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Sarah Palin gives good ‘stump’ and is easy on the eyes, but here is how the GOP could destroy itself by nominating this baggage machine.

(Ed. Note: This is a guest column by Bob Roberts)

The only certainty about Gov. Sarah Palin is that she continually generates baggage. When she was first nominated as VP support for McCain, the pregnant daughter story came out. Immediately the focus was split if not diverted. McCain had to make a statement that he knew all along and he was OK with it, so his message was diverted. The world was a lot more interested in the morality of the situation than the political message of the candidates. And then of course the boy-friend was trotted out, more distraction.

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The Republican campaign quickly became the Sarah Palin story, some loved her and some hated her. All the coverage was about why we hate or love Sarah. The Republican Party and John McCain had long since ceased to interest anybody. Next stop was the oddly named baby hers? Or in some devious plot had she taken responsibility to spare her equally strangely named child, Bristol? My goodness, in the space of a few days Sarah Palin had generated enough baggage to give life to any number of soap operas.

The Republican convention couldn’t have been better, all the Palins and the new piece of baggage, the bridegroom to be. So as usual all the attention went to how shining the Palins looked and of course all the details of the latest member of her cast had to be discovered and drooled over before being fed to the ever hungry public. Politics? Why bother? Her speech was a rousing success, so much so that the only mention of McCain was that he should drop to second on the ticket. But had we been more experienced Sarah watchers we would have been waiting for the other shoe, the baggage shoe, to drop; and it did.

The clothes worn by the new shiny Palins + 1 had been bought for them!! Shock!! Outrage!! Who ever heard of such a scandal? Politics? Don’t be silly we’re talking about dresses and trousers and dare I mention it underwear. Of course a story was quickly cobbled together, some may have believed it. The media demanded it. It had to be true. All along the Republican Party had planned to make a donation of second hand clothes to some nameless beneficiary, Can you really imagine that when these clothes were being purchased that they were told it was only for a loan? Can you imagine Sarah, who we now know to be a bit of a junket junkie tolerating that? Who is currently parading around in Sarah’s old panties?

When Sarah was interviewed she came across as a bit stupid. Well of course that could not be tolerated so the story had to change to what a bunch of bitches the interviewers were. Was this more baggage? Not half. Her debate with Biden: In my opinion she would have won the debate comfortably, but because she is Sarah she just had to add baggage. “Can I call you by your first name?” and then winking at the camera, more than once. “Say it ain’t so Joe!” You could say I felt a little bit sick in my mouth but that would be an understatement, only a full heave could suffice.

And then she went ‘off message’. I’m sure that by this time the Republican Party hoped she would self-destruct. Sarah couldn’t have been more of a liability. If she had appeared nude on Hannity, nobody would have been very surprised. Of course now after the election the boy-friend has disappeared. Was he ever for real or only for show? All her junkets are being repaid from her own pocket and it turns out she owes a little tax.

It is still less than a year since Sarah was selected and already it seems like some far-off fairy tale from a bygone age. At one time there were leaks in the McCain camp which were giving ‘hot goss’ about madam but McCain silenced them. Will they ever speak again? By next election season she will be all bright and shiny and ready to go. But watch out for the baggage. Einstein should have included Sarah in one of his equations because where you have Sarah you have baggage and the story always becomes about the baggage.