I feel alone, depressed and scared (and I didn’t even have my money in Wamu).

I feel the Palin Pick, after a few weeks of reflection, has achieved the impossible. It’s even more ridiculously embarrassing that the current state of everything else in American politics.

And the fact that she has energized a single person anywhere in any party is as depressing and alienating as anything I have ever witnessed in public life.

And I am, for the sake of brevity, sugar-coating things.

Some have suggested that the upcoming debate, assuming it happens, should have its topic switched from foreign policy to the current economic crisis.

This crisis is a foreign policy crisis.

Where do you think we’re getting the $700 billion?

Who do you think is buying up financial institutions and American assets courtesy of the downturn and weak dollar?

Who do you think will have an upper hand when we push discussions about improving human rights, etc?

Ever try to motivate someone to do something when you owe them cash?

It’s hard to even predict the devastation still to come on our economic road ahead. The first line of the Lehman Brothers “who we are” page is ominous indeed:

1840–1859

The history of Lehman Brothers parallels the growth of the United States and its energetic drive toward prosperity and international prominence. What would evolve into a global financial entity began as a general store in the American South.

When Charlie Gibson (who himself didn’t quite know what the hell it is either, of course) asked Sarah Palin about the Bush Doctrine, she correctly became confused, flustered and unclear.

She heard the word Bush and this was her reaction. Hello people … She was being ironic.

Would’ve been cool if Gibson knew what the doctrine is (and that there are about 4 of them) and chose to get her on a thousand other gotchas instead.

Sidenote: For those scoring at home, when asked whether you agree with the Bush Doctrine, the safe and correct answer is, “What, are you fucking kidding me?”

Sidenote 2: The campaign has devolved into all this crap from what it was during the week before the Dem Convention. Massive win for the GOP. Massive loss for the U.S. and frontal lobes everywhere.

Sidenote 3: Being smart (here not defined as wearing little reading glasses on the edge of your nose) has been rendered useless and even damning in American politics and media.

Lipstickontheotherwhitemeat-gate not stupid enough for you yet?

It gets better. Turns out that a few months ago, McCain used the same phrase. Oh, and it was in relation to a certain female politician.