My friend Roger, who's still angry 'n' outraged over John McCain's defeat, is comforting himself by becoming very positive that Sarah Palin will not only be the G.O.P. nominee in 2012 but that she's already as good as elected. I don't think you can predict anything about 2012 except that it will probably have twelve months in it…but it would sure surprise me if Ms. Palin was even a contender. "She energized the base," Roger keeps saying. Yeah, but she also energized more folks who wanted to see the Republican ticket defeated.
Roger is selling his own party short, acting like they have such a paucity of good candidates that in four years, they won't be able to find one who can energize the base and who doesn't have all the negatives Governor Palin brings to the game. We should also remember that the only reason Republicans speak of a vice-presidential candidate "energizing the base" is because they nominated a presidential candidate who didn't. Democrats may love the notion that the G.O.P. will nominate Palin but they shouldn't count on that. Republicans can do a lot better…and will.