Palin: It All Started When He Hit Me Back!

by: Paul Rosenberg

Sat Nov 01, 2008 at 09:00

Of course it goes without saying that Palin is utterly clueless about the First Amendment.  But what tickles me most about this is how utterly typical of the rightwing bully mentality it is.  Everything's fine until someone dares lift so much as a pinky finger in response to her bottomless venom.  ABC reports:

Palin Fears Media Threaten Her First Amendment Rights

October 31, 2008 11:25 AM

ABC News' Steven Portnoy reports: In a conservative radio interview that aired in Washington, D.C. Friday morning, Republican vice presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin said she fears her First Amendment rights may be threatened by "attacks" from reporters who suggest she is engaging in a negative campaign against Barack Obama.

Palin told WMAL-AM that her criticism of Obama's associations, like those with 1960s radical Bill Ayers and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, should not be considered negative attacks.  Rather, for reporters or columnists to suggest that it is going negative may constitute an attack that threatens a candidate's free speech rights under the Constitution, Palin said.

You remember this from third grade, right?  The way the schoolyard bully burst into tears when someone finally stood up to them and popped! them one in the old schnozzola?

"If [the media] convince enough voters that that is negative campaigning, for me to call Barack Obama out on his associations," Palin told host Chris Plante, "then I don't know what the future of our country would be in terms of First Amendment rights and our ability to ask questions without fear of attacks by the mainstream media."

Oh, you pooooor wuddle thing!

Maybe we'll just have to throw you in prison for all the stealing you've been doing from the people you represent ever since you were first elected mayor of Wasilla.  Safely in prison, the media won't have Sarah Palin to kick around any more.

You Betcha!

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And, Singing Backup...

Now that the Bush Department of Justice is feeling the hot breath of history bearing down on it, and has started retracting its fangs, House Minority Leader John Boehner is very upset at the lack of political interference this portends.

Zach Roth reports at TPM:

Boehner: DOJ Politicized ... In Favor of Dems!
By Zachary Roth - October 31, 2008, 3:41PM

At last, a high-ranking Republican has admitted what many Democrats and independent observers have maintained since the scandal over the US Attorney firings -- that, under President Bush, the Department of Justice has been inappropriately politicized.

But according to John Boehner, the House GOP leader, that politicization was actually carried out ... by Democrats.

Boehner today released a letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey, in which he complained about the department's decision no longer to include federal prosecutors in its teams of election observers, as it has done in previous years.

He also cited recent reports that some top officials in the department's voting-rights section had contributed to Barack Obama's campaign.

Writes Boehner:

Frankly, the real motive behind the Department's decision is undeniably suspect given that Obama partisans in key positions at the Department of Justice may well have played a pivotal role in making it.

Because, of course, the entire Bush Administration is over-run by Obama supporters, controlling everything from their bunkers in the annex of the Hidden Imam.  Michael Mukasey never had a chance!

For added chuckles, here's the letter in full:

The Honorable Michael B. Mukasey
Attorney General
United States Department of Justice

Dear Mr. Attorney General:

I have just been advised of your department's decision to reverse its longstanding policy of assigning criminal prosecutors to serve on all federal election observer teams. I am deeply concerned about this decision, particularly in the wake of a steady stream of reports highlighting voter registration fraud and potential fraudulent voting activities that have dominated the news in recent weeks.

I am particularly dismayed to learn that several DOJ officials with important responsibilities for overseeing enforcement of the nation's voting rights laws - from access to the polls to protecting against voter fraud - are significant financial contributors to the Obama presidential campaign. According to published reports, approximately $250,000 has already been contributed by DOJ employees to the Obama campaign, including personal contributions from several senior officials in the Voting Rights Section of the DOJ. This news does nothing to inspire confidence by the American people in the DOJ's ability to assure fair elections and the equal application of the nation's voting laws.

Frankly, the real motive behind the Department's decision is undeniably suspect given that Obama partisans in key positions at the Department of Justice may well have played a pivotal role in making it.

On behalf of my Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives - who share my commitment to ensuring the fairness and integrity of the 2008 election - I strongly urge you to reverse the DOJ decision announced in September and immediately announce your intention to dispatch experienced criminal prosecutors as members of federal election observer teams nationwide.

The Department of Justice must use all means at its disposal to assure that every eligible citizen has access to the polls -- and to thwart attempts by persons or organizations seeking to fraudulently obtain, cast or count ballots in the 2008 election.

With November 4th just days away, it is imperative to move quickly and publicly to safeguard the integrity of this election. Accordingly, I ask that you notify me by close of business today whether you will restore the Department's longstanding policy of including federal prosecutors on each of its election observer teams.

Thank you for your attention to this critically important matter.

Sincerely,

John A. Boehner
Republican Leader

They actually let this guy near sharp objects?

Pencils?

    Pens?

        Doorknobs?

True, a doorknob's not that sharp.

But, then, neither is Boehner.