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benkarlin

Listed below are comments made by benkarlin between Wednesday, 3rd September 2008 and Thursday, 4th September 2008.

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Palin's punches 12:55pm on 04 Sep 2008 The problem with your mate's suggestion of running as a ticket rom the start is that it precludes losing candidates from being selected as VP candidates. This means that heavyweights like Biden who never really had a chance of winning the nomination would have to choose between running for President and joining a ticket.

That's a problem whatever they decide because if they choose to join a ticket, you'd lose some important voices in the Presidential race which contribute to the debate even if they haven't got a shot at the nomination - let's face it, you can't make the same kind of impact as a VP candidate.

And if they go the other way and decide to run even though they have little chance of being the nominee, then some potentially brilliant VPs would be ruling themselves out of that job - Obama couldn't have picked Biden, McCain couldn't have picked the person he should have picked (Romney).

So it's an interesting and initially attractive idea, but ulitmately, I think, a flawed one.
Carly Fiorina on Sarah Palin 5:34pm on 03 Sep 2008 Firstly @#1, the Edwards 'love child' rumours were just that, and when he admitted the affair he was an ex third place candidate for nomination, not the presumptive GOP nominee for vice-president. It's not really the same thing, and Justin and the BBC have been pretty light on the Bristol Palin stuff from what I can tell - you can't deny it's news, so I don't really see your point.

Secondly, good interview. Thought she only had a good answer when you said Palin wouldn't be in this position if she were a man (which is probably true) and she came back with the bit about if Obama was a woman there's no way he would have won the nomination, which is also true. The rest of the time I was quite unconvinced, she seemed to realise she'd started the interview with a pretty weak, 'yeah well, at least she won't really be President, and McCain's OK' line, and went a bit overboard trying to make up for it, forcing herself into this sexism argument which is always going to sound weak, especially as it involves mentioning Hillary so much and one of the main points against Palin seems to be that she's a desperate attempt to get Hillary voters.

Personally I think she's a pretty poor choice, chosen seemingly more for short term tactical reasons rather than her ability to govern. I'm not 100% convinced by Obama but if VP choice is 'the first presidential decision' he owned McCain at that one.

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benkarlin