Monica Crowley

Barracuda Bites

Rap star LL Cool J had a song called, "Momma Said, Knock You Out!"

Tonight, Governor Sarah Palin knocked out Senator Joe Biden. She knocked him out with facts, better arguments, stronger political philosophy, charm, warmth, and authenticity.

Biden looked stunned: "Is this the same woman my pals in the media keep telling me is an idiot?"

She took control of the debate: she spoke about what she wanted to talk about, and she forced Biden to talk about what she wanted to talk about. She spoke forcefully about limited government, lower taxes, cutting spending, energy independence, and national and economy security. She stuck the knife in about the pitfalls of being in Washington too long, complete with zigzagging positions and double talk---and she did it with a smile.

And she was in a good mood. Don't underestimate the power of that, given the current dour mood of the country. She's a happy warrior. Potent.

Once again, the left-wing media got a 4 inch high heel in their rear.

This time, so did Biden. And so did Obama. Welcome to the game, ladies.

Marge, Large and In Charge

The op-ed page of today's (Sunday's) New York Times is full of (more, though tiresome and unoriginal) invective toward Governor Sarah Palin. Maureen Dowd mocks her as a retro nitwit, Frank Rich turns her into a cartoonish life preserver tossed by a desperate John McCain, and even Tom Friedman needles her for advocating drilling here at home as part of a comprehensive approach to energy independence.

Last night's "Saturday Night Live" also poked fun at Palin, albeit more gently,  with deadringer Tina Fey satirizing her American optimism in a sing-songy voice.

What the hyenas at The New York Times and the comedy writers at "SNL" don't get is that what they mock and satirize is precisely what resonates with so many American voters. They LIKE that she's normal, enjoys her family, and has an intact marriage. They LIKE that she's her own person, secure enough in herself to wear whatever hairstyle and eyeglasses she likes. They LIKE that she's confident in her abilities and keenly knowledgeable about one of the biggest national security issues of our time: energy. They LIKE that she's done what feminists for a long time called their objective: women who could have a career and a family, and find both rewarding.

So Frank Rich and Maureen Dowd can deride her as McCain's trophy wife, and "SNL" can satirize her as Marge from "Fargo." But they forget that Marge--though seemingly unsophisticated on the outside--was razor sharp, incisive, persistent, and in the end, she won.