Well, that's not going to work, or at least shouldn't, and it would be disappointing if American voters fall for that cop-out. Moreover, she'll lose out on defining for herself what's true and what's not and what's somewhere in between as to her, never mind not defining what she stands for and proving she's fit for the job--and rightly so for being a chicken.

It does seem to me that she tried to set herself up prophylatically by accusing the press of 'bias' against her in her RNC speech and now is largely avoiding press. My guess is that she is doing this to avoid press scrutiny of her and/or try to discredit any negative press on her by strawmanning it as 'biased.' Members of the McCain camp are already playing the 'biased press will pick on her' claim. But that's phooey.

She's in the big leagues now. She must prove she has a spine, and not merely claim to have one but lacks one. That means she has to get used to all the sensational press diggings plus all the legitimate criticising and diggings into her life and her record. The public has a right to a full investigation of anyone seeking any office, never mind the highest office. Moreover, it just comes with the turf. Everyone gets it, and a person has to handle and deal with it. And she must engage the press for all the good and bad that comes with it.

Male or female, a person seeking the highest offices must be a pitbull, and not a snappy poodle who barks and runs. The latter is a coward.

A real pitbull--and the proven real deal on the merits--is her:



A British citizen, a woman, a conservative, a bulldog. And she was damn effective too.

Look how much different Thatcher proves and argues her case in Parliament. She jousts at the liberals, is able to take their jousts, and explains a masterful knowledge of her positions on the issues and how to combat the liberals by equally knowing theirs:

Thatcher: "No! No! No!"

Palin getting on stage for 12 minutes, painting herself self-servingly as a nice average jane with family (irrelevant, given many have nice families), taking a few non-issue gratuitous potshots at Obama, criticising the press as 'being against her' and whinging from surrugates about 'how sexist' certain rootings are, etc, and now going into hiding from the 'evil press' is going to be taken as cowardly and telling that she isn't fit for the job.

Maybe she's hoping for the 'impulse purchase' that people will vote for her after 10 minutes of non-issue talk and she can within the 60 days get away with not being properly scrutinised.

Maybe that's the gamble. But, 60 days is a long time in politics for the opposition and the press to knock her down. And people are going to assume she's hiding from the press because there is indeed much to hide insofar as her character and fitness. That's the penalty she will pay. If she claims to be the 'pitbull' she better be more like a Thatcher and not a chicken.

And given how piddle and weak the American press is compared to other presses in the British Commonwealth, Ireland, France, Germany, etc, where the press is informed and relentless and where politicians like Thatcher are expected to be fully prepared as well as take shots like cross-examination, it's not much of a burden here in the US to deal with the soft stuff they serve.

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