Roger Ebert on Sarah Palin: The American Idol candidate.

“There’s a reason “American Idol” gets such high ratings. People identify with the contestants. They think, Hey, that could be me up there on that show! My problem is, I don’t want to be up there. I don’t want a vice president who is darned near good enough. I want a vice president who is better, wiser, well-traveled, has met world leaders, who three months ago had an opinion on Iraq. Someone who doesn’t repeat bald-faced lies about earmarks and the Bridge to Nowhere. Someone who doesn’t appoint Alaskan politicians to “study” global warming, because, hello! It has been studied. … I would also want someone who didn’t make a teeny little sneer when referring to “people who go to the Ivy League.” … There a lot of hockey moms who haven’t seen London, but most of them would probably love to, if they had the dough. And they’d be proud if one of their kids won a scholarship to Harvard.”

EXACTLY. Exactly exactly exactly. When did we start thinking it was a bad thing for our leaders to be educated and informed?