Palin is...

out! (So is Christie, but I never really thought he was in to begin with.) Next debate is the 11th. We'll see how that shakes things up.

UPDATED: Slate.com would like to thank Palin for being arrogant. Apparently being a shameless self-promoter is a breakthrough of some kind for American women. (I expect it probably is, but even more interesting to me is that she represents a new kind of feminism that hasn't been fully appreciated yet. Traditionally, feminism seems to take the tack that women should go out and gain power and equality in the patriarchal system. Palin shows up and says 'I gots the power and if you think I'm not equal to a man, grab a shotgun and we'll see who can kill a moose first.' She demanded what she already knew she had, in other words. It's subtle, but it's there.)

American Thinker (seems pretty right-wing, so no surprise here) has all kinds of praise for her decision not to run and the reasons she gave not to run. The whole 'no 3rd Party' and 'beat Obama at all costs' attitude pissed me off a little bit. After all, why not a 3rd Party? Last time Republicans were in charge of everything, we had a President that- well, you know- and a Congress that pretty much let him do what he wanted. (Which really makes me angry, even now. What's the point of checks and balances if you don't actually, check and balance. Grrrrr...) To me, ending 'business as usual' is what this is all about. The President is no picnic, to be sure, but if he's going to be replaced with just another Republicrat who talks a lot and does nothing at all that doesn't do anything beneficial for anyone.