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Mike Madden's article and the posts I read were very disappointing. I saw few that really got the point.
McCain had to go a long way to find a candidate to appease the fundies, and take a considerable risk that they aren't a full scale nut job in order to do so.
As one poster did say, it's a matter of ideology, but that ideology is getting short on heroes. So far, it looks like they have a genuine one with Palin, her qualifications are her Down Syndrome child and her unwed pregnant daughter who gets to have a very special headline: "Bristol Never Thought Of Getting an Abortion." (Whether it's true or not hardly matters.)
If this is the substance of Palin's speech, and let's face it, there ain't much else, her mission is "accomplished." If the "left wing" press, like I saw yesterday, can be said to ridicule her for irrelevant items like her husband's DUI, that's them delivering McCain's message for him.
It's not just that the parties and the electorate are deeply divided any longer, it's that the sides haven't got a clue any longer how they think. Otherwise, I wouldn't be the only one writing this, and maybe a half dozen others in the thread by the time it's done.
The fact for the true believers, that bodes badly for the future of their movement, is that so few experienced, high profile pols can adopt the fundies position on abortion and stay in office locally.
The conscience of the national majority is subtly shifting. More are understanding and trust that whether or not one can choose to have an abortion legally is not the same as the decision to have one--and it gives responsibility to the individual rather than the state. This is the historical shift that they can't manipulate.
The question now is how many of the fundies are still with the program, and whether in the years to come, as this spectacle unfolds, and the question of abortion is addressed again on the national stage, if it's going to be even harder next time to find a new hero.
