I watch MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” progam – regulars, besides Joe Scarborough, are Mica Brzezinski (her father was US National Security Advisor to Jimmy Carter) and Pat Buchanan. They are all reasonably conservative but give a great deal of thought to the moderate and liberal view of things. However, there are times when I want to punch them around.

I wrote the following to the mavens at MSNBC …

Pat Buchanan on Joe’s morning program today defended Sarah Palin. His most endearing comment was what he thought Tod Palin should do to Levi Johnson. (Buchanan said that the first Dude of Alaska should take the kid down to the river and hold his head under water until he stopped thrashing.) Of course the kid should have shut up and sat down – with friends like these, who needs enemies? (The almost son-in-law in an interview said Palin resigned because she wanted to make money and couldn’t while she was being distracted with being governor). But I also totally believe him. The best thing that happened to him is that Palin lost the election and the overpowering pressure to go through with the wedding disappeared. I can almost read his mind “Free, free, free at last.”

Among Palin’s virtues Buchanan mentioned that “she shoots her own food” – yes I can see she might otherwise starve. But I don’t think it’s about eating, I think it’s about killing something and watching it die, and putting your foot on it for the cameras. Me Jane, forget Tarzan. “She is electric … and authentic.” If you can fake sincerity, you’ve got it made.

As for Mica, she is determined to find something good about Palin. Despite her appeal, and I will grant you she is appealing, even to me, future events will sink her. She is not a thinker, she has a sense of entitlement that beggars the facts – and we’ve already had one of those -- a non-thinking, God-inspired nonentity in the White House with the sense that he has personally been appointed to fix things by powers beyond our ken. Palin has a skewed understanding of her popularity. Perhaps she utterly believes that everyone who comes to her appearances would vote for her. Hell, I’d go if only to watch her in horrified fascination.

Speaking of GWB, my husband and I are close friends with a high-ranking CIA operative, now retired. He revered the elder Bush (well, we don’t agree with him on everything) and vomits whenever GWB is mentioned.

Yesterday McCain defended Palin, albeit painfully. (Yes, Senator, your discomfort was evident.) McCain’s rhetoric comes across beautifully sometimes and the moderate among us take heart, and, at other times, you can hear the smarm. Yesterday’s remarks were in the latter category. McCain takes on a subtle, deferential, self-deprecating tone when he is disparaging Democratic programs. Just your home-town boy telling it like it is. “Aw shucks, I wish it warn’t so,” he seems to be saying. It doesn't work for those who think.

McCain’s biggest mistake was caving in to the Evangelicals and taking on Sarah Palin as his running mate. If he had chosen anyone of the other front runners, he might have squeaked through. Huckabee comes to mind – religious enough to please the nut cases, and able to speak without enraging the rest of us.
Sincerely, etc. ***
xx, Teal