The worst part of McCain's latest ad baptizing St. Palin of Alaska as a martyr for the ages is that the claim that Obama sent oppo researchers to Alaska isn't even true.But a secondary concern is how it portrays Palin as fragile, and unable to deal with the prospect of opponents scrutinizing her record. This is politics. Rivals do opposition research on each other. It has been, and will be ever thus. Why is the McCain campaign whining about it? Sarah Palin could potentially be president someday. She's going to have to deal with a lot worse from the likes of al-Qaeda and Vladimir Putin than unfavorable interpretations of her record. I thought Palin was tough, but maybe I was mistaken. Apparently, the McCain campaign thinks she can't handle the expected pressures of American politics. Are they saying she's not up to the job? That's...kind of sexist. --A. Serwer
