"The out-of-context Newsweek approach is sexist and oh-so-expected by now. If anyone can learn anything from it: it shows why you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, gender, or color of skin. The media will do anything to draw attention - even if out of context," Palin said at the time.

That the magazine has a liberal bias under Tina Brown is debatable (see this image of Mitt Romney as a character from the Book of Mormon for evidence that supports Loesch et. al.), but charges of ongoing sexism from the magazine have a lot more back up. Before that Romney cover, almost all of the male Republican candidates from previous years were portrayed in a serious light. It should be noted that these covers were before Brown's time--but so was the Palin cover. See the following images of John McCain and Mike Huckabee:

Even Rush Limbaugh--not a candidate, but a very prominent conservative--was not made out to be a joke:

I hate it when Michele Bachmann makes me defend her, but I'm with Loesch on this one: The Newsweek cover was unnecessarily unflattering. I doubt Newsweek would portray a male candidate with such a lunatic expression on his face. As much as it pains me to admit it Bachmann is a legitimate candidate and major magazines should treat her like one.

More From The Slate

• 1. S&P Is Right. It's Congress' Fault.
  The politics of sovereign-debt ratings downgrades.
  By Annie Lowrey | August 8, 2011
• 2. Revenge of the Middle
  The S&P downgrade is the beginning of the end of the left-righ
• 3. Salman Khan, Founder of Khan Academy