Say it's not so, Sarah

As an Alaskan, I can truly say this was a shocker . A couple of thoughts.

I'm decidedly NOT Republican (Alaska Green Party), but I like Sarah Palin. She is, for a Republican, a breath of fresh air. Her heart's in the right place on social issues -- so much so, that she's started to shape up as a thorn in some Republicans' sides up here. Those certain parties have dredged up a (largely manufactured) so-called failure of judgement on her part. What that really means is that she has a problem (no secret) with one of her former inlaws, a so-called "peace officer," who's shown some, shall we say, errors of judgement of his own; including tazing an 11 year old to "show him what it's like," beating his wife, and various on-job violations, including drinking beers in his patrol car. Now she's being taken to task for supposedly firing the head of the Department of Public Safety (Troopers) "for" not firing this rouge cop for her.

That accusation is shaping up to be baseless, but as revelations unfolded, she promptly suspended one agency head who, it turned out, DID misrepresent himself as speaking for the governor, when calling the DPS about the bad cop.

The interference she was accused of is the kind of thing one expected from the Murkowski administration, but it's simply not Sarah's style. She sees governance as a demanding responsibility, not to be taken lightly, and that includes observance of both ethics and ethical appearances. She thinks like a mom setting a good example for her kids. Seriously, what better stance could you ask for, in a public servant?

This is why Sarah, to me, isn't even a Republican; just a dedicated public servant. (Doubtless some Republicans in this deep-red state feel likewise; but of course to them a real public servant is someone who's NOT looking after their own special interests!) I didn't vote for her, but I might the next time, depending on the competition.

BUT... is she ready to be president, when the old guy with the temper problem has an aneurism in the Oval Office? Who knows, she might surprise there as well; as she surprised the AK Republicans, when she started tossing out Murkowski policies and put Murkowski's Royal Jet-to-nowhere back on the auction block, restored the seniors' supplimental allowance, and renegotiated King Murkowski's private pet deals with the oil companies.

But I would absolutely NOT support the McCain ticket on that account (sorry, Sarah), because we really need a NEW direction here, not a small chance at not screwing things up as badly as they might be. There's a much larger chance, that a McCain presidency will surprise us with how much worse our situation can become, domestically and geo-politically -- even from the current low point.

A President Palin would actually do her best to fix some things, such as making healthcare more accessible to seniors and soldiers; but some of her policies are unrelievedly Republican, such as her desire to drill out the Alaskan North Slope.

And for McCain, burdened with the stench of Bush's approval, this is a smart move. Republicans can now sell themselves as being open-minded -- while doing the same old things! The problem is when McCain kicks the bucket. Palin will have the same challenge at that point, that she's now having with the conservative die-hards in AK; but on a national scale, and against much better-funded opponents. Washington-centered Corporatists are pretty much guaranteed not to like her choices, which do tend to put people first, though not to the extent of backing unions or such.

Indeed, I can't see Sarah liking McCain's policies in general, and am a bit mystified as to why she would agree to this. McCain's hard-ass backers wouldn't touch her with a ten foot pole, if she were actually running for president.

And for me (not to be overly ghoulish about it), the possibility of a Presidential Aneurism would then be the ONLY bright spot in a McCain Presidency. That's pretty sorry -- when we have a chance right now to elect a President who could set the country on a course back to the things that matter.

tags: sarah  palin  mccain  bush  vp