Lucky for everyone (including you liberals)...Sarah will return the republic to us after she wrests it from the Communists and de-funds all of Baracky's crap. King Hussein will do fine with his Hollywood contract.

Ah, turkey. Still basting, I see.

You'd get more traction if you criticized Obama on his actual demerits. There's no need to make shit up.

I think the criticism of the intellegence of Palin's supporters is well founded. The elitism they are so afraid so afraid of is completley manufactured by talk radio and right wing think tanks. If they don't have the intellectual capacity to see that then maybe they deserve some of the snubbery they get. How much lack of critical thinking are we expected to put up with before we finally say "Oh come on! How can you not see that is fake?!" I'm sick of being patient with these people waiting around for them to come to their senses. How much educatioin does it take to figure out that if a guy on the radio is telling you that letting corporations dump toxins into the air will have no adverse affects on the environment not only is he most likely getting paid to say it, but it defies the basic laws of physics?

These people are deathly afraid of "polical correctness", a phrase without any actual meaning, and "socialism" but have no problem with the fact that if they get sick, they may not be able to afford treatment. Or have any money to retire on. How did we come to this point? I'm sorry but I think we've been patient long enough. We've indulged their superstitions and it's time to to pull them back to reality before they take the rest of us with them. If that's "elitism" then I say lets have more of it. Before they get us all killed.

I find myself really conflicted on this issue.

On the one hand, I disagree with every platform she endorses. Really. I found myself spending about 15 minutes trying to recall anything at all that I could even remotely endorse, and simply couldn't. I also find her conduct on the campaign trail to be tragic, ignorant, downright irresponsible, and sometimes (unintentionally) hilarious (Turkey farm anyone?)

Any critique of the above points is more than legitimate, and I more than happily participate in it. On Facebook, among my friends it has pretty much become a daily debate club.

But more than anything else I find myself really, really angry that she has become one of the most prominent examples of a Female Politician - because while I wholeheartedly support her right to her views and her right to speak her mind, I nonetheless find myself cringing at the serious damage she has inflicted on women's credibility in politics and elsewhere.

But, on the other hand, a lot of the "critique" out there isn't really about actual issues. I was shocked when the biggest deal with Letterman's jokes turned out to be about Palin's daughter (obviously a non starter) whereas his comments about her updating her wardrobe to look like a slutty cheap stewardess slid by with hardly a comment. On behalf of my flight attendant friends I take serious exception to the characterization of flight attendants as cheap or slutty.

More importantly, I wonder, what exactly makes Palin slutty? Is it that she is pretty? or that she has mastered the art of flirting? Why is no one calling Ensign a slut (even while he is being called out on the moral implications of his behaviour)? or Sanford? or any other Republican and democrat who has been unfaithful to his significant other? or got his jollies with interns or in airport bathrooms? I have never heard the words "cheap" or "slutty" applied to any of them.

Is she woefully unprepared for the national scene? Of course. Is she a stupid woman? Not a chance in hell. Look how far she has come politically in her relatively young life (even before McCain gambled on her) without much of an education. Such stuff doesn't happen by accident, you know. she has clawed her way up through sheer will power, raw intelligence (not to be confused by education or knowledge), and pure tenacity.

I find the personal attacks on her to be mind boggling. What, we can't find anything else to criticize her about? When the Republicans (including Palin) resorted to ad-hominem attacks on Obama it was because they really couldn't fault his campaign or ideas. But with Palin? Seriously? Did anyone run out of legitimate issues to criticize her for? Her ignorance of world issues, of domestic issues, of simple facts and figures - not to mention ethical questions - that wasn't enough? Why the attacks on her person?

So I find myself distressed by the double standard in politics (what else is new). And I hope that if she chooses to run in 2012 the discourse will focus on her ideas (or lack thereof) and not on how much money she spent on clothing (which by necessity of societal convention has to be much higher than a man - can you imagine the criticism if she kept showing up in the same outfits or looked anything less than perfect on each appearance?)

This should be about politics, not about popularity. But what else is new? Politics and popularity have always been interchangeable (remember "a guy I'd like to have a beer with"?) - I've known this since the 3rd grade when I won class treasurer only because I ran against one of two students who happened to be less popular than I was.

After reading reams of analysis as to "why liberals hate Palin", I have carefully examined my conscience and come to the conclusion that it is very simple: we just finished eight horrendous years of a president that was in no way qualified to hold the office. He trashed the country, and it will take years to correct the course he set us on. And George W. Bush is a freakin' genius compared to Sarah Palin. You have to be delusional or just plain stupid to think that Palin has the background, intellect or temperament to lead this country, to hold the most powerful position in the world! Come on people, who are you kidding?

I don't condone the ugly way that Palin has been attacked. The sexist remarks, comments about her children, etc. are just as egregious when used against her as when they are used against Hillary Clinton or any other female politician. Btw, Sarah would have to hang in there for another decade or two before she even comes close to dealing with the virulent criticism that Hillary has endured.

I hope that Ms. Palin will join the ranks of the celebrity fundraisers, pundits or whatever and make the big bucks, and make the rightwing nuts happy spewing her vitriol against the left. But stay away from governing. She is simply not qualified. Period.