PALIN DRONE

Okay, so her speech was pretty good. But "electrifying"? It's hard not to be great amongst that drone of also-rans who preceded her-- Romney's dull non-sequitors, Huckabee's folskiness, Giuliani's smug and self-congratulatory vitriol. Giuliani seemed to be sucking up every damn thunderous clap, the whole crowd went wild at his denunciations, showing just how desperate the Republicans are-- a gay rights, abortion, and cross-dressing New Yorker would get a hero's welcome. He flings the epithet "cosmopolitan" at Obama as though Rudy himself weren't from the most cosmopolitan and most out-of-touch corner of America, Noo Yawk. Rudy was rigid and close-minded as a mayor, so I guess he can be counted amongst the rigid and close-minded majority.

But Sarah Palin was mayor of a place that has fewer residents than a typical Manhattan highrise. She's been governor for less than 2 years. The crap about her family has been flung for the past feverish week. So what did she have to do last night? Appear confident. A big task, considering she's suddenly a candidate for President-- oh come on, you know John McCain has got lockjaw or something, must've stepped on a rusty nail back in 'Nam.

I thought she was great. Didn't talk too fast-- many pregnant pauses. I was scared I might be starting to like her. I thought, "yeah, good for you, don't talk about all that crap in the papers and web! Ignore it!" But then she pulled out the Down's baby. Shit, if that kid wasn't damaged before last night, he would've gotten shaken-baby syndrome, he was passed like a hot potato to whoever was in the camera's lens, from Cindy to the husband to the daughter-- who seems to have learned hair-care from Wolfowitz, the spit-in-the-hand trick to batten down any flyaway locks.

Palin's message-- "leave my family alone-- I have a Down's baby!" All that crap about taking care of families with Special Needs kids is such crap, you know a McCain-Palin administration would say, "go to your local church, I'm sure they'll be glad to help you!"