How Do You Solve A Problem Like Sarah?

"Politics is the art of postponing a decisions until they are no longer relevant."

-Henri Queuille

The election is over, but Sarah Palin isn't going away. I am betting that we will be hearing more and more from her as the next four years progresses. I don't know that it would be a bad thing, especially if what we see is the real SarahPalin . See, I don't think we ever really got to know the real Sarah. How could we have, when all we saw was the odd... and I mean... odd... interview? From the very beginning of her introduction to national politics, she has been, if not the butt of the joke, the secret. As long as I live, I will wonder, what was John McCain thinking? It has been well substantiated that he meet with her only once or twice, before choosing her as his running mate, and then rarely spoke with her as the campaign progressed. And now, I can't help but wonder about the bitterness from within the McCain/Palin camps.

For a long time I have held the theory that Republicans eat their own, but now with all the mudslinging back and forth, it appears I have been right. That doesn't necessarily bring me any happiness, after all, while the Republicans implode, their constituents sit back and wonder which side to believe in. Or even whether or not to take sides. I think it would be difficult to be an average American Republican right now. With the election having just gone to Democrats by a landslide, and the Republican party in tatters, who do you look to as the clear leader of the party that represents your ideals? I really want to step into the shoes of the Republicans for a moment. If I were a Republican, would I be sitting back right now, wondering what just happened?

It's clear that in the beginning of the campaign, Sarah Palin excited things. Conservative women probably felt like for the first time they had a voice for them. And what a voice she was, when she was allowed to talk. I don't think the republican party did her any favors by keeping her hidden most of the time. As for the media, well, they simply did their job. Charles Gibson, Katie Couric , even Fox News! Honestly, you can't really blame the media in this case, they asked the questions they would have no matter who had been chosen, although it McCain had chosen someone with more foreign policy experience, some of the nonsense could have been avoided. So, if the picture seemed less then perfect, well, it's because it was. But how many of their own problems did the Republicans bring on themselves?

"Joe The Plumber" might have been one of the biggest mistakes of all time! I still don't understand that one. The only thing that keeps me from thinking that he was some kind of plant by John McCain to give him something to talk about, is the fact that he won't go away! Weird. Very Weird. Another seemingly large misstep was John McCain running back to Washington to work on the bailout... I mean rescue... I mean bailout of the American financial system. The Republicans clearly didn't want him there, and had no problem telling the media that. Weird. Very weird. And then there is the little problem with the "coast to coast looting of Neiman Marcus." You know, the spending spree that apparently took place on behalf of Sarah Palin. Wow... what a mess!

You know, I kind of felt sorry for the governor the last night. Yesterday, as she returned to her day job as the governor of Alaska, the press were asking the questions they should have been asking, and she seemed a little sad as she answered them. It has to have been hurtful. Fractions of her own party have thrown her under the bus. But yesterday, she seemed a little more believable as she tried to find the right words, or the correct words, or whatever words it took to make it all stop. Sigh. I felt sorry for her. It made me want to sit down with her, one on one, with a hot cup of Green Tea and some fat-free cookies, and talk to her woman to woman, about boys, hair and make-up. You would be surprised how many problems I have solved while discussing those three subjects. Call me a bad Democrat, but I can't kick someone when they are down. You know?

So tell me, if you could sit down with Sarah Palin, one on one, what would you ask her? Would you discuss politics, or do you have something else you would like to know about? Do you think she will make another run for the White House in four years? Do you think she will succeed Sen. Ted Stevens, if his felony convictions stand? Sing out. Tell me what you think. You know you want to!

-Carly