Rising From the Ashes?

Did the 2008 election expose former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as an uninformed, shoot from the lip gal unfit for governing? Only time will answer that question, but for the moment, if she truly did flame out in what may have been merely an inaugural national political run, it is fair to wonder if there is something of the Phoenix about her.

Her endorsement record of gubernatorial candidates in 2010 primaries is 4 and 0, should South Carolina Republican Nikki Haley win a runoff in the Palmetto State on June 22nd as expected. In House races Ms. Palin's magic had not been spun quite so well as her chosen ones are a mere 5-4. Still, it is easier to have an effect on broader races in part because a larger pool of voters are involved. The more local the candidate, the more likely the results are tied into the local political landscape. Someone with broad national appeal may not play as well among those more tied into the smaller regions.

And not all of her endorsements have met with enthusiasm in conservative circles. Palin declined to support Nevada's Sue Lowden, a party favorite who lost to Tea partier Sharron Angle. Meanwhile, her support of Terry Branstad in Iowa met with conservative sniping that he was too moderate. So there seems to be a bit of playing both sides going on in the Palin camp.

All of which means...what? An argument can be made that she's positioning herself for 2012, looking for winners who may be able to use their power to support a Palin for President campaign. In that view, it makes sense to support conservatives and Tea Party types who may be an asset in their home states while choosing those in moderate areas who could win votes for her there. Further, she may be attempting to line up a winning record among others as a way of showing that she is a winner herself. Momentum is tomorrow's starting pitcher, the baseball wags tell us, and 2102 is, well, tomorrow in the election cycle.

It was a mistake for the politicos to interpret Sarah Palin as shallow in 2008, despite evidence to the contrary. This is not to say that she will have a cakewalk should she mount a campaign for the White House. But she would not be the first conservative interpreted as backward to reinvigorate American conservatism in the end. We may one day hear her name in sentences with Ronald Reagan.

Or we may not. Either way, at this point Sarah Palin does not appear quite so out of her element as many initially thought. Considering her accomplishment in simply becoming governor of even a small state such as Alaska, it would unwise to write her off too soon. Particularly if her people fare well this coming November.