So some conservative columnist says Palin should quit, and all of a sudden the world is ending for John McCain and the Republicans? I remember some liberal columnist recently saying Biden should quit and be replaced by Hillary, and I didn't see Obama nation panic.

You people are hillarious - Palin isn't bowing out. She's there to help out with some parts of the Republican base, and maybe some independents. Not to impress Obama's faithful. And she's doing pretty well in that job, from what the polls have said.

Columnists many times just try to create controversy, or otherwise write whatever helps increase their readership. Doing so helps out their careers.

The Democrats control the House by a substantial margin. They shouldn't need any Republican votes to pass this in the House. The Democratic House leadership apparently doesn't have their act together, and the Republicans are taking advantage of that fact.

There's a reason the poll approval ratings for Congress are even worse then those of George Bush. I sure hope Obama means more by "change" than just changing the Republicans for the Democrats. Otherwaise, good luck to us all.

Let's see how the real Palin (and Biden) do when live and unedited during the debate. That's what the undecided voters want to see - So they can make up ther own minds. Fey's SNL routine, though funny, will then be irrelevant. And Couric's edited interview will also be forgotten.

I notice no one is mentioning the SNL skit on "weekend update" showing Clinton not willing to voice any real support for Obama.

I see lots of comments here about Palin not being "qualified" and just a pretender to the VP nomination. The theory seems to be that if somehow nation Obama can just expose her to greater media scruitiny, she'll self destruct and go back to Alaska with her tail between her legs, taking McCain down too. That's just wishful thinking at best.

The fallacy in this belief is the inherent supposition that all voters define "qualified" in the same way. The actual definition of "qualified" here is unspoken, but it seems to consist of an Ivy league eduation, years of experience managing government, an expert on all things concerning the economy and foreign affairs, and able to handle the press like a pro, among others.

I tend to share that definition as well, and certainly most everyone would agree those qualifications are desirable. But many people I talk to outside the two "liberal coasts" are much more concerned with something much more basic. The working clas voters particularly are really hurting now (and have been for awhile). They feel abandoned by Washington, and are willing to go against traditional patterns and loyalties and take a chance. They are getting desparate, and are willing to overlook a lack of traditional qualifications, - They just want to change the paradigm somehow ("change", remember?).

What many working class voters want above all else is a candidate who understands their problems and has their interests at heart. Someone who will actually remember them after the election is over and will try to use govenment to help them (as against the large moneyed special interests they feel both parties now really represent). The problem these voters face is how to identify that trait among the current candidates.

They are not as stupid as some here seem to think. They distrust both major parties. They readily discount the candidates advertising. They suffer though the patronizing and almost insulting attempts the candidates make every election cycle to be seen doing something "redneck" (bowling, hunting) so as to try to grab their votes. They no longer trust the MSM and press to help them make a judgement, feeling most of their reporting about the election is biased.

So with no other way to turn, many look for a candidate who they can identify with, who thay feel is like them. They hope that a person whose own life and problems they percieve to be the same as their own, may actually be willing and able to understand them and help them. Palin feeds right into that, big time.

So don't expect Palin's lack of traditional qualifications versus Joe Biden to bring her down. If McCain's people just let Palin be herself (and not try to have her continue pretending she's something she's not) she will be very succesful in the debate, and Biden could be in big trouble. She's a "stand in" for a lot of voters themselves (at least in these voters minds), and if Biden insults her or otherwise is seen as condescending he's in effect insulting many voters directly. That is why we're seeing the "sympathy" vote for Palin already. Biden better spend his time pointing out why he and Obama hve those traits the working class voters are looking for (as well as Palin), and are otherwise much better qualified than Palin/McCain. Obama nation should also take Bill Clinton's advice, give up on attacking Palin, and do the same.

Go ahead, people, flail away at me and my comments (troll, etc.), but come Thursday night, remember - You heard it here first.