After reading through this thread, I'm reminded of a little league game where one side (in this case, the left) has been way ahead all game long. Then, suddenly, they find things all tied up in the last inning. They get scared. They start calling the other team the most malicious things they can possibly think of. But nothing seems to work. And in the end, they drop their jaws in utter disbelief as they lose.

I think the McCain camp learned quite a bit about Obama supporters from way they offended Hillary supporters throughout the primary. The McCain campaign had to know that this group was incapable of decent behavior and that Palin would likely bring out their worst instincts. And from reading through this thread, it's apparent they were right. No sooner is Hillary out of the race, and a new woman finds herself in the cross hairs. It was a brilliant pick strategically.

Begala was dead wrong to pick up where Obama supporters left off in their gender-based attacks on Hillary. I think the McCain camp learned quite a bit about Obama supporters from way they offended Hillary supporters throughout the primary. McCain had to know that this group was incapable of decent behavior and that Palin would likely bring out their worst instincts. And from reading through the reader commments on your "What Sarah Palin Means" thread -- along with this embarrassing Begala gaff -- it's apparent the McCain camp was right. No sooner is Hillary out of the race, than a new woman finds herself in the cross hairs, just for being a woman. It was a brilliant trap by McCain. And the left is wasting no time getting tangled up in it.

Sarah Palin is exactly what McCain needs -- a conservative. As another conservative (Fred Barnes) wrote in the Wall Street Journal today, "A rule of thumb in politics is that you win more votes by energizing your base than by persuading undecided voters. Mr. McCain's strength is wooing undecided independents, moderates and soft Democrats. He's weaker with conservatives. He often seems inclined to ignore them. Now he has a running mate who can take up the slack."

This from columnist Jack Kelly:

There is no such thing as the perfect candidate. The knock on Sarah Palin would be her relative inexperience. She's only been governor for 18 months, and before that, the mayor of Wasilla, a small suburb of Anchorage.

But it will be difficult for Democrats to attack Ms. Palin on this without calling attention to Barack Obama's lack of experience. Ms. Palin is the undercard, not the top of the ticket. And her 18 months as governor (not to mention her two terms as mayor) is 18 months more executive experience than Mr. Obama and Sen. Joe Biden have combined.

Whether this is a brilliant choice or a bad risk will depend on how Ms. Palin performs on the campaign trail. But if I were Joe Biden, I'd be worried. A former journalist, Sarah Palin is careful about what she says and says it well, qualities for which Mr. Biden is not renowned. Mr. Obama picked Mr. Biden in part because of his reputed skill as a hatchet man. But if Mr. Biden comes on too hard in the vice presidential debate, he'll look like a bully. And Alaska is littered with the bodies of those who tried to bully Sarah Palin and failed.

Senator Chuck Schumer calls the pick a "roll of the dice."

Hmmm... where have I heard that before?

Senator Chuck Schumer calls the pick a "roll of the dice."

Hmmm... where have I heard that before?

I think the McCain camp learned quite a bit about Obama supporters from way they offended Hillary supporters throughout the primary. McCain had to know that this group was incapable of decent behavior and that Palin would likely bring out their worst instincts. And from reading through the reader commments here, it's apparent the McCain camp was right. No sooner is Hillary out of the race, than a new woman finds herself in the cross hairs, just for being a woman. It was a brilliant trap by McCain. And the left is wasting no time getting tangled up in it.

Ha! It's always so much fun to read comments from people with miniature brains.

His teleprompter is gone. Get used to it.

"Now she is huddled down in some bunker memorizing GOP talking points for her 'interview' on Thursday. Palin the Candidate, like Britney Spears the Singer, is being created before our very eyes..."

Oh, please, please, please continue to "misunderestimate" the power of Palin. It's the very best thing you can do for McCain. Thank you in advance.