The XX Factor : sarah's fault

Only Nicolle Knows for Sure ...

Melinda Henneberger — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 23:08:00 GMT

Do you mean, Maureen , that women in politics may have to be nine times nuttier and more narcissistic than even your average hey-look-at-me male of the species, just to get elected? Not sure I'm with you on that, having known some really menschy women...(read more)

Is It Sexist, or Calling a Spade a Spade?

Maureen Sullivan — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 20:30:00 GMT

Going back to the discussion of yesterday , and at the risk of sounding like a sexist myself, I'm wondering if we can find a diva equivalent of Sarah Palin in a male politician. Palin is not alone in this type of tantrum/staff abuse behavior among female...(read more)

Africa, the Country

Juliet Lapidos — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:35:00 GMT

I don't believe for a second that Sarah Palin wasn't aware of the fact that Africa is a continent, not a single country. If there's even a grain of truth to this rumor, I suspect it's that she referred to South Africa as a "region," and that led her aides...(read more)

Blaming Palin Is the Easy Way Out

Rachael Larimore — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:20:00 GMT

Thank you, Melinda and Lauren , for saying what I wanted to say but was avoiding since I've largely been our lone Sarah Palin defender. Saying that Palin doesn't know that Africa is a continent sounds like something you'd say about your ex after a bitter...(read more)

Palin in '12

Melinda Henneberger — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:45:00 GMT

Sounds like those McCain aides are fast-tracking their guy's return to pariah—I mean, maverick—status by alienating every last conservative who voted for him with their mean, sexist, and derriere-covering hooey about Sarah Palin. I'm sorry, but I do not...(read more)

Toweling off

Lauren Sandler — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:28:00 GMT

I, too, am fascinated by all of this postgame revelation, Anne and Emily . I'm having a hard time believing, though, that Palin—the governor of an American state surrounded by Canada—did not know what NAFTA was, nor that Africa wasn't a country. She's...(read more)

Cue the Cleavage?

Dahlia Lithwick — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:27:00 GMT

Anne and Emily : I was as riveted as you by Carl Cameron’s breathless dishing—as well as by O’Reilly's almost palpable desire to smash him in the face on live television—but I couldn’t help but balk a little at the substance of the McCain campaign's criticisms:...(read more)

It's All ... Who's Fault?

Anne Applebaum — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:30:00 GMT

Agreed, Emily : If it's true that Palin knows less geography than most fifth graders, that says something rather awful about the McCain campaign. If it's not true, and if McCain staffers are spreading that rumor anyway, that says something rather awful...(read more)

It's All Sarah's Fault

Emily Yoffe — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:05:00 GMT

I agree, Anne, that the gleeful details being spread by McCain’s staff about Sarah Palin’s Ali G-like geographical bewilderment, her temper tantrums, and refusal to accept interview preparation are particularly juicy. Let's accept all this is true—aren't...(read more)

Sarah Palin Ignorance Update

Anne Applebaum — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 12:49:00 GMT

For those who haven’t seen it yet, this clip of Fox News political correspondent Carl Cameron talking to Bill O'Reilly is rather extraordinary, and not only for what it reveals about Sarah Palin. Cameron reports that McCain campaign insiders have told...(read more)