Newsweek's Special Election Project 2008

[Chuffy]

Newsweek have released the first few bits of their 2008 election project thing detailing lots of interesting little facts and happenings that went on behind the scenes. Some of this stuff is hilarious and it really shows how badly run the Republican effort was.

McCain himself rarely spoke to Palin during the campaign, and aides kept him in the dark about the details of her spending on clothes because they were sure he would be offended. Palin asked to speak along with McCain at his Arizona concession speech Tuesday night, but campaign strategist Steve Schmidt vetoed the request.

Ice cold, Schmidt (nah just joking it was a clever thing to do)

On the Sunday night before the last debate, McCain's core group of advisers—Steve Schmidt, Rick Davis, adman Fred Davis, strategist Greg Strimple, pollster Bill McInturff and strategy director Sarah Simmons—met to decide whether to tell McCain that the race was effectively over, that he no longer had a chance to win. The consensus in the room was no, not yet, not while he still had "a pulse."

This almost makes me feel sorry for McCain. This is pretty ice cold though.

Palin launched her attack on Obama's association with William Ayers, the former Weather Underground bomber, before the campaign had finalized a plan to raise the issue. McCain's advisers were working on a strategy that they hoped to unveil the following week, but McCain had not signed off on it, and top adviser Mark Salter was resisting.

BUT SHES A MAVRIK!!??!!!!!!?

McCain was dumbfounded when Congressman John Lewis, a civil-rights hero, issued a press release comparing the GOP nominee with former Alabama governor George Wallace, a segregationist infamous for stirring racial fears. McCain had devoted a chapter to Lewis in one of his books, "Why Courage Matters," and had so admired Lewis that he had once taken his children to meet him.

Why dumbfounded, John? You know perfectly well.

On the night she officially lost the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton enjoyed a long and friendly phone conversation with McCain. Clinton was actually on better terms with McCain than she was with Obama. Clinton and McCain had downed shots together on Senate junkets; they regarded each other as grizzled veterans of the political wars and shared a certain disdain for Obama as flashy and callow.

I can picture them now, sharing a bottle of scotch and lamenting on how it all went wrong.

At the GOP convention in St. Paul, Palin was completely unfazed by the boys' club fraternity she had just joined. One night, Steve Schmidt and Mark Salter went to her hotel room to brief her. After a minute, Palin sailed into the room wearing nothing but a towel, with another on her wet hair. She told them to chat with her laconic husband, Todd. "I'll be just a minute," she said.

Sounds like Naylin Palin. Except with no Russians.

The debates unnerved both candidates. When he was preparing for them during the Democratic primaries, Obama was recorded saying, "I don't consider this to be a good format for me, which makes me more cautious. I often find myself trapped by the questions and thinking to myself, 'You know, this is a stupid question, but let me … answer it.' So when Brian Williams is asking me about what's a personal thing that you've done [that's green], and I say, you know, 'Well, I planted a bunch of trees.' And he says, 'I'm talking about personal.' What I'm thinking in my head is, 'Well, the truth is, Brian, we can't solve global warming because I f---ing changed light bulbs in my house. It's because of something collective'."

Read them and the rest here:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/167581/page/1

[Viking Prince]

Looks like Newsweek is using disgruntled McCain people to continue smearing Gov. Palin. It simply will not stop. You do know that she did not buy the clothes or set the budget -- the same disgruntled staffers did that also. As far as setting out to attack the Obama campaign before the election was over -- maybe she should have started earlier. The staffers wuld have dithered until the last vote was cast. Maybe such dithering was a bit why the campaign lost steam.

[Chuffy]

Looks like Newsweek is using disgruntled McCain people to continue smearing Gov. Palin. It simply will not stop. You do know that she did not buy the clothes or set the budget -- the same disgruntled staffers did that also. As far as setting out to attack the Obama campaign before the election was over -- maybe she should have started earlier. The staffers wuld have dithered until the last vote was cast. Maybe such dithering was a bit why the campaign lost steam.

Hmmm?

NEWSWEEK has also learned that Palin's shopping spree at high-end department stores was more extensive than previously reported. While publicly supporting Palin, McCain's top advisers privately fumed at what they regarded as her outrageous profligacy. One senior aide said that Nicolle Wallace had told Palin to buy three suits for the convention and hire a stylist. But instead, the vice presidential nominee began buying for herself and her family—clothes and accessories from top stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. According to two knowledgeable sources, a vast majority of the clothes were bought by a wealthy donor, who was shocked when he got the bill. Palin also used low-level staffers to buy some of the clothes on their credit cards. The McCain campaign found out last week when the aides sought reimbursement. One aide estimated that she spent "tens of thousands" more than the reported $150,000, and that $20,000 to $40,000 went to buy clothes for her husband. Some articles of clothing have apparently been lost. An angry aide characterized the shopping spree as "Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast," and said the truth will eventually come out when the Republican Party audits its books.

I'm not seeing it. She was set a budget and an itinerary but she basically ignored them and did her own thing.

[Heinz Guderian]

I know it was ultimately Sen McCain's decision to appoint Palin. And i think it was a bad call. But i feel bad for Sen McCain. I'm glad PE Obama won, but i cant help feeling Sen McCain was hobbled. I really dislike Palin. She was no good for someone as upstanding and decent like Sen McCain. I hope he gives his country many more years of distinguished service.

I cant believe Palin would act like such a freaking diva . Screw her and screw her husband.

[Dunecat]

Nice post man... Even if this stuff isn't 100% legit, it's entertaining as hell to read because it might be, even the most ludicrous of propositions!

At the GOP convention in St. Paul, Palin was completely unfazed by the boys' club fraternity she had just joined. One night, Steve Schmidt and Mark Salter went to her hotel room to brief her. After a minute, Palin sailed into the room wearing nothing but a towel, with another on her wet hair. She told them to chat with her laconic husband, Todd. "I'll be just a minute," she said.

It's like freshman year all over again.

Except for the husband and the political advisors.

And the towel.

"Ready to study? I'll be just a minute"...

[Chuffy]

I know it was ultimately Sen McCain's decision to appoint Palin. And i think it was a bad call. But i feel bad for Sen McCain. I'm glad PE Obama won, but i cant help feeling Sen McCain was hobbled. I really dislike Palin. She was no good for someone as upstanding and decent like Sen McCain. I hope he gives his country many more years of distinguished service.

I cant believe Palin would act like such a freaking diva . Screw her and screw her husband.

Got tortured for five years, lost in 2000 when he ran according to his principles, lost to a black man in 2008 when he abandoned them. The world hates John McCain (and rightly so).

According to a newsweek article with no sources supporting the statements. Hmmm.

I still lean toward the "smear Palin" line I first wrote.

Thats only the first part of their series of articles on the election, I'm sure they'll do a more in-depth look at Palin and her clothes later. And really, considering all the other about her (especially the stuff that has just come out) I have trouble believing it ISN'T true. Remember, considering there is meant to be a LIBRUL bias in the media, half of the about McCain and Palin was hidden and not reported on.

[Viking Prince]

Hmmm?



I'm not seeing it. She was set a budget and an itinerary but she basically ignored them and did her own thing.

According to a newsweek article with no sources supporting the statements. Hmmm.

I still lean toward the "smear Palin" line I first wrote.

[morteduzionism]

Looks like Newsweek is using disgruntled McCain people to continue smearing Gov. Palin. It simply will not stop. You do know that she did not buy the clothes or set the budget -- the same disgruntled staffers did that also. As far as setting out to attack the Obama campaign before the election was over -- maybe she should have started earlier. The staffers wuld have dithered until the last vote was cast. Maybe such dithering was a bit why the campaign lost steam.

I was basically going to say the same thing Chuffy said. I'm not sure what your fascination with this woman is but...how much benifit of the doubt are you going to give?

It's now being reported that she refused preparation for the Couric interview...her handlers had predicted many of the questions and she simply refused to properly prepare.

What could be more telling than that?