Anybody who watched the Hannity interview on FOX also know that RONALD REAGAN was her hero while growing up in the 80s...

and...?

Really.

I bet even Wasilla High School students know better than choosing such an easy "secret question". More evidence that Palin's just not qualified for a job with real responsibility.

what's your "other" evidence then?

I have a theory that it was Bristol that gave up the e-mail password. She needs the money, now that she's going to be a single mom. (Yes, I said single mom) LOL

What would a multiple mom be? :)

..someone whose children all have different fathers?

I'm just sick of seeing her face everywhere. Now shes here on BetaNews. She got hacked, so what.

[comment no longer valid]

Toonster....your an idiot. I am going to hack into your email and show the world all of the kiddie porn you have.....Uh didn't find any, just like they didn't find anything important in hers. Political affiliation has completely clouded your judgment. It's NOT about the WHY it it is 100% about the WHAT.....What was done is illegal......period......you would be screaming lawsuit! if it was your account. This forum is about technology...not politics...if you want to spew that go somewhere else. Hacking by security professionals is done for better security. This was done for personal gain and out of HATE. Oh, if you think she is the only politician to have a personal email account...please......

Dear dwfranck, you have your knives out - why?
I am an IT Consultant with my own business of several years. My father in law supported the state email system for the Governor's Office for several years. A previous employer of mine was responsible for converting & maintaining the email infrastructure for the entire State of Alaska system. Your comments are nasty, tasteless and I feel sorry that you are having such a grumpy day. Do you have anything real to add to the conversation?

One last comment to the people posting here who think the real issue here is the hacking itself, instead of the context of why this was done. AndyCutler said "I think we should cut Gov Palin some slack" because she maybe just didn't think about it? WAKE UP, WAKE UP, WAKE UP! Gov Palin knows exactly what she's doing, and you have to understand the political climate in AK which voted her in - she's not some small town gal who is an innocent victim and just a little lazy. Sarah Palin was voted in because we had an arrogant, blatantly corrupt Gov Murkowski in office who was an embarrassment to the state and to all who lived here. Gov Palin is very canny and used this climate to shoot up through the ranks calling for REFORM and ACCOUNTABLE government. That's why we voted her in. Get informed - she took advantage of our desparation with her "I can be a friendly bully" act. Alaskans are MAD, and you should be, too! Get out and vote!

You've already proven you have no idea what you're talking about.

Claiming she's violated the law...

How could we possibly take anything you say seriously? You are obviously emotionally invested enough in hating her to make wild accusations you have no basis for making other than your absurd emotional bias.

Palin, according to many respected sources (not pro-obama blogs), has an 80%+ approval rating in Alaska.

She's*** hard here int he lower 48 as well. The midwest has damn near fallen head over heels with her for lack of a better phrase. That is what you guys hate, and that is why you guys keep making these false accusations and absurd claims in some vapid, lame attempt to discredit her.

I mean, seriously... Calling her out for experience when you're backing a guy with less? Claiming she's violated laws when you have *zero* idea what was in those emails?

The fact you guys have to stretch so far to come up with anything is just all the more reason why people are turning back to the McCain/Palin ticket. You're digging your own graves.

The ability of you guys to "snatch defeat from the jaws of victory" never ceases to amaze me.

Oh dear...In defense of the other self identifed Alaskan here - who happens to be the female co-owner of a computer networking solutions company and spends much of her day creating and managing security systems for a lot of Alaska businesses and is therefore probably somewhat rabid on the subject of security- concern about the possibility that Governor Palin used a private email account to conduct government business IS the hot topic up here. Concern that the governor -self avowedly- used a private email account, that was now verifiably VERY vulnerable to hacking , to conduct her rightfully private policy delibrative processes is a hot topic up here.
Whether there was anything "worth" finding by the hacker at the TIME of the incident doesn't answer Alaskans' questions concerning the governor's assertions that she has used that account to develop policy -in what we now know was such a vulnerable environment nor does it solve the growing questions about whether she has used it to conduct state business, which is illegal- also in a vulnerable environment.
I will fall short of praising the hacker- because I just can't abide smart alecks- but I do think shining a light on the all too obvious vulnerability of private email accounts makes us all nervous and events like this are reminders to stay vigilant. I want my governor to stay vigilant too...

Dear PC_Tool, your comments:

"You've already proven you have no idea what you're talking about"

I have given you links and facts readily - it is up to you to examine the information for yourself.

"You are obviously emotionally invested enough in hating her to make wild accusations you have no basis for making other than your absurd emotional bias."

"Emotionally invested?" Darn, was that in my post somewhere and I just missed it? I thought fact checking used to be considered an objective process?

"Hating Her?" Darn, was that in my post somewhere and I just missed it?

"wild accusations?" Darn, was that in my post somewhere and I just missed it?

"absurd emotional bias?" Darn, was that in my post somewhere and I just missed it?

OK, I finally get it - you read your own post by accident.

"Sarah Palin was voted in because we had an arrogant, blatantly corrupt Gov Murkowski in office who was an embarrassment to the state and to all who lived here. Gov Palin is very canny and used this climate to shoot up through the ranks calling for REFORM and ACCOUNTABLE government."

Ted Stevens is another crook and maybe even worse than Murkowski...

have given you links and facts readily

Links? Where? The only link you provided was to a pro-obama blog. Hardly evidentiary.

I thought fact checking used to be considered an objective process?

If you included any of those, then you'd be correct. But you haven't All we see is wild accusations and absurd claims you can't seem to find any way to back up.

"Hating Her?" Darn, was that in my post somewhere and I just missed it?

Yes. Several times, in fact. "mad as helll" ring a bell? Accusing her of things you can't seem to back up ring a bell?

"wild accusations?" Darn, was that in my post somewhere and I just missed it?

Every post you've made so far.

"absurd emotional bias?" Darn, was that in my post somewhere and I just missed it?


"Mad as hell" ring a bell again...with no rational reason to it?

OK, I finally get it - you read your own post by accident.

No, but I'm beginning to think I should have simply ignored your BS from the start.

"instead of the context of why this was done" - come on, take off the blinders - I hope you know exactly "why this was done".

"Alaskans are MAD" - I like how you speak for the state. Do you mean "Democratic Alaskans are MAD". I'll never understand the "sheep" mentality of joining a political party - what happens if you honestly don't like the candidate or their planned agenda? vote for them anyway? Sheep! Baaa!

I'm sorry if Alaskans can't find someone worth voting for but if the "hacking" doesn't bother you, I feel sorry for you.

I really don't want to get into another political debate on here, but I just couldn't help myself. That said:

Jesus, PC_Tool, you sound like Palin's personal cheerleader. Even when people supply you with links from reliable sources, like I have, it's still not good enough for you and you counter with propaganda of your own. Where are your links?

You're no better than the people who speak poorly of Palin. The fact that "you guys" have to select a female for VP in an attempt to sway Hillary voters is just all the more reason why people are turning back to the Obama/Biden ticket. :P

But in all seriousness, it seems people either love or hate this woman for one reason or another. Neither side of the argument is going to budge, so can we at least agree to disagree?

You've got it all wrong...

Personally? I think it's hilarious how the discussion has suddenly gone from actual issues to some hockey-mom from podunk Alaska.

I'm not "cheering" for anyone.

As for links...you guys are the one making accusations, not I.

The fact that "you guys" have to select a female for VP in an attempt to sway Hillary voters is just all the more reason why people are turning back to the Obama/Biden ticket.

...and the fact that you guys can't seem to catch the hypocrisy of your own dislike for her that's turning people back tot he McCain/Palin ticket.

What's really amusing is that you guys somehow believe that anything said by anyone else about any of them right now has any bearing whatsoever on how they'll perform in office. Political rags, blogs, "tech" sites, can say whatever they want to, clip the speeches to change their meanings in any way they desire. How is *any* of it relevant? From either side?

But in all seriousness, it seems people either love or hate this woman for one reason or another. Neither side of the argument is going to budge, so can we at least agree to disagree?

Agreed.

intresting facts too just pass along...
I'm a little confused. Let me see if I have this straight.....

* If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're "exotic, different."
* Grow up in Alaska eating moose burgers, a quintessential American story.

* If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.
* Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're a maverick.

* Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable.
* Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.

* If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.
* If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.

* If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.
* If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.

* If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.
* If , while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant , you're very responsible.

* If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America's.
* If you're husband is nicknamed "First Dude", with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.

OK, much clearer now.

In psychology it is called 'inversion of judgment' (translated liberally from French so bear with me ;) ) and it works nine time out of ten unfortunately.
That is magical thinking into action, somehow the white will be black, the water fire and the illness a cure. Think homeopathy, think classical sorcery belief and think... politics..

Thanks for you post very good sum up.

Several obvious security issues have occurred to me, a private citizen, over the years. Amazingly supposedly computer literate people often overlook them so I think we should cut Governor Palin some slack. After all, breaking into her account isn't really any different morally than sneaking into her campaign headquarters and snooping a filing cabinet full of paper - I guess we can call this Computergate.

Generally I have been concerned to select questions that there is some hope almost nobody else knows or can guess the answer to, and specifically to use questions that are not a matter of public record. For example, any idiot can go to an online geneaology and have a good chance of finding any target's mother's maiden name.

I have also been reasonably concerned that ALL the online systems want basically the same information. I try hard NOT to give it to them since if ONE of them has s ecurity breach, then ALL the services I use can be hacked. This does require a system for picking passwords that I can remember - especially since I don't ever let the browser keep them for me for important sites because sooner or later some enterprising hacker is going to figure out how to suck all those cookies off my computer.

Realistically speaking, everyone uses all email accounts for everything. Part of what we need is for hacking to be seen as immoral, and the police to really do something about it. In this case, to subpoena the AP and put the relevant people there in jail until they provide the information.

Which version of hacking? You may want to define your meaning more precisely. Those who do "ethnical hacking" or penetration testing or the like or who are programmers would rather not be seen as being immoral, I suspect.

This was not really a hacker. More like being a cracker.

Ethnical hacking would be in breaking a system in a sandbox and when a flaw in the system is found it's reported to the vendor then 30 days later to the world. vendors need to repair these problem or face the issues of having crappy software..

Essentially what I was trying to state. I do know the difference between a hacker and a cracker and a tiger team and a samurai, etc. Just that the OP doesn't seem to.

While the technical issues regarding protection of PERSONAL email accounts are of importance to us all, public figure or no, it is Governor Palin's possible use of a personal account to conduct GOVERNMENT business which concerns us in Alaska.
Alaskans want to know if she really did bypass the secure state system to "protect" her rightful ability to conduct delibrative processes out of public view , while developing policy, on SUCH an easy-to-crack email account. agh!

In answer to the headline's question, the obvious community having a need for convicted hackers and crackers is the small arms marksmanship community. Once given a fair trial, if found guilty, and if their specific infractions and damages warrant, given a capital sentence, be sentenced to be renamed "Will," be sent to the nearest authorized firing range on a date appointed, and amongst the last things they should hear is the command from the range master to the designated shooter to "Fire at Will!"

This may not seem terribly humane, but it is guaranteed to prevent recidivism.

I think entering alternate Email-IDs during sign-up is much better to avoid cases like these. Even if the answer is correct, the new password activation email will be sent to the alternate email ID. This way, one can easily get to know that someone tried to make an unauthorized access!!

Much ado about nothing. Whoopie-do, her email was hacked. Even the guy that did it said he didn't find anything incriminating - perhaps meaning that maybe she DIDN'T conduct official state business using it?! I think I'll run for public office (let's say governor), win, and then use the password "password" on a public account.

Then I'll tack "gov." onto the front of my email address which of course obviously means that I am conducting official governor business using that address.

Kind of like a soccer mom with an address of something like "soccermom18732" would obviously be using her address for official soccer business, right?

Give me a break.

I laughed when Sites started using challenge questions. a) The real answers are a phishing expedition. b) The true answer can be discovered without contact with me.
Looked at as 'This time give me password for keyword __', it is mildly secure. Remembering, the password has nothing to do with the keyword.

sst

Thanks Toonster. Here's a link showing how real Alaskans think of their governor.
http://www.cobalt6.net/showDiary.do?diaryId=1834

Dear Dave_Dem, you hit it right on the head. We in Juneau are considering a rally also, and Alaskans are speaking up everywhere. You don't have to dig very hard to find them now - although the Press is being stonewalled, Gov Palin's constituents aren't putting up with it. You haven't heard the last of this from Alaskans by any means. Get out the link, get out the info, and thanks for checking some little known facts!

Ah!

I see the problem. You guys are basing your "knowledge" off of pro-obama blogs.

Well, that explains everything.

Sorry, didn't mean to make the apparently false assumption you were a thinking person...

My knowledge is first hand, as usual, as this made big news in Alaska. The article is written by an Alaskan. I talked to people in Anchorage who watched the rally take place in surprise. This was reported on the Alaska news sites, in Alaskan newspapers & on NPR for starters. You really should search out those sites - lots of great info out there.

There are supplements you can take which help to build good eyesight & memory retention. Those skills come in handy when researching an electoral candidate!

...and yet you can't seem to link in any actual proof of your claims.

Funny how that works..

Reported on NPR...WOW - now there's a surprise!

"big news in Alaska"..lol..figures

A demonstration was reported in the media - hey Alaska, welcome to the United States and the 21st century!

The ease of hacking Yahoo and similar email services is old news, as any divorce attorney will tell you. While improperly accessing email accounts is rightfully deemed a criminal invasion of privacy, the real story is the reflection in the mirror. Those accounts were created by Palin, an elected official, to avoid state and federal laws regarding the security and preservation of official communications. Thus, we have a state governor who was technically naive enough not to know how vulnerable Yahoo can be. Plus, she was legally naive enough (or callously cynical enough) to believe that using Yahoo exempted official messages placed there from her own state's and the federal government's laws and regulations. Perhaps others don't care much about it, but I still believe that there is some value in the notion that our public officials should uphold and support the law. Clinton's lying under pressure about a sexual indiscretion was wrong. But it also seems pretty amateur-hour compared to this kind of premeditated attempt to evade established and explicit law. I know it's quaint and elitist to still believe in those checks and balances that were written into the Constitution to protect against runaway power in any one branch of government. But it's just the way I am.

Dear Sciencedude,
Arrrghhhh! Why are you calling yourself "quaint and elitist" because you care about the constitution and our founding principals? Why are you apologizing this way for questioning the intent and violation of law by Gov Palin? I agree with you, but find it ludicrous that intelligent people are defending themselves - to who? To the ones who don't think? Don't defend yourself, get out there and speak up like you are doing now - go get 'em! I am a very ticked off Alaskan and Gov. Palin has not seen even the BEGINNING of the end to this mess.

I agree. Let's subpoena the usernames and passwords for every public official having a private, non-governmental email account. We know Palin didn't use her email account to conduct government business or MSNBC would have ridden that donkey to mainstreet. As far as the Presidential candidates are concerned, let's start with Barack O'Baby. Unlike McCain, he's tech savvy and must have one of 'dem 'dare email accounts. Don't ya think?

Bubba

...and you accuse her again of violating law with nothing to back up such an outrageous claim.

I bet you have a email account through work. I be you have a personal one outside of work. I suppose that means you use your personal email for work, right?

Gov. Palin has not seen even the BEGINNING of the end to this mess.

*laughing*

This "mess" is completely in in your head. You should have that looked at. Seriously.

Dear PC_Tool:

I quote you:
"you accuse her again of violating law with nothing to back up such an outrageous claim"

The AK Statute is stated in my post, and it's easy to find if you learn to use a search engine.

"I bet you have a email account through work. I bet you have a personal one outside of work. I suppose that means you use your personal email for work, right?"

Exactly what are you betting for all this? Please don't say "my reputation", anything but that! What does my email have to do with Gov Palin using an unsecured email acct for State of AK business? Could you get back on task now?

You made the claim her email use on Yahoo was illegal. You have yet to back that up.

That was the point. Sorry if calling you to task for your absurd allegations seems off-topic to you.

I agree with the first poster that she should not be using non secured computers to do public business on. In fact I think she should face charges for using her personal email for official government business.

Did she use her personal email account for official government business? Or did you pull that out of thin air?

The funny thing is is that it's so easy to do, and everyone in the media is simply amazed !

This required little, to no effort. The guy should have used about a half dozen proxy servers, and not slapped up screenshots.

It's not like the kid that did it was Houdini.

Why is this even an issue? Gov Palin is my governor and she spurns the law that requires state officials, who are conducting state business, to use the state secured email system in which emails are routed with a secured infrastructure and cannot be deleted. Why is everyone wondering about challenge questions? Gov Palin is not a technology newbie - she's just in violation of the law and has thrown her Alaskan constituency under the bus by hiding her email communications from public view, among many other imperial policies and decisions. We Alaskans are very mad about this right now, and you won't see the McCain campaign paying for any Governor approval surveys anytime soon (they pd for the Sept 2 poll for approval ratings - only interviewing 400 residents). This is our fight in Alaska, and if you are even thinking for one second that you might vote for this person, then make it your fight,too. Forget her stupidity and hubris in not creating a good password, and instead take her to task for violating the law! Be careful and question everything you hear and see right now. Do not underestimate this canny, shrill and ambitious candidate. I am an Alaskan and I approve this message - get out and vote!

Did she conduct any government business using her personal email account? What evidence can you provide?

It's one thing to disagree with her politics (and quite legitimate); it's another to drop the "illegal" bomb without some pretty hard evidence to back it up. Have you seen the emails? Did you go out to wikileaks.org and look at the screenshots?

Please, someone point out to me where she violated any laws by using Yahoo.

A state law that requires official email communication to be through the state secured email system is all well and good, but it doesn't apply to personal email communication. In fact, most businesses, governments and the like don't want personal email on their network. Show me an official email that was on the Yahoo account and I may jump on the "illegal" bandwagon.

Gov Palin is my governor and she spurns the law that requires state officials, who are conducting state business, to use the state secured email system in which emails are routed with a secured infrastructure and cannot be deleted

No state emails were sent/received from this account. You are upset because you made a false assumption.

she's just in violation of the law

You guys have a law against using Yahoo for personal mail?

among many other imperial policies and decisions

Such as?

We Alaskans are very mad about this right now

Some of you mis-informed ones, perhaps... Most are happy as peaches with her (80% approval rating?).

Be careful and question everything you hear and see right now.

How about you simply refuse to listen/watch anything going on right now? It's a dog and pony show. None of it matters. What matters is their past, because it's the *only* thing set in stone.

Do not underestimate this canny, shrill and ambitious candidate.

Because anyone clever, loud, and purposeful is *dangerous*, right?

Thanks for the laugh.

Bravo!

PC_Tool...I read these comments just to see what you are going to say!

-DW

Wow.

Uh...

Thanks?

...and get a life? ;)

(Yeah, me telling someone to get a life. I know...I know...)

Dear PC_Tool - finally, some questions!

"No state emails were sent/received from this account. You are upset because you made a false assumption."

Love it! It's public knowledge that she uses it and has been since April 08 at least - the Troopergate investigation brought all of that out long before you knew she existed. Why would I be upset due to a false assumption? First, it is not an assumption but publicly documented fact. Second, you are right, tho, about me being upset - good call!

"You guys have a law against using Yahoo for personal mail?"

We've already established that she used it for government email - just do some fact checking. And yes, the feds AND the State of AK have a law covering this practice:

Alaska law, like federal law, requires all state agencies -- which includes the Governor’s Office -- to preserve public records that adequately document how they function do the business of the state. AS 40.21.060. Alaska law also requires each state agency to establish a records management program with controls over the creation, maintenance and use of records used in the conduct of current business, again mirroring the federal law. And, like its federal counterpart, Alaska law defines “records” as including emails, which must be preserved as if they were paper records.

"Such as?" (imperial policies and decisions)
1) Her flippant remark to the press re: her 7 mos pregnancy secret which made Alaskans begin to wonder about her propensity for secrets:
http://www.adn.com/front/story/336402.html

2) Her policies regarding Alaskan Natives
http://www.opednews.com/...n-Peter-080910-216.html

3)Gov Palin has billed taxpayers for 312 nights spent in her own home during her first 19 months in office, charging a “per diem” allowance intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business. Read the whole article, since this is not normal practice in Alaska:
http://www.adn.com/sarah-palin/story/521329.html

4)When Gov Palin took office, the university birth control program cost $5/month. In less than two years, the cost is now $50/mo and most students can no longer afford the program. Fact: a close friend is the Student Services Director at the University of Alaska in Juneau. They ordered a double order of BC when Ms.Palin took office - they would have ordered more but were restrained by their budget.

"Some of you mis-informed ones, perhaps... Most are happy as peaches with her (80% approval rating?)"

Love it - how would you know? Have you called an Alaskan, or read our newspapers, blogs, books, or listened to any local radio? The last approval rating that I can track was paid for by McCain, on Sept 2 in the evening, and only 400 residents were called. Prior to that, actual estimates were around 65% right after TrooperGate. Remember, I live here and talk to people every day. Where are you that you know so much about her popularity in Alaska other than reading old news? A new approval rating would reflect quite a change that you don't seem to be expecting.

"Because anyone clever, loud, and purposeful is *dangerous*, right?"
Too inane to comment much on -just wondering how you know what I think of clever & loud people? If you are asking me if I think Gov. Palin is dangerous, the answer is yes.

I have time constraints so threw a few out there for your consideration.

I'm not quite sure why the opinion of a long time Alaskan has made you laugh, since you purport yourself as an intelligent voter, but hey if that's how research the issues, then so be it. I think your comments speak volumes, and I'm so glad you made them clear to me.

First, it is not an assumption but publicly documented fact.

Because you say it, it is fact? Back it up.

We've already established that she used it for government email

Not even close....

just wondering how you know what I think of clever & loud people?

Let me refresh you memory:

Do not underestimate this canny, shrill and ambitious candidate

You imperial policies are quite amusing. She separated her family/personal life from her work? Really? How incredibly evil of her...

Maybe this is why you shouldn't use yahoo email to conduct government business. Oh, I forgot, she was trying to hide her correspondence from government and public records.....just like d*** Cheney and the Bush using RNC email for official government correspondence.

Why are you claiming that she used Yahoo email to conduct government business? Did you believe what someone else said or did you make it up?

I hope if she becomes vice president (or maybe president) that she comes up with better "secret questions" when it comes to national security secrets.

I always provide a false answer when setting up my challenge questions. If the challenge question is, "What city were you born in?" I might respond with, say, "Des Moines," a city I've never been to in my life. Of course, I just have to remember what the city was that I entered, but that way, there's no way people can guess what lie I've told!

I always use an answer that I can remember but that no one else can figure out. Like maybe the name of a cartoon hero as the answer for the question asking who your best childhood friend is, that sort of thing.

since the answer is just a text field you don't need to answer the question. just put in any value you can link to the question i.e. city you re born in = Chevrolet Camaro. the validation system won't know the difference.

Even answering one of the other security questions (i.e. Q. Mothers maiden name, A. 22/01/1962) is better than nothing.

Most of the time it asks what your mother's maiden name is. Certainly for a public official, that can usually be very simple to find out.

Anyone who does genealogy (like I do) doesn't trust maiden names for security.

"Of the four technical possibilities that BetaNews speculated yesterday could be linked to the means by which someone hijacked the Yahoo e-mail account of Alaska governor and Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin this week, the actual method may have ended up being far simpler than we surmised."

Of course it was. You went wildly overboard with your ideas.

After reading these posts here, as well as others elsewhere on the Republican's VP nominee, it appears to me, rightly or not, that many Americans were upset over the choice! I wonder why... Is she so unqualified for the post of VP? We've seen less qualified people vying for the presidential position! If you can't have a female president, why not have a female VP? Political skills & maturity aside, the value of a charming appearance or personality in the worldwide political arena cannot be discounted. Ms Palin, I read, was a former beauty queen. She's quite a beauty to look at, especially in comparison to all other female American politicians (or spouses of male American politicians). You heard of Carla Bruni? French 1st Lady, who made me aware of who the French President is. I'm actually not interested in presidents or prime ministers, but now I know who the French one is. Could McCain be trying to invoke the same clout? No one can predict how well a politician will perform once he/she is installed in office. So why not give her a try? Americans had voted in the wrong person as President, right? Don't you want to have someone classy to show off, like the French has Carla?