The Rise and Fall of Sarah Palin

The honeymoon is winding down, and the sheen of Sarah Palin is finally beginning to dull. And this is despite herculean efforts by the McCain campaign to keep Palin shielded from even the most basic scrutiny.

Even though I would say her star was fading before she sat across from Charles Gibson for her first interview, it is clear from watching parts of this interview that she's nothing Obama has to worry about. For the first time since she burst onto the national political scene, I actually felt for Sarah Palin. She was so out of her element and so clearly incompetent and unknowledgable about anything related to serious policy issues, both domestic and foreign, that it was painful to watch. Her spontaneity was absent, her discomfort was evident, her complete dependence on memorized talking points was painfully obvious, and even her characteristic folksy charm seem forced and strained. For the first time, I actually empathized with her as someone who had been picked up in a cynical ploy by a campaign whose only interest was in using her to score some cheap political points and whose future career will be utterly ruined because of it. For the first time, I actually felt real contempt for John McCain for using Palin in this way.

It's actually quite sad.

But the good thing is that whatever uncertainty or worry I had about Obama's chances since Palin entered the race have been dissipated. Now, I feel that I can get back to the business of watching and listening to Obama. Now, I feel that I can reignite my excitement for Obama without the worry of a McCain campaign who has made its last desperate pitch and has fallen flat.

Yes, we can! Yes, we will!