There has been quite a lot of buzz on the ‘internets’ the past couple of days speculating as to whether Sarah Palin will withdraw. The growing opinion by some on the right is that Palin is not up for the job. Kathleen Parker, a columnist and darling of the right, was the first to speak the truth that dare not speak its name in Republican circles. She was followed by others on the right who echoed her sentiments.
Parker, originally a Palin cheerleader, is known for her Coulteresque venom towards democrats. For instance, there’s this gem:
"These bastards like Clark and Kerry and that incipient ass, Dean, and Gephardt and Kucinich and that absolute mental midget Sharpton, race baiter, should all be lined up and shot.
So when Parker says Palin should take her lipstick and high-tail it back to her igloo, that’s saying something. That’s saying a lot actually. But unfortunately for Parker it is not saying enough. With people like Palin, it will never be enough.
For a moment let’s say John McCain picked Mitt Romney as his running mate instead of Palin. Romney, with an ego the size of his bank-account, will do anything and say anything to be elected as demonstrated by his failed bid for the presidency.
But if Romney became the iceberg to McCain’s ship that Palin has become, Romney might consider dropping out. He would strategically consider the implications his staying in the race had on him. He would drop out in an act of pure selfishness in order to preserve some hope of future political aspirations.
Romney may be slick but he has no delusions as to who he is. Though his ego is big, he would never presume to be chosen by God. Not even Mittens is that presumptuous.
Sarah Palin, on the other hand, is that presumptuous. She is cut from the same cloth as George W. Bush and she believes that God has brought her to this moment. Some of her staunchest supporters have even likened her to Queen Esther of the Bible.
There is no way Palin will drop out. No way in hell…literally (speaking of literally, why does Joe Biden use the word literally in every other sentence? It gets on my literal nerves!). It's the same reason Bush couldn't withdraw from Iraq. Hell, even Todd Palin cannot fathom withdrawal as evidenced by his five children.
It's the fundamentalist God-complex
James Dobson and his traveling band of hate believe that Sarah Palin has been sent by God “for such a time as this”. These are the same people that believe Bush “won” the presidency for such a time as that.
The people that James Dobson leads believe it is them against the world. They cannot accept that they might be wrong. Therefore, once Palin was anointed by the evangelical pope and his posse, the time for speculation was long gone.
If Palin appears unqualified, it’s the media’s fault. If Palin can’t answer a simple question, it’s the question’s fault. If Palin seems like the worst pick that one could imagine, it’s the liberal’s fault. But it is never, under any circumstances, Palin’s fault.
How could it be? After all, since they believe that Palin has been plucked from her igloo by God, then if they were to fault Palin they would be faulting God. And since they seem to want to speak for God ALL THE DAMN TIME, they can’t backtrack. “Oops, we were wrong. We thought we knew what God was trying to say but it turns out it was just acid-reflux. We promise to be more careful next time. Pinky swear!”
And when all else fails, they hide behind the Bible. They cite verses that speak of persecution of Christians as an explanation for perceived attacks against them or their candidates. What they do not realize is that very few are attacking them for their faith.
Instead, people are angry at them for using their faith as a substitute for their minds.
And sadly, those that still cling to the notion that Sarah Palin is the right choice are a disgrace to their faith, their minds and to a God that gave them both.
