Kabuki Theater
It's difficult to keep up with all of the Palin scandals. This is not a blog that I post dozens of times a day, but would have to if I wanted to try and keep you up to date with all of the legitimate questions surrounding what is shaping up to be an entirely duplicitous act as campaigner, a woefully unethical record as both small-town Mayor and small-state Governor, and some real hair-raising positions she has associated with that alone should give any voter pause.

I could just make a list for your perusal and maybe will later on tonight. But for now, as her prime-time speech approaches tonight, I will leave it at this: she will leave a mark tonight - no doubt a grand and impressive one - through a bizarre set of theatrics that will gain more respect than they deserve. She will not have written her speech tonight. This presentation will test exactly one thing: her ability to deliver prepared remarks that bolster McCain's candidacy. It was not even written *for* her much less by her.

Not anticipating that McCain would choose a woman as his running mate, the speech that was prepared in advance was "very masculine," according to campaign manager Rick Davis, and "we had to start from scratch."

Fundamentally it will bear absolutely no relevance to the pressing questions that still demand answers: what does she believe in? What are her qualifications and plans? How does she explain her record?

In looking forward to the gushing of news personalities that have underestimated her political skills, it's worth remembering that the bit of theater we will witness tonight is designed to keep the American people from finding out what the potential Vice President is all about, not to illuminate us. Apart from the occasional biographical detail and reference to being a "hockey mom", there will be nothing of her in there.

If the campaign wanted to answer the questions surrounding her, they would let her do an interview or a news conference. Tonight isn't about answering any questions; it's about suppressing them.

In closing I would like to add that, despite my calling attention to it yesterday, John McCain still has yet to announce his plan for implementing the 25th Amendment should he become President. Why are you hiding Senator?