The British reaction to Sarah Palin

I’m back in Britain now, and had not prepared myself for the reaction to Sarah Palin. The Guardian has a piece softly sneering at her Christianity (Headline: “This person loves Jesus”) and questioning her experience. In America, the feminists have kept quiet, knowing they can’t question her experience and not Obama’s. Why demand that a woman going for VP needs a longer CV than a man going for the presidency? By the end of her first day as Mayor of Wasilla she had more executive experience than Barack Obama or Joe Biden put together. Yet here, the gloves are off. I’ve just listened to Any Questions with women getting stuck into her. One question – from a woman – was “does being a ‘soccer mom’ qualify you to be vice president?” Erm, she’s Governor of Alaska with a robust record on reform, plus a former Mayor. Why focus only on her maternal status? And why not raise similar concerns about Obama and Biden who have not run anything larger than their personal staff of 30?
 
The replies from the women on the panel – Dame Liz Fogan and Bea Campbell – were similarly dismissive of Palin.