For what it's worth, much of the story of Palin's early years was reported in Time Magazine right after her selection, particularly the bit about turning on her mentor.

I say this because I believe the key facts about Palin were available right in the MSM right after her selection:

a) Turned on her mentor
b) Creationist
c) Firing librarian

This is before topics like her daughter's teenage pregnancy, Troopergate, etc. became fully vetted as stories and went beyond the he said/she said stage.

It's ironic that for being such a Christian, Palin had never considered one of the most significant crimes in the New Testament: betrayal. (In Dante's Divine Comedy, Judas is located in the most inner ring of Hell.)

I have found in discussing things with people right-leaning that this topic of betrayal is very powerful at giving them pause. Most aren't aware of it and assume I got it from some left-wing media source. That I was able to say, "No, Time Magazine" leads them to some soul searching.

And that's progress.

Geez, by the time I'd finished this article yesterday afternoon, the post had dropped of the list and the archives don't store them. This system is not functioning yet as it should.

But, I see that I did rec it, so I can comment. Thanks for pointing out the article, C4. All of the facts are things I've seen scattered about here and there, but it's great to have it all in one place. I've saved the article for posterity.

It's hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that this woman is actually a VP candidate. What is happening to the GOP that we could come to this absurd reality? Yes, we've had Bush. And, was that not enough? Are the disastrous consequences of that choice not apparent? I suppose that's what they're testing here.

I'm very interested in watching what will happen in the Conservative movement over the next few years. I wonder if the GOP will manage to re-invent itself into a Party that has something substantive to offer. I wonder if there will be a backlash against the Neocons - okay, I'm hoping for it.

If you didn't catch John Heilemann's excellent post for New York Magazine on Oct 16, check that out: http://nymag.com/news/politics/powergrid/51406/. It does a great job of summarizing many of the recent ruminations of the more vocal conservatives of the current state of the GOP.

Here's a choice quote from Christopher Buckley that I enjoyed:

You might think that Buckley is kidding here, but you would be wrong. Conservatism, he thinks, is facing nothing less than an existential crisis. The events of recent days may have given him less of a stake in the outcome than before, but still he offers a friendly word of advice for those who care to listen. “The smart ones in the movement should get together right after the election at the Greenbrier or the Homestead, you know, where they typically have these kinds of get-togethers, and have a long dark night of the soul,” he says. “And I’ll tell you what the conference should be called: Conservatism—What the Fuck?”

I'm starting to really like that guy.