It's a fantastic tribute to Thatcher that she is so admired by conservatives around the world so long after she was in power.

Peter

Adolf Hiler and Joseph Stalin were still admired by conservatives long after they were in power, so it's hardly a recommendation!

I seem to recall an American president who was a former governor and B film actor.I seem to recall he was rather successful when it came to dealing with the Russians.This women is one tough cookie I am watching her speak now and cannot wait for Biden to "try and wipe the floor with her"

Interesting pick for sure. Certainly undercuts the McCain drumbeat of experience. 2 points. The creature she shot was an elk not a moose as posted earlier....and her 5th child not on her cheeleading website has Down Syndrome...maybe that's why she's more private with number 5.

Flipped,
Hitler and Stalin admired by conservatives?
Hitler and Stalin were respected by progressives for their social programs. Until the world became aware of the horrible atrocities they commited then they were denounced by all but the most deranged of psycopaths. But to say that conservatives ever had any respect for either of them is complete garbage/rubbish.

Palin still wins in the experience catagory compared to Obama. She is a state Governor, Obama is a very junior (freshman) Senator. He has no executive experience at all. She has been a mayor and has spent 2 years running the largest state in America, day in and day out. She isn't the product of the "Chicago Machine" politics like Obama. She knows how to get things done and won't put up with the corruption and nonsense. Alaskans are a breed apart. It will be fun to see how the democrats deal with a real woman who can hunt down, shoot, dress and cook her own dinner. She' made of the stuff that tamed and settled a continent and put mankind on the moon.

Rob,
Patrick Buchanan (famous conservative) made headlines in the 2000 US elections making the point that the US should not have gone to war with Germany and that a mutually beneficial relationship could have easily been achieved with Nazi Germany. You poodles should get up to date on your North American conservatives.

What does the commander in chief of the Alaska National Guard do, other than allowing Bush to sacrifice the sons and daughters of Alaska in Iraq? She calls out the troops to clean up the messes left on the shores of Alaska by her friends in the Oil industry.

She's also a creationist

Good God! They're recasting the Governor and JJ!

Margaret Thatcher was relatively unknown because at that time there was a glass ceiling. She'd been Minister for Education and Science, a traditional 'women's post'. Until then, that was as high as a woman could get. No woman had led a major UK political party. No woman had been UK Foreign Secretary. No woman had been UK Home Secretary. There still hasn't been a woman UK Chancellor. So how could she have been anything other than 'relatively unknown'?

The U.S., on the other hand, currently has had nearly thirty women State Governor's, women Secretaries of State - there are a number of Republican women politicians with considerably more experience than Governor Palin. So, no, I don't think the comparison with Margaret Thatcher really stands up.

Yes Phillipa, true that a more experienced candidate could have been put forward, equally the Conservatives could have elected a more experienced leader albeit a male leader. But the fact is they were both unexpected appointments and i suspect that Democrats won't know how to react to Palin in the same way Labour weren't sure how to tackle Thatcher. Looking at her CV i wouldn't underestimate her although i can't see the term "Palinism" taking off just yet.LOL

Is it genuine? It looks like a caricature to me. That said, her politics suggest an American Thatcher.

"It has long been assumed, correctly or not, that American voters would not vote for a woman who had young children at home,"

Umm, she has already been voted for - as Mayor of her local town and then as Governor. Given the choices, American right wing Christians will vote for her and McCain or stay at home - and stay at home is in effect avote for Liberal Black Obama.

She is a good choice - she has more practical executive political experience than Obama, will solidify the republican base and will snare a few of the more stupid Hilary supporters. There are supposedly juicy pictures of her in a bikini so that will snare some young red blooded red-necked males.

Thatcher had a degree in chemistry and had a good grasp of science. That's why she helped push through the Montreal protocol on CFCs. Palin favours teaching creationism in schools. There is no comparison.

While not agreeing with Republican policies, McCain has injected a dose of reality into the race for the White House with his choice of Palin as running-mate.
From an election point of view, it's now a straight choice between McCain-Palin 'reality' or the 'illusion' of Obama.
Some US political commentators are injecting that dose of real, clear politics into the debate, as I point out here:

http://theorangepartyblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/mccain-reality-or-obama-illusion.html

It is absolutely nothing to be proud of being compared to Margaret Thatcher, she brought this country to its knees, and ruined it. I shouldn't think this woman is the right person for VP she would probably bring back slavery as did Thatcher, her work is continuing under the guise of the New Labour Party.

This man needs Psychiatric treatment, she looks like and sounds like the devil incarnate to me, The two so called iron ladies would probably kill each other.

God help everyone! If this woman ever gets in.

To Vulgaris and Rentoul: the dead animal pictured is a caribou; not an elk or moose. It's the North American version of a reindeer. The antlers are quite distinct for each species.

JDomingColorado: Seriously, to the rest of us (49 out of 50 states) this is nothing but gibberish. That's why Palin is a fringe pick. Maine, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Washington have more in common with Alabama than Alaska. You can do better than Madame Defarge, Skeletor Mccain.

Not sure what your point is about the "Patrick Buchanan" spiel--an idiotic remark of course. But some of us are more tolerant of Russia/The Soviet Union/ Russia, because it has emerged from serfdom of the Middle Ages, as late as the 1920s straight into an Imperialist world controlled and corrupted by the greed of Capitalism. Notwithstanding its own tyrants, Russia's war record in WW2, against Nazism is indeed heroic, the more so, for being knowingly sacrificial, by those who had to fight the most powerful and organised army in the world. Fidel Castro too, has had to maintain socialist ideology against all that the mighty US could do to destroy it. There are some heroic trials that Americans will not show on their cinema screens, because it has more to do with the enduring quality of humanity, than it does about the blinding power of Capital--which does good, only as a means of Exchange for Goods. I hope McCain has his chips with Sarah.

Interesting point, Mrs Palin say's GOD say's the war in Iraq is right.Like she is God's right hand man But this brings up that Bin Laden said his fight against the oppressive americans is Gods will. So now we have the Good, the Bad and the Ugly, all saying they Kill because God say's so, just like Charles Manson did also.