I Didn't Like This Shit the First Time I Heard It

Mark your calendars—Sarah Palin actually talked to the press today! She made a trip to the former site of the World Trade Center, made a statement, and then answered four questions (and dodged one) from a small pool of traveling press. First, her statement about visiting Ground Zero:

Every American student needs to come through this area so that, especially this younger generation of Americans is, to be in a position of never forgetting what happened here and never repeating, never allowing a repeat of what happened here. I wish every American would come through here. I wish every world leader would come through here, and understand what it is that took place here and more importantly how America came together and united to commit to never allowing this to happen again. And just to hear and from and see these good New Yorkers who are rebuilding not just this are but helping to rebuild America has been very, very inspiring and encouraging. These are the good Americans who are committed to peace and security and its been an absolute honor getting to meet these folks today.

Barf. She sounds so much like Bush—the garbled phrasing, the egocentric belief that "every world leader" has something to learn from gawking in person at American tragedy, the simplistic prattle about unity and rebuilding proffered as spunky optimism, the praise for "the good Americans who are committed to peace and security" that invokes and condemns the strawman of the "bad American" who is committed to, I don't know, war and insecurity, I guess. Absurd. Revolting. Terrifyingly familiar.

And then there was the briefest of Q&As.

CNN: On the topic of never letting this happen again, do you agree with the way the Bush administration has handled the war on terrorism, is there anything you would do differently?

A: I agree with the Bush administration that we take the fight to them. We never again let them come onto our soil and try to destroy not only our democracy, but communities like the community of New York. Never again. So yes, I do agree with taking the fight to the terrorists and stopping them over there.

Is anyone else appalled by her reflexive use of the "never again" phrase, which is typically associated with genocide and most closely with the Holocaust? I don't think it minimizes the gravity of what happened on September 11 to point out its scope is not remotely proximate to the systematic slaughter of six million people. I also don't think it serves any purpose to try to elevate 9/11 into a tragedy of that magnitude, or lose sight of the fact that it was not the attack itself which threatened to destroy our democracy but our collective response to it (but one mere part of which is conflating it with the Holocaust, just for a start).

POLITICO: Do you think our presence in Iraq and afghan and our continued presence there is inflaming islamic extremists?

A: I think our presence in Iraq and Afghanistan will lead to further security of our nation, again, because the mission is to take the fight over there. do not let them come over here and attempt again what they accomplished here, and that was some destruction. terrible destruction on that day. but since September 11, Americans uniting and rebuilding and committing to never letting that happen again.

More "never again"—ugh. But moving on: No, our presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, as currently defined and managed, will not lead to " further security of our nation," and, in fact, has not, which has been a well-known fact for over two years.

In September of 2006, the National Intelligence Estimate assessed "that the Iraq jihad is shaping a new generation of terrorist leaders and operatives; perceived jihadist success there would inspire more fighters to continue the struggle elsewhere. The Iraq conflict has become the 'cause celebre' for jihadists, breeding a deep resentment of US involvement in the Muslim world and cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement," a finding which was supported by a report prepared for Britain's Ministry of Defense, which noted that the Iraq War "has acted as a recruiting sergeant for extremists across the Muslim world. Iraq has served to radicalise an already disillusioned youth and al-Qaeda has given them the will, intent, purpose and ideology to act."

Meanwhile, Afghanistan is totally fucked, the Taliban is reconstituting, and last year a suicide bomber tried to kill Cheney when he visited.

I couldn't be more exhausted with Republican leadership who believe if you think of pretty colors when you sit on the pot, you'll actually shit rainbows. I'd be ever so grateful if, at some point, they'd start putting people on their national tickets who have a passing familiarity with reality.

POLITICO: Do you support the reelection bids of embattled Alaska Republicans, Rep. Don Young and Sen. Ted Stevens?

A: Ted Stevens trial started a couple days ago. We’ll see where that goes.

POLITICO: Are you gong to vote for them?

[no answer.]

But, gee, wasn't Walt Monegan fired in July for making a trip to Washington to secure funds for a sex crimes initiative, because it might have "put a strain on the evolving relationship between the Governor and Sen. (Ted) Stevens," even though Palin had previously publicly criticized the corrupt senator? And now they're not friends anymore already? Huh. That's one complicated relationship she's got with the Tedster.

JERSEY JOURNAL: What do you think of bailout package before congress?

A: I don't support that until the provisions that Sen. McCain has offered are implemented in Paulson's proposals.

Well, that's the most reasonable answer she gave—and it's still made of FAIL, because McCain doesn't know his ass from his elbow on the economy. Just ask him.