It is horrifying to think that both candidates on the Republican ticket are mentally unstable. I hope against hope that reasonable people will elect Obama and Biden

I watched all the speeches: Democrat-Republican. And yes I know she had a pro speech writer. But she is artless, true, honest. She's from Alaska, I am from Manhattan. But she's a lot like me, she has good instincts, makes decisions with her whole being (heart included) and while when I have to go somewhere I usually like to do the driving, I could fall asleep in the passenger seat next to her and feel safe with her at the wheel.

On the other hand, she is sending her son to war. I have a son, and would do everything I could to keep him from war. But which son feels better about himself and more connected to the world in which he lives? It's the quality of connection in a life that gives it depth and meaning, not the length, which a war could curtail. But meeting life head-on, is the way to be truly alive. She does that. I was energized by her. Galvanized. I couldn't sleep after hearing her speech. To vote for Obama and Biden would be like putting myself back to sleep.

As Democrats have been recently, and smugly, and snidely reminded, the National Enquirer may be a sleazy gossip rag, but when it prints the dirt of people's extramarital affairs the stories are usually very carefully sourced. And no one can accuse the NE of having a "liberal bias" after they spent months doing the same thing to John Edwards.

Joan--your commentary reads like pure condescension, and its just the kind of stuff from a San Fransiscan that's going to make working mothers in Ohio consider her carefully--after snippets of your column have been amplified on "Fox & Friends," Wolf Blitzer's goofy show and God knows what other mass media outlet. And for once they won't be quoting out of context.

Sarah Palin the candidate may be underqualified, radically right-wing, nutty in philosophy (global warming doesn't -really- exist), willing to engage in the Republican tactic of telling a Big Lie with a straight face (opposition to Bridge to Nowhere; Alaskan oil drilling will solve energy problems), religiously puritan (the librarian censorship thing), and personally vindictive (Alaskan Troopergate)--BUT Sarah Palin the speechgiver lastnight should give all of her opponents serious pause. Not merely photogenic, she managed the neat trick of appearing girl-next-door-cute while hammering on Obama and his touted strengths. She hardly stumbled (unlike, say, Giuliani), and given that she out-orated a bunch of guys (underline: guys) who have been giving professional speeches to national political audiences for much longer than her, I'd say that she could have not performed better last night.

I also think writing about Bristol Palin is just plain mean-spirited. You note that the media was supposed to ignore the family while they were front-and-center. Last time I checked, families were always shown off to the adoring public after speeches. You will recall Obama did the same after his speech. This kid's pregnancy has got nothing to do with the question about Sarah Palin and her candidacy, and every time a liberal/lefty commentator says the name "Bristol" with another criticism attached, it just sounds like mean-spiritedness, which is a tone I would expect from the right-wing noise machine, not intelligent writers from Salon.

Palin as a pick, as many writers have noted in the past few days, is pure cynicism on the part of McCain and a statement of how desperate his campaign is. But last night's speech may have gone a long way toward justifying his risk. What's scary is that the group of people who are likely going to decide this election may well have been charmed by Palin because, substance aside, it -was- a charming speech. I only hope that Obama and Biden don't underestimate her talents as you have.

Here's a thought:

The Lies of GW Bush and Gang and Costs of Each Lie:

Lie No. 1:

Cost to the US

LIES leading up to the Iraq War

- US $ 600 Billion

- 4500 US soldiers dead

- AT LEAST 500,000 Iraqi civilians dead

- US at its nadir as democracy

- (etc)

... ....

Lie No. 2: Costs to the US

... ...

Lie No. 3: Costs to the US

... ....

Lies No. 4, 5, 6, 7, etc, etc, etc.

...

(detailed listing of lies of GW Bush and Gang, along with a reasoanble computation of costs of these lies to the US)

COSTS TO EACH INDIVIDUAL CITIZEN, of each lie of GW Bush and Gang.

Question to each US citizen:

Do you want the costs of those lies to be repeated in GW Bush - Term 3 (by McCain+Palin)

-- GSC

I didn't notice where she did, Joan.

Face it: she is refreshingly distant from this tired, sagging, sclerotic and deeply biased little world.

If delivering a paint-by-the-numbers speech full of invective is a good speech, than Obama's was terrible last Thursday. It was painful to watch and now the media is making us go through this nails across the blackboard speech again this morning. It was God awful and the media is showing just how idiotic they are by praising this garbage.

Good article Joan.

Mrs. Palin refers to herself as hockey mom/pit bull so she did quite the job as a cheerleader for McSame. Oh, that's right we should not call her a cheerleader according to Carly Fiorina in a Wednesday interview, that would be an insult. Since GWB was cheerleader, and proud of it, it must be ok for a man but not a woman, oh so sexist. Totally unimpressed with the Palin speech, she came off mean, angry and insulting. But what would one expect from the Republicans. Vote Obama/Biden in 08

I have spoken to TWO Hillary Clinton supporters this morning already, who were not prepared to engage in the fight, though they admitted they would vote for Obama. We all agreed that Palin's nomination and speech solidified our original passion in believing that NO ONE committed to the Clinton agenda can sit on the sidelines because we did not like the misogyny in how her candidacy was treated and how WE were treated. Nope. We agreed that we must ACTIVELY engage once again in the fight to reclaim the White House as well as that miracle SIXTY mark in the Senate.

THIS is not something that the Republican Party has understand or WILL understand. The sarcasm of Rudy, the absolute BETRAYAL (which has been ongoing, but revoltingly clear on Tuesday night) of Lieberman, and the substanceless, but thoroughly accomplished show put on by Palin angered me. Her arrogance matches my own vision of men AND women in the right wing of the Republican wing. McCain has betrayed his OWN centrist spoutings more and more, and this was embodied in the persona of Palin.

1)She is pro-BIRTH, but to Hell with the LIVES of those children and moms after the birth is done. To HELL with the aid to unwed teenage moms in her own state! Let's take a LONG look at how she has helped those in need and the struggling middle class.

2)How much gas is consumed in all the practices and the performances in those snow vehicle championship races? I mean, she's all for energy independence and supposedly helping us reduce our reliance on oil? Oh. No. Just on FOREIGN oil. Global warming and energy conservation are trumped up things. I forgot. After all, the Earth is only thousdands of years old, and IF global warming is occurring, it's simply God's plan and God's will. We play no role and cannot possibly play a role in, perhaps, slowing down this process to protect "God's" world.

3) The sexist cries of foul are whining only from OTHER candidates. Fair and balanced Fox is on Palin's side here. They will defend HER right to whine, so she doesn't have to. I agree that blogging comments about her have been as revolting applied to her a they were applied to Clinton. But I think I've been consistent in that opinion. Palin proved she can handle anything that comes at her, so I think that the champions of honor at Fox can relax.

4) Obama's camp won me, and some of my friends with the slam at those amazing men and women who do our ground level, grass roots work for us. The arrogance of her claim that as a mayor SHE actually did something and THOSE people do NOT? Forget what Senator Obama did or did not "do." Although I hope that others point out time and again, that he chose this. More later... THOSE people galvanize people to pass legislation that gave us women the right to vote. Those are the people who marched on Washington and gave Senator Obama the right to strive to be President. Those are the people who will help us finally make affordable GOOD health insurance something I can maybe hope to have in my own lifetime, but that will surely be there for my children.

5) And celebrating all of McCain's life story as one of putting OTHERS FIRST? I will not say that Obama, Clinton, PALIN, and others who choose to leap into the national spotlight are ambitious. REALLY ambitious. they HAVE to be. But why don't we look at the choices for real that McCain made when he could have "rested" after his horrendous ordeal and military service to our country, shall we? How's about we REALLY put his personal choices in perspective, with regard to how they "shaped" his career. Why is his first marriage so thoroughly off the table? Hows about juxtaposing that to the choices of a Harvard graduate who came from financial fragility and a difficult childhood, who could have chosen economic security and a financially stellar future, but chose to make his mark in community activism?

6)Game on. Palin wants to be considered a major player, with all the experience any President or Vice President needs, then I, as a Clinton supporter and now an ARDENT Obama/Biden wonk, say, let's go for it. All the way. Shot for shot. Let's poke holes in the speciousness of her arguments, the arrogance of this party's claim to care, and an agenda that has absolutely NOTHING to do with alleviating the pain and suffering of millions of Americans.

Oh, yes, SHE has done what the media could not do. Won over the PASSIONS of Clinton supporters.