Over the past year, we have witnessed the rise and fall of Hillary Clinton followed by the rise, and continued rise of Sarah Palin. This bizarre occurrence has caused me to wonder, what is so fundamentally frightening about an intelligent woman?

Having been raised in one of the most shallow, beauty-conscious places in the country (yes, I’m from the O.C.), I empathize with women and the choice they often feel compelled to make between beauty and brains. How is it possible to embody both?

For many women in this country, Sarah Palin, the beauty queen turned hockey-mom-of-five turned politician is an angel sent from heaven to show us the light, to reveal the long-lost secret to female success. She’s everything women want to be; she’s the crème de la crème of feminism.

Last week, presidential candidate John McCain choked on a big fat Viagra pill. From the comfort of my own home, I watched in horror as the dear old geezer coughed and stuttered, his cheeks flushed and his doe eyes brimming with confusion and panic.

They say the greatest sign of insanity is when you repeat an action over and over, expecting different outcomes. Once again, (this time during the second presidential debate), McCain was asked to account for his tacit approval of health insurance companies who cover Viagra for men but not birth control for women.

He’s made the mistake before. But maybe he figured that blabbering like an idiot … again … when asked the question would make the big bad journalists go away for good.

MAVERICK. MAVERICK.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The politically charged investigation into Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is over, and its conclusions are stinging. But the fallout, if any, might not come until Election Day.

A legislative investigator found that Palin violated state ethics laws and abused her power by trying to have her former brother-in-law fired as a state trooper.

The next move may be at the ballot box. The legislative committee that released the report Friday recommends no criminal investigation and has no authority to sanction the governor, the Republican vice presidential nominee.

Residents of High Rise 5 and Jameson Hall were amongst the hundreds of students foregoing “Thirsty Thursday” festivities to watch the vice-presidential debate between Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska and Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) About 70 students gathered around the big screen television in the Jameson Hall sky lounge, ranging from the most obstinate politickers of the class of 2012 to those simply wishing to learn more about the presidential election.

The overall support of the room appeared to lean towards Biden. Palin’s appeals to “Joe Sixpack” and “Sally Soccer-Mom” were met with jeers and derision, while Biden captured a good amount of the High Rise residents’ respectful attention.

Last night’s vice-presidential debate between Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) and Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska covered significant ground as the candidates sparred over the financial crisis, Iraq and Afghanistan and energy policy. A group of around 100 people, filtering in and out of the Alice Cook House Dining Room, witnessed this debate.

Millions of people are projected to have watched the debate featuring the senator, said to be prone to making gaffes, and the newbie, said to have had trouble making a strong appearance on the interview circuit as of late.

The debate was moderated by Gwen Ifill of PBS’s Washington Week and The News Hour.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI searched the residence of the son of a Democratic state lawmaker in Tennessee over the weekend looking for evidence linking the young man to the hacking of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's personal e-mail account, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press on Monday.

David Kernell, 20, has not returned repeated phone calls or e-mails from the AP since last week. His lawyer said Monday the family is going through a difficult period.

“How dare they!” shouted Rudy Guiliani, “How dare they question whether Palin will have enough time to spend with her children while vice president? When do they ever ask a man that question?”

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hackers broke into the Yahoo! e-mail account that Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin used for official business as Alaska's governor, revealing as evidence a few inconsequential personal messages she has received since John McCain selected her as his running mate.

"This is a shocking invasion of the governor's privacy and a violation of law. The matter has been turned over to the appropriate authorities and we hope that anyone in possession of these e-mails will destroy them," the McCain campaign said in a statement.

The Secret Service contacted The Associated Press on Wednesday and asked for copies of the leaked e-mails, which circulated widely on the Internet. The AP did not comply.