"destroying Beck isn't as easy for Katie Couric as destroying Sarah Palin was..."

How is this statement absurd?   Let me count the ways.

1)   Sarah "destroyed" herself for 2008--with the pattern of what she said, not just one interview.   And she endeared herself to a huge number of people also.

2)   Nothing defeated McCain and Palin but the perception that McCain was not the right person to deal with a financial crisis.

3) Sarah is not "destroyed" by a long shot. Unfortunately she still has a passionate following. And that's what matters, especially in primaries. And as usual in elections, in 2012, if the economy has not considerably recovered from its current low position--whether or not President Obama has anything to do that--he will be defeated by whoever the Republicans choose. If the economy has recovered, he will be re-elected--unless the war issue dominates.