Palin into insignificance

Hello All!

For those of you who still haven't heard here's what has happened recently.

1. The theatre in which I was going to be performing over Christmas suffered fire damage in an arson attack by a serial arsonist (who it now seems has been caught).

2. They are working round the clock to repair the damage, but won't be ready for Christmas, so the show had to be cancelled.

3. Therefore, Kira and I are now coming back to the UK for Christmas - and will hopefully see many of you soon!

4. I got my driving licence, so have been experiencing the joys of the internal combustion engine.

In all this, blogging has been far from my mind - and I'm about to go out and learn how to Lindy Hop, then get up at 5am to watch England get trounced by the All Blacks, then watch Arsenal annihilate Sunderland, then watch more devastation in UFC 106, before catching a SeaHawks game and going to Vegas (Oh yeah!) - so this will be quick.

My main thought is about Sarah Palin. Oddly, I find myself feeling sorry for her. Yes, she is uber right wing. Yes, she is playing on the petty, selfish fears of swathes of American's who have adopted her as the photogenic archetype of their own victimhood. Yes, hunting wolves with AK47s and clubbing baby seals to death is loathsome, BUT ultimately, what has she done except have the temerity to accept an invitation from an aged war hero and then follow that invitation through?

At times it seems like she is being vilified for daring to exist, a dinosaur (therefore put there by God?) to liberals, a hero to the far right, she didn't so much seek the limelight as have it thrust upon her - and when she is there who can blame her (certainly not an actor!) for wishing to stay in it as long as possible.

Yet again, we have a cautionary tale from our own recent history that has relevance for the American media's treatment of Mrs Palin.

Jade Goody

At first laughed at for her lack of intelligence, then demonised for her intolerance, Jade faced the same plight as Palin - hated by the media that created her for overstaying her welcome. Her journey from victim to villain and back could and should be studied by Palin's team; for Palin has much more in common with Jade than she does with any politician. She is the epitome of a modern celebrity - loved and loathed in equal measure as she symbiotically loves and loathes the media that sustains her.

Who will be the eventual victor? There can be only one. As with Jade before her, if the media strike down Palin, she will become more powerful than we can ever imagine - she will be a media martyr; beneficiary of collective guilt at complicity in her destruction.

With a good team in place she could easily take advantage of this at just the right time. Why work hard at projecting strength in a presidential race when you can win by projecting weakness - casting yourself as a 'victim', as your country is a 'victim'.

We've had Bush as Commander in Thief, get ready for the potential Commander in Grief - Sarah Palin: Field Marshall of the Hard Done By.

And the liberal media will have nobody to blame for it but themselves, as they create sympathy in the minds of American's as a heartless prosecutor does by going after a 'pretty but not too bright' defendent. Who cares if she's guilty - they are being mean to her!

If we want Sarah to start Palin into insignificance we need to start ignoring her - not continuing to write her own mythology. That way 2012 lies - and the Mayan's may well turn out to be right.

DD Out