aka South Carolinian, Parker has gone all elitist. She frequently stereotypes us rubes down here as well, as now, it seems, fellow Reaganites in Alaska.

I was going to write a column on this. Your excellent effort allows me to watch more college football.

but I doubt I could be placed in that category. And, I am beginning to have my doubts.

Her failure in that interview with Couric as more than just a failure to recall a bunch of minutae. People do expect a candidate to be able to articulare a point of view with some cogency and consistency. One does expect a candidate to have a working knowledge, at some level, of the issues of the day.

She could have easily challenged Couric’s idea that the financial crisis is due to a lack of regulation, by maybe suggesting that govt intervention was a big part of what caused the problem. And, she could have elaborated some of the other factors involved in the mess. You can do this without being a financial genius. Instead, she was caught flat footed trying to provide an example of where McCain favored regulation. Heck, she could have even said that he was one of those trying to reform Freddie and Fannie several years back.

but I doubt I could be placed in that category. And, I am beginning to have my doubts.

Her failure in that interview with Couric as more than just a failure to recall a bunch of minutae. People do expect a candidate to be able to articulare a point of view with some cogency and consistency. One does expect a candidate to have a working knowledge, at some level, of the issues of the day.

She could have easily challenged Couric’s idea that the financial crisis is due to a lack of regulation, by maybe suggesting that govt intervention was a big part of what caused the problem. And, she could have elaborated some of the other factors involved in the mess. You can do this without being a financial genius. Instead, she was caught flat footed trying to provide an example of where McCain favored regulation. Heck, she could have even said that he was one of those trying to reform Freddie and Fannie several years back.

I sure as heck hope that you are right and that she recovers from this. For, I fear Obama greatly.

but I doubt I could be placed in that category. And, I am beginning to have my doubts.

Her failure in that interview with Couric as more than just a failure to recall a bunch of minutae. People do expect a candidate to be able to articulare a point of view with some cogency and consistency. One does expect a candidate to have a working knowledge, at some level, of the issues of the day.

She could have easily challenged Couric’s idea that the financial crisis is due to a lack of regulation, by maybe suggesting that govt intervention was a big part of what caused the problem. And, she could have elaborated some of the other factors involved in the mess. You can do this without being a financial genius. Instead, she was caught flat footed trying to provide an example of where McCain favored regulation. Heck, she could have even said that he was one of those trying to reform Freddie and Fannie several years back.

I sure as heck hope that you are right and that she recovers from this. For, I fear Obama greatly.

Unlike most here and elsewhere in the Country, I actually know Sarah Palin. I sat in Monday morning commissioner’s staff meetings with her when she was on the AOGCC, I’ve chatted with her from time to time, and I see her dealing with the press here all the time. Usually, she is quite voluable, even chatty. My only criticism is that she is sometimes too colloquial, but that may just be my own predjudice.

I think the reason she appears so tense and tentative at times is not that she doesn’t have her own answer; leadership level Alaskans have to be pretty well versed in national and international affairs since our lives are dictated in DC, NY, London, and Riyadh more than in Juneau and Anchorage – most of us even have cable TV and computers. Rather, I don’t think that she’s confident of the McCain Campaign’s answers, the briefing books must be thousands of pages, and is worried about committing McCain to something. This is the downside of the very tight control that is clearly being exercised over her.

She needs to be cut lose to say, “I haven’t discussed this with the Senator, so I’m not speaking for him, but my opinion is …” Nothing says they have to have the same position on everything, e.g., ANWR. So, long as she doesn’t say something abysmally stupid, and I’m confident she won’t, she’ll be fine and McCain can step in and say what his position is if it is different.

and if she said what she believed it would be alot different from McCain. She is a true conservative to McCain’s centrist which probably gets her in a bind when interviewed. As governor she could go out and state her opinion on issues with no concern, and she looked great doing it. AChance laid out the perfect response, where she says I haven’t talked to the Senator, and then states what she believes. I think people would absolutely love that contrasting point of view, and it would make her look good again.

I think it’s definitely fair to say that Alaska is a very Libertarian state, and Governor Palin shown a real Libertarian/Populist streak that has complimented her fundamental Conservatism very nicely. If she hadn’t taken on big oil she wouldn’t have gotten that Pipeline deal, a deal that eluded previous Governors of both parties who wouldnt stand up to them, and also she wouldn’t have been able to balance the budget and give 1200 dollars to the taxpayers of Alaska. It may not be considered ‘Conservative’ per se to stand up to big oil as she has done, it might technicly be a ‘Populist’ thing to do, but whatever you call it the bottom line is it was the ‘Right’ thing to do, it took something called Leadership, something she has in spades. The fact that she is willing to do the right thing regardless of whether it follows a party or ideological line is exactly what makes her who she is, and it is why she is supported by the American People.

Thanks, adam. This is a good column.

And I generally agree on the main points made.

Parker’s remark is really uncalled for.