But Why?

Sarah Palin: so popular that her time's better spent not doing events in front of people.

The problem with Palin is that her entire presence on the national stage has been explained to us the same way you'd explain the concept of a bus to a three year old. Why is that bus so big? Because it carries a lot of people. Why? Because people need to get places. Why? Because they do. Why? Because they have jobs. Why? Because. Why? Because they want to. Why? Because!

What's crystal clear about the Palin pick is that McCain had no idea what her role would be beyond the Friday she was announced. No idea what she'd do, what she'd say, what she'd add, what she'd risk. She was a woman. That was it. It's conservative affirmative action in action, the idea that liberals promote wimmin an' minorities with no consideration or evaluation of their skill without the concurrent evaluation of their progress. Unfortunately, they fail to understand that AA works in situations where those who benefit from it are evaluated and held to account for their performance. It's the understanding and copying of a system through outrage - the perception that unqualified people get in way over their heads can be copied, point blank, and there's no reason to evaluate it past the point where it outrages you. Palin is a spiritual revenge for every time a Democrat played identity politics, never mind that the people who played those politics are largely known because of their savvy and intelligent interactions with the system, not because some crotchety guy slapped them in while doing the same vetting you'd do of a can of soup.