Conservative of the Year?

Human Events, an established conservative magazine that was founded during World War II, has named Governor Sarah Palin as its Conservative of the Year 2008.   Why? From the day after her nomination, it was obvious that she was bringing a knitting needle to the gunfight that is national politics.  Initially, she couldn’t keep from making mistakes: she could see Russia from her porch, she sold a Boeing 737 on EBay and made a profit, she turned down the Bridge to Nowhere.  Didn’t she think that someone would check? Wassila, her home town,  is hundreds of miles from Russia.  The plane was put on EBay as a matter of procedure, didn’t sell and was subsequently sold to a campaign contributor at a substantial loss.  A governor certainly doesn’t have veto power over Senatorial earmarks.  Sen Steven withdrew the earmark on the Bridge but kept the money for other projects in Alaska. As the campaign wore on, things got sillier.  She didn’t know the Bush doctrine.  She thought Africa was a country.  The Campaign spent enough money on her wardrobe to outfit everybody in Wassila.

Conservatives came to her aid like good sodiers, but couldn’t escape the silliness.  Former Senator Fred Thompson said the country needed a Vice President who could field dress a moose, as if there were a lot of moose in the Washington area and as if the White House needed the Vice President to provide the entrees for State dinners.  Many people pointed out that that Alaska was larger than many states put together, omitting the fact that most of Alaska is owned by the Federal Government.  They pointed out that Wassila is the second largest town in Alaska, omitting the fact that it has less than 10, 000 inhabitants, unless you count the moose.

By any measure, Governor Palin was an embarrassment to the campaign, the Republican Party, and the conservative cause.

Why then, did Human Events name her Conservative of the Year?  According to Ann Coulter, who wrote the article announcing the award it was: “for her genius at annoying all the right people.   The last woman to get liberals this hot under the collar was… me.”

First, I’ve been a liberal for at least 50 years and it seems to me that annoying a liberal is not much of an accomplishment.  We are continually wilting our collars sweat.  Second, aren’t we a little off the point?  Politics is the business of developing policies to make this country better and then getting the power to put those policies into effect by convincing the voters of the wisdom of those policies.  Irking the opposition is completely off the point.

By naming Sarah Palin as its Conservative of the Year 2008, Human Events has made itself useless in the national debate over our future.  The only way it can become useful again is to refocus on facts and ideas.   Right now, it’s just the National Enquirer with less news and more attitude.

Coulter ends her article by advising Palin to concentrate on being a good Governor and by reading Shlafely, Sowell, and Reagan.  Strangely enough, I agree.  But I would add that reading liberals would be a good idea for anyone.  Real education comes from debating with those with whom you dissagree.