Moonwatcher

Former Bush Speechwriter Says Palin 'Not Up to the Job'

"'I think she has pretty thoroughly—and probably irretrievably—proven that she is not up to the job of being president of the United States,' David Frum, a former speechwriter for President Bush who is now a conservative columnist, said in an interview."
—Concerns About Palin’s Readiness as a Big Test Nears, The New York Times, 9/30/08

Newsweek Calls Sarah Palin 'Utterly Unqualified'

"Can we now admit the obvious? Sarah Palin is utterly unqualified to be vice president. She is a feisty, charismatic politician who has done some good things in Alaska. But she has never spent a day thinking about any important national or international issue, and this is a hell of a time to start."
—Palin Is Ready? Please., Newsweek, 9/27/08

Finally, Someone Talks Some Common Sense About the Bailout

Wait, what?!

As James Fallows writes, "I've now seen much of the Katie Couric / Sarah Palin interview and I genuinely feel sorry for Palin. This really is pathetic. Again it's not a mass/elite matter. Anyone who has been to high school immediately recognizes the terror of facing a pop quiz or an oral exam when you just have no idea what you're talking about."

The Economist describes the Palin interview this way: "It's too ghastly to laugh at: you almost (not quite, but almost) feel some pity for her. A drama-critic friend of mine made a good point: I think what we're seeing is someone who thought she knew everything discover how little she actually knows, and it terrifies her."

Worst self-inflicted campaign move ever?

From Worst self-inflicted campaign move ever? by James Fallows:

"If that John McCain were still around, I can guess what he would think about the man now campaigning under his previously-good name."

At some point I imagine McCain will look in the mirror, wonder why he sold his soul to Karl Rove's minions, and despair.

Buffett: Paulson Plan 'Absolutely Necessary'

Woodrow on Buffett

From Can Buffett do what Paulson and Bernanke couldn't? by fellow Enterprise Irreguar Jason Wood:

"We're collectively (and justifiably) more impressed by the actions of a private free market participant [Warren Buffett] than we are by the bazooka of forced socialism."

Jason is a smart guy with a great perspective from which to comment on the current crisis. Luckily for us, after a long hiatus he's started blogging again. Go read the whole post, subscribe to his blog, and follow him on Twitter. You'll be just a little bit smarter for it.

Ken Burns Calls Sarah Palin 'Supremely Unqualified'

"[John McCain] selected someone who is so supremely unqualified to be a heartbeat away from the presidency and he has turned the selection process into a high school popularity contest and an 'American Idol' competition."
—Documentarian Ken Burns, 9/23/08

An Interactive Timeline of the Current Economic Crisis

Source material from CNNMoney.com. Timeline technology by Dipity.

Authors@Google: Neal Stephenson

OK, enough politics for a few minutes. Neal Stephenson recently spoke at Google!