I was reflecting on whether the appearance of Sarah Palin on the scene in 2008 had any deeper significance than a mere political phenomenon. Perhaps it is no more than that. But the timing and some of the other circumstances indicate that it may be much more. Interestingly, Sarah Palin's 44th birthday, which occurred on February 11, 2008, coincided with the beginning of the sesquicentennial, or 150th, anniversary of the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to a young French girl, Bernadette Soubirous, in the village of Lourdes, France. Lourdes is principally known for the numerous cures that have taken...