Why don't I like Sarah Palin?

I ought to. She is direct. She is transparent. She is hot.

But I don't. She strikes me as false in the same way Barack Obama doesn't.

I don't think its because I don't like the powerful woman thing. It doesn't usually scare me if women are powerful (I had a poster of Maragret Thatcher with a cane on my door at university, although admittedly I think it was a mock-up).

Some of it is her children's names. But I think most of all it is her certainty - an unimaginative certainty, which makes me think she is qualified to shoot moose and perhaps even to clean up Alaskan corruption. but not to handle the problems that life would throw at her as a VP. Life isn't black and white. Principles take you a long way. But the ability to understand and empathise with all of the issues is needed to get all of the way.

I'd also worry that her certainty is a short step away from an arrogant assumption of rightness, with the end then justifying any means. We may see some of that come out of the inevitable digging reporters will now be doing.

(To be fair, of course, she probably wouldn't like me).