WaPo Critic Turns Book Review Into Anti-Palin Tirade

Critics seem to use every opportunity they can to attack former Governor Sarah Palin and her family. Even though she is no longer in elected office, some seem unable to control their disdain for Ms. Palin, even when their criticisms of her are without credibility and lacking merit. One such example occurred in a recent Washington Post book review about a book that seemingly has very little to do with Ms. Palin.

In a Washington Post review of Debbie Dana Stabenow’s book “A Night Too Dark,” which reportedly focuses on Alaska and revolves around a character named Kate Shugak, WaPo book critic Patrick Anderson took a swipe at former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin. In the first paragraph of his “review,” Anderson wrote the following about the book:

If you’ve never visited Alaska, it’s also an intriguing introduction to that big, brawling, rather bewildering state. Once you’ve met the strange characters who inhabit the Shugak novels, Sarah Palin becomes easier to comprehend.

If that’s not enough, Anderson saved his harshest criticism of Palin for later in the piece. At the end of the article, Anderson referenced an interview in which Stabenow is quoted as saying that she met Sarah Palin several times but that Palin never spoke to her about her books.

Anderson finds this outrageous, calling it “alarming” that Palin did not say anything about Stabenow’s books to her. As Anderson writes, “It’s always wise to greet a novelist with ‘Loved your book,’ whether or not you’ve read the book in question.” He then adds that “The writers are invariably grateful, and none has ever been known to demand proof. If Palin can’t figure that out, how can she ever hope to lead a great nation?”

That last line seemingly makes a connection between lying to an author about reading her books and the ability to become a strong president of the United States, a connection that few who helped draft the Constitution were likely aware of.

Anderson simply used his book review to attack the former GOP vice presidential candidate. Although I have not read Stabenow’s book, this review makes no direct connection between the book’s plot and how the article’s author feels about Palin, so his feelings about Palin are completely moot. The only connection between the book and Palin, according to this article, seems to be Palin’s connection to the state she formerly governed and the book’s setting. That is barely a connection at all and one that is unworthy of mention in a book review.

One could argue that Anderson’s criticism of Palin at the end of the piece is a joke, rather than a statement worthy of criticism. However, this review shows how much Palin hatred exists out there today. In the Washington Post, the reviewer goes out of his way to slam Sarah Palin, even though the book being reviewed is not focused on her.

The review simply serves as a reminder of how much the establishment media disdains the former Governor of Alaska and how far they’re willing to go out of their way to launch attacks against her.