Ok, let me sum up then.

Palin was using Revere's ride as a talking point - in and of itself, there's nothing wrong with that. However, she mischaracterized it. Personally, I think she could get a lot more mileage out of using the ride for an anti-tax debate since "taxation without representation" was what was driving the colonists to arm themselves.

Revere's own words back me up. Again, he talked to the Regulars *at the point of a gun*.

What irritated me about the whole thing is that Palin clearly didn't know what she was talking about, trying to 're-purpose' a pivotal event in American history.

Palin, as a person, I don't hate. Yes, I have negative opinions of her, but I reserve the word "hate" for MUCH stronger things. I think she's opportunistic (not always a bad thing) and can't stand it when she does things like saying "I'm not a quitter" in the very speech she gave to QUIT HER JOB AS GOVERNOR.

I think she's being somewhat sleazy in getting her PAC to pay for her 'vacation' bus tour - legal because she's not a declared candidate. I roll my eyes at her saying she doesn't want publicity while touring in a shrink-wrapped bus.

She's a storm of self-contradiction. And while that's fine for ENTERTAINMENT, we need more than that from our politicians. I may not agree with a lot of Pawlenty or the New Romney - but they come across to me as much more serious candidates. Palin falls into the "Trump" category these days.

What troubles me more is that conservatives are SO desperate (and I don't blame anyone for having that feeling) for someone charismatic who can lead the ticket that they have taken to someone who, at times, is acting like a buffoon. When you say "North Korean allies", you don't wait a couple of days - you immediate say "Oops - I meant SOUTH Korea". People are quite forgiving when it comes to that.