"Pitbull" Palin in a nutshell

Marc Fisher of the Washington Post was spot on here, outlining some of the ridiculous reasons for the rapid ascent of America's favorite Hockey Mom:

We don't live in an age of looking up to authority anymore. We don't cotton to the idea that there are people who are our betters. In this time of "American Idol," bedroom bloggers and the belief that experience, knowledge and education don't necessarily mean a whole lot, Palin is a symbol, a statement that anyone can make it if he or she really tries.

Is this not a problem? Call me crazy but I have an expectation of excellence from our national leaders. I'm neither looking for a drinking buddy nor do I care if my preferred candidate likes to hunt, can bowl better than 200 or has kids going off to Iraq.

What matters to me is that person be exceptional and ethical in every possible way. So, in a sense, that person needs to be better than me or the rest of us. Average is not OK when the stakes are that high.

For example, my Uncle Stan is a great guy, someone I can relate to, someone who's lived a very "real" life and someone I enjoy sharing turkey with at Thanksgiving. But if he were the quarterback for my favorite NFL team, the Titans would have a very serious problem. I wouldn't stand for it. And I suspect no one in Nashville would either - nice guy but he's not qualified. That's the way the world is supposed to work.

Strength and confidence are nice but they're no substitute for knowledge and qualifications, no matter what GOP wingnut Bay Buchanan said on CNN last night. Not all of us can be president, no matter what your mama might have told you. I just hope we all figure that out before Nov. 4.