[Fungi]

I agree. Thiessen is a reliable conservative and it baffles me how he has this perspective.

[Rockingham]

Palin's run as a national political figure was mishandled, first by McCain's wrecking crew, especially Nicole Wallace, then by Palin herself. The key missing element was that Palin did not visibly demonstrate policy competence and the application of conservative ideas at the national level. This left her handicapped by a false public image as a preening, clueless lightweight with a family that was a gift to the tabloids.

This was grossly unfair to Palin, who deserved far better. She needed consistent, trustworthy professional coaching and the support of the institutional GOP. Instead, Palin was treated like she was an Eskimo shoved onto an ice floe and abandoned to the mercies of the Arctic seas.