There may be a real hurricane affecting the Gulf Coast but Sarah Palin is the true category 5, blowing from obscurity onto our political radars with a force Ross Perot would admire. Like a nor’easter stalled over Georges Bank, she is killing all news in her wake, first taking the focus off Obama’s great speech and Democratic unity and then drowning any and all non-Gustav related press.
The Juno-like pregnancy of her daughter is the least of it, although everyone seems to want to talk about it. We can’t help it. And while it is a private family matter, it struck me that the McCain-Palin camp was spinning Bristol’s “decision/choice” in keeping the baby as a political plus when these are the same people who would like to take such “choices” off the table for other women. Given the Palin’s religious convictions was there ever a choice in the matter? But of course only right-wing abstinence-supporters can spin the unplanned pregnancies of their unmarried daughters favorably. We liberals have to keep our mouths shut on the subject.
Sorry for further belaboring off limits subjects. As Sabutai has rightly pointed out we have little to gain from discussing it. Better to discuss is Palin’s pork-mongering as Mayor of Wasilla (where she hired the ole’boys network she supposedly has fought against to bring home the bacon); her previous support for the “Bridge to Nowhere”; her work for indicted Senator Ted Stevens political committee; and her membership in a party seeking to take Alaska out of the union.
Instead of a real reformer, Mrs. Palin is starting to look more like a conventional opportunist who ran with Alaska’s right-wing machine until the FBI started to go after them. She is obviously a clever politician with a good sense of timing but a maverick – not so much. But then again neither was McCain until the Keating 5 imbroglio humbled him toward reform and Rove’s minions did for him in South Carolina. Mavericking looked good to McCain until about 2004 when he realized if he could hide his anger and swollow his pride and make good with the Bushies and bangers he may have a shot at the nomination four years hence.
