First 25 Comments on Brooks' Column Today

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Tuesday, September 2, 2008
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What the Palin Pick SaysBack to Article »
The Sarah Palin pick allows John McCain to run the way he wants to — not as the old goat running against the upstart, but as the crusader for virtue against the forces of selfishness.
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1.
September 2nd, 2008 6:54 am
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Do we need a better commentary on McCain's lack of good executive judgement?
— David, New York
Recommend Recommended by 127 Readers
2.
September 2nd, 2008 6:54 am
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"she lit up every pattern in his brain?" during the ONE time they met? not a chance. You can't possibly believe this.
— Brian Siana, Pasadena, CA
Recommend Recommended by 95 Readers
3.
September 2nd, 2008 6:54 am
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Mr. Brooks: this is an interesting column, but in ascribing noble motives to McCain's choice of running mate, you're just make an unfounded assertion:"Sarah Barracuda was picked because she lit up every pattern in McCain’s brain, because she seems so much like himself."You're just guessing here. You provide no proof. It seems just as likely, if not moreso, that McCain chose Palin because (1) his socially conservative base wouldn't let him pick Joe Lieberman or Tom Ridge and he had to satisfy that base, and (2) he thought he could steal away Hillary Clinton's supporters by naming a woman.His motives were crass and political. Please remove the rose-colored glasses.
— Jeff, New York, NY
Recommend Recommended by 173 Readers
4.
September 2nd, 2008 6:54 am
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'My worry about Palin is that she shares McCain’s primary weakness — that she has a tendency to substitute a moral philosophy for a political philosophy.'What does the new revelation about Bristol's 5-month pregnancy tell ya? I go with "Palin is off the ticket by Wednesday..."
— Sinjin, Denver
Recommend Recommended by 46 Readers
5.
September 2nd, 2008 6:54 am
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Forget all the personality/family/female nonsense. If McCain is truly anti-corruption, anti-pork, why in the world did he pick someone who's a huge supporter of indicted Sen. Ted Stevens, one of the most beholden to business senators to ever go to DC, and who governs a state that is one of the top, if not the top, state for federal welfare of all sorts per capita in the country? Alaska consistently ranks at the top of federal handouts, and that has not changed one bit under Gov. Palin.
— d. shaw, woody creek, co
Recommend Recommended by 97 Readers
6.
September 2nd, 2008 6:54 am
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You just made the case for Barack Obama to be elected president. He'll change things for the better, and doesn't need a babysitter. McCain is simply undisciplined and unfocused. Witness the Palin pick. Ready, Fire, Aim.
— Todd S., Denver, CO
Recommend Recommended by 153 Readers
7.
September 2nd, 2008 6:54 am
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And what about Governor Palin's past membership in the Alaska Independence Party, which has advocated for Alaskan secession? Is that part of the "reform" agenda?
— NJ Voter, Hoboken, NJ
Recommend Recommended by 88 Readers
8.
September 2nd, 2008 6:54 am
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Why don't you come out and say it? This was McCain's first important decision and he failed.
— GW, Vancouver, Canada
Recommend Recommended by 203 Readers
9.
September 2nd, 2008 6:54 am
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I agree largely with Mr. Brooks, although I believe this argument is better applicable to the Senator McCain we saw in the Senate a decade ago, and not as well to the presidential candidate we see today. Since Mr. Bush took office, Senator McCain has steadily shifted away from that maverick image, inevitably becoming essentially another yes-man, as exemplified by his voting record, 90% of which is in line with Mr. Bush's (including, more recently, acceptance of the Bush tax cuts).I applaud Senator McCain for seeming to attempt to restore that maverick image in his choice of Governor Palin, and I hope that, should he become president (which I sincerely hope he will not), his presidency will be reminiscent of his maverick days, rather than his current ones.Overall, though, Mr. Brooks, I believe this is a well-formulated and thoughtful piece. I applaud your columns as consistently some of the best in the New York Times.
— Chris Clayton, Palo Alto
Recommend Recommended by 18 Readers
10.
September 2nd, 2008 6:54 am
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Palin:1. was for the Bridge to Nowhere before she was against it.2. was securing earmarks for Wasilla while she was mayor.3. managed Ted Stevens 527 for 2 years.4. held a press conference with Stevens in July 2008 to voice her support for him.Doesn't sound very reform minded to me.
— CPW, Georgia
Recommend Recommended by 160 Readers
11.
September 2nd, 2008 6:54 am
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Please explain how she fought earmarks, given that she hired Ted Stevens' lobbying firm to bring in 15 times the national average in earmarks for Wasila?Thanks.
— Exile, Rochester, NY
Recommend Recommended by 95 Readers
12.
September 2nd, 2008 6:54 am
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Given Gov. Palin's unmarried teenage daughter's pregnancy, you just have to wonder: how alive is the spirit of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in her home?
— Michael K, Chicago
Recommend Recommended by 18 Readers
13.
September 2nd, 2008 6:54 am
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"...and she has experienced more of typical American life than either McCain or his opponent." What exactly is this supposed to mean, Mr. Brooks? It is astonishing that such an implication would be made by a writer as typically careful as David Brooks. Why is her life more "typical"? Because she's white and Christian? Because she is not the child of a someone who is foreign-born? What a shame it is that even a publication that I respect as much as the Times employs an individual who perpetuates the old falsehood that the WASP experience is somehow the "typical" American experience.
— Clinton Guthrie, Chicago, IL
Recommend Recommended by 164 Readers
14.
September 2nd, 2008 6:54 am
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Governor Palin is a quick study and by the time it is essential my bet is that she will be able to perform as you, Mr. Brooks, so brilliantly outlined.
— Kansas28, Scottsdale, AZ
Recommend Recommended by 9 Readers
15.
September 2nd, 2008 6:54 am
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When it comes to a Republican candidate, Mr. Brooks sure can be generous. A tenth of this charity when writing about Obama's speech last week might have helped him keep his reputation as a fair minded though "traditionalist" fella.Governor Palin seems like a very attractive and likeable person. She is obviously intelligent, and I'm sure she is a competent governor.But as Mr. Brooks, and Mr. Star-is-born Krystol would concede were it not for the circus in which they dwell, Governor Palin has very little to recommend her as the next president of the United States.McCain reminds us that she is governor of the largest state in the country. And it's true. Alaska has more square miles than any other state -- even Texas. More square kilometers too.And she is the commander and chief for the National Guardsman now stationed in Alaska.But she doesn't seem quite presidential.There are other problems. She is anti-science, and someone like Brooks should know better than to support someone who believes biology class should be Sunday school.I agree that we should leave her family alone, although some of us would prefer not to have fingers of disapproval waved at us by those on the right who have appointed themselves guardians of "family values" and all the moral virtues.Where's the outrage? Heck, where's the popcorn?
— Christopher, Madison WI
Recommend Recommended by 166 Readers
16.
September 2nd, 2008 6:58 am
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mr. brooks is stunningly dishonest.he claims that palin is a pork fighter, though the record clearly indicates that she has enthusiastically sought and received as much as she could.he claims that she is a mortal enemy of the dreaded ted stevens, though she headed a 527 for him.she has flat out lied about her position on the bridge to nowhere.she does do one thing that republicans do very well, however.she will shamelessly recite any lie necessary to promote her political fortunes.the idea that this pick was not made for idealogical reasons - along with a dash of gender politics - is laughable.i could go on and on, though i think most people know how dishonest mr. brooks has been.it is simply stunning that a professional writer would publish something that is so obviously at odds with the published record.and to do so with so little shame...
— frank james, portland oregon
Recommend Recommended by 171 Readers
17.
September 2nd, 2008 6:58 am
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So you agree that he made a political choice vs a governing choice? which then implies he does not put country first, he puts himself first. Also don't forget that he didn't fully vet her hence all the new details. Are you endorsing barack now?
— Farah, New York
Recommend Recommended by 59 Readers
18.
September 2nd, 2008 6:58 am
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So, the unstated premise of this article is that McCain -- with or without his absurd, indefensible pick of Sarah Palin as his "running mate" -- is essentially unelectable. The same is true of the morally bankrupt and politically adrift GOP as a whole. Mr. Brooks, I couldn't agree more. McCain-Palin is an unmitigated embarrassment and an insult to the intelligence of any rational, thoughtful American.
— Paul, Vancouver, BC
Recommend Recommended by 106 Readers
19.
September 2nd, 2008 6:58 am
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I think Bobby Jindal showed today that he would have been the better pick. I think by Thursday the ticket will look a lot different.
— Clodagh, California
Recommend Recommended by 19 Readers
20.
September 2nd, 2008 6:58 am
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Cheney turned the office of the VP into The Office Of All Things Mighty And Clandestine. I seriously doubt that the same set of keys he's been driving with will be turned over to Sarah Palin.
— Mark, Alexandria, VA
Recommend Recommended by 17 Readers
21.
September 2nd, 2008 6:58 am
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With the latest news of today betraying how poorly the McCain campaign vetted their VP pick, what the pick really does is show how CARELESS McCain and the Republicans are - be it going to war over absent weapons of mass destruction, Katrina, etc. Their Rovian obsession with politics and disdain for government has left their organization void of true civil servants. This is the risk of not showing them the door...
— Brett, CA
Recommend Recommended by 107 Readers
22.
September 2nd, 2008 6:58 am
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In other words, Sen. McCain needs a strong partner to manage his crusades and temper his gut instincts. Sounds like he'd be better off as somebody's VP.
— Matt M., Hawaii
Recommend Recommended by 34 Readers
23.
September 2nd, 2008 6:58 am
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Come on Brooks, McCain figured that Palin was his political "soulmate" after meeting her once, this seems like credulity on your part. From what we have learned about Palin so far, it seems pretty obvious that this was a shotgun decision because she was obviously not vetted appropriately. Palin seems to be a ploy to get media attention and also attract the religious right, not a bad strategy if she didn't have so many skeletons in her closet. I respect that you talk about actually governing skills and policies rather than just what will help get you elected, but Palin has expressed so little in terms of her viewpoints on major issues how would you even know what her positions and beliefs are. Hopefully, Americans will learn the lessons from Bush and that it might be important to judge people based on their intelligence and ability to govern and desire to surround themselves with talented people rather than whether they seem like "normal" people and value loyalty above all else.
— todd h, atlanta
Recommend Recommended by 80 Readers
24.
September 2nd, 2008 6:58 am
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Brooks has gone downhill. This reads like the McCain campaign's talking points. Palin as a "dazzling political performer"? Excuse me? There doesn't seem to be a bone of sincerity in her. Moreover, her delivery couldn't be more flat, or uninspiring. Rooting out corruption? You mean after she was part of it? Palin only inspires those who share her fundamentalist beliefs. And that was the point of the pick.The downside Brooks deciphers - following the gut a la George W. - is formidable, but it's only the tip of the iceberg. For the most part, I'd be more worried about her acting the puppet she has been set up to be since "she rooted out corruption in Alaska". Behind the scenes, it's the same players. Hmm... Anyone remember Mr. Deeds Goes to Washington? Give it another go.
— R. Pope, Toronto
Recommend Recommended by 85 Readers
25.
September 2nd, 2008 6:58 am
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What about the current incarnation of McCain and his Rove team suggests anything resembling "the crusader for virtue against the forces of selfishness?"The Palin pick simply says that he will do anything, including pick someone (a woman who Rush thinks is a babe) who learned about the surge "by watching it on the news," to get elected.It also says a great deal about those, like Brooks, who will fixate on anything remotely positive about what's left of the GOP disaster to make themselves feel better.
— C. Coyne, Flagstaff AZ
Recommend Recommended by 84 Readers
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