OMG, I'm About to DEFEND Sarah Palin(!)

I am no fan of Ms. Palin. Clearly. But I, for one, am not going to stand for this media onslaught focused almost entirely on Ms. Palin, whom I see as little more than a patsy in many respects.

Whether the RNC spent too much "styling" Ms. Palin is so beside the point. The question is, is there any precedent for this kind of spending, on candidates either male or female, by either the Republicans or the Democrats? Did the DNC spend money styling Hilary? Or Geraldine Ferraro? And when We-the-People make contributions directly to the candidate of our choice, are our contributions going towards this kind of frivolous spending? If so, do We-the-People want to perpetuate this kind of politics-as-usual gamesmanship and the worship of Style to the complete exclusion of Substance?

Which is why I just fired off a rather snippy and snarky email to CNN Headline News... and I generally like their coverage of the news.

And try to watch NBC's Brian Williams' long-awaited interview (tonight?) with Palin, and McCain. Take special note of how Daddy McCain had to sit beside her, in order for Ms. Palin to face (or be allowed) to meet the press. The Republicans are treating Ms. Palin like a patsy... and I, as a woman, am more than a little peeved. Maybe if the Republicans had just let Ms. Palin sink-or-swim on her own (like Joe Biden does, for good and bad), instead of focusing on how to dress up their "Caribou Barbie" and what words to put on her teleprompter... well, maybe she would have eventually figured out how to avoid all the embarrassing gaffes she has been making. Maybe not. But still...

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Postscript: Thank you, Keith Olberman of MSNBC, for answering some of my questions. Neither party is innocent here--Clinton was once getting $200 haircuts, apparently, on the taxpayers' dime. The irony is, McCain himself, back when he actually acted a bit like the straight-talking "maverick" he still claims to be, raised this very issue of the frivolous spending of public funds by politicians on highly personal expenses, including one's wardrobe. Once. Oh McCain... maybe I should start calling you King McLear instead...