The XX Factor : VP debate, '08 election

She Shimmied. He Choked Up. But Did They Swing?

Emily Bazelon — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 02:55:00 GMT

Does it make any sense to say that as expected, Sarah Palin exceeded expectations? She didn't flail. She didn't lose her train of thought or all semblance of recognizable syntax. She powered through her answers, airy and bloated as some of them were....(read more)

President Palin: Of Course It Could Happen

Melinda Henneberger — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 22:06:00 GMT

But wouldn't it be better for all of us if Sarah Palin turned out not to be the third-rate bullshit artist she's been taken for? The main reason I'd take no pleasure in seeing her flail around tonight is that she could very well wind up in the Oval Office....(read more)

What If She Plays the Comeback Kid?

Emily Bazelon — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 18:06:00 GMT

Dahlia , if Palin tanks tonight, then I think you're right. She won't cash in the victim card at the ballot box. But in the more likely event that she exceeds ever-falling expectations, then she gets the benefit both of Hanna 's deserving-of-sympathy...(read more)

Nervous in the Service for Sarah (and Joe, and Gwen, and Maybe the Makeup Artists)

Melinda Henneberger — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:28:00 GMT

Kathleen Parker says her fellow conservative Sarah Palin has exhausted her cringe reflex, and I hear her on that. Mine has been overtaxed for years. Remember the presidential debate for which some malevolent (or high, maybe?) makeup artist painted Al...(read more)