Suspended Animation

"A population weakened and exhausted by battling against so many obstacles -- whose needs are never satisfied and desires never fulfilled -- is vulnerable to manipulation and regimentation. The struggle for survival is, above all, an exercise that is hugely time-consuming, absorbing and debilitating. If you create these ''anti-conditions,'' your rule is guaranteed for a hundred years."

"Do not be misled by the fact that you are at liberty and relatively free; that for the moment you are not under lock and key: you have simply been granted a reprieve."
--Ryszard Kapuscinski

Hi, my bank was seized last night. Wow! I'm like, part of history--part of the biggest saving and loan failure of all time! Good thing I had like, what $10 in savings? D'ya think that's covered by the FDIC? Or do I have to call Mr. JP Morgan Chase? Aw, crud, am I going to have to set up a whole new Online Banking ID and password? Maybe we shouldn't care. I can make my own bread and my own butter. Eric can make his own beer. We know a guy with chickens and sheep. Maybe we can just go off the grid and trade in wampum and feathers for our needs. Note to self: Look for bead necklace and earrings....

More of Katie interviewing Sarah Palin. I know six-year olds who could string together more coherent explanations. This is painful, people, PAINFUL, I tell you...hurts...eyes...to...watch...

COURIC: You've cited Alaska's proximity to Russia as part of your foreign policy experience. What did you mean by that?

PALIN: That Alaska has a very narrow maritime border between a foreign country, Russia, and on our other side, the land-- boundary that we have with-- Canada. It-- it's funny that a comment like that was-- kind of made to-- cari-- I don't know, you know? Reporters--

COURIC: Mock?

PALIN: Yeah, mocked, I guess that's the word, yeah.

COURIC: Explain to me why that enhances your foreign policy credentials.

PALIN: Well, it certainly does because our-- our next door neighbors are foreign countries. They're in the state that I am the executive of. And there in Russia--

COURIC: Have you ever been involved with any negotiations, for example, with the Russians?

PALIN: We have trade missions back and forth. We-- we do-- it's very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia as Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where-- where do they go? It's Alaska. It's just right over the border. It is-- from Alaska that we send those out to make sure that an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia, because they are right there. They are right next to-- to our state.

Umm, Governor Palin? Pardon me? I'm...I'm not a rich woman, Lord knows. And I'm not you're biggest fan, shall we say. But in the name of mercy and sweetness and light, I would like to BUY you a CLUE. Seriously. Because watching you presenting yourself in this thoroughly moronic and cringe-inducing manner is giving me high blood pressure.

Here's the special irony of this situation. Apparently-- and I just learned all this today-- Alaska's governors DO often enjoy more contact with Russian officials because Anchorage is the base for the Northern Forum, an organization representing leaders and sub-leadership from countries around the Arctic Circle including Russia, Finland, Iceland and Canada, Japan, China and South Korea.

The Seattle Times reports: "Yet under Palin, the state government — without consultation — reduced its annual financial support to the Northern Forum to $15,000 from $75,000, according to Priscilla Wohl, the group's executive director. That forced the forum's Anchorage office to go without pay for two months. Palin — unlike the previous administrations of Gov. Frank Murkowski and Gov. Tony Knowles — also stopped sending representatives to Northern Forum's annual meetings, including one last year for regional governors held in the heart of Russia's oil territory." Great. Twenty years of glasnost down the drain. Plus, she doesn't even have the brains to mention that this organization exists when the Russia question comes up.

Baby steps. Baby steps. Today Palin worked her way up to answering FOUR whole questions from the press.

Meanwhile, her cohort, old Johnny-Come-Lately raced back to Washington so he could ruin BOTH Democrats' and fellow Republicans' work. "Sen. Chris Dodd, after leaving the White House, suggested on CNN that the tenuous process could be derailed by what he viewed as McCain's political motives. "What happened here, basically, if you want an honest appraisal of the thing, we have been spending a lot of time and I am tired. I have spent almost seven straight days at this in trying to come out with a workout plan for our economy a rescue plan," said Dodd. "What this looked like to me was a rescue plan for John McCain for two hours and took us away from the work we are trying to do today. Serious people trying to do serious work to come up with an answer."

After the meeting at the White House, Barack Obama had this to say: "what we shouldn't do is to try to get everything done in this package. What we should be doing is following the clear principles, that taxpayers are protected, that we have oversight, that taxpayers are going to get their money back, and that the housing crisis is going to be dealt with as well." Wow. He doesn't sound like he's...insane.

Republicans are running wild: "One GOP lawmaker, referring to his defiant colleagues, asked rhetorically: 'For the sake of the altar of the free market system, do you accept a Great Depression?' But if the party was looking for leadership, it did not find it in its presidential nominee. 'Bush is no diplomat,' said a Democratic staffer, 'but he's Cardinal freaking Richelieu compared to McCain. McCain couldn't negotiate an agreement on dinner among a family of four without making a big drama with himself at the heroic center of it. And then they'd all just leave to make themselves a sandwich.' Feel the love? Remind me again why ANYONE is listening to Mr. Keating Five? Anyway, what I'm taking away from this is: McCain RE-E-EALLY doesn't want to do this debate, does he?

By the way, a correction from yesterday. I noticed that I referred to Chris Dodd as a Republican. He is of course, the Democrat from Connecticut and Chair of the Senate Banking Committee.

Oh, and note to John "I'm such a Big Deal" McCain? Letterman is not done with you yet. On Thursday night, Dave said he felt like a "patriot" to let McCain off his commitment to deal with the economy and "now I'm feeling like an ugly date...That's what I feel like, I feel like an ugly date," he said. "I feel used. I feel cheap. I feel sullied."

Over on Leno, Wanda Sykes goes OFF on Sarah Palin. "They say, 'Oh, she's meeting with the world leaders.' But there's no reporters. I'm like, is she meeting with the world leaders, or did you take her to the Epcot Center? Let her drink around the world? You know, because I've done that. Maybe I should be Secretary of State..."

Campbell Brown, I Love You: In an open rant, she says to Paulson, "Seriously, what were you thinking?"

More Multimedia Alerts: This season's Fahrenheit 9/11? Oliver Stone's W., Based on a True Story will open on October 17. Here's the official site with a trailer. Frankly, I think I'm still too close to all of this, because while intellectually I recognize that it's funny, I'm still crying. No, no, it's okay, I'll be alright. I'll be better when Obama wins in November. It won't hurt so much next January when I see Obama's right hand in the air taking the oath of office. And when he finally sits down in that Oval Office (after it's fumigated, of course), I might be able to watch the trailer without tears of impotent rage streaming down my nose.

Betty pointed me at this excellent analysis of the overarching "story board" for this election from Michael Cohen: "After back-to-back election cycles in which Democratic nominees seemed unable to maintain a compelling narrative for their campaign, Mr. Obama has shown a level of message discipline that is striking."

As I said to Betty, it's struck me that the Republicans, who are usually so GOOD at this narrative stuff, just couldn't hit pay dirt this time. Whereas the narrative Obama chose to frame McCain ("Sure, Gramps is a nice guy and all, but...you know...a little [twirls finger in air] whoo-hoo....") has fit perfectly at every turn and with every looney-bin maneuver McCain has thrown out there.

$700 Billion-ish
This lovely little jaw-dropper comes from Forbes: "In fact, some of the most basic details, including the $700 billion figure Treasury would use to buy up bad debt, are fuzzy. 'It's not based on any particular data point,' a Treasury spokeswoman told Forbes.com Tuesday. 'We just wanted to choose a really large number.'" Really? REALLY? For the Love of God, IS THERE NO ONE COMPETENT LEFT AROUND HERE?

Krugman weighs in on the Paulson plan and the alternative that McCain basically blew up: "So the grown-up thing is to do something to rescue the financial system. The big question is, are there any grown-ups around — and will they be able to take charge?"

I'm trying to hold onto my Temple of Positivity and ignore the Gallup Daily Tracking poll that puts McNuts and Obama at a tie. I get it. It's a four-day average and some of Obama's best days have "rolled" off the average. It still irks me.

The Lobster Quadrille
Debate prep continues for Friday at 6pm PDT, 8pm Miss. time, 9pm EDT. Last word was that Obama says he'll be there on Friday, and if McCain is a no-show, he'll do a one-on-one with Lehrer or make it into a town-hall.
See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance!
They are waiting on the shingle—will you come and join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, won't you join the dance?
"Of course," the Mock Turtle said: "advance twice, set to partners—"

"—change lobsters, and retire in same order," continued the Gryphon.

"Then, you know," the Mock Turtle went on, "you throw the—"

"The lobsters!" shouted the Gryphon, with a bound into the air.

"—as far out to sea as you can—"

"Swim after them!" screamed the Gryphon.

"Turn a somersault in the sea!" cried the Mock Turtle, capering wildly about.

"Change lobsters again!" yelled the Gryphon at the top of its voice.

Will you join the dance?

(UPDATE: LobsterFace is in.) Like you thought he wouldn't show up for free TV time.

39 days to the election. Reminder again that, for many states, if you would like to join the dance, you must register well in advance of the elections. RockTheVote's list of voter registration deadlines. And if you're voting absentee, Declare Yourself has links to each state's voter information page where you can find out how to get your absentee ballot. Feel free to harass your friends in the swing states, and do let me know if you know someone who'd like to be appended to, not suspended from, my ranting list!

Okay. Gotta go get my $10.