What? No mainstream media covering this? Shocking!

[kandrathe]

I'm not sure what it is about Sarah Palin that makes you such an eager apologist for her. Normally you layer on your cynicism for politicians so thick you can't get it off with a sandblaster.

She reminds me of my mother. So, don't you be talking trash about my momma...

Seriously... She has some down sides, but I don't buy into the whole dismissive, "she's an idiot" argument. Often, men will choose this tactic against women in general, and so I (as a liberated male, raised by a liberated woman) just will not go there. I don't find her particularly brilliant, but then again, Joe Biden seems to enjoy the taste of shoe leather as well. No one mentions, for example, that Joe Biden graduated from the U of Delaware ranked 506th of 688 in his class. If we wanted academics to lead us, then we'd require an IQ test and a doctoral degree.

Ok, so my serious take on her; 1) her bubbly smiley plastic demeanor -- everyone has pain in their lives, and the last thing you want is someone who seems unsympathetic to that pain. People who drop their guard seem more accessible, and they reveal that they too are human, and have been hurt like you have been hurt. We can relate to that better. What we like about Obama in his speeches is not his vague promises of hope, or general vague notions of policy, but that he seems to have lived and grown from his experiences. She doesn't reveal that, and it makes her appear to be more inexperienced than she really is. 2) she was about 2 years of service shy of being qualified for the job she was offered. She needed to spend some time in Washington DC, in even a minor administrative capacity to learn how, and when to keep her mouth closed, and how to deal with the piranha, 3) like the current administration, I see her as a bit too reactionary. There is an art to choosing how long to pause (at least giving people the appearance that you are considering all the facts) before you act. Of course, it is best to actually determine how long the pause should be, and then to let people know how long it will be and what you will be doing in that time to inform your judgment, and then follow through. Doing this properly instills confidence in a leader, in that they make informed decisions, act appropriately (fairly), and follow through. 4) her naiveté is both an asset (untainted) and a detractor, but more of a detractor. I think she needs to travel the world a bit more, and see the good, the bad, and the horrible things happening for herself. She should volunteer to spend some time helping out at NGO's (three weeks minimum) in Africa, SE Asia, Eastern Europe, India, and the Middle East. She needs to develop an informed international opinion.

So, assuming she is qualified, then we judge her based on her political positions. Reading the resume' is a respect I'd give any person seeking to be employed by me as my public servant. You might find her resume' lacking, which it is, compared to many who deserve the position. I found Obama's resume' also lacking experience, and I disagree with many of his spoken policies, and most of his unspoken ones. The McCain/Palin ticket had essentially a seasoned RINO and an unqualified neophyte, while the Obama/Biden ticket was an unqualified neophyte, and a seasoned buffoon playing second fiddle. Neither was a good choice, so I tossed my protest vote at the 3rd unviable option, but at least that individual seems to walk his talk.