Sarah Palin: "I have a husband," she said. "I think I could have used a wife.

[HipChick]

Mangling everything in its path, Typhoon Sarah blows in to Asia

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-mangling-everything-in-its-path-typhoon-sarah-blows-in-to-asia-1792305.html

Grotesque, unprecedented, bizarre, unbelievable. Sarah Palin was all of that in Hong Kong yesterday. And more. Dressed in a cutesy virgin-white blouse and black skirt with the infamous bee-hive hairdo, she was a blessing to every predicting spectator.

"There'll be one or two self-deprecating remarks, a reference to healthcare, taxation, out-of-control spending and a poorly told joke," my investor companion muttered when the lady walked on to the stage of the Hyatt conference room. All he forgot was the bit about Islamic terror. Alas, she did not fail us. "No recording, no photography, no video tapes, no mobile phones," they kept shouting over the public address system. And you could see why.

It was Sarah's trip to Asia and her first appearance since her resignation as Alaska's top Mum. In her state capital, she told us, you could see a moose in the middle of the city. It was not a common sight in Hong Kong. Why, in Alaska, where 20,000 square miles of the state was glacial and with only two humans per square mile, "it seems to me that God just chucked this bucketful of resources there". It was then we realised that whoever wrote the Palin sermon for her, they had – mercilessly – allowed some of the real Sarah to show through. Even husband Todd got a mention. He had flown with her into Hong Kong. And – here was a reference to the Alaska fish and caviar consumed in this "beautiful", "magnificent" and "libertarian" part of China – "some of the fruits of our labour, mine and Todd's, ended up on tables here". The caviar at the Hyatt, it should be added, comes from Iran.

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More Robert Fisk articles
But Alaska was more than just a fish market. It was "the air-crossroads to the world" where "Main Street, for me, it's a small town tucked between two mountain ranges". It went on and on. Alaska was "the last frontier", a "place where you can still feel that pioneering mountain spirit... It has shaped me." We sat there, mystified. Was she trying for the presidency next time round? Or re-election to the governorship of that wretched glacial state?

To prove her shining Republicanism, Sarah quoted Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. She quoted Lincoln. She quoted Thomas Jefferson. History and common sense were not on the side of liberalism and "utopian pipe dreams". But there'd been progress. In the past, we had the "horse and buggy business", she said, then Ford came along with the motor car and the kids sat singing in the back, but now the kids have headsets. And what happened to the Reagan legacy? "Many Republicans in Washington gambled it away."

She talked, of course, about the infamous "death panels" – a big smirk here from Sarah – and "market-friendly responsible ideas" (this must have been the speech-writer) and offered slippery advice: "We can responsibly develop our resources without damaging the environment."

She spoke too fast. She gabbled her words. Scatty was the word for it. We slalomed between the fall of the Berlin Wall, the break-up of Yugoslavia and 9/11. Then it started. The war on "vicious terrorism", the war against "violent fanatics who wished to end our way of life", our battle against "radical Islamic extremists" with "twisted vision". This was not a clash of civilisations but "a war within Islam". We slalomed again. Asia – "what an amazing place!" – was at its best "when it was not dominated by a single power".

What on earth was happening? Had Sarah just looked up from her podium and seen China? Addressing what was surely the neo-conservative wing of the Republican party, she could not "turn a blind eye" to Chinese policies that created "uncertainty", which supported "questionable regimes" and "made a lot of people nervous". America wasn't going to impose its values on other countries, but America was going to have to "ramp up" its defence spending.

Then family again. "I have a husband," she said. "I think I could have used a wife. He's awesome." This really floored the Chinese. Poor Todd.

[uppityperson]

1. I never saw a moose in Juneau, lots of bears.Saw moose in Fairbanks & Anchorage, but not the capital

I wonder if she knows what the capital city is?

[MineralMan]

9. I saw a couple of moose in Haines, just up from Juneau.

[Tansy_Gold]

2. Gloria Steinem -- sorry, Judy Syfers Brady made that one famous a generation or more ago

I'll look for a link.


(Edited to add link and correct my erroneous attribution)



http://www.cwluherstory.org/why-i-want-a-wife.html

by Judy Syfers (1971)

(Editors Note: This classic piece of feminist humor appeared in the premier issue of Ms. Magazine and was widely circulated in the women's movement.)

I belong to that classification of people known as wives. I am A Wife.

And, not altogether incidentally, I am a mother. Not too long ago a male friend of mine appeared on the scene fresh from a recent divorce. He had one child, who is, of course, with his ex-wife. He is looking for another wife. As I thought about him while I was ironing one evening, it suddenly occurred to me that I too, would like to have a wife. Why do I want a wife?

I would like to go back to school so that I can become economically independent, support myself, and if need be, support those dependent upon me. I want a wife who will work and send me to school. And while I am going to school I want a wife to take care of my children. I want a wife a wife to keep track of the children's doctor and dentist appointments. And to keep track of mine, too. I want a wife to make sure my children eat properly and are kept clean. I want a wife who will wash the children's clothes and keep them mended. I want a wife who is a good nurturing attendant to my children, who arranges for their schooling, makes sure that they have an adequate social life with their peers, takes them to the park, the zoo, etc. I want a wife who takes care of the children when they are sick, a wife who arranges to be around when the children need special care, because, of course, I cannot miss classes at school. My wife must arrange to lose time at work and not lose the job. It may mean a small cut in my wife's income from time to time, but I guess I can tolerate that. Needless to say, my wife will arrange and pay for the care of the children while my wife is working.

I want a wife who will take care of my physical needs. I want a wife who will keep my house clean. A wife who will pick up after my children, a wife who will pick up after me. I want a wife who will keep my clothes clean, ironed, mended, replaced when need be, and who will see to it that my personal things are kept in their proper place so that I can find what I need the minute I need it. I want a wife who cooks the meals, a wife who is a good cook. I want a wife who will plan the menus, do the necessary grocery shopping, prepare the meals,serve them pleasantly, and then do the cleaning up while I do my studying. I want a wife who will care for me when I am sick and sympathize with my pain and loss of time from school. I want a wife to go along when our family takes a vacation so that someone can continue care for me and my when I need a rest and change of scene. I want a wife who will not bother me with rambling complaints about a wife's duties. But I want a wife who will listen to me when I feel the need to explain a rather difficult point I have come across in my course of studies. And I want a wife who will type my papers for me when I have written them.

I want a wife who will take care of the details of my social life. When my wife and I are invited out by my friends, I want a wife who take care of the baby-sitting arrangements. When I meet people at school that I like and want to entertain, I want a wife who will have the house clean, will prepare a special meal, serve it to me and my friends, and not interrupt when I talk about things that interest me and my friends. I want a wife who will have arranged that the children are fed and ready for bed before my guests arrive so that the children do not bother us. I want a wife who takes care of the needs of my quests so that they feel comfortable, who makes sure that they have an ashtray, that they are passed the hors d'oeuvres, that they are offered a second helping of the food, that their wine glasses are replenished when necessary, that their coffee is served to them as they like it. And I want a wife who knows that sometimes I need a night out by myself.

I want a wife who is sensitive to my sexual needs, a wife who makes love passionately and eagerly when I feel like it, a wife who makes sure that I am satisfied. And, of course, I want a wife who will not demand sexual attention when I am not in the mood for it. I want a wife who assumes the complete responsibility for birth control, because I do not want more children. I want a wife who will remain sexually faithful to me so that I do not have to clutter up my intellectual life with jealousies. And I want a wife who understands that my sexual needs may entail more than strict adherence to monogamy. I must, after all, be able to relate to people as fully as possible.

If, by chance, I find another person more suitable as a wife than the wife I already have, I want the liberty to replace my present wife with another one. Naturally, I will expect a fresh, new life; my wife will take the children and be solely responsible for them so that I am left free.

When I am through with school and have a job, I want my wife to quit working and remain at home so that my wife can more fully and completely take care of a wife's duties.

My God, who wouldn't want a wife?

[EFerrari]

7. I used to say that.

And then I realized that it would be wrong to do that to another person.

lol

[jasmeel]

23. I always think about that article. It's a classic! I want a wife too!

or a good housekeeper...

[iris27]

26. Steinem's was similar, though...I think it was roughly that we should

become the men we'd want to marry (meaning in terms of independence and goals, not relying on a man for self-fulfillment).

[malaise]

3. She's batshit crazy

Just forget her

[Ezlivin]

4. She can see a ménage à trois from her porch?

She wants to SWING on that front porch!

[BuelahWitch]

21. With Tina Fey, perhaps?

Wouldn't that be the ultimate in narcissism?

[ThePantaloon.com]

5. Watching all that porn turned her gay...

[Quantess]

19. Nah, she just is trying to titillate the audience.

I wonder if she winked when she said it.

[JackRiddler]

20. Ya think?

[XOKCowboy]

6. "wretched glacial state" That might be going a little far...

That's smearing a beautiful state just because the people there elected this nutbag as governor. Otherwise I love the article!

[Blue_In_AK]

12. Thank you.

There is nothing wretched about Alaska, and the only reason Sarah was elected was because we didn't really know who she was. We had just come off four years of Frank Murkowski, the least popular governor in the country at the time he left office, and Sarah seemed fresh and honest. That's the image she was very careful to present. She promised openness and transparency. The people of Wasilla were not forthcoming about her "issues" out there -- most of us only learned of those things after she was picked by John McCain.

I didn't vote for her, of course, but I know many people who did who are very sorry now.

Here's an interesting op ed piece that appeared in the Anchorage Daily News this morning written by former Republican governor Wally Hickel (actually, he ran as the Alaska Independence Party candidate that year - long story), who was Sarah's political mentor. Even he has nothing nice to say about her.

http://www.adn.com/opinion/comment/hickel/story/950504.html

<snip>

During the presidential primaries last year, I liked what I saw in Barack Obama. I didn't see him as black. I saw him as a young American with a deep understanding of what America was meant to be and how we could regain our moral standing in the world.

When Gov. Sarah Palin surprised us by joining Sen. John McCain on the Republican ticket, I agreed to support her, sticking to my commitment to put "Alaska first." When she took the podium at the Republican National Convention, however, I was greatly disappointed. The race-against-race and class-against-class message of the McCain/Palin campaign was transparent.

I urged Sarah to take control of her message and appealed to her in this column "to rise above the worn-out, negative tactics of presidential politics and assume the role of stateswoman." (Op Ed of September 14, 2008).

My hopes were dashed. Palin became the spokesperson for the divisive voices in American politics. She dismissed the greatness of our immigrant heritage, indeed of today's Alaska, where in Anchorage alone nearly 100 languages are spoken in the homes of the children in our public schools.

She missed a golden opportunity to challenge the rest of the country to adopt the welcoming spirit of the Alaska frontier and the message of mutual respect championed by Bridge Builders of Anchorage and the School District that helped us win All-America City honors in 2002.

<snip>

[XOKCowboy]

15. You're welcome Blue..

I've got Alaska's back (so to speak). I feel a little responsible since many of my redneck Okie friends (and my older brother) inundated your state to build the Pipeline. Some elected to stay and that sure didn't help your political demographic any.

I've never been to Alaska (it's one of only 2 states I haven't visited) but hope to one day soon. Keep up the good work up there!

[Blue_In_AK]

16. Thanks, XOK

And you're right about the rednecks during the Pipeline, bless there little hearts. :rofl: A lot of people forget that Alaska was a pretty Democratic state prior to the Pipeline days with Bob Bartlett, Ernest Gruening, Nick Begich, Mike Gravel, etc. Hopefully, we'll get there again.

We'll look forward to seeing you. There were some really good deals on cruises this year, probably will be next year, too. :)

[saracat]

8. What she could have used was an education.

[dkf]

10. hahaha. I needed a good laugh.

Thanks for making my day.

[ShortnFiery]

11. Sorry but "Who cares?" Her 15 minutes are up - not even entertaining any longer. eom

[BumRushDaShow]

13. OMG!!!

:rofl:

Brits have a way with the language that is unprecedented in it's ability to hurl well-planted insult after well-planted insult without using an obscenity.

Well done Mr. Fisk! :applause:

[lunatica]

14. Now the rest of the world gets it's turn

I'm not too sure, because you can never be with her, but I think she can't get a rabble to rise in other countries can she? Can she talk of the 'real Chinese' as opposed to the rest of the Chinese?

[tanyev]

17. Sarah supports gay marriage!

Who knew?

:wow:

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

18. Hong Kong Sarah. Cuddling up to those commies.......

:rofl:

[SOS]

22. She meant "maid"

According to Levi Johnson, Palin sits around in her pajamas all day watching soap operas while Todd drinks beer in the garage.
The kids are ordered to bring her burritos from Taco Bell.

Palin wants a "wife" to cook and clean for her.
She's a traditionalist!

[Nikki Stone1]

24. +1

Yup.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

25. A man needs a maid

My life is changing
in so many ways
I don't know who
to trust anymore
There's a shadow running
thru my days
Like a beggar going
from door to door.

I was thinking that
maybe I'd get a maid
Find a place nearby
for her to stay.
Just someone
to keep my house clean,
Fix my meals and go away.

A maid. A man needs a maid.

[Orsino]

27. I'll be in my bunk. n/t

[ezgoingrl]

28. She's a pioneer!

The Chinese now have a new phrase to add to their language, "word salad".