THERE’S A new girl in town to kick around.

Hillary Clinton used to be everyone’s favorite target. Now it’s Sarah Palin, who is younger, sexier, and easier to trivialize.

Newsweek went out of its way to showcase a blatantly sexist cover shot of Palin wearing running shorts. In an interview on the “Today’’ show, the magazine’s managing editor was blunt about the rationale behind the decision: “I don’t think this is an image that is taken out of context, especially when you consider what the point of the story was: to raise these questions about her seriousness.’’

In case anyone missed the point, the headline drove it home: “How Do You Solve a Problem Named Sarah? She’s Bad News for the GOP and Everyone Else, Too.’’

Palin’s book,...