I have read the stories about Sarah Palin looking into the camera and lying about the results about the Troopergate investigation. Her response:
Well, I’m very very pleased to be cleared of any legal wrongdoing, any hint of any kind of unethical activity there.
When a reporter attempted to contradict her, she said:
No, and if you read the report you will see that there was nothing unlawful or unethical about replacing a cabinet member.
Of course: the report clearly states that Sarah Palin:
abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act.... Compliance with the code of ethics is not optional.
But, as I watched Rachel Maddow last night recount Palin's unashamed lying about this report, it reminded me of the strangest interaction I observed between my two young nephews, which for years has amused me. But now I see a warning to be gleaned from that interaction.
I was sitting in the kitchen of my sister's apartment talking with my sister and her boyfriend. In the adjoining room was her 11-year-old son Mark and our 5-year-old nephew Nick visiting from Missouri. The boys were playing one of those fighting video games. From the time Nick came, I was wondering how Mark would react because he is my sister's only son -- really sweet but a little spoiled. My sister and I hadn't seen Nick in a couple of years so we were too thrilled to see him.
Any how, at some point while the boys were playing, Nick, who speaks with that incredibly adorable little boy voice started exclaiming "I win! I win!" Mark tried to correct him, saying "No you're not. You're not doing anything to me. You kicked out your plug. You're not even hitting me."
But Nick was unflappable. He pretended that Mark wasn't even there. He looked at the TV screen, carelessly pressed the buttons on the control and with great enthusiasm exclaimed, "I win! I win! I win!" Mark couldn't believe it. He said, "No, I'm winning. He pushed a button, kicked Nick's man in the gut and said, "See, this is me kicking you." Then Mark pushed another button and punched Nick's man in the head. "See, this is me punching you. You're not touching me because you're not plugged in."
Nick was unmoved. He was happy as a lark and far too focused to stop his psychological assault on his older cousin. He continued to press the control buttons (to no effect) and chanted his favorite two words, "I win! I win! I win!" Mark's head basically exploded. He threw down the control buttons, jumped out of his seat and declared, "I'm not playing with you any more. You're loud. You don't listen. And you don't sit still." Without finishing the game, Mark stormed out of the room. And Nick continued shouting, "I win! I win! I win!" until Mark was out of sight.
All of us in the kitchen were laughing on the floor, because we realized that even though Nick was never really playing the game, he did win because Mark let a 5-year-old con him into believing that he couldn't win unless Nick was willing to accept defeat. In other words, the game that Nick was playing was way bigger than the game Mark was playing.
This brings me back to Sarah Palin. Like Nick, she's not really plugged in. She operates in an alternate reality. It doesn't matter how much truth there is out there about her -- she will continue to say up is down, right is wrong, back is front. I give props to members of the media who dare ask questions and insist on reasonable answers. Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow, you get highest props because you have been on top of this woman's crap consistently and thoroughly. It took a long while, but finally CNN has gotten hip to Sarah Palin and the Alaska Independence Party, so kudos on that, CNN.
However, the MSM on the whole has been much less than vigilant in holding this woman's feet to the fire, which is why she gets away with not answering the debate questions and not appearing on Sunday morning political shows and not getting her Troopergate investigation results covered on said Sunday morning political shows this past week. But our nation cannot afford to be less than fully educated on the craziness of Sarah Palin. People everywhere, not just those of us on the blogs, need to be aware of the way this woman lies with a smile, manipulates subordinates and connects and gives aid to people who want to secede from the union.
We cannot allow the media and the public to do what Mark did and throw our hands up in frustration and fail to finish the game we are supposed to be playing. Doing that would allow Palin to remain on the scene convincing those around her that she is a winner. Let there be no doubt, even following a loss in this campaign, Sarah Palin will be back on the national stage. She is seen as the future of the Republican Party. She is going to use the next few years to prepare herself for the national stage that she is clearly not ready for now. At least the right wingnuts will try to teach her how to come up with coherent talking points on the fly.
The only way to stop her is with truthful information. The American people are going to have to insist on the truth about this woman whether she wants to acknowledge it or not. If she won't give it to us, we'll get it without her. If she insists on denying the obvious, that should be part of the narrative of her character. Yes, we on the blogs already get it, and her poll numbers continue to decline, and that's great. But that's now. We have to continue to be vigilant for the future because she does have a following of people who don't know what we know and people's memories fade over time.
A shining light is the best antiseptic. Keep it on her no matter what she says.