Sarah Palin: Pro And Con

Torrey Spears: "Theatre Of The Absurd"

The conservative Republican blogger writes: "Sarah Palin's book came out this week. 'Going Rogue' sold 300,000 copies. In one day. The media is perplexed and angry, the people are in love, Mrs. Palin's approval ratings are soaring - Obama's Organizing for America is calling it a 'dangerous' movement, we here at the Spears Compound could care less, but we're glad for Mrs. Palin and her success. Personally, I just love the fact at how bent out of shape the media elite get at the thought of Sarah Palin's influence on mainstream America. Talk about the politics of distraction - with the economy, the President's dithering on Afghanistan, the healthcare debate, Recovery.gov fallacy, the falling dollar, our national debt and deficit, etc. etc. etc....the best we can do as a nation is talk about Sarah Palin's book. Really? Try and get focused here, people. Still, I hear Mrs. Palin visited or plans to visit Fort Hood - and I think that's a good thing because as the President of the United States reminded us [last] week... soldiers make good 'photo-ops'."

Clarence Page: "Den Mother To An Orphaned Movement"

The moderate-liberal columnist opines: "What? Another Sarah Palin piece? A lot of people say they're tired of hearing about her. They think the media pay too much attention to Palin. Forget that. We need to pay more attention to her. I am not just saying this because she sells newspapers or draws eyeballs to TV screens. I think we need to know more about why so many people are so crazy about her. We have just witnessed the opening days of Palinfest, her national tour to hawk her book, 'Going Rogue.' Watching 1,500 people happily line up for hours to get her autograph in Grand Rapids, Mich., I wondered: Do conservatives hold government in such low regard that they actually think Palin could run it? Quite a few do, judging by one poll. A new Washington Post/ABC News poll found 17 percent of Republicans said they 'definitely would' vote for her for president and an additional 58 percent said they 'would consider it.' That's more than enough for the self-described maverick from Wasilla, Alaska, to wage a battle reminiscent of a conservative Arizona senator who ran for president in 1964, the year Palin was born. Like Barry Goldwater, who went down in a crushing defeat against President Lyndon B. Johnson, Palin excites her party's base too much to be ignored."

He continues: "They delight in hearing her stick it to their nemesis, President Barack Obama. Palin doesn't have to actually run for president to be a player, as long as she can play den mother to the orphaned political movement popularly known as the 'tea party' protests. Those protesters are angry at what they see as an abandonment of conservative principles such as tax cuts and small government. To her flock Palin is not so much Goldwater as she is Howard Beale, the professional angry man in the 1976 movie 'Network,' who urged his viewers to go to their windows and scream out, 'I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore.' Palin recently was asked if she would run for president on a ticket with Glenn Beck, the Fox News star who has brought Beale to real life. Like Beck, Palin appears to be having the time of her life, despite her complaints of persecution by liberals. Nothing helps polish up a conservative's career like persecution from liberals, just as liberal talk-show hosts are enhanced by conservative attacks."