Should President Obama debate Sarah Palin?

&quot;I&#039;m more than happy to accept the dubious honor of being Barack Obama&#039;s &#039;enemy of the week,&quot; Sarah Palin wrote on Facebook, &quot;if that includes the opportunity to debate him.&quot;

(Image credit: Ron Sachs/CNP/Corbis, Scott D. Smith/Retna Ltd./Corbis)

last updated 8 January 2015

Sarah Palin, via her Facebook page, has challenged President Obama to a debate — "anytime, anywhere." That offer comes after the Obama campaign posted a fundraising video online accusing the former Republican vice presidential candidate of race-baiting by criticizing Obama's relationship with Harvard's first black law professor, Derrick Bell. (Watch the video below.) An Obama campaign official, asked about the video, said that highlighting "extreme statements from prominent Republicans" is a good way to motivate Obama's supporters. Palin said it just shows Obama wants to avoid discussing real issues, such as the economy and gas prices. Should Obama really get involved in a back-and-forth with Palin?

If Obama's going to attack Palin, he should debate her: The president is using his PR machine to "demonize" a private citizen, says John Hayward at Human Events. The least he can do now is accept "her gracious extension of an offer to repeat this garbage to her face." If he thinks he'd "mop the floor with her," he's got nothing to lose — after all, debating Palin would "diminish" Obama's real opponents, right? But of course, Obama won't do it. Too bad, because Palin would make him answer for the way his deficit spending is killing the economy.

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Palin is playing right into Obama's hands: Palin is giving Obama an election year gift, says Charles Johnson at Little Green Footballs. First, she helped him showcase GOP extremism with her "ugly race-baiting comments that Obama wants to 'bring us back to the days before the Civil War.'" And with her Facebook challenge, she has "doubled down on her ridiculous attacks." The "Critical Race Theory" the late Prof. Bell espoused says the white establishment responds to "African American achievement with racist attacks against the achievers." Palin is proving Bell was right.

Obama has already won the debate: Obama is not going to debate Palin, says Taylor Marsh at her blog. He doesn't have to. His ad and Palin's response have already exposed the attempts by Palin, her pal Sean Hannity at Fox News, and other "right wing smear merchants" to malign President Obama. This despicable crew is using racist dog-whistles to motivate the "gullible, uninformed, and bigoted," and Palin's "squealing" only "proves Obama re-elect hit the mark."