Not one Times columnist expressed serious concern about Obama entering into a high-dollar land deal with Rezko, a man he knew to be under federal investigation and now known to all as a convicted felon. Though apparently not worried about Obama’s judgment, the polemical trio of Bob Herbert, Paul Krugman and Frank Rich are apoplectic about the prospects of Palin moving to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

Watching Palin’s ABC interview, Herbert wrote, made him realize that “dimwittedness is not just on the march in the U.S., but that it might actually prevail.” Ignoring the obvious comparisons to Obama’s paper-thin résumé, Herbert passionately argued that Palin is simply “not ready.” Not to be outdone, Krugman direly warned that a McCain-Palin administration could be “much, much worse” than the current one. Rich, for his part, labeled Palin a “candidate who embodies fear of change”—and, as he does with impressive regularity, somehow also managed to jab Republicans as racist homophobes.

Uncorking the most venom, though, was the paper’s unsigned editorial titled “Gov. Palin’s Worldview.” Wasting no time, the opening paragraph states, “As we watched Sarah Palin on TV the last couple of days, we kept wondering what on earth John McCain was thinking.” Though the Times’ editorial page never once expressed concern about Obama’s judgment in light of his financial dealings with a man he knew to be under investigation in Rezko, McCain’s selection of Palin “raises profound questions about his judgment.”

The Times’ unbridled hysteria over Palin has undoubtedly “raised profound questions” about the paper’s judgment in the minds of voters. Clearly Palin, like any politician, has plenty of failings worthy of examination, but the sheer level of deranged panic only further batters the paper’s already-diminished reputation.

By unrelentingly savaging Sarah, the Times and its mainstream media peers actually could help the woman who strikes such fear in their hearts. Once this initial tsunami subsides, Palin likely will be smiling, still exuding the can do attitude at the core of her appeal. The more desperate the media gets, the classier she looks.

Just don’t expect that story line to sneak into the Times.