Sarah Surfing

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Debra Saunders is also disgusted:

"Whatever the intention of the anonymous leaker (or leakers) from the McCain campaign who spread nasty rumors about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, in the end they did not so much trash the image of Caribou Barbie, as they ended up tarnishing the public's perception of their G.I. Joe, Arizona Sen. John McCain.

"It tells you everything that the Palin smear stories come from anonymous staffers. There is no documentation. There is no way to prove the rumors false. Think graffiti in a junior high school girls' room . . .

"The political press corps doesn't win any awards in this episode, either. Remember when the pack would not jump on National Enquirer stories about John Edwards' relations with Rielle Hunter and child -- because the story had not been nailed down? It seems that there is a different standard for Palin -- to wit, anything goes."

Edwards came out of seclusion the other night with a speech -- but only took written questions, which means he didn't have to talk about his affair. Hot Air's Ed Morrissey wonders if Edwards has a post-Enquirer future:

"Can John Edwards rehabilitate himself? As Andrew Malcolm notes, Americans tend to forgive, if not forget. Bill Clinton managed to get past his serial infidelities to win the Presidency. Even after more revelations and nearly getting booted from office by Congress over his perjury in connection with his philandery, Clinton manages to remain popular, and while one can argue that he did more harm than good to Hillary's campaign, it wasn't his infidelities that did the damage.

"Edwards, though, has other problems. In the first place, he's a raging hypocrite. He ran on his wife's illness as a martyr while cheating on her at the same time. . . .

"I doubt that rehabilitation is in the cards for Edwards."

I'd agree, at least in the political sense.

When Democrats win the White House, there's usually pressure for diverse appointments. But maybe not this time, Politico says:

"To borrow the oft-used sports analogy, after years of seeing Jackie Robinsons take the field in different professions, the American people finally put one in the owner's box. But now that we have a black Branch Rickey in Barack Obama, what does that mean for the rest of the team? Put in political terms, does our first African-American president, elected with a rainbow coalition, have more of an imperative to appoint an administration that includes minorities in high-ranking positions?

"Not really, is the answer supplied by a group of prominent African-Americans. Having a team of varied faces is preferable and in keeping with Obama's pledge to represent all Americans -- but these veteran black politicians and public officials say the president-elect should tap into the best talent available without taking a head-counting approach, in which slots are determined by demographics and symbolism trumps substance."

During a speech in Chicago, U.S. News columnist and Fox News commentator Michael Barone said the following:

"The liberal media attacked Sarah Palin because she did not abort her Down syndrome baby. They wanted her to kill that child. . . . I'm talking about my media colleagues with whom I've worked for 35 years."

The audience booed. Barone told Politico that he "was attempting to be humorous and . . . went over the line."

I wholeheartedly agree.