Free Sarah!

Douthat and Dreher agree--and so do I.

I know that the people who've decided she's Monica Goodling with a shotgun aren't going to be persuaded by me on this point, but I think Palin really does have the potential to embody the kind of change the GOP desperately needs: In a party that's dominated by entrenched interests, she demonstrated that it's possible to take on the establishment and win; in a party increasingly riven by ideological feuds, she's demonstrated that it's possible to be a populist and a pragmatist, a social conservative on some fronts and a libertarian on others. But a vice-presidential run isn't the ideal place to develop that potential in the best of times, and a vice-presidential run under the tutelage of the McCain campaign is likely to produce a lot more of what we saw from Palin in her interview last night: Rigorously memorized, carefully regurgitated talking points, a determination to avoid making enormous gaffes, and not much else --Douthat

From Dreher:

This is correct. We just finished an editorial board meeting to talk over the Palin interviews, and most of us agreed that the Sarah Palin we all saw last night was a fembot programmed by the McCain brain trust. We all want to see the real Sarah. Some of us think she's better than what we all saw last night. Some of us think she's worse. All of us wish McCain's people would get out of the way and let Palin be Palin

The recitative of "talking points" was stilted and (frankly) not delivered with much conviction--no surprise.

Free Sarah!!