Bill Maher described Rand Paul...

...last week in this way: "Imagine if Sarah Palin made it through medical school."

I'm a big fan of Maher's, but I think that's a little unfair to Paul. I actually think he and his father are two highly intelligent, if misguided, individuals. And even though I disagree with most of their positions, I admire them for their intellectual honesty.

(I'll get to the whole Civil Rights Act controversy in a bit; I'm still sorting out what I want to say.)

But one way in which Rand Paul is like Sarah Palin is his willingness to blame the media for broadcasting what he himself said. And that's discouraging. Because what Paul said is his own responsibility. Period. I watched his appearance on Rachel Maddow and it's what he said (and didn't say) that got him into trouble. Again, period.

Now, after cancelling his appearance on Meet the Press, I'm afraid that Paul's campaign may be toast.

In August of 2008, after introducing Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate, the campaign quickly made it clear that she would not be available for interviews. I remember thinking at the time that this was a red flag. Why can't Governor Palin take a few simple questions from the media? Is she not prepared? Has she not been properly vetted? Something smelled. And we soon found out what it was. She wasn't ready for the Big Time.

And now, after a difficult first week, Paul is also ducking the media. Sorry, but this isn't the old Soviet Union. If you want to hold elective office in this country, you have to be accountable to the public through the media. That's just the way things work. And if you're afraid to answer questions about your beliefs, then you probably aren't ready to serve.

If Paul doesn't change his mind, and soon, I predict his campaign will go down in flames.