Lying To Make Friends

So the word leaking out is that Palin was tired of her contentious relationship with the Alaska legislature, and wants to spend time working on her book and travel the country talking about family values or hockey or whatever the hell she purports to be qualified to speak on. Conflicting reports on whether she’s ruled out running in 2012. As much I would love the comedic/electoral prospects of an Obama/Palin match-up, I didn’t think it was much of a possibility even before today. As beloved as Palin remains among grassroots conservatives, to win a Republican primary she would need considerable establishment support. To the extent that establishment Republicans still embrace Palin, it’s because she’s a convenient martyr: a God-fearing, just-plain-folk hockey mom mocked and hated by elitist, abortion-loving, small-town-hating liberals. But they’re not going actually trust the future of the party to her, for reasons made obvious in the Vanity Fair article and amplified today.

What struck me most from the Vanity Fair piece, and is more striking after today’s events, is just how bizarre McCain’s selection of Palin was. At the time the recklessness of the decision was apparent, but it only grows more inexplicable over time. The thought that such an ambitious man–72 years old and in public service his entire adult life, seeking the highest level of achievement possible in what was clearly his last shot–would risk it all on such an unknown quantity, and without doing It betrayed McCain’s self-image as a man who put principle above politics and country above self–there’s not way McCain ever genuinely believed Palin was the most qualified person who could pick to be second in line as commander-in-chief– and, ultimately, it didn’t even pay off politically.

But I’m of course not complaining. Putting aside minor issues like Iran, health care, and climate change, the Supreme Court-related news of the last couple months has driven home how important McCain’s loss was. The thought of John McCain choosing David Souter’s replacement is downright terrifying.

-AR