I don't know what your point is in injecting Bush and McCain into a discussion about Palin, although you apparently desire to equally diminish them all.
You seem quite bitter, I hope you're able to get beyond that.
I looked at the two other posts you faulted me for not responding to.
I had not seen either. I think you would agree the later post doesn’t merit a response.
I will respond to this earlier one, though.
I think much of the excitement Palin generates is more anti-0bama (and anti-McCain) than it is pro-Palin, per se. It is as much a defiant finger in the face of the liberal MSM as anything else.
That’s the feeling I get. She is more of a conduit and outlet for the frustration many disenfranchised conservatives feel. Believe me, I understand where they are coming from.
The way she was attacked so personally, treated so unfairly by the left-wing media generated a certain protective reaction from those who empathized with her, all the conservatives who have felt the same backhand from pop media and internalized the insults against Palin and her family.
But none of this makes Palin the right person to lead conservatives back out of the wilderness. While there was a double standard in play by the harsh scrutiny Palin recieved compared to the free pass 0bama got, there was still a kernel of truth behind much of the rub on Palin, disproportionate as it may have been.
We need to see that in hindsight. It’s a long, uphill battle carrying water for Palin, one where we would spend all of our time fighting smears and defending her basic abilities, rather than advancing a conservative agenda and going on the offense against what 0bama and the Democrats have done. For better or for worse, the media has already written their script for Palin (with a lot of help from her) and it isn’t going to magically change 3 years from now.
Regarding her being a principled conservatives, I’m not so sure I agree 100%.
Would a truly principled conservative really agree to be John McCain’s running mate, which entails both propping him up as a candidate and adopting much of his platform and agenda?