As if McCain didn't have enough real adversaries to rail against, he yesterday invoked the "feminist left" at a rally in Missouri, describing that shady organisation as the latest persecutor of his vice-presidential pick.
My friends, it's remarkable the comments of the feminist left about Sarah Palin. I want to tell you, I am so proud of the way she has energized America. She is a reformer, she is a great leader, she is the most popular governor in America, and I can hardly wait to introduce her to Washington, D.C.
I can recall no remarkable words from the "feminist left" in recent days, and I have not heard the McCain campaign complain about undue criticism from woman writers. McCain was resorting to an old Nixon trick, invoking an imaginary enemy or support base to rally supporters against them or on their behalf. Meanwhile, parts of the conservative commentariat have come down hard on McCain and Palin.
In late September, conservative Kathleen Parker, became one of the first high-profile writers to voice displeasure with Palin. She called on Palin to withdraw from the ticket, writing:
Palin's recent interviews with Charles Gibson, Sean Hannity and now Katie Couric have all revealed an attractive, earnest, confident candidate. Who Is Clearly Out Of Her League.
Peggy Noonan wrote Friday:
We have seen Mrs. Palin on the national stage for seven weeks now, and there is little sign that she has the tools, the equipment, the knowledge or the philosophical grounding one hopes for, and expects, in a holder of high office.
Meanwhile, Gloria Steinem, whom I imagine personifies the "feminist left", has published nothing on Palin since a September 4 essay in the LA Times which she wrote of Clinton supporters: "To vote in protest for McCain/Palin would be like saying, 'Somebody stole my shoes, so I'll amputate my legs.'"
