I too watched and heard the talking head say that Palin believes in divinely inspired policy and thinks the science of climate change is bunk. Whoa - you tell it's fall when the nuts start falling out the trees.

Sudenly I long for the good old days of last months Olympy-mercials.

I hate speeches. Pre-written pandering blather. Maybe its because I wrote a very very good one once, or so I thought, when running for office many years ago, that flopped. I was told afterwards by a local "you were too negative. Sure there are tons of things wrong here, but we like positive friendly elections" change things after you get in.

Who needs Chrome?? Firefox is awesome and is coated in that butterscotch dip that you can no longer get at Dairy Queen. (Note: Alan, one can view your blog on Firefox, but not comment..one must open IE..ugh).

I think Palin is being painted as too one-tone in her Christianity - the same thing Obama suffered from when his pastor turned out to be whacko. Protestantism is far more complex than the media lets you know and there is a whole movement of tieing together creationism and environmentalism bubbling up through evanelicalism that has to be taken into account for someone as backwoods as Palin. Likewise, debunking climate change has a range of response, some whacko and some just not kneeling at the alter of the white lab coated.

Firefox chuncks up for me sometimes getting so full of stuff after an hour or two that it slows. Chrome fast. I am switching to it right now for today's browsing.

I set FF to clear temp internet files every time I close it down, but I see what you mean. It does tend to keep things to increase load speeds later.

And as far as Palin goes, she is anti-choice, pro-book-banning and anti-lab-coat. This makes her less Veggie Tales and more Televengalist brand Christian in my books.

Was it an attack on neo-cons and libertarians? You've got it half-right.

Wrong for the neo-con angle. McCain is the neo-con dream candidate -- they're plenty happy with big government, but they want the big stick of democracy wielded abroad. McCain checks all the boxes for them. (They want Teddy Roosevelt.)

Libertarians -- yes, absolutely, it was a slam. Don't forget, McCain is the guy who cracked that he lived his life "for patriotism, not for profit."

Base Republicans <i><b>really</b></i> didn't like that one.

***

It's a good combination -- McCain appeals to the broad middle, Palin shores up the base. I wasn't sure how well his speech would play (as I didn't care for it), but if it spoke to you, Alan, it probably hit its target.

I take what you mean but I think you are too limited in your definition of neo-con. I also think McCain has different interests than neo-cons desire such as structural campaign reform, stopping use of public funds for private purposes and non-ideological but firmly pro-USA international afffairs.

You are right, though, as the base is really unhappy as would all Bush hangers on.

The older I get the more I am jealous of your joint citizenship compared to my US-UK one.

"one can view your blog on Firefox, but not comment..one must open IE..ugh" I usually comment just fine in Firefox.

The wheels have been coming off the whole climate change bus for a while now. Mrs. Palin is a tiny bit ahead of the political curve on this but pretty much in line with the science. (The book banning seems to have been a bit exaggerated and being pro-life is a pretty common position in the States.)

Chrome is nice. What would be really nice is Chrome integrated into the general GOOG application suite - gmail, google docs, maps and so on. Oh, and working on Macs. Then you would fire your computer up once at the beginning of the month and that would be about it. Of course, GOOG would log every key stroke but, hey, isn't their company motto "Do no Evil" or some such?

Dion is going to sound like an awful prat if his whole campaign consists of "we are going to raise your taxes to save Kyoto" and "Steven Harper is, really, George Bush". I mean he might convince the Toronto Star but I have the feeling they are already in the tank.

Emerson was going to get creamed and, realistically, it is not at all obvious why he was in electoral politics in the first place. He is the sort of guy you put in charge of building a dozen nuclear power stations or exporting water to China.

With luck Mote will return to blogging.

Regarding Monte Solberg and the gang -- I guess the reason why no "rats fleeing the sinking ship" comments have come is, the ship doesn't look like it's sinking.

Mid-campaign, we'll see.

Rats are the first to know...

That may be so. But the comments will come if/when Harper stumbles.

Not till then.

JAY: ARGH. JUST ADMIT IT. CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL. Ok, ok, that won't happen. But I will bet you $500 in 2020 dollars that by 2020 you will still be vehemently denying that it exists and trying to get out of paying up as the grandkids bundle you into the row-boat to head for the Fairway in Oak Bay village to pick up your water ration.

Renee, I'll take the bet (and grab the screen shot) and I'll double down to suggest that I will be pulling the grandkids on a sleigh for at least a week in 2020.

I don't think you are right on the water and I pray I don't win my double down in October.

But I do admire your faith in the face of the evidence piling up against you. Another couple of years and you will win a global warming martyr pin from St. Algore.

Yes, climate changes; but as to humans having much to do with it? The jury is out, way out.

(By the way, as you are this familiar with the streetscape of Oak Bay, I have to bet you are living nearby. That said, let's go for a beer at the Pennyfarthing before it's too late...jaycurrie@gmail.com)

Jay! Renee is a expat from there who lives here. I need to get a scorecard for around here.

Alan! But expats come back and beer is always a good idea.