Teresa Scanlan is the new Miss America. She's from Nebraska and it appears that she is both a conservative and a product of home-schooling, as she intends to attend Patrick Henry College, the campus near Purcellville, VA,  established specifically for home-schooled kids.

During the pageant's question-and-answer period, Scanlan was asked about Wikileaks and the people's right to know. Here's her response, which was delivered confidently and without hesitation:

"You know, when it came to that situation, it was actually based on espionage, and when it comes to the security of our nation we have to focus on security first, and then people’s right to know. "Because it’s so important that everyone in our borders is safe, and so we can’t let things like that happen, and they must be handled properly, and I think that was the case."

Concise and to the point, I'd say. Not a PhD dissertation, but certainly reasonable and well-stated. But not according to Fishbowl LA, the West Coast site of the media insider's favorite web site. FBLA headlined its clip of Scanlan's response with this: "Miss America hates Wikileaks, might be an idiot."

But there is nothing in the post by way of explanation, reasonably argued or otherwise, to justify the headline. Obviously, we're all just supposed to know, being the enlightened liberals that we media-types mostly are, that what Scanlan said is just so, you know, idiotic.

This is what passes for civility in public debate at Fishbowl?

Obviously, Scanlan should be prepared for a whole year of such dissing from the enlightened ones who just know that they are so much more intelligent than she is. Be sure and check out the Miss America web site here for more information on Scanlan.