Mercy! Defending A Pretty Woman (With Or Without Roy Orbison's Help)

At American Thinker, Patrick O'Hannigan writes in response to a friend who accused Sarah Palin of being glib, uninformed, anti-intellectual and intolerant:

Let's consider those objections in order. First, the "death panel" phrase was an effective piece of theater. Had it been a lie, or even a forgettable truth, it would not have had the power to inspire changes in the proposed legislation.

Second, Palin's "happy warrior" attitude discomfits detractors who should know better. Casablanca-style shock may be popular among the smart set, but with the possible exception of "Clueless Joe" Biden, modern American vice presidents are supposed to engage in political combat so that presidents can pretend to be above the fray. Sadly, Palin ruffled feathers in her own campaign because (per Ace), "she was so uncouth as to actually attempt to oppose Barack Obama in a way that might actually defeat him."

Other people say that Palin can only be called extreme if acting on principle or choosing not to abort a Down Syndrome baby are "extreme."

[...]

Palin has been honest about the co-authorship of her memoir, and even her occasionally empty statements are not burdened with the ruffles and flourishes that doom pronouncements like "we are the change we have been waiting for."

Beyond that, if you're going to suggest (as my friend did) that appeals to a "culture of life" come mostly from hypocritical Christians who can't be bothered to help anyone past the fetal stage of development, then you'd be hard-pressed to explain a multitude of nonprofit hospitals, soup kitchens, and private charities, let alone Mother Teresa or the occasional beauty pageant contestant-turned-politician with a well-documented love for handicapped people of all creeds and colors.

[...]

There is no question that high-profile conservatives like Sarah Palin have been libeled and slandered in precisely that way.

O'Hannigan's op-ed -- titled "Defending Palin with Orbison" -- weaves Roy Orbison and his classic hit song "Pretty Woman" through his argument, but that particular metaphor doesn't seem to be working well for us this morning. Perhaps it will after we've had our second cup of coffee. Fortunately the excerpts we quoted above do the job quite well without any musical assistance from the "Caruso of Sixties Rock." The Roy Orbison defense may make more sense to you than it does to us after you read the whole thing here.