Palin and the Bridge to Nowhere

She was for it before she was against it. More here.

Alaska jokes

One of the side effects of the Palin pick is a sudden focus on Alaska itself... especially from comedians. Two good ones (paraphrasing):

The Daily Show: "She has only been governor for 19 months, but with the nights so long up there, it's really more like 36 years."

Bill Maher: "The only phone call she's had at 3 a.m. has been to tell her there's a moose in the garbage can."

Troopergate is real

Please don't pay any attention when the McCain campaign says this, in response to questions about alleged abuses of power by Sarah Palin:

“The Governor did nothing wrong and has nothing to hide," the McCain/Palin campaign said in a statement, blaming the issue on the campaign of the Democratic nominee, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama. "It’s outrageous that the Obama campaign is trying to attack her over a family issue. As a reformer and a leader on ethics reform, she has been happy to help out in the investigation of this matter, because she was never directly involved."

Here's why, courtesy of the ADN:

But the trooper controversy has been swirling around Palin for weeks, long before Palin was launched Friday into the bright lights of the national campaign.

Yep, nice try. This scandal has been a big deal up here all summer, and it's why so many people here were surprised McCain picked Palin. It's not a creation of the Obama campaign. The legislature is investigating the issue, and a report is coming in October. It's pretty shocking that McCain is willing to gamble that there's no wrongdoing here, because he has no way of knowing for sure. The facts we know so far aren't good for Palin: we have recordings of her aide pressuring the police chief to fire the trooper, plus emails from Palin herself. These things have been around for weeks. You can't blame Obama for them now.

Howard Schultz goes back to being a villain again

He dropped the lawsuit, sealing the deal. No more Sonics. For me, that means no more:

• NBA, ever.
• Starbucks. The boycott of the thing I never did in the first place continues.

More on Palin

Although my impression of Sarah Palin is generally positive, that's not true for everyone here. There is a sizable population of people -- Republicans and Democrats -- who vehemently dislike her. Among the reasons I heard:

She went into labor when she was pregnant with her newborn son Trig when she was in Texas for a conference. Despite the fact that her water had already broken, and despite worries about complications that might arise due to Trig's down syndrome, she boarded a flight to Anchorage so her son could be born in Alaska. She received a lot of criticism for deciding to fly while in labor.

Some women tend not to like her because they think a lot of her success has come as a result of her looks, and not her intellect or talent. Some say she is not really the sharpest tool in the shed.

On a more local note, some are angry with her because she mishandled the only local dairy, Matanuska Maid. The creamery closed last year.

Some complain that she ran for governor on a platform of government transparency, but the promised transparency has never come. This complaint ties into the firestorm related to the firing of the police chief.

So there you go. Not all roses, like I suggested earlier. I'm not saying these complaints are valid -- maybe so, maybe not -- but it's what I'm hearing.

McCain picks Palin

Even the moose were atwitter this morning, when we all found out that Sarah Palin, our babe hockey mom governor, was selected to be John McCain's running mate. Everyone is at least a little shocked. Nobody is sure that it's a good idea.

Palin has been remarkably popular here, even among Democrats. Until recently she had an approval rating around 90%. Before she became governor she was among the first to discover the rampant corruption in our government, and she was one of the only Republicans to call out other Republicans for their corruption. She is authentically Alaskan, with her small town roots and her reign as a beauty queen. Her husband is rather cool, too -- he calls himself the "First Dude," he is an accomplished snowmachine (or snowmobile, as you may call it) racer, and he works both as a fisherman and on the North Slope. Can't get much more Alaskan than that. Palin is well liked, and for good reason.

Yet her anti-corruption image took a big hit in the last couple months, and she is currently under investigation for alleged abuses of power. It is alleged that she fired the state public safety commissioner because he would not fire a state trooper who had gone through a messy divorce with Palin's sister. It's been a big story up here, and once it broke it seemed like Palin's VP chances were over. It appears that McCain doesn't think there's anything there, but the investigation is ongoing, and will surely get more attention now that Palin's on the national stage.

I had hoped that Obama would win Alaska, but that ain't happening now. The 60+ Obama campaign workers in this state have to be bumming, because they're done. Pack it up, move it out, go fight for Montana. McCain's winning Alaska now, and it won't be close. The idea of an Alaskan politician in the White House is just too much to turn down for many people here.

As for the rest of the country, I like the choice because it's interesting and ballsy. I couldn't have crafted a Republican ticket that I'd be happier to lose to. But I don't think it will ultimately be a winning choice. Palin's obvious lack of experience (I've been a lawyer longer than she's been a governor... now that's frightening) undercuts McCain's best argument -- that Obama is too green for the job. If experience is so important, why would a 72-year-old cancer survivor pick someone with just 18 months on the job? Personally I don't find experience to be such an important factor -- I applaud both Obama and McCain for being willing to shake up the Washington establishment. But that argument had traction, and now it's gone. (And no, FoxNews, Palin does not have foreign policy experience just because Alaska is close to Russia.)

I also don't know how this pick can succeed in picking up disappointed Hillary voters; Hillary and Palin could not be further apart on the issues. But if you're voting for them only because they're women (an idea I completely understand), then okay. For that reason I'd be happy to see Palin succeed.

I'm not going to vote for her, but I think she'd be a competent vice president. Most of all I'm happy for Alaska. The presidential race just got a whole lot more interesting.

First place in the Pac 10

That's the Harbaugh Way.

I'm #2!

When you search for "side chops" on Google images. It's me and and a lot of cuts of meat.

"Consistency is a little overrated unless you are talking about consistently good."

Phew, glad we got that straightened out. This is a distinction that is only necessary when you are the Stanford football coach.

A Hillary question

I thought Hillary Clinton was great last night. Yet there remain reports that her supporters are still upset, and refuse to shift their support to Barack Obama. Which presents a question that I can't seem to answer. I need a Hillary supporter to fill me in.

Why are some Hillary supporters (25%?) claiming to support John McCain? This is a multiple choice quiz.

They support McCain because:
a) they think Hillary and McCain are similar on the issues (um, no)
b) they agree with McCain's stance on the issues and not Hillary's, and only supported Hillary because she's a woman
c) they think Obama lacks the necessary experience, and so they prefer someone who doesn't actually share Hillary's stance on the issues
d) they believe Hillary was cheated, and want payback
e) pure spite; they don't like losing
f) they like the attention
g) other

I'm not sure what "other" would be, but I'm curious to find out.

Crap, this means I have to watch The Bachelor

My high school classmate Jason Mesnick is signed on to be the new Bachelor, after being the big loser in the last season of The Bachelorette. He must now choose from 25 women. Seems like a terrible idea to me.

Bear update

They've killed the grizzly that's been causing all the problems in Bicentennial Park all summer.

A moose died in a person's yard, and so Fish and Game knew it was only a matter of time before the bear would be there snacking on it. They waited until the bear arrived, and shot it. They didn't catch the two cubs, who if not found will be dead in a week (either from starvation or from attack from another bear). This afternoon they captured one cub, but one remains at risk. The cub may soon be at a zoo near you.

I was a fan.

And this is a huge bummer.

Liberal judges are losing the public relations battle

I don't know if you watched this weekend's "Saddleback Civil Forum," in which Barack Obama and John McCain each separately answered a series of wide-ranging questions. One of the questions was "which current Supreme Court justice would you not have appointed?"

Obama first cited Clarence Thomas, saying Thomas was not "a strong enough jurist or legal thinker at the time." He then mentioned Antonin Scalia, saying that although Scalia is very smart, Obama doesn't agree with Scalia's method of constitutional interpretation. When asked specifically about John Roberts, Obama -- who voted against Roberts's nomination -- said his suspicions about Roberts have been confirmed, and that Roberts is too willing to concentrate power in the executive branch.

McCain cited Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, David Souter, and John Paul Stevens. He said each was an activist judge who was guilty of legislating from the bench. He added that he would appoint a judge who was a strict constructionist.

I have a few reactions.

First, it's interesting that legal groups (the Federalist Society, Judicial Confirmation Network) have criticized Obama for his response, but none have criticized McCain. They both deserve criticism from somebody, depending on where a particular group comes down on the political spectrum. But for some reason there are more organized groups that will quickly defend "conservative" jurists than those who'll defend the "liberals." Where are you, ACS? Why weren't you there to defend the honor of the four "liberal" justices? Liberals are losing the PR battle.

Second, on a related note, it's just harder to make concise arguments in defense of liberal judges. The conservative groups have their vernacular down pat -- bad "activist judges" who "legislate from the bench," who aren't "strict constructionists." Voters nod along, but do they have any idea what any of it means? (At this point "activist judge" is simply the label you slap on someone who writes an opinion you don't agree with, whether or not the judge's action is truly "activist." But the label still has power, and people respond to it.) Liberal legal thinkers don't have the same concise language. Try explaining Breyer's "Active Liberty" to someone sometime. Good luck with that.

Third, why didn't anyone mention Anthony Kennedy? What, everyone loves him now? In the same way that Obama was asked specifically about John Roberts, I would have liked to see McCain asked specifically about Kennedy. He doesn't fit into McCain's boxes -- he's not liberal, but he's not a "strict constructionist." What then?

I actually liked Obama's answer better (shocking, I know), mainly because he had a concrete example of why he does not support Roberts. I'm sick of the blather McCain trotted out. I'd like someone to engage them on judges in a way that doesn't allow rote repetition of catch phrases.

Alaska pics

Not from me, but from my friends. I'm always fascinated by the far north of Alaska, and my friend Rebecca was just in Barrow and Nuiqsut last week. Photos are here. A different world, that is.

And you want bears? My friend Vik visited McNeil River this summer, and brought back some amazing bear photos. I'm insanely jealous of these pictures. You have to win a lottery to go to McNeil, and I didn't win this year. Maybe next year.

Oh, and here's a weird thing. Somebody made a blog and thought my ass should be at the top of it. Even more strange, the blog is about religion. See, look here, someone is using my friend Tara's picture of me and fellow hiker Kate crossing a stream. So there you have it -- my ass, a holy phenomenon.

UPDATE: Well, that was weird. The blog is now deleted. I blame me.

Ann Arbor pauses to watch Michael Phelps...

... and then quickly goes back to talking about football. This is about right -- even though Phelps lives in Ann Arbor, it's not a real big deal there. I don't remember anyone ever talking about it (although I did have one or two Phelps-obsessed friends from California ask me to stalk him, which I declined).

What to do with a beard

I grew a playoff beard during the run-up to the bar exam, and I still have it... for now. I'm ready to get rid of it. Last year I grew a beard during the winter, and then had some fun shaving it in different patterns before going clean-shaven. I'm ready to do that again, and I'm willing to take suggestions regarding the shaving patterns. If I like the suggestion, photos will be taken. So let me know if you have a good beard idea.

Other beard-related phenomena: an awesome video; fanatacism.

Horribility

What is a horrible man to do when he finishes the bar exam? Get thee to the Oregon coast with other Horrible Men; enjoy malted beverages; eat smoked meats; take pictures of it all.

Coast:



Yachats sunset:



Meat:



That foil thing in the middle? It's a matambre. Bacon-wrapped flank steak, filled with kielbasa, cheese, carrots, and peppers. The carrots and peppers were probably the only vegetables consumed all weekend... and they were encased in cheese and three kinds of meat. Yep.



It is worth noting that "matambre" translates to "hunger killer." If only that were true -- the matambre actually topped off a day in which we ate two chickens, an enormous pork shoulder, a salmon filet, smoked clams, and sausage. All smoked over the course of several hours, of course. Such is the way of the horrible man. And you know what? I lost 2 pounds over the weekend.

Today's reason

... to love the Olympics. What a race.

Your Alaska news update

So that bear in Bicentennial Park mauled another woman this week, and the woman freely admits that she shouldn't have been on that trail. Yep. I don't know why people keep going into that park when it is known that there's a sow with two cubs in there. There are tons of other trails to run. Just stay away for another month or two, and the bears will be gone. But instead Fish and Game personnel have decided to go into the park and kill the bear, and likely its cubs too. This would have been a no-brainer decision in a lower-48 city -- a bear? near the city? kill it! -- but as is often said around here, this is Alaska. There are bears around. Just don't go messing with them.

Next. Gas prices might be falling in your neck of the woods, but not here. We're still pretty much the same as the peak summer price of $4.37/gallon. Nobody has any good reason for why the prices aren't falling like they are in Seattle and Portland. It's not a supply problem -- most of the gas is refined here in Alaska. I think it's a competition problem -- we just don't have as many different stations here.

But help is on the way. Not only will every Alaskan receive a check from the Permanent Fund Dividend in excess of $2,000 this year, but the state legislature just passed a "resource rebate" worth an additional $1,200/person. For a single person, that's $3,200 in your pocket; for a family of four, it'll be more than $12,000. Just for living here. Now I have to mention that the $1,200 isn't just for kicks -- people up here are really getting hurt by high energy costs. It's expensive to heat houses when it gets so cold in the winter, especially in the bush where oil is even more expensive.

Ted

Normally I might talk about the Ted Stevens indictments, but I'm going to take the safe route and not discuss it. Our office represents one of the witnesses in the trial, so I shouldn't comment publicly (even though I have no inside info).

Bears!

I know you love the bear stories. Here are two more:

Eagle River man fights bear, lives. Don't try this at home. Or anywhere.

Awesome video of grizzly attacking a moose calf. Bear wins.