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Palin's Story: A Political Chick-Flick

Republicans get pumped for a 'babe' on the ticket: Dowd

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Aug 31, 2008 11:07 AM CDT

(Newser) – Sarah Palin’s rise to the national stage makes for a great political chick-flick, Maureen Dowd observes in the New York Times. The plot: “the 2-year governor of an oversized igloo becomes commander in chief after the president-elect chokes on a pretzel on day one.” And experience, schmexperience —“The PTA is great preparation for dealing with the KGB,” Palin would say after an Alaskan face-off with Vladimir Putin.

Americans may be concerned about the “untested” Barack Obama —but his ticket’s average age is 56, just 2 years younger than the average age of the GOP pair. Republicans, Dowd notes, “have a tradition of nominating fun, bantamweight cheerleaders from the West, like Dan Quayle and W., and then letting them learn on the job.” Now, conservatives and evangelicals are lauding John McCain for “his refreshingly cynical choice.”

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This undated photo provided by the Heath family shows Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin fishing in Alaska. (AP Photo/Heath Family)

Republican vice presidential candidate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin pumps her fist as she walks toward a bus at a campaign stop in Washington, Pa., Saturday, Aug. 30, 2008. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

This undated photo provided by the Heath family shows Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin after she won the Miss Wasilla beauty pageant in 1984 in Wasilla, Alaska. (AP Photo/Heath Family)

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Enthusiastic Republicans don’t see the choice as affirmative action because they expect Republicans to put an underqualified “babe,” as Rush Limbaugh calls her, on the ticket. - Maureen Dowd

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Palin's Story: A Political Chick-Flick