CNN on Sarah on the Road

Well, to be fair, it is CNN publishing an opinion piece by a conservative writer with Hot Air.  Writer Ed Morrissey says:

CNN asked me to write an opinion piece on how a Sarah Palin campaign — or lack of one — would impact the Republican nomination race.  Instead of hitting that directly, I decided to write an analysis of what Palin has accomplished with her bus tour and how it will impact the race regardless of whether she decides to run in 2012 at all, and CNN graciously published it this morning[.]

Then Captain Ed refers us to not only his own piece, linked above, but also to commentary from Washington Examiner writer Byron York, who noted

One thing many viewers have probably missed in all the horse-race speculation is that Palin is perfectly willing to discuss her positions on key issues, if anyone wants to ask.  In fact, in recent days, weeks, and months, we've seen a lot of policy commentary from the former Alaska governor.

For example, during the bus trip, Palin took a stand on an issue that is crucial for candidates considering a run in the Iowa caucuses. "I think that all of our energy subsidies need to be re-looked at today and eliminated," Palin told RealClearPolitics.  "We've got to allow the free market to dictate what's most efficient and economical for our nation's economy."  What that means is Palin opposes the infamous ethanol subsidy that some presidential aspirants are afraid to question, lest they lose support in heavily agricultural Iowa.

Maybe that is the signal that she is not running—she isn't pandering to the voters in Iowa.

In his own post on Hot Air, Captain Ed ends with this comment:

Again, this is exactly the kind of political tour that other Republicans have conducted, with much more serious coverage from the media than given Palin’s tour.   With all of those reporters following the bus, why aren’t more of them reporting the political story rather than the celebrity story?

Of course it is celebrity coverage—she is just some uneducated girl from the fly-over states.  The fact that she has fought corruption within her own party and crossed the aisle to work with Democrats to raise taxes doesn't count.  I have my own bones to pick with Gov Palin, but I find most coverage distorted, and thus my fascination with this issue.  Like most of my fellow citizens, I have a certain fascination with people behaving badly—in this case the MSM.

Regards  —  Cliff