"...which in turn became relief when she did so well in the debate with Joe Biden."

Is the bar really that low? Palin didn't "do so well" against Biden, she simply didn't humiliate herself. Is that enough?

In my own humble opinion, Ms. Palin isn't as smart as she is canny or clever. In at her own words....

During her first interview as John McCain’s running mate, with ABC’s Charlie Gibson, Palin was asked about her lack of experience in foreign policy. She replied, “We’ve got to remember what the desire is in this nation at this time. It is for no more politics as usual, and somebody’s big fat résumé, maybe, that shows decades and decades in the Washington establishment . . . Americans are getting sick and tired of that self-dealing, and kind of that closed-door, good-ol’-boy network that has been the Washington élite.”

Who is Sarah Palin speaking about? Who has the big fat resume with decades and decades in the Washington establishment? Certainly not Barack Obama! The McCain campaign has been telling us that Obama has no resume. That he has no experience. That he doesn't even have enough time in the Senate to show what his meddle is.

Who then? Why, Sarah Palin is running against her own boss and candidate for the presidency, John McCain!! Crafty? Clever? Canny? Yes, yes, yes.

Sarah Palin has spent her short political career palling around with the establishment and then distancing herself from them, even cutting them off at the knees, when they are no longer useful. That's not tough, that's unethical.

We've had eight years of a "gut" type leader. Eight years of charm and instinct and force of personality. Eight years of a president with "executive experience." No more, please.

Yes, I want to defend Elaine Lafferty, not for her so called support of Palin, but because she has been misunderstood by the media who have confused her satire with a praise.

You want clues that this is in fact a satire?

" I'd heard rumors around the campaign of her photographic memory "

A photographic memory has never been a proof on intelligence for me; even monkeys can have it.

"She is not a right-wing nut, and all the rest of the Internet drivel—the book banning at the Library, the rape kits decision – is nonsense. I digress"

She is purposedly quoting the book banning and the rape kits decision to make a contrast with the "she is not a right wing nut"; that makes a comical effect; in fact she means: Yes, she is a right-wing nut.

" Look, I am obviously personally pro-choice, and I disagree with McCain and Palin on that and a few other issues", knowing that Palin is strongly anti-abortionist, even in case of rape, and that Elaine says just before she is pro-choice, the "few" must be understood as "many"; learn to decode, for god's sake!

"I also happen to believe Sarah Palin supports women's rights, deeply and passionately." Does she have to say that on a comical tone, for you to understand?

In France, when someone bores us, instead of saying him right away "you are boring" like you do in America, we use to say:"Oh you sound very interesting!"; that means the same thing.

Given, what Elaine mentioned just before: The book banning, the rape kits decision, the extreme anti-abortionist Palin, this takes completely comical and fake sounding connotation.

"I'm just a country lawyer"… Yup, Palin is that smart.", well if she is that smart, then she is not really smart! (and Sam Ervin, a staunch segregationist, what a comparison!)

"But how sad for feminist leaders to sink this low, especially when Palin has worn glasses since she was 10 years old.", for a silly explanation, this is a silly explanation...or it just means to sound silly!

"At least the blogger didn't go as far as NOW's Kim Gandy and declare that Palin was not a woman." better and better; I hope Elaine never does my praise.

" Palin is a harder sell, she looks and sounds different", oh yes, she sounds different, but does she sound different the good way?

"If you only vote on how a person personally feels about abortion, you will never want her to darken your door. If you care about anything else, she will continue to intrigue you. "

I have longly examined this sentence, and I'm still looking for the praise; please, could you tell me where it is?

"Sympathy and subtlety are seasonings rarely applied to political red meat"; "rarely" takes all its meaning with Palin.

"Will Palin's time come next week? I don't know. But her time will come"; at least Palin believes it; of course, she is the messenger of God!

In France, we are very familiarized with the sublime art of satire, we have newspapers which make only satire! We probably are the kings of the world in that domain.

Even a young french kid would see this is satire.

Now, is Lafferty still stupid, or was she clever enough to not only dupe Palin but also a certain number other naive chumps of the media.

Perhaps your French style of satire is too nuanced for my American ears, but Lafferty is not French either. Her words are not nuanced. She says what she believes.

Lafferty's editorial may be hilarious, but it is not satire. If your post is high satire, perhaps a board called The Fray is not the best place to practice your art.

"Perhaps your French style of satire is too nuanced for my American ears, but Lafferty is not French either. Her words are not nuanced. She says what she believes"

Lafferty knows about Europe and european satire.

I do think her words are nuanced and impregnated with irony.

She says what some would want to believe and not what she personally believes.

The style of her article doesn't lie, it's clearly the one of a satire, even if you fail to detect it.

In the words of Joe Biden; You're joking, right? Is this a joke?

Lafferty went to work for the McCain campaign. You are suggesting she is so nuanced as to join the anti-choice party after a supporting feminist causes because she appreciates high satire?

You are wrong, even if you don't realize it.

Elaine has been studying Mac Cain and Palin, but I don't think this "praise" is sincere, because it does not look at all like one.

I fail to see where the praise really is.

Before she said: "Sarah Palin supports women's rights, deeply and passionately", she didn't really say anything positive about Palin; the "the book banning at the Library, the rape kits decision" is not something positive about Palin, and don't get fooled by the ironic "is nonsense, I digress".

Sooner or later you'll learn from Lafferty that it was a satire, and you'll have to admit I'm right.

Now, if I happen to be wrong, and Lafferty really supports Palin as you think she does, then I'll admit I was wrong.

For the moment, I tend to think Lafferty was not serious about Palin and she used ellipses.

Satire that no one but you gets, is not satire at all. Americans like their satire broad and it would be a complete waste of time to write something so incredibly refined that nobody understood it. It is certainly like no satire I have ever read. If Lafferty were going to write satire that subtle, she would be better off writing nothing at all.

I suggest you email Lafferty and ask her if she meant her article as satire, otherwise we will never know if she meant it that way.