Piling On Palin

Even in higher-rent precincts, many anchors and pundits feel justified in debating Palin's fitness as a mom. CBS's Maggie Rodriguez said: "We've talked this morning about whether a mother of five can handle being the vice president. Who looks after the kids when she's working?"

NBC's Meredith Vieira said: "It seems like the conservatives, who would probably advocate that moms stay home, are backing Governor Palin, and a lot of the other working moms are questioning her decision." ( All conservatives want mothers to stay home? Really?)

The Washington Post's Sally Quinn said on CNN last week: "Will she put her country first, or will she put her family first?" Quinn, the mother of a learning-disabled son, says she was premature in judging Palin's political skills but still doubts whether she can juggle the vice presidency, her daughter's baby and an infant with Down syndrome.

Question: Are ambitious male politicians who barely see their families ever called on it by the press? Just asking.

Journalists increasingly dwell in a world of snap judgments. Palin's selection was greeted by this Slate headline: "Huh?" One commentator after another said McCain was throwing a "Hail Mary" pass.

But after Palin's charismatic speech wowed the country, some of the same journalists began praising the Arizona senator's choice, which Newsweek's Howard Fineman described as one of "accidental brilliance." Perhaps the initial rush to judgment, based on little knowledge of the governor, was less than brilliant.

Despite these stumbles, reporters are now looking under every igloo in Alaska for information that could change perceptions of Palin's record. But she has remained under wraps so far. When Time's Jay Carney, on MSNBC, said Palin needed to answer tough questions, McCain spokeswoman Nicolle Wallace said: "Who cares if she can talk to Time magazine? She can talk to the American people." Talking to the people, in campaign-speak, is code for keeping her far away from anyone with a notepad or camera who might ask her, say, about the turmoil in Pakistan.

But hours after campaign manager Rick Davis told "Fox News Sunday" that Palin will not be exposed to the media's "piranhas," ABC confirmed yesterday that Palin will sit down this week with anchor Charlie Gibson. Perhaps there was a belated realization that a candidate for national office must prove that she can handle a grilling on the issues. After all, if Sarah Palin can kill a caribou, how tough can it be to tame the media elite?

Now for some other voices. Andrew Sullivan was really getting worked up before Palin agreed to an interview yesterday:

"This is incredible, totally incredible. A vice presidential candidate isn't going to be available to the press for two weeks? Two weeks? In September. We have this total unknown who could be president of the United States next January. And she's in hiding for two weeks. Chris Matthews on this clip says that this is fine. Has he lost his mind? She needs to be in front of the press now. The United States and the world cannot have this total unknown foisted on the presidency without any serious vetting and without any press interaction. This is absolutely third world. Since when is the governor of a state given two weeks in hiding?

"The sexism that implies that someone cannot stand up to reporters because she is a woman is appalling. This entire pick, of course, is incredibly sexist, and the handling of her in the last week the most sexist double standard I have ever seen in American politics. Can you imagine Hillary Clinton saying she wasn't going to answer questions for two weeks? Or Margaret Thatcher? Or Kay Bailey Hutchison? Or Elizabeth Dole?"

Well, this week we'll find out whether she's ready.