If Sarah Palin

has committed wrongdoing as governor of Alaska, then of course she is fair game for criticism and investigation. What I have problem with is the constant sexism leveled at her such as calling her "Caribou Barbie" and even worse names. Hillary Clinton went through similar garbage. Many of the worst offenders of making sexist remarks are by the so-called "liberals" or "left." But anybody who remembers the days of the "new left" knows the men at least were the biggest sexists on earth, and their attitudes helped spawn the second wave of feminism in the late 1960s through the early 1970s.

I truly believe a lot of the hatred--and hatred is a good word for it--of Sarah Palin stems from the fact she is anti-abortion and had a Down syndrome baby. So-called liberals think it is so unthinkable for Down syndrome children to be brought into the world especially if parents deliberately refuse abortion. They don't understand DS children can live quality, productive lives. Although Palin called herself a feminist, these so-called "liberals" didn't think she could be a feminist and deliberately have a child with disabilities. Disability rights is one area where so-called liberals have a serious problem; the Schiavo case was a classic example of ignorance on the left about disabilities. Trig Palin is another example.

Palin's religious beliefs may be another factor, but I don't think this is really where the hatred comes from. Part of it is her looks, part of it is her non-elite background (hence her rather informal speaking style), but most of it is hatred for her anti-abortion beliefs.

Here is another point of view. And no, I have never regarded Obama is any kind of true intellectual heavyweight, certainly not on the level of Bill Clinton or Jimmy Carter, both of whom are crackling smart.