NPR posted what is most likely the only mixtape made of 40 years of campaign ads on all the internet.

Last night I received a text message that read, "God I hate how white ppl are afraid of us. You can see the fear and uncertainty as they walk past with their eyes downcast with what almost looks like shame."

This is not going to be a post about race - but about fear, perception, and reality.

Most of us have no clue what any of the financial news we heard this week meant, and no one has any clue what it means.

However, we all know that people are increasingly becoming a little scared and a little uncertain.

So, it shouldn't come as surprise that chants of "Drill, Baby, Drill" make people feel better. Even though it won't help gas prices, now or in the future, it is "doing something".

However it is surprising when President Bush asks for a 700 billion dollar bailout for our financial system.

Surprising because all of my life I have been taught that conservatives and Republicans don't believe in interfering with the financial system, believe that the market should be allowed to correct itself, and the smaller government is - the better.

Still, the reality is that the President and the Republican Party feel like they have to "do something" even if goes against "who they are" and "whose they are".

No one personifies this more than John McCain.

In his heart of hearts John McCain knows he's wrong. He knows he isn't the man he used to be. He knows that the majority of everything he says now is simply to win an election.He knows he is now sleeping with the enemy, enemies he has spent decades of his life trying to defeat. He knows he used to stand for something - something that gave many Americans hope.

He knows how much "used to" hurts.

And I can't help but wonder if, like all of us, he too is a little scared and a little uncertain?

If he wonders whether or not he could live with himself if he doesn't win the election. I wonder if he knows that this is his last shot - that the public won't let him flip/flop back to his old ways, that once you go to dark side you can never go back.

I wonder if this keeps him up at night. I wonder if this is where his rage comes from. That when he assaults Obama for having advisers tied to Freddie and Fannie is he really just saying - don't become like me. If he sees in Barack Obama the man he used to be, the man he wanted to be, the man he can no longer be.

I wonder if he hates him for it. If that hate breeds uncertainty and fear.

I wonder next Friday as they meet for the Great Debate, if when they first see each other, for the briefest of seconds, will John McCain cast his eyes downward with trembling and shame?

Lets just get it over with, because we've all been thinking it: Sarah Palin was damn attractive. Lets also remember that saying so falls slightly within the realm of "let me say something a little offensive, but I'm not a ___ist." Reducing a woman to a collection of her anatomical parts and/or sex appeal is fundamentally wrong. It only serves to further reinforce stereotypes and negative perceptions about the capabilities of "the fairer sex." As a guy, I have to be honest though: Sarah Palin is pretty attractive.

But now that its been said, can we start a dialog about this unlikely veep choice? Of all the Republicans in all the world, why someone who presides over a state with a total population smaller than Omaha, Nebraska? Is she really qualified to take the reigns if (when) McCain bites the bullet? Let's talk it out, beginning with a look at her political highlight reel concerning two major issues which I think will define the next presidency - energy policy, and women's rights:

Energy
Palin is a proponent of continued oil resource development in her home state. This includes, of course, opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for exploratory drilling. Forget the fact that the reserve supports six distinct ecosystems, including the natural habitat for the dwindling polar bear. Forget that Governor Palin opposed putting polar bears on the endangered species list, because their inhabiting the drilling area would dampen exploratory prospects. Forget that a human industrial presence in the ANWR would significantly affect its ecological balance, no matter what Big Oil tells you.

(In fact forget everything that those fancy new BP/Exxon/Shell commercials say, because what they won't say is what really matters: like the millions of barrels that spilled into the groundwater beneath Brooklyn; a spill they refuse to clean up.)

Forget that known Alaskan oil peaked in 1988. Forget that every media outlet on the planet has been reminding us that it takes at least 10 years for found oil to be processed for consumer consumption. Forget that it's been shown that, even if oil is found there, the ANWR is predicted to have a minor at best contribution to prices at the pump. Take away from this the fact that this woman is representative of the same politics which led us from $1.25 gas, to $4.50 gas and an "oh, shit...oops" attitude concerning global climate change.

Women's Rights
The ceiling has been cracked, and gender/sexuality politics is thankfully at the forefront of the American psyche.

Palin is an accomplished governor and a mother; her son will be shipping out to Iraq in September (whether he'll get the Prince William treatment is to be seen). But we, as voters and as intelligent people must mark the difference between being a woman, and being sensitive to women's issues. Palin is a lifelong member of the NRA and a prominent member of Feminists for Life, both anti-abortion and against gay-marraige. Not new positions for a Republican, but we, as a voter generation defined by a global education, and a world not easily split into black and white, deserve better than elected officials (regardless of partisan stance) who continue to address important social issues according to simple duality.

She is a proponent of consumer-driven healthcare - a system primarily designed to save employers money by shifting the burden of employee health onto the wage earners. Wage earners who also have to worry about losing their homes, filling their gas tanks, and whether their spinach will kill them.

On a positive note, I will say that I applaud her bravery in raising a child with Down syndrome; a child who will face many challenges down the road - her success as a parent will provide continued de-facto support for disability aid groups worldwide.

I'm sitting here watching James Carville about to have a shit attack live on CNN; the man is absolutely "floored" by the veep-stakes results, and it makes me wonder: was this merely political pandering by the GOP, or a move for true change on the political horizon?

let me preface this by saying... politics is not my arena, but i had to comment.

well paris, you done good girl.  first, hilt-parrious (that's a combination of hilton and paris to make a weird form of hilarious).  no matter how surprising her wit was and even if her 3rd cousin that is trying to work for the daily show, wrote the script, she pulled it off with confidence, conviction and actually sounded intelligent. a far cry from her previous filmed endeavors (simple life, porn, etc.).

second, though she did not fully support barack, she did do something that has been needed to be done for a while; return to the issues and synthesize polarizing plans to, heaven forbid, a compromise.  i'm not suggesting that the main issue that is plaguing this election year is environmental sustainability or that they just need to find a happy medium on everything (that would just make the elections zero fun), instead, move away from pulling race cards and focus on issues. 

finally, fox news has talked about the ad continuously today in their daily news segments and has shown nothing but respect for paris.  she gained a lot of fans with this quicky (no jokes people).  even my own mother said "i think this is the first time i have had any respect for that lady."  ms. hilton who doesn't get most of your family inheritance because she is a spoiled retard, you finally nailed it.  good job and kudos.