Nothing Up My Sleeve

I'm glad I'm not the only person that noticed this last night.

For Sarah Palin, last night’s debate was an open-book exam. She spent much of the evening methodically reading and rehearsing answers from "carefully scripted talking points." Palin's notes were largely hidden from plain view, resting behind the lectern where she stood.

Because the cable and network television stations did not show a split screen of the debate, most viewers could not see that, during Joe Biden's answers, Palin spent almost all her time looking down and studiously reading her notes. But viewers did see that when Palin delivered her answers, she would repeatedly glance down to check her talking points.

I didn't have the benefit of viewing the debate with a splitscreen, so I was very interested to watch the video at the link. And I'm sorry, you don't get that garbled when responding to spontaneous questions unless you're trying to mangle your prescripted answers to fit them.

I was speaking to a friend on the phone during the debate last night, and she mentioned that she thought she saw a "Bush bulge." I was skeptical, but then a little later, I found myself saying "What the heck is that in her ear?"

Apparently, I wasn't the only person wondering this. And no, I'm not suggesting that the photo proves that Palin was wired, but I know I saw something. HDTV certainly does make watching these things more interesting. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go make tinfoil hats.