Don't buy ABC report on Palin not being in Dayton

ABC News claimed the following an hour or so ago:

But one person who will not be there: Palin. The Governor's spokesperson, Sharon
Leighow, tells ABC News she's going to the State Fair in Anchorage, Alaska.

Ms. Leighbow never said Palin won't be in Dayton. It is highly probable that Palin could leave Ohio at 1:00 PM Central time and be back in Alaska in time for the State Fair fireworks at 10:15 PM UTC-9. As a matter of fact, with the time zone change, I'd venture to say the Governor could make the Honky Tonk Allstars at 5 if she's really hauling.

Call Sign N387HA

What's the meaning of this post over at Change & Experience?

Sarah Palin could have left Anchorage on charter flight N387HA on August 27, 2008 at 2:15 YST, and arrived at Boeing International (in Seattle) at 6:13 PST, and departed Boeing International (in Seattle) at 6:51 pm PST and arrived in Flagstaff ( which is 20 miles from Sedona, AZ, the home of John McCain) at 8:59 MST. August 27 was when John McCain was meeting with advisers about his VP choice.

The very next day, on August 28, 2008, flight N387HA, departed at 12:16 pm MST from Flagstaff, Arizona, landed in Amarillo, Texas at 3:31pm CST, departed Amarillo, Texas at 4:02 pm CST, and arrived at the Hook Field Municipal (the same airport that Scenario 1's Anchorage flight landed at) at 7:09 EST. Mccain's Official Campaign airplane tail number is N802TJ.

Why would a chartered plane leave Anchorage, fly to Flagstaff, then to Middletown the next day? If this isn't good news for Sarah Palin, it's a devastating letdown to everyone who wants her on the ticket. This could be it.

Democrats offer a bushel of lies on corn ethanol

The theme of Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention was supposed to be "Renewing America's Promise," but it unsurprisingly degraded into a competition over who could mention Bush and McCain in the same sentence the most.

However, the prize for misrepresenting McCain's energy policy the most goes to Gov. Chet Culver of Iowa.

McCain has voted against tax credits for renewable energy 11 times, and his only idea to solve our energy crisis is to keep doing what we're doing, as we watch prices go up and up and up.

Culver's idea of "renewable energy" is corn ethanol, which is universally known to experts as a political tool to lure Iowans and other midwestern voters. John McCain called the corn industry out for the charlatans they are and as a result, he lost in Iowa in both the 2000 and 2008 primaries, and should probably brace himself to lose the Hawkeye State this time around as well. Between the soil degradation, inefficiency, and environmental impact of producing corn ethanol, corn-based fuel is neither renewable nor environmentally friendly.

Take the wording of a vote on tax credits for "renewable energy,"

To make energy more affordable and sustainable, to increase our national security through foreign oil replacement with biofuels and alternative fuels and advanced/hybrid vehicle use, to accelerate production and market penetration of clean and renewable energy technologies and generation, and to more fully utilize energy efficiency and conservation technologies and practices.

Needless to say, there are pretty open-ended standards as to what those represent. So when McCain's opponents repeatedly lie about his stance on renewable energy, remember that they are endorsing a dishonest corn lobby that not only misrepresents and inflates the benefits of corn ethanol, but has decimated American crop diversity and floods the market with cheap, unhealthy food additives. I don't need to remind you that Mr. Culver's state is ground zero for American corn production.

Republican VP Poll on Townhall.com

There's a poll running on Townhall.com in regards to the Republican VP selection. It's just under the cartoons. Let them know you support Gov. Sarah Palin for VP.

McCain's best shot, Palin and simple

One of the reasons I started this blog was to recognize the rising stars of the Republican party; the reformers and moderates who energize voters by promoting equality and tolerance while simultaneously fighting for fiscal responsibility. Sarah Palin embodies all of the aforementioned principles. Her leadership has provided Alaska, one of the most corrupt states in the Union, a hope for the future. She has provided this hope not through vague promises of a better future, but through practice.

Among her other achievements, Mrs. Palin pushed a comprehensive ethics bill that tightened loopholes around her fellow state officials. Some of its provisions include:

• Requiring legislators and legislative employees to disclose all boards on which they serve
• Increasing restrictions on employment after leaving service in the executive branch
• Barring political use of state aircraft except when that use is incidental
• Provides for forfeiture of certain pension contributions when an official is convicted of a felony such as bribery in connection with official duties

Take, for instance, Thundervision or the Boeing Tanker deal. In each case, the guilty parties continue to collect full retirement benefits. If Palin had the opportunity to battle corruption in Washington by stripping retirement benefits for crooked federal employees, it could have a dramatic chilling effect on procurement. Imagine Palin's war on corruption as an extension of McCain's crusade against pork barrel spending. It could lead to tangible change on the way our money is spent.

Additionally, Palin brings instant economic and energy credentials to the table. Slashing almost a third of the capital budget in her first year in office while supporting revenue sharing for local governments, Palin embodies a return to small government and restoring local responsibility.

On social issues, Palin satisfies the conservative wing with both her views and credentials on abortion. She knew early in her pregnancy that her son would be born with Down's syndrome, yet she demonstrated her commitment to life and pressed forward. Trig Paxson Palin was born on April 18th, 2008. While opposing gay marriage in her state, she eventually signed benefits for same-sex couples into law in Alaska.

These alone are more executive credentials than the Democratic party managed to submit for the 2008 election cycle. Mrs. Palin; a mother, wife, journalist, hunter, governor, and most importantly an agent of change. Senator McCain has a historic opportunity to have both members of his ticket be reform-minded Republicans in the tradition of Theodore Roosevelt.

Is New York in play for McCain?

According to both the NY Post and the NY Sun, McCain is polling strongly enough in New York to justify putting the state in play.

... polling comes in the wake of a Siena College poll earlier this month that found Obama leading McCain among traditionally Democratic New York voters by a relatively meager 47 percent to 39 percent - down from 50 percent to 37 percent in July and 51 percent to 33 percent in June.

It should come as no surprise that McCain would be strong in Westchester, upstate, and Long Island; all traditional conservative strongholds that stand in contrast to 4 out of 5 boroughs of New York City. However, the fact that McCain is within 8 points in a state that hasn't gone Republican in over 20 years is a feat in itself. If McCain can continue to make overtures to security-minded Jews, he may have a shot at New York and its 31 electoral votes. However, it is a mistake to interpret this as a sign that he should put Joe Lieberman on the ticket.