What Do They Think?

I'm genuinely curious as to what earnest Republicans and/or conservatives think about Sarah Palin now that she has done three interviews. Did they watch her full interview with Katie Couric? Did they hear it like I did, or did they hear something that gave them confidence in her as a Vice President? Did they hear Governor Palin ramble incoherently about the bailout like me, or did they feel she is ready to deal with a major financial crisis? When they listened to Palin struggle to rehash talking points about the Middle East were they concerned? Or like me are they bothered by the way she rejects diplomacy with Iran and think that it's audacious for her to describe diplomacy as "beyond naive" and "beyond bad judgment," despite the opposite conclusion from Colin Powell, Madeleine Albright, Warren Christopher, James Baker, and Henry Kissinger.

Listening to her stumble trying to explain why the U.S. must never "second guess" Israel's "security efforts" gives me chills. What do reasonable Republicans or conservatives think? When I first heard the argument that Russia was next door to Alaska so Palin has foreign policy experience, I laughed. But I have to wonder did a reasonable person watch her explain why Alaska's proximity to Russia really does offer her foreign policy experience, and think she made a valid argument?

Reasonable people can disagree about the nature of Palin's difficulties. Some will argue that Palin just hasn't had time to learn about government and policy issues. Others will argue she isn't very bright. Others still may make the case that she's just cracking under the pressure. But the cause isn't especially important -- reasonable people should agree that the Republican vice presidential nominee is way out of her depth, and has no business seeking national office.

At the risk of sounding impolite, Sarah Palin is embarrassing herself, her party, her ticket, and her supporters. The notion that she could be the leader of the free world is a joke. It has nothing to do with her being a woman, or being from Alaska. It has everything to do with the fact that she is not prepared, does not seem to have done any preperation before being nominated, and shows little interest in learning now.

Really, what does an earnest honest Republican think about Palin after watching any of her three interviews? Does it give him or her pause? Does he or she cringe, but suppress the fear for the good of the party?

I would like to know.