Sarah, No Time is a Good Time For Goodbye

Much hay is being made of conservative columnist Kathleen Parker's call for Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to step down as John McCain's running mate:

If Palin were a man, we'd all be guffawing, just as we do every time Joe Biden tickles the back of his throat with his toes. But because she's a woman - and the first ever on a Republican presidential ticket - we are reluctant to say what is painfully true.

Only Palin can save McCain, her party, and the country she loves. She can bow out for personal reasons, perhaps because she wants to spend more time with her newborn. No one would criticize a mother who puts her family first.

Do it for your country.

There are many smarty-pants elitists who would take great joy in seeing the self-proclaimed pitbull sent packing from the White House back to the doghouse, but I say be careful what you wish for.

Sure, there are the wise-ass reasons to want her around. The constant low-voltage hum of her intellect in interviews, and the daily revelations of scandal, might eventually prove to be a drain on John McCain's ticket. Already, a web-page of "Palinisms" has cropped up. My personal favorite:

Asked about the business registered under her name, Palin said, 'Rouge Cou, it's a classy way of saying redneck. It's a French word, rouge is red, cou is neck. It's for marketing and consulting, in case I wanted to go that route, I'd have my ducks all lined up and have a business license. I just was granted that business license. ... I would like to, with some of the endeavors that I have going on right now, there comes a time when one desires to be paid for them!'" [Anchorage Daily News, 6/8/05]

Still, I'm something of a convert to Joe Trippi's way of thinking on this. Palinmaniacs are in for a penny, in for a pound, and there's no reason to think that her negatives will hurt McCain with everyone else.

On the other hand, if Palin were to drop out, it would be a huge positive for McCain. He would get to keep all of the points he earned for picking Palin, plus a fresh bounce from his new pick. It is a demonstrable fact that even when McCain screws up, he gets the benefit of the doubt, and Palin's resignation would not hurt him a bit with anyone who doesn't already hate him.

Democrats, be careful what you wish for. And Sarah, please, for the good of your country, don't drop out. The Democrats need you.

After the jump: A video tribute to Palin's first network interview.

Tommy Christopher co-hosts "Unusable Signal",on BlogTalkRadio, every Tues and Thurs at 9pm, Wed, Fri, and Sat at 11pm. (Eastern) Click here for the Unusable Signal homepage.

Here's a bonus video, dedicated, once again, to Sarah.



Update: OK, here's one more that I just found, and I can't resist posting it because it stars Sharon Stone.



Sunday Update: My oldest just reminded me about this one. I knew that Gibson interview sounded familiar!