LW expresses my discomfort exquisitely. I simply cannot endure another 4 years of this insanity and if November goes badly, I may have to regroup as an expat, abroad.

But have some compassion for us. The root cause of all this dysfunction is the simple, unspeakable fact that we, as a country, were humiliated on 9/11. Americans can endure a lot of things, but humiliation on a national level is, to our psyches, inconceivable. Impossible. Absolutely unacceptable. We grew up knowing we were the greatest power on the planet and were laid low by a band of psychopaths with box cutters.

Every dysfunction you've witnessed since then has been some sort of weird, desperate, psycho-social attempt to alleviate the intense suffering, horror and embarrassment we've been trying to incorporate since then. We're desperately trying to regain our footing, and unfortunately, in our uncertainty and pain some of us have gravitated to political "leaders" who seem solid and "resolute" (favorite republican catchword), even if they are, under examination, simply belligerent, arrogant and catastrophically wrong.

It seems to me that until we can, as a nation, come to terms with our vulnerability and take skillful action to correct it, a certain segment of our population will continue to be persuaded by bluster and moral posturing, because it feels like safety. The more cynical among us see opportunity in their fear and have taken advantage for personal reasons.

That said, I doubt we'll be invading Canada anytime soon. Most of the damage and exploitation will continue to be wrought here at home, and those of us who are horrified by it will fight well as long as we can stand it. Send good karma. Hopefully in another few years this sad, tortured nation will have emerged stronger, wiser and duly chastened on the other side.

Cintra, I love you. The choice of Palin is pandering on the grossest possible level. But ultimately, I just sort of feel sorry for her. She would never have ascended to the national stage but for the fact that an old white person with a penis deigned her useful enough to lift her out of obscurity.

At first, I was thinking that Hillary must be spitting nails. But after further consideration, I think Mrs. Clinton absolutely gets what's going on. Ms. Mooseburger is a like a hired escort -- enlisted for the distraction, titillation and buzz value she provides. While some male voters may be orgasming over her "milf" value and some female voters are trumpeting the supposed new triumph of working motherhood as a cultural ideal, what's really going down here is an exceptionally cynical maneuver by the soulless Republican election machine.

To paraphrase an unfortunate Abercrombie t-shirt, who needs "qualifications" when you've got spin like this? Take away the cute little glasses, the unusually well-preserved 44-year-old figure, the spunky attitude and the sympathy-inducing special-needs baby (no disrespect to Trig or special needs children in general), she would have been a political non-starter. She probably doesn't yet realize how completely out of her depth she is.

That McCain chose her to round out the ticket speak volumes about his ambitions, his priorities, his ego and his opinion of women and voters in general. And those volumes aren't flattering.

Concur. But don't dismiss the south-of-the-border option. You'd be surprised how much enlightenment thrives there. I travel to southern Baja frequently. It's warm, beautiful and resplendent with amazing food and lovely, welcoming people. Plus, free health care!

Sorry, missed that ... blame the wine. (At least the Bush administration has been good for Napa Valley.) Thank you for humoring me. Love your posts. :)

Because the fact that she's female has too many of us thoughtful types on the other side examining our reactions to her instead of vetting her qualifications, her policy positions, her honesty, her private-sector connections, her character. Republican pandering historically gets a certain segment of the intelligentsia busy not denouncing the pandering, but fretting about how conflicted we feel about it.

Jee-zus. They know that, *which is why they do it in the first place.*

This is war, people. The fate of the nation is at stake. To be truly feminist about it, we must hold her to exactly the same standards as the men in the race. No passes for special needs babies, no "life happens," no "am I being anti-feminist by not supporting her," no swooning over her supposedly tough backwoods she-woman persona, no obsessing over her freaking eyeglasses.

It's scandalous that a "pro-life," anti-sex-ed parent has a pregnant 17-year-old. It's appalling that she would deny an abortion to a rape or incest victim, even if that victim were her own child. It's absolutely unacceptable that her "experience" consists of governing a tiny town and a year and a half as governor of a far-flung state that resembles none of the rest of the country. And a secessionist? Are you kidding me?

It's OK to say these things out loud, whether you're female or not. Enough with the navel-gazing. She is a politician, plain and simple. Everything about her is fair game, and if she can't take a punch, she has already proven herself less than worthy. And if we can't throw (a fair) one, we've proven ourselves less than responsible voters.

By virtue of her presence in the public arena, she has invited and deserves the scrutiny of the nation she purports to be qualified to lead. It's about her, not us. Feet to the fire, no apologies.

Good grief, are you serious? "Palin pandemonium"? I live near Reno, and even our local media didn't make this big a deal over her. She spoke for 15 minutes. Posts on the local message boards are mostly anti-Palin. She didn't even fill the venue. What's up with all the fawning, Salon?