Sarah Palin is once again dominating the headlines. Her anticipated book release has resulted in debates about her accusations regarding the McCain campaign mishandling her as well as various news organizations studying the book to find inaccuracies. Additionally, she’s hitting the media circuit and doing more interviews in one week than I can recall seeing in all of 2008. So, I wanted to use this as an excuse to throw in my two cents.
My first though surrounds the Newsweek magazine cover. I was talking with our friend Harrison Price earlier today about this topic and how complaining about Newsweek deciding to run that cover only helps the magazine. All this complaining about the photo being “sexist” and “inappropriate” is very frustrating to me. For starters, this isn’t a doctored photo, but one that she posed for in a photo shoot for Runners World (hence the reason why she is wearing running clothes). The photo is meant to show off her wonderful body and mixing it within the illusion of power. For all of her time in elected office, Palin has been able to remain physically active and in good shape – a theme common in Runners World. It might be inappropriate since the article is not about her health but her impact on politics, but that is as far as it goes.
The complaint over the cover has only drawn attention to the magazine, and that might drive up their sales (something the magazine is needing). Also, by focusing on the photo, the media is not covering the article entitled “How Do You Solve A Problem Like Sarah? She’s bad news for the GOP – and for everybody else, too.” I haven’t had a chance to read the article yet, so I’m not sure if it is a hit piece on the former Governor or not. However, does it matter at this point? The real story is the photo, isn’t it? It’s time for this “controversy” to end and start debating the article itself.
My second thought is about the decision by Attorney General Holder’s decision to bring Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to New York to be tried in Federal Court. Leaving the whole debate about military tribunals vs Federal Court aside, there are some serious problems with what I’ve heard on this topic and the decision in general. For starters, New York City is the wrong location for this. The court is located just a few blocks away from Ground Zero. Knowing that the man that masterminded the attacks that killed thousands was being held and tried in your backyard could lead to some serious security issues. If we think back a few months ago, when the Presidential Plane was flown over lower Manhattan causing a panic, the fear and feelings of that fateful day still run strong in the hearts and minds of New Yorkers. Constant local news coverage of the trial might lead to increased anxiety to the locals as well as the potential for one of them to attempt a revenge hit on Mohammed.
I also have a problem with the way Holder has handled the media response to his decision. Stating that he wouldn’t have decided to try him in public if he wasn’t certain he could get the conviction he wants raises questions about the “fairness” of the trial. If we are going to hold Mohammed to the same legal rights that a citizen has, then having the top lawyer in the land basically guaranteeing a conviction makes the case sound as if it is rigged. Additionally, it sounds as if he is trying to taint a potential jury pool (though it will be hard to find an impartial jury in New York City as it is). But my most frustrating point is how Holder says “the ability to detain under laws of war, we would retain that ability,” that is, if Mohammed is acquitted, the government will still keep him detained and not release him. So what is the point of the trial then? And why the constant complaints about the Bush Administration not granting the detainees their day in court? Sounds hypocritical to me.
So there are my two cents worth on the frustrating issues of the day. We got to get off of these superficial media “hot topics” and start getting to the substance of the issues. The range is clear … give me your best shot.
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