Sometimes the media gets it right, and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes political figures get it right, and sometimes they don’t. We’re all kinda like that.

One of my dear old friends who lives on the West Coast is a die-hard Yankee Democrat. He’s a stodgy old poot, but I still love him dearly. He is totally anti-Republican and despises Bush. He sends me as much negative press as he can. He clips things from the New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle and emails them to me. He sends me dreary political cartoons. He’s a mudslinger from way back.

I laugh about it and fling back sludge about the inadequacy of the Democrats and their lack of a sense of humor. Fortunately, my friend does have a very delightful sense of humor, and that is why we have been friends for such a long time.

I was really pretty much turning cartwheels in my front yard when McCain announced he was picking Sarah Palin for VP.... and that is no easy feat for a fat old tire like myself.

In the last few days, however, the bloom is wearing off the rose.

As much as I thought her butt-kickin’ personality was a good thing for the party, as the novelty of it starts to wear off, I feel like there might just be a little bit of a bossy-boots in them thar mukluks.

Maybe she isn’t as all cracked up as the GOP wants us all to believe. I mean, the coy way she managed to avoid talking about her “book banning” controversy. As if she wasn’t really going to ban books ... but she did fire the librarian for saying that she wouldn’t ever let that happen. The librarian was tough enough to tell Mayor Palin, “I wouldn’t let anyone come in here and ban books.” She got fired the next day, but the backlash was so severe, she had to be rehired immediately. Shame shame. Firing someone for having some sense. Hmm. Doesn’t sound like the Sarah Palin they’re touting to us, does it?

That’s communist talk, folks. Book banning? Book burning? Pretty much the same thing. As for the Bridge to Terabithia (yes, that bridge to nowhere) she apparently was all for it at first, but changed her mind. She was cut a deal and took it. She didn’t defiantly stand her ground and put up a fight about it, she backed off and said, “Yeah, OK, we’ll take the deal.” Whatever.

She “appears” to do a lot for her state, that much I’ll grant her.

I don’t agree with a lot of her “personal” statements. I still think abortion/religion/gay marriages all need to come under the “personal and confidential” file and the government needs to shut up and butt out about it. And so do the candidates. I don’t know why Americans think it’s their entitlement to know every single thing about every single body. Those sort of things are so personal, personal choices that no one needs to defend to anyone but themselves. But hey, that’s my own opinion. Those things are always gonna be the first things people want to know about their candidates. We don’t care if they’re cannibals, but we do care if they go to church. Go figure.

Like those fools on “The View,” pressing McCain about his religious beliefs and trying to make a big issue out of it. He should have just said, “My religion is very personal to me, and I’d like to leave it at that.”

Poor John. That show is just about the worst one on television, and those women on it are  dumber ‘n dirt. Can I get a Jerry Clower “Hawww!’”

Which brings to mind the big brouhaha that arose several months ago when a senator commented that he thought Obama was “clean and articulate.” It was such a tempest in a teapot back then and the senator had to fluster and bubble and make it sound less like a ‘racial’ attack and more of a compliment.

And who was that Senator? Ah yes ... Joe Biden.

I guess Obama didn’t take it personally, after all. He was happy to choose the man who found him so well-spoken and polished. After all, that sounds a lot better, doesn’t it?

I just hope McCain lays low and keeps the campaign from getting down and dirty. So far the race is turning out to be like a game of “Battleship.” Play it again sometime, you’ll see what I mean.

If Palin turns out to be whitewashing her true nature, we’ll find out. Is she “Sarah Barracuda,” as she was nicknamed on the high school basketball team, or is she really just Hitler in high heels?

All I know is, she’d better watch her back, cause Cindy McCain is one tough nut and she won’t let anyone get the better of her husband. She’d be on that girl like white on rice. I think she’d put a whompin’ on her pretty good... “Whomp ‘em upside the head ... said whomp ‘em up side the head!”

McCain picked the right woman to be his bride, let’s hope he’s had the same good judgment in selecting his V.P.

“B .. .eight.”

“Awww ... yousunkmybattleship!”