Those complaining about a double standard of treatment being applied to Sarah Palin by the media seem to be quite serious, which suggests that they haven’t given the slightest thought to the question.  By the time John Edwards was the VP nominee, he had campaigned and debated as a candidate for months.  Unlike Palin, he was far from an unknown nationally and his positions on a range of policies were a matter of public record.  Concerning Obama, this is even more true, since he has been on the campaign trail for 19 months, has participated in even more debates and has given several high-profile policy speeches.  Whether or not I find those policy speeches to be detailed enough is not the point–his views on all of the policies Palin has been asked about are known and he has faced questions from the press about them on numerous occasions.  The idea that Palin is being treated with unusual rigor is exactly what I was talking about when I warned conservatives against using lowered standards when assessing her performance that are so insulting to Palin.  If this is the reaction most conservatives are going to have to her treatment in relatively easy interviews, they are going to go completely mad when they see what happens at the VP debate when she faces real pressure.