Thank you Ms. Traister for saying what I've been thinking as I listen to all these people wringing their hands over how Sarah Palin has been done a disservice by the McCain campaign. The woman decided, of her own free will, to accept McCain's offer and enter national politics. The fact that she finds herself ignorant and unprepared is her own fault. There are plenty of women who can handle the big leagues in business, politics and life--she is not one of them. I questioned this woman's judgment when she first accepted and wondered how she could possibly be capable of all that she had taken on. We all heard that she was just "extraordinarily talented". Now it's clear that she's just extraordinarily arrogant and ambitious. The only positive is that she's damaged her own political career with her overreaching. She won't recover from the impression she's made on the public any time soon.

I am a conservative, pro-life woman from a working class background who grew up in, and still lives in, a fairly gritty area, and I can't stand Sarah Palin. Camille Paglia does the strong, admirable women of her childhood a disservice by comparing them with Sarah Palin--Sarah Palin is not fit to lick their boots. The women I grew up with were tough, strong, no-nonsense women who had their priorities straight (e.g., if you have a five month old with Down's syndrome and a prenant 17 year old, running for national office, on top of being a governor, is probably not the right thing to do for your family). Fortunately, I've inherited their common sense assessment of people--in other words, I have a pretty good bs meter. Consequently I see right through Palin's cutesy ignorance, arrogance, and blatant power lust. Palin does the resilient, frontier woman act without the character to back it up.

Paglia's assertion that we need to indulge Palin's "creative" use of language is extremely patronizing to all those for whom English is a second language and still express themselves clearly, even eloquently. The immigrants I grew up with all demanded that their children learn and speak standard English. I was not allowed to slip into the local "dialect" either. If we've reached a point where we can't even expect those who wish to lead to communicate clearly (seems like the minimum to me), we're lost. Since Paglia seems to know what Palin is saying at any given point, perhaps she could be hired to translate.

It says a lot about where Camille Paglia is right now that the best part of her columns are the letters. Yes, she says some jaw-droppingly silly things, and I disagree with her assessment of Palin. She can't see past the superficial to accurately assess women in the public eye. Look at how she goes on about Ayers' wife. She was "Mesmerized...The sober scene -- with Dohrn hyper-alert in a handsome turtleneck and tweedy jacket -- was tailor-made for Jane Fonda in her "Klute" period, androgynous shag." "How could such a personable, attractive, well-educated woman end up saying such things..." And everyone wonders why she's taken in by Palin?

So, no, she can't be taken seriously, but she does elicit some great letters which I love reading.

So let's see, her kids are behind in school, she's been mia from her real job for several months, and what's Sarah Palin doing? More publicity!

One of the hallmarks of following God's Will is taking care of the main responsibilities in front of you, however unexciting they may be. In her case that's her family and performing the duties the people of Alaska elected her for. She's doing neither.

I say keep her on the radar. It's better to keep an eye on her. I hope the people of Alaska impeach her at some point though.

I do have high hopes for Piper. She may be the most honest Palin and she seems to have her mother's star quality. Unlike her mother she has a self, she thinks clearly (she obviously has more common sense than her parents) and she's articulate. I found the way her mother pressured her into giving the "right" answer (after telling Matt she didn't know if she wanted her mom to campaign again in 2012) creepy and sad.

There is much great advice here, especially from Nefariousmuse.

Cary Tennis? Not so much. His "advice" in this case was disturbingly naive and irresponsible. He completely overlooked the seductive relationship developing between the husband and niece. This is a disaster in the making. He essentially lays a guilt trip on the LW to accept the perverse situation going on in her home. This helps no one.

I don't read him regularly, but when I do I usually come away shaking my head. I've wondered more than once if his column is a parody of an advice column. It's pretty sad that it took around 100 people to correct/supplement the dangerously inadequate advice given by the paid advice columnist.

By the way, it's entirely possible for children to be destructive and without conscience and remorse. Some may be psychologically disturbed and can be helped; some will remain this way for their entire lives. Either way, professional help and advice is needed--they can't simply be loved out of it.