If Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin was trying to dispel the notion that she is — in the words of comedienne Kate Clinton — “Dan Quayle in a ponytail,” she failed miserably tonight during her first media interview granted since Sen. John McCain named her as his running mate two weeks ago. Often her answers directly contradicted widely available facts of her record and stated positions in the past, in a blatantly pandering attempt to appear more mainstream than the extremist conservative ideologue that she is.

Since accepting their GOP nominations 2 weeks ago, both Sen. John McCain and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin are proving to be by far the most liberal candidates in the race when it comes to one important issue: truth. For a candidate who professes to rise above the sort of nasty lies and smears that cost him the 2000 nomination, McCain’s newfound penchant for such tactics says volumes about his determination to win at whatever cost.