Steve Schmidt: Sarah Palin 'Catastrophic' as 2012 Candidate

Steve Schmidt has stated flatly that former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin would be "catastrophic" if nominated as the GOP Presidential candidate in 2012. Steven Schmidt should know something about catastrophes. Steve Schmidt was McCain's campaign strategist.

Sarah Palin and her allies have blamed Steve Schmidt for leaks and other efforts to undermine Sarah Palin's Vice Presidential candidacy during the 2008 Campaign. Schmidt has denied the charge, but it is clear that he will be featured prominently in Sarah Palin's upcoming memoir, Going Rogue. Steve Schmidt's assessment may be seen as a preemptive shot in anticipation of being attacked in print.

Mind, while quite a few people love Sarah Palin-she is virtually the only potential Republican candidate for President who inspires passion and enthusiasm-quite a few other people loath her. The media meat grinder, the Tina Fey caricature, and a few rookie missteps during the campaign have combined to give some the impression of a female Dan Quayle, i.e. a smart person to be sure, but someone too damaged to make it in the public arena.

On the other hand, Sarah Palin has a little more than two years to turn that around. She has already had a good start, with a successful speech in Hong Kong, a memoir that is already a runaway best seller, and over a thousand requests for public appearances, many for candidates in 2010.

If Sarah Palin does beat the caricature and become President, she will not be the first to have done so. There was once a Hollywood actor who was thought of as an "amiable dunce" who would cause tens of millions of people to be driven into poverty, before blowing up the world in a nuclear holocaust. His name was Ronald Reagan.

Besides that, "safe" and "moderate" candidates tend to lose as Republicans. John McCain is one example. Bob Dole in 1996 is another. Only Republicans with a little edge, with "bold colors, not pale pastels', to quote President Reagan, tend to prosper on the national stage.

Aside from that, 2012 could well be a replay of 1980, when a conservative Republican annihilates a Democratic President who had made a mess of things. President Obama's continuing follies, both at home and abroad, has set up the possibilities for a GOP romp in both 2010 and 2012. Barack Obama is not likely to try to head for the center and triangulate, like Bill Clinton. Obama will go down with the ship, flying the liberal flag with pride.

In any case, after 2008, Steve Schmidt would do well to be quiet when judging other people. If the spectacle of the Captain of the Titanic lecturing about seamanship would be unedifying, the same would be said for any of his officers. Sarah Palin was one of the bright spots of the McCain 2009 race, almost pulling off a win before the economic crisis and McCain ineptitude combined to sink the ticket. One looks forward to what Sarah Palin can do without the dead weight of McCain and his people.

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