The Fallout Begins

Primary night got even wilder after the Delaware race was called, it seems.  I shut everything down and tried to go to bed (not very successfully, I might add - UP every hour for one thing or another...) but I did see Karl Rove trashing O'Donnell on Hannity.  It was, of course, a sign of things to come. 

Never mind the "let's unite" philosophy that normally takes place after an election like this.  Never mind pulling together for November.  Now we have Rove acting like a sore loser trashing the winner.  We have Rachel Madow who, in the absence of a Christine O'Donnell Sex Tape, is pulling out a Christine O'Donnell TALKING about sex tape.  Michelle Malkin reports that the NRSC is refusing to back O'Donnell in the general election, a move Professor Reynolds calls "dumb" more than once.

And it hasn't even been 24 hours since the victory in Delaware.

Oh, and Charlie Rangel held off his challengers in New York.  Go figure.

The good news?  Rubio is trouncing Crist in Florida. 

ROCK STAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RNC Fireworks

I totally adore Shepard Smith; he cracks me up. Last week during the Democratic Convention he was streaming live on the "internets" and observing the speeches Mystery Science Theater Style with his guests. They had a nice set up in a bar with big screens and such. I stayed up long past my normal bedtime watching his antics and having a great time.

So tonight for the RNC Shep and friends were to do the same thing. Now, I have to sympathize with Shep. He has been in NOLA covering Gustav, he's been in Mississippi, he's been on-the-go for days. GOT to be exhausted. It was apparent tonight during RNC Mystery Science Theater style.

Shep was cranky as I've ever seen him (exhausted-cranky). He did not like the set, he did not like the styrofoam plates and cups; he did not like the microphones, there were no antennae; he did not have a Diet Coke, and he did not like various aspects of the engineering such as the audio set-up. He also did not like the opinions, or more specifically, the word-choice of one of his guests. Shep had a pro-life woman who was also providing commentary. All seemed pretty much okay until she expressed disfavor with Lieberman. Shep pressed her to explain why and she finally said because Lieberman is "pro-abortion." Wrong answer. Shep got angry with her and insisted that NOBODY is pro-abortion. He declared the abortion issue a "wedge issue" - divisive, hate-filled, and having no place in politics. When the woman refused to take back what she said, Shep put his laptop in his chair and walked off set.

Like I said, I totally adore Shepard Smith. I think mostly because he SAYS what he thinks (as he did tonight) and he does not back down. We all saw this during his Katrina coverage. I think, whether you agree with him in position or not, you have to respect that.

He never came back to the set during the rest of the stream; I'm curious to see if he comes back for tomorrow's streaming or if Fox even continues with The Strategy Room. The fireworks he gave us "internets" tonight was more exciting than the speeches on the auditorium floor! Get a good night's sleep Shep! We missed you tonight!

Back to Regularly Scheduled Programming

Now that Gustav has settled itself into a nice, relaxing rain, I'm anxious to get back to the Republican National Convention. I watched Laura Bush and Cindy McCain last night and could not help but think what a class act they both are. As of last night, of course, the RNC had put "Country First" and the ladies made pleas for support for hurricane affected areas. I look forward to hearing more from Mrs. McCain as the convention and the campaign progress. I think she has been so understated in her accomplishments (although maybe I just wasn't paying close enough attention). I knew about her adopting a child from Mother Teresa's orphanage but I did not know she founded the American Voluntary Medical Team. She's involved with more charities than I can list here. She's quite accomplished and real first lady material (yes, I know about her drug addiction/treatment; that just puts her in line with lots of today's coveted celebrities as far as I'm concerned. She got treatment and the courage THAT took can't be discounted. Ask Betty Ford).

Laura Bush has been a total class act in my mind. I love her sweet expression and her kindness. I like the issues she chose (literacy, education, children) to focus in on as first lady. I loved watching the Jenna Bush wedding coverage. I like Laura. Plus, my neice kind of said something to the effect that Laura fits our stereotypical, comfortable perception of first lady, and that's true. She wasn't in there trying to reform national agendas or stepping outside "her place" as first lady.

As for the other lady in the Republican convention, Palin, I knew it wouldn't take long for the dogs to dig up drek, but I think she will come through. If the worst they can find is a drunk driving charge from 22 years ago on her husband, that just tells me that they are digging waaayyyy toooo deep. While you lose a lot of privacy as a candidate, I still think the situation with her daughter should be kept private and as a family matter. The Clinton's demanded (and received) privacy for Chelsea; the Obama's have put their kids on magazine covers and Inside Edition; if the Palins request privacy, they should get it. I don't think this makes Palin hypocritcal at all. I think she will survive this and I so look forward to her speech at the RNC! Bring it on!

(Photo credit: CSMonitor.com Mary Knox Merrill/Staff)