The thrill is gone

Today Parker writes this:

"She (Palin) 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."

On September 3 - less than a month ago - Parker wrote this:

"Some also have questioned whether Palin, whose son Trig has Down syndrome, can be both a mother and a vice president? These questions arent coming from the Right — so often accused of wanting to keep women barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen — but from the Left. Did someone switch the Kool-Aid?"

Hey, someone DID switch the Kool-Aid

Congrats to the Globe and the rest of the MSM!!!! Spend a month trashing someone with little regard for the truth and it starts having an effect in the polls!!! Who knew? Gee, they must really be out of touch in Alaska!!!! She's been governor there for a year and a half and her favoribility is 80%!!!!! Maybe the papers up there aren't liberal puppets tho. The latest example this current posting by Foon Rhee. Let's look back at all the posts critical to Obama/Biden. Hmmmmmm.....nope, can't seem to find any.

If you think Palin's reputation stands solid, and only a publication like the Globe can make people doubt her abilities, you might eed a reality check.

All you have to do is watch Caribou Barbie blink at the headlights during interviews -- she is so clearly out of her league she doesn't even know it.

I have to admit admit that I am very uncomfortable with Sarah Palin right now. I am hoping that her behavior is just a stunt to lower all expectations before the debate. I am really hoping. This is sad....

Her fall from grace was expected. Her unprofessional and hubris filled speech at the RNC convention blinded her to how deep the water can get...now she knows. Hey Palin, those things swimming around ya...there sharks not barracudas.

Kathleen Parker needs to bow out for personal mental instability reasons.

60,000 (SIXTY THOUSAND) people show up in Florida last week to see Gov Sarah Palin. Per Kathleen Parker, they must be the senile and the infirmed.

Anyone who sends a check for several thousand dollars to each constituent every year - no questions asked - is guaranteed at least an 80% positive rating by voters -even if they had both frontal lobes removed.

PALIN NEEDS TO STEP OUT OF THE PICTURE AND LET LIBERMAN STEP UP. SHE & McCAIN ARE BECOMING A BIGGER JOKE EACH DAY. HE STUDDERS, MUBLES, RANTS,. SHE LOOKS LIKE A DEER CAUGHT IN THE HEADLIGHTS. SHE APPEARS TO BELIEVE ALOT OF WHAT SHE SAYS -- THAT IS SCARY !!!

If there are less articles critical of Obama and Biden, it could be that maybe there's a lot less to be critical of. The republicals always blame the messenger when their person says or does the wrong thing.

Look at the McSame camaign's claim that "Barak Obama has never 'taken on' his own party." Guess what?!! IF YOUR PARTY'S NOT WRONG, THERE'S NO REASON FOR YOU TO HAVE TO TAKE IT ON!!!

Hey, 'unenrolled,' I got news for you: They ARE out of touch in Alaska.

And the quote in this posting is from a conservative commentator. She pretty much admits in her column that it was fun to get excited about Palin, but the reality is she's dangerously unqualified to be president. The difference between her and Obama isn't so much about experience, it's about judgment. Palin doesn't even UNDERSTAND the fundamental issues facing our nation. A month ago I bet she thought Fannie Mae was just a chocolate company in Chicago.

Or if it's more convenient, you can blame the media. Doesn't matter to me, McCain-Palin loses either way and that's what's important.

Hey unenrolled..

Your talking about a state that could care less about politics as they have no income tax with the money they are getting from oil companies. What is the population of Alaska..

The only reason we heard of Alaska politics is cause of the knucklehead whoes been indicted and look at all the kicker they got..

Alsak politics is small potatoes compared to the rest even though she can see Russia from the eastern most point and I'll bet she's never been there

honestly, the globe has not run a single positive article about this woman. 80% approval, running one of the worlds largest economy's (alaska, based on resource extraction) and all we get is... well, look at boston.com right now.

sarah palin is unpopular, with 1 anecdote to support it, and a poll that says if anything the country is evenly divided in that opinion

people who look like sarah palin!

a wine with a similar name as palin!

a cornfield crop drawing of Palin!

they are attempting to make a mockery of her, with absolutely no attempt at objectivity or fairness.

just think for a second- have you seen one, 1, article about Obama's experience? one critical item about Rezko or Ayer or the chicago machine that bore him? of course not. cheerleaders support their team no matter what!

sorry boston globe you are a left wing rag at best. It is disgusting how Palin has been treated. I hope McCain wins just to shove a big fat middle finger in the face of the elitist press, bigoted, snob east coast press.

I lived in Alaska for four years. I just moved "outside, to the lower 48" in November 07. There is a very persuasive, can-do, hey-put-him-in-there, he'll-learn to do it attitude regarding work performances. So, Palin mistakenly thought she could bring that Alaskan demeanor to Washington...."I'll just show up and learn it as I go...I'm ready!" Alaskans (some anyway) do/did like Palin but she was elected after a series of problems in the Alaskan legislature. She was in the right place at the right time. But, preparing for the position of a lifetime takes years of study, intellectual curiosity and steadfastness that Palin has not demonstrated (think of Pakistan's Bhutto or Britian's Thatcher). It is well overdue for her to step down...as my grandmother would say..."here's your hat..what's your hurry?"

Hey Unenrolled -- You're missing the point. It's not just the libs bashing the GOP in this case. Gov. Palin spoke for herself in those interviews. Now even her conservative supporters believe she did well. Drop the "media conspiracy" theory and face facts. Sarah Palin is smart, successful and attractive to boot. But she's just not ready to lead at the presidential (or vp) level.

Are you kidding? Have you actually seen the interviews? The woman can barely string a coherent thought together. The fact that she is being put forth as a candidate is an embarassment and an insult to the American people.

unenrolled-are you thick? This woman who wrote this is a CONSERVATIVE journalist. NOT part of the liberal media you all cling to.

Get real. Her recent interviews have been disasters. Plain and simple.

Also, Troopergate, lies about Bridge to Nowhere, I can See Russia from my House lines, not being able to produce any examples of McCain wanting deregulation, not knowing the Bush Doctrine, saying we should never question Israel.....(shall I go on?) are not liberal BS and made up problems.

She trashes herself everytime she opens her mouth and repeats lies (bridge to nowhere) or her ridiculous position that being close to Russia (and now Canada, too - see recent interview with Katie Couric) translates to foreign policy experience. It is no surprise that McCain's campaign is keeping her hidden from the big bad media. She can't even handle softballs from Katie Couric.

I hate librals

Conservatives have been blaming the media for holding a liberal bias since Eisenhower was president. He was actually the first conservative politician on the national level who attributed unfavorable news coverage to "that liberal media bias." Look it up.
Give it up, Repulsivecans; the media isn't biased. You just couldn't have picked two more bumbling candidates for president and vice president of the United States. It's not McCain-Palin '08; it's Dumb-Dumber '08.

unenrolled. I hope you took the time to read Kathleen Parker's article in the National Review - the creation of William F. Buckley Jr. who could hardly be called liberal. It is a thoughtful critique by a once highly vocal journalist. My favorite line?

'If BS were currency she could bail out Wall Street tomorrow."

I encourage you to research your candidate carefully and weigh the results.

I have doubts about Palin, but I also have serious doubts about Obama. Obama is no more qualified to be POTUS than Palin is.

First off, for those of you calling the Globe nothing more than a "left wing rag [sic]", if you expect anything you read or hear to be unbiased, you aren't just ignorant, you're dangerously, stubbornly ignorant. Everything is biased. Everything (including your post and mine) is biased. So at the end of the day, whether you're getting your news from the right-wing shill that is Fox News, or the left-wing shill that is the Boston Globe, it's all biased.

That being said, there are usually a few facts to be found in even the most biased story, even if they are distorted, so it behooves the reader to dig deeper, do a little research, read with a skeptical eye, and discover what those facts are.

Some of the facts, in this case, appear to be as follows:

1. Sarah Palin made a speech at the RNC.

2. Some people were excited that she was the first female chosen for a major party's VP pick (please note, she was not the first-ever choice for a VP candidate).

3. She said that she has foreign policy experience because she can see Russia from Alaska.

4. You can in fact see Russia from Alaska - from one island, far removed from the mainland.

5. Ms. Palin gave three interviews with major media outlets.

6. Some people found these interviews uninspiring at best.

7. Conservatives - that is, members of the GOP, being the conservative party in the US, and others who espouse similar beliefs - are now writing critical articles about Sarah Palin, a conservative.

Those are facts, easily verifiable without resorting to the Boston Globe to provide them. The Boston Globe reporting on any or all of these facts, is not in and of itself bias. How the Globe presents them is - and that includes which facts they choose to present. Don't get angry at the facts themselves, but please feel free to get angry about their presentation if you like. Additionally, if there are what you consider positive facts about this candidate that you have not seen the Globe present, or negative facts about other candidates that you have not seen reported in the Globe - not just today, but overall - then I suggest you contact the Globe, instead of merely complaining on its message boards. I also suggest that you point them in the direction of some of those facts - and that they be actual, verifiable facts, not just rumors or spin.

Now then, what do you think it means when people from a candidate's own political party, who you would think would be the "cheerleaders supporting the team", are trying to distance themselves from said candidate? This may be my own bias speaking, but I have to say, that doesn't seem like a good sign to me. If you interpret that differently, I would love to hear your interpretation.

Finally, I agree that the overall treatment of Sarah Palin in the media has been abhorrent - instead of focusing on her actual stated positions, which have plenty of fodder for any criticism anyone would like to level at her, the media (left and right) has tended to focus on sexist, demeaning attacks. The fact that she is a mother, even the fact that she is the mother of a special needs child, is and should be completely irrelevant to her candidacy. Her policies, positions, and past actions as an elected official are, however, highly relevant. I just wish that the Globe, Fox, and everyone else would focus on those.

I'm going to be standing by the Paul Revere statue the day after Thanksgiving to take on any Neo-Con comers. BostonGlobeisabigftidiot will be the first to go home wearing his ass for a hat!

The only role Palin is good at is playing cheer leader for McCaine, whose judgement is now questionable. I guess he cares about getting the presidency more than the welfare of the country. She stuttered nonsense like a beauty queen in the Couric interview. A lot of people identified with her because she's just "like one of them" - another duh !! Look what happened when you elected a dumb bloke to the presidency. Intelligence does matter. Presidential candidates should have Doctoral degree and pass an entrance exam.

Sarah Palin is like a "Moose In The Headlights". Now all you need is lipstick and you have John McCain's choice for Vice President.

Come on America, if this doesn't shoot the polls in Obama's favor, what will? We cannot afford to have someone who cannot think on the fly a heartbeat away from being The President of The United States. We are better than this, now let's start to show it!

Hey she can't be as stupid as Joe Biden. Biden has often said the opposite of what Obama said. Palin gets dissed by Charlie Gibson because he is in Obama's pocket. Don't forget George Stephanopoulos is a Clinton executive and works on ABC like Gibson. Talk of Biden stepping down for Hillary.

America finally gets it. This woman can no longer bluff her way to the White House.

I can only pray voters vote with their brains and not their hearts in a few weeks. Despite all you say about Palin, she has actually executed Executive Orders form her office as Governor. She has helped the hurricane victims by sending the Alaskan NG. She has visited the troops as Commander in Chief of the Alaskan NG. She has negotiated huge, economy impacting deals for her state. Obama, well....hasn;t come close to anything of those things...and - he sure has articulated well on matters of health care.

The debates tonight and next week will be interesting. Clearly, neither McCain nor Palin have a clue. Had McCain been president over the last 12 days -- 12 different takes on the economy in 12 days do not make for an even hand on the tiller of state.

And I'd add that there is some wisdom in a truly conservative (small government, balanced budgets, keep the military out of foreign wars) agenda. Bush and McCain aren't conservatives, is all. Under Bush, the government has grown by 60%, and under Bush/McCain policies the federal deficit has grown by 100%. And both favor "nation-building." Witness Iraq.

Another four years of these morons and we're all done.

Poor Sarah Palin --- Did you see her interview with Katie Couric talking about the good guys and the bad guys, hey this is not the Wild Wild West. She is such an embarrasment. Sarah take the high road and bail.

These forums are genuine entertainment. Change is never going to happen and hope is nothing more than BS. It's no wonder I'm not going to vote.

Either way, Palin will be a future Republican bright spot. Not too many governors had foreign policy experience going in (read: Clinton/Arkansas).

She did her job: blunt the hysteria coming out of the DNC and make barry lose 2 weeks trying to figure out what to do.

Now, McCain must have a strong showing tonite,and Sarah must take on Blowhard Joe next week. I truly hope he can remember that Hoover was the pressident and TV wasn't yet invented.

to unenrolled...So, what exactly is "little regard for the truth"? Is that just those things that made her look like the silly little nobody that she is? or just the things that you would prefer not to know? Every once of what has been sent her way has proven true...not in the Republican never-never land, of course, that you live in, but in the real world. She is a sham.

"Kathleen Parker needs to bow out for personal mental instability reasons.

60,000 (SIXTY THOUSAND) people show up in Florida last week to see Gov Sarah Palin. Per Kathleen Parker, they must be the senile and the infirmed."

No, it was a bunch of old guys trying to get a look at those legs!

I think Palin has to go too. However, as a person who IS voting for McCain, I would like to see the one person I've been saying all along for the last year on the ticket with him. Hillary Clinton.

Did anyone catch her husband Bill throwing his support behind McCain this week? Unbelievable! Who would have thought it? I hope they're brave enough to just do it.

Obama sure love and support his wife but any other woman nah,sorry Hilliary Clinton and all you Clintonites I can win without you thanks.Oh! about women issues ah,,, maybe John Mccain can help you better I learned enough from Michell.

Bravo Wench!

I wish everyone could forget all we know about Sarah Palin: the media coverage, the family saga, the fact that she is a woman. Forget it all, and then watch the three interviews she had with a national audience. Then ask yourself, is this really someone who has the knowledge and communication skills to lead your country? If we are honest, I think deep down inside most of us would say no.

Palin's popularity is falling in Alaska. Governor Investigate Me has become Governor Stonewall Palin. Anyone could be Alaska's governor. The state is flooded with oil and federal money year after year. We have no income tax. No fuel tax. And we're paid to live here. Do you have your own branch of the Federal Archives? We do. It's a tough life living the Alaskan myth. I've lived here for fifty years. But I still miss Massachusetts.

It's sad to see how flamingly partisan many of these comments are. How did we get so badly divided?

I'm frightened by all you folks who think we should elect a President "just like me." I shouldn't be President under almost any circumstances and probably you shouldn't either. The pollsters tell us we elected Dubya because he was the kind of guy we'd like to have a beer with. So how has he done? Of course intelligence, experience and demonstrated judgment matter!

If we ran Presidential elections like a non-partisan talent search, instead of like a corporate auction, maybe our candidates really would represent the "best and the brightest." As it is, it's laughable to assert that these are the best choices we can come up with out of a population of around 300 million.

I will vote for Ralph Nader, who's spent his entire adult life in public service, immersed in issues. The irony is that this superbly qualified man doesn't even want the job. He runs as our conscience, because someone has to. When our conscience has fled forever, it will truly be the fall of the Roman Empire reenacted.

Say what you will, but you cannot dispute the incoherency of Sarah Palin's rambling during the interview. Kathleen Park is more than correct. Palin is clearly out of her league. Whether she has been "overhandled" or not, it remains clear that she is an embarrassing choice for McCain's VP. The damage has been done, whether he silences her like Carly or not.

On whether the $700 billion bailout of the U.S. financial sector is a good idea, Sarah responds:

"That's why I say I, like every American I'm speaking with, we're ill about this position that we have been put in where it is the taxpayers looking to bail out. But ultimately what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the healthcare reform that is needed to help shore up our economy. Helping the—it's got to be all about job creation too, shoring up our economy and putting it back on the right track. So health care reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions and tax relief for Americans and trade—we've got to see trade as opportunity, not as competitive, scary thing, but one in five jobs being created in the trade sector today—we've got to look at that as more opportunity."

In the immortal words of Lewis Carroll,

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.'

It's all ... jabberwocky.

What liberals think of Gov. Palin is not relevant. John McCain brought her on board for two reasons: to energize the GOP base, and to strengthen his appeal to independent voters, particularly in the Midwest. Mission accomplished. I personally have gained a great deal of admiration for Gov. Palin - she has conducted herself with grace, cheerfully maintaining her dignity in the face of an unprecedented, disgusting, all-out smear assault by the radical Left and its media toadies. She is a magnificent woman.

Hey Cindy (#6),
Just because 60,000 people showed up at her rally doesn't mean they are all supporters. Train wrecks often attract a big crowd...

Very well said, Wench.
The only thing I don't agree with is "the fact that she is the mother of a special needs child, is and should be completely irrelevant to her candidacy." She brought that into this campaign herself when she used her family and especially her newborn as tools in her early speeches to get sympathy from voters, and to attempt to connect with them.

The choice was a political gimmick that is backfiring badly. Also, I like how 8 yrs. after deciding that Bush was a better choice than McCain all of a sudden the Repubs claim McCain is now their guy. I might be questioning my judgment if I were them at this point. Not that the US is in any state of disarray whatsoever. Oh well, at least they had the sense to pick a qualified running-mate. Unbelievable.

Oh and if you want to question the intelligence of Obama...have fun. The guy is an intellectual monster with the communication skills to back it up. Despite not living near Russia, he will do much better for our country than George 'at least all my friends are rich now' Bush.

To my liberal arrogant heckling compadres:

Do you really believe the mainstream media is objective. Do you really believe that any one from National Public Radio or Television votes Republican?

Do you really believe any local public radion has conservative voices?

Baba WaWa a true objective reporter.

Do you think any of the major mainstream newspapers will endorse a Republican, ever?

GIMME A BREAK

All of this begs the question: Why did McCain pick Palin?
For the good of the country?
No, for the good of McCain and his campaign to win at any cost, including the very real possibility of placing a dim wit at the controls of the most powerful military on earth.

Country First...my arse.

So all the liberals are so proud of Obama (the racist). Why do you think he's going to lose the election? Because the majority of Hilary's voter base is voting for McCain/Palin. HA HA!!!

At least she was a governor and a mayor, what the hell has any US Senator ever accomplished.

Oh and the great experienced Obama, 4 years running for the Presidency, whoopee!

Doctoral canditate as a minimum requirement, you got to be joking. Go back to Academia Land.

I'd be popular too, if my job consisted of mailing every voter a check for oil royalties.

Palin is probably a nice person, except for the history of scheming and cronyism, the out-of-control ambition and the childlike unawareness of her own limits. But if we're talking about her being PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES...well, let's just say that Alaska secession sounds less crazy all the time.

Hey Eric - yesterday, at the Clinton Global Initiative, your intellectual monster with the communication skills to back it up said, "The American People need to hear from myself and Senator McCain". Do we really want 4 more years of a president with lousy grammar skills? Uh, Uh, and, um....
All Obama's friends are crooks and terrorists.
Hillary Clinton is the Democrat who is an intellectual monster. Obama is merely the Chosen One of the sexist DNC. He is less qualified than Mrs. Palin, and he is the one running for President.

Whereas, Sarah Palin has executive experience, including managing a huge budget , running a sucessful state, and eliminating corruption. She has also negotiated treaties with at least one foriegn country, Canada. Check the facts, not SNL.
If we are to kick her to the curb for blowing one interview, what about Joe Biden who has blown countless interviews over the years. Where is Joe, anyway? Is the Obama camp keeping him away from reporters for some reason? Hmm.

Interesting! Has anybody that writes in, thought about the attitude and spirit it also takes to run a huge. powerful, country even as Vice President? OBAMA is great at talk, but has displayed NO ACTION (Good or Bad with just "PRESENT" votes in congress) isn't this country thought of as a big family? What kind of family life does OBAMA or what's-his-face have? Who cares if 'The Trickle Down Effect' is from hateful biggots? (We just steal from everybody anyway, right?) Need I go on? We need the change Gov.Sarah CAN bring (and has shown she can do!)

Palin is perhaps not a talker-- but a do-er.
Palin reminds me of the Indian politician Laloo Prasad Yadav.
He was rustic (a people's choice) who was very proud of his small-town values and support. He would make similar remarks. He would eat, talk and walk in 'small town' ways..
He was RIDICULED to the core by the press.
Today, he ended up today at the top reforming the Indian Train system as a Railway Minster in a dazzling success story!!

Lesson: Who we laugh at today may end up laughing at us tomorrow.

P.S. Palin still does not have my vote (I'm an animal rights advocate and do not agree with her polices). However, I am appalled at the delight of her treatment meted out to her. Shame on us who are supposed to embrace all.

This dodo must resign immediately. McCain did not work his entire life to have his dream ruined by this LOW LIFE, IDIOTIC, STUTTERING, BATHING SUIT STRUTTING, LYING C. I am a Republican woman who never uses the c word.

Sarah Palin is America's greatest national security threat!

I listened to her interviews and couldn't abstract a single coherent substantive thought. I am beyond shaking my head. I am incredibly angry that Senator McCain in all his hubris would put our country at risk with his VP selection.

Anne,

Using "myself" instead of "me" can hardly be considered "lousy grammar skills." It's a common mistake and no reason to question Obama's intellect. Maybe before you become the grammar police you should check your own post. "Whereas" should only be used in a sentence with two clauses that directly oppose each other. For example, "Whereas John McCain believes the fundamentals of our economy are strong, we actually witnessed the collapse of the nation's largest bank this week." Your next mistake is that you need the word "of" after "all" in your ridiculous statement about Obama's friends. Also, there is a space before one of your commas (more of a typo than poor grammar, but since you pointed out a minor mistake in Obama's statement, it's only fair that I do the same for yours).
Finally, I think you need to "check the facts" as well. Sarah Palin eliminated corruption in Alaska? I guess that was after she was a director for a group Ted Stevens created that could raise unlimited funds from corporate donors.
It's unbelievable that you would attempt to belittle Obama's grammar skills only a few days after Palin's interview with Katie Couric in which she stuttered through most of the answers that required the slightest bit of thought.
Where is Joe Biden? Maybe you should stop watching Fox News and tune into CNN where you would have seen Biden responding to the debate tonight. Meanwhile, Sarah Palin, as usual, was not granting any interviews.

A question I've not yet seen brought up yet is, " What psychological red button did Palin push with the public? " Within 48-72 hours of her walking onto the political stage crowds were gathering and chanting her name with hysterical zeal despite knowing NOTHING about her. What does that ultimately say ?? I think we'd be seeing an entirely different reaction if McCain would've chosen a 60 year old, 5 ' 2" , grandmother with 30 years of experience. My guess is the crowds would be smaller, quieter and not so willing to overlook inadequacies.

Yes, Palin needs to step aside. She is truly out of her league. There are many brilliant women in America who could take her place and earn the respect of the American citizenry to become our president if McCain is unable to be president. The only way McCain can win this fall is to replace Palin immediately with a person like Romney, Liberman, or as I said another woman....with more substance and background than this limited, undereducated, red-neck "chick" that is in the middle of a dysfunctional family mess in Alaska. She needs to go back home and bring up her family!

I've never seen such flip-flop'n" on the part of these "lib" women...
They yell and screech that we need a woman as top exc., I guess that myth is in the open now.
All these "libers" really want is a leftist.
Once a REAL woman like Sarah comes along, they (the leftists) show their true colors...---and FANGS---
GOD BLESS Sarah Palin, I'm praying she is our next VP

We've already had eight years of a bumbling idiot and see where we are now. How about this time we try someone who can actually carry on a meaningful conversation about the very important issues facing our country at this time?