How Can So Much Cuteness Be Wrapped Up in Such a Little Package?

This is the question I often ask myself about my daughter.

As I'm sitting here checking email, she saunters over to the couch and says, in her cutest, almost-2-year old voice, "snuggles." Which, of course, means that she wants to climb up on my lap to give me a big hug and take over the spot currently occupied by my computer.

With her big grin and arms outstretched, eyes peeking out from beneath her messy hair, I can't resist. She obviously knows how to distract me from the task at hand.

So much for the article I was writing; I am now a peek-a-boo champ.

Palin & Clinton: SNL's Best Writing in a Long Time

I used to be a huge fan of SNL but I rarely watch it anymore. I had to tune in last night, though, for Tina Fey's return to the show.

She made an appearance as Sara Palin alongside Amy Poehler's Hillary Clinton. Although the rest of the show left something to be desired, the opening skit was spot-on. I only saw the first part initially, but when I got to watch the whole skit on YouTube I cracked up. (It's still available on the SNL website if you haven't seen it.)

Speaking of YouTube, if you're up for another parody of Palin, check out this one by YouTube user and actress LisaNova. It's definitely more critical, but it's still a great laugh based on the impression alone.

Gibson's Palin Interview: First (Terrified) Look

Yes, I'm glad there's a female candidate for VP. And, I understand her qualifications as a governor. But Vice President? Really?

(Have to add one more political aside, and then I'll try to get back to my normal marcom and motherhood rants.)

I just finished watching part 1 of Charlie Gibson's interview with Sarah Palin, and it made me cringe.

If you haven't seen it, watch it now. Then, come back and tell me it's not awful.

Palin talked about having to be "wired in such a way...you can't blink." Yet, she clearly doesn't have the knowledge of domestic or foreign policy that ANY other candidate for president or VP has had.

Being committed and wired to react doesn't make a difference without the knowledge or the context required to make critical decisions.

Aside from the fact that she doesn't have the knowledge, she also doesn't have the confidence we need at the president's side. For all of the press she's gotten for being cocky -- or at least overly confident -- she's visibly out of her comfort zone now, and could well be eaten alive by some of the more critical opponents out there.

I can't imagine her being taken seriously in a meeting with Putin or another head of state -- not because she's a woman (although this is already a strike against her for many), but because she seems so out of her league.

Watching her speak reminded me of a PR executive I worked for, who held the top communications job at a F500 company, but had no understanding of pop culture, trends, or consumer interests. Talking to her about a tie-in to a current TV show or fad would elicit a blank stare, because she didn't follow "that stuff." Eventually, of course, there were too many blank stares for her to continue doing her job.

That's how I see Sarah Palin. There's a reason ABC showed different camera angles when Gibson questioned her about the Bush doctrine: they didn't want to show the initial look on her face.

Am I wrong?

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Update: Dan Froomkin at the Post has an interesting article today (What is the Bush Doctrine Anyway?) that explains a nuance even Gibson didn't seem to catch. I didn't know the difference, but then, I'm not campaigning for the Vice Presidency of the United States. :)

Finally, An Intelligent Point About Palin

I've grown so tired of the non-issues being discussed during the lead up to this election that I planned to post a tirade here this week. But, I just ran across one article that saved me some of the work.

While I'm equally fed up with the Republican and Democratic smear campaigns lately, one thing that frustrates me most is the discussion of Sarah Palin's motherhood as if it has anything to do with her suitability for the VP spot. Give me a break.

Here's a great opinion piece from the Post: The Right and Wrong Questions for Sarah Palin.

The author's best point is this:

"It is condescending and sexist to focus on Palin’s family. Either she’s ready to be president or she’s not. That’s what we need to know."

I couldn't agree more.

Disasters Spark Need for Social Media

Remembering 9/11 victims today.

There are lots of touching photos and articles about people at the memorials this morning -- you've probably seen them already, so I won't add all of the links here.

I do want to point out an interesting blog post, though. Check out 9-11 and the social software movement for an interesting perspective on how the experience of 9-11 affected our use of social software like blogs and Twitter.

As we mark the 7th anniversary of 9-11, folks here in Texas and along the Gulf Coast are distracted by the need to prepare for Hurricane Ike. To see some of the conversations happening, go to http://search.twitter.com and type in Ike.

While I started using Twitter recently as a virtual breakroom, I've been using it over the last 48 hours to get updates about the storm.

From reporters (@TrackingIke, @chronhurricane, and @dfw_ike) to the Red Cross (@RedCross), Home Depot (@TheHomeDepot), and local residents, the news on Twitter is breaking in real time -- long before it will be available from traditional media outlets, and there's a virtual community springing up around the event.

It's a bit like watching history in progress. And it's also becoming increasingly clear that tools like Twitter will play an important role in disaster communications going forward. I hope more organizations and government entities catch on soon.

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Are you using Twitter or other tools to keep track of urgent news? If so, who do you follow?

[Hat tip to social media expert @chrisbrogan for tweeting about the social software article.]

Photo: TFDeusing/Flickr

Please Don't Let Me Ever Have to Experience Something Like This

While I get caught up here, I thought I'd share a tear-jerker from CNN: To infinity and beyond: A sparkling survival story.

It's worth a click -- especially for parents.

(Thanks to @TheBloggess for the link.)