Wow, so this weekend has been amazingly hilarious in my goal to watch politics and be generally amused.

Palin is an odd choice in my opinion and I think that the shock has gotten everyone to take notice and ask lots of questions. The RNC line is that she has a lot of experience and that this kind of questioning wouldn’t be happening if the nominee was a man but the simple truth is that the questions are coming because she is an unknown quantity on the national level, not because she’s Tina Fey’s older sister from Fargo.

That said, I agree with comments that the Palin nomination has woken up the so-called-mainstream media and gotten them to try to get grounded answers to real questions.

Here is an excerpt from Dave Winer’s post on the subject:

The first sign things were crumbling was an interview Monday on CNN with McCain aide Tucker Bounds and reporter Campbell Brown who asked Bounds what international experience Palin has. He kept trying to change the subject to Obama, which I’ve seen work with these reporters for years. It’s a very typical Republican tactic.

As a result, McCain pulled out of Larry King that night, but CNN stood its ground.

Then Wolf Blitzer of all people pressed Rudy Giuiani on the same subject and wouldn’t let up. Rudy is the best skater out there, but Wolf cornered him. Lovin it!!

I just saw former Republican governor of NY George Pataki try to bullshit Nora O’Donnell on MSNBC and she (smiling all the way) wasn’t having any of it.

I don’t know what happened to give these reporters a backbone, finally — but whatever it is — don’t let it go! This is how you do it. Let’s push these guys until they start talking sense. Let’s get our national conversation grounded, at least a little, in reality.

The CNN interview of Tucker Bounds by Campbell Brown really is something to see though because she’s tenacious and all she wants to know is one example of a decision she’s had to make with/for the Alaska National Guard that counts as "foreign policy experience".

In case you were curious, like me, Major General Campbell of the Alaska National Guard did answer such a question to the AP:

"But, in an interview with The Associated Press on Sunday, he said he and Palin play no role in national defense activities, even when they involve the Alaska National Guard. The entire operation is under federal control, and the governor is not briefed on situations."

Finally, some political information type links:

• ObamaTaxCut.com: This calculator will estimate the impact of an Obama tax plan on your return. The McCain/RNC line is that Obama will raise your taxes, while in reality, the Tax Policy Center has determined that Obama will cut taxes for 95% for Americans.
• ScienceDebate 2008 has sent a 14 question survey to Obama and McCain in order to get their thinking on topics ranging from innovation, education, genetic research, ocean health, scientific integrity and basic research. Obama’s answers have been posted and they are awaiting for McCain’s response.
• Finally, for William and without comment: John McCain is a Cylon.