More conservatives are seeing Palin for what she is. Out of her league and not Veep material.

Palin Problem
She’s out of her league.

By Kathleen Parker

If at one time women were considered heretical for swimming upstream against feminist orthodoxy, they now face condemnation for swimming downstream — away from Sarah Palin.

To express reservations about her qualifications to be vice president — and possibly president — is to risk being labeled anti-woman.

Or, as I am guilty of charging her early critics, supporting only a certain kind of woman.

Some of the passionately feminist critics of Palin who attacked her personally deserved some of the backlash they received. But circumstances have changed since Palin was introduced as just a hockey mom with lipstick — what a difference a financial crisis makes — and a more complicated picture has emerged.

As we’ve seen and heard more from John McCain’s running mate, it is increasingly clear that Palin is a problem. Quick study or not, she doesn’t know enough about economics and foreign policy to make Americans comfortable with a President Palin should conditions warrant her promotion.

Yes, she recently met and turned several heads of state as the United Nations General Assembly convened in New York. She was gracious, charming and disarming. Men swooned. Pakistan’s president wanted to hug her. (Perhaps Osama bin Laden is dying to meet her?)

And, yes, she has common sense, something we value. And she’s had executive experience as a mayor and a governor, though of relatively small constituencies (about 6,000 and 680,000, respectively).

Finally, Palin’s narrative is fun, inspiring and all-American in that frontier way we seem to admire. When Palin first emerged as John McCain’s running mate, I confess I was delighted. She was the antithesis and nemesis of the hirsute, Birkenstock-wearing sisterhood — a refreshing feminist of a different order who personified the modern successful working mother.

Palin didn’t make a mess cracking the glass ceiling. She simply glided through it.

It was fun while it lasted.

Palin’s recent interviews with Charles Gibson, Sean Hannity, and now Katie Couric have all revealed an attractive, earnest, confident candidate. Who Is Clearly Out Of Her League.

No one hates saying that more than I do. Like so many women, I’ve been pulling for Palin, wishing her the best, hoping she will perform brilliantly. I’ve also noticed that I watch her 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.

Palin filibusters. She repeats words, filling space with deadwood. Cut the verbiage and there’s not much content there. Here’s but one example of many from her interview with Hannity: “Well, there is a danger in allowing some obsessive partisanship to get into the issue that we’re talking about today. And that’s something that John McCain, too, his track record, proving that he can work both sides of the aisle, he can surpass the partisanship that must be surpassed to deal with an issue like this.”

When Couric pointed to polls showing that the financial crisis had boosted Obama’s numbers, Palin blustered wordily: “I’m not looking at poll numbers. What I think Americans at the end of the day are going to be able to go back and look at track records and see who’s more apt to be talking about solutions and wishing for and hoping for solutions for some opportunity to change, and who’s actually done it?”

If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself.

If Palin were a man, we’d all be guffawing, just as we do every time Joe Biden tickles the back of his throat with his toes. But because she’s a woman — and the first ever on a Republican presidential ticket — we are reluctant to say what is painfully true.

What to do?

McCain can’t repudiate his choice for running mate. He not only risks the wrath of the GOP’s unforgiving base, but he invites others to second-guess his executive decision-making ability. Barack Obama faces the same problem with Biden.

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.

— Kathleen Parker is a nationally syndicated columnist.

prolly, I think they are grooming her for 2012

kinda like Obama at the last DNC

that is what we need

candidates out of the league of the normal politician


if you keep getting the same league of players why would you expect them to play any different

I am down with that. If only she could follow a coherent line of thought. She doesn't look to good without the teleprompter.

snort

NONE of em can speak without a teleprompter and words parsed and rhetoric composed by a professional speechwriter

""More conservatives are seeing Palin for what she is. Out of her league and not Veep material.""

First of all its VP or Vice President... not VEEP

Secondly, More and more Conservatives are seeing Palin for what she is, a woman of character and integrity... capable of going to the White House and helping clean up the friggin mess that many Democrats and some Republicans have made there.

One thing I give credit for Democrats is consistancy... they consistantly run campaigns of "Vote for me because my opponant is this that or the other thing" (insert distorted facts where appropriate)

The reason I vote mostly Republican is because their campaigns are more focused on telling us their ideas and leaving you to make your choice if thats what you want done or not.

Amazing how Palin isn't considered qualified because she's a woman with 10+ years of experiance much of which was spent in the Executive Branch of Government... shockingly enough she has more experience in this specific Branch of Government then Obama Biden and McCain combined. She's the most qualified when looking at that alone.

Yet these same people called Hillary highly qualified...? Why? Because she was the "wife" of a man who was a Governor and President? I'll give Hillary credit, she probably has more experiance then all three men in this election.

Palin out of her league? She's closer to being in the Presidential league then her opponants and McCain.

You just don't like her because she's not a liberal. So save the insults of Palin... just stick to the facts... you disagree with her views on issues. Period.

Apparently you missed the GOP convention and Palins acceptance speach. Part of it was ad libbed due to teleprompter errors.

Palin also wrote most of her speach and had it cleaned up by professional writers... as I'd expect anyone to do, you... me, and anyone else who intends on giving a good speach for whatever reason.

Again, saying things like this instead of actualy addressing the differences you have with Palins opinions on issues just shows you dont care about the issues just on trashing someone else's character and reputation to make yourself somehow feel like you're better then them.

Teleprompters serve a purpose that apparently you're unaware of. You in her place would do the very same thing... Just because you read something from a teleprompter doesn't mean they are not your words.

I sometimes wonder if people even know anything about the candidates they're trashing... lol

THAT is the truest thing I've heard in these threads

everyone seems to just parrot what they heard someone else say

I and glad she was able to take the time to write a speech but frankly I prefer someone that can ad0lib in an interview and she clearly was not able to with Coric,

not her best interview...but not terrible either

kinda like some of Obama's early stuff but he's been campaigning full time for the last two years he's better now

she'll get a pass. as long as the race stays within a few points then there is a good chance that the bigot vote will prevail putting McCain and Palin in the White House

You've got to be kidding...

oh please!!! that is like comparing apples to oranges.

I really don't see how anyone with any intelligences could have possibly seen that interview and felt anything but scared sh##less that she would be a heartbeat away from being president.

I do agree that if Obama doesn't win it will be because of scares whites that still believe as long as they can cling to the idea of being better than people of color they are someone.
pitiful, pitiful, pitiful

that's kinda funny and kinda scary

if Obama doesnt win it will be because not enough people shared his vision of what America should be

time for me to go

all the bomb throwin partisans are comin out and it's not fun anymore

Veep is a legitimate word. Allow me to please correct your error.

Etymology: Circa 1949, American political slang (colloquial /
humorous pronunciation) coined from the initials V.P., the
abbreviation for the Vice President of the Unites States. The
term “Veep” is now used especially during an election cycle
where several are in the running for the nomination.

The word has it’s origins with the grandson of Alben Barkley who served in Congress for close to 40 years and was Harry Truman's vice president from 1948-1952. As he told the story his grandson thought the official title was too long and suggested that they just call his grandpa the veep from now on. The name stuck and the word entered the lexicon.

I bet the kid had...what was it you said...delusions of grandeur haha

There is a great audio piece on NPR about him. An earthy man who served in elected offices from junior congressman to veep and back to junior congressman again. If you have a few minutes it's a great listen.

***EDIT****

Alden Barkley died on the floor after making a moving statement that can be heard in the NPR piece.

Wow. That's in the National Review. The late arch-conservatives William F. Buckley's magazine. It's a bellweather of conservative opinion.

What does this say about John McCain's judgement?

Well so what does that say about people who are voting for OBAMA? He has even less experience & is running for PRESIDENT...not VP ????

Palin does not even represent an average American woman so where is all this integrity and honor? She is so far right she takes women and their rights back 100 years or so.

Palin is only a heartbeat away from the presidency and that alone should make people analyze her closer than any other VP.

Voting for Obama would show a real patriotic American. A vote for McCain will show a prejudice American, period. McCain brings nothing to the table so it would have to be that the voter is prejudice, right?