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Time alone will tell whether Palin will be an asset or liability ... so far as the total electorate is concerned.
It is indicative and instructive of the severe biases of the media that she has so far been mocked and ridiculed ... and that her policies are seen as too conservative. The issue isn't whether that's true, because the election will decide that ... but whether the Ultra Liberal Elitists want to continue mocking her for her personality, life style, etc., in terms of putting her down for this or that.
George Will said, one day months back, that he believed the country is "center/right." I beg to differ. It is, I think, "center/left." But not much to the left. On some social issues, yes. On the War as it was foisted on us ... yes, in the beginning. It is instructive to me that as the "Surge" has played out, and success for whatever multiple reasons, emerges, I believe there will be more and more Americans who will give McCain credit for his stand on that military decision. It is not true, as Obama claims, that political concessions have not happened as a result of the Surge.
Accommodations in various provinces, and the negotiations on how long the Americans stay could not have occurred had the Shi'a, Sunnis, and Kurds (and perhaps other groups such as Iraqi Christians, Sufis, etc), not been involved. Whether they are long-lasting isn't our problem.
What will be our problem now is dove tailing our own expectations on the agreed upon with drawal schedule. I believe all Iraqi sides are now holding their breath, rearming, training, positioning for post-withdrawal life in Iraq. As such, that's not our problem, either. The American people, I'd predict ... especially those over 50 ... will remember the scenes of Vietnam going down the tube in 1975, and the collapse of Cambodia and Laos, as well as the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia-Herzogivna, etc. Those over 60 will also remember the Hungarian Revolt, the Prague Uprising, Uprisings in East Germany ... and have personal experience with precipitous withdrawals, or, withholding of funds such as in Vietnam.
Not that I opposed some of those events, in terms of how much is enough?
But, there is no doubt that Obama is radically opposed to the Surge as a concept, won't concede it's worked, militarily AND politically, and would have also refused funding for it, and for uparmoring of vehicles. As such, he'd have cost more American lives during the war. That's irresponsible.
Palin's son's deployment to Iraq will bring to bear the actual sacrifices made by the millions who have OPPOSED the war, regardless of time frame. Criticism of McCain on certain veteran votes will be countered by ... much of the needs of the VA, to help men and women with PTSD, for instance, might have been mitigated had more Americans enlisted. If they had, there would not have been shortages of men and women to serve, and the strain of multiple deployments would have not caused so much psychological damage on the same small core of soldiers and marines, primarily. Multiple tours might have still been necessary, but had the Army and Marines, and other services, been able to meet their quotas for enlistment each month, there would have been fewer multiple tours. Multiple tours cause the most of the major PTSD damage.
As a disabled combat infantry vet from Vietnam, I knew, years ago, that those who did multiple tours in Vietnam were far, far more likely to be very damaged, psychologically. The damage of multiple tours could have been ameliorated if volunteers from all sides, had enlisted, so that quotas were NEVER an issue. This works for Dems and Republicans.
Palin's demonstration of her life experiences, such as abortion/no abortion; daughter pregnant and examination of abortion/son enlisting/son serving in hostile environment/executive experience, no matter how "small" or irrelevant the State is to the total picture, will play out. I'd watch to see if enlistments rise during the next three months.
If they do, it might be because she is talking about enlistment in terms of her own son and her own family's experiences.
There are millions of Americans, Democrats, Independents, and Republicans, who have remained aloof and above the fray of the conflict. There are many reasons for that. But there are also probably as many on all sides, who have said exactly what Cheney said during the Vietnam War (and has been severely criticized for saying a billion times since), that "they had something more important to do with their lives."
That's where McCain and Palin's discussion of national service may contribute to their support. They've had service work at the level that many can relate to. Certainly, in her case, there are millions of Republican and Republican leaning independents, who have come up the way she has -- school boards; councils; mayors; state legislature experience; bigger experiences. Palin isn't meant to convert Democrats. She is meant to solidify the Republican base.
There are serious cultural divides in America.
If I were Obamistas, I'd wonder why that exists. Mocking the life styles and patterns of that side which will resonate with McCain-Palin, only reinforces the elitist and ultra liberal charges made against Obamistas. The mockery only reinforces a tendency to hunker down among those who will support the GOP candidates. So, if Obamistas were smart, they'd shut their friggin mouths and go on with the campaign.
