Unbelievable!

It's amazing to me how a pundit can make a ridiculous argument and not just get laughed off the soundstage. Listen to this Hardball clip about 1min45sec in as Michelle Bernard, part-time political analyst on MSNBC, asserts that the real problem Palin had when interviewed by Katie Couric was that she had received too much coaching by the McCain camp. According to Bernard, It simply wasn't the same, capable woman she'd witnessed giving the acceptance speech at the RNC. Clearly, the McCain camp just had to stop over-coaching her and "let Sarah Palin be Sarah Palin." Joan Walsh points out that the real difference between Palin-who-sounds-sure-of-herself and Palin-who-can't-string-together-a-coherent-sentence was the teleprompter. Unfortunately, she doesn't push it and Bernard simply sidesteps the point and continues spewing bullshit. Chris Matthews' follow up actually seems to support this assertion. Why didn't everybody else erupt into peals of laughter? Were they simply stunned that Bernard, an otherwise thoughtful and intelligent woman, would be pushing such bullshit? Also, catch Chris Matthews say towards the end that Thursday's VP debate will be the first with a woman. Does nobody remember Geraldine Ferraro?