Opinion: In today’s pages: Sarah Palin, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
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Dunno about you, but ever since we ran Gloria Steinem’s blistering op-ed, I’ve been waiting to hear what columnist Jonah Goldberg would say in defense of Sarah Palin. He came through today, delivering a two-fer in his column: blasting the media (not counting himself, of course) for unfairly criticizing Palin, and resurrecting his frequently uttered argument that Obama isn’t fit to be president:
Besides, on paper, Obama doesn’t stand up very well against Palin. All of the mythic themes of Obama’s political narrative -- the ethics reformer, the bipartisan, the new kind of politician -- all look like press-release material next to Palin’s accomplishments.
Elsewhere on the Op-Ed side of the crease, contributing writer Joe Mathews offers some unconventional advice to Gubernator Arnold Schwarzenegger: Embrace the recall effort launched by the state’s prison guards union. It’s a chance to win a vote of confidence from the electorate, which could give new legs to his lame-duck term. And Marisol León, a graduate of Mount Vernon (now Johnnie L. Cochrane Jr.) Middle School, writes about going back to her old school as a teacher in the Teach for America program.
In the editorial stack, the Times’ editorial board urges Washington to shrink Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac dramatically. Noting a United Nations report that links beef and lamb consumption with global warming, it waxes nostalgic for the days of fish fry Fridays. And it urges the federal government to boost financial assistance to Pakistan despite the many questions raised about its new president, Asif Ali Zardari:
Zardari has only a slim chance of success, but he has none at all without outside help. Shoring up his regime might keep the generals at bay until the people can pick someone else.
The gap-toothed illustration of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is by Roman Genn.