I have no words...

To describe how outraged I was when I saw this CNN.com had posted on its from page this morning along with a story about Sarah Palin and her speech last night. Who can defend this obvious act of photographic slander? If a picture means a thousand words, what does this picture say? Sarah Palin is a Nazi, two hundred times? Shame on you CNN.

I watched her speech with a friend of mine last night and I have to say I was impressed. Going in to the speech I had my reservations about the small state governor, small town mayor and what qualifications she would bring to the game. After the speech, I was a lot less concerned.

Consider this, since Friday's announcement, she and her family had taken more shots for the liberal left and the media (I know that is redundant) than Sylvester Stalone took in Rocky I & II combined. Yet despite all the scrutiny and attacks on her family and character she stood up there poised to deliver the speech of her life, and boy did she not disappoint. I thought the speech was a home run. For once I felt like a politician was speaking to me, not above me.

At the end of the day, I think that is my biggest issue with our political leaders, they talk to us, the taxpayers, their bosses, like they are somehow superior to us. They think we can't figure out the games they are playing when they refuse to answer a direct question. They think they are smarter and more important than us and that they are not accountable to us.

But last night, at least for one night, I felt like a politician reached out to the American people as if to say "I hear your concerns, and I'm going to do something about it." It was refreshing. I know the cynical left is saying the words were not her own, and that the words held no answers. I get that, this is often the case with convention speeches and campaign promises. But I can't help but think she must have, at a minimum, inspired more than just me with a sense of idealism, at least for a moment. Sure she is imperfect, but is she real? Will she be part of the solution?

I now understand what Matt Damon was talking about during the following conversation in "Good Will Hunting:"

Will: I went on a date last week.
Sean: How'd it go?
Will: It was good.
Sean: Going out again?
Will: I don't know.
Sean: Why not?
Will: Haven't called her.
Sean: Christ, you're an amateur.
Will: I know what I'm doing. Don't worry about me I know what I'm doing. Yeah, but this girls like you know, beautiful. She's smart. She's fun. She's different from most of the girls I've been with.
Sean: So, call her up Romeo.
Will: Why? So I can realize that she's not that smart. That she's fucking boring. This girls like fucking perfect right now. I don't want to ruin that.
Sean: Maybe you're perfect right now. Maybe you don't want to ruin that. But I think that's a super philosophy Will, that way you can go through your entire life without ever having to really know anybody.

I guess, I'll take Robin Williams advice and take the chance to get to know her. Hopefully she is as she seems, an imperfect person, for an imperfect time.

God Bless America,
EG
erik@exchangeyourgovernment.com