I spoke today at a meeting of the Garland County Republican Women in Hot Springs. I can confirm that they are excited about John McCain.
However, they are really, really excited about Sarah Palin.
The group spontaneously erupted in applause when I noted that McCain has chosen a capable, effective, conservative woman for his running mate.
During the question and answer period, several were interested in why Barack Obama and Joe Biden are going after Palin so aggressively. It is, after all, more than a little unusual for the presidential and vice-presidential nominees to train their fire on the opposing vice-presidential candidate. I don’t have any special knowledge about this, but I hazarded a guess that, throughout history, women who are beautiful and strong have a remarkable ability to make men go completely nuts. The group liked this theory.
Although it’s not just men who are going nuts. I see on the Arkansas Times blog that they have reposted portions from leftist Katha Pollitt’s Nation article about questions that Palin should be asked “if Palin were allowed to speak to the press.”
Curiously, Palin will be speaking to the press (and the nation) starting this evening by means of a long series of ABC News interviews over the rest of this week. But readers of the Arkansas Times know that that publication typically values ersatz and feigned outrage more highly than boring and pedestrian qualities like journalistic accuracy.
Anyway, here’s a question that, according to Pollitt, really ought to be put to Sarah Palin: “Approximately how old is the earth? Five thousand years? 10,000? 5 billion?”
It’s my guess that most public officials will somehow struggle along even without the slightest idea about the correct answer to this question. I guess I need to think harder about how Palin’s opinion on the crucial age-of-the-earth issue could possibly affect any action she might ever take as vice-president or even president — because, right now, I sure don’t see it.
Bonus fun link: Sarah Palin rumor watch.
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