Sarah Palin: ‘Waterboarding is how we’d baptize terrorists’ in her administration

The Washington Times ^ | April 26, 2016 | David Sherfinski

[jazusamo]

INDIANAPOLIS — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin fired up a crowd of thousands inside Lucas Oil Stadium Saturday night to kick off the National Rifle Association’s “Stand and Fight Rally,” saying Americans’ constitutional rights as envisioned by the founding fathers are under attack and policies like gun-free zones constitute “stupid on steroids.”

“They knew that if the Second Amendment goes, the rest of the constitution is not far behind,” she said of the country’s founders.

In her approximately 12-minute address, Mrs. Palin also derided what she argued is akin to a ‘blame the messenger’ attitude on gun violence many Americans take today.

“Gun stores are an accomplice to crime,” she said, “and that fork made me fat.”

Mrs. Palin, plucked from relative political obscurity to be the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee, still enjoys significant support among elements of the party’s base, and was at times received like a rock star inside the complex adjacent to the Indiana Convention Center, where much of the gun rights group’s annual meeting has taken place.

[dforest]

This remark Palin made is very attention getting. And it will get attention, but the wrong kind. But I don’t think she cares. She is used to it.

I doubt she plans on running for office by making a remark such as that. It would be used to hammer her endlessly.

Truth is that terrorists do deserve to get waterboarded for info, but to say “baptize them by waterboarding them” goes a little flippant about it.

[Bratch]

Yeah, kinda like this:

"My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes."

[dforest]

McCain took a lot of heat for that. But, he is established in DC and people are used to his ways. He also lost his bid for President. He got the nomination because it was his turn and that was the only reason he got it. He also said a lot of stupid things during his campaign like “we don’t have to be worried about Obama”.

[Bratch]

April 21, 2014

Commentary and Sarah Palin

By James V. DeLong

A prominent member of the Republican establishment has decided once again to damn Sarah Palin with faint praise.

In a recent column on Susana Martinez of New Mexico, Jonathan Tobin says: “there is little doubt about the reality of another war on women: the one that is being waged by left-wing ideologues against any female Republican who dares to emerge on the national political stage.”

Tobin is a senior online editor at Commentary, so his columns provide a reasonable window into establishment Republican opinion.

Then he goes on:

While I’m no fan of Palin’s, the former Alaska governor was subjected to the sort of attacks that would never have been tried against any man, liberal or conservative. That she did not weather this assault with the sort of grace or the wit that might have undermined the effort to brand her as unready for national office is to her discredit, and her subsequent career has been handicapped by her decision to resign her office as well as a bitter tone that has left her a strong fan base but no electoral future. But there’s no denying that the attacks on her were unfair. Unfortunately, Palin’s marginalization has encouraged the political left to think it can do the same to any other Republican woman, something that New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez is just starting to learn.

Tobin's criticisms are ridiculous.  Palin was faced with a well-funded assault designed to use vague ethics laws to attack her repeatedly.  As the Progressives know well, mud sticks, so this in itself was seen as useful, and Palin, who was not personally rich, did not have the financial resources to counter a serious campaign.

So rather than play a game rigged against her that she must lose, Palin changed it by resigning.  What does Tobin think she should have done?  There is no point in putting the question to Progressives, who attack the resignation because they have no interest in truth, but it is fair to demand that the Tobins provide an answer.  Should she have gone down in a morass of personal bankruptcy and fraudulent charges so the conservative establishment could wring its collective hands over the nastiness of the left?  (Perhaps this is indeed their view; another Commentarywriter recently bemoaned the Koch brothers’ willingness to go toe to toe with Harry Reid.)

As for the “bitter” tone, what does that mean?  Palin expresses anger and firmness, but why is this “bitter”?  If the attacks were unfair, why was it wrong to meet them with anger?  And why is it wrong to keep on meeting the distortions of the left with firmness and humor?  (That Tobin thinks she lacks wit just means he has not seen her speak.)  She does not subscribe to one of Commentary’s themes, which is that we are all reasonable people and that the left will eventually be persuaded by the force of our superior logic, so she understands the importance of determination and élan.

We will see about the electoral future.  Palin will do what she does, which is rally the forces of liberty and support good candidates.  She will not triangulate or dissemble.  The current wisdom of the political class is that this does not result in electoral victories, a conclusion borne out by Obama’s success.  But political climates change, and honesty and patriotism may someday come back in style.  One would think Commentary, a staunch supporter of Israel, would appreciate Palin’s firmness.

The final bafflement is that Tobin thinks he can kowtow to the left over its treatment of Palin, but stand up to it when the same weapons are leveled against other women.  Or leveled against others who try to escape the liberal plantation, such as Justice Clarence Thomas, or Miguel Estrada, denied a judgeship by the Progressives because he is Hispanic.  To abase oneself every time the opposition finds a flaw in one’s champions is a prescription for failure.

In the end, Tobin and his ilk reveal themselves as snobs, anxious to impress the chattering class Ivy Leaguers of Washington and the coasts by rejecting this hick from Alaska.  This makes them easy prey for any leftie who looks down his nose and says of some Republican woman, “She’s not really one of us, you know.”

So they need to wise up and get in the game. And that game is not beanbag.

James V DeLong has two degrees from Harvard.  He agrees that Palin is not one of us chattering-class Ivy Leaguers; she is better than that.

[Bratch]

"That quote. I do not think it means what you think it means."

[dforest]

Which quote are you referring to?

[LuvFreeRepublic]

I do like Sarah and the speech was typical Sarah, but think she could serve our country better if she used less red meat. She will get slammed by the media for what she said and the message will get lost. Sarah needs a new approach, IMO.

[Sirius Lee]

In before the haters sh...oh, I’m too late.

[MortMan]

I think "puss of lefties" was meant to read "pi$$ off lefties".

[MortMan]

First, welcome to FR.

Second, why shouldn’t “sloganized” politics be used by BOTH sides rather than allowed to be a tool used only by the libs?

Third, why should character assassination be an acceptable means of politics (but only when practiced by the left)?

[Lower Deck]

Sarah Palin: ‘Waterboarding is how we’d baptize terrorists’ in her administration

Then why shouldn't local police departments be able to waterboard too?

[palin45potus]

Well, I think “Puss of Lefties” is such a perfect phrase that I nominate it for “Phrase of the Year”.

It could be used in such a sentence as this: “While California is actually a fairly conservative state, there is a huge Puss of Lefties in the Bay area, and then down in Los Angeles”.

Or “Texas has become a surprising target for the left due to the potential for amnesty dropping millions of Latinos into their lap, along with the huge Puss of Lefties in Austin.

Run with it, man! This is a positive evolution of the English Language. Sort of like “Refudiate” was for Palin back in 2010.

[AllAmericanGirl44]

What in the world does Beck have to do with this thread?

You do realize he carries and is a supporter, right?

God Bless Sarah for never ever being afraid to speak the truth.

All the silly haters here, you all should find a way to stand and deliver, it will amaze you what power comes from truth.

[Repeat Offender]

Because there is a difference between terrorists/combatants pulled off the battlefield outside of the U.S. and U.S. citizens arrested on the street inside the U.S.

Terrorists are unlawful enemy combatants with no rights under the Geneva Conventions, they also have no rights under the U.S. Constitution........

the suspected criminal arrested in the United States receives due process as any other citizen; in fact, even illegals arrested for crimes (aside from being an illegal and just deported) in the U.S. are given a lawyer and treated with due process.

That's why.

Further, your logic is flawed - put another way, your question could be posed, 'Why shouldn't police departments have F-18s and JDAMS?'

As you are apparently too dense to realize the police are not the military and war is not street crime.

[stockpirate]

Remember that you heard this from me, I would love to see her run for POTUS, but it AIN’T gonna happen. IMHO - she will do the same thing she did last time, which is take us to the very edge and say no.

[TADSLOS]

I think I’m in love.

[Bratch]

[Jane Long]

This remark Palin made is very attention getting. And it will get attention, but the wrong kind.

Thank you for your concern. Please do tell us exactly what the *right* kind of attention would be, and who, exactly, is saying it?

Sarah Palin is living rent free in leftist heads AND in many Pubbies' heads. That's not "flippant", it's beating them at their own game. Pretty d@m% smart, in my book.

[SoConPubbie]

You're a total phony sir, that you continue this bull of yours is beyond belief. After your inability to discern truth, your inability to realize in the face of the facts you were wrong, even today you repeat this falsehood that you KNOW TO BE WRONG, yet you continue...........so, why would anyone on FR ever listen to you again you hypocrite?

Amen Lakeshark!

[Kolath]

Half term governor and failed VP candidate says something silly to puss of lefties... Why is this front page news?

Because people such as yourself keep responding and driving up the hit counts....that’s why. Thanks dude!!!!