Dumb means you don't have the brains. Stupid means you have them but don't use them.

Palin is bright and has shown herself to be a good communicator, tuning her style to reach her target audience.

But my god is she ignorant. She could certainly educate herself if she chose to. Not being able to name one publication she read (at least pick one and LIE about it), not knowing Africa was a continent, and not being to name the NAFTA countries - that's not dumb for someone seeking the office of Vice President, that's stupid.

When someone is raised by wolves, we should not feel sorry for them to be returned to the wolves. And Sarah Palin was most definitely raised by wolves - the hypocritical, ignorant, petty politicians of the evangelical base. It's not sexist to see this charlatan ripped to shreds. Nor was it sexist for McCain to pick her. She wasn't picked for her sex, and certainly not her knowledge of policy, but for her ability to rally a pack of wolves. His campaign knew exactly what they wanted, and they got it. Finally, it wasn't enough.

What will be interesting to see is if and how the libertarian conservatives and religious conservatives can come to some kind of compromise in their positions. The former can't stand the ignorance of the latter, though they depend on it. The latter can't stand the freedoms cherished by the former, but they really need their money. The only things I can see them having in common is a resistance to open-mindedness and change, and a mutual love of viciousness. It's fitting their party is Red - like nature, red in tooth and claw.

What else is Sarah Palin? She's crafty. And she's an operator, someone who USES others in ways that benefit her. She concluded, correctly, that win or lose this election, she would automatically be vaulted to national status as a leader in the GOP.

She couldn't lose, by her way of thinking. If McCain/Palin won, she had a huge chance of gaining the Presidency, succeeding Pres. McCain in as little as four years, or sooner if he died in office; if they lost, she could dream of defeating Pres. Obama in a partial rematch.

The old cliché, "crazy like a fox", fits her quite well. No one should underestimate this woman.

The selection of Palin by McCain in a cynical attempt to win the vote of female Clinton voters by attempting to simply replace 1 female human with another female human was sexist. Questioning Palin's intellect was not. Let's also remember that Palin had several chances to prove that she is not a moron, and she failed every single time. Calling her an idiot, when she clearly is an idiot, is not sexist. The McCain campaign only used that as a pathetic line of defense when the whole world came crashing down on their special-needs VP candidate.

Palin should have been treated EXACTLY the same way as the other candidates. Not overly harsh because she is a woman, and not with kid gloves because she is a woman--EXACTLY the same. That is the only way not to be sexist. Human first, Gender second.

What ever her failings. However unqualified she may have been. However ignorant of the world she may have been.

John McCain made the decision to put her a heartbeat away from the Presidency. All these stories coming out about her now just prove how bad McCain's judgement truly is. How messed up his decision making abilities are.

If Palin cost McCain votes, its because MCCAIN put her on the ticket. He did it on a whim. My guess is without consulting the majority of his own staff. They were caught just a flatted footed as the rest of the country. Think about how close we came to having that kind of decision making termperment in the White House.

You should have to put $20 in a jar every time you use the word "misogynist".

Your constant use of that inflammatory word to describe any criticism of any woman (often by women) for any reason renders the word meaningless.

Its like calling Democrats "Socialist" for suggesting that the rich should pay progressively more taxes than poor people.

can i just say that i love you all-

you have made the last year bearable- thank you all very much

r

George Bush/Harriet Miers

At lease Miers passed a bar exam somewhere, I assume.

I can't imagine Caribou Barbie passing any exam that requires mastering and correctly applying information.

Damn e

I love midgets!

The Puppy Cam is off the air!

And on Palin - eh - it's not the media's fault that some of Sarah Palin's foibles were stereotypically female - "shopaholic." It's not their fault that her distaste for study goes back to "Math is HARD Barbie."

She's just one woman, who appeals to a damned terrifying group of people. She's the reality behind Karl Rove's base. It is good to see her as she is - have the precious sweetness of the far right slapped in our face. It's too bad she maligns my gender - but in no way do I think it reflects on me. It reflects on her, her 'movement,' and the idiots that picked her.

If I'm to line up behind a female politician, I'll hop over to the Hillary line. But I think, to be honest, I like the Michelle line best since she radiates happiness, professional success, and a great family. We have many, many role models (yourselves included) - we don't need to feel tarnished by Palin.

Do you support the ERA?

Does Obama?

He doesn't support "Gay Marriage" but his double-speak doesn't support Prop 8 in California. Is he only supportive of ideas when they elect him or is he really a trendsetter?

Why is calling Palin "stupid" sexist, but calling Quayle "stupid" accurate?

We can call her "stupid". We can call her "petty" and "corrupt" and "entitled" and "out of touch" and "domineering" and "Worst. VP. Pick. Ever." And none of that, given the evidence, is sexist. We could (if we had supporting evidence) apply any of those adjectives to John McCain (except for the "VP" part), and no one would bat an eye.

Fox can call her all of those things, and it need nor be sexist. It can be an example of "Republicans Eating Their Own."

However, I do hear a sexist bent to much of the post-election criticism. Especially the "meeting in a towel" scandal. Like no male candidate has ever conversed with staffers while getting ready in the morning, on the road. Plus, some reports say she was in a "hotel bathrobe" which is not the same. A bathrobe is actually designed to cover someone in between outfits.

I've always said there was plenty to criticize Palin about without negatively referring to her gender.