Attack dog Mikey attack dog. The barracuda strikes!  :-)

No she wasn't - her speech was red meat for the Republicans but will probably come off as too fire-breathing for independents. And she didn't show any evidence of a keen mind or sizable intellect that she'd need to be qualified to be vice president with so few other qualifications. And her ad hominem attacks on Obama are just license for reprisals on her.

Look, if for some odd reason the frenzy of the last few days led people to expect her to fail to read a speech with basic competence and some style, than that reflects more on them than on Palin.

The speech was pretty decent, but it didn't speak to any of the serious questions that have been raised. In fact, I think she may failed to effectively pivot from sarcastic hocky mom to vice presidential. We already knew she can do the latter. The latter still remains to be seen.

I don't think swing voters are buying the same old 2004 attacks she used, saying that the Democrat wants to surrender to the terrorists and bury you in higher taxes. They do want to hear about health care, but she didn't say a word about it.

I still think there's a good chance she flops on the campaign trail, and the news about her far-right views and zero involvement in foreign policy turn off swing voters.

My guess is the gap between enthusiasm in the convention hall and enthusiam among undecided viewers was unusually large.

And Democrats better not let the Republicans take ownership of energy issues this year. It's starting to look like it could happen....

Didn't hear a word of policy, no focus on any issues, just Rush-ready attacks. She's a base pick, and this was a base speech. We'll see if it moves any dials.

Dems, Republicans, and independents in my circle were incredibly impressed. The phone kept ringing and everyone was surprised.  My son called the live action, "left jab,"  "ooh, that was an uppercut!"  I thought that was what the veep was for, Michael, to be the attack dog.  That's what they said about Biden.  Now Palin is "over the top in places."  Come on, your sexism is showing, laddie.  Tough lady, but that is what you would expect from McCain.  He's not going to pick a wimp.  He picked the pitt bull with lipstick.

Her derisive, self-serving patter only makes me hungrier...this is gonna be a bloody campaign, and I can't wait.

As I wrote on another thread, I found her demeanour to be insufferably smug, and wondered what it was about her that so irritated me.  Then I realized: she's W. in drag.  She exhibited all the W. traits I have come to know and hate except the swagger.  She is a lightweight who is so lightweight she either does not know it or revels in it and dares the "Washington elite" to fight back.

So . . . let the Democrats do unto her as we are doing unto McCain--tie her to W.  Ask her what it is about the current administration that she dislikes or where she differs from it.  Don't get drawn into a kulturkampf, because Democrats always lose that sort of war.

Palin is a genuine original. She is of a type not seen before in our politics, more resonant of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington than of any politician in living memory. Her speech was directed at an unarticulated and underrepresented mainstream current in the country. She was tough, charming, poised, confident, unbeholden and unbespoke, a maverick, a reformer and non-doctrinnaire.. McCain and Palin just became to ticket of change in this election. Obama and Biden now seem ordinary and over-famiiar. The Left of the Democratic Party should be very afraid. The rest of us really enjoyed the speech.

She's very strong preaching to the choir, but making an argument...winning an argument? We'll see.

This Mrs. Smith Goes To Washington bit will wear, and whoever believes she's as pure as the driven snow is a a fool. Forget the looks, close your eyes, and it's Phyllis Schlafly 2.0.

I do think they made one major, major mistake. Belittling and mocking Obama in a way that showed their utter contempt for him. If that doesn't (justifiably) enrage every black American, I don't know what will. They weren't laughing because she was funny, the laughter came from that who-does-he-think-he-is place, this uppity phony. She took it too far - not too far for Rush Limbaugh and the Far Right, but too far for most of America. I hope.

She has a very clever, studied way of being very mean. Love to see her in a real interview or in a press conference.

And what was up with the body language of McCain, keeping his back to her on stage at the end? The amateur analyst in me says he's jealous. This is an egomaniac who NEVER partners with anyone, a "maverick" who's always the star. Very weird chemistry between them.

She's all snark and disrespect. No substance, no leadership, no vision. I don't think this will work outside the walls of that partisan convention hall.

I recommend focusing on her anger and her lack of ideas.

Call me cynical, but I think there are many, many people who not only buy into, but genuinely believe those attacks - and who laugh hysterically at the Rudy and Huckabee jokes and get all fired up when Sarah 'tells it like is.'

Eos, Palin was a typical Republican liar. She doesn't like government because her party is bad at it, and corrupt too. For the past 8 years the USA has hard a Republican government which has dragged the economy down. Did she criticize that? No? Suprise.

She is also an authoritarian and a liar. I didn't think conservatives were racist, but I think now. Black or Hispanic teen mothers -I know them, I live in such a neighborhood- are treated ass immoral and Republicans want to make sure they don't get money from the state. That includes Sarah Palin, who took exactly such nasty decisions.

Yet when her white rich daughter gets pregnant, oh that's ok... It's OK because she's white and rich. The whole philosophy of Sarah Palin is: "Fuck the poor and all those who disagree with me, fuck you and shut up."

No wonder American conservatives are so into culture wars. Whenever they govern they're incompetent and thieves who leave the US with debt - look at Reagan and W. Bush, and at the corrupt people they are together with - Spiro Agnew,  Oliver North, Jack Abramoff, Dick Cheney.

"That's the modern GOP's favorite trick--comedic ridicule in place of outright nastiness."

Um, it's not a TRICK.   It's called style.  And it's about as new as Rush Limbaugh, or Ronald Reagan-- or the phrase "happy warrior," which dates back to what, the 20s?

And it works particularly well when you have a pompous, full-of-himself opponent.

I've seen Mr. Smith goes to Washington.  Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is one of my favorite movies.  Sarah Palin is no Mr. Smith.  Mr. Smith was a man of principle and a man of honor, and he gave honest, straight forward speechs decrying graft.  He did not, however, give snearing hollow speeches lacking substance.  Mr. Smith had honor, he had respect, and he was a real Scoutmaster who wanted to build a camp for young boys.  He was not a self styled, catch phrased "hockey mom"  who wants as much government graft for her state as possible.  

-- Michael Crowley at The New Republic....

While Palin gave a very good speech, for what it was, tonight, all this will blow over in a few days.  I know it seems like an eternity ago, but the same general fawning press reaction greeted the announcement of her nomination last Friday.  Then, as now, she was the shining star of a tightly-scripted performance to a crowd of the faithful converted.  The problem is, she still hasn't been exposed to any kind of press questioning and scrutiny in person; instead, she disappears and in her absence, the press actually remembers their job is to ask some questions.  The same will happen here, by Monday, the press will mention how well her speech went, but then pivot to the "but questions remain about her [fill in the blank]" and this will prove to be a boomlet.  Until Palin proves she can actually withstand some scrutiny and questioning, I will remain less than impressed.

mgmax:  "And it works particularly well when you have a pompous, full-of-himself opponent."

Indeed!  Looks like we're lucky to have a self-deprecating and down-to-earth candidate in Obama -- who admittedly has some unsual vibes on the cool/reserved/detached frequency, but I have a feeling that Americans are going to get to feel comfortable with that.

mgmax:  "And it works particularly well when you have a pompous, full-of-himself opponent."

Irony -indeed!  Looks like we're lucky to have a self-deprecating and down-to-earth candidate in Obama

Irony, you do realize, don't you, that it greatly diminishes Obama to be put on the same playing field as his fellow lifestory / identity politics candidate?

If Obama has to defend his achievements against Palin's attacks, he's through. It will be impossible for him to escape the amazing similarities between his lightweight, small-stage post-school resume and Palin's lightweight, small-stage resume.

Talk radio cleaned up for network tv, and it really is just same old snake oil (whose mess in Washington were they going to clean up, anyway?) of gaining (and keeping) power by decrying power.  This is the party that's given us the unitary executive, after all, and Palin's governing style in her little town (see Yardley's article in yesterday's Times) is not reassuring that she'd surrender anything of the governing capital that Dick Cheney has accumulated.

But hey, Mike Crowley, do you know how bad it sounds to be complaining about comic ridicule from the other side?  Good  grief.  After what's been dished out to them, we can hardly be surprised they'd come out swinging.  This may be a very ugly two months, esp if we can't keep the talk away from the candidates' "stories" and on the subject of what ails our country.

Tep, are you really convinced Obama's such an empty suit?  Are they giving degrees away at Harvard Law School?  You don't have to like his more glassy-eyed supporters, but do you really think he's the prisoner of his own cult of personality?  I have a hard time putting him and Palin on the same page, although I grant that the GOP has (ever since Clarence Thomas) adroitly turned the left's identity politics against itself.  Politics based on "isms' is pretty depressing.  

Much of the left can be expected, at least publicly, to go into denial on Sarah Palin. They'll insist on maintaining the narrative they've begun to build, a sort of this-is-not-happening mantra as panic sets their brains on fire. The...

In case anyone was wondering where W's 20% approval rating comes from, hearken to the Barracuda.

Some reaction to Palin's speech from the left. Here's Michael Crowley at TNR's "The Stump": Several moderate-Democrat friends of mine have been emailing--few if any would ever vote for McCain--but all agree that Palin was very strong. The more liberal

No, I don't think empty suits graduate from Harvard Law.  I think people full of promise do.  And what they do with that promise is how you judge them.  Obama has risen steadily.  But what has he DONE?  Not what jobs he has held, not what powerful sponsors he has cultivated-- but what has he DONE?

The most devastating line, which you will hear more of: "The president doesn't get to vote present."

mjh  - "I have a hard time putting him and Palin on the same page"

Most other commenters here do not. Whether subconsciously or not, everyone is comparing "community organizer" to "small-town mayor".The other obvious comparison is {Republican] identity politics candidate to [Democratic] identity politics candidate.

Would I vote for him over Palin? Of course. I wouldn't have any concerns whatsoever about him if he were staying in the senate for four years, or even if he were, like here, in the VP spot. But the comparison ends when you consider she's running for VP and he's running for POTUS.

The Dem ticket is upside down. Biden should be debating McCain. Obama should be debating Palin.

Just thought I'd pop in to see how you folks were treating the triumph of the Republican's vice presidential nominee last night.

Good to see that virtually everyone in here still considers themselves smarter than the vast majority of the American electorate. Still bonded in denial. Which is good, because this totally unwarranted overconfidence makes it a lot easier to beat you in elections.

Underestimate Sarah Palin at your peril.

The GOP wants the Obama-Palin race.  They think in the general election that the pretty white woman beats the black man.  Plain and simple.  When pretty white women go missing, look how Fox news goes crazy for months on end.

"this-is-not-happening mantra"

I haven't heard that -- but I have heard a "what is this and what does it mean?" mantra that still hasn't been answered.  Palin energizes the base for McCain, yes.  There's general agreement on that.  But is she too far out of the frame for mainstream Americans?  We don't know.  Will her style damage McCain or not?  We don't know.  If the argument is the real economy in the real world, is Palin relevant?  We don't know.

The questions remain once the wild Repug cheering has died down.

Her speech was partisan, combative, and snide, and so it’s unclear whether it’ll appeal to swing voters. But it certainly managed to put conservatives at ease with her selection.