sharksmileFirst off, with regard to the awful terrible awful (again) Sarah Palin sexytime Newsweek cover… what Lindsay said.

Predictably, Palin complained that Newsweek’s use of the image was sexist. Yes, the image was plucked from its original context. The whole point was that the picture was appalling it its original context. Newsweek is holding this picture up to the world and asking: Who does this?
The bottom line is that Palin’s a clown. She doesn’t get a pass because her chosen clown persona is stereotypically feminine.

She caricatures herself. Day in and day out. Good for Newsweek for pointing and laughing.

Back when the original Runner’s World photos came out the one thing I noticed was the dearth of pictures of Sarah Palin actually running. For someone who spent the RW interview extolling the virtues of running

I feel so crappy if I go more than a few days without running. I have to run. No matter how rotten I feel before or during a run, it’s always worth it to me afterwards. Sweat is my sanity. A great frustration I had during the campaign was when the McCain staff wouldn’t carve out time for me to go for a run. The days never went as well if I couldn’t get out there and sweat.

…there is a distinct lack of action photography. No sweat. No blotchy skin.  No visual evidence of a endorphin epiphany. What there is, besides the all-important reminder that she is the mother of BABY TRIG, GOD’S VERY OWN SPECIAL ANGEL YES HE IS – YES HE IS!, is a series of modelish poses of the type you might find accompanying a “Run for Your Life!” article in Marie Claire. Don’t believe me? Try this. Or this. Or this.

The photo on the Newsweek cover is instructive. Bare legs with no warm-up pants (sexy!). Shot in her office (executive!). American flag (patriotic!). Blackberry in hand (connected!). Blue Star flag (patriotic again!). Normally upswept hair now down and pulled forward, looking  suspiciously  like girlish pigtails ( young! vital!).  The point being that  Sarah Palin can’t control her inner beauty pageant contestant.

Let’s flip it back to Lindsay:

Newsweek’s question is why she’s bad for the GOP. The answer is that she’s dragging down her party because it’s impossible for adults to take her seriously. Not because she’s beautiful or maternal or fit, but rather because she has no decorum, no dignity, and no common sense. I mean look at her, she’s working the goofy MILF persona like that’s a perfectly normal thing for a governor with presidential aspirations to be doing.

If Sarah Palin wants to be accepted as a Very Serious Person with Very Serious Positions, she needs to have the good judgment to not  turn into Suzy Cheesecake every time a camera is around.