SARAH PALIN UPDATE DEPT:
She speaks again, this time in an op-ed in the Washington Post, on "Climate-gate"--the leaked e-mails from climatologists that suggest some dirty dealings on the part of scientists who advocate that "global warming" is man-made. Here's the most effective section of her essay:
"I've always believed that policy should be based on sound science, not politics. As governor of Alaska, I took a stand against politicized science when I sued the federal government over its decision to list the polar bear as an endangered species despite the fact that the polar bear population had more than doubled. I got clobbered for my actions by radical environmentalists nationwide, but I stood by my view that adding a healthy species to the endangered list under the guise of "climate change impacts" was an abuse of the Endangered Species Act. This would have irreversibly hurt both Alaska's economy and the nation's, while also reducing opportunities for responsible development. Our representatives in Copenhagen should remember that good environmental policymaking is about weighing real-world costs and benefits -- not pursuing a political agenda. That's not to say I deny the reality of some changes in climate -- far from it. I saw the impact of changing weather patterns firsthand while serving as governor of our only Arctic state. I was one of the first governors to create a subcabinet to deal specifically with the issue and to recommend common-sense policies to respond to the coastal erosion, thawing permafrost and retreating sea ice that affect Alaska's communities and infrastructure. But while we recognize the occurrence of these natural, cyclical environmental trends, we can't say with assurance that man's activities cause weather changes. We can say, however, that any potential benefits of proposed emissions reduction policies are far outweighed by their economic costs."
Is former Gov. Palin trying to improve her "policy" props? Yes. Is she doing a good job of it? You betcha.
IS THE GOP DEAD? DEPT:
Nope. Rasmussen now has the likely Republican candidate up 13 points on Democratic Senator Chris Dodd in Connecticut, in advance of the 2010 Senate race there.
Dodd knows he's in trouble and has upped his visibility, news releases, etc lately. Hasn't helped him at all. Indeed, he's now further behind than he was 2 or 3 months ago.
As for President Obama's job approval, there have been 7 polls taken in the past week or 10 days or so. Five of them show Obama's approval rating under 50%. Again, a year ago, who'd a thunk it!
NFL THURSDAY NIGHT PICK:
I was 10-6 this past week! Let's keep it going...
Pittsburgh 10 over CLEVELAND. PICK: BROWNS. A pattern develops in the NFL late in the season, I believe (it's a new theory of mine). Superior teams just have a tough time covering big spreads. The weather is bad, they're injured and beat up, other teams have little to lose. That's the case here--I expect the Steelers to wind up winning this one, but they've lost 4 in a row, they're not playing well, they have injuries, and even the lowly Browns can keep it closer than 10. Did you notice what happened this past Sunday? The lowly Lions, Rams, Redskins, AND the Raiders ALL covered! (and the Raiders even won!).
