Am I an anomaly of my generation that I never watched the original 90210 and have yet to watch any Dawson's, GG, One Tree Hill, and only fragments of The OC

I'm another one of these, Barb! Actually, I've never seen the OC, either. Most of those shows were on network TV when I was going through my "only watching cable channels" phase, so I completely missed them. (It took Lost and my very late tuning into CSI Vegas to get me to watch the Big Three networks again.)

In Palin news, I think what bothers me most is the lack of vetting that obviously went on (no one in Alaska was ever contacted for background checks). If McCain can't be arsed to review a running mate's life history before meeting them once and then deciding she's his "soul mate" (ugh!), why should I vote for the man?

he couldn't go for Kay Baily Hutchinson, or Elizabeth Dole, or Condi Rice, or maybe Jodi Rell if going for a governor.

And quite frankly, none of them are sufficiently conservative, by wingnut terms. And this pick was all about the wingnuts.

Actually, let me back that up. I think the idea of choosing a woman was about the largely mythical PUMAs with a side of going for the Stupids (He picked a woman! Maybe he's not far-right after all!). But the choice of this particular woman was absolutely, and to a degree literally, dictated by the far end of the religious right.

meeting them once and then deciding she's his "soul mate" (ugh!),

Yeah, how'd that work out for George Bush?

I'm thinking this particular woman was a matter of creating a distraction from the issues at hand. Rove loves that shit and he is very good at it.

And quite frankly, none of them are sufficiently conservative, by wingnut terms. And this pick was all about the wingnuts.

I had a whole writeup about each of 'em, but Brenda said it better in two sentences.

I agree that the lack of vetting is an issue. Among the things he missed: Palin's support for the bridge to nowhere, earmarks and Ted Stevens, her ties to an extremist Alaskan Independence Movement which included a video wishing them well and supporting the "good work" they do this year, Troopergate and the fact that Palin engaged in similar abuse of power as Mayor. Also it is clear not only from what they missed that no vetting was done, but that no records searches were done in major city and press records that were not on-line. Also, even without vetting, she was clearly unqualified. But this to me still has nothing to do with the pregnancy. Her daughter's pregnancy has nothing to do with her qualifications. Would her insistence that sex education should lie to kids have been more valid if her daughter had not gotten pregnant?

You know, I'd be seriously dismayed if Palin were picked as CEO of my (mythical) employer, let alone VP-likely-to-be-Prez.

Her daughter's pregnancy has nothing to do with her qualifications.

I haven't seen anyone here argue otherwise.

I haven't seen anyone here argue otherwise.

Megan Walker upthread - as a distraction from ability to do their job.

Well, there is the irony of the fact that she vetoed funding for homes and training for young unwed mothers. There's a distinct lack of any ability to feel empathy or do the right thing for her constituency, there.