Perhaps a fairy tale... possibly a tin-foil-hat conspiracy theory... or perchance a peek behind the curtain.
If there is one thing Karl Rove ascribes to it's the adage, "You can't go wrong underestimating the intelligence of the American voter." He has any number of recent elections that point out the veracity in that statement. Ever since the mid-nineties, Republicans have pandered to those people who don't read newspapers, don't watch C-Span or PBS, and couldn't move around the internet if their life depended upon it. They are informationally challenged and he his new employers at the Murdock media empire and wing-nut radio provided just the pablum which such people required.
When it became clear that Barack Obama had captured the attention and imagination of so many citizens, Rove decided to act. After all, a comfy retirement waiting for the process server to come knocking is not the sort of life a guy who until so recently had so much power and influence could be comfortable with. So last year... when it was no longer any fun running a lame-duck administration into the toilet, Karl fled the stage and planned his new challenge.
Next: The Plan.
It didn't really matter who would have gotten the Republican nomination, his scheme could be amended to work with nearly any of them. The fact that it's McCain simply made it easier.
It doesn't require Rod Serling saying, "Imagine if you will..." to see in ones minds eye the little doughboy darling of the right plotting all manner of machinations these days. His pudgy fingers fly across the keyboard as he gleefully trolls a half-dozen progressive blogs planting precisely those entries that provide cannon fodder for the ignorant Republican Party bigwigs who then make the rounds of the media booths in St. Paul decrying such incivilities.
Here's how it's going down.... strictly in my imagination, mind you... but then, you never know.
Rove is directly responsible for seeing to it that McCain chose Gov. Palin as his 4th wife. I suspect he may possibly have accomplished this by calling his old and very dear friends Steve Schmidt and Mark Salter and reminiscing with them about a certain weekend at Camp David a few years ago but that's strictly speculation!
By bringing the good Governor on board, he has veritably whipped the Bible-Belt-Base of the party (sorry for the mental image) into a check-writing frenzy. There is no way the Republicans could have EVER generated last weekends alleged $40M haul short of holding up the Federal Reserve Bank in Minneapolis. The woman is a cash cow and that's not a joke and not meant in a sexist vein.
The newly minted candidate is kept completely incognito for the entire six days from her announcement to her speech at the Convention. There is now ZERO danger of her actually opening her mouth and attempting to answer a single policy question from the MSM. So to the Republican Base, she's still a brilliant, personable, lovely, wife, mother and candidate.
She gives a jam up speech tonight, originally written for Mittens, granted, but now devoid of any references to Massachusetts or how his magic underwear is riding up.
After the speech, she's wisked away to an undisclosed location (they have a LOT of experience with VP's going to undisclosed locations) until she appears tomorrow night in a cloud of pink smoke to grasp the hand of McCain and hold it aloft in triumph.
She is then ushered away yet again to spend some time with her family and rest from the travails of the most recent week. Her (male) spokesperson notes that her vacation is traditional for candidates after the rigors of the campaign and the convention but particularly necessary for the Governor as she has INSISTED that she be granted leave to help her poor daughter cope with the demonic assault that is the left-wing media.
This sabbatical may last another week or two, depending upon the rate of the cash flow into the campaign.
After an "appropriate" time, she emerges to tearfully announce that all of the pressure of the campaign and the ruthless and relentless attacks of the liberal media, particularly those orchestrated by the Obama Campaign, have forced her to have a long prayerful meeting with her family, her pastor, Mr. McCain and Jesus. She has concluded that regrettably, (sniff), she has been forced from the race by all of those unwarranted and untrue attacks on her family. And she just hopes that everyone who supported her will be sure to remember this sad day (sniffff-bloww) when it comes time to vote in November because (sob) she's so sorry to not be able to carry God's banner forward in the election.
The next day, an irate and visibly shaken John McCain, who in five and one half years as a POW never faced such torture as has Governor Palin, addresses the assembled media and angrily announces that at this late date, Mitt Romney is the only man without a prior commitment and has generously agreed to serve in the courageous Ms. Palin's stead. But remember, "This one's for YOU, Susa... uh... Sall... Sarah!"
Perhaps, Rove will also convince Mittens to thank his master for this boon by not only covering the convention shortfall but also temporarily suspending his wearing of the magic underwear... at least until November.
Then I woke up.