| The Perils of Palin
Alaska Governor and soon-to-be-Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin will address the Republican National Convention at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota this evening. Stepping into the eye of a media storm that has grown in intensity since her announcement as Senator John McCain’s running mate, Palin will essentially be introducing herself to the nation.
Having been excoriated for a lack of gravitas and experience; lambasted for entering a national political campaign while being the mother of an infant with Down’s Syndrome and having been labeled a hypocrite over revelations of the pregnancy of her unwed 17 year-old daughter; the intensity of the media spotlight and resulting public scrutiny presents Palin with an opportunity of momentous potential. Rife with opportunity as well as potential pitfalls, the Governor’s address may well be a watershed moment in the current presidential campaign.
Should Palin present only a Gidget-like sense of optimism and an endearing and warm smile, her credibility as a candidate will immediately evaporate in the unforgiving spotlight’s glare. Revealed as nothing more than a Conservative political pin-up, her impact on the campaign will be limited solely to rallying the Republican base.
However, should the Governor present herself as a governmental reformer; a seasoned executive; a person of substance as well as character; in addition to being an example of how American women can be successful in both the Governor’s Boardroom as well as the family room, she will have boldly planted her flag on the political battlefield. In the process, she will have taken great strides to dispel Democratic assertions she is nothing more than a political beauty queen.
Coming little more than a week after what has been characterized by many as the best speech of her political career, comparisons to Senator Hillary Clinton's address to the Democratic National Convention will naturally follow in the wake of Gov. Palin’s address. Though this is sure to be the case, one wonders how fair and balanced the media’s critique will be after the feeding frenzy that erupted in the wake of revelations of the pregnancy of Palin’s 17 year-old daughter, Bristol.
Furthermore, given the malicious and disgusting vitriol unleashed by Liberal bloggers on both the Governor and Bristol, one can already imagine the caustic criticism that will be barely disguised as “objective analysis”. One questions, though, how fair a comparison can be made between Palin - that has yet to truly ascend the national stage for the first time - and Senator Clinton who has played a leading role in one form or another for the past sixteen years; including her own ultimately failed bid for this year’s Democratic presidential nomination.
Little doubt both Clinton and the Obama campaign will be watching the Governor’s address closely this evening.
Having acknowledged Clinton in her remarks following her announcement as McCain’s running mate Friday, Senator Clinton welcomed Governor Palin’s “historic nomination” and hailed her as adding “an important new voice to the debate.” Little doubt the Obama campaign would have been far happier had Senator’s remarks been more perfunctory and far less congenial.
Is that the sweet aroma of Charley I detect drifting from the podium, faithful readers? Or perhaps the faint refrains of Nancy Sinatra I hear in the distance? Stay tuned for further updates as events warrant and Sarah brings home the moose bacon and fries it up tonight. | 
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