I've seen a lot of people in leadership and political positions who didn't know the issues or answers to questions, but they finessed it quite well. Eventually, they learned the issues and developed some of the answers. Palin, however, not only doesn't know, she doesn't know what she doesn't know, and she refuses to learn what she doesn't know. (Darn, I'm beginning to sound like Rumsfeld---who should have known, but whose mind was so closed and he was so sure of his positions that he didn't want to know more.)

Can Palin be trusted to learn more than she knows right now, or even from future experiences? I doubt it because she lacks the ability to indulge in critical thinking. Plus, if her experiences continue to be limited -- and they were even as she travelled the country on behalf of the McCain-Palin campaign -- she won't even be able to draw from that.

Her comments at the press conference at the Republican governors' meeting showed that. She stumbled along throughout and, thankfully, Governor Perry ended the fiasco.

In addition, I would venture to say she's also lazy. (Oops! That ought to get the Palin supporters worked up enough to start throwing things at me.) She's intellectually lazy in that she frankly doesn't want to know, and is happy to roll along on her so-called charisma and plain-talking folksiness. Prepare for interviews? Heck no, she just wings it. Doesn't know the answers during formal debates and informal Q&As? She just flips off some inane comment and winks!

And if all else fails, drag out the 7-year-old and the baby to distract attention.

Paglia and some of the writers here might still like Sarah Palin because they think she's geniune. They're wrong. Everything about her is fake and I hope the focus will continue to be on her and her antics far into the future as she continues to push her personal political agenda and career.

But most of all, she's not a feminist! She's little more than a self-serving beauty queen who sees no future in that field so she's chosen the next one available, that of a politician.

The church is in such desperate straights that it will take almost any man (but no women, of course) who professes a calling to the priesthood. And some of them are....well...not very bright. I often remind people that half of the doctors and lawyers -- and now we should add priests to the list of professions -- graduated in the lower half of their classes. (Hey, that pertains to soon-to-be-ex-presidents, too, doesn't it?!)

Plus, some are fanatics. Especially as it pertains to sex-based sins. Add the sexual component of abortion to their opposition to murder (except, of course, murder through war, torture, starvation, etc., etc., etc.) and the basic idea that they fear abortion (and contraception) just might further empty out the increasingly-empty church pews and collection baskets and put them out of business (yes, we actually had a priest tell us that was the reason for opposing women's rights---even though the church had no position at all on that one!) and they have a trifecta of reasons to do what Newman did. He's not alone, by the way.

But to say that this priest will be chastized by Rome or even by a new bishop is nonsense. Take it from this recovering catholic, it will never happen. Never has happened. More than likely, he won't deny communion to anyone either. The only denial of communion that is likely to happen is by some individuals who will impose self-denial on themselves.

..."they'll be joined by Senator Joe Lieberman," I would have just plain puked! So what is Obama going to do, offer McCain the position of Secretary of Defense?