...and what we've learned - The Boston Globe:
"WITH 99 percent of this remarkable campaign now behind us, we in the political class have learned some valuable lessons.
Candidates get the campaigns they want.
John McCain is no better than his campaign. He's responsible for what comes out of his mouth. McCain's campaign was sloppy, erratic, ugly, feckless, and rife with last-ditch recriminations. Barack Obama's was disciplined, poised, seamless, and powerful.
Never call your running mate a 'whack job.'
McCain's spinners claim solidarity with Sarah Palin, but it's not a good sign when an unnamed top McCain aide tells a reporter that she is 'a whack job.'
A bad VP pick can be costly.
According to Howard Fineman of Newsweek, of 70 or so politicians, newspapers, and pundits who shifted from McCain to Obama, 38 said they did so in part because of Palin. The New York Times poll shows 59 percent of voters now believe she is unprepared for the job.
Women aren't suckers. They will not support a female candidate just because she's a woman. Palin is ditzy, unaware, mean-spirited, and embarrassing."
