On Sarah Palin’s Speech

She’s spunky.  I wonder if she can spell “potatoe”.

Seriously, in her speech, there were a number of things to like.  I love the talk of reform and the hints of common-sense frugality.  And, she certainly exuded a down-home folksy charm that could go a long way towards offsetting the image of McCain as an out-of-touch aristocrat.

I loved the (presumably off-the-cuff) quip, “What’s the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull?  Hockey moms wear lipstick.”

However, part of that sparkle tarnished with her pandering to partisan issues of the moment (talking about drilling is fine, but new energy needs equal billing), and I do note that she didn’t directly mention her social conservatism (e.g., her hard-line stance on abortion).

In a way, my thoughts of her are similar to those I had of Huckabee earlier this year.   I think I like her, but I disagree with her in oh-so-many ways.

I’m willing to give her a bye on experience.  With good advisors and a Dem-controlled Congress to keep her in check, she’d probably do OK, and would be a welcome breath of fresh air in Washington.  That’s very similar to how I feel about Obama…save that there wouldn’t be a GOP-controlled Congress to rein him in on those points I disagree with him on.

On the other “scandals” and “dirt” that has been dug up on Governor Palin in the past few days…well, considering that she’s been thrust into the limelight so quickly, while the other three folks on stage we’ve had a few years to work through the crap, it’s not surprising that it seems like folks are piling on her all at once.  She has a lot of ground to make up in a short period of time in this regard.

Having said that…I realize that my wish will probably be ignored, but to those on the left that are finding great sport in uncovering interesting trivia about the Gov – folks, don’t you think it’s time to moderate your tone?   After all, there’s nothing that Joe Average American loves more than an underdog or a martyr…and that’s exactly what you’re turning Palin into.