The irony of their relentless and too obvious sexist criticism that Palin wasn't qualified to be President, of course ignored that no Democrat politician since Clinton could even remotely claim any degree of qualification for the Presidency. That of course doesn't matter, because Democrats understand better than most conservatives how unsophisticated the country is. They have of course worked very hard to destroy our education system and make that possible. John Edwards was a nominated to be a heart-beat away from the Presidency--John Edwards! He was considered a 'serious' candidate in the last election cycle. The Democrats know a thing or two about star-quality, and Palin has it in spades. She is what Hillary Clinton wishes she could be.

If Palin were a Democrat, she'd be President right now.

But Palin isn't a Democrat and so she has a different track to negotiate to get to the finish line.

BIOGRAPHY: Palin comes by her populist credentials honestly. She was born in Idaho and grew up in Alaska, where she distinguished herself as a high school athlete and beauty pageant contestant. Palin won the Wasilla pageant and came in third in the state pageant, earning a college scholarship in the process. Then follows a rather peripatetic educational path which saw her change institutions every year. She was by most accounts, a fine student and did graduate with a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Idaho.

After graduating she returned to Alaska and worked briefly as a sports reporter before getting married and working in her husbands commercial fishing business.

POLITICS: Palin began her political career at the age of 28, running for Wasilla city council. Rather than recreate her extensive political biography, I'll just refer you to the Wikipedia entry which is balanced and comprehensive. The upshot is that she's been an extraordinarily effective politician and executive. She has spent much of that career being underestimated and the trail of bodies lying in Alaskan snowbanks is rather impressive.

Palin demonstrated incredibly well-honed political instincts, as seen in what is supposed to be a criticism. Palin's rival in the primaries for the governorship was Andrew Halcro, who had some advice for Joe Biden in advance of his Vice-Presidential debate with Sarah Palin.

On April 17, 2006, Palin and I participated in a debate at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks on agriculture issues. The next day, the Fairbanks Daily News Miner published this excerpt:

"Andrew Halcro, a declared independent candidate from Anchorage, came armed with statistics on agricultural productivity. Sarah Palin, a Republican from Wasilla, said the Matanuska Valley provides a positive example for other communities interested in agriculture to study."

On April 18, 2006, Palin and I sat together in a hotel coffee shop comparing campaign trail notes. As we talked about the debates, Palin made a comment that highlights the phenomenon that Biden is up against.

"Andrew, I watch you at these debates with no notes, no papers, and yet when asked questions, you spout off facts, figures, and policies, and I'm amazed. But then I look out into the audience and I ask myself, 'Does any of this really matter?' " Palin said.

While policy wonks such as Biden might cringe, it seemed to me that Palin was simply vocalizing her strength without realizing it. During the campaign, Palin's knowledge on public policy issues never matured – because it didn't have to. Her ability to fill the debate halls with her presence and her gift of the glittering generality made it possible for her to rely on populism instead of policy.

Biden's an idiot--oh sorry, did I just say that out loud? Nevermind. Halcro's barely-concealed animosity is amusing, because he so clearly doesn't understand the first thing about politics--people don't want to know how smart their politicians are, they want to know that they understand the problem. In other words, don't hate the player, hate the game.

In my view, this is the essential quality that makes Sarah Palin a star--she knows what people are thinking and she gives voice to it. I recall one line in particular that crystallized that realization for me:

But here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion - I'm going to Washington to serve the people of this country. Americans expect us to go to Washington for the right reasons, and not just to mingle with the right people.

In two sentences, Palin summarizes the entire Tea Party movement. No wonder they love her.

OPPOSITION RESEARCH: Sarah Palin has had a media colonoscopy and come out clean as a whistle. The criticism is relegated to the trivial and make the critics look far worse than they make Palin look.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs took a swipe at Sarah Palin Tuesday, mimicking the former vice presidential candidate's decision to use her hand as a notepad at the National Tea Party Convention last week.

At the daily press briefing, Gibbs showed his left hand with writing on it, which apparently was his grocery list to purchase ahead of the expected snowstorm.

What's the Obama White House going to do next, challenge her to a wrestling match? Gibbs made his boss's life a lot tougher because he couldn't figure out that he wasn't speaking to the White House press corps, but the nation and making fun of women doesn't go over well.

Yet one criticism has dogged Palin since the 2008 campaign--she's out of her depth, and ironically, the Obama administration floundering seems to have contributed to a broader notion that perhaps charisma isn't enough to be President. The from a recent Washington Post poll:

Although Palin is a tea party favorite, her potential as a presidential hopeful takes a severe hit in the survey. Fifty-five percent of Americans have unfavorable views of her, while the percentage holding favorable views has dipped to 37, a new low in Post-ABC polling.

There is a growing sense that the former Alaska governor is not qualified to serve as president, with more than seven in 10 Americans now saying she is unqualified, up from 60 percent in a November survey. Even among Republicans, a majority now say Palin lacks the qualifications necessary for the White House.

Palin has lost ground among conservative Republicans, who would be crucial to her hopes if she seeks the party's presidential nomination in 2012. Forty-five percent of conservatives now consider her as qualified for the presidency, down sharply from 66 percent who said so last fall.

If I were to guess, some of Palin's drop in the polls can be attributed to the perception that she's on a junket, and doesn't, in the words she used during the convention, intend to serve the people as much as she intends to serve herself. The $100,000.00 speaking fee to address the Nashville Tea Party convention was something uncharacteristic for the 'old' Sarah Palin, who gives all the signals that she's going Hollywood.

In the final analysis, that might be the most effective criticism directed at her.

CONCLUSION: The three questions we always try to answer about every candidate are: Can they win the nomination? Can they win the Presidency? How will they govern?

We haven't seen star power of Sarah Palin's magnitude since Ronald Reagan, and her connection with the Tea Party movement is a huge asset. On those items alone, you'd have to call her a favorite to win the nomination. A favorite, but not a shoe-in. She has managed to put together a pretty formidable political team, yet this observation puts things in perspective.

This isn't just an ideological point, but one of substance and positioning -- she is a candidate of grievance and anger, a candidate sharpest when she is running against something, not for something. These candidates do great on the stump, rally strong supporters, and can eventually mount substantial challenges -- but they usually don't win, even the nomination. Palin is best when she is pushing off some "outrage": the Alaska establishment, the McCain handlers, David Letterman, GOP moderates -- even Obama.

I am necessarily extrapolating from the current situation, but I think its safe to say we are still going to be in the swamp up to our necks in the next year or two and the American people are going to be more focused on who can fix the problem, than who is on their side.

My personal view is while Palin hasn't changed, the political environment has, and what used to be a winning strategy will prove to be a liability. This time around, the people want to know that you're smart AND that you understand their problems. Her presence in the campaign is basically going to negate any strategy that involved winning Iowa and New Hampshire and then rolling up the field. Mike Huckabee must be devastated.

In the event that she does win the nomination, it would be a fascinating match up with Barack Obama, but ultimately I think Obama would win. You have two polarizing figures with similar political skill sets, but one is an encumbent--you have to give him the edge as 'the devil we know."

Sarah Palin has serious political skills, but they are skills suitable to a specific kind of political habitat--Alaska. The difference between governing a big, culturally and economically diverse state and one of the smaller ones is huge. The difference between governing a big state and the United States is another breath-taking leap. A president has to reconcile a dizzying array of powerful, monied interests, a forward-looking national agenda, impossible to predict crises, intractable problems like social security, Democrats who vehemently disagree with everything you say, do and stand for. It is multi-lateral warfare every single day of the week, except that you have to shake hands and smile with your sworn enemies.

More specific to your current situation, we have fossilized philosophical approaches to the economy and the temptation to look at it as a binary choice. Barack Obama is doing a fine job of demonstrating how unprepared his administration is, boldly challenging anyone with better ideas to bring them forward, as if his failed initiatives and foolish policies are the only available alternatives. He openly and publicly characterizes any deviance from socialist principles as "going back to the Bush administration's way of doing things". Taking six months to figure out that he was going to do in Afghanistan, exactly what Bush was already doing.

We simply can't afford this lack of imagination in the next President, and I see no evidence that Sarah Palin has the background, education or talent for what I have earlier referred to as and ability to, "distinguish between a viable strategy and a half-baked idea".

There are also sorts of good emotional reasons to vote for Sarah Palin and wish for her election, but on an objective basis--as in examining her resume and comparing it with the requirements of the job, Palin certainly is not qualified to be President. Having said that--very, very, very few of the Presidential hopefuls are, and a large number of actual Presidents have demonstrated that they had no business in the Oval Office either.

The irony is that Sarah Palin, had she been left alone to govern quietly in Alaska, might have matured into a first class candidate with a little time. In my mind, her greatest defect is that she didn't have the wisdom to recognize that fact.

Mark comments here.