Drill, Baby, Drill..

Image by NewsHour via FlickrThe refrain from St. Paul/ RNC convention has been haunting me recently. 

It's not that I think we shouldn't drill in Alaska. We probably should.  It's what the chant symbolizes.

And it's not a callous disregard for the environment.

It's the propensity for people to prefer short-term quick fixes to long-term strategic solutions.

Yes, if we drill, oil/gas prices will probably fall...which, honestly, is NOT what we want. At higher prices, entrepreneurs see the incentive to pursue alternative energy.

That's what we need.

When I hear "drill, baby, drill," I hear people who say 'let's just solve this problem for today...not for tomorrow."

That's not what we  need.

Got a forward from Josh with a Tom Friedman article that does a really good job of explaining it.

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The Palin Conspiracy Theory

Image via Wikipedia So, the weekend has dampened some excitement about Palin. Clearly, she's vulnerable, though I do like her story a lot.

It's made me wonder if there's something larger going on here.

Stay with me for a moment.

McCain had to do something BIG to stop the post-Obama speech momentum in its tracks. With Palin's nomination, he did that. Aside from Gustav, Palin has been the topic of the weekend. Obama's speech? Ancient history.

And what did Palin's nomination do? It brought up the topic of experience, supposedly Obama's Achilles Heel. People calling McCain a hypocrite, etc.

Now, what if, just what if the following is going to happen?

First off, let's say that Palin knows that she's at risk for the state trooper investigation. Her career in Alaska is in jeopardy, so she makes a deal with the McCain team, straight out of Sun Tzu's The Art of War.

Palin is a diversionary tactic. She agrees to be the sacrificial pawn to achieve McCain's short-term objectives (stopping Obama's momentum) and in return, she would (if he's elected) get a Cabinet post or an Ambassador position. Something like that. 

Honestly, what is the next step in the political ladder for the Governor of Alaska, right?

So, with the intense scrutiny on her personal life (plus the revelation of the unwed teenage pregnancy now), she says something along the lines of "too much for my family" and then bows out.

This gives McCain a do-over and he says, "you know, everyone has been talking about experience, experience, experience and I have to, which is why I am going to nominate (fill in the blank) who has even more experience" and then his ticket becomes the ticket of experience, throwing the issue back at Obama.

It's a stretch, I know. Of course, if it happens, I'm a genius!

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What if Obama actually loses?

Image by Getty Images via Daylife I think there are very few Republicans out there who would be surprised if McCain loses in November. Of course, they hope he won't and will do their part, but some of them are ready for that.

Now, Obama supporters on the other hand...well, it feels like there's a sense of inevitability. He's due. He's the one. Etc.

So, I just wonder, what happens if he loses?

Does the thought even enter the minds of his supporters?

And, if he does...

My concern is that the reaction will not be:

"I guess America prefers McCain and his politics."

And instead it will be something like:

"America is [fill in the blank]

• racist and not ready for a black man to be President
• stupid
• not willing to vote in its own self-interests
• gullible to Republican PR chicanery"

Call me a cynic.

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