Sarah Palin Decides Not to Run in 2012 - Finally a Wise Decision

On Wednesday, October 5, 2011, former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, in a letter to her supporters, announced that she would not be running for president in the 2012 elections. She decided not to run "after much prayer and serious consideration," and further stated that her family comes first.

While I have no personal animosity toward Ms. Palin, I have been one of the staunchest critics of her fitness for the highest office in the country. During the 2008 presidential campaign, as John McCain's running mate, she failed to demonstrate the leadership traits that are essential to success in either of the White House positions; her depth of knowledge of the world in which occupants of the White House must operate was, to say the least, shallow. That she is charismatic and able to stimulate the ultra-conservative voters is to her credit, but it takes more than charisma to navigate the often turbulent waters of international relations and domestic compromise and make the country actually function.

The fact that many in the GOP questioned not just her technical ability to do the job, there was even a feeling from one of her own advisors during the 2008 campaign that she might be mentally unstable. Nicole Wallace, who advised Palin during the campaign, said in a recent Times interview that during the 2008 campaign Palin swung between extraordinary highs and debilitating lows, and that there were discussions of whether it would have been appropriate to have her sworn in as vice president if they won the election. Now, none of this was visible to me or other members of the general public, but if true, when combined with her lack of knowledge of the world, economics, and a host of other subjects that a president should at least have a nodding acquaintance with, it is definitely something to give one pause.

She is to be commended, then, for making a wise decision and not further roiling the political waters by running next year. The Republicans will have enough problems fielding a candidate who has some electability without having to deal with a replay of the embarrassment of 2008. Not; mind you; that Ms. Palin won't land on her feet; she's scored a high-paying, high-profile gig as a Fox News correspondent. On that network, her lack of fundamental knowledge of the world is no handicap, and she can continue to misinform people without putting the country's reputation at risk.

References:

http://www.abc-7.com/story/15631182/sarah-palin-not-running-for-president-my-family-comes-first

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20116249-503544.html