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><channel><title>Chris Abraham &#187; actors</title> <atom:link href="http://chrisabraham.com/tag/actors/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /><link>http://chrisabraham.com</link> <description>Because the Medium is the Message</description> <lastBuildDate>Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:08:23 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en</language> <sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency> <generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1</generator> <xhtml:meta xmlns:xhtml="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" name="robots" content="noindex" /> <item><title>Oscar Winner Prediction Roundup</title><link>http://chrisabraham.com/2009/02/23/oscar-winner-prediction-roundup/</link> <comments>http://chrisabraham.com/2009/02/23/oscar-winner-prediction-roundup/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:51:07 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Chris Abraham</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Oscar Winner]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Oscar Winners]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Oscars Predictions]]></category> <category><![CDATA[The Oscars]]></category> <category><![CDATA[abc]]></category> <category><![CDATA[actors]]></category> <category><![CDATA[aol]]></category> <category><![CDATA[best actor]]></category> <category><![CDATA[best picture]]></category> <category><![CDATA[best supporting actress]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category> <category><![CDATA[blogged]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Blogging]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Blogs]]></category> <category><![CDATA[commentator]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Comments]]></category> <category><![CDATA[controversies]]></category> <category><![CDATA[controversy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[craziness]]></category> <category><![CDATA[engineer]]></category> <category><![CDATA[feelings]]></category> <category><![CDATA[festivities]]></category> <category><![CDATA[films]]></category> <category><![CDATA[frenzy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[hosts]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Journalism]]></category> <category><![CDATA[likeness]]></category> <category><![CDATA[liking]]></category> <category><![CDATA[mickey rourke]]></category> <category><![CDATA[moviefone]]></category> <category><![CDATA[msn]]></category> <category><![CDATA[online]]></category> <category><![CDATA[oscar pool]]></category> <category><![CDATA[oscar predictions]]></category> <category><![CDATA[oscars]]></category> <category><![CDATA[penelope cruz]]></category> <category><![CDATA[pool]]></category> <category><![CDATA[pool predictions]]></category> <category><![CDATA[poole]]></category> <category><![CDATA[red carpet]]></category> <category><![CDATA[revolutionary road]]></category> <category><![CDATA[road]]></category> <category><![CDATA[roundup]]></category> <category><![CDATA[sean penn]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Search]]></category> <category><![CDATA[shoulds]]></category> <category><![CDATA[streams]]></category><guid
isPermaLink="false">http://chrisabraham.com/2009/02/23/oscar-winner-prediction-roundup/</guid> <description><![CDATA[Via Search Engine Journal, Oscars Predictions for 2009 Winners Online: AOL’s MovieFone 2009 Oscar Predictions : AOL has put together a slideshow of their Oscar Pool predictions and have picked Penelope Cruz for Best Supporting Actress &#38; Sean Penn as Best Actor from the film Milk. Oscar Frenzy : A blog crazy about the Oscars [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div
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style="display:none">Via Search Engine Journal, Oscars Predictions for 2009 Winners Online: AOL’s MovieFone 2009 Oscar Predictions : AOL has put together a slideshow of their Oscar Pool predictions and have picked Penelope Cruz for Best Supporting Actress &amp; Sean Penn as Best Actor from the film Milk. Oscar Frenzy : A blog crazy about the Oscars [...]</span></a></div><p></p><div
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/> </a></div><p>Via Search Engine Journal, <a
href="http://www.searchenginejournal.com/oscars-predictions-for-2009-winners-online/8781/">Oscars Predictions for 2009 Winners Online</a>:</p><blockquote><ul><li><a
href="http://movies.aol.com/oscars-academy-awards/photos/oscar-predictions" target="_blank">AOL’s MovieFone 2009 Oscar Predictions</a> : AOL has put together a slideshow of their Oscar Pool predictions and have picked Penelope Cruz for Best Supporting Actress &amp; Sean Penn as Best Actor from the film Milk.</li><li><a
href="http://www.oscarfrenzy.com/commentary/2009-oscar-predictions-previewing-the-best-films-of-2008/" target="_blank">Oscar Frenzy</a> : A blog crazy about the Oscars with their predictions list and a vibrant commenting frenzy, Oscar Frenzy has gone against the grain and predicted that Revolutionary Road will win the Best Picture.</li><li><a
href="http://movies.msn.com/oscars/predictions/" target="_blank">MSN Movies</a> : MSN, like most other online entertainment sites, is not predicting that Mickey Rourke will win Best Actor, and feels that Sean Penn will win it for Milk, although they say Rourke should win because he has earned it.</li><li><a
href="http://oscar.go.com/" target="_blank">Oscars on Go.com</a> : Of course since ABC is hosting the actors they can’t really predict the winners without there being any controversy, but they have set up the Official Oscars site with live streaming of the Oscars and the Red Carpet festivities.</li></ul></blockquote><script type="text/javascript">(function() {var s = document.createElement('SCRIPT'), s1 = document.getElementsByTagName('SCRIPT')[0];s.type = 'text/javascript';s.async = true;s.src = 'http://widgets.digg.com/buttons.js';s1.parentNode.insertBefore(s, s1);})();</script><a
class="DiggThisButton DiggCompact" href="http://digg.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fchrisabraham.com%2F2009%2F02%2F23%2Foscar-winner-prediction-roundup%2F"></a>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://chrisabraham.com/2009/02/23/oscar-winner-prediction-roundup/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Does Nina Link Make Too Much Money?</title><link>http://chrisabraham.com/2009/02/20/does-nina-link-make-too-much-money/</link> <comments>http://chrisabraham.com/2009/02/20/does-nina-link-make-too-much-money/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Fri, 20 Feb 2009 20:35:10 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Chris Abraham</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[actors]]></category> <category><![CDATA[ceos]]></category> <category><![CDATA[entrepreneurs]]></category> <category><![CDATA[founders]]></category> <category><![CDATA[lawyers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[lobbyists]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Magazine Publishers of America]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Nina Link]]></category> <category><![CDATA[rock stars]]></category> <category><![CDATA[sports stars]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Wealth]]></category> <category><![CDATA[ceo]]></category> <category><![CDATA[doe]]></category> <category><![CDATA[entrepreneur]]></category> <category><![CDATA[evenings]]></category> <category><![CDATA[failure]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Gawker]]></category> <category><![CDATA[goode]]></category> <category><![CDATA[goodness]]></category> <category><![CDATA[hell]]></category> <category><![CDATA[investors]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Jobs]]></category> <category><![CDATA[law partners]]></category> <category><![CDATA[lawyer]]></category> <category><![CDATA[likeness]]></category> <category><![CDATA[liking]]></category> <category><![CDATA[lobbyist]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Love]]></category> <category><![CDATA[magazine publishers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[magazine writer]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Money]]></category> <category><![CDATA[much money]]></category> <category><![CDATA[outsiders]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Parenting]]></category> <category><![CDATA[parents]]></category> <category><![CDATA[people]]></category> <category><![CDATA[post]]></category> <category><![CDATA[profits]]></category> <category><![CDATA[publishers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[rocks]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Sports]]></category> <category><![CDATA[success and failure]]></category> <category><![CDATA[surprise]]></category> <category><![CDATA[surprises]]></category> <category><![CDATA[word rate]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category><guid
isPermaLink="false">http://chrisabraham.com/2009/02/20/does-nina-link-make-too-much-money/</guid> <description><![CDATA[I don&#8217;t know why I am posting this outside of the fact I love seeing what people make for their jobs.  There are a surprising number of non profit heads and directors who make way north of $250,000, and now it is interesting to see what Nina Link of  Magazine Publishers of America makes for [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div
style="float:left;margin:10px 10px 0px 0px;"> <a
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style="display:none">I don&#8217;t know why I am posting this outside of the fact I love seeing what people make for their jobs.  There are a surprising number of non profit heads and directors who make way north of $250,000, and now it is interesting to see what Nina Link of  Magazine Publishers of America makes for [...]</span></a></div><p></p><div
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/> </a></div><p>I don&#8217;t know why I am posting this outside of the fact I love seeing what people make for their jobs.  There are a surprising number of non profit heads and directors who make way north of $250,000, and now it is interesting to see what <a
href="http://gawker.com/tag/nina-link/" target="_blank" title="Click here to read more posts tagged NINA LINK">Nina Link</a> of  Magazine Publishers of America makes for a living, via <a
href="http://gawker.com/5157253/magazine-factotum-makes-too-much-money">Gawker</a>:</p><blockquote><p><a
href="http://gawker.com/tag/nina-link/" target="_blank" title="Click here to read more posts tagged NINA LINK">Nina Link</a>, the head of the <a
href="http://www.magazine.org/">Magazine Publishers of America</a>, makes $740,000 a year. Even at the very good magazine freelance rate of $2/ word, you&#8217;d have to write like 100 long features per year to make that much cash. So that means that Nina Link&#8217;s per word rate is like&#8230;. $740,000, because, I forgot, she is not a magazine writer, she&#8217;s a lobbyist.</p></blockquote><p>My question is: what is too much money? Lawyers, rock stars, lobbyists, CEOs, founders, entrepreneurs, sports stars, and actors really risk a lot and their success and failure can be meteoric but also fickle and the end can very often come abruptly.</p><p>Law partners have to go through a lot of hell to get where they are and lobbyists tend to spend much of their entire youth sucking up to get to where they make an easy three-quarter million per annum.</p><p>So, what&#8217;s too much?</p><p>The way I see it, these people eat what they kill and they surely and always make much more than $740,000 for their parent companies, agents, investors, etc.</p><script type="text/javascript">(function() {var s = document.createElement('SCRIPT'), s1 = document.getElementsByTagName('SCRIPT')[0];s.type = 'text/javascript';s.async = true;s.src = 'http://widgets.digg.com/buttons.js';s1.parentNode.insertBefore(s, s1);})();</script><a
class="DiggThisButton DiggCompact" href="http://digg.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fchrisabraham.com%2F2009%2F02%2F20%2Fdoes-nina-link-make-too-much-money%2F"></a>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://chrisabraham.com/2009/02/20/does-nina-link-make-too-much-money/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Sarah Palin Comment Thread Par Excellence</title><link>http://chrisabraham.com/2008/10/10/sarah-palin-comment-thread-par-excellence/</link> <comments>http://chrisabraham.com/2008/10/10/sarah-palin-comment-thread-par-excellence/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:52:16 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Chris Abraham</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[2008 Elections]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Comment Thread]]></category> <category><![CDATA[John McCain]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Par Excellence]]></category> <category><![CDATA[presidency]]></category> <category><![CDATA[President]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Presidential Debates]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Presidential Election]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Presidential Endorsements]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Presidential Poll]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Presidential Race]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Sarah Palin]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Vice Presidency]]></category> <category><![CDATA[vice president]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Vice Presidential Debate]]></category> <category><![CDATA[8 years]]></category> <category><![CDATA[ACT]]></category> <category><![CDATA[activists]]></category> <category><![CDATA[actors]]></category> <category><![CDATA[actuall]]></category> <category><![CDATA[advocacy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[affirmation]]></category> <category><![CDATA[aim]]></category> <category><![CDATA[alaska supreme court]]></category> <category><![CDATA[alls]]></category> <category><![CDATA[amazement]]></category> <category><![CDATA[ammunition]]></category> <category><![CDATA[animals]]></category> <category><![CDATA[arrogance]]></category> <category><![CDATA[assed]]></category> <category><![CDATA[asses]]></category> <category><![CDATA[assets]]></category> <category><![CDATA[attitude]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Babies]]></category> <category><![CDATA[balls]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Barack]]></category> <category><![CDATA[batten]]></category> <category><![CDATA[beatings]]></category> <category><![CDATA[bedding]]></category> <category><![CDATA[beens]]></category> <category><![CDATA[beers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Berlin]]></category> <category><![CDATA[berliner]]></category> <category><![CDATA[berliners]]></category> <category><![CDATA[billions]]></category> <category><![CDATA[bitterness]]></category> <category><![CDATA[bliss]]></category> <category><![CDATA[bob]]></category> <category><![CDATA[bobs]]></category> <category><![CDATA[bomb]]></category> <category><![CDATA[boots]]></category> <category><![CDATA[border]]></category> 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sand]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Health]]></category> <category><![CDATA[hell]]></category> <category><![CDATA[heroes]]></category> <category><![CDATA[hillary]]></category> <category><![CDATA[historians]]></category> <category><![CDATA[hollywood]]></category> <category><![CDATA[homework]]></category> <category><![CDATA[hoods]]></category> <category><![CDATA[horns]]></category> <category><![CDATA[http]]></category> <category><![CDATA[idiocy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[image]]></category> <category><![CDATA[images]]></category> <category><![CDATA[imagination]]></category> <category><![CDATA[implication]]></category> <category><![CDATA[influence]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Influencers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[initiative]]></category> <category><![CDATA[initiatives]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Innovation]]></category> <category><![CDATA[innovator]]></category> <category><![CDATA[insight]]></category> <category><![CDATA[insightful]]></category> 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<category><![CDATA[lexicon]]></category> <category><![CDATA[liabilities]]></category> <category><![CDATA[liberals]]></category> <category><![CDATA[libraries]]></category> <category><![CDATA[liking]]></category> <category><![CDATA[listener]]></category> <category><![CDATA[littl]]></category> <category><![CDATA[logic]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Love]]></category> <category><![CDATA[lowe]]></category> <category><![CDATA[mainstream]]></category> <category><![CDATA[man]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Management]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Marines]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Mark]]></category> <category><![CDATA[marketability]]></category> <category><![CDATA[marketer]]></category> <category><![CDATA[marketers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Marriage]]></category> <category><![CDATA[mate]]></category> <category><![CDATA[mates]]></category> <category><![CDATA[mccain]]></category> <category><![CDATA[measures]]></category> 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isPermaLink="false">http://chrisabraham.com/2008/10/10/sarah-palin-comment-thread-par-excellence/</guid> <description><![CDATA[If you have not been keeping on top of all of the great comments streaming in to the AH Poll entitled &#8220;If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Palin be competent to be President?&#8221; you are really missing out! Some of them are the most insightful, thoughtful, and brilliant collection of thoughts representing [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div
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style="display:none">If you have not been keeping on top of all of the great comments streaming in to the AH Poll entitled &#8220;If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Palin be competent to be President?&#8221; you are really missing out! Some of them are the most insightful, thoughtful, and brilliant collection of thoughts representing [...]</span></a></div><p></p><div
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/> </a></div><p>If you have not been keeping on top of all of the great comments streaming in to the <a
href="http://ahpoll.com">AH Poll</a> entitled <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/palin/">&#8220;If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Palin be competent to be President?&#8221;</a> you are really missing out!  Some of them are the most insightful, thoughtful, and brilliant collection of thoughts representing the best and the worst of the right and the left! Roll up your sleeves and batten your hatches because you&#8217;re going to have one hell of a ride. Oh, also, these comments are in reverse-chronological order so the most recent are at the top. If you want to keep track of them live, please <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/palin/#comments">go visit them where they love and breathe</a>. Read below for the most amazing Sarah Palin comment thread of the Internets!<br
/> <span
id="more-5087"></span></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-147">Palin = MORON</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://sogetthis.com" rel="nofollow">Anonymous</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/10/2008 &#8211; 12:58.</div><div><p>Only  a complete moron would vote for a Republican after the past 8 years of  idiocy. McCain is a Bush croney and Palin is just an idiot.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/147">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/147/Palin-MORON">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-146"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-146">reply to KB in IA</a></div><div> Submitted by ab (not verified) on Fri, 10/10/2008 &#8211; 08:52.</div><div><p>KB,<br
/> Sorry, I don&#8217;t usually reply to these remarks, but I couldn&#8217;t resist&#8230;&#8230;..<br
/> What message of &#8220;hate&#8221; are you talking about?<br
/> If someone doesn&#8217;t agree with your worldview, that doesn&#8217;t<br
/> mean they hate. Where is your tolerance?<br
/> AB</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/146">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/146/reply-KB-IA">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-145"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-145">Palin</a></div><div> Submitted by Walter Arndt (not verified) on Thu, 10/09/2008 &#8211; 22:23.</div><div><p>Only a person with his head in the sand would vote for a democrat.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/145">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/145/Palin">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-144"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-144">Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Pal</a></div><div> Submitted by KB in IA (not verified) on Thu, 10/09/2008 &#8211; 21:54.</div><div><p>Things  might get interesting soon, since the Alaska Supreme Court said today  that the investigation known as Troopergate could proceed, dashing the  hopes of the McCain/Palin campaign to stonewall it until after the  election (article at <a
href="http://www.adn.com" title="www.adn.com">www.adn.com</a>).  Amazing that someone CURRENTLY under investigation for misuse of public  office, could be stirring up crowds with a message of hate.  Mind-boggling that someone who had to attend 5 or 6 different colleges  before getting a degree in journalism, can try to make a bogeyman out  of someone who graduated with honors from Harvard Law. I hope Alaska  gets their Governor back soon&#8230;if they even want her back.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/144">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/144/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah-Pal">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-143"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-143">Re: Palin</a></div><div> Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 10/09/2008 &#8211; 18:06.</div><div><p>Are  you as crazy as she is? It IS the republican party that has messed up  this Country over the last 8 yrs. We may not get out of this mess we  are in. Take your head out of the sand. Obama IS the best selection  this election.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/143">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/143/Re-Palin">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-142"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-142">Qualified?</a></div><div> Submitted by  Leo (not verified) on Thu, 10/09/2008 &#8211; 17:17.</div><div><p>Mrs.  Palin is much more qualified to be President than Obama who has done  absolutely nothing but organize thugs in ACORN! She could save this  Country from Socialism and all the corruption the Democrats are up to.  He is not capable of telling the truth and Hollywood and the Media are  doing their best to cover for him. He is not qualified to be a Senator  and should be on trial for treason.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/142">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/142/Qualified">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-141"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-141">Pailin </a></div><div> Submitted by GE Mayer (not verified) on Thu, 10/09/2008 &#8211; 16:53.</div><div><p>Not  only is Palin not qualified to be Vice President much less President, I  am incensed, that John McCain would insult my intellegence by picking  such a &#8220;newby&#8221; above several well qualified, experienced women who have  served the country and the Republican party.<br
/> I expect my Comander in Chief to Carefully sellect an individual more  qualified than him/herself to take over. It shows John&#8217;s thinking.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/141">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/141/Pailin">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-140"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-140">Palin?  Presidential material?  No, doggone it!</a></div><div> Submitted by Krissi (not verified) on Wed, 10/08/2008 &#8211; 21:35.</div><div><p>While  I admire Sarah Palin&#8217;s spunk and determination, I think that she is  completely out of her league as not only a vice president but also a  president. If people would take a good look at her record, they&#8217;d see  that she doesn&#8217;t even have a good grasp of the issues.</p><p>In addition, she&#8217;s been caught in numerous lies and distortions. For  example, she did not sell a jet on eBay &#8212; she tried but failed; the  jet was sold later to a private buyer. She did not leave the town of  Wasilla financially sound; she left it in debt. She says she;ll be a  strong supporter of kids with needs. In truth, Palin actually slashed  funding for schools for special needs kids by 62%.</p><p>And her famous, &#8220;I told the Congress &#8220;thanks, but no thanks,&#8221; for  that Bridge to Nowhere. If our state wanted a bridge, we&#8217;d build it  ourselves&#8221; line? More spin. Congress&#8217; requirement that funds be spent  on that bridge (aka the &#8216;earmark&#8217;) were removed before Sarah Palin  became governor. She was, therefore, in no position to tell Congress  anything about the bridge, one way or the other. During her campaign,  she said she supported funding for the bridge.</p><p>There are more examples, of the fibs and many examples of her poor  insight into our nation&#8217;s problems. I could list them all, but I  encourage you to do your own homework (forwarded emails DO NO COUNT)!</p><p>If MCCain and Palin win this election, I&#8217;ll probably be hoping for a lengthy, overseas assignment &#8212; maybe four years or more!</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/140">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/140/Palin-Presidential-material-No-doggone-it">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-139"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-139">Palin is Failin</a></div><div> Submitted by GA for Brains in the White House (not verified) on Wed, 10/08/2008 &#8211; 21:02.</div><div><p>W &#8211; below C student<br
/> McCain &#8211; at the bottom of his class<br
/> Are we really electing the best? Shouldn&#8217;t we elect someone better than  we are? And someone not ready for the assisted living home? Someone who  can remember the name of his opponent instead of calling him &#8220;that  one&#8221;. McCain left right away after the debate &#8211; seniors do go to bed  early, probably past his bedtime. As for integrity, check out McCain&#8217;s  involvement in the S&#038;L bailout, he was right there along side W&#8217;s  brother Neil. All working to steal investors&#8217; money. Just like King  Henry is doing now, rewarding his Wall St. buddies.</p><p><strong>And we wonder why this happens to us???</strong></p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/139">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/139/Palin-Failin">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-138"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-138">Palin</a></div><div> Submitted by Ed Sherrill (not verified) on Wed, 10/08/2008 &#8211; 10:49.</div><div><p>Not  only is Sarah Palin competent to become President, she is idealogically  and tempermentally better suited to be President than John McCain.  Republicans are going to be very sorry thet chose McCain over Mitt  Romney. I only pray the Democrates don&#8217;t screw up the country so bad  over the next four years that it can&#8217;t be fixed.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/138">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/138/Palin">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-136"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-136">Is she for real?</a></div><div> Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 10/07/2008 &#8211; 22:13.</div><div><p>If  Joe Biden winked at the camera 5-6 times during the debate, wouldn&#8217;t we  be calling him a pervert? Come on people, get serious. Sarah Palin is a  joke &#8212; an embarrassment to Americans who take our politics &#8212; and the  plight of our country &#8212; seriously.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/136">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/136/she-real">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-134"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-134">Is Sarah Palin Qualified to be President?</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://www.selfhelpdaily.com" rel="nofollow">Joi</a> (not verified) on Tue, 10/07/2008 &#8211; 13:34.</div><div><p>To  be sure, Sarah Palin doesn&#8217;t deserve the crucifixion the media and  entertainment world are giving her (and her family). McCain might  deserve some of it, after all &#8211; he picked her. Why? She&#8217;s female. I  admire the man completely &#8211; he is an American hero and I can&#8217;t even  begin to imagine the hell this brave man endured.</p><p>However, when it came to choose running mates, I belive Obama chose  one that was best for the country and McCain chose one (he thought) was  best for the campaign.</p><p>I THINK that he lost the race with his choice.  I KNOW he lost my vote.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/134">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/134/Sarah-Palin-Qualified-be-President">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-133"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-133">Surprising VP choice</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://thebrandbuilder.wordpress.com" rel="nofollow">olivier blanchard</a> (not verified) on Tue, 10/07/2008 &#8211; 13:30.</div><div><p>Hindsight  is always 20/20. Perhaps Gov. Palin&#8217;s weaknesses weren&#8217;t 100% obvious  to Sen. McCain when he picked her. (So much for due diligence, I  guess.) Did he want a dynamic, charismatic, family-friendly VP  running-mate? Of course. And she fit the bill&#8230; on the surface, at  least. But honestly, weren&#8217;t there better choices (male or female) for  the job? Competent, charismatic, appealing, worldly Republican  governors or senators? People he actually knows and trusts? 30 years in  politics, and he can&#8217;t think of a single person he has worked with who  would be a better choice for a running mate? He goes with a complete  stranger? I find that bizarre. Irresponsible, even. I just don&#8217;t get  it. There are plenty of smart, competent, experienced women in the  Republican Party who would have made a great running mate.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/133">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/133/Surprising-VP-choice">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-132"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-132">Don&#8217;t confuse appeal with competence</a></div><div> Submitted by DBStevens (not verified) on Tue, 10/07/2008 &#8211; 12:21.</div><div><p>Too  many people in this country confuse personal appeal with competence,  and make decisions based on who&#8217;s the most charming or even who&#8217;s  sexiest. Or they make decisions based on generalities such as &#8220;we need  a woman in the White House.&#8221; A COMPETENT woman in the White House would  be a great asset to this country. There is no doubt of that.</p><p>But we can&#8217;t decide the leaders of our country based on a visceral  reaction to her charm and folksy demeanor (there is a lot of doubt as  to the sincerity of that demeanor anyway&#8230;she shows signs of being  rather ruthless). During these times of uncertainty and fear, it&#8217;s  natural to want some comfort, to feel that the person leading our  country is down-to-earth and &#8220;real.&#8217; We felt good about Bush and people  like Rudy Guiliani for a short time right after 9/11. They appealed to  our emotions and need for reassurance. But that demeanor means nothing.  It&#8217;s the actions that matter, and in the time following 9/11, both Bush  and Guiliani&#8217;s true nature was revealed&#8230; incompetence and  self-serving.</p><p>Sarah Palin acts cute and has a pretty face. That&#8217;s perfect for  president of the PTA. But has not gained enough experience to be  president of a country. The job of Vice-President or President is NOT  an &#8220;on-the-job-training&#8221; type of job. Being Mayor of a tiny town in a  remote state, then Governer of that remote, sparsely populated state  (670,000, way smaller than a city like El Paso, TX) is not enough  experience to lead a country whose every move has global implications.  Palin treated the job of Governer like a telecommuting job, she worked  form her hown home for 86% of the year.</p><p>No matter how intelligent she may seem to be, no matter how  ambitious or driven she may seem, and ESPECIALLY no matter how pretty  or charming she is, she is not ready for the responsibilities of a job  like President. Without experience, without having the time to really  begin to understand the nature of national and global dealings on every  level, no matter how much coaching or guidance she would receive, Palin  would either crumble under pressure or make very bad decisions with  repercussions that could shake this country and its international  stature to the core. Or she wouldn&#8217;t act quickly enough at  all&#8230;stalling and deflecting decisions (as she does with many  questions, or with such events as the investigation dubbeed  &#8220;Troopergate&#8221;).</p><p>I also worry about the demands of her family. During times of her  family&#8217;s need, do we want someone faced with the dilemma of either  neglecting her family&#8217;s needs because of her duties as Vice-President,  or neglecting the VP duties because of her family&#8217;s needs? Neither of  those are good choices&#8230;.Sarah Palin has too many personal  responsibilities.</p><p>Palin also shows all the signs of behavior very similar to  Bush&#8217;s&#8230;including a tendency toward cronyism, abuse of power, and  self-serving decisions that flout the law.</p><p>She even mispronounces the word &#8220;nuclear&#8221; just like Bush. Certainly  that&#8217;s a small point, and that pronunciation is commonly recognized as  a sub-standard metathesis of the word, but it&#8217;s very annoying to listen  to.</p><p>So wake up American. Move your responses from your gut to your  brains, and make sure you understand the repercussions of your vote.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/132">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/132/Dont-confuse-appeal-competence">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-131"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-131">I&#8217;m moving&#8230;</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://www.andyosier.com" rel="nofollow">Andy Osier</a> (not verified) on Tue, 10/07/2008 &#8211; 10:15.</div><div><p>John  McCain himself isn&#8217;t capable of running the country; I shudder to think  of the train wreck a Palin administration would be. If they win, I&#8217;m  seriously considering a moving. How&#8217;s the January weather in Berlin,  Chris?</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/131">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/131/Im-moving">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-130"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-130">Big State&#8230;&#8230;little experience!</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/126" rel="nofollow">Anonymous</a> (not verified) on Mon, 10/06/2008 &#8211; 18:11.</div><div><p>Granted, we&#8217;ve got plenty to worry about at home!<br
/> But we&#8217;re talking about a Governor of a state bordered by 2 foreign  countries, Palin is the proud NEW owner of a passport! (barely 1 year)<br
/> The world is smaller than ever and so is our standing in it. We don&#8217;t  need &#8220;a little Wasilla in Washington&#8221;. We already have a narrow minded  view of the world with our current administration.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/130">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/130/Big-Statelittle-experience">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-129"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-129">Palin for presidnet?</a></div><div> Submitted by Joyce (not verified) on Mon, 10/06/2008 &#8211; 16:49.</div><div><p>She  would call on the brightest brains in the Republican party, put them in  positions of power and support, and do her best to do the best she  could for her country. She&#8217;s an acheiver and would never accept failure  for herself. She has Condeleesa, Romneys, Huckabees and several others  who want to serve and members to help and advise her. Her history shows  that she uses support and advise to guide her towards her goals and  accomplishments. She would take the credit for it too.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/129">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/129/Palin-presidnet">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-128"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-128">Re: If McCain dies is America Screwed?</a></div><div> Submitted by Allison (not verified) on Mon, 10/06/2008 &#8211; 15:10.</div><div><p>Palin  is the only person that does not have someone dictating what she says  about policy and does not try to appear to have all of the answers. She  certainly knows how to find the answers. She has integrity, and knows  truth when she sees it and definitely has mankind&#8217;s best interests as  her priority. These are some of the things that make her the best  candidate for the job. I am sick and tired of politicians with agendas!  She is a real person that is capable of any good, or decent task put  before her. She will also employ the same type of people to work beside  and under her. The point that she is not capable of selling us down  stream for a special interest group, or her own pocket, or fame makes  her my choice in a leader &#8211; regardless of the presence of McCain.  Allison</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/128">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/128/Re-If-McCain-dies-America-Screwed">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-127"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-127">Re: If McCain dies is America Screwed?</a></div><div> Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/06/2008 &#8211; 15:08.</div><div><p>Palin  is the only person that does not have someone dictating what she says  about policy and does not try to appear to have all of the answers. She  certainly knows how to find the answers. She has integrity, and knows  truth when she sees it and definitely has mankind&#8217;s best interests as  her priority. These are some of the things that make her the best  candidate for the job. I am sick and tired of politicians with agendas!  She is a real person that is capable of any good, or decent task put  before her. She will also employ the same type of people to work beside  and under her. The point that she is not capable of selling us down  stream for a special interest group, or her own pocket, or fame makes  her my choice in a leader &#8211; regardless of the presence of McCain.  Allison</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/127">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/127/Re-If-McCain-dies-America-Screwed">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-126"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-126">Re: Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah</a></div><div> Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/06/2008 &#8211; 12:47.</div><div><p>She didn&#8217;t ride in on her &#8220;own merits&#8221; She rode in on her SEX. PERIOD.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/126">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/126/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-125"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-125">If McCain dies is America Screwed?</a></div><div> Submitted by RisingFromDecadence (not verified) on Mon, 10/06/2008 &#8211; 12:17.</div><div><p>It&#8217;s  the most frightening and compelling reason to not elect McCain to date.  It&#8217; clear that the choice was to win vs. what&#8217;s right for the country.  And it saddens me that with so many strong female candidates out there  McCain has landed on this choice. It speaks volumes of his lack of  sound judgement and doesn&#8217;t do justice to the feminist movement.</p><p>I couldn&#8217;t agree more with &#8220;Double Standard&#8217;s&#8221; comments about  education, and intelligence vs. the &#8220;experience&#8221; of a low-population  governor. Has it somehow become a negative trait for our president to  be articulate well educated and even published?</p><p>I think its safe to now say, like every great civilization, America  has grown from it&#8217;s indestructible, can-do &#8220;adolescence,&#8221; and has  entered it&#8217;s &#8220;decadent&#8221; period of greed, fear, fat and a lack of clear  vision. America needs a president who will bring intelligence, a new  vision, and optimism so that we don&#8217;t lose the real values we&#8217;ve grown  up to believe are American such as truth, innovation, compassion,  charity and vision.</p><p>Our values as a nation should not be confused with same sex  marriages or religious agendas. I seem to remember from my grade school  social studies classes that America was born as a nation with the  purpose and promise of many freedoms. Personal choice values are not to  be mixed with National values. Growing up, this difference has been why  I&#8217;ve been so proud to be an American. In the last 8 years much has  changed. I believe that only with the leadership of Obama will we be  able to regain our credibility and our course as a nation. Most  importantly, America could be &#8220;Proud Again.&#8221;</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/125">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/125/If-McCain-dies-America-Screwed">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-124"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-124">Answer the question</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://ascannerbrightly.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Jaz-Michael King</a> (not verified) on Mon, 10/06/2008 &#8211; 10:40.</div><div><p>As  an unbiased, unable-to-vote immigrant, can I point out that as usual,  from either of your minimalist two sides, when the question is simply  If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Palin be  competent to be President?&#8221;, the arguments spin off to why the opponent  isn&#8217;t. Maybe that will be the next question, but like I wanted to yell  at Palin while watching the debate&#8230; answer the question posed to you.</p><p>Everyone has their weak points, and in some respects, Obama, who has  considerably more than two years in the US Senate as his experience (he  was a state senator, you know) has plenty. However, I think there&#8217;s a  good reason hockey moms and joe sixpacks don&#8217;t run. No-one wants  regular folk in charge. You all want a ruling elite no matter how much  you profess to the contrary.</p><p>There are plenty of strong, competent women on both sides of the aisle in the USA. Gov. Palin is not one of them.</p><p>She is not qualified because she is not qualified. Being as  unqualified as anyone you wish to compare her to does not make her  qualified. Her inabilty to answer a straight question makes her  unqualified. I personally believe the fact she is the kind of person  who can compete in a beauty contest makes her unqualified. And as of  today, her assertion that Obama&#8217;s political career started off in the  living room of a terrorist (all of a sudden, he&#8217;s been a politician a  lot longer than two years according to the Republicans) has pulled her  from the absurd to the surreal.</p><p>Don&#8217;t get me wrong, Obama seems to pander to some vaporous &#8220;change&#8221; mentality, but that wasn&#8217;t the question.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/124">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/124/Answer-question">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-123"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-123">Palin Unqualified</a></div><div> Submitted by Anonymous jones (not verified) on Mon, 10/06/2008 &#8211; 09:16.</div><div><p>The  difference between Obama and Palin is that Obama thinks. He&#8217;s smart  enough to go to Harvard, graduate high enough in his class to be  president of the Harvard Law Review there. He&#8217;s a thinker who doesn&#8217;t  shoot from the hip. He knows the Constitution inside and out and knows  if something is just a whim to increase his own power compared to a  great idea which would help millions of people (think fairer taxes,  health insurance coverage). Palin bankrupted Wasilla which is now 23.5  MILLION dollars in debt. She has no idea of what real issues are out  there&#8212;she doesn&#8217;t have any idea of what to do in a financial  situation, a diplomatic situation or anything beyond her own home. She  shows no compassion for others who are not in her situation (religious,  financial, educational, political) and has no international experience.  We do not need another DOPE in the White House. McCain has shown very  poor judgment in choosing an under-educated (a BA is like a high school  degree these days) fool rather than a smart, intellectually  sophisticated worthy VP candidate. This is a sellout of the Democratic  process. Such a shame. But then again, McCain graduated at the bottom  of his class (894 out of 899), so what does he want with a smart second?</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/123">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/123/Palin-Unqualified">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-122"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-122">Just because she could, does not mean she should.</a></div><div> Submitted by Bjshazam (not verified) on Sun, 10/05/2008 &#8211; 22:34.</div><div><p>Does  it not trouble anyone who has been posting here that we have reached  this point at all? I&#8217;ve been writing draft after draft of posts here,  trying to find the right balance that won&#8217;t come across as too  ideological, or that won&#8217;t be automatically dismissed by the true  sycophants because it contains some Left or Right code word that  justifies their turning off of the brain. Can&#8217;t do it. She&#8217;s too  dangerous, and it angers me so much that we as a country have been put  in the position of having to opine about the staggering impropriety of  her selection as McCain&#8217;s running mate.</p><p>Consider:</p><p>My brother is a great guy. Smart as a whip, with what I think is  decent judgment (except for his love of the Yankees). I trust him  implicitly. So, should I be in a position to name him to, say, the  Supreme Court, I would expect no questions from anyone about his  qualifications. According to the Constitution, he is legally qualified  to be a Justice, even the Chief Justice. I already told you he is smart  and has good judgment. What else do you need to know? How dare you  question my choice or his desire to serve?</p><p>The President of the United States has a mind bogglingly huge amount  of discretion in executing the job. The president can, without  obstruction by court or Congress, lay waste to our financial system,  impede entirely the execution of justice, or unleash Armageddon. The  office of the president can disband virtually unilaterally the entirety  of the intelligence gathering power of the U.S., or focus it all on the  least secure among us &#8212; with no recourse by anyone.</p><p>Most of the time, this isn&#8217;t an issue. Regardless of your political  persuasion, we have been blessed mostly with chief executives that took  the burdens of job dead seriously. A president of the entire country,  not just those who cast the votes.</p><p>Now the bar has been set so low that we cannot figure out the right  words to describe how wrong it is for a candidate to relish the fact  that she really doesn&#8217;t understand the job the Constitution has laid  out. That this is somehow an asset to a campaign makes me ashamed for  my country.</p><p>That John McCain affirmatively foisted this train wreck upon his own  party, and possibly upon the country, is a sin for which he should  never be forgiven.</p><p>That she is considered by some to be the next face of the GOP, and a  real contender for the nomination next time around, should make my GOP  colleagues shudder and the nation weep.</p><p>I don&#8217;t want a hockey mom or joe six-pack running the country. Hell,  I don&#8217;t want anyone like me running the country. I want a president.  And she is not it.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/122">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/122/Just-because-she-could-does-not-mean-she-should">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-121"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-121">make that Palin UNQUALIFIED PERIOD</a></div><div> Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 10/05/2008 &#8211; 22:25.</div><div><p>Darn, brain outrunning my fingers.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/121">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/121/make-Palin-UNQUALIFIED-PERIOD">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-120"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-120">Palin qualified period</a></div><div> Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 10/05/2008 &#8211; 22:22.</div><div><p>And  the mental midgets who are using that as a ruse to comment on Obama  miss the entire point. Biden IS qualified to fill in shoudl something  happen to Obama (go to smoking gun to see why that IS an issue).</p><p>Palin is a bimbo and if you do not think so, Palin supporters, then  take this simple acid test: were it Obama who made those brain dead  comments instead of Palin, what would you be saying about him? Gotcha!</p><p>jim</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/120">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/120/Palin-qualified-period">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-119"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-119">Palin Not Qualified</a></div><div> Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 10/05/2008 &#8211; 22:01.</div><div><p>Anyone  that believes that Sarah Palin is qualified to be President is kidding  themselves. It has nothing to do with the fact that she is a woman. The  fact that she is SO unqualified is what made her pick an insult to  every hard-working, intelligent woman out there. She was picked for her  good looks and her folksy charm. There were MANY more qualified women  in the ranks of the Republican party that could have been chosen.<br
/> Palin attended five different colleges before she was finally able to  stick out a degree program. She majored in journalism and  communications and couldn&#8217;t name ONE newspaper or magazine that she  reads on a regular basis. She minored in political science and doesn&#8217;t  know what the Vice President&#8217;s role and duties are in our government.  She has abused her power in every political post she has been elected  to, has lied about her record both as mayor and governor and her short  political career has been marked by scandal. She says that she fought  the energy interests in Alaska, but her campaigns have all been heavily  funded by energy companies.<br
/> In short, she&#8217;s not smart, she&#8217;s lacks integrity, she has gotten most  of what she has attained on her looks and charm and these things don&#8217;t  add up to someone who is qualified for Vice President, nevermind the  Presidency. If you want her to be your leader, move to Alaska. This  country and the world cannot afford another incompetent leader at the  helm. One more bumbling idiot at the helm will spell doom for the  future of all of the citizens of this country.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/119">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/119/Palin-Not-Qualified">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-118"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-118">qualifications.</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://crazypolitics.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Crazy Politico</a> (not verified) on Sun, 10/05/2008 &#8211; 20:10.</div><div><p>If Gov. Palin isn&#8217;t qualified to &#8220;POSSIBLY&#8221; become president, then what of Barack Obama?</p><p>What exactly is his qualification for the job? A couple of  non-descript years in the Senate with no major legislation to show for  that time? A history of voting &#8220;Here&#8221; on controversial issues so as to  keep a rather neutral record when running for the next higher office?</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/118">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/118/qualifications">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-117"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-117">Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Pal</a></div><div> Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 10/05/2008 &#8211; 14:49.</div><div><p>Does  she have enough political experience for the position of president? I  would say not&#8230;.. but then again, there&#8217;s nothing like a long run of a  president that can&#8217;t even string a sentence together in English to  remind you that you don&#8217;t really need much skill for the job. It&#8217;s  whose behind the president that counts no?</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/117">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/117/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah-Pal">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-116"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-116">Is Palin Qualified to be President?</a></div><div> Submitted by Thoughtful_Independent (not verified) on Sun, 10/05/2008 &#8211; 11:49.</div><div><p>I&#8217;m  a registered independent. I was waiting for the VP picks to be made  before making my mind up. VP&#8217;s Gore and Cheney have both illustrated  the growing importance of the VP position in the Executive Branch. The  magnitude of the nations and worlds problems highlight the fact that  the top two elected officials in the US need to have a wide range of  capabilities., strong intellect, and global perspective. At minimum,  the President needs a knowledgeable confidant and advisor he/she can  trust.</p><p>For all of her folksy charm, Governor Palin displays very little of  these qualities or qualifications. If you take the time to investigate  the educational and professional accomplishments of our sitting VP&#8217;s  over the past 50 years, even the most biased observer would conclude  that Governor Palin would be the least educated and least experienced.  If you don&#8217;t have the time to look at all of them, just compare her  against Dan Quayle who was arguably the weakest of the sitting VP&#8217;s.  Quayle&#8217;s accomplishments at the time he was selected as Bush&#8217;s running  mate dwarf Palin&#8217;s.</p><p>Upon inspection, the rabid and exaggerated claims about her energy  expertise and executive experience vaporize (the claims of foreign  policy experience are not even a valid topic). Living in an oil rich  state, shuffling petrodollars from the oil companies to the citizens in  the form of dividends, &#8220;negotiating&#8221; potential terms of a yet unplanned  and unfunded natural gas pipeline, and a college degree in journalism  do not qualify one as an energy expert.</p><p>Furthermore, the role of Governor of Alaska is diminished in  complexity compared to the Governors of the lower 48 due to factors  such as: 1) very small population (the whole state has a population  smaller than typical medium sized US cities), 2) the largest Alaskan  cities are smaller than many small ciities or large towns in the lower  48 (Anchorage = ~280K, Fairbanks = ~35K, Juneau = ~35K), 3) low  industrial output (Alaska is ranked near the bottom compared to the  other 50 states), and 4) a budget which is majority funded by revenues  from oil and gas companies. The hardest problem of the Alaskan governor  appears to be deciding how much money to send from the Permanent Fund  to the citizens versus how much to stash away for a future time when  oil revenues begin declining.</p><p>I find the argument that Palin has more &#8220;executive experience&#8221; than  McCain, Obama or Biden to be disingenuous. If executive experience is  really so important, Mitt Romney should be the Republican candidate for  President or, at minimum, the VP candidate. While I was not a huge fan  of Mr. Romney, his skillset is so superior to Palin&#8217;s that comparisons  are impossible. The same can be said with respect to experience in  matters of the economy. Ironically, Mr. Romney&#8217;s biggest shortcoming  appeared to be that he was a Washington outsider. Now being from our  most remote state is a strength for Palin?</p><p>My perspective is that the most successful Presidents of the last 50  years (for arguments sake Eisenhower, Reagan and Clinton) were able to  balance their core idealogical positions with advocacy for programs and  policies that improved the situation for the majority of US citizens  and improved our stature in the global community. Each of these  Presidents had well educated and highly skilled running mates. As an  Independent who holds a blend of conservative and liberal positions,  this mix is what I am weighing the most. My assessment is that  Obama/Biden have a better overall leadership/intelligence/world view  profile than McCain/Palin. McCain could have selected a male or female  running mate who would have tilted my assessment in his favor.  Unfortunately, for reasons only he and his advisors can comprehend, he  went with a female ideologue with weak academic, intellectual and  professional skills.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/116">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/116/Palin-Qualified-be-President">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-115"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-115">Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Pal</a></div><div> Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 10/05/2008 &#8211; 06:15.</div><div><p>@  CanIGet2NewZealand</p><p>What does it take to satisfy people like you?<br
/> or&#8230; is this a display of jealousy ? Ms Palin does make a rather  impressive appearance on a simple &#8216;ride in from the Wilds of Alaska&#8217;.<br
/> Instead of complimenting a person on a job well done you prefer to show the &#8220;cat fight&#8221; attitude.<br
/> What has Obama more than Palin?</p><p>If Obama had been a white boy from Illinois, would he have received  the nomination of the Dem Party? If your answer is NO _ then you must  vote for Palin for she rode in on her own merits not on her skin color!</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/115">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/115/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah-Pal">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-114"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-114">Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Pal</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://questionitnow.com/educationb" rel="nofollow">REB 84</a> (not verified) on Sun, 10/05/2008 &#8211; 00:35.</div><div><p>Would John McCain be a competent president?  This is a question you should be asking.<br
/> <a
href="http://questionitnow.com/educationb/2008/09/which-is-real-mccain.html"> QuestionItNow &#8211; Will America lead?</a></p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/114">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/114/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah-Pal">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-113"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-113">Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Pal</a></div><div> Submitted by CanIGet2NewZealand (not verified) on Sat, 10/04/2008 &#8211; 19:28.</div><div><p>Palin has been governor of a state with the population of Poughkeepsie, New York .</p><p>The State of Alaska, despite its conservative appearance has been  giving out money to its citizens from its oil dividens (Alaska  Permanent Fund) (<a
href="http://www.newamerica.net/publications/articles/2003/sharing_alaska_style" title="http://www.newamerica.net/publications/articles/2003/sharing_alaska_style">http://www.newamerica.net/publications/articles/2003/sharing_alaska_style</a>)  since the 1970&#8242;s. The money Palin boasts about giving her citizens is  money of this sort, the citizens of Alaska have been receiving these  payments for almost 40 years. How can she use these payments as part of  a discussion of her fiscal capabilities as Governor?</p><p>Governor Palin impresses me as being a cross between a Barbie Doll  and that really annoying head cheerleader that the intelligent girls  all could not stand in highschool.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/113">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/113/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah-Pal">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-112"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-112">Palin was a mistake for McCain in the 1st Place</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://www.ireport.com/people/FranklinB?view=documents&#038;viewingAsOthers=true" rel="nofollow">FranklinB</a> (not verified) on Sat, 10/04/2008 &#8211; 16:52.</div><div><p>I  have been publishing my thoughts on this matter for awhile now  regarding the selection of Sarah Palin for VP. I gave my views on her  initial selection here:</p><p>Did John McCain have good judgement?<br
/> <a
href="http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-72657" title="http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-72657">http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-72657</a></p><p>Sarah Palin is not my Vice President<br
/> <a
href="http://digitalseller.tblog.com/post/1970016179" title="http://digitalseller.tblog.com/post/1970016179">http://digitalseller.tblog.com/post/1970016179</a></p><p>Sarah Palin is just another pretty face<br
/> <a
href="http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-86323" title="http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-86323">http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-86323</a></p><p>McCain will have to pick a new VP<br
/> <a
href="http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-94699" title="http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-94699">http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-94699</a></p><p>VP Debate was great, for Biden and Obama<br
/> <a
href="http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-102625" title="http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-102625">http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-102625</a></p><p>Overall I agree that McCain is kind of a maverick, but also he is a  big gambler. Instead of picking one of the most qualified in the arena,  he went outside to a relatively unknown woman who he knew could  energize the base. That has happened, but with such obvious liabilities  that only a pure conservative will think she is qualified, because pure  conservatives don&#8217;t care who is in that position as long as that person  is republican, conservative and can walk &#038; talk. Hannity has said  publicly that he believes she would be qualified to fill the top job,  and so did Limbaugh as well. I got yelled at the other day by one of my  very oldest and best friends who couldn&#8217;t believe I didn&#8217;t think she  was for real. That was before the Couric interview. Now after the  debate I know I have made the right choice with Obama and Biden. The  financial collapse is bad enough, but if there was a President Palin  someday, it could be an even worse disaster for our country.</p><p>Obama and Biden are consistant in their positions on the Iraq war  and other matters regarding the need to help the middle class. I  believe McCain has no interest in the working class folks in this  country, and even if Palin does have that interest, she is not  knowledgeable enough to make any difference. JMHO</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/112">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/112/Palin-was-mistake-McCain-1st-Place">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-111"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-111">You&#8217;re Kidding, right?</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://onthebloc.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Shelly Roberts</a> (not verified) on Sat, 10/04/2008 &#8211; 14:04.</div><div><p>Sarah  Pallin is an embarrassment to the Republican Party, who may well be  qualified to run for PTA vice president, but hardly for the  heart-beat-away position of Vice President of the United States.</p><p>In the debate with Sen. Bieden Palin spoke repeatedly an d stiltedly  from obviousy drilled-in talking points rather than from any  appropriate knowledge. With a wooden, albeit cheerful presentation  worthy of earning her the title of Best Stepford Candidate.</p><p>Palin&#8217;s presentation was a constant one-note, praise-singing  golly/gee campaign advertiisement for John McCain, and did litttle if  anything to present any viable credentials as a candidate for the high  office into which she has been so thoughtlessly thrust.</p><p>I&#8217;d pity her for the position for which she has been recruited if  the holder of that position didn&#8217;t stand such a strong chance of  becoming the leader of the free world with a 79 year old unhealthy  running mate &#8211;shudder&#8211; a horrifying thought.</p><p>It shouldn&#8217;t be enough merely that she didn&#8217;t panic, screw up or cry  to qualify her as even a contender in the so-called debate. I have some  issues with Mr. Bidden as well, but at least he came across as someone  who has done more than simply look west and north in the direction of  the former Soviet Union, and self-pronounce a competency in foreign  affairs. That&#8217;s way too much like watching Animal Planet and  proclaiming veterinary competence with elephants.</p><p>Did Sarah win the debate?  She wasn&#8217;t ever even qualified to enter the race.</p><p>Is she qualified to be President regardless of the state of John McCain&#8217;s health?  You&#8217;re kidding, right?!</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/111">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/111/Youre-Kidding-right">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-110"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-110">Dummy be gone! THINK!</a></div><div> Submitted by Skillet Marimba (not verified) on Sat, 10/04/2008 &#8211; 11:27.</div><div><p>The G.O.P. targets DUMMYS but DUMMYS are finally starting to wake up. Dummy be gone.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/110">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/110/Dummy-be-gone-THINK">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-108"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-108">If McCain Died, Is Sarah Palin Qualified To Lead This Nation?</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://legalconsulting.wordpress.com/2008/08/30/obama-biden-a-winning-ticketbut-obama-clinton-a-landslide-victory/" rel="nofollow">Patrick Pearce</a> (not verified) on Sat, 10/04/2008 &#8211; 09:33.</div><div><p>Let  me first establish that I am not hopping on any band waggon here to  vilify or demonize Sarah Palin because she is a woman. My argument is  limited to choice. Based on both Vice Presidential Candidates, Sarah  Palin and Joe Biden of the Republican and Democratic Party  respectively, should one of these men (Whether Obama or McCain) died or  become incapacitated as President of the United States, and  constitutionally the Vice President is next in line to assume the  presidency, I unequivocally would trust the experience of Joe Biden to  lead this great Nation over Sarah Palin. I am sure I share the same  views as most sensible Americans. I used to hear that John McCain was a  stubborn man, I am now convinced. There are so many more experience and  viable Republicans out there to be VP, why did he chose Sarah Palin? If  only some of these potentially great men would listen to somebody  instead of arrogating to themselves because of ego, they would be such  great leaders. Obama-Biden victory in November, hands down! See my  recent post at: <a
href="http://legalconsulting.wordpress.com/2008/08/30/obama-biden-a-winning-ticketbut-obama-clinton-a-landslide-victory/" title="http://legalconsulting.wordpress.com/2008/08/30/obama-biden-a-winning-ticketbut-obama-clinton-a-landslide-victory/">http://legalconsulting.wordpress.com/2008/08/30/obama-biden-a-winning-ti&#8230;</a></p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/108">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/108/If-McCain-Died-Sarah-Palin-Qualified-Lead-Nation">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-107"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-107">Palin Better than Most</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://thescoundrel.wordpress.com" rel="nofollow">thescoundrel</a> (not verified) on Sat, 10/04/2008 &#8211; 09:21.</div><div><p>I  tend to disbelieve anything that comes out of any politicians mouth.  Politicians are liars&#038; cheats. While they are kissing your baby  they are picking your pocket at the same time. The President&#8217;s Job is  limited. The Congress is where most of the power in this country lies.  They make legislation, they pass legislation and even if the President  vetoes that legislation, they have the power to override it. A relative  rookie politician, Palin, actually has more executive experience than  McCain, Biden or Obama. Now that is scary since she is merely a VP  nominee. I would vote for her over Obama or Biden. She has a limited  track track record of what Obama/Biden pretends to have without any  track record to prove their claims: Palin has shown the grit to fight  her own party as governor of Alaska. Obama has shown me nothing for the  time he was in my state of Illinois government or once he was elected  Senator. He was no more than a puppet to Emile Jones that is the strong  arm thug of DEmocrat Gov. Governor Blagodabitch, the soon to be cell  mate of ex Republican Gov. George Ryan. So yeah I would trust Palin  much further than I would Obama leading this nation. Obama only  understands Chicago and Springfield style corruption which he was a  part of.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/107">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/107/Palin-Better-Most">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-106"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-106">If John McCain died&#8230;</a></div><div> Submitted by Pat Baker (not verified) on Sat, 10/04/2008 &#8211; 08:21.</div><div><p>To Anonymous:<br
/> I have been hollering &#8220;Double Standard&#8221; all summer&#8221;. You hit the nail  on the spot. When Obama was trained by the late great Saul Alinsky  &#038; his staff to learn how to be a better community activist, take  surveys, housing problems, school problems in the poor Chicago  districts, Palin sneered at the his outcomings, stating all those  programs arenow defunct. Her ignorance is bliss. Reason: Viet Nam war,  &#038; the 60&#8242;s riots cost us plenty At least Obama was vetted. Some  pundits t laughed him. I too, was trained by Alinsky, this great Jewish  community consultant for the poor back in the late 60&#8242;s. If Palin was  crossed examined by a Judge/Atty she would simply say I will only  answer the questions I wish to reply to. My people call it &#8220;double  standard&#8221;. Thanks, Anonymous for reminding me that I don&#8217;t need on the  job training vp by McCain/Palin ticket.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/106">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/106/If-John-McCain-died">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-104"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-104">my vote</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://www.squidoo.com/leanandripped" rel="nofollow">joe</a> (not verified) on Sat, 10/04/2008 &#8211; 07:35.</div><div><p>Ihave  no faith or trust in any politition, democrat or republican, they all  end up shafting the middle class in the end,She will be no better or  worse than the rest of the lot.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/104">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/104/my-vote">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-103"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-103">This Election is More Irritating than Usual</a></div><div> Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 10/04/2008 &#8211; 07:26.</div><div><p>Why  do people feel someone who has been a Senator for 2 years is more  qualified to be President than in the unlikely event McCain has to be  replaced by Govenor Palin??? The other thing that keeps being over  looked is Nancy Pelosi has been two heartbeats away from President??  She is qualified?? Unfortunately, people are being too influenced by  the media and not doing there own research. Quit using the medias  opinions and form your own. Do some real research. Somethinf fun to do  is go to <a
href="http://abcnews.go.com/politics" title="http://abcnews.go.com/politics">http://abcnews.go.com/politics</a> scroll down to the Match-o-Matic II  game.  It is ver interesting.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/103">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/103/Election-More-Irritating-Usual">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-102"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-102">Does Being Governor Make Governor Palin Qalified?</a></div><div> Submitted by artbcpa (not verified) on Sat, 10/04/2008 &#8211; 01:54.</div><div><p>In  &#8220;Third Out of Four&#8221; the commentator points out that Clinton and Reagan  were both Governors before becoming President. We shouldn&#8217;t forget that  Jimmy Carter was also a Governor before becoming the most incompetent  president in the history of the United Staetes. He also may have been  among the academically brightest of all recent Presidents. What does  all that tell us?. &#8230;NOTHING.</p><p>Whether Sarah Palin was a Governor or Barack Obama was at the top of  his academic class does not ensure that either will or will not do a  good job in their respective positions.</p><p>We need to make our decision based on factors more likely to lead to  a successful Presidency. After eight years of the most secretive,  nontransparent Presidency in history, we need someone who will instill  trust in the institution of the Presidency and restore confidence in  the people of the country.</p><p>We had several such Presidents in the prior century &#8211; Franklin  Roosevelt, John Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan. Each had a vision for the  country which was clearly articulated and embraced by the people. In a  choice between the idealistic Barack Obama and the wily curmudgeon,  John McCain, Barack Obama is clearly the choice of what this country  needs at this time in history.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/102">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/102/Does-Being-Governor-Make-Governor-Palin-Qalified">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-101"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-101">Palin is not our woman.</a></div><div> Submitted by Pam (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 23:59.</div><div><p>I  know that I do not want Palin. I know that I don’t want her anywhere  near our foreign policy. I know that I don’t like what she said in the  debate about ‘expanding’ the role of vice president. I know that I  don’t like her far right, religious views that can impact the world in  a bunch of ways that I don’t like.</p><p>There are other things I don’t like about her, though, I can’t say I  am completely sure about my reasoning. I don’t like her winks and her  nods. I don’t like how she talks to us like children.</p><p>I question my own opinion about these things, as I am not sure if I  know what I want or expect in a female politician. It’s a very  important thing. This first woman. This example of all of us. This  person in whom I place so much of my future and that of my daughters.  Hmmm, too much pressure?!?</p><p>Do I want her to be more of a man than any of the men at the table?  Competing in the same way as men, but climbing the ladder in stilettos?  Or do I want her to be the nurturing female that gets things done  without men being any the wiser? With charm and feminine wiles that  could will men to do what they might not have done, otherwise?</p><p>I thought, when considering Hillary, that I didn’t want a woman  President who had a husband that is a former President. My sister then  pointed out that we might not consider too many women that did not have  such a sense of the White House.</p><p>It’s difficult. These women, up for consideration, don’t have  military backgrounds. Yet, she would be responsible for ‘pushing the  button’ and/or ending a war.</p><p>I guess, even if I did not have a problem with her foreign presence,  her religious intent or her understanding of the role she was about to  take on, I would still have an issue to deal with.</p><p>So, I don’t like Sarah, but, who do I like?  And, the bigger question for me, why?</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/101">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/101/Palin-not-our-woman">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-100"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-100">Re: Poll</a></div><div> Submitted by FD (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 23:24.</div><div><p>To King of Chatalot: I&#8217;m an independant, but I voted once and the poll will not allow me to vote again.<br
/> The only way someone could vote twice is through a proxy, but I tested that idea fater reading your comment.<br
/> It didn&#8217;t work.<br
/> I tried several different proxies, I reset my ip, and nope, it would not allow me to vote again.</p><p>Take off the tin foil hat.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/100">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/100/Re-Poll">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-99"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-99">Poll</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://www.chatalot.net" rel="nofollow">King of Chatalot</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 22:11.</div><div><p>I  find it amazing that Democrats would stoop so low as to make multiple  votes in this silly poll just to bend the outcome towards their way of  thinking&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;..so to make it appear as if they are the  winners&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;.</p><p>&#8230;but then&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;considering that they will ultimately lose in November I&#8217;m not totally surprised&#8230;&#8230;..</p><p>&#8230;..merely amazed&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/99">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/99/Poll">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-98"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-98">Palin&#8217;s hand on the &#8220;Nukular&#8221; button? </a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://mediaconcepts.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Media Concepts</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 21:39.</div><div><p>I  can&#8217;t decide whether that&#8217;s hilarious, or horrifyingly frightening. I  think it&#8217;s both. Based on McCain&#8217;s age alone, historian Doris Kearns  Goodwin says that there&#8217;s almost a one in three chance that McCain  would die in office were he to be elected. Factor in his FOUR bouts of  Melanoma, which is often fatal regardless of the victim&#8217;s age, and  those odds increase markedly.</p><p>Something to think about.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/98">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/98/Palins-hand-Nukular-button">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-97"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-97">It&#8217;s about leadership</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://politicalvindication.com" rel="nofollow">Shane from PV</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 20:30.</div><div><p>The  presidency is about leadership, and if we can survive eight years being  led by an Arkansas governor who would rather molest the hired help than  pay attention to what Osama Bin Laden is doing, then America will do  just fine with a President Sarah Palin. She certainly has more  leadership experience than her opponents. Does that mean I would have  made her my choice for VP? I would have loved to see Mitt Romney as VP,  but she&#8217;s smart, focused, and knows how to lead. The important  question, if she should ever end up in the Oval Office, would be who  she surrounds herself with. That&#8217;s another reason why Obama would be  very scary as president. He has terrible judgment, and considering the  people he has surrounded himself with throughout his life, and the fact  that as president he will have to decide what advice to act on when it  comes to important issues &#8211; I don&#8217;t trust him to be able to distinguish  from among a bevy of poor advisers the advice least damaging.</p><p>Obama supporters, like so many on this comment board, have no idea  who Obama really is &#8211; frankly, no one does. Obama has locked up his  records, is protected by a compliant press, and says only what he  thinks Americans want to hear. He&#8217;s a charlatan, but his supporters  don&#8217;t care. <em>That&#8217;s why this question is so ironic.</em> They hate  Bush/Republicans/conservatives more than they fear the inexperience of  their presidential candidate and manchild Barack Obama. The derangement  of the left has led them to support and oppose issues not because they  want to protect their country or improve the lives of Americans, but  because they hate their adversaries and will do or say anything to beat  them (the &#8220;this war is lost&#8221; quote by Harry Reid comes to mind &#8211; how  incredibly telling). I think this frothing derangement will cause them  to self-destruct again as they did in 2000 and 2004, where Americans  got a good look at the mindless bitterness and spite that inspires the  left. McCain will win in a squeaker.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/97">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/97/Its-about-leadership">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-96"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-96">Palin is more qualified than most&#8230;</a></div><div> Submitted by Greg (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 20:24.</div><div><p>I&#8217;m  not a big political kind of guy nor do I follow many campaigns. I voted  for a democrat and a republican for president; the best person for the  job always gets my vote. But this is the first time in a long time that  I&#8217;ve seen an honest person make it this far in politics. Usually they  get creamed by the media &#8211; Palin is still holding her own. What you see  is what you get &#8211; nice change of pace especially since I&#8217;m originally  from Delaware. No doubt this isn&#8217;t true for Biden &#8211; he&#8217;s all over the  place telling you whatever it is you want to hear whenever you want to  hear it.. I don&#8217;t dislike Biden and yes, he is qualified to continue  the same old Washington politics; not what I&#8217;m looking for this year at  least.</p><p>I&#8217;m still wondering why Obama thinks Biden represents change? Not even close.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/96">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/96/Palin-more-qualified-most">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-95"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-95">Sarah Palin&#8217;s much sharper than Obama or Biden</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://www.morethings.com" rel="nofollow">Al Barger</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 20:08.</div><div><p>Not  to put too fine a point on it, Sarah Palin&#8217;s the sharpest person of the  four here. People I think get that when they get a good look at her as  in her famous nomination speech or last night&#8217;s vice presidential  debate.</p><p>Of course, this ain&#8217;t from lack of media attempts to Quayle-ize her.  Look at the double, triple, quadruple standards. It&#8217;s supposedly some  proof that she&#8217;s a moron that she didn&#8217;t choose to spit up a list of  newspapers she reads for Katie Couric.</p><p>But Joe Biden says the most ignorant nonsense day after day, and it  doesn&#8217;t make the news. When the current financial meltdown started a  few weeks ago, Biden was out criticizing Bush reaction. See, when the  1929 market crash happened, FDR when on television to show people that  he was involved and doing something. FDR wasn&#8217;t president, and there  was no television then. This nonsense didn&#8217;t make the news. Imagine if  Palin said something that stupid.<br
/> =====================================<br
/> Little known Palin fact:<br
/> FACT: Having run out of ammunition during a hunting trip, Sarah Palin  once took down a moose using a beauty pageant tiara as a boomerang.</p><p>More Palin fun facts I just made up, and a couple hundred pictures of our girl<br
/> <a
href="http://www.morethings.com/images/sarah_palin/sarah_palin-photo_gallery001.htm" title="http://www.morethings.com/images/sarah_palin/sarah_palin-photo_gallery001.htm">http://www.morethings.com/images/sarah_palin/sarah_palin-photo_gallery00&#8230;</a></p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/95">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/95/Sarah-Palins-much-sharper-Obama-or-Biden">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-94"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-94">Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Pal</a></div><div> Submitted by Robert (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 20:00.</div><div><p>Joe Biden, VP  (Vice and Plagiarist)</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/94">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/94/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah-Pal">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-93">Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Pal</a></div><div> Submitted by Ethel W (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 19:50.</div><div><p>Obama has done much good thru working for ACORN.  Remember, from tiny acorns, might oak trees grow.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/93">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/93/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah-Pal">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-92"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-92">Barack&#8217;s leadership skills in government?</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://playborhood.com" rel="nofollow">Mike Lanza</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 19:43.</div><div><p>Please folks &#8211; give us an example.  And please, make it a good one.</p><p>If this were an election for Student Body President, I might vote  for the dude, but he&#8217;s applying to be the Leader of the United States  of America. Is there anything in his governmental experience that  indicates that he can be a great leader? Anything?</p><p>This ain&#8217;t no popularity contest&#8230;</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/92">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/92/Baracks-leadership-skills-government">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-91"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-91">Palin as Prez? No Way</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://janetleejohnson.com" rel="nofollow">Janet Johnson</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 19:41.</div><div><p>I&#8217;m  tired of Sarah Palin. I&#8217;m tired of kicking her around, of waiting for  her to have a public brain freeze, of hearing her droppin&#8217; g&#8217;s and  bringing nuc-u-lur back into the lexicon (I hope we&#8217;re almost finished  with that coming out of the White House).</p><p>At the same time, I&#8217;m proud that she&#8217;s the second legitimate woman  who&#8217;s a running mate on a presidential ticket, the first to &#8220;electrify&#8221;  a country. I&#8217;m mortified as I write that, but I&#8217;m proud of that big ol&#8217;  crack in the glass ceilin&#8217; she&#8217;s added to Hilary&#8217;s 18 million others.  (sigh)</p><p>As most of your poll-takers agree, no way is she qualified to be president. God help us all if she&#8217;s a heartbeat away.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/91">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/91/Palin-Prez-No-Way">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-90"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-90">Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Pal</a></div><div> Submitted by Stevie (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 19:35.</div><div><p>Do  I feel that a citizen of this country who has not kept abreast of the  foreign policy situations, and the current administration doctrines is  qualified to step in as head of state in an emergency? No&#8230;.<br
/> Do I feel that someone who will terminate people who disagree with her is worthy to be in the White House? No&#8230;&#8230;.<br
/> Do I feel that someone who feels that because she is a woman she should  be treated with deference in a television interview should be leading a  country? No&#8230;..<br
/> Does a cram session with various political pundits counteract her  inacurate knowledge of what life is like for the rest of us in the  lower 48? No&#8230;&#8230;<br
/> Does this woman have the ability to gain respect of various world  leaders particularly those from countries where women are considered to  be less than equal? no.<br
/> what we really need is a Margaret Thatcher type.. the closest we have is Hilary Clinton.<br
/> Anita Palin is no Hilary Clinton<br
/> And being a POW and being in the Vietnam War does not make you the  right person to be president either. There are plenty of Vietnam Vets  and others who were POW&#8217;s .. and they aren&#8217;t running for President&#8211;  though John Kerry did.. and he wasn&#8217;t a POW.. he served his country.  Don&#8217;t bank on that one being the ACE..</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/90">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/90/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah-Pal">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-89"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-89">Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Pal</a></div><div> Submitted by Ken S (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 19:29.</div><div><p>Or maybe Obama would want his friend Tony Rezko to advise him on ethics in government.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/89">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/89/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah-Pal">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-88"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-88">Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Pal</a></div><div> Submitted by Ken S (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 19:28.</div><div><p>Or maybe Obama would like William Ayers for his Secretary of Defense, since he knows how to blow things up.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/88">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/88/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah-Pal">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-87"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-87">Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Pal</a></div><div> Submitted by Ken S (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 19:25.</div><div><p>Maybe  Obama can install Rev. Wright as Secretary of State. All the other  nations of the world will love his philosophy: God damn America!</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/87">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/87/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah-Pal">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-86"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-86">Re: amazing 75% believe Palin cant be President</a></div><div> Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 19:23.</div><div><p>I  think where the logic breaks down is that you&#8217;re assuming all  Governor&#8217;s are created equally. An American Governor&#8217;s principal job is  running the state, and to be honest, I&#8217;m not sure how good a governor  she is, but thats for the people of Alaska to decide. But as an  American, I feel that she&#8217;s dangerously ignorant of world affairs and  issues around a global economy.</p><p>And frankly, I think we&#8217;ve had enough of that already.</p><p>On the other hand, Obama and Biden are far more savvy. If you  watched the debate, you&#8217;ll have noticed how rarely Palin answers a  direct question. She&#8217;s not dumb, but she&#8217;s not worldly either. And  worse, she revels in her inexperience.</p><p>If she ever gets into the Presidential office, you might just wish  for the good ol days when GW was in charge. And if that doesn&#8217;t scare  you, it should.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/86">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/86/Re-amazing-75-believe-Palin-cant-be-President">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-85"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-85">Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Pal</a></div><div> Submitted by Ken S (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 19:21.</div><div><p>Don&#8217;t you love it when a public relations man calls people degrading, hateful names?</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/85">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/85/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah-Pal">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-84"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-84">That is just dumb</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://www.dpkpr.com" rel="nofollow">Dan Keeney, APR</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 19:16.</div><div><p>You  and your swill slinging dopes really should stop. Aside from Billy Bobs  missing teeth with Confederate Flags in their pickups, Americans  understand that Senator Obama is as American as you or I.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/84">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/84/just-dumb">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-83"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-83">Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Pal</a></div><div> Submitted by Ken S (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 19:15.</div><div><p>Someone  commented on here that we live in a Global society and therefore need  Obama. Folks, this world is getting so screwy and dangerous, that is  exactly why we do NOT need a post-modern green horn such as Obama as  POTUS. All the pie in the sky he professes is absolutely meaningless  without solid, tough, and REAL national security. Somehow, grandiose  social programs lose their luster when you have a nuclear missile up  your ass.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/83">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/83/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah-Pal">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-82"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-82">double standard</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://www.madeinhead.org" rel="nofollow">Jason Preston</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 19:12.</div><div><p>Palin  took five tries and five years to get a journalism degree at  undistinguished schools, and managed to be an undistinguished student  at all four schools involved in her quest for a chance to be a TV  reporter. Obama was at the top of his class at every step of his  collegiate journey. When pressed three times to answer, Palin cannot  name a single existing newspaper or news magazine that she reads. If  you can&#8217;t see the difference here, perhaps you&#8217;re not an ideal student  or intellect either, but only through pride does a person lacking in a  certain virtue seek to exalt that lack. Just because I&#8217;m not tall  enough to slam dunk doesn&#8217;t mean I push for the NBA to hire more short  people! The Presidency&#8217;s the hardest job in the world, or one of them.  Stellar intellect, stellar ethics, and stellar success in life should  all be ironclad prerequisites to the job. If Palin is qualified to be  President, I am twice as qualified and will expect Palin fans&#8217; votes  when I make my run for high office.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/82">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/82/double-standard">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-81"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-81">Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Pal</a></div><div> Submitted by Cowboy X (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 19:10.</div><div><p>Who  is qualified to be the President? There is no class to take to become  certified. We have to put our trust in a person. I wish that person  were Ron Paul!</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/81">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/81/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah-Pal">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-80"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-80">amazing 75% believe Palin cant be President</a></div><div> Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 19:00.</div><div><p>So  75% believe Palin cant be president in case something happens to  McCain. So I guess its OK to be an inexperienced presidential  candidate, but if your a vice presidential candidate who has actually  run a state, you don&#8217;t qualify. The logic here escapes me completely.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/80">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/80/amazing-75-believe-Palin-cant-be-President">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-79"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-79">Sarah Palin: Unfiltered</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://www.petitiononline.com/CBSPALIN/petition.html" rel="nofollow">John Schuller</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 18:50.</div><div><p>CLICK ON MY NAME TO SIGN THIS PETITION</p><p>To:  CBS News</p><p>Sarah Palin herself has requested to speak to America without the  Media Filter in the Vice Presidential debate. ?I like being able to  answer tough questions without the filter of the mainstream media  telling the American people what they just heard,? she said in her  closing.</p><p>The people of the United States of America deserve to see the CBS Katie Couric interviews with Sarah Palin in their entirety.</p><p>This should be acceptable by Republicans and Democrats as it will  let Sarah Palin talk to America without the filter created by editing  and leaving important information on the cutting room floor.</p><p>Let us see an edition of &#8220;Sarah Palin: Unfiltered&#8221;.</p><p>This will allow Americans to see the real Sarah Palin.</p><p>Sincerely,</p><p>The Undersigned</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/79">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/79/Sarah-Palin-Unfiltered">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-78"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-78">Seriously&#8230;</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://newyorkmomentsblog.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">newyorkmoments</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 18:49.</div><div><p>regardless  of the VP candidates&#8230;are we really going to vote in a Hussein????  Seriously?? I&#8217;m saddened that I&#8217;m not going to be able to vote Democrat  this election.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/78">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/78/Seriously">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-77"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-77">Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Pal</a></div><div> Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 18:43.</div><div><p>I  sent John McCain a $1000 in September 2007&#8230;when his campaign was  flailing. I believed his voice needed to be in the debate. Until Sarah  Palin&#8217;s acceptance speech I did not send a penny to any other  candidate.</p><p>I was so outraged by the poor judgment demonstrated by McCain &#8212;  there were thousands, if not tens of thousands, of more capable,  competent men and women who could serve as his VP. I promptly sent a  large contribution to Obama. And with every solicitation letter I  receive from John McCain (they arrive daily), I write to ask for my  money back.</p><p>Whether &#8220;Joe six-pack&#8221; likes it or not&#8230;we live in a Global  Society, not an igloo nation. We already had Joe-six pack from  President for the last 8 years. Doesn&#8217;t any one remember &#8211; &#8220;George W.  Bush is the guy I want to have at my BBQ&#8221;???&#8230;Well &#8211; we got him&#8211; only  we got bbq&#8217;d.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/77">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/77/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah-Pal">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-76"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-76">Re: Would it be so much to ask&#8230;</a></div><div> Submitted by Eric (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 18:35.</div><div><p>Would it be so much to ask for a Presidential nominee who actually had some experience?</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/76">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/76/Re-Would-it-be-so-much-ask">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-75"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-75">Would it be so much to ask&#8230;</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://www.liesdamnedlies.com" rel="nofollow">Ian Thomas</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 18:32.</div><div><p>&#8230;for a VP nominee who actually had some experience *before* she takes office?</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/75">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/75/Would-it-be-so-much-ask">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-74"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-74">Third out of four</a></div><div> Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 18:30.</div><div><p>Stack  rank all four candidates &#8212; Obama, Biden, McCain and Palin &#8212; in terms  of experience, and she comes out 3rd out of 4. Obama is last.</p><p>Stack rank all four candidates in terms of executive experience &#8212;  meaning, &#8216;has the candidate ever managed a budget before, had headcount  before, and had to make decisions as opposed to provide advice&#8217; &#8212; and  she incredibly comes out first amongst the four, as she&#8217;s been both  governor and mayor.</p><p>Being the governor of a state was good enough for Clinton, good enough for Romney, and good enough for Reagan.</p><p>Those who attack her experience must feel terrible that Obama is the  leading candidate for the Dem&#8217;s, given his extraordinarily thin resume.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/74">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/74/Third-out-four">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-73"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-73">If Barack Doesn&#8217;t Die, Is He Qualified?</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://playborhood.com" rel="nofollow">Mike Lanza</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 18:29.</div><div><p>Be  honest, folks. In his career in *government*, not running a campaign,  has he ever demonstrated outstanding leadership or executive skills?  Sarah certainly has, but her experience may nonetheless be too light.</p><p>Barack Obama has the least leadership or executive skills of *any* of the major candidates for president or vice president.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/73">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/73/If-Barack-Doesnt-Die-He-Qualified">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-72"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-72">Not a fan, but c&#8217;mon</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://www.dpkpr.com" rel="nofollow">Dan Keeney, APR</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 18:21.</div><div><p>I&#8217;m  not a Sarah fan, but she has a solid foundation &#8212; an ability to  connect with men and women, powerfully deliver her messages and ramp up  quickly on complex subjects. The actuaries estimate that there is a 75%  chance that Mr. McCain would survive a first term. Presumably, the  chances of him passing in the first YEAR would be very small. So the  real question would be &#8212; If Sarah Palin had at least a year as Vice  President under her belt, would she be competent to be President if  John McCain were to be incapacitated? I don&#8217;t have any doubt that she  would. I will not be voting for the GOP ticket, but the fear mongering  about Ms. Palin&#8217;s ability is baseless and perhaps sexist.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/72">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/72/Not-fan-cmon">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-71"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-71">To Pat Baker,  Actually, she</a></div><div> Submitted by The Sensible J. (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 18:01.</div><div><p>To Pat Baker,<br
/> Actually, she has NOT been governor for a few years. She has been a  governor since 2007, she won the election at the END of 2006. So, not  even 2 years yet.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/71">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/71/Pat-Baker-Actually-she">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-70"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-70">Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Pal</a></div><div> Submitted by The Sensible J. (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 17:58.</div><div><p>When  a lot of people say she was put in the VP nominee ticket because she  would shake things up for the Republican party, that&#8217;s scary. Why was  that the first and foremost reason why she was picked?!</p><p>We are not running a popularity contest here for god&#8217;s sake. We need  a leader, a WORLD LEADER that will get American back into the  respectful country it is amongst other nations in this world. Not a PTA  mom who claims she can juggle 5 kids when in fact her nanny, chef,  driver/pilot, gardener and 20 other staffers take care of the Mom role  for her. I&#8217;m all for the &#8220;women can do the same if not better job than  men&#8221; ideal, but come on, she isn&#8217;t even up to par on her events and  history. When you can only make punch points and be a talking head,  that is NOT a leader. She can&#8217;t even name ONE supreme court decision  other than Row vs. Wade. And being able to see Russia from Alaska does  not qualify as foreign experience. We do not need and DO NOT want an  average Joe or Jane to be our president or vice president.</p><p>It is scary when our (by that I mean the republicans) expectations have sunk so low.</p><p>And it&#8217;s even more scary when people are voting for republican  SIMPLY because she&#8217;s pro-life, even for those women who were victims of  rape or incest would NOT get a choice. That alone, to me, is hugely  undermining the equality so many women have worked so hard for so many  years.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/70">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/70/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah-Pal">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-69"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-69">Sarah Palin Qualified</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://cashflowtipsbydon.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Don S</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 17:54.</div><div><p>Maybe  the most appropriate question is . . . if Barack Obama is elected  president, whether or not John McCain dies, is he qualified to lead the  country?</p><p>Being a governor is a proven road to the White House. Alaska is a  strategic state. Let&#8217;s see: Clinton was from Arkansas &#8212; even less  strategic, Carter from Georgia and Reagan from California . . . Bush  from Texas . . . oh, sure, I saw a post on the Huffington Post this  week that said &#8220;Bush is intellectually challenged.&#8221; Of course, there  was no evidence to support the claim.</p><p>Obama is currently more likely to become president than Sarah Palin  and that&#8217;s something that should concern all clear-thinking Americans.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/69">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/69/Sarah-Palin-Qualified">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-68"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-68">Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Pal</a></div><div> Submitted by Jerome Schindler (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 17:53.</div><div><p>How  could she possibly be any worse that what we have been subjected to  recently. I am sure Harry Truman&#8217;s skills woudl also have been panned.  McCain ought to be a good choice as nobody has been sure what party he  belongs to for many years.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/68">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/68/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah-Pal">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-67"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-67">Re: Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah</a></div><div> Submitted by Bill Platt (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 17:45.</div><div><p>Deluded?  Although she has as much or more experience than Obama, you are willing  to suggest that my delusion is that she could not be President, but  Obama can be?</p><p>The only delusion is that Obama&#8217;s experience is greater than hers.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/67">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/67/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-66"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-66">Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Pal</a></div><div> Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 17:31.</div><div><p>Palin is absolutely not qualified &#8211; anyone who thinks so is deluded.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/66">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/66/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah-Pal">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-65"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-65">Re: pailin would shove her heels up putin&#8217;s a&#8230;</a></div><div> Submitted by Chemosapien = Idiot (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 17:29.</div><div><p>The point was she won&#8217;t take no crap.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/65">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/65/Re-pailin-would-shove-her-heels-putins">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-64"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-64">Re: Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah</a></div><div> Submitted by Chemosapien = Idiot (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 17:27.</div><div><p>Too bad they don&#8217;t have a minimum test for people to take in order to qualify for the job.</p><p>Then James they should do the same before becoming parents. Maybe  then we won&#8217;t have so many libetards. Bunch of whiners don&#8217;t know a  good thing when it slaps them upside the head.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/64">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/64/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-63"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-63">Re: Re: Palin is a Disgrace Which Makes McCain a Fool</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://www.taipaninvestor.info/blog" rel="nofollow">Gerald</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 17:26.</div><div><p>As  a Vietnam veteran I can assure you that sad fact by itself (yeah, we  lost a war we had no business being in) does not qualify anyone to be  President. While I respect McCain&#8217;s service to his country McCain  himself has admitted that he collaborated with the enemy and signed  documents condemning America&#8217;s.bombing of Hanoi as being war crimes.</p><p>As at the time we were carpet bombing a densely populated Hanoi with  low level B-52 bombing runs, the North Vietnamese perhaps had a point  that a stressed out and in terrible pain McCain decided to agree with.</p><p>Not that I blame him. Fortunately, my POW camp experience was  limited to a combat training exercise at Camp Lejeune, N.C. It was only  for a very long day but that was enough to make brave grown men trained  for combat by battle hardened US Marines cry out in pain. McCain&#8217;s  experience had to be horrible and I&#8217;m sure that the scars, mental and  physical, must still be with him.</p><p>However, I wasn&#8217;t referring to McCain other than his grandstanding  poor judgement in selecting Governor Palin as his running mate. Sarah  may be a swell gal, certainly her down home nature appeals to a lot of  down home people across America, but please, qualified to perhaps have  to step into the President&#8217;s role?</p><p>She is a little league player suddenly thrown into the major  leagues. I admire her spunk but fear her aggressive claim that she is  ready to serve when she can&#8217;t even handle soft ball interviews. Who  wants a President just like an average Joe? In case you haven&#8217;t noticed  there are very complicated problems that America faces that will  require outstanding leadership to solve.</p><p>I&#8217;m not a big Obama fan either but at least the man has first class  intelligence and a first class temperament. He doesn&#8217;t tend to shoot  from the hip or fire, ready, aim like old fighter pilots are apt to do.  Palin was a choice designed to fire up the Republican Party&#8217;s  conservative base and in that the move was successful. But at what risk  to the country if McCain and Palin are elected?</p><p>With the odds being about one in four that a 72 year old cancer  survivor would not make it another four years a President Palin is a  frightening possibility.</p><p>That&#8217;s putting country first? Please! Give me a break.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/63">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/63/Re-Palin-Disgrace-Which-Makes-McCain-Fool">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-62"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-62">ldaught2  AHEM ! ! !</a></div><div> Submitted by Chemosapien = Idiot (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 17:24.</div><div><p>ldaught2</p><p>AHEM ! ! !</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/62">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/62/ldaught2-AHEM">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-61"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-61">Re: Competent?</a></div><div> Submitted by ldaught2 (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 17:16.</div><div><p>//Until then, keep reading all the world&#8217;s magazines and Newspapers. They actually can teach you a lot.//</p><p>Are you kidding?? what can a bias newspaper and magazine teach??  (and that would be all of them)That is the most idiot statement I have  read!</p><p>To answer the question&#8230;Could Palin be President?&#8230;yes yes and  yes&#8230;.The other 3 on the ticket was in the senate and HELPED drive  America where we are today! I dont care if Palin comes from a goat  farm, she could do better than this stinkin government!!</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/61">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/61/Re-Competent">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-60"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-60">Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Pal</a></div><div> Submitted by Ken S (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 17:15.</div><div><p>Lady Coveted&#8230;.another woman that feels threatened by good looking successful women.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/60">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/60/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah-Pal">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-59"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-59">Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Pal</a></div><div> Submitted by Ken S (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 17:14.</div><div><p>James flew in from that alternate universe that Joe Biden lives in.   Maybe the Missouri Truth Squad can help him.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/59">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/59/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah-Pal">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-58"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-58">pailin would shove her heels up putin&#8217;s a&#8230;</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://the-coveted.com/blog" rel="nofollow">lady coveted</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 17:14.</div><div><p>being as putin&#8217;s no longer president of russia.</p><p>dmitri medvedev succeeded putin back in march, she&#8217;s so out of touch she&#8217;d probably miss that point too.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/58">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/58/pailin-would-shove-her-heels-putins">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-57"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-57">Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Pal</a></div><div> Submitted by James (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 17:08.</div><div><p>She&#8217;s  competent all right. Competent enough to ban books at the public  library, books she has never even read. Competent enough to try to fire  a librarian who was just doing her job, Competent enough to veto sex  education for minors, (surprise there huh?), competent enough to fire  the head of the troopers who refused to fire her ex-brother in law for  unjustifiable reasons.</p><p>No wonder repugs love her so much, she&#8217;ll fit right in..*L*</p><p>At least Obama went through a process and garnered enough votes to  earn the right to be where he is today. Palin was handed the position  because McCain needed a quick fix and liked the way she looked and  talked.</p><p>Was she the most qualified and best suited republican for the job?  Of course not and people are not being genuine if they say yes. For  that reason McCain should and will lose this election.</p><p>Too bad they don&#8217;t have a minimum test for people to take in order to qualify for the job.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/57">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/57/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah-Pal">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-56"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-56">Re: Re: Pansies? then what&#8230;</a></div><div> Submitted by Chemosapien = Idiot (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 16:54.</div><div><p>Palin would shove her pretty heels up Putin&#8217;s ass.  Then make him beg for more.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/56">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/56/Re-Pansies-then-what">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-55"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-55">Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Pal</a></div><div> Submitted by Ken S (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 16:52.</div><div><p>Yes.  She would do a great job, because she has intelligence coupled with  common sense, grit, and good solid values. Would to God that this  country had had dozens of Presidents like her instead of some of the  buffoons we&#8217;ve suffered through.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/55">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/55/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah-Pal">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-54"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-54">Re: People around you</a></div><div> Submitted by Chemosapien = Idiot (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 16:52.</div><div><p>No he&#8217;ll bring them in from the hood.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/54">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/54/Re-People-around-you">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-53"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-53">Shooting wolves from a Copter</a></div><div> Submitted by chemosapien (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 16:50.</div><div><p>is  not the kind of Hunter i respect&#8230;..and margaret Thatcher is on her  way over their to whoop your ass for comparing her to Palin&#8230;.Thatcher  was one of the most intelligent and tough politicians in modern  times&#8230;.Palin doesn&#8217;t have a college education and she can&#8217;t even  stand up to KATIE M*^#ATHERF%*#KING COURIC&#8230;.stop comparing her to  Thatcher</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/53">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/53/Shooting-wolves-Copter">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-52"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-52">People Around You</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://www.Matt-Sanchez.com" rel="nofollow">Matt Sanchez</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 16:49.</div><div><p>Obama  will have the flag stomper and terrorist, Dick Ayres and the God D@*$  America Reverend Wright. Both these gentlemen have doctorates!</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/52">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/52/People-Around-You">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-51"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-51">People around you</a></div><div> Submitted by chemosapien (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 16:46.</div><div><p>it  is very important who the president brings into their admin&#8230;..I&#8217;m  certain Obama isn&#8217;t going to fill his cabinet from his high school  yearbook like little miss Palin</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/51">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/51/People-around-you">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-50"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-50">Obama Qualified</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://www.Matt-Sanchez.com" rel="nofollow">Matt Sanchez</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 16:46.</div><div><p>A one-term governor who is the most popular governor in the country.</p><p>Of course, that&#8217;s one more term than former &#8220;community organizer&#8221; and one-term senator.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/50">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/50/Obama-Qualified">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-49"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-49">Re: Pansies? then what&#8230;</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://americanandproud.net" rel="nofollow">Robert</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 16:46.</div><div><p>Obviously  you haven&#8217;t seen Sarah Palin in the real world, she hunts guts and eats  things that get in her way, I would imagine you are the type of idiot  that thought Margaret Thatcher was a bad choice too&#8230;.Russia would beg  for forgiveness from Palin and Putin would be licking Sarah&#8217;s boots in  red square&#8230;.</p><p>Moron.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/49">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/49/Re-Pansies-then-what">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-48"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-48">Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Pal</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://mrclm.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Chris Meirose</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 16:45.</div><div><p>More  competent than Al Gore. More competent than Dick Cheney. More competent  than Dan Quayle. Palin would do just fine. Being president is as much  or more about who you have around you than anything else. You must be  able to make tough decisions, and know what you believe in, but at the  end of the day the experts you surround yourself with as President will  make or break your term in the modern context.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/48">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/48/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah-Pal">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-47"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-47">Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Pal</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://www.pullinsreport.com" rel="nofollow">Scott Pullins</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 16:43.</div><div><p>She&#8217;s clearly not competent.</p><p><a
href="http://pullinsreport.com/2008/10/03/scott-pullins--online-poll--do-you-have-faith-in-palin-3.aspx" title="http://pullinsreport.com/2008/10/03/scott-pullins--online-poll--do-you-have-faith-in-palin-3.aspx">http://pullinsreport.com/2008/10/03/scott-pullins&#8211;online-poll&#8211;do-you-h&#8230;</a></p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/47">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/47/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah-Pal">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-46"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-46">Pansies? then what&#8230;</a></div><div> Submitted by chemosapien (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 16:43.</div><div><p>russia  calls us a bunch of homos, and Putin slams his shoe on the desk?  &#8230;&#8230;if Palin were president Putin would literally rape her mouth on  live telivision then claim he thought she was the &#8220;entertainment&#8221;</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/46">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/46/Pansies-then-what">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-45"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-45">Re: Re: Palin isn&#8217;t competent to wipe my ass</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://americanandproud.net" rel="nofollow">Robert</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 16:42.</div><div><p>The  answer is YES, she has run something, SHE has more experience RUNNING a  government than ANY of the candidates&#8230; So yes she is Qualified.</p><p>Obama isn&#8217;t qualified to be elected dog catcher, McCain at least has  the experience in dealing with hostile forces, and for you libtards  there still are hostile forces at work oh and they are hoping for Obama  too&#8230;</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/45">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/45/Re-Palin-isnt-competent-wipe-my-ass">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-44"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-44">Re: Margaret, its me God</a></div><div> Submitted by Margaret (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 16:41.</div><div><p>I  didn&#8217;t say NO degree. I said not an &#8220;Ivy League Degree&#8221;. I was just  giving my opinion &#8211; &#8220;If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would  Sarah Palin be competent to be President?&#8221; My answer is yes.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/44">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/44/Re-Margaret-its-me-God">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-43">Palin</a></div><div> Submitted by Matt Jones (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 16:40.</div><div><p>Clinton&#8217;s  budget experience was a budget of Arkansas which was smaller than  cuyahoga county. Obama has ZERO budget experience. She can manage a  budget. She communicates and articulates the GOP positions more  effectively than McCain, Bush, Cheney and Dole to name some powerful  people.</p><p>go to Canada you commie bastages!</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/43">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/43/Palin">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-42"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-42">Re: Palin is a Disgrace Which Makes McCain a Fool</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://americanandproud.net" rel="nofollow">Robert</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 16:39.</div><div><p>and  an Obama/Biden victory will make us look like a bunch of pansies&#8230;I  would love for you to explain how a war veteran that went through what  McCain did would cause the world to look at us as a laughing stock? Mrs  Thatcher was looked at a little off by the owrkd but she did fine? is  it you are scared of women or hunting women?</p><p>Palin is the only candidate in the race I would vote for president  and be happy about it. I will vote McCain just to get Sarah Palin  closer to the Big Job.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/42">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/42/Re-Palin-Disgrace-Which-Makes-McCain-Fool">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-41"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-41">Re: Palin isn&#8217;t competent to wipe my ass</a></div><div> Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 16:35.</div><div><p>The US is going to hell because McCain&#8217;s buddy George Bush set us on that course.  4 more years of that?</p><p>BTW, the question was if McCain kicks, is Palin qualified?  And the answer is no.</p><p>Instead of attacking Obama, how about telling why you think Palin is  qualified? Is it because even you know she isn&#8217;t? Typical Republican.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/41">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/41/Re-Palin-isnt-competent-wipe-my-ass">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-40"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-40">&#8220;College Education&#8221;</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://www.Matt-Sanchez.com" rel="nofollow">Matt Sanchez</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 16:35.</div><div><p>All  those &#8220;economic experts&#8221; have great post-grad degrees from high end  schools. Hopefully, that will help them as they look for a new job.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/40">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/40/College-Education">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-39"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-39">Palin is a Disgrace Which Makes McCain a Fool</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://www.taipaninvestor.info/blog" rel="nofollow">Gerald</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 16:34.</div><div><p>Palin  makes a big deal about her &#8220;six pack joe&#8221; ways and seems to be proud of  her ignorance. We have had almost eight years of a largely  disinterested in the world at large President and see where that has  taken us. American is on a slippery downward slope and it will be  difficult to avoid a hard crash and burn landing.</p><p>I for one don&#8217;t want someone as VP, who may well end up being  President, who is just another six pack Joe yahoo. America is the  laughing stock of the world just to have such a yahoo candidate.</p><p>If McCain and Palin are somehow elected American&#8217;s standing in the  world as a world leader, much less a super power, will be further  reduced to the vanishing point. We would be looked upon as a nation of  village idiots.</p><p>It&#8217;s not that I love Obama. Come to think of it with the choice down  to Obama or McCain perhaps we American have found the perfect means to  self destruct. The support given by McCain and Obama for the $700  billion bailout bill (before another $100 billion or so in pure pork  was added) is another giant step in that direction.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/39">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/39/Palin-Disgrace-Which-Makes-McCain-Fool">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-38"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-38">Re: Re: Palin isn&#8217;t competent to walk my dog</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://americanandproud.net" rel="nofollow">Robert</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 16:33.</div><div><p>&#8220;You  idiots care more about a donkey and an elephant than you do about the  stars and stripes. You get what you deserve.&#8221; The truest statement  since Reagan stated the most scary thing ever was &#8220;I&#8217;m from the  government and I&#8217;m here to help&#8221;</p><p>I wouldnt be so dead set against OBAMA if he were more Country  first, rather than Blame everyone else&#8230; HIS party has led congress  for the last 2 years and we have gone from solvency to bankruptcy and  BOTH parties are to blame, ONLY one party is used to responsibility,  the other is used to &#8220;Tolerance&#8221; and forgiveness of their own&#8230;.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/38">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/38/Re-Palin-isnt-competent-walk-my-dog">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-37"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-37">Re: Margaret, its me God</a></div><div> Submitted by chemosapien (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 16:31.</div><div><p>you  mean like the modern day general who doesn&#8217;t have a college degree? are  we suddenly recruiting presidents from third world countries? because  EVERY American General has a college degree&#8230;&#8230;lets not pretend we  live in the world of 2 centuries ago</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/37">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/37/Re-Margaret-its-me-God">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-36"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-36">Re: Palin isn&#8217;t competent to walk my dog</a></div><div> Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 16:28.</div><div><p>Nothing  like partisanship. That&#8217;s right put the party before the country. No  wonder the US is going to hell in a rocketship. You idiots care more  about a donkey and an elephant than you do about the stars and stripes.  You get what you deserve.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/36">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/36/Re-Palin-isnt-competent-walk-my-dog">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-35"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-35">Re: Palin isn&#8217;t competent to walk my dog</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://americanandproud.net" rel="nofollow">Robert</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 16:28.</div><div><p>Oh  and I&#8217;m qualified because I am a black community organizer.. Don&#8217;t look  at the communities I organized or anything, just trust me for CHANGE&#8230;  BS, it is highway strong arm robbery, ACORN? Rev Wright? Ayers?  Phlegar? Farakhan? Ok Palin has what? A couple of LIES perpetrated by  the elitist media that have been debunked. Yeah Obama in 08 and the end  of our nation in 09&#8230;.good plan.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/35">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/35/Re-Palin-isnt-competent-walk-my-dog">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-34"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-34">Re: Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://experiencecurve.com" rel="nofollow">Karl</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 16:27.</div><div><p>It&#8217;s  ironic that if you guys had listened to Carter in the 70&#8242;s you would  not be as f**cked as you are now and you would probably have energy  independence.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/34">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/34/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-33"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-33">Palin isn&#8217;t competent to walk my dog</a></div><div> Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 16:24.</div><div><p>Say  what you want about Obama, he&#8217;ll make a much better President than  either &#8220;I&#8217;m qualified because I can see Russia from my pooper, yah, you  betcha&#8221; or &#8220;I&#8217;m qualified because I was a POW a million years ago,  wait, what was the question again?&#8221;</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/33">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/33/Palin-isnt-competent-walk-my-dog">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-32"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-32">Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Pal</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://www.Matt-Sanchez.com" rel="nofollow">Matt Sanchez</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 16:19.</div><div><p>Palin  Derangement Syndrome is alive and well as the media blitzkrieg is  desperate to discredit the Palin/McCain presidential ticket.</p><p>Palin handily beat Biden down last night, and that causes severe swelling in the liberal frontal lobe.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/32">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/32/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah-Pal">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-31"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-31">Competent&#8230;OBama?</a></div><div> Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 16:19.</div><div><p>So  you say go back home hockey mom&#8230; Wow&#8230; your complete lack of what a  hockey mom is.. basically a communtity leader&#8230;hmmm Let&#8217;s see Omaa is  just that, he has not been a Governer, worked a state budger.. .his  short political careeer shows less tenure that Palin. Fair is Fair ,  your last paragraph shows your compete ignorance,,, go read a bit  yourself!</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/31">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/31/CompetentOBama">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-30"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-30">Re: Margaret, its me God</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://www.omarhamada.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Anonymous</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 16:19.</div><div><p>You mean like George Washington?</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/30">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/30/Re-Margaret-its-me-God">link</a></li><li><a
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id="comment-29"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-29">Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Pal</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://republicaninthearts.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Incognito</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 16:14.</div><div><p>and  how about looking at it this way&#8230; with all Biden&#8217;s asinine gaffes  would people be thrilled to have him as president, if Obama were to  die? I&#8217;d be much happier with a Palin presidency than either an Obama  or Biden presidency.</p><p>She&#8217;s done very well for Alaska&#8230;thank you very much.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/29">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/29/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah-Pal">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-28"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-28">Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Pal</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://www.golfblogger.com" rel="nofollow">GolfBlogger</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 16:10.</div><div><p>It&#8217;s  not saying much, but I think Palin&#8217;s more qualified than Obama. The  problem is that if you vote Republican, an unqualified person MIGHT  become president. If you vote Democrat, an unqualified person WILL  become president.</p><p>The only logical ticket is Biden-McCain &#8212; one which, during the primaries, Joe Biden said he wouldn&#8217;t mind.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/28">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/28/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah-Pal">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-27"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-27">Margaret, its me God</a></div><div> Submitted by chemosapien (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 16:09.</div><div><p>you  would not make a good president nor would anyone who doesn&#8217;t have an  University Degree&#8230;..watch that sassy little Katie Couric if you want  to know why Sara Palin is completely incompetent</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/27">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/27/Margaret-its-me-God">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-26"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-26">What the&#8230;?</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://www.soldiersperspective.us" rel="nofollow">CJ Grisham</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 16:07.</div><div><p>If Palin isn&#8217;t competent enough to be President, then Obama is even LESS competent to hold the position!!</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/26">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/26/What">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-25"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-25">Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Pal</a></div><div> Submitted by Margaret (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 16:03.</div><div><p>Why  won&#8217;t Sara Palin be a competent President? Is there anything about  Obama that makes him more intelligent than Palin? It offends me as a  person to think differently. I believe she would do as well, if not  better, than any other of the men or women who have made a run during  this election.</p><p>I didn&#8217;t go to an ivy league college. I haven&#8217;t served as a PTO  chairperson or any other office but I think I would make a darn good  president. I&#8217;m excited to think that maybe we might have something  fresh in the office. From Hillary to McCain it is the same old same old.</p><p>Margaret</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/25">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/25/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah-Pal">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-24"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-24">experience or education ?</a></div><div> Submitted by James (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 15:57.</div><div><p>While  one could argue all day long about the experience factor between Obama  and Palin, one can&#8217;t argue much about the difference in education. I  would rather have someone educated in the highest office of the land.</p><p>Thanks, but no thanks for that sweet talkin&#8217;, well read gal from Alaska.</p><p>Don&#8217;t YA know?</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/24">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/24/experience-or-education">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-23"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-23">Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Pal</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://americanandproud.net" rel="nofollow">Robert</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 15:55.</div><div><p>I  am voting for McCain/Palin for precisely that reason, I would be WAY  more happy with Palin as President than I will be with McCain.<br
/> If Obama wins we ALL lose&#8230;.Oh and a preemptive dismiss to those that  say it&#8217;s because he is black&#8230;Its not because he is black its because  he is a communist/socialist libtard baby killing gun taking no  leadership other than &#8220;ACORN&#8221; type skills&#8230;. but vote how you want, I  cant wait till you liberal idiots get what you want, just like after  Carter, you came crying to the Conservatives to save you, Obama is a  black Carter maybe worse.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/23">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/23/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah-Pal">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-22"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-22">NFW</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://twww.mahamatzav.org" rel="nofollow">rebaaron</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 15:54.</div><div><p>Sarah  Palin is a poser. She&#8217;s so enamored with Ronald Reagan I believe, in  part, because she&#8217;s just like him &#8211; an actor. Reagan wasn&#8217;t a president  as much as he was able to act like a president. The VP debates last  night showed this &#8211; Palin is all show and no substance. What&#8217;s really  scary is she believes that she&#8217;s capable. I think she really has no  idea and is not capable of getting it. I think some call this  sociopathic tendencies?!</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/22">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/22/NFW">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-21"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-21">Palin Did Better Than Expected</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://baconeatingatheistjew.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">The Atheist Jew</a> (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 15:53.</div><div><p>She proved to me that she doesn&#8217;t have an IQ of 75.  It is more like 90 or 95.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/21">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/21/Palin-Did-Better-Expected">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-20"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-20">National Level Experience (NLE)</a></div><div> Submitted by chemosapien (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 15:53.</div><div><p>Palin  is an order of magnitude more Podunk than any national political figure  in modern times. Case in point, 6 months ago, Palin said, flat out, she  is not INTERESTED in national policy, as in she doesn&#8217;t have the time  or will to keep up with what is going on in this country&#8230;when you use  NLE as the measure Obama is far ahead of Palin, exemplified by the fact  that the very first thing he did in the Senate was get a law passed to  help secure &#8220;loose nukes&#8221; in the former USSR&#8230;.compare that to Palin  who apparently could not even pass a seventh grade civics test (doesn&#8217;t  know any supreme court cases besides Roe v. Wade?)</p><p>All the PAlin supporters are the same , pardon my french, IDIOTS who  supported GW because he&#8217;s a guy they can drink a beer with&#8230;..Palin  sure is a regular joe&#8230;Joe Retard that is</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/20">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/20/National-Level-Experience-NLE">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-19"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-19">Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Pal</a></div><div> Submitted by brad (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 15:53.</div><div><p>If  something happened to McCain on day one would Palin be ready? No, BUT  what makes you think Obama is? Lets talk about the TOP of the ticket.  Give me a break!!!</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/19">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/19/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah-Pal">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-18"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-18">And Barack is Qualified? </a></div><div> Submitted by J (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 14:33.</div><div><p>I  love how people point out how Palin&#8217;s not qualified SHOULD something  happen to McCain. And what makes Barack qualified? He&#8217;s been in the  Senate for 2 years? And if he is elected, he&#8217;s it. At least with  McCain, we&#8217;re electing a very seasoned and proven person who has a  pretty good track record for change. Obama can talk about change but he  hasn&#8217;t walked it at all.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/18">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/18/And-Barack-Qualified">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-17"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-17">Re: Re: McCain&#8217;s &#8220;Cancer&#8221;</a></div><div> Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 13:32.</div><div><p>Source please.  Media previously said superficial Basal cell.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/17">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/17/Re-McCains-Cancer">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-16"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-16">Re: McCain&#8217;s &#8220;Cancer&#8221;</a></div><div> Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 13:15.</div><div><p>He has had MELANOMA. The deadliest form of skin cancer</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/16">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/16/Re-McCains-Cancer">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-15"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-15">Competent?</a></div><div> Submitted by rusmayse on Fri, 10/03/2008 &#8211; 00:48.</div><div><p>Poor  Palin. I commend her on the acceptance of such a difficult position in  such a tough time. It takes a really strong person to take on the role  she has. And I do agree with the fact that she may &#8220;catch on quickly&#8221;.  I&#8217;m just particularly concerned and unsure she has any idea what she is  doing. Period.<br
/> Go back home hockey mom. Gain experience over the next 8 years. Become  more involved on a national level. Listen to the cries of us people.  And then please, come back again :) Until then, keep reading all the  world&#8217;s magazines and Newspapers. They actually can teach you a lot.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/15">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/15/Competent">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-14"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-14">Not as a woman, or a man</a></div><div> Submitted by TomCollins2100 on Thu, 10/02/2008 &#8211; 23:33.</div><div><p>Are  you kidding? The notion that she&#8217;s being unfairly judged as unqualified  because she&#8217;s a woman is absurd. If she were a man, McCain would have  been laughed out of the country for picking a first-term governor with  no other applicable experience and zero national &#8211; let alone foreign  policy &#8211; qualifications.</p><p>Women with any brains at all should be insulted that McCain and the  Republicans think that they will vote for any woman they offer, or  belive this particular woman is remotely qualified to run any country,  forget about the United States.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/14">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/14/Not-woman-or-man">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-13"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-13">RELEASE THE MEDICAL RECORDS</a></div><div> Submitted by chemosapien (not verified) on Wed, 10/01/2008 &#8211; 16:02.</div><div><p>what  you say is partially true, superficial skin cancers are not fatal,  especially with decent healthcare, but WE DON&#8217;T KNOW THE EXTENT OF  MCCAIN&#8221;S CANCER because he won&#8217;t release ALL of his medical  records&#8230;&#8230;don&#8217;t sit here and defend him against this criticism, when  his campaign could put this completely to bed with a single phone call  to his doctor.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/13">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/13/RELEASE-MEDICAL-RECORDS">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-12"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-12"> Palin needs to read a American History Booko</a></div><div> Submitted by pat baker (not verified) on Wed, 10/01/2008 &#8211; 15:41.</div><div><p>I&#8217;m  sick of McCain calling Obama a on the job learner, community action  worker. Palin is is a affrimative action herself. Mrs Bush said she was  a &#8220;quick learner&#8221; Do I need a vp who is a quick learner? She&#8217;s just a  Gov for a few years, no national experience. She can&#8217;t answer straight  question. These photo opts with people from the MiddleEast aren&#8217;t  getting on my nerves, they are making me sick Who cares if she&#8217;s cute  while my 401 K might go down the tubes!. Hillary Clinton would run  rings around her. I don&#8217;t need a &#8221; on the job VP during these troubled  times..</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/12">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/12/Palin-needs-read-American-History-Booko">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-11"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-11">McCain&#8217;s &#8220;Cancer&#8221;</a></div><div> Submitted by <a
href="http://www.omarhamada.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Omar Hamada</a> (not verified) on Wed, 10/01/2008 &#8211; 15:33.</div><div><p>Enough  of the cancer stuff!!! Talk about spin and/or ignorance! When&#8217;s the  last time someone actually died from superficial squamous or basal cell  skin cancer? Answer: NEVER. Now if it were actually melanoma or other  types of invasive squamous cell cancer, then it would be a different  story &#8211; BUT IT&#8217;S NOT!!!!!!</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/11">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/11/McCains-Cancer">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-9"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-9">but seriously, she reads ALL the newspapers</a></div><div> Submitted by Dave (not verified) on Wed, 10/01/2008 &#8211; 00:55.</div><div><p>Check  out her interview with Katie Couric. She shares that she reads ALL the  newspapers in the world. She must be really freakin smart. She also  graduated from the University of Idaho. I mean it doesnt get much more  prestigious than that. And besides, who is Biden to talk.</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/9">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/9/seriously-she-reads-ALL-newspapers">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-8"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-8">Don&#8217;t Fret</a></div><div> Submitted by Chris A (not verified) on Wed, 10/01/2008 &#8211; 00:48.</div><div><p>Don&#8217;t  worry about Palin. If you saw her interviews, you would know that  the&#8230; War in Iraq and reforms to our economy and importance in the  field of green energy under the umbrella of job creation and then  health care.<br
/> She knows what everyone needs&#8230;</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/8">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/8/Dont-Fret">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-7"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-7">Re: If John McCain died or became incapacitated, would Sarah Pal</a></div><div> Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 10/01/2008 &#8211; 00:45.</div><div><p>uh hu &#8230;..uh hu !!!</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/7">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/7/Re-If-John-McCain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-Sarah-Pal">link</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/forward">Email this comment</a></li></ul></div></div><p><a
id="comment-6"></a></p><div><div> <a
href="http://ahpoll.com/content/if-john-mccain-died-or-became-incapacitated-would-sarah-palin-be-competent-be-president#comment-6">come on,  hes only had cancer</a></div><div> Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 09/30/2008 &#8211; 22:59.</div><div><p>come on,  hes only had cancer 3 times. plus,  its not like hes old or anything</p></p></div><div><ul><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/reply/4/6">reply</a></li><li><a
href="http://ahpoll.com/comment/6/come-hes-only-had-cancer">link</a></li><li><a
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class="DiggThisButton DiggCompact" href="http://digg.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fchrisabraham.com%2F2008%2F10%2F10%2Fsarah-palin-comment-thread-par-excellence%2F"></a>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://chrisabraham.com/2008/10/10/sarah-palin-comment-thread-par-excellence/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>1</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>I Actually Am &#8220;That Guy&#8221;</title><link>http://chrisabraham.com/2008/08/03/i-actually-am-that-guy/</link> <comments>http://chrisabraham.com/2008/08/03/i-actually-am-that-guy/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Sun, 03 Aug 2008 21:30:57 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Chris Abraham</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Douche]]></category> <category><![CDATA[douchebag]]></category> <category><![CDATA[That Guy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[actors]]></category> <category><![CDATA[actuall]]></category> <category><![CDATA[alls]]></category> <category><![CDATA[alma mater]]></category> <category><![CDATA[anchorman]]></category> 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style="float:left;margin:10px 10px 0px 0px;"> <a
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style="display:none">According to an online quiz on Details, &#8220;Are Your That Guy,&#8221; I am totally that guy: a total douchebag, apparently. 1 You initiate fist bumps. Yes No Someone told me that high-fives are passe so I have replaced them with bumps and regular, manly, handshakes. 2 You order foreign dishes in an accent. Yes No [...]</span></a></div><p></p><div
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src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fchrisabraham.com%2F2008%2F08%2F03%2Fi-actually-am-that-guy%2F&amp;source=chrisabraham&amp;style=normal&amp;service=bit.ly&amp;service_api=R_fd087a8f486f224d453b4a84e0b4109f&amp;b=2" height="61" width="50" title="I Actually Am That Guy" alt=" I Actually Am That Guy" /><br
/> </a></div><p>According to an <a
href="http://men.style.com/details/quizzes/thatguy/thatguy">online quiz on Details, &#8220;Are Your That Guy,&#8221;</a> I am totally that guy: a total douchebag, apparently.</p><p
style="text-align: center"><a
href="http://men.style.com/details/quizzes/thatguy/thatguy"></a></p><p
style="text-align: center"><a
href="http://men.style.com/details/quizzes/thatguy/thatguy"><img
src="http://chrisabraham.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/iamthatguy.png" alt="iamthatguy I Actually Am That Guy" border="0" title="I Actually Am That Guy" /></a></p><p><strong>1 You initiate fist bumps.<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>Someone told me that high-fives are passe so I have replaced them with bumps and regular, manly, handshakes.</p><p><strong>2 You order foreign dishes in an accent.<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>I ask for foreign dishes, yes, properly. If the dish is French then I order it in French and if it is Mexican, I pronounce it in Spanish. And in Germany, I sort of need to order it in German. If you do it right, you don&#8217;t really draw much attention to yourself.</p><p><strong>3 You shave your head at the first sign of balding.<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>I would totally either shave my head or crop it close if I started balding.</p><p><strong>4 You use any word Stephen Colbert invented.<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>I use as many words as I can remember if they were coined by Stephen Colbert.</p><p><strong>5 You have an elaborate bedtime ritual on planes—with neck pillow, sleep mask, and noise-canceling headphones.<br
/> </strong>Yes<br
/> <strong>No<br
/> </strong></p><p>People with sleeping rituals of any kind need to lose their guy card immediately.</p><p><strong>6 You have a downloaded ring tone.<br
/> </strong>Yes<br
/> <strong>No</strong></p><p>I am quite amused with classic, normal, default ringtones; however, I really enjoyed sporting the &#8220;bring out your dead&#8221; skit from Monty Python.</p><p><strong>7 You wave someone along even though they have the right of way.<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>I think I have forgotten who actually does have right-of-way at 4-way intersections, so if I feel like I arrived a millisecond later than another, I will wave and wave.</p><p><strong>8 You say the name of the town where your Ivy League alma mater is located instead of the name of the school.</strong><br
/> <strong>Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>If I had actually gone to an Ivy League school, I would totally say New Haven or Boston or wherever.</p><p><strong>9 You own a Manchester United jersey.<br
/> </strong>Yes<br
/> <strong>No<br
/> </strong></p><p>No, I am afraid not. I almost bought a Norwich Canaries jersey but decided not to.</p><p><strong>10 You quote Borat, Zoolander, or Anchorman, or reference &#8220;TPS reports&#8221; and &#8220;pieces of flair.&#8221;</strong><br
/> <strong>Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>I don&#8217;t have the best memory for these things but I made a Zoolander reference just the other day &#8212; a Blue Steel reference.</p><p><strong>11 You put your BlackBerry on the table when you sit down at a restaurant.<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>Yes.  In fact, all of my friends deBerry and dePhone the moment we sit down for food &#8212; not to show off but because I always have too much shit in my pockets.</p><p><strong>12 You talk baby talk to your girlfriend on your office phone.<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>I don&#8217;t have a girlfriend presently but all indicators point to &#8220;yes.&#8221;</p><p><strong>13 You offer to buy a cigarette from people outside bars.<br
/> </strong>Yes<br
/> <strong>No<br
/> </strong></p><p>No, I have too much of a problem with entitlement &#8212; I would never offer to buy.</p><p><strong>14 You order &#8220;off-menu.&#8221;<br
/> </strong>Yes<br
/> <strong>No<br
/> </strong></p><p>Food isn&#8217;t really my bag and restaurant-going isn&#8217;t my bag, and I am pretty much omnivorous, so, like a diesel, I can run on anything.</p><p><strong>15 You own a reptile.<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p><a
href="http://chrisabraham.com/category/chameleons/">Spike</a>, God rest your little soul</p><p><strong>16 You say “My bad.”<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>I hate that I say this. My bad.</p><p><strong>17 You describe your relationship status by saying &#8220;It&#8217;s complicated.&#8221;<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>With me, it always is.</p><p><strong>18 You say &#8220;We&#8217;re pregnant.&#8221;<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>I would love to say this &#8212; I will totally be that guy, if that guy says, &#8220;we&#8217;re pregnant.&#8221;</p><p><strong>19 You have destination-related car stickers like MV, NTK, PVT, HMP, or NPT.<br
/> </strong>Yes<br
/> <strong>No<br
/> </strong></p><p>I might actually get myself a vanity plate. I never have, yet, but I aspire to.</p><p><strong>20 You make a show out of tasting wine.<br
/> </strong>Yes<br
/> <strong>No<br
/> </strong></p><p>I tried to make a point of being fussy over coffee and cheese, but what&#8217;s the use.</p><p><strong>21 You preface statements with &#8220;spoiler alert.&#8221;<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>I am Mr. Online and have been beaten down by spoiling, so I have learned my lesson.</p><p><strong>22 You don&#8217;t wash last night&#8217;s admission stamp off your hand.<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>I am not likely to scrub off the thing.  Does that mean I am preserve it or am I just <em>dirty</em>?</p><p><strong>23 You use abbreviations like TBD, ASAP, and BFD in conversation and sign off e-mails with &#8220;thx&#8221; or &#8220;cheers.&#8221;<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>I have been signing emails with &#8220;Cheers, Chris&#8221; forever.</p><p><strong>24 You wear flip-flops, Croakies, Crocs, or board shorts in the city.<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>My only excuse here is that I grew up in Hawaii and I never used to wear flip-flops (rubber slippers) in the city until it because ubiquitous.</p><p><strong>25 You have a nighttime wardrobe that includes a going-out shirt, concert merchandise, or limited-edition sneakers you bought in Tokyo.</strong><br
/> Yes<br
/> <strong>No<br
/> </strong></p><p>I pretty much wear a uniform, no matter what the situation. I have &#8220;dressed up&#8221; and &#8220;dressed down&#8221; and &#8220;dressed up with jacked.&#8221;</p><p><strong>26 You say &#8220;I need my Starbucks.&#8221;<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>It might sound a little prissy until I tell you that most of the coffee you drink, especially from Dunkin&#8217; Donuts, is really a lot lot worse than Starbucks. You may think Starbuck&#8217;s coffee is &#8220;burnt&#8221; but the truth is, you just have poor taste in coffee. You&#8217;re decidedly &#8220;truck stop&#8221; class.</p><p><strong>27 You refer to the woman you’re casually hooking up with as a &#8220;friend with benefits.&#8221;</strong><br
/> Yes<strong><br
/> No</strong></p><p><strong>28 You pretend not to know who Spencer Pratt is.<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>I actually don&#8217;t know who Spencer Pratt. How do I answer? Yes or no?</p><p><strong>29 You offer advice to women on their &#8220;form&#8221; at the gym.<br
/> </strong>Yes<br
/> <strong>No<br
/> </strong><br
/> <strong>30 You call friends and colleagues by their last names.<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>I call David Gelles &#8220;Gelles&#8221; &#8212; but one is enough. I should start colling Andrew Curry, &#8220;Curry,&#8221; but I don&#8217;t.</p><p><strong>31 You refer to a date/girlfriend’s having done some &#8220;print work.&#8221;<br
/> </strong>Yes<br
/> <strong>No<br
/> </strong></p><p>I am not much of a modelizer.</p><p><strong>32 You describe anything good as &#8220;sick.&#8221;<br
/> </strong>Yes<br
/> <strong>No<br
/> </strong></p><p>I have referred to things as &#8220;sweet,&#8221; &#8212; where does that fall?</p><p><strong>33 You refer to your wife as &#8220;the ol&#8217; ball and chain&#8221; and say &#8220;I&#8217;ll take the request to management.&#8221;<br
/> </strong>Yes<br
/> <strong>No<br
/> </strong></p><p>I might never refer to my wife as my wife.  She is &#8220;Stephanie&#8221; or &#8220;Michelle.&#8221;</p><p><strong>34 You refer to a trip to the gym as a &#8220;legs day.&#8221;<br
/> </strong>Yes<br
/> <strong>No<br
/> </strong></p><p><strong>35 You go to a show to see the opening band.<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>If I like the opening band, I go to a show for the opening band.</p><p><strong>36 You think Hayden Panettiere is hot.<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>As a huge Heroes fan, who in the hell wouldn&#8217;t think that  Hayden Panettiere is hot?<strong><br
/> </strong></p><p><strong>37 You put your kid in a Che Guevara T-shirt.<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>I love Che.</p><p><strong>38 You include the names of your kids and pets in your home outgoing message.<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>I would, the moment I can find a woman who might be willing to breed with me.</p><p><strong>39 You refer to money as &#8220;Benjamins,&#8221; &#8220;dead presidents,&#8221; &#8220;ducats,&#8221; or &#8220;coin.&#8221;<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>I like to be as colloquial as possible when it comes to coin.</p><p><strong>40 You bitch about your contractor at parties.<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>I totally bitch about my contractors, who are actually employees!  Not a lot of bitch about these days &#8212; they&#8217;re a well-oiled machine, yo.</p><p><strong>41 You talk about a record &#8220;dropping.&#8221;<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>I am actually old enough to remember when you would stack records on a record player and they would drop down, get played, and then another would drop, and it would be played, too.  The &#8220;record&#8221; version of a multi-CD player.</p><p><strong>42 You half-tuck your shirt.<br
/> </strong>Yes<br
/> <strong>No<br
/> </strong></p><p>I think the half-tucked shirts look cool but I am not cool enough to pull it off.</p><p><strong>43 You have a goatee.<br
/> </strong>Yes<br
/> <strong>No<br
/> </strong></p><p>I am either clean-shaven or I have a beard &#8212; sometimes, just scruff.  Never a goatee. Back in the day, though, my girlfriend Michelle demanded her beoyfriends have goatees (what&#8217;s up with that) and I complied.</p><p><strong>44 You refer to anything as &#8220;small-batch&#8221; or &#8220;artisanal.&#8221;<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>Like I mentioned before, I was well into cheeses and into hams and into other foodie things and I was very much into getting as many whole milk cheeses as possible. And, when you want to get whole milk goat cheese of and elite quality, you need to go &#8220;artisanal.&#8221;</p><p><strong>45 You refer to any last-stop bar as &#8220;the 19th hole.&#8221;<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>I refer to as many things as possible as &#8220;the 19th hole.&#8221;</p><p><strong>46 You&#8217;re a Caucasian with a tattoo in Asian lettering.<br
/> </strong>Yes<br
/> <strong>No<br
/> </strong></p><p>Tatoos appal me.</p><p><strong>47 You Evite.<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>I have Evited people for years and year by now. I love it.</p><p><strong>48 You own a wine Rabbit.<br
/> </strong>Yes<br
/> <strong>No<br
/> </strong></p><p>I am a huge fan of the very basic &#8220;Waiter&#8217;s Friend&#8221; or the Laguiole knife/wine opener.</p><p><strong>49 You proselytize about carbon footprints.<br
/> </strong>Yes<br
/> <strong>No<br
/> </strong></p><p>I am very anti-climate change hypocrisy.</p><p><strong>50 You name your kid after a character in To Kill a Mockingbird.<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>My son or daughter will surely be named after some character or actor. I am a huge film-lover and also have a degree in American Literature with a minor in creative writing. It is bound to happen.</p><p><strong>51 You use the phrase flyover states.<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p><strong>52 You use the word bicoastal.<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>Yes, but when I use the term bicoastal, I mean American and Europe; Washington, DC, and Berlin, Germany.  Bicontinental, I guess.</p><p><strong>53 You pretend to like country music.<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>I actually do love country music, especially bluegrass.</p><p><strong>54 You wear DJ headphones.<br
/> </strong>Yes<br
/> <strong>No<br
/> </strong></p><p>Nope. Just simple buds.</p><p><strong>55 You use a Bluetooth headset.<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>I drive in Washington, DC, and do most of my conference calls enroute. I own two bluetooth headsets: a Motorola and a Jawbone.</p><p><strong>56 You call muscle groups by shortened versions of their technical names, like &#8220;lats,&#8221; &#8220;traps,&#8221; and &#8220;pecs.&#8221;<br
/> Yes<br
/> </strong>No</p><p>I used to be a wrestler and also a college rower, so you sort of just do call them traps, quads, lats, pec, etc.</p><script type="text/javascript">(function() {var s = document.createElement('SCRIPT'), s1 = document.getElementsByTagName('SCRIPT')[0];s.type = 'text/javascript';s.async = true;s.src = 'http://widgets.digg.com/buttons.js';s1.parentNode.insertBefore(s, s1);})();</script><a
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style="text-align: center"><img
src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/06/23/obituaries/23carlin.xlarge3.jpg" border="0" width="600" height="300" title="We Will Miss You George Carlin" alt="23carlin.xlarge3 We Will Miss You George Carlin" /></p><p>George Carlin was my first adult comedian. My dad &#8212; my parents &#8212; loved him. He was a true disruptor and free thinker, using comedy as his platform. Please check out <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Carlin">George Carlin&#8217;s Wikipedia entry</a> and the lovely obituary from the <a
href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/24/arts/24carlin.html?pagewanted=1&amp;_r=1&amp;hp">New York Times</a>.</p><p><span
id="more-4717"></span></p><blockquote><p><a
href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/c/george_carlin?inline=nyt-per">George Carlin</a>, the Grammy-Award winning standup comedian and actor who was hailed for his irreverent social commentary, poignant observations of the absurdities of everyday life and language, and groundbreaking routines like “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television,” died in Santa Monica, Calif., on Sunday, according to his publicist, Jeff Abraham. He was 71.The cause of death was heart failure. Mr. Carlin, who had a history of heart problems, went into the hospital on Sunday afternoon after complaining of heart trouble. The comedian had worked last weekend at The Orleans in Las Vegas.</p><p>Recently, Mr. Carlin was named the recipient of the <a
href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/c/samuel_langhorne_clemens/index.html?inline=nyt-per" title="More articles about Samuel Langhorne Clemens.">Mark Twain</a> Prize for American Humor. He was to receive the award at the <a
href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/k/kennedy_john_f_center_for_the_performing_arts/index.html?inline=nyt-org" title="More articles about John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts">Kennedy Center</a> in November. “In his lengthy career as a comedian, writer, and actor, George Carlin has not only made us laugh, but he makes us think,” said <a
href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/stephen_a_schwarzman/index.html?inline=nyt-per" title="More articles about Stephen A. Schwarzman.">Stephen A. Schwarzman</a>, the Kennedy Center chairman. “His influence on the next generation of comics has been far-reaching.”</p><p>Mr. Carlin began his standup comedy act in the late 1950s and made his first television solo guest appearance on “The <a
href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/g/merv_griffin/index.html?inline=nyt-per" title="More articles about Merv Griffin">Merv Griffin</a> Show” in 1965. At that time, he was primarily known for his clever wordplay and reminiscences of his Irish working-class upbringing in New York.</p><p>But from the outset there were indications of an anti-establishment edge to his comedy. Initially, it surfaced in the witty patter of a host of offbeat characters like the wacky sportscaster Biff Barf and the hippy-dippy weatherman Al Sleet. “The weather was dominated by a large Canadian low, which is not to be confused with a Mexican high. Tonight’s forecast . . . dark, continued mostly dark tonight turning to widely scattered light in the morning.”</p><p>Mr. Carlin released his first comedy album, “Take-Offs and Put-Ons,” to rave reviews in 1967. He also dabbled in acting, winning a recurring part as <a
href="http://movies.nytimes.com/person/70613/Marlo-Thomas?inline=nyt-per">Marlo Thomas</a>’ theatrical agent in the sitcom “That Girl” (1966-67) and a supporting role in the movie “With Six You Get Egg-Roll,” released in 1968.</p><p>By the end of the decade, he was one of America’s best known comedians. He made more than 80 major television appearances during that time, including the <a
href="http://movies.nytimes.com/person/113209/Ed-Sullivan?inline=nyt-per">Ed Sullivan</a> Show and <a
href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/c/johnny_carson/index.html?inline=nyt-per" title="More articles about Johnny Carson.">Johnny Carson</a>’s Tonight Show; he was also regularly featured at major nightclubs in New York and Las Vegas.</p><p>That early success and celebrity, however, was as dinky and hollow as a gratuitous pratfall to Mr. Carlin. “I was entertaining the fathers and the mothers of the people I sympathized with, and in some cases associated with, and whose point of view I shared,” he recalled later, as quoted in the book “Going Too Far” by <a
href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/h/tony_hendra/index.html?inline=nyt-per" title="More articles about Tony Hendra.">Tony Hendra</a>, which was published in 1987. “I was a traitor, in so many words. I was living a lie.”</p><p>In 1970, Mr. Carlin discarded his suit, tie, and clean-cut image as well as the relatively conventional material that had catapulted him to the top. Mr. Carlin reinvented himself, emerging with a beard, long hair, jeans and a routine that, according to one critic, was steeped in “drugs and bawdy language.” There was an immediate backlash. The Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas terminated his three-year contract, and, months later, he was advised to leave town when an angry mob threatened him at the Lake Geneva Playboy Club. Afterward, he temporarily abandoned the nightclub circuit and began appearing at coffee houses, folk clubs and colleges where he found a younger, hipper audience that was more attuned to both his new image and his material.</p><p>By 1972, when he released his second album, “FM &amp; AM,” his star was again on the rise. The album, which won a Grammy Award as best comedy recording, combined older material on the “AM” side with bolder, more acerbic routines on the “FM” side. Among the more controversial cuts was a routine euphemistically entitled “Shoot,” in which Mr. Carlin explored the etymology and common usage of the popular idiom for excrement. The bit was part of the comic’s longer routine “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television,” which appeared on his third album “Class Clown,” also released in 1972.</p><p>“There are some words you can say part of the time. Most of the time ‘ass’ is all right on television,” Mr. Carlin noted in his introduction to the then controversial monologue. “You can say, well, ‘You’ve made a perfect ass of yourself tonight.’ You can use ass in a religious sense, if you happen to be the redeemer riding into town on one — perfectly all right.”</p><p>The material seems innocuous by today’s standards, but it caused an uproar when broadcast on the New York radio station WBAI in the early ’70s. The station was censured and fined by the FCC. And in 1978, their ruling was supported by the <a
href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/s/supreme_court/index.html?inline=nyt-org" title="More articles about the U.S. Supreme Court.">Supreme Court</a>, which Time magazine reported, “upheld an FCC ban on ‘offensive material’ during hours when children are in the audience.” Mr. Carlin refused to drop the bit and was arrested several times after reciting it on stage.</p><p>By the mid-’70s, like his comic predecessor <a
href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/lenny_bruce/index.html?inline=nyt-per" title="More articles about Lenny Bruce.">Lenny Bruce</a> and the fast-rising <a
href="http://movies.nytimes.com/person/107177/Richard-Pryor?inline=nyt-per">Richard Pryor</a>, Mr. Carlin had emerged as a cultural renegade. In addition to his irreverent jests about religion and politics, he openly talked about the use of drugs, including acid and peyote, and said that he kicked cocaine not for moral or legal reasons but after he found “far more pain in the deal than pleasure.” But the edgier, more biting comedy he developed during this period, along with his candid admission of drug use, cemented his reputation as the “comic voice of the counterculture.”</p><p>Mr. Carlin released a half dozen comedy albums during the ’70s, including the million-record sellers “Class Clown,” “Occupation: Foole” (1973) and “An Evening With Wally Lando” (1975). He was chosen to host the first episode of the late-night comedy show <a
href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/s/saturday_night_live/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="More articles about the Saturday Night Live.">“Saturday Night Live”</a> in 1975. And two years later, he found the perfect platform for his brand of acerbic, cerebral, sometimes off-color standup humor in the fledgling, less restricted world of cable television. By 1977, when his first <a
href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/home_box_office_inc/index.html?inline=nyt-org" title="More articles about HBO.">HBO</a> comedy special, “George Carlin at USC” was aired, he was recognized as one of the era’s most influential comedians. He also become a best-selling author of books that expanded on his comedy routines, including “When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?,” which was published by Hyperion in 2004.</p><p><strong><span
class="bold">Pursuing a Dream</span></strong></p><p>Mr. Carlin was born in New York City in 1937. “I grew up in New York wanting to be like those funny men in the movies and on the radio,” he said. “My grandfather, mother and father were gifted verbally, and my mother passed that along to me. She always made sure I was conscious of language and words.”</p><p>He quit high school to join the Air Force in the mid-’50s and, while stationed in Shreveport, La., worked as a radio disc jockey. Discharged in 1957, he set out to pursue his boyhood dream of becoming an actor and comic. He moved to Boston where he met and teamed up with Jack Burns, a newscaster and comedian. The team worked on radio stations in Boston, Fort Worth, and Los Angeles, and performed in clubs throughout the country during the late ’50s.</p><p>After attracting the attention of the comedian Mort Sahl, who dubbed them “a duo of hip wits,” they appeared as guests on “The Tonight Show” with <a
href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/p/jack_paar/index.html?inline=nyt-per" title="More articles about Jack Paar.">Jack Paar</a>. Still, the Carlin-Burns team was only moderately successful, and, in 1960, Mr. Carlin struck out on his own.</p><p>During a career that spanned five decades, he emerged as one of the most durable, productive and versatile comedians of his era. He evolved from <a
href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/jerry_seinfeld/index.html?inline=nyt-per" title="More articles about Jerry Seinfeld.">Jerry Seinfeld</a>-like whimsy and a buttoned-down decorum in the ’60s to counterculture icon in the ’70s. By the ’80s, he was known as a scathing social critic who could artfully wring laughs from a list of oxymorons that ranged from “jumbo shrimp” to “military intelligence.” And in the 1990s and into the 21st century the balding but still pony-tailed comic prowled the stage — eyes ablaze and bristling with intensity — as the circuit’s most splenetic curmudgeon.</p><p>During his live 1996 HBO special, “Back in Town,” he raged over the shallowness of the ’90s “me first” culture — mocking the infatuation with camcorders, hyphenated names, sneakers with lights on them, and lambasting white guys over 10 years old who wear their baseball hats backwards. Baby boomers, “who went from ‘do your thing’ to ‘just say no’ &#8230;from cocaine to Rogaine,” and pro life advocates (“How come when it’s us it’s an abortion, and when it’s a chicken it’s an omelet?”), were some of his prime targets. In the years following his 1977 cable debut, Mr. Carlin was nominated for a half dozen Grammy awards and received CableAces awards for best stand-up comedy special for “George Carlin: Doin’ It Again (1990) and “George Carlin: Jammin’ ” (1992). He also won his second Grammy for the album “Jammin” in 1994.</p><p><strong><span
class="bold">Personal Struggles</span></strong></p><p>During the course of his career, Mr. Carlin overcame numerous personal trials. His early arrests for obscenity (all of which were dismissed) and struggle to overcome his self-described “heavy drug use” were the most publicized. But in the ’80s he also weathered serious tax problems, a heart attack and two open heart surgeries.</p><p>In December 2004 he entered a rehabilitation center to address his addictions to Vicodin and red wine. Mr. Carlin had a well-chronicled cocaine problem in his 30s, and though he was able to taper his cocaine use on his own, he said, he continued to abuse alcohol and also became addicted to Vicodin. He entered rehab at the end of that year, then took two months off before continuing his comedy tours.</p><p>“Standup is the centerpiece of my life, my business, my art, my survival and my way of being,” Mr. Carlin once told an interviewer. “This is my art, to interpret the world.” But, while it always took center stage in his career, Mr. Carlin did not restrict himself to the comedy stage. He frequently indulged his childhood fantasy of becoming a movie star. Among his later credits were supporting parts in “Car Wash” (1976), “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” (1989), “The Prince of Tides” (1991), and “Dogma” (1999).</p><p>His 1997 book, “Brain Droppings,” became an instant best seller. And among several continuing TV roles, he starred in the Fox sitcom “The George Carlin Show,” which aired for one season. “That was an experiment on my part to see if there might be a way I could fit into the corporate entertainment structure,” he said after the show was canceled in 1994. “And I don’t,” he added.</p><p>Despite the longevity of his career and his problematic personal life, Mr. Carlin remained one of the most original and productive comedians in show business. “It’s his lifelong affection for language and passion for truth that continue to fuel his performances,” a critic observed of the comedian when he was in his mid-60s. And <a
href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/a/chris_albrecht/index.html?inline=nyt-per" title="More articles about Chris Albrecht.">Chris Albrecht</a>, an HBO executive, said, “He is as prolific a comedian as I have witnessed.”</p><p>Mr. Carlin is survived by his wife, Sally Wade; daughter Kelly Carlin McCall; son-in-law, Bob McCall, brother, Patrick Carlin and sister-in-law, Marlene Carlin. His first wife, Brenda Hosbrook, died in 1997.</p><p>Although some criticized parts of his later work as too contentious, Mr. Carlin defended the material, insisting that his comedy had always been driven by an intolerance for the shortcomings of humanity and society. “Scratch any cynic,” he said, “and you’ll find a disappointed idealist.”</p><p>Still, when pushed to explain the pessimism and overt spleen that had crept into his act, he quickly reaffirmed the zeal that inspired his lists of complaints and grievances. “I don’t have pet peeves,” he said, correcting the interviewer. And with a mischievous glint in his eyes, he added, “I have major, psychotic hatreds.”</p></blockquote><p>In memory of George Carlin, here they are:</p><ul><li>Shit</li><li>Piss</li><li>Fuck</li><li>Cunt</li><li>Cocksucker</li><li>Motherfucker</li><li>Tits</li></ul><p><center><object
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class="DiggThisButton DiggCompact" href="http://digg.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fchrisabraham.com%2F2008%2F06%2F23%2Fwe-will-miss-you-george-carlin%2F"></a>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://chrisabraham.com/2008/06/23/we-will-miss-you-george-carlin/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>1</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Le Show with Harry Shearer Blows My Mind</title><link>http://chrisabraham.com/2008/04/07/le-show-with-harry-shearer-blows-my-mind/</link> <comments>http://chrisabraham.com/2008/04/07/le-show-with-harry-shearer-blows-my-mind/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Mon, 07 Apr 2008 08:54:10 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Chris Abraham</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Harry Shearer]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Le Show]]></category> <category><![CDATA[public radio]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Radio]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Radio Shows]]></category> <category><![CDATA[actors]]></category> <category><![CDATA[addicting]]></category> <category><![CDATA[alien]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Aliens]]></category> <category><![CDATA[animals]]></category> <category><![CDATA[audience]]></category> <category><![CDATA[audiences]]></category> <category><![CDATA[bbc]]></category> <category><![CDATA[blaze]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Blogger]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Bloggers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Cable]]></category> <category><![CDATA[child actor]]></category> <category><![CDATA[clintons]]></category> <category><![CDATA[collectives]]></category> <category><![CDATA[comedic actor]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Comedy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[comedy show]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Comics]]></category> <category><![CDATA[commentator]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Comments]]></category> <category><![CDATA[commercialization]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Commercials]]></category> <category><![CDATA[dollarization]]></category> <category><![CDATA[fantasy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[films]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Frank]]></category> <category><![CDATA[franks]]></category> <category><![CDATA[freak]]></category> <category><![CDATA[freaks]]></category> <category><![CDATA[game]]></category> <category><![CDATA[giant]]></category> <category><![CDATA[giants]]></category> <category><![CDATA[grinding my teeth]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Harvard]]></category> <category><![CDATA[honorary doctorate]]></category> <category><![CDATA[image]]></category> <category><![CDATA[images]]></category> <category><![CDATA[jack benny program]]></category> <category><![CDATA[jewish immigrants]]></category> <category><![CDATA[judith owen]]></category> <category><![CDATA[julius hibbert]]></category> <category><![CDATA[kent brockman]]></category> <category><![CDATA[leaves]]></category> <category><![CDATA[littl]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Love]]></category> <category><![CDATA[magic]]></category> <category><![CDATA[man]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Marriage]]></category> <category><![CDATA[marvin monroe]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Monroe]]></category> <category><![CDATA[mr burns]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Music]]></category> <category><![CDATA[ned flanders]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Novel]]></category> <category><![CDATA[npr]]></category> <category><![CDATA[onli]]></category> <category><![CDATA[origins]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Parenting]]></category> <category><![CDATA[parents]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Personal]]></category> <category><![CDATA[personality]]></category> <category><![CDATA[pilot]]></category> <category><![CDATA[podcast]]></category> <category><![CDATA[podcasters]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Podcasts]]></category> <category><![CDATA[post]]></category> <category><![CDATA[press]]></category> <category><![CDATA[principal seymour skinner]]></category> <category><![CDATA[providence]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Publicity]]></category> <category><![CDATA[publishers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[rainier wolfcastle]]></category> <category><![CDATA[raspberry]]></category> <category><![CDATA[reagan]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Science]]></category> <category><![CDATA[shamelessness]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Shoes]]></category> <category><![CDATA[singer songwriter]]></category> <category><![CDATA[soldier]]></category> <category><![CDATA[sons]]></category> <category><![CDATA[taked]]></category> <category><![CDATA[teeth]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Television]]></category> <category><![CDATA[train]]></category> <category><![CDATA[train wreck]]></category> <category><![CDATA[trains]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Video]]></category> <category><![CDATA[voice actor]]></category> <category><![CDATA[waylon smithers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[wit]]></category> <category><![CDATA[wrote]]></category><guid
isPermaLink="false">http://chrisabraham.com/2008/04/07/le-show-with-harry-shearer-blows-my-mind/</guid> <description><![CDATA[Every Monday at 10CET, NPR Worldwide plays Le Show with Harry Shearer (yeah, you know the guy). At first, I started grinding my teeth since one can tell he&#8217;s simply reading the paper to us, his audience, rife with &#8220;snarky&#8221; comments and cheap shots. I guess he&#8217;s supposed to be funny and Le Show is [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div
style="float:left;margin:10px 10px 0px 0px;"> <a
class="DiggThisButton DiggMedium" href="http://digg.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fchrisabraham.com%2F2008%2F04%2F07%2Fle-show-with-harry-shearer-blows-my-mind%2F&title=Le+Show+with+Harry+Shearer+Blows+My+Mind" rel="news, tech_news"><span
style="display:none">Every Monday at 10CET, NPR Worldwide plays Le Show with Harry Shearer (yeah, you know the guy). At first, I started grinding my teeth since one can tell he&#8217;s simply reading the paper to us, his audience, rife with &#8220;snarky&#8221; comments and cheap shots. I guess he&#8217;s supposed to be funny and Le Show is [...]</span></a></div><p></p><div
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/> </a></div><p><img
src="http://www.csulb.edu/divisions/aa/projects/odyssey/06-07/fall_events/images/harryshearer.jpg" alt="harryshearer Le Show with Harry Shearer Blows My Mind" align="left" border="0" hspace="5" vspace="5" title="Le Show with Harry Shearer Blows My Mind" />Every Monday at 10CET, NPR Worldwide plays <a
href="http://www.harryshearer.com/news/le_show/">Le Show</a> with <a
href="http://www.harryshearer.com/">Harry Shearer</a> (yeah, you know the guy). At first, I started grinding my teeth since one can tell he&#8217;s simply reading the paper to us, his audience, rife with &#8220;snarky&#8221; comments and cheap shots. I guess he&#8217;s supposed to be funny and Le Show is supposed to be a comedy show. But, how could it be? It doesn&#8217;t seem well prepared. Shearer halts, pauses, and tries to keep his wit ahead of the stories, which he can&#8217;t. Yes, I love <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Shearer">Harry Shearer</a>, but he is an actor and needs to be <em>fed lines</em>. During the uncomfortable, pregnant, pauses, you can hear his mind scream, &#8220;line!&#8221;</p><p>That said, I have become a devoted addict! How often do you hear this bizarre, amateurish, and foolish, ad hoc, train wreck for an entire hour once-a-week? He isn&#8217;t  funny but I am now a devoted fan. I will try desperately to never miss it. It is on my calendar. Maybe his wit is too cultivated and the entire show is ironic commentary. Maybe Le Show is sort of a public radio &#8220;mockumentary&#8221; like <a
href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088258/">This Is Spinal Tap</a>. Could be I have been seduced into Shearer&#8217;s radio simulacrum. Wouldn&#8217;t put it past him!</p><p><em>Line!?</em></p><p>While I would dare say that Harry Shearer&#8217;s Le Show is downright banal, I will never miss another episode to the best of my ability. He&#8217;s shameless and I love it! What a freak!</p><p><span
id="more-4531"></span><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Shearer"><strong>Harry Julius Shearer</strong></a> (born <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_23" title="December 23">December 23</a>, <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1943" title="1943">1943</a>) is an <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States" title="United States">American</a> comedic <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actor" title="Actor">actor</a> and <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Writer" title="Writer">writer</a>. Shearer, a <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_actor" class="mw-redirect" title="Voice actor">voice actor</a> on <em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Simpsons" title="The Simpsons">The Simpsons</a></em> (<a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989" title="1989">1989</a> to present), provides the voices of <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Burns" class="mw-redirect" title="Mr. Burns">Mr. Burns</a>, <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waylon_Smithers" title="Waylon Smithers">Waylon Smithers</a>, <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ned_Flanders" title="Ned Flanders">Ned Flanders</a>, <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverend_Timothy_Lovejoy" title="Reverend Timothy Lovejoy">Reverend Timothy Lovejoy</a>, <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_Brockman" title="Kent Brockman">Kent Brockman</a>, <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Julius_Hibbert" class="mw-redirect" title="Dr. Julius Hibbert">Dr. Julius Hibbert</a>, <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Marvin_Monroe" class="mw-redirect" title="Dr. Marvin Monroe">Dr. Marvin Monroe</a>, <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenny_Leonard" title="Lenny Leonard">Lenny Leonard</a>, <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principal_Seymour_Skinner" class="mw-redirect" title="Principal Seymour Skinner">Principal Seymour Skinner</a>, <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Mann" title="Otto Mann">Otto Mann</a> and <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainier_Wolfcastle" title="Rainier Wolfcastle">Rainier Wolfcastle</a> among others.</p><p>Shearer was born in <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles%2C_California" title="Los Angeles, California">Los Angeles, California</a>, the son of Dora Warren (<a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Married_and_maiden_names" title="Married and maiden names">née</a> Kohn), a bookkeeper, and Mack Shearer. His parents were <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jew" title="Jew">Jewish</a> immigrants from <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria" title="Austria">Austria</a> and <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poland" title="Poland">Poland</a>. He was married to Penelope Nichols in 1974, divorcing in 1977. Shearer has been married to <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singer-songwriter" title="Singer-songwriter">singer-songwriter</a> <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Owen" title="Judith Owen">Judith Owen</a> since 1993. Shearer attended <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UCLA" class="mw-redirect" title="UCLA">UCLA</a> and <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard" class="mw-redirect" title="Harvard">Harvard</a>. In May 2006, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goucher_College" title="Goucher College">Goucher College</a>.</p><p>He began his career as a child actor in <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950s" title="1950s">1950s</a> <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film" title="Film">movies</a> (<em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Robe_%28film%29" title="The Robe (film)">The Robe</a></em>) and <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio" title="Radio">radio</a> (<em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Benny" title="Jack Benny">The Jack Benny Program</a></em>). Shearer also played the precursor to the <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Haskell" title="Eddie Haskell">Eddie Haskell</a> character in the <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilot_episode" class="mw-redirect" title="Pilot episode">pilot episode</a> of the TV series <em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leave_It_to_Beaver" title="Leave It to Beaver">Leave It to Beaver</a></em>. Shearer was later a member of Los Angeles <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio" title="Radio">radio</a> comedy group <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Credibility_Gap" title="The Credibility Gap">The Credibility Gap</a>, 1969–1976, at stations <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KRLA" title="KRLA">KRLA</a> (where he also interviewed <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creedence_Clearwater_Revival" title="Creedence Clearwater Revival">Creedence Clearwater Revival</a> for the <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_Chronicles" title="Pop Chronicles">Pop Chronicles</a>) and <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KPPC" title="KPPC">KPPC</a>.</p><p>He also wrote for such television shows as <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernwood_2-Night" class="mw-redirect" title="Fernwood 2-Night">Fernwood 2-Night</a> and <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laverne_and_Shirley" class="mw-redirect" title="Laverne and Shirley">Laverne and Shirley</a>. In August 1979, Shearer was hired as a writer and cast member on <em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_Night_Live" title="Saturday Night Live">Saturday Night Live</a></em>, an unofficial replacement for <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Belushi" title="John Belushi">John Belushi</a> and <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Aykroyd" title="Dan Aykroyd">Dan Aykroyd</a>, who were both leaving the show. According to the book <em>Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live</em>, Shearer did not get along well with the other writers and cast members, who regarded him as &#8220;prickly.&#8221; His first tenure on the show ended when <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorne_Michaels" title="Lorne Michaels">Lorne Michaels</a> left SNL, taking the entire cast with him.</p><p>Shearer returned to <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_Night_Live" title="Saturday Night Live">Saturday Night Live</a> in the 1984–1985 season, leaving for good in January 1985 over &#8220;creative differences.&#8221; When reached for comment over the nature of his departure, Shearer replied &#8220;I was creative; they were different&#8221;.</p><p>Shearer co-created, co-wrote and co-starred in <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Reiner" title="Rob Reiner">Rob Reiner</a>&#8216;s 1984 film <em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_Spinal_Tap" title="This Is Spinal Tap">This Is Spinal Tap</a></em> with <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_McKean" title="Michael McKean">Michael McKean</a> and <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Guest" title="Christopher Guest">Christopher Guest</a>. The three of them also collaborated on the acclaimed 2003 spoof <em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Mighty_Wind" title="A Mighty Wind">A Mighty Wind</a></em>, which was written by Guest and <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Levy" title="Eugene Levy">Eugene Levy</a> (but largely improvised by the cast members) and directed by Guest, and Shearer had a major role in the Guest-directed parody of Oscar politicking <em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Your_Consideration_%28film%29" title="For Your Consideration (film)">For Your Consideration</a></em> (2006). Shearer&#8217;s television work also includes two specials for Cinemax, &#8220;It&#8217;s Just TV&#8221;, and &#8220;This Week Indoors&#8221; (co-created with <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merrill_Markoe" title="Merrill Markoe">Merrill Markoe</a>) and &#8220;The Magic of Live&#8221;. He directed the entire six-episode cable series, &#8220;The History of White People in America&#8221;, co-created by <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Mull" title="Martin Mull">Martin Mull</a> and Allen Rucker, as well as the two-hour feature finale of the series, &#8220;Portrait of a White Marriage&#8221;. He also co-wrote and directed <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Shaffer" title="Paul Shaffer">Paul Shaffer</a>&#8216;s fantasy special for <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HBO" title="HBO">HBO</a>, &#8220;Viva Shaf Vegas&#8221; (with Shaffer and Tom Leopold). His first theatrical feature, which he wrote and directed, was &#8220;<a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teddy_Bears%27_Picnic_%28film%29" title="Teddy Bears' Picnic (film)">Teddy Bears&#8217; Picnic</a>&#8220;, a dark comedy loosely based on the workings of <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohemian_Grove" title="Bohemian Grove">Bohemian Grove</a>, the secret retreat of the elite.</p><p>Shearer has three books published, &#8220;Man Bites Town&#8221; (a collection of his Los Angeles Times Magazine columns), &#8220;It&#8217;s the Stupidity, Stupid&#8221;, and &#8220;Not Enough Indians&#8221;, a comic novel about Native Americans and gambling.</p><p>Shearer may be best known for his prolific work as a <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_actor" class="mw-redirect" title="Voice actor">voice actor</a> on <em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Simpsons" title="The Simpsons">The Simpsons</a></em> (1989 to present), where he provides voices for <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Burns" class="mw-redirect" title="Mr. Burns">Mr. Burns</a>, <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waylon_Smithers" title="Waylon Smithers">Waylon Smithers</a>, <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ned_Flanders" title="Ned Flanders">Ned Flanders</a>, <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverend_Timothy_Lovejoy" title="Reverend Timothy Lovejoy">Reverend Timothy Lovejoy</a>, <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_Brockman" title="Kent Brockman">Kent Brockman</a>, <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Julius_Hibbert" class="mw-redirect" title="Dr. Julius Hibbert">Dr. Julius Hibbert</a>, <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Marvin_Monroe" class="mw-redirect" title="Dr. Marvin Monroe">Dr. Marvin Monroe</a>, <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenny_Leonard" title="Lenny Leonard">Lenny Leonard</a>, <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principal_Seymour_Skinner" class="mw-redirect" title="Principal Seymour Skinner">Principal Seymour Skinner</a>, <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Mann" title="Otto Mann">Otto Mann</a> and <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainier_Wolfcastle" title="Rainier Wolfcastle">Rainier Wolfcastle</a> among others. He was one of three Simpsons <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_actor" class="mw-redirect" title="Voice actor">voice actors</a> to <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guest_star" class="mw-redirect" title="Guest star">guest star</a> on the show <em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friends" title="Friends">Friends</a></em> (&#8220;<a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_One_With_the_Fake_Monica" class="mw-redirect" title="The One With the Fake Monica">The One With the Fake Monica</a>&#8220;); the other two were <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Castellaneta" title="Dan Castellaneta">Dan Castellaneta</a> and <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Azaria" title="Hank Azaria">Hank Azaria</a>. He also appeared in <em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godzilla_%281998_film%29" title="Godzilla (1998 film)">Godzilla</a></em> with Hank Azaria, which had a cameo appearance from <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Cartwright_%28actress%29" class="mw-redirect" title="Nancy Cartwright (actress)">Nancy Cartwright</a>, the voice of <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bart_Simpson" title="Bart Simpson">Bart Simpson</a>. (In a SFGate Podcast, Shearer said one person who took him under his wing during his early days in show business was voice actor <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Blanc" title="Mel Blanc">Mel Blanc</a>, who voiced many animated characters such as <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugs_Bunny" title="Bugs Bunny">Bugs Bunny</a>, <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daffy_Duck" title="Daffy Duck">Daffy Duck</a>, <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_Sam" title="Yosemite Sam">Yosemite Sam</a>, and <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tweety_Bird" title="Tweety Bird">Tweety Bird</a>, just to name a few.)</p><p>Since 1983, Shearer has been the host of the public radio comedy/music program <em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Show" title="Le Show">Le Show</a></em> on <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Monica" class="mw-redirect" title="Santa Monica">Santa Monica&#8217;s</a> <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Public_Radio" title="National Public Radio">NPR</a>-affiliated radio station, <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KCRW" title="KCRW">KCRW</a>. On the weekly program Shearer alternates between DJing, reading and commenting on the news of the day after the manner of <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mort_Sahl" title="Mort Sahl">Mort Sahl</a>, and performing original (mostly political) comedy sketches and songs. The show airs on public radio stations throughout the country, and is offered as a podcast. Shearer is the regular <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Announcer" title="Announcer">announcer</a> for <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV_Land" title="TV Land">TV Land</a> and, since May 2005, has been a contributing blogger at <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Huffington_Post" title="The Huffington Post">The Huffington Post</a>. Shearer has homes in both <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Monica%2C_California" title="Santa Monica, California">Santa Monica, California</a> and the <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faubourg_Marigny" title="Faubourg Marigny">Faubourg Marigny</a> of <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orleans%2C_Louisiana" title="New Orleans, Louisiana">New Orleans, Louisiana</a>. According to a telephone call on <em>Ask <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._KABC" class="mw-redirect" title="Mr. KABC">Mr. KABC</a></em>, his house survived <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina" title="Hurricane Katrina">Hurricane Katrina</a>.</p><p>In 1995 Shearer appeared in the Australian comedy series <em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontline_%28Australian_TV_series%29" title="Frontline (Australian TV series)">Frontline</a></em>, in the episode &#8220;Changing the Face of Current Affairs&#8221;. In it he played the character of Larry Hadges, employed by the Frontline team to improve the look and style of the show, with hilarious results.</p><p>In 2006 Shearer appeared with <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Hayes_%28broadcaster%29" title="Brian Hayes (broadcaster)">Brian Hayes</a> in a six-part <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Radio_4" title="BBC Radio 4">BBC Radio 4</a> sitcom called <em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_Today%2C_Thank_You" title="Not Today, Thank You">Not Today, Thank You</a></em>, in which he plays Nostrils, a man so ugly he can&#8217;t stand to be in his own presence.</p><p><a
title="Recurring_characters_on_SNL" name="Recurring_characters_on_SNL" id="Recurring_characters_on_SNL"></a><span
class="editsection"></span><strong><span
class="mw-headline">Recurring characters on SNL</span></strong></p><ul><li>Tom Clay, a spokesman for several fake commercials on SNL</li><li>Vic Raker, a Weekend Update commentator</li></ul><p><strong><span
class="mw-headline">Celebrity impersonations on SNL</span></strong></p><ul><li><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Thicke" title="Alan Thicke">Alan Thicke</a></li><li><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Sagan" title="Carl Sagan">Carl Sagan</a></li><li><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curt_Gowdy" title="Curt Gowdy">Curt Gowdy</a></li><li><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Reynolds" title="Frank Reynolds">Frank Reynolds</a></li><li><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_Roosevelt" class="mw-redirect" title="Franklin Roosevelt">Franklin Roosevelt</a></li><li><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Perkins" title="Jack Perkins">Jack Perkins</a></li><li><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Garagiola%2C_Sr." title="Joe Garagiola, Sr.">Joe Garagiola</a></li><li><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Wallace_%28journalist%29" title="Mike Wallace (journalist)">Mike Wallace</a></li><li><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Blackwell" class="mw-redirect" title="Mr. Blackwell">Mr. Blackwell</a></li><li><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Leach" title="Robin Leach">Robin Leach</a></li><li><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Serling" title="Rod Serling">Rod Serling</a></li><li><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan" title="Ronald Reagan">Ronald Reagan</a></li><li><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Brokaw" title="Tom Brokaw">Tom Brokaw</a></li><li><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Snyder" title="Tom Snyder">Tom Snyder</a></li><li><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vin_Scully" title="Vin Scully">Vin Scully</a> (Shearer also impersonated Vin Scully on several episodes of <em>The Simpsons</em>.)</li></ul><p><strong><span
class="mw-headline">Filmography</span></strong></p><ul><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Simpsons_Movie" title="The Simpsons Movie">The Simpsons Movie</a> (2007)</em></li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_Today%2C_Thank_You" title="Not Today, Thank You">Not Today, Thank You</a> (2006) (Radio)</em></li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Your_Consideration_%28film%29" title="For Your Consideration (film)">For Your Consideration</a> (2006)</em></li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_Little_%282005_film%29" title="Chicken Little (2005 film)">Chicken Little</a></em> (2005)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Mighty_Wind" title="A Mighty Wind">A Mighty Wind</a></em> (2003)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teddy_Bears%27_Picnic_%28film%29" title="Teddy Bears' Picnic (film)">Teddy Bears&#8217; Picnic</a></em> (2002)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haunted_Castle_%282001_film%29" title="Haunted Castle (2001 film)">Haunted Castle</a></em> (2001)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_There" title="Out There">Out There</a></em> (2001)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haiku_Tunnel" title="Haiku Tunnel">Haiku Tunnel</a></em> (2001)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Catching_Up_with_Marty_DiBergi&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="Catching Up with Marty DiBergi (page does not exist)">Catching Up with Marty DiBergi</a></em> (2000) (V)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edwurd_Fudwupper_Fibbed_Big&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="Edwurd Fudwupper Fibbed Big (page does not exist)">Edwurd Fudwupper Fibbed Big</a></em> (2000)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_%28film%29" title="Dick (film)">Dick</a></em> (1999)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Dog:_The_Way_of_the_Samurai" title="Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai">Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai</a></em> (1999)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Encounter_in_the_Third_Dimension&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="Encounter in the Third Dimension (page does not exist)">Encounter in the Third Dimension</a></em> (1999)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edtv" class="mw-redirect" title="Edtv">Edtv</a></em> (1999)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_Soldiers" title="Small Soldiers">Small Soldiers</a></em> (1998) (voice)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Truman_Show" title="The Truman Show">The Truman Show</a></em> (1998)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almost_Heroes" title="Almost Heroes">Almost Heroes</a></em> (1998)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godzilla_%281998_film%29" title="Godzilla (1998 film)">Godzilla</a></em> (1998)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Best_Friend%27s_Wedding" title="My Best Friend's Wedding">My Best Friend&#8217;s Wedding</a></em> (1997)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=State_of_the_Union:_Undressed&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="State of the Union: Undressed (page does not exist)">State of the Union: Undressed</a></em> (1996) (TV)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blazing_Dragons" title="Blazing Dragons">Blazing Dragons</a></em> (1996) (VG)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Show_Formerly_Known_as_the_Martin_Short_Show&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="The Show Formerly Known as the Martin Short Show (page does not exist)">The Show Formerly Known as the Martin Short Show</a></em> (1995) (TV)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sliders" title="Sliders">Sliders</a></em> (1995) (TV) (uncredited)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_News_Hole&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="The News Hole (page does not exist)">The News Hole</a></em> (1995) TV Series</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speechless_%28film%29" title="Speechless (film)">Speechless</a></em> (1994)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Giants" title="Little Giants">Little Giants</a></em> (1994)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27ll_Do_Anything" title="I'll Do Anything">I&#8217;ll Do Anything</a></em> (1994)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne%27s_World_2" title="Wayne's World 2">Wayne&#8217;s World 2</a></em> (1993)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Comic_Relief:_Baseball_Relief_%2793&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="Comic Relief: Baseball Relief '93 (page does not exist)">Comic Relief: Baseball Relief &#8217;93</a></em> (1993) (TV)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_League_of_Their_Own" title="A League of Their Own">A League of Their Own</a></em> (1992)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spinal_Tap:_Break_Like_the_Wind_-_The_Videos&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="Spinal Tap: Break Like the Wind - The Videos (page does not exist)">Spinal Tap: Break Like the Wind &#8211; The Videos</a></em> (1992) (V) (as Derek Smalls)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fisher_King_%28movie%29" class="mw-redirect" title="The Fisher King (movie)">The Fisher King</a></em> (1991)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Blood_and_Concrete&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="Blood and Concrete (page does not exist)">Blood and Concrete</a></em> (1991)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pure_Luck" title="Pure Luck">Pure Luck</a></em> (1991)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_%281991_movie%29" class="mw-redirect" title="Oscar (1991 movie)">Oscar</a></em> (1991/I)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunday_Best" title="Sunday Best">Sunday Best</a></em> (1991) TV Series</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hometown_Boy_Makes_Good&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="Hometown Boy Makes Good (page does not exist)">Hometown Boy Makes Good</a></em> (1990) (TV)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Simpsons" title="The Simpsons">The Simpsons</a></em> (1989 &#8211; present)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Stepmother_Is_an_Alien" title="My Stepmother Is an Alien">My Stepmother Is an Alien</a></em> (1988)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Plain_Clothes&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="Plain Clothes (page does not exist)">Plain Clothes</a></em> (1988)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Portrait_of_a_White_Marriage&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="Portrait of a White Marriage (page does not exist)">Portrait of a White Marriage</a></em> (1988)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spitting_Image:_The_Ronnie_and_Nancy_Show&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="Spitting Image: The Ronnie and Nancy Show (page does not exist)">Spitting Image: The Ronnie and Nancy Show</a></em> (1987) (TV)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flicks" class="mw-redirect" title="Flicks">Flicks</a></em> (1987) (voice)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_History_of_White_People_in_America:_Volume_II&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="The History of White People in America: Volume II (page does not exist)">The History of White People in America: Volume II</a></em> (1986) (TV)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spitting_Image:_Down_and_Out_in_the_White_House&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="Spitting Image: Down and Out in the White House (page does not exist)">Spitting Image: Down and Out in the White House</a></em> (1986) (TV)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Viva_Shaf_Vegas&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="Viva Shaf Vegas (page does not exist)">Viva Shaf Vegas</a></em> (1986) (TV)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_History_of_White_People_in_America" title="The History of White People in America">The History of White People in America</a></em> (1985) (TV)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_Spinal_Tap" title="This Is Spinal Tap">This Is Spinal Tap</a></em> (1984)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Right_Stuff_%28film%29" title="The Right Stuff (film)">The Right Stuff</a></em> (1983)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Million_Dollar_Infield&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="Million Dollar Infield (page does not exist)">Million Dollar Infield</a></em> (1982) (TV)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Likely_Stories%2C_Vol._1&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="Likely Stories, Vol. 1 (page does not exist)">Likely Stories, Vol. 1</a></em> (1981) TV Series</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Trick_Pony" title="One Trick Pony">One Trick Pony</a></em> (1980)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loose_Shoes" title="Loose Shoes">Loose Shoes</a></em> (1980)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animalympics" title="Animalympics">Animalympics</a></em> (1980)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_Night_Live" title="Saturday Night Live">Saturday Night Live</a></em> (1979-80, 1984-85)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fish_That_Saved_Pittsburgh" title="The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh">The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh</a></em> (1979)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_T.V._Show&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="The T.V. Show (page does not exist)">The T.V. Show</a></em> (1979) (TV)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_Life_%28film%29" title="Real Life (film)">Real Life</a></em> (1979)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cracking_Up" title="Cracking Up">Cracking Up</a></em> (1977)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Raspberry_%28film%29" title="American Raspberry (film)">American Raspberry</a></em> (1977)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Serpico:_The_Deadly_Game&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="Serpico: The Deadly Game (page does not exist)">Serpico: The Deadly Game</a></em> (1976) (TV)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leave_it_to_Beaver" class="mw-redirect" title="Leave it to Beaver">Leave it to Beaver</a></em> (1956) (pilot only)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jack_Benny_Program" title="The Jack Benny Program">The Jack Benny Program</a></em> (1955) (guest voice) TV Series &#8211; Member of Jack Benny&#8217;s &#8220;Beverly Hills Beavers&#8221;</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jack_Benny_Program" title="The Jack Benny Program">The Jack Benny Program</a></em> (1953) (guest voice) TV Series &#8211; Jack as a Child</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Robe_%28film%29" title="The Robe (film)">The Robe</a></em> (1953) (uncredited)</li><li><em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbott_and_Costello_Go_to_Mars" title="Abbott and Costello Go to Mars">Abbott and Costello Go to Mars</a></em> (1953) (uncredited)</li></ul><p><strong><span
class="mw-headline">Video games</span></strong></p><ul><li>Science Vessel/Magellan in <em><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starcraft" class="mw-redirect" title="Starcraft">Starcraft</a></em></li></ul><p><strong><span
class="mw-headline">Bibliography</span></strong></p><ul><li><cite
class="book" style="font-style: normal" id="Reference-Shearer-1993"><strong
class="selflink">Shearer, Harry</strong> (1993). <em>Man Bites Town</em>. St Martins Press. <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0312088426" class="internal">ISBN 0-312-08842-6</a>.</cite><span
class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=Man+Bites+Town&amp;rft.aulast=Shearer&amp;rft.aufirst=Harry&amp;rft.pub=St+Martins+Press"> </span></li><li><cite
class="book" style="font-style: normal" id="Reference-Shearer-1999"><strong
class="selflink">Shearer, Harry</strong> (1999). <em>It&#8217;s the Stupidity, Stupid : Why (Some) People Hate Clinton and Why the Rest of Us Have to Watch (Library of Contemporary Thought)</em>. Ballantine Books. <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0345434013" class="internal">ISBN 0-345-43401-3</a>.</cite><span
class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=It%27s+the+Stupidity%2C+Stupid+%3A+Why+%28Some%29+People+Hate+Clinton+and+Why+the+Rest+of+Us+Have+to+Watch+%28Library+of+Contemporary+Thought%29&amp;rft.aulast=Shearer&amp;rft.aufirst=Harry&amp;rft.pub=Ballantine+Books"> </span></li><li><cite
class="book" style="font-style: normal" id="Reference-Shearer-2006"><strong
class="selflink">Shearer, Harry</strong> (2006). <em>Not Enough Indians</em>. Justin, Charles and Company. <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1932112464" class="internal">ISBN 1-932112-46-4</a>.</cite></li></ul><p><center><object
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class="DiggThisButton DiggCompact" href="http://digg.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fchrisabraham.com%2F2008%2F04%2F07%2Fle-show-with-harry-shearer-blows-my-mind%2F"></a>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://chrisabraham.com/2008/04/07/le-show-with-harry-shearer-blows-my-mind/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>1</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Watching Firebrand Thursday on ION at 11 Again</title><link>http://chrisabraham.com/2008/02/08/live-blogging-firebrand-thursday/</link> <comments>http://chrisabraham.com/2008/02/08/live-blogging-firebrand-thursday/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Fri, 08 Feb 2008 13:19:13 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Chris Abraham</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Chris Abraham]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Commercials]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Film]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Film Industry]]></category> <category><![CDATA[firebrand]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Firebrand TV]]></category> <category><![CDATA[firebrand.com]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Television]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Television Commercials]]></category> <category><![CDATA[TV Commercials]]></category> <category><![CDATA[abraham]]></category> <category><![CDATA[actors]]></category> <category><![CDATA[border]]></category> <category><![CDATA[caption]]></category> <category><![CDATA[cj]]></category> <category><![CDATA[cjs]]></category> <category><![CDATA[comparative studies]]></category> <category><![CDATA[flickr]]></category> <category><![CDATA[frame text]]></category> <category><![CDATA[great education]]></category> <category><![CDATA[littl]]></category> <category><![CDATA[online]]></category> <category><![CDATA[origins]]></category> <category><![CDATA[photo]]></category> <category><![CDATA[solid]]></category> <category><![CDATA[studies]]></category> <category><![CDATA[truth]]></category><guid
isPermaLink="false">http://chrisabraham.com/2008/02/08/live-blogging-firebrand-thursday/</guid> <description><![CDATA[Live Blogging Firebrand Thursday, originally uploaded by Chris Abraham. I caught Firebrand on ION last night. Again, laughed my ass off. What I like most about Firebrand is that they treat commercials like little movies. The CJs discuss the directors, the actors, the agencies, and the outcomes of the ads. For any of you who [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div
style="float:left;margin:10px 10px 0px 0px;"> <a
class="DiggThisButton DiggMedium" href="http://digg.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fchrisabraham.com%2F2008%2F02%2F08%2Flive-blogging-firebrand-thursday%2F&title=Watching+Firebrand+Thursday+on+ION+at+11+Again" rel="news, tech_news"><span
style="display:none">Live Blogging Firebrand Thursday, originally uploaded by Chris Abraham. I caught Firebrand on ION last night. Again, laughed my ass off. What I like most about Firebrand is that they treat commercials like little movies. The CJs discuss the directors, the actors, the agencies, and the outcomes of the ads. For any of you who [...]</span></a></div><p></p><div
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style="text-align: center"><img
src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2022/2250103892_d214419640.jpg" class="flickr-photo" title="Watching Firebrand Thursday on ION at 11 Again" alt="2250103892 d214419640 Watching Firebrand Thursday on ION at 11 Again" /></p><p></a><span
class="flickr-caption"><a
href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisabraham/2250103892/">Live Blogging Firebrand Thursday</a>, originally uploaded by <a
href="http://www.flickr.com/people/chrisabraham/">Chris Abraham</a>.</span></p><p
class="flickr-yourcomment"> I caught <a
href="http://www.firebrand.com">Firebrand</a> on ION last night. Again, laughed my ass off. What I like most about Firebrand is that they treat commercials like little movies. The CJs discuss the directors, the actors, the agencies, and the outcomes of the ads. For any of you who are in the industry, it is a great education.</p><p
class="flickr-yourcomment"><span
id="more-4356"></span>Actually, Firebrand is interesting for anyone interested in products, services, or television and the way things work. It also allows me to do come comparative studies since Firebrand isn&#8217;t jingoistic and offers access to commercials from around the world, especially online.</p><p
class="flickr-yourcomment">And, of course, cute CJs. Oh, and while Firebrand is and has been my client, the truth is is that they continue retaining me because I am a super fan.</p><script type="text/javascript">(function() {var s = document.createElement('SCRIPT'), s1 = document.getElementsByTagName('SCRIPT')[0];s.type = 'text/javascript';s.async = true;s.src = 'http://widgets.digg.com/buttons.js';s1.parentNode.insertBefore(s, s1);})();</script><a
class="DiggThisButton DiggCompact" href="http://digg.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fchrisabraham.com%2F2008%2F02%2F08%2Flive-blogging-firebrand-thursday%2F"></a>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://chrisabraham.com/2008/02/08/live-blogging-firebrand-thursday/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Mr Bean&#8217;s Holiday and Emma de Caunes</title><link>http://chrisabraham.com/2007/09/12/mr-beans-holiday-and-emma-de-caunes/</link> <comments>http://chrisabraham.com/2007/09/12/mr-beans-holiday-and-emma-de-caunes/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Wed, 12 Sep 2007 23:50:20 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Chris Abraham</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Film]]></category> <category><![CDATA[9 september]]></category> <category><![CDATA[actors]]></category> <category><![CDATA[advertiser]]></category> <category><![CDATA[advertisers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Advertising]]></category> <category><![CDATA[antoine de caunes]]></category> <category><![CDATA[assed]]></category> <category><![CDATA[asses]]></category> <category><![CDATA[baccalaureate]]></category> <category><![CDATA[best actress]]></category> <category><![CDATA[born paris]]></category> <category><![CDATA[daughter nina]]></category> <category><![CDATA[daughters]]></category> <category><![CDATA[emma de caunes]]></category> <category><![CDATA[film actress]]></category> <category><![CDATA[film role]]></category> <category><![CDATA[films]]></category> <category><![CDATA[french actor]]></category> <category><![CDATA[french singer]]></category> <category><![CDATA[holidays]]></category> <category><![CDATA[le sigh]]></category> <category><![CDATA[mr bean]]></category> <category><![CDATA[nomination]]></category> <category><![CDATA[paris]]></category> <category><![CDATA[paris film festival]]></category> <category><![CDATA[promising actress]]></category> <category><![CDATA[promising young actress]]></category> <category><![CDATA[reiser]]></category> <category><![CDATA[romy schneider]]></category> <category><![CDATA[royer]]></category> <category><![CDATA[solid]]></category> <category><![CDATA[sylvie verheyde]]></category><guid
isPermaLink="false">http://chrisabraham.com/?p=4120</guid> <description><![CDATA[I just caught Mr. Bean&#8217;s Holiday and laughed my ass off for a solid 90-minutes. And, of course, then there was Mlle Emma de Caunes. Le sigh. Emma de Caunes (born 9 September 1976) is a French film actress. de Caunes is the daughter of French actor and director Antoine de Caunes, and of director [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div
style="float:left;margin:10px 10px 0px 0px;"> <a
class="DiggThisButton DiggMedium" href="http://digg.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fchrisabraham.com%2F2007%2F09%2F12%2Fmr-beans-holiday-and-emma-de-caunes%2F&title=Mr+Bean%26%238217%3Bs+Holiday+and+Emma+de+Caunes" rel="news, tech_news"><span
style="display:none">I just caught Mr. Bean&#8217;s Holiday and laughed my ass off for a solid 90-minutes. And, of course, then there was Mlle Emma de Caunes. Le sigh. Emma de Caunes (born 9 September 1976) is a French film actress. de Caunes is the daughter of French actor and director Antoine de Caunes, and of director [...]</span></a></div><p></p><div
align="right" style="float: right; padding: 0px 0px 5px 5px;"><a
name="fb_share" type="button_count" share_url="http://chrisabraham.com/2007/09/12/mr-beans-holiday-and-emma-de-caunes/"></a></div><div
class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px;"> <a
href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fchrisabraham.com%2F2007%2F09%2F12%2Fmr-beans-holiday-and-emma-de-caunes%2F"><br
/> <img
src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fchrisabraham.com%2F2007%2F09%2F12%2Fmr-beans-holiday-and-emma-de-caunes%2F&amp;source=chrisabraham&amp;style=normal&amp;service=bit.ly&amp;service_api=R_fd087a8f486f224d453b4a84e0b4109f&amp;b=2" height="61" width="50" title="Mr Beans Holiday and Emma de Caunes" alt=" Mr Beans Holiday and Emma de Caunes" /><br
/> </a></div><p>I just caught <a
href="http://www.beansholiday.com/">Mr. Bean&#8217;s Holiday</a> and laughed my ass off for a solid 90-minutes. And, of course, then there was <a
href="http://www.emmadecaunes.com/">Mlle Emma de Caunes</a>. <em>Le sigh</em>.</p><p><center><img
src="http://www.chrisabraham.com/emma-de-caunes-mr-beans-vacation.jpg" alt="emma de caunes mr beans vacation Mr Beans Holiday and Emma de Caunes" width="400" height="300" title="Mr Beans Holiday and Emma de Caunes" /></center><span
id="more-4120"></span><br
/> <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_de_Caunes"><strong>Emma de Caunes</strong></a> (born 9 September 1976) is a French film actress.</p><p>de Caunes is the daughter of French actor and director Antoine de Caunes, and of director and graphic designer Gaëlle Royer. She was married to French singer Sinclair (real name Mathieu Blanc-Francard) who fathered her daughter Nina (born Paris, October 2002).</p><p>de Caunes&#8217;s career began at the age of ten courtesy of of a role granted by Michèle Reiser, her godmother. She obtained her Baccalaureate in film in 1995. de Caunes appeared in various advertisements before landing her first major film role in Sylvie Verheyde&#8217;s Un Frère.</p><p>After her performance in the 1997 film Un frère, de Caunes won Most Promising Actress at the 1998 César awards and Best Actress at the 1997 Paris Film Festival, and was nominated for Best Actress in the Acteurs à l&#8217;Écran awards. She won the 2002 Prix Romy-Schneider, an award given annually to a promising young actress.</p><script type="text/javascript">(function() {var s = document.createElement('SCRIPT'), s1 = document.getElementsByTagName('SCRIPT')[0];s.type = 'text/javascript';s.async = true;s.src = 'http://widgets.digg.com/buttons.js';s1.parentNode.insertBefore(s, s1);})();</script><a
class="DiggThisButton DiggCompact" href="http://digg.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fchrisabraham.com%2F2007%2F09%2F12%2Fmr-beans-holiday-and-emma-de-caunes%2F"></a>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://chrisabraham.com/2007/09/12/mr-beans-holiday-and-emma-de-caunes/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>2</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie You&#8217;ve Never Heard Of</title><link>http://chrisabraham.com/2007/09/10/zardoz-is-the-most-interesting-movie-youve-never-heard-of/</link> <comments>http://chrisabraham.com/2007/09/10/zardoz-is-the-most-interesting-movie-youve-never-heard-of/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Mon, 10 Sep 2007 10:06:03 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Chris Abraham</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Film]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Movies]]></category> <category><![CDATA[sean connery]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Zardoz]]></category> <category><![CDATA[ACT]]></category> <category><![CDATA[actors]]></category> <category><![CDATA[actuall]]></category> <category><![CDATA[aim]]></category> <category><![CDATA[apartment]]></category> <category><![CDATA[apes]]></category> <category><![CDATA[audience]]></category> <category><![CDATA[audiences]]></category> <category><![CDATA[authenticity]]></category> <category><![CDATA[balls]]></category> <category><![CDATA[boots]]></category> <category><![CDATA[buff]]></category> <category><![CDATA[buggy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[buzz]]></category> <category><![CDATA[camping]]></category> <category><![CDATA[canada]]></category> <category><![CDATA[car]]></category> <category><![CDATA[cars]]></category> <category><![CDATA[caveman]]></category> <category><![CDATA[century society]]></category> <category><![CDATA[change]]></category> <category><![CDATA[class structure]]></category> <category><![CDATA[clouds]]></category> <category><![CDATA[clue]]></category> <category><![CDATA[collectives]]></category> <category><![CDATA[colors]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Comics]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Community]]></category> <category><![CDATA[complexity]]></category> <category><![CDATA[costuming]]></category> <category><![CDATA[creatures]]></category> <category><![CDATA[cult]]></category> <category><![CDATA[cultures]]></category> <category><![CDATA[dancer]]></category> <category><![CDATA[decade]]></category> <category><![CDATA[decisions]]></category> <category><![CDATA[decorators]]></category> <category><![CDATA[denizen]]></category> <category><![CDATA[denizens]]></category> <category><![CDATA[desert]]></category> <category><![CDATA[dialogue]]></category> <category><![CDATA[digitalized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[doom]]></category> <category><![CDATA[dreams]]></category> <category><![CDATA[droids]]></category> <category><![CDATA[england]]></category> <category><![CDATA[English]]></category> <category><![CDATA[enthusiasts]]></category> <category><![CDATA[evenings]]></category> <category><![CDATA[evils]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Exercise]]></category> <category><![CDATA[experiences]]></category> <category><![CDATA[fantasy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[favoritism]]></category> <category><![CDATA[fear]]></category> <category><![CDATA[films]]></category> <category><![CDATA[fly]]></category> <category><![CDATA[follower]]></category> <category><![CDATA[followers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[foods]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Friends]]></category> <category><![CDATA[gag]]></category> <category><![CDATA[game]]></category> <category><![CDATA[gaze]]></category> <category><![CDATA[generations]]></category> <category><![CDATA[giant]]></category> <category><![CDATA[giants]]></category> <category><![CDATA[god]]></category> <category><![CDATA[goodness]]></category> <category><![CDATA[heart]]></category> <category><![CDATA[hearts]]></category> <category><![CDATA[hollywood]]></category> <category><![CDATA[humanities]]></category> <category><![CDATA[image]]></category> <category><![CDATA[images]]></category> <category><![CDATA[impulses]]></category> <category><![CDATA[initiative]]></category> <category><![CDATA[initiatives]]></category> <category><![CDATA[insight]]></category> <category><![CDATA[insightful]]></category> <category><![CDATA[insights]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Intelligence]]></category> <category><![CDATA[intrigue]]></category> <category><![CDATA[irony]]></category> <category><![CDATA[january 1]]></category> <category><![CDATA[jeans]]></category> <category><![CDATA[john boorman]]></category> <category><![CDATA[joke]]></category> <category><![CDATA[kitchy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[laborer]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Learning]]></category> <category><![CDATA[learnings]]></category> <category><![CDATA[littl]]></category> <category><![CDATA[london]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Love]]></category> <category><![CDATA[man]]></category> <category><![CDATA[manipulation]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Mark]]></category> <category><![CDATA[marketers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category> <category><![CDATA[masters]]></category> <category><![CDATA[measures]]></category> <category><![CDATA[meditation]]></category> <category><![CDATA[mole]]></category> <category><![CDATA[mouths]]></category> <category><![CDATA[murderer]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Music]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Nakedness]]></category> <category><![CDATA[News]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Newton]]></category> <category><![CDATA[nomination]]></category> <category><![CDATA[objective]]></category> <category><![CDATA[odds]]></category> <category><![CDATA[offerings]]></category> <category><![CDATA[onli]]></category> <category><![CDATA[openness]]></category> <category><![CDATA[orange]]></category> <category><![CDATA[origins]]></category> <category><![CDATA[paint]]></category> <category><![CDATA[pairs]]></category> <category><![CDATA[participants]]></category> <category><![CDATA[partying]]></category> <category><![CDATA[people]]></category> <category><![CDATA[periodical]]></category> <category><![CDATA[periods]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Personal]]></category> <category><![CDATA[personality]]></category> <category><![CDATA[photo]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Photos]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Physics]]></category> <category><![CDATA[plague]]></category> <category><![CDATA[pointed commentary]]></category> <category><![CDATA[population]]></category> <category><![CDATA[protect]]></category> <category><![CDATA[providence]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Radio]]></category> <category><![CDATA[rain]]></category> <category><![CDATA[rangoon]]></category> <category><![CDATA[release]]></category> <category><![CDATA[reviewers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[rocks]]></category> <category><![CDATA[roger ebert]]></category> <category><![CDATA[run]]></category> <category><![CDATA[runners]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Running]]></category> <category><![CDATA[saul]]></category> 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isPermaLink="false">http://chrisabraham.com/?p=4119</guid> <description><![CDATA[Before I start, check out Sean Connery&#8217;s costume (left). Zardoz is the most important movie nobody (I know) has seen. Forget that there is a lot of nakedness and topless women; or, that you get to see a super-buff, 1974-era, Sean Connery running around for more than two hours in a pair of underwear; this [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div
style="float:left;margin:10px 10px 0px 0px;"> <a
class="DiggThisButton DiggMedium" href="http://digg.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fchrisabraham.com%2F2007%2F09%2F10%2Fzardoz-is-the-most-interesting-movie-youve-never-heard-of%2F&title=Zardoz+is+the+Most+Interesting+Movie+You%26%238217%3Bve+Never+Heard+Of" rel="news, tech_news"><span
style="display:none">Before I start, check out Sean Connery&#8217;s costume (left). Zardoz is the most important movie nobody (I know) has seen. Forget that there is a lot of nakedness and topless women; or, that you get to see a super-buff, 1974-era, Sean Connery running around for more than two hours in a pair of underwear; this [...]</span></a></div><p></p><div
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/> </a></div><p><a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow"><img
src="http://www.chrisabraham.com/sean-connery-zardoz.jpg" alt="sean connery zardoz Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" align="left" border="0" height="161" hspace="5" width="125" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" /></a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" />Before I start, check out Sean Connery&#8217;s costume (left). <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" /> is the most important movie nobody (I know) has seen. Forget that there is a lot of nakedness and topless women; or, that you get to see a super-buff, 1974-era, Sean Connery running around for more than two hours in a pair of underwear; this is an important movie or utopia gone terribly distopian.</p><p><span
id="more-4119"></span><br
/> <object
height="350" width="425"></object><param
name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kbGVIdA3dx0"></param><param
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src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kbGVIdA3dx0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed><a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" /> is written and played out like a Broadway musical, with lithe dancer-actors, it is presented like a play. This is not a sophisticated movie but it will surely make you think. I would say that <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" /> is both brilliant and campy; insightful and kitchy, and brutal and actually very good at dealing with the concept of balance: in order to grow as men and as a society, one cannot &#8212; must not &#8212; merely separate physically from poverty, ignorance, sickness, and death; but, rather, integrate, integrate, integrate &#8212; or perish. Bravo! <em>See it</em>.</p><p><object
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src="http://www.youtube.com/v/pQR9cHkyeFM" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed>The quote that is most popular from the movie comes from the first scene. God Zardoz says,</p><p><em>&#8220;The gun is good. The penis is evil. The penis shoots seeds, and makes new life to poison the earth with a plague of men, as once it was. But the gun shoots death, and purifies the earth of the filth of brutals. Go forth&#8230; and kill!&#8221;</em></p><p><em>&#8220;In this cult favorite from John Boorman (Beyond Rangoon), 23rd century society is split into two castes &#8212; the overly civilized Eternals and the barely civilized Brutals &#8212; one of which is constantly controlling the other. The Brutals worship a huge stone figure known as <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" />. When Zed (Sean Connery) begins to question the authenticity of this god, the film is able to offer some pointed commentary on class structure and religion.&#8221;</em> Via <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" />/60020833?trkid=14&#8243;&gt;Netflix</p><p><em>&#8220;<strong><a
href="http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19740101/REVIEWS/401010325/1023" rel="nofollow"></a><a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" /> BY ROGER EBERT / January 1, 1974</strong></em></p><p><em>John Boorman&#8217;s ZARDOZ is a genuinely quirky movie, a trip into a future that seems ruled by perpetually stoned set decorators. It&#8217;s set in an Ireland of 2293 that looks exactly like the Ireland of today, until you get inside the Vortex. And then suddenly everything is shimmering gowns and futuristic throne rooms and beautiful young people who glide around at an endless debutante ball.</em></p><p><em>These are the Immortals. They will never die. They cannot. Every time they try to, their bodies are relentlessly restored by the all-knowing mystical computer mind that runs the Vortex. There&#8217;s a catch, though: They can&#8217;t die but they can grow old, and for infractions, they&#8217;re sentenced to age a few years. If they don&#8217;t watch themselves, they might wind up as Immortal Seniles.</em></p><p><em>Outside the Vortex, a barbaric civilization survives. Slaves till the land and gather the crops, ruled over by sadistic masters who sometimes gallop around killing off the surplus population. One of the barbarians is Zed, played by Sean Connery as a cross between Tarzan and Prince Valiant. But one day, Zed (like Lord Greystoke, come to think of it) finds a child&#8217;s alphabet book. He teaches himself to read and then fanatically devours the contents of whole libraries (like Thomas Wolfe, come to think of it). Eventually he comes upon The Wizard of Oz and, in a moment of blinding insight, sees through the whole joke of his world&#8217;s social structure.<br
/> Zed has himself smuggled aboard the giant floating head of <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" />, which rules hinterlands, and finds himself inside the Vortex. Here he is an object of great interest, because the Immortals, you see, having lost the ability to die have also lost the drive to procreate and are doomed to an eternity of detumescence. Zed labors with no such difficulty.</em></p><p><em>The movie is an exercise in self-indulgence (if often an interesting one) by Boorman, who more or less had carte blanche to do a personal project after his immensely successful DELIVERANCE. Boorman seems fascinated by stories which are disconnected from the ordinary realist assumptions of most movies; his LEO THE LAST (1970) gave us Marcello Mastroianni as the last of the big-time decadents, living in a mansion at the end of a deserted street in an eerie London.</em></p><p><em>Boorman puts a lot of heavy concepts into ZARDOZ, but seems uncertain whether he takes them seriously himself. There are sight gags (the attempt to turn on Connery with futuristic pornography provides the best) , there are group seances that seem lifted bodily from pajama parties, there is no end of special visual effects (every optical printer in England must have been busy for weeks), and at the end there&#8217;s a combination shoot-out and mercy-killing spree that is at once ridiculous, depraved and low camp.</em></p><p><em>Sean Connery wanders through all of this with a slightly bemused expression on his face. He begins as a barbarian given to distrust and childish impulses, but after he gathers all knowledge to himself (the movie is full of phrases like &#8220;gathers all knowledge to himself&#8221;), he turns into a sort of body-building Einstein who sees into the center of the Vortex, deciphers the wisdom of the crystal, stimulates the Apathetics (that&#8217;s another social class I forgot to mention), makes love with a good-looking Immortal dame (she regains the knack) and finally turns into a fossil while the sound track milks Beethoven&#8217;s 7th for all it&#8217;s worth.</em></p><p><em>I remember standing in the rain once outside a theater that was playing LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD. Now there was a movie so complex and personal no one claimed to be able to understand itÑno, not even Time magazine. The people coming out from the previous show were shaking their heads and admitting that they, too, didn&#8217;t have a clue. And then it was our turn to go in and be mystified.</em></p><p><em>Every once in a while, a movie like that comes along; a movie you&#8217;ve got to see so that you, too, can be in the dark about it. In the movie&#8217;s own terms, this much can be said for sure: It may not make you an Apathetic, but it will certainly age you by two hours.&#8221;</em></p><p><em>&#8220;<strong><a
href="http://www.apolloguide.com/mov_fullrev.asp?CID=3041" rel="nofollow"></a><a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" /> Review by Scott Weinberg</strong></em></p><p><em>If your idea of perfect science fiction consists of space battles and droids, you’re probably best advised to steer clear of John Boorman’s ultra-trippy cult classic <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" />. If, however, you can enjoy an ironic and entertaining fantasy mind-bender, then this one might be right up your alley. While overlooked by general audiences, <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" /> is one of the most feverishly adored cult movies ever. And while the movie certainly looks outdated and even silly at times, the deeply intelligent and thought-provoking issues under the surface challenge and entertain audiences.</em></p><p><em>The year is 2293 and most of humanity has devolved into mindless ‘Brutals.’ Their god <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" /> visits these savages periodically, instructing them to hunt down and kill any human ‘Breeders’ they come across. This is because “the penis is evil,” and humanity deserves to be wiped out. <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" /> appears to his violent followers as a giant flying stone head that spits out rifles and ammo, along with his murderous decrees. Zed (Sean Connery), one of the Brutals, stows away aboard the massive stone head, which takes him to ‘the Vortex.’ The denizens of the Vortex are a race of genetically superior, immortal beings that treat one another pretty rotten and long for death. When Zed climbs out of that giant head and starts poking around, things get really screwy.</em></p><p><em><a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" /> is packed to the gills with high-minded concepts. Take the ‘apathetics.’ These are immortals who have become so bored and disassociated during their eternal lives, that they are breathing, blank zombies. Another faction of the immortals is the ‘Renegades,’ who have become irretrievably insane. These elderly creatures are dumped off in an out-of-the-way building and forgotten. <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" /> is a movie with a lot to say about the ills of society.</em></p><p><em>Since it was made in 1973, it’s no surprise that <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" /> looks dated and even downright absurd. There are more than a few costumes and set designs that may have you rolling your eyes in disbelief, but it’s important to watch a movie like this with a sense of maturity. It may be difficult to take seriously dialogue like “The penis is evil,” but a willing (and preferably enthusiastic) suspension of disbelief is essential. Yes, that’s Connery as Zed, running around in what looks like a giant red diaper… and yes, there is a scene in which Zed is forced to achieve an erection while dozens of fascinated immortals stare on. But with the plethora of challenging and satisfying ideas being tossed around in <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" />, it’s a tough movie to dislike.</em></p><p><em>It’s a testament to writer/director John Boorman that this movie ever saw the light of day. <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" /> was obviously a labour of love for him, and to this day Connery still lists this movie as one of his favourites. If you’re a fan of science fiction in the vein of 2001: A Space Odyssey or Blade Runner, I would recommend <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" />. While not as ‘polished’ as those other films, it deserves a place in anyone’s sci-fi collection.&#8221;</em></p><p>Plot Summary</p><p>* Genres: Fantasy, Sci-Fi<br
/> * Tagline: Beyond 1984, Beyond 2001, Beyond Love, Beyond Death<br
/> * Plot Outline In the far future, a savage trained only to kill finds a way into the community of bored immortals that alone preserves humanity&#8217;s achievements.<br
/> * Plot Synopsis: In the distant future Earth is divided into two camps, the barely civilized group and the overly civilized one with mental powers. A plague is attacking the second group after which it&#8217;s members cease to have any interest in life and become nearly catatonic. When Sean Connery one of the barbarians, crosses over, the tenuous balance in their world is threatened.<br
/> * Plot Keywords: Blindness, Bizarre, Book, Mutant Human, Crystal Ball, Head, Harvest, Mutation, Flying Head, Ring, Reverse Footage, Horseback Riding</p><p>- Actors: Sean Connery, Charlotte Rampling, Sara Kestelman, John Alderton, Sally Anne Newton, See more<br
/> - Directors: John Boorman<br
/> - Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC<br
/> - Language: English, French<br
/> - Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)<br
/> - Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1<br
/> - Number of discs: 1<br
/> - Rating R<br
/> - Studio: 20th Century Fox<br
/> - DVD Release Date: March 27, 2001<br
/> - Run Time: 106 minutes<br
/> - Average Customer Review: based on 113 reviews. (Write a review.)<br
/> - DVD Features:</p><p>* Available Subtitles: English, Spanish<br
/> * Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 3.0), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)<br
/> * Commentary by director John Boorman<br
/> * Still photo gallery<br
/> * Concept Art and Pressbook Galleries</p><p>- From IMDb: Quotes &amp; Trivia<br
/> - ASIN: B000059HAE<br
/> - Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,570 in DVD (See Top Sellers in DVD)</p><p>Nominations</p><p>* BAFTA Awards: BAFTA Film Award for Best Cinematography<br
/> * Hugo Awards: Hugo for Best Dramatic Presentation</p><p>Trivia</p><p>* The scene where Zed (<br
/> * DIRCAMEO:(<br
/> * To help keep the movie cost down,<br
/> * Zed&#8217;s revolver is a Webley in 455 caliber.<br
/> * The exterior shots at the very opening of the movie were taken right next to director<br
/> * To make the shots of the stone head move into the mouth accurately, the camera was placed at the mouth and tracked backwards, and the film reversed in the lab.<br
/> *<br
/> * The government initially refused to allow the production team to import the guns for the movie into Ireland because of terrorist attacks occurring at the time.<br
/> * Radio spots (available on the DVD) were narrated by<br
/> * According to John Boorman, Sean Connery found it incredibly difficult to get work when he abandoned the James Bond role a second time after Diamonds are Forever. Thus, Boorman was able to hire Connery very cheaply for this project.</p><p>Goofs</p><p>* When mortality comes to the vortex, several &#8220;dead&#8221; characters can be seen moving.<br
/> * When the exterminators on horseback are killing the brutals, tire tracks can be seen on the wet beach sand.<br
/> * Early in the film, when the weapons are spewed out of the floating head&#8217;s mouth, a crewmember&#8217;s arm can be seen throwing them.<br
/> * About three minutes into the movie, when the floating head is in the clouds, part of a car can be seen in the top right corner of the screen.<br
/> * In the scene where Zed discovers the floating book, you can clearly see the strings suspending it in midair.</p><p>Movie Connections</p><p>* Remade as: Planet B: Mask Under Mask<br
/> * References: Planet of the Apes, 2001: A Space Odyssey<br
/> * Referenced in: Excalibur, Dark City, The Big Tease, Wonder Boys, Empire of Dreams: The Story of the &#8216;Star Wars&#8217; Trilogy<br
/> * Featured in: To the Galaxy and Beyond with Mark Hamill, The Fly Papers: The Buzz on Hollywood&#8217;s Scariest Insect</p><p>Quotes</p><p>* Arthur: It was I! I bred you! I led you!<br
/> Zed: And I have looked into the face of the force which put the idea in your head. You are bred and led yourself.<br
/> * Friend: We&#8217;ve all been used&#8230;<br
/> Arthur Frayn: &#8230;and reused&#8230;<br
/> Friend: &#8230;and abused&#8230;<br
/> Arthur Frayn: &#8230;and amused!<br
/> * <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" />: The gun is good.<br
/> Exterminators: The gun is good.<br
/> <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" />: The penis is evil. The penis shoots seeds, and makes new life, and poisons the earth with a plague of men, as once it was. But the gun shoots death, and purifies the earth of the filth of brutals. Go forth and kill!<br
/> * Zed: Stay behind my aura!<br
/> * Consuella: The brutal is now in fourth hour of unconscious sleep. It&#8217;s astonishing that Homo Sapiens spends so much time in this vulnerable condition, at the mercy of its enemies.<br
/> * Zed: I want the truth.<br
/> May: You must give the truth, if you wish to receive it.<br
/> Zed: I&#8217;m ready.<br
/> May: It&#8217;ll burn you!<br
/> Zed: Then burn me.<br
/> * The Tabernacle: Caution: You are approaching the periphery shield of Vortex Four. Caution: You are approaching the periphery shield of Vortex Four.<br
/> * <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
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href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" /> is pleased.<br
/> * The Tabernacle: Vote, please. Vote, please.<br
/> * The Tabernacle: I cannot give information which may threaten my own security.<br
/> * [watching his memory-scan video of hunting down Brutals] Zed: I love to see them running. I love the moments of their deaths &#8211; when I am one with <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
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/> * [first lines]<br
/> Arthur Frayn: I am Arthur Frayn, and I am <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" />. I have lived 300 years, and long to die. But death is no longer possible, I am immortal. I present now my story &#8211; full of mystery and intrigue. Rich in irony, and most satirical. It is set deep within a possible future, so none of these events have yet occurred. But they may! Be warned, lest you end as I. In this tale I am a fake god by occupation, and a magician by inclination. Merlin is my hero! I am the puppet master. I manipulate many of the characters and events you will see. But I am invented too for your entertainment and amusement. And you, poor creatures, who conjured you out of the clay? Is God in showbusiness too?<br
/> * [to Zed] Consuella: I have hunted you so long, I have become you.<br
/> * George Saden: I think what I think. I hate you all. I hate you all. I hate you all. Including me&#8230;<br
/> * [about to Liberate Consuela] Zed: All that I am is gone.<br
/> * [Zed breaks the heart of the crystal] The Tabernacle: You have destroyed us. You are alone.<br
/> * Consuella: Penile erection was one of the many unsolved evolutionary mysteries surrounding sexuality. Every society had an elaborate subculture devoted to erotic stimulation. But nobody could quite determine how this&#8230;<br
/> [Consuella points to a diagram of a male penis and scrotum]<br
/> Consuella: becomes this.<br
/> [Consuella points to a diagram of an erect penis and scrotum]<br
/> Consuella: Of course, we all know the physical process involved, but not the link between stimulus and response. There seems to be a correlation with violence, with fear. Many hanged men died with an erection. You are all more or less aware of our intensive researches into this subject. Sexuality declined probably because we no longer needed to procreate. Eternals soon discovered that erection was impossible to achieve. And we are no longer victims of this violent, convulsive act which so debased women and betrayed men. This brutal<br
/> [Sean Connery]<br
/> Consuella: , like other primates living unselfconscious lives, is capable of spontaneous and reflexive erection. As part of May&#8217;s studies of this creature, we&#8217;re trying to find, once again, the link between erotic stimulation and erection. This experiment will measure autoerotic stimulation of the cortex, leading to erection.<br
/> * The Tabernacle: Sleep was necessary for man when his waking and unconscious lives were separated. As Eternals achieved total consciousness, sleep became obsolete and Second Level meditation took its place.<br
/> * Zed: What is it you want?<br
/> Friend: Sweet death. Oblivion.<br
/> Zed: For yourself, or for the whole Vortex?<br
/> Friend: For Everybody. An end to the human race. It has plagued this pretty planet for far too long.<br
/> Zed: You stink of despair. Fight back! Fight for death, if that&#8217;s what you want.<br
/> Friend: I thought at first you were the one to help. But it&#8217;s hopeless. All my powers have gone.<br
/> * May: Friend, I cannot sanction this violence and destruction.<br
/> Friend: It&#8217;s too late, May. There&#8217;s no going back.<br
/> May: Don&#8217;t destroy the Vortex! Let us renew it. A better breed could prosper here. Given time&#8230;<br
/> Friend: Time? Wasn&#8217;t eternity enough?<br
/> Zed: This place is against life. It must die.<br
/> May: I have my followers. Inseminate us all, and we&#8217;ll teach you all we know. Give you all we have. Perhaps you can break the Tabernacle. Or be broken.<br
/> Friend: An end to eternity.<br
/> May: A higher form.<br
/> Zed: Revenge.<br
/> * [to Consuela] Zed: Can you unknow what you know of me?&#8221;</p><p><strong><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zardoz" rel="nofollow">Zardoz from Wikipedia</a></strong></p><p><a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" /> is a 1974 science fiction film directed by John Boorman and starring Sean Connery in one of his first post-James Bond roles. The film contains a mix of mythology, a bizarre, sprawling plot filled with twists and incongruities, and wide-ranging satirical and allegorical stabs. Filmed on a small budget of US$1 million, <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" />&#8216;s mixture of cerebral, philosophical sci-fi was in complete contrast to Boorman&#8217;s previous film, the brutal thriller Deliverance. The film was shot by cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth. An attempt to market the film to the post-2001: A Space Odyssey audience was unsuccessful, although the film has since developed a cult following.</p><p>Plot</p><p>In a future post-apocalypse Earth (2293), the human population is divided into the immortal &#8220;Eternals&#8221; and mortal &#8220;Brutals&#8221;. The Brutals live in a dark-ages wasteland. The Eternals, who live apart in various &#8220;Vortices&#8221; (singular &#8220;Vortex&#8221;), hidden bastions of civilization, lead a luxurious but aimless existence. The contrast between the two groups is stark. In general, calamity after calamity has reduced life on much of the Earth to dire subsistence levels. The distant Eternals are unknown to most people. The only contact between the groups is through a religious warrior class called the &#8220;Exterminators&#8221;, who kill and terrorize other Brutals at the orders of a huge flying stone head called <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" />. The stone head supplies them with weapons and ideology in exchange for the food they collect.</p><p>Zed (Connery), an Exterminator, hides aboard <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" /> during one trip, &#8220;killing&#8221; its Eternal operator-creator, Arthur Frayn (Niall Buggy). Arriving in the Vortex as a stowaway, Zed meets two Eternals — Consuella (Charlotte Rampling) and May (Sara Kestelman). They possess psychic powers, and make Zed a prisoner of the community of decadent effetes in order to study him. Zed is put to work as a physical laborer under the direction of subversive troublemaker called Friend (John Alderton).</p><p>Over time Zed learns the nature of the Vortex. The Eternals are overseen and protected from death by an AI called the Tabernacle. Through their vastly extended lifespan the Eternals have grown bored, corrupt, and impotent. They spend days stewarding the vast knowledge of humanity while doing little themselves besides participating in bizarre rituals and mass meditations navel gazing. As they never die and the passage of time is largely meaningless as a result, violating the complex set of social rules, and thereby going &#8220;Renegade&#8221;, results in artificial aging. An Eternal thus aged will remain as the feeble elderly for the rest of time. More recently some have fallen into catatonia through an odd mental illness, forming a new social strata the Eternals call the &#8220;Apathetics&#8221;.</p><p>As the story progresses, it becomes clear that Zed is not quite the &#8220;brutal&#8221; the Eternals believe him to be. He very quickly divines the nature of the Vortex and its problems, and starts to play an increasingly proactive role among the Eternals. The backstory develops to reveal that Zed was aware of the true nature of <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" />, having been led to an old book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; the origin of the name <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" /> (Wizard of Oz). After revealing that Frayn had led him to the book and taught him to read, the story is completed; Zed is the ultimate creation of Frayn&#8217;s long-running experiment in creative eugenics, using the Exterminator class to control the Brutals with the aim of breeding a superman to save humanity from its dead-end status quo. He had led Zed to understand the nature of <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" />, hoping he would use it to infiltrate the Vortex.</p><p>The Eternals discover the deceit and &#8220;age&#8221; Friend, while attempting to control Zed. But Zed is actually superior in intelligence to the eternals, and is eventually able to withstand their psychic powers. He destroys the Tabernacle, after which the Vortex is invaded by other Exterminators who bring death to the majority of Eternals, typically with their blessing, given the novelty of the events. A few Eternals escape to make a new life outside the Vortex among the Brutals, carrying the knowledge of civilization. The allegorical ending shows Zed and Consuella producing a child, growing old and dying naturally, whilst the sound of the second movement of Beethoven&#8217;s Seventh Symphony swells in the soundtrack.<br
/> Spoilers end here.</p><p>History</p><p><a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" /> is is notable for being the first time a search engine (or a precursor) is shown in a film, retrieving visual images from a database, years before the personal computer was invented. Arthur Frayne is shown instructing the computer to search for specific images of Cars in the way that we associate with search engines, except with voice recognition software .</p><p>Production</p><p>In the DVD commentary Boorman repeatedly complains about the low budget of the film. Nevertheless he attempted to fill it with a sort of concept art. The Exterminators hunt down the Brutals while wearing large red paper mache facemasks, loincloths and matching bandoliers. The Brutals are instead dressed almost universally in sport coats and jeans, except for young women, who are dressed in &#8220;caveman&#8221; garb. If this were not enough, in one scene Zed escapes from the Eternals by dressing in a wedding gown. The head of <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" />, arguably the most important set in terms of plot development, is clearly made of painted paper mache. Most of the sets in the Vortex are equally low quality, variously consisting of large inflated plastic sheets, &#8220;olde English&#8221; villages, or pastel decorated sets – the Tabernacle is simply a room filled with mirrors.</p><p>Reception</p><p>In 2004 the magazine Total Film described Connery&#8217;s costume (consisting of a ponytail wig, leather knee boots, and a loincloth which bears a strong resemblance to a giant orange nappy or diaper) as the number 1 &#8220;dumbest decision in movie history&#8221;.</p><p>References in popular culture</p><p>This article contains a trivia section.<br
/> Content in this section should be integrated into other appropriate areas of the article or removed, and the trivia section removed.</p><p>* The DC Comics character Vartox is a near-carbon copy of Zed. He has an exact replica of Zed&#8217;s clothing, brown hair, and receding hairline. The character&#8217;s name is even close to sounding like the &#8220;Vortex&#8221; of the film.<br
/> * The video game Time Bandit, which has several science fiction references, mentions the &#8220;spirits of <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" />&#8220;.[citation needed]<br
/> * The video for &#8220;Dreams&#8221; by the rock band TV on the Radio features a huge stone head like the one in &#8220;<a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" />&#8221; that disintegrates at the video&#8217;s end.<br
/> * The webcomic Questionable Content referred to <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" /> multiple times in comic number 830].<br
/> * Saul was dressed as Zed in an episode of Saul of the Mole Men, &#8220;Fun King Johnny&#8221;, when he was on trial by combat.</p><p>Quotes</p><p>If the content can be changed to be more encyclopedic rather than just a list of quotes, please do so and remove this message. Otherwise, you can help by formatting it per the Wikiquote guidelines in preparation for the duplication.</p><p>* <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" />: The gun is good. The penis is evil. The penis shoots seeds, and makes new life to poison the earth with a plague of men, as once it was. But the gun shoots death, and purifies the earth of the filth of brutals. Go forth&#8230; and kill! [<a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000059HAE%2F&amp;tag=chrisabraham&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Zardoz</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" title="Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" alt=" Zardoz is the Most Interesting Movie Youve Never Heard Of" /> proceeds to vomit a torrent of rifles and ammunition for his followers to use.]</p><script type="text/javascript">(function() {var s = document.createElement('SCRIPT'), s1 = document.getElementsByTagName('SCRIPT')[0];s.type = 'text/javascript';s.async = true;s.src = 'http://widgets.digg.com/buttons.js';s1.parentNode.insertBefore(s, s1);})();</script><a
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isPermaLink="false">http://chrisabraham.com/?p=3616</guid> <description><![CDATA[I must admit that my first exposure to Regina Spektor was in Regina Spektor&#8217;s Boundless Talent on CBS Sunday Morning this AM. I must also admit that my first reaction was visual and visceral: Regina Spektor is a monumentally beautiful and compelling young woman. Although I lost the first five minutes of the segment to [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div
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style="display:none">I must admit that my first exposure to Regina Spektor was in Regina Spektor&#8217;s Boundless Talent on CBS Sunday Morning this AM. I must also admit that my first reaction was visual and visceral: Regina Spektor is a monumentally beautiful and compelling young woman. Although I lost the first five minutes of the segment to [...]</span></a></div><p></p><div
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/> I must admit that my first exposure to Regina Spektor was in <a
href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/18/sunday/main2371910.shtml" rel="nofollow">Regina Spektor&#8217;s Boundless Talent</a> on <a
href="http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/sunday/main3445.shtml" rel="nofollow">CBS Sunday Morning</a> this AM. I must also admit that my first reaction was visual and visceral: Regina Spektor is a monumentally beautiful and compelling young woman. Although I lost the first five minutes of the segment to Regina Spektor&#8217;s beauty, I lost the remaining minutes to Regina Spektor&#8217;s story of being a Russian immigrant, her talent as a classically-trained pianist, her experience as an anti-folk singer-songwriter, her modestly as just a tough girl from the Bronx, her whimsy as just a girl, and her playfulness as a wordsmith. I am <em>mesmerized</em> and <em>besotted</em>. Give Regina Spektor a look and listen and I guarantee that you, too, will be besotted, compelled, and mesmerized, be you man or woman, gay or straight.</p><p><strong><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regina_Spektor" rel="nofollow">Regina Spektor entry on Wikipedia</a></strong></p><p>Regina Spektor (born February 18, 1980) is a Soviet-born American singer-songwriter and pianist. Her music is associated with the anti-folk scene centered on New York City&#8217;s East Village.</p><p><strong>Early life</strong><br
/> Spektor was born in Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union to a musical family. Her father, a photographer, was also an amateur violinist, and her mother was a music professor in a Russian conservatoire; she now teaches at a public elementary school in Mount Vernon, New York.</p><p>Spektor studied classical piano from the age of six, and was also exposed to the music of rock and roll bands such as The Beatles, Queen, and The Moody Blues by her father, who obtained such recordings in Eastern Europe and traded cassettes with friends in the Soviet Union. The family left the Soviet Union in 1989, when Regina was nine, during the period of Perestroika when Jewish citizens were permitted to emigrate. The seriousness of her piano studies led her parents to consider not leaving Russia, but they finally decided to emigrate, for religious and political reasons.</p><p>Travelling first to Austria and then Italy, the family settled in the Bronx, New York, and eventually moved to Fair Lawn, New Jersey, where she finished the last three years of her high school career. Spektor has stated that she was originally interested only in classical music, but later became interested in hip hop, rock, and punk.</p><p><strong>Beginnings as a songwriter</strong><br
/> In New York, Spektor gained a firm grounding in classical music from her piano teacher, Sonia Vargas, a professor at the Manhattan School of Music. Spektor studied with Vargas—whom Spektor&#8217;s father had met through violinist Samuel Marder, Vargas&#8217;s husband—until she was 17.</p><p>Although she had always made up songs around the house, Spektor first became interested in songwriting during a visit to Israel with the Nesiya Institute in her teenage years. Attracting attention from the other children on the trip for the songs she made up while hiking, she realized she had an aptitude for songwriting. Following this trip, she was first exposed to the work of Joni Mitchell, Ani DiFranco, and other singer-songwriters, which gave her the idea that she could create her own songs. She began writing her first a cappella songs around age 16, and wrote her first songs for voice and piano when she was nearly 18.</p><p>Spektor completed the four-year studio composition program of the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College in Purchase, New York within three years, graduating with honors in 2001. She worked briefly at a butterfly farm in Luck, Wisconsin. She gradually achieved recognition through performances in the anti-folk scene in downtown New York City, most importantly at the East Village&#8217;s Sidewalk Cafe. During this period, she sold her self-produced CDs 11:11 (2001) and <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&#038;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSongs-Regina-Spektor%2Fdp%2FB000L6COZW%2Fsr%3D1-7%2Fqid%3D1169392444%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dmusic&#038;tag=chrisabraham&#038;linkCode=ur2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Songs</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&#038;l=ur2&#038;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" width="1" height="1" title="Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" alt=" Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" /> (2002) at such performances.</p><p><strong>Style</strong><br
/> Spektor&#8217;s songs rely on a mixture of styles and techniques, often starting with a piano riff but ending with moans, nonsense words, warblings, and other noises. Spektor has said that she has created 700 songs, but that she rarely writes any of them down. Spektor&#8217;s songs are not usually autobiographical, but rather are based on scenarios and characters drawn from her imagination. Her songs show influences from folk, Jewish, Russian, hip hop, jazz, and classical music. Spektor has said that she works hard to ensure that each of her songs has its own musical style, rather than trying to develop a distinctive style for her music as a whole.</p><p>Spektor possesses a broad vocal range and uses the full extent of it. She also explores a variety of different and somewhat unorthodox vocal techniques, such as verses composed entirely of buzzing noises made with the lips, beatbox-style flourishes in the middle of ballads, or the use of a drum stick to tap rhythms on the body of the piano or chair. Part of her style also results from the exaggeration of certain aspects of vocalization, most notably the glottal stop, which is prominent the single &#8220;Fidelity&#8221;. She also uses a strong New York accent on some words, which she has said is due to her love of New York and its culture.</p><p>Her lyrics are equally eclectic, often taking the form of abstract narratives or first-person character studies, similar to short stories or vignettes put to song. Spektor usually sings in English, though she sometimes includes a few words or verses of Latin, Russian, French, and other languages in her songs. Spektor&#8217;s music is further set apart from mainstream folk music by its frequent literary references, such as to F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway in &#8220;Poor Little Rich Boy&#8221;, The Little Prince in &#8220;Baobabs&#8221;, Virginia Woolf and Margaret Atwood in &#8220;Paris&#8221;, Ezra Pound and William Shakespeare in &#8220;Pound of Flesh&#8221;, Boris Pasternak in &#8220;Après Moi&#8221;, and Oedipus the King in &#8220;Oedipus&#8221;. Recurring themes and topics in Spektor&#8217;s lyrics include love, death, religion (particularly Biblical and Christian references), city life (particularly New York references), and certain key phrases have been known to recur in different songs by Spektor, such as references to gravediggers, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and the name &#8220;Mary Ann.&#8221;</p><p>In Spektor&#8217;s early albums, many of her tracks had a very dry vocal production, with very little reverb or delay added. However, Spektor&#8217;s more recent albums, particularly <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8Begin%20to%20Hopelocation=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FBegin-Hope-Regina-Spektor%2Fdp%2FB000FFJ80IBegin%20to%20Hopetag=chrisabrahamBegin%20to%20HopelinkCode=ur2Begin%20to%20Hopecamp=1789Begin%20to%20Hopecreative=9325" rel="nofollow">Begin to Hope</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabrahamBegin%20to%20Hopeamp;l=ur2Begin%20to%20Hopeamp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" width="1" height="1" title="Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" alt=" Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" />, have put more emphasis into song production and have relied more on traditional pop and rock instruments.</p><p><strong>Performances</strong><br
/> Since roughly January 2005, Spektor has performed on a bright red Baldwin baby grand piano. She opened for The Strokes in 2003, on her first North American tour. Subsequently, she appeared on Late Night with Conan O&#8217;Brien twice, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno twice, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Last Call with Carson Daly twice. She has toured the United States and Europe. Although she generally only performs original material, she performed her first covers in 2005, of songs by Leonard Cohen and Madonna for the 2nd Annual Jewish Music &#038; Heritage Festival at the 92nd Street Y in New York City.</p><p>While with The Strokes on their 2003–2004 Room on Fire tour, Spektor performed &#8220;Modern Girls &#038; Old Fashion Men&#8221; alongside the band.</p><p>In 2006, Spektor embarked on a successful headlining tour of the United States and Europe, selling out numerous clubs and theaters.</p><p><strong>Media coverage</strong><br
/> Beginning in 2005, Spektor&#8217;s music has been used in various television programs and commercials. In late 2005 &#8220;Us&#8221; (from <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8Soviet%20Kitschlocation=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSoviet-Kitsch-Regina-Spektor%2Fdp%2FB0002XEDXU%2Fsr%3D1-1%2Fqid%3D1169392386%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3DmusicSoviet%20Kitschtag=chrisabrahamSoviet%20KitschlinkCode=ur2Soviet%20Kitschcamp=1789Soviet%20Kitschcreative=9325" rel="nofollow">Soviet Kitsch</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabrahamSoviet%20Kitschamp;l=ur2Soviet%20Kitschamp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" width="1" height="1" title="Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" alt=" Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" />) was used in a commercial as part of the What Do You Want To Watch? series for the United Kingdom&#8217;s Sky Television. The advert features a clip from a documentary on skateboarder Danny Way. In the summer of 2006, a clip from &#8220;Us&#8221; was used for the teaser website for Microsoft&#8217;s Zune project at ComingZune.com, as well as for a promotional campaign for MtvU. &#8220;Somedays&#8221; was used in a 2005 episode of CSI: NY and &#8220;Samson&#8221; was used in a 2006 episode of the same series. &#8220;On the Radio&#8221; was used in an episode of ABC&#8217;s popular Grey&#8217;s Anatomy. &#8220;Field Below&#8221; was used in a 2006 episode titled &#8220;The Last Word&#8221; of CBS&#8217;s Criminal Minds. &#8220;Fidelity&#8221; was also used in a recent episode of &#8220;Grey&#8217;s Anatomy&#8221; titled &#8220;Sometimes a Fantasy&#8221;, in an episode of Veronica Mars titled &#8220;Friday Night Sleights&#8221;, and in an episode of &#8220;Brothers &#038; Sisters&#8221; titled &#8220;Sexual Politics&#8221;. &#8220;Better&#8221; is currently being used in a commercial for XM Satellite Radio. Spektor also sang the title song &#8220;Little Boxes&#8221; of Showtime&#8217;s television series Weeds in the 2006 episode &#8220;Mile Deep and a Foot Wide&#8221; and her &#8220;Ghost of Corporate Future&#8221; was used both at the beginning and end of the episode.</p><p>Regina Spektor gained much media attention in 2006 when her video for &#8220;Fidelity&#8221; was viewed over 200,000 times in two days on the YouTube website. On SIRIUS Radio&#8217;s Left of Center channel, her single &#8220;Fidelity&#8221; was voted by listeners as the #1 song of 2006.</p><p>In Australia particularly, Spektor&#8217;s music has rapidly gained popularity in mainstream culture primarily due to Begin To Hope being played on the nation-wide radio station Triple J, where it eventually became a feature album. Prior to Begin To Hope, Regina Spektor had only a small following in Australia in comparison to the US and Europe.</p><p><strong>Discography</strong><br
/> Most of Spektor&#8217;s early albums have been released exclusively in the United States. Her compilation, <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8Mary%20Ann%20Meets%20the%20Gravediggers%20and%20Other%20Short%20Storieslocation=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FMeets-Gravediggers-Other-Stories-Region%2Fdp%2FB000BRBGIW%2Fsr%3D1-1%2Fqid%3D1169392305%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3DmusicMary%20Ann%20Meets%20the%20Gravediggers%20and%20Other%20Short%20Storiestag=chrisabrahamMary%20Ann%20Meets%20the%20Gravediggers%20and%20Other%20Short%20StorieslinkCode=ur2Mary%20Ann%20Meets%20the%20Gravediggers%20and%20Other%20Short%20Storiescamp=1789Mary%20Ann%20Meets%20the%20Gravediggers%20and%20Other%20Short%20Storiescreative=9325" rel="nofollow">Mary Ann Meets the Gravediggers and Other Short Stories</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabrahamMary%20Ann%20Meets%20the%20Gravediggers%20and%20Other%20Short%20Storiesamp;l=ur2Mary%20Ann%20Meets%20the%20Gravediggers%20and%20Other%20Short%20Storiesamp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" width="1" height="1" title="Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" alt=" Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" />, has been released worldwide.</p><p><strong>Albums</strong><br
/> 2001 &#8211; 11:11 (Regina Spektor)<br
/> 2002 &#8211; <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&#038;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSongs-Regina-Spektor%2Fdp%2FB000L6COZW%2Fsr%3D1-7%2Fqid%3D1169392444%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dmusic&#038;tag=chrisabraham&#038;linkCode=ur2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Songs</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&#038;l=ur2&#038;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" width="1" height="1" title="Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" alt=" Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" /> (Regina Spektor)<br
/> 2004 &#8211; <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8Soviet%20Kitschlocation=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSoviet-Kitsch-Regina-Spektor%2Fdp%2FB0002XEDXU%2Fsr%3D1-1%2Fqid%3D1169392386%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3DmusicSoviet%20Kitschtag=chrisabrahamSoviet%20KitschlinkCode=ur2Soviet%20Kitschcamp=1789Soviet%20Kitschcreative=9325" rel="nofollow">Soviet Kitsch</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabrahamSoviet%20Kitschamp;l=ur2Soviet%20Kitschamp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" width="1" height="1" title="Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" alt=" Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" /> (Sire/London/Rhino)<br
/> 2005 &#8211; <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8Mary%20Ann%20Meets%20the%20Gravediggers%20and%20Other%20Short%20Storieslocation=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FMeets-Gravediggers-Other-Stories-Region%2Fdp%2FB000BRBGIW%2Fsr%3D1-1%2Fqid%3D1169392305%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3DmusicMary%20Ann%20Meets%20the%20Gravediggers%20and%20Other%20Short%20Storiestag=chrisabrahamMary%20Ann%20Meets%20the%20Gravediggers%20and%20Other%20Short%20StorieslinkCode=ur2Mary%20Ann%20Meets%20the%20Gravediggers%20and%20Other%20Short%20Storiescamp=1789Mary%20Ann%20Meets%20the%20Gravediggers%20and%20Other%20Short%20Storiescreative=9325" rel="nofollow">Mary Ann Meets the Gravediggers and Other Short Stories</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabrahamMary%20Ann%20Meets%20the%20Gravediggers%20and%20Other%20Short%20Storiesamp;l=ur2Mary%20Ann%20Meets%20the%20Gravediggers%20and%20Other%20Short%20Storiesamp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" width="1" height="1" title="Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" alt=" Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" /> (Transgressive)<br
/> 2006 &#8211; <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8Begin%20to%20Hopelocation=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FBegin-Hope-Regina-Spektor%2Fdp%2FB000FFJ80IBegin%20to%20Hopetag=chrisabrahamBegin%20to%20HopelinkCode=ur2Begin%20to%20Hopecamp=1789Begin%20to%20Hopecreative=9325" rel="nofollow">Begin to Hope</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabrahamBegin%20to%20Hopeamp;l=ur2Begin%20to%20Hopeamp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" width="1" height="1" title="Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" alt=" Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" /> (Sire) US sales 160,720</p><p><strong>Singles and EPs</strong><br
/> 2003 &#8211; Reptilia b/w Modern Girls &#038; Old Fashion Men by The Strokes (Rough Trade)<br
/> 2004 &#8211; Your Honor / The Flowers (Shoplifter)<br
/> 2005 &#8211; Live at Bull Moose EP (Sire)<br
/> 2005 &#8211; Carbon Monoxide (Transgressive)<br
/> 2006 &#8211; Us (Transgressive)<br
/> 2006 &#8211; On the Radio (Sire) UK #60<br
/> 2006 &#8211; Fidelity (Sire) US #84*</p><p><strong>Compilations</strong><br
/> 2006 &#8211; <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8Mary%20Ann%20Meets%20the%20Gravediggers%20and%20Other%20Short%20Storieslocation=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FMeets-Gravediggers-Other-Stories-Region%2Fdp%2FB000BRBGIW%2Fsr%3D1-1%2Fqid%3D1169392305%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3DmusicMary%20Ann%20Meets%20the%20Gravediggers%20and%20Other%20Short%20Storiestag=chrisabrahamMary%20Ann%20Meets%20the%20Gravediggers%20and%20Other%20Short%20StorieslinkCode=ur2Mary%20Ann%20Meets%20the%20Gravediggers%20and%20Other%20Short%20Storiescamp=1789Mary%20Ann%20Meets%20the%20Gravediggers%20and%20Other%20Short%20Storiescreative=9325" rel="nofollow">Mary Ann Meets the Gravediggers and Other Short Stories</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabrahamMary%20Ann%20Meets%20the%20Gravediggers%20and%20Other%20Short%20Storiesamp;l=ur2Mary%20Ann%20Meets%20the%20Gravediggers%20and%20Other%20Short%20Storiesamp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" width="1" height="1" title="Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" alt=" Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" /> (Transgressive)</p><p><a
href="http://www.bighassle.com/publicity/a_regina_spektor.html#bio" rel="nofollow">REGINA SPEKTOR</a><br
/> Begin To Hope (SIRE)</p><p>A mere five years ago, Regina Spektor was hypnotizing small crowds at hole-in-the-wall venues on New York &#8216;s Lower East Side . After playing hundreds of shows in and around NYC, Spektor became the talk of the burgeoning music scene. Though she was selling many copies of CDs she had recorded and produced with friends ( 11:11 and <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&#038;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSongs-Regina-Spektor%2Fdp%2FB000L6COZW%2Fsr%3D1-7%2Fqid%3D1169392444%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dmusic&#038;tag=chrisabraham&#038;linkCode=ur2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Songs</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&#038;l=ur2&#038;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" width="1" height="1" title="Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" alt=" Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" />), it was her next album, “<a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8Soviet%20Kitschlocation=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSoviet-Kitsch-Regina-Spektor%2Fdp%2FB0002XEDXU%2Fsr%3D1-1%2Fqid%3D1169392386%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3DmusicSoviet%20Kitschtag=chrisabrahamSoviet%20KitschlinkCode=ur2Soviet%20Kitschcamp=1789Soviet%20Kitschcreative=9325" rel="nofollow">Soviet Kitsch</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabrahamSoviet%20Kitschamp;l=ur2Soviet%20Kitschamp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" width="1" height="1" title="Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" alt=" Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" />,??? that would become her calling card. Originally released as a CDR and handed out at shows, Spektor signed with Sire Records who re-released “<a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8Soviet%20Kitschlocation=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSoviet-Kitsch-Regina-Spektor%2Fdp%2FB0002XEDXU%2Fsr%3D1-1%2Fqid%3D1169392386%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3DmusicSoviet%20Kitschtag=chrisabrahamSoviet%20KitschlinkCode=ur2Soviet%20Kitschcamp=1789Soviet%20Kitschcreative=9325" rel="nofollow">Soviet Kitsch</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabrahamSoviet%20Kitschamp;l=ur2Soviet%20Kitschamp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" width="1" height="1" title="Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" alt=" Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" />??? in 2003. While touring nationally and abroad in support of “<a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8Soviet%20Kitschlocation=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSoviet-Kitsch-Regina-Spektor%2Fdp%2FB0002XEDXU%2Fsr%3D1-1%2Fqid%3D1169392386%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3DmusicSoviet%20Kitschtag=chrisabrahamSoviet%20KitschlinkCode=ur2Soviet%20Kitschcamp=1789Soviet%20Kitschcreative=9325" rel="nofollow">Soviet Kitsch</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabrahamSoviet%20Kitschamp;l=ur2Soviet%20Kitschamp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" width="1" height="1" title="Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" alt=" Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" />,??? Spektor began as an opening act but by year&#8217;s end was the main attraction. Going from 200-capacity venues to selling out 1,300 capacity-venues like New York &#8216;s Irving Plaza and London &#8216;s Shephard Bush Empire, this Russian-born chanteuse&#8217;s songs have gone from being burned in her bedroom to receiving a worldwide fanfare. Though in love with playing shows to her rapidly growing audience, Spektor had written hundreds of songs since “<a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8Soviet%20Kitschlocation=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSoviet-Kitsch-Regina-Spektor%2Fdp%2FB0002XEDXU%2Fsr%3D1-1%2Fqid%3D1169392386%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3DmusicSoviet%20Kitschtag=chrisabrahamSoviet%20KitschlinkCode=ur2Soviet%20Kitschcamp=1789Soviet%20Kitschcreative=9325" rel="nofollow">Soviet Kitsch</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabrahamSoviet%20Kitschamp;l=ur2Soviet%20Kitschamp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" width="1" height="1" title="Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" alt=" Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" />??? and was eager to get back into the studio.</p><p>Abandoning her usual method of production and opting for a new experience, Spektor holed herself up at New York Noise Studios in NYC&#8217;s Meatpacking District with seasoned producer David Kahne (Paul McCartney). Spending two months during the summer of 2005 working on her fourth release (this new album is also considered her major label debut), Spektor had the opportunity to experiment &#8220;until a little Frankenstein was born.&#8221; Taking two months to record was a huge amount of time by Spektor&#8217;s standards, since she had recorded her “<a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&#038;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSongs-Regina-Spektor%2Fdp%2FB000L6COZW%2Fsr%3D1-7%2Fqid%3D1169392444%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dmusic&#038;tag=chrisabraham&#038;linkCode=ur2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=9325" rel="nofollow">Songs</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabraham&#038;l=ur2&#038;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" width="1" height="1" title="Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" alt=" Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" />??? record in 1 day and “<a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8Soviet%20Kitschlocation=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSoviet-Kitsch-Regina-Spektor%2Fdp%2FB0002XEDXU%2Fsr%3D1-1%2Fqid%3D1169392386%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3DmusicSoviet%20Kitschtag=chrisabrahamSoviet%20KitschlinkCode=ur2Soviet%20Kitschcamp=1789Soviet%20Kitschcreative=9325" rel="nofollow">Soviet Kitsch</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabrahamSoviet%20Kitschamp;l=ur2Soviet%20Kitschamp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" width="1" height="1" title="Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" alt=" Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" />??? in 10. “To work like this had been a dream of mine, but I thought it would be years before it happened. I definitely tried to put every aspect of myself into it. We played with wires and sounds, set the lab on fire a bunch of times, laughed and started again.???</p><p>&#8220;Before I even started I knew I was going to experiment with things I&#8217;ve only thought about, like beats and drums,&#8221; explains Spektor, a multi-instrumentalist. &#8220;I really wanted to play with electronic instruments and bigger arrangements. Still, on this record, there are some songs where it&#8217;s really sparse. You don&#8217;t want to arrange just for the sake of arranging. I had to be careful so the music wouldn&#8217;t be more fun to make than to listen to.&#8221;</p><p>Judging from the final product, we&#8217;d say mission accomplished. On “Begin To Hope??? Spektor took the lyrical vignettes and sparse instrumentation she crafted for “<a
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8Soviet%20Kitschlocation=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSoviet-Kitsch-Regina-Spektor%2Fdp%2FB0002XEDXU%2Fsr%3D1-1%2Fqid%3D1169392386%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3DmusicSoviet%20Kitschtag=chrisabrahamSoviet%20KitschlinkCode=ur2Soviet%20Kitschcamp=1789Soviet%20Kitschcreative=9325" rel="nofollow">Soviet Kitsch</a><img
src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=chrisabrahamSoviet%20Kitschamp;l=ur2Soviet%20Kitschamp;o=1" style="border: medium none  ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" width="1" height="1" title="Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" alt=" Regina Spektor is Tori Plus Ani Plus Joni Plus Björk Plus Nora Plus Wow" />??? and pushed herself more in every direction—both lyrically and musically. From the staccato strings plucking the opening chords to the album&#8217;s first song, “Fidelity,??? to the blues-infused homage to Billie Holiday “Lady,??? Spektor isn&#8217;t able to pinpoint the exact inspiration behind her musical musings.</p><p>“You don&#8217;t ever know the true lineage of your songs,??? reveals Spektor. “Maybe I&#8217;m becoming less of a narrator and more of a character these days. I was always used to observing and writing third-person narrative stories about things I was seeing. Then, as time went on, I started placing myself in these scenes, more like an actor.???</p><p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t fully understand the fascination of people wanting to know the &#8216;real&#8217; you after listening to your songs&#8221; says Spektor, who is still extremely careful when it comes to sharing her personal life with the public. “I understand the fascination of people to want to know you,??? admits Spektor but “ People always want to know which part of the song really happened, they want to know some sort of a &#8220;Truth.&#8221; For some reason they can see the same actor acting in 17 different movies, using 17 different hair colors, using fake props, changing their voice, changing their accent, being evil or being the victim, and they are okay with that. They understand that it&#8217;s just a movie, they understand that it&#8217;s an art. But with music they forget. Music, somehow, is life.&#8221;</p><p>Always willing to damn convention for the sake of creativity, Spektor is one of those rare talents who manage to outrun the trends and force the rest of the world to keep up. “The more I experience in this world, the more questions I seem to have about where this life is leading,??? reveals Spektor . Begin To Hope might still mark the beginning of her career, but Regina Spektor has been carving out her place in music history since she sang her first note.</p><script type="text/javascript">(function() {var s = document.createElement('SCRIPT'), s1 = document.getElementsByTagName('SCRIPT')[0];s.type = 'text/javascript';s.async = true;s.src = 'http://widgets.digg.com/buttons.js';s1.parentNode.insertBefore(s, s1);})();</script><a
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