe it IS all bad news for the Republicans.

Seriously?  That is what the GOP has to offer in 2012? A two legged remedy for insomnia. a department store mannequin, and habitual lying grifter from Wasilla?

And you wonder why the President is always smiling.