ImPalin' the Smears

A bit of time has passed. After a highly compressed period of dutifully parroting and promulgating every scurrilous rumor about Sarah Palin, and pulling a straight-up CSI on the minutiae of her life and family, the MSM --shocked that Governor Palin did not dutifully and promptly prostrate herself before them for their trouble-- has finally scored an interview with the GOP VP pick. I await it with great interest, both for its own sake, and for any sign that sharp but relevant questions and good manners will at last be in evidence. I try to be optimistic about such things.

In the meantime, I have encountered multiple sites and postings and articles which debunk much of the mis-and-dis-information about the Alaskan Governor which persists in floating around the noosphere. Unfortunately, my search for such clarity on sites which do not lean (or topple) unabashedly Rightward yielded sparse results. This list came closest, though single-sourcing a blog is not a way to inspire much confidence in one's premises. So, I waited.

My patience was rewarded by this entry at factcheck.org, a site which I can't imagine anyone accusing of pandering to the Right (indeed, it seems to me that, if anything, they tend to put ever-so-slightly counterclockwise english on their findings). It very persuasively puts to bed many of the most worrisome bits about Sarah Barracuda.

For many, I fear it is too late to revisit their judgment of Gov. Palin. Indeed, as I've said before, I can't honestly fault one for feeling the stakes are too high to risk a false negative on accusations of would-be religious bleed-though into her potential governance. For myself, however, I am greatly heartened by the potential elevation of the discourse from the unsubstantiated and sensationalistic to the substantive and germane. There are weighty issues aplenty on which to assess Palin's readiness to be McCain's XO, without having to waste time filtering out the "ground noise and static."

A lot more responsible journalism and less nakedly partisan character assassination would do much to redeem the energetically self-beclowning media somewhat, and to let us get on with the business of making important political decisions.