God only knows what that hardcore 25% (GW's approval rating currently stands at 23%, so I figure it's them plus a few percentage points) of the country considers radical, but it's safe to say they're just talking to themselves these days.

They can get wound up all they want, but they're just a kid fighting sleep. It's coming, and there's nothing they can do about it.

I actually read several people commenting on this story saying somethign along the lines of "who would have ever thought not killing babies would be more radical than killing them" and the best reply I saw was: Palin wants to ban all abortions. The other end of the scale is REQUIRING abortions for everyone, not just letting individuals chose if they want them. Thus, Obama's position is technically the moderate one.

I FUCKING HATE HER!!!!!

This drives me a bit nuts. There are lots of right-to-lifers who vote solely on this issue, and every one I've spoken with is willing to swallow whatever negative is said about Obama about this vote without delving further into what the merits and issues were about the bill itself. Since they are single issue voters, it's the issue that will bring their vote, even if voting for McCain/Palin means that we drive our economy and our Constitution into the ground, and stay in wars overseas for another decade.

Because denying abortions to rape victims isn't radical at all! Even though that's a compromise many pro-lifers willingly make.

She also refered the false claim that obama promotes infanticide even though that has also been debunked.

@nightingale: No kidding! I don't know many people personally who are anti-choice, but the few I do know would still allow abortion in the case of rape and incest victims. Like you, I think telling a rape victim who was impregnated by her attacker that she has to carry the fetus to term is pretty damn radical, and pretty cruel too.

more on the Catholic response to Palin, from Queerty:

Catholic Group Calls Out Palin

It's not surprising that Palin misrepresented Obama's comments, since she doesn't read.

Don't the radical anti choicers want women to be punished with babies for having the audacity to engage in sex? How come when Obama says he would not want his daughters punished with a baby, he's painted as some kind of baby hating cold bastard?.....I mean seriously if you're not planning on having a kid and you wind up pregnant, you probably won't be thrilled, so his remarks were not really that off base or awful.

The one upside the insanity that Obama has had to deal with in this campaign is that it will prepare him for dealing with morons on a global level when he's in the white house.

That being said, I don't know how he deals with this with the grace that he has, I would have snapped by now.

Furiousfemale, from the article I read about this (I think it was on msn.com), the implication was that all babies are blessings no matter what the circumstances of their conception or birth so calling them punishments was the terrible thing.

Babies are blessings may ass. (Yes, I know that is their view, not yours wax ghost). A fetus, on a biological level, is a parasite. I don't get why people who are so anti-choice are also against contraceptives. I mean, if you prevent a full-blown pregnancy, aren't you, in essence, preventing an abortion? It seems to me that the logic simply doesn't add up. But then again, I'm preaching to the choir.

Thank you so much Vanessa and Feministing for this post!!!
As a NARAL intern at a conservative university I've been having a hard time getting information out. NARAL has provided me with some awesome material, but the religious angle is totally overlooked. I'll be printing out these articles to distribute.
Awesome. Awesome!

BROWN TRASH PUNK!: Don't. She's not worth the effort. As far as I'm concerned, the most Sarah Palin merits is despisal.

Furiousfemale, wax ghost: Yes. I can't count the number of times I've seen or heard the "So, you're saying a sweet innocent precious helpless BABY is a PUNISHMENT? Were you punishing your mother when she was pregnant with you?"