This one's for you, Sarah

Image Courtesy of Ben Aveling and Tyler Warren, distributed by Wikimedia Commons, terms Creative Commons SA 3.0

It's almost cliche to talk of politicians as having no heart. In between their sleazy beltway dealings, their constant lies and unprincipled chatter, and tendency to cave at the slightest show of force, perhaps it is even appropriate to call many scum. But there are a few out there who genuinely have heart, principles, and a love of their people, and their names echo through history forever, promoted to a higher status then the Robert Kings and Martin Van Burens of yesteryear or the various, unnamed, hypocrites of today, remembered fondly for all they accomplished in their careers and lives and the vision they showed a nation.

From what I know, Sarah Palin seems the genuine article. As governor of Alaska, she took a corrupt state and raised hell against Exxon when they were cheating the Alaskan people of royalties, eliminated bribery and bribe-taking officials, and undertook a controversial action that could've cost her political career (sending biplanes with machine guns after wolves) in order to protect the way of life of a people too often deprived of what was theirs (the Inuit.) She kept a state budget balanced when almost everyone else had emptied the piggy bank, and cleaned the filthy blood of a corrupt Ted Stevens based Republican party of Alaska. And her positive stand for antidiscrimination law and women in the workplace has proved once and for all that, indeed, you can be a conservative and still advance Civil Rights. And she tells it like it is too, pointing out the "Death Panels" of Barrack Obama (arguably the single most effective argument of the debate) and the truth of liberty and tradition at the 2008 Republican Convention, re-energizing the GOP again and again and again.

Palin is the classic Western woman. She is strong, dutiful, risk-taking, and independent. She doesn't take no for an answer and doesn't respect you just because someone tells her too. She looks out for her children and those who she is attached to, and doesn't mind fighting a good brawl when the occasion permits and the principles are worth it. Her sense of honor is strong, and guides her. And though she has principles, she does not impose or judge, or ninny-nanny or busy-body, but simply guides forward, as we could see with her pregnant daughter. She doesn't see herself as anybody's lesser. Most of all, she's not scared, and she has the sheer brass stubbornness to not give up on pursuing an idea until it's finished and realized before her.

I will admit that she was a little undereducated, but she had great common sense and wisdom beyond this, intelligence, leadership, an understanding of humanity, and a truly beautiful heart. Education can be taught, but all but one of these things cannot be. They are priceless, while education indeed has price.

I hope we will see more of you in the future, Sarah, and now that Sanford has found his Maria, I guess we just might. I hope you are using these next couple years to even out your rough edges, and you can show up sparkling and blow the dome off the white house when you return. When you come, show all aspects of your character - the more people see of you, I believe, the more they will want you for President.