That sexy Sarah image overpowers essays in the magazine about why Palin is bad news for Republicans and for everybody else in the country. The Newsweek cover shot was lifted from a one-page profile of Palin that ran in Runner’s World magazine. At Newsweek, it is totally out of context . The RW piece was about health and fitness. The picture tied in with that. Newsweek makes it convenient for Palin and conservatives to rail against the "lamestream" (Sarah's term) media because as she put it: "This 'news' magazine has relished focusing on the irrelevant rather than the relevant." It feeds the "duck 'em and screw 'em" mentality toward the media that abounds in conservative circles.
Newsweek editor Jon Meacham did not make things any better when he said: "We chose the most interesting image available to us to illustrate the theme of the cover." What, Jon, you couldn't get a picture of Palin wrestling a moose?
Newsweek managing editor Daniel Klaidman did no better than Meacham. On the "Today" show, he said there have been "questions about her gravitas and her seriousness." Katie Couric made that clear during her interviews with Palin. Alaska's former Governor didn't wear tights during talks with Katie. Klaidman doesn’t think the picture was taken out of context because “the point of the story was to raise questions about her seriousness."
Again, the point of the RW picture was to demonstrate Palin's "seriousness" towards physical fitness and health. It had nothing to do with her aspirations for high political office. There is evidence galore that a Palin White House, joined by Fox News' Glenn Beck, would be a disaster for the country.
The magazine should not underestimate the political savvy of Palin who will milk the cover for all its worth in terms of political points and book sales.
Meacham contends the cover is not sexist because the editors have a "gender-neutral standard."
Does that mean Newsweek will run a cover of a bare-chested Barack Obama leading up to the 2012 election? Don't hold your breath.