Well, I'm not a member of the permanent political establishment, and I've learned quickly these last few days that if you're not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone.

Shoot, I must have lived such a doggoned sheltered life as a normal, independent American up there in the Last Frontier, schooled with only public education and a lowly state university degree, because obviously I haven't learned enough to dismiss common sense.

The people don't elect U.S. presidents, God does.

He who cannot remember the past is condemned to remember the past. Or something.

Let me go back to a comfortable analogy for me - sports... basketball. I use it because you're naive if you don't see the national full-court press picking away right now: A good point guard drives through a full court press, protecting the ball, keeping her eye on the basket... and she knows exactly when to pass the ball so that the team can WIN.

You know what? I didn't mess up about Paul Revere... In a shout-out, gotcha type of question that was asked of me, I answered candidly. And I know my American history.

When we talk about fighting for our country, we're talking about our vote, our vote is our arms.