On being so very angry...

"Well, it didn't have a lot of substance, but what a great speech!"

On Friday I found myself full of laughter considering McCain's selection for VP. This was a joke, right? Was it Christmas already?

Tonight, I find myself angry and on the verge of tears, wondering how did we get here and how many steps back did we just take?

This may make me unpopular, but with all due respect to my friends with children, I could care less that Sarah Palin is a mother. I could care less about her family or her "first entry into public service" via the PTA. I'm not charmed by her accent or her adorable "toughness". Prove to me that you can lead. Prove to me that you're relevant. I'll look forward to getting to know you shortly after that.

Tonight I saw the first female VP nominee in Republican Party history (way to catch up, GOP) have her introduction to her party cut short because Rudy Giuliani was empowered to run off at the mouth long enough to cancel Palin' s introductory video. Way to get behind your candidate, boys. Way to show your faith in girl power. What I saw tonight was the first woman to take to the mic in a long time who had little substance to offer. I heard her speak in generalities and tabloid headlines and low blows. All I want to know is why you deserve to be there.

As a native Mainer, I take no offense to the notion that someone who had been mayor of my hometown (the state capital, by the way, but a town, really, nonetheless) might not be qualified for the second highest seat in the land. I take no offense to the suggestion that the issues of my state aren't as relevant to those of the rest of the country, so perhaps that governor would be ill fitted for the position. And I say that knowing that the issues of my home state are a lot more relevant to those of the rest of the country than Alaska.

I was very delayed in pledging my loyalty to Obama. I adored the Clintons in general, and admired Hillary, despite the fact that I wouldn't necessarily want to work on her staff. But, eventually, I made my decision. Nevertheless, as I watched Hillary suspend her campaign, I began to cry. Although I was disappointed with the tailspin of her later campaign days, I was still so proud of her, proud to be a woman, and saddened that the country had to be faced with THIS choice for the Democratic nomination. Any other year...

And now this.

Of course, another reason to miss the Clintons is the way in which they protected Chelsea and insisted her privacy be respected. Already, I see Gov. Palin's children as frankly exploited for political purposes. Here is my military son. Here is my pregnant teenage daughter accepting responsibility. Here is my Downs Syndrome baby. That, perhaps, is the saddest thing at all. I'd prefer she insist they're too young to be the subject of the level of scrutiny and conversation and simply take it off of the table.

I'm just offended. Offended by the blurred reality we're being force fed of her experience, her qualifications and her toughness. I'm most intrigued to see how she responds in a debate, not surrounded by a delegation of followers, taken to task on her inaccurate, generalized, tabloid statements. Of course, Joe Biden isn't the smoothest operator either. At the very least, it will be entertaining.

I just don't understand how anyone can be comfortable with this candidate just one skip from the presidency.