Thank you, I tried to evaluate her as fairly as possible.

As for your question, I would say in order to understand why Palin agreed to accept the VP nomination, you have to look at her political career. Everything that I’ve read from people who have known her personally has demonstrated, above all else, her primary motivational factor is intense personal ambition. Not to be misogynist, but Palin truly has a “look at me” beauty queen mentality. From her election in Wasilla to her election as Governor of Alaska, she has been governed by her own desire to hold power and appear powerful.

Palin is someone who is intensely religious, but you can tell from her actions on this campaign, particularly with regard to the treatment of her daughter Bristol and her infant with special needs, that her real concern lies with promoting herself. She really is an Elle Woods from Legally Blonde kind of character – not traditionally bright, not well-educated, but able to get what she wants by her looks and charm. Or so she thought.

Palin is finding out, or has found out, that the real world is quite different than the fictionalized universe of Legally Blonde. People actually expect answers out of her and she cannot just smile her way into the vice-presidency. There was an excellent article in the New York Times op-ed pages called “Poor Sarah” that I think shows an exemplary understanding of her situation. While I would not go as far as that author, who suggests that her nomination by McCain was “cruel”, I would say, in the vein of Kathleen Parker, that she is in way over her head.

I’m wondering do you have any thoughts into why Palin would say yes to such an important request considering how
she doesn’t seem remotely interested in governance and issues outside of Alaska (and of course monitoring Russia)?

Watching the clip from the Couric/Palin interview only gets more painful with every viewing.

I retract my sandbagging hypothesis. I can only blame its birth on sleep deprivation and intentional memory loss of my initial viewing of the Couric/Palin interview.

I made myself watch that interview the first time around so that I could be justified in my condemnation but I did everything in my power to pay as little attention as necessary because of how much it made me cringe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6XvedQbaQo

Given the McCain campaign so far, I’m willing to believe that they would set expectations as low as possible in order to rig it in their favor. Although insider comments from the McCain camp seem to say otherwise – I think they are really just terrified of what she might say.

What concerns me most is that she is going to look so extremely stupid that Biden is going to seem like a wolverine by comparison and make some voters who are still undecided (how, I simply do not know) think that the Obama-Biden ticket is misogynist in some way, shape, or form.

I.e., “Look our trained sidekick had three successes in 90 minutes of debate.” Tremble in fear at her might.

McCain Camp insiders say Palin “clueless”

Capitol Hill sources are telling me that senior McCain people are more than concerned about Palin. The campaign has held a mock debate and a mock press conference; both are being described as “disastrous.” One senior McCain aide was quoted as saying, “What are we going to do?” The McCain people want to move this first debate to some later, undetermined date, possibly never. People on the inside are saying the Alaska Governor is “clueless.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/25/palin-talks-russia-with-k_n_129318.html