Saradise Lost - Chapter One Hundred-Fifty-Four -- Sarah's Worst Week Yet

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin had already become a national joke before this past week, but beginning with her vapid, almost clueless appearance on Saturday Night Live, back on October 18th, and ending with her comments in Indiana yesterday, about being "annoyed" with Katie Couric, Palin has continued to give uncommitted and independent voters the best reason they've had in years to vote for a Democrat for President. McCain, for sure, has done badly enough for himself this past week, but Palin seemed to have something new to detract from his campaign, every single day, this past week.

Saturday, October 18th - Saturday Night Live appearance: Here's Gryphen's analysis:

It is impossible to tell if Sarah Palin is just a very good sport, or if she does not truly realize that they are insulting her.

My guess is the second one. She is simply too ignorant to know that she is participating in her own political destruction.

Sunday, October 19th - Colin Powell endorses Barack Obama, criticizes Palin:

Powell expressed disappointment in the negative tone of McCain's campaign, as well as in his choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as the Republican vice presidential nominee. Powell says he does not believe Palin is ready to take over as president, if necessary.

Monday, October 20th - Alaska Rep. Les Gara announced his request that the Alaska Attorney General appoint an independent investigator:

“I would note that while I believe criminal conduct may have been committed by campaign staff who worked in Alaska to stop the Troopergate investigation, I do not believe you or your staff have engaged in such conduct,” Gara wrote. “Nonetheless, your office, as counsel to many witnesses who did not show up for legislative subpoenas, and counsel for the Governor, would appear to have at least conflicts on this matter. Those potential conflicts would suggest the appropriateness of an independent investigator."

Tuesday, October 21st - Palin proposed U.S. Constitutional Amendment to ban gay marriage. And the Associated Press dug deeper into Palin's travel expenses as governor, coming up with this gem (among others):

The charges included costs for hotel and commercial flights for three daughters to join Palin to watch their father in a snowmobile race, and a trip to New York, where the governor attended a five-hour conference and stayed with 17-year-old Bristol for five days and four nights in a luxury hotel.

On Tuesday morning, the story of $150,000 spent on behalf of Palin by the RNC, for clothes and accessories from Saks and Nieman-Marcus, started to gain national momentum, while at the same time, new polling details showed her to be the single main feature in the turn away from the McCain campaign, in the minds of many independent voters.

On Tuesday, Palin also muffed a simple question - from an elementary school student - on what role the Vice President plays in the U.S. Senate.

Wednesday, October 22nd - Details began to emerge of the level of feuding breaking out between the Palin and McCain factions in their campaign. And on Wednesday, the Ku Klux Klan endorsed the McCain-Palin ticket.

Thursday, October 23rd - Criticism of Palin's "real America" meme deepened nationwide. Obama delivered speech in Indianapolis, where he declared:

"There are no real or fake parts of this country, we are not separated by the pro-America and anti-America parts of this nation—we all love this country, no matter where we live or where we come from. There are patriots who supported this war in Iraq and patriots who opposed it, patriots who believe in Democratic policies and those who believe in Republican policies. The men and women from Indiana and all across America who serve on our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a red America or a blue America—they have served the United States of America."

Friday, October 24th - In St. Louis, Sarah and Todd Palin testified under oath before Alaska investigator Timothy Petumenos, about their roles in attempting to get Public Safety Director Walt Monegan to get their ex-brother-in-law illegally fired from the Alaska State Troopers.

Saturday, October 25th - More details continued to emerge from within the McCain-Palin campaign, about the growing perception that not only is Palin inadequate for the role she's being put through, but that the campaign perceives her to be quite selfish, and a "rogue" to boot:

“She is a diva. She takes no advice from anyone,” said this McCain adviser, “she does not have any relationships of trust with any of us, her family or anyone else. Also she is playing for her own future and sees herself as the next leader of the party. Remember: divas trust only unto themselves as they see themselves as the beginning and end of all wisdom.”

“I think she’d like to go more rogue,” a Republican source said of Palin.

And yesterday, In Fort Wayne, Indiana, a petulant Palin told a crowd:

“Last time I was here I got to tell a crowd that I had to give a national interview that didn’t go so well. And it was because I was kind of annoyed with the questions that I was being asked because I thought they were kind of irrelevant to, you know, national security issues and getting our economy back on track, so I kind of showed some of that annoyance.”

Today, the Anchorage Daily News endorsed our Governor's running mate's rival. Also, today, Obama drew another huge crowd in Florida - 75,000. Palin, who two weeks ago, even a week ago, was drawing huge crowds too, drew 5,000 in Orlando, Florida.