NYT reports that McCain stated to a crowd that "he was so proud of [Palin's] performance last night." I feel as though I have read of other statements in which McCain has made similar remarks. To me that sounds really wrong somehow--more like a dad talking about his young daughter, rather than one professional speaking about an equal. Is he trying to make us feel similarly parental such that we will not notice that she is perhaps not his equal? Or is he betraying his belief that she is not his equal? Or am I just making something out of nothing?

I'm gonna go with "making something out of nothing." No doubt he doesn't see her as an equal, she is the Veep candidate after all. I think he was responding to some Republican critics who questioned his judgment for picking her in the first place - and maybe breathing a sigh of relief!