Moreover, I had noted her tendency to abuse power twice, both after and in a comment earlier that day, posted prior to McCain's pick of her being announced, opining she wouldn't be the pick and stating in that earlier comment:

...and her trying to fire the ex-brother-in-law is perfectly in line with the habitual conduct of this Administration.  Plays right into the another four years of the last eight that the Dems are pitching.  No.

So, what we've seen is that Palin was a bright shiny object whose shine is now gone (to paraphrase TL's note on the point), non-Republican-base people are getting a good look at her and what she represents (and not liking it), the Republican base is loving her because she's even nuttier than they are (yesterday, some stuff came out reporting on her involvement not only with the Alaska secessionists but also the militia movement and I'm not even talking about the religion b/c it apparently chaps the readership) and she has the Rethug stonewall and retribution as central components in her politician's armanmentarium.

But, the point remains that as weak as she is as a candidate and as lousy as a president McCain and vice-president she would make (as to her, she might have trouble even with the proverbial bucket of warm spit), the race is still close, particularly on a state-by-state basis.

Negative campaigning (of which ridiculing your opponent, especially telling when the ridicule is true) does work, but one cannot go solely negative and expect to win.  Obama's success or failure will turn on two things:  turnout of the Democratic base and leaners, and making sure the election has integrity.  Because all the Republicans are playing for is making it close enough to steal;  they've done it the last two times and there won't be any America left if they succeed this time.

And I'm so sick of hearing about people's "terror" at the thought of Palin entering the WH. And the reasons given are - for the most part - irrational, hypocritical and idiotic.

So let us speak of the real fear.

Palin is a threat to the Obama campaign, to Democrats chances for the WH. You see, we now have two historic tickets this November to chose from and neither - African Americans and women - is more important than the other.

Today, women have a once in a lifetime opportunity to put a woman in the WH. And Obama supporters fear that too many women will take that opportunity, just as African Americans will take the opportunity to elect an African American to the WH.

A once in a lifetime opportunity is one many will not pass on...this is your fear.

heh...a person wouldn't believe that you were ever a HRC supporter based on the way you've been posting since forcing yourself into supporting Obama. And speaking of HRC, she's about the only one who has shown some class. She captures and projects the true, transcending meaning of the feminist movement - condemning Palin's politics while never belittling her accomplishments.

Feminism, after all, doesn't belong to liberals and progressives.

One more thing: my post isn't Palin - The Politician - advocacy.

The poll is about her, not McCain, and it's McCain more than her that's being attacked for being a phony-baloney change agent.

-- In a Dramatic Reversal Since Late July, McCain/Palin Now Virtually Tied With Obama/Biden on Who Best Understands Women -

"Understanding Women and What is Most Important to Them: In Lifetime's late July Every Woman Counts poll, Barack Obama handily beat John McCain 52% to 18% with 11% volunteering "neither" to this question. Just six weeks later, and with the addition of Sarah Palin to the Republican ticket, McCain/Palin has dramatically reversed those fortunes, now in a virtual tie with Obama/Biden, 44%-42%."

I'm a middle aged centrist who see the tide swaying back and forth between two lessers. I can't stand the faux outrage or hypocrisy from either side of the blogosphere or the opposing Parties.  The idea that Palin's favorability means the bloom is off the rose competes little with the fact that Obama has never blossomed for many like me.  

I don't trust either candidate's judgment. Quite frankly it has nothing to do with McCain's pick of Palin or Obama's pick of Biden.  I'm a frustrated voter, I'm not alone. So what do I do? Stay home, cast a useless third party ballot. How can I deal with my conscience when both of these candidates are unacceptable? Just drop out, I'm sure many here will applaud that idea.

McCain is not Bush, but he's a Republican, and I know what that means. Obama is not a Kennedy, and he's no Clinton either. In fact as I recall he admired Reagan and basically dismissed Clinton as irrelevant to history. Is Obama even a Democrat?  

So when Palin and her handlers tell one lie after another, people will tend to view her as just another "business as usual" politician.

Let's look at some of the "lies to nowhere":

1.  Bridge to nowhere:  She never told Congress "thanks but no thanks" because the state had already received all the money by the time she became governor.  As we are finding out, she just completed the "road to nowhere"- with a federal earmark!
   
2. Earmarks.  She loved them as mayor.  She loves them as governor- and has asked Ted Stevens for nearly $200 million in earmarks this year alone.
   
3. Library book banning: She claims her THREE inquiries were "hypothetical." Why was she asking so many times, and why did she try to fire the librarian.
   
4. Charging for rape kits:  As mayor, her job was to propose a budget.  When it turns out that her budget eliminated funds that paid for forensic exams for victims of sexual assault, she denied knowing anything about it!
   
5. Troopergate:  After pledging to cooperate with a bipartisan investigation, she has clammed up and turned her defense over to the McCain campaign.  What smoking gun(s)are they trying to hide?
   
6.  Secret government:  After pledging an "open and transparent, the news is full of stories about her Karl Rove-inspired dual e-mail system- so she could conduct public business without anyone knowing what she is doing.

"With Palin neutralized (and there's a reason they're hiding her from view)..."