[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/09/18/art.ap.mccain.9.18.jpg caption="John McCain and Sarah Palin were interrupted by protestors Thursday."]
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (CNN) - Sarah Palin’s introduction of John McCain in Cedar Rapids Thursday was noisily interrupted by a small group of anti-war protesters from the University of Iowa, who sparked a back-and-forth of shouting that drowned out at least four minutes of her remarks.
Palin kept speaking throughout the disruption, but her remarks were nearly unintelligible to much of the audience inside the airplane hangar where the rally was held.
About five minutes into Palin’s speech, four female students from the University of Iowa Feminist Majority and Anti-War Alliance held up a cloth banner, and began a loud anti-war chant in the middle of the crowd. An advance staffer tore the banner from their hands and other members of the audience shouted them down with chants of “USA! USA!” and “SARAH! SARAH!”
It was several minutes before the women were escorted from the venue.
The demonstration should have come as no surprise to McCain-Palin advance staff: a local newspaper, The Gazette, reported earlier that the protesters would be in attendance Thursday.
Another protester disrupted McCain’s speech about half an hour later, sparking an even louder, but shorter, commotion.
Palin stumbled out of the gate on arriving in Cedar Rapids. The Alaska governor told the audience that she was thrilled to be in “Grand Rapids,” the Michigan city where the campaign had just overnighted.
Looks like a fixed fight to me. Everyone knows Sara Who messes up each time she opens her mouth, so fix some protestors who would should while she speaks so that nobody can get her gaffes. lol
You can argue that Obama doesn't have a lot of experience, but neither did John F. Kennedy...
Nothing lost in the fact that no one could hear her, as she has nothing to say.
McCain picked someone that only brings her gender to the ticket. So, we Americans deserve a more qualified VP that fits these standards.
DOLLY! DOLLY! DOLLY PARTON!
Now that is what I call a qualified woman, because her “BIG HAIR“ puts her closer to God than Palin!
What did YOU think I was talking about?
Wow!!!...this is started to become a trend for Mcshame and "I can see Russia from my house" Palin.
"Palin kept speaking throughout the disruption, but her remarks were nearly unintelligible to much of the audience..."
Don't worry, Palin. We knew anyway what you would have said.....
Cedar Rapids, Grand Rapids…..welcome inquiry, stopping subpoenas….for the bridge, said no thanks to bridge…against earmarks, biggest consumer of earmarks per capita…facts, fiction…20 percent of nation’s energy, 14 percent of oil…what’s the difference? I am not a political pundit...but I am a think...and I see a pattern.
CNN-You're leaving out the part about how the crowd began leaving once McCain started speaking.
Please send them to Altlanta. I'm jealous of the BooBirds in Iowa.
Obama/Biden 08
OH MAN SHE GOT THE CITY WRONG WHAT A B
They will not have to worry about those interuptions.
Pretty soon McCain will be back in Arizona sipping a budweiser and Palin will be back in Alaska eating moose stew for the next four years.
Obama/Biden 08
"I think they ought to be just honest about it and stop the nonsense about, 'I look out my window and I see Russia and so therefore I know something about Russia,'" he said. "That kind of thing is insulting to the American people."
Nebraska Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel
This sounds about right; Republicans thinking they have a monopoly on patriotism by shouting "USA." Crazy stuff – thinking that being against the war is unpatriotic (all the evidence points to the contrary, by the way). Their behavior also shows how programmed/robotic they are with this knee-jerk conservative responses.
Well can't say that I am surprised. At least these women are smart enough to not fall for the crap of McBush/Palin!! THANKS BUT NO THANKS ON MCCAIN AND HIS BRIDGE TO NO WHERE VP PALIN!!
Obama/Biden '08
Why no blog on Bidens latest statment about paying taxes being patriotic?????
2 lies don't make 1 truth McCain-Palin, you are just being paid off!
Losers. Let the candidates speak and let the voters make up their own minds based on what they think. We do not need protestors or fot that matter media talking heads to influence voters. Let people make up their own minds.
Palin stumbled out of the gate on arriving in Cedar Rapids. The Alaska governor told the audience that she was thrilled to be in “Grand Rapids,” the Michigan city where the campaign had just overnighted. Hahaha Caribou Barbie already losing her bearings, it must be contagious....
Palin/McCain .. the parade of clowns!
Interesting that they use a chant of "USA! USA!" to shout down protesters. To me it seems to say that if you disagree with them you aren't being patriotic. And yet, that is exactly what makes America strong!
Ignore the democratic protesting plants sent from the Obama camp. Sarah was fine. No one is annoyed with the slip of the tongue. Except maybe the biased media. Obama, Michele, Biden and the rest have made plenty of there errors as well. Oh, I forgot, Obama wants everyone to think he walks on water. Last time I checked, only one ever did that. Our creator!
It appears that the only people that have time to protest are those without a job. We, hardworking taxpayers, have to go to work each and every day and can't afford to miss work and protest. These jobless protesters are the ones Obama agitates even further too promote lies and deceit. Liberal Democrats hate when the right has something to say. The LDs are afraid we might listen to what the right has to say.
In McCain's 2002 memoir, "Worth the Fighting For," he wrote, revealingly "I didn"t decide to run for president to start a national crusade for the political reforms I believed in or to run a campaign as if it were some grand act of patriotism. In truth, I wanted to be president because it had become my ambition to be president. . . . In truth, I"d had the ambition for a long time."
Well, that's one of the caveats of living in this country. I daresay it's one of the perks. McCain can talk about "protecting freedom" until he's blue in the face - but "freedom" isn't just some nebulous concept to use on a campaign stump. It includes peaceful protest - even if it's obnoxious, disruptive, and inappropriate - without fear of reprisal. Because this is America. That's what we DO here.
People like this are helping Mccain and don't even know it. Most people don't really want to be on the side of these people acting crazy. I don't really like either one of these two guys running, but since i have to pick one, i will pick the side these types of crazy people or not on.