America First or Palin First?

Barack Obama isn't the only candidate trying to beat John McCain: McCain is also under attack from Sarah Palin.

Palin may have started as a mere V.P. contender. But as Palin's personal ambition increasingly clashes with McCain's own belated effort to tamp down this campaign's incendiary rhetoric, "McCain-Palin 2008" is quickly morphing into "McCain 2008 (fingers crossed)-Palin 2012 (you betcha!!)."

These two were never a natural fit. They met only twice before her selection, and even conservative commentators acknowledged it was a pick based on politics, not governance. The McCain camp was clearly tantalized by Sarah Barracuda -- the tenacious folksy sensation who would rally the reluctant GOP base at last to back McCain.

But the tenacity has gotten out of hand. Crowds at their rallies are looking more and more like mob scenes, with wild claims that Obama is an Arab, a terrorist, even shouts of "Off with his head." McCain knows this is a disaster -- not only politically in that it's creating a backlash among moderate and undecided voters, but also in terms of his personal legacy and his fraying reputation as that rarest of birds, an honorable politician. You can see the dismay in his body language as he's confronted with these forces and tries to defuse them.

McCain doesn't want to go out this way. He realizes he may be in a position where his only options are lose honorably, or lose ugly -- really, really ugly.

But Sarah Palin didn't get the memo. Or, more accurately, she read the memo and then shredded it. Because Sarah Palin has no interest in toning things down. Her agenda is to supercharge the hardest core of the Republican base to ensure her own coronation as the party's nominee in 2012.

You can't miss the signs. Despite the campaign's official position that it won't launch dirty attacks over Obama's ties to his former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, Palin complains that she thinks it should be fair game. And, amazingly, Palin has actually started taunting McCain to show some backbone, telling a local news station that Obama has challenged McCain and that "we'll see" if McCain can return the fire. This is a really stunning development, a nonchalant dose of insubordination, and it shows that in Palin's mind she's not McCain's Number Two, but her own Number One.

The base is catching on. At McCain-Palin rallies, large chunks of the audience stream out of the venue after Palin speaks but before McCain -- the actual presidential nominee -- takes the stage. Fans holler "Sarah for President," even before the current race is over (watch Palin beam when she hears that).

And that's why friction between McCain and Palin will only worsen as McCain's defeat draws nearer. If McCain knows he'll lose (and I think he does), he'll at least want to cut the sleaziest attacks and try to salvage his reputation as a man of honor. But Palin doesn't have time to worry about the legacy of the man who plucked her from political obscurity, the man who put her in this position to begin with. No, Sarah Palin is running for president of the United States, and 2012 is right around the corner.

Comments

[island-in-alabama]

McCain is not going to be honorable. His 'honor' has never been more than posturing. What we see now is the real McCain, who simply cannot maintain even the public mask of honor any more.

McCain has never hesitated in using every weapon at his disposal, no matter the consequences.

The danger of the movement that now has Palin as its face is very real.

Even John Lewis, while comprehending the basic nature of the menace the Palin rallies pose, under-estimated the depth of ugliness underlying the fundamentalists in our country. Racism is not a strong enough term to describe her core supporters, who believe that decades of alliance with the financiers of the Republican party will finally bear fruit.

Her supporters, whose hate machine McCain is only to happy to try to ride ride into the White House are xenophobes of the most base sort - they hate everyone who is 'different', a boundary that dwarfs even the ugliness of racism.

Hindenburg was only to happy to use Hitler (and the votes of his followers) to get himself into the presidency of Germany. Hindenburg was quickly cast aside as Hitler assumed absolute power.

McCain's blind, purposeless ambition, combined with his utter lack of honor, has put him in the same position as Hindenburg.

The parallels are striking.

Your vote has never been more important than in this election.

[BJD44]

I was raised in an Assemblies of God church, and I feel this woman is an absolute abomination to the faith.

I am (also) the full-time, working Mom of a son with Down syndrome.

I am an Independent (thinker), and would have most likely originally voted for him, but not once Sarah Palin was put on the ticket....no, no! Uck!

[nvr2late]

My question is, even if McCain wanted to control her as far as where and when she speaks, has he lost that control? And if so, how can that be?

[necer65]

She is a ruthless, unethical woman. McCain made a horrible choice and now he has to pay for it. I think after the election, Palin's political career is finished. She will soon be forgotten and the people of Alaska will have to deal with her. I won't be surprised if she were to run again for Governor...and lost. I think Alaskan's are seeing her true colors. Palin does not care about anyone but herself. She has not respect for McCain, and that is extremely sad. I think she lost the Presidency for McCain. In fact, she has no respect for anyone...Obama, the American people, the media and even her own family. I am very disgusted by this woman and can't wait for her to go away. She is a insult to all women. And the women who don't see this are "star struck" and quite stupid.

[speekup]

It is somehow comforting to read an acknowledgement of this Palin vs. McCain subtext to the campaign, which I think many of us are observing but the media can only allude to. I feel for poor John-- the dignity that derives from his history of personal heroism, which is probably in the end the most important thing to him, will be tarnished forever by the Barracuda's self-serving performance and his loss of control . It's like a Shakespearean tragedy--the fatal flaw, buying into political expediency, will lose it all for him in the end. But is this just the beginning for Sarah? What a thought...

[exploder98]

My friend is canvasing for the Democratic party in Syracuse, NY. At one of the houses he visited, the person responded "Sarah Palin" to the question of who they were voting for. Upon being corrected that she would actually be voting for John McCain for president, she replied "Oh, yeah...right." I'm not sure what's scarier, that a once prominent political figure is being overshadowed by a "hockey mom" gone wild, or the fact that people aren't terrified of her in the white house.