Palin - not prepared to answer questions - not prepared to lead

I have yet to see a single instance where someone actually defends what Palin has said in an interview, or a response to a question, etc. The litany of excuses is staggering.

• "Oh, it's the elite liberal mean media's fault."
  
• "It's a gotcha question."
  
• "McCain's campaign staff aren't letting her be herself."
  
• "She isn't a Washington insider."

Whatever.

I'd love to see a Palin apologist actually defend her comments. Tell me why it's okay that she didn't give the same answer about Pakistan that McCain did. Tell me why it's okay that she rambled vaguely and aimlessly about health care reform, tax relief, and job creation when Couric asked her why the bailout wasn't directed at individuals instead of Wall St. firms. Tell me why it's okay that she apparently has no idea what John McCain's record on deregulation is other than one bill he cosponsored in 2005. Tell me why it's okay to have a potential VP who seems astounded by the idea that a democratic election in a Muslim country may result in a government that is anti-democracy and anti-US.

Frankly, it's condescending and sexist not to expect her to be able to answer questions like she's competent. The fact is she's been sent only to handpicked interviewers and she still can't handle it. The fact is that she's answered maybe 10 questions from the press since being nominated, and flubbed most of them.

McCain's judgment in choosing Palin was terrible. He made a gamble that her gender would pull in women voters, and her social conservative bona-fides would pull in the base.

Now McCain is comparing Palin to Clinton and Reagan. He claims she's being underestimated because she's a governor.

Um....I hate to break it to you, John. She's being viewed the way she is because she can't answer questions in a way that is coherent, consistent with her prior positions, and consistent with your positions. She's being viewed the way she is because she's flubbed her interviews and the questions she's actually been allowed to answer. She's being viewed the way she is because the only fully functional sentences that have left her mouth since the day you announced her nomination have been the ones that were written for her convention and stump speeches by other people.