My pal Nat Gertler writes to remind me that Carrie Prejean was not Miss California. She was Miss California USA. Nat also adds…
Oh, and I should follow that up with a note that if you ask anyone to name a Miss America from the 1980s, odds are pretty dang good that they'll name Vanessa Williams…the one who was made to resign due to nekkid photos. She's a successful actress with Grammy, Emmy, and Tony nominations, and, a regular on Ugly Betty. I just looked down a list of the rest of the names from that decade, and only recognized one other (a Fox News host). Scandal works.
That was kinda my point. Whatever her sincerity or intent, the fact is that Ms. Prejean has turned a "who cares?" beauty crown into a ticket to celebrity…and, it wouldn't surprise me, some lucrative jobs. She may become the role model for most future beauty pageant winners.