Palin has flamed out today spectacularly

Today has been really bad day for Sarah Palin. I'd bet that some of this is timing. (Speculation, of course.)

The questions about Palin started popping up immediately after McCain introduced her, but if the Hurricane hadn't hit Louisiana today, the political reporters would have been covering the Republican National Convention. They would have had a lot less time time consider the implications of what was asked and discovered over the weekend about Sarah Palin. But the hurricane DID hit today. And as a result, the Republicans eliminated a lot of the daily activities.

As a result, all the political reporters are at loose ends today. Political reporters are not normally sent to cover a hurricane, so what to they do? They dig into the various potential scandals.

In addition, let's face it. This begins to look a lot like the O.J. trial, and while there aren't too many investigative reporters any more, there are tabloid reporters galore. They know what to do with this set of issues. The fact that Palin is beginning to look like a candidate for the Jerry Springer Show fits right into their tabloidized skill set. But I'd bet that the cancellation of most of the activities of the Republican Convention simply left a lot of reporters with time on their hands and jobs to justify, so Palin became the target of opportunity.

Most of what we have seen today would have come out anyway, but not all at once as it has. Spread over time, the McCain camp probably could have successfully spun the problems so that the disaster wouldn't have piled up so badly all at once.

Hurricane Gustav has not been Sarah Palin's friend.