I feel like I'm one of those people watching a train wreck happen. I know I shouldn't be reading, listening, watching, but I can't help it. As one news broadcast person put it: "What a wild news cycle this last 96 hours has been from Obama's speech, to the Palin announcement, Hurrican Gustav, and now the teenage pregnancy of Palin's daughter" (from a guest on the Pat Morrison radio show, broadcast on KPCC in Pasadena).

Do I feel that Sarah Palin is a train wreck? Not hardly, as witnessed by this Photoshopped Vogue cover from Kodiak Konfidential. Apparently an Italian newspaper thought it was for real, as did some news sources in Minnesota.

I find the whole thing kind of fascinating, especially the oft-repeated phrase that "she'll pick up all the women who wanted to vote for Hillary." The people that say this have no idea how insulting it possibly is. Yes, she might pick up some women who are voting only on the basis of gender, rather than ideas or political positions. (Okay, now I'm sounding like my son Matthew who is a card-carrying Political Junkie. He's rubbing off on me.) I found there's another woman in my church who watched the whole DNC as well. When we were at a bridal shower I sat next to her and laughed when I found out that she's a political junkie as well. Her husband kept coming in the room making snotty remarks while she was watching Obama 's acceptance speech. She told him to hush. We both plan to compare notes after this week's RNC, although she watches it on CNN and I'm partial to PBS (they don't talk during the speeches).


The political conventions, back to back (sort of), have introduced me to a new blogger from the Guardian newspaper in the UK: Oliver Burkeman. I like his tongue-in-cheek humor on the political extravaganza that is happening here in the USA.

My niece has just moved back from England, and could probably give me an analysis of how reliable this Guardian is. I get the impression that most British newspapers are somewhat salacious, but that could be erroneous info doled out by Julia Roberts in Notting Hill. Anyway, this guy's humor is a good antidote for the earnestness of both campaigns.