Marc Ambinder picks up on the newest defensive bit of emotional self-help for Democrats: “Really, really the VP doesn’t count.” We saw Joe Biden tried that out over the weekend and now Howard Wolfson takes it for a spin. (Hmm, had Barack Obama chosen Hillary Clinton as the VP I think he’d have a different view but let’s not be too hung up on intellectual consistency.) Ambinder observes about the “VP doesn’t matter” mantra:

So Democrats hope! Usually, voters do. But there’s no fundamental reason why, in every instance, they will. The attention lavished on Gov. Palin is unprecedented; perhaps her pull on voters will be, too.

And of course it’s not even true by rather recent historical standards that VP’s don’t matter. Didn’t LBJ help deliver Texas in 1960? VP’s certainly help the top of the ticket and there’s no denying that the more interesting or successful a VP candidate is the more likely she is to help.

And pardon the whiplash, but wasn’t the media telling us just days ago that Palin’s selection was proof-positive that McCain was reckless and a horrid judge of character and talent? It might be that voters think better of McCain because of the Palin pick and credit him with executive prowess for selecting her.

Now, a measure of restraint is warranted. Should Palin bomb in the debate and commit a horrid gaffe in an interview (e.g. declare there are 57 states, or imply FDR met with Hitler, or . . . . OK, you get the point) the media will be back to declaring the VP a vital component of voter decision-making. But for now, all we can do is stand back and watch.