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I voted McCain/Palin in the finals because, even though McCain was too liberal for my taste, he was a darn sight better than Obama/Biden, and he had an actual prayer of winning - which none of the 3rd party candidates had. That being said, I am reminded of how the Republican party was born, and who its candidate for the presidency was at the time, and I see some possible (but not probable at this point) parallels between then and now as to the possibility of an ascendant third party.

I'm not saying that Palin is the next Lincoln. But... the press, and much of what passed for an "inside the beltway establishment" at the time, mocked Lincoln for his lack of prestigious education, his manner of dress, his personal mannerisms, his appearance, his lack of sophistication, his "folksiness," his lack of international experience, etc., etc., etc., ad nauseum. As it turned out, his critics were unprepared for his wisdom, his grace, and his native intelligence. By the time he was assassinated, some of his sharpest critics had become some of his most devoted followers. But it wasn't until after his death that most of the "inside the beltway establishment" began to grudgingly acknowledge his greatness. These are the same chattering class of folks who relentlessly impugned Ronald Reagan's intellect and independence of thought; who grudgingly gave him his due as a great president after he died. I'm sure we can find other examples of the same.

Today, people mock Palin's lack of an Ivy League education, her manner of dress, her personal mannerisms, her accent, her "hotness" factor, her apparent lack of sophistication, her folksiness, her lack of international experience, etc., etc. Now, does she need some polishing? Certainly, but whom among us wouldn't benefit from a bit of that? Does she need to expand her comprehension of foreign affairs? Yes, but that is not an insurmountable task. But there is no denying that she has a native intelligence. People don't get elected to a governorship by being stupid. They might be wrong on the issues (as is the president), but that doesn't mean they are stupid. And one of things that clearly differentiates the intelligent from the stupid is the ability to learn. The smart ones have it. The dumb ones don't.

What Palin brings to the table are the following:

• She is fairly bright. (don't confuse that with sophisticated)
• She understands exactly who she is, and what her core values are.
• She is capable of inspiring others.
• She understands the role of a leader, of which one desirable quality is knowing when to remove one's self from leadership if one's role as leader is becoming a distraction to those being led.
• She is unequivocally and unapologetically conservative, particularly on social issues, but in her role as governor, she never rammed those conservative social values down the throats of her constituency.

Those are just a few of her strong points. I think she did the right thing by stepping down. She left the state in capable hands. She has taken herself out of the immediate line of fire (or will have done so in the next couple of weeks as the news cycles lose interest). She has given herself breathing room to gain knowledge before going to the next level if she wants to. She has given her family some respite from the continual nattering of people who are largely not worthy to do her laundry.

I'm not saying she's perfect, but I do see a political role for her in the future - if that's what she wants - even if it is nothing more than acting as an advisor/promoter to future candidates. She represents the political aspirations of enough people that, even if she chooses not to run for office herself, her political endorsement would be sought after. I kind of hope she runs for the Senate first. If she can do that successfully, then everybody will have to consider her based on her actual fitness for office - not her accent, or her small town upbringing, or her unmarried daughter, or her Downs Syndrome son, snowmobile-racing husband, etc., etc., none of which have a lick to do with her qualifications for office.