[Dion]

In her widely watched Oprah appearance, for example, Palin said that she resented people questioning her ability to serve as vice-president while being a mother to five children – something a man would never be asked. But Palin also complained that in her interview with Couric, she thought she would be speaking to the reporter "working mom [to] working mom" and that she was annoyed with "her badgering and questions".

In other words, Palin thought that because Couric was a woman, she wouldn't take her job as a journalist seriously. Palin expected a puff piece instead of pesky questions about economics, abortion and Palin's policies – you know, things a "working mom" couldn't possibly be bothered with. Palin also noted that while she didn't blame people for thinking she was unqualified to be vice-president after the disastrous interview, the segment was edited in a way that didn't paint her in the most flattering light. Well, welcome to the world of the media!

You simply can't have it both ways – it's ridiculous to be upset about being treated differently by the public because you're a woman and a mother, while demanding the same biased treatment when it might give you the edge in an interview. Hers is a gender politics of convenience, one that insults all women in politics.

Of course, this performance of martyrdom is nothing new. During her run, Palin blamed everyone from the media to the Obama campaign for her faltering public image, instead of owning up to the fact that this has always been a narrative of her own creation.

Switching stories aside, the real problem is that instead of talking about the future – something she will surely have to do if the rumours of a 2012 presidential run are true – Palin continues to point fingers at the past. She's given no indication of who she really is outside of this constructed woe-is-me tale. And if Palin doesn't know who she is, other than a "maverick" jilted by her political handlers, how can she possible expect the American public to trust her?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...resident-palin