The Madonna of Politics

Sarah Palin seems to have become to politics what Madonna long ago became to popular music. No matter how her detractors try to go after her and point out her obvious flaws, she only gains more support from the general public. Some folks suggest that maybe Palin has peaked as a phenomenon and has nowhere to go but down, but that's what they said about Madge in 1986.

Barack Obama has been thrown for a loop these past two weeks, having to deal with Palin's inexplicable popularity while trying to avoid attacking her directly. His direct attack on her this past Monday diverted his attention from John McCain, his actual opponent. Even when he did attack McCain directly, he compared McCain's attempt to present his platform as one of change by saying it was like putting . . . well, you probably heard the comment by now. Anyway, its resemblance to a joke Palin made at the Republican convention allowed McCain to accuse Obama of referring to his running mate with that remark. And even when Obama tries to focus on McCain in his ads, McCain attacks him for making insinuations about Palin. It's a ball of glue Obama can't seem to extricate himself from.

I originally thought McCain's selection of Palin as his running mate would be a disaster, and it has been - for the Democrats. They can't find a way around her popularity no matter how hard they try.

Maybe - maybe - that's about to change. Palin's interview with ABC's Charles Gibson expressed the possibility of war with Russia if the Russians attack Georgia should Georgia be a NATO member by then, and she couldn't identify the Bush Doctrine of permanent American military supremacy and pre-emptive strikes. Her world view - such as it is - was so disoriented, even veteran political operatives were said to be scared.

Also, Obama is gearing up with an effort to hit back harder against McCain in his stump speech rhetoric and in his advertising. He still has the disadvantage of not trying to appear too angry, because as a black man, he could remind voters of Ice Cube. But he leads in polls in three crucial states - New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Ohio - and he remains competitive in Virginia and Colorado. And he still has an opportunity in the two weeks before the first presidential debate to tie the Republicans to the bad economy and to particularly tie McCain to George Walker Bush and the Iraq War.

Speaking of which, Bob Woodward's latest book offers a devastating look at the prosecution of the war, but thanks to Palinmania, few people have noticed.

As more people learn about Palin's atrocious record on the environment and abortion, and as more people find out about how she was for that boondoggle bridge supported by Alaska senator Ted Stevens before she switched and canceled the bridge yet took the money from Washington for other project, the bloom may come off the forget-me-not. But right now she's enjoying immense popularity for her average Jane image, and if she makes it into the vice presidency, don't assume she won't be a lasting influence in Washington who can't get elected President some day.

After all, back in the eighties, we all knew that the idea of Madonna lasting well into the next century was preposterous.