Even some of Palin's critics question the validity of some of the complaints, and her supporters have waged a weeklong Webathon to raise money for a legal defense fund set up for the governor, ringing up more than $109,000 by day seven, Sunday.

The politician's vainglorious boasting was quickly followed by a conga line of embarrassing defeats.

The leg-spinner had talked about new mystery balls, giving them names like shooters and zooters.

This may not be at such a far remove from the endlessly recursive textual inventions of Kafka, Beckett, and Bernhard as it may seem.