"Ms. Couric asked Joseph Biden, Ms. Palin’s rival, the same question in a separate interview. He had it exactly right when he told her that Mr. Cheney’s theory of the 'unitary executive' held that 'Congress and the people have no power in a time of war.' And he had it right in the debate when he called Mr. Cheney 'the most dangerous vice president we’ve had in American history.'

"The Constitution does not state or imply any flexibility in the office of vice president. It gives the vice president no legislative responsibilities other than casting a tie-breaking vote in the Senate when needed and no executive powers at all. The vice president’s constitutional role is to be ready to serve if the president dies or becomes incapacitated.

"Any president deserves a vice president who will be a sound adviser and trustworthy supporter. …

"So far, Ms. Palin has it exactly, frighteningly wrong." Yes, she does.

"The damage John McCain's baldfaced sexism and Sarah Palin's cocktail waitress act have done to American feminism has yet to be fully assessed. Palin has actually forced me to realize that, however much I despise Hillary Clinton, I have never doubted her professionalism and capacity to fight and win on her own terms in a male-dominated world by meeting and exceeding the standards of any male counterpart. (It was not her fault she ran against the political genius of his generation.) I cannot even imagine her winking and flirting on stage, although the New Hampshire tears were a bit of a stunt."

"The reason I'm posting this is to remind American voters what a real democracy sounds like.

"The horrifying sequestering of Sarah Palin from a press conference and anything like this kind of public interrogation is a scandal. Thatcher was already prime minister, about to be re-elected in a landslide when this debate happened. And she was happy to be subjected to this from an average citizen. This is what feminism looks like in action - from citizen to leader. It's important to remember how deep a decline in female political equality Sarah Palin represents."