I caught this exchange early Monday evening during Chris Matthews' Hardball. After scouring Youtube for the clip, I've found that it's being noted by the good folks over at Newsbusters.com who never seem to miss a beat!

Matthews had on as guests Margaret Carlson, conservative columnist with Bloomberg, and Larry Persily, a former staffer with Governor Palin.

As most are aware, Matthews has been one of the strongest and most vocal proponents out there pushing the recent fabrications regarding Governor Sarah Palin's perceived lack of fitness, demeanor and intelligence to have been the Republican vice-presidential nominee.

In introducing his new guests and this particular segment after the break, Matthews posed this question to Palin's former staffer, Persily, regarding the Alaska Governor:

I've got to go to Larry first. You've got to answer this question, sir. Is this person unaware of basic grade-school information, like, Africa is a country of 57-or-so countries, it is not a country, it's a continent? South Africa is a country, not a region.

To see the video, click here.

And to answer your question... No!  Neither Carlson or Persily made note of Chris Matthews' forgivably misspoken comment, which would have spoken volumes as to how easily human beings can make such a slip up; or in the case of Sarah Palin, however, IF that slip up even truthfully did occur! 

My only question now - and also as I was screaming at the top of my lungs at my television - would be, just what kind of spokesmen for the Republican Party and conservative point of view are Carlson and Persily?  They are supposedly there to offer commentary and dialogue from our point of view and to counter Matthews' unfair labeling of Palin. 

So, how could they have not even taken a swing at this huge, right-down-the-middle-of-the-plate "Softball" that was offered up, right before their eyes!?! 

If this is the kind of representation we, as conservatives, have speaking for us and furthering our movement on the major networks, no wonder we were unable to get our valid message across during this past election season!

NBC and Wall Street Journal Republican Pollster, Neil Newhouse was already conducting a post-election survey last night to gauge where, both, the general public and the Republican voter feel the GOP should look in terms of the 2012 Presidential Election.  As they say, "it's never too early!"

From MSNBC (Yeah, I know...):

*** Some first clues: NBC-WSJ GOP pollster Neil Newhouse did a post-election survey last night, and here's what he found: Just 12% of those surveyed believed Palin should be the GOP's new leader; instead 29% of voters said Romney, followed by 20% who say Huckabee. Among GOPers, it was Romney 33%, Huckabee 20% and Palin 18%. Look for more from this survey later today.

It's good to see they've finally beginning to "let Sarah be Sarah", as she is now taking on the traditional role for the VP candidate on the ticket going after the opposing presidential candidate.

One thing that has really seemed clear to me when comparing the two major party tickets over the last 5 weeks or so, is that not only is the vice presidential candidate for the GOP just as (if not more) experienced than the presidential candidate for the Democrats, but she is also a much strong and tough leader than Senator Obama, as well.

Very strong comments and attitude on full display by Governor Palin we are able to witness below...

My only plea to Senator McCain... Let Palin loose, Senator!!!

Some early television ratings are coming in from last night's debate between Governor Sarah Palin and Senator Joe Biden.

The early numbers seem to indicate that the viewership for last night may have actually blown the ratings for the McCain-Obama debate right out of the water.

In the very preliminary ratings returns, Thursday's debate between Alaska governor Sarah Palin and Delaware senator Joe Biden is looking like strong performer.

The four broadcast networks airing last night's debate totaled a 28.1 overnight meter-market household rating.

That's 33% higher than last week's morning-after returns for Friday's presidential debate, which scored a collective 21.4 rating among the major networks.

Of course, consistently, Thursday night has the largest television viewership of the week, which could go to explaining some of the increased interest in the debate.  Certainly, a huge number of Americans could hardly contain their enthusiasm, awaiting the chance to view the very rare political debate that features the Senior Senator from Delaware, Joe Biden.  And, yeah, sure there was likely sooooooommme interest in that Governor from Alaska, Sarah Palin. 

In all seriousness, based on Governor Palin's stellar performance Thursday evening, the greater these numbers seem to be coming in, the BETTER for the Republican Ticket.

Well the debate everyone was waiting for is over, so now we can get to the tale of the tape and see what everyone had to say about it.

(by the way, my live-blog of the debate is here)

On to the feedback...

* Malkin says "Sarah Rocks!" 

She was warm, fresh, funny, confident, energetic, personable, relentless, and on message. She roasted Obama’s flip-flops on the surge and tea-with-dictators declarations, dinged Biden’s bash-Bush rhetoric, challenged the blame-America defeatism of the Left, and exuded the sunny optimism that energized the base in the first place.

McCain has not done many things right. But Sarah Palin proved tonight that the VP risk he took was worth it....

Pause to reflect on this: She matched — and trumped several times — a man who has spent his entire adult life on the political stage, run for president twice, and as he mentioned several times, chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee.

* Ed Morrissey: "Palin hits homerun"

Sarah Palin demonstrated both the wisdom of adding her to the ticket and the folly of the McCain campaign’s press bubble for the last four weeks.  Palin was confident, assertive to the point of aggressive, knowledgeable, and open.  She repeatedly went after Biden, which is not usually a tactic seen much in VP debates (candidates usually attack the presidential nominees), and Biden had no answer for Palin.  On foreign policy, she offered good answers, made only a couple of rhetorical stumbles in segues when she wanted to change the subject, and delivered an exceptionally fine performance. ...

Will this boost McCain’s standing in this race?  I think it will, and I thought that even before I saw the Frank Luntz focus group.  McCain needed this debate victory tonight, and it may restart the Palin phenomenon, just in time for the final stretch of the election.  This time, though, the McCain campaign has to get Palin out in press conferences, interviews, and contact with the people.  She’s sharp, able, and energetic, and she could win this election for McCain if he would just let her.

* The Next Right: "Sarah is back" 

Tonight, Sarah Palin was sharp, articulate, and connected with the middle class. The #1 political effect tonight will have is an important one for the McCain campaign: she shut the doubters up, and then some. In this important sense, she stopped the bleeding. I suspect that a very tough couple of weeks ends tonight, and it will be up to John McCain to get the comeback going next Tuesday.

Conservative weak sisters like Kathleen Parker and David Brooks can turn their pens in another direction. Tonight, they've been silenced. ...

Palin can no longer be defined as a liability in any meaningful political or analytical sense. Her claim to leadership in the next Right stands stronger than ever.

* National Review: "Palin's Triumph"

Gov. Sarah Palin, once again, confounded her critics with a strong performance. She did it at the Republican convention, and she did it again last night in her debate with Sen. Joe Biden. She performed with poise and charm. She effectively made the case that Senator Obama would be naïve in foreign policy and harmful to economic growth, and that Senator McCain would be a common-sense reformer. She handled questions about Iraq, Afghanistan, and Iran well. She connected domestic-policy arguments to the  lives of average voters. Anyone who hoped — or feared — that she would fall flat on her face was proven wrong.

* Roger Simon (via the Politico):  "You betcha Sarah can debate"

Sarah Palin was supposed to fall off the stage at her vice presidential debate Thursday evening. Instead, she ended up dominating it.

She not only kept Joe Biden on the defensive for much of the debate, she not only repeatedly attacked Barack Obama, but she looked like she was enjoying herself while doing it.  ...

Criticizing Obama for saying he would meet with some foreign leaders who are hostile to the United States, Palin said: “Some of these dictators hate America and what we stand for. They cannot be met with. That is beyond bad judgment. That is dangerous.”

* Powerline: "Grand Slam"

Given Governor Palin's performance, Biden had an impossible assignment. He made things worse with his inappropriate grins and grimaces while Palin was speaking, much like Al Gore in 2000, only worse. Palin, in contrast, kept a steady demeanor while Biden was taking shots at her, like a pro. Throughout, she commanded the stage and displayed more poise and confidence than her opponent.

* Even the NY Times had to say something nice and not completely ignore reality:

Gov. Sarah Palin made it through the vice-presidential debate on Thursday without doing any obvious damage to the Republican presidential ticket. By surviving her encounter with Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. and quelling some of the talk about her basic qualifications for high office, she may even have done Senator John McCain a bit of good, freeing him to focus on the other troubles shadowing his campaign.

You just know it hurt those guys to write anything like that....

More: 

* The Luntz focus group, (showing an overwhelming opinion of Palin as the winner) is here. 

* K-Lo: Doggone-it, She Winked!

* Gateway Pundit has some nice photos from the Palin debate "after party", featuring about 10,000 people

* Byron York: "Sarah Palin, the winner by a wink"

* Stop the ACLU: Peggy Noonan and David Brooks eat crow

* Polipundit: Hockey mom Palin scores the hat trick

* Wizbang: WOW! Palin shock and awe

Liveblogging the debate.

9:04: here we go...

Palin asks Biden if she can call him "Joe".  I'm sure she knew the mic was open.  Nice move.

1st question to Biden...about the "rescue plan", as Biden calls it.  "gonna focus on the middle class"...

On to Palin...took as shot at "others in the Senate", (looking at Biden), who didn't go along w/McCain's desire to do some financial and regulatory reforms.  Good move.

9:10: Second question....slow ball over the plate..."what caused the current financial mess"..."who's at fault"...to Palin.  OK answer, but she didn't go for the jugular on the liberals that caused this w/failed housing policies.  (They HAVE to tie this around their necks!)

Biden blames McCain's desire for "de-regulation"...and "he want's to do for health care what he did for banking".  Please.

Palin comes back...they "voted for the largest increases in American history".

So far, I'd say she's blowing away the expectations.

Biden lies and says Obama didn't vote to raise taxes.  Has this guy not heard of the Congressional Record.

9:20: Palin gets a shot in about the Dems wanting to take over health care.

Biden goes back to defend their "redistribution of wealth" policies.

Next questions: In light of economic problems, "what promises may you not be able to keep?"  Biden says "foreign aid".  Shheessh.  Light's blinking...he's still talking.

Palin goes back to hit on the energy plan...that Obama supported...that gave oil companies the big tax breaks Biden hit McCain on.

9:30: Back to Palin on the crisis...she's going after the problems at Fannie and Freddie now.  She's on.  Excellent so far.  Biden, not so much.  And she's doing a better job connecting w/people...and the camera...looks energetic.  Is Biden sleepy?

Next question: Energy...to Palin.  She zeros in on the need for energy independence as key to economic and national security future.

Now Climate change...to Palin.  She reminds everyone she's the governor of the country's only arctic state.  Something to be said for climate change...but don't want to argue about causes...but rather focus on cleaning up.  First gov. to form a climate change division of cabinet.  Need an all of the above approach to energy...and that will deal with climate change.

Biden.  It's "clearly man-made".  Pretty much tries to say Dems have the market on chasing clean energy...says McCain votes against finding clean energy sources.

Palin causes Joe "Senator O'Biden"...  Heh.

Next up: Granting same sex benefits to couples...to Biden.  "Absolutely"...no distinction between a same-sex and heterosexual couple.  (just lost some votes there...)  Sounds like an endorsement of gay marriage to me.

Palin...not if it goes closer to redefine marriage.  Good answer.  "I don't support defining marriage as anything but one man and one woman".

Biden..."no" we don't support redefining marriage.  Huh??

9:40: Next: on to Iraq policy.... to Palin  Tells Biden she respects him for "calling Obama out" on his vote against the surge.  Nice.  Did I mention that she's doing absolutely fantastic?

Biden: "with regard to Obama..."  Says McCain voted against funding the troops.  Oh, please.  Not even the folks at Daily Kos would buy that.  "we will end this war".

Palin: "your plan is a white flag of surrender in Iraq".  "you guys opposed the surge...  we'll leave Iraq in victory.  Reminds Joe he said he'd be honored to run on McCain's ticket.  She's rolling Joe bigtime.  Says she respects Joe...but not the O.

Biden comes back to trying to convince people that McCain opposed funding the troops. 

Palin says Iran "cannot be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons".  Reminds people what Iran's President has said about destroying Israel.  Just realized she pronounces nuclear the same way W does.  The folks at the NY Times must be cringing.

Says "those who want to destroy what we stand for cannot be dealt with" by people who just want to sit down and talk to them.  Biden gets jumpy...says O didn't say he would sit down and talk to Iran.  ????

9:50: Next: what has Bush Admin done wrong re: Palestine?

Palin, "two state solution is the solution".  "Israel is our strongest and best ally in the middle-east"  "we will support Israel...and move our embassy to Jerusalem".

Biden: "no one in the US Senate has been a bigger friend to Israel than Joe Biden". 

Palin: "there's gonna come a time when Americans will say enough is enough with your ticket and the fingerpointing".

Biden rambles that a surge won't work in afghanistan...our general there says it won't work.  Palin comes back and busts him...the general didn't say that.  Of course the same "kind" of surge might not work there...we have to account for differences on the ground.

Is it just me, or is he talking more now?

10:04: Palin..."not used to the way you guys in Washington operate"...you say you're for it...then vote against it, vice-versa.  Say's McCain will "know how to win a war".  Goodl

Next: how would administration's be different?  (is that really a queston?)  Biden runs through a laundry list.  He's delivering better now.  Says this is the MOST important election voters will have ever voted in...

Palin: what do you expect with a team of Mavericks?  But I'll keep pushing him on drilling in ANWR.  Work to put govt. back on the side of the people.  Need some reality from Main St. brought to DC...  Gov't get out of my way...  "you've got a choice in a few weeks....lower taxes and win war...or increease taxes and hurt our economy".

Biden...does his best to tie McCain and Bush at the hip.  Goes thru the laundry list again...

Palin: "Say it ain't say Joe...there you go again."  Got to increase standards in education...more emphasis on profession of teaching...

10:14: Next: what is the VP worth/do? 

Palin: supporting the President's policies...working to lead in areas of expertise...

Biden: Cheney's been the most dangerous VP in history...

Next: what is your achillees heel:

Palin: skips that and moves to strengths, (good...don't go for the dumb question)

Biden: I've been here 35 years...people know me...I'm not gonna change.  Biden says he's knows what it's like to raise kids...start to choke up...(this will be the talk of the media tomorrow..."it connected", they'll say...unlike w/Ed Muskie).

Biden: starts to trash McCain's rep as a "maverick"..."he's not been a maverick in providing health care..."  "He's not been a maverick when it comes to education..."  "he's not been a maverick on the war..."  (going thru the laundry list again).

Next: can you think of a single issue where you were forced to change your view due to circumstances?

Biden: yes, changed mind on judicial nominees...that their ideology matters...that's why I fought Judge Bork.

Palin: Wish I would have issued more vetos.  But no, no major changes on principles.

Next: how do you change the tone as VP?

Biden: I have been able to work across the aisle on the most controversial issues...not question peoples motives.

Palin: walk the walk...I've appointed people from both sides of teh aisle...but the policies have to speak for themselves.  She takes more shots at O for wanting to raise taxes.

Closing statements:

Palin: Like being able to answer these questions to the American people...not be filtered by the media.  We'll fight for the middle class...I've been there, know what the challenges are...been blessed...proud to be an American...we have to fight for our freedoms.  RR said freedom is always one generation away from extinction.  Only one man in race that has fought for you, and that's John McCain.

Biden: Look folks, this is the most important election you have ever voted on in your life...we measure progress in America based on whether we can pay the mortgage...whether we have the best health care and education...O is ready to be the next president of the USA...

*** 

Analysis:  Palin, hands down!  Very, very good performance.  Overwhelmed the expectations.  She was energetic.  Biden was tired.  She delivered well and connected w/the viewers well.

First off, for those of you that don't know, Linked-in is an online networking site for professionals.  Sort of like Facebook for business, I suppose.  I've had a profile on there for about a year now.  My profile is here.

I just received a note this morning from one of the people in my Linked-in network pointing out that Sarah Palin now has a Linked-in profile as well, which is impressive from a campaign perspective.  Just about every campaign now has a Facebook and My Space profile...but Linked-in is something I haven't really seen much of among candidates so far, so this tells me someone's thinking straight over at campaign headquarters.

Here profile is here.  It states in part:

"My fellow Americans, come join our cause. Join our cause and help our country to elect a great man the next president of the United States. And I thank you, and I -- God bless you, I say, and God bless America. Thank you."

Sarah Palin’s Specialties:

Attacking "business as usual," Oil Companies, Good Old Boy Networks, Government waste, Earmarks, and Pork Barrels. Strong experience within the Executive Branch of Government.

With each new campaign season, campaigns are finding it more and more useful (and necessary) to participate in our increasingly "networked" world...and that means making themselves available where the voters are.

Speaking for what I consider to be a good chunk of humanity, may I just say that we're all sick and tired of celebrity air-head idiots mouthing off about politics.

Our latest examples?  The bright lights of intellectual discourse, actor Matt Damon and Pamela Anderson (of sex tape fame).

It's bad enough that they open their mouths about anything other than their work, but what makes it worse is that the media actually covers them as though their somehow important people with something important to say on a pending national election.  Please.

On the other hand, maybe this is just the kind of thing we need.  The more average Americans hear idiots like this popping off, the more they come to detest them and the candidates that are associated with them.

As the clock continues to run on the "lipstick on a pig" situation, I am finding it amazing just how much effort Senator Barack Obama continues to put into denying what his intentions were with that unfortunate statement. What we have witnessed from Obama, is exactly the kind of thing that comes back to bite a political figure in the long-run; with a blow-back coming from the American voters' deepest, most primal areas of one's reasoning capacities.

It's a clear indicator of just how deceitful and playful with his honest intentions, the man can truly be. To anyone with any degree of reasoning ability, his intent was perfectly clear behind making the statement, "You can put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig" and immediately following that with "And you can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change. It's still gonna stink."

Not only are his continued denials making him look like a petty, dishonest politician, they are making him look weak also.  This, by way of his need to make these insulting statements, but doing so in this passive-aggressive manner, instead of coming out and making these criticisms to his opponents directly and outright. If you're going to insult your two opponents, Mr. Obama, be a man about it and do it directly, where no wiggle room is left as to what you meant by it! This is not an episode of Sex in the City or some silly, catty teen drama on The WB network. You are supposedly a United States Senator running for the highest office in the land.  Act like it! 

I mean, what is the American electorate supposed to imagine Barack Obama's response will be to Vladimir Putin upon learning that he has sent Russian troops into the Ukraine?  Is Obama planning to just cross his arms, stick his right leg out in front of his left, start tapping his foot, at which time he huffs and then tells Putin that he's, like, totally NOT going to speak to him again until he says he's sorry!?!?

Continuing to step in it, his appearance on David Letterman last night didn't seem to help this situation out any.  He's basically, now, trying to say that if he actually was trying to insulting anyone, it would have been John McCain that would have been the pig and Sarah Palin would have been the lipstick!??!  Okay...

I think, at this point, Obama's handlers would do well by him to tell him to just shut it down, give it up, and take his loss here over the past couple of news cycles.  But, just like his refusal to consider putting Hillary on the ticket and likely guaranteeing a win in November, I don't think his arrogance will let him do that.

If there's ever been a losing battle that someone insists on continuing to wage to their very own peril, this seems to be it. Obama came out with his denials about his insults and tried to play on this folksy, Mid-Western sort of saying they use where he comes from and that maybe those in New York City just don't get it.  Well, the truth is that it is Mr. Obama that just doesn't get it.

If Barack Obama wants to know the very definition of "Putting lipstick on a pig", he needs to look no further than the very actions and statement that he, himself, has taken and said over the past couple of days, while continuing to perpetuate this non-winner of an issue for his campaign.

The game has changed.  In an election of McCain vs. Obama, the race was all about Obama.  Not anymore.

Win or lose, picking Sarah Palin will go down as the greatest single thing McCain has done for his own campaign, as well as for the conservative movement.  Conservatives are rallying like never before to her presence on the ticket.

She’s a fiscal conservative who favors tax cuts and has actually used a veto pen.  She’s a born-again Christian, pro-life, pro-family, pro-gun…she hunts, she fishes, baits her own hook, has five kids and doesn’t look like a member of the NOW gang.  What’s not to like?  Indeed, that, plus a record of conservative reform and demonstrated political skills on the stump and I’d say we’ve got ourselves a star.  And at age 44, one with a potentially long future at that.

While attending the convention, one of my fellow delegates remarked that his young daughter, after seeing her speak, said that she was glad McCain picked a “regular” woman, and not one of those “angry women” – presumably teen-speak for an angry feminist.

She’s a conservative reformer with a smile, which makes it harder to morph her into a snarling Grinch, as the media prefers to do with conservatives.

For McCain, this was a pick that made sense in so many ways.

• First, up until his picking Palin, conservatives were focused not on him, but on their opposition to Obama’s liberal issue positions and their hopes for conservative nominees to the federal bench.

• Picking a pro-choice running mate would have divided the Republicans at worst (and guaranteed a loss this November), or left conservatives voting, but not working for McCain at best.

• McCain had been gaining support among conservatives with promises to pick judicial nominees in the mold of Antonin Scalia and John Roberts.  Had he picked a pro-choice running mate, that promise would have had no credence with conservatives.  The Palin pick gives them more confidence in that promise.

• Palin also helps McCain wrest some of the “change” mantle from Obama – a designation Obama has pretty much bet his entire campaign on.

• Finally, her presence in the race diminishes the novelty of Obama’s candidacy.
Politically, she’s a threat to liberal dominance of the so-called “gender gap”, which has women supporting Democrats over Republicans in past elections by an average of five to ten points.  Palin does nothing if not improve that take, and there’s no chance she loses any of McCain’s share among male voters, (that whole “guy’s gal” thing).

In other words, she’s a dagger aimed right at the heart of the liberal political base, and they know it.  And they’ll do everything they can to take her down.
Dozens of liberal political operatives have descended on Alaska looking to uncover (or invent) any dirt they possibly can on Governor Palin.

Their first line was to attack her experience…until they remembered Obama’s experience.  They attacked her for being pro-life.  They attacked her for having a child with Down syndrome.  They lamented her seventeen year old daughter for her decision to get married in light of her pregnancy.  They have attacked her for supporting the Second Amendment.  And now they are attacking her religious beliefs as a born-again Christian, (she’s a radical!).

The liberal media attacks have been so overboard that even MSNBC had to take two of its leading anchors off of election coverage.  (How over the top do you have to be to get canned by MSNBC?)

The irony of the media’s withering attacks on Palin between the day she was announced and the day of her acceptance speech is that they assured she would have a tremendous (if curious) prime-time audience to speak to.  Worse yet for liberals, the American people liked what they saw, (her approval numbers are higher than either McCain’s or Obama’s) 

The other risk to liberals?  Much like Clarence Thomas did for blacks, Sarah Palin proves to other women that you don’t need liberals, liberalism or government to make it in life.  That being the case, the left has a greater interest in destroying her than any other Presidential or Vice-Presidential pick in history.

Batten down the hatches, Sarah.  We haven’t seen anything yet.