links for 2009-07-03

After Alaska Governor Sarah Palin announced today that she would step down the news made front page headlines and quickly spread online. But another story concerning Palin also cropped up: A Huffington Post blogger named Erik Nelson, whose bio states that he has “written for several comedy websites and published short fiction while living in the deep South,” published a “satirical” post claiming that Palin was trying to spread “retardation” across America. The post specifically referenced her son Trig.

After outraged bloggers and Twitter users began linking to the piece, it was pulled from the site. Thinking that HuffPo editors were the ones that pulled it, I emailed Nelson to request the interview.

The Huffington Post, an official arm of the Obama administration, published an article a few minutes ago on the resignation of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin with the following headline: Palin Will Run in '12 on More Retardation Platform

To make sure that the article's reference to Gov. Palin's infant son Trig who was born with Down Syndrome last year, the article is keyword tagged by the Huffington Post: …Sarah Palin Trig; Trig; Comedy News

The article is authored by Erik Sean Nelson was posted at the Huffington Post at 6 p.m. EDT.

The text of the article:

Now that strikes me as beltway talk, even micro-beltway talk. Schmidt's behavior would not be excusable even if the thing's he said we're proven true (and I don't think they have been). Schmidt was given a monumental privilege, to essentially run a presidential campaign for a candidate who, despite his flaws, was about as honorable a politician as we've seen in a very long time (yes, sometimes McCain's honor crossed the line into vanity). Schmidt's leaking and self-aggrandizing during the campaign and after reflects poorly on him, and needlessly embarrassed the candidate — regardless of the merits of his complaints. The man is not a journalist, he's not a priest, he's not Thomas More. He's a very, very partisan campaign functionary and his behavior has been tacky, his judgment questionable and his loyalty beyond dubious.
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Steve Schmidt is a horses ass and should never be allowed to run a GOP campaign again.I, for one, will never donate to a GOP campaign that has anything to do w/ him

I am told the Associated Press is calling around to New Hampshire Republican political operatives asking if they've been talking to Sarah Palin about a presidential run. So far, no one's given an indication that they are.

Just spoke to a consultant plugged in with a non-McCain Republican presidential candidate from 2008. His first words: “Steve Schmidt wins.”

“I don’t think she’s toast (for future office). But this makes it more difficult. I’m trying to think of a candidate who launched a serious national bid after one term or less*… I guess the last one would be Romney, and he had done one full term.”

On the theory that the scrutiny of her children was the straw that broke the camel's back, the consultant said, “From the interaction I’ve had with her, that would make some sense.” He noted that Palin had been “really down” at one point after the 2008 convention, largely from being separated from Todd and her children for days at a time; the campaign leadership was nudged to have the family traveling with her as much as possible, having a major impact on her morale. “They finally let her be a mom…”
The consultant also noted that Palin is now free to make a lucrative amount of money

Hi Alaska, I appreciate speaking directly TO you, the people I serve, as your Governor.

People who know me know that besides faith and family, nothing's more important to me than our beloved Alaska. Serving her people is the greatest honor I could imagine.

I want Alaskans to grasp what can be in store for our state. We were purchased as a territory because a member of President Abe Lincoln's cabinet, William Seward, providentially saw in this great land, vast riches, beauty, strategic placement on the globe, and opportunity. He boldly looked "North to the Future". But he endured such ridicule and mocking for his vision for Alaska, remember the adversaries scoffed, calling this "Seward's Folly". Seward withstood such disdain as he chose the uncomfortable, unconventional, but RIGHT path to secure Alaska, so Alaska could help secure the United States.

"I have been told she is out of politics period."

"She has had it and [is] out of politics."

"She is fed up with politics, she doesn't like her life, she needs to raise her family."

"She really does not want to run for higher office."

"She has told some of her biggest backers in the national Republican party that they are free to chose other candidates for 2012."

As I expected, the e-mail in response to my column is all over the place this morning, but there's a heavy dose of sophomoric name-calling. Here's a smattering (all asterisks are mine):
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Kind of sophomoric how Goldberg reprints letters trying to vindicate his weak arguments at National Review.
A National Review clearly supported and coached by Mitt Romney.

Former Sen. John Sununu (R) will not run to succeed retiring Sen. Judd Gregg (R) in New Hampshire in 2010, according to the Associated Press.

At Wednesday’s Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Board meeting, chairman H.R. Crawford – a former District Council member and Marion Barry confidante – told fellow Board members that he has heard talk on Capitol Hill about yanking former President Ronald Reagan’s name off the local airport and returning it to its previous generic moniker: National Airport.

“It was just a discussion. We’re not aware of anything specific,” MWAA spokeswoman Tara Hamilton later told The Examiner.

It’s clear that the current crop of congressional leaders want no part of Reagan’s grand conservative vision for America, but erasing all trace of his memory from an airport that’s already been named in his honor is about as petty as you can get.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will use next week's Moscow talks to relieve President Barack Obama of mistaken impressions he remains mired in Cold War thinking, Putin's spokesman said on Firday.

The spokesman was reacting to comments Obama made in a pre-trip interview. The U.S. leader told the Associated Press that Putin needed to "understand that the Cold War approach to U.S.-Russian relationship is outdated" and that Putin had "one foot in the old ways of doing business."

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in mildly-expressed comments, said: "I see that he does not possess full information. After visiting Moscow, President Obama will know the realities better.

"Judging by these statements it is very good that the meeting with Prime Minister Putin is on President Obama's agenda. I am sure that after the meeting with Putin, President Obama will change his point of view," Peskov added.

North Korea may be about to carry out another nuclear test, the British ambassador in Pyongyang has said.

North Korea carried out a nuclear test in May – a move that experts said put it closer to having a working nuclear bomb.

"We cannot rule out that a further nuclear test will take place," said Peter Hughes, the British ambassador to North Korea.

"Yesterday, two short-range missiles were launched and you'll have seen reports that there may be a launch of an ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) in the coming days or weeks," he said.

North Korea's rocket launch in April was widely seen as a disguised long-range missile test that violated UN resolutions banning it from ballistic missile launches.

Britain warned it could face more than 100,000 daily cases of swine flu and the United States called a meeting of top officials as governments grappled on Friday with a resurgent swine flu pandemic.

The warning from British Health Secretary Andy Burnham came as the Japanese health ministry said doctors had detected the second case worldwide of a patient resistant to the anti-viral Tamiflu, widely used to treat the illness.