media treatment of Sarah vs. Caroline

An interesting comparison from the AP through USA Today (hat tip: Linda Christiansen)...

She messed up her first interviews, didn't show much of a grasp of the issues and, dontcha know, had a speech pattern that was widely mimicked.

Sarah Palin? You betcha. But Caroline Kennedy also fits the bill.

The difference is that while the conservative Republican Palin was ridiculed in the press and on "Saturday Night Live" in her quest to be vice president, the liberal Democratic Kennedy, after early criticism in the media, remains the perceived favorite in her bid for a Senate seat from New York.

In an interview with conservative radio talk-show host and filmmaker John Ziegler, Palin questioned whether Kennedy was getting better treatment than Palin did as Republican presidential candidate John McCain's running mate. Clips from Ziegler's interview were posted on YouTube this week.

"I've been interested to see how Caroline Kennedy will be handled and if she will be handled with kid gloves or if she will be under such a microscope," Palin said.

Some of the critics see the issue as a liberal or Democratic bias. Others see background — Palin from Alaska and Kennedy from Manhattan — as the reason for what they consider different treatment of the women....

The difference in treatment could also be explained by the position each woman had been seeking. Palin was hoping to become the nation's first female vice president, just second in command to 72-year-old Sen. John McCain. Meanwhile, Kennedy is vying to be named one of 100 Senators.

But the media's criticism of Kennedy has started...