It's Just Crazy Enough to Work!

Palin, of course. Picking her is just crazy enough to work. I laughed all of last week, and my reaction to her big speech was simply this: "She neither drooled nor shit her pants." And I recognized that that was all she needed to do to be hailed as "hitting a home run." Sure, those who would never in a million years would point out that her presentation was robotic, that every word was scripted, and that she showed an obvious unfamiliarity with all the things she intoned knowingly about--Venezuela, for instance, or "new-clear" power. But who was expecting Hillary?

Now it's time for everyone to stop condescending to her, though, and hold her to the same standards that we held Hillary.

To be specific: When Hillary exaggerated the danger of her visit to Bosnia, the press called her on it. When she repeated the exaggeration, she was questioned on it repeatedly. And her reluctance to budge from her initial recollection was criticized as a character flaw.

Palin has been lying outright about her opposition to the Bridge to Nowhere and her fight against earmarks. She should get at least the same treatment, and I'd argue more, because she's an actual nominee.

This is not to mention Hillary's long history as first lady. When Hillary made money in the markets, and when she lost money in real estate, there was a five year investigation. Do Palin's business dealings deserve the same scrutiny? When Vince Foster committed suicide, there was massive speculation about his intimacy with Hillary. Do Palin's marital affairs deserve the same scrutiny? One hopes that the whole political system has moved on from that--that was all so 20th century.

But I remember the whole Tuzla thing like it was yesterday. Because it was.