I also seem to sense a certain morphing of the increasingly lemming-like attitude toward Governor Palin on Free Republic akin to the attitude of the Bushbot crowd here, who so totally became committed to ONE PERSON and often imagery over substance, over a set of principals that when this one person did something as an anathema toward Conservativism, you would invariably be called a "hater" or "basher" for simply taking issue--and often politely so--with whatever issue it was GWB wobbled on. These people (with exceptions) truly become unthinking automotons politically speaking. You could not get a point in edgewise, or any concession that a current approach by GWB (such as government spending or North Korean capitulation) was not in keeping with Conservatism.
Truth be told, on FR for the last 10 years, I always had a trouble with, and God Bless them anyway--the so-called "Day in the Life" and "Pray for President Bush" groupie threads because they were devoid of any real deep critical thinking nor political analysis, devoid of doctrine, and were often just a mere Amen Corner cheering on clever marketable products. When I a) begin to see some of those same cheerleaders now move into the forefront of the Palin camp adopt the same close-minded tone here on FR which is antethetical to open, respectful internal Conservative debate--in others not countenancing thoughtful concerns expressed about Gov. Palin; and b) it glosses over some concerns such as the McCain endorsement, the wobblyness on illegal immigration, etc., red flags go up in my mind.
This is not to say that I do not support her, as nobody has even announced for president and so I am neutral at this point. I am just saying we had better be very very careful as we move forward. I think some of the concerns I heard out there of people stepping out of our internal conservative box and looking at this from the viewpoint of the average voter out there (I know this is hard to do, this total, distanced objectivity), there is a certain shrill, at times whining-like type delivery by the Governor which can in fact be worked on over the next few months. I think that turns a number of people off and it is not her strong point.
Imagine how boring FR would be if we ALWAYS had the same opinions all the time,24/7. I would fall asleep myself. Be thankful to God for the variety. ;-) I am still in the furniture store and have not settled yet on what we are going to buy, is where I am at currently. 2012 is a long way off. Part of the things I am looking for is her unabashed support and vigorous campaigning for JD Hayworth in the Arizona general election, as well as her meeting with a cross section of Legal Immigrants in a Governor Palin Immigration Summit (an idea that has been floated). To quote the great Ronald Reagan himself (whom I personally knew): Доверяй, но проверяй. (Trust but Verify).