Palin Aide Fires Back at Reported McCain Camp Slams

[RamboLiberal]

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But longtime Palin staffer Meg Stapleton is lashing back at anonymous critics within the McCain-Palin presidential campaign, telling ABC News they are attacking the former vice presidential candidate with distortions and blaming her for the Republican National Committee's own missteps.

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However, Stapleton told ABC News the Fox News report on Africa and NAFTA was taken out of context. She explained that during a briefing session, someone asked Palin to explain the McCain-Palin stance on an issue, and as she was responding, "in the middle, she said 'country of Africa' and somebody instantly wrote it down and said, 'Oh, my God, she thinks it's a country.'"

But "she knows it's a continent," Stapleton said. "It was just a human mistake, just like Obama saying 57 states. I don't think anyone ever doubted that Obama knows there are 50 states."

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Stapleton claimed there also was a directive to buy any and all clothes before Sept. 4, the day the Republican convention in St. Paul, Minn., ended, so that it could be buried as part of other convention costs.

"They said, 'Bill the convention under wardrobe so that the cost could be hidden,'" Stapleton said. "And then they realized and they were told that's illegal. So, then they said, 'OK, how do we make this legal and appropriate?' So, they had somebody pay for it and then the RNC would reimburse them."

http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/Politics/story?id=6196407&page=1

[Sarah Ibarruri]

A "human mistake?" She has nothing BUT "human mistakes." The woman is an IDIOT nt

[TheDonkey]

1. oooooooh I hope the Palin aides start getting nasty. Rethuglican civil war is fun!

:popcorn:

[Raschel]

4. I wonder if they'll start spilling tidbits about John and Cindy.....

[City Lights]

25. I agree!

:popcorn:

[ErinBerin84]

2. the problem is

that it is relatively easy and believable to think that Palin would think this, because it plays into other things she had said...and fuck her. 57 states? Time to get over it, Bucko.

[marylanddem]

3. I have NO fondness for Palin but these people sniping from

their hiding places because McCain picked someone totally unqualified - well, they are lower than low slime.
And sexism is coming out here - picking on her as an airhead with a taste for expensive clothes - THEY FUCKING CHOSE HER SO WHO'S THE BIGGER AIRHEAD HERE & WHO IS SO FILTHY RICH HE CAN AFFORD MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN EXPENSIVE CLOTHES & A DOZEN FUCKING HOUSES?

[LiberalAndProud]

8. Right on.

McCain made a horrendous choice, that is clear. If Palin is as uninformed, uneducated and unfit as this, McCain is to blame.

Country first, my ass.

[Kind of Blue]

9. Totally agree. I can't stand the woman either. But they had no

problem, knowing that she is unqualified, allowing the charade to continue. Sheesh, there should be a backlash against them and they should be outed and questioned and then severely beaten. But I guess I'd have to wait until the Palin hatefest simmers down first.

[murbley40]

34. My thoughts, exactly!!!

[adigal]

35. The Wasilla Hillbilly bought her 7 yr old daughter a Vuitton

handbag costing $1500! And you feel sorry for her?? She was getting while the getting was good, that greedy, crooked Palin.

[Blue_In_AK]

5. Meghan spinning like a top again.

She's going to make herself sick.

[Aqaba]

6. A picture is worth a thousand words...animated gifs however...

[Kind of Blue]

7. So happy to see that animation again! It's too cool. Thanx.

[snake in the grass]

20. Many moons ago, I saw this gif...

...while at work but couldn't download it. When I got home, it was lost. This was before I figured out how to use 'My DU'. Thank you so much as my collection would not be complete without it. Cabbage patch-Joe just cracks me up! I would love to be in that car but, alas, there is no more room!

[Cha]

10. When you say "the country of Africa" it's

a pretty sure bet people are going to interpret that as you thinking it's a country!

Obama said "57 states"..nobody forgets that one..when was that.. during the primaries when he'd been to about 57 states?:P

[Morning Dew]

15. Well, you can hear his thought process in what he said

it was a pretty simple speaking error. He siply didn't back up after saying fifty ... and continued the sentence.

Here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpGH02DtIws

[Cha]

18. I've never seen that..thanks, Morning Dew

Happened in Oregon..I'm not really sure how he was thinking what he said.. but he's our Prez:bounce:

[Jennicut]

11. I have no love for Sarah but John McLame and co should ultimately be blamed

and they can't lay it all at Palin's feet. She is an idiot-but she is THEIR idiot! They chose her, and Bill Kristol, Dick Morris, Fred Barnes and the rest should be ashamed of themselves. The woman had no intellect to be VP. Its a damn important job now, much more in the past. Just look at the exit polls too- over 60 % thought Biden was qualified to be VP and less then 40 % thought Palin was. We were scared of her being VP so she was a drag on his ticket but he is to blame for that, not her.

[Blue_In_AK]

17. I agree with that.

Sarah was going along okay as governor with a lot of help from her allies, mostly Democrats, in the state legislature. Because she was so much more appealing than Frank Murkowski, her predecessor, and because the state was basically rolling in money (and she was keeping her batshit crazy social beliefs undercover) she was popular. But that means NOTHING when it comes to the ability to be vice president of the U.S. McCain's first mistake was looking at her popularity ratings in Alaska and assuming that that would translate to popularity on his ticket -- WITHOUT ASKING ANYONE HERE IF SHE WAS QUALIFIED. Wouldn't you think he'd talk to the people who had been working with her for two years, some of her constituents, her neighbors even? He didn't talk to anybody in Alaska -- we were so shocked when she was picked, and we knew it would be a disaster from Day One. Literally everybody I know was rolling on the floor laughing when we heard that McCain had chosen her -- and the politicians -- especially her Republican enemies -- were horrified.

McCain was just a fool. And, you know, if you're going to be a "maverick," it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to pick a maverick for your running mate, someone who might go all "rogue" on you. You're just asking for trouble. What you do is pick someone who will go along with the program and follow directions. That's not Sarah.

[Trajan]

12. Sarah Palin is a self engrossed ignoramus .....

AND, John McCain was a fool to pick her ....
These are independent, coincident facts ....

I have no cause to defend Sarah Palin for her ignorance that I do McCain for his ....

I would FURTHER heap derision on William Kristol AND the GOP for having the unmitigated gaul to try and foist this dumbshit on the American people as a Leader ....

[TahitiNut]

13. 'OK, how do we make this legal and appropriate?'

Standard GOP answer: launder the money and "bury the costs." Why not compound the illegality? Fucking crooks!

:grr:

[gardenista]

14. I love how she tries to get a slam in at Obama

And, what kind of fool attacks the RNC and ever hopes for a political future in that party?

Just a whole lotta stupid to go around in that crowd.

[progressivebydesign]

16. There never should have been a "McCain Camp" and separate "Palin Camp"

We all smelled that trouble a mile away when we started hearing of "Palin's camp" separate from McCain's. You just don't have opposing and separate forces when you run with a VP.

[krkaufman]

19. I'm not sure how that explanation for the clothing purchases helps ...

... and it doesn't address the newest stories of add'l expenditures.

[jsmirman]

21. Exact-a-mundo - how the fuck does that have anything to do w/ 250k

in COSTS???

Tell me that you lying liar, Stapleton.

Those among you who have the slightest inclination to stand up for Palin don't get it at all.

The woman is DANGEROUS. She is evil, she is stupid, and she is infinitely willing. She needs to be burned to the ground and salted, so that she may never "rear her little head" again.

She is a complete fucking idiot. She still didn't know who was in NAFTA, for Godsakes.

She was willing to say ANYTHING to large, hateful crowds, including inane stuff like parroting to Acorn BS and the pitiful coal canard.

She sucks. Anything that damages her is good. And how conservatives can support this woman as anything other than an embarrassment is astounding to me.

When you add to her ignorance and her spectacular lack of interest in anything the fact that she clearly views a government position as an opportunity to start looting as fast as she can - I can't believe anyone would support her.

LUGGAGE? Louis Vuitton bags? All that other crap? The woman is a venal, greedy, disgusting MONSTER.

[krkaufman]

22. personally, I'm torn between putting an end to her political career, entirely, and ...

... keeping it on life-support enough that the fundies still view her as viable for 2012, facilitating a bloodbath civil war for the GOP nomination. (the fundies aren't going to let their chance to have "one of them" in the White House slip away without a fight)

[jsmirman]

24. I'm afraid that she's so dangerous that she needs to be exposed and dismissed *now*

I certainly see the other rationale, but the more I think about her, the more I am overwhelmed by the feeling that she is a vapid evil that needs to be bottled and tossed.

That should be her perfume line, actually... "Vapid Evil" by Sarah Palin

[krkaufman]

27. Yeah, I think you're right... on the off chance that she could get lucky ...

... in 2012, or later.

[ipfilter]

33. I couldn't agree more.

As fun as a Presidential run would be for us, she is far too dangerous and needs to go away right now.

[Why Syzygy]

23. I knew she wouldn't be able to maintain silence

about the "anonymous" reports. Also there were reports she was told to buy three suits, not outfit her herd for the coming winter. Did you see Piper's "Halloween" costume? "Snow Princess" Fur from head to toe. That's for the home state. Sure wasn't for Phoenix, AZ.

I really don't have a problem with them providing her wardrobe. It's how she abused the opportunity by including her family and friends. How can she justify that? The Palin's are not poor people. They have their own sea plane and a couple of boats.

[CitizenPatriot]

32. but in doing so, they violated the campaign finance rule McCain passed

irony, thy name is GOP.

__________



"In what has to be one of the most embarrassing turn of events for the McCain campaign thus far, it appears that in purchasing $150,000 worth of clothes for Sarah Palin and her family, McCain and his campaign and/or the RNC have violated the 2002 McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform Act. A link to the entire text of the law and the relevant text are below. Only a lawyer would know for sure if this constitutes a breach of the law but the spirit of the law was definitely broken by the RNC, Palin and the McCain campaign:

http://www.opednews.com/articles/McCain-Campaign-Violat ...

for starters:

SEC. 313. USE OF CONTRIBUTED AMOUNTS FOR CERTAIN PURPOSES.
(a) PERMITTED USES-

...
(b) PROHIBITED USE-

(1) IN GENERAL- A contribution or donation described in subsection (a) shall not be converted by any person to personal use.

(2) CONVERSION- For the purposes of paragraph (1), a contribution or donation shall be considered to be converted to personal use if the contribution or amount is used to fulfill any commitment, obligation, or expense of a person that would exist irrespective of the candidate's election campaign or individual's duties as a holder of Federal office, including--

(A) a home mortgage, rent, or utility payment;
(B) a clothing purchase;
(C) a noncampaign-related automobile expense;
(D) a country club membership;
(E) a vacation or other noncampaign-related trip;
(F) a household food item;
(G) a tuition payment;
(H) admission to a sporting event, concert, theater, or other form of entertainment not associated with an election campaign; and
(I) dues, fees, and other payments to a health club or recreational facility.'

.more

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h107 -...

[crazy_vanilla]

26. ooooh, music to my ears, Sarah is going doooooooooown nt

[JackBeck]

28. There's a difference, though, Stapleton, between Obama and Palin.

By the time Obama misspoke, he had already established that he had the capacity to think, reason and debate in broadly intellectual terms.

Palin...not so much.

[yellowcanine]

29. 'OK, how do we make this legal and appropriate?' Seems kind of ass backwards, no?

Maybe they should be aware of the laws and THEN decide on an action, rather then deciding on an action and then trying to figure out how to make it legal.

[tanyev]

30. Erm...you're not helping her very much, Meg.

But thanks for playing.

[rvablue]

31. I know this is off topic but why has the issue of Todd claiming to build and entire house

himself fallen to the way side.

This man doesn't have construction experience. There is no way someone built a house with his buddies even though some have said they did here on DU...but those folks probably were contractors themselves or worked in the construction business themselves.

Ugh. It's like that VV article came out and then it got forgotten.

I don't ever want to see this witch again.....

[SweetieD]

36. wow that whole Clothing deal is still not sounding good to me. Was that meant to clear

up the situation? If anything, that will get them in more hot water.