When I said I was done posting on Sarah Palin, I lied

Sarah Palin is going on a field trip to the UN. The funniest part is the anonymous source saying that taking her to the UN will "improve her foreign policy credentials." Um, just because you visit the UN doesn't give you foreign policy credentials. Sometimes I go to lunch at Quincy Market and get Japanese, Thai or Greek food. Does this improve my foreign policy credentials?

Also, I have a new analogy for the seeming groundswell of support for Palin, and the culture of narcissism that wants us to see someone "just like us" in the White House. Did you ever see the Simpsons episode where Homer meets his long lost brother (voiced by Danny Devito) and he turns out to be this really successful executive at a car company? Homer's brother then decides to have Homer design a car for "regular people", since Homer is just a "regular guy". The car turns out to be a giant disaster and costs Homer's brother his job and destroys the company. Sarah Palin is Homer Simpson, fulfilling our desire to see someone "just like us" in charge.

Also, Jeff Jacoby had something in today's Globe where he implores us all to just leave poor Sarah Palin alone. He's one of my token favorite conservatives because I think he often makes good points, but I had to disagree with him on this one. I sent him an email (paraphrasing some other points I've previously made here), the text of which is below. I'll post if he responds.

"I agree with your column that some of the Palin coverage has been critical, but you cite mostly bloggers and commentators. However, I think you seriously understate the amount of vitriol, slander and outright lies that Barack Obama has faced from the right wing, including bloggers and other commentators. Besides, the McCain spin control team has made it seem like any inquiry into Sarah Palin's life is out of bounds - I'm pretty sure it's still the press' job to ask tough questions.

She is theoretically going to be a heartbeat away from the presidency, and access to her has been so incredibly stage-managed that you begin to wonder what they're afraid of (if she's so great, why not let her say something other than giving her canned stump speech?). That lack of access can only contribute to the air of speculation around her, and statements like Steve Schmidt's that the press is not being sufficiently "deferential" are pure idiocy. John McCain has never shied away from facing tough questions (and Obama and Biden have given plenty of press access) and his running mate shouldn't either.

One other thing you mentioned was about her family. I don't believe families should be discussed on the campaign, and they should be generally off limits. Barack Obama made a strong statement echoing this point. However, isn't it sort of hypocritical for the campaign to say that family is "off limits" with respect to Palin's daughter, when at the same time she shamelessly uses her two sons as campaign props? I mean, how many times are they going to tell us that her son is going to serve in Iraq, and how many times is she going to use her infant son as a prop to burnish her pro-life credentials? As a parent, I think she should be ashamed of herself for using her children in this way. I say, stop using the children you want to promote as campaign tools, and maybe people will leave your other children alone.

Besides, don't you think people's desire to have a president they can "relate to" is incredibly narcissistic and kind of silly? I mean, you don't choose a doctor or a contractor based on whether you can relate to them, do you? Then why use that standard for the presidency? I mean, we're talking about someone who is going to help run the whole country, not just redo your kitchen.

I will say, though, that I can "relate" to Sarah Palin in at least one way. I'm not qualified to be vice president, and neither is she."