Dionne: Judging Palin by an Eighth-Grade Standard

There is only one way to understand the rave reviews that some are giving Sarah Palin’s speech: People expected her to be a blithering fool and were shocked that she could read a decent speech prepared for her by the McCain campaign. She is being judged by much too low a standard.

I always thought she would speak reasonably well; there are plenty of tapes floating around showing she can do that. She was, after all, elected governor.

But if Palin is judged by the standard that should be applied to someone in line to be president of the United States, she didn't blow many people away -- other than Republican loyalists and the pundits she hates so much.

If, going in, you were inclined to support her, she did just fine. (That was the reaction among the delegates.) She also pulled over anyone who wanted to support her going in.

But if you think, as I do, that she needed to bowl people over to show that she really is up to the job, to brush aside the questions, well, she didn’t do that. If you were worried that she has absolutely no background in foreign policy, she did nothing to relieve those worries.

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....I just don’t think that speech changed a lot of minds, and I am surprised that so many pundits gushed over it.


http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2008/09/judging_palin_by_an_eighth-gra.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

Finally - sanity from a pundit! E.J. - you are one of the few pundits who are above an 8th grade standard yourself. Some of these idiots in the MSM are kindergarten level.

Pure farce just doesn't sit well with him.

K&R

If they can give a speech without a dozen embarrassing moments, the Republicans are ecstatic.