"SARAH, SARAH!"

“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” (Matthew 7:1-2)

“Sarah, Sarah” was a pop song by Jonathan Butler which was on the charts a little over twenty years ago. I chose that song’s title for my own title for this posting which is about Sarah Palin.

This is a tough one for me to write, and as I do, I’m trying to be very mindful of the above Scripture portion. The words from still ANOTHER song which say that, “no one knows what goes on behind closed doors” are also very true. It’s not often that I become a true FAN of a famous person. When I DO become that sort of a fan, I become pretty loyal and can be quite defensive of someone that I greatly admire. When Sarah Palin was chosen as John McCain’s running mate in the late summer of 2008, I admit that I knew very little about her. I was having lunch at a Chinese restaurant when the announcement was made. I got a look at her and a quick encapsulation of her politics. Man, I was SOLD! Throughout the primary process, I’d been a huge John McCain fan and I’d taken a lot of “hits” from my conservative friends who were almost all backing either Romney or Huckabee. But, once I got a load of Sarah Palin, I wanted her for PRESIDENT. It was almost like... “John McWHO??!!” There was the whole pro-life thing including having a child with Down Syndrome. There was the strong evangelical Christian background, mostly in the Assemblies of God. There was the whole “hockey mom” thing, the husband working on the oil rigs, and even her charismatic yet hokey way of speaking,. The New York elitists ridiculed the way she spoke, but I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! Yes, last Fall I think (within reason and Biblical standards, of course!) I would have done just about anything for Sarah Palin.

My pragmatic friend D.C.M. warned me. A blunt guy, he sent me an e-mail saying McCain had made a huge mistake choosing Sarah Palin and that she was not qualified to be President. WRKO’s Howie Carr asked, “Could she possibly be worse than George W. Bush?” I didn’t think she could be, but I suppose that’s not the most impressive item you want on your resume for President or Vice-President, now is it? Sarah Palin’s speech to the G.O.P. convention WAS electrifying and inspiring. Unfortunately, her interviews with media types in which she couldn’t remember what newspapers she reads (if any) and in which she didn’t seem to have much more insight about international relations than Paris Hilton or Nicole Ricci have- well, they WERE a bit disconcerting. I still liked Sarah, though. Frankly, I’m an outstanding public speaker when I can just take the podium and GO and in which I know what I’m talking about. But I don’t like to be interviewed if I’m going to be asked unsolicited questions. When that happens, I can freeze and come across like, well, Sarah Palin!

After the Republican loss in November, I was one of those who was looking forward to a Sarah Palin candidacy in 2012 and who could already see myself voting for her in the G.O.P. primary. That was until Friday afternoon. Yes, this is a difficult piece to write about a woman I greatly admire and about a woman I consider to be a sister in Christ. Her announcement about stepping down was ---there’s no way to say this nicely---very poorly done. It sounded like something she wrote on the back of an envelope in fifteen minutes. Yes, I know Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address was something he scribbled on the back of an envelope. But, just as Dan Quayle was chided by Lloyd Bentsen for being “no Jack Kennedy”, Sarah Palin’s little speech on Friday was no Gettysburg Address. It was fumbling, rambling, silly, and bad.

She’s through politically.

Sarah Palin has no great achievement as Governor of Alaska. She was elected to do that job, and she lasted two and a half years, and quit. Now, nobody knows the stress the Palin family is under. And, it may be true that the ethics probe, etc., may have so “dogged” her that it would have made governing difficult. But, this is the time a real leader “steps up to the plate” and shows what they’re made of. You know, I have no doubt that if Hillary Clinton had become President and had actually RECEIVED that difficult phone call at 3 in the morning about a terrorist attack or a nuclear attack or something, that Hillary would be up to the task. I know I wouldn’t be up to the task, and, neither would Sarah Palin.

That said, I have no doubt of Sarah Palin’s commitment to Christ and to Christian values. This may sound ridiculous, but I’m serious: maybe she’d be of far more value as an evangelist and a motivational speaker than as President, Vice-President, or Governor. Sarah IS a great speaker when she wants to be. She does have some great convictions. Her family is not perfect, but who’s is? I believe she’s probably a good wife and mother.

I’m disappointed in Sarah Palin’s performance on Friday, and it’s hard to admit that my friend D.C.M. was right about her (as far as POLITICS goes). But, I hope she finds her niche and I hope she makes a useful and positive impact on this generation. It’s been said that Jimmy Carter was a lousy President, but with his “Habitat For Humanity” work and other causes has been one of our best ex-Presidents. Well, I hope down the road Sarah Palin will be similarly admired, as people say, “I’m glad she left politics, because she’s far more suited to....”

Yes, this was a difficult piece to write, but I hope I haven’t given the wrong impression. I still respect Sarah Palin as a person, and I wish her the very best as she leaves the world of politics.