I have no love lost for Sarah Palin. None. Nada. Zip. That said, I don't think the national media or the McCain campaign should destroy her now that they have lost the election. Have some class and just move on. McCain has no one to blame but himself and that tall glass of Kool Aid he drank before choosing her as his VP pick.
I believe Governor Palin was pulled out of relative obscurity onto the McCain ticket in large part because she did not abort her special needs son. Governor Palin was "pretty, pretty, proof" that McCain was pro-life.
That's said, will you look at McCain staffers on Fox News (Fox News!) ripping Governor Palin apart? They are gleefully reporting, "She didn't know what countries make up NAFTA! She didn't know Africa is a continent! She spent tens of thousands of dollars more than allotted on clothing for herself and her family!" And my favorite whining dig, "She met with advisors in a towel!" (Probably the best moment of the campaign for them.)
She is exactly who they invited to join their ticket. A woman who attended five colleges to get a four year degree. A woman who could not tell Katie Couric what newspapers she read. An attractive, ambitious and successful politician who went from Mayor of a small town to the Governor's office. McCain chose her to be next in line for the Presidency. He put pandering to a narrow voter bloc over the country's best interest. And then he smelled votes and turned his eyes to my voting bloc, the disability and autism community. (I should point out that McCain himself is actually very up to date on autism and has been a strong advocate for our kids. We hope he'll continue to fight for our kids in the Senate.)
In my opinion, McCain used Governor Palin her to seduce the disability community, including autism parents, saying she "knew more about autism than anyone he knew." That's ludicrous. Palin as an expert on disabilities and autism? Ain't no way. Let me tell you this, six months into my daughter Mia's autism diagnosis, I was no expert. I defy you to find one honest parent of a child with Down Syndrome who will claim she was an expert before the child turned one. If anything, every passing month and milestone buries you deeper in medical, therapy and early intervention questions.
Then there's the issue of Governor Palin's sister Heather Bruce, who has a 13 year old son with autism. She was dragged into the spotlight as the poster Mom for autism. Even my Mother called me to say, "Did you hear Governor Palin has a nephew with autism?" as if that was a game changer. It was interesting. It had potential. But here's what Ms. Bruce said of the Governor in an interview on Autism One radio, "She has a lot to learn." Guess what? My kids' aunts and uncles aren't experts on autism either. Expertise doesn't happen by osmosis or shared DNA.
It seems to me that the McCain campaign set Governor Palin up like one of those bowling pins Obama couldn't knock down. She was charming when she joined their team. And now that they've tanked - she's Charmin being flushed away. They're displaying vicious sexism and they're just plain nasty. They couldn't convince me to vote for their candidate, but they've managed to make me feel a little bit sorry for Governor Palin.