Thanks. It's been one of my sticking points and it's causing me a lot of frustration that I can't look at her positions more closely…. So far I don't like what I see from Palin on the issues, or her judgement. And I am distrustful of anyone who wants to hide things. I've had enough of our leaders hiding stuff from us and I see many of those same traits in McCain and Palin. i believe that if a candidate can't be forthcoming on where they stand on issues, then that candidate feels that it would be detrimental to their chances of winning.

Having said that I also can't help but wonder if what I'm feeling towards Palin is what many people feel towards Obama. But I keep coming back to the fact that Obama graduated with honors from law school, has worked with people who have lost their jobs, he has taught constitutional law, and has worked his way up in politics, debating national issues with friends, opponents, colleagues and crowds of all sizes over the years. Whereas Palin may have 18 months of governor under her belt, but she doesn't have the substantial body of thought and years-long voting record that Obama has on issues that matter to most Americans. No one knows Palin's positions, including herself because she's never thought about most of the issues substantively (at least that I can determine).

I agree with you… this is what I said,
“Personally I'd like to know anything about her position on the Iraq War (to begin with) and the other important issues that Americans believe are important. How can you be “for” someone if they have no positions on the most important issues? You can certainly be against them (for lack of knowledge).”

I understand how people can reserve judgement on someone they don't know, or how people might choose to be against someone (on the side of caution) they don't know. But I don't know how so many people can so enthusiastically support someone whose positions they do not know. That's my beef. What are we getting with Palin? We know a few of her positions but not nearly enough.

You also ask, “Are they really issue focused objections that are being raised?”

I would say, “No” because Palin has not bothered to tell us what her positions are on most of the important issues facing the country.

Sorry if I wasn't clear in my first post. Thanks for the dialogue.

What does she think about Afghanistan? Pakistan? Universal health care? Torture? Iran? The national debt? The collapse of the dollar? National infrastructure?

Chriswww- I'll answer your question with another question. What was Bill Clinton's foreign policy experience in 1992? The absence of that is true for every governor, and some of them have gone on to become very successful presidents.

Actually, I got that impression from both my conservative friends and my time on right wing blogs over the past year or so. Quite a few people I know were disgusted when he won the primary, and vowed not to vote for him for that very reason — he wasn't conservative enough.

At any rate, you initially asked what I thought the coherent argument being presented against Sarah Palin was. And I believe that going forward it will be what I said: she's too conservative and she's hasn't been very honest. But I agree that whether it works or not is by no means clear. Also, I do agree that getting too aggressive about her personal life is likely to backfire. And Dems should not be overconfident about anything. There is a long way to go between now and the election.

But you know, go ahead and run with your ticket, the most liberal that your party has ever put up, and we'll see how that works out for you. If Obama/Biden do win though, keep in mind that they started with a 15 poiht advantage due to the dissatisfaction with the current administration. If they win by a small margin, it certainly doesn't prove a mandate for a liberal agenda.

As for the 'lies' of Palin, I still see a list of he said/she said, until more information comes out one way or another. And I fail to see how most of those things would be any more egregious than any of the flip flops by the other candidates on both tickets.

The personal stuff about Palin is filling the vacuum left by the fact that she has virtually no national and international policy stances.

Maybe if the McCain camp weren't shielding her from interviews, we might get to know what she stands for.

Right now, we've got:
1) More oil drilling
2) I hope the Iraqi occupation is following God's will and that we have an exit strategy
3) Give Alaska more Federal money
4) No abortions under any circumstances

For now, though, it's like watching a round of limbo: how low can they go? LOL

Personally I'd like to know anything about her position on the Iraq War (to begin with) and the other important issues that Americans believe are important.

How can you be “for” someone if they have no positions on the most important issues? You can certainly be against them (for lack of knowledge).

It's like you or anyone of us standing up and saying, “Vote for me” though no one knows your positions. Actually, come to think about it, many people on here probably know more about you (and other commentor's positions including my own) on the Iraq War, healthcare, education, etc. than they do about Palin's positions.

But I still think it's unlikely McCain will replace her. If 168 members of the national committee need to approve it, then the chances are almost zero.

Everyone thought Huckabee was a breath of fresh air, too. But then some of his more extreme views started coming out and the more moderate voters left him. That, as I see it, is the danger with Palin.

I'll take 3.

That's a good point, and everyone has to know it's coming. But even there the Palin pick complicates the picture, though it's unclear to what extent at this point.