Democrat on Defense

Since the nomination as VP Sarah Palin has really changed the landscape. Suddenly the Democrats are on defense. Biden is saying Obama did not choose the best VP. A silly, badly delivered line and Obama spends a full day saying how he did not mean what some took it to mean.

I'm kind of amazed that the DNC machine could stumble so hard. Now I wonder if they can salvage.

The London Times offers up this tid bit:

"The reason the pig idea popped into Barack Obama's mouth is that Palin had used the pit bull and lipstick joke in her speech. Can anyone doubt that? So Obama was using it as a jibe against her. This was monumentally foolish. And this raises questions about Obama's character.Second, the character question it raises is not that he is a sexist or that he lacks courtesy. It is that he folds under pressure.

Obama has looked amazingly uncomfortable under the pressure that Palin has put him under. He relies on his cool - it is a core part of his appeal. So he looks bad when he loses it. During the Hillary contest he rarely came under any pressure from the media. When he did he reacted badly.

So the problem caused by Palin isn't really about Palin - it's about Obama."

--end quote--

The question of character again arises in politics. Personality, that defining moment when you know that someone will 'have your back' when push comes to shove.