Daddy D and gay conservatives agree on Palin

"I am absolutely delighted by this selection. Once again, John McCain has shown that he is an independent thinker who paints in bold strokes. Sarah Palin is a conservative reformer with executive experience who will bring a breath of fresh air to Washington. She will be an ideal running mate for John McCain, and will make a major contribution to our country's future."

-- failed presidential candidate and former Law & Order actor Fred Thompson

I was offline for several hours yesterday, navigating the crowded airport in Denver to make my way back home to NC. I have to tell you, the buzz about Sarah Palin's selection by McCain as his veep was happening all over the place. And the buzz wasn't good. Most people were aghast at this choice and what it says about John McCain.

I happened to run into a well-known congressman who was on my flight, and he was appalled by Palin's selection, particularly because of her record on the environment. One woman I spoke to as I passed through first class to the "cheap seats" was laughing hysterically at Palin's "qualifications" to be a heartbeat away from the presidency. Another person came up to me (I had a PHB t-shirt on), and said that he moved out of Boston because of the sucktastic, flip-flopping Mitt Romney, but he still expected McCain to suck it up and go with the former Massachusetts governor before hooking up with someone with as thin a resume as Palin.

All you need to know is that McCain got down on his knees before James Dobson and gave up the VP slot to the extremists.

“Sen. McCain’s selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is an outstanding choice that should be extremely reassuring to the conservative base of his party. She is a strong executive who hates corruption and puts principle above politics. After floating the names of Tom Ridge and Sen. Joe Lieberman in recent weeks – selections that would have created consternation among pro-family Republicans – Sen. McCain has chosen a solid conservative who has a reputation for espousing common sense.

“Gov. Palin’s commitment to the sanctity of life is not just a political position. She was advised to abort her fifth and youngest child when it was learned he had Down syndrome. She refused. That’s bravery and integrity in action.

“Gov. Palin’s views align with Sen. McCain’s own stated position that human life is precious and must be protected – and that gives us confidence he will keep his pledges to voters regarding the kinds of justices he would nominate to the Supreme Court and the way he would conduct our nation’s domestic and international affairs. This selection by Sen. McCain is a very encouraging sign for his campaign.

As predicted, the sentiment at Gay Patriot is glowing for the 20-month governor of Alaska. She's now deemed the "gay man's diva." She's getting high marks for looks, since the substance is MIA.

I’ve always defined a diva as a strong, confident woman who commands the respect of men, the type of woman we gay men love.

Watching the Alaska Governor address the crowd in Denver earlier today, I was captivated. Sarah Palin held up well in her first appearance on the national political stage. Not only did she sound good, but she looked good. This lady has style.  I mean, you gotta love a politician whose hair reminds you of Audrey Hepburn.

The alleged experience touted over there is the fact that as a governor, she's commanded her state's national guard and thus has more gravitas than Obama. I sh*t you not. John McCain and Sarah Palin met only six months ago and spoke only once by phone before he offered her the job of Vice President. Again, is this the kind of depth of decision making and consideration we'd see from commander-in-chief McCain? Again, if Obama had selected someone with this thin a resume, these guys would be all over it like white on rice.

Isn't it nice to be aligned with Gary Bauer and Tony Perkins who said:

"Governor Palin also believes that marriage is between one man and one woman. In a speech in 2006, she expressed her disappointment in an Alaskan Supreme Court ruling ordering that the state provide benefits to same-sex partners. 'I disagree with the recent court decision because I feel as though Alaskans spoke on this issue with its overwhelming support for a Constitutional Amendment in 1998 which defined marriage as between a man and woman.'"

No sane voter wants to elect a 72-year-old man who thinks he can hand over the car keys to an unqualified GOP-bot like Palin. Oh my bad -- the Log Cabin Republicans think she's just peachy keen. And this talk that she has gay friends is BS; what friend wants to deny other friends their civil rights? Gay City News:

Some press reports following the McCain campaign announcement have repeated that right-wing rhetorical flourish that has Palin declaring that she has gay friends. That softer image is not what some Alaskans saw.

"That's just completely wrong," said Allison E. Mendel, the attorney who brought the 1999 case. "She spoke on radio programs all throughout the campaign saying, 'I want a constitutional amendment, I think these things are only for a man and a woman.' ... I don't think she's ever said a friendly word about gay people, that they ought to have health benefits like other people do or anything along those lines."

On AIDS issues, Palin simply has no record at all.