THIS WEEK’S OPINION MARKETPLACE

The News Virginian
Published: September 7, 2008

THIS WEEK’S OPINION MARKETPLACE

***Three up***

Battered by pundits and bloggers, Sarah Palin came out swinging Wednesday at the Republican National Convention and delivered a series of stinging blows that helped energize the party base even while leaving skeptics on the other side unconvinced. The Alaska governor was tough, defiant and good-humored. So good in fact that Democrats were forced to play the “shrill” card.
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Among those maligned amid America’s struggles in Iraq has been the Iraqi government. That all shifted as the surge progressed to the point that Iraqis have taken over 11 of 18 provinces, including the most deadly, Anbar. Where are the bravehearts who said the war was not winnable?
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Here’s to a group who takes care of its own. Page County farmers have decided to donate hay to help their drought-stricken peers in southern Augusta County. The act of kindness soothed some weary souls.

***Three down***

Following a convention week that largely disappointed for Democrats, Barack Obama wound up on the defensive after taking roundhouse shots from Republicans. After Sarah Palin’s rousing speech, his campaign staffers scrambled to defend the relevance of his work as a community organizer in his 20s. The GOP’s barbs might not all have been legitimate, but they sure got under the junior senator’s skin.
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After editions of US Magazine hit newsstands featuring an attention-grabbing cover, a photo of Palin with the headline “Babies, Lies and Scandal,” the publication’s senior editor, Bradley Jacobs, took a pounding from Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly. Peppered with tough questions over the fairness of the coverage, Jacobs crumpled like a punch-drunk boxer.
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John McCain entered the convention hall to rousing applause Wednesday, but that’s because Palin saved his bacon with her stellar speech. Questions swirled over whether she’d been properly vetted. It was enough for some to wonder whether McCain had taken this maverick thing too far.