It's starting to dawn on them

Two weeks ago, everybody was crazy about Sarah.

Today, we know her.

Today, Kathleen Parker, a very Conservative editorialist -- I already mentioned her --, someone who called sexist people who criticized Sarah Palin, someone who talked about media persecution, someone who loved Sarah, is starting to, well, see a bit more clearly.

She authored a paper entitled "Palin should bow out," in which she simply asks Sarah to give up, to leave the ticket, five weeks before Election Day.

Parker is waking up because this week "a more complicated picture has emerged." She is referring to the financial crisis and suggesting that it might not be enough for Palin to be "introduced as just a hockey mom with lipstick."
So apparently, the financial crisis is just recent, and before it emerged, being a hockey mom was enough to be Vice-President of the United States.

More than the financial crisis, I think that this week's interview of Palin by Katie Couric is striking the last blow. Watching these interviews is just embarrassing. I mean, it is embarrassing for me who is not even voting in this election, so just imagine how it must feel when you are a smart Republican (yes, there are a few). It must be simply unbearable to see their VP candidate once again argue that she is qualified to deal with Russia because it is Alaska's neighbor. The first time she said that, you could forgive her. When she repeats it every time she has an opportunity, she just does not look quite bright. Parker still argues that Palin has "common sense" but I don't think that arguing this ridiculous point over and over again is a proof of common sense. It is just dumb.

So now, Parker is calling Sarah "a problem." She was boosting the Republican party three weeks ago, and today she is a problem, a hindrance, for the Republican party.

Parker confesses that she was "delighted" when Sarah appeared. "Palin's narrative is fun, inspiring and all-American in that frontier way we seem to admire." There lies the rub. This election should not be about fun. It is kind of a serious job. And call me elitist if you want but, yes, I think you need to have more than a BA in journalism to fill in the position honorably. Any body with her qualifications would not dare apply to any high-rank position in a corporation and she dares apply to the second to highest-rank position in a country which has a lot of huge crises to solve! What the heck!

So, although she hates saying it, Parker says it. She watches the interviews "with the held breath of an anxious parent, my finger poised over the mute button in case it gets too painful. Unfortunately, it often does. My cringe reflex is exhausted."

Parkers adds: "Palin filibusters. She repeats words, filling space with deadwood. Cut the verbiage and there's not much content there." And then she gives examples of circumvoluted nonsensical answers given by Palin, answers you can hear on youtube or CBS and a slight caricature of which is brilliantly performed by Tina Fey (see my blog, or youtube, or Saturday Night Live website).

Parker's most brilliant line must be the already proverbial: "If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself."

Parker adds: "If Palin were a man, we'd all be guffawing."

She concludes thus: "McCain can't repudiate his choice for running mate." If she was his choice. I won't be surprised to learn soon that he was pressured by the party into picking her.
Parker's final words: "Only Palin can save McCain, her party and the country she loves. She can bow out for personal reasons, perhaps because she wants to spend more time with her newborn. No one would criticize a mother who puts her family first. Do it for your country."

Well, it's gonna take some Democrats to defend Palin before long.

Next Thursday is the VP debate, unless the McCain campaign pulls out another stunt to get out of it.