President Barack Obama

In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, former Alaska governor Sarah Palin became the first possible 2012 contender for the GOP presidential nomination to comment about the unrest that has paralyzed Egypt. In a caustic reference to Hillary Clinton’s 2008 Democratic Primary commercial that suggested Obama was not ready to handle a presidential crisis, Palin told CBN, “this is that 3.00 AM White House phone call and it seems for many of us trying to get that information from our leader in the White House, it seems that that call went right to the answering machine.”

Palin was also skeptical regarding the motivations of the Egyptian protest movement, suggesting that those behind the unrest in Cairo and other major cities in Egypt may have objectives that are not consistent with democracy. “We need to find out who was behind all of the turmoil and the revolt and the protests so that good decisions can be made in terms of who we will stand by and support,” Sarah Palin indicated during her interview with CBN.

Regarding the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Sarah Palin said, “Mubarak, he’s gone, one way or the other you know, he is not going to be the leader of Egypt, that that’s a given, so now the information needs to be gathered and understood as to who it will be that fills now the void in the government. Is it going to be the Muslim Brotherhood? We should not stand for that, or with that or by that.”

Palin’s interview with CBN and the views expressed by her on a current foreign policy crisis may be a sign that Sarah Palin, described by her critics as uninformed and inarticulate on foreign policy questions, is ready to take on those aspersions in a presidential race.

The last time members of the political establishment and media commentators seriously grappled with the question posed by my title occurred in the weeks following Senator John McCain’s seemingly mercurial and impulsive selection of Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate. Many would say that doubts about the intellectual and leadership fortitude of Ms. Palin as a possible successor to an elderly and illness-prone Senator McCain, had he prevailed in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, was a leading factor in persuading many independent voters, and even some Republicans, to cast their votes for Barack Obama.

Despite the continued doubts about her intellectual acumen among many powerbrokers within the Republican Party, echoed by the intuitive feeling among Democrats that if the GOP selected Sarah Palin as their 2012 presidential nominee this would be the best guarantor of a second term in office for President Obama, an objective assessment of Palin’s political viability leads to a different conclusion. No doubt, Sarah Palin (along with many other figures within America’s political establishment) is profoundly ignorant  in matters of foreign policy and macroeconomics. However, as the election of George W. Bush to the presidency demonstrated, the intellectual capacity of the commander-in-chief is not a priority among the majority of the American electorate. In a national edifice dominated by corporate media and ten-second sound bites, Palin has demonstrated that she is highly accomplished in the attributes that tend to attract interest and support among the electorate. With Sarah Palin having emerged from the midterm elections as the most visible and potent political brand in the GOP, and likely to further enhance her political rock-star status with her recent television series, <em>Sarah Palin’s Alaska</em> and forthcoming promotional tour in connection with her new book, <em>America By Heart</em>, there is little doubt that should she enter the race for the Republican presidential nomination, Palin would prove to be a formidable competitor.

If Sarah Palin were to be the GOP’s standard bearer in 2012, those who might be praying for such an outcome within the leadership circles of the Democratic National Committee better be careful what they wish for. If the economy were to miraculously recover and the current calamitous joblessness rate significantly recede, the power of incumbency would normally be sufficient to assure Obama would prevail over any Republican challenger in 2012. However, what if the American heartland remains devastated by an unrelenting Great Recession? In a time of economic crisis compounded by never-ending wars abroad against an elusive and ill-defined enemy, Americans like other peoples throughout history may clutch at the charismatic alternative with easy answers and inspiring patriotic slogans. In addition, there is the Tea Party movement, already anointing Sarah Palin as its principle icon, which may prove to be a decisive force in mobilizing alienated Americans on behalf of Palin in a presidential contest with Obama.

The possibility of a Palin presidency cannot be dismissed as logically impossible under the circumstances I have described, and it behooves serious thinkers to reflect on the implications for America and the world if in fact Sarah Palin were to run for president, and prevail over Barack Obama on November 6, 2012. I have <a href=”http://www.eSarahPalin.com” target=”_hplink”>done so</a> in my novel, <em>Sarah Palin Apocalypse Americana</em>, which presents a scenario for the first few months in office of a hypothetical Palin presidential administration. There are elements in Palin’s background, past statements on the public record and demonstrated proclivities that offer much to speculate on.

In her role as the toastmaster of the Tea Party movement and most right-wing corner of the Republican Party, Ms. Palin has demonstrated an intolerance of Americans who harbor views that are contrary to those of Palin and her followers. She has frequently used extreme rhetoric in describing those who do not follow her brand of conservatism as not being merely “liberal,” but “socialists” as well, the implication being that they are somehow un-American. On domestic policy, it is highly likely that Sarah Palin in the White House would contribute to further polarization among the American people.

It is in the arena of foreign policy, however, where I believe a Palin presidency would prove to be a nightmare for America and the world. As far back as the 2008 presidential campaign, then vice presidential candidate Palin told reporters that she supported the Republic of Georgia acceding to full NATO membership while the South Ossetia war was raging between that country and Russia (a war instigated by Georgia) even if that meant an eventual military conflict between Russia and the United States. Palin may lack in-depth knowledge on the Northern Caucasus, but that did not inhibit her from supporting policy prescriptions that could very well lead to global war between the two leading nuclear powers. The impulsive naivete Palin demonstrated at that time is a clear marker of the potential dangers that lurk for world peace, if such an individual were to become America’s next commander-in-chief. The neoconservatives who advise her on foreign policy cannot be expected to be a restraining influence; on the contrary, the neocons are likely to exploit a President Palin to further advance their theories on employing American military power on behalf of their desire to impose “American values” on other countries through force.

Rather than ridicule and seek to belittle Sarah Palin, who continues to advance her political brand despite the arrows of skepticism that have been thrown at her since 2008, those who recognize the acute dangers that would flow from a future Palin presidency should find ways of clearly articulating those dangers so that the electorate will be informed, before it is too late. (information on “Sarah Palin Apocalypse Americana” at http://www.eSarahPalin.com )

With the Republican Party in disarray after its crushing defeat to Barack Obama and Democratic Congressional candidates in the November 4 election, conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh has indeed “rushed” to fill the resulting vacuum. His weapon of choice: unrelenting attacks against President Obama.

While Obama soars in popularity, Limbaugh sought to take him down a peg by proclaiming his hope that Obama “will fail.” Even many Republicans were concerned with this attack, especially at a time of national crisis. It seemed to imply that Limbaugh doesn’t care if the American nation undergoes economic collapse resulting from Obama being a presidential failure.

Limbaugh is not concerned with criticism of his vociferous attacks against Barack Obama. He believes that Republican electoral failure is due to betraying the purity of conservative economic ideology and orthodoxy. One result of his attacks may be to compel Republicans in Congress to be less bipartisan towards President Barack Obama, or risk being tagged as “liberal” by the Republican base.

As President Obama moves forward to win support in Congress for his $825 billion stimulus package, Rush Limbaugh will undoubtedly continue to strengthen the vigor and tone of his attacks on Obama. Perhaps the next move by Limbaugh will be to throw his endorsement behind a contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. Likely pick by Limbaugh is Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential candidate in 2008. A sign that Palin is beginning to make her move in preparation for 2012 is her recent formation of her own political action committee.