Palin Fans, Stop Whining About Caroline

Critics crying foul over the difference in treatment received by Caroline Kennedy and Sarah Palin are ignoring the power gap between the respective jobs sought, Kathleen Parker argues in the Washington Post. Both may have emerged without proper vetting, Parker writes, but Kennedy is seeking to be one of a hundred senators, while Palin could have had her finger on the nuclear button.

Palin's political experience certainly outweighs Kennedy's, Parker writes, but the harsh scrutiny the governor endured stemmed from genuine concerns about her competence—as well as her divisive tone and temperament. With Kennedy, the worries are more about her people-power and whether she has earned the job. These questions are less related to experience, Parker argues, and are ones voters will have a chance to answer in 2010.
(More Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg stories.)