The Daily Brief — Saturday, August 30, 2008

By Patrick Henry 

 

Biography: Who Is Sarah Palin?
NBC11.com
Born in Sandpoint, Idaho, Sarah Palin and her family moved to Alaska when she was an infant. She was elected Alaska’s 11th governor in 2006, making her the first female governor and the youngest governor in the state’s history. Palin earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Idaho, where she minored in politics. She moved back to her hometown of Wasilla, Alaska, where she became a two-term mayor from 1992-96… more»

‘Suburban mom’ who took on her own party
Financial Times · Stephanie Kirchgaessner
Sarah Palin made the leap from being a small town mayor to governor of Alaska two years ago by vowing to reform a party that was imbued with corruption and tainted by its cosy ties to the oil industry. The meteoric rise of Alaska’s first female governor, a mother of five who is a conservative Christian, soared to even greater heights on Friday after John McCain, Republican presidential candidate, chose Ms Palin as his running mate… more»

pH: There’s just one word to describe Sarah Palin: Hubba hubba.

The story behind the Palin surprise
Politico · Jonathan Martin
John McCain on Friday announced a running mate whom he met only six months ago and with whom he spoke just once on the phone about the position before offering it in person earlier this week. McCain’s first encounter with Sarah Palin came at a Washington meeting of the National Governors Association in February, according to a campaign-provided reconstruction of how the little-known Alaska governor was thrust into the national spotlight. The two discussed the position by phone on Sunday before McCain invited Palin and her husband to Arizona to formally make the offer. McCain, joined by his wife, Cindy, did just that Thursday morning at their home near Sedona, Ariz… more»

Commentary: Palin is brilliant, but risky, VP choice
CNN · Ed Rollins
John McCain’s brilliant but risky “Hail Mary pass” choice for vice president, Alaska Gov. Sarah “Barracuda” Palin, has the political world saying first: Who? And then: Why?… more»

Carter: Bill Clinton ‘hurt his wife’s candidacy’
Washington Times · Carrie Sheffield
Taking a rare shot at another White House alumnus, former President Jimmy Carter tells The Washington Times that Bill Clinton became an unwittingly divisive figure during the Democratic primaries who hurt his wife’s chances to win the presidency with a series of verbal gaffes. “As he tried to campaign for his wife, I think in the heat of the campaign, he made some verbal mistakes,” Mr. Carter said in an interview Wednesday night just minutes before Mr. Clinton took the podium at the Democratic National Convention. “I made plenty of them when I was running for president, too. So I don’t blame him for it, but I think in some of his remarks, he has hurt his wife’s candidacy.”… more»

pH: A “rare shot”? Is Ms. Sheffield kidding? Carter is a sanctimonious verbal cowboy, firing from the hip at anyone offending his sensibilities.

Comcast to make monthly Internet use cap official
Associated Press
Comcast Corp., the nation’s second-largest Internet service provider, Thursday said it would set an official limit on the amount of data subscribers can download and upload each month. On Oct. 1, the cable company will update its user agreement to say that users will be allowed 250 gigabytes of traffic per month, the company announced on its Web site… more»

pH: This is the ISP version of the airlines’ decision to start charging for baggage. Another public relations nightmare…