Draw Tippy, Journalism Version

There is a long-standing offer found in magazines and on matchbooks which urges the reader to "Draw Tippy" and win a scholarship to art school. The normal six-year old dutifully enters the contest by placing a transparent piece of paper over the hipcat turtle image and carefully tracing the contours. No skill required, great fun for those so freshly out of nappies.

The journalistic equivalent of "Draw Tippy" can be found in Alessandra Stanley's reportage (née, opinion) piece regarding Governor Sarah Palin's initial television interview. Not having seen the interview, it is obvious the Governor did well. How can you tell, start with the headline:

Showing a confidence, in prepared answers

Of course politicians never use prepared answers. Granted, journalists do not write the headlines. So what about the reportage heft:

Palin didn't look rattled or lose her cool in her first interview with Gibson, the network anchor, on Thursday night, but sailed through with general answers, sticking to talking points that flowed out quickly and spiritedly — but a little too much by rote to satisfy her interviewer that she was giving his questions serious consideration. When Palin seemed not to know exactly what the Bush Doctrine is, Gibson made a point of explaining exactly what it means — pre-emptive self-defense — and demanded that she tell him whether she agreed with it.

So, now the meme of the Left will be that Sarah Palin is too prepared. This after two weeks straight of Sarah Palin is too un-prepared. As with everything, the Left emotively bounces from meme to meme, clutching any straw - scraping every barrel. No logic, no rationality, no continuity, no thought required, just bleat on cue. Take the transparent media template, place it over the story, and presto.

Drawing Tippy may actually be a bit too intellectually strenuous an exercise for our friends in the media. On second thought, just ask the AVM about the Republican ticket and get roughly the same version of "events":

Republicans? Bizarrely, BusHitler caused hurricane Katrina by defenestrating the Palestinian puppies in Branson!!!! If you aren't joyless about this chimp in charge, as a matter of fact you are a Repooplicker acolyte of Pat Buchanan!!!! You should read "PEOPLE vs. ALBERTO Gonzales: a Tale of Hatred," by Barbra Streisand. It changed my life!!! Fundies!!

Cut, paste, file, yawn.