Posted on 04/01/2010 6:37:22 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
The Obamacare victory has changed the presidential race for 2012. The question for Republicans in choosing a candidate to go up against the sitting president is: Who has the skill, the vision, the mettle, and the integrity to drive this Behemoth back into the churning sea of political evils from whence it came? Obviously, Mitt Romney, who as governor gave Massachusetts a monster with similar features, is beyond consideration. Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels may yet rise to the call of his historic duty and serve. Or not.
But some will shout from the back of the room, “Sarah Palin!” And some others of us (who are looking in at the room from the street through the windows) are accustomed to dismissing that notion with a knowing “whatever” of political sagacity. She hasn’t the intellectual preparation even at the most basic level of popular reading and general knowledge, as the Katie Couric interview during the campaign demonstrated. Aside from that, she has clearly abandoned political ambition in favor of the lucrative world of infotainment. Once a political figure signs on as a news analyst (to say nothing of reality shows), he or she has chosen the one-way political off-ramp. Mike Huckabee has made this choice. Talk show hosts do not become presidents.
But anything can happen in politics. No less than the sage of neo-conservatism, Norman Podhoretz (who was interviewed by Marvin Olasky in the current WORLD), has jolted this Palin skeptic into a second look at her potential suitability as a candidate “for such as time as this.” In a Wall Street Journal article, “In Defense of Sarah Palin,” Podhoretz concedes from the start that Sarah Palin is “no Ronald Reagan,” and he is not necessarily suggesting that she would make a great president. Nonetheless, she has qualities that are and have been dangerously missing in Democratic presidents over the last 35 years:
“Take, for example, foreign policy. True, she seems to know very little about international affairs, but expertise in this area is no guarantee of wise leadership. After all, her rival for the vice presidency, who in some sense knows a great deal, was wrong on almost every major issue that arose in the 30 years he spent in the Senate.
“What she does know—and in this respect, she does resemble Reagan—is that the United States has been a force for good in the world, which is more than Barack Obama, whose IQ is no doubt higher than hers, has yet to learn. Jimmy Carter also has a high IQ, which did not prevent him from becoming one of the worst presidents in American history, and so does Bill Clinton, which did not prevent him from befouling the presidential nest.”
While expertise in international affairs doesn’t guarantee wise leadership, I’m far from convinced there can be wise leadership without at least many years of adult attention to the ups and downs of national and international political life, whether directly or by reading great accounts of it.
Podhortez’s point, however, emphasizes the indispensable value of a moral and political orientation that’s consistent with our form of government, supports our political tradition, and recognizes the harsh realities of dealing with nations that reject our politics and basic moral outlook. She has that. And while ill-read, she is not ill-bred. Though her native intelligence may not be Bill Clinton’s, she’s clearly a fast learner and was plenty sharp enough to master Alaska politics and the oil companies up there.
In other words, if what the country needs to pull us out of our free fall into European social democracy is someone with a solid center in classical republican principles as well as the skill, vision, mettle, and integrity to pull it off politically, Sarah Palin may be the one to do it.
I’m not convinced, but I’m listening.
It is all the Emperor's New Clothes as presented by the MSM weavers of perception...
“Palin is a work in progress.”
And what a work. Her first appearance alone was one of the great political appearances in recent memory. I think a lot of people forget how electric she was that night.
We need to realize that whatever candidate will have perceived weakness (whether real or not) that the Rats and MSM will attack and make that the issue.
We need a candidate that has strong values and principles and is willing and able to lead with a strong backbone. They need to find staff and cabinets members that will follow that leadership with specific skills and abilities and will be sufficiently non self serving for the benefit of public and the right economic and international policies.
We will not have a perfect candidate, even Reagan wasn’t perfect, but Republicans need to argue persuasively but accept a reasonable candidate and stop the warfare within the party. We also must stop elevating the next in line to the nomination .... we will continue to lose with McCain, Doyle, etc candidates.
I like Sarah, she is not perfect, but has good character and a strong backbone and the Rats are scared silly.
Zer0's teleprompter has a higher IQ than Hussein.
The only thing the man child can do better than Palin is bow to Monarchs and Emperors, especially the Mohammedan kind.
I remember in 2006, when BHO was just gearing to make his run for POUS, some talking head made a comment that BHO had a 126 or 127 IQ (I don’t remember the exact number). If I remember correctly, wasn’t GWB’s IQ something like 146? If so, and the liberals call him stupid and BHO a genius. Go figure...
Semper fi
Let’s say for the sake of argument that Obama does have a higher IQ then Sarah. So what?
I’ll take everyday, American common sense over Marxist ideologue any day of the week. A person does not need to be a Stephen Hawkins to run this country, they do need to know what is best for her and to put that first.
Obama fails at that simple truth daily.
Sarah will lead us out of the Obama/democrat swamp we are in now. That is good enough. I will support her.
I am of average intelligence...as average as average can get and my speeches would be on Obie’s level of intellect.
But I know how to say Corpsman. He’s in for a huge defrocking of his inteeligence, his power, his honesty, his everything.
Am watching Sarah’s hr. special right now on FOX.
Me too.
.
“She hasn’t the intellectual preparation even at the most basic level of popular reading and general knowledge, as the Katie Couric interview during the campaign demonstrated”
.
That was as far as I read. The writer is a moron beyond salvation.
Palin’s intellect is the only one that is not in question for the 2012 race. Our real threat is that a woman of such intelligence could subject us to her better judgment and deem this ash heap of a country beyond fixing, and not run.
Me too ... great show! Loving it.
Complete, utter, total bullsh!t, as anyone who's ever seen "Jay walking" knows. The average American can barely spell their own name any more.
And, side note to the author, that sentence snippet is POORLY, awkwardly written. Especially for someone who makes a living writing.
I heard Barracuda Sarah in Beaumont TX at the Motivation Seminar And she is Beautiful, Brilliant, communicates like RR, and most important, She is one of us and not one of them.Perky Kate is another highly overpaid talking Head.
barbra ann
Well said.
She is one of us and not one of them.
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It’s going to take a person who is strong in their beliefs, fearless of criticism, and morally courageous to undo the damage done to our country. It’s going to require not just cutting budgets and programs, but cutting entire departments. We can’t dink around the edges. We have to perform major surgery to save the patient and then we have to get out of the way and let the patient recover.
Sarah Palin has the qualities we need and I wouldn’t sell her short in the intelligence department. She has been right on every issue she has taken Obama to task on and he has been wrong, so who’s smarter?
However, I saw the Couric interview and I thought Palin looked dumber than a post in it.
Still, Sarah is the BEST retail politician of the 21st century, solidly grounded in the right principles AND MY CHOICE, so far.
Oh.... thanks for mentioning. I had forgotten about her being on tonite. Came in to the show right when I saw your mention at 10:47 during Toby Keith. I hope it will be available again on-line or later some time.
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