Sarah Palin

When John McCain picked Sarah Palin to be his running mate, I didn't have a clue who she was. Like most of the rest of the country, I guess.

I fell in love with her when she gave her speech at the Republican National Convention, and I haven't looked back. It didn't take long for me to wish that she were on the top of the ticket. I was never a big fan of John McCain, but given the choice, I was a supporter anyway. I saw McCain as far too liberal. He didn't present as much of a difference from the Democrat as I would have liked. It probably wouldn't have mattered anyway, because Obama was going to be elected no matter what.

I started reading her tweets on Twitter, but soon after, she resigned from the Governor's office and stopped tweeting. I'm not sure exactly why she resigned, but I would suspect that part of it was all of the frivolous lawsuits that were filed against her and the cost of fighting them.

Now, for a while at least, she's giving speeches. Only one that I know about so far, but there will be more to follow, I'm sure. She behaved and didn't really bash Obama, although a part of her wanted to. I'm sure of that, too.

The next presidential election is about 3 years away, although the campaigning will start in earnest in about a year and a half. At least that's my guess. There will probably be a lot of Republicans trying to get the nomination for the next election, since Obama will be so vulnerable. He'll be seen as weak if he doesn't get his big bills passed, like health care reform, and even more vulnerable if he does. The more measures he gets passed, and the sooner he gets them passed, the more vulnerable he will become. The country as a whole is not nearly liberal enough for what he wants to do.

Republicans are already licking their chops at the 2010 elections, even though there are only 2 senators being elected, (or maybe three since Ted Kennedy died). The one I'm familiar with is Arlen Spector. He was a liberal Republican in a Democratic state, Pennsylvania. Recently, it seemed probable that he wouldn't even win the Republican nomination this time, so he switched to the Democratic party. I'm not sure that will help. I'm also waiting to see what will happen in the House. There probably won't be a big movement to the right in 2010, but I believe that there will be a net gain for the Republicans.

I also believe that in 2012, whoever represents the Republicans will have their work cut out for them. The press is overwhelmingly liberal and the Republican nominees will have to weather a year of lies, distortions and just plain bad press. I hope that they are able to weather that storm.

Republicans in the White House tend to forget the lies and distortions that the Democrats spewed during the campaign. On the other hand, Democrats want to go after everyone that they disagree with. They're starting to do that now. They forget nothing.

I hope it's Sarah running in 2012, but whoever it is, they will need to be strong. And if they do get into the White House, they need to remember.

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The very aim and end of our institutions is just this: that we may think what we like and say what we think. - Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., Physician, Author