I clicked over on The American Scene blog, only to find a short post from Conor Friedersdorf in which he linked to a big Weekly Standard piece on Sarah Palin. Friedersdorf snarks that the piece's author, Matthew Continetti, shoud be congratulated on "his new pr gig" for the soon-to-be-former Alaska Governor. After having clicked on the link and dutifully read Continetti's "report"," I think Friedersdorf is being marginally unfair. Surely most press represenatives would feel slightly reticent about slobbering all over their boss in the way that Continetti does over Palin. This should give you the flavor of the story:
The fierce reaction surprised Palin. She is acutely aware of what the media and her opponents say about her. She heard some people say that the timing of her speech was odd. Not so. "Independence Day is so significant to me--it's sort of a way for me to illustrate that I want freedom for Alaskans to progress, and for me personally."
...
Palin is a savvy and charismatic politician whose career has been filled with courageous stands against entrenched authority. Ideological or partisan attachments do not concern her.
Continetti has the amusing habit of writing a sentence in praise of Palin, and then following it up with one or two sentences that make the exact same point. For example:
One thing you quickly learn about Sarah Palin when you study her career is that she never, ever does things by the book. The lady knows how to make a splash. She specializes in surprise announcements.
She's a maverick--we get it! Also:
Did Palin's surprise resignation help her chances? The flippant answer is, "Check back in four years, bub." The serious answer is, "There's no strong consensus one way or the other."
Good to know. However, Continetti ends the piece thusly:
Be prepared. Hurricane Sarah is about to descend on the Lower 48.
Presumably The Weekly Standard's offices will be destination one.
--Isaac Chotiner