If the media gave Obama the same aggressive scrutiny as Palin at the beginning

Hillary would be the dem nominee by now. I think I have learned more about Sarah Palin in the last 5 days, than barack obama in the last 17 months of the campaign.

Yeah, but Hillary Clinton has her own baggage, you say! True, but for most americans, it's old news already. The reason why Hillary was leading in the polls nationally by as much as 30+ percentage points against Obama and Edwards late last year and early this year was because:

1) nobody took obama and edwards seriously, especially obama among african americans where clinton actually got more support from them.

2) they thought she was the most qualified and credible CIC candidate in the field and therefore had the best chance of winning.

3) they know about the Clinton scandals, but these were already "factored in" in their decision making process.

Fortunately for Obama though, the media is in the tank for him. Fortunately for him, the dem primary voters weren't looking for the most experienced, qualified and accomplished candidate for the party. They were looking for somebody with the best chance of winning.