Though I do understand the outraged comments, this article articulated some of the things I've been secretly fearing about Palin's appeal - not so much the S&M part, perhaps (I just can't think that way), but that thousands of idiots might vote for the ticket just because she's (allegedly*) attractive. It felt good to get that out in the open and see someone else admit to the same fear. Now I want to forget about it.

*Actually, I don't find her attractive at all. One Salon commenter (washedupfailure) described her so aptly it's worth a repeat: "Sarah Palin has the kind of hard, closed face and erotically null 'beauty' of one of those creepy 'dirty housewife' posters on amateur porn sites."

Think about it. McCain has been hammering us with that POW story again and again and again. Embellishing it more and more with religious, mystical touches. For one, he knows nobody can object. He's a hero. ANd for another thing, it's his imitation of Christ! Understand: he sacrificed himself for America, McCain did. He came back a changed man, wanting to serve us. And now he's got this slightly tainted woman (sexually, above all -- the whole pregnancy before marriage of herself and her daughter, the hair, the makeup, the whole look), at his side, daring people to throw the first stone... It's a Jesus and Mary act. I don't know why everyone hasn't seen through it. He doesn't need another narrative other than his Imitation of Christ/Sacrifice act to seduce middle america and anyone else easily seduced by themes of self-sacrifice.

This is insulting and sexist - Gary what is your point? This makes McCain what? The dwarf in the porn movie? Why not do the same kind of sexual objectification to the other candidates? They are 'men' and therefore sacrosanct? Find a sensible critique and stop making sex objects out of women - yes she's sexy - you can say that - but stop objectiying her. You also give ammunition to the right wing noise machine when you do this kind of stupid juvenile crap.

I'm repeating what other people have said, but if you are going to publish something like this, at least do it artistically. The photo composite is ugly. A cartoon would have been more effective , and Kamiya's words could have easily been boiled down into a caption. You'd also be part of a superior tradition. Oh well.

Great work JOAN WALSH.

WTF? Are you the next Lyndon LaRouche???

Are you guys on Crack and Meth or is it just happy pills?

Maybe the article comes across as sexist, but I think it needs to.

In the past two weeks I have heard males state how hot Palin is, how they wish she was running with Obama (because she is hot) and how they wouldn't vote for her, but they would love to f*** her. And a lot of men really like her....more so than female voters I wonder?

Why? Because people ARE sexist. Palin is pretty AND kills things. Then cooks them. That's hot. What guy wouldn't want to try her on for size?

Gary's point that amazes and scares me is this sudden 'transformation' by the Republican party. This new, updated, sexy, fresh-faced (if I see that phrase one more time I will puke), trendy party is portraying Obama as stuffy and elitist. Wow.

I know there are lots of voters who are intelligent and well educated who can speak to a woman while looking her in the eyes instead at her chest, but there are also many voters who think Jerry Springer is more than good entertainment. Throwing a sexy chick from the wilderness (along with her alleged affairs, pregnant daughter and soon-to-be redneck son-in-law) at this demographic just turns them on and will bring them to the polls, unless there is an all-day Judge Judy marathon on election day...

-"The more Palin drilled the Democrats, the more hotly the base yearned to drill her."- Actually, in true Republican form, it is much more likely they wanted to be drilled by Palin. After all, a dominatrix is not a prostitute, her job is to embarrass her customers and make them subservient. Men (yes, almost always men) go to a dominatrix to be dominated.

Kamiya is wrong! dead wrong!

The Palin ticket is headed for a compelling win, for at least three reasons.

1) nitwits like Kamiya underestimate her appeal with Joe Voter

2) the Obama guilt-liberal bigots can turn to Palin and still feel oh-so-liberal

3) given the economy and the issues, Reagan Democrats were poised for a return to the Party. But heck. This gun-tot'n bear-wrestl'n tough-little-lady gal'o'my'heart'throb provides just enough of a distraction to keep them in the red for one final roll of the dice.

Palin is going to clean Biden's clock, come October 2nd, precisely because Biden shares Kamiya's contempt. And McCain/Palin will win, come November, precisely because Joe Voter, despite being well-deserving of contempt, doesn't like being reminded of that fact.

........and she's already third rate.

Come on Salon, raise the bar. And then spank Gary with it.

The illustration to this article is inappropriate and sexist, and I am saying this both as a journalist and as someone who is deeply unsettled over the possibility of a McCain/Palin win.

Sarah Palin is a POLITICIAN. Critique her on her POLITICS. I don't care if "sex sells," this is election coverage, not a spread in Details magazine.

This kind of disrespect not only plays into the GOP's hands, it also makes me seriously wonder about sexism on the so-called sanctified Left.

Look at it on Deeply's blog, right side of page. And if you go to former posts you will find a great picture of Sarah, looking like she is half in costume into dominatrix land.

Sarah Palin

Ain't pretty to me

She's Halloween ready

Her teeth bared to see.

. . . with the ability to read. The only thing that will bring her down is sex. In other words, the future of the United States, and maybe even the world, now rests with the National Enquirer. Contemplate that!