Palin did OK last night. Unlike a lot of others, I'm not surprised. She may be inexperienced on things like foreign policy and judicial precedent, but she's not stupid. And there's a big difference between a debate where you pretty much know what questions are going to get asked and an interview where someone might ask you random questions out of the blue--like your least favorite Supreme Court decision or what newspapers you read to get your information.
At the same time, last week left me thinking that what they have been considering a strength of Palin--I'm not a Washington insider--in her case is a significant weakness. She's not had her head in Washington at all. She does not know American judicial history nor has she been paying careful attention to the foreign policy decisions of the last 7 years.
When the "Bush doctrine" was born, she was the mayor of a middle sized town on the outposts of America, just recently having been a hockey mom. And why would she know American judicial history? She was a perky journalism major.
So she's smart. She's a quick study. But it no surprise that her answers usually stay on the level of general sentiments rather than specifics. She's learning the specifics on the fly.
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Although I agree that Palin has not had her head in Washington, I believe that she is a capable woman. And when you mix capability with the environment of Wathington (which is an education itself!), and the insider information she will have access to, I'm sure she is up to the job. She seemed to be informed and agressive in her executive duties as governor of Alaska. So, I believe she will take her responsibility just as seriously in Washington.
What I wonder is how much my opinion of her has been affected by the media, both ways. When she spoke at the convention I thought she was awesome. I was jokingly checking off all the different groups that she was speaking to, the pro-lifers, soccer moms, native Americans, hunters, special needs, etc. I was really excited.
But then lately I have had serious doubts about her readiness to be a heartbeat away from the presidency. The Katie Couric interview was hard to watch. Have I been swayed both times by the media? Probably, I can only go on what I see there and what her handlers allow her to say.
My gut feeling is that she isn't ready... right now. I agree with you and Angie, she's smart and she'll work hard being ready.
What a goofy process, this American political system! I hate it. I don't have a better idea but I hate this one.
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