Chipper Chatter

Well, Palin didn’t shriek and faint nor did she wander off into Alzheimer-esque rambling.

In the first part of the debate Palin seemed to be channeling Alvin the Chipmunk. She calmed down as the debate wore on and I swear it was because of Biden’s thoughtful, reassuring manner. Biden calmed her down and got her to slow the chatter to something less than warp speed.

The CBS polls say Biden won. So did the CNN polls.

And the conservatives? Well some of them are over the moon, of course. She was chipper and can fake sincerity so well! John. J. Miller at The Corner had a more measured reaction:

I love her style, doggone it, and I sure was cheering her on—but I must say, with respect to all of the positive reviews, I think Sarah Palin really benefited from low expectations. No, she didn’t fall off the stage, as some had hoped or feared. Yet her nods to economic populism made me wince. . . .

I’m heartened that others are giving her a big thumbs up. I’m certainly not giving her a thumbs down. It might be said that she was good enough. But I want her to do better, for her sake and ours.

I’m glad this debate is over. Sarah Palin can go back into her box and not be heard from again for a while. She can tour Hate Radio, Republican fundraisers and churches and maybe dream of being Reagan in 2012. But for now, I think she’s finished.

Free Sara Palin! Free Sara Palin! Free Sara Palin!

Free Lipstick Palin!!

“Tonight I call on the McCain campaign to stop treating Sarah Palin like she is a delicate flower that will wilt at any moment,” said Brown. “This woman is from Alaska for crying out loud. She is strong. She is tough. She is confident. And you claim she is ready to be one heart beat away form the presidency. If that is the case, then end this chauvinistic treatment of her now. Allow her to show her stuff. Allow her to face down those pesky reporters… Let her have a real news conference with real questions. By treating Sarah Palin different from the other candidates in this race, you are not showing her the respect she deserves. Free Sarah Palin. Free her from the chauvinistic chain you are binding her with. Sexism in this campaign must come to an end. Sarah Palin has just as much a right to be a real candidate in this race as the men do. So let her act like one.”

Palin Derangement Syndrome

I’ve been trying to get a leash on my Palin derangement syndrome. I do pretty well until some conservative pundit describes her as “authentic.”

When I hear the word “authentic” I think about her little story about how the teleprompter went out during the Republican convention and she had to just ad lib parts of her speech. This was with a bunch of people behind her who could see the teleprompter. In other words, it was a trivial lie, easily exposed.

The same with the bridge–and road–to nowhere. The same with her fictional rejection of earmarks. The same with the little lie about how she “didn’t blink” when asked to be VP. In another version of the story she asked her daughters to vote on it. In her husband’s version they didn’t tell the daughters.

Again, trivial lies.

She is a compulsive liar and the most inauthentic person who ever stood in the position to possibly become president of the United States of America.

In the words of Andrew Sullivan: She’s a farce.

Ms. Pork in Lipstick

I’m still obsessing about Ms. Porkbarel Palin’s speech. I know the MSM has moved on, more or less, and I’ll move on too, eventually.

But not yet.

I’m sure Anne Coulter didn’t ghost write Palin’s speech, but she could have written written it standing on her head. I’m sure Rush Limbaugh didn’t coach her on delivery, but she was channeling him effortlessly.

Factcheck.org, one of my favorite websites, is utterly non-partisan. A time or two, Obama himself has stretched the truth to the point that it squeeked.

Factcheck.org vetted Palin’s speech (someone ought to vet her!) and found several “pants on fire” moments.

She didn’t sell a jet on Ebay. She was a huge fan of earmarks. She opposed a very corrupt corrupt incumbent and then apparently used the power of her office to get revenge on her asshole ex-brother-in-law. She took a debt-free little town and drove it into the ground. They still owe millions of dollars.

Pitbull in lipstick? Wrong mammal.

She’s not an elitist, though, no-siree-bob! She didn’t earn a scholarship at Harvard, she went to six colleges in five years, graduating with a degree in sports journalism. Not some sleazy elitist degree like constitutional law. She’s a woman of the people! When she was mayor she had responsibilities. She shirked them, but she had them.

She’s funny, though! She can deliver a line! Yay!

Even if she couldn’t run a small town, why couldn’t she run the most powerful country in the world? She’s cute and funny and has the theologically correct opinion on abortion so all the IMPORTANT bases are covered, right?

Most Peculiar Veep Choice?

Ok, so Ben Stein isn’t a complete idiot.