Kathleen Parker: After Interviews, Palin Should Bow Out

Conservative columnist Kathleen Parker, admitting that until recently she was a vocal supporter of Sarah Palin, now says the vice presidential nominee should bow out:

Some of the passionately feminist critics of Palin who attacked her personally deserved some of the backlash they received. But circumstances have changed since Palin was introduced as just a hockey mom with lipstick -- what a difference a financial crisis makes -- and a more complicated picture has emerged.

As we've seen and heard more from John McCain's running mate, it is increasingly clear that Palin is a problem. Quick study or not, she doesn't know enough about economics and foreign policy to make Americans comfortable with a President Palin should conditions warrant her promotion.

Parker says her turnaround came from watching Palin in interview. Like other critics, she wasn't impressed:

Palin's recent interviews with Charles Gibson, Sean Hannity, and now Katie Couric have all revealed an attractive, earnest, confident candidate. Who Is Clearly Out Of Her League.

No one hates saying that more than I do. Like so many women, I've been pulling for Palin, wishing her the best, hoping she will perform brilliantly. I've also noticed that I watch her interviews with the held breath of an anxious parent, my finger poised over the mute button in case it gets too painful. Unfortunately, it often does. My cringe reflex is exhausted.

Palin filibusters. She repeats words, filling space with deadwood. Cut the verbiage and there's not much content there.

It's so bad, Parker says, that Palin should quit the race:

Only Palin can save McCain, her party, and the country she loves. She can bow out for personal reasons, perhaps because she wants to spend more time with her newborn. No one would criticize a mother who puts her family first.

Read the whole thing.

Comments

[nk007]

Please have mercy on Sarah Palin. She was thrust in the limelight without much preparation. To make matters worse, she is probably being bombarded with McCain's talking points which makes it hard for her to relax, listen and answer questions calmly, without fearing that she will be off message. The culprit is John McCain, who failed to take time to select someone who is prepared for prime time. Her selections is a telling revelation of McCain's character. Despite his mantra of putting the country first, McCain is only interested in becoming President at the expense of the country. Rather than focus on poor Sarah Palin, our focus should be on McCain's temperament for making rush judgments. It is really McCain who is not fit to be President as is evidenced by his choice of a person to be Vice President who is not quite prepared for the Job.

[Alvarask]

Just IMAGINE how much better McCain's campaign would be looking right now had he selected Mitt Romney as VP candidate.

[Outofnowhere]

THAT'S the funny thing. I always thought while so much attention was being paid to Obama's pick that no one was paying attention to the dilemma that McCain was in. He hates Romney, but he would have been a much better pick.

[2876]

What for? Palin didn't have mercy for all the people she fired or forced out

[ChangeSupporter]

She could have said "No". Instead, she did not even blink...Therefore, no mercy!

[slpmom]

"Change supporter "is absolutely dead on. Palin should have said, "Thanks, but no thanks -- you need to pick someone with more qualifications. I'm not ready for the national stage yet."
she is blind ambition personified. She actually believes she can do this. She actually believes her own BS

[jcranman]

McCain should just keep Cheney as VP

[rhubardpi]

Whoooaaaaa Nellie......Palin is so ditzy that not only should the Secret Service keep McCain out of the sunlight, they need to keep the guy out of the moonlight........this could get ugly.

[Chicago48]

She's not ditzy....she just doesn't know and hasn't been involved in National politics. Clearly out of her league.
But John chose her because she MAKES him look good, look younger. Any older man with a younger pretty woman looks good.

[ChangeSupporter]

And we need eye candy as a VP, why?

[FuturePrez]

Anybody supporting Senator Obama should want Sarah Palin on the GOP ticket.

If she moves off, it provides the GOP with another opportunity to produce a celebrity "bump".

[TrueIndy08]

I agree... we should push for Palin to stay on the ticket.... its helping our cause over in the Obama camp!

[Girlforaction]

No McCain please dont dump her. Honey, if you stick with her during the good times while not stick with her through the bad times.

Furthermore, for the sake of the country why dont she tell McCain to drop out.

Obama 08/12.

[mikefarrace]

Truth is, I kind of feel for her. Doing the Alaska politics thing probably didn't seem that hard. Moving from mom to mayor to governor was easy, why not the vice presidency, especially when all these smart guys thought she'd be great? So, her real crime is ambition, with ignorance. Someone earlier, Nancy, thought she's being used, and with that that I totally agree. But, I don't think she should quit, because then she'd be tarred and feathered forever. She should hang in, do her best, and pray to God that they don't win. Maybe being a footnote will be a humbling experience. Maybe she'll be a better governor as a result. Can you tell I'm a liberal? I hope so.

[tcwillis27]

The evil me would be sorely disappointed if Sarah Palin were to withdraw from this race. It's almost like watching olympic iceskating...you're almost positive they're going to eat it attempting one of the quadruple jumps, but you watch (with one eye open) just in case...

[LeBeau59741]

Let me state, unequivocally and without apology- I don't like the woman, I find her odious.
But for all my vehement distaste, I can't help but pity her..She is, emotionally and socially, still in high school, lobbying for the crown at the homecoming dance, and she knows she's out of her depth... I can't describe it any better but someone else did-.
Elsewhere this week, I read a reference to her as a "Stump Turtle",
"....When you drive along a long Texas road and come upon a turtle on a fence post, you stop because it's such a strange thing. You realize the poor thing did not get up there by herself, she does not know how she got there, you just know she does not understand what she's doing there, and you know she doesn't know what she's going to do next. Then you realize you have to do what you have to, to help the dumb ***** down."

[imfedup]

I love this analogy too. The part that's missing from the way I heard it is that you wonder what dumb*** put her there. I particularly liked that part.

[LeBeau59741]

Yeah- I saw that version, too, and thought it fit well, but I saw it after I posted this.

[SDSL]

Parker is wrong that "so many women have been pulling for Palin." Unless she means pulling for Palin to withdraw from the VP nomination.

Our conservative sister Parker is way behind in figuring out what was screamingly obvious to the rest of us from the beginning - that Palin is a disaster for the VP spot, she is incompetent and her political positions are not shared by the majority of the electorate.

[momforbetterworld]

well said

[leftbehind2000]

Oh cmon. Is there anyone anywhere except the most partisanly self-deceived who would believe a bow out by Palin was anything more than an acquiesence of her unsuitablity for office?

If she was so concerned about her child, or her pregnant daughter, or anything to do with her family that it would cause her to drop out, she wouldn't have accepted the role in the first place.

[ShakeYourComplacency]

I read Parkers whole article, although I agree with Parker that Palin is wholly unqualified, it's absolutely amazing that she calls her a new kind of feminist. You can't be a "new kind" or a "refreshing" kind of feminist unless your first a feminist!

This woman couldn't be farther from feminism if she tried. She doesn't help women or recognize the rights of women. She simply benefited from the fight that women who came before her engaged in. In other words, she's the beauty queen who played by the rules, went the traditional route, and had no interest in breaking down barriers, but found herself in the right place at the right time. For Governor, she walked in a corrupt environment and had little competition in a very sparcely populate state. For VP, she was swooped up by a desperate candidate looking for a hook, something new. Honestly, Palin would fit in just as well in 1950 as she would in 2008. Whereas, feminists would not.

The fact that Palin has a job does not qualify her to be a feminist. Or maybe that's just something new to Republicans. They're used to women in the party, wives and such, who don't work, who wear tons of makeup and stiff hair. But here I go comparing Palin to one of the WIVES.....we kind of see her like that, don't we?

[bakingmom]

Wow! I could not say it any better! Excellent!!!!

[SeanHannity4Obama]

Kath, you are stupid for supporting someone coz she's a hockey mom. You should have done your own background research and say what you have just spat...

[RockySoldier]

can't people make mistakes? she is being a real brave person here admitting that she was a big supporter and has now, objectively, analyzed her decision and determined that is is wrong. give her some credit. it's pretty brave, actually. i'm impressed.

[Grunty1]

McCain is stuck with her now. The Republican base seems to love her, for whatever reason. Not to mention they really don;'t care for Mccain at ALL. If Palin gets dumped, the base will be PISSED

[True2psu]

Not necessarily - she can drop out a week or so before the election, citing pressing new family concerns. Then McCain can appeal to his good buddy, Joe Lieberman. In steps the VP choice McCain wanted in the first place. The Republicans will have no choice/time but to go with Lieberman - he's experienced, qualified, and appeals to middle-of-the-road voters. McCain gets to repair some of his reputation by making a "sensible" choice at a difficult time. Suddenly its a whole new race again.

[mae1]

Like Mc Cain she is a liar, an opportunist, a cheat, vindictive wench, very unintelligent and a disgrace to America! This country is too great for small brains like her. Please shooooo her off the stage with the biggest wave and barnish her to her dark ages. Only in Alaska!!!

[burnspau]

It's one thing to "listen" to Palin speak during an interview--even then she is incoherent. However, you get a real sense of her depthlessness and ineptitude when you "read" the transcripts to her interviews. It becomes painfully clear that Palin has no clue about any of the issues that are impacting our country today.