1. Introduction
It’s obvious why Sarah Palin got the VP nod. And Saturday Night Live makes this point most brilliantly: Hillary Clinton.

2. Sarah Palin On The Environment
Just one day before being picked as the GOP vice president, she wrote a letter to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger urging him to shoot down policy aimed at pollution.

3. Sarah Palin On Ethics
Palin’s record is already dirty enough to warrant a trip to the free clinic, and that’s just as Governor! What is she capable of if elected as VP?

4. Sarah Palin On Energy and Big Oil
Sarah Palin dismisses alternative energy in favor of a pipeline built by God.

5. Sarah Palin On Foreign Policy
Colin Powell is jumping party lines because of Palin - can we afford her on the job training?

Image Credit: bobster1985 via flickr

<< Previous Post: Big Oil, Part Four

Is it gross - sure. Yet the picture sums up the last eight years of foreign policy quite nicely, don’t ya think? We’ve suffered through too much of this cowboy politics crap (pun intended) to allow it to happen again.

But that’s exactly what we’re getting with Palin - more crap! Hell, even Colin Powell is jumping party lines because of this lady. It’s the same political myopia as George W. but with a nicer rack. For example, how could any politician admit to not focusing on the war in Iraq…much? What has she been doing since 2003? And can we afford another administration who thinks God speaks to them? Seriously, that kinda thing never really works out for the best.

More on Palin >>

From Think Progress

Palin Hasn’t Given The War In Iraq Much Thought. Palin told the Alaska Business Monthly, “I’ve been so focused on state government, I haven’t really focused much on the war in Iraq. I heard on the news about the new deployments, and while I support our president, Condoleezza Rice and the administration, I want to know that we have an exit plan in place.” [Alaska Business Monthly, 3/1/07]

Palin Has Never Been To Iraq. In her only trip overseas, Palin visited Alaska National Guard troops stationed in Kuwait and Germany in July 2007. [AP, 7/25/07]

Palin Believes That The Iraq War Is A Task ‘From God.’ Speaking at the Wasilla Assembly of God church in June, Palin said that “our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God.” [Huffington Post, 9/2/08]

Palin Believes The Iraq War Was Fought Over Oil. “We are a nation at war and in many [ways] the reasons for war are fights over energy sources,” Palin told BusinessWeek in an interview. [BusinessWeek, 8/29/08]

Palin Didn’t Have A Passport Until 2007. Palin first obtained a passport in July 2007 for her trip to Kuwait and Germany to visit Alaska National Guard troops. Her only other trips outside of the United States have been to Canada and Mexico. A Palin spokeswoman had previously said that Palin had also been to Ireland, although it was actually just a “refueling stop” on her Germany/Kuwait trip. [New York Times, 8/29/08; Politico, 9/2/08; ABC News, 9/12/08]

Palin Has Never Issued An Order To The Alaska National Guard. Maj. Gen. Craig Campbell, the service commander of the Alaska National Guard, has stated that Palin has never personally ordered the National Guard to do anything. [McClatchy, 9/4/08]

Palin Is Unaware Of The Bush Doctrine. During an interview with ABC’s Charlie Gibson, Palin was stumped about the Bush Doctrine, thinking it was the President’s “worldview.” [ABC News, 9/11/08]

Related posts:

Amy Poehler does the ‘Sarah Palin Rap’ on SNL [w/ video]
Palin Protests Federal Listing of Beluga Whales as Endangered
Setting the Record Straight: Sarah Palin and the Bridge to Nowhere

Image source: saintbob on Flickr

Not according to the National Priorities Project, which today released a report that finds the U.S. is spending $97 billion to $215 billion a year on military efforts to defend oil and natural gas reserves around the world. That means as much as 30 percent of the U.S.’s military budget is aimed at protecting access to fossil fuels.

Read more of this story »

The committee entitled, “Bush Administration Environmental Record at Department of Interior and Environmental Protection Agency,” met today. Senator Barbara Boxer called the hearing to explore how the administration has held up with respect to environmental integrity. A driving force behind the committee was the denial of California’s petition to curb greenhouse emissions by allowing the state to regulate vehicular fuel efficiency. The hearing was also looking into a proposal to loosen rules protecting endangered species. You can watch a full video of the hearing here.

Boxer, who is chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, wasn’t too happy when two high-level officials at the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Interior failed to show up for the hearing.

“They’re cowardly and they have been a danger to the people of this country,” Boxer said.

Below is just a taste of what Bush and Co have been up to since taking office.

A History of Bush’s Environmental Record

• Proposed drilling of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - October 2000, this was a campaign trail proposition!
• Blocks safeguards on arsenic in drinking water, sulfur in diesel, and releases of raw sewage - January 2001, Inauguration Day
• Bush repudiates the Kyoto Protocol - March, 2001
• 178 Countries agree to Kyoto, Bush does not - June 2001
• Bush kills more of Clinton’s safeguards on drinking water - July 2001
• Bush cuts funds for renewables - February 2002
• Introduces “Clear Skies” initiative which allows for more air pollution - February 2002
• Bush denies EPA findings on Global Warming - June 2002
• Proposes removing wetland protections - January 2003
• EPA silences effects of global warming in environmental report - June 2003
• Creates “Healthy Forrest” initiative which allows more logging - December 2003
• Bush delays mercury reduction for 18 years - January 2004
• NASA scientists censored by Administration on global warming effects - October 2004
• Promises more funding for renewables in State of the Union, breaks the promise five days later - February 2005
• Bush supports House bill allowing more smog - October 2005
• Wants to lower the price of gas at the expense of air quality - April 2006
• Cuts funds for wind and geothermal energy - February 2007
• Bush blocks G8 plans to reduce global warming pollution - June 2007
• Bush opposes incentives for renewables - February 2008
• Bush censors reports on climate change, again - April 2008

Oh, and that image was specifically chosen for the “Dance of the Dwarfs” title. Made me think of our little “Decider.”

Image source: umjanedoan on Flickr