Palin told a largely worshipful crowd:
“So how about in honor of the American soldier, you quit making up things. And don’t underestimate the wisdom of the people. And one other thing for the media — our new governor has a very nice family, too, so leave his kids alone,.”
It was not clear what stories were made up. There are of course those stories that the military made up like the death of Pat Tillman and the rescue of Pvt. Jessica Lynch. Moreover, if the new governor wants to keep his family private, he might want to avoid making both his faith and his family critical components of his campaign. While all candidates contend to parade their families before crowds, Palin campaigned on her devout faith and small-town values. Complaining about all of the attention directed on her family would be like former Sen. Gary Hart complaining about all of the media attention on his sex life — after inviting such attention. To Hart’s credit, he did not blame the media and simply left the public stage.
Palin’s recent speeches seem to be a search for the best villain to explain her leaving her office early to pursue personal and professional priorities.
She might be right, however, about the wisdom of the American people. A recent poll shows her popularity continuing to crater with citizens. Fifty-three percent have a negative view of Palin and 57 percent of Americans do not believe that she understands complex issues. Her numbers among Republicans and Independents also continue to fall and Republican leaders seem to be lining up to distance themselves and their party from her.
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