No time to get wobbly

By Adam Graham

So, it's panic time among right wing elitists. CNN is reporting that "prominent conservative columnist Kathleen Parker" has called for Sarah Palin to get off the ticket. Most Americans are wondering, "Who the heck is Kathleen Parker?"

Apparently, according to Parker, Sarah Palin is unqualified to be President because she doesn't give good interviews in adversarial settings.

Jim Geraghty of National Review compared Kathleen Parker calling for Palin to get off to Hugh Hewitt abandoning Mitt Romney. With respect, Mr. Geraghty, give me a break. Parker wrote on September 19 ("A Time to Worry") in National Review that she was scared of Sarah Palin and called for McCain to throw Palin off the ticket and replace her with Romney in that same column. Note that this was before the Katie Couric interview. A clueless media is letting Parker double dip, throwing Sarah Palin under the bus, not once, but twice. Her column today was dishonest with her faux regret. Whatever she'd done in this column, she'd already done a week before.

Palin's record of reform shows that you can be a good governor, but not great in your first interviews on the national stage. Parker's advice to have Palin step aside or be thrown off the ticket shows you can be a good writer and a lousy tactician.

If McCain throws Palin off the ticket or if she steps aside, he may as well throw himself off. It would serve as a tacit admission not of a problem with Palin, but an indictment of McCain's own judgment. It would depress the Republican base, even worse than had McCain picked someone such as Tom Ridge or Joe Lieberman.

Sarah Palin faces a challenge in running for the Vice-Presidency. She must wrap herself fully in the views of someone who she has not worked with all of her life. These views don't always fit, and are not always comfortable. And no, as Governor she doesn't know every piece of political knowledge that some think is so important. Sarah Palin may not be your first choice as a partner in a game of Trivial Pursuit. But the future of our country is no trivial pursuit.

At this hour, we have a Democratic Congress that is willing to send our country into another Great Depression if they can't get political cover to do what they believe will save us from it. We have a budget that is out of control. These problems have been created by people who regularly graced Meet the Press and people who are willing to see Americans starve in the street if it leads to their political advantage.

Familiarity with the minutiae of foreign policy and confidence in answering interview questions comes with time. What doesn't come with time is a dedication to conservative principles, courage, integrity, and willingness to reform government. Sarah Palin is not a Washington insider, and thank God. She is one of us and not one of them.

In time, she will be better in those areas she's wanting in. But where she does not lack, she is exactly what our nation needs.

The Republican ticket has had a rough past couple of weeks. I've found myself regretting that my primary choice wasn't on the ballot. But, at the end of the day, we have only one party nominee.

I truly believe that, if elected, a McCain-Palin administration will do far differently that Senator Obama on energy independence, spending, and the type of judges that will end up on the court. Over the course of this campaign, we'll have many opportunities to second guess, to wonder and to have concern.

For my part, I've resolved that, rather than wishing for another candidate or another scenario, I'll stand with and pray for the candidates we have. They need our help, they need our support, and I will make every effort to assist their efforts. The future of our country is at stake, and I know where I stand, even if I won't earn the attention of CNN.

© Adam Graham