You know the press is in big trouble when only Campbell Brown is willing to ask the tough questions and call out the McCain campaign for demanding sheltered treatment for a Vice Presidential running mate.  Women have come too far to put up with this patronizing drivel.

It reminds me of Phyllis Schlafly's heydey, when Republicans routinely demanded that women with children quit their jobs (how'd that work out, guys?) and responded to demands for equal pay with the rejoinder that, well, we open the door for you, ladies.

Just how out of touch can the McCain campaign get?

is the seemingly overwhelming Republican or conservative viewpoint that women are not well-suited for leadership and authority roles. I believe George Carlin when he said that conservatives believe that "women are broodmares for the state." All their policies would seem to be set up to encourage dramatic rises in the national birth rate and military service (not as officers but as grunts who get to take all the crap). Sarah Palin is akin to the trophy wife of the Republican Party as nuns are the brides of Christ. She isn't supposed to think for or express herself because it might reflect poorly on the ticket. That's why the VP debate is now a structured stump speech setup.

I fear for women's rights if Palin is the kind of woman Republicans trust to lead them.

has, I believe, suffered a bit of late as well. So much for the Straight Talk Express. This coyness about reporters shows up every time a member of the media questions the truthfulness of anything McCain says, or persists in follow-up questions that show up McCain's flip-flops, lies, or out-of-touch touchiness. It's called message control, and the real maverick in that campaign is Governor Palin who, if turned loose, might reveal her wacko far right philosophy and upend the carefully crafted narrative with which the Rovians have saddled her.

I sincerely hope that the media does not back off and behave itself according to the Rovians demands. It's time they drop the kid gloves and really, really go after Palin, her sometimes phony narrative, her pastor and her own curious, scary theology/politics; as well as begin revealing the truth about McCain's immature emotional risk taking snap decisions and personal nastiness. And, while we're at it, what about the statements and broadcasts even he admits he made for the enemy while a POW? I don't expect Obama or his campaign to do this, it should be the press itself. Fair is fair (isn't it, Senator Kerry?).