I don't really get the point of this line of attack since anyone who sees the pick as an insult already sees it that way and doesn't need to have the thought put in their head.  And meanwhile you inspire those who disagree to support Palin and defend her from the arguably unfair attacks.

She doesn't have any less experience than Obama.  Obama's lack of experience doesn't seem to offer insult to African Americans.  In fact, what I seem to remember as so insulting was having the temerity to point out Obama's lack of experience.

Also start developing responses to her "likability" -- I think anyone other than the Debbie Wassermans of the world gives Palin points for being like their "neighbor."

I've seen bits of interviews Palin has done, the topic was energy and she makes the argument for Alaska's natural resources being shared with the lower 48 and sounds very reasonable -- let's tackle that.

Obama chose Biden instead of Kaine because of the recent foreign  policy dustup. Had Russia not roared into Georgia, Kaine would have gotten the nod because Obama thought  he could turn Virginia blue.

As a constituent of hers and a middle class voter, I would like to know if I should be insulted by Obama's pandering to the middle class with the selection of Joe Biden as VP. And as someone born and bred in the South, should I have been insulted by Kerry's selection of Edwards in 2004?

these attacks are just plain silly and there's a clear double-standard operating.

how sad to see this kind of stuff at talkleft!

Who knows how a VP might do if called upon.

MD, despite being a solidly Dem state w/ almost 30% AA population, has never had an AA elected statewide.

Kweisi Mfume announced for MD-Sen's open seat.

The Dems rushed to bring on Cardin. When Mfume narrowly lost, the Dems then had to campaign against another AA, Michael Steele.

One AA surrogate after another sent out to tell AA voters not to vote for the AA candidate -- including Barack Obama.

In the end, Dems lost 25% of the AA vote to Steele.

The same will happen here. Some fraction of the Dem female vote will be lost simply because the parties have not been proactive about being more inclusive. It truly is moving at a snail's pace. Take a look at a list of "netroots" candidates, and tell me that this is the face of the Dem party.

And if McCain showed lousy judgement picking Palin, didn't the Dems just do the same with Obama?

I just spent a week hearing about how it doesn't matter that Obama has so little experience.  Think of Lincoln!  So when it's a male candidate, he can make up for experience with his awesomeness and the experience of his female opponent totally doesn't matter?  But when it's the woman with less experience, then she's unqualified and none of her personal qualities can make up for it?  

And if this is insulting to women, then I wish both political parties would be insulting to me.  Because both have been nominating awful men for years and I don't hear men complaining they're being insulted.  There's a reason for that.

But seeing the Repugs fielding a candidate who "looks like us"? Not so much. (Jeez, is everyone in Miffed Mode tonight?)

I'm not sure why anyone would find this insulting, given that women can vote however they want. They don't HAVE to vote for her or anyone else in the field if they're not into the candidate.

He has achieved (which I said he should do) keeping the Dems in the primary.

His pick has brought back sexism (which frankly, showed the Dems in a less than positive light)and affirmative action candidacy (which frankly,  showed the Dems in a less than positive light)...

it has brought back questioning the intelligence of constituencies.. women vote for Clinton only because she's a women, any woman is stupid if they vote for Palin (which frankly, showed Dems in a less than positive light) and the Obama tacked on an insult to small towns with their reference to Palin's mayoralship of a small town (which frankly, showed the Dems in a less than positive light)...

it has brought back the discussion of experience.. mayor of small town plus limited time as a governor v community org plus limited legislative experience.

McCain has grabbed the discussion.

But, he highlighted Obama's blunder in not choosing Hillary.

McCain is very shrewd in choosing Gov. Palin.

Obama people cannot bring up the issue of experience because Palin is more experienced than Obama.

It makes more sense to have an inexperienced person as VP, not as president.

All the women I know, mostly Hillary supporters, like the idea of having a woman as VP.  We had hoped for the first female president, but VP is good, too.

Anti-choice, but she demonstrated her position when she kept her baby with Down Syndrome

NRA member: she goes hunting

Anti corruption: She stood up to the Republican party's shady deals.

She supports Iraq: Her son is going there.

It just goes on and on.

The woman stands erect, and that silly investigation that she misused her authority when she fired an employee it's chicken s**t compared to Rezko.  And I like her answer: I welcome the investigation and hold me accountable.  Wow!

I'm with Jeralyn re: Diana DeGette -- she fights and works and doesn't go for cheap b.s.

Look, McCain is a patronizing pr**k if he sincerely believes that uterus-voting is going to be a hot new trend.

That would be the position of someone who despises women, wouldn't it?  How could anyone possibly take it seriously?

And I'm laughing out loud at the level of outrage from my former friends in the left . . . how dare a politician do or say anything that so demeans women????  

Geez, I don't know.  Periodically, when I'm feeling down, I just randomly attack people.  My claws come out, you know?

"With all due respect again to Governor Kaine, he's been a governor for three years, he's been able but undistinguished. I don't think people could really name a big, important thing that he's done. He was mayor of the 105th largest city in America. And again, with all due respect to Richmond, Virginia, it's smaller than Chula Vista, California; Aurora, Colorado; Mesa or Gilbert, Arizona; north Las Vegas or Henderson, Nevada. It's not a big town. So if he were to pick Governor Kaine, it would be an intensely political choice where he said, `You know what? I'm really not, first and foremost, concerned with, is this person capable of being president of the United States?"

`You know what? I'm really not, first and foremost, concerned with, is this person capable of being president of the United States?"

and that about sums up McCain's approach.

At least we had a surplus of capable options on our side. As far as I was concerned from Bayh to Biden to Clark to Hillary to Kaine to Sebelius, etc., they all added something to a strong ticket. Arguments could be made that each were capable of being President. Good ones at that.

She doesn't support full marriage equality for all American citizens.

All the women I know, mostly Hillary supporters, like the idea of having a woman as VP.  We had hoped for the first female president, but VP is good, too.
It's too bad Obama didn't see it that way first.

These same women would have been up in arms had Obama picked Kathleen Sebelius who is good on their issues.

As a 45 year old woman, lawyer, mother of young children including a 5 month old baby, and Hilary supporter, I concur that the selection of Palin is an insult to women.  Not merely on the obvious level that women are not interchangeable (women will not swap Palin for Clinton at the voting booth just because they want a women in executive office... like we already know how great having Pelosi and Rice in office have been for females--NOT) but on the less overt level, too.

Where at the end of the day, McCain may have picked Palin merely to energize the evangelical base, not worrying one bit about experience or line of succession because the GOP seems apparently happy with inexperienced puppets like GWB, who comply with their corporate puppetmasters (Cheney/ George Schulz), the selection of Palin screams a subtext of sexism and ageism that I believe a lot of the Hilary demographic is attuned to... hence the continued sense of pique and insult.

A lot is being bound up in the word "experienced" but I think the real issue is accomplishment. Many accomplished women who work very hard and obtain advanced degrees and put in their time to reach the brass ring are often disappointed by the glass ceiling...being passed over by less accomplished people, usually men... and sometimes women who use their looks/ sex appeal to climb the ladder.

It can be dispiriting and insulting to women to have a beauty queen with a bachelors degree from a 3d rate school with basically 2 years of governing about 1.5 million people be placed on the same level in the national conversation as a person who has a 30 year career with advanced degrees from top schools, who stood out among the best and brightest at those institutions, and who advocated for clients and citizens, developing domestic policy and interfacing with world leaders,and who worked hard for 18 months in a primary to show how much she really wanted the job of POTUS. Hilary's intellect is threatening to men in power and she does not wear skirts. Palin is plucky and manageable...a big fish in a little pond (how many electoral votes does Alaska have?). There is no way she actually deserves to be on the ticket. (and neither did Dan Quayle...)

The comparisons of Palin and Obama are moot... he did run in the primary to prove his bona fides and show he wanted the job ... he did not just step in **it.

Finally, as for Palin as mother of the year... even kittens have litters... she can't be around her kids and that new baby too much if she is on a tour bus with the McCains. I am sure a lot of people have thought that, but everyone seems too polite to say it.

I don't think this would happen unless the spouse had a great deal of knowledge about the office, was capable, and agreed on the policies.

So, even though Hillary was not president, being as bright and curious as she is, I'm sure she learned a great deal about being president from her husband, President Bill Clinton, one of our greatest presidents.

Hillary was a very active First Lady and was deeply involved in presidential activities.

I am very upset that her presidential bid was corrupted as it was. I was looking forward to another 8 years of Peace & Prosperity and another Greatest Economic Expansion in History.

Since Obama put down Clinton's economy I don't expect to see a redo soon.

However, I have no problem with McCain winning in 2008 and Hillary winning in 2012. I guess I will have to wait 4 years for another Greatest Economic Expansion in History, but it's worth waiting for.