Sarah Smile and the next Great Depression

At first, there was disbelief. Was she really the best Ol' Maverick could do? But I decided to hold my tongue, give it some time, some listen and some chance of being somewhat of a decent decision. To say the least, time hasn't built a bridge to anywhere.

Oh she's appealing enough. She's easily the best looking of the four main characters and she's fresh and sassy but she's also the weakest by far. McCain and Biden were seemingly born while in the Senate and their credentials are well-known. It's easy to write off Obama's experience as no better than Palin's. But there's one big difference. Palin was never considered, nor apparently did she even consider herself, a legitimate candidate for President. The other three in the beauty contest did. They all, one time or another, have chased the Presidency. They have all had time to sink or swim in the competitive arena of ideas, speeches, gaffs, and scrutiny with the American public. They've all had a chance at striking out and hitting home-runs with the press and with the rest of us. She hasn't nor will she have that chance before Election Day.

Why is it important to run for the top job these days? Since Kennedy-Johnson, it's simple. But for a plane crash, a heart attack or a bullet, the Vice President IS the next President. I for one am not ready to hand over the attack codes or, at present, my chances of becoming an apple street vendor to someone the nation will have known for 90 days; hockey teams, PTA luncheons, and moose hunts notwithstanding. To some varying degree, I'd put my trust in, if not my wholehearted support behind, the other three.

Maybe four years from now Palin could put herself, her family, her record, and her talent on the line and go for the big one. Only then will we have seen her at her best and worst. Only then will she be little more than a political rally chant. And despite bailouts, if the Nation is indeed headed for economic Armageddon, I want more than a pit-bull with lipstick between me and the breadline.