S he’s goofy.  She’s ‘stoopid.’  She’s an airhead.  She’s incompetent.  She’s despicable.  She speaks in incomplete sentences.  She speaks without syntax.  She’s a liar.  She can’t spell.  She has an old-fashioned hairstyle. She catapulted into the national scene with a Bible in one hand and an assault weapon in the other.  She’s dubbed the Failin’ Palin. The list goes on and on … and on.  The smears thrown at Gov. Sarah Palin never stop.

Governor Palin was mocked in America’s most-watched comedy show, “Saturday Night Live,” and by David Lettermen in his own late show.  She was attacked from all sides by TV talk heads and print pundits.

She was even alluded to as a “pig with lipstick” by the Democratic presidential candidate himself, B. HUSSEIN Obama.

She was PILLORIED.  Her family was pilloried.  Her pregnant daughter was pilloried.  Her youngest son, with Down Syndrome, was pilloried.  Her husband, too, was pilloried as a “drunk” for getting a DUI ticket years and years ago.  I don’t know if the Palins own a family pet dog, but I bet ya, if they do, Obama’s media lapdogs would have pilloried the family dog, too.  

For Palin bashers, critics and detractors (nag-kukumpulan sa dami, like crabs and cockroaches in a bucket), they expected to see a Sarah Palin meltdown on the national stage in her first-and-last vice-presidential debate last week.

But, they were VERY disappointed!  And so wrong. 

S arah Palin was strong.  Articulate.  Folksy.  Warm.  Assertive.  Poised.  She wore a bright smile throughout the exchange and carried herself with confidence.  And, she was gorgeous in that black dress and stiletto heels.

She battled Senator Biden on a lot of issues -- the economy, taxes, Iraq, Afghanistan, gay marriage, global warming, foreign relations, etc. – and she more than held her own.

On Iraq, she said to Senator Biden, facing and looking at him: “Your plan is a white flag of surrender in Iraq and that is not what our troops need to hear today, that’s for sure.”  Absolutely!  I am with that.  No retreat.  No surrender.

On taxes, she said: “Barack had 94 opportunities to side on the people’s side and reduce taxes and 94 times he voted to increase taxes.”  Right on, and if I may add, on other issues, BHO merely voted “present.”

On gay marriage, she said, addressing both the moderator and Senator Biden, she said: “Your question to him was whether he supported gay marriage and my answer is the same as his and it is that I do not . . .”  Yes, me, too, I do not, but in civil unions, I do.

And I liked it so much, for she was so appealing, when she invoked her small-town roots, her status as a “Washington outsider” and her connections as a hockey and soccer mom.

Watching the debate from my living room, I stood up and clapped, when she said: “If you want Washington changed, send two MAVERICKS to clean things up … I think we need a little bit of reality from Wasilla Main Street there, brought to Washington, D.C.”

When Senator Biden sought to link Senator McCain to Mr. Bush, I hooted with delight when Governor Palin said: “For a ticket that wants to talk about change and looking into the future, there’s just too much finger-pointing backwards to ever make us believe that that’s where you’re going.”

“Positive change is coming though,” she added, “Reform of government is coming.  We’ll learn from the past mistakes in this administration and other administrations….”

Yes!  Yes, I think, Sarah Palin was smashing during this debate.  And she smashed her detractors.  It was her show.  She was wonderful.  She’s READY to be VP.

True, she struggled with questions in televised interviews by the hostile media, but she has learned fast.  And she will learn fast as time goes on.  She will be a quick understudy of a President John McCain, I am sure.  During the debate, she asked: “How long have I been at this?  Like five weeks?” 

Five weeks!  Five contentious weeks!  She has learned a lot.  More likely now, after November 4, four more years in the McCain/Palin administration.  Within those four years, she will definitely learn more.  To Palin bashers, eat your hearts out!

T HE MASTER AND THE GRASSHOPPER: Okay ngarud, let’s talk now about the second debate between Senator McCain and BHO this week.  It’s more of the same, I think.  Once again, Senator McCain clearly clobbered Mr. Obama. 

If there is one thing that is very clear to me in watching debates between Senators McCain and Obama is that there’s a reason Mr. Obama is called a “Junior Senator from Illinois.”  He’s a junior in attitude and experience; vision and knowledge.

Mr. Obama compared to Senator McCain, is a pipitsugin.  An empty suit lang, ika nga.  In Kung Fu lore, Senator McCain is the MASTER, and Mr. Obama is GRASSHOPPER, the eager-beaver pupil.  And once again, the master shamed the grasshopper for his brashness and clumsiness.  He suggested that Mr. Obama simply would not be able to find his way through the maze and chaos of this world.  Like a little boy, Senator Obama hasn’t seen nothing yet.  Nor done nothing yet.  While the MASTER knows.  Been there. Done that.  Ten times over.  He knows the way through the maze and chaos of this world.       

Mr. Obama talked about health care for everyone and government-paid college education and cutting taxes for the middle class.  On and on, he promised all kinds of goodies for America.  And it all sounded great.  But who’s going to pay for all that?  The Chinese?  America will be sunk!

The best part of the debate, I think, was when Senator McCain said this to picture Mr. Obama as a reckless spender, like the Bush/Cheney team: “By the way, my friends, I know you grow a little weary of this back and forth.  There was an energy bill on the floor of the Senate loaded down with goodies, billions for the oil companies …”

“And it was sponsored by Bush and Cheney,” Senator McCain continued.  “You know who voted for it – you might never know?”  Then pointing toward Senator Obama, Mr. McCain said, “THAT ONE!” Then he asked, “You know who voted against it?  ME.” 

Yes, indeed, the ME, the MASTER, he knows.  And he shows ‘THAT ONE,’ the GRASSHOPPER, the pupil, the way.  JJ # # #