You Can Dish It Out, But...

I don't know whether to file this under the rantings of a sore loser, the irony of someone that only applies rules and standards to the other side, or just someone that can dish it out, but can't take it.

Go to http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2009/01/palin_crazy_or_crazy_like_a_fo.html?hpid=sec-politics to see some excerpts of the interviews that comprise a new documentary. The film clips have www.HowObamaGotElected.com across them and consist of Sarah Palin being interviewed for the documentary. I listened to the clip with a combination of amusement, disbelief, and scorn.

She was still mad about the Katie Couric interview, when she was asked what news sources she reads, what newspapers and magazines. She claimed that this was a stupid gotcha question and wants to know if Caroline Kennedy would be asked tough questions. "What do you read" is a tough question? Maybe, if you don't read anything and don't want to admit it and look like an idiot. They should have asked her what she thinks about most of the time. That would have been an interesting question to hear her stumble around, unable to answer. Think? Who has time to think when you're out speechifyin'?

She asked "Why do reporters not check on facts?" Like your conservative friends, Matt Drudge and Rush Limbaugh? Like you when you started attacking Barack Obama for "palin' around with terrorists"?

She asked, "When did we start accepting as hard news sources, bloggers?" Like the Drudge Report? She continues, "It's a sad state of affairs when media relies on bloggers ... for their hard news information." I'm not sure which mainstream media outlets rely on bloggers to provide information, but I do know that a prominent conservative book that came out just before the election was sourced mostly from discredited blog accounts.

She said, "What is the double standard here why people would choose to believe lies, and reporters especially, not just takin' one extra step to get to the facts and report the facts, but instead continue to spread things that are not true." But you didn't hear anyone on the right disputing the obvious lie that Obama was a Muslim.

She questions if her perceived mistreatment by the media is political or sexism: "What is it that drives some people to believe the worst and perpetuate, the worst, in terms of gossip, lies" (Like charges that Obama is a Muslim, or pals around with terrorists, or must be condemned for the words of his pastor?)

She noted that Barack Obama said that family was off limits, and she respectfully believed that this applied to everyone. She claimed that recent "attacks" on her family (like reporting that her high school dropout daughter that conceived a child out of wedlock dropped out of high school and conceived a child out of wedlock) by the media violated some rule that Obama supposedly put into place. Suddenly, this great rule that she violated at will was lamented when it didn't apply to her. Apparently, she forgot the attacks on Michelle Obama for the "I'm finally proud of my country" statement.

Said that she asked the media to correct the report that her daughter and son-in-law are high school dropouts. I'm not sure what correction is possible, given that her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend dropped out of high school when she got pregnant. Granted, her daughter is taking correspondence courses to get a high school degree, which is not necessary or possible if you stay in high school and don't drop out. So the media is not being inaccurate in saying that she dropped out of high school, just incomplete in not saying that she is going to complete her degree out of high school. It's kind of like when you say that someone's pastor makes inflammatory remarks, and conveniently forget to mention that he condemned what the pastor said.

Palin commented on the Katy Couric interview, saying that "after it didn't go well the first day, why were we going to go back for more?" So it's the McCain campaign's fault for subjecting you to interviews, not your fault for failing miserably in them?

She also complained about Tina Fey's portrayals of her on Saturday Night Live, but then went and appeared on the show. I'm sure at the time that it was calculated to make her look cool, like she was a good sport. You lose the good sport points if you later complain about those mean people making fun of you.

She complained that people were capitalizing on and exploiting her position. Isn't that what she attempted to do when she stumped for McCain?

She asked how Caroline Kennedy will be handled, and if she will be handled with kid gloves. If asking questions is the opposite of being treated with kid gloves, I would hope Caroline Kennedy will be subjected to the same treatment as Sarah Palin. I wonder if she'll stumble on being asked what magazines and newspapers she read, or if she'll draw a blank when asked about any Supreme Court decisions that she disagrees with.

She talked about the hypocrisy of the media because they attack her for being conservative. I don't think anyone attacked her for being conservative. I think they attacked her for being a hypocrite and an idiot. But it's perfectly OK for anyone in the right wing loudmouth talk radio or Fox News world to accuse and attack people for being liberal.

She implored us, "Don't get sucked into believing what too many in the "main stream media" would want you to believe." Just stick to Hannity, O'Reilly, and Limbaugh, and you'll be fine, America.