Sporst Illustrated: "There is something masterful about Todd Palin"

By GottaLaff

That romantic, starry-eyed Sports Illustrated! Every month a new infatuation, the little strumpets:

[A]s part of SI's web "bonus," the venerable sports mag featured a profile of Todd Palin and his participation in Alaska's annual Iron Dog--a snowmachine endurance race through the frozen western half of the state billed as the "toughest in the world." [...]

In his article, "The 'First Dude' in His Element," Donahue proclaims:

There is something masterful about Todd Palin. He is almost invariably calm, and he is handsome and rock-steady in an affable, unobtrusive way. He is the perfect political husband.

Donahue was clearly taken by Palin and his partner, Scott Davis, referring to their "lean, gym-sculpted physiques."

Gives the term "snowmachine endurance" a whole new meaning.

But S.I.'s crush is superficial. They, as so many blinded by lust do, ignore what lies beneath Todd's big, bad, macho six-packy surface.

They skip right over this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, and this.

In spite of those remarkable holes in his coverage, Donahue does allow that there's "a political resonance to the whole [Iron Dog] scene."

On two race sleds are bumper stickers reading AMERICA. LOVE IT, DEFEND IT, OR GET THE HELL OUT. On another there's a mock ALASKA TERRORIST HUNTING PERMIT, good through 2050, with the license number 9-11-01. Tina Fey is not here amid the wafting aroma of two-stroke motor oil. Neither is Michelle Obama.

[...] When Sarah Palin was named John McCain's running mate, husband Todd was heralded as a "world champion" athlete. Donahue's description of the Iron Dog reveals it for what it is, something closer akin to a long-distance motorcycle poker run, with a handful of requisite rest stops along the way, during which the contestants eat hardy meals, refuel, sleep in warm beds and, that's right, even shower along the way.

It's quite a cast, but World Class athletes? [...] [I]t looks more like a slow-pitch softball team to me--or something that belongs on the wall of the local post office.

(go here for an interactive look, or click on image to enlarge)

Sigh. Ain't puppy love grand? Then again, familiarity breeds contempt.