I so enjoyed the image of Sarah Palin as Carrie, covered in blood and then burning in hell. It was only matched by women flinging menstrual blood at each other. Not. Perhaps Andrew the author has issues with the fairer sex. Just my opinion. My lawyer informs me his second vacation home is all set and there is now no need for further litigation.

To me that article was border line parody and perhaps better suited to Wonkette. We're supposed to treat Al Frankin like a joke, but tremble at Tina Fey and her comedic wrath? I'm so confused now. What happened to all you rugged individualist John Wayne A-mans-gotta-do Whatta-mans-got-to-do Republican types? You're all wussies now. To paraphrase Ordell Robbie from Jackie Brown: "What the [bleep] happened to you, man? [Bleep], your ass used to be beautiful!"

I agree that there are other things we might be discussing, such as Obama and the nuke treaty with Russia, or perhaps the rise of feminism in Iran (tehranbureau.com/iranian-feminism-june-2009/).

But I think there's a meta-issue going on here with the interaction of celebrity and tribalism in politics. In that sense, Sarah Palin is just a place holder. Sarah's supporters clearly identify with her and what they perceive as her 'values'.

Those against her have a list of articulated reasons, but I think to be fair, they also have a sense of tribalism as well in that Palin is viewed as the other. The way that she has structured her public image is that it is a zero sum game: This country isn't big enough for the two of us. Her gain is our loss. She hasn't exactly come across as tolerant and embracing, which is different from the official Obama worldview that there is space enough for just about everybody.

So far it looks to me that Obama views Celebrity as a means to an end. With Palin, it may be that Celebrity is the end.

ReaderReader, you are exemplifying the concern over Palin infatuation. I understand that you like her, feel a strong connection, and also believe she's aligned with your core beliefs. I'm cool with that. I think your seeing the echoes of many famous historical personages in Palin a bit much, but you also inspired me to pick up a biography of Andrew Jackson.

My point of departure with you comes when I look beyond Palin as an object of adoration, and to what I think her day job should be as a political figure: policy.

Drilling in ANWR is not an energy independence policy, though it's obviously waving a red flag to anti-environmentalists and throwing red meat to the base. There's not enough oil there and would take many years to get it. Even drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) is not an energy independence policy. There's not enough oil there and it will take years, if not decades to get it. We're losing the race to other countries to lead in alternative energy technology.

Palin seems to be a continuation of the Bush era if "we believe strong enough, long enough it is true" crowd. Which I long thought was the proper position of the day-glo New Age crowd, not the self described sober, adult and responsible Republican party.

Events are pushing many environmentalists to re evaluate their position on nuclear power. They still don't like it, but they're forced to deal with the way things are, now. Not the way we imagine them to be. The way to greatness lies in the future, not in the past.