Tom Shales: Palin Outdoes Herself, You Betcha

[kskiska]

Sarah Palin looked as though she prepared for her appearance at the vice presidential debate last night by studying Tina Fey's impressions of her on "Saturday Night Live." She twinkled and winked and piled on the perkiness, a "darn right" here and an "I'll betcha" there.

The challenge to Fey, who is scheduled to play the Alaska governor and Republican candidate again on the next "SNL" broadcast, will be to out-Palin Palin, to make the parody more amusing than the original.

At the same time, Palin seemed determined to banish thoughts of her as air-headed and inexperienced; she was really debating her own public image rather than Delaware Sen. Joe Biden. She subverted the whole purpose of the exercise by merely repeating the key points of her running mate, Sen. John McCain, and ignoring questions that called for more specific answers.

(snip)

Palin even announced that this would be her strategy fairly early in the debate. She said she wasn't necessarily going to respond to the questions of the moderator or charges from Biden but instead, "I'm gonna talk right to the American people." But this was billed as a debate, not a speech, and it sounded arrogant, and an admission she would duck the tough questions.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/03/AR2008100300020.html?hpid=artslot

[BattyDem]

1. Fey will do exactly what she did last week

She'll take Palin's own words and use them in the sketch ... verbatim!

When I heard Palin give the shout out, I thought, "Am I watching SNL?" :rofl:

[wtmusic]

2. It wasn't a debate.

A debate has to be moderated. Asking questions then falling asleep doesn't count.

[Waiting For Everyman]

3. Yes it did sound very arrogant. Rather cheesy too.

[Bluenorthwest]

4. Palin was hubris on the half shell.

Ifill was useless, and seemed weak and fearful. She did not moderate the debate nor enforce the rules. I don't understand why she had the gig at all if she is so unwilling to do the work.

[Sentath]

6. She was then (I didn't watch) Successfully intimidated

The hooha about her book worked, or someone did something behind the scenes..

[dehaiti]

5. Reminded Me Of a Dancer

As I watched Palin I kept trying to remember who she reminded me of with all the winking, smiling at inappropriate times and false sincerity. Then I remembered ! She reminded me of an 'exotic dancer' I once knew who would occasionally put on enough clothes to go to church on Sunday. The mannerisms didn't change, she just had more clothes on.
Which explains why I kept wanting to stick a couple of dollar bills thru the TV screen.