In the threadunder Eduardo's last post, Joe Pettit mentions that the conservative columnist Kathleen Parkernow thinksPalin ought to bow out. A good line from the Parker piece: "If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself."But Parker seems to think that Palin's problems are no worse than Biden's foot-in-mouth disease. I think there is a difference that should be obvious even to Republicans. Malapropisms, anachronisms, and social cluelessness are embarrassing and funny. Not knowing what you're talking about is embarrassing and scary. Joe Biden is, at worst, a blowhard prone to episodes of unintentional comedy. But if we disqualifiedevery blowhard and Malapropfrom public service, we'd have almost no one left to run the country. Verbal infelicity is a common failingin politics, and we will tolerate a politician who regularly puts his foot in his mouth as long as we think he has something in his head. Palinis not stupid, but she is plainly ignorant of things no competent President can be ignorant of. While President Bush makes Biden sound like Churchill, Palin makes Bush sound like Patrick Moynihan.