Another great Palin article at American Thinker

Sarah Palin: A Leader Without A Party
American Thinker
July 31, 2009
By Stuart Williamson

The Democrats -- and the Republicans too -- may find the next stage of Sarah Palin's public career uncomfortable.

True to form, Sarah Palin, her Governorship behind her, clearly and forthrightly declared her intent: to take up arms against the forces dedicated to tearing down our Constitution, destroying our principles of government, disparaging our history of defense of democracy and free enterprise, weakening our military, and saddling generations to come with oppressive debt and entitlement programs. She did so in the same inspirational, forceful manner that won her immediate and enthusiastic acclaim when she joined John McCain on the Republican ticket in ‘08.

Her words, her dynamic style, her good humor and high spirits, as well as her clear dedication to the traditional values of Middle America, have created a great wave of euphoria among conservatives across the country, in the Tea Party movement as well as those who embraced her last fall.

Those in the Obama camp who have savaged her, and the commentators who have criticized her for being a quitter, a political weakling, doomed forever as a loser, are about to get their first lesson in Palin 101: The word "quit" is not in her vocabulary. She is not a reactive defender. She is a fierce and fearless attack machine. She earned her nickname Sarah Barracuda, on the basketball court. She polished those skills in the rough and tumble of the frontier politics of Alaska.

She is unswervingly honest. She hates liars and cheats. She spent many years exposing powerful entrenched opponents in a state whose politics had become sleazy, and has a keen nose for corruption What she says, she means. She makes no idle promises. This honesty is what brought her into politics in the first place. She ran for mayor of Wasilla because she questioned the motives of the favored candidate. She cleaned up local government. Her integrity is what propelled her to high approval ratings as she rose to the governorship. Her honesty is transparent, it shines through. It resonates with voters, differentiating her from run-of-the mill opportunistic professional politicians.

For Palin, integrity in government transcends all other considerations. Many politicians and pundits find this hard to believe, or even understand.

The truth is: Sarah Palin is not really a "politician". She did not get into politics to seek power or wealth. She bears no resemblance to the typical politician, who graduated in Law specifically to enter politics; or to the successful businessman who runs for office to gain profit advantage or status; or to the mediocrities who rises through nepotism or dynastic ambition like a Kennedy or a Gore. Or to any party hack out of the Chicago machine.

She has not brought herself into this fight at this point because she wants to be President...or Vice-President...or Senator....or Cabinet member. She is in this solely because she feels, deeply, that our traditional principles and values, already betrayed by both parties, are in serious jeopardy through the aggressive efforts of committed socialists. She is prepared to make a personal sacrifice in the cause of defeating them. If she succeeds, she'll be happy to just go back to Wasilla and the Alaskan way of middle class life she loves.

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