What Concerns One Moslem the Most About Palin

Here's the excerpt:

Pentecostalism?

America is a largely Christian nation; we have had 42 Protestant presidents and one Catholic, and all four of the main candidates this time around are Christians (McCain and Biden are Catholic [Blogger note: McCain is not Catholic; but, then again, some of us think that the pro-abortion Biden is hardly Catholic] and Obama a Protestant). So, my issue is not that Palin is a Christian; rather it is the particular brand of Christianity she has been affiliated with her whole life.

Pentecostalism is only about a century old but it is the fastest growing branch of Christianity in America and throughout the world. Its hallmark is having a strict interpretation of the Bible and lively worship services in which believers speak in "tongues" after supposedly being anointed by what is known as the holy spirit. Of late, Pentecostals have also become big supporters of "prosperity theology", meaning that believers should be rewarded with riches. They have also championed many conservative causes in America.

It is on the issue of Islam where Pentecostals and Palin worry me though. If one were to look at the biggest haters of Islam in the leadership of American Christianity, the majority of them are Pentecostals. Such as Rev. John Hagee of Christians United for Israel , Rev. Rod Parsley ("The fact is that America was founded, in part, with the intention of seeing this false religion (Islam) destroyed, and I believe September 11, 2001, was a generational call to arms that we can no longer ignore," Parsley states in his book Silent No More) Pat Robertson, who once claimed the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was "an absolute wild-eyed fanatic … a robber and a brigand" and on other occasions declared Islam to be Satanic is also a Pentecostal. Pentecostal churches across America regularly hold pro-war rallies and are draped with American flags while the pastors and church members deride Muslims in worship services. The Pentecostal run Trinity Broadcast Network routinely holds anti-Muslim programming for the world to see. Pentecostals also make up the most fervent supporters of Christian Zionism.

Source: Islam Online (hat tip to NationalReview.com).

The writer is correct that Pentecostalism is the fastest growing form of Christianity in the world (as to whether that is also true in America itself, I am uncertain but would not be surprised). These are interesting times. Ironically, this line of attack, in my opinion, actually bolsters Palin among many American voters, especially in the conservative base.

The New York Times on Sarah Palin

Fusing Politics and Motherhood in New Way, by Jodi Kantor, Kate Zernike and Catrin Einhorn. New York Times September 8, 2008. Given all the negative media that has transpired over the birth of Sarah Palin's child and the aspersions cast on her abilies as a mother by the Left, I wasn't sure what to expect from the New York Times' front-page article (as announced by the DrudgeReport).

I had to read it twice. Could it be possible that the they could cover the birth of Trig Paxson Van Palin, and the topic of Palin's role as mother, governor and pro-life feminist, in such an explicitly positive manner?

No one has ever tried to combine presidential politics and motherhood in quite the way Ms. Palin is doing, and it is no simple task. In the last week, the criticism she feared in Alaska has exploded into a national debate. On blogs and at PTA meetings, voters alternately cheer and fault her balancing act, and although many are thrilled to see a child with special needs in the spotlight, some accuse her of exploiting Trig for political gain.

But her son has given Ms. Palin, 44, a powerful message. Other candidates kiss strangers' babies; Ms. Palin has one of her own. He is tangible proof of Ms. Palin's anti-abortion convictions, which have rallied social conservatives, and her belief that women can balance family life with ambitious careers. And on Wednesday in St. Paul, she proclaimed herself a guardian of the nation's disabled children. ...

on the matter of having a Down Syndrome child -- they opt to simply let Palin's witness speak for itself:

Her hesitation gone, Ms. Palin glowed with maternal pride. 'Sarah was absolutely ecstatic,' said a friend, Marilyn Lane. After months of reflection and prayer, friends say, the Palins, who are Christians, had come to believe God had sent them Trig.

Later that day, Ms. Palin sent an e-mail message to her relatives and close friends about her new son, Ms. Bruce said. She signed it, 'Trig's Creator, Your Heavenly Father.'

'Many people will express sympathy, but you don't want or need that, because Trig will be a joy,' Ms. Palin wrote. She added, 'Children are the most precious and promising ingredient in this mixed-up world you live in down there on Earth. Trig is no different, except he has one extra chromosome.'

and as for doubts about Palin's capacity to be a mother AND carry out an executive position as mayor, and then governor?

Ms. Palin's three-day maternity leave has now become legend among mothers. But aides say she eased back into work, first stopping by her office in Anchorage for a meeting, bringing not only the baby but also her husband to look after him.

Many high-powered parents separate work and children; Ms. Palin takes a wholly different approach. 'She's the mom and the governor, and they're not separate,' Ms. Cole said. Around the governor's offices, it was not uncommon to get on the elevator and discover Piper, smothering her puppy with kisses.

'She'll be with Piper or Trig, then she's got a press conference or negotiations about the natural gas pipeline or a bill to sign, and it's all business,' Ms. Burney, who works across the hall, said. 'She just says, 'Mommy's got to do this press conference.'

Ms. Palin installed a travel crib in her Anchorage office and a baby swing in her Juneau one. For much of the summer, she carried Trig in a sling as she signed bills and sat through hearings, even nursing him unseen during conference calls.

Good article.

Brownback on Palin

Christiannity Today runs a Q&A with Catholic Senator Sam Brownback, including his thoughts on McCain's selection of Sarah Palin for VP:

What do you think of the Palin pick?

It’s excellent. I think it was a game change. You know, the American public wanted to vote for history, and that was some of the appeal of Barack Obama to show yes, we can do something like this. Well, now you can vote for history by voting for the Republican ticket, by placing the first female vice president of the U.S.

What challenges do John McCain and Sarah Palin face, particularly among evangelicals?

You know, I don’t think they face much challenge among evangelicals now, other than getting them out to vote and pushing their neighbors to get out to vote. It’s probably more of an organizational challenge at this point. And that can take some time but it’s doable.

Do you think people will be as excited about McCain on November 4 as they were for Bush in 2004?

That’d be hard to do. You know, because Bush was one of them, really spoke the language and knew it in his heart, and John loves the country but is a different candidate. I think he’s going to get their votes and now with the pick of Palin who may become one of the future leaders of the overall movement, I think he’s really endeared himself to the faith base of the party even if they don’t see it in him as much as they’d like to.

Barack Obama speaks more openly about his faith and has an intense religious outreach. Do you think that will work?

I don’t think so, because he’s just off on the core subjects. That came through so clear at Saddleback, that he’s not there on life, he’s not there on marriage. It came through at the Democratic convention in his big speech – he talks about supporting abortion and same-sex marriage. And I just think those for a lot of people are the portal issue. You’ve got to get the basics right before I can look at you on other issues. And if you can’t get the basics right, how can I trust you on a broader set of issues? ... READ MORE

Sarah Palin as ex-Catholic!

I find it rather interesting that it is progressive Catholics and the liberal news media that are bringing up that Sarah Palin was baptized as a Catholic.

The America Magazine blog has two posts on this today with one asking is "Is Palin an Apostate?" Though that is rather silly claim since apostasy is the total rejection by a baptized person of the Christian faith he once professed. Maybe he meant that she was in schism.

As canonist Ed Peters notes:

Sarah Palin's probable Roman Catholic baptism and her life spent outside the Church is of little import in assessing her character. Unlike the case of Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who seems to have left the Church as an adult, Palin's parents apparently took her out of the practice of the Faith while she was yet a child, so Palin cannot be said to have decided against her Catholic identity, nor can anything be concluded about her remaining outside of full communion. Her "re-baptism" at age 12 or so, if that's what it was, would not however be recognized by the Church (1983 CIC 845.1)

On the question as to whether she can be considered as making a formal act of defection he goes on to say.So this makes for a very interesting canonical questions, but certainly not one that would affect the votes of Catholics as liberals intend it should. It is also rather ironic that they bring this up and yet not to have any problem with Sen. Joe Biden as a culture of death Catholic politician whose voting record at times supports intrinsic evils.

Ironically, the only thing that Palin's Catholic baptism and her life-time spent in good faith outside the Church does, I must say, is underscore again how unsustainable is the interpretation of "formal act of defection" that was handed down in April 2006. How so? Well, if "formal defection" per 1983 CIC 1117 can only be accomplished in writing (a completely new requirement, and one unattested, as far as I can tell, in canonical history!), then Palin never formally defected, which means that she is still bound by canonical form per 1983 CIC 1108, and that therefore her marriage cannot recognized by the Church!

Don't get me wrong: I think that Palin's marriage (based on what is publically known about it at this time, of course) is valid (and sacramental if Todd is baptized), and that it is this novel interpretation of "formal defection" that needs urgently to be corrected, not Palin's matrimonial status. It's just that I don't like it when law and life seem to be out of step with each other and, for a change, it looks like the law's fault.

But even beyond the question of "formal defection", the continued requirement of canonical form for the validity of marriage needs reexamination. There's nothing new in my saying that: many canonists of the first order have been suggesting for 50 years now.

So this makes for a very interesting canonical questions, but certainly not one that would affect the votes of Catholics as liberals intend it should. It is also rather ironic that they bring this up and yet not to have any problem with Sen. Joe Biden as a culture of death Catholic politician whose voting record at times supports intrinsic evils.

Beside Themselves

The political and cultural left is beside itself in fury because Gov. Sarah Palin's life story is a living rebuke of every myth that they have spun about women in the last four decades. She is wildly successful in her field, but is also a mother of five children. Planned Parenthood is not essential for the successful career woman. She keeps her Down syndrome baby because a disability does not disqualify you from being loved. The Planned Parenthood solution is not necessary. She and her husband support her seventeen-year-old's decision to carry her child to term and marry. Again, the Planned Parenthood solution is not essential.

The political left is also beside itself because Gov. Palin shows that optimistic, forward-looking populism is conservative. She's got a down home, small town blue collar family that is not tied to the mentality of entitlement. The elitist left specializes in the populism of resentment, envy, rage, ethnic competition, and self-pity, which is a personal and social dead end. Conservative populism, on the other hand, seeks to reform the system so that the individual can control his own destiny, flourish, and fulfill his dreams--so that the individual is set free to move up in the world. That's why the crown jewel of conservative populism is school vouchers, which empower parents as decision-makers over the public school monopoly which keeps so many inner city kids locked into a self-perpetuating cycle of self-pity, rage, and resentment.

Yes, the left is furious because John McCain has given us the gift of a conservative reform ticket. Even Washington Post writer David Broder, dean of mainstream media political punditry, noted that Obama's convention speech was a stale repetition of a platitudinous laundry list of tired liberal promises dragged out every four years (see link). The reform ticket is conservative. That's what has turned this election upside down. For further perspective in the midst of all the garbage in the media over Palin, see Catholic Bob Novak's latest at this link.

Political Smorgasbord

• Politico reports that Barack Obama has launched a broadside against John McCain’s opposition to abortion rights ... for the first time in this presidential campaign:

  “Let me tell you: If Roe vs. Wade is overturned, the lives and health of women will be put at risk. That's why this election is so important,” says the nurse-practitioner who narrates Obama’s ad. “John McCain's out of touch with women today. McCain wants to take away our right to choose. That's what women need to understand. That's how high the stakes are.”

  Goodbye, Evangelical courtship. Or, as somebody put it:

  So The OBAMA radio ad says essentially: Women of America, just because Sarah Palin and her daughter chose not to kill their babies- don't let JOHN McCAIN stop you from killing yours?

  
  
• "Kmiec Agonistes", by Hadley Arkes. The Catholic Thing September 2, 2008:

  No supporter of Barack Obama has been clearer on the intrinsic evil of abortion than Douglas Kmiec, former dean of the law school at Catholic University, former official of high rank in the Department of Justice under President Reagan. And no one has gone further, then, in seeking to persuade Catholics that something so deeply wrong in principle should be regarded now, in the scale of things, as not all that important. Not when it can be overridden by the promise of doing something faintly liberal, touched with a friendly view of the human creature. For his friends and former allies, the turnabout has been unaccountable: We strain to understand the rationales he offers, much as he seems to be straining to form them.

• If you wish to virtually thank Archbishop Chaput for his "courage and witness to the moral truths of our faith and our country," click here.
  

• Obama refers to himself as a Senator in the past tense, "President" in the present tense -- Don't get cocky, buddy. November's two months away.

• Clarence Thomas’ “High-Tech Lynching” and the case of Gov. Sarah Palin, by Francis Beckwith.

• Daily Kos commentator:

  "If health insurance for all, an end to the Iraq War, an end to torture and illegal wiretapping, and a sane energy policy can be obtained at the price of destroying one teenage girl, her family, and the surrendering our self-respect I see that as a cheap trade."

  (Via Jody Bottum "The Politics of Blood" First Things' "On The Square")

• Can Sarah Handle the media's feeding frenzy?? Bill Kristol thinks so:

  McCain aides whose judgment I trust are impressed by Sarah Palin. One was particularly amused by this exchange: A nervous young McCain staffer took it upon himself to explain to Palin the facts of life in a national campaign, the intense scrutiny she'd be under from the media, the viciousness of the assault that she'd be facing, etc.:
  

  Palin: "Thanks for the warning. By the way, do you know what they say the difference is between a hockey mom and a Pit Bull?"

  McCain aide: "No, Governor."

  Palin: "A hockey mom wears lipstick."

• Why won't Barack Obama acknowledge Palin's job as governor? - Responding to the question of who possesses more executive experience, Senator Obama responded:

  "My understanding is that Gov. Palin’s town, Wassilla, has I think 50 employees. We've got 2500 in this campaign. I think their budget is maybe 12 million dollars a year – we have a budget of about three times that just for the month,” Obama responded.

  Our ability to manage large systems and to execute I think has been made clear over the past couple of years and certainly in terms of the legislation I’ve passed in the past couple of years, post-Katrina.”

  If that "but I've run a CAMPAIGN!" response wasn't amusing enough, Leon H. Wolf observes:

  Interesting that you should claim that the total annual budget of your campaign is approximately $432 million a year, Mr. Former Harvard Law Student. The Alaska State Budget is roughly ten times that amount. Interesting that you should mention that your campaign employs 2500 individuals. The government of the State of Alaska (which Sarah Palin is Governor of - I hate to keep mentioning this, but you and your supporters keep forgetting it) has approximately six times that many. And, just in case you're forgetting, she's been doing it for longer than you've been running your campaign.

• What are Catholics saying about Sarah Palin? -- speak your piece!
  

• Barack Obama says he's "tired of listening to folks who talk tough and act dumb," then proceeds to talk tough and act dumb:

  On May 16, Barack Obama bravely declared that he would debate John McCain "anywhere, anytime."
  

  "If John McCain wants to meet me anywhere, anytime, to have a debate about our respective policies in Iraq, in Iran, in the Middle East or around the world, that is a conversation I am happy to have," said Obama to an adoring audience of "objective reporters" in Waterstown, South Dakota. "I believe that there is no separation between John McCain and George Bush...and I think their policy has failed."

  Of course, the McCain campaign responded to this with an immediate call for ten town hall-style "debates" -- a style and quantity unheard of in recent presidential campaigns, when most candidates want to be able to limit the damage that can occur as a result of going off-script at any time.

  Needless to say, we're still waiting for those "town hall" debates.
  

• L'Affaire(s) Palin - Dale Price (Dyspeptic Mutterings) tackles the Palin selection and the media's thirst for blood. ("Obama's association with Jeremiah Wright--non-issue we're forced to talk about. Trig Palin's parentage rumors--DEPLOY! GO! GO! GO!"), along with a myriad of other aspects to McCain's selection. "Must read" post of the day.
  

New smear from Obama campaign: Palin tied to 'Nazi sympathizer'

As if scurrilous rumors among liberal bloggers about Palin faking a pregnancy weren't bad enough, today a spokesman for the Obama campaign accused the governor of being a Nazi sympathizer:

The first attack came from Obama surrogate Rep. Robert Wexler, the co-chair of Obama's campaign in Florida. Wexler, badly mangling his facts, accused Governor Palin of supporting Pat Buchanan in the 2000 Alaska primary. Based on this he asserted that Governor Palin had "aligned herself with a leading anti-Israel voice in American politics," while finding space to invoke the name of Adolph Hitler and the phrase "Nazi sympathizer." Only it wasn't true--Palin was an official on the Forbes campaign in 2000. Wexler never apologized or retracted his statement.

Then an official Obama spokesman picked up the charge in a statement to the Miami Herald:

"Palin was a supporter of [MSNBC analyst] Pat Buchanan, a right-winger or as many Jews call him: a Nazi sympathizer,'' Obama spokesman Mark Bubriski wrote in an email.

The charge that Palin "supported Buchanan in 2000 is apparently predicated on the fact that she wore a Buchanan campaign button when he visited their hometown -- as Palin put it in a statement to the newspaper the following day:

As mayor of Wasilla, I am proud to welcome all presidential candidates to our city. This is true regardless of their party, or the latest odds of their winning. When presidential candidates visit our community, I am always happy to meet them. I'll even put on their button when handed one as a polite gesture of respect.

Though no reporter interviewed me for the Associated Press article on the recent visit by a presidential candidate (Metro, July 17), the article may have left your readers with the perception that I am endorsing this candidate, as opposed to welcoming his visit to Wasilla. As mayor, I will welcome all the candidates in Wasilla.

See David Bernstein's Palin and Buchanan, II ("Timeline") of The Volokh Conspiracy.

The Democrats appear to be seriously upset by McCain's selection and in full attack mode.

Sarah Palin's daughter is pregnant, chooses life

The 17-year-old daughter of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is pregnant, Palin said on Monday -- the announcement made to repel mud-slinging and lies by liberal bloggers that "Palin faked her own pregnancy to cover up for her child."

Bristol Palin, one of Alaska Gov. Palin's five children with her husband, Todd, is about five months pregnant and is going to keep the child and marry the father, the Palins said in a statement released by the campaign of Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

Bristol Palin made the decision on her own to keep the baby, McCain aides said.

"We have been blessed with five wonderful children who we love with all our heart and mean everything to us," the Palins' statement said.

"Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support," the Palins said.

The Palins asked the news media to respect the young couple's privacy.

"Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family. We ask the media, respect our daughter and Levi's privacy as has always been the tradition of children of candidates," the statement concluded.

It is admittedly a sad situation -- howbeit not uncommon, even among Christian families. Nonetheless, admirable in the sense that the Palin daughter will not erase by abortion the consequence of her bad judgement and the Palins will stand beside her. Ben Domenech @ RedState.com on "Bristol Palin's Brave Choice":

Have no doubts about this: Bristol Palin is brave. Braver than any of the hideous bloggers, hiding in their anonymity, who throw muck at her mother and who will doubtlessly revile her decision. Braver than the foes of the right to life who would offer her a knife and a vacuum to end this minor inconvenience. Brave enough to know that it's not enough to talk about doing the right thing - it's doing that right thing when the moment calls for it the most.

We thank her for making this choice now - her child will thank her forever.

The revelation of Bristol Palin's pregnancy might come as a political liability -- or it might not. Two prominent leaders of Evangelical Christians have responded to the news:

• Dr. James C. Dobson of Focus on the Family:

  "In the 32-year history of Focus on the Family, we have offered prayer, counseling and resource assistance to tens of thousands of parents and children in the same situation the Palins are now facing. We have always encouraged the parents to love and support their children and always advised the girls to see their pregnancies through, even though there will of course be challenges along the way. That is what the Palins are doing, and they should be commended once again for not just talking about their pro-life and pro-family values, but living them out even in the midst of trying circumstances....

• The Southern Baptist Convention has conveyed a similar statement of support: "This is the pro-life choice. The fact that people will criticize her for this shows the astounding extent to which the secular critics of the pro-life movement just don't get it."

My hunch is that -- despite the unfortunate circumstances -- most conservative voters will respond along these lines, conveying their support and solidarity with the Palins and their daughter for witnessing to the sanctity of life in the most trying of circumstances.

To his credit, Senator Obama attempted to put a leash on liberal rumor-mongerers:

"Let me be a clear as possible: I have said before and I will repeat again, I think people's families are off limits," Obama said, "and people's children are especially off limits.

"This shouldn't be part of our politics," he continued, "It has no relevance to Gov. Palin's performance as governor, or her potential performance as a vice president.

Finally, Southern Appeal's Francis Beckwith notes There is a certain irony in all this:

Ann Dunham (b. Nov. 29, 1942) was 18 when she gave birth to Barack Obama II on August 4, 1961. Thus, it is likely that Ann was pregnant at 17 with a child sired by a 24 year-old Kenyan exchange student.

Life presents us with certain hardships, some of which are the consequences of our actions. These are the times at which the exercise of virtue becomes the most difficult as well as the most rewarding. Thankfully, there are still many Ann Dunhams and Bristol Palins residing in our communities. We have much to learn from them.

Meet Sarah Palin ... Our next Vice President?

Congratulations to the 'Draft Sarah Palin for VP bloggers -- they must be overjoyed and this is certainly their day.

• Official bio from the State of Alaska
  
• A very informative Wikipedia entry on Sarah Palin.
  

• John McCain's official press release announcing his pick.
  

• Some facts on Palin's children:

  On September 11, 2007, the Palins' son Track joined the Army. Eighteen years old at the time, he is the eldest of Palin's five children.[10] Track now serves in an infantry brigade and will be deployed to Iraq in September. She also has three daughters: Bristol, 17, Willow, 13, and Piper, 7. On April 18, 2008, Palin gave birth to her second son, Trig Paxson Van Palin, who has Down syndrome. She returned to the office three days after giving birth. Palin refused to let the results of prenatal genetic testing change her decision to have the baby. "I'm looking at him right now, and I see perfection," Palin said. "Yeah, he has an extra chromosome. I keep thinking, in our world, what is normal and what is perfect?"

  
  
• Five Things You Didn't Know About Sarah Palin - didn't know her husband is part Eskimo. He runs a "family commercial fishing operation in addition to a full-time job as an oil company production operator."
  

• David Freddoso @ The Corner: "She is everything Obama is not.":

  A real reformer who took on her own party's corrupt establishment and won, defeating an incumbent governor, 80-20. Don't forget that she's also a mother who chose life for her Down Syndrome baby — we can probably guess where she'd fall on the Born-Alive act. If this is the future of the GOP, they're in good shape.

  
  

Reactions from the Catholic online community

• Deacon Kieth Fournier on Maverick McCain's selection of the Alaska Governor (Catholic.org August 29, 2008):

  The Maverick has indeed gone bold.He has just infused this 2008 presidentail campaign with a jolt of raw energy. The entire Press corps is fixated on the Republicans this morning, even though Senator Barack Obama gave his much anticipated acceptance speech last night. Senator John McCain turned 72 years old today. With this historic decision he has proven that he still has a lot of life and courage.

• Babies, Guns and Jesus! Hot Damn! - Patrick Archbold (Creative Minority Report).

• Some Have Hats on the Obama campaign's condescension toward small towns:

  I just watched an Obama Camp spokeswoman explain, with a look on her face like she just stepped in a cowpile, that Palin's only experience is that she has been a "part-time mayor of a town with a population of under 9,000." ...
  

  I'd just like to say, as a person who grew up in a town of 1,200 and was raised by the Vice-Mayor: Obama's elitist, condescending, small-town-bashing bigots can kiss my ignorant, gun-toting, Bible-clutching @ss.

  
  
• Radical Catholic Mom @ Vox Nova approves, and gives 5 reasons why Democrats shouldn't underestimate her:

  I have known Sarah Palin for years. How? I met her through AK Right to Life. She always came to our fund-raising dinners, she always came to pro-life events (even when she took time off from politics to be home with her children), and one of her kids became AK RTL’s baby mascot for our stationery. She is the real deal when it comes to pro-life matters. This became even more clear when at the age of 44 of this year, she gave birth to a baby with Down’s Syndrome. BTW: No one knew she was pregnant until 1 month before giving birth!
  

  She worked under previous (Catholic-pro-life) Governor Frank Murkowski’s Admin and ended up resigning because the corruption was so blatant and so bad she could not effect change. She gave up her 6 figure income to do so. This catapulted her into stardom for Alaskans. ...

  Fellow contributor Jay Anderson has a nice roundup on Palin @ Pro Ecclesia... -- critical as he is of John McCain, he asks: "is this a ticket I can support?".
  

• Howard Wolfson, a A Hillary Clinton campaign worker concurs:

  Yesterday I argued that picking a woman for veep would help re-establish McCain's reputation as a maverick. If the pick is indeed Sarah Palin you are going to have a lot of women voters wondering why Senator Obama didn't tap Senator Clinton as his running mate.

  
  

Pro-life mother of five, former two-term mayor of Wasilia (where she cut her own salary!) and governor of Alaska with an 80-90% approval rating; bane of Alaskan Republican and 'Big Oil' corruption; she sold the state's private jet on E-Bay because it was "government waste" ... she hunts moose and fishes and is a lifelong NRA member. Feminist for Life and staunchly pro-life.

She also knows how to handle an M-16.

She's not a Catholic, however -- but in this case I'll settle. =)

Gov. Sarah Palin, McCain's Running Mate, is Super Pro-Life

She refused to abort her baby with Down Syndrome. She is an assertive woman of integrity who is strongly pro-life and against pork barrel spending. She is a member of Feminists for Life. She is the governor of a major oil-producing state that, by the way, borders Russia right across the narrow Bering Strait and also shares a long land border with Canada and, as governor, is commander in chief of the state's national guard units. With this choice, McCain brands the Republican Party as reformist and against the status quo because, after all, to be pro-life and to defy pork barrel political spending is to be reformist and against the status quo. What an embarrassing irony that the only Catholic on either ticket, Joe Biden, is an enthusiastic supporter of Roe v. Wade. That irony points to something deeply wrong among many Catholics in the U.S.

Update: Columnist Michael Barone does me one better in the geography department: Alaska "is the only state with territory, in the Aleutian Islands, occupied by the enemy in World War II." Alaska is on the international front line. That's the international reality for any governor of Alaska. See link. See also the statement of the pro-abortion group NARAL condemning Gov. Palin at this link. Sometimes, you can learn a lot by what one's political enemies say about a candidate. Also, it is interesting to note that Gov. Palin apparently is a member of a church affiliated with the Pentecostal Assemblies of God denomination (see p. 8 of this PDF link to an Assemblies of God newsletter from Alaska; see also this link). Interestingly, Pentecostalism is considered to be the fastest growing segment of Christianity in the world, especially in Africa and Latin America. That easily overlooked affiliation gives her a link to the Third World that even Obama does not have. By the way, apparently her husband is part Eskimo, which makes him part Native American. This bold, pro-life selection reflects well on the character and fortitude of John McCain, a character and fortitude proven as a POW and proven as the leading and risky proponent of the initially unpopular troop surge that has stabilized Iraq and opened the door to victory in that conflict.