An interesting take on the whole Palin thingy – the giving up on democracy by too many people in the sheer quest for power. The end justifies the means; and when the end-goal is power, then to what extent is the sociopolitical decent into, what word?, lying-destruction-infantilism-the profaning of virtue-vainglory-demagoguery-dictatorship…?
Palin and too many of her ilk are vainglorious, and how many of us now revel in her vainglory? Is it really her fault, or has she been manipulated and used by those whose quest for power does not consider any longer the common good?
Brief commentary by Andrew Sullivan on his Daily Dish blog: John McCain: The Reason For All Of This

“The Institute for the Study of Sarah Palin might conclude that she represents the exact moment important Republicans gave up on democracy…
“I suppose, too, that the Institute for the Study of Sarah Palin would issue oodles of papers on our celebrity age and how she, after all, is just another one. Like most celebrities, she is a vehicle for the sale of something: a book, a magazine, a TV program or a diet regime. This is essential, for we are a vast country without much industry and so we rely on the production of fame, which is what we now do best — as cars and steel and 20 Mule Team Borax are all a distant memory.
Finally, the Institute for the Study of Sarah Palin will mull what she represents. She has a phenomenal favorability rating among Republicans — 76 percent — who have a quite irrational belief that she would not make such a bad president. What they mean is that she will act out their resentments — take an ax to the people and institutions they hate. The Palin Movement is fueled by high-octane bile, and it is worth watching and studying for these reasons alone.” [RIchard Coen in the Washington Post]

That final paragraph is very important. As we saw in the Town Hall meetings over the healthcare proposals, these people are venting anger and resentment, ultimately, that God did not do what He was supposed to do – give them the power to destroy everything they disagree with.
In many ways, it mirrors what is happening in much of Islam as Muslims are taught by power-hungry “leaders” that Allah guarantees them triumph over all that they hate and despise, even while their “righteous” goals and aims are continually thwarted by the infidels. How can this be, God/Allah is on our side, after all? Right? What results is not a self-examination to see if perhaps their interpretation of God/Allah’s will might be wrong or mistaken, but a lashing out due to their feelings of impotency.