You are certainly welcome to your opinion. If you don’t have a problem with her endorsing McCain or what that implies, great. Each person must decide for themselves.
For me, its the thin end of the wedge. If she’ll support McCain, will she support Lindsey Graham? Where exactly does it end? I’d like to know. I like her, but I’m not ready to follow someone blindly.
“Her explanation for the endorsement-personal loyalty to her former running mate-is self evident.”
I accept her explanation, but how much loyalty does she owe him? Unlimited loyalty? How much compromise with liberalism does she have to ignore in order for the loyalty balance to be paid? Think of each of the things he’s supported. How much liberalism is necessary for Palin’s loyalty debt to be paid? How much unnecessary spending? I guess my gut feeling on this is, she’s already done enough to prove her loyalty. How about focusing that Palin energy on getting some conservatives elected.
“I accept it as do most conservatives on FR and others including Rush, Mark Levin and (incidentally) Jim Robinson.”
That’s fine, but I don’t take my cues from Rush, Mark Levin, etc. I love listening to them but just because Rush says its ok for Palin to endorse John McCain, he doesn’t get a pass just because he is Rush.
“As far as I am concerned, it is a tempest in a teapot with which the Paul/ Mitt axis is trying(very unsuccessfully)to damage Palin.”
Maybe they are, but she’s opened herself up to it. It was a decision to do it and she made the decision. Just like for everyone else, decisions have consequences.
In 1978, Ronald Reagan campaigned to reelect Senator Charles Percy who was a RINO from Illinois who makes McCain look conservative. Staunch conservative Phyllis Sclafly was poised to challenge Percy in the GOP primary but could not secure Regan’s backing an did not make the race. One of Percy’s chief contributions afflicts us to this day. He recommended John Paul Stevens to both the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court. Percy was an enthusiastic supporter of federal funding of abortions, the ERA and the Panama Canal Treaty, all of which Reagan vehemently opposed.
According to your logic, Reagan’s endorsement of Percy made him suspect as a Conservative candidate in 1980. The fact is that even conservatives sometimes support RINOs for various reasons. I am sure Reagan had his reasons for supporting Percy when Schlafly was available. Similarly, Palin has her reasons, which are self evident. I am not going to let something as relatively insignificant as this affect my support for her any more than I let Reagan’s support for Percy (which I disagreed with much more)affect my support for him.