While Joshua Spivak is correct in his history, I'm not sure about his final comment.
Palin may be trying to lay the ground work for 2012, but she should realize history's cruel lesson -- building a campaign based on a losing vice presidential run is a weak place to start.
The others he mentions were either Washington insiders (Mondale, Dole) or exceptional in other ways. He failed to mention that after a positive term as governor of New York, FDR captured the hearts of common Americans with his life-long battle against the ravages of polio. We love a determined underdog, especially one who carries himself with such a jaunty attitude. Never mind that his economic policies were less than successful, he fired the imaginations of American voters and served more years as President than any other American. And Sarah Palin, as a woman, would automatically be viewed as an underdog in either the Republican primary or (assuming she wins) in the Presidential election. It may be sexist, but it would still be true, especially on MS-NBC.
Mondale and Dole went back to Congress after their failed VP runs. Sarah Palin is still the governor of Alaska. She is still in the national spotlight and still gaining actual executive experience. And if she's actually setting herself up as a presidential candidate in 2012, she's doing it under the radar. Besides, she's in the unique position of being an outsider, a woman, a fresh face on the national scene, and she has a long-lost twin sister on 30 Rock and Saturday Night Live. Tina Fey won't let us forget Sarah.
FDR should have had such a high recognition factor.
There have been far more mentions of Sarah Palin as a national candidate from others in the Republican party or in the media than from her or her husband Todd. Despite what one might think of her political beliefs, this is one smart lady. She knows that attacking President-elect Obama will only damage her in the eyes of the electorate. Americans got tired of this election cycle, since we've been inundated with Presidential hopefuls for the last twenty months and more. Palin knows that we're not anywhere near ready for another campaign.
On top of that, for crying out loud, folks, the guy hasn't been inaugurated yet! He hasn't given his first State of the Union address yet, either, and that's going to be the most important speech he will give in the next twelve months. It will set the tone for his administration and for the course he actually intends to follow. I anticipate some surprises for everyone that evening. Anything Sarah Palin does or doesn't do on the national stage will have to wait for the outcome of that speech.
My guy didn't win. I'm over it. We will have to deal with President Obama for the next four years, people. Like him, dislike him, love him, hate him, or if you're one of the half-dozen who are indifferent about him, he's going to be in the catbird seat for a while. Let's deal with what actually is and not borrow trouble for ourselves.
