Really didn't want to talk about politics.

But I just couldn't resist.

I just can't help but be amazed at how FREAKED OUT the media are about McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate.

It's pretty much common knowledge now that just about the entire media establishment is in the tank for Obama. Maybe subconsciously, somewhere deep in the reptilian part of their brains, they have some fuzzy awareness that Obama's most excellent quality - his ability to speechify - might not be enough to carry him through to victory in November.

But her candidacy obviously scares them, or they wouldn't be offering up so many objections to her candidacy:

• Won't have time to care for her (too large) family and (special needs) baby. Never mind that Obama has a family of his own, and is running for a much more demanding job.
  
• Not experienced enough, or old enough. Of course, she's only a couple years younger than Obama, and as has been noted elsewhere, she has been governor of Alaska, which has a 40 billion dollar economy.
  
• Wasn't really vetted by the McCain campaign. Supposedly, this is because they were surprised by the news of her daughter's pregnancy, but somehow I think they would have brought that charge in any event after being surprised by her pick.
• Not even a very good parent, letting her teenage daughter get pregnant.
  

I think they've got a number of reasons for being so afraid of her. The popular assumption is that she'll carry the disgruntled Hillary voters (and that most of those voters women, and are only disgruntled because they won't get to pull the lever for a woman in November). It's a pretty shallow assumption of people, that they vote only based on how many things a candidate has physically in common with them: gender, skin color, what kind of adult beverage they drink, or what kind of car they drive. There may be a small percentage out there who will vote for another woman just because she's a woman (and maybe that will make the difference in another close election year). But I think Obama and his adoring fans in the MSM have much more to fear from Sarah Palin than her chromosomes.

Obviously, she gives McCain a way to connect with the conservative base of the republican party. Pro-life - and lives it. Also, it will be very hard for them to tar her with an anti-gay brush, when she's come out with essentially the same position Obama has. Also, it's going to be very hard for them to debate her without it looking like they're beating up on a girl.

But the biggest thing, in my mind, is that she's running against the supposed candidate of Hope and Change. Change, I get - sort of. Still struggling with the hope thing. But that could be a whole other post, and this one's already getting long. Anyway, he picks as his running mate a six-term senator who's never held a non-government job, and has been in Washington since January 1972. Palin has worked in and has experience owning a private business, and has never worked in Washington.

Change? Where? Oh wait, it looks like it just blew in from Alaska.