Grotesque, unprecedented, bizarre, unbelievable. Sarah Palin was all of that in Hong Kong yesterday. And more. Dressed in a cutesy virgin-white blouse and black skirt with the infamous bee-hive hairdo, she was a blessing to every predicting spectator.
That is how Robert Fisk's vivisection of Palin's speech begins, and it only gets more brutal after that. Here is another portion.
She spoke too fast. She gabbled her words. Scatty was the word for it. We slalomed between the fall of the Berlin Wall, the break-up of Yugoslavia and 9/11. Then it started. The war on "vicious terrorism", the war against "violent fanatics who wished to end our way of life", our battle against "radical Islamic extremists" with "twisted vision". This was not a clash of civilisations but "a war within Islam". We slalomed again. Asia – "what an amazing place!" – was at its best "when it was not dominated by a single power".
Oooh he is GOOD! Do yourself a favor and click the title to read the whole thing.
(H/T to Wes Ben)
Update: Also for those who have been jonesing for Sarah's return to Facebook here is her post about the China speech, which includes an excerpt.
Update 2: Bree Palin has video of Sarah.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
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What are those big puffy bumps just beneath her eyebrows ?
ReplyDeleteSarah Palin “doesn’t have the same values as the rest of us.” She’s over there in a fern country pallin’ around with communists.
ReplyDeleteSooooo, former Gov IT, has a 4,500+ word speech to a financial group, that lastest 90 minutes. Then at the end, she decided to show a picture of her son.
ReplyDeleteShe ain't even parvenu...
And that is just the words she considered a "excerpt"...
The chick is crazy...
@Anon 12:13
ReplyDeleteThat's just droopy brows with way too much white highlighter on 'em. A makeup mishap.
Argh! I couldn't digest the whole facebook speech, all at once. But, I'll comment on the first part, where she writes, ""some argued that state sovereignty would fade - like that was a good thing?"
ReplyDelete"Like that was a good thing". Sounds like a leader of the free world speech. Like, Sarah's trying to impress the teenage boys and girls of the CLSA movers and shakers.
She's so, like, impressive with her big words.
Fabulous article!! Love Fiske's imagery. Have a mental picture of Typhoon Sarah looking up from the podium and realizing she is in China. In addition to writing her speech, the handlers should have provided her with a book (Oh right, she doesn't read) on Chinese culture. One does not mention or show pictures of family members when speaking at a business conference. Thanks, Gryphon for posting this article. It was so entertaining.
ReplyDeleteBatshitcrazylyingignorantdumbass she is.
ReplyDeleteO/T
ReplyDeleteA recc'd daily kos dairy:
Could this be why Sarah Palin REALLY quit her day job?
by henry porter
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/9/24/783846/-Could-this-be-why-Sarah-Palin-REALLY-quit-her-day-job
"After the stock market closed yesterday and Sarah was way far away in a totally different country, it was announced the dividend from the Alaska Permanent Fund will be less than half what it was last year."
I haven't seen Alaska blogs mention this.
I opened the facebook link, and even though I am no longer a member of facebook (I quit for several reasons), I was able to see 4 comments.
ReplyDeleteOne of them lamented that he hoped we could wait until "2010" for her. I supposed he thinks that is when the next Presidential election takes place. No cure for the level of stupidity over there.
Do visit Wonkette...
ReplyDeletehttp://wonkette.com/411268/fairbanks-newspaper-in-hot-water-with-sarah-palin-over-terrible-pun#more-411268
His man made my day.
ReplyDeleteThat said, headlines should now read:
Sarah Palin supports same sex marriage, seeks wife
I like Sarah's new tatoos in the Daily Kos piece.
ReplyDeleteGryphen,
ReplyDeleteOn this side of the Atlantic, we still have journalists. And Fisk is GOOD. Interestingly enough, there was a comments section there this morning....most were negative towards Palin, and then the Palinbots descended and the usual nazi rhetoric started. Next time I looked (and I was enjoying a lot of the comments), it was gone.
Anon 1:41 - You read my thoughts! She needs to be outed along with Tom D-L, the dancing fool!!!
ReplyDeleteBut seriously, i'm so glad I've only read bits and pieces at a time. I can only handle so much idiocy at a time.
Oh but that must be because I'm so afraid of her!
I will be the first to bash Palin at the drop of a hat - but she has nothing to do with the Permanent Fund investments, nor does any governor. This is run by a separate entity, the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation:
ReplyDeletewww.apfc.org
We just don't need to add to all the weird and often way off the mark information flying around about our state since the Palin Debacle.
Fisk was one of the keynote speakers at the forum as well. He is one of the few Western journalists to have interviewed Bin Laden.
ReplyDeleteLazy P
I couldn't make it past this part of Palin's "excerpt" though I plan on plowing through the rest latter.
ReplyDeletePalin said, "The vicious terrorist attacks of that day made clear that what happened in lands far distant from American shores directly affect our security. We came to learn, if we did not know before . . . "
Gee, I know she's relatively young, but did she never hear of Pearl Harbor? So, she just came to learn that "lands far distant" could impact us? Duh, Sarah, duh.
I mean, even people who haven't graduated high school let alone college know about Pearl Harbor if they watch old movies. Good freaking grief.
I am reading a book about Tawama Brawley, the young black girl who pulled the hoax about being raped by white police officers and had Al Sharpton, Bill Crosoby and millions ( both black and white) beliving her for several months before her lies were exposed. This was in 1987.
ReplyDeleteThe following is quoted on the front page and reminds me so very very much of Palin. It applies to a broader spectrum,i.e. all cult type movements,than either of these two women.
"All active mass movements strive...to impose a fact-proof screen between the faithful and the realities of the world. To rely on the evidence of the senses and of reason is heresy and treason. It is startling to realize how much unbelief is necessary to make belief possible. ERIC HOFFER, The True Believer.
Oh, and what did she mean, she needed a wife? Generically I understand as I have facetiously made the same remark when my life was very full and I wore many hats at once. It was sarcasism based on being single and how men had "the little woman" at home to be their gofers.
ReplyDeleteBUT, she always had Todd and the extended family so why insult him by juxtaposing this remark with his name, UNLESS OF COURSE SHE IS READY TO PUBLICALLY THROW HIM UNDER THE BUS?
Hang in there Todd; she is making money now and that is all the more for you when the divorce comes. May I suggest a good attorney ? Like Rex Butler LOL LOL LOL
Sorry, I'm on a roll here.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't she understand that bad mouthing the president on foreign soil only makes her look bad?
No matter what ANYONE ( american citizens or foreign leaders ) think of Obama. EVERYONE recognizes that makes her look improper and unprofessional. Even those who approve of Palin will lose some of their respect for her when she violates political politeness to this extent.
It's like your best friend talking dirt to you about a "friend" of hers. You wonder if she disses you behind your back as well.
Talking trash just makes YOU look trashy.
She will never "get it." You can't change stupid. Poor Murdock.
"In her state capital, she told us, you could see a moose in the middle of the city.
ReplyDeleteSarah, you lie! There's no moose in Juneau!
Signed, Juneau Independant!
Excellent! Reminded me of why The Independent was my favorite newpaper when I lived in the UK. I guess I was wrong about Murdoch being able to buy her the best speech writers. Or maybe as Mr. Fisk suggested, they wanted to leave a little of the "real" Sarah in. Looks like that's not a good idea there Rupert.
ReplyDeleteOops, should have been "newspaper"
ReplyDelete...and since when was Wasilla ( or even Alaska) part of Mainstreet, USA ??? OY !!
ReplyDeleteGreat reading Gryphen!! It made my day!
ReplyDeleteThey just showed Sarah on Countdown - a reporter asked her what she was going to do in her career. She said she wished she could read the future. But she has definitely had some work done. There's no doubt about it. It's kind of sad really. I don't think she needed it-there's so much pressure on women to look perfect that they look plastic after awhile. If she does it again , she will be moving in that direction.
I am starting to think that Murdoch caught on and ditched Sarah! For all we know, maybe the book deal is off (despite the advance, cut your losses?). The person assisting her with the Hong Kong speech was Randy Scheunemann. As per Bree Palin on Scheunemann: "McCain's campaign foreign policy advisor and reportedly the only person who sympathized with Palin on the campaign trail, is with her in Hong Kong (and wrote her speech)."
ReplyDeleteThis theory would explain why the speech was not as good/polished as we anticipated (Palin just going rogue again). Scheunemann is not (to my knowledge) a speech writer.
If Murdoch ditched her (after getting her the book deal and the Washington Speaker's Bureau deal done), then she would have been "on her own," with no fancy make-up artist, no proper new clothes, and no brilliant speech to give. She did not seem to have any of these perks that FOX boss Murdoch would certainly provide.
What happened when Murdoch's yacht was docked in Juneau after the quittypants picnic? Murdoch may be evil, but not dumb. My guess is that he could not control her.
If my guess is correct, she is toast.
anon 2:47, and all, Please, at least read the last paragraph of Sarah's speech. I truly believe that Sarah must have written it herself. Who else would see Alaska as the air crossroads of the world? (Sorry, Gryphen, but really).
ReplyDeleteSarah found that Hong Kong and Alaska has so much in common, since they are both "young." Huh? When she mentioned the land bridge and Todd's ancestors, that would speak to at least 12,000 years of history. Young?
And, in the last sentence, speaking to big money guys, she bestowed good tidings, blessings and freedom. Yup, that's Sarah. And, the bottom line is that she was supposed to have had three professional speechwriters working on this speech. She could have 300 writers, a speech coach, a fashion consultant, make up artist, hair dresser and the Encyclopedia Britanica and she still won't be ready for Prime Time.
At the end of the video of Sarah and Todd leaving Hong Kong (Bree Palin has it on her post), the reporter tells us that Sarah was there to learn (learn what?) and earn money for her legal defense.
ReplyDeleteLast time I heard, the Legal Defense fund had easily half a million dollars in there. The only problems were: Sarah's bills didn't amount to half a million dollars, and Sarah may have been dipping into that account for other purposes. I thought that it was supposed to be frozen until this ethics violation was resolved.
She was not allowed to use the office of governor (which she was at the time) to raise money to pay her personal bill.
But, needing to raise a six-figured amount for legal expenses may also mean that something big is coming (what do you hear, Gryphen?). Or, Levi and family are having unexpected expenses, and Sarah, for legal reasons, needs to keep them, well let's just say comfortable so they don't have the need to talk.
she IS toast. no one will pay six figures to hear that rotten salmon slaying bitch spew her same ole same ole sorry act.
ReplyDeleteJust as McCain tried, I'm sure the Pox news priate has realized he is dealing with a rogue nut.
AND, she looks like a stepford wife.
Why does Todd put up with her rude comments, tagging along to Hong Kong, & moving out of the house? Me thinks he spread sperm in the wrong places, in years past, & owes Sarah endless apologies.
ReplyDeleteshe's obviously had work done and its not that subtle either. Jaw line, neck, slight facelift, fillers.
ReplyDeleteElla - I like the way you think! I have no idea if any of it has or hasn't happened, but I love the idea that she's "going rogue" again. Although, until the super snark returns I'll still be wondering who is pulling her strings with cold hard cash (or blackmail).
ReplyDeleteThe only thing that will ever make her face look OK to me is removing the smirk, and I'm afraid no amount of surgery can do that. To me - she's ugly inside and out and always will be.
~~~ELLA
ReplyDeleteThat sounds reasonable. I read somewhere that she was doing the speech to pay her legal bills.
Does she know there are more to come?
Is there no one to help her style? They set the bar so high with her doing the international experience. She barely touched the ground in Hong Kong. Out side of her circle she saw a bus boy or two. It is all so odd. I actually thought she would be dressed and styled like Condi Rice or close. Randy Scheunemann has a few screws missing, it makes sense that birds of a feather flock. that's about all that makes sense. Can't wait to see the next sucker that will have her speak. The more she talks the sooner she'll be done. Someone said “long, humorless and George W. Bush-like” How much longer can it last?
You were going to "move on".....
ReplyDeleteyeah, right.
I still wanna know: does Hong Kong Word Salad come with eggroll?
ReplyDeleteGood catch anon at 3:27pm !
ReplyDeleteJust goes to show where Sarah thought the capitol really was --
wherever she happened to be . ..
Gryphen, Did you veto my comment, that had reference to Todd's sperm? There was nothing wrong with that comment!
ReplyDeleteI always start due diligence with the Independent.
ReplyDeleteIf it says cloudy, 100% chances of thunderstorms, I toss the sunblocker in my car and head for the beach.
And, Gryphen, please, you were NOT going to let Palin/China go until you could find a kindred soul to use to validate your deeply entrenched
belief that Palin tanked in China.
You could drag out 500 of these guys and you'd still have to debunk the N.Y. times who curiously impeached this guy's rant as well as an Obama supporter who was there.
Now, you're a quasi-rational individual: your supplicants might elevate this guy to a lofty status of an unimpeachable source like Levi Johnston but really, who are the readers of Bloomberg, Reuters, A.P., the N.Y. and Times, going to think got it right?
Anonymous@12:13:
ReplyDeleteThey are doubtless unimpeachable evidence of not merely cosmetic surgery but major reconstructive surgery to correct the brutal verbal beatings you have given her on this forum.
hrh, the reason that no one has answered is because they don't eat salad in Hong Kong.
ReplyDeleteIn Hong Kong, I think that the translation is Chop Word Suey, with rice. Egg roll is extra, but tea is complimentary with every meal.
(Note: Chinese tea is not made with tea bags, but loose leaves. Sorry, T-baggers, don't bother).
Now we will have to find a suitable word dish for other cultures, such as Word Sukiyaki or Word Stir Fry in Japan. In India it is probably Word Curry, but depending on the company that could be Mild Word Curry or Spicy Word Curry. In parts of France they may make Word Ragout, or is it Ragout des mots?
Anon 6:42, Did you even read that speech? What a mish-mash of misinformation. Did you listen to her? Screech is a mild description of that piercing nasal voice. Did you see the jacket that she wore? Even the bus boys were pressed, tailored jackets that look nicer.
ReplyDeleteDid you pay one bit of attention to what Sarah actually said, for example: Hong Kong is not free and independent. It belongs to The Peoples Republic of China, a Communist state. It is relatively more free than other parts of China, but it is not a democracy.
@6:42 and 6:44 - aw, our Sarah Palin cheerleader is still with us! You must be a man who loves a Bumpit!
ReplyDeleteI'm with all of you that wonder why in the heck she did not take the time to explore Hong Kong and China while she was there? I mean, it's not like she's the GOVERNOR or anything and needed to get back to "work". And as far as Piper and Trig are concerned, I'm quite sure Bristol can take care of them like she always has, so it's not like Sarah needed to rush home and make school lunches for Piper and help her with her homework.
ReplyDeleteAnd if it's a matter of who paid for the plane tickets and who arranged the itinerary, I'm quite sure if the Palins had wanted to extend their trip, they could have afforded to pay for that portion themselves----given that they are getting $$$$$$$ for the silly speech.
Why did Todd have to come anyway? Is it buy one get one free? Or maybe Todd is in charge of making sure she takes her medications? :)
And yes, having seen the airport footage on Countdown (much clearer than the internet version) it sure as heck-fire looks like her face has gone all Stepford-y. I wonder if she can still do her lip smacks when she's makin her snarky points?
@anon 7:31 When the reporter on that video said that Sarah was in Hong Kong to learn, I don't think that she learned very much in her short visit. One day to arrive and get rid of jet lag, one day for departure (we saw her at the airport) and the day of the speech. Her handlers made sure that she stay in the hotel to avoid meeting anyone. So, she did get to know the Hyatt.
ReplyDeleteThe big joke will be when she adds Hong Kong and all of China to her vast knowledge of international affairs and world policy. She did say that India should become a part of Asia. I wonder where they are now?
Could it be that Sarah would be uncomfortable in a place where people would not recognize her? Thousands of people streaming by, going about their own business, not knowing how famous and important she thinks she is, that would be a blow to anyone's ego.
but, but, what is written is not exactly what she said...
ReplyDeleteand the FB post says 'written on Wednesday', she wrote all that in one day!?
how can this be...
*snark*
and I am kind of ashamed of myself; there has to be a more soulful way of stopping this.
I was pondering earlier; certain occupations used to be considered the provenance of the educated and were public trusts: banking, medicine, the law, and governance. My Republican grandfathers would be spinning in their graves if they could be aware of what has happened to this country.
I though some of the most striking aspects of the news coverage of the 'speech' was the offhand comments, 'everyone knows America is no longer what it was...' etc. And then SP goes and just confirms that. It is maddening.
thoughts?
I just linked to Sarah's Face Book entry. She did not post the whole speech. She left off my favorite paragraph, the last one. So, I will have to repeat some of it here- with commentary.
ReplyDelete"We have much in common with Hong Kong. We're both young and transient, independent and libertarian."
Excuse me, earlier Sarah spoke of the land bridge and Todd's heritage. That would have been 12,000 to 18,000 years ago. So, neither place is young. As for independent, Hong Kong is part of The Peoples Republic of China, a Communist state. For the previous 150 years, they were a crown colony of Great Britian. They haven't been truly independent for quite some time.
"So for Alaska, which is the air corssroads of the world, to this prosperous dynamic force in the world, Hong Kong, I bring good tidings, wishes for more blessing and vibrant life and even more freedom."
Where to start: Alaska the air crossroads of the world- give me a break. And she wishes Hong Kong even more freedom. They are at the breaking point. They have just as much "freedom" as Beijing will allow. If a demonstration goes on too long, or has too many people protesting the government, the demonstration is over. In the elections, it is amazing that all of the Communists get elected. Yeah, more freedom. It is obvious that Sarah did not learn one thing before visiting Hong Kong, and I doubt that she learned anything from the visit.
I'm sorry. She did learn one thing. No matter how you look, what you wear, and what you say, some people will give you hundreds of thousands of dollars because you're hot.
The reason that this last paragrah is missing from Face Book is because it is laughable. I think that Sarah wrote it herslef, despite protests from her speechwriter(s). Blessings and tidings for the world of high finance!
FYI: Alaska actually is the air crossroads of the world.
ReplyDeleteAbout the Alaska Permanent Fund: The Director is Bebbie Bitney, the spouse of one of Sarah's old pals. This likely makes her eminently qualified!
ReplyDeleteFrom the guardian uk:
One of the people enlisted against Wooten was Palin's legislative director John Bitney, a friend of hers since junior high school. Bitney later angered Palin by having an affair with Debbie Richter, who at the time was separated from Todd Palin's best friend. He was summarily fired. (Debbie Richter has since become Debbie Bitney).
Thus Palin does have a hand in the APF
I am shocked that she didn't take the time to see a little of china or even shop in Hong Kong.
ReplyDeleteEmbarassing really.
@kb 9:25 Just because you put up some self-serving sign in Anchorage doesn't make it true. I have been all over the internet looking for verification that Anchorage really is the crossroads of world air traffic, and it seems that many planes flying the polar route do, in fact, fly over Alaska. It is also a gateway for air cargo to and from Asia.
ReplyDeleteHowever, looking over the list of busiest airports in the world, Anchorage is just not up there. In a Google search for "air crossroads of the world" I actually came up with Midway Airport in Chicago which had that honor during 1930's, 1940's, and 1950's. Today, that would be laughable! Have you ever changed planes at OHare International Airport in Chicago? Some people are still wandering around there, lost forever.
London Heathrow has the most international passengers, and riding around that airport in a car can take 45 minutes or more. Just because you put up a sign does not make it so. My town has a sign that we are a "Tree America City." That is also laughable because every time they put up another McMansion, they cut down a dozen trees that are hundreds of years old. We are a Tree City all right, we use that much lumber in making those new houses.
The Palin Richter Bitney affairs may not be done. You betcha, Palin has a hand in APF.
ReplyDeleteAlaska the air cross roads of the world & a gateway for air cargo to and from Asia.
Can you imagine the drug trafficking ppl can get by with when everybody looks the other way? You know drugs are a major source of income in the region. They aren't producing a major crop like Afghanistan, but it is also the wild west when it comes to corruption.