William: If you take a look at the polls, you can see that Palin’s favorability rating has plummeted in the last couple of weeks, to the point that the number of people who disapprove of her is larger than the number who approve, and more people say she makes them less likely to vote McCain than say she makes them more likely. This is directly related to the fact that more and more unsavory information keeps coming out about her.

Also, not only is exposing Palin’s faults good strategy, but she’s got a real shot at being a heartbeat away from the Presidency, and I think the public deserves to know everything it can about what it’s getting if they vote for her.

I’m sympathetic to the argument that attacking Palin hurts McCain, I just think it doesn’t hurt him nearly as much as attacking him directly would. Her negative ratings are good, but not as good as McCain’s. The problem (to my mind) right now is that we’re running in two directions, splitting our resources, and forgetting who is on the top of the ticket. I know she has a good shot of becoming president if McCain wins, but that seems to be missing the point that she only has that shot if McCain wins. Maybe I’m just cynical, but I have trouble believing that the average low-information-voter is so sophisticated in their decision making strategy that they’ll be thinking about the second half of a McCain/Palin ticket. These are the people who have the same level of political sophistication as Palin, after all.

Also, not only is exposing Palin’s faults good strategy, but she’s got a real shot at being a heartbeat away from the Presidency, and I think the public deserves to know everything it can about what it’s getting if they vote for her.

Ditto.

Considering her record as mayor and governor is eerily reminiscent of 19th century patronage politics in the US where politicians hired and fired everyone from the lowest-level professional/clerk on up solely on the basis of whether he liked you…actual qualifications and skills be damned……she’s the last person I’d want a heartbeat away from the Presidency.

There was a reason why the US adopted civil service reforms in the 1880s…including the institution of civil service exams so hiring/firing for civil service positions was determined by actual qualifications and skills…..not by how much the local mayor, governor, or president liked/disliked you….

Also, not only is exposing Palin’s faults good strategy, but she’s got a real shot at being a heartbeat away from the Presidency, and I think the public deserves to know everything it can about what it’s getting if they vote for her.

And, BTW, it turns out that he actually had permission to go to DC, anyway, so this is a lie.

According to Palin’s staff, he had permission to go but not permission to “talk about whatever he wanted to talk about” No joke, they really said that. The trip was approved without anyone asking him why he was going and, somehow, he was the insubordinate one.

Charging victims of crime is shocking to anybody, feminist or not, so spread the word as far as possible. It’s appalling, indecent, cruel, and callous.

Done now. Thanks.