If any one thing points out the Palin political smarts, it is her incredibly wise decision to say out of the ridiculous embarrassment that is the current GOP presidential nomination race.
As the potential voters, according to the polls, lurch from one non-Romney to the next the spectacle gets worse and worse. It is exactly like the times when the public were allowed to visit Bedlam to be amused by the antics of the inmates.
The 2008 nomination battle by the Dem's was a masterpiece of political enlightenment compared to the current GOP candidates and their, at times, ridiculous statements and the exposure, in the case of some, of their embarrassing personal lives.
When Palin decided not to run I made it clear I would never vote for Romney, and felt initially there was no one else I felt I could support. Gingrich subsequently impressed with his solid and erudite debate performances, and I had no problem ignoring his past personal problems based on the premise that he was reformed in that area.
This blog was one of the first to wholeheartedly support Gingrich who subsequently rose dramatically in the polls. At that point I was heartened that there was a conservative who would take the fight to Obama and could more than hold his own. Now however, the GOP field has turned on Gingrich as the front runner and, if the polls are to believed, he is fast losing support and Paul is now supposed to be the Iowa favorite.
Ron Paul has a snowballs chance in hell of being elected, and, barring a total economic collapse the GOP would be looking at another massive electoral college defeat.
If Paul takes Iowa and Romney runs away with New Hampshire, and Gingrich holds the southern states then we are faced with months of sniping and personal attacks which will drag down all the candidates with Romney probably being ultimately the last person standing.
The only positives from that would be if Romney goes down to defeat against Obama which would clear the way for a genuine conservative e.g. Palin in 2016. There is always the possibility of a brokered convention with the delegates turning to Palin but the odds are long on that one.
Palin has also shown her smarts by not endorsing anyone. If she had bowed to pressure and endorsed e.g. Gingrich and he subsequently collapsed in the polls, as he appears to be doing now, then she would get part of the blame and would have lost credibility. Frankly, apart from Newt, there is no one worth endorsing and to endorse Newt might be a futile gesture.
Yes Palin was smart not to get mixed up in this ridiculous spectacle but that is a sad commentary on the GOP field at this vital time.
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