Politics: Palin

I didn't want to get into the political scrum this cycle, mainly because the choices - Obama and McCain (or, in "Battlestar Galactica" terms, Baltar and Colonel Tigh) - are pretty similar when you really think about it. Both are sitting U.S. Senators, both have platforms that can be summarized as "goody bags with something for everyone" (examples - Obama promises a tax cut for families, while McCain promises portable, affordable healtcare), both have had enough media exposure over the last few years to last a lifetime. Ho hum. Another election.

And then there's Sarah Palin.

A fairly hardcore conservative and undoubtedly a shrewd politician, Governor Palin was a surprise choice for the VP spot. I won't comment on the merits of most of her policies; you can read about those elsewhere.

What is relevant for this blog is that Palin is the most visibly, definitively, unabashedly pro-gun rights candidate in a presidential election from a major party in...well...it's been so long I can't remember (maybe JFK? He was a lifetime member of the NRA, too - but gun control wasn't much of an issue back then). This isn't someone who hunts for photo ops, or is too squeamish to handle a modern carbine (sorry for the audio - this is inside an Army rifle simulator, BTW):