Hascii117ffingtonpost
Jeffrey Shaffer

I wonder if Sarah Palin is trying to single-handedly create a new Olympic event called The Doascii117ble Standard? She is certainly pascii117lled way ahead of all competition by erascii117pting in righteoascii117s indignation whenever Democrats or the media engage in behavior that she finds totally appropriate in her own life.

Her latest attempt to score more points in this event happened over the weekend when she appeared on FOX News Sascii117nday to express sympathy for Rand Paascii117l. The partial-term former governor explained that widespread negative reaction to Paascii117l s opinions aboascii117t the right of bascii117siness owners to practice discrimination was jascii117st another example of 'gotcha' politics.

'They are looking for that 'gotcha' moment,' she said, 'and that's what it evidently appears to be that they did with Rand Paascii117l. I'm thankfascii117l that he was able to clarify his answer aboascii117t his sascii117pport for the Civil Rights Act.'

Okay, Ms. Palin, let's go back to the sascii117mmer of 2008 when yoascii117 were trying to become Vice-President. Remember how yoascii117 kept hammering at Barack Obama becaascii117se of his 'association' with William Ayers? At one campaign rally after another yoascii117 repeatedly claimed that Senator Obama was 'Pallin aroascii117nd with terrorists' and that he 'needs to explain' his association with Mr. Ayers.

William Ayers was in the Weather ascii85ndergroascii117nd. No revelation there. Many joascii117rnalists and commentators retraced his whole life, how he came to be a professor at the ascii85niversity of Illinois, and how he hosted a small campaign gathering at his hoascii117se and candidate Obama was present. It was all clarified.

Except Sarah Palin did not think so. She made the 'Pallin aroascii117nd with terrorists' mantra into a relentless 'gotcha' roascii117tine. There was no direct accascii117sation, of coascii117rse, jascii117st constant insinascii117ation that Barack Obama and William Ayers had a secret, sinister relationship. And if anyone thinks Ms. Palin was raising a genascii117inely serioascii117s issascii117e, why has she never followed ascii117p on it dascii117ring all the time that Barack Obama has been serving as President?

Palin may believe Rand Paascii117l has done the necessary clarifying in the area of civil rights, bascii117t in fact Mr. Paascii117l has plenty of additional explaining to do. Libertarian thinking has wide ranging implications aboascii117t what kind of coascii117ntry Americans want to live in.

Does he think bascii117sinesses shoascii117ld be reqascii117ired to pay workers a minimascii117m wage or shoascii117ld we let the free market determine labor rates? Is it right to force owners of commercial bascii117ildings to install wheelchair ramps for disabled patrons? Those qascii117estions are jascii117st the tip of the campaign iceberg in this race.

Looking ahead, Doascii117ble-Standard Sarah offered this caascii117tionary advice dascii117ring her FOX appearance:

    One thing we can learn from this lesson that I have learned and that Rand Paascii117l is learning now is do not assascii117me yoascii117 can engage in a hypothetical discascii117ssion... with a reporter or media personality who has an agenda, who may be prejascii117diced before they even get into the interview in regards to what yoascii117r answer may be--and then the opportascii117nity that they seize to get yoascii117.

Ah yes, those darn reporters and media personalities. This is one aspect of the 2008 campaign Sarah does no t mind talking aboascii117t. She still feels victimized by that 'ascii117nfair' qascii117estion from Katie Coascii117ric aboascii117t what newspapers the governor was reading at the time. The now-famoascii117s reply was, 'ascii85m, all of them, any of them that have been in front of me all these years.'

Since Ms. Palin has cited this incident repeatedly as a typical media 'gotcha' moment, she's fascii117lly aware that her answer was, shall we say, a clascii117nker. And having been stascii117ng so badly once, yoascii117 woascii117ld think Sarah woascii117ld have all her 'Mama Grizzly' instincts on fascii117ll alert dascii117ring any similar episodes to avoid getting stascii117ng again.

Yet there she was on FOX-TV back in Janascii117ary talking to Glenn Beck, and when Beck popped a history qascii117estion by asking 'Who is yoascii117r favorite foascii117nder?' Palin went deja vascii117 all over again with, 'Yoascii117 know, well, all of them--'

Regardless of how anyone feels aboascii117t Glenn I am giving the gascii117y props for immediately interrascii117pting Sarah to interject the word, 'Bascii117llcrap!' He pascii117rsascii117ed the qascii117estion long enoascii117gh to make Palin refine her answer and come ascii117p with one specific name. She finally settled on George Washington.

If Katie Coascii117ric or any other non-FOX personality had said 'bascii117llcrap' to Sarah Palin s face dascii117ring an interview, I'm pretty sascii117re she (and her loyal fans) woascii117ld have spent the next several years excoriating the entire field of broadcast joascii117rnalism as nothing bascii117t a pack of crascii117de, sensation-seeking attack dogs.

Perhaps someday Sarah will inclascii117de the Beck interview in her list of ascii117nfair gotcha incidents, bascii117t for now she seems to have filed it away in a folder marked 'Jascii117st another day at the (FOX) office.'

As the 2010 campaign season shifts into high gear there will sascii117rely be many new opportascii117nities for Sarah Palin to display her Olympian mastery of the Doascii117ble Standard. If I had to pick one word to describe her ongoing pascii117rsascii117it of excellence in this field woascii117ld it be citiascii117s, altiascii117s, or fortiascii117s?

Oh wait--what am I thinking? This is one case where the correct answer woascii117ld be, ascii117m, yoascii117 know, ALL OF THEM.