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Not for Reproduction Copyright 2008 QNotes Not for ReproductionAnything But StraightP E R S P E C T I V EGuard, until it wasshown that she hadThe convention’s most pleasant surprisewas its lack of overt gay bashing. Perhaps,by Wayne Besen . Contributing Writernot made one executivedecision in this only a few years ago. Or, maybe “Familyattacking gays is not polling as well as it didEx-gays and ex-Republicansc o p r i g h tcapacity. Then, she Values” was an inappropriate theme consideringPalin’s “Family Vaudeville.”was lauded for herThe first thing that struck me about theanti-corruptionBut, gay Log Cabin Republicans had littleRepublican National Convention in St. Paulwas the stunning lack of diversity. Only theGOP is capable of making Minnesota whiter.Into this cocoon of caucasians stepped theultra-pale John McCain and his moose-whackingVP, Sarah Palin, who together could havebilled the ticket as “Powder and Gun Powder.”This convention proved that the GOP doesnot run on actual persons or positions, butefforts in Alaska, even as she was under seriousinvestigation for abusing her power. Mostdisturbing, Palin described herself as an advocatefor special needs children, as she cut thestate’s Special Olympics budget in half.It is scary to think that McCain believesPalin has enough foreign policy know-how torun this nation during a time of war. Indeed,his vice presidential pick did not get a passporttime to rejoice before Palin’s church said thatbeing gay was a choice. The Wasilla BibleChurch was caught promoting Focus on theFamily’s Love Won Out conference, with a Bibleinsert that said,“You’ll be encouraged by thepower of God’s love and His desire to transformthe lives of those impacted by homosexuality.”It is imperative that Palin answers whethershe agrees with the views of her church. If sheuntil 2007. There are literally college-age does, Log Cabin should immediately withdrawmanufactured personas and plot lines. Thephony dog and pony show2began with the0backpackers traipsing0around hostels in8their endorsement of McCain. Unfortunately,enormously wealthy Mitt Romney, a former Europe with more overseas experience.Palin will not talk to reporters until the GOPgovernor of Massachusetts, who oddly condemnedthe snooty Northeastern elite. This portray himself as an agent of change. His mes-wheels. The smokescreen her campaign isIt was also fascinating to watch McCain believes she is ready to go without her trainingpampered pretty boy was born with a silverspoon in his mouth, yet he haplessly works tofool blue-collar conservatives into believingthat that the shiny utensil is aluminum. Hasany politician ever been more “Full of Mitt?”The most fantastical fiction of the week wasthe Cinderella story of “Sarah Palin.” The onlyWhite House anyone ever thought she wouldlive in was an igloo, yet there she was onsage essentially was to re-elect Republicans toreform America from the mess that the sameRepublicans got us into. This was highlightedby the GOP’s Herculean efforts to renderGeorge W. Bush invisible. If they had shovedBush any deeper into the closet, he would havebumped into Sen. Larry Craig.Cheering on the sidelines was baronessCindy McCain, wearing an outfit that Vanity Fairusing to justify her silence is that she shouldnot have to discuss her religious beliefs.Interesting, how a woman who recently askedAlaskans to pray for a natural gas pipelinenow believes religion is off limits.If Palin says that she endorses Love WonOut, it could cost McCain the election. Considerthis: In 2000, national exit polls put the gayvote at four percent, with 25 percent sayingAmerica’s largest politicalcstage. The joyousopriced at $300,000.pRepublicans wentrbonkers thatithey voted for Bush.gThis translated intoh tthrill from her two main constituencies — the when John Edwards got a $400 haircut — yet one million gay votes for W., which may havereligious right and the tabloids — was palpable. seemed ambivalent about her majesty’s opulent cost Gore Florida and New Hampshire.Palin portrayed herself as a reformer, even costume. I suppose the GOP is the party of theWhile homosexuals can’t be turned intothough she was for the infamous,“Bridge toNowhere” before she was against it. She toutedher experience as head of Alaska’s Nationalworking class, if you count the minions toilingon Cindy’s dress, jewelry, make-up and hair, aswell as tending to McCain’s private jet plane.ex-gays, Palin’s support of such ministriescould create enough ex-Republican gays toswing the election in favor of Obama. ◗c o p r i g h t2 0 0 8c o p r i g h tSEPTEMBER 20 . 2008 • QNotes 17Not for Reproduction Copyright 2008 QNotes Not for Reproduction