John, not only are the Democrats panicking, but that in and of itself is now a storyline. The Los Angeles Times reports:

The emergence of Sarah Palin as a political force in the presidential race has left many top Democrats fretting that, just two weeks after their convention ended on an emotional high, Barack Obama’s campaign has suddenly lost its stride. Obama has responded aggressively this week to Palin’s presence on the Republican ticket, using TV ads and campaign rallies to attack her contention that she is a political reformer who will take on the Washington establishment — a role Obama has long claimed as his alone.But some Democrats are now worried about the perils of Obama’s strategy, saying that his campaign, instead of engaging the Alaska governor, should avoid any move that draws more attention to her and could enhance her appeal among the white, blue-collar voters who remain cool to Obama’s candidacy.A series of new polls suggests that Palin has given a major boost to John McCain’s campaign, exciting the GOP base, winning over white women and all but erasing Obama’s lead.

It not only “all but” erased Obama’s lead, it did. (Don’t the MSM outlets think their readers have access to polls?) Not to put too fine a point on it, but the hysteria isn’t a very attractive quality. Just as Obama’s excessive spending and staffing should give us pause about his fiscal management skills, so too should his reaction to bad news and diversity  adversity. The ability to weather storms and navigate around obstacles is, one might conclude, part of being a successful President. If a woman “looking after five [kids]” rattles him so badly, is he really Chief Executive material?